USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Lives of the eminent dead and biographical notices of prominent living citizens of Montgomery County, Pa. > Part 24
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It would not be within the possibilities of this work to hunt. up his legislative record, and he has been so many years dead that even his personal qualities have faded from the memories of most of the living. His widow and some of his children: reside in Philadelphia, very worthy and respectable people.
HON. LEVI PAWLING.
Riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven ... -Proverbs XXIII, 5.
The Pawling family, according to tradition, came from New York State during the last century, settling on the Schuylkill between Trappe and Fatland Ford, at the crossing of the- Ridge turnpike road. It is doubtless from the same generic. head as the Pauldings of that State, the orthography being changed, as is quite common in a new country. Our earliest: authentic information of the Pennsylvania family is in the re- cord that " Henry Pawling, Jr., Jonathan Roberts, Sr., George Smith, Robert Shannon, and Henry Conrad, were appointed by act of Assembly in 1784 to purchase ground near Stony creek, and thereon erect a court house and prison for the use of Montgomery county." This Henry Pawling was also one of the first Associate Judges of the county, and doubtless re- sided in Providence township. He had three sons and one- daughter. The sons were Henry, William, and Levi, the lat- ter the subject of this memoir. William lived on the farm at Pawling's Bridge, in Lower Providence, till about 1835, the time of his death, leaving three sons, Henry, Thomas, and Al- bert. Eleanor, the daughter of the elder Henry, married James Milnor, a lawyer practicing in the county but residing in Phil- adelphia, who subsequently retired from that profession, took
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orders, and became rector of St. George's Episcopal Church, New York.
Levi Pawling came to Norristown, studied law, and was ad- mitted to the bar in November, 1795, thus taking his position with William Moore Smith and Thomas Ross the elder. He soon attained considerable distinction as a lawyer. On the 17th of October, 1804, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Gen- reral Joseph Hiester, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Henry A. Muhlenberg. The children born to them were three sons and four daughters. The sons were Joseph H., James M., and Henry De Witt. The first was many years in govern- ment employ at Washington, and died in 1847, aged 39 years. James M. studied law with his father, and rose rapidly at the 'bar, but died suddenly in 1838, in his 27th year. He was in- termarried with Lydia Wood, and they had two children, Levi, who was accidentally drowned when in his 20th year, and Fan- nie, who is married to Dr. Dana, of Morrisville, Bucks county. The widow of James M. Pawling married W. H. Osborn, also of Morrisville.
The next son is Dr. Henry De Witt, who was born in 1810, ·studied medicine, graduated at the University of Pennsylvania, and soon after entered upon the frigate Potomac as Assistant Surgeon in the United States Navy, serving three or four years on a cruise in the waters of South America. Returning home he located at King-of-Prussia, where he has been engaged in a very extensive practice over parts of three or four counties since 1835 or 1836. He was intermarried with Anna B., the daughter of Levi Bull, of Chester county, who died in 1862, leaving several children. Dr. H. D. W. Pawling's two eldest sons, Nathan and Harry, studied medicine with their father, and for a time assisted him in his profession. In 1871 Harry opened an office in Norristown, and has secured a large prac- tice. His brother Nathan, who remained to assist his father, was accidentally killed in 1872. George W., the youngest son' 'has been trained an apothecary and pharmaceutist. On the 12th of December, 1877, Dr. Harry Pawling married Clara, youngest daughter of William H. Slingluff, of Norristown.
The daughters of Hon. Levi and Elizabeth Pawling were in-
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termarried as follows: Elizabeth, the eldest, married Hon .. Thomas Ross, of Doylestown, and survives her husband, who, died years since They had two sons, Henry P., President Judge of our county, and George, attorney-at-law, Doylestown, who, was a member of the late Constitutional convention. The next daughter, Rebecca, was the second wife of Henry Freedley, Esq., who died soon after her marriage, leaving one surviving. daughter, Ellen. The third daughter, Ellen, was the first wife of Henry Freedley, Esq., who died February 5th, 1850, while" still young, leaving one son, Henry, now grown to manhood, and recently admitted to the bar, and one daughter, Rebecca, intermarried with John J. Corson, of Norristown. The fourth and youngest daughter of Levi Pawling is Mary, the wife of S. N. Rich, Esq., of Philadelphia, whose son George is a mem- ber of the Philadelphia bar, and whose daughters are Fannie and Clara.
We return to narrate further the public career and personal' incidents of the life of Hon. Levi Pawling.
Entering his profession just after the organization of the county, he was for many years the Nestor of the bar, enjoying a very large practice, and living in the most munificent style of any in the borough. At one time, and for many years, he- owned the flouring and saw mill at the foot of Swede street, and ran it in partnership with James Bolton, the father of Gen- eral William J. Bolton. He also owned a farm which em- braced all the land north of Airy street lying between Stony creek and Saw Mill run, and extending back one-fourth of a mile. The farm house on this land was near what is now the. corner of Green and Chestnut streets. For a number of years: before it was cut into town lots it was called the " Davis Farm." Mr. Pawling, at an early date, also erected on Main street, a little west of Swede, perhaps the most stately double-roomed' mansion in Norristown, where he lived till he retired from busi -- ness, and which, with the adjacent office, was occupied by his son James M. till the latter's death in 1838. The building in. which Martin Molony recently died embraces about half of" the old mansion. After the death of the son just named he con -- tinued to reside with the daughters who occupied part of the:
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old homestead; but for a number of years, when he had be- come old and decrepit, he lived with his son, Dr. Pawling. at King-of-Prussia. He, however, finally returned again to Norristown, and died in 1845, at the age of 73 years. His wife Elizabeth died in 1826.
Hon. Levi Pawling filled a great number of public positions during his long life. Perhaps the first was that of trustee of the land ceded by the University of Pennsylvania for a court- house yard or public square. Of this he divested himself in favor of the Town Council on the 15th of May, 1835.
Being a Federalist in politics, while, since the time of Jeffer- son, the county has always been Democratic, Mr. Pawling did not reach any legislative office except a seat in Congress, to which he was elected one term (1817-19) in company with Isaac Darlington, of Chester. There was little, however, in the nature of material improvement in town or county that did not secure his pecuniary help and personal co-operation.
He was chairman of a public meeting held July 22d, 1807, to denounce the outrageous attack of the British frigate Leo- pard upon the Chesapeake in time of peace, and one of the commissioners in I811 appointed to sell the stock of the "Reading and Perkiomen Turnpike Road Company." In April, 1814, he was one of the commissioners named in the law to sell stock in the "Egypt (Ridge) Turnpike Road Com- pany." In pursuance of an act passed March 8th, 1816, he was also named at the head of a commission of nine persons to sell stock in the company organized to make a lock naviga- tion on the Schuylkill. In 1818 he was elected Burgess of the town, a post he filled several times afterwards. Shortly after the organization of the Bank of Montgomery County Mr. Paw- ling was elected a director and made President of the Board.
About the time of his retirement from business his pecuniary affairs had become deranged, and he lost the extensive pro- perty he had owned, the homestead alone being retained for his use by the assistance of his wealthy father-in-law, Gover- nor Hiester, who, in his will, left each of the children of Mr. and Mrs. Pawling a patrimony of about ten thousand dollars.
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HON. OWEN JONES.
HON. OWEN JONES.
Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty glory in his might ; let not the rich glory in his riches .- Jeremiah LX, 23.
The name of Jones in Pennsylvania is quite as familiar as a household word, descending to us from the reformation in Wales and the first settlement of our State. The Jones family here, which is of the highest respectability, is, as to religious affiliations, about equally divided between Quakers and Bap- tists. The universal toleration granted by William Penn brought both these classes to our young colony for the liberty they could not enjoy at home. The subject of this memoir belongs to the Friends' branch of the family, who were men of influence from the beginning. The tradition is that the ear- liest head of the family came from Dolgelthy, Wales, in 1695, and took up land in what is now Lower Merion, near Ard- more, which has remained in the family continuously nearly two hundred years. The son of the first settler married the daughter of William Wynne, Speaker of the first Colonial As- sembly, and located on the very spot where Mr. Jones lived. From this maternal ancestor his mansion received the name of Wynnewood. This is a very rare distinction in this country, where law builds no bulwark in defence of family inheritance, for so fine a property to descend so many generations, only gathering importance, wealth and dignity by the lapse of time.
Colonel Owen Jones, formerly member of Congress from our district, was born December 29th, 1819, near where he resided at the time of his death. His father was Jonathan Jones, and his mother was Mary, daughter of William Thomas, also of Lower Merion. He was educated at the University of Penn- sylvania, read law in the office of William M. Meredith, of Philadelphia, and admitted both there and in Montgomery, the latter record bearing date May 19th, 1842. Mr. Jones was mar- ried in 1841 to Mary, daughter of Isaac W. Roberts, of Lower Merion, and they have one son, J. Aubrey Jones (the only child living), who has had a good education.
Though belonging to a family usually known as Federalists, Whigs, or Republicans, Mr. Jones acted all his life with the
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Democrats, taking a lively interest in party matters. In 1856 he was accordingly taken up for Congress by his friends, and elected, serving the sessions of 1857-8-9. At this period the proceedings in Kansas, pending the contest between "slavery propagandism" and "slavery limitation," had grown into such proportions as to swallow up nearly every other feeling among the people. Consequently, when Mr. Jones obtained his re- nomination, according to party usage, the anti-slavery feeling was so strong that he failed of election, John Wood, of Con- shohocken, beating him in the race.
Besides representing the people in Congress, Mr. Jones was some years previously appointed a commissioner from Mont- gomery county, by Judge Burnside, to adjust the basis of State taxation for the district composed of Bucks and Montgomery. He was also run as one of the Democratic Presidential electors in 1876. Though often solicited to accept private trusts, Mr. Jones always refused, preferring to occupy his time with his own individual business.
With great foresight, in 1845 he purchased the West Phila- delphia Drove Yard property, which appreciated prodigiously in value. This, with other judicious investments, increased his estate to very large proportions.
In April, 1861, when the firing on Fort Sumter sounded the tocsin of civil war, Mr. Jones, a National Democrat, responded to the call of the Government, and assembled with a meeting of citizens hastily called at Odd Fellows' Hall, Norristown, and, among others, made a short patriotic speech to the peo- ple, urging all to sustain the constituted authorities. This was in strong contrast with a few leading men who stood in sullen indifference while the Union forces were mustering for the inevitable conflict. Another public meeting was held some time after the Fourth Regiment had gone to the field, at which it was resolved to organize a thousand men in the county as a reserve and home guard, and a number of companies in differ- ent parts of the county were formed and commenced to drill.
About the same time also (May 15th) an act of Assembly provided for the raising of fifteen regiments to be called the "Reserve Volunteer Corps of the Commonwealth," to consist
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of thirteen of infantry, one of light artillery, and one of cavalry. In pursuance of this law Hon. Owen Jones proceeded to raise a company of cavalry among his personal friends in Lower Merion and adjacent townships, whom, with a small squad from near Norristown, consisting of Richard R. Corson, John R. Styer and Samuel A. Haws, was informally organized as follows: Captain, Owen Jones; First Lieutenant, Jacob L. Sta- delman; Second Lieutenant, Theodore Streck. Having a full company they rendezvoused at Camp Curtin, Harrisburg. Here for a short time the usual difficulty was encountered in forming a regimental organization. After a little delay, how- ever, it was organized as the "First Pennsylvania Reserve Cav- alry," or "Forty-fourth Regiment, First Cavalry." The fol- lowing companies formed the imperfect organization, and were mustered into the State service during July and August: Com- pany A, recruited in Juniata county; Company B, in Mont- gomery county : Company C, in Mifflin county; Company D, in Cameron and Clinton counties; Company E, in Clearfield, Centre and Clinton counties; Company F, in Greene county ; and Company G, in Blair county. From Camp Curtin they went to Camp Jones, near Washington. The other companies, H, I and K, first rendezvoused at Pittsburg, but joined the others at Washington soon after. There were two other inde- pendent companies, known as L and M, from Berks county, which subsequently joined them.
Finally, on the Ist of September, 1861, Lieutenant George D. Bayard, a young officer of great promise, who had seen considerable service in the regular army, was chosen to com- mand, and the regiment was finally organized with the follow- ing staff officers: Colonel, George D. Bayard; Lieutenant Colonel, Jacob Higgens (Captain of Company G); Major, Owen Jones (Captain of Company B). The companies and regiment were then put under a course of severe drill. The organization soon joined the division at Camp Tenallytown, and remained till the 10th of October, when it moved to Camp Pierrepont, Virginia. At first the regiment was employed in scouting and hunting guerrillas who infested lurking places, but the battle of Drainsville coming on, most of the regiment
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were engaged till the enemy was routed and driven from the field.
On the 3d of January, 1862, Lieutenant Colonel Higgens re- signed his command, and Major Owen Jones was promoted to his place. Adjutant S. D. Barrows took the latter's rank. From this time no important service took place till the 9th of April, when the regiment did scouting and picket duty near Catlett's Station. The latter part of May Bayard was promoted to Brigadier General, Owen Jones was elected Colonel of the regiment, and Barrows Lieutenant Colonel. "Then, on the 25th of May, when McDowell commenced his advance over- land to join McClellan, the regiment crossed the Rappahan- nock at Fredericksburg, and marching rapidly towards Rich- mond, reached, on the evening of the 27th, a point on the Pa- munkey river within fifteen miles of McClellan's right wing, the enemy falling back as it advanced."* After this weari- some march, and the expectation to join the grand Army of the Potomac, orders suddenly came to march back to meet Stonewall Jackson, who had cut loose from the rebel army and was threatening the line of the Shenandoah Valley, where Mc- Dowell was ordered to the support of Banks and Fremont, who were concentrating on Jackson's front.
Rapidly sweeping up the valley, Colonel Jones' regiment, with the brigade, via Catlett's Station, through Thoroughfare Gap to Front Royal, and thence quickly towards Strasburg, crossed the Shenandoah and soon encountered Jackson's force, skirmishing with it until dark. After a brief pause, a brigade, consisting of Bucktails, Second Maine Battery, First New Jer- sey and Forty-Fourth Pennsylvania Cavalry (Colonel Jones'), drove the enemy's rear guard out of Strasburg. Here, joined by the advance of Fremont's army, they galloped six miles and dashed upon the enemy with such impetuosity as to nearly capture a battery, and threw their cavalry force into great dis- order.t Our brave men never halted till they had driven the rebels beyond Woodstock. This was a running fight of eight or ten days, reflecting great honor on our troops.
*" History of Pennsylvania Volunteers," page 1016.
t" Life of Stonewall Jackson," page 164. By T. Esten Cooke (rebel).
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At Harrisonburg Colonel Jones' regiment, assisted by the First New Jersey and the Bucktails, "engaged a vastly supe- rior force, inflicting severe loss upon them, and on the follow- ing day led the advance of the centre column to Port Repub- lic, but not in time to prevent the enemy from burning the bridge across the Shenandoah."* After a fatiguing march, constantly engaging the enemy for a month, and riding about four hundred miles, it again returned to the ill starred Manas- sas, preparatory to engaging in Pope's short and unfortunate campaign. With a very little delay to refit, the regiment, with the brigade of the gallant Bayard, on the Ist of August, was sent down to the Rapidan to guard fords against Jackson, who was returning.
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Finally, on the 7th of August, Jackson crossed the river in the face of our force, and under cover of darkness undertook to capture our brigade, but was completely baffled, only two prisoners being secured. Our men retired in order till near Robertson river, when the enemy came dashing on them, but were held in check by Captain Taylor until the brigade got over the stream and quietly withdrew towards Cedar Moun- tain. Here it made a stand, contesting the ground till Banks' infantry force arrived, when the battle of that name was fought. During this fight Knapp's Battery was nearly taken by the enemy, when a squadron of Colonel Jones' cavalry rode through their ranks, cutting their way back with fearful loss, but saving the battery.
"Upon the retreat of Pope on the 19th of August, Bayard's command, now increased to five regiments, formed the rear guard. Contesting the ground stubbornly until it reached the Rappahannock, the enemy there suddenly attacked with great vigor, with the design of cutting off retreat. The First New Jersey and Second New York Cavalry, unexpectedly struck while forming, were broken and thrown into confusion. The First Pennsylvania (Colonel Jones' Forty-fourth Regiment), having passed on in advance, drew up in line on the first alarm, ready to receive an attack, and stood one-half in an open field and the other concealed by a wood. As the enemy came on
*Bates' "History of Pennsylvania Volunteers," Volume I, page 1017.
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the regiment charged on them from the front, and sweeping around came suddenly upon their rear. The other two regi- ments, having now rallied and reformed, joined in the charge, completing their utter route."-Page 1018. Here Colonel Jones' regiment was the very key or hinge of the victory, which for the time was complete.
"On the 28th the regiment, having the advance of Siegel's command, moved between Jackson's rear and Longstreet's ad- vance" (certainly a very dangerous position), "on the Thor- oughfare Gap turnpike road, capturing nearly two hundred prisoners of Jackson's stragglers. The same night the regi- ment, with Rickett's division of infantry, held the Gap for six hours against the attacks of Longstreet. On the following morning Colonel Jones made a reconnoissance toward Centre- ville, and received the fire of a light battery, which opened the second battle of Bull Run."-Ib. As a matter of course, the cavalry had to cover the retreat from that unfortunate battle, and Colonel Jones' regiment were almost constantly in the sad- dle for several days, until the army crossed the stone bridge at Washington.
On the Ist of September the regiment went into camp at Munson's Hill, picketing the approaches to Washington, where it remained about six weeks. About this time Lieutenant Colonel Barrows resigned, and was succeeded by Captain John Taylor, of Company C.
When Burnside took charge of the army, and advanced on Fredericksburg on the 11th of December, Colonel Jones was in command of a brigade and Lieutenant Colonel Taylor of the regiment during that battle. Colonel Jones' brigade, during these operations, was the flank force of cavalry on the extreme left, under General Reynolds, and received the very brunt of the enemy's fire. On the first day of this terrible assault, General Bayard, who was commanding the cavalry force en- gaged, sent the regiment across the river on the 12th with orders to advance till the enemy was found, which occurred a mile beyond. It then fell back, followed by the enemy's skirmishers and battle line, till our cavalry was relieved by the infantry. On the next day Colonel Jones' cavalry was deployed as skir-
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mishers on the left wing, where it was exposed to a galling fire until three o'clock in the afternoon, when, in the midst of the battle, General Bayard was killed by the bursting of a shell. The cavalry force did good service, however, in covering the retreat from Fredericksburg, and shortly after went into winter quarters at Belle Plains, each alternate ten days doing picket duty along the Rappahannock in the vicinity of King George Court House.
"On the 19th of January, 1863, the regiment turned out with the army to make another attempt to cross the river and give battle to the enemy. After three days' splashing and flounder- ing in the mud the movement was abandoned, and the troops, drenched, bespattered, and half frozen, returned to their camps."* This was the last military service of Colonel Owen Jones, as he resigned his commission January 30th, 1873.
His record may be summed up briefly as follows: Chosen Captain, August Ist, 1861; Major, August 5th; promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, October, 1861; and Colonel, May 5th, 1862. He was prominently engaged in the battles of Drains- ville, Falmouth, Strausburg, Woodstock, Harrisonburg, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, in the front of the fight at the sec- ond Bull Run, and finally at Fredericksburg, besides innumer- able skirmishes and picket duties not set down in the books.
It may be added to Colonel Jones' credit that, though he had made the acquaintance of numerous Virginians and other Southerners while in Congress, and had acted with them po- litically for years, his zeal, courage and loyalty, were never called in question. He accepted in its entirety the words of the Great Declaration-"Enemies in war; in peace, friends."
It is probable that if Bayard, that noble type of a soldier, had not been killed, Colonel Jones would have remained in the service till the close of the war, as did Major Corson, the regi- ment's efficient Quartermaster. The testimony of the men of the command is that Colonel Jones, while he remained in the army, was "every inch a soldier."
On the evening of Christmas day last (1878) Mr. Jones left Wynnewood at half-past seven o'clock to visit a neighbor, leav-
$" History of Pennsylvania Volunteers," page 1019.
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ing orders for his coachman to call for him at ten o'clock, which he did, only to find that Mr. J. had not reached his destination at all. A search revealed that he had fallen in a paralytic fit, and was found entirely dead by the way. The suddenness of his death produced a profound sensation throughout the county and locality. His estate was estimated to be over one million dollars.
HON. NATHANIEL P. HOBART.
Fugitives indeed they are. Our moments slip away silently and insensibly ; the thief steals not more unperceived from the pillaged house .- Hervey's Contemplations.
Nathaniel Potts Hobart was a lineal descendant of Edmund Hobart,* who is recorded as landing with the Puritans of Mas- sachusetts in 1633. The family is widely scattered over New England, and is of the first respectability. The father of the subject of this sketch was Robert Enoch Hobart, who early in life was engaged as a merchant and marine underwriter in Philadelphia. He was born in 1768 in that city, and married January 14th, 1790, to Sarah May Potts. Their children were Nathaniel Potts, Joanna, Robert E., Sarah P., Rebecca, Re- becca the second, Mary B., Elizabeth, Samuel P., John Henry, Elizabeth P. the second, and Ellen G. Of these twelve child- ren but three grew up or had families: Nathaniel P. (the sub- ject of this biography), Robert E., and John Henry.
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