USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Memoirs of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, personal and genealogical with portraits, Volume I > Part 49
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good success. The store, which is large and commodious, carries a full line of dry goods, notions, millinery, wall paper and house furnishings, and does a steadily increasing business. Besides this, the firm also owns, in the second ward, Carnegie, the dry goods store formerly kept by McCracken & Co., where they have a good trade. In 1898 Mr. Kirkbride organized the Fort Pitt stone and brick company, of which he is secretary, treasurer and general manager, and H. J. Verner, president. This business, by means of good management and the addition of improved machinery, has grown to be one of the leading industries in Carnegie. The con- cern produces 40, 000 bricks a day and employs fifty men, with a pay roll amounting to $30,000 per year. Mr. Kirkbride was married, Nov. 10, 1890, to Miss Jennie Waldie, a native of Carnegie, and daughter of James and Jane Waldie, old and respected residents of that city, and sister of the late A. W. Waldie. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkbride have two daughters, Ida J. and Elizabeth Lucile. Mr. Kirkbride and wife are members of the United Presbyterian church. In politics Mr. Kirkbride is a republican, but has been too busy with other matters to take great interest in party ques- tions. He served three years as a member of the Carnegie school board, however, and during that time the Carnegie high school was erected. He is an enthusiastic member of the Masonic frater- nity, being a past master of Centennial lodge, No. 544, A. F. and A. M .; member of Cyrus chapter, No. 280, and Tancred command- ery, Knights Templars.
WILLIAM BORGMANN was born in Westfalen, Germany, March 16, 1856, son of William and Maria ( Hanefeld ) Borgmann, natives of Germany. William Borgmann, Sr., a son of Ebehard Borgmann, was a hotel-keeper in Germany and ran a grocery in connection. He retired from business seven years before his death, which occurred in 1894. His wife died when sixty-six years old, in August, 1902. Both were members of the Roman Catholic church. Besides this son, William, the subject of this sketch, they had one daughter, Emma, who married Dr. Otto Plange, a resident of Muenster, Germany. Dr. Plange and wife have four children : Julius, Margaret, Paul and Otto. William Borgmann was educated in a gymnasium at Bochum, Germany, and after completing his education spent several years as a banker. He was married in Germany, Oct. 18, 1884, to Miss Hedwig Plange, a sister of Dr. Otto Plange, who married Mr. Borgmann's sister. Mrs. Borgmann is a daughter of Theodore and Theresa Plange. Her mother died
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in 1898, at the age of seventy-nine, and her father a year later, when eighty-two years old. Mr. Borgmann came to America in 1890, locating first in Pittsburg, where he remained three years, and then in Carnegie, where he has since resided. During his residence in Carnegie he worked first for Emil Grimm, and later for Julius Gottfried and then engaged in the wholesale liquor busi- ness for himself. Now he is general manager for the Chartiers Valley brewing company. Mr. and Mrs. Borgmann have four children : Hedwig, William, Ingelborg and Erich. Mrs. Borgmann and children came to America in 1899, and have since resided in Carnegie. The family are members of the St. Joseph Roman Catholic church. Mr. Borgmann, although for most of his life a citizen of Germany, is an ardent admirer of the energy and progress of the United States, and a loyal citizen of his new country.
ALBERT FREDERICK LEUSCHNER, of West Homestead, Pa., a prosperous wagon-builder, was born at Radeberg, in Saxony, Germany, Sept. 24, 1874, son of Edward Frederick and Pauline (Rehn) Leuschner, who were natives of Germany. His parents came to the United States in 1883, located at Homestead, where his father embarked in the business of wagon-making, hav- ing learned that trade in the old country. He established the busi- ness now conducted by his son and successfully ran the same until his retirement in 1900, when he disposed of the stock and good-will to the subject of this sketch, which establishment the latter has since conducted with skill and ability. Prior to the purchase of his father's interests, Albert F. had been identified with the business for a number of years, under the firm name of Leuschner & Son, and was in active charge of the blacksmith department. His father, who died on March 17, 1902, had been twice married, first to a Miss Eisel, who bore him three children: Max, Richard and Herman; and on the second occasion to Pauline Rehn, by whom he had two children: Albert F. and Mary A. Albert F. Leuschner was reared in Homestead from nine years of age, attended the public schools of that borough and when thirteen years of age became an apprentice at the wagon-makers' trade, which he com- pleted when nineteen years old. He then turned his attention to learning the blacksmith trade, which he finished in 1895, and two years later embarked in business with his father, as previously stated, and became sole proprietor in 1900. He was married, on Oct. 17, 1896, to Ida Clare Mitchell, of New Castle, Pa., and they have one son, Edward Robert. Mr. Leuschner is a member of the
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Lutheran church, the Masons, the Elks, the German Haragin lodge of Homestead and the Homestead Eintracd singing and turnverein society. He is a stanch republican in his political views and associations, has twice served as a delegate to county conven- tions and since 1900 has been prominently identified with the school board of West Homestead borough, being president of the school board. He is a member of the republican county com- mittee.
ROBERT LEWIS WATSON, of Duquesne, Pa., superintend- ent of the Duquesne water-works, was born near Bellefonte, Pa., June 8, 1864, son of James and Elizabeth (Hess) Watson, both natives of Centre county, Pa. His paternal grandfather, Robert Lewis Watson, was also a native of Centre county and the son of James Riddle Watson, a native of Scotland and a pioneer farmer of Centre county, Pa. His paternal grandmother was a Miss Williams, of Welsh descent, and a woman of many fine traits of character. The maternal grandfather of the subject, Lewis Hess, was a native of Pennsylvania, of German descent, a farmer and lumberman, who married Elizabeth Shirck. James Watson, father of the subject, was a prominent farmer of Centre county, where he died, and his remains are buried in the Bellefonte cemetery. He reared a family of three children, viz. : Andrew J. ; Anna B., wife of Weisel E. Turner, and Robert L. Robert L. Watson was reared in the county where so many of his relatives have lived, educated in the common schools, and when sixteen years of age removed to Joliet, Ill., where he was employed for nine years as engineer at the plant of the Illinois steel works. In 1889 Mr. Watson came to Duquesne, Pa., where he served as engineer for the Carnegie steel works until 1896, when he went to the Pacific coast and was employed in the capacity of an engineer at Everett, Wash., for two years. In 1898 he returned to Duquesne and became engineer at the plant of the American tin plate company, which position he ably filled until 1900, when he was appointed to his present posi- tion of superintendent of the Duquesne water-works, which office he has filled to the entire satisfaction of the borough. He was married, on Aug. 8, 1891, to Jennie, daughter of James and Margaret (O'Neill) Bready, of Duquesne, and they have five chil- dren, viz. : Belle, Robert L., Jr., Ralph O., William A. and Margaret. Mr. Watson and his wife are members of the Presby- terian church, and his political affiliations are with the republican party.
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ROBERT E. SMALLEY, foreman of the docks in the ship- yards at Elizabeth, was born Oct. 14, 1861, in Washington county, Pa., and is the son of Andrew J. and Annie (Roher) Smalley, both natives of that county. His education was obtained in the com- mon schools, which he left at an early age to accept employment in a planing mill at West Brownsville, where he remained for six years. About 1881 he began work on the river as a ship car- penter, and has continued in that business ever since. For the last four years he has held his present position as foreman of the docks in the Elizabeth yards. Mr. Smalley was married, in 1896, to Miss Lydia Lambert, a daughter of Henry and Jane Lambert, of Elizabeth, and one son, Andrew J., has come to bless this union. Politically, Mr. Smalley is a democrat. He served on the Elizabeth school board for two years, and is now serving his second term, having been re-elected in 1903, in which office he discharges the duties of the position with intelligence and fidelity. He is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias, the Royal Arcanum, the Modern Woodmen of America, and the Methodist Episcopal church. In all these organizations he is a respected member, and takes an active interest in their growth and usefulness.
EDWARD MORTON, a well-known farmer of Scott township, Allegheny county, Pa., has lived all his life in that township. He was born on Nov. 30, 1873, and is the only son of Margaret Mor- ton, who was for many years one of the best-known and most gen- erally loved women in Scott township. She was born in Ireland, in 1836. In 1869 she came to this country. Upon landing in America, she came directly to Allegheny county. After living a short time in Pittsburg, she moved upon the farm in Scott town- ship now owned and operated by her son and daughter. This farm consists of sixty acres and is one of the best in the township. During the last thirty years of her life she conducted a dairy. In this work she was ably assisted by her children, Edward, the sub- ject of this sketch, and a daughter, Ann Jane, who was born in December, 1870. Mrs. Morton met with a tragic death on May 19, 1903. While riding with her daughter in a buggy, the vehicle broke down and she was thrown out with such force that her skull was fractured. She lived but a short time after the accident, her death being universally mourned by the people of the surrounding neighborhood. For many years preceding her death, she had been a consistent member of the United Presbyterian church and she I-35
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died steadfast in the faith. Both her children are members of the same denomination. Edward Morton received a good education in the common schools, and he has kept up with the march of events by reading and study since he left the schoolroom. He takes a keen interest in political matters and is one of the acknowledged leaders of the republican party of Scott township. He is a mem- ber of West Liberty council, No. 273, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and of Washington camp, No. 2, Patriotic Order Sons of America. There is something both noble and pathetic in the love of Edward Morton and his sister for their honored mother and for each other. During her life their highest ambition was to please her and lighten her burdens.
GEORGE HAYDEN BAIRD, one of the leading merchants of the town of Bridgeville, Pa., was born in Fayette county of that state, Aug. 21, 1870, and is the son of Jeremiah and Margery M. Baird. Both his parents were natives of Pennsylvania and were of Scotch-Irish descent. The father was born on Oct. 9, 1828, and died on May 29, 1901. During his life he was a prosperous farmer of Fayette county. The mother was born on Oct. 25, 1825, and died on March 26, 1902. She was a daughter of Robert Finley. To this couple were born eleven children : Winona C .; Margaret, now the wife of Dr. William McClure; Robert, William F., Moses A., Mary M .; George H., the subject of this sketch; Edward J., James F., Anna Florence and Benjamin B. Until he was twenty-two years of age, George lived at home with his parents, assisting with the farm work and attending the common schools. Later he took a partial course in the Kiskiminetas institute at Saltsburg, after which he finished his education in Duff's business college in the city of Pittsburg, graduating in the class of 1891. In the spring of 1899 he established his present place of business in Bridgeville, and owing to his genial disposition and his correct business methods, he has prospered from the outset. Mr. Baird is a mem- ber of Bridgeville lodge, No. 396, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and Centennial lodge, No. 544, Free and Accepted Masons. On all political questions touching state or national problems, he affiliates with the republican party, but in local matters he is not a partisan in any sense of the term, believing in the election of the best men to local offices. On Sept. 14, 1899, he was married to Miss Ella M., daughter of the late John H. and Rebecca H. Mor- gan. Mrs. Baird's father was born in Allegheny county, Pa., Sept. 16, 1839, and died there March 18, 1874. Her mother was
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born on April 11, 1841, and is still living at the age of sixty-two years, but she is so well preserved that she has the appearance of being much younger. John H. and Rebecca Morgan were married on Feb. 22, 1866, and their daughter, Ella, was born on Dec. 27, 1869. Like her husband, she is of Scotch-Irish lineage. She graduated from the Washington seminary with the class of 1894, and for four years after leaving school, she was a teacher in the public schools of Bridgeville, most of the time in the second grade. Mr. and Mrs. Baird are members of and regular attendants at the Presbyterian church. They have no children. He has recently completed one of the cosiest homes in the Bridgeville borough, a handsome two-story house which, with the lot upon which it stands, cost him nearly $5,000.
LEONARD RIEHL, farmer and justice of the peace of Scott township, Allegheny Co., Pa., is a son of Peter and Rebecca (Heldman) Riehl, both of whom were natives of Germany. Rebecca Heldman came to America in 1858. Two years later Peter Riehl came, and the couple were married in Allegheny county, Pa., in 1862. They had two sons: Leonard, the subject of this sketch, who was born Feb. 5, 1864, and Peter, born May 3, 1866. Leonard Riehl was brought up on his father's farm, attended the common schools, and later took several terms at Duff's business college in Pittsburg, thus securing a good, practical edu- cation. He owns a farm of seventy-eight acres-one of the best in Scott township-and manages it in the most approved manner. He takes an active interest in everything that has a tendency to promote the welfare of the community in which he lives, and is regarded as one of the most public-spirited men in the township. Early in 1902 he was nominated by the republican party for the office of justice of the peace, and at the election on February 17th of that year, he was triumphantly elected for a term of five years, many of his political opponents voting for him because of the con- fidence they had in him as a man and a neighbor. In 1891 Leonard Riehl and Paulina Fischer were made man and wife. She is a daughter of John and Doretta Fischer, both natives of Germany and well-known residents of Allegheny county, and was born March 27, 1868. Mr. and Mrs. Riehl are the parents of five chil- dren, viz. : Arthur Otto, Walter Waldorf, Laura, George Dewey and Sylvia Doretta. Both parents are members of the German Lutheran church, and consistently practice the tenets of their religion in their daily conduct.
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HENRY DAUBE, a prosperous and well-known farmer of Scott township, Allegheny Co., Pa., is a lifelong resident of the county, having been born there Sept. 7, 1857. His father, Henry J. Daube, was born in Germany in 1814, and died in Alle- gheny county in 1886. His mother was Catharine (Chisler) Daube. She, too, was a native of Germany, and is still living with her son, John H. Daube, in Scott township. Henry Daube was reared on a farm. As a boy he attended the common schools during the winter months, thus securing a fair education, to which he has added by reading and observation. Ever since reaching manhood he has followed the vocation of a farmer, and few men can show a better-managed farm than his. He has always been a democrat in politics and keeps himself well informed on the political topics of the times. In 1873 he was married to Miss Barbara Snyder, a daughter of Anthony and Mary (Portman) Snyder. Mrs. Daube was born in Allegheny county in 1859. She and her husband are the parents of five children: Mary, aged eighteen years; Joseph, sixteen; Tillie, thirteen; Harry, eleven, and Lucy, eight. Mr. Daube and his wife are both members of the Roman Catholic church, and are regular attendants upon the church rites:
WILLIAM ALDERSON, who owns one of the largest farms in Scott township, Allegheny Co., Pa., was born in that county, April 3, 1837. He is a son of Thomas and Jane (Parker) Alderson, both of whom were natives of England, the former being born March 6, 1808, and the latter, Aug. 17, 1810. They were married in England, but came to America in the early thirties and located at Pittsburg, Pa., where for about fifteen years Thomas Alderson followed the business of a coal operator. At the end of that time he became a farmer and remained in that occupation until his death, which occurred on Jan. 30, 1888, his wife having died some ten years before-Dec. 25, 1878. They were the parents of eleven children, the oldest of whom, Mary, was born in England, April 3, 1830, and came with her parents to America when she was a babe. The others were all born in Allegheny county, Pa., at the dates given : Jane, Feb. 27, 1832; Sarah Ann, Oct. 30, 1835; William, our subject, April 3, 1837; Elizabeth, March 12, 1839; Margaret, March 20, 1841; John, Nov. 8, 1843; Sarah, Oct. 9, 1845; Emma, Sept. 26, 1847; Annie, Oct. 13, 1849, and Hattie, March 26, 1851. John and Sarah are deceased, but the others are still living. William Alderson received a common-school education and began life as a farmer on a small scale. He now owns three tracts of
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land in Scott township, aggregating 115 acres, all of which is in a fine state of cultivation. For the last twenty-five years he has con- tinuously held some of the township offices, which shows the esteem in which he is held by his neighbors. Until about ten years ago he always worked and voted with the democratic party, but since that time he has been an enthusiastic republican. In 1876 he was mar- . ried to Miss Annie Vero, the daughter of Joseph and Phoebe Elizabeth (Thomas) Vero. Mrs. Alderson is a native of Stafford- shire, England, but came with her parents to this country when she was about seven years of age. They settled at Pittsburg, where she obtained a good education in the city schools. To William and Annie Alderson have been born the following children: James William, Jane Lizzie (now the wife of Alvah Sharlton), Margaret, Thomas Parker, Harry Lawrence, Anna (deceased), Edith Mabel, Emma Bockstoce, Phoebe Eleanor, Raymond Russell, William Henry: Annie Roberta, Walter Howard and John Albert. Mrs. Alderson is a member of the United Presbyterian church. William Alderson, although not a member of any religious denomination, is a man of sound morals and an unimpeachable integrity. He is a member of Castle Shannon lodge, No. 108, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and finds in the precepts of that order excellent rules for the government of his actions in all his relations with mankind.
ALBERT WEIR, liveryman and undertaker in the town of Imperial, North Fayette township, is one of the enterprising young business men of Allegheny county. He was born in the county, Dec. 1, 1874. His parents, Andrew and Margaret (Metzker) Weir, were both natives of Germany, the former being born in 1821, and the latter in the same year. When Andrew Weir was thirty-five years of age he came to America and settled in Allegheny county, where he passed the remainder of his life as a farmer. He died in 1891 at the age of seventy years. About the time that he came to this country, Margaret Metzker also came over with her parents, and they located in Allegheny county. She was married to Andrew Weir at Pittsburg, in 1857. Albert Weir is one of a family of several children and was brought up on his father's farm, receiving such an education as the common schools afforded. He followed agricultural pursuits until about 1898, when he learned undertaking, and later embarked in the business for himself, con- necting with it a well-equipped livery stable. On Jan. 19, 1899, he was married to Miss Lucy, a daughter of Jabez and Susie Dore. She was born at Youngstown, Ohio, April 12, 1878. Her father
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was of English descent on the paternal side, and his mother was of Welsh lineage. Mrs. Weir's mother was of Scotch-Irish extraction. Both her parents were natives of Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Weir have one child, Jabez, who was born Dec. 11, 1899. Both husband and wife are members of the United Presbyterian church. Politically, he is a republican.
REV. M. J. ORZECHOWSKI, pastor of St. Adelbert's church, Pittsburg, Pa., has been a resident of the United States since June, 1888. He was born in Warsaw, Poland, March 19, 1879, and attended the parochial schools there until he was nine years of age. Upon coming to America he went to Detroit, Mich., where for seven years he was a student in the Polish Seminary of St. Cyril and Methodius, taking the philosophical and classical courses. He then spent one year in Cincinnati, Ohio, in a theological course, after which he went to Overbrook, Pa., where a three-year theological course completed his education. On July 6, 1902, he was ordained by Bishop John Foley, of Detroit, for the Harrisburg diocese. Father Orzechowski said his first mass in the Polish Church of St. Hedwijs, in Chicago, where he spent one month as a priest imme- diately after his ordination. From St. Hedwijs he was sent to Lebanon, Pa., as an assistant for three weeks, when he was trans- ferred to Lancaster, Pa., as an assistant at the Church of St. Anthony. He remained here but one month, when he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of the Consolation, a Polish church at Mt. Carmel, Pa. After eight months he resigned his charge, the parish being too small to support a priest. He then came to St. Adelbert's, on Fifteenth street, South Side, Pittsburg, where he is at present, and where his work is meeting with favorable results.
JOSEPH A. VERNON, who is one of the well-known con- tractors of the city of Homestead, is a son of John and Catherine (Mehan) Vernon, and was born in the city of Pittsburg, Nov. 3, 1870. He is one of a family of thirteen children, nine of whom are still living, viz. : Kate, wife of Thomas Hickey; Annie, wife of Antona Nestler; Ellen (deceased); Mary (deceased), who was the wife of Patrick Brennan; Arthur; Lizzie, wife of John Nestler; Jennie, wife of Dennis Byrne; William; Joseph A .; Alice (deceased), who was the wife of Frederick Mayo; John, Olivia and Ferguson (deceased). His father came to this country from Ire- land about the year 1850. He is a native of Belfast. For a num- ber of years he followed the business of a contractor in the cities of
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Pittsburg and Homestead, in the latter of which he. now lives retired. Catherine Mehan is a native of Londonderry, Ireland. She came to this country some years after her husband, and they were married in Philadelphia in 1856. Joseph A. Vernon was edu- cated in the common schools, after which he learned the carpenters' trade in Homestead, and has been engaged at that occupation since 1887. In 1900 he began contracting for himself, and although there were a number of older contractors with whom he had to compete, he has been quite successful, some of the best buildings in the city being erected under his supervision. He is a member of the Catholic church. He takes an active interest in political affairs, always working with the republican party, to which he belongs.
GEORGE WASHINGTON RICHARDS, of Duquesne, Pa., a leading druggist, was born in Dravosburg, Allegheny county, Aug. 20, 1868, son of William and Mary (Williams) Richards, natives of Wales, who came to America in 1850, settled in Mifflin township, Allegheny county, where his father worked as a mining engineer for fifteen years, and later became an engineer in the mines of Dravosburg. He continued in that capacity until his death in 1890, at the age of sixty-five years, and was the father of nine children, all of whom are living, viz. : James; Charlotte, wife of Edward Morgan; William; Elizabeth, wife of David J. Lloyd; Thomas, John, Harry, George W. and Edward. George W. Richards was reared at Dravosburg, educated at the public schools and at the Dravosburg academy, where he was graduated in 1883, and subsequently completed a course at the Western university, at Pittsburg, graduating from that institution in 1892. From 1883 to 1892 he was employed as a clerk for the drug firm of J. R. McLain & Co., at Dravosburg, and in 1892 graduated from the Pittsburg college of pharmacy, received his certificate from the State pharmaceutical examining board, and also was licensed by the Ohio state board of examiners. Then he located at Duquesne, where he managed the drug establishment of W. J. E. McLain; in 1893 he became a partner of his former employer, under the firmn name of McLain & Richards, which partnership has since continued. In 1902 they purchased the store of the Porter drug company, corner of Sixth street and Grant avenue, and now conduct this pharmacy as a branch, their main place being located at Grant and Duquesne avenues. Mr. Richards is a stockholder in the First National bank of Duquesne, of which he was a director for five years, and
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