USA > Pennsylvania > Crawford County > Our country and its people. A historical and memorial record of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. > Part 102
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A. C. LeConte, a successful clothing merchant of Meadville, is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was born December 3, 1857. His parents, J. A. and Mary ( Faber) LeConte, came to America from France at an early day, the former being an extensive importer of cigars to several southern cities.
The subject of this review spent several years of his early life in Pitts- burg, Bradford and elsewhere, and settled permanently in Meadville in 1891, when a co-partnership was formed with F. G. Pranatt in the clothing trade, since which time this firm have successfully conducted a large business as clothiers and dealers in all lines of gentlemen's furnishings. Imbued with the spirit of progress, Mr. LeConte has become prominently identified with business circles as a man of excellent business principles.
December 29, 1886, he was united in marriage to Julia, daughter of Au- gustus and Victorine Ducray, of Meadville. This union has been blessed with one child, Ralph, who was born February 19, 1888.
Mr. LeConte is identified with numerous organizations, among which are the Columbus Club of Pittsburg, the Iroquois Boating and Fishing Club, Young Men's Republican Club, Antrous Club, and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Meadville Lodge, No. 219.
Seth Church, a well known quarryman of Titusville, was born in Erie, Erie county, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1844, son of Amos and Sarah (Roberts) Church, who removed from Connecticut to Greene township, Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 1839. There the father died, in April, 1896, at the age of
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eighty-two years. The mother was born in 1814 and still survives. Mr. Church had one brother, Charles, who died in Andersonville prison during the Rebellion and who had been promoted captain the day he was taken pris- oner. He was the instigator of the tunnel of historic fame, by which many prisoners escaped from this notorious southern prison. The others of the family are Amos, of Conneautville; Samuel, of Erie; Timothy J., deceased ; Martha, deceased ; and Lillian, deceased.
In September, 1867, Mr. Church was united in marriage to Mary J. Tate, of Summit township, Erie county, Pennsylvania. Her parents were James and Martha (Kannedy) Tate, now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Church have three children, as follows: Charles J., Leona Harriet and Harry S.
Mr. Church came to Titusville in 1870 and has been engaged in the quar- rying business since 1882. He served three years as street commissioner, and is a member of the Knights of Honor, I. O. O. F., and of Battery B, being second lieutenant of Company K.
Arthur Mandell, of Titusville, who is prominently identified with the oil industry, is a native of Skaneateles, New York, where he was born May 6, 1860, son of Albert and Marie ( Joy ) Mandell. He received his early educa- tion in the public schools of Albion, New York, and the Cayuga Lake Mili- tary Academy. After completing his course he went to South Bend, Indiana, and learned the sash and blind trade, which he followed until he came to Titusville. Mr. Mandell is a grandson of Samuel Maudell, who came from Boston, Massachusetts, at an early day and located at AAurora, New York, where he died in 1878, at the age of ninety-three years. In September, 1885, Mr. Mandell was united in marriage to Fonta, daughter of John and Jerusha Ford, of Pittsfield. They have three children,-Arthur, Elizabeth and Janet.
Mr. Mandell came to Titusville in 1869 and established his home here permanently in 1881. It was during this time that he had charge of the Joy- Shaw Heating Works, as superintendent of the clerical work, and while em- ployed by this firm he became interested in the oil business, and has since devel- oped numerous fields in West Virginia, Ohio and Indiana. Mr. Mandell is a member of the Royal Arcanum.
H. C. Hettler, sexton of Greendale cemetery, at Meadville, was born at Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany, February 25, 1853, the son of Frederick William and Eliza ( Emmon) Hettler, the former of whom died at the age of forty-two years, when the subject of this sketch was but three years of age. The mother still survives, at the age of seventy-four years. They had a family of six children, three of whom are living,-Elbrecht, in Germany ; A. C., our subject ; and Manfred, a resident of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Frederick
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William Hettler was for some time secretary to King William, of Wurtem- berg.
A. C. Hettler was educated in the institute at Kornthal and won consid - erable reputation as a landscape gardener and florist. He served in the Ger- man army from 1873 to 1876.
He came to America in 1879, and first went to Nebraska, where he spent some ten months, after which he came to Meadville and was appointed sexton of the Greendale cemetery, a position he still holds. Since his appointment numerous improvements have been made in and about the cemetery, as the outcome of persistent labor and skill. During the past six years a debt of one thousand eight hundred dollars has been paid and the cemetery made self- supporting. January 11, 1881, Mr. Hettler married Maria, daughter of Wil- liam Schnauler, of Woodcock township, this county. Two children have been born to this union : Frederick William and Charles Albrecht Hettler. Mr. Hettler is a member of French Creek Council, No. 325, Royal Arcanum, and of the Woodmen of the World.
E. Plummer McDowell, of Dicksonburg, is a representative of one of the old and prominent farming families of Crawford county. Three generations have resided upon the farm which is now his home, and through all these years they have been actively connected with the agricultural interests of southwestern Pennsylvania, the exponents of progress and enterprise along their line of business. At an early period in the present century Alexander McDowell purchased sixty acres of land now included within the old home- stead, and upon this place his son, J. B. McDowell, father of our subject, was born and reared. In 1844 he built the frame of the barn and the following year erected the house, which is still standing. He married Miss Betsy Smith, and during their early married life resided on the old home place, devoting his energies to the tilling of the soil, which yielded to him good harvests in return for the care and cultivation he bestowed upon the fields. Subsequently he purchased a gristmill in Dicksonburg, where he has sir.ce made his home. For many years he operated the mill with success, but is 110W living retired, making his home among his children. He has reached the age of seventy-seven years, but his wife died in 1896, at the age of seventy-five.
Ensign Plummer McDowell is their only son. He was born on the farm where he still resides, March 2, 1847, and under the parental roof was reared to manhood. In his early life he assisted his father in the mill, carrying on that business for some time, but eventually returned to the farm, where he has since devoted his energies to the raising of grain and stock. He here owns one hundred and forty acres of rich land, including his grandfather's original purchase of sixty acres. This is a valuable and desirable property, and thie well tilled fields indicate the supervision of a careful and painstaking owner.
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Mr. McDowell was united in marriage to Miss Eveline Beard, and they now have two children. Iris Banks, the son, is a graduate of the Conneaut- ville high school, and is now a student in Clarion, Pennsylvania; Belle, his twin sister, is at home.
In his political views Mr. McDowell is a stalwart Republican, unwaver- ing in support of the principles of his party and now serving as a member of the Republican county committee. He has never been an aspirant for office, however. On the contrary, he has steadily refused to become a candidate. He holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal church of Dicksonburg, and is a member of its board of trustees. As a public-spirited citizen he takes a deep interest in all measures pertaining to the general good, but his time is necessarily largely taken up with his business interests. He is spoken of as "a first-class farmer"; he is industrious, economical, possesses sound judg- ment, is thoroughly reliable, and has therefore met with success in his under- takings. He makes a specialty of the raising of fine stock and has taken many premiums at county fairs. For a number of years he has served as marshal at the Crawford County Fairs, has been superintendent of the horse depart- ment, and vice-president of the Fair Association. He is particularly active in supporting all measures for the advancement of the agricultural interests of the community and is a highly respected citizen.
Henry R. Bates, of West Shenango township, was born in West Shen- ango, February 12, 1835. His great-grandfather, Andrew Bates, came from Westmoreland in 1799, and located on the farm near the Ohio line now occu- pied by Henry R. Bates.
Andrew Bates' son Christian took up land in Mercer county, and his younger brother, Reason, fell heir to the old estate, upon which he lived and died at an advanced age. Before his death, however, he had sold the property to his nephew Andrew Bates, the father of the subject of this sketch, who in turn gave his uncle Reason a small site for his own use.
A clear, rushing brook ran through the old farm, and the first Andrew, in the dawn of the century, made a dam, and erected a "noisy" mill and a "still" house, and kept a tavern, in which he was married to a Miss Shibondi. The second Andrew after his marriage had scarcely a dollar to his name. He lived in Crawford county, and after a severe struggle bought a tract of land which he cleared of brush and stumps and which is now worked by his son Reason. He bought the old place in 1855 and lived on it until his death, May 3, 1862, aged sixty-eight years. Andrew Bates was a prominent stockman and did an extensive business in breeding, driving, feeding and selling cattle. He owned four hundred and ninety-five acres of land and was a man of vast en- terprise and financial ability. He married Miss Jane Sisley, and their family consisted of Nancy Ann, the wife of John Probst, who died in middle life ;
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Reason, who died on his father's original farm; Hannah, who married Will- iam W. Jackson, of Gehrton; Lizzie, who married Mr. Sharp and lives at Linesville.
Henry R. Bates when a young man built on his father's farm and entered into partnership with him, later taking charge of the whole property, and for forty years he has continued in the vocation of farming. Mr. Bates married during October, 1854, Miss Charlotte Royal, of West Shenango, and after her death, nine years later, married Miss Nancy Fitch, of Kinsman, Ohio. The children of the first marriage were Charles A., who owns the old home ; Almon Herbert, a farmer in Mercer county, and Sadic, the wife of Jesse Edwards, of Espyville. The only child of the second marriage was Frank N., who lives in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, and is a railroad detective.
With the exception of eleven years, the old Bates farm has been in the possession of the family for a century. Henry R. Bates, the present owner, is, like his father, a prominent stockman, and has fed as many as eleven hundred sheep in a single winter. He has shipped and handled hundreds of head of stock, and has a fine dairy of eighteen cows. His barns and house are con- venient and modern, and four years ago he moved to another farm in Mercer county, upon which he made the most advanced improvements. He had one hundred and sixty-nine acres here, to which he has added thirty acres. Six years ago he removed to another farm he had bought in Mercer county one mile southeast of Jamestown, where he also has made extensive improvements. He also bought another farm near by, making a total of over two hundred acres there. He recently purchased another farm of one hundred and ten acres, also in that county.
Mr. Bates has no political aspirations and does not belong to either party. He invariably votes for the best man. Himself and wife are members of the Methodist church at State Line.
Samuel Burgeson .- When a young man leaves his native land to begin life anew in a foreign country, where the language and customs are totally different, he requires considerable pluck and perseverance, and in many cases he becomes discouraged with the almost insurmountable obstacles in his path- way, and returns to his mother country. Such was not the spirit of Samuel Burgeson of whom this article is penned-a well known and successful busi- ness man of Titusville, Pennsylvania. He persevered in his undertakings, would not allow himself to become disheartened by difficulties, and only worked the harder to obtain the mastery of the situation. To such men suc- cess surely comes, sooner or later, and no one begrudges fair fortune to them, but, on the contrary, admiration and commendation are accorded the victor by the public.
The birth of Samuel Burgeson took place in the town of Warburg. 61
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Sweden, May 25, 1864, he being a son of Burge Anderson, and, in accord+ ance with the custom of that land, he received for his surname the father's first name. The mother of our subject was a Miss Anna Pierceson before her marriage. Samuel Burgeson received a good general education in the public schools of his native land, and when he was seventeen years of age he deter- mined to seek a new home and field of enterprise. Landing on the shores of this hospitable country he went to DuBois, Clearfield county, Pennsylvania, and soon found employment as a machinist. For seven years he worked indus- triously in that line, winning the approval of his superiors, and, in the mean- time, gaining knowledge of the English language. In 1888 he went to Wash- ington territory and secured a position as a mechanical engineer on a tug-boat, which towed steamers from the Pacific ocean into Puget Sound. In the west he continued to live but one year, and, returning to this state, resumed his residence in DuBois. September 25, 1892, he came to Titusville, and for four years worked in A. G. Maxwell's tannery. He purchased the property at the corner of Spruce and First streets in September, 1895, and at once opened a meat market, which has proved a very profitable undertaking. The business has steadily grown under the management of Mr. Burgeson and his customers cannot fail to be pleased with the fine and well selected stock which he always keeps on hand, and with his uniform courtesy and evident desire to meet their wishes in every particular.
December 28, 1886, Samuel Burgeson and Matilda Caulburn were united in marriage. Mrs. Burgeson is a daughter of C. R. and Mary (Anderson) Caulburn, and by her marriage has become the mother of four children, namely: Nels Bennett, Alice Matilda, Harry William and Esther Victoria. Mr. and Mrs. Burgeson are members of the Swedish Lutheran church, and the former is connected with the A. B. of A. of Titusville.
Thomas J. Patten, Jr .- In the days when Crawford county was naught but a dense wilderness, its only inhabitants the Indians and an occasional trader or trapper of the white race, when wild animals abounded in the forests, there came, in the first wave of immigration and civilization, a family by the name of Patten. Brave and hardy were they, indeed, to try these unaccus- tomed dangers, to enter upon a life which they knew must be filled with priva- tions, the hardest kind of manual labor, loneliness and inconvenience of every sort. The head of the family was the grandfather of the subject of this re- view. He was a native of England, and in his own country had been very rich and influential. Interested extensively in the merchant marine service, he had lost the bulk of his property by the depredations of privateers, and he ul- timately concluded to strike out into an untried field of endeavor, and seek, in the New World, a home and repaired fortune. Upon his arrival here he set- tled at first in the bleak state of Maine, but finally, as related above, he de- cided to join the ranks of the brave-hearted frontiersmen and push on to
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what was then the great and untried west. The journey hither was made in the winter, in sleighs, and this long tedious trip across the ice and snow of the several intervening states, between Maine and Pennsylvania, left an in- delible impression upon the minds of the younger members of the family, and in later years they delighted to relate their experiences to their children and grandchildren. The story of the years that followed is an oft-told one, -- no schools or churches for many years, few neighbors, and those miles distant ; hard work at clearing away the forest, but at last some reward in the ripened harvest of golden grain, which grain had to be transported on horseback, along trails and bridle-paths ( for roads had not yet been laid out ) to the nearest mill and trading-post, thirty miles away,-now the city of Erie. Grandfather Patten selected for a home a tract of land on which now stands the borough of Centerville. He became well-to-do and influential, was the first justice of the peace in Rome township, serving in that office for over a score of years; in 1829 was elected commissioner of Crawford county, and acted as such for a number of years, besides holding other local offices. His death took place in Centerville, March 26, 1843, when he was seventy-three years old.
Thomas J. Patten, Sr., father of the subject of this article, was horn in this county, and here grew to manhood. In early life he learned the car- penter's trade, which he followed, in connection with farming, until 1853, when he went to California, and became interested in mining operations. Dur- ing the forty-five years that have intervened he has resided chiefly in that far-away western state, contracting for the construction of quartz mills and variously connected with mines and mining affairs. The care of his five chil- dren thus devolved upon the wife and mother, whose maiden name had been Lucinda Warner Phillips, and faithfully and conscientiously did she perform her task, under many adverse circumstances. She was a native of Northamp- ton, Massachusetts, born in 1817, and her death occurred at the home of her son, Thomas J., Jr., September 27, 1887. Two of her sons were heroes of the Civil war, and the elder one was killed at the battle of Atlanta, Georgia, in 1864.
Thomas J. Patten, Jr., was born in Sparta township, Crawford county, July 21, 1850. From his boyhood he appeared to be of an unusually studious disposition and made rapid progress in his school work. In 1868 he com- menced his career as a teacher, and for a number of years he was in charge of schools in his own county, meeting with flattering success. Having thor- oughly mastered photography, he now gave his entire attention to this busi- ness, being located in Titusville, Corry and other towns for several years. From 1872 to 1875 he was employed in the Downer Oil Works in Corry, and since that time he has made his home in Centerville. For the past twenty years he has been almost continuously engaged in journalistic work, acting in the capacity of editor of the Centerville News, the Spartansburg Sentinel and
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other local papers. Nearly every local office has been occupied by him, to the satisfaction of all concerned, and as school director, constable, councilman, assessor, collector, burgess and justice of the peace he has honorably striven to advance the welfare of the public. Should he fill out his present term as a justice of the peace he will have occupied the office for sixteen successive years. In politics he is a "true-blue" Republican, and uses his influence, which is not slight, on behalf of the principles of his party. In 1889 he identified himself with the Odd Fellows, and is a charter member and past grand of Centerville Lodge, No. 889, and was first representative to the grand lodge of the state in the annual convocation at Lancaster, in 1891. Besides, he has been a mem- ber of the Grange, the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, the Sons of Temperance and the Good Templars. For twenty-two years he has been superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Sunday-school, and for a score of years has been a member of the church. At present he is also recording steward and secretary of the board of trustees.
In April, 1872, Mr. Patten married Miss Kate Gilborn, who died at Centerville in October, 1875, leaving an infant daughter, Carrie, whose birth oc. curred in October, 1875, and death in December. 1878. November 11, 1877, Mr. Patten married Miss Ella M. Saunders, of this place, and four children have blessed their marriage, namely: Blanche Gertrude, born September 29, 1878; Clara De Ette, born August 25, 1882; Paul Waldo, born November II, 1884, and died November 22, 1891 ; and Abbie Ruth, born September 12, 1892.
Zadock Martin .- On account of his extensive operations in the oil regions during the pioneer days of this wonderful article of commerce, and owing to the many years which he devoted to the hotel business, few men of Crawford county are more widely known than Zadock Martin, who, since 1890, has inade his home at the Commercial House, in Meadville, with his son, L. L. Martin.
Our subject is a son of Leonard and Phoebe (Cooley) Martin, and was born August 31, 1823, in the town of Charlotte, Vermont. Six years later his parents removed to Portland, New York, where the father died a short time afterward. Thus the lad was early forced to rely upon his own efforts in the matter of making a livelihood. At seventeen he was apprenticed to an extensive tanner and currier in Buffalo, and thoroughly mastered the trade. which, for twenty-one years he pursued in the city mentioned, and in Detroit, Chicago and Warren, Pennsylvania. After having resided in Warren for some three years he went to Titusville, March 19, 1860, and assumed the superin- tendency of the Barnsdall, Mead & Rouse well, the first producing well in Crawford county. Within one year he put down three wells on the Parker Flats, each proving a profitable investment. Then for two years he was super- intendent and shipper for large oil corporations, one of which, the Boston Rock
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Oil Company, employed many men who worked under the direction of Mr. Martin. One of the few surviving pioneers of the oil fields, of a period of marvelous enterprise and activity, his vivid recollections of those exciting days are full of interest and are wonderfully accurate. Through his exertions a fund of four thousand dollars was raised for Drake, who drilled the first oil well in America, and who, otherwise, would have suffered extreme poverty.
In 1863 Mr. Martin purchased the Eagle Hotel property at the corner of Spring and Franklin streets, Titusville, where the office of Mr. Emerson is now located. At the end of two years, during which time he carried on the hotel, he sold out to C. V. Culver, who erected the Petroleum Bank building on the site. Later Mr. Martin engaged in wholesale merchandising with James Bliss, under the firm name of Bliss & Martin, and they erected the build- ing now occupied by the furniture store of A. T. Hall. Within a year the new firm had invested forty thousand dollars, and had lost the whole amount. On the Ist of April, 1868, Mr. Martin bought the Mansion House, which, during the fourteen years of his management and occupancy, he greatly enlarged and remodeled. Selling the hotel in 1882, to W. P. Love, he took charge of the Brunswick, but had scarcely opened it to the public ere it was burned, in April, same year. Nothing daunted, the proprietor rebuilt the hotel, and had it ready for business in the following October. He continued to manage this enterprise until 1890, in addition to which he conducted several of the princi- pal hotels of Chautauqua Lake during the summer season. After 1890 he made his home with his son, L. L. Martin, at the Commercial in Meadville. A Democrat in politics, he was at one time a member of the select council of Titusville, and otherwise active in local affairs.
In September, 1850, Mr. Martin married Ellen A. Hazzard. of James- town, New York. She died August 17, 1886, and of their three children, Anna Belle, Mrs. William Jackson, is deceased. A son and daughter survive, namely : Louis L., and Lena M., wife of S. D. Robison, of Allegheny City.
L. L. Martin, the proprietor of the Commercial House at Meadville, was brought up from childhood under hotel management and is thoroughly con- versant with everything a hotel manager should understand. He was born in Jamestown, New York, January 17, 1855. His education was acquired in the schools of Titusville and three years' attendance at Mount Pleasant Acad- emy at Sing Sing, New York. From his graduation there he was with his father in the hotels of Titusville and at Chautauqua Lake until October, 1886, when he became proprietor of the Commercial, as above stated. Mr. Martin is a Republican in politics. In 1886 he was united in marriage to Miss Cath- arine Cunningham, of Pittsburg, and they have two children .- Virginia E. and Marie Louise.
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