USA > Pennsylvania > Crawford County > Our country and its people. A historical and memorial record of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. > Part 89
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IT'. A. Doane, city engineer of Meadville, was born in Ellicottville, Cat- taraugus county, New York. September 17, 1854. a son of I. S. and Elizabeth ( Morse ) Doane, natives of Massachusetts. He was educated at Oswego, New York, and Bridgeport, Connecticut, where he pursued a course in civil engi- neering. Soon after completing his course he came to Crawford county, where he resided for a time with his parents in Mead township.
. Later he was engaged in railway construction. Following is a list of prin- cipal engagements : July. 1874. to August, 1876: assistant engineer during construction on the Lake Ontario division of the Rome, Watertown & Ogdens- burg Railroad. Thirty miles of work, including stations, tanks, etc. Oak Orchard viaduct, eighty-five feet high by seven hundred and fifty feet long. March. 1878, to May, 1880: assistant engineer and later chief engineer of the Lehigh & Eastern Railway : running preliminary lines and locating. August. 1880, to September. 1881 : chief engineer during the construction of the Mead- ville & Linesville Railway; twenty-two miles. September, 1881. to .August. 1882: principal assistant engineer of the Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg Railroad; designing arch culverts, filling trestles, building machine shops, and general reconstruction work. August. 1882, to June. 1883 : assistant engineer of the Ontario & Quebec Railroad. on construction. Resigned to take a posi- tion on the Canadian Pacific Railway. June, 1883, to October. 1885 : as divis- ion engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway on construction ; had charge of drafting office, designing the masonry, Howe truss bridges and high wooden
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trestles in Main and Selkirk Ranges of the Rocky mountains. May to Sep- tember, 1886: assistant engineer for the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Rail- road, on construction. Resigned to accept a position on the Atlantic & North Western Railway. October. 1886, to October, 1887 : division engineer for the Atlantic & North Western Railway; designing masonry, trestles and other structures. October, 1887, to October, 1889 : as resident engineer and as engi- neer of bridges on the Oregon Pacific Railway, making standard bridge and trestle plans ; designed set of strain sheets, with estimates of material for Howe truss bridges, deck and through, from thirty to one hundred and fifty foot spans. Resigned to accept a position on the Norfolk & Western Railroad. October, 1889. to January, 1893 : principal assistant engineer in charge of all work during the construction of the Ohio Extension of the Norfolk & Western Railroad ; one hundred and ninety-five miles in a mountainous country ; tun- nels, masonry and bridges; classification of material; bridge over the Ohio river.
In May, 1893, our subject was elected city engineer of Meadville, and re- elected in May, 1896.
May 11, 1882, he was married to Hattie, daughter of David Ellis, of Mead township, and they have had four children,-Ethel, Morse, Arthur, and Nor- man.
Mr. Doane is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and of Albion ( N. Y. ) Lodge, No. 97, F. & A. M., and of the Royal Arcanum.
Captain Joseph L. King was an early settler in Athens township, who took up a lot of four hundred and forty-eight acres of uncultivated land, was a sol- dier in the Revolutionary war, and married Sarah Hayes, a daughter of John Hayes, an early settler in Rockdale township. He died in town, and his widow married John Osborne, a soldier in the war of 1812, and a farmer who resided on the King farm.
Francis Magee, of Rome township, was a son of Patrick Magee, and was a small boy when his father came to this township, in 1800. He married Nancy Swaney and settled at Mageetown. His son, Francis M. Magee, was a soldier, serving as second lieutenant in Company D. Eighteenth Regiment, till the close of the war.
Dr. Franklin N. Norton, son of Joseph Norton, is a resident of Athens township, was born in New Hudson, Allegany county, New York, studied medicine at Waterford, Pennsylvania, under the guidance of Dr. Vincent Pitts, and at Friendship, New York, under Dr. B. Babcock, and graduated at the Eclectic College at Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1870 he settled at Little Cooley, where he is now in practice.
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Henry Haas, a clerk at Meadville, is a native of this city and was born in 1845. a son of Christian and Catharine (Shunk) Haas, who emigrated to America in 1840 and soon after located in Meadville. The former died in 1868, at the age of fifty-seven years, and the latter in 1877, aged sixty years. Christian Haas was employed for several years by James and John Dick and C. B. Richards & Brothers of New York. He afterward conducted a shipping agency, and it was through this source that many Germans were induced to settle in this county, as many were furnished transportation from New York. In connection with this he conducted an extensive grocery trade which ex- tended throughout Crawford county. This was located in what was familiarly known as "Old Cullum Row," and extended over a period of ten years,- from 1854 to 1864.
Our subject was the third child of a family of four children, as follows : Daniel, who died at sea; Jacob C., who died in 1875, at the age of twenty- seven years : Henry, the subject proper of this sketch: and Catharine, who died in infancy. Mr. Haas was educated at the public schools and under the private tutorship of William Dixson. He has held the position of bookkeeper for several firms, and has had the position of clerk at the new Budd House under its different proprietors since 1883.
November 3. 1893, he was united in marriage to Margaret, daughter of William Hunter. of Mill Village, Erie county, Pennsylvania. He has pur- chased a home at 103 Poplar street. Mr. Haas is a member of the Independent Order of B'nai B'rith, Meadville Tent. No. 83. and of the Prudential Insurance Order of America. As to local office we may state that he has been elected judge of election for the third successive term.
Homer P. Tucker, of Springboro, was born in Trumbull county, Ohio, October 24. 1855, educated in the common schools, and was in early life a farmer with his father and his assistant in his jelly factory. In 1882 he learned to be a miller. Early in 1891 he erected roller-process flouring mills at Spring- boro, which he put in operation the same year, doing both a merchant-milling and custom business. He very soon secured as a partner one of his old school- mates, Sydney W. Squires, and they are successfully operating the mills under the firm name of Tucker & Squires.
On March 19. 1879, Mr. Tucker married Hannah M. Stevens, formerly of Illinois, and they have five children,-Wilbur S., Earle R., Frank W., Leah D., and Herbert R. Mr. Tucker's father, Phineas R., was born in Massachu- setts, October 20, 1808, and came with his parents to Ohio when four years old. The family moved with ox teams, and were several weeks on their jour- ney, making roads through the dense forests and swamps. When they arrived in Ohio, in 1812, there were only fourteen houses in the township where they settled. and they were all log structures. P. R. Tucker married Barbara
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Stevens, of that locality, and had two sons: Nelson R., who owns and occu- pies the original homestead; and Homer P. Mr. Tucker died on September 23, 1880, and his widow on September 23, 1881. Mrs. Tucker's father, Simon Stevens, was born in the state of New York, on December 16, 1818. He was twice married, first to Margaret Ray, of Ohio, and they had three children,- Corydon R., Hannah M., and Melvin G. Mrs. Stevens died in 1852. Mr. Stevens married, secondly, Mary Ann Raney, who died April 28, 1897, the mother of five children. Mr. Stevens is now ( 1898) living. Mr. Tucker's family attends the Methodist Episcopal church, of which Mrs. Tucker also was a member. Mr. Tucker is a Republican in politics.
Ancestry of family, New England, but of English and Irish origin.
George H. Bethune, of Conneautville, was born in Massachusetts, No- vember 20, 1843. was educated in the public schools, and by occupation is a contractor and builder. He came to Titusville in 1865, and on June 1. 1870, married Elizabeth M. Koehler, of Cussawago township. They have three children,-Frederick W., Mary P. and Annie B. Frederick W. is a barber at Union City, Erie county, Pennsylvania, and both daughters reside at home.
Daniel Bethune, father of George H., was born in Inverness, Scotland, about 1805, where he was educated. He married Mary Blackwood, of Edin- burg, Scotland, and their eight children were David, Agnes, Margaret, Mary H., George H., John, William and Christiana. After leaving Scotland they came to the United States and located in Massachusetts. Mr. Bethune died about 1865, and his widow about 1867. Mrs. Bethune's father, Frederick W. Koehler, was born in the Hague, Holland, in 1800. He was educated there and was a farmer by occupation. He married Penelope Fan Elza, of his native place. They had thirteen children, the two oldest born in Holland. They came to Philadelphia and soon afterward settled in Cussawago township. The names of their children are Anna, Frederick P., William, Charles C., Catherine, Elizabeth M., George H., August, Mary, Christiana R., Lydia, Ella and Henry. Mr. Koehler died in 1884 and his wife in 1876. The family are members of the Episcopal church. In his political choice Mr. Bethune is a Republican. Ancestry of family, Scotch and Dutch.
Miss S. L. Boyd, principal of the Meadville Commercial College, bears the distinction of being a native of Crawford county, her ancestors having set- tled in Mosiertown at an early day. She is a daughter of Dr. Hiram and Sophia Boyd. The former practiced medicine at Mosiertown from 1817 to 1857, and was a well known practitioner throughout the county.
Miss Boyd was educated at the Edinboro State Normal School, grad- uating with the class of 1868. Soon afterward she began the work of teaching in the public school at Saegerstown, and a year later was elected principal
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of the Meadville South Ward school, a position she held without interruption for eighteen years. Impaired health made a change necessary, and after a brief period spent in recuperation she, in 1889, started a school of shorthand in one small room. The success attained in practical teaching created a demand for making it a commercial school. In December, 1895, the school formerly known as the Meadville School of Business Practice was incorporated as the Meadville Commercial College, placing the institution on a firm foundation, with widely known, progressive and successful business and professional men identified with it and pledged to its interest and advancement. The principal takes pride in making the college distinctively a first-class business school, and seeks to merit the requirements of its numerous patrons in fitting young inen and women for business life.
Charles S. Campbell, of Conneaut township, was born October 8, 1833, at South Shenango, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. His father, Charles Camp- bell, was an enterprising and interesting man, and a native of Hunterdon, New Jersey. When a boy he learned the blacksmith's trade, and later operated a shop at Espyville. Crawford county, for three years. He then purchased a farm in South Shenango, where he lived for many years, combining his trade and farming interests. For twenty years he bought and drove stock. When seventy years old he disposed of his farm lands and for a time retired to Spring- field. Erie county, but later moved back to Espyville, where he spent the latter part of his life ; he died at the age of eighty-three years. Mr. Campbell was a stanch Republican and one of the pioneers of his party, and held many local offices. Much of his time was devoted to the interests of others, being a mem- , ber of the North Bank Methodist church, one of the first churches in that sec- tion of the country, toward the maintenance of which he was a liberal sup- porter. His home was the headquarters for visiting clergymen, and for all- around general hospitality. Mr. Campbell's wife, nec Sarah DeForest, of Hunterdon, New Jersey, lived to be sixty-seven years old. Of their nine children seven attained maturity, but two only are living at the present time : George, a retired farmer of Espyville ; and Charles, the subject of this sketch.
Charles S. Campbell was educated at the public schools and when twenty- nine years old married Miss Mary Clark, of Williamsfield, Ohio. They have eight children : Emily, who is the wife of C. B. Corey, of this township; Elmer C., a progressive farmer ; two children died when very young; of the twins, Ida and Inez, Ida is at home and Inez is the wife of Martin Donaldson; Vernie is at Normal school; and Fenn C. is at home.
For a time Mr. Campbell operated his father's farm, but later owned and worked independently about two hundred and fifty acres. One hundred acres he has since given his son, but he still lives on and owns the remainder. Mr. Campbell is a prominent banker and was one of the organizers of the Linesville
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Savings Bank and president thereof for several years. He now holds the posi- tion of vice president of the same bank. He is a heavy stockholder in the Mutual Loan Association Bank of Conneaut, Ohio. Mr. Campbell has also been prominent in local affairs and has always identified himself with the Re- publican party. He has held the offices of assessor and tax collector, and school director for six years. He is a member of the Linesville Lodge, No. 395, I. O. O. F., and is also a Royal Templar. As a member of the Congregational church he has extended his influence for good, having been trustee for several years and Sunday-school superintendent for four years.
Mr. Campbell is one of the most prominent, influential and highly re- spected citizens of the community.
Alonso A. Potter .- The Hon. Alonzo A. Potter was born in Conneaut township, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, where he has lived nearly all of his life. His great-grandfather was born in England, and after coming to Amer- ica served all through the Revolutionary war in the Second New Jersey Infan- try; was wounded at the siege of Yorktown, and died in consequence. His son and namesake, Samuel Potter, was a native of Newark, New Jersey, and when young learned the brick-mason's trade. He came to Crawford county in 1799 and took up two hundred acres of land near Steamburg, and afterward purchased four hundred acres more. He served in the war of 1812, and died at the age of ninety-two. He was a quiet, unostentatious man and a member of the Methodist church.
Mr. Potter's father, George Potter, was born in Conneaut township, on the farm where his entire life was spent. He was alert and active until a short time before his death, at the age of eighty-two. He was formerly a Whig, but later became a Republican and held most of the local offices. He married Louise Wilder, a native of Batavia, New York, and a daughter of Reuben Wilder, who was a native of Vermont, and served as first lieutenant all through the war of 1812. Mrs. Potter lived to be eighty-one years old. Mr. Potter and wife were members of the Methodist church. There were five children born to this couple, of whom Mr. Alonzo A. Potter is the oldest; Frank H. was formerly a school-teacher, but now owns and works a part of the farm that belonged to his great-grandfather: Mary J. died at the age of twenty-one ; Sarah A. married E. S. Penfield. of Conneaut township; and Corlie, who is the wife of George Huntley, of Conneaut.
Alonzo A. Potter had an early farm training, his literary education being derived at the public schools and at Grand River Institute, Austinburg, Ohio. After teaching school for ten years and undermining his health Mr. Potter engaged in general farming, dairying and stock-raising, which have since been his chief occupations. His farm comprises two hundred and seventy acres.
Mr. Potter was united in marriage with Miss Nancy J. Grover, and they
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have one daughter, named Janie, who is living with her parents. She is the especial pride of her family and friends, having signally distinguished herself in music. Her talent was developed at the Meadville Conservatory, also at Utica, New York, and at Oberlin, Ohio.
Mr. Potter is a prominent member of the Grange; of Pine Lodge. No. 498, F. & A. M., at Linesville, this state; of Oriental Chapter, No. 187, R. A. M., at Conneautville : and of the Northwestern Commandery, No. 25, K. T., at Meadville. In his politics he is a stanch Republican, and his ability and integrity have received the hearty appreciation of the community. lle was secretary of the school board for eleven years, justice of the peace for twenty years, and during the years 1888-90 he was a member of the legislature, where he was secretary of the committees on education and agriculture, and was largely instrumental in securing an increase in the appropriation for common schools,-from one to five million dollars. In April, 1898, he was unanimously nominated for state senator by the Republican party of Crawford county, but at the election in November was defeated by a fusion of Populists, Prohibi- tionists and Democrats. In religion he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Robert Anderson Cunningham, deceased, was born May 7, 1839, in North Shenango township. His father, Robert, was born in Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, and while still an infant was brought by his parents to Conneaut town- ship, where he lived until his death, at the age of eighty-five. He was a mem- ber of the United Presbyterian church.
Robert Cunningham lived in North Shenango until three years after his marriage. In March of 1869 he purchased the farm that his son Charles now owns, and where he lived until his death, February 7. 1896.
August 16, 1861, Mr. Cunningham enlisted in the Twenty-ninth regular Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served in the battles of Bull Run, Winchester, Manassas Junction and Cedar Run. He was discharged February 8, 1863, owing to disability occasioned by rheumatism contracted during war service. During the latter part of his life he was a confirmed invalid and cripple, owing to the ravages of rheumatism. He left an excellent farm of eighty-four acres.
Mr. Cunningham's political inclinations are with the independents. For several years he was a tax collector.
Mr. Cunningham married, September 21, 1865, Miss Rachel L., daughter. of Samuel Bennet, of South Shenango township. There were six children born to this couple : Charles F. is a farmer, living in South Shenango; Samuel and Robert are partners in the general merchandise business at Westford: James B. died October 3. 1898; and Bertha and Alvertie are at home.
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Homer II. Campbell, of South Shenango township, was born November 21, 1859. in West Shenango township. Isaac Campbell, his father, when a young man, lived in West Shenango, but later moved to South Shenango, and purchased his father's old homestead, where his death occurred at the age of sixty-two years.
Isaac Campbell was a member of the Methodist Episcopal church and active in all its undertakings. He was a successful farmer and an ardent Re- publican, and was known as an exceedingly conservative man. He left a farm comprising two hundred and seventy-five acres. His wife, whose maiden name was Catherine Trumbull, was a native of New York state, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church : she lived to be sixty-nine years old. Of the eight children born to this couple William W. is a farmer in Shenango: John C. is a farmer in Conneaut ; Susan E. is the wife of David Patten, and Sarah Elizabeth married John Johnson.
Homer H. Campbell made his home with his parents until his marriage to Miss Laura A. Gepford, of South Shenango, at which time his father pre- sented him with a portion of the oldl homestead. upon which he has since lived. and which, with subsequent additions, now comprises one hundred and thirty- five acres.
Mr. Campbell is independent in his voting, believing in the selection . of the best qualified men irrespective of party. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are members of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Cathrine Willson .- The late Thomas Willson was born in Ayrshire. Scot- land. in 1830, where he was educated. and was a farmer. On June 2, 1857. he married Cathrine Cleland, who was born in Lanarkshire. Scotland, in 1838. and came to the United States in 1857, leaving their native land four days after marriage. They first located in Trumbull county. Ohio, and in 186; they came to Beaver township. this state. They came to Spring township in 1882. and in 1891 to Springboro to reside, as Mr. Willson had then retired from the farm. They had five children: James M .. Thomas G. (who died at the age of twenty-two years). Mary Y .. Robert Burns, and John C. (who died at the age of twenty-five). James M. married Laura Rugg. of Ashtabula county, Ohio, and they have two daughters,-Kate and Jennie. They reside in Ashtabula county. Robert Burns married Janet Gibson, of Fifeshire, Scot- land. They have one daughter. Maggie. Mary Y. resides at home with her mother. Mrs. Wilson's father. Thomas Cleland, was born in Lanarkshire. Scotland. in 1802. He married Mary Young, of his native country. Their children were: Agnes, who died young; Isabel, Catherine, James, Agnes (second). Janet. Elizabeth, John, Maggie and two who died in infancy. Mr. Cleland died in 1884 and his wife in 1882. Thomas Willson died September
54
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25. 1897. regretted by the entire community. The family are of the Presby- terian faith. Ancestry of family. Scotch on both sides.
John Eason, son of Robert and Mary (Coleman) Eason, was born at Somersetshire, England, October 21, 1834. He was educated at the public and high schools of his town, making the study of bookkeeping a specialty. In 1852 he was married to Ann Sly. The next year he came with his wife to America. In his boyhood he had learned the miller's trade from his father, who was a miller. Upon his arrival in this country he went to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged one year in the mills of Bryan. Kennedy & Company, one of the largest flouring establishments in the United States. The senior member of the firm was the late S. S. Bryan, of this city, father of S. S. and George Bryan, residents of Titusville. At the end of the year he went to Slip- pery Rock. Butler county, Pennsylvania, and took charge of Kennedy's mills there for five years. For the next two years he was engaged in a woolen mill at Wolf Creek, Mercer county, this state. Then he went to Sandy Creek, Ve- mango county, Pennsylvania, where he bought two hundred and forty acres of land of Arnold Plumer, and for two years he ran the Sandy Creek mills. He next went to Columbus, Pennsylvania, and bought there a flouring mill, which he operated three years. He then sold that mill, and, coming to Titusville, in 1870. he first leased the City Mills here, which were owned by Fertig & Cady. In 1877 he bought Fertig's interest in the mills, which interest he continues to own. He has been the manager of these mills now nearly thirty years.
Mr. Eason has five children: Robert, William, Joseph, Elizabeth and Margaret. Robert lives at North Lewisburg, Ohio, and Elizabeth at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In politics Mr. Eason has been an active Democrat since his first landing in the United States, in 1853, over forty-five years ago.
Sidney I'. Squires, of Springboro, was born in Vienna, Trumbull county, Ohio, was a farmer in early life and a coal driller and prospector, and later was for several years a merchant. Before coming to this state he sold his mercantile interests to his partner and entered into copartnership with H. P. Tucker in the merchant and custom roller-process milling business at Springboro, under the firm name of Tucker & Squires.
On October 23, 1879. Mr. Squires married Ida V. Stilson, of Hartford, Trumbull county, Ohio. They have had three children : the two sons died in infancy; the daughter, Blanche W., is a student in the high school at Springboro. Mr. Squires' father, William, was born in Connecticut on Octo- ber 23. 1810, and came to Trumbull county with his parents in 1818, when only eight years old. He always followed the honorable occupation of farm- ing. He married Serepta Woodford, of Trumbull county, Ohio, where her people were among the first settlers. They had six children,-Jason A., Docia
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W., Lucia M., J. Willard, Sidney W. and Nellie J. William Squires died August 22. 1879, and his widow on September 9, 1889.
Mrs. Ida V. Squires's father, Cyrus B. Stilson, was born in Boardman township, Mahoning county, Ohio, on June 24, 1824, was educated in the «listrict schools and was a cooper by trade. He married Lucretia Bow and had four children,-Oliver H., Mary E., Ida V. and Phebe E. Mr. Stilson died September 19, 1882, and his widow survives at this date ( 1897). The family attend the Christian church, of which Mrs. Squires is a member. Mr. Squires, in his political choice. is a Republican. The family is of New England origin on both sides.
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