USA > Pennsylvania > Crawford County > Our country and its people. A historical and memorial record of Crawford County, Pennsylvania. > Part 92
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103
Elisha Madison Gilbert was born in Buffalo, New York, on April 5, 1826. When a child he went to live with an uncle in Toronto, Canada, on account of the death of his mother. Here he received a limited education and also learned the cabinet-maker's trade, at which he worked at various places in Canada.
869
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Coming to the United States to live in 1848, three years later he married, on November 6. 1851, Laura E. Carr, of Chautauqua county, New York. They made their home in Conneautville in 1856. Their only daughter, Mary E., resides with them. Harvey Gilbert, father of Elisha M., born in Massachu- setts in 1783. came with his parents to New York state when a boy, was edu- cated there and learned the carpenter's trade and was a builder. By his wife. ncc Sarah Bigelow. he had seven children .- Hiram B .. James A., Lovia and Sophia (twins), Angeline. Elisha M. and Alonzo W ..- all being dead except Lovia, Sophia and Elisha. Mrs. Gilbert died June 14, 1829, and Mr. Gilbert December 29, 1847.
Amos Carr, the father of Mrs. Gilbert, was born in Massachusetts July 13. 1790. He married Laura Mallory. of the same state, and had fourteen children, of whom eleven attained maturity, namely: John M., Mary W .. Hannahı R., Anna M., George W., Julia A., Laura E., Whipple, Amos, Willard P. and Lansford B. Two of his sons were Union soldiers in the Civil war, and General King, of the war of 1812, was a member of the Carr family. Mr. Carr brought his family from Massachusetts to New York in 1835. Mr. Carr died May 15, 1866, and Mrs. Carr on the 13th of March, 1855. Mr. Gilbert is a loyal citizen and a strong Republican. The ancestry of the family is English.
Mrs. M. Ethel Kirk, M. D .- Since 1894 Dr. M. E. Kirk has been engaged in the practice of medicine in Vrooman, Rome township, Crawford county. A daughter of G. H. Wentworth, she was born May 24, 1863, and finished her English education in the high school at Guy's Mills, this county. In 1890 she commenced the study of medicine under the tutelage of Dr. W. S. Flower, of Cochranton, Pennsylvania, and later she attended the Northwestern Ohio Medical College at Toledo forone year, the Cincinnati Medical College for a similar period, and at the close of three courses of lectures at the Lebanon Medical College the degree of Doctor of Medicine was conferred upon her in 1892.
John Fowler Wheeler, of Meadville, is a native of New England, having been born in Grafton, Massachusetts, June 24, 1834. His parents, Riley and Amelia (Fowler) Wheeler, were both natives of the Green Mountain state. During the gold excitement on the Pacific coast Riley Wheeler started for Cali- fornia, and is supposed to have lost his life while he was crossing the plains.
While the civil war was in progress our subject entered the employ of the government as an engineer on a southern railroad, his headquarters being in Nashville, Tennessee, for the most part. Subsequently he returned to the north and, locating in Meadville, entered the service of the Atlantic & Great Western, with which company and its successor he has continued, a faithful and trusted engineer.
870
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Mr. Wheeler married Miss Fannie Daniels, February 28. 1854, and to this union four children have been born, namely: Mabelle, wife of Frank Woods, of Kansas City, Missouri ; Georg Alfred, also of Kansas City; Emily Maria, and Fannie Daniels,-the two you ger sisters being residents of Mead- ville.
I'illiam T. Griffiths, of Meadville, son of William J. Griffiths, was born in Zanesville, Ohio, in 1855, learned the baker's trade and, in 1882, came to Meadville, where he kept a bakery for two years, when he purchased the old steam bakery, which was burned the same year. In 1881 he married Laura McMichael, daughter of Andrew McMichael, and they have three children. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the family are members of the Presbyterian church. His father, William J. Griffiths, was born in London, and his grandfather, Thomas Griffiths, was born in Wales, and the latter came to Pittsburg about 1825. The former went to Zanesville, Ohio, in 1852, where he married Lucinda Josselyn and had eight children, four of whom are living. William J. Griffiths still resides at Zanesville, Ohio.
Reuben E. Taft, of Titusville, was born at Kinsman, Ohio, April 3, 1844. the youngest of the seven children of Benjamin E. and Deborah Taft. His father, a native of Taftstown, Vermont, was a shoemaker and farmer. He took part in the war of 1812, in the American army, and was engaged at the battles of Plattsburg and Aquania creek. About 1828 he moved to Ohio, set- tling on the site of Cleveland, but lost his land there by a defect in the title. He then came over to the Pennsylvania line, adjoining Mercer county, where he purchased a farm, but he eventually lost that also, by going as security for a friend charged with arson. He next moved to Vernon, near Kinsman, re- turning to his trade, and he continued to live there until 1854, when he moved to Greenwood township, Crawford county, this state, and bought one hundred and sixty acres of land. After remaining there a year he returned to Vernon, where he lived three years, and next he was for three years again a resident of Kinsman. In 1864 he moved to Conneaut. Ashtabula county, Ohio, and he died in December, 1865.
Reuben E. Taft, our subject, spent his early years at Kinsman and Ver- non, employed in the shoe-shop during the colder portion of the year and on the farm during the summer.
On May 1, 1861, he enlisted in the Vernon Union Blues, an independ- ent company, and was in service there about four months, when he re-enlisted as a private in Company K. Forty-first Ohio Volunteers, in September, 1861. While in the hospital he was promoted as second sergeant. June 24, 1862, he was discharged for disability from wounds received. He was sick and on
871
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
crutches for over two years, and in the spring of 1865 he re-enlisted, but upon examination he was rejected for disability.
He came to his brother's at ' enterville in 1866, where he learned the cooper's trade, but worked only a ttle. He obtained a position as foreman in a manufactory and assisted in building a refinery. After his father's death he returned to Centerville, and soon afterward took a journey to the west, for the benefit of his health. In the spring of 1869 he came to Titusville, where he has since made his home. He engaged in refining and shipping oil and also worked as a cooper. For four years he was on the Titusville police force, and for three terms of one year each was constable. In 1885 he was elected justice of the peace, since which time he has been twice re-elected. In 1888 he was appointed oil inspector, and both these offices he still holds.
In 1873 he was married to Cora S., the daughter of Jacob Clark. Eight children came to bless their union, six of whom are now living. Mr. Taft is d member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of Oil Creek Lodge, No. 303. F. & A. M .. Aaron Chapter, No. 207, R. A. M .. Occident Council, No. 41. R. & S. Al., and Rose Croix Commandery, No. 38. K. T.
George Owen Moody, M. D., deceased, in his life a resident of Titusville. was born in Lebanon, York county, Maine. July 17, 1833, and graduated at Bowdoin College in 1859. He had intended to follow the profession of teach- ing. for a time at least, but on account of unexpected circumstances he was induced, after leaving Bowdoin, to study medicine. He therefore entered Dartmouth College, in New Hampshire, and after a course of study in the medical department he was graduated, in the fall of 1862. On the advice of Dr. Crosby, a friend of the late Dr. F. B. Brewer, then a resident of Titusville. Dr. Moody came directly from Dartmouth, arriving here on the last day of 1862, and at once entered upon the active practice of medicine. He continued in his professional work in Titusville until May, 1864. when he was sent for to assist at the Columbian Hospital at Washington, D. C., at the head of which was Dr. Thomas K. Crosby. He continued at that hospital until the middle of the following December, when he returned to Titusville, and remained in practice here till the summer of 1871, when occurred the death of his wife. In July following he went to Europe for the purpose of obtaining advanced instruction in special branches of medical practice. His first sojourn was at Dresden. Prussia, where he lived with a German family of culture for the purpose of learning the German language. Next he attended advanced med- ical schools at Vienna, where he made a special study of the eye and ear. On his returning trip to America he visited London and other hospitals, to witness the modes of treatment administered by experts of high professional standing in the various branches of medical practice. Whether he found in the hospital practice of Europe skill superior to that of the best hospitals in this country
872
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
it is not certain: but a study of methods somewhat different, perhaps, from those of America was doubtless profitable. He arrived at his home in America in the autumn of 1872, resuming practice in his profession, which he continued until his death, which occurred February 6, 1887.
By his first marriage he was united with Miss Charlotte, daughter of Rev. Reuben Tinker, of Westfield, New York, who bore him one son, who also died in 1871. In 1876 the Doctor married Miss Emma, daughter of Nelson Kingsland, of Keeseville, New York. By this marriage there were three sons, namely : Nelson Kingsland, George Owen and Robert M.
Dr. Moody was a man of high moral principle, conscientious and faithful in all the relations of life. He had a large and active brain, and he was espe- cially fond of intellectual pursuits ; his professional attainments were excellent. Without ever giving countenance to charlatanry, he was not hide-bound in his medical creed. He sought to gather and distribute among others in his pro- fession information of value obtained from any source. If he had great diffi- culty in understanding a case presented to him for treatment he was not ashamed to say so. The example of his life was of the highest value to his community. He was a member of the Presbyterian church.
Jules A. C. Dubar, of Titusville, is a native of New York city, born June 23, 1864. the son of Peter Alphonse Dubar, of Paris, France, and Lescadia Dubar, of Bordeaux, same country. On a trip westward he came to Erie, Penn- sylvania, where he made the acquaintance of several prominent citizens, some of whom recommended him to H. C. Bloss, of the Titusville Herald. In his boy- hood he had been very active in study, learning with unusual rapidity. He attended school one year in New York, but largely educated himself. He studied and practiced for a time with a brother in that city. In 1885 he became connected with the Titusville Herald, and with his versatility and active mind he easily performed the duties of reporter, local editor and assistant in general editorial work. Subsequently he wrote for the American Citizen and the World. (His professional record will be found elsewhere in this work, among those of the Titusville members of the bar. ) He was elected city controller in February, 1893, and re-elected in 1896, and he performed his official duties in a thoroughly efficient manner. He is a linguist, conversing fluently in German, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, besides his native tongue.
May 5. 1881, at Erie. this state, he was married to Miss Elizabeth B. Longnecker, who has borne him four children, three of whom are living.
Claes J. Anderson, grocer, Titusville, was born April 16, 1860, in Bringe- tofta, Sweden, and emigrated to this country in October. 1884, first locating in Corry, Pennsylvania, and also resided for a time in Spring Creek and Buf- falo, and again returned to Corry, where he was employed in the Ajax Machine
873
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Shops for three years. In 1892 he came to Titusville and opened a grocery business, which is still conducted by him.
In January, 1889, he married Hulda Wallin, and they have three children, -Hulda Velmina Maria, Esther Laura Elizabeth and Arvid Harold Emanuel. Mr. Anderson spent his boyhood days in Olmstads, Prestgord, and is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church.
Il'illiam Brown was born in Vernon township, at his present home, about three miles from Conneaut lake, on March 4, 1820, the fifth child of a family of twelve children of Benjamin and Fannie ( Brindle) Brown, who came to Crawford from Berks county, this state, about 1803.
In 1848 William was married to Lydia, the daughter of John Cole, of Woodcock township, and they have two children living. Mrs. Brown died December 9, 1886.
George W., who lives on the home farm with his father, was married in 1876 to Hettie, daughter of Dudley Raydure, and they have three children : Alda, the wife of William First, of Philadelphia; and Irvin and Elsie, who are still at home.
William Best, farmer, East Fairfield township, was born in East Fairfield township in 1850, and has since resided in his native township. During his boyhood and until 1878 he resided near the center of the township on what is known as the Turnpike, and since that time he has resided on the present farm near French creek. He is a son of Samuel and Susan (Woodring) Best. natives of Pennsylvania. They reared the following children, namely : Han- nah, wife of James Masters; Mary, wife of James Minum; Elizabeth, de- ceased, wife of Eugene Wells; Susan, wife of John Masters; William, our subject ; Amelia, Jonas and John Best. December 24, 1874, he married Etta, daughter of Aaron and Olive (Coburn) Weller, and this union has been blest with three children : Olive, Clare A. and Ira L.
Mr. Best is a citizen of worth and highly esteemed in the community in which he resides.
Lce Bannister, of Titusville, was born in Brockport, New York, February 15, 1839, and passed the early period of his life in Rochester, New York, with his grandparents. His parents died prior to his third year. He attended the public schools at Lima, that state, and at the age of eighteen went to Buffalo and was employed in the freight department of the New York Central Rail- road. After a period of about three years he went to Michigan and in the fall of 1860 to Washington, D. C., where he was in government employ until August, 1865, when he came to the oil region here and had charge of the inter- ests of the Mingo Oil Company for two years, and then he entered the employ
874
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
of the firm of Emory & Caldwell, as superintendent. He was next employed by the Standard Oil Company, and had charge of the natural-gas office of Titusville for a period of six years. At the expiration of this time he engaged with the United States Pipe Line Company for two years, during which period he had charge of the construction of the line between Titusville and Bradford. Since 1894 Mr. Bannister has been engaged in the cigar business. He is an active Democrat of untiring energy, whose business qualifications make him one of the stanch and reliable citizens of Titusville.
June 26, 1860. he was united in marriage with Miss Altha C., daughter of John Force, of Rochester, New York.
Alonso Gray .- The surname of the subject of this article, when traced to its origin, is found to have been taken from the name of a place in Burgundy, France. Gradually the spelling was changed from its original form, Cray to de Gray, DeGray and finally Gray. As the latter it can be traced back to the ninth century, and it is said that the Grays accompanied William the Con- queror to England in 1066, as they are frequently mentioned in the annals of that time. The first of the name in America came across the ocean in 1620, and the first record of the family in New England refers to a John Gray, who was here in 1680. Ile married Ruth Hubbard in 1704, and from the worthy couple is descended the subject of this memoir.
Joseph Gray, son of John and Ruth Gray, was a native of Windham, Connecticut, and his death took place in Chenango county, New York. Elder Jeduthan Gray settled in Concord, Erie county, Pennsylvania, in 1823. He married Anna Warren, and their son Silas wedded Polly Hare, and lived in Concord. William, one of the children of Silas and Polly Gray, was twice married, his first wife being Dolly Rose, while his second wife was Louisa Akin prior to their union.
Alonzo Gray, whose name heads this sketch, is a son of William and Dolly ( Rose ) Gray, born in Concord, Erie county, Pennsylvania, January 25. 1838. In 1864 he married Miss Charlotte Drown, a daughter of John S. Drown, and they have since resided on the old homestead, in Rome township, Crawford county, belonging to Mrs. Gray's father. They have two children, Alton L. and Dolly R.
John S. Drown .- The first of this name came from England in 1700. The first of the family born in America was Cyril Drown, a native of Massa- chusetts. He married a Miss Wheeler. Cyril, the eldest son, married Miss Susan Luther, a descendant of Welsh ancestry, and a native of Massachusetts. They moved to Plainfield, New Hampshire, in 1792 and to Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1818.
John S. Drown, whose name heads this sketch, was the son of Cyril and
875
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Susan ( Luther ) Drown, and was born in Plainfield, New Hampshire, January 8, 1799: in 1829 married Miss Charlotte Fisk, and they, in 1836, moved from Erie to Crawford county and settled on a farm where they resided until death. Charlotte F. Drown died January 8, 1865, and John S. Drown died June 14. 1889. They had three children : Emily E .. Ceylon C. and Charlotte A. Drown.
Orrin H. Hollister, of Meadville, was born in Warrensville, Ohio, on Jan- uary 30, 1837. In 1840 his parents removed to Crawford county and settled in North Shenango township. He acquired his education in the common and select schools of the county and until his twenty-fifth year was chiefly employed upon his father's farm and in teaching. On June 5. 1861, he enlisted as a private in the Allegheny College Volunteers, Company I, Tenth Regiment of the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, and promoted corporal in February. 1862. He saw considerable active service and was so seriously wounded in the left arm at the battle of Gains Mills, Virginia, on June 27. 1862, that amputation was rendered necessary, and on September 12. 1862, he was honorably discharged from the service. Soon afterward be was appointed deputy United States col- lector for the twentieth district and served in that capacity until October. 1863. when he was elected clerk of the county on the Republican ticket, and was re- elected in 1866. Ilaving served his second term he was, in 1870, appointed deputy United States marshal for the census bureau for Meadville and Val- lonia, and upon the completion of this duty was appointed clerk of the board of county commissioners, going into office March 1, 1871, and served until 1891, when he was appointed postmaster of Meadville by President Harrison. In 1892 Mr. Hollister was selected as one of seven-out of three thousand first-class postmasters-by John Wanamaker, Postmaster General, to confer with him at the postoffice department in Washington, D. C., in making sug- gestions for the improvement of the mail service. In 1896 he was elected city assessor for three years.
In April, 1874, Mr. Hollister was married to Mary E. Wilson, daughter of Major R. Wilson, of Espyville. Mr. Hollister had two children, Charles W. ; and Anna, wife of R. B. Thompson, merchant of Meadville, who has one child,-Dayton B.
In 1866 Mr. Hollister was initiated into Cussewago Lodge. No. 108. I. O. O. F. In 1870 he was one of the charter members who organized Craw- ford Lodge, No. 734, I. O. of O. F., and still retains his membership ( January 1. 1899), having been a member of the order for over thirty-two years, and was noble grand two terms. He has also been a member of the I. O. of O. F. Endowment Association of Western Pennsylvania since 1880, and he is also a member of Sergeant Peiffer Post. No. 334. G. A. R., at Meadville, Department of Pennsylvania.
876
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Hon. Pearson Church, eldest son of Hon. Gaylord Church, was one of the most prominent citizens of Crawford county. He was born in Mercer county, Pennsylvania, March 13, 1838, but resided all his life in Meadville. His edu- cation was acquired at private schools in Meadville and at Allegheny College, where he was graduated in 1856.
Previous to his graduation he spent a year studying law with his father, and was admitted to practice in 1858, when but twenty years of age. For twenty years he was a successful practitioner. but was in 1878 elected president judge of the district. He took his place on the bench on January 1, 1878, for a term of ten years. He rendered several important decisions while an incum- bent of this office, being the first judge in Pennsylvania,-and perhaps before such a decision was given in Minnesota also,-to decide that colored children should have the same access to our public schools that white children have. After this decision the legislature of the state made it a part of the statute law. In 1883 he decided the Tidewater Pipe Line case, which supported the inde- pendent pipe line companies in their efforts to break the monopoly enjoyed by the Standard Oil Company. It has been the good fortune of Judge Church to decide grave questions of great public as well as private importance and interest,-more. probably, than often falls to the lot of a common-pleas judge.
Judge Church was a member of the Protestant Episcopal church, and always took a lively interest in all that pertains to that organization. He was also active in almost every public enterprise in the place; was elected a member of the school board in 1870, and in 1872 president of the board of control of the public schools. In the same year he was elected a delegate to the constitu- tional convention, and during the years 1872 and 1873 assisted in framing the present constitution, which was ratified and adopted December 16, 1873.
In 1859 he was made a Freemason, and later became a member of the Grand Lodge of the F. & A. M. ; member of the Grand Chapter, R. A. M., and of the Grand Commandery of K. T. He took thirty-two degrees in Scottish Rite Masonry, and for ten years was district deputy grand master of Masons for the district of which Crawford was a part.
In 1868 he was married to Miss Kate, daughter of Hon. Samuel A. Law, of Delaware county, New York, and to this union have been born two daugh- ters,-Alice and Ethel. In politics Judge Church was a Democrat, and was an active worker. In 1896, when the Democratic convention declared for free silver, he took a prominent part in the "gold" Democratic party. He died at his home in Meadville on the 13th day of June, 1898.
The Brawley Family .- In the annals of Crawford county the Brawley family occupies an honorable and distinguished position, one of which all who bear the name have reason to be proud. Many of the members of the family have been remarkable for statesmanship and have taken an active part in the
STT
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
councils of Pennsylvania and other states, while others have risen to high rank in the various professions. Hugh Brawley, an early settler of Crawford county, was a man of recognized worth and ability, his influence being exerted for the welfare and advancement of his own community and state. In 1823 he was elected to the position of sheriff, and subsequently was a notable figure in the halls of the state legislature. He married Lucy Daniels, a daughter of one of the pioneers of his own county.
The second child of Hugh and Lucy Brawley was the Hon. J. Porter Brawley. He was finely educated and from his boyhood it was seen that in all probability his career would be no ordinary one. Having finished a thorough course in literature and the sciences at Allegheny College, he took up the study of law and made a success in that profession. He was elected to the state legislature and served for two terms in that honorable body, after which he was elected to the state senate in 1846, and from 1851 to 1857 was surveyor-general of Pennsylvania, his term being one of six years' duration.
The marriage of Hon. J. Porter Brawley and Miss Isabella Hurst Brooks was solemnized December 28. 1841. Her father, Hon. John Brooks, one of the pioneers of this county, made purchases of land here as early as 1794. He was one of the state commissioners appointed to lay out and construct the Susquehanna & Waterford turnpike, and he also served as treasurer of Craw- ford county, and in minor offices, besides being the first justice of the peace in this county, after its organization. In 1813. during the war with Great Britain, Mr. Brooks organized and commanded a company of soldiers who. went to Erie to resist the threatened invasion of this state, it then being believed to be in danger. After his arrival in Erie he was appointed aide to General Mead, with the rank of major. In 1817 he was appointed associate judge of Crawford county by Governor Simon Snyder, and this position he occupied until his death. Twice married, his second union was with Susan Nichols, who came of Revolutionary ancestry, and whose family had been obliged to flee for their lives at the time of the Wyoming massacre. Her father, Thomas Nichols, was an early settler of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.