Portrait and biographical record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 9

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York : Chapman Publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1068

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In New Jersey, December 17, 1834, Mr. Blair married Miss Elizabeth Locke, who was born in Blairstown, the daughter of a farmer, and grand- daughter of Captain Locke, who was killed in

the battle of Elizabeth, while bravely fighting for American independence. Six children were born of this union, of whom Milton Locke, formerly a business man of Scranton, died here in 1865; Austin B. is assistant cashier of the Scranton Savings Bank and a member of its board of trus- tees; Lauretta is the wife of Col. H. A. Coursen; James Seldon died in 1886 in this city, where he had been a merchant; Anna is the wife of James A. Linen, president of the First National Bank of Scranton; and Charles Edward resides in this city. Mrs. Elizabeth Blair died in 1858. In 1864 Mr. Blair married Mrs. Margaret (Clark) Mckinney, who was born in New Jersey, and died in Scran- ton in 1872. His third marriage was to Mrs. Alice (Green) Rogers, a native of New Jersey, but at the time of her marriage a resident of Springfield, Ohio; she died in 1886.

Mr. Blair is a man of wide experience, a keen observer of men and affairs, with a mind broad- ened by travel and contact with the world, and possessing business acumen in a rare degree. He has not only watched with pleasure the de- velopment of this city, his chosen home, with which his personal interests are so closely bound, but he has also witnessed with pride the won- derful growth of these United States in the course of the nineteenth century, and has assisted there- in by his active connection with the develop- ment of railroads. His long and useful life en- titles him to the regard of all who cherish an af- fection for the honest and the true, and will cause his name to be remembered long after he shall have gone hence.

R OLLIN MANVILLE. The death of a good man is always a deep sorrow. A man who has been a leader in his com- munity, who possesses all the qualities of noble manhood and who has labored through the years of his active life for the welfare of his fel- lowmen and the prosperity of his town, may well be accounted a citizen whose death is a public loss. The life of Rollin Manville, who passed away June 24, 1891, forcibly illustrates the truth of this principle. He was a man whose every im- pulse was honest, whose conscience was his

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guide, who met all the responsibilities of life with courage, whose mind was clear and comprehen- sive, and who had a wealth of culture that gave him intimate communion with the best thought of the world. His ability was recognized by the Delaware & Hudson Company, whom he repre- sented for many years as superintendent of the Pennsylvania Division.

Born in Whitehall, N. Y., November 6, 1824, the son of Amos Manville, the subject of this article in early life chose the occupation of a civil engineer, and in July of 1847 entered the rail- road service as rodman on the construction of the Saratoga & Washington Railroad. Two years later he was appointed division engineer of the New York & Harlem Railroad. His first work in Pennsylvania began in 1853, when he was em- ployed to survey and make plans for a railroad from Wilkesbarre to the Delaware River at Water Gap. The survey was made during the summer, but after the plans were prepared the project was abandoned. In September of the same year lie returned to New York and was appointed construction engineer of the Flushing & Hunter's Point Railroad, which was com- pleted in June, 1855. In January of the follow- ing year he entered the service of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company as assistant superin- tendent, taking the entire charge of the Gravity Railroad from Waymart to Honesdale, including the coal pockets and canal docks and the whole plant pertaining to the shipment of coal by boat.

During 1856, under the direction of Mr. Man- ville, the system of transferring coal from cars to boats was subjected to many changes and the cost of shipment was materially lessened under his new method, while the landing of canal boats was also made comparatively easy. The int- provements under his direction at Honesdale were in line with the changes contemplated in the entire Gravity system, and when the work of constructing the present system was commenced in April, 1857, he was placed in charge as con- struction engineer. Nowhere in the world has the skillful engineer accomplished so economic- ally such a feat in railroad building as the system of inclines constructed by Mr. Manville, by which millions of tons of anthracite coal have been

transported from the Lackawanna Valley over the Moosic range into the valleys formed of the tributaries of the Delaware Valley. Under his administration the valley road was constructed and the Union Coal Company's lines purchased.

With all the time and labor devoted to the in- terests of the company, which he so faithfully and ably served, Mr. Manville found time to look after the interests of the army of men, whose service in the various departments of the railroad he considered quite as essential to the success of the corporation as the responsible places held by the managers. In all his relations with the men, he was uniformly courteous and his decisions were fair. Having grown up with the great cor- poration, he was not only familiar with the du- ties of the humblest employe, but he retained for the working men the kind feeling engendered by the belief that men, in whatever station of life, are of one family and entitled to all the privileges that free and equal birth secure. Few men en- joyed the confidence of so many wage earners as did he. With all the responsibilities resting upon him, he was never known to pass one of his men without a kind greeting. His great heart was readily touched by the appeal of the needy and his hand was never withheld when the claim of the helpless was presented to him. It was largely due to his liberal views and that of the corporation he represented, that the working men of Carbondale own such comfortable homes, for every man is sure of a life position if he at- tends to the duties of his place.

A stanch advocate of home protection, Mr. Manville looked carefully to the improvements of his home town and took great interest in the building up of Carbondale. Every worthy en- terprise received his support. He was the lead- ing factor in the organization of the free hospital for the care of injured miners and railroad men, and did much to put it on a solid foundation, serving as president of the board of trustees front the time of organization until his death. He was also president of the Carbondale Gas Company, the Crystal Lake Water Company, and interested in many other local enterprises. His home was in Carbondale from 1864, when he was promoted to the position of superintendent of the road,

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until his death. In religious belief he was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church and a lead- ing worker in its behalf, being warden and ves- tryman for more than twenty-five years. His wife, two sons, C. Rollin and Willis A., and a daughter, Florence (Mrs. David Zieley, Jr.), sur- vive him.

C. Rollin Manville was born in Honesdale, Pa., January 13, 1858, graduated as a civil engi- neer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N. Y., June 16, 1880, and in the same year entered the service of the Delaware & Hud- son Railroad as assistant engineer of the Penn- sylvania Division, filling that position until March, 1883. From that time until November, 1885, he served as engineer of the same road, and afterward, until July, 1891, was assistant superintendent. On the death of his father, he was promoted to the position of superintendent, which responsible position his experience and ability qualify him to fill. His brother, W. A., is also connected with the road as its representa- tive at Wilkesbarre, Pa.

J OHN NEALON. Ireland has from among her citizens given to the world many of its best men. Whether we study her history or watch the careers of her children at home and abroad,-their heroism when with the "Iron Duke" at Waterloo, their bravery amid the hard- ships of the early settlement of the United States or their patriotic devotion to our country, we will give her credit for the manly character of her sons.

Among the representatives of that nationality in Carbondale is John Nealon, postmaster of the city and the oldest living male born here. His father, Patrick Nealon, who was a native of County Mayo, in the west of Ireland, came to America in 1829 and settled in Carbondale. Just prior to his emigration he married Bridget Bar- rett, a native of the same place as himself. Com- ing here without means, he was employed in the coal mines and saved a sufficient amount to en- able him, a few years later, to take his wife and son on a trip to his native land. Some ten years later he again visited the old country. On these

two trips a son and daughter were born, namely: Martin, who was killed in the mines at Carbon- dale when about fifteen years of age; and Cath- erine, widow of the late Barnard McTighe, and a resident of this city. In 1856, 1857 and 1858 the father was proprietor of an old-styled tavern here, but afterward lived retired on his farm, in the enjoyment of a good property, accumulated largely through the business ability of his wife. He died in July, 1860, and in the same month, twenty years later, his widow passed away.

Though he had but little schooling, our sub- ject was naturally bright, with a business turn of mind, and so became well informed. In boy- hood for a short time he drove a mule on the tow path, and at fourteen became a clerk in the store of Patrick Kanney. When his brother was killed he was working in the mines, but after that catastrophe he never returned there. For eight- een months he was employed as clerk in the dry- goods store of Anthony Grady, after which, hav- ing persuaded his father to loan him all his ready money, $425, he embarked in the grocery busi- ness, and was so successful that at the end of five years he had cleared $6,000. In 1858 he oper- ated a brewery in connection with his store and made as much as $10,000 in a year, but during the depression and strikes in the mines in the '70's, he lost about $40,000 by giving credit to the unemployed. In 1877 he retired from the business.

In municipal affairs Mr. Nealon has filled some important offices. In 1854 he was elected city treasurer and held the position for two terms. For four years he was a member of the city council. In 1875 he was chosen mayor, in which capacity he served for two terms. He was a dele- gate to the Democratic national convention in 1876 and voted for Samuel J. Tilden from first to last. For two terms he held the office of city comptroller. September 1, 1894, he was ap- pointed postmaster of Carbondale. Since he took possession of the office, the salary has been in- creased $100 each year, and is now $2,300. Three clerks are furnished, as well as a force of mail carriers. The office is one of the most im- portant in this part of the state. Politically he has been a lifelong Democrat. He is a thor-

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ough American and believes if his government stamped a piece of leather and said it was a dol- lar, it ought to pass for that in any part of the world.

April 27, 1856, Mr. Nealon married Mary Mof- fitt, a native of Carbondale, and daughter of Pat- rick and Bridget (Rafter) Moffitt. They have been the parents of nine children. Frank, the eldest, was a graduate of Seaton College, Orange, N. J., and died when twenty-five years of age; Rev. William A., graduate of Alleghany College, was ordained to the priesthood in 1883 and has been an assistant in the church at Car- bondale since 1893; John M. and James F. assist their father in the office, and the only daughter, Alida, is money order clerk. The other four children died when small. The surviving sons and daughter reside with their parents in the pleasant family residence in South Church Street.

B ENJAMIN HENRY THROOP, M. D., has been identified with the history of Scranton from a very early period of its settlement, and not only has he been honored as a physician and surgeon who has met with more than usual success in his chosen profession, but also for his excellent record as a public-spirited citizen, his honorable service in the army and his brilliancy as an author. The results of his ex- periences as a citizen of Scranton he has embod- ied in an octavo of over two hundred and fifty pages, entitled "A Half Century in Scranton," a work which proves his literary ability and forms a valuable addition to the historical collections of the city. He has also shown himself to be a business man of superior ability, and although he has been very liberal and charitable to the poor, and has given largely of his means and time to alleviate human suffering and promote the hap- piness of mankind, he has acquired a competency and is regarded as one of the wealthy citizens of this part of the state.

In tracing the genealogy of the Throop family, we find a legend that has been handed down from generation to generation, to the effect that Adrian Scrope, one of the judges who condemn- ed Charles I., fled from England and landed

in America. In order to conceal his identity and thus escape the punishment of Charles II., he changed his name to Throop. In successive generations there were three Congregational clergymen who bore the name of Benjamin Throop, and held pastorates in Rhode Island and Connecticut. The Doctor's grandfather, Benjamin, was major in the Fourth Connecticut Infantry during the Revolution, and, on recom- mendation of General Washington, was breveted colonel for meritorious conduct; his commis- sion, signed by John Jay in 1779 at Philadelphia, is now in the possession of Dr. Throop. Colonel Throop died in 1820, and during his latter years was in receipt of a pension. The Doctor's father, who was fifteen at the time Colonel Throop en- tered the army, went with him into the service as a fifer, and afterward was a pensioner of the government.

The youngest of six sons, the subject of this article was born November 9, 1811, in Oxford, Chenango County, N. Y., to which place his par- ents removed in 1800. Orphaned at the age of twelve by the death of his father, Dan Throop, he was reared by his mother, who trained him carefully for a life of usefulness and took the most affectionate interest in his welfare, until she passed away in 1842, aged seventy-three. In youth he was a student in Oxford Academy. among his classmates being Horatio Seymour and Ward Hunt. On the completion of his lit- erary course, he began to read medicine with Dr. Perez Packer, and later attended Fairfield Medical College, then the only medical institu- tion in New York. From this he graduated in 1832 at twenty-one years.

In February of the same year the young Doc- tor settled in Honesdale, Pa., then an insignifi- cant hamlet, with no trace of its future prosper- ity save its favorable position at the head waters of the Delaware & Hudson Canal. Notwith- standing the fact that he was young, inexpe- rienced and poor, his genial manners, upright life and professional knowledge soon enabled him to gain the confidence of the people. How- ever, he was not satisfied with the location, and in 1835 went to Oswego, N. Y., and thence less than a year later removed to New York City. In

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the fall of 1840 he went to Honesdale on a visit, and soon afterward was called to the Lacka- wanna Valley in consultation. While here he noticed this locality offered a promising field for professional work and determined to make it his future home. Accordingly, he established him- self in Providence October 8, 1840.

The people now residing in Scranton can form no adequate conception of the condition and ap- pearance of Providence over fifty years ago, nor of the prospects in what is now a large and flour- ishing city. Slocums Hollow, as it was then known, had recently been purchased by G. W. and Selden Scranton and Sanford Grant, with whom the Doctor soon became acquainted, and by whom, in 1847, he was induced to come to this place. With the consent of the owners of the land, he took possession of property in the woods, and to him belongs the honor of erecting the first house in Scranton proper, outside of the buildings owned by the Iron Company. Soon he became known as a skillful, capable physi- cian, and commanded a large practice, covering an extensive territory. Early investors had hoped to make fortunes out of the iron ore here, but the enterprise failed, destroying their ex- pectations. From the first, however, Dr. Throop had been convinced that the mining of coal would become the great industry of this locality, and acting on this belief, in 1855 he began to invest in coal lands. His property rapidly increased in value on account of the completion of the Dela- ware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad direct to New York, and the extension of the Delaware & Hudson and the Pennsylvania Coal Company into that section.

Through his personal efforts Dr. Throop ob- tained from the legislature a charter for a gas and water company and for the Lackawanna Hos- pital. His real estate operations were extensive and included a large lumbering business near Scranton, and additions to the city in Hyde Park, Providence and Dunmore. In addition, he laid out the town of Blakely and the village of Price- burg, and founded the town of Throop. In all his additions he followed the same method; farms were bought and divided into lots, prices were made reasonable and purchasers were found

among substantial workingmen who took their families to the place. Under his supervision the Newton turnpike was completed. He introduced the first general supply of milk here, the first livery stable, first drug store, first railway pack- age express and assisted in securing a postoffice here. During the administration of President Pierce he served as postmaster, 1853-57. Doubt- less no resident of Lackawanna County was more active in securing its separation from Lu- zerne than was Dr. Throop, and his labors in that direction extended over a long period of years. He spent a portion of several winters at Harrisburg, and while at times the case looked hopeless, he never abandoned it, and at last, in 1877, was rewarded for his efforts by the erection of the new county.

A sketch of Dr. Throop would do injustice to him as a patriot were no mention made of his labors during the Civil War. When President Lincoln called for volunteers at the outbreak of the Rebellion, he was the first surgeon in old Lu- zerne to respond to the call and, without solici- tation on his part, was commissioned surgeon of the Eighth Pennsylvania Infantry by his friend, Governor Curtin. So thorough was he in the enforcement of laws that the regiment did not lose a man by disease while absent from home. He was the first surgeon to establish field hos- pitals, opening one at Chambersburg before he had been a week in the service. The location was especially desirable, as ten thousand men from Pennsylvania and other states were en- camped there. As may be supposed, so many men, removed from the comforts of domestic life and sent into the field at an early season in the year, naturally furnished a great number of sick, and Dr. Throop, being the senior surgeon, was expected to provide quarters for them. He took possession of an abandoned hotel and of the city hall, placing in them cots, which he furnished himself, while bed clothing was sent from Scran- ton. The Doctor had left home April 18, ex- pecting to spend a day and a night at Harris- burg, but it was four months before he was able to return home, and during all that time he was engaged in active duty on the field. After his return home he was once more sent back to the

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front to care for the wounded of the One Hun- dred and Thirty-second Pennsylvania Infantry, which suffered greatly at the battle of Antietam, and this time he served for six weeks, establish- ing a field hospital in a forest, to which the wounded were taken. On the conclusion of his work there, he accompanied the army to Har- per's Ferry, where he remained until an attack of fever compelled him to return home.

Though long retired from practice, Dr. Throop has never lost his interest in the medical profes- sion. The young man just entering upon prac- tice finds in him a helpful friend, whose counsel may be freely sought. His interest in the cause may be shown by his recent presentation of a medical library of about two hundred volumes to the Lackawanna Medical Society. In 1872 Governor Hartranft appointed him a trustee of the Danville Insane Hospital, and succeeding governors have continued him in the position. The Lackawanna Hospital was at first main- tained at his own expense, but he finally suc- ceeded in having it endowed by the state. For years he held the position of chief surgeon of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western and the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company's Rail- roads. In 1882, with a number of prominent citizens of Scranton, he united to form the Scran-

ton Illuminating, Heating & Power Company, of which he served as president for a time.

Politically Dr. Throop is identified with the Republican party. In reference to his views con- cerning the practice of medicine, he is orthodox, liberal and yet independent. He is a great reader, a deep thinker, broad in views, religious, philosophical and social. As a man of influence he has attained an enviable position, while his After the war Dr. Throop retired from active practice, and gave his attention to his large and important business interests. In 1842 he mar- ried Miss Harriet F. Mckinney, a sister of the wife of Sanford Grant. To Dr. Throop and wife were born five children, only one now living, Mrs. H. B. Phelps, who makes her home with her father and mother in Scranton. His connec- tion with religious enterprises has continued throughout his entire life, and it was largely by his labors and assistance that the beautiful church edifice was erected in which St. Luke's Episcopal congregation worship. He aided in the establishment of the first lodge of Odd Fel- lows in Scranton and gave financial assistance in the erection of their hall, which for years was course throughout his long life has been such as to win for him the esteem of acquaintances. In addition to his published work, he has written for medical journals and newspapers, and wields a ready and pointed pen. Few of the men who were his friends and co-laborers fifty years ago survive to the present. The majority have been called from earth, some of them long since. To him has been given the privilege, not only of assisting in the early settlement of Scranton, but also of witnessing its present prosperity and of enjoying, as one of its hundred and twenty-five thousand inhabitants, the comforts secured by his zealous efforts in days gone by. Now, with heart mellowed and softened by age, he is surrounded by the ministering affection of relatives and also used for entertainments and lectures. The . friends, looked up to with admiration by the important moneyed interests which he held led to his selection as president of the Scranton City Bank, which position he occupied for some time.

younger generation, and regarded with esteem by those who labored side by side with him for the advancement of this community. In the best sense of the word, his may be called a successful life, and his success may be attributed to energy and perseverance, and other qualities that have given him the

"Strength to dare, the nerve to meet Whatever threatens with defeat An all-indomitable will."

I SRAEL CRANE. Through the long period in which he was identified with the interests of Carbondale, Israel Crane was known as a progressive and judicious business man, and in his death the city sustained a severe loss. It is said of him by those who were intimately ac- quainted with him that he was conscientious in deed, exemplary in life, outspoken in public af- fairs, pleasant and cheerful, with a kind word for all with whom he had daily intercourse. Honesty

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and industry characterized his life, and these qualities with his kindly consideration of others won him the respect of his fellow-citizens.

Born at Montclair, N. J., January 16, 1839, our subject was a son of Ira Crane, who was a shoe dealer in that place. His educational advan- tages were very limited, and at fifteen he became a clerk in a store in Montclair, later forming a partnership with his brother-in-law. In 1864 he came to Carbondale and secured a clerkship under W. J. Crane, a distant relative, by whom he was taken into partnership after a year and a half. In the spring of 1869 they decided to change their location and accordingly moved the business to the more promising town of Scranton. This came very nearly being a disas- trous change. The depression following the Civil War and the panic of 1873 almost brought financial ruin. The partnership was dissolved and in 1874 Mr. Crane decided to return to Car- bondale. Here he met with marked success and built up a large dry-goods business, now run under the name of the Israel Crane Company, managed by his son, D. L., for the estate.

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Portrait and biographical record of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 9

Author: Publication date: 1897 Publisher: New York : Chapman Publishing co. Number of Pages: 1068

Author:
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York : Chapman Publishing co.
Number of Pages: 1068