Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 67

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY)
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1068

USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties > Part 67
USA > Pennsylvania > Wyoming County > Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties > Part 67

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E RVIN H. STONE. To find men of ability it is not necessary to journey far from home and friends. We need but to look about us to see many who have displayed an energy of action that entitles them to recog- nition among progressive and public-spirited citi- zens. In Carbondale, as elsewhere, opportuni- ties are not lacking to teach the power of honesty and energy in securing the individual and public good. The subject of this biographical notice is one who is prospering in business and who is also ever found ready to promote the welfare of his fellowmen by assisting in their worthy under- takings. While his residence in this city has been of comparatively brief duration, his experi-

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

ence in the milk business covers an extended period, and he is still successfully engaged in this occupation. In addition he also has ice cream parlors, with soda fountain and confectionery store, near the intersection of Church and Ca- naan Streets, an excellent location for the trade.

The father of our subject, George W. Stone, was born in Abington Township, Lackawanna County, September 4, 1840, and has always been connected with the occupation of farming. He remained on the old homestead, interested in farming and lumbering, until of age. During the progress of the Civil War he enlisted as a member of Company K, Twenty-fifth Pennsylvania In- fantry, and accompanied his regiment to Harper's Ferry and the Shenandoah Valley, remaining in the service for three months, after which he was honorably discharged. For thirty years or more he has resided in Fell Township, this county. In addition to farming, for eleven years he served as a minister in the Free Will Baptist Church.

Ethan A. Stone, our subject's grandfather, was a son of Welcome Stone, a farmer, and was born in Abington Township, this county. Between the ages of thirteen and twenty-one he lived in Wilkesbarre, where he learned the hatter's trade. Next he went to Dundaff, from there to Abington Township, thence to Scott, and in 1849 settled in Fell Township, where he died at seventy-two years. His wife, Lucinda Pell, was the daughter of a Frenchman who emigrated to this country and first settled in Wilkesbarre, but about 1800 removed to Greenfield Township, this county, be- coming a pioneer there. The family of Ethan A. Stone consisted of eight children, and our sub- ject's father is the eldest of the four survivors.

January 1, 1863, George W. Stone married Eliza Wedeman, member of a pioneer family of Fell Township. They became the parents of five children, namely: Martha J., who died at the age of thirteen months; George B., who married Mary Everson and has two children, Lila and Everett; Ervin H .; Edith, and Grace E. Our subject, who was third among the children, was born January 12, 1872, and grew to manhood upon the home farm, receiving a fair opportunity for an education. Early in life he began to make his own way in the world, his first work being

in the milk business, which he thoroughly under- stands. On coming to Carbondale in 1895 he opened a milk depot in Salem Avenue, and has since built up a good trade among the people here. He married Miss Grace Purdy, who was born in Pennsylvania; they and their children, Mabel and Rexford, occupy a comfortable resi- dence on Birkett Street, which he built for his family. In his political opinions he is a Repub- lican, and in religious belief is identified with the Baptist Church.

C HARLES H. CAWLEY, who has been in the employ of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company for more than thirty years, and has been a resident of Scranton for about the same period, was born in Honesdale, Pa., in November, 1850, the son of Charles and Eleanor (Caveny) Cawley. His father, who was born in Ireland, came to the United States in young manhood and settled in Honesdale, where he married and worked in the employ of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Com- pany. In 1857 he removed to Hawley and took a position with the Pennsylvania Coal Company, but in 1865 came to Scranton, and here contin- ued to reside until his death, June 15, 1878. His wife passed away in this city April 14, 1871. Their family consisted of six children who at- tained years of maturity: Charles H .; Thomas, who is engaged in the hotel business in Scranton; John, dispatcher of mine trains at Bloomsburg; Edward, who was accidentally killed on the Dela- ware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad at Tay- lor; James, a resident of this city; and Andrew, who died here.

When a child of seven years the subject of this sketch accompanied his parents to Hawley, and there for some time he was employed to carry tools for the men working on the Hawley branch. For three consecutive winters after coming to Scranton he attended the public schools here, and afterward, when employed during the day, devoted his evenings to study, thus acquiring a fund of knowledge that has been of the greatest value to him. March 18, 1865, immediately after coming to this city, he took a position as section

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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

hand with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Company, and after three years was made brake- man on the line between the yards and Clarks Summit. Afterward he was transferred to the Southern division, then to the Bloomsburg di- vision. In 1871 he was promoted to be dis- patcher or conductor of mine trains on the Bloomsburg division, with headquarters in Scranton, but was transferred to Kingston, No- vember 20, 1876, as conductor on the coal trains from Avondale to Scranton, and from Kingston to Northumberland.

In January, 1879, Mr. Cawley was transferred to Scranton as conductor on the coal train be- tween this city and Port Morris, and remained in that capacity for some years. April 1, 1882, he was given his present position that of vard dis- patcher in charge of all the coal trains from the Brisbin, Cayuga, Capouse, Hyde Park, Sloan, Hampton, Continental and Archbald mines to the Clarks Summit yards. He has twelve engines running constantly and gives the order for all the coal trains from these mines. His long experi- ence in this line, together with his methodical habits, enables him to discharge his responsible duties with credit to himself and to the satisfac- tion of the company.

Politically Mr. Cawley is a Democrat, but is not a partisan in his views, and has never sought office for himself. He is connected with the Dela- ware, Lackawanna & Western Mutual Aid As- sociation and the Delaware, Lackawanna & West- ern Conductors' Association, Lackawanna Divi- sion No. 12, Order Railway Conductors. In this city he married Miss Ellen Duffy, who was born in Ireland, but crossed the ocean when a small child and has since lived in Scranton. They and their children, Charles and Mary, reside at No. 225 Railroad Avenue.

J AMES S. WAGNER. The intelligence and ability shown by Mr. Wagner as a pro- gressive farmer and the interest he has taken in the advancement of Lackawanna Coun- ty, caused him long since to be classed as one of the leading citizens of his section. The prop- erty that he now owns has come as the result of

his own efforts, and he deserves much credit for the determined way in which he has faced and overcome difficulties that beset his path. In early boyhood he was obliged to become self-support- ing, and the road to success he found anything but a rosy one; nevertheless, he has become well- to-do through his own indefatigable exertions.

The father of our subject, Frederick Wagner, was born in Northampton County, but moved to Luzerne County about 1803, and there died at the age of sixty-nine, in 1848; he married Catherine Conrad, who died on the home farm at the age of seventy-five. Their son, James S., was born in Luzerne County, Pa., December 27, 1826, and when a mere child began to earn his own way in the world by assisting his father. At the age of twenty-one he hired out to his brother-in-law, C. Stark, for one year, but his father's death caused him to make a change in what he had intended for his life occupation. He returned home and afterward for ten years he and a brother culti- vated the estate. In 1859 he purchased his pres- ent property adjoining Clarks Green, and a nunı- ber of farms in the neighborhood, the majority of which he has sold. He also owns village prop- erty. His prosperity is due to his own efforts, . for without doubt he is one of the hardest work- ing men for miles around.

While unable to attend school for an extended period in boyhood, Mr. Wagner impresses one as a well informed man, and such indeed he is, for being a great reader and a close observer, he has gained a broad fund of general information. He is one of seven forming a reading club in Clarks Green, who subscribe for all the leading period- icals and keep in close touch with the world of thought and literature. With his family, he holds membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. His political experiences have been varied. His first vote was cast for Lewis Cass, the favorite of the old Democratic party, but during the war he gave his ballot to Abraham Lincoln, for whom he had the greatest admiration. The talented statesman, Horace Greeley, received his vote in 1872. At three consecutive elections he voted for Grover Cleveland, and in 1896, taking his stand with the gold champions, he voted for Major McKinley.

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December 1, 1859, Mr. Wagner married Miss Sarah Griffin, who was born near Clarks Green. They became the parents of one child, Hattie G., and it was the heaviest sorrow of their wedded lives when she was taken from them by death at the age of three years. Mrs. Wagner is a daugh- ter of Elias and Esther (Clark) Griffin, the former of whom was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., and died in this county at the age of seventy- eight. Her grandparents, James and Sarah (Clapp) Griffin, were among the first settlers in Providence, near Scranton, but afterward they went to Westchester County, N. Y., where they died in advanced years. Mrs. Wagner's maternal grandfather was William Clark, one of the early settlers of Clarks Green, the place being named in honor of himself and his brother Jeremiah.

P ETER FINKLER. Many of the most pa- triotic citizens of our country have emi- grated hither from foreign lands, and among them are many of the stalwart sons of Germany. Coming with little or no capital, some in youth and some in manhood, they have almost · invariably, when honest and industrious, built up comfortable homes and gained a success that would have been impossible for them in the old country. When Mr. Finkler crossed the ocean he was a lad of ten years, but had already learned many lessons in the hard school of poverty. At only seven years he worked in a cotton mill in France, and the seven cents per day earned in this way was an important item in supporting the family. His mother, too, worked in the sante place, receiving fourteen cents per day. From that condition of poverty he has, by self-exertion, raised himself to a position of influence among the truck farmers of Newton Township, where he owns three hundred acres of land.

From Prussia Michael Finkler, our subject's father, came to America in 1837, arriving in New York after a voyage of seventy-two days, and from there going by wagon to Wilkesbarre. Six days were spent in this trip, the horse making but slow progress in pulling the wagon through heavy drifts and in the face of a blinding snow. After he had been two years in Wilkesbarre, the

father drove back to New York to meet his wife, son and two daughters, who reached New York after a voyage of thirty-six days from Havre, France. Afterward he was employed in the Le- high Valley. He spent his last days with his son, our subject, and died at his home when seventy- four years of age. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Eleanor M. Baris, died in 1849, at the age of forty-six. All but two of their eight children are still living.

Born in Prussia, July II, 1829, our subject was deprived of educational advantages save those which he secured by self-instruction. His first work in Pennsylvania was that of carrying din- ners to railroad employes and running errands for them, and later he earned a little by picking huckleberries. At nineteen he began to work on a farm for $13 per month, and of his first wages paid his father $35 for his time. After working on the farm for one season he assisted in build- ing a sawmill, for which he received seventy-five cents a day. Returning home he sold a horse be- longing to his father for $21 and used the money in starting out as a farmer for himself. At twenty years, when his only possessions were $3 and a pair of borrowed horses, he was united in mar- riage, April 6, 1850, with Miss Margaret, daugh- ter of Antonio and Mary A. (Bothman) Herold, all natives of Germany. They came to this coun- try in 1837 and rented in Brooklyn, N. Y., but afterward settled in Luzerne County upon a farm. Mrs. Margaret Finkler died in Blakely Township at the age of twenty-seven; of her three children, one is living, Catharine.

The second marriage of Mr. Finkler was to Miss Lena Miltenberger, August 22, 1857. She was born in New York City and became the moth- er of eleven children, but only four are living: Margaret, who married Ulrich Witzigman and had five children; Elizabeth, Mrs. John Beyrent, who has four children; Peter F., who married Mary Henn, and Charles A., who is with his par- ents. The father of Mrs. Finkler was a miller by trade and died in Bedford County. After his first marriage our subject settled on a small place bought by his father, but on which the latter had made no payment. Peter paid for it and made it his home several years. In 1867 he bought his

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present property, for which he paid $10,000, $6,000 in cash at the time of purchase, and the remainder afterward. As a truck farmer he has been quite successful, and has engaged in the business since the old days when Scranton was known as Slocum's Hollow. On settling here, fifty acres of the land had already been cleared, but the other one hundred acres were unim- proved. He built a large barn and added to the farm until it aggregated three hundred acres. Be- sides this he owns a farm of seventy acres, on which his son-in-law lives. He is a Democrat in politics and cast his first presidential vote for Franklin Pierce. A Catholic in religion, he as- sisted in building the church here and has con- tributed to its support.

E UGENE A. WONNACOTT. Carbondale is the home of a large number of railroad men, the majority of whom have worked their way upward from humble positions to posts of honor, responsibility and large trust, winning merited praise from the officials of the roads with which they are connected. Such a man is the subject of this sketch, who has been a citizen of Carbondale since 1881 and has recently built a comfortable residence at No. 34 Darte Avenue. His first work in life was on a railroad and he has been promoted from one position to another until now he is serving in the capacity of bag- gage master.

The Wonnacott family originated in England, whence Daniel, our subject's father, emigrated to America in young manhood, settling in Penn- sylvania and securing work on the Delaware & Hudson Railroad. For more than forty-five years he has been employed on the Gravity branch of this road, and his long service testifies to his industry, fidelity and energy. He resides in Way- mart, Wayne County, of which place he is a re- spected citizen. By his marriage to Minerva Bunnell, he had thirteen children, and of these six are living, namely: Eugene A., who was born in Waymart June 20, 1859; Zegonia, of Waymart; Emma, wife of D. B. Robbins, a conductor on the Delaware & Hudson Railroad; Ulysses G., who is engaged in the laundry business in Car-

bondale; Minnie, Mrs. B. N. Peck; and Oscar E., of this city.

While the recipient of only common-school ad- vantages, the subject of this sketch is exception- ally well informed and possesses excellent clerical ability. When but twelve years of age, he began to work for himself, his first employment being that of water carrier to a gang of men on a rail- road section. Next he was given work as brake- man on the Gravity road between Waymart and Honesdale, and from that transferred to a coal train. As he proved capable and reliable, he was promoted to be brakeman of a passenger train and afterward was given the position of baggage master at Carbondale, which he has held for a number of years.

In political views Mr. Wonnacott is an advo- cate of Republican principles. Since 1893 he has served as collector of county taxes in the first ward of Carbondale. He is identified with the Brotherhood of Trainmen and maintains a warm interest in everything pertaining to his chosen occupation. An Odd Fellow fraternally, he be- longs to Cameron Lodge No. 56 and Encamp- ment No. 16. He is an active, energetic man, a congenial companion, and is very popular among the people of the city where he resides.

P W. COSTELLO, member of the board of county auditors and with James Fletn- . ing joint proprietor of the Arbor cafe at No. 221 Wyoming Avenue, Scranton, was born in Minooka, this county, March 11, 1866, the only child of William and Bridget (Langan) Costello. His father, who was an early settler in Minooka, was employed in mining for coal with William Connell & Co., and remained there until his death in 1891, at the age of about sixty; the wife and mother died in 1868.

Like so many of the boys of Lackawanna County, Mr. Costello began work as a slate pick- er. He was a child of ten years when he secured employment in a breaker and there the three fol- lowing years were spent. Afterward, for five years, he was employed as clerk in various gro- cery stores in Scranton. In 1886 he secured an appointment as clerk in the city treasurer's of-

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fice under P. J. Ruane, with whom he remained six months, until the expiration of his term. For a short time he was clerk in the office of the city clerk. In 1887 he was appointed office clerk for the city engineer and continued in that capacity, under two incumbents of the office, until April I, 1896, when he resigned to engage in business. As a member of the firm of Fleming & Costello, he is turning his energies to the management of the Arbor cafe, which has been newly finished and furnished, and is carried on in a manner that warrants the patronage of the people.

In Scranton Mr. Costello married Miss Agnes C. Mahon, who was born here, the daughter of Patrick Mahon, at one time city treasurer of Scranton. A resident of the sixth ward, Mr. Cos- tello has been active in the Democratic party in this ward and is one of the local workers. In 1896 he was elected county auditor and took the oath of office January 1, 1897, for a terin of three years. While his attention has been given largely to business and political matters, he has found time to cultivate his talent for ornamental work and pencil sketching. He is considered an expert penman and engrossing artist and has done some of the finest work of this kind ever seen in Scran- ton, his ability in this direction having brought him considerable local reputation.

E VAN H. WILLIAMS. There is no field of activity that calls for greater persever- ance and energy on the part of the one entering it, than does the railroad business, and in it there is no position more important than that of engineer. How few who start upon a journey by rail give a thought to the engineer at his post of duty or realize how weighty are his responsi- bilities, as every day human lives are placed in his keeping. The one who fills this position with fidelity deserves the regard of all true citizens. Of Mr. Williams it may be said that he has proved himself a trusted and trustworthy employe and the confidence reposed in him by the officials of the road has not been misplaced. His service as engineer covers the period from February, 1879, to the present, and during that long time he has never met with any serious accident.

The parents of our subject, Hugh and Ann (Lewis) Williams, were born in Wales, and came to this country after their marriage. The father, while engaging principally in farming, to some extent also carried on mining, which had been his occupation in his native land. He died at the age of eighty-nine, and his wife when forty- five. Of their six children, four are living: Will- iam, who makes his home in Wyoming County; John, living in Nebraska; Hugh L., a resident of Wyoming County; and Evan H., who was born in Wyoming County, April 21, 1848.

Reared to manhood upon his father's farm, the subject of this sketch learned habits of industry under the training of his parents. His first work in the employ of the Delaware & Hudson Com- pany was that of shovelling dirt on a section, and later he was employed at the roundhouse. Faith- ful in humble duties, he was promoted to be fire- man on an engine, and remained in that capacity for six years and five months, in this way gaining a thorough knowledge of the locomotive in all its details. In February, 1879, he was made an engineer, and has since held that position.

The questions of the age receive careful thought on the part of Mr. Williams, and polit- ically he favors Republican principles. He is con- nected with the blue lodge of Masonry and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. March 30, 1879, he was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Smith of Carbondale, and they are the parents of a daughter, Alice, a bright, intelligent girl, who has been given every advantage and is the pride and joy of the home. Since 1871 Mr. Williams has resided in Carbondale and now owns and occupies No. 54 Terrace Street, where he has a cozy home, tastily furnished and pro- vided with all the comforts of life.

J OHN J. FAHEY is well known in the ranks of the Democratic party and is a local work- er for the cause in Scranton. His official relations with the public dates from 1878, since which time he has held one position or another almost without intermission. A native of this county, he was born in Old Forge Township, November 2, 1855, and was only a year old when

WILLIAM J. MCMULLEN.

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he was brought to Scranton. He was the eldest in his father's family and was seven years of age when he began work as a slate picker at the Hampton mine on the western side of the Dela- ware, Lackawanna & Western. Then step by step he advanced until he had occupied nearly every position about the mine. As may be in- ferred, he had very meager chances of obtaining an education and is literally self-educated.

At the early age of twenty-two years the pub- lic life of Mr. Fahey commenced, and he filled the place of tax-collector for the sixth, twelfth, eight- eenth, nineteenth and twentieth wards. Four years later he was appointed deputy under Sheriff Randolph Crippen and served in a like position under Sheriffs W. J. Lewis and Charles Robin- son. In the fall of 1891 he ran against John La- Touche for the place of sheriff and defeated his opponent. His long experience as a deputy especially qualified him to ably fill his new posi- tion. When the Lackawanna County jail was brought into notice in the report of the state board of charities, their only criticism was to the effect that the prisoners were too well fed and were made too comfortable. However, they gave the institution the credit of being the best-man- aged and having the finest system of discipline of any punitive place in the state. At different times he has been sent as a delegate to county and state conventions, has served on numerous committees and has otherwise assisted to advance the interests of his party. He has been very faith- ful in the performance of the many duties de- volving upon him and the citizens have rested in security while he has held the reins in his hands.

Of late Mr. Fahey has been engaged in busi- ness with his brother, James, taking contracts for paving, sewers and bridges. in 1896 he opened the "Palace," remodeling and improv- ing it. He is president of the American Safety Lamp and Mine Supply Company, a very large and successful enterprise of which Senator M. E. McDonald is secretary and treasurer. Among other local concerns in which he is financially interested is the Union Transfer Company. In 188I he was married in Scranton to Miss Ellen Lamb, who was born in this city, her father be- ing Richard Lamb, an old settler here. Four

children have come to bless the pleasant home at No. 715 Jefferson Street and are named as fol- lows: Catherine, Thomas, Estella and John J., Jr.

W ILLIAM J. McMULLEN, the able train and roadmaster of the Gravity branch of the Delaware & Hudson Railroad at Carbondale, was born in Wayne County, Pa., March 12, 1844, and there his early life was spent, his education being obtained in the schools of the home neighborhood. At the age of seventeen he became connected with the Delaware & Hudson Railroad in the carpenter department and-three years later was made fore- man of a gang of carpenters. By gradual pro- motions he worked his way up to the position of general foreman, later was made track master, and after a time his employers testified their ap- preciation of the value of his services by pro- moting him to the position of master of trans- portation. Through this series of promotions he was enabled to grasp every detail of the work and thoroughly familiarize himself with the different departments.

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Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 67

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY) Publication date: 1897 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1068

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY)
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1068