USA > Pennsylvania > Allegheny County > Allegheny in Allegheny County > Recollections of seventy years and historical gleanings of Allegheny, Pennsylvania > Part 24
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
His medical knowledge and experience, especially as a sur- geon, were frequently called into requisition for consultation during his command of the regiment.
Courteous and affable towards all in his private and public life, he was esteemed for the goodness of his heart, suave and gentlemanly manners.
He died at the home of his son Robert in the city of Alle- gheny, on the twenty-fourth day of February, 1884. As a Christian parent and friend, he was highly esteemed. To his children he bequeaths the legacy of an honorable professional and military career.
328
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
JOHN IRWIN.
THE subject of this brief sketch had the honor of being chosen May 10, 1828, first burgess of the borough of Alle- gheny, in pursuance of the Act of incorporation approved April 14, 1828. He was born in the borough of Pittsburg, July I, 1787. His father, Col. John Irwin, was an officer in the Revolutionary army, who was severely wounded in the san- guinary night attack on the American camp at Paoli.
Col. Irwin was a prominent member of the Cincinnati Soci- ety, an order established in the United States by the officers of the army in 1783, "to perpetuate their friendship, and raise a fund for the relief of the widows and orphans of those who had fallen in defence of their country." The State society is still in existence, and meets annually in the city of Philadelphia.
It was so named in honor of Lucius Quintius Cincinnatus, the Roman sage and warrior. Its membership included patriots headed by Washington, who, like the great Roman, left their rural pursuits in order to serve their country, and at the close of hostilities returned to them.
The emblem of the society is an eagle suspended by a blue ribbon with a white border, symbolical of the friendship then existing between France and the United States. On the shield covering the breast of the eagle is the figure of Cincin- natus receiving the military ensign from the Roman senators, with the plough and other implements of agriculture in the background. Surrounding the whole is the motto, Omnia reliquit servare rem-publicam. The society is hereditary in its operations, the membership descending from father to son to the latest generation.
Mr. Irwin was a rope-manufacturer, a knowledge of which he acquired when a mere lad under the teachings of his father and mother, who carried on the business under the name of
329
JOHN IRWIN.
John Irwin & Wife, and who were the successors of the firm that established the first ropewalk in Western Pennsylvania, in 1794, on the ground now occupied by the Monongahela House.
The wounds received by his father rendered him unable to attend to the details of the business : the management was therefore entirely left to the mother and son. At his death, the son became a partner in the business, and it was contin- ued under the style of Mary Irwin & Son.
Col. Irwin died May 5, 1808, in the fiftieth year of his age. His remains were interred in the First Presbyterian burying- ground, with military and Masonic honors, in the presence of a large concourse of his fellow-citizens.
In 1795 the works were removed to the square bounded by Liberty, Third, and Fourth Streets and Redoubt Alley. His mother, on account of her advanced age and loss of health, sold out her interest to her son, and retired to private life.
The works were subsequently removed to the bank of the Allegheny River between Marbury Street and the Point, where the entire rigging for Perry's fleet was prepared.
In the year 1813 he commenced the erection of works in Allegheny, on a more extensive scale. In July, 1836, they were destroyed by fire twice in the same month. They were promptly rebuilt, and the business continued until 1858, when he ceased business, and retired to private life.
He acquired a liberal English education in the schools of his native city, and was for a number of years before his death a director of the bank of Pittsburg.
High as his business qualification ranked in the branch of industry with which he had so long been connected, it stood no higher than his personal reputation in the estimation of the community generally. Many places of political preferment had been tendered him ; but he uniformly declined such distinction, believing, that, by diligently caring for the extensive manu- facturing interest in which he was engaged, he could better serve the public than by the acceptance of a political position.
In 1810 he was married by the Rev. Joseph Stockton to Miss Hannah, daughter of the late Rev. John Taylor, rector of the Episcopal (Round) Church, then located on the trian-
330
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
gular lot bounded by Wood, Liberty, and Sixth Avenue, Pittsburg.
His wife died in 1844. He was subsequently married to Mrs. Abigail Paul, daughter of the late Rev. Elisha McCurdy, in the year 1847.
He was a man of fine personal appearance, firm in posture, and elastic in his movements, courteous and affable in his manners, and was remarkable for his strict integrity. He was a consistent member of the First Presbyterian Church of Alle- gheny, and always took an active and intelligent part in all its movements, and was ever faithful in his attendance, and zealous in promoting its welfare. He died at his residence in Sewickly, Penn., June 30, 1863.
33I
JOSIAH KING.
JOSIAH KING.
JOSIAH KING was born Oct. 3, 1807, in Waterford, Erie County, Penn., on the site of Fort Le Bœuf, one of the chain of forts established by the French, from the lakes to the head waters of the Ohio, and died in Allegheny, Dec. 18, 1882. He descended from an Anglo-Irish stock on the paternal side, and Scotch-Irish on the maternal.
His grandfather was a soldier of the Revolution, served with distinction, and was promoted to a captaincy for his gallantry at the storming of Yorktown.
On the occasion of the visit of Gen. Lafayette to this country in 1825, the general called upon Capt. King, whose acquaintance he had made during the war.
The captain, being a surveyor, spent a large portion of his time, after the close of the war, in regulating property lines in the then wild lands of that section. He also carried on an extensive trade with the Indian tribes on the borders of Lake Superior.
He was educated at the academy of his native place, and improved his time and opportunities as fully as circumstances would permit.
At the age of twelve years he was apprenticed for seven years to the mercantile business.
Having reached his majority, he determined to seek his for- tune in a more extensive field of operation than his native place afforded ; in view of which, he selected the city of Pittsburg as his future home. He commenced his journey in 1827, by the then usual mode of conveyance between the lakes and the Ohio, -in a flat-boat, by French Creek to the Allegheny River and thence to the point of destination.
Immediately on his arrival in the city, a stranger in a strange land, he sought and obtained a situation in the commercial es-
332
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
tablishment of the late Isaac Harris, one of the most prominent and widely known business men of the West ; and was subse- sequently appointed the first agent of the line of freight and passenger boats on the Pennsylvania Canal.
In 1831 he became associated with the late John Dalzell in the wholesale grocery and produce business : in 1836 the part- nership was dissolved by the death of Mr. Dalzell, and was immediately re-organized under the title of King and Holmes. The firm carried on an extensive trade, East and West, for over nine years.
Mr. King had now become generally and favorably known as a thorough business man, and his services were sought for in municipal matters.
He was for several years elected a member of the city coun- cils, during which time he took an active and intelligent part in all questions bearing upon the improvement of his adopted city. Among the important measures advocated by him was the paving of the Monongahela Wharf.
In 1846 he turned his attention to the manufacture of cotton goods, and formed a partnership with Isaac Pennock, under the name and style of King, Pennock, & Co. Under their auspices the Eagle Cotton Mill was erected in the Fourth Ward of the city of Allegheny.
The firm was eminently successful : during the civil war the profits were very large, the raw material having advanced from ten cents to one dollar per pound.
Mr. King spent the greater part of two years at Cairo, Mem- phis, and other Southern points, purchasing cotton, and caring for the interests of the firm generally. From this fact, it became, in a financial point of view, one of the strongest in the two cities ; but alas ! a change soon came over the spirit of their pleasant dreams.
During the great petroleum excitement which swept over the Western counties, and proved so disastrous in its effects, the firm, like many others, were involved in the enticing tempta- tion to invest largely in the product, the consequence of which was a most disastrous failure; Mr. King retiring without a dollar, when he supposed he was worth a half a million.
333
JOSIAH KING.
Notwithstanding this sudden and unexpected reverse of for- tune, he still maintained his courage, his tact, and his integrity unimpaired, important factors in the struggle for a new business life.
In May, 1866, he, in connection with F. B. Penniman, A. P. Reed, and Thomas P. Houston, purchased "The Pittsburg Ga- zette," established in 1786 by John Scull, the oldest journal published west of the Alleghenies.
The new firm operated under the name of Penniman, Reed, & Co. In 1870 the senior partner retired, when George W. Reed and David L. Fleming were associated, and the name changed to King, Reed, & Co .: of this firm he was an active member up to the time of his death.
In addition to his having served in the city councils, he was called upon to fill other places of trust, and was noted for the interest he took in the cause of education and scientific investi- gations. He was for several years elected a school director in the Third Ward, Allegheny ; was chosen a member of the board of trustees of the Western University of Pennsylvania; and was for many years an active member of the board of managers of the House of Refuge (now Pennsylvania Reform School) ; member of the Board of Trade, and also of the Commercial National Bank ; and was one of the projectors of the Allegheny Observatory, which has become a scientific school of wide repu- tation ; was president of the old reliable Pittsburg Insurance Company, the only office that withstood the shock, and weath- ered the storm, of the disastrous fire of the Ioth of April, 1845.
He was also a prominent member of the Philological Insti- tute, established in 1828, and took a prominent part in all its deliberations. Politically he was an ardent Whig, and subse- quently a Republican ; was chosen chairman of the Allegheny Clay Club in 1844, and presided at several of the annual nominating conventions of the party. As a trustee of the "Avery" estate, Mr. King brought into requisition that rare tact and foresight which so eminently characterized his course in all his fiduciary relations.
This estate was devised for the benefit and advancement of the interests of the negro race. A large number of institutions 1
334
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
were assisted, and some established. Conspicuous among the latter was the Hampton Normal and Industrial School in the vicinity of Fortress Monroe, which owes its existence to the forethought of Mr. King, and generosity of Mr. Avery.
Quite a number of ministers and teachers have been edu- cated at this institution, and are now spread over the South and elsewhere, engaged in the work of elevating the freedmen, physically, intellectually, and morally.
Mr. King was esteemed a sincere and devoted Christian, a strict observer of all the sacred ordinances of the Protestant- Episcopal Church, and served for over twenty-five years as one of the vestry-men of Trinity Church, and was noted for his zeal and intelligence in all matters bearing upon the welfare of the church and the cause of Christianity generally.
He was married in Pittsburg to Miss Mary Earle Holdship, daughter of the late Henry Holdship. They had six children : his widow and three children survived him.
Henry, the eldest, resides at Plainfield, N.J. Wilson, the second son, has been in the consular service of the United States for over twelve years, and is now stationed at Bir- mingham, England.
His eldest daughter, Frances K., is the wife of Joseph Brown of the Wayne Iron Works. His second daughter, Estella, who died some years ago, was the wife of Joseph G. Seibenick of "The Chronicle." Two of his children died in infancy. He died in Allegheny, Penn., Dec. 18, 1882, aged seventy-six.
-
1
335
GEORGE LEICHTENBERGER.
GEORGE LEICHTENBERGER.
GEORGE LEICHTENBERGER, anglicized "Lighthill," was born in Würtemberg, Germany, Jan. 22, 1737. He came to this coun- try during the French and English contest for supremacy on the American continent, about the middle of the eighteenth century, and settled in Pittsburg, on the west side of Fifth Street (now Fifth Avenue), on a large lot between Wood and Market Streets, extending in depth to Diamond Alley. He is mentioned in Craig's "History of Pittsburg."
He was married twice. The marital relations between him and his first wife were not of a happy nature: they were legally separated.
By his subsequent marriage he had three children, - one son and two daughters, - named respectively, John George, Marga- ret, and Catherine. Margaret intermarried with John Donly, and Catherine with Frank Rudolph.
He had two children by his first wife, - Thomas, and Eliza- beth, who became the wife of the late Mr. Glancy.
Mr. Leichtenberger was a teamster by occupation, and was the principal operator in that line in the vicinity of Pittsburg.
He removed to the North Side in the year 1794, having pur- chased from the late West Elliot,, out-lots Nos. 23, 24, and 272, in the " Reserve Tract opposite Pittsburg," and erected a sub- stantial though humble log cabin on out-lot No. 23.
He died in June, 1814; his wife shortly after. His will, which is dated Jan. 12, 1814, made a liberal disposition of his property to his widow and children, including those of his first marriage.
His son, John George Leichtenberger, was born in Pittsburg in 1780. He was married in Ross township, in 1807, to Sarah Adams, daughter of the late Robert Adams. They had nine children, - five sons and four daughters, - all deceased except two sons, John and Christopher.
336
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
During the war of 1812 he was employed as a teamster and scout, and, when necessity required it, fought in the ranks, and was noted for his coolness under fire, and bravery in danger.
After the close of the war he followed the occupation of a fisherman. He was esteemed a man of the strictest honor and integrity, but took little interest in religious matters, until, awakened to its importance through the influence and conver- sation of the late Elder Samuel Church, he was brought to seek an interest in Christ, and connected himself with the Christian Church (formerly Disciples) of Allegheny, and became a devout and humble Christian. He died on the old homestead lot,- July 10, 1865.
What has been said of the father may be truly said of his son John : through the same influence, aided by his faithful Christian wife, he was also brought within the Christian fold.
Sarah Leichtenberger, née Adams, died Jan. 2, 1844.
John Leichtenberger, son of the latter, also a fisherman, was born in the old homestead, Aug. 22, 1809.
He was married by the Rev. John Taylor to Miss Nancy Kelso, daughter of the late Charles Kelso, Dec. 20, 1832. Miss Kelso was born in Pittsburg, Oct. 6, 1813.
They had twelve children, - six sons and six daughters. Five died in infancy.
Charles Kelso, the father of Nancy Leichtenberger, was born in Belfast, County Antrim, Ireland, and came to America in his youth : love for his native land, however, after a short sojourn in this country, induced him to return. He afterwards resolved to return to the United States, with a view to making it his future home.
He settled in Portland, Me., and there married Miss Sarah Staples, a native of the place, in 1799.
In 1804 he came West, and settled in Pittsburg : subse- quently he removed to the North Side.
He was a sailor and ship-carpenter, and assisted in building and rigging the schooner "Amity" and other sailing-vessels among the first cleared at the port of Pittsburg.
Ten children were the fruit of this union, - four sons and six
337
GEORGE LEICHTENBERGER.
daughters, - all deceased except Nancy, wife of John Leichten- berger.
Mr. Kelso was for many years engaged in the rope-manufac- tory of the late John Irwin, and was esteemed for his intelli- gence, and probity of character.
He died in Allegheny, 1850. His wife died November, 1854.
7
338 HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
H. H. MCCULLOUGH.
H. H. MCCULLOUGH, the subject of this brief sketch, was born in the city of New York, Feb. 17, 1807, and was the son of a soldier of the war of 1812.
His parents at an early date came West, and settled in Georgetown, Beaver County, Penn. Here he' acquired a lib- eral English education in all the branches commonly taught in ,the schools of his day.
He arrived in Pittsburg about the year 1830, and obtained temporary employment in the grocery establishment of Miss Rachel Watson, on the west side of Diamond Alley, between Wood Street and the Diamond Square. Whilst here engaged, he was stricken down with a severe attack of small-pox, and his life at one time was despaired of ; but by the care and attention of his kind employer, he was ushered back to health.
His predilections were in favor of acquiring a knowledge of the drug-business.
Immediately on his restoration to health, he sought and obtained a situation in the White and Red Lead Factory and drug-establishment of John Hannen & Co., of which firm the writer of this sketch was the junior and active partner. This position Mr. McCullough retained, and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of the firm to the fullest extent ; and upon its disso- lution in 1834, they were succeeded by Dr. Henry Hannen (a son of the senior partner of the retiring firm) and Mr. Mccullough in the drug-business, under the name and style of Hannen & Mccullough; from which he subsequently retired in 1838 or 1839, and purchased the drug-establishment of Mr. Bourne, doing business on the north-east corner of Wood and Fourth Streets, and successfully carried on the same until the event of the great fire of the 10th April, 1845.
Mr. Mccullough was largely interested in the stock of the
339
H. H. MCCULLOUGH.
Pittsburg and Isle Royal Copper Mining Company in the Lake Superior regions, and was induced to accept the position of agent and general manager of the company to conduct the business at the mines. This position he held until about the year 1863, the duties of which he discharged to the entire sat- isfaction of the company.
During his sojourn in the Lake Superior regions, he estab- lished and carried on an extensive fishery, in which he engaged the services of the Indian inhabitants of the island, to whom he became endeared for his proverbial kindness and honorable dealings, and so far won their confidence and friendship as to receive the exclusive right to trade with them. From this source, in connection with the mining and fishing operations, he acquired considerable wealth.
In all his business and social relations, he was esteemed a gentleman in the fullest meaning of the term, and was noted for his enterprise, promptness, and conservatism, qualifications that enabled him to withstand the various panics and commer- cial distresses which periodically arose during the many years of his active business life.
In politics he was an ardent Democrat : although he never . sought political preferment, he nevertheless was always ready and willing, in a modest and unassuming manner, to discuss the principles of his political faith.
In 1835 he espoused the cause of religion, and connected himself with the First Presbyterian Church of Allegheny. Subsequently, on his removal to Newark, N.J., he united with the First Reformed Church of that city, and was noted for his liberal benefactions and unobtrusive charities.
From his advent in Newark to the close of his life, he was extensively engaged in the manufacture of shoes, etc., carried on by Miller, McCullough, & Ober, he being the principal capi- talist of the concern.
He was united in marriage, in Newark, to Miss Justin of that city.
They had three children, who all died in infancy. Mrs. Mccullough died in July, 1875.
Mr. Mccullough died May 3, 1883, highly respected and
340
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
much lamented. He left an only sister, Mrs. Mary J. Dawson of Georgetown, Beaver County, whose daughter, Mrs. Jennie Spence, wife of the Hon. Edward Spence of Beaver County, was present with him during his illness, and bestowed upon him the constant attention and loving care of a most affection- ate daughter.
Suffering marked his last days. He was conscious of his approaching dissolution ; and his faith in the divine promises, and his hopes of a blessed immortality, never for one moment forsook him.
341
JOHN MORRISON.
JOHN MORRISON
WAS elected mayor of Allegheny in 1859, 1860, 1865, and 1867. He was born in May, 1805, in the old red ferry-house kept by his father on the north-east corner of Anderson Street and Bank Lane (now River Avenue), and who subsequently removed to the equally ancient log ferry-house on the north-east corner of Federal Street and Bank Lane.
Mr. Morrison, in his youth, exhibited evidence of intelligence far beyond his years. His age and general appearance, re- sembling a deceased son of the late Judge Hugh Davis, attracted the notice of the latter, and led to the youth's adoption in his family, and subsequent employment in his store. So happy were the relations between the judge and his protégé, that he was rapidly promoted to the dignity of clerk and general business manager. In 1827 he was married to the judge's only daughter.
He became one of the leading Whig politicians of the day, and was the ardent advocate of the doctrines of his party : gen- erous to a fault, frequently he ignored his own political claims and aspirations for the benefit of others. At one period of his life he occupied a very enviable position in politics, which, if taken at the flood, would have led to fame and fortune far above his contemporaries. He acquired a liberal education under the tutelage of the late Thomas Salters, then one of the principal educators of Allegheny.
At the organization of the borough of Allegheny, in 1828, he was elected by council chief clerk, and subsequently elected burgess.
He was also elected county commissioner during the time of the issue and circulation of the county scrip. In 1849 he was elected county treasurer. The duties of these various positions he discharged with ability and integrity, and retired
342
HISTORICAL GLEANINGS OF ALLEGHENY.
from them in the full enjoyment of the confidence and esteem of the citizens generally.
He was largely engaged in the lumber-trade, and, as long as he confined his operations to its purchase and sale, he pros- pered in an eminent degree ; but unfortunately he became involved in extensive manufacturing operations in the pine regions on the upper Allegheny, which proved a failure. If, however, the same amount of energy and care had been applied to conducting the business at the mills as had been given by him in the management of affairs in Allegheny, it would have doubtless turned out differently.
He was honest in all his dealings with his fellow-men, ever ready to aid by his advice and material assistance those who were commencing the more active duties of a business life, and struggles with adversity; charitable in his judgments, and indulgent to the shortcomings of others; and those who knew him best honored him for his goodness of heart, and the true nobleness of his nature.
He died at his late home on California Avenue, Ninth Ward, Allegheny, on Thursday, the 19th of April, 1883, after a lin- gering and painful illness superinduced by injuries received by falling through a hatchway on Park Way, and was interred in Allegheny Cemetery.
There were nine children the result of this union ; viz., Eliz- abeth H., Eleanor G. (deceased), Hugh D. (deceased), Martha M., Hannah W., Robert S., Mary T., Annie C., and William D. (who died in infancy).
343
HEZEKIAH NIXON.
HEZEKIAH NIXON.
HEZEKIAH NIXON was elected mayor of Allegheny in 1844 and in 1845. He was born on the South Side in Scott (for- merly St. Clair) township, Allegheny County, Penn., on the twenty-first day of May, 1802. His father, Thomas Nixon, was a blacksmith by trade. He came from New Jersey, and settled on the farm on which Leasdale Station of the Chartiers Valley Railroad is located. He married Miss Jane Lea, daugh- ter of the late Col. William Lea.
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.