USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 35
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mented them by the addition of another mill, at Thirteenth and Buttonwood streets, at the same time enlarging the original establishment; at a subsequent period, he intro- duced a new engine of three hundred horse power, making a total of three engines, with an aggregate force of four hundred horses, moving twenty-four pairs of burrs, and capable of producing twelve hundred barrels of flour daily. He was one of the founders of the Corn Exchange Associ ation (now known as the Commercial Exchange), of which he was chosen the first President; served as such for two terms, but declined a further reelection, though still remaining one of the leading members of that body. He is also a prominent member of the Board of Trade. Originally associated with the Democratic party, he subsequently became a " Free-soiler," and finally a Re- publican and firm supporter of President Lincoln's admin- istration. Under the auspices of this latter party he was elected to the Common Council, where he manifested all the qualities of a wise and efficient legislator. The organi- zation of the political club known as the " Republican Invincibles " was mainly due to his efforts and influence. On the breaking out of the civil war, he enrolled himself in the IIon. C. M. Clay's company, and soon afterwards was tendered, and accepted, the Collectorship of the Port of Philadelphia, introducing into the Custom House many reforms whereby the cost of collecting the duties was greatly diminished. In 1862, in view of the imminent in- vasion of Pennsylvania by the Confederates, he organized, among the officials under his control, two companies, termed the " Revenue Guard," which he armed and equipped at his own expense. He was elected captain of one of them (Company A), and immediately tendered his services to Governor Curtin, being ordered to report him- self at Harrisburg, and was afterwards promoted to be Colonel of the 20th Regiment of Pennsylvania, which went into camp at Hagerstown, and subsequently to Green- castle, where the men suffered much from the imperfect organization of the quartermaster's department, and their colonel was obliged to supply them with rations from his private means. In 1863, he was one of the first to respond to the call of the President and Governor for more troops, reporting himself and regiment to General Couch, at Har- risburg, when the duty of guarding the Northern Central Railroad was assigned to him. He was appointed to the command of all the troops in York and its vicinity, and ordered to interpose every obstacle to the advance of Gen- eral Early, which duty he faithfully performed. In the campaign of 1864, he once more took the field. Having obtained leave of absence, as Collector, he organized the 192d Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers, numbering 1500 bayonets, which was ordered to garrison Fort Mc- Henry. With his command he was afterwards employed in various duties on Lake Erie, on the Ohio river and in Western Virginia till the expiration of their term of service.
IIOMAS, GENERAL WILLIAM B., Merchant and Manufacturer, was born in Upper Merion township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, May 25th, 1811. In 1832, he succeeded to his father's business, as a miller, in the establish- ment known as the "Gulf Mills," which he conducted, with the exception of a short interval of one year, till 1843, when, desirous of enlarging his sphere of action, he removed to Philadelphia. There he began the manufacture of flour at the mill situated at the corner of Thirteenth and Willow streets. These premises, however, proving too small for his increasing business, he supple- | Shortly after his return to Philadelphia, he was elected
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Brigadier-General of the Fourth Brigade, First Division of the Pennsylvania State Guard, which rank he still holds. The sense of honor was so nice in his mind that, on one occasion, he refunded to the Treasury the sum of $65,000, which had been abstracted from the Custom House by a defaulting cashier during his absence, though under no obligation, either legal or moral, to do so. In his milling operations, he has established a species of community of interests, by assigning to the principal men in his employ a share of the profits of the business.
'DWARDS, MATTHEW, Manufacturer and Mer- chant, was born June 7th, 1824, in Baltimore. His parents, of Scotch-Irish descent, were limi- ted in means, and removed, about 1830, to Pittsburgh, where they apprenticed him to a glass manufacturing house. The native business ability he possessed led to his rapid advancement, and he soon owned an interest in the works. This he retained until 1861, when he withdrew from this branch of trade and engaged in developing the oil regions of Pennsylvania. In this also he was eminently fortunate, and rapidly accu- mulated a handsome competency. Meanwhile, he was not neglectful of his duties as a citizen. IIe acted as school director, member of the Board of Health, and of the City Councils of Pittsburgh for nine years, and in 1872 was sent as a member from that city to the State Legisla- ture. In the latter year, he was also appointed a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, held for the purpose of remodelling the Constitution of the State,-a high and well- merited compliment to his discretion and abilities. His influence there has been felt and respected. In 1847, he married Mary E. Hay, a member of an old Pittsburgh family, and is the father of five children, three sons and two daughters.
LRICKS, HAMILTON, Lawyer, was born at Oakland Mills, in Lost Creek Valley, then Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, in June, 1806. Ilis family is probably the oldest in the State. ITis ancestor, Pieter Alricks, came from Holland with despatches for the Dutch Government, on the Delaware, in 1660. Immediately on arrival, he was given command of the Fort, and soon after was despatched, in company with D'Hinnayossa, as envoy to negotiate peace with the Governor of Maryland. In 1665, the English having conquered the Dutch, his estate was confiscated. Subsequently the Dutch regained their power on the Dela- ware and over Fort Amsterdam, now New York city. When, in 1674, Fort Amsterdam was surrendered to the English Governor, Andross, all the magistrates in office at the time of the Dutch coming there, were reinstated on
Delaware river, except Pieter Alricks, whose zealous loyalty to the Dutch was accounted a sufficient bar to his retention in office. William Penn, however, on his arrival on the Delaware, in October, 1682, showed a different spirit ; for, in appointing a Court of Judicature, consisting of six justices, the second person he named was Pieter Alricks. When, in 1685, Penn bought out the title of the Indians in a large tract of land lying between Philadelphia and Wilmington, extending back from the Delaware river as far as a man "can ride in two days with a horse," Pieter Alricks was the first witness to the deed. The grandson of this early settler, Hermanus Alricks, settled in what became Cumberland county, and was the first member of the Legislature, at the organization of the county, in 1749-50. When he returned home to " Letort Springs," now Carlisle, at the close of the brief Legislative session, he took with him a commission appointing him Prothonotary, Register, Recorder, Clerk of the Courts, and Justice of the Peace. The chief of these offices he held during his life, a period of nearly twenty-five years. The father of the subject of this sketch, James Alricks, a man of extensive reading, was a magistrate and notary public for many years before his death. His mother was a daughter of John Hamilton, a gentleman of wealth for that day, who settled in Harrisburg the next year after that town was laid out, and carried on business on a very ex- tensive scale. Hamilton Alricks, who was named after him, was educated at the Harrisburg Academy, a collegiate education, owing to the general depression that prevailed through the country from 1816 to 1826, being out of the question. Although there were thirty students of the classics at the academy, only one of them went, or could afford to go, to college. After leaving school, and studying history, he commenced the reading of law with Samuel Douglas, afterward Attorney General, and was admitted to the bar in 1828. IIe immediately commenced practice, and has labored steadily at his profession until the present time. During his career he has seldom missed a term of the court, being engaged in the trial of many of the most important civil and criminal cases, and in numerous suits in the Supreme Court. Shortly after entering upon prac- tice, he was engaged as counsel by the plaintiff in the im- portant case of Gest vs. Espy, 2 Watts, 266, after Thomas Elder, a senior member of the bar, had abandoned it, upon a verdict being found for the defendant. He took it to the Supreme Court, and obtained a reversal of judgment. When, in 1815, the State Legislature had under considera- tion the impeachment of IIon. W. N. Irvine, Judge of the York and Adams Judicial District, that official had lim as his only counsel, and he defended him with such skill and ability that the committee refused to report articles. On several occasions he has been engaged to argue cases on the part of the Commonwealth, involving questions of Con- stitutional law. His argument in one of these, Butler et. al., late Canal Commissioners, as, the Commonwealth of Penn .
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sylvania, before the United States Supreme Court, reported in 10 Howard, 402, has always been regarded as a sound definition of a contract within the meaning of the Tenth Section of the First Article of the United States Constitu- tion, and of the power of the Legislature to create and abolish offices, to impose taxes, etc. It exhibits deep re- search and marked legal ability. IIe has never taken any very active part in politics. He is and has always been a Democrat. His district for thirty years has been Republi- can. For one year he was a member of the Legislature, and he was a member of the Chicago Convention of 1864, that nominated General McClellan for President. In the latter capacity he drew up and presented a series of reso- lutions of great force and interest from a Democratic stand- point. During his professional life, he has been a very hard worker. He rises and commences his labors at five o'clock in the morning, but he is mindful of the needs of the body, taking much exercise in the open air and giving careful heed to hygienic principles. Despite intense study, he is therefore a hale, hearty gentleman .. In manners, he is singularly winning and gracious; during his long career, he has never violated the amenities of discussion by a single personal controversy with any member of the bar. Socially, he is of a hospitable and genial disposition. The high position he holds as a lawyer and a citizen in Dauphin county, has been won entirely by his own talents, integrity and industry. He began the world without a dollar.
OATES, GEORGE MORRISON, Merchant, was born August 20th, 1817, in Philadelphia, in an old mansion situate on Market street below Second, next door to Franklin's printing office. The family trace their lineage back to the re- nowned Percys of England, who so warmly supported Charles I. in his disputes with his Parliament. Many relics of this unfortunate monarch are still in the possession of the branch of the family who emigrated to this country. Their removal was due to their union with the " people called Quakers," and it was in company with William Penn that they came to .America and took up their residence in the city which he founded. His parents gave him the best education then to be obtained at the schools of their sect, and at the age of twenty-one provided him facilities for entering the dry goods business, on Sec- ond street above Market street. This he conducted with success for twenty years, until 1859, when he gave it up and engaged in the wool trade with his brother. About ten years later, they established a publishing house, the widely known firm of Porter & Coates. The former con- cern is one of the largest of its kind in the city, and it is the ambition of the partners that the same shall ere long be said of their publishing house. The business talents which he displayed in the successful development of three such
diverse lines of trade, he has also shown even more strik- ingly in his connection with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, of which he has been a director for many years. At a time when this now immense corporation was feeble and apparently failing, and when most men feared to in- vest in it, he resolutely took it in hand, persuaded his friends to support it, and was instrumental in inducing the city of Philadelphia to subscribe $5,000,000 toward its completion and equipment. The present power and wealth of the corporation, unequalled in magnitude on the continent, are due in a measure to his earnest efforts at this critical juncture, and bear impressive testimony to his sagacity. Although thus immersed in extended business operations, he has never neglected those duties as a citizen which devolve upon every one in our country. Through out the Rebellion, he gave his hearty support to the Union cause, and was one of the earliest and most enthusiastic members of the Union League, which did so much toward maintaining a loyal spirit throughout the North while our armies.were fighting in the field. Though often asked to 'become a candidate, he has uniformly declined any office which returned compensation, but has, however, been Presidential Elector in three consecutive campaigns, that of Lincoln and Johnson, 1864, of Grant and Colfax, 1868, and, of Grant and. Wilson, 1872. . In this capacity he has probably had. more votes cast for him than any other man in the United States :. His marriage occurred in 1840, and he has the pleasure of witnessing his advancing years sur- rounded by an interesting family. His children, all sons, are exemplary business men and enterprising members of the community. They are associated with. him in business. He was a member of the Board of Health, by appointment of the Court of Common Pleas, from 1863 to 1870, and a member of the Directory of the Board of Trade for many years, having resigned about four years ago. He is still vigorous, with the promise of many and useful days in the future. The unswerving integrity which marks all his transactions, and the kindliness of his manners to the numerous employés in his various enterprises, render him at once respected and loved throughout a wide circle of acquaintances.
ETZGER, JOIIN J., Lawyer, was born June 18th, 1838, in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, of German ancestry, who, since the settlement of the county, had been engaged in farming. His tastes leading him to a different pursuit, when he had finished his education at Dickinson Semi- nary, Williamsport, he entered himself as a student of law in the office of A. J. Dietrick, and was admitted to the bar in April, 1861. The following year he was elected District Attorney of Lycoming county, which office he held for three years, and was offered a renomination by his constitu- ents, with the certainty of reelection, but declined. Various
Pro. monicalocates
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municipal offices were conferred upon him, such as school director, member of councils, etc. The party with which he uniformly voted was the Democratic; and in the choice of a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1872, that party nominated him from the Fifteenth Senatorial District, and he was promptly elected. This responsible charge he carried out with a fidelity and integrity which entirely sat- isfied his constituency. In the fall of 1858, he was united in marriage to II. M. Hess, whom he lost by death, March 28th, 1870, leaving him five children.
ENRY, MORTON P., Lawyer, was born at Gib- raltar, February 11th, 1826. He is a son of the late Bernard Henry, a highly respected citizen of Philadelphia, who at the time was serving as Con- sul of the United States. He was educated in Philadelphia, and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. On the completion of his academic studies, he chose the law for his profession, and entered, as a student, the office of the late Benjamin Gerhard. He was called to the bar in June, 1847, and, devoting himself more particularly to admiralty and commercial law, he soon be- became recognized as a leader in that branch of juris- prudence. His qualities as a lawyer are of a very high order. His judgment is calm and deliberate, his percep- tions clear, his knowledge of business extensive and of law precise and accurate. Ilis manner before a court and a jury lends additional force to his arguments, conveying, as it does, the impression of great candor and sincerity. Al- though he watches with close interest the course of public affairs, he has never allowed himself to be withdrawn from his profession to engage in the more exciting scene of politics. His tastes are refined and scholarly, and his ex- cursions in the fields of literature have been extensive. In addition to his merits as a lawyer, he is universally re- spected for his integrity as a citizen and his qualities as a man.
ILLY, GENERAL WILLIAM, Coal Operator and Politician, was born June 3d, 1821, in Pen Yan, New York, his father, Colonel William Lilly, being a well known citizen of that vicin- ity. Having obtained a substantial education, he removed with the remainder of his father's family, in April, 1838, to Pennsylvania, where he obtained employment in the Beaver Meadow Railroad Company. With this corporation he remained six years, leaving it in 1844 to fill a more important post in the Hazleton Railroad Company. His abilities were demanded for various posi- tions of this nature until 1859, when he engaged with A. Pardee & Co. and G. B. Markle & Co. in coal mining, a business which he prosecuted with very satisfactory success.
From early youth he took an interest in military subjects; and in 1841 was elected colonel of one of the regiments of State militia, anct a few years later, in 1846, brigadier- general in the same organization. At the outbreak of the civil war, he was strongly in favor of suppressing the Secession faction by force of arms; and, although prevented by various causes from entering the field himself, gave liberally of his means to assist the Union cause, and at one time had five paid substitutes in the field, for whose families he provided during their absence. Although pre- vious to this national event he had acted for the Demo- cratic party, and had represented it in the State Legislature in 1850 and 1851, he found, during the Rebellion, the position assumed by the Republican party more consonant with his own views of what the country demanded, and consequently gave in his adherence to them. ITis intimate acquaintance with the industrial interests of the State, his ready power in debate, and his capacity for forcible reason- ing, led him to be placed in nomination as a candidate for the Constitutional Convention in 1872, and he was promptly elected delegate at large. In the debates of that body, he has fully justified the preferences of those who voted for him, and has taken a conspicuous part in the action of the convention, for whose establishment he had long before urged weighty reasons. As a member of the Order of Free Masons, he is well known in the State, and has acted as one of the District Deputy Grand Masters. He resides at Mauch Chunk, where he has a wide circle of appreciative friends.
ALLS, JOIIN, Merchant, was born at IIalifar. Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, August 24th, ISoo. His parents, being in humble circum- stances, could only afford him an ordinary education, obtained in the schools at Halifax and Harrisburg. When about eighteen years of age, he entered a commercial house in the latter town, as clerk. Here his natural aptitude for business soon be- came apparent. He was a most efficient salesman, and shortly made himself so valuable to his employers that he rapidly rose to an important position in the concern, fre- quently receiving tempting offers, of a more lucrative nature, from other houses. After occupying this position for two years, he removed to Milton, in 1827, and entered into partnership with John McCleary, of that place. While at Milton, he obtained some important contracts from the Pennsylvania Canal, then in course of construction, to fur- nish a portion of its supplies ; and, furthermore, established branch stores at Muncy and McKeefe's Falls. In 1831, he dissolved his partnership and removed to Lewisburg, where he opened a store. In the following year, he was married to Margaret A., daughter of General Albert Green, who, after becoming the mother of ten children, died in 1858. About this time he entered into . partnership with
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Paul Getters, under the name of Wall & Getters. This as- sociation terminated in 1860, being succeeded by another, which he formed with his brother, and which lasted till the latter's decease, in 1860. After this event, he entered into the firm of Smith, Walls & Co., a name which it still bears ; his interest in the same being a large and active one. In 1861, he was married a second time, to a daughter of William Wilson. His well known business qualifica- tions have frequently thrust upon him unsought positions of responsibility and trust. He was for many years one of the directors of the Northumberland Bank. In 1860, he was elected Associate Judge, and, in 1864, was sent to the State Senate, where he has left an honorable record. The county in which he resided was largely Republican, usually giving a majority of 800 for that party; but, though the Democratic nominee, he carried the election by a majority of 300 votes. Although his life has been chiefly that of a private citizen, his well known character and position have not failed to exercise a marked influence over his fellow townsmen. He is now in his seventy-third year; still, however, in the enjoyment of robust health. He has been engaged in business for upwards of half a century, and is now the oldest merchant on the Susquehanna river.
UFFEE, WASHIINGTON JOSEPHI, M. D., Phy- sician, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 18th, 1815. His parents were of Scotch and Irish descent, and, as old residents of that city, were highly respected. His education commenced early, at the school of Thomas Wal- ters, on Pine street; but his roving inclinations induced him to make a voyage to England as a sailor boy. Being satisfied with a few years' experience of seafaring life, dur- ing which he gained the esteem of his commander, he returned home and seriously began the study of medicine and surgery, under the instruction of Dr. George MeClellan, father of General George B. McClellan. He commenced the study of his profession in his eighteenth year, and at twenty graduated at the Jefferson Medical College. Soon after receiving his diploma, he was elected Vaccine Physi- cian in his native city, and subsequently was appointed Public Dissector for the City and County of Philadelphia. This position procured for him many remarkable experi- ences ; such, for instance, as dissecting the brains of some of the rioters of 1844 and one or two of the coroners, by whom he had been appointed. He rapidly rose in his profession, and gained much reputation by a successful amputation of the hip joint, said to be the first on record in this country. This dangerous operation was performed on a woman in the Blockley Almshouse, and the patient subsequently became the mother of fine children. His system has since been taught in the medical schools of Europe and America, and is known as Duffee's method.
[ On the breaking out of the war, he was appointed by Gov- ernor Curtin as Surgeon of the 29th Regiment of Pennsyl- vania Volunteers, and, after the battle of Ball's Bluff, was ordered before the Army Medical Board, at Washington, for examination for the post of Brigade Surgeon. His knowledge of his profession, and his practical skill, more than satisfied the board, and, upon their recommendation, his commission was signed by President Lincoln. Being captured during the war, he was taken to Richmond, and forced, in spite of a fractured thigh, to attend professionally on Jefferson Davis and some other distinguished Southern- ers, not being allowed to proceed North, although he had a pass from General Johnston. In 1869, he was appointed Professor of Surgery in the Philadelphia University, suc- ceeding Drs. McClellan, Neil, and other eminent surgeons. He was married to Mary Ann Woods, daughter of Major William Piper, a gentleman distinguished in the service of his country, and belonging to one of the oldest and most respected families of Bedford, Pennsylvania. This lady was also great grand-daughter of Colonel James Piper, of Revolutionary fame and civil note, as having been the first sheriff of Bedford county. She was a celebrated beauty, and has given her husband three children, one of whom alone survives.
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