USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 54
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ATTS, DAVID, Lawyer, was born in Cumber- land county, Pennsylvania, October 29th, 1764. Ilis parents were Frederick Watts, a native of Wales, and Jane Murray, a niece of the celebrated David Murray, Marquis of Tullibardine, a par- tisan of the Pretender, Charles Edward, who after the unsuccessful battle of Culloden fled into France. About 1760 they emigrated to Pennsylvania, then a province of Great Britain. After a short residence in Chester county, they moved westward and built a cabin on the western shore of the Juniata, near its confluence with the Susque- hanna, a locality in that day on the extreme verge of civi lization. It was about twenty miles from Carlisle, where Great Britain had, at that early period, erected a large brick barrack for the comfort of the soldiers employed in repel- ling the attacks of the aboriginal Indians. Frederick Watts
must have enjoyed the advantages of education in the mother country; for he soon became prominent among the disaffected of the Colonists, and was an active partizan of the Revolution. He was appointed, and accepted the com- mission of General of a body of troops from Pennsylvania and Virginia, called " Minute Men," and served in that capacity during the war. When peace was declared, he became a member of the Executive Council of Pennsyl- vania - a provisional government formed prior to the adoption and establishment of the Constitution of the State. Under these unfavorable circumstances, the education of their only son, David, was a subject of much interest and dif- ficulty. The duty chiefly devolved upon the mother, whose strong traits of Scotch character seemed to be deeply im- pressed upon the immature mind of her son, and showed their bearing upon his conduct in after life. Dickinson Col- lege, in Carlisle, was founded in 1783, and there he received as finished a classical and general education as the State could at that time furnish. He graduated in the first class which left its halls, and bore away with him a taste for, and appre- ciation of, the literature of Greece and Rome that he re- tained throughout his subsequent life. Attracted to the legal profession he went to Philadelphia, where he entered as student the office of that eminent jurist, William Lewis, and was admitted to the bar after the usual course of read- ing. He then returned to his native county, and commenced the practice of his profession in Carlisle, where he soon obtained a large patronage, and took a prominent part in the political as well as in the legal questions which at that period occupied public attention. One of the most cele- brated of these was what led to the so-called " Whiskey Insurrection " of 1794. That spirit was distilled in large quantities by the farmers of western Pennsylvania, and con- stituted their principal source of revenue. Therefore when the United States passed acts levying an excise duty on the liquor, the measure was so distasteful to this generally peaceful class of the community that they rose in open re- sistance to the law. So serious was the trouble that General Washington went to Carlisle and reviewed there four thousand men under arms, preparatory to enforcing sub- mission to the authority of the general Government. One of these was David Watts, who had joined a company of local infantry. He was fully alive to the threatened danger to the Commonwealth, and so resolute in his opposition to the " Whiskey Boys," that when they had planted a " liberty pole " near Carlisle and threatened to shoot any one who would disturb it, he shouldered his axe, and alone and un- armed rode to the spot where it stood and felled it to the ground. Ile was distinguished for courage and energy, and these characteristics, united to a thorough education, soon placed him at the head of the bar in Cumberland county, the acknowledged equal of Thomas Duncan, who had been for years the recognised leader on that circuit. They were both men of extensive and varied acquirements in professional and general literature, and both were distinguished for learn-
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ing, polished manners, and integrity. It is to be regretted that he should have passed away in the maturity of his .n- tellectual powers, and left so few traces of his great ability beyond the printed volume of his arguments in the State Reports of . Pennsylvania. In this early day, the lawyers were obliged to attend the circuit, extending over several counties, often exposed to inclement weather, travelling on horseback, and provided with poor accommodations. These exposures led to his early death, which occurred on Sep- tember 25th, 1819. He married, in September, 1796, Julia Anna Miller, daughter of General Henry Miller, an emi- nent soldier of the Revolution. They had twelve children, of whom the majority still survive. They were brought up in the doctrine of the Episcopal Church, of which their parents had been life-long members ..
NEASS, STRICKLAND, Civil Engineer and Surveyor, was born in Philadelphia, July 29th, IS21. He is a son of William Kneass, for many years Engraver to the United States Mint. . IIe was educated chiefly at the Classical Academy of the late James P. Espy, and left school to enter the house of T. Albert IIaven & Co., where he re- mained a year, and as he intended to adopt civil engineer- ing as a profession, was sent into the field upon the surveys for the Delaware and Schuylkill Canal, of which his eldest brother, Samuel II., was chief engineer. This work was, however, abandoned after $300,000 had been spent upon it. He then became a student in the celebrated mathematical schools of Charles B. Trego and Peter Stewart, after which he entered the field upon the surveys of the Philadelphia & Wilmington Railroad, his brother, above named, being chief engineer. On the completion of this road, he be- came a student in the " Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute," at Troy, New York, whence he graduated in 1839 as Civil Engineer, taking the highest honor, besides a complimen- tary testimonial from Professor Eaton. ITe soon was made assistant engineer and topographer on the State surveys, between Harrisburgh and Pittsburgh, looking forward for the construction of a railway between those two cities ; but the times were not propitious to accomplish it. He next became draughtsman in the Naval Bureau of Engi. neering at Washington, and was afterwards employed by the British Commission in preparing the maps of the northeast boun lary between the United States and the Provinces ; and subsequently by the United States Government on the general map of the boundary survey. In 1847, he was named by J. Edgar Thomson, Chief Engineer, as one of his assistants in conducting the explorations, etc., which re- sulted in the building of the Pennsylvania Railroad, where he was engaged not only in the surveys, but also in con- structing that division of the road from Birre Forge to Tyrone, including nine bridges and the Tussy Mountain
Tunnel. He was promoted to the position of Principal Assistant Engineer, and designed the first shops and engine house erected by the Company at Altoona. It may be added that his powers were severely tasked, as the construc- tion of the road from Altoona to the summit of the Alle- ghanies was one of the most difficult engineering feats of the day. In 1853, he resigned to accept the position of associate engineer on the North Pennsylvania Railroad, where he remained two years, leaving in 1855 to accept the office to which he had been elected, as chief engi- neer and surveyor of the newly-consolidated city of Phila- delphia. To that position he was re-elected three times, each for a term of five years. He here organized the Department of Surveys, and its development, under his di- rection, may be regarded as one of the most valuable results attained in the city. Not only has it occupied itself with the necessary survey of building-lots, recording them in the Registry Bureau, and carefully mapping them in atlases, so that they are available at all times for reference ; but the entire drainage system of the city was provided for in the surveys, which resulted in the construction of the great sewers to carry off the waters of Cohocksink creek on the northeastern, and of Mill creek in the western part of the city; filling up the hollows, and not only providing an immense number of building sites, but improving the salu- brity of the atmosphere and the consequent health of the city. Of the various bridges that span the Schuylkill, those at South street and Chestnut street are from his designs; the last named was the first of its kind built in this country. He was one of the first to encourage the project of city passen- ger railways, and has been chief engineer of many of these companies. He was also the designer of the rail now principally in use all over the country, though he never applied for a patent. Governor Parker employed him in 1859 to ascertain the probable cost of completing the Sunbury & Erie Railroad. In 1862, during Lee's invasion, he was despatched into the interior, and during his absence made an extended survey of the Susquehanna river, from Duncan's Island to Havre de Grace. He also assisted Professor Bache in preparing topographical maps of the surroundings of Philadelphia, with a view to the location of forts, etc. In 1869, he was appointed on the commission to determine the boundary line between Pennsylvania and Delaware, and, in 1871, made a survey and report on the feasibility of improving Jones' Falls, Baltimore, so as to prevent damages by freshets. He resigned his position as City En- gineer, April 12th, 1877, to accept the post of Assistant to President Thomson of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and the Select and Common Councils passed a series of compli- mentary resolutions, as was also the case with the Board of Surveys, the Park and South street Bridge Commissions, etc., etc. The public journals also attested to the value of his services by numerous appreciatory notices. He is a member of the American Philosophical Society; of the Franklin Institute ; and of the American Society of Civil
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Engineers. He is by education and conviction a Presby- terian. He was married, in 1853, to Margaretta Sybilla, daughter of Hon. George Bryan, of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
but now, through his enterprise, energy, and foresight, he is worth over three hundred thousand dollars. Ile is in every respect a most extraordinary man, both in regard to his mental and physical faculties. Although seventy- three years of age, the former remain absolutely unimpaired, the activity and vigor of his intellect being as con- spicuous as in youth ; while his physical appearance does not indicate more than fifty years of age, as not a gray hair can be seen. His countenance is pleasant and agree- able, his manners courteous and affable to all, indicating the benevolence which has led him to be so great a bene- factor to the poor, and to all those deserving of assistance. In religious matters, he belongs to the Baptist Church, of which he is a valuable and conscientious member.
ANDERSLICE, JOIIN, Merchant and Capitalist, was born about three miles from Phoenixville, Penn- sylvania, May 27th, ISO1. Ile is the son of John Vanderslice, a prominent and prosperous farmer. Ile was educated in Pikeland Township, and, at an early age, worked with his father. In 1840, he removed to Phoenixville, where he purchased a fine property and real estate, on which he realized a handsome fortune. In the following year he entered into the coal and lumber business, at the same time keeping a store. He was suc- cessful in these undertakings, and maintained a high repu- tation for integrity and benevolence. In 1851, he admitted REW, JOHN FREDERICK, Comedian, was born in Dublin, Ireland, September 3d, 1827. He was the son of Francis Nelson Drew, who with his family emigrated to the United States in 1840. IIe received his education in the city of New York, but having a penchant for the sea, entered the merchant service, and passed three years of his life. on'shipboard. On his return to New York he resolved to, make the stage his future profession, and, though still a youth, made his debut at the Richmond Hill Theatre, New York.' Thence, he travelled West, performing in various towns and cities with much success. After his tour was completed, he reappeared in New York at the Bowery Theatre as " Dr. O'Toole," in the " Irish Tutor." His first appearance in Philadelphia was on the boards of the (old) Chestnut Street Theatre, as " Trapanti," in "She Would and She Would Not," August 2Stli, 1852, He be- came, in conjunction with William Wheatley, a lessee of the Arch Street Theatre, August 20th, 1853. In 1855, he visited England and Ireland to see his family, and in 1858 he sailed from New York for San Francisco, in which city he first appeared in December of that year. Afterwards he embarked for Australia, where he passed some time, meet- ing with unvaried success. He returned to New York from England January 9th, 1862. He soon afterwards ef- fected an engagement at the Arch Street Theatre, Philadel- phia, where he played for one hundred nights, terminating on the 9th of May of that year. It was his intention to have returned to Ireland, to fulfil an engagement . there, and his friends and patrons in Philadelphia had arranged for a complimentary benefit to be tendered him prior to his departure, when he was suddenly stricken by a severe ill- ness, which terminated fatally in less than three days from the first attack. 'He died May 21st, 1862, leaving a widow and three children, one boy and two girls. He was mar- ried July 27th, 1850, in the city of Albany, New York, to Mrs. Mossop. This lady's maiden name was Louisa Lane, his sons, J. and A. S. Vanderslice, into the coal and lum- ber business. Ile is a strong Republican, and did much to assist the Union cause during the Rebellion by his liberal contributions and heavy investments in bonds. "He has held many important positions of honor and-trust in' the community, having been several times elected member of the Town Council, and having served as director of banks, be- sides holding other offices of prominence. In all these, his sterling qualities and marked ability have been conspicu- ously displayed. He has been a very extensive and intel- ligent traveller, having visited all the States in the Union, more than once, also extending his journeys to Cuba, and the other West India Islands. In 1851, he purchased an extensive tract of land in the West, comprising 180,000 acres, which he resold, realizing by the operation a very handsome profit. This was a very extensive transaction, and exhibits his skill and judgment in a most favorable light. In the same year, he made a comprehensive tour in Eu- rope, when he visited England, Ireland, and Scotland, and other countries. In 1873, he again crossed the Atlantic, travelling through the Holy Land, and other countries of ancient and historical associations. Ilis letters from those biblical lands, published in the local newspapers, gained him a reputation as a descriptive writer, and a man of edu- cation, culture, and progressive views. They are enter- taining and instructive, giving graphie and picturesque ac- counts of his travels and the sights he witnessed. In style, they are clear and forcible, and contain historical facts and incidents of the most interesting and valuable character. He has been a Mason since 1832, and has attained the highest rank, having taken his thirty-second degree. He has been treasurer of the Phoenix Lodge, No. 75, for more than twenty-five years, and treasurer of the Chapter since 1861, having passed all the chairs. Ile has always been a good worker in the cause. IIe was married in 1824, to Elizabeth Custer, and has seven children living. At the time of his marriage he scarcely possessed a dollar, Fand she was born in England, January 10th, 1820. She
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made her debut at the Liverpool Theatre, as " Agib" in " Timour the Tartar." IIer first appearance in America was on September 26th, 1827, at the Walnut Street Thea- tre, Philadelphia, as the " Duke of York" to Booth's " Richard." She appeared at the Park Theatre, New York, June 3d, 1828. In 1836, she was married to Henry Hunt, and in 1848 to Mr. Mossop, and, as noted above, two years thereafter, to John F. Drew. She has been lessee of the Arch'Street Theatre for the past thirteen sea- sons. She is, without doubt, the most wonderfully ver- satile actress on the American stage. Especially for her impersonations of the leading characters in the sterling old English comedies is she celebrated. In that of " Lady Teazle," in the " School for Scandal," she is unrivalled ; her thorough appreciation of the character, her elegant reading and very effective delivery of the salient points, combined with singularly easy and graceful movements, render her impersonation of that character without a peer on any stage.
WAYNE, FRANKLIN, Lawyer, was born in the old city proper of Philadelphia, January 25th, IS44. Ilis father, the late Dr. IIuson Swayne, was a highly respected citizen of Philadelphia, and a near relative of Justice Swayne, of the United States Supreme Court. On the ma- ternal side, he is a grandson of the late George Tryon, a well-known merchant of Philadelphia, during the early part of the present century, who was a prominent mem- ber of Old Christ Church, being a lay delegate to the Annual Conventions of the Protestant Episcopal Church in connection with the venerable Horace Binney. He was educated in the public schools of Philadelphia, and gradu- ated at the High School with honor to himself and that in- stitution. Ile, shortly after leaving school, was appointed financial clerk in the Ordnance Department of the United States Army, at the Arsenal at Bridesburg, Pennsylvania, and held this position for three years, giving the fullest satisfaction to those in authority. Ile then resigned, to ac- cept the appointment of receiving teller in the National Bank of the Republic. Ilis business tact was here tho- roughly tested, and the president and directors recognized that the careful and conscientious manner in which he per- formed his duties added no little to the success of the in- stitution. But, although occupying a position to which few of those just entering manhood attain, his ambition was by no means satisfied. He had long cherished a desire to study law, and accordingly registered himself as a student in the office of the late Charles E. Lex, one of the fore- most counsellors of Philadelphia. His leisure time was now devoted to study, and he applied himself as closely as 'his arduous duties at the bank would allow: In a compara- tively short time he was admitted to practice as an attorney at the bar, and entered vigorously upon the duties of his
chosen profession. During the few years that he has thus devoted himself to this service, he has come prominently before the public through the important cases entrusted to his charge. All his time is entirely given to his legal duties, and his industry makes it lucrative. His prominence at the bar, his youth being considered, places him in the foremost rank of the young men of mark in his native city. In politics, he is thoroughly imbued with the principles of the Republican party, but is not a " politician " in the modern signification of the term. His family connections are among the most ancient and respected of the city, dating from the landing of William Penn.
ODD, WILLIAM A., Journalist, was born in Philadelphia, January 14th, 1834. He was edu- cated in the public schools, leaving the Zane Street Grammar School at the age of sixteen to enter the publishing department of the Saturday Evening Post, where he remained until August, 1855, a period of over five years. ITis predilections being in favor of the West, he turned his face towards Minnesota, and tarried for a while in St. Paul, afterwards effecting an engagement with the proprietor of the Minnesota Democrat, a weekly Republican journal, published at Minneapolis. This town he saw grow greatly both in inhabitants and wealth; in 1855, the population numbered about five hun- dred souls, while in 1858, it contained over four thousand. He remained in connection with this paper for some time after its change of name to the Minneapolis Gazette. Being a leading and unflinching Republican, he was compli- mented by receiving the unanimous nomination of the Senators of that party for the post of Secretary to the Senate at the first session of the State Legislature, but failed at the election, owing to the Democrats having a majority of two votes in that body. He returned to the East in 1859, with a view of entering college, for which he had prepared him- self during his leisure hours, but he changed his purpose, and entered upon the study of the law. The Rebellion soon broke ont, and, being an ardent Union man and a member of the " Republican Invincibles," of which organi- zation he had been one of the founders, he, in company with some of his brother members, opened a recruiting office for the enrolment of such parties as would be willing to uphold the honor of the flag. By the evening of April 16th, 1861, nearly three hundred men had volunteered, and three companies were organized as " Pennsylvania Guards;" he was nominated and elected as First Lieutenant of Com- pany A. A few days after, he, with a detachment of men, was ordered to Fort Delaware, for its protection, where they remained for a short time, until they were relieved by three full companies, which had been detailed to garrison the fortification. He then returned with the detachment to Philadelphia, and on 'May 21st, 1861, the company was ac-
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cepted in a body and mustered in as Company C of the " First California Regiment," Colonel E. D. Baker, after- wards known as the 7Ist Pennsylvania . Regiment. Ile served with this regiment until September, 1862, when, on account of physical disability, he was invalided, and ad- mitted into the Seminary Hospital, at Georgetown, District of Columbia, whence, after a short stay, he was sent home on leave of absence by special permission of the Secretary of War. Hle was honorably discharged from the service, October 21st, 1862. Elected by the officers to the Lieu- tenant-Colonelcy of the 176th Regiment Pennsylvania Vol- unteers, in November, 1862, ill health obliged him to decline. He remained in Philadelphia until January Ist, 1864, when he accepted a position in the establishment of Reaney, Son & Archbold, at Chester, and in May, 1864, left them, to become the General Book-keeper and Receiv- ing Telier of the First National Bank, of Chester, in which the above firm were largely interested. Here he continued for eight years and a half. On October Ist, 1872, he re- turned to newspaper life again, by becoming the Proprietor and Editor of the Chester Evening News, a daily paper, which he still publishes. During his residence in Chester, he has been an active and leading Republican. As such, he has been complimented by the nomination and election as Councilman for three successive term's, from 1866 to 1872, in which body he has served as Chairman of the Committee on Ordinances, and is the author of many city statutes. Ile was also President of this body, being elected to that position three successive times. Of the South Ward Water Works he was one of the projectors and first corpo- rators, and for several years was Secretary and Treasurer thereof. Desirous of devoting his whole time to his busi- ness, he changed his residence from the South Ward to the Middle Ward, and this made it necessary for him to resign his Councilmanship and his connection with the water works. He is now the Treasurer of the Middle Ward Building Association; a Director of the William Penn Building Association; and was a Director and the first President of the Chester & Delaware River Railroad Com- pany. IIe has also been, on two occasions, a prominent candidate for the nomination of Mayor. He married, June IIth, 1863, Rebecca, daughter of Samuel Archbold, of Chester,
AUDENSLAGER, JACOB, Carriage Builder, was born in Philadelphia, July 12th, 1809. His grandfather, Michael Landenslager, was a native of Germany, and, having emigrated to the United States, settled in Bridgeton, New Jersey, where George Laudenslager, the father of Jacob, was born. He attended the school of Charles Keyser, an eminent teacher of the Society of Friends, at German Hall, on Seventh street above Chestnut, now used as the office
of the Gas Company, and completed his scholastic educa- tion in a school near Girard College, in what was then a suburban district of Philadelphia. In 1824, he became an apprentice to the saddling business with William Coles- berry, on Market street above Fourth. After the expira- tion of his six years' apprenticeship, he continued to work as a journeyman and manufacturer until 1837, when he went to the coach making establishment of George W. Watson, and took entire charge of the harness department. Ile subsequently became the superintendent of the whole establishment, in which position he continued until the death of Mr. Watson, February 8th, 1857, when he suc- ceeded to his business, and has since conducted the factory on Clover street, between Twelfth and Thirteenth, with office and repository at 1217 Chestnut street. He married Sarah W. Foering, the danghter of Abraham Foering, of Philadelphia, in 1833. He has been for over forty years a member of the Pennsylvania Fire Company, and for a long time a member of the Washington Greys, the Old Guard of which he now commands. During the late civil war, he served as Captain of Company E, First Regiment of Infantry, Gray Reserves, and took an active part in the campaigns of 1862 and 1863, under the command of Colonel Charles S. Smith. Upon the organization of the Paid Fire Department, March 15th, 1871, he became the President of the Board of Fire Commissioners, and still (1873) con- tinues to exercise the functions of that office. He has held many other prominent local positions, and has uniformly acquitted himself as a man of true public spirit, actuated by a desire to promote the best interests of the whole com- munity.
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