USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2 > Part 6
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ISSTON, IIENRY, Saw Manufacturer, was born at Tewkesbury, England, in 1821, and is a son of the late Thomas Disston. The latter after his son's birth removed to Derby, where he engaged in the manufacture of lace machines, and in- structed his son in the business, and also in the general principles of mechanics, a knowledge which has proved of immense benefit to him. While yet a youth, he
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Bons July Clinton
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emigrated to America with his sister and father, landing at Philadelphia after a tedious voyage of sixty days. Three days after landing his father was stricken with apoplexy and died. His son experienced some difficulty in getting a position, but eventually found one with Lindley, Johnson & Whitcraft, where he learned the art of manufacturing saws, and remained with them until he was twenty-two years old. Having a misunderstanding with one of the partners, he declared he would establish an opposition factory in the neighborhood. This by energy he effected, even building the furnace with his own hands, which when finished was supplied with fuel, wheeling the same from the wharf at Willow street on a borrowed barrow to his shop at Second and Arch streets. His capital was but $350, his saving as a journeyman with his former employers. IIe also manufactured the tools wherewith he made his saws. For three years he labored on with varying success, though at the expiration of this period he found himself no richer than when he started. There was an immense prejudice against American-made saws, which was exceedingly diffi- cult to overcome ; and he was obliged to spend the half of each week in soliciting orders, employing the other half to fill them. In 1844, he was induced to occupy part of a building furnished with steam power, and with $200 of bor- rowed money fitted up his shop, and thus established the first steam saw-factory in the country. But the party who professed to be the owner of the premises was in reality only a lessee, and was endeavouring to steal his tenant's goods when the sheriff was called upon to take possession, which he did by seizing the new tenant's property for back rent, besides which he was held responsible for other deficiencies. Other troubles succeeded, including domestic affliction, ter- minating in the death of his wife. He now redoubled his energies and soon found himself once more in the occupancy of a shop, which a new landlord observing immediately doubled his rent, causing him to seek a fresh locality. After several removals, the last one occasioned by the bursting of a boiler and destruction of his shop, he resolved to rent no more buildings, but build one and own it. His first workshop and his own property covered but twenty square yards, but formed the nucleus of his present immense estab- lishment. The severe financial crisis of 1857 did not affect him in the least ; but he feared at first the result of the Civil War which broke out in 1861. He however proposed to manufacture military accoutrements, and soon received large orders. IIe also sent twenty-five men to the army, paying their wages and keeping their places open during their absence. In 1862, he added a rolling-mill for the production of iron plates. In 1864, his works were de- stroyed by fire, but he at once improvised on the ground workshops, which were all in running order within ten days after the calamity ; he also enlarged his premises by the purchase of an adjoining lot and was enabled to double his manufietures. Saws are no longer the exclusive article fabricated by him, but other articles in steel. The goods
are shipped to all parts of the world, including the British dominions; agencies being established in London, San Francisco, and Chicago. He is a most considerate em- ployer, and has given shares in his business to all the valu- able men in his works, in addition to their salaries. IIe is very charitable, and has, among other benevolent acts, dis- tributed soup to the poor of his neighborhood during the winter season, besides maintaining a private dispensary for the relief of their bodily ailments. He is a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, and his gifts have largely aided in founding the Oxford Church. He is also a member of the Masonic Order, and of the St. George's Society. He has been twice married; first, in 1844, to Amanda Bickley, who left him no children. ITis second wife is Mary, daughter of Jonas Stillman, of Egg Harbor, New Jersey. Two of his sons by this marriage are asso- ciated with him in business.
-RAY, COLONEL WILLIAM C., Collector of Internal Revenue for the Seventh Collection District of Pennsylvania, was born near Clay- mont, Delaware, October 4th, 1831. The com- mon schools of his native county were superior in their day, and he enjoyed all the educational advantages they afforded. In the spring of 1847, he re- moved to Chester, Pennsylvania, where he became an ap- prentice to mercantile pursuits, with J. M. Eyre, and upon attaining his majority was admitted to partnership, under the firm name of Eyre & Gray. IIe assumed the sole proprietorship in 1857, and continued the business until obliged to relinquish it to undertake the duties and respon- sibilities of his present office. A company, called the Wayne Guards, having been organized in Chester, he became their Captain, July 18th, 1861, and held the command until August 14th, 1862, when he began raising a company of three years' men, with which he joined the 119th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, on September Ist following. IIis regiment, having been assigned to the Army of the Poto- mac immediately after the battle at Antietam, was attached to the Sixth Army Corps, then under the command of General Franklin. He participated with his command in every action in which it was engaged; led the regiment at the Wilderness, May 10th, 1864, and subsequently until June Ist. In recognition of his gallantry, he received the commissions of Major and Lieutenant-Colonel, to date from May 13th, 1864, and April 6th, 1865, a brevet commission as Colonel for gallant and meritorious services before Peters- burg and at the battle of Little Sailor's Creek. Ile was mustered out with his command at Philadelphia, June 14th, 1865. IIe then returned to his business, which had been condneted by his wife during his absence, and, in 1866, was elected to Couneils, in which he served until 1869. IIe was appointed to his present office by President Grant,
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October 21st, 1869, and has performed the duties devolving upon him with rare ability and acceptance. He has also been engaged in real estate operations and insurance, for some three years, and has been for many years fully identi- fied with the public interests of the town. Ile married Anne E., daughter of Job Rulon, an old and prominent citizen of Chester, March 2Ist, IS54.
ALDWIN, MATTIIIAS W., Locomotive Engine- builder and founder of the Baldwin Locomotive Works, of Philadelphia, was born in Elizabeth- town, New Jersey, December 10th, 1795. His father, William Baldwin, was a carriage-maker by trade, and at his death left his family a com- fortable property, which by the mismanagement of the executors was nearly all lost. Ilis widow was thus left to her own exertions for the maintenance of herself and family. To the necessity for economy and self-reliance thus imposed, young Baldwin probably owed the first development of his inventive genius. From early childhood he exhibited a remarkable fondness for mechanical contrivances. ITis toys were taken apart, and examined, while he would produce others far superior in mechanism and finish. When sixteen years old, he was apprenticed to Woolworth Brothers, jewelry manufacturers, of Frankford, Pennsylvania, and while serving his time he commanded the respect and esteem of both his associates and employers. Having mas- tered all the details of the business, thus becoming a finished workman, and having attained his majority, he found em- ployment in the establishment of Fletcher & Gardiner, Philadelphia, who were extensive manufacturers of jewelry. IIe soon became the most useful man in the shop, his work being delicate in finish, and his designs characterized by great originality and beauty. In 1819, he commenced busi- ness on his own account ; but in consequence of financial difficulties, and the trade becoming depressed, he soon abandoned it. His attention was then drawn to the inven- tion of machinery ; and one of his first efforts in this direc- tion was a machine whereby the process of gold-plating was greatly simplified. le next turned his attention to the manufacture of book-binders' tools, to supersede those which had been, up to that time, of foreign production. He associated himself for this purpose with David Mason, a competent machinist, and the enterprise was a success. Indeed, so admirable were the quality and finish of the tools, especially as they were of an improved make, that the book-trade was soon rendered independent of foreign manu- facturers. IIe next invented the cylinder for printing of calicoes, which had always been previously done by hand- presses; and he revolutionized the entire business. The manufacture of these printing rollers increased so greatly, that additional accommodations were necessary. IIere again he effected an improvement, first using horse-power
as a substitute for the hand-machinery and foot-lathes, which in its turn gave way to steam-power. The engine purchased for this purpose, not meeting his wishes, he built one him- self, from original drawings of his own. This little engine of six-horse power, and occupying a space of six square feet, is still in use, driving the whole machinery of the boiler shop in the Locomotive Works on Broad street, Philadel- phia. It is over forty years old. Ilis genius in this respect being soon recognized, he received many orders for the manufacture of stationary engines, and they became his most important article of manufacture. When the first locomo- tive engine in America, imported by the Camden & Amboy Railroad Company, in 1830, arrived, he examined it care- fully, and resolved to construct one after his own ideas; and after urgent requests from Franklin Peale, the proprietor of the Philadelphia Museum, built a miniature engine for exhibition. Ilis only guide in this work consisted of a few imperfect sketches of the one he had examined, aided by descriptions of those in use on the Liverpool & Manchester Railway. Ile successfully accomplished the task, and on the 25th of April, 1831, the miniature locomotive was run- ning over a track in the Museum rooms, a portion of this track being laid on the floors of the transepts, and the balance passing over trestle work in the naves of the build- ing. Two small cars holding four persons were attached to it, and the novelty attracted immense crowds. The experi- ment resulting well, he received an order to construct a road locomotive for the Germantown Railroad. IIe had great difficulty in procuring the necessary tools and help. The inventor and the mechanic worked himself on the greater part of the entire engine. It was accomplished, finally, and on its trial trip, November 23d, 1832, proved a success. Some imperfections existed, but these being remedied, it was accepted by the company, and was in use for twenty years thereafter. The smoke-stack was originally constructed of the same diameter from its junction with the fire-box to the top where it was 'bent at a right angle, and carried back, with its opening to the rear of the train. This engine weighed five tons, and was sold for $3500. Two years elapsed before he ventured upon building another, as he had seemingly insurmountable difficulties to encounter ; there were so many improvements to be made, and the lack of skilled labor, and above all of the necessary tools and machinery, was so great, that he almost abandoned the work. In 1834, he constructed an engine for the Sonth Carolina Railroad, and also one for the Pennsylvania State Line, running from Philadelphia to Columbia, The latter weighed 17,000 pounds, and drew at one time nineteen loaded cars. This was such an unprecedented performance that the State Legislature at once ordered several additional ones, and two more were completed and delivered during the same year; and he also constructed one for the Phila- delphia & Trenton Railroad. In 1835, he built fourteen ; in 1836, forty. Then came the terrible financial panic of IS37, which ruined so many houses throughout the land;
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he also became embarrassed, but calling his creditors together, he asked and obtained an extension, and subse- quently paid every dollar, principal and interest. His success was now assured, and his works became the largest in the United States, perhaps in the world. Engines were shipped to every quarter of the globe, even to England where they had been invented-and the name of Baldwin grew as familiar as a household word. Ile was one of the founders of the Franklin Institute. He was an exemplary Christian, and of a charitable and benevolent disposition. Ile died, September 7th, 1866.
RVING, JAMES, Manufacturer, was born in the city of New York, December 7th, 1817, and is of Scotch extraction, his father having emigrated from that country in 1811, and his mother four years subsequently. In 1824, the family removed to Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where the son enjoyed such educational advantages as were afforded in the ordinary schools of the neighborhood. In his twelfth year, he became an apprentice to Gethel Moore, in the woollen manufacturing business. He remained in that establishment until 1841, becoming fully acquainted with the various details of the same; and after a year spent in Chester county, Pennsylvania, associated himself with his brother, the firm being J. & D. Irving, who, in 1842, com- menced manufacturing at Haddington, and continued until the winter of 1845, when they removed to the Irvington (formerly known as the Crosbyville) Mills, situated on Ridley creek in the borough of North Chester. They leased this property, and operated the same as lessees for nine years, and then purchased the property in 1854, having meanwhile enlarged the works. In 1853, James Irving erected the Barndennoch Mills, in Chester ; but did not operate them until 1859, when he associated himself with his brother David, and with Thomas J. Leiper, under the firm of Irving & Leiper, and commenced the production of yarn. In February, 1862, his brother David died; but the business was continued by the surviving partners, and in 1873, the mill was very considerably enlarged, and new out-buildings were erected ; it is now employing 150 hands, running 12,000 spindles, consuming 2500 bales of cotton, and producing 1,000,000 pounds of cotton yarn per annum. On his brother's death, the firm of J. & D. Irving, operating the Irvington Mills, was of course dissolved, and the survivor became sole proprietor by the purchase of the deceased partner's interest. On January Ist, 1866, he admitted his son to partnership, the firm being James Irving & Son ; but although the son died in the following September, the firm name still continues. The old building was removed in 1873, and in its stead there was erected a handsome four- story structure, 172 by 50 feet; which together with the many out-buildings, dye-houses, and ware-room, presents a
most imposing appearance. This mill consumes 500,000 pounds of wool per annum, producing 400,000 pounds of yarn ; which together with the cotton-warps manufactured by Irving & Leiper, furnish the material for the production of 1,500,000 yards of cloth, annually turned out by Leiper & Son. During the War of the Rebellion, he proved him- self an ardent supporter of the Union, assuming the double charge of all the mills during the absence of his partner, Captain Thomas J. Leiper, in the army. Ile is noted among his townsmen as one of the most public spirited and energetic, fully alive to the interests of the people. He has been a Director of the First National Bank of Chester, since IS70.
OMEROY, JOIIN M., Merchant and Contractor, of Pomeroy, Pennsylvania, was born in Shippens- burg, Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, April Ist, 1823. His family are of French descent, the patronymic being derived from pomme du roi, signifying, " apple of the king," or " royal apple." His ancestors were Huguenots, one of whom, a classical teacher in the family of a French nobleman, escaped from Paris on the night of the massacre of St. Bartholomew, and reaching the coast, was conveyed to Ireland on a fishing vessel. One of his descendants emigrating to America about 1730, located near Roxbury, Franklin county, Penn- sylvania, and was one of the first white settlers of the Cum- berland valley, where his ancestors still reside. The family have intermarried with the Scotch-Irish settlers of that region, until all traces of the original blood are nearly ob- literated. Ile lost his father when four years of age, and his mother three years afterwards. Owing to their death he was taken into the family of his uncle and guardian, Joseph Pomeroy, of Concord, Franklin county. Here he remained for many years, attending t .. e village schools and obtaining a good English education at these and the Chambersburg Academy. Ilis uncle being engaged in mercantile pursuits, the boy before leaving school had acquired some knowledge of the business, and was taken into the store as an assistant. Ile employed much of his spare time in land-surveying, and had gained a good reputation as a surveyor before he was eighteen. At the age of nineteen he went into partner- ship with his uncle, and building a large tannery, conducted it successfully for five years. In his twentieth year he was elected a school director, though, as a minor, he was not legally eligible to the position. In 1845, at the age of twenty-two, he was chosen to represent Franklin county in the State Legislature, the district being nearly equally divided between the two political parties, and his competi- tor being one of the most popular men in the county. The following year he was re-elected by an increased majority. As an indication of the difference in the state of politics then and now, it is asserted that the total cost of his two campaigns for the legislature did not exceed ten dollars.
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In 1847, he married Rebecca C. Kelley, of Academia, | in the construction of nearly fifty houses. In 1860, he dis- Juniata county, and removed to that place, where he re- posed of his business to his son Ashton, and held the office of Justice of the Peace from 1857 until he declined re-clec- tion in 1867, his career as a magistrate meeting with general approval. In 1864, he was elected to the position he now occupies as Cashier of the Bethlehem Dime Savings Bank, where his known integrity and financial sagacity are fully appreciated by the public. These excellent qualities have also been testified to by other appointments entailing heavy responsibilities. They led to his appointment as Trustee of the great estate of IIenry G. Guethe, one of the wealthiest citizens of that county, and to his selection as guardian, trustee or executor of a number of other estates, positions in which he has always acquitted himself with entire satisfac- tion to those concerned. For a long period he was Direc- tor in three National Banks, was at one period Auditor of the county, and in the Moravian Church, of which he has always been an exemplary member, he has occupied in turn every office which is open to laymen. Such a life cannot but be a satisfactory one to look back upon, and sccures to him the affectionate regard of the community. In IS30, he married Mary A. Brunner of Nazareth, and has four sons, two with him in the bank, one an apothecary, and Ashton, who, as has been above stated, succeeded to the business of his father on the retirement of the latter. mained for several years engaged in mercantile business. In IS53, he went to Philadelphia, where he commenced dry-goods jobbing, at Third and Arch streets; but relin- quished the business in 1860, the panic which prevailed about that time rendering such trade unprofitable. During his residence in Philadelphia he represented the Ninth Ward for one year in Common Council, and was a delegate from the Second Congressional District to the Chicago Convention of 1860, where he supported the nomination of Abraham Lincoln. He was mainly instrumental in pro- curing from the State Legislature the charter of the Union National Bank, and in establishing that institution, of which he was the first Vice-President. In 1861, he was appointed by President Lincoln, a Paymaster in the army, but resigned the position after two years' service. IIe disbursed several millions of dollars to the troops, and on the final settlement of his accounts the Government was found indebted to him thirty two dollars. In 1845, he located at the place whose post-office and railroad station were named for him. The Pennsylvania & Delaware Railroad, from Delaware city, forms a junction at Pomcroy with the Pennsylvania Rail- road. lle was prominent in projecting and building the road which terminates at his place, and is a director of this and several other lines. For several years he has devoted his attention to railroad construction, as a contractor, having been connected with a large number of such enterprises. IIe is one of the men of whom his friends and his section are justly proud, for his energy, enterprise, and integrity.
ORIIEK, JAMES. T., Manufacturer and Banker, was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, January 6th, 1808, of an old Moravian family. Nearly a century and a quarter ago, in 1750, John Andrew Borhek settled in the then frontier part of Bethle- hem, and has his name recorded in the " Bethle- hem Economy " of 1756, as a " Single Brother." Christian F., born to him in July 26th, 1776, carried on the business of a hatter for many years, and his son was James T. The careful cducation given the lad at the parochial school supplied him a solid basis for future culture; and with this he entered into business life, first in his father's hat factory in Bethlehem, and then for a while in Philadelphia, where he learned the tin and coppersmiths' trade. IIe resumed, however, the former, and having bought out the establish- ment of Charles A. Luckenback, in Bethlehem, continued it uninterruptedly for sixteen years. In 1847, he began importing musical instruments ; and later, succeeded Henry A. Guetter, in Old South Bethlehem, in dealing in coal and lumber. Successful in each of these enterprises he accu- mulated considerable property, which he employed partly in building operations, constructing or becoming interested
ALLADE, COLONEL JACOB, Financier, was born February 26th, 1817, in Lycoming county, l'ennsylvania, of which county, until quite re- cently, he continued to be a resident. ITis fra- ternal grandfather was one of three brothers who in the year 1713 emigrated from Strasburg to this country, and whose descendants, it is believed, comprise all of the name in America. ITis father, born in Dauphin county in 1788, received a commission as captain in the American army in 1809, and another in 1812, serving with distinction throughout the last war between this country and Great Britain. When quite young, Jacob Sallade learned the trade of millwright, and such was his proficiency and thoroughness that before he was twenty-one years old he directed the building of a grist mill unassisted, doing all the planning and architectural work. In 1840, he com- menced mercantile business, continuing to make and exe- cute contracts for building mills, churches, houses, barns, bridges, canal locks, etc. The same year he was appointed Postmaster at Larry's Creek, Lycoming county, Pennsyl- vania. In 1851, he became foreman of the Pennsylvania Canal. ITis connection with the periodical press began at an early day. Ile was for many years one of the publish- ers and proprietors of The Jersey Shore Republican, and also of the Union Republican, and the West Branch Demo- crat, of Williamsport. In 1859, he published The Confer- ence Record, the first daily journal started in Williamsport.
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In 1856, he was elected Director, Steward and Treasurer of | still remains, an active member of the banking firm of Dickinson Seminary, an educational institution of high stand- llolden, Lentz & Sallaide, of the same city, which was organized in 1868. Early in 1873 he was unanimously elected to the Presidency of the Keystone Bank of Phila- delphia, succeeding L. Montgomery Bond. He is an active and devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which he became connected in 1837. Ile has built no less than six churches, and has been foremost in works of charity and prominent in various public enterprises. ing, under control of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1861, his known patriotism and executive ability secured his selection as an agent of the General Government to attend to important business in connection with the war for the Union then just opening. Ilis services were so satisfactory that in 1862 he was appointed Assistant Quartermaster, with the rank of Captain in the regular army, which posi- tion he declined. Ile accepted an extensive contract to supply the Government with wood, coal, lumber, etc. Ilis operations in this connection were on an immense scale, and to assist in carrying them out two trains on the railroad ILIIELM, ARTEMUS, Furnace Builder and Iron Manufacturer, was born in Baltimore county, Maryland, December 29th, 1822. lle is de- 'scended on the father's side from a German stock, while from the maternal he inherits the English blood. When but a child of six years of age he accompanied his parents to a farm which they had purchased in York county, Pennsylvania, and there he re- sided until he was seventeen years of age, aiding his parents in agricultural labors, and devoting his evenings and other leisure. liours to study, for there was but a poor apology for a school 'in the neighborhood. About 1840 he went to Shrewsbury to learn the stone-mason and bricklayers' trade, although when he had sufficiently acquired a knowledge of the occupation he returned home and gave his assistance to his father for some time longer. In 1844, he went to Bal- timore, wliere he remained a year pursuing his vocation, and saved up $100, of which sum lie invested $75 in a lot in Shrewsbury, which he holds to this day. In 1845, he returned home to assist his father in the erection of Furnace No. I, belonging to the Ashland Iron Company, in the town of that name. In 1847, his father died, and his proficiency and ability as a furnace builder secured him the contract to construct No. 2 Furnace for the same concern. This he accomplished so satisfactorily, and withal with such prompt- ness, that when Robert W. Coleman, himself a noted iron- master; casually visiting these works, he was so favorably impressed with the character of the work here performed, that he engaged him to proceed to Cornwall and make a contract to erect Furnace No. I on the great Cornwall Estate. This was in 1849. lle had already made the building of furnaces and the manufacture of iron his special study, being determined to crect only the structures after the most approved designs. From 1845 to 1850 very great improvements had been made in the manufacture of anthra- cite iron, to which he had already given his earnest atten- tion, taking an active part in the matters pertaining thereto, both in Ashland and Cornwall. Ilaving concluded his engagement with R. W. Coleman, he returned to Ashland, where he remodelled the furnaces and set up additional boilers. At this time, and for some time afterwards, he was constantly occupied in different parts of the State in the same line of operations, supervising various improvements between Baltimore and Washington, and two steamers on the Chesapeake Bay were required. Ile was appointed a Paymaster in the army, with the rank of Major, and was confirmed September 6th, 1862. Ile was permitted. to choose his station either at Washington, Wheeling, Cincin- nati, or Louisville, and, electing the former, was employed to pay the troops of the Army of the Potomac in and about Washington. In July, 1863, he was ordered to, New Orleans. Narrowly escaping capture by a rebel pirate on the way to his post, he arrived at New Orleans by, steamer July 11th, and remained until August, 1864. . He accom- panied General Banks on his Red River expedition, visited officially the Rio Grande and many other points in Texas, and paid troops at many prominent places on the Missis- sippi. Returning to Washington in August, 1864, he was employed for a time in paying paroled prisoners at An- napolis. lle was then ordered to the Shenandoah Valley to assist in paying the troops under the command of General Sheridan. So well did he perform the arduous duties re- quired of him in this position that upon his return to Wash- ington he was complimented with a brevet commission as Lieutenant-Colonel. An examination of paymasters being ordered, he passed through the ordeal with the assurance that the board regarded him as one of the best qualified of any who had come before them. Ile was then assigned to a difficult position in the Division of Referred Claims in the Paymaster-General's office. The duties of this post re- quired a thorough knowledge of army regulations and of . the laws relating to bounties, etc., yet he so well accom- plished his work as to receive from the chief of the depart- ment the assurance that he had paid more claims than any other officer of the division with less expense. Ile resigned in 1866. During the time he had acted as an army pay . master he disbursed a large amount of money, and on the final closing up of his accounts the suspensions of the de- partment against him amounted to less than $50. Returning to Williamsport, which had just been incorporated as a city, he was for three successive terms elected a member of the Select Council, and was also appointed Postmaster of the city. Ile was one of the founders of the First National Bank of Williamsport, was for a long time one of its direc- tors, and is still a stock holder. He was from the first, and
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