The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2, Part 68

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 894

USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2 > Part 68

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ARRIS, ALEXANDER, Lawyer, was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, February 14th, IS27. Ile is of honorable Scotch-Irish extrac- tion, and received his preliminary and elementary education in the common schools of his native place; his subsequent studies were pursued suc- cessively in the Tuscarora Academy and Washington College, Pennsylvania; and, in IS51, he graduated from the latter institution in the class of that year. He then entered the law office of William M. Biddle, a noted practitioner of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and, under his instruction, fitted himself thoroughly for the legal profession. Upon the com- pletion of the usual course he was admitted to the bar, in April, 1854, and commenced the active practice of his pro- fession in Mifflintown, the capital of Juniata county. Here the able exercise of his talents soon won him an extensive and remunerative clientage, and, in 1855, he was appointed District Attorney by the court. In the spring of 1857, he re- moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, meeting there, also, with well-merited success. Having, from boyhood, been an untir- ing and discriminative reader and student, he early imbibed a love for philosophical and metaphysical research, which has, during his whole lifetime, strongly tinctured and char- acterized his mode of thought and feeling. In 1862, actuated by an ardent desire to master still more completely the various arts and sciences in which he was so deeply interested, he retired from the active duties of his profession and devoted himself entirely to study and writing. . In this year he published a valuable Hand Book of Geography, which ran through several editions, and became very exten- sively known and appreciated, particularly among those best qualified to estimate at its true worth the value of those qualities constituting the real merit of a work upon such a subject. In 1863, he published another volume entitled The Cause of the War Showon ; an elaborate and logical essay which elicited much comment in public and political

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circles in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. Ilis Biographical | points of shipment, and also to the refineries. These pipes History of Lancaster County, a work of peculiar value to the inhabitants of the State, appeared in 1872. In addition to these commendable labors, he has contributed numerous articles, scientific, philosophical and metaphysical, to the Mercersburg Review, a publication of acknowledged merit ; and these essays, evincing careful culture and fine analytic and synthetic powers, have attracted much attention from many scientists and theologians. Ilis exhaustive inquiries into the department of metaphysics have made him a recog- mized anthority concerning such matters; from Aristotle to Ilegel he has delved deeply into philosophy on the meta- physical side, while on the theological side he is unusually conversant with the subject in its manifold ramifications from Plato to Schleiermacher. Ile is master of the Latin, Greek, German and French languages, and possesses, more- over, a fair acquaintance with the Italian, Spanish and Ile- brew tongues, while his general knowledge of the grammar and of the principles and the construction governing those languages is surpassed by few linguists. At present he is a valued and influential member of the School Board of Lan- caster city, and fulfils the duties of that position with marked ability. Ile was married, October 13th, 1856, to a daughter of Dr. Thomas Johnson, a well-known citizen of the above- mentioned county, and has one child-a boy.

are two inches in diameter, and, as a general rule, from six to eight miles in length. One of the lines of this com- pany, however, is thirty miles in length, that one being the longest pipe line in the country; they are the proprietors also of a pipe line three inches in diameter, the only one of the size in use either in Oil City or in the adjacent region, the latter arrangement having been rendered necessary on account of the unusual and excessive productiveness of their wells. So rapidly did their trade prosper and increase after the formation of the firm, that they were necessitated to build line after line, until, at the present time, they possess considerably more than three hundred nales of pipe, while several of the lines run constantly five or six pipes. Upon several occasions they have handled the major portion of the whole production of the oil country, becoming thereby the recipients of handsome pecuniary returns. The lines are now known as the United Pipe Lines of Vandergrift, Forman & Co., and form a perfect and ramifying network extending throughout the oil country, and terminating at four grand shipping points, viz. : Brady's Bend, on the Allegheny Valley Railroad ; Monterey, on the same road ; Harrisville, on the Shenango & Allegheny Railroad; and Ray Milton, on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail- road. In addition to their trading and shipping interests, they may be ranked also among the heaviest producers in this section of the State, and are prominently and importantly identified with several banking institutions and financial enterprises in Butler and Venango counties, Although warmly interested in the public welfare, and a decided ex. ponent of his views on all matters involving its interests, G. V. Forman has always manifested an inflexible unwilling- ness to permit himself to be drawn into the arena of political life. Contented with pushing forward his business to still greater prosperity, he gladly leaves to others the tumults and agitations of a partisan career, while advocating the election of this candidate or condemning the election of the other, in accordance with his . conscientious convictions. As a business man, he possesses the entire confidence and esteem of a large circle of merchants and operators ; and as a citizen, he is one of the most influential men in the oil region, while the benefit arising to the State from his ener- getie and efficient efforts in aiding to develop its vast natural resources entitles him to consideration as a public benefactor. Ile was married, in 1868, to Martha Carter, from Paterson, New Jersey.

ORMAN, GEORGE V., Oil Operator, was born in Hunterdon county, New Jersey, December 3d, 1843. Ilis parents were Hamilton Forman and Mary (Vansyckle) Forman, both residents of the above-mentioned State. After completing a pre- liminary course of elementary studies, and when in his fifteenth year, he entered Princeton College, and graduated from that institution in 1861. Entering the law office of A. G. Richey, of Trenton-one of the ablest lead- ing practitioners of the New Jersey bar-he devoted his entire time and attention to the acquirement of a thorough legal education. At the expiration of one year, however, he moved to the Oil Regions of Pennsylvania, and, in 1863, commenced to operate in oil there, and also in the neigh- boring territory. For several years his speculations, in company with those of many others, were unsuccessful and discouraging ; but, undaunted by repeated failures, he man- fully persevered, trusting that success would eventually crown his efforts. In 1868, he became associated in part- nership with John J. Vandergrift, a prominent and influen- tial merchant, and the firm of Vandergrift & Forman was LACKFORD, JOILN, Lawyer, was born in Wash- ington county, Maryland, December 3d, 1842. Ilis father, Henry T. S. Blackford, of Maryland, was a well-known farmer and agriculturist; his mother, Eliza ( Mayer) Blackford, of Virginia, was a daughter of the Rev. Dr. Lewis Mayer, a distinguished Reformed divine of York, who was at one organized. This establishment, dealing in oil and also carrying on the shipping of it, soon assumed large propor- tions, and rapidly grew to be the most enterprising and extensive in its line of business. Subsequently the partners commenced the construction of a series of " Pipe Lines," ingenious and valuable assistants in the speedy and econo- mical transportation of the oil from the wells to various /time President of the Mercersburg Theological Seminary ;

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his grandfather, Colonel John Blackford, was noted for his gallant conduct during the War of 1812. His early cdu- cation was acquired principally in the public schools and the High School of Sheppardstown, Virginia; subsequently, he became a student in the York County Academy, but finally completed his course of studies in the above-men- tioned high school. In January, 1868, he removed to York, Pennsylvania, pursued a course of legal studies under the guidance of his uncle, John L. Mayer, and in 1870 was admitted to the bar. Since that date he has been con- stantly engaged in active practice, has secured a remunera- tive clientage and won a high reputation. At the present time he is candidate for District Attorney, having received the nomination for that office from the Democratic party, which, in York, is equivalent to an election. He is counsel for several of the leading corporations in this section of Pennsylvania, notably the Hanover Branch Railroad.

BBOTT, WILLIAM HAWKINS, Operator in Oil and Financier, was born in Middlebury, New Ilaven county, Connecticut, October 27th, 1819. In early life he was occupied alternately in al- tending the common schools of his native place and in laboring in the interests of his parents on the farm. When eighteen years of age he became em- ployed as clerk and salesman in the mercantile establish- ment of General Hemmingway, at Watertown, Litchfield county, Connecticut, remaining in that position until the spring of 1844. He then removed to Newton Falls, Trum- bull county, Ohio, and secured employment in the house of Bronson & Warren, eventually, upon the dissolution of the firm by the retirement of the latter, becoming a mem- ber of the new organization. At the expiration of the first year, however, the firm of Bronson & Abbott was dissolved, and the partners continued to prosecute their business separately. Subsequently, the latter purchased the interest of his former partner, also the real estate of Bronson & Warren, and from 1848 until 1862 carried on the entire business with uniform prosperity. In February, 1860, he visited the oil region of Western Pennsylvania; arriving in Titusville on the 8th of that month, he inspected the Colonel Drake Well, and, foreseeing the approaching im- portance of the oil industry, purchased an interest in the James Parker farm, where a well was then being sunk, including the Crossley Well and lease, with an interest also in a tract of 100 acres at Shreve Rock. In this enterprise he invested $10,000, then returned to Ohio, and upon arriving at Newton Falls learned that a fifty- barrel well had been struck on the Parker farm lease. That well, known as the Barnsdoll, was the second struck ; was put down with a spring pole; was 112 feet in depth, and produced over fifty barrels of first sand-rock oil per diem. Subsequently, while seeking in New York a market

for his oil, he became acquainted with the well-known chemist, George M. Mowbray, and by him was presented to the drug house of the Shefflin Brothers; to these dealers he sold 200 barrels of oil at thirty-five cents per gallon, thus initiating with New York that trade which has since assumed such vast proportions. The after shipment of this oil, owing to the lack of proper facilities, the high price and worthlessness of the barrels and the difficulty of trans- portation, involved considerable outlay, and until later the profits of the product were greatly diminished by the ex- cessive cost attendant upon its shipment and delivery. In 1860, in connection with James Parker and William Barnsdoll, he began the crection of the first refinery con- structed in the oil country, and finished it successfully at a cost of $15,000. In that association he remained for about three years, securing moderate returns and constantly occu- pied in onerous and responsible duties ; during this period he contracted in Ohio for large quantities of barrels, and had them sent to him by wagons for a distance of ninety miles across the country. In 1862, he interested himself in the coal business, and brought to Titusville the first car- load ever delivered at that place; pursuing this trade suc- cessfully, in October, 1865, he leased for thirty years a tract of partially developed coal lands situated at Greenville, Mercer county, Pennsylvania, and at the present time is constantly employed in mining and shipping large quan- tities of its product to the oil region and the adjacent country. In 1863, he purchased from S. S. Fertig a one- eighth " free" interest in the Noble Well, then producing 2,500 barrels per diem, paying for it $27,500; and later secured an interest in the Caldwell Well, which was sold to his company for $145,000. In June, 1867, he connected himself with the Pipe Line interests with Henry Harley, whose line from Benninghoff run to Shaffer farm had been finished in 1866; the consolidation of this with his own pipe line from Pit Hole to Miller farm proved an eminent success. The Pennsylvania Transportation Company, repre- senting a capital of over $2,000,000 and maintaining a tankage capacity of at least 300,000 barrels, owes its mag- nitude and its remunerative foundation and progress to the united exertions of W. HI. Abbott and his coadjutor, II. Harley. The Titusville & Pit Hole Plank Road Company, organized in the summer of 1865 and completed in the winter of 1866, owes its projection and completion partly to W. Il. Abbott, who advanced an important sum of money at the outset, and subsequently greatly aided the enterprise by his efficient labors and wise counsels. The Oil Creek & Titusville Mining & Transportation Company, granted a charter in April, 1865, authorizing the building of a rail- way from Titusville to Union, eventually fell into great pecuniary embarrassments, and was sold at public sale to E. Cooper and I. C. Frisbee, in Philadelphia; in 1870, W. HI. Abbott, associating himself with other capitalists, deter- mined to complete and set the road in successful operation ; the construction of this important enterprise was then

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pushed rapidly to completion, and on February 28th, 1871, | which he is attached, and is Past. Master of the Zeredatha it was opened, and the first train of cars passed over it Lodge, No. 451, A. Y. M .; he is also Generalissimo of the York Commandery, No. 21, Knights Templar. He is a constant and valued contributor to the press of the county. Ile has always taken an active part in the political move- ments of the State and county, and especially is warmly in- terested in matters connected with the advancement and increase of the public educational systems and advantages. Since his retirement from the Legislature, he has devoted his entire attention to his profession, declining, although repeatedly solicited, to accept any public position. carrying freight and passengers. Toward the erection of the Mission Church of the St. James Episcopal Church of Titusville he subscribed the entire cost, over $4000, and in that church he is a constant communicant, having for many years occupied the position of Senier Warden. Of all measures calenlated to benefit the city and the surrounding region he is a generous and able supporter. He was married, in 1846, to Jane Wheeler, of Watertown, Con- nectient ; a second time to Lucy S. Clark, of Newton Falls, Ohio; and a third time, in 1869, to Anna G. Wheeler, of New York city, who is still living.

EIGES, GEORGE W., Lawyer, of York, Penn- sylvania, was born in the borough of Dillsburg, York county, Pennsylvania, May 18th, 1842. Ilis father, Jacob Heiges, was a prominent chair manufacturer of the above-mentioned county; his mother was Elizabeth ( Mumper) Heiges, and on both the paternal and the material sides he is of German extraction. He studied first in the public common schools and also under private intors ; later, he completed a course of academie studies, after which he taught in one of the publie schools of his native place. He was thus occupied for several years in the borough and county schools, be- coming subsequently the Principal of the York Classical and Normal Institute; later, he was appointed one of the Principals of the Local Normal School, and Tutor in the York Academy. Upon resigning, he became Deputy Super- intendent of the Common Schools of York county for one year. After completing the usual course of legal studies, he passed his examination, was admitted to the bar of York county in 1867, and immediately began practice. His industry and talents have won him an excellent connection and a high reputation at the bar. In 1872, he was elected to the Legislature on the Democratic ticket, and re-elected in 1873. While serving in the legislative body, he was a member of the Judiciary, General and Local Committees, of the Federal Relations Committee, of the Constitutional Reform Committee, and of the Judicial Apportionment Committee ; also of various other committees of less promi- Dence and importance. During his last term he partici- pated actively and influentially in all measures connected with the more important questions of the day, and was noted for his sound judgment and prompt action under the most. trying circumstances, Ile was appointed by the Legislature of Pennsylvania a member of the Board of Auditors, constituted to re-examine and re-settle the ac- counts of various county officers, a measure resulting from a reform movement in his party, and in which he had been prominent. As a Free Mason, he is one of the most zealous and influential members of the organization to Istant employment to nearly 200 men, and possesses an

OSTETTER, DAVID, Druggist, partner in the firm of Hostetter & Smith, manufacturers of HIos- telter's Stomach Bitters, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, January 23d, 1819. 1lis father, Jacob Hostetter, M. D., a distinguished practitioner, was born in the above- named county, April ISth, 1791, graduated at an early age at the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, and died March 26th, 1859. llis grandfather, Jacob Ilostetter, was a German, and born in the same county, July Ist, 1752, dying there December 9th, 1823. llis great grandfather also was named Jacob Hostetter, and settled in Lancaster county in 1735, at a time when it was very sparsely settled and in a state of virginal wildness. "At this date be built a stone house, still standing upon a property in the possession of his lineal descendants. He was also a large land-holder, . occupying over 600 acres of wood and meadow land, of which 320 acres were bequeathed to ' his .son, who in turn divided this legacy between his two children, the third son being disinherited on account of his dis- loyalty to the cause of his country during the War of 1812, in which his father and uncle had participated. David Hostetter was educated in Lancaster county, and, April 15th, 1835, while in his fifteenth year, was em- ployed as a clerk and salesman in a dry goods establish- ment in his native town. He was thus ocenpied until 1842, when he began business on his own account, meeting with moderate success. April 15th, 1850, le moved to California, and settled in San Francisco. In the following September, however, his entire stock was destroyed by fire, and he returned to his home much discouraged, But shortly after, his indomitable will and perseverance re- asserting themselves, in 1853, he associated in partnership with General W. Smith, and organized the present firm for the manufacture of stomach bitters. This medicinal com- pound was manufactured in accordance with the formula discovered by the deceased Dr. Jacob Hostetter. Thence- forward he met with entire success; and though in the beginning but six hands were employed in the manufacture of his specialty, the firm at the present time furnishes con-

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extensive establishment filled with costly machinery. In | in a section of the State that is largely Republican, he has 1867, he became a Director of the Pittsburgh Gas Company; never been elected to any political office. Ile is married to a lady of the well-known Jamison family of Baltimore, Maryland, several of whom are distinguished in the clergy, the army, the navy, physics, etc. in 1869, was elected President; and since that time has continued to be an active and influential member of this important institution. Ile is the largest stockholder and one of the most energetie movers in the East End and Allegheny Companies. In March, 1874, he purchased the charter of the Columbia Conduit Company, and with his customary energy hastened the work forward to a com- pletion. Upon this occasion he was elected President, but declined to assume the office. Of the Penn Gas-Coal Company of Philadelphia he is a prominent and respected Director, and also the second largest stockholder. Ile is, moreover, a Director in the Farmers' Deposit National Bank, and in the Fort Pitt Bank. He was married, July 13th, 1854, to Rosetta Rickey, of Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a striking example of a self-made man, and is remarkable for his indefatigable perseverance in surmounting many and prostrating difficulties, his acute foresight, and the shrewd ability manifested in all the operations of an exten- sive business conducted with probity, enterprise and pru- dent economy. Ile is warmly interested in all local movements tending to improve the commercial interests of the State, and has always evinced a cheerful readiness to assist substantially in charitable and philanthropic measures.

OPKINS, JAMES HIERRON, Lawyer and Banker, was born in Washington county, Penn- sylvania, November 3d, 1832. Ile is of Scotch- Irish descent, and his ancestry settled in western Pennsylvania before the Revolution, his grand- father, Thomas Hopkins, being an officer in the war of that time. ITis father, Colonel William Hopkins, was prominent in State politics, was Speaker of the House of Representatives during the " Buckshot War," held vari- ous other offices, and died while a member of the last Constitutional Convention. James Herron Hopkins was educated at Washington College, Pennsylvania ; after leaving school, read law with Judge McCandless, and was admitted to the bar before attaining his majority. After practising law for twenty years, his health failed and he went to Europe. During his travels he wrote a series of letters for the Pittsburgh Post, which were afterwards pub- lished in a volume bearing the title, Letters from Europe. Returning to his native land, he engaged in the banking business in Pittsburgh. He is now President of the Penn Bank and the Union Insurance Company of that place; is also a director in various other banks and corporations. Ile has always taken a great interest in politics and is a prominent Democrat in Western Pennsylvania; has been three times a candidate for Congress in his district, and in IS72 was a candidate for Congressman at Large. Living

ORTHI, HUGH M., Lawyer, Legislator, ete., was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, May 7th, 1826. Ile is of Scotch- Irish descent, his father, John North, being a prominent merchant of Juni- ata county, and his mother a daughter of Ilugh McAllister, whose father was one of the original settlers of the county, the founder of McAllisterville, and a major in the Revolutionary War. Hugh M. was enabled to enjoy exceptional educational advantages, and graduated with honor from the academy at Mifflinsburg when about twenty years of age. Choosing the legal profession, he entered the office of Judge Casey, a prominent lawyer, who was elected to Congress in 1848 and subsequently was appointed Chief Justice of the United States Court of Claims. In due course, having passed a most creditable exammation, he was admitted to the bar of Lancaster county, August 30th, 1849, having been previously entered at the bar of Union county early in the same year. IIe removed to Columbia and immediately commenced the ' practice of his profession. Ilis energy, industry and intel- lectual acquirements soon brought him into prominence, and he quickly obtained lucrative practice, which has steadily increased; he now ranks among the most able attorneys of the State, and has acquired a large fortune by his labors. Active and public-spirited, he has always taken a great interest in all political questions of a local and national nature. Ile has held several offices in the town of his adoption with such satisfaction to his fellow- citizens that in 1854 he was elected to the State Legislature on the Democratie and Independent tickets. In 1860, he was a delegate to the National Democratic Convention at Charleston, South Carolina, and was there placed upon several important committees, among others that on Cre- dentials, a post in this particular convention demanding the exercise of rare judgment and ability. In 1864, he was the Democratic candidate for Congress against the late Thaddeus Stevens, and ran far ahead of his ticket. In 1872, he held the same position in opposition to A. Ilerr Smith, but as the district had long been largely Republican it was impossible for him to gain the election. Ile has been for many years Solicitor for several of the most important railroad companies in the State, and also holds the same official position in several other large cor- porations, including banks, insurance companies, etc. Ile is President of the First National Bank of Columbia, and is Director in a number of other institutions. In 1874, he polled the second highest vote in the Democratic State

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The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 2, Part 68

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n Publication date: 1874 Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 894

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 894