Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 124

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036

USA > Pennsylvania > Blair County > Altoona > Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens > Part 124

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Mr. and Mrs. Thompson have had two chil- dren: Nell Gertrude, who is the assistant ed- itor of the Tyrone Times; and Paul Sterrett, who died May 26, 1907, at the age of seven- teen years. The latter was a young man of great promise and had a wide circle of friends in Tyrone who mourned his untimely decease. Mrs. Thompson and daughter are Daughters of the American Revolution, gaining their title for admission into this society through valiant services performed by several of their ances- tors who served as officers in the Continental Army, in the War of the Revolution.

In 1910 Mr. Thompson was elected grand

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chancellor of the Knights of Pythias for the state of Pennsylvania. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and other fraternal orders. With his family he belongs to the First Methodist Episcopal Church, at Tyrone, is a member of the official board, and is very active in Sunday school work, serving as a teacher and formerly as superintendent of the school. Mr. Thompson has one sister and two brothers, namely : Minna D., who resides with her mother at Mc- Connellsburg; Ira Dwight, who is connected with the Department of Health, at Philadel- phia; and Roy Holmes, who is a clerk in the Tyrone post office.

Mr. Thompson is numbered with the repre- sentative men of Blair County. His versatile talents have made him widely and favorably known. As a journalist he has proved effective and influential, championing the right and de- nouncing the wrong, and, aside from party bias, he has made his newspaper an uplifting element and a power in Blair County. As an educator he was eminently successful, and many tenders of a flattering kind have reached him from school bodies. As a statesman, also, he won the commendation of his fellow citizens and retired from public life with no stain upon his record.

HON. WILLIAM B. WARD,* a promi- nent citizen of Altoona, Pa., a member of the State Legislature and a leading Republican politician, was born in Franklin County, Pa., November 17, 1859, and is a son of Henry and Mary Ellen (Murray) Ward. Henry Ward was born and reared in Franklin County and lived there until 1870, when he moved into Blair County. He followed railroading and was well known all through this section. His death occurred in 1905.

William B. Ward was one of a family of eight children and he had no superior educa- tional opportunities. His father being a rail- road man probably led him to the railroad shops when he started to learn a trade and he continued there and became an expert forge- man. Mr. Ward belongs to the thinking as well as working class and he early identified

himself with the Republican party and as- sumed the responsibilities of a citizen. After acceptably serving two terms in the city coun- cil at Altoona, in November, 1908, he was elected to the legislature and has proved faith- ful to the promises he made to his constituents.

Mr. Ward married Miss Elizabeth Furlong, on February 16, 1881, and they have one son, James H., who is a machinist in the railroad shops at Altoona. The family home is a com- fortable residence on Sixth Avenue, Altoona. Mr. Ward is identified with the Knights of Pythias and the Eagles and he belongs to the Republican Club.

EDWARD RIDER MUSSER, coal mer- chant and mining engineer, at Tyrone, Pa., is a member of an old and representative family of Pennsylvania, which traces its ancestral lines generations back to Germany. Edward Rider Musser was born January 7, 1859, at Marengo, Center County, Pa., and is a son of Samuel and Nancy (Rider) Musser.

Samuel Musser was long one of Center County's most respected citizens. He was born in Union County, Pa., in 1830, and died at Ty- rone, in Blair County, in 1904, having rounded out a useful and blameless life of seventy-four years. His parents were William and Cather- ine (Hess) Musser, who moved into Center County in 1834 and spent the remaining years of their lives there. Samuel Musser was reared on his father's farm and agricultural pursuits claimed his entire attention through life. In early manhood he was united in mar- riage with Nancy Rider, who was born at Gatesburg, Center County, Pa., and was a daughter of Michael and Barbara (Crider) Rider. Her parents were members of one of the pioneer families of Lebanon County from which section they moved to Center County.

To Samuel and Nancy Musser eleven chil- dren were born, to whom the following names were given: Ella, Anna, Edward Rider, Will- iam Franklin, Adda, Michael Irwin, Emma Frances, John Howard, Barbara Bella, Mar- shall Clemson and Walter Scott. With one ex- ception all survive. Dr. William Franklin Musser, the second son, died of tuberculosis in

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1905. He first engaged in medical practice at Williamsburg and then moved to Tyrone. Ella, the first born of the family, is the widow of J. T. Reamy, formerly of Unionville. Her home is at Tyrone. Anna is the wife of Dr. L. M. Houser, of Pennsylvania Furnace, Hunt- ingdon County, Pa. Adda is the wife of Will- iam Vantries, a farmer near Union Furnace, Huntingdon County. Michael Irwin is a gen- eral merchant at Union Furnace and resides at Tyrone. Emma Frances is the wife of E. E. McClintock of the firm of McClintock & Mus- ser, manufacturers and wholesale dealers in candy at Tyrone. John Howard is in the mer- cantile business at Union Furnace but lives at Tyrone. Barbara Bella is the wife of Rev. Curry H. Love, of Clifton, Ari. Marshall Clemson is a member of the above named firm of Mcclintock & Musser, at Tyrone. Walter Scott is a physician and surgeon at Tyrone. Samuel Musser, the father of the above family, was reared in the Lutheran Church but later united with the Presbyterian body and in that faith he and wife reared their children, setting them an example of virtuous living. Although by no means a politician, Samuel Musser kept well informed concerning public affairs and cast his vote intelligently. He was identified with the Republican party.

Edward Rider Musser attended the public school and academy at Pine Grove Mills and later the Stone Valley Academy. He was reared on the home farm and taught school for five winters and when not so engaged, worked at the carpenter trade. For six years he was agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Scotia Station. He took a course in mining engineering in the Scranton School of Corres- pondence and for sixteen years was mine super- intendent and mining engineer for the Cymbria Coal Company of Barnesboro, Pa., located in Cambria County, and for one year engaged, in the same capacity, with a company in the south- western part of Virginia. For the past two years, Mr. Musser has been in business at Ty- rone, establishing himself here on April 23, 1909, as a dealer in coal and builders' supplies, with location at No. 1537 Logan Avenue. He

is also superintendent of the Colonial Coal Mining Company.

On September 22, 1886, Mr. Musser was married to Miss H. Elizabeth Gardner, a daughter of Henry and Letitia Gardner. Mr. and Mrs. Musser are the parents of six chil- dren: Mary Eleanor, Samuel William, Ed- ward Rider, Jr., David Walter, George Daniel and Harriet Elizabeth. The family residence is at No. 1335 Logan Avenue, Tyrone. Mr. Musser is a member of the Presbyterian Church. In politics he is a Republican. He is prominent in Masonic circles and belongs to Summit Lodge, No. 312, F. & A. M., Ebens- burg, Pa .; Mountain Chapter, No. 189, Al- toona; Mountain Commandery, No. 10, Al- toona; and Jaffa Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, at Altoona. He belongs also to Alle- gheny Gateway Lodge, No. 187, Odd Fellows, at Tyrone.

JOHN DIXON,* postmaster at Mine, Pa., and station agent for the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company at Oreminea, Blair County, is a very popular official and is widely known through this section. He was born August 4, 1868, and is a son of John and Mary (Det- wiler ) Dixon.

John Dixon the elder was born in Scotland and came from there to America in 1836, and for a number of years was superintendent of the No. 2 iron ore mine in Huston Township, Blair County, operated by the Cambria Iron Company. He was an experienced mine man and filled a responsible position with the com- pany. His death occurred in 1886. He mar- ried Mary Detwiler, who was born in Blair County, and three children were born to them, namely : John, Susan and James, all of whom reside at Mine.

John Dixon of the above family, was reared and attended school in Huston Township. When twenty years of age he became a clerk for the well known firm of Wood, Morrell & Co., in their general store at Mine, and re- mained there for five years. In 1893 he ac- cepted the position of station agent for the Pennsylvania road at Oreminea. In 1896 he also became agent for the Woodbury Land

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Company at Mine, retiring from this office on October 1, 1909. Since February 14, 1896, he has been postmaster, and is also agent for the Adams Express Company. He has served three terms as school director of Huston Town- ship, being secretary of the board for two years, and has also served for three years as tax collector. In politics he is a Democrat.

On July 4, 1894, Mr. Dixon was married to Miss Bessie White, who was born in England, a daughter of John and Jane White, the former of whom is now deceased. Both the mother of Mrs. Dixon and the mother of Mr. Dixon, re- side at Mine. Five children have been born to the above marriage, namely : John L., Grace P., Mary J., Clarence R. and Bruce W. Mr. Dixon is a member of the Orphans' Home Lodge, Odd Fellows, at Williamsburg; of Ju- niata Lodge, F. & A. M. and Mount Moriah Chapter, at Hollidaysburg.

FRANK IGO,* who fills a very important position as assistant road foreman of engin- eers, on the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylva- nia Railroad, was born at Latrobe, in West- moreland County, Pa., May 25, 1866, and is a son of Benjamin and Sophia ( Bolinger) Igo.

Benjamin Igo was born in Westmoreland County, Pa., and his business was farming. His father, Daniel Igo, was born in Spain and was a civil engineer, coming to America with two other engineers. He was employed by the U. S. Government and worked through the southern states and through Pennsylvania and finally settled on land in Westmoreland County which is still retained in the family. Daniel Igo married Mary Bailey who was born and married near Philadelphia. Both died on the Westmoreland County farm and their burial was at Youngstown, Pa. Grandmother Igo was a Quakeress. Benjamin Igo died in 1889, at the age of seventy-six years. He married Sophia Bolinger, who was born in York County, Pa., where she lived to the age of eighteen years and then accompanied her par- ents, Frederick and Catherine (Keyfoffer) Bolinger, to Youngstown, Pa. Mrs. Igo is one of the most venerable ladies of Youngstown, having been born in 1824. The following

children were born to Benjamin Igo and wife: John W., who is in the furniture and under- taking business at Youngstown; Margaret and Daniel Frederick, twins, the former of whom is the wife of John W. Dodds, of Latrobe, a contractor and builder, and the latter of whom is a farmer on the Ohio River, not far from Pittsburg; Catherine and Anna, twins, the lat- ter of whom died at the age of twenty-eight years, and the former of whom is the wife of D. H. Lisbon, a produce dealer at Pittsburg ; Sarah, who resides at Pittsburg; Jennie, who is the widow of Daniel Knox, formerly of La- trobe, Pa .; Mary, who is the wife of William Fearon, a manufacturer of furniture at Los Angeles; Frank; and Emma, who died in her twenty-ninth year (was the wife of J. H. Fred- erick, of Pittsburg).

Frank Igo attended school at Latrobe until he was sixteen years of age and then went into railroad work, beginning as a fireman on the Tyrone Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad and after three years of experience in that posi- tion, was made an engineer and for seventeen years ran an engine on that division. His faithfulness, steadiness and skill brought him further promotion and for three years he was roundhouse foreman, then was made assistant road foreman of engineers, a position he still fills. For the past fifteen years he has been a resident of Tyrone and for twenty-seven years has been identified in some capacity or other, with the great Pennsylvania system.

In 1885 Mr. Igo was married to Miss Annie Sims, a daughter of William and Martha Sims, of Greenwood Furnace, Huntingdon County, who now reside at Mill Creek. Mr. and Mrs. Igo have an adopted daughter, Ruth May. The family belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics, Mr. Igo is a pronounced Prohibitionist. He has property investments at Tyrone, one being a handsome residence at No. 1439 Logan Avenue. He is one of the borough's responsible and representative men.

ALFRED WOLCOTT GIBBS,* general superintendent of the Motive Power depart- ment of the Pennsylvania Railroad, with home and office at Altoona, a skilled and experienced

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mechanical engineer, was born October 27, 1856, at Fort Filmore, New Mexico.

Mr. Gibbs attended Rutgers College, 1873- 1874, and Stevens Institute of Technology, 1874-1878, in the latter year graduating from the last named noted institution. He entered the railway service in March, 1879, with which he has been continuously identified ever since, his various promotions making the following honorable record : June 1, 1881, special appren- tice, Altoona shops; June to October, 1881, draughtsman also for the Pennsylvania Rail- road; October 1, 1881, to August 1, 1886, draughtsman for the Richmond & Danville Road; August 1, 1886, to October 1, 1888, master mechanic, Atlanta & Charlotte Division, same road; October 1, 1888, to 'September I, 1890, master mechanic, Virginia Midland Di- vision, same road; September 1, 1890, to July I, 1892, superintendent motive power, Central Road of Georgia; July 1, 1892, to July I, 1893, master mechanic, Richmond & Dan- ville Road, at Atlanta, Ga; July 1, 1893, to September 1, 1902, assistant mechanical engineer, Pennsylvania Road, at Altoona, September 1, 1902, to January 1, 1903, superintendent motive power, Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Road; and from January 1, 1903, to date (1910), general su- perintendent motive power, Pennsylvania Road, at Altoona.

MICHAEL J. WIKE,* foreman of the pulp department of the Tyrone Paper Mill for thirty-one years, and a resident of Tyrone, was born in Huston Township, Blair County-at Morrison's Cove near Martinsburg. His par- ents were Henry and Nancy ( Rhodes) Wike, the father a native of Huntingdon County, Pa., and his mother of Blair County. The latter was a daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth Rhodes, pioneers who emigrated in canvas cov- ered wagons to Blair County. He settled at Morrison's Cove, on Piney Creek, building a log house and clearing the timber for a farm. The paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch settled in Westmoreland County at an early day and lived and died there. His father was a Revolutionary soldier.

Henry Wike, father of Michael J. Wike, was a coverlet weaver by trade. About 1844 he en- gaged in farming, but also continued weaving to some extent. He was born January 13, 1800, and died May 25, 1861. He was twice married. His wife Nancy, the mother of our subject, was born in October, 1809, and died February 14, 1879. Of Henry Wike's first marriage there were four sons and one daugh- ter and of his second there were five children, of whom there are now living two daughters- Nancy and Magdalena-and Michael J., the subject of this sketch, the other two children, David and Abraham, being deceased.

Michael J. Wike in boyhood attended the common schools of Huston Township, pursu- ing his studies in a primitive building where the scholars sat on benches without backs. He subsequently attended Juniata Academy at Martinsburg, earning the money to pay his tuition fees. He left school when fifteen years old and first found occupation as a teacher in Blair County, for one term, and afterward teaching one term in the state of Indiana. Then, after having served an apprenticeship to the trade of millwright he followed it up to 1883 and does some work in that line at the present time. Martinsburg was his home up to 1880 and he then came to Tyrone as superin- tendent of the pulp mill, a position he has held for thirty-one years, having been engaged in the pulp and millwright business for thirty- seven years.

In 1886 Mr. Wike was married to Susan Dallas of Tyrone, who was born at Mt. Union and came to Tyrone when small. Two chil- dren-a son and daughter-were born to Mr. and Mrs. Wike, both now living, namely : Mary, wife of John Bullock of Punxsutawney, Pa .; and Joseph Victor, who is married, and has a son, John Wike. Both Mr. Wike's son and son-in-law are in the employ of the paper mill. Mr. Wike is a Republican politically but supports the best men for office. He belongs to Tyrone Lodge, No. 494, F. & A. M., Harris- burg Consistory, and Jaffa Temple of the Mys- tic Shrine at Altoona. He is also a charter member of Sinking Spring Lodge, K. of P., and past chancellor of the grand lodge, K. P.

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of Pennsylvania ; also a charter member of the lodge of Junior Order of American Mechanics, No. 42. Coming to Tyrone when the paper mill started, Mr. Wike has since resided here and has become a popular citizen of the place, being widely known and esteemed.

ALBERT M. BROWN,* president of the Farmers and Merchants National Bank of Ty- rone and largely interested in the lumber busi- ness, was born in his father's house along Brush Mountain, between Altoona and Holli- daysburg, Pa., September 20, 1854, and is a son of William H. and Rebecca (Yon) Brown.

William H. Brown was born in Blair County, Pa., in 1828, and died in November, 1904, aged seventy-six years. For many years he was engaged in the lumber business and always resided in his native county. His parents were Samuel and Mary ( Hay) Brown. The widow of William H. Brown still survives. She was born October 25, 1828. Six children were born to them, namely : Samuel S., who lives at Milroy, Mifflin County; Crawford I., who is deceased; Mary C., who died in the fall of 1909, was the wife of Hiram Baker; Albert M .; Flora, who is the widow of J. L. Reif- snider; and Savanah, who is the wife of An- drew Rodgers, of Lewiston, Pa.

Albert M. Brown attended the public schools until old enough to give his father material as- sistance in business and he was identified with him in the timber industry in Center and Mif- flin Counties, Pa., and in West Virginia, until 1888. In 1889 he started in business in lum- bering on a small scale. In 1890 he started in Center County, operating Huntingdon, Cen- ter, and West Virginia, for 20 years. He is now living in Tyrone and operating in Hun- tingdon County, Pa., and Fulton County, Pa. He has been one of the Pennsylvania Rail- road Company's heaviest shippers for 20 years. On November 16, 1902, he organized and started the Farmers and Merchants Na- tional Bank of Tyrone, serving at first as vice president and later accepting the presidency. He is also a man of public spirit and has al- ways been willing to look favorably on sub- stantial business enterprises by which his city

might be improved. In connection with other capitalists he erected a trolley line between Temple and Belton, Tex., where large oil concerns are interested. Mr. Brown owns a large farm in Mifflin County and an equally valuable one in Huntingdon County and for a number of years has been a large dealer in livestock. He has been very successful in his many undertakings and in the business world his name stands also for personal integrity.

In 1884 Mr. Brown was married to Miss Dora Mitchell, of Mifflin County, Pa., and they have had three sons born to them: James Blaine, who resides on his father's farm in Huntingdon County, married Mary Leech ; William D., who was a graduate of Susque- hanna University and then was employed in his father's bank until his lamented death in July, 1905, when but nineteen years of age; and Benjamin Harrison, who was educated at Susquehanna University, and is now employed in the offices of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He married Bessie Myers and they have one daughter, Marion. Mr. Brown and family belong to the Lutheran Church at Gatesburg, Center County. In politics he is a Republican but not an unduly active one. He is, however, widely known in Masonry and is also an Odd Fellow, in the latter organization belonging to Milroy Lodge, No. 213, of Mil- roy, Pa. He belongs to Tyrone Lodge, No. 494, F. and A. M., Tyrone, Pa .; Mountain Royal Arch Chapter, No. 189, Altoona; Moun- tain Commandery, No. 10, Altoona; Harris- burg Consistory, Harrisburg; and Jaffa Tem- ple, Altoona.

WILLIAM S. HAMMOND,* a prominent member of the Altoona bar and a leading fac- tor in Republican politics in Central Pennsyl- vania, has been identified with this city for the past thirty-two years, coming here at the open- ing of his professional career. He was born near Cove Forge, Blair County, Pa., February 24, 1851, and in a son of Harry K. and Jane (Davis) Hammond, and a grandson and a great-grandson of William Hammond.

Harry K. Hammond, father of William S., was born in Blair County in 1822 and died in

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the fullness of years at Altoona. Prior to 1890 he followed farm pursuits in Woodbury Township and was also manager of the Frank- lin forge for a number of years and subse- quently a merchant at Williamsburg. He mar- ried Jane Davis, who died in 1866.

William S. Hammond spent all his early life on a farm. He was educated in the local schools, later attended Williamsburg Academy and then became a student in Dickinson Sem- inary, at Williamsport, Pa., where he was graduated in June, 1874. He immediately en- tered upon the study of law with the firm of Neff & Clark, at Altoona, and at the same time accepted a position as clerk in one of the of- fices of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at this point. In March, 1877, he was admitted to the Blair County bar and at once opened an office in this city and he has, as it were, grown with the city and has done his full share in add- ing, as a public spirited citizen to her progress and development. Devoting himself earnestly and entirely to his profession, he has met with abundant success and has satisfied clients in many sections. From 1884 until 1890 he was associated with W. P. Mervine, under the firm name of Mervine & Hammond, but since then he has been practicing alone. For years he has been very active in politics and is numbered with the Republican leaders in Blair County. In 1888 he served as a delegate from the Twen- tieth Congressional District to the National Republican Convention held at Chicago, Ill., which nominated that great lawyer and states- man, Hon. Benjamin F. Harrison for the of- fice of President of the United States. He has sought little recognition for himself, but on many occasions has proven his loyalty to his friends.

Mr. Hammond was married June 20, 1875, to Miss Annie L. Hileman, of Altoona, and they have a family of eight children. Mr. and Mrs. Hammond are members of the Presby- terian Church. The pleasant family home is situated at No. 2521 Broad Avenue, while Mr. Hammond maintains his offices in the Real Es- tate Building, Altoona.

THOMAS HENRY SUCKLING, proprie- tor of a clothing, shoes, and gentlemen's fur- nishing establishment, located at No. 321 Alle- gheny Street, Hollidaysburg, has been a life- long resident of this city, and was born here November 30, 1861, son of Walter and Hester ( Mills ) Suckling.

Walter Suckling was born near London, England, and in 1850, being at that time about twenty years of age, came to the United States, locating at Hollidaysburg, Pa., where his brother John resided. He was a blacksmith by trade, and during his early residence here had charge of the draw-bridge on the canal, and was also a contractor for the unloading of canal boats. He subsequently became division foreman on the Pennsylvania Railroad, but spent his later years in retirement and died at Hollidaysburg in 1903 at the age of seventy- six years. During his early life he was a Dem- ocrat, but later he became a Populist. He mar- ried Hester Mills, a native of England, who died in Hollidaysburg, Pa., in 1876, at the age of forty years. Of this union were born three children-Alfred, who is in the employ of the B. & O. Railroad at Pittsburg; Thomas Henry ; and Sarah Ellen, deceased, who was the wife of Alexander McFadden.

Thomas Henry Suckling was educated in the public schools of Hollidaysburg and was sub- sequently employed in the general store of A. M. Lloyd & Co. of this city for four years. He was then employed three months by the J. H. McCune Drygoods Company of Braddock, Pa., but subsequently returned to Hollidaysburg and assisted in establishing the Lindsay, Walls & Carrol general store, having charge of the dry goods department for one year. In 1882 Mr. Suckling embarked in business for him- self, purchasing the store then operated by J. M. Kinports on the corner of Blair and Mont- gomery Streets. Four years later he moved the business to the corner of Mulberry and Montgomery Streets, where he continued it for some six years. He then moved to the corner of Allegheny and Montgomery Streets, where the Capitol Hotel is now located, and eleven years later he took up his quarters in the Hutchinson Block, his present location,

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Twentieth century history of Altoona and Blair County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 124

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing Number of Pages: 1036

Author: Sell, Jesse C 1872-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold Publishing
Number of Pages: 1036