Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 66

Author: Swoope, Roland D. (Roland Davis), 1885-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens > Part 66

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

township, and is a son of David and Debora (Spackman) Brown.

David Brown was born in 1818 in Lancas- ter county, Pa .. and when a young man came with his parents to Clearfield county and set- tled on the Leonard farm in Lawrence town- ship. After his marriage he bought and lo- cated on a farm of 160 acres in Lawrence township, later buying a farm in Pike town- ship, where he devoted his energies to general farming. At the time of his death he was the owner of two tracts of farm land, one of 150 acres being divided among three of his heirs, and the other of 100 acres was divided be- tween two heirs. Mr. Brown died at the age of seventy years, and of his union with Debora Spackman, who was a daughter of Daniel Spackman, were born six sons, two of whom are deceased, and one daughter. He was po- litically a Democrat, and he and his wife at- tended the Presbyterian church, but were both buried at the Lutheran cemetery.

Perry Brown received his early educa- tional training in the Pine Grove school, where his first teacher was Charles Sanford, and re- mained under the parental roof until the time of his marriage in 1871. He then located on a farm in Lawrence township near his present place, and subsequently came to this farm, known as the John J. Reed farm. This place consisting of 59 acres is all cleared with the exception of three acres, and the house has been remodeled by Mr. Brown, who has oth- erwise made improvements.

PERRY BROWN, an enterprising farmer Mr. Brown married Sarah Rachel Owens, a daughter of John Owens of Pike township, and to them were born the following children : and highly respected citizen of Lawrence township, Clearfield county, Pa., residing on a farm of 59 acres, was born September 16, J. C., living in Oregon; I. D., a resident of 1849, near the Pine Grove school house in this Clearfield, Pa., who married Della Cleaver :

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W. T., who married Agnes Kennedy, and is a resident of Alexander, Pa .; Dove Stella, who was born in 1876 and died in August, 1887; Viola, born September, 1879, who died in No- vember, 1879; Nona, wife of John Thougli- burn, of Clymer, Pa .; R. J., who is unmarried and lives at Salt Lake City, Utah ; Lude; Zoe, and Wayne. Mrs. Brown, who died February 10, 1895, was buried in the Bloomington cem- etery; she was always an active member of the Lutheran church.

Mr. Brown is politically a Democrat, and is now serving his second term on the Lawrence township school board, of which he is treas- urer; he has also served as assessor of the township.

D. ROSS WYNN, a resident of Philips- burg, Pa., and a representative business man of Blue Bell, Pa., is extensively interested in brick manufacturing here and at other points. He was born at Woodland, Clearfield county, Pa., September 5, 1872, and is a son of Wil- liam H. and Margaret G. (Ross) Wynn.

William H. Wynn was born in Westmore- land county, Pa., and was a son of James Ross and Mary Ann (Bitner) Wynn. Prior to 1870, when he moved to Woodland, he had been a railroad man. In the fall of 1899 he came to Blue Ball and with his son, D. Ross, and his son-in-law, James H. France, started the building of the brick works here, which have been continuously operated by them since January, 1900. William H. Wynn mar- ried Margaret G. Ross, who was also born in Westmoreland county, a daughter of Daniel Ross, and the following children were born to them: Mary and Margaret, twins, the latter of whom is deceased, the former being the wife

of Alexander Patterson; Cora, who is the wife of James H. France; D. Ross; John and Ar- thur, both of whom are deceased; Lewis; Ethel, who is deceased; Jessie, who is the wife of P. E. Ferguson; and Vera, who resides at home.

D. Ross Wynn was educated in the public schools and at Duff's Commercial College, at Pittsburg. He has been connected with the brick industry ever since going into business and in addition to his interests at Blue Ball, is concerned with a brick plant at Sandy Ridge, Center county, and one at Claysburg, in Blair county. He is also vice-president of the Mo- shannon National Bank of Philipsburg. He is an enterprising and successful business man and a useful and reputable citizen.

In 1896, Mr. Wynn was married to Miss May L. Klare, a daughter of A. J. Klare, and they have four children: Vivian, Lewis, Wil- liam and Frank. Mr. and Mrs. Wynn attend the Methodist Episcopal church. He is iden- tified fraternally with the Elks and the Ma- sons, both at Philipsburg. In politics he is a Republican but is no seeker for office.

FRANK S. SMITH, manager of the Pen- field Supply Company's general store, at Pen- field, Pa., has been a resident of Clearfield county since 1892. He was born in County Lincoln, Canada, in September, 1875, on his father's fruit farm, and is a son of Sardis and Sarah (Squires) Smith.

Sardis Smith was a native of Canada but his wife was born in Pennsylvania. He died on his farm in the Dominion, but she survives. They had six children, namely: William E., living in Canada: Victor, who is deceased; George, who resides at Warren, Pa .; Lena and

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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

Robert, both of whom still live in Canada: two miles south of Curwensville, settling on and Frank S., who was the fifth born in the the very farm which is now owned and occu- pied by his great-grandson, C. Judson Bloom. family.

Frank S. Smith attended the public schools in his native county until he was fifteen years of age and then went to Rochester. N. Y .. where he took a commercial course in a busi- ness college. From there he went to Warren, P'a., where he became a clerk in a general store at Rice's Tannery, of which his brother George was manager, and from there, in 1892, came to Penfield. first as a clerk for T. E. Proctor, for the Penfield Store Company, and at present is with the Penfield Supply Com- pany. as manager, succeeding C. O. Lowstet- ter. He is energetic and progressive and has a fine understanding of business and enjoys the confidence and esteem of the company. Mr. Smith married Miss Effie Kline, a daugh- ter of Dr. J. II. Kline, of Penfield, Pa., and they have two children, Helen and Victor.

JOHN JORDAN BLOOM, whose excel- lent farm of 150 acres is situated in Pike township. . Clearfield county, Pa .. three and one-half miles southwest of Curwensville. was born on this place, in 1843; and is a son of John and Mary Ann ( Jordan) Bloom, old and substantial families of Clearfield county.

John Bloom, father of John Jordan Bloom. was a son of Isaac Bloom and a grandson of William Bloom, who founded the family in America. He was born in Germany and when he first came to the United States, settled in New Jersey and from there came to Center county, afterward locating near Pee Wee Nest. in the vicinity of Curwensville. On ac- count of another man laying claim to this land. William Bloom, who was a man of peace, de- cided to give it up and then moved to a place

Isaac Bloom, the eldest son of William Bloom, was born near Bellefonte, in Center county, and came with his parents to Clear- field county, where the rest of his life was spent. After his marriage he bought 150 acres of land one mile north of Curwensville and later cleared it and developed a valuable farm. This land is now owned by Ai and Eli Bloom. He married Sarah Apkter and they became the parents of twelve children, namely : Katherine, who married Fred Shaffer: Eliza- beth, who married Mason Garrison: William ; John: Mary, who married Isaac Draucher ; Benjamin, who married Nancy Arthurs; Caro- line, who married Levi Owens; Priscilla, who married John Norris: Nancy, who married John McCracken: James, who married Mary Ann Hile: George, who was married twice. first to Mahala Bloom and second to Rebecca Irwin: and Jeniza, who married Samuel B. Taylor. Isaac Bloom and wife both lived into old age, and their burial was in the McClure cemetery. They were members of the Meth- odist Episcopal church. In politics he was a strong Democrat.

John Bloom was born on the Hugh Irwin farm where his father lived for a short time. In early manhood he married and then went to housekeeping on the farm on which C. J. Bloom lives and remained there for three years and then moved to the farm now owned by John J. Bloom, on which he passed the re- mainder of his life, dying at the age of seven- ty-four years. He cleared this farm and put it under cultivation and together with farming engaged largely in lumbering. He married Mary Ann Jordan, who was born in Perry

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county, Pa., and was nine years old when her people came to Clearfield county. Her parents were John and Eve Jordan, natives of New Jersey and on the maternal side, of German parentage. John Jordan was a miller and when he came to Clearfield county he worked where the Bickford fire brick plant stands, go- ing from there to the Rockton mill, which was owned by Jerry Moore, after that accepting the management of a mill at Curwensville, owned by John Irwin. He then operated a mill at Stoneville, in Boggs township for a time, after which he went back to Curwens- ville to take charge of Mr. Irwin's second mill, the first one having burned down. Afterward he purchased some land which now is partitioned off into town lots, and there he lived until the close of his life, at the age of sixty-nine years, his burial being in Oak Hill cemetery. John and Eve Jordan had a fam- ily of twelve children, the eldest of these being Mary Ann, the mother of John Jordan, who was named for his maternal grandfather. David, the second member of the family, is deceased. John Jordan, the third, married Mary Jane McClelland. Margaret Jordan, de- ceased, was twice married, first to Daniel Sweeney and second to Frederick Haney. Zeniza Jordan was the wife of David Den- mark, both of whom are deceased. Rachel Jordan married Frank Sterling and both are deceased. Daniel Jordan went to Nebraska and married Sarah Long of Luthersburg. Clearfield county. Levi Jordan, now deceased. was twice married, first to Sarah Nelis, and second to Ann Cole. Susan Jordan, a resi- dent of Lumber City, is the widow of Robert Young. William Jordan, who is deceased, married Hannah Winn and they lived in Ne- braska. Sarah Ann Jordan married Isaac

Haney, of Mehaffey, Pa. Samuel Jordan, a resident of Clearfield, married Ellen McClel- land, who is deceased.

To John and Mary Ann (Jordan) Bloom the following children were born: Fred, Mrs. Eliza Long, Matilda, Mrs. Rachel Long, Isaac, John Jordan, Mrs. Mary Jane Bell, Mrs. Sarah Ann Bloom, Mrs. Susan Moore, Mrs. Jehursha Kelly, Mrs. Amanda Spack- man, and Alfred L., of Knox township. The parents of the above family were good, Chris- tian people, active in good works through life and worthy members of the Methodist Epis- copal church at Bloomington. In politics the father was a Democrat and he served in all the public offices in the township, with the excep- tion of justice of the peace.

John Jordan Bloom obtained his education in the Curry school in Pike township, near his father's farm. When he was thirteen years of age he was able to do a man's work, both on the farm, which he helped to clear, and in the woods at lumbering. He took pride in be- ing able to give such a good account of him- self and as an indication of the confidence that was placed in his good judgment. it may be narrated that in the winter of his thirteenth year he was entrusted with the care of four horses and with them hauled lumber. He re- mained with his father until his marriage in the summer of 1868, when he moved to the opposite end of the farm and cultivated land there for ten years. In 1893 he moved to his present location, the site of the old homestead. He has all his land, with the exception of forty acres in valuable timber, under cultivation, and he owns also some property at Walton, in Pike township, and is a stockholder in the Traders and Farmers Bank of Clearfield, of which he is a charter member. Mr. Bloom is a repre-

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sentative citizen of this section and his ster- the peace in the neighborhood. Mathew Og- ling character and excellent business capacity have been many times recognized by his fellow citizens when they have cast about for desira- ble holders of public office. Mr. Bloom is a Democrat and in 1910 was chairman of the township committee of his party. He is a member of the school board and has been over- seer of the poor, road supervisor and tax col- lector. He is a member of Susquehanna Grange, at Curwensville, and formerly was connected with the Bloomington Grange, of which he was a charter member.

On June 23, 1868, Mr. Bloom was married first to Miss Mary Ellen Peoples, of Center county, who died in 1880 and was interred in the Bloomington cemetery. She was a mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church. Two daughters were born to this marriage, namely : Ollie, who is deceased; and May, who is the wife of Samuel Askey, of Sharon, Pa. Mr. Bloom was married, secondly, June 19, 1883. to Miss J. Alice Read, who was born in Law- rence township, Clearfieldl county, Pa., a daughter of William Potter Read. Five chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bloom, namely : Mary Irene, who died at the age of five months: Cecil R., who is employed in a drug store at Clearfield: Ella and Fred, both of whom are at home; and an infant daugh- ter, who is deceased.

Mr. Bloom takes considerable interest in the old records of his family, one that has been identified with the settlement and advance- ment of this section of Clearfield county. Elizabeth Bloom, a sister of his grandfather. was married in 1803 to Mathew Ogden, this being the first marriage ceremony recorded in Clearfield county, and it was performed by Samuel Bell, Esq., who was the first justice of cey) Morrow.

den had many encounters with the Indians and was known as a successful Indian fighter and Mr. Bloom tells several interesting stories of his courage and diplomacy. On one occa- sion, being hard pressed in a running fight with the savages, he jumped into a ditch and as an Indian attempted to also clear the ditch, the opportunity was afforded Mr. Ogden of kill- ing his pursuer and thereby saving his own life. On another memorable occasion in order to escape capture, he crawled into a hollow log and, strange as it may seem, an industrious spider covered his hiding place with a web and when the Indians caught up with him, he had the satisfaction of overhearing their com- ments on his escape while they were sitting on the very log in which he was entombed. On still another occasion he was at work near his home when two Indians approached him ap- parently in a friendly way but very soon they informed him that they had come to slay him. He had no weapon near but had the presence of mind to invite them into his cabin for re- freshment and, there, with the quick move- ment that had often before saved his life, caught up his gun and killed them both. These stories give a true indication of the tragic conditions under which pioneers lived in the early days of 1800, in a section of country that now is noted for its enlightenment and civili- zation.

MATHEW T. MORROW, a substantial citizen of Blue Ball. Pa., who has been station agent at this point for the Pennsylvania Rail- road for the last fifteen years, was born De- cember 20, 1856, at Clearfield, Pa .. and is a son of Henry Hayes and Amelia Jane (For-

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Henry Hayes Morrow was a lumberman during a part of his business life and later owned and conducted a general store at Shaws- ville, Pa. He was a representative citizen of that place and was moderately active in poli- tics, being identified with the Republican party. He married Jane Forcey and they had the following children: Mathew T .; E. H., who is engaged in the practice of medicine at Altoona; Margaret E., who is the wife of George W. Meyers; Grace S., who is the wife of Dr. D. E. Bottorf; and Ida J., who is the wife of D. R. Wooldridge.

Mathew T. Morrow was educated in the common schools and at Williamsport Semi- nary, spending one year in this well known in- stitution, after which he worked for his father in the lumber business until 1881, when he . turned his attention to farming and continued agricultural pursuits until 1894, when he ac- cepted his present position at Blue Ball. He has invested in property here and is one of the town's leading citizens.

Mr. Morrow was married in 1881 to Miss Alice Dimeling, a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Sloan) Dimeling, who were then residents of Blue Ball, members of old county families. Mrs. Morrow was an only child. Mr. and Mrs. Morrow have one daughter, Amy S., who lives with her parents. The family attends the Presbyterian church. In politics Mr. Morrow is a Democrat. He served acceptably as supervisor for one year, but otherwise has accepted no political office.

THOMAS J. LOWELL, justice of the peace and assistant postmaster at Penfield, Clearfield county, Pa., one of the leading citi- zens of Huston township, was born at Pen-

field, April 28, 1880, and is a son of Horace H. and Anna (Zuber) Lowell.

Horace H. Lowell is postmaster at Pen- field, is a veteran of the Civil war and is one of the best known and most respected citizens of this section. He was born on his father's farm in Maine and was reared to the age of eighteen years there, when he enlisted for ser- vice in the Civil war, entering Co. A, First Maine Vol. Cav., as a private and won promo- tion to the rank of corporal. He was a brave soldier in every position in which he found . himself, serving three years and enduring thirteen months of imprisonment at Anderson- ville. Later he came to Williamsport, Pa. and for twenty years was in the woods as cook in lumber camps. Later he operated a general store at North Bend, Pa. In 1873 he came to Penfield to make his permanent home. engag- ing in business as a timber contractor and in 1898 was appointed postmaster to succeed L. W. Lucore. His residence is situated on E. Woodward street, Penfield, and he also owns a farm in Huston township. He is a member of the G. A. R. and the Masonic fraternity. At Williamsport, Pa., he married Anna Zuber and they have but one child, Thomas J., of this record.

Thomas J. Lowell attended the public schools and the Ohio Northern University at Ada, O., after which he spent four years as clerk and bookkeeper in lumber camps in the woods. After his father was appointed post- master in 1898 he was made assistant and in May, 1909, was elected a justice of the peace.

Mr. Lowell was married in June, 1904, to Miss Ella Overturf. a daughter of L. H. Over- turf, of Penfield, and they have two children: Horace H., who was born October 20, 1906;

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and Kenneth T., who was born February 22, 1908. Mr. Lowell and wife attend the Meth- odist Episcopal church. He belongs to the Grange and the Knights of the Maccabees at Penfield and is a member of the Blue Lodge F. & A. M., at DuBois, and of the Consistory at Williamsport.

WILLIAM H. RADEBAUGH, proprietor of a truck garden of nine acres and justice of the peace in Lawrence township, was born October 21, 1845, in Clearfield, Pa., and is a son of John S. and Mary Ann ( Millan) Rade- bauglı.

John S. Radebaugh was born in Mifflin, Mifflin county, Pa., and in 1816 came to Clear- field, Pa., there being at that time but thirteen houses in the village. He owned several prop- erties here and engaged extensively in the lum- ber business, buying in partnership with Wil- liam Powell, a tract of 10,000 acres on Moose Creek in Lawrence township, and in 1852 they built the first road to Moose Creek. In 1855 he sold his residence to H. B. Swope and moved his family to Wayne county, Ohio, where they resided one year. He subsequently lived one year in Tyrone. Pa., where he op- erated a shoe shop and store, in which he em- ployed five men. In 1857, while crossing the Allegheny Mountains, he bought the Sandy Ridge Hotel, but after conducting it for one year, he rented and ran the Copeland Hotel on the top of the Allegheny Mountains until 1858, at which time he moved to Philipsburg, where he had charge of the old Runk Hotel until the spring of 1861. Mr. Radebaugh then bought a hotel at Blue Ball, Clearfield county. Pa., and erected a large hotel and store, which he op- erated for seven years. He disposed of his goods to R. Mossipp, and his real estate to

John Copehaver of Center county, and then moved to Philipsburg, and six months later went to Cory, Erie county, Pa., where he bought and operated a hotel for a time. He moved thence to St. Mary's, Elk county, Pa., where he worked as a butcher one year and six months, and at that time came to Penfield, Huston township, and after residing here lit- tle over two years, operated the Burns Hotel of Reynoldsville one year. He purchased seven acres of land where the hospital now stands, then went to Penfield, Pa., where he resided until the time of his wife's death on December 13, 1877. After that Mr. Rade- baugh made his home with the children, and on his SIst birthday boarded a train to come and see his son, William, the subject of this record. He had taken the wrong train, which compelled him to walk one and a half miles, and being extremely deaf, he was run down and killed by a freight train near Fall Creek.

John S. Radebaugh was married in 1840 to Mary Ann Millan, who came from Ireland at the age of thirteen years, and their union re- sulted in the following issue: James Wil- liam: Hileand R., a resident of Edinburg, Clarion county, Pa., who served in the Civil war: Sophia E., the wife of Dr. J. H. Kline, of Huston township: Amanda H., deceased, who was the wife of F. C. Bowman; William H. ; John H., who married a Miss Cress of Ridg- way; Ellsworth D., who was accidentally killed on the railroad near Hyde City while driving a team; and Bertha, who is the wife of Afton Rodabecker. Mr. and Mrs. Rade- baugh were both buried at Penfield, Pa. He was politically a strong abolitionist, and at- tended the Lutheran church, while his wife was a member of the Presbyterian church.

William H. Radebaugh obtained his educa-

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tion in the public schools of Clearfield, Pa., and in 1856 began working in the hotel operated by Dan Weaver. He then went to Sandy Ridge, where he remained until 1858, then took charge of his father's team (in 1862) and hauled merchandise across the Allegheny mountains. He also hauled lumber to Alex- ander, Huntingdon county, where he traded for produce, and in 1865 removed to Huston township and learned the blacksmith trade with Joseph Ruple, in whose employ he re- mained one and a half years. He then worked in a shop at Cursey Run, Elk county, Pa., for William Woodard, and after his marriage in 1868 resided for seven years in Penfield, where he worked as a blacksmith and lumber jobber. In 1872 he moved to Glen Hope, where he ran a hotel for eighteen months, when owing to bad luck and the loss of horses, he came to Clearfield, and in March, 1874, pur- chased a lot and built a house and blacksmith shop. He subsequently came to his present place, which is the James Leonard place, and has lived here thirty-three years continuously since that time.

On December 24, 1868, Mr. Radebaugh married Almeda Brown, a daughter of Austin Brown of Huston township, and of their union were born four children, namely: Annie, who is the wife of John Rothrock, a conductor on the B., R. & P. Railroad, and resides in Brad- ford City, Mckean county, Pa. ; Gertrude M., a graduate of the Central State Normal School, of Lock Haven, Pa., who taught school successfully for nine terms, and is now the wife of Fred E. Rimer, a mail carrier of DuBois, Pa .; J. L., who is the owner and pro- prietor of a drug store at Bradford City, and married Myrtle Moore, a daughter of George Moore; and Fred M., who is now deceased.

In 1871, Mr. Radebaugh joined the Knights of Pythias, which was the first lodge organ- ized in Clearfield county, and in 1872 he joined the United American Mechanics. He is also a member of the Grange, and was formerly a member of the I. O. O. F. until 1879. Mr. Radebaugh is politically a Democrat, and was elected justice of the peace on that ticket in 1909, when he received all the Democratic votes but one. He has been a member of the M. E. Church of Clearfield since 1875.

ROBERT K. JONES, who is owner and proprietor of the Enterprise Hotel, at Blue Ball, Pa., and has conducted it in a first class manner for seven years, was born in Franklin county, Pa., December 4, 1869, and is a son of J. L. and Elizabeth (McDonald) Jones. The parents of Mr. Jones were farming peo- ple and were well known and highly respected in Franklin county. They had the following children born to them: Frank: Louisa, wife of Daniel Reader: Etta, wife of Henry Mot- ter: William; Jennie and Jessie, both de- ceased; Laura, wife of Lafayette Lindsay ; Robert K., and Elmer.

Robert K. Jones obtained a common school education in his native county and afterward assisted his father on the home farm. When he came first to Clearfield county he worked in the clay mines for some fifteen years and then went into the hotel business, conducting a house at Brisbin for two years before com- ing to Blue Ball and taking charge of the En- terprise Hotel. This public house is well pat- ronized as Mr. Jones goes to a great deal of trouble in order to insure the comfort of his guests.

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Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 66

Author: Swoope, Roland D. (Roland Davis), 1885- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co Number of Pages: 1040

Author: Swoope, Roland D. (Roland Davis), 1885-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1040