Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 69

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 69

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).

Frank G. Conley, after attending school, remained at home with his parents until reaching the age of 29 years. He then came to Westover and entered the employ of the William F. Mosser Tanning Com- pany, remaining with them for 20 years, or practically up to the present time. He was also engaged in farming and lumbering be- fore coming to Westover. Mr. Conley lived in the county when lumbering and rafting were the principal occupations during the winter and spring, and made several trips down the river. A Democrat politically, he was elected justice of the peace in 1909 and has rendered creditable service in that of- fice. He was assessor of the township three years, has served as burgess of the borough of Westover, and has been ten years a mem- ber of the council. He has also served as election officer at various times.

Mr. Conley was married in 1879 to Emma Klinger, who was born June 18, 1860, at Newburg, this county, a daughter of Ben-

jamin F. and Rebecca (Barto) Klinger. Mr. and Mrs. Conley have been the parents of five children, as follows: Blanche, wife of Milton Westover, a farmer of Chest township, who has three children; A. M. Conley of Westover, a barber, who married Verta Westover and has one child; Verda, who is unmarried; and William F. and Vin- cent, who are attending school.

JOHN C. JOHNSTON, owner and pro- prietor of a hardware store at Ansonville, Pa., and one of Jordan township's repre- sentative and reliable citizens was born in Jordan township, Clearfield county, Pa., September 28, 1833, and is a son of Robert and Mary (Cameron) Johnston.

The parents of Mr. Johnston were born in Scotland. They came to Clearfield county and settled in Jordan township in 1831 and the father carried on farming here during the whole of his active life. They were quiet, virtuous, hard working people and were consistent members of the Pres- byterian church. They had the following children: Robert M .; Mary, wife of Reu- ben Caldwell; John C .; Isabel, wife of Isaac F. Bloom; James W .; William; David; Mark L .; and Elizabeth, wife of S. H. Witherow.

John C. Johnston had but meager educa- tional opportunities in his boyhood and was thirteen years old before he had a chance to go to school. The country was yet wild and but sparsely settled and few schools had been organized. He then learned the carpenter trade and for twenty-five years worked at the same, spending eighteen years in the West. In 1896 he embarked in his present business at Ansonville and

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has built up a large trade in all kinds of hardware and argicultural implements.

Mr. Johnston was married first in 1864, to Miss Christina Curry, who died in 1880. Seven children were born to them but only one of these survives, John J., who now re- sides in Armstrong county, Pa. In 1883 Mr. Johnston was married to Mrs. Martha M. (Shoff) Witherow, a daughter of Fred- erick Shoff and the widow of Henry Withe- row. Mrs. Witherow had one son, H. Lynn Witherow. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston have one son, Cameron S., who resides at Ansonville. They are members of the Presbyterian church. He is a Republican in politics and at different times has served acceptably in almost all of the township of- fices, but at present devotes all his atten- tion to his business.

ADAM J. HAAG, general merchant and a member of the borough council at Du- Bois, Pa., is a representative man of this place, of which he has been a resident since 1889. He was born in Bavaria, Germany, and is a son of Christian and Catherine ( Knarr) Haag.

Christian Haag and his son Christian served in the German army before coming to the United States in 1867. The family settled in Bell township, Clearfield county, on a wooded tract which they subsequently cleared and converted into a productive farm. The log cabin that was built in the early days of their settlement was burned in 1881. Eleven children were born to Christian and Catherine Haag. as follows : Christian ; Jacob: Henry: Louisa, wife of Jacob Faudie : Elizabeth ( Mrs. Hartsfelt) : Lewis: Frederick: Conrad D .: Catherine.

wife of Lewis Hartsfelt ; Adam J., and Mar- garet, wife of George Henry.

Adam J. Haag attended the local schools and later the Normal School at Grampian. He began to teach school when but sixteen years of age, spending six years at that work, in Penn, Bloom, Bell and Brady townships, where there are many of his old pupils still living. When he came first to Du Bois, Fe entered the employ of A. T. Sprankle, with whom he remained for three years, and then erected a store building on the corner of Olive and Brady Streets where he was engaged in merchandising for five years. Mr. Haag then found that his increasing business demanded more com- modious quarters, and he erected his pres- ent building, on the corner of Jared and Brady Streets, into which he moved in 1897. It is of brick construction and is three stories in height.

In March, 1889, Mr. Haag was married to Miss Emma J. Funk, a daughter of Jacob and Louisa (Sternberger) Funk. Mrs. Haag was born in Brady township, Clearfield county, but her parents were na- tives of Germany. They had four children, namely: Louisa, who is the wife of C. D. Haag : Rudolph : Emma J., who is the wife of Adam J. Haag : and Ella, who is the wife of W. O. Smiley. Mr. and Mrs. Haag have one daughter. Laura. They are members of the German Reformed church. Mr. Haag is a prominent Mason, belonging to the Blue Lodge at DuBois ; the Chapter at Brookville, and the Scottish Rite at Wil- liamsport. In politics a Republican, he has been a faithful party worker and as an ac- tive and interested citizen has accepted public responsibilities at times. For twelve

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years he served as a member of the school board, and as a member of the borough council has furthered many public-spirited enterprises designed to benefit the whole community.

SAMUEL MILES KING, a well known and respected citizen, who is engaged in agriculture in Burnside township, was born June 15, 1879, on the old King homestead in this township. He is a descendant and great-grandson of Reeder King, who was the first raftsman on the Susquehanna river. At one time Reeder King built an ark for the transportation of coal, but found that coal was too heavy a substance for river transportation in this manner. As showing the difficulties and privations of pioneer ex- istence, it may be said that at one time the Kings had to dig potatoes before they were half grown in order to keep from starving, as they had no other food.

John King, the grandfather of our sub- ject, came to Clearfield county from West- moreland county in 1826, settling between the river and Chest creek. His wife in miadenhood was Nancy McCreary.

William King, son of John and father of Samuel Miles King, was born in Burnside township about 1827 and died July 16, 1904, at the age of 77 years. During his active life he was engaged in farming and lumber- ing. He purchased the present King farm and cleared it of the timber, which he rafted down the river. He also erected a 12×12 log house still standing on the homestead. He was a member of the Baptist church at Westover. In politics he cast his vote for the Democratic ticket, but was not an ac- tive politician. He married Mary E. Kin-

ter, a daughter of John and Margaret Kin- ter, and she is still living at the age of 69 years. Their children were as follows: Lydia, wife of Joseph Brothers; Edward, who resides in Westover; Cynthia, wife of M. Singerman, residing in California; Sa- bina, wife of John Metzger, of Blandburg, Cambria county. Samuel Miles, the sub- ject of this sketch ; and Frank, who is a res- ident of Spokane, Wash.

Samuel Miles King, after attending school in his boyhood, became actively engaged in farming with his father, with whom he was associated until the latter's death. He has since continued in the same occupation and has been successful, having a valuable and well cultivated farm. He is a member of the Grange at Harmony, and of the order of Red Men. He is a member of the Bap- tist church. In politics he is a Democrat, and has held local office, having served two terms as supervisor and one term-in 1903 -as township clerk.

He was married January 7, 1902, to Pearl Keim, who was born at Cherry Tree, this county, May 5, 1880, a daughter of John T. and Mary (Kneedler) Keim, the latter a daughter of John Kneedler. Mrs. King's father is still living at Cherry Trec. The Keim family consisted of the following chil- dren: Sarah Alma, wife of W. T. Stahl, of Mehaffey; Charles Percy, a carpenter re- siding in Cambria county; Thomas E., re- siding at Summer Hill, Cambria county; Mary Ellen, widow of C. C. Davis; Pearl, wife of our subject ; Bessie A., wife of J. Diamond, of Summerhill: William P. (twin brother of Bessie), who resides at Summer- hill : Steele R., residing at Cherry Tree ; and Bernice L., at home.

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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

The children born to our subject and wife are : Clarice Esther, born December 27, 1903: Arthur Maxwell, born March 29, 1906; and Thomas Carlton, born August 17, 1910. Mr. King is a member of the local Grange and is known as an enterprising and reliable citizen.

JOHN F. GROFF, who is owner and pro- prietor of a commodious and well kept pub- lic house at Ramey, Pa., the Hotel Ramey, and is also auditor of the borough, was born in Lancaster county, Pa., November 10, 1866, and is a son of Adam G. and Anna (Snyder) Groff.

The parents of Mr. Groff were born also in Lancaster county, where they spent their lives. The father was both merchant and miller and was a well known man. Of their family of children, John F. is the eldest, the others being: Fred F .; Hannah, wife of H. M. Keen; Elizabeth S., wife of Dr. R. V. L. Raub, and William.

John F. Groff had excellent educational opportunities afforded him, passing his earlier boyhood in the Lancaster county schools, afterward spending two years in the Millersville State Normal School and later taking a commercial course in the Weidler & Musser Business College, and then learned the milling business and fol- lowed the same for eighteen years. He is a man of very practical ideas and in order to get better acquainted with modern meth- ods, he spent some time among the great milling plants in Northern Minnesota. He subsequently carried on a milling business at Quarryville for five years, and at Houtz- dale for two years and then retired from the milling line and purchased his present hotel.

Mr. Groff was married in May, 1895, to Miss Margaret Neilson Williams, a daugh- ter of W. N. and Elizabeth (Jacobs) Wil- liams, who were natives of Lancaster county, her father being a railroad man. Other children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wil- liams were: Elizabeth, wife of Ralph Ra- palee ; Edward; Margaret, wife of Mr. Groff, as above mentioned: Anna, wife of George M. Brientnell ; William ; Rudolph : and Au- gusta, wife of W. B. Hoar. Mr. and Mrs. Groft have the following children: Eugene E., Edward D. W., Sena R., William A. and John J. Mr. and Mrs. Groff attend the Episcopal church, in which she was reared. He is identified with a number of fraternal organizations including: Tyrone Lodge, No. 212, F. & A. M., at Quarryville ; the Elks at Tyrone, the Knights of Pythias at Houtzdale, and the Brotherhood of Amer- ica. Politically Mr. Groff is a Republican and is active in public affairs both in bor- ough and county.

Both the Groff and Snyder families as well as the Williams and Jacob families have belonged to Pennsylvania for genera- tions.

JOHN E. DUBOIS, a leading business man and representative citizen of DuBois, Pa., was born on his father's farm in the state of New York, May 15, 1861. His ancestors on the paternal side were of French origin, com- ing to this country in 1634, and settling on the western part of Staten Island, N. Y. They were members of the Reformed church of France and probably came to America to avoid religious persecution, Staten Island being then numbered among the Dutch colonial posses- sions. Among the posterity of these early im-

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migrants were some whose names are promi- bought a farm for $6,000 at Tioga Center. He nent in theology, law, arms and business.

The paternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch was John DuBois, a farmer of Ti- oga county, N. Y., who was the owner of con- siderable tracts of timber land and also built and operated a saw-mill. He married Lucy Crocker, daughter of Ezekiel Crocker, one of the first settlers near Binghamton, N. Y., who moved there from Connecticut with three of his sons and his daughter Lucy, she being then eleven years of age. Lucy became the house- keeper of the famliy and though so young at- tended to her multifarious duties with an en- ergy and decision that were later among her most conspicuous characteristics and marked her character throughout her life. In those days the Indians constituted almost the entire population of the region. John DuBois' fam- ily consisted of eight sons and two daughters, the three eldest sons being Ezekiel. John and David. Of these Ezekiel was the father of the subject of this sketch.

John DuBois, above mentioned, uncle of our subject, was born near Owego, N. Y., March 3, 1809. He was educated in the district schools and for a short time attended an acad- emy at Owego. He was early trained to hab- its of industry and received but little schooling after he was fifteen years old. Soon after he became engaged in rafting lumber down the north branch of the Susquehanna river to Co- lumbia. At the age of twenty his father built a saw-mill about two miles from Tioga Cen- ter, and John (with David, a younger brother) stocked the mill with logs in the winter and rafted the lumber when the spring floods served. Ezekiel, the elder brother, carried on the business of shoemaking.

About the time John was of age his father

asked the three older sons, Ezekiel, John and David, to stay with him until it was paid for, promising to give it to them when the deed was made. The father, however, had the deed made to himself, settling with his sons on a different basis, whereby they had a lease of the farm, mill and timberland to work on shares, besides a stipulated salary. The three brothers, with one sister to keep house for them, left the old home and took up separate quarters. The eldest brother, Ezekiel, soon married Clarissia Badger, they being the par- ents of the subject of this sketch. David died at the age of 33 years, unmarried.

Owing to various causes, the brothers (the firm was E. DuBois & Bros.) were not very successful in their combined enterprise. They subsequently engaged in a mercantile business with another brother, Matthias, which con- nection lasted five years. In the winter of 1835 John DuBois took advantage of an op- portunity to purchase 1,000 acres of valuable timber land for $3,000, partly on credit. This netted the brothers a considerable profit. At the end of five years they closed up their busi- ness with property and money to the value of $25,000 cash, beside the 1,000 acres from which the pine only had been taken off, it was still well covered with hemlock, also teams, tools, sleds, chains, etc. In the division Eze- kiel took most of the real estate and personal property for his share, and John and David, constituting a new firm, engaged in a new lumbering enterprise in Lycoming county, Pa., Matthias being subsequently taken into the firm. David died in 1848, John and Mathias paying back to the family $4,500. Matthias married and his brother John lived with him in a pleasant residence on the Lycoming.

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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

They were engaged together in various lumber and other enterprises during some ten years, buying large quantities of land in Lycoming and Clearfield counties, including some 32,000 acres in the latter and about 800 acres in the city of Williamsport, besides erecting saw- mills, etc., and a residence in the city of Wil- liamsport. About this time Matthias' health began to fail, and he finally died, and John, after the year 1863, carried on the business alone.

After his brother's death John DuBois built a large mill and quite a town situated on the Susquehanna above Williamsport, which was called DuBois town. He supplied this mill with logs from his lands in Clearfield county, floating them down the river. He met with great opposition from men running lumber down the stream in rafts, who sued him in the courts and, when he gained the suits, drove spikes and pieces of iron into his logs, which caused him a great amount of damage. In 1860 the boom built across the river to hold the logs gave way, letting about 50,000,000 feet of logs go adrift, of which about four and a half million fect belonged to Mr. DuBois and his partner. Many of these logs floated down to Chesapeake Bay. After considerable con- troversy between the various owners at Lock Haven and Williamsport as to the best way to recover their floating property, Mr. DuBois was empowered to go over the ground and see what he could get. He succeeded in sell- ing a large number at a much higher price than any other member of the committee consid- ered them worth, and he and his partner them- selves bought all the logs that were in the Chesapeake Bay, Mr. DuBois going to Havre de Grace to make arrangements for securing them. The logs were lying mostly along the

beach and many had been cut up by the own- ers of the land on which they had gone ashore. Some of these owners refused to allow him to take the logs, and in some cases he paid them damages to settle the matter. In other cases he brought suit in the U. S. courts and in each case recovered their value.

In October, 1861, another large lot of logs went adrift, and Mr. DuBois being again com- missioned by the lumbermen to recover them, went through many of the same experiences as before, his trouble being chiefly with the owners along the river, the situation being complicated by the war, some of the owners along the Maryland shores refusing to ac- knowledge the jurisdiction of the U. S. courts. Owing to these troubles and also to another considerable loss due to a flood in March, 1865. a stock company called the "Williamsport Transient Lumber Company" was formed to better manage such transactions in the future. Mr. DuBois made some propositions to the company for the recovery of logs in the bay, but being strongly opposed by a man named Herdic, they were declined and he was left out in the cold. The measures taken by the com- pany proved impracticable and many of the logs were ultimately lost.

In the spring of 1861 Mr. DuBois found that his partner was untrustworthy and that the accounts of the concern were in a confused condition, and he consequently found it neces- sary to give his personal attention to the busi- ness in Williamsport. Upon a fuller investi- gation he discovered that his partner had given various notes for large sums, failing to make any record of them, and which now came in for payment. He had also, as was later dis- covered, received large amounts and pocketed the same without making any record of them

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on the books, and had been guilty of other acts of dishonesty. This resulted in a severance of the partnership, after a settlement which left Mr. DuBois much poorer than he had thought himself.

John DuBois was a man of great inventive genius. When the Philadelphia, Wilmington & Baltimore Railroad Company in 1861 de- cided to build a bridge across the Susquehanna river at Havre de Grace to take the place of the steam ferry boat, Mr. DuBois set to work to think of a plan for laying the piers, the water being very deep and a similar attempt having previously failed. He finally matured such a plan and sought an interview with the president of the company to lay it before him, but having divulged his plan on the way to a Mr. Crossman, who had charge of the bridges who told it to the company's engineer, Mr. Parker, the latter laid claim to the invention subsequently, and Mr. DuBois having obtained a patent several law suits resulted, whereby Mr. DuBois at first lost but subsequently had his prior rights affirmed by the Supreme Court, the railroad company being obliged to pay him damages. He subsequently took out many other valuable patents, both in this and foreign countries.

Mr. DuBois' business enterprises were on a large scale. After getting rid of his dishon- est partner lie sold the mill built by them at Williamsport, together with some other real estate and boon1 stock for $91,000 and bought a mill near to the one sold for $21,000 and soon after bought a large steam saw-mill, with a number of tenant houses, costing altogether over $120,000. His mills there had a sawing capacity of about 120,000 feet in eleven hours. In the spring of 1873 he began to improve his property in Clearfield county, which at that

time was mostly a wilderness. The site of the now thriving village of DuBois then contained only three houses. Here he built several saw- mills of large capacity, with other machinery for cutting shingles, packing-boxes, dressing lumber, framing timber, etc., together with a large brick building for kiln drying lumber. He also erected a large brick building for store and hotel, 50 x 100 feet, three stories high besides the basement. His lumber yard contained lat- terly over 15,000,000 feet of sawed lumber, besides an ample stock of logs. He also owned a foundry and machine shop, and had a large and well improved farm. These various in- dustries gave employment to more than 350 men during the busy season and to a large por- tion of that number for the whole year. Near his land were three collieries working five and a half and two and a half veins of coal of ex. cellent quality.

In his younger days Mr. DuBois was fond of hunting and often bagged such big game as deer and bears, besides catamounts, wild-cats, etc. At different times he lost considerable property by fire, having but partial insurance. Had he been fully insured he would have had a considerable amount to pay yearly in pre- iniums.

Mention has already been inade of his brother Ezekiel, who was for a time associa- ted with him in business matters, and who married Clarissia Badger, they being the par- ents of John E. DuBois, whose name appears at the head of this article. John E. DuBois spent his boyhood on the farm and received an academic education. In 1883 he came to Du- Bois, Pa., and entered the employ of his uncle Jolin, to whose history we have devoted so much space. On the death of his uncle, which took place on May 6, 1886, he was made the

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latter's executor and continues to carry on the extensive lumber business founded by him. Mr. DuBois is also interested in many other local enterprises, among them the DuBois Iron Works and the DuBois Lumber yard, both important concerns. He was one of the organizers of the DuBois National Bank and is now its president. In politics he supports the Republican ticket.

In 1897 Mr. DuBois was married to Miss Willie F. Gamble, a daughter of James M. Gamble, of Roanoke, Va. Mr. and Mrs. Du- Bois are the parents of five children-John, Lewis, Caroline, David and Sarah.

PERRY C. STRAW, who owns and oper- ates a 65-acre farm in Greenwood township, two miles southeast of Bell's Landing, was born in Ferguson township, Clearfield county, Pa., March 8, 1870, a son of Jolin T. and Mary H. Straw, the latter of whom is now deceased.

Our subject received his schooling in his native township and subsequently came to his present farm, which is part of the Martin Watts farm. Since coming here Mr. Straw has made many improvements in the property, clearing a large portion of the land and erect- ing the buildings. He is an active and pro- gressive citizen and a stockholder in the Farm- ers and Traders Bank of Clearfield, Pa. He also owns and operates a coal bank which is situated on his farm. He is a member of Kerrmoor Grange, serving at the present time as master. He is also a member, deacon and trustee of the Baptist church. In politics he is independent and is now holding the office of township auditor.

Mr. Straw was married, December 12, 1894, to Miss Isabella Williams, who was

born in Ferguson township, this county, March 16, 1873, a daughter of William T. and Eliza ( Williams) Williams, her parents being resi- dents of that township, well known and widely respected. Mr. and Mrs. Straw have been the parents of seven children : Mervil, Ida May (deceased), Laoma, George, Ruth, Clair, and Beulah, the six living children being well brought up and giving promise of future use- fulness. Mr. Straw is a good type of the in- dustrious and intelligent agriculturist, who thoroughly knows the business of farming and who has achieved a very fair degree of pros- perity by his own persevering efforts.

HON. GEORGE A. HARRIS, burgess of the borough of Ramey, Pa., and proprietor of a general store, is one of the substantial and representative citizens of this place. He was born in the State of New York and is a son of George A. and Hannah (Scantlon) Harris. George A. Harris was born in New York and his wife came from Ireland. They were mem- bers of the Methodist Episcopal church. Their family consisted of the following children: Isabel, George A., Richard, Lilly May, Charles E., Levi and Maude.

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Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 69

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