Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 79

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 79

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).

718

HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

county in which his professional services have not been in some way engaged. For the term of nineteen years prior to his election to the bench he was associated with Hon. Thomas H. Murray in the practice of law under the firm name of Murray and Gordon. In 1893 he was elected to the office of president judge of Clearfield county and during his term of service on the bench, his decisions demon- strated his learning, his true conception of law and his unusually judicial cast of mind. After his term on the bench had expired he was for many years one of the solicitors of the Dairy and Food Division of the Department of Ag- riculture of Pennsylvania. AAside from his profession Judge Gordon has always been a vitally interested citizen in all that relates to the well being of his community. He was reared in the Republican party and has never changed his political allegiance.

Judge Gordon was married to Miss Mary R. Weaver, who was born at Clearfield and is a member of one of the leading families of this section. Four children have been born to them, namely: Dr. John W., Leslie Dunlop, James T., and Rebecca, the last mentioned be- ing now deceased. The eldest son, John W .. is a practicing physician at Clearfield. Judge and Mrs. Gordon are members of the Pres- byterian church. They reside at the corner of First and Market streets, Clearfield, their home being often the scene of pleasant social functions. Judge Gordon owns a fine farmi of 200 acres at Hecla Park, Center county, where he was born and reared.

BALSAR HULLIHEN, one of the highly respected citizens of Bell township, now living retired at McGee's Mills, is probably one of the oldest millers in the county, having op-

erated a grist mill at this place continuously for thirty-four years. He was born at New Lisbon, O., August 19, 1838, and is a son of Anthony and Susan Anna (Linderberry) Hullihen.

Anthony Hullihen was born in Pennsyl- vania and accompanied the family to Ohio but later located at Clearfield, Pa., moved from there to Indiana county and from there to Bell township. Clearfield county, at each location following the blacksmith trade. His death oc- curred in Bell township, at the age of seventy- four years. He married Susan Anna Linder- berry, who was born in Germany but lived at the time of marriage, in Ohio. She died in 1868, aged fifty-four years. Three of their children survive, namely: Balsar; Mathias, who was a soldier in the Civil war, now lives in Greenwood township: and Conrad, who also is a farmer in that township. Grand- father Hullihen was a native of Ireland. He was drowned in the Susquehanna river, near Williamsport, Pa.

Balsar Hullilen worked during carly man- hood at lumbering, and also learned the mill- ing business. In 1864 he enlisted for service in the Civil war, entering Co. F. 58th Pa. Vol. Inf., 3rd Brig., 3rd Div., 24th Army Corps, under the command of Gen. Benjamin F. But- ler. He served out his term of enlistment and was honorably discharged at Staunton, Va. Mr. Hullihen returned to Pennsylvania and located first at Bower, and then moved to Blair county, where he operated a hotel for two years and moved then to Three Springs, in Huntingdon county and came from there, in 1878, to McGee's Mills. Here he was en- gaged as a miller in the McGee Grist Mills, for more than thirty continuous years. He is one of the best known men in Bell township

719

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

and on numerous occasions has been elected to responsible township offices, in both Bell and Greenwood townships.

Mr. Hullihen married Miss Mary C. Young, who was born in Indiana county, Pa., August 30, 1848, a daughter of Jacob and Mary Cath- erine (Hauck) Young, and they have five children and eight grandchildren, as follows: Elmer E., who lives at home and is in the rail- road service: Ermine, who is the wife of James Ross, of Colorado, and they have one child : Esther Dora, who is the wife of L. J. Jones, of Punxatawney, Pa., and they have two children; Frederick N., who lives at Punxatawney, married Mollie Davis and they have five children; and Martha M., who re- sides with her parents. Mr. Hullihen is one of the charter members of the G. A. R. Post at McGee's Mills. He belongs to the order of Eagles. In politics he is a Republican.

HARRY J. SHOFF, who is one of the representative citizens of Ferguson township. Clearfield county, Pa., owns the farm of 100 acres on which he was born June 3, 1883, and is a son of C. J. and Annie E. (Glasgow) Shoff.

C. J. Shoff, who, for many years has been a well known lumberman, was born August 3, 1843, at Hagerty Cross Roads, Clearfield county, and came to the farm above men- tioned three years after his marriage. He has always been active in the lumber industry and at the present time (1911) he is engaged in cutting timber in Somerset county, Pa. He married Annie E. Glasgow, who was born February 7, 1847, a daughter of John Glasgow. Nine children were born to this marriage, namely : Ella V., who married, Herbert Ma- haffey, a salesman residing in Boswell, Son-

erset county ; Clair J., who married Elizabeth Mott, of Burnside, residing in Olean, N. Y., employed in the service of Pennsylvania Rail- road Company for many years as electrician; Paul L., married Marie Moler, of Iron Gate, Va., died September 13, 1900, leaving his wife and two boys, who still reside in Iron Gate; G. L., who was still single at time of his death on March 26, 1907; was superintendent of the C. J. Shoff & Sons Lumber Co., in Som- erset county, and one of the Union Bargain Store Co., at Boswell; M. L., married Effie Whiteside; he is interested in lumbering and mercantile business at Boswell, Somerset county ; H. C., not married, is also one of the partners in the Union Bargain Store of Bos-

well; F. J., not married, is employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and is now living in Olean, N. Y .; Mary J., youngest of the family, is still single and living in Bos- well. The mother of the above mentioned family died March 8, 1904, and was buried at Glasgow. She was a member of the Lutheran church, to which her husband also belongs.

Harry J. Shoff obtained his education in the public schools of Ferguson township, after which he was in the lumber business with his father and for three years they operated to- gether in Clearfield county. Since then he has devoted himself to farming, purchasing 100 acres of the homestead, his father retaining 100 acres, which remains his home, and he also owns several tracts of valuable coal land in Clearfield county. Mr. Shoff, of this sketch, also operates fifty acres of farm land owned by his wife. He keeps high grade cattle and carries on dairying on a small scale. He is one of the younger agriculturists of Ferguson township but is one of the most enterprising and successful.

720

HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

Mr. Shoff was married June 9. 1904, to Miss Ruby Z. Rowles, who was born in Green- wood township, Clearfield county, March 28, 1883, and is a daughter of John A. and Eleanor Rowles, formerly very prominent peo- ple in this section. The father of Mrs. Shoff died in 1897 and her mother in January, 1904, and their burial was at Lumber City. They were members of the United Presbyterian church. In politics, John. Rowles was a Dem- ocrat. Mr. and Mrs. Shoff have two chil- dren, Mary Lenore and Anna Glasgow. Mr. Shoff, as indicated above, is a wide-awake farmer and is an active member of Kerrmoor Grange, in which he holds the office of over- seer. He is a Democrat in politics but has never accepted any township office except that of school director. He is a stockholder in the Ferguson & La Jose Telephone Company.

WATSON LOWERY JOHNSTON, of the firm of W. L. Johnston & Son, real estate dealers, with quarters in the McEwen build- ing, DuBois, Pa., is one of the early residents of this borough and one of its representative men. He was born in Indiana county, Pa., September 4, 1851, and is a son of Matthew and Jane (Barclay) Johnston.

Matthew Johnston was born in Center county, Pa. He married Jane Barclay, who was born in Ireland and was an infant when her parents, Watson Lowery Barclay and wife, came to Center county. Eight children were born to Matthew and Jane Johnston, the only survivors of the family being Watson Lowery and an older brother, J. . \. Johnston.

Watson Lowery Johnston was reared on the home farm and attended the district schools. In 1873 he came to DuBois, or to Rumbarger, which was the early name of what

was then a little lumber settlement. He opened a small grocery and confectionery store, one of the early business houses, and later engaged in building and contracting and by 1895 saw the wisdom of going into the real estate busi- ness which he expanded into so important an enterprise that in 1903 he admitted his son, George W. Johnston, as a partner. The firm subsequently bought the building in which they have ever since maintained their offices. As an additional business line, Mr. Johnston has been an auctioneer for many years and in this capacity is known all over this part of the state. He was one of the organizers of the first fire company at DuBois, in 1881, and served four years as its president. In 1889 the company was reorganized as the Union Fire Company and he served two years as president, and when the DuBois Volunteer Fire Department was organized in 1893. he again served one year as its presiding officer. It was through his public spirited efforts that the Firemen's Convention assembled at Du- Bois, August 21, 1894. Appreciation of his efforts was definitely shown, when, in 1895, he was elected president of the Central Dis- trict Volunteer Fire Department.

Mr. Johnston was married June 9. 1875. to Miss Wilhelmina Wise, a daughter of Michael Wise, and five children were born to them, three of whom survive, namely: George W .; Catherine M., who is the wife of Dr. Hugh Morehead, of Erie, Pa .; and Nellie B., who married John C. Carson, of DuBois, and they have one son, Daniel L.

George W. Johnston, the junior member of the firm of W. L. Johnston & Son, was born at DuBois. April 13. 1876, and obtained a common school education. When fifteen years of age he became a clerk for J. C. Merriss,

721

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

with whom he continued for five years and occupied his time until he purchased his pres- then learned the carpenter trade, which he fol- ent farnı. He is one of the progressive and well informed farmers of Penn township and is a charter member of Penn Grange. lowed until 1903, when he entered into part- nership with his father. Both members of this firm are able business men and both popu- lar citizens. W. L. Johnston is a Prohibition- ist. He is identified fraternally with the Hep- tasophis. With his family he belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church, in which, for some years, he was a local preacher.

JOSEPH DAVIS, one of the well known, highly respected and responsible citizens of Penn township, who carries on general farm- ing, owns 147 acres of valuable land which lies in Penn township, one mile northwest of Grampian, Pa. He was born June 9, 1836, on what is now known as the Pentz farm, near Grampian, and is a son of Joseph and Rebecca (Moore) Davis.

Joseph Davis, Sr., was born near Tyrone, Pa., a son of Elisha Davis who came to Penn- sylvania from Wales. Joseph Davis spent the early part of his life in Sinking Valley and then came to Penn township and purchased 150 acres, clearing about half of this property by his own industry and residing on it until his death. He married Rebecca Moore, who, like himself, had been reared in the Society of Friends and they belonged to this religious body all their lives. They were among the early members at Grampian, Pa., and their ashes rest in the cemetery connected with the church at that place.

Joseph Davis was the eighth born in a fam- ily of ten children. His schooling was in Penn township, where he made the most of his op- portunities and even attended one term after he had reached his twenty-first year. Farm- ing and working in the woods at lumbering

Mr. Davis was married in 1862, to Eliza- beth Wall, who died May 4, 1909, her burial being in the Friends' cemetery at Grampian. She was a daughter of William and Sarah Wall, of Penn township. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis, namely: Tru- man, who married Jennie Kester, a daughter of Lewis and Alice Kester, and they have six children-Alice, Joseph L., Beulah, Dorsey, Harold and Wilfred; Sarah Ann, who mar- ried W. I. Wall, of Grampian, and they have four children-Earl, Lena, Eva and Carl; Mary, who is deceased, was the wife of Fred Smith and she is survived by three children- Elizabeth, Lulu and Clair; and Eva and Cora, twins, the former of whom is the wife of Clyde Kendall, and the latter the wife of Bruce Kendall.

Joseph Davis is a prominent member of the Society of Friends and in 1904 was sent as a delegate to a convention of this church held at Toronto, Canada. In politics he is a Repub- lican and has served as auditor, treasurer and school director in Penn township. He is a stockholder in the Curwensville National Bank at Curwensville, Pa.

AUSTIN BEATTY, one of the best known residents of Bell township, where he has lived many years, having settled on his present farm when twenty-one years of age, was born Octo- ber 19, 1844, in Indiana county, Pa., and is a son of James O. and Christianna (Miller) Beatty.

James O. Beatty was born in 1819, in the old Beatty homestead in Indiana county, where

722

HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

his parents, Joseph and Catherine (Orr) Beatty, had located when they came from Ire- land. In 1851 he came to Bell township, set- tling on the old Samuel McGee farm, which he partly cleared and lived on until 1860, when he moved to Chest Falls, where he re- sided for seven years. From there he moved to the present Beatty farm and during the re- mainder of his life was engaged in farming and lumbering. His death occurred Septem- ber 25, 1891. He was a member of the Meth- odist Protestant church. In politics he was a Democrat and on numerous occasions was elected to office. He married Christianna Mil- ler, who was born in October, 1819, a daugh- ter of John and Catherine ( McLaren) Miller. Three children of James O. Beatty and wife still survive, namely: Austin; Foster, who is a farmer in Bell township; and Huston, who lives in Clarion county, Pa.

Austin Beatty was not more than twelve years of age when he became his father's chief helper on the homestead and he assisted his parent until he was twenty-one years old, when he came to the farm he has occupied ever since. He was one of the first settlers in this section of the township, north of McGee's Mills, and built the first log cabin. He has followed general farming and lumbering since twenty-one years of age and has spent almost all his life here, his longest period of absence being when he served in the Civil war. He enlisted in 1864 in Co. H, 58th Pa. Vol. Inf., and was mustered out near Richmond, Va., where he had been mainly detailed on picket duty, following the surrender of Gen. Lee. He then returned home and engaged in saw milling and farming. He has long been rec- ognized as one of the representative men of his township and his judgment is consulted

and his opinion is asked in all public matters in his section. He is a Democrat in politics and has served many terms as a school di- rector.

On October 5, 1865, Mr. Beatty was mar- ried to Miss Rachel Young, who was born in Clarion county, Pa., in 1842, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Hawk) Young, the former of whom died in 1856 and the latter in 1851. They were natives of Butler county, Pa. Mrs. Beatty has one brother, Joseph Young, who lives in Indiana county. Mr. and Mrs. Beatty have had the following children: Clark, who is a farmer, married Letha Baker, and they have six children: Annis D., who is the wife of C. Flory, who works in the tannery at Ma- haffey, and they have six children; Willis, who lives at Newtonburg, Pa., married Eliza- beth Stigers, and they have five children; John, who lives near Clearfield, married Myr- tle Coleman, and they have five children; and George, Mary and Ward, all three of whom are deceased. Mr. Beatty is a leading mem- ber of the Methodist Protestant church in Bell township and is one of the church trustees.

FRANK GUINZBURG, was born at An- napolis, Md., September 2, 1863, and is a son of Adolph and Amelia (Wolf) Guinzburg. Adolph Guinzburg came to Clearfield county in 1873 and was engaged in the clothing and gents' furnishing business at Clearfield, for seventeen years, after which he moved to Yon- kers, N. Y., where he died in 1908. He was twice married, first to Amelia Wolf, who died at Philadelphia, the mother of five children, Frank being the third in order of birth. The second marriage was to Leontine Jonawitz, who resides at Yonkers, N. Y. Five children were also born to the second marriage.

723

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

Frank Guinzburg was ten years old when his father came with his family to Clearfield and there the boy completed his education in the public school that was then held in the old Methodist Episcopal church building, and in the Clearfield Academy, which was then under the superintendence of Miss Swan. At the age of fifteen years he started to learn the lock and gunsmith trade, under the late John E. Harder, with whom he remained for three years. In 1884 the business prospects of Du- Bois attracted him as it did other enterprising young men, and he found a good opening in the line of tobacco and sporting goods. He lost his stock, however, in the great fire which is still talked of by the older residents of Du- Bois, but immediately resumed business with a new stock, temporarily sharing a salesroom with W. H. Cannon, a shoe merchant. In January, 1904, Mr. Guinzburg bought the bus- iness of W. I. Hay, wholesale liquor dealer and continued also his other lines until 1906, when he sold out his tobacco and sporting goods and confined himself more closely to his other interests. His place of business is at No. 41 W. Long avenue, DuBois. He has other business interests than those mentioned, being a stockholder in the Union Banking and Trust Company, in the Hibner-Hoover Hard- ware Company, in the D. L. Corbett Dry Goods Company, all of DuBois, and also is interested in H. S. Hall & Co., retail shoe dealers, at Brockville, Pa. In all his under- takings he has shown great business foresight and is numbered with the capitalists of Du- Bois.

In May, 1888, Mr. Guinzburg was married to Miss Millie A. Hay, who is a daughter of W. E. and Anna (Dunsten) Hay, and they have two children: Roland H. and Frances

A. They are enjoying as excellent educational advantages as an indulgent father can give them. Roland H. graduated with credit from the DuBois High School in 1907 and is a member of the class of 1911 in the University of Pennsylvania. The daughter, Frances A., is a student at Elkins Park, Pa., being a pupil in the exclusive Ogontz Girls' School. Mr. Guinzburg is a man of social instincts as may be inferred by his membership in numerous fraternal and social organizations, among which may be mentioned: the Elks, the Ea- gles, the Moose and the Owl Club.

FRED PILKINGTON, coal operator and senior member of the firm of Pilkington & Ellery, operating the Coaldale mines, No. 14, at Grampian, Pa., was born November 7, 1866, in England, and the only child living of his father's first marriage. He is a son of Thomas and Elizabeth ( Beckett) Pilkington. who came to America from England in 1868, locating at Powelton, Pa., then moved to Phil- ipsburg, where Elizabeth Pilkington died. Thomas Pilkington returned to England in 1873 and while there married Mary Hello- well and before they returned to America, in 1879, two of their seven children had been born. Their family was as follows: Wil- liam, John, Ernest, Joseph, Thomas, Margaret and Esther, and of these Joseph is deceased.

Thomas Pilkington was an experienced coal miner and for twenty years was mine fore- man for Jackman & Ellsworth. He then en- barked in the hotel business at Chester Hill, Clearfield county, Pa., and continued until his death, at the age of fifty-nine years, and his burial was at Philipsburg. His widow resides at South Philipsburg. Mr. Pilkington be- came an ardent Democrat and was deeply in-

724

HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

terested in public questions and public men. During the presidential campaign preceding his death, he was elected a delegate to receive Hon. William J. Bryan and his meeting with the distinguished politician was a proud mo- ment of his life.

Fred Pilkington was educated at Philips- burg and after school he entered the coal mines. In 1896 he became mine foreman for the Morrisdale Coal Company's shaft No. 1, at Morrisdale, later at the Royal Mines, at Munson, Pa., for the Jones estate, and later was with several other mining companies, and then came to Grampian as superintendent of the Coaldale Mining Company. In 1908, with a partner, Mr. Ellery, Mr. Pilkington bought the interests of this company and is half owner and superintendent. He is also interested in the Grampian Supply Store at Grampian.

On September 1, 1897, Mr. Pilkington was married to Miss Carrie B. Shields, a daughter of Alexander Shields of Morris township, and they have three children: Elizabeth, Ralph and Dorothy. Mr. Pilkington was reared in the Episcopal church. He is not very active in politics but he takes much interest in the Masonic fraternity, of which he is a member.

HENRY STAGNER, general farmer and representative citizen in Bell township, where he is serving on the school board, was born at Troutville, in Brady township, Clearfield county, Pa., November 28, 1850, and is a son of Jacob and Phillipina ( Alleman) Stagner.

The parents of Mr. Stagner were born in Germany and they came to America on the same ship. The father died September I, 1879, at the age of sixty-seven years. He bought wild land in Brady township, Clearfield county, which he cleared and later cultivated

until the close of his life. He was a man of honest impulses and was worthy in every way. He married Phillipina Alleman, a daughter of Philip Alleman, and the following members of their family still survive: Henry; Daniel, who lives at Newtonburg; Jacob, who lives at Banner Ridge: and Samuel, who lives in Bell township.

Henry Stagner went to school in the neigh- borhood of his father's farm and afterward helped in its clearing and cultivating. He then learned the shoemaking trade and worked at the same until 1877, when he purchased his present farm. He had the land to clear of timber and for a number of years was obliged to work early and late, giving attention to the improving of his property and when farm work was not possible, continued to follow shoe- making. In the panic of 1873 he had lost all his savings, but through his knowledge of this excellent trade he was able to again become independent. He sold shingles in order to buy leather which he made up into substantial footwear and peddled the same in the lumber and logging camps, walking with his product from camp to camp. Mr. Stagner displayed the resourcefulness in rebuilding his fortunes that has characterized him through life and since 1882 has been able to take things much easier.

Mr. Stagner married Miss Theresa Parrish, who was born in Cambria county, Pa., a daughter of L. J. and Martha (Kuntz) Par- rish, and a granddaughter of John Parrish and his wife, Mary McKenzie, who were early settlers in Cambria county. The mother of Mrs. Stagner was born in Germany and was three years old when her parents settled in Cambria county. She died August 22, 1901, aged seventy-five years. Mr. Parrish was born

725

AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

February 13, 1823, and died in October, 1908. Mr. and Mrs. Stagner have six children liv- ing and two dead: Martha, who is the wife of J. C. Withrow and they live at Beaverdale and have five children; Rose, who married I. Faust, of Beaverdale, and they have two chil- dren; Stella, who is the wife of Robert Nel- son, of Beaverdale, and they have two chil- dren; Sabina, who is a trained nurse, at Pitts- burg; Eva, who is a teacher; Ruth, who is the youngest, lives at home ; and Mary Emma and Bessie Ann are deceased. Mrs. Stagner is a member of the Catholic church. In politics he is a Democrat.

DAVID BRESSLER, general farmer and representative citizen of Pike township, re- sides on his farm of sixty-two acres which is situated three and one-half miles southwest of Curwensville, Pa., and he has been a lifelong resident of this part of Pennsylvania. He was born in Huntingdon county, April 7, 1830.

When twenty-one years old, Mr. Bressler came to Clearfield county and was with his brother for four years on a farin and after- ward worked one year with him as a black- smith and then married and during the fol- lowing year lived on his father-in-law's farm. From there he moved to Chestnut Ridge and bought his present farm front Robert Addle- man. It was known as the old Price farm and the land was not considered in very good con- dition at that time but under Mr. Bressler's excellent methods it has been greatly im- proved and yields very satisfactory crops of wheat and oats. He has a valuable coal bank open, the vein being eighteen inches thick, but he is not selling, merely working for his own use. There is also a fine vein of fire clay on the land which has not yet been developed.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 79

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