Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 87

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 87


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EDGAR T. HENRY, an enterprising citi- zen and substantial farmer of Lawrence town- ship, resides on a fine farm of 125 acres, and was born November 4, 1868, in Lumber City, Pa., a son of Matthew and Mary Elizabeth (Straw) Henry, who were the parents of nine children.


Edgar T. Henry was educated in the local schools of Lawrence township and at Cur- wensville, Pa., and then taught school seven terms in Elk county, Pa. Mr. Henry was then identified with the lumber industry and was employed as superintendent for J. H. Bren- nan of St. Mary's for five years, and at the end of that time came to his present farm of 125 acres. Mr. Henry oversees all the work on his farm, but employs help to do the work, and has four tenants' dwellings on the place, besides two summer resort houses. There are two general orchards, two large barns, and all of the outbuildings are comparatively new. Locust Grove is located on his farm, as is also the Driftwood schoolhouse of this district, and · the Pennsylvania Railroad runs through his farm, stopping directly in front of his door- way, thus making it very convenient in getting to the city.


Mr. Henry is politically an independent Democrat, and is now serving his fourth year on the Lawrence township school board of which he has been secretary for the past three years. While teaching in Elk county Mr.


Henry served as auditor of this township for three years. He is a member of the Grange, and attends the Presbyterian church of Cur- wensville.


Mr. Henry first married Elvira Goff of Elk county, and his second wife is Alice Wood of Clearfield county, Pa. They have three chil- dren : Audrey ; Joseph ; and Ida May.


J. A. McQUOWN, an enterprising business man of DuBois, Pa., a concrete and paving contractor, at No. 502 Piffer street, has been a resident of this borough since 1908. He was born on his father's farm in South Mahoning township, Indiana county, Pa., July 21, 1865, and is a son of John and a grandson of John McQuown.


John McQuown, the father, accompanied his father to Indiana county, and they settled near Marion Center. He spent the remainder of his life there, engaged in agricultural pursuits, his death occurring in 1894. He married Catherine Wiley, a native of Indiana county, where she still resides. Nine children were born to them, as follows: Clark; Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of J. E. Mat- thews; Silas; Josiah A .; Hannah, deceased, who was the wife of Miles Fisher; Harvey, who is deceased; Archie; Sadie, who is the wife of George Parsons; and Charles, de- ceased.


J. A. McQuown attended the country schools, helped his father and also worked at the carpenter's trade for some years. He was twenty-seven years of age when he left Indiana county and moved to Falls Creek, in Clearfield county, where he resided for eight years and then spent four years at Pittsburg and one year at Indiana, Pa., where he learned the concrete and paving business, with his


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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY


brother, Archie McQuown. Since 1908 he has petency. He and wife were charter members been doing a large business in this line at Du- of the Center church and their ashes rest in the cemetery adjoining it.


Bois, giving employment to four men and hav- ing the contracts for the greater part of all the public work. Mr. McQuown is a thoroughly practical business man and has established himself in the confidence of his fellow citizens by the honest and efficient manner in which his important work has been done. He has in- vested in real estate here and has recently com- pleted a fine modern residence on Piffer street.


On September 28, 1892, Mr. McQuown was married to Miss Edith M. McCall, a daughter of James M. and Annie ( Ross) McCall, resi- dents of Falls Creek. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. He belongs to the order of Modern Woodmen.


ORD L. NORRIS, a leading citizen of Pike township, residing on his farm of 340 acres, which is situated two and one-half miles north of Curwensville, was born on this farm, the old homestead, September 29, 1860, and is a son of John Norris and a grandson of Moses Norris.


Moses Norris was born and reared in Hunt- ingdon county, Pa., and there was married to Sarah Reed, a native of that county, and they lived there until after the birth of their first child, John. Then they moved to Lawrence township, Clearfield county, settling with a brother-in-law, on 500 acres of land near Glen Richey. On that place three more children were born, Nancy, Ellen and James. Moses Norris subsequently sold his first homestead and bought 160 acres of land near Blooming- ton and owned that property at the time of death. He cleared his land and engaged in lumbering and at the age of sixty years re- tired, having accumulated a comfortable com-


John Norris, son of Moses, was born in Huntingdon county in 1811 and was nine months old when his parents moved to Law- rence township, Clearfield county. Although he had few school advantages he was much better educated than the majority of his school mates and became a teacher, first in Lawrence and later in Pike and Penn townships. After his marriage he engaged in farming for a time on the homestead and then moved to Hoyt's Mill, in Ferguson township, where he operated a saw-mill for a time, after which he came to Pike township and secured 160 acres of wild and wooded land. He erected log buildings and in the course of time cleared 100 acres of his land and subsequently added more to his original holding. For many years he was a justice of the peace and almost always held some township office, both because he was bet- ter educated than the majority of his fellow citizens and because they had confidence in his honesty and integrity. He was a worthy mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal church at Cur- wensville. In his early manhood he was a Whig and later became a Republican.


On September 11, 1834, John Norris mar- ried Priscilla E. Bloom, who was born in Pike township, Clearfield county, October 9, 1818, a daughter of Isaac Bloom, and sixteen chil- dren were born to them, as follows: Sarah, born March 20, 1836, died July 5, 1865; Thomas S., born March 24, 1837, died in ISSS, married Mary Jane Askey in 1858; Mary Jane, born May 30, 1838, was married January 29, 1863, to John Star; John H., born March 26, 1840, was married March 1, 1864, to Cecelia McCleary, born June 5, 1847 ; James


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R., born September 10, 1841, was married June 24, 1866, to Martha Ann Caldwell; Isaac B., born July 31, 1843, was married December 20, 1866, to Hannah Ann Caldwell; Moses, born March 22, 1845, was married July 7, 1867, to M. Hockman; Martha, born January 14, 1847, was married September 5, 1869, to Jonathan Kirk; Clark B., born September 2, 1848, was married Marclı 10, 1872, to Sarah E. Waln; Elizabeth, born May 12, 1850, was married August 15, 1883, to James Cassidy ; George L., born April 25, 1851, was married September 14, 1871, to Jane Gulick; Margaret H., born July 31, 1853, was married October 6, 1872, to Isaac M. Stage; Wesley, born May 21, 1855, married Bertha Brown; Levina H., born November 28, 1856, was married Septem- ber 1, 1876, to Truman J. Wall; William W., born June 21, 1858, married Electa McNeel; and Ord L. The father of this family died September 6, 1894, having survived his wife since February 24, 1882. Their burial was in the Oak Hill Cemetery.


Ord L. Norris attended the Chestnut Ridge school in his boyhood and afterward assisted in the cultivation of the home farm, on which he has always lived. He has also a one-half interest in 100 acres of grazing land in Pike Township. Mr. Norris carries on large farm in- dustries and is much interested in raising cattle and has done a great deal to raise the standard in Pike Township. He was one of the first to introduce Brown Swiss cattle in Clearfield County and now has a fine herd of these valu- able animals. Agricultural matters along every line have interested him greatly and he has studied the science of farming notably to his benefit. He is a member of the Clearfield County Agricultural Society and has been very prominent in the Susquehannah Grange at Cur-


wensville, of which he is the present master, having previously served as gate keeper and steward.


Mr. Norris was married on October 5, 1881, to Miss Ella C. Way, who was born in Center County, Pa., in Half Moon Township, Decem- ber 9, 1861, a daughter of Jacob B. and Julia M. (Downing) Way. Jacob B. Way was born in Center County July 20, 1836. On March 14, 1860, he married Julia M. Downing, who was born January 20, 1842, a daughter of John Downing, who came to Clearfield County with his family of five children. Jacob B. Way con- tinued to live in Center County for several years after his marriage and then settled in Clearfield town, where he was engaged as freight agent for four and one-half years. He then moved to Girard Township and passed four years on a farm and from there came to a farni in Pike Township, where four more years were spent, following which he became freight and ticket agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad and also was postmaster until the time of his death, Oc- tober 9, 1897, a period of five years. His burial was in Oak Hill Cemetery. Both he and his wife were members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The latter survives and resides with her son, R. K. Way, at Curwensville. Mr. Way was a Republican in politics and fraternally was connected with the Masons and Odd Fellows. In 1895 Mr. Way started the book and station- ery business which is continued at Curwens- ville by the firm of T. & R. K. Way.


Jacob B. and Julia M. Way's children were : Ella, who is the wife of Ord L. Norris; Orten- sie, who was born April 1, 1863 ; Olive M., who was born December 14, 1864, is the wife of W. P. Watson, of Clearfield, Pa .; W. Calder ; How- ard L., born August 8, 1866; Clara D., who was born September 9, 1867, is the wife of


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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY


John N. Thompson ; Ai Boynton, who was born August 5. 1872, died March JI, 1874; Gertie Belle, who was born April 25. 1875. is the wife of D. L. Powell ; and R. K., who was born No- vember 4. 1878.


Mr. and Mrs. Norris have one son, Truman J., who is engaged in the dry cleaning business at Clearfield. He was born in Pike Township, July 25, 1883. He married Miss Gussie Johns- ton, a daughter of Clayton Johnston, and they have one son, E. Edward. Mr. and Mrs. Nor- ris are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically he is a Republican and has held public office, serving two terms as overseer of the poor in Pike Township. He has shown a public spirited and humane attitude in the es- tablishment and proper management of the county home. He is a stockholder in the Cur- wensville National Bank, and the Curwensville Rural Telephone Company of Pike Township. He is identified with the lodge of Odd Fellows at Curwensville. Mr. Norris is thus shown to be a capable business man and a broad minded, well intentioned citizen.


JOHN H. WEAVER, a well known farmer and dairyman of Burnside township, was born on the old Weaver homestead in this township. June 1. 1868, son of John and Margaret G. ( McGee) Weaver. He is a grandson of John Weaver, a native of Union county, Pa., who died in 1870 at the age of 90 years. John's wife, whose maiden name was Ruth Zimmer- man, died in 1873 at the age of 90 years.


John Weaver, father of our subject, accom- panied his parents when young to Burnside township, Clearfield county. He was a carpen- ter by trade, but also followed lumbering and rafting on the Susquehanna river. He settled on the present Weaver homestead in 1867, at


which time the locality was all timber land, which he cleared for his farm. In later years he erected for a residence one of the largest houses in this township. His death took place in 1895. He was married in 1853 to Marga- ret G. McGee, who was born March 4. 1826. a daughter of Rev. James and Mary ( Barnhart ) McGee, who came from Center county in 1826. settling in Bell township. where they were among the prominent families. James McGee was the first postmaster at McGees Mills, when the first mail route was established between Curwensville and Indiana in 1833 and the Mc- Gees were charter members of the pioneer M. E. church in Bell township, this being about 1860. In addition to the subject of this sketch John and Margaret were the parents of two other children, namely: J. M. Weaver, a farmer and dairyman of Burnside township: and Sadie, who is the wife of W. B. Steven- son, of Mahaffey, Pa.


John H. Weaver, after attending the local schools, became associated with his father in the lumbering and farming industries. He re- mained on the old homestead and as his parents advanced in years took care of them until their death, and he has since continued agricultural pursuits, establishing also a fine dairy business, in which he has been very successful, and is now regarded as one of the prosperous citizens of his township. A man well thought of by his fellow citizens, he has served in public of- fice, having been supervisor for two terms and one term auditor of the township. Politically he is a Democrat. He belongs to the Odd Fel- lows' lodge at Burnside and also to the Grange at New Washington.


Mr. Weaver was married July 6, 1898. to Eva Cummings, who was born at New Wash- ington, Pa., May 13, 1869, a daughter of John


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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS


M. and Elizabeth ( Mahaffey ) Cummings. Her father who was one of the early merchants of New Washington-a member of the firm of Weaver & Cummings, died in 1892. His wife Elizabeth was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Mitchell) Mahaffey; she died in 1888. Mrs. Weaver's brothers and sisters now living are-Margaret, who is employed as a teacher at New Washington, Pa .; Molly, residing at home; Elizabeth, wife of F. W. Stricher, of New Washington ; and Sarah, who is a teacher in Clearfield.


The children of our subject and wife are, Robert, born May 4, 1902; James, born Sept. IO, 1906; and Sarah, born April 27, 1907. Mr. Weaver is also rearing a nephew of his wife, Ray Cummings, who has resided with them since infancy.


LEWIS E. BAILEY, who resides on the farm on which he was born, on April 1, 1863, which consists of 240 acres of valuable land, situated in Pike Township, Clearfield County, Pa., two and one-half miles north of Curwens- ville, belongs to one of the old families of this section and is a substantial and representative citizen. He is a son of Abraham and Nancy (Caldwell) Bailey and a grandson'of Daniel and Jane ( Passmore) Bailey.


Daniel Bailey, the grandfather, was born in Lycoming County, Pa., in 1794, and died in 1876. He married Jane Passmore, whose fa- ther was Abraham Passmore, and she lived to be seventy-nine years of age. After marriage they lived on the Lydia Way farm in Pike Township, which is now owned by Leonard Neeper, and on that place their three oldest children were born, Maria, Isaac and Abra- ham. They then moved to the farm which is now occupied by their grandson, Lewis E.


Bailey. It was then a tract of 100 acres to which Daniel Bailey added until he owned 400 acres. He cleared practically the entire farm and lived on it until his death. On this farin nine more children were born, as follows: Jo- seph: Mrs. Anna Anspach, who lives in Iowa; Ruth, George, Calvin, Harrison, Levi, Lewis and Newton, all of whom are now deceased. Newton Bailey was a veteran of the Civil War and after its close he moved to Iowa for a time but died in Clearfield County.


Abraham Bailey was born November 17, 1819. He helped his father to clear the land in Pike Township and passed almost all of his life on the homestead, where his death occurred December 16, 1904. At the time of his de- cease he was one of the large landowners of the township; having 400 acres. His father was probably the first coal operator in this lo- cality, opening a coal bank on his own property, in early days selling down the river but later working the bank only for his own use. Abra- ham Bailey was identified with the Republican party and at times served in township offices. He was a well known and highly respected man. He married Nancy Caldwell, who was born in Pike Township, in 1814, a daughter of Alexander Caldwell, and died March 16, 1905. Both she and husband were members of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he was a trustee and steward, and their burial was in the Center Cemetery. To Abraham and Nancy Bailey the following children were born : Hannah, who is the wife of William Lawhead, of Pike Township; Elizabeth, who was acci- dentally killed by a falling tree when she was about thirty years of age; Frances Ella, de- ceased, who was the wife of Harvey Loughrey, of Indiana County, Pa .; Samuel D., who is a physician at Clearfield ; Lewis E .; and Marga-


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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY


ret, who is the wife of Albert Straw, of Clear- field.


Lewis E. Bailey enjoyed excellent school ad- vantages, attending the Pleasant Grove school, the Curwensville public schools and for two years was a student in the University of Penn- sylvania. Although well qualified for a pro- fessional life, Mr. Bailey preferred agriculture and returned and engaged in farming and dai- rying on the homestead. . Although his father built the present farm house, Mr. Bailey has put up a number of the other substantial farm structures and has made many improvements. He carries on agriculture according to modern methods and is one of the active members of the Susquehannah Grange, which is largely made up of the most intelligent and progressive farmers of this section.


Mr. Bailey was married in 1888. to Miss Jennie M. Adams, who was born at Philips- burg. Pa., a daughter of Alexander and Mar- garet B. Adams. Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have had ten children, namely: Norman, who was born October 31. 1889: Margaret, who was born September 4, 1891, and died November 8. 1891 ; Alexander C., who was born September 5. 1892; Daniel .A., who was born June 5. 1894: Helen Marie, who was born September 28. 1895: Abraham S., who was born Febru- ary 1, 1897: Elizabeth, who was born January 28, 1899: Ellsworth, who was born June 22, 1900; Louise E., who was born November 12, 1902; and Charles G., who was born May 28. 1907. Mr. Bailey and family are members of the Pleasant Grove Methodist Episcopal church, in which he is steward, and also is a member of the board of trustees. In politics he is a Republican and has served at times on the election board and one term as township clerk but he has never been anxious for political


honors, being more closely interested in agri- cultural affairs and in public school advance- ment.


JAMES WATSON,* a substantial and rep- resentative citizen of Bradford Township, for many years has resided on his well improved farm of 120 acres, which is favorably located six miles north of Woodland. Mr. Watson was born in Center County, Pa., in 1844, and is a son of William and Catherine (Griffin) Watson.


William Watson was born also in Center County, where his father had settled when he came from Ireland. He was a shoemaker and followed his trade until his accidental death by drowning in the river, in 1857, in Bradford Township. Clearfield County. In 1843 he moved into Lawrence Township, this county. and five years later into Bradford Township, settling on the Thomas Holt property. His widow survived a long time, dying at the age of eighty-seven years.


James Watson attended the district schools in his youth with as much regularity as did the average country boy and early made farm- ing his choice of occupation. After marriage, in 1868, he settled on the farm on which he has lived and has carried on general farming and stock raising for some forty-two years. He follows methods of agriculture which he has proved suitable as to climate and soil and his stock has been remuneratively increased each season through proper feeding and atten- tion. His activities have been those of an in- dustrious, common sense, intelligent farmer and he has prospered accordingly. He has always taken an interest in public matters, es- pecially those concerning his own county and township, and has served as a county commis-


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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS


sioner, school director and township supervisor and road master.


In 1868 Mr. Watson was married to Miss Amy Graham and six children were born to them, four of whom survive, namely: C. D., who married T. L. Livingston, of Bradford Township, and has four children; Arthur; Minnie, who married E. P. Echiley ; and Lam- rah. The first and second born children, Wil- liam and Reed, died just one year apart, the for- mer when three years old and the latter when but two years of age. Mr. Watson's surviving children have all been given public school ad- vantages and are well informed men and women. Mr. and Mrs. Watson are members of the Methodist church.


JOSEPH A. KUJAWA, who is engaged in the merchant tailoring business at Curwens- ville, Pa., has been established here since 1891 and is one of the representative business men in his line, at Curwensville. He was born in Germany, November 17, 1867, and is a son of Joseph and Agnes Kujawa, who spent their lives in Germany.


Joseph A. Kujawa was fifteen years old when he came to America, landing at New York and from there coming to Clearfield, Pa. He learned his trade with his brother, Anthony Kujawa, at Clearfield, working in the shop there for three and one-half years, after which he traveled as a journeyman and worked at his trade in many of the largest cities of the country, including Pittsburg, Cleveland. Chi- cago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha and Memphis. He then went to New York and took a course in the cutting school of the John J. Mitchell Company, after which he worked for a time in one of the fashionable establish- ments on Fifth Avenue. Mr. Kujawa then


came back to Clearfield and worked for one winter for his brother, in April, 1891, com- ing from there to Curwensville where he opened up a merchant tailoring establishment for himself, since when he has changed his quarters several times, being now well settled in the Graff Building. From long experience he has become a very expert cutter and work- man and has secured a large trade from those who are particular as to the quality and fit of their garments. He has prospered and now is interested in stores at Curwensville and also at Clearfield.


Mr. Kujawa was married July 12, 1898, to Amelia Kaminsky, who was also born in Ger- many and was brought to the United States when she was six years old. They have three children: Anna, Stanley and Norman. They are members of the Roman Catholic church. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus and International Custom Cutters' Association of America. Mr. Kujawa is a self made man, having earned all he possesses through his own steadiness and industry and is one of Curwens- ville's men of ample means, being a stockholder in the Curwensville National Bank and in the Building and Loan Association. His residence stands on Thompson Street.


HON. FRED LOTT, general merchant and formerly burgess of Troutville, is one of the representative men of this borough, in which he has maintained his home since 1894. He was born July 15, 1841, on his father's farm in Henderson Township, Jefferson County, Pa., and is a son of George H. and Catherine (Knarr) Lott.


George H. Lott was born in Germany and there married Catherine Knarr and after the birth of their first child they emigrated to


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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY


America. In order to reach Henderson Town-


who married Catherine S. Mervine, and they ship, Jefferson County, they were able to travel live in Jefferson County and have two chil- by railroad as far as Tyrone, Pa., from the place they landed, but the rest of the trip was through a rough country and this they made with horse and wagon. The first wife of George H. Lott died in Jefferson County, leav- ing four children : Henry, Adam, Fred and Catherine, Fred being the only one to survive. Mr. Lott was later married to Catherine Miller, who died without children. George H. Lott continued to live in Jefferson County and there his death occurred at the age of sixty-one years.


Fred Lott grew to manhood on his father's farm and followed farming and lumbering for many years, later purchasing the farm which contained eighty-eight acres. Having bought other farm land he sold the old homestead in 1908. In 1894 he moved to Troutville and embarked in a general mercantile business and has continued in the same line, having his son, Joseph H. Lott, as his assistant. He still owns also a small farm in Brady Township and a timber tract of fifty-five acres located in Bell Township, and in addition to this, a half in- terest in a lumber tract in Henderson Town- ship and improved real estate at Troutville. He is a stockholder in the DuBois National Bank at DuBois, Pa. and was one of the organ- izers of the Citizens National Bank at Big Run, Pa. and was one of the organizers of the Citizens National Bank at Big Run, Pa., of which he is still a director. In politics he is a Democrat. He has been a very active and useful citizen of Troutville and has served in the borough council and as burgess.




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