Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 101

Author: Babcock, Charles A.
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages:

USA > Pennsylvania > Venango County > Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1) > Part 101

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James C. Acheson, father of Mrs. Rich, was

born at Washington, Pa., Feb. 13, 1826, and spent most of his life there. He was edu- cated in the public schools and Washington and Jefferson College, where he was a class- mate of the late James G. Blaine. In 1863 he married Mary Bureau, who was born May 25, 1842, at Gallipolis, Ohio, and died Sept. 7, 1917, at Washington, Pa. Mr. Acheson was an elder in the Presbyterian Church and superintendent of the Sunday school. He died April 20, 1895, and is buried in Washington cemetery.

At the time of Mr. Acheson's death, Mr. Rich and his family were living in Washing- ton, having moved there from Oil City in 1893. Shortly after his death they moved to Park- ersburg, W. Va., and remained there until 1899. After moving to West Virginia Mr. Rich leased land in Ritchie and Gilmer coun- ties for the purpose of drilling for oil, and his knowledge of the oil business attracted the favorable attention of the late T. N. Barns- dall, with the result that Mr. Rich became associated with him for a number of years. On Sept. 21, 1899, the Crude Oil Company was incorporated at Wheeling, W. Va., Mr. Rich being elected president of the organi- zation. His original partners in the enterprise were his brother, A. R. Rich, H. H. Hilton, W. I. Goble. and F. H. Park. They bought a portion of Mr. Barnsdall's property in West Virginia, held by what was known as the Southern Oil Company, and entered upon the production of crude oil on a large scale, ac- quiring extensive holdings in Lewis, Harri- son, and Gilmer counties, W. Va .; Washing- ton county. Pa .; and later in Oklahoma and Kansas. Mr. Rich remained at the head of this concern, which was his principal interest from the time of the formation of the com- pany until his death. In 1899, his family re- turned to Washington, Pa., and in 1904 to Oil City, where they have lived ever since.

At the time of the incorporation of the Crude Oil Company, two offices were estab- lished, a field office at Weston, W. Va., and a business office at Wheeling. While the lo- cation of the field office has never been changed, the business office was moved to Oil City in 1903, to Pittsburgh in 1911, and, through the influence of Mr. Rich, again in 1913 to Oil City, where it is located at the present time. On June 14, 1918, Mr. Rich left Oil City to make an inspection of the company's West Virginia properties. On June 20th, while at one of the leases, he was suddenly taken ill, and placed himself under the care of a physician at Weston. On June

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22d, his condition becoming alarming, he was taken to a hospital in Clarksburg, and died there the following day. He is buried in Grove Hill cemetery, Oil City.

Mr. Rich was one of the members of Com- pany D, 16th N. G. P., in the latter seventies, when Thomas R. Cowell, deceased, was its captain and the late Gen. John A. Wiley was colonel of the regiment. He was prominent in the membership of the Ivy. Venango, Wa- nango and Oil City Boat Clubs. Riverside Drive Association, National Security League, and the B. P. O. E. lodge. Although his age prevented him from taking an active part in the European war, his patriotism was un- bounded and he could always be counted upon to do more than his share in any campaign or- ganized for the purpose of helping win the war.

The following words of appreciation, from a friend of many years' standing, speak for themselves : "In all the years I knew him, one marked trait stood out in his robust and manly character. This was bravery of his belief- the adherence in action, against whatever odds, to whatever his reason wrought out. Under the strain of a hazardous business, to which he devoted the greater part of his ca- reer, he never faltered in confronting risks. His whole business life was a campaign of pluck, perseverance, and principle. To extol his benevolence, his sympathy for the suffer- ings of others, his never-sleeping generosity, his hand ever open to patriotic causes and to charity till its pulses ceased to beat, could be appropriate only with those who did not know him. It is enough to say now that the vol- ume of his life is closed. As his acts are recorded, little can be found that could efface a friendship, and I shall ever hold him in af- fectionate memory."

GEORGE WALKER PLUMER, now a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, was during his earlier business career actively identified with successful mercantile enterprises at Franklin, Pa., and is a member of the Plumer family of honored standing in that city and Venango county. Its earlier history in this country, and an account of its distinguished representa- tive Arnold Plumer, appear elsewhere in this work, and to them the reader is referred for further details regarding the lineage of this branch of the family.

Benjamin Adams Plumer. a brother of Arnold Plumer, and father of George Walker Plumer, was born in Venango county, Pa., Sept. 24, 1803, son of Samuel and Patty

(Adams) Plumer. Almost his entire life was passed in Franklin, this county, were he was known as one of the most enterprising mer- chants and for his public spirit, manifested in his active interest in all things pertaining to the prosperity and progress of the community. He was prominent in the administration of public affairs, serving as postmaster of Frank- lin under two appointments, May 9, 1832, and Oct. 9, 1842, with only a brief interruption, William Raymond having been appointed July 10, 1841. Mr. Plumer was treasurer of the county from November, 1836, to January, 1839; and an associate judge for a period of thirteen years, from 1843 until his death, hav- ing been first appointed by Governor Porter, reappointed by Governor Shunk, in 1848, and elected by the people in 1851. For several years he was colonel of Venango's regiment of militia, reaching that rank after service in several of the subordinate grades, and retained his interest in military affairs to the close of his life. From youth he was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and an honor to the faith which he professed, a consistent Christian in all the relations of life. He left to his children the legacy of an honorable ca- reer, marked by the faithful performance of every duty, and died regretted and esteemed by all who knew him, at Franklin, Pa., March 22, 1856.

On May 8, 1831. Mr. Plumer was married to Eliza Power, daughter of George Power, the first white settler in Franklin, and she died a few years before her husband, Nov. 17. 1850. They were the parents of eight children, namely: Dewitt Clinton, who died Jan. 10, 1865, married Lauretta Raymond, daughter of William Raymond, an early settler in Frank- lin, and their daughter, Lauretta, married Maj. A. C. Rogers. Milo Arnold married Sarah Hoover, daughter of Col. James P. Hoover, and had three children, Eliza (de- ceased), Carrie (who married Henry B. An- derson and had one son, Henry B., Jr.), and Elizabeth (wife of Dr. James Anderson and mother of four children, Gladys, Plumer, Carrie and Albert). Laura, wife of John P. Park, died March 22. 1890, the mother of Eliza (deceased), Frederick H. (married Har- riet Stewart, of Parkersburg, W. Va.), George (deceased ), Emma, and Louise (deceased). George Walker, next in the family. is men- tioned below. Patty, born in 1845, mar- ried James S. Austin and had four children, Arnold Vernon (deceased), Shirley (married Susan Delamater ), and James and Frederick, twins (both deceased). Fred C., born March

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13, 1848, married Mary Cubbison and had one daughter, Grace B., who is deceased. Eliza and Mary died young.

George Walker Plumer was born Aug. 26, 1840, at Franklin, Venango Co., Pa., where he was reared and educated, attending the public schools and the old academy. In 1858 he went to Pittsburgh to get a little business experi- ence, and after clerking two years in a dry goods house there returned to Franklin, where he entered the employ of his brothers, D. C. and M. A. Plumer, who were engaged in the same line. Before long he formed a partner- ship with J. P. Park, with whom he carried on a hardware business for a few years, later becoming associated with G. W. & A. A. Plumer, hardware merchants, with whom he was connected until 1884. In 1887 he re- moved to Akron, Ohio, where he was estab- lished for over a quarter of a century, follow- ing the mercantile business and banking, in which lines he was prominent and influential, besides having many other outside interests in manufacturing. For a number of years he was president of the Security Savings Bank of Akron, and after withdrawing from active association with business retained the respon- sibilities of president of the Abstract Title & Guaranty Company and vice president of the Permanent Building & Loan Association. He was also a leader in the work of the Methodist Church at Akron as he had been at Franklin, having served as trustee at both places. A few years ago, in 1914, Mr. Plumer removed to the city of Cleveland, Ohio, where he has his home at No. 1886 East IOIst street.

Mr. Plumer was one of the early members of Mayes Post, G. A. R., of Franklin, later joining Buckley Post, at Akron, Ohio. In 1888 he became affiliated with the Ohio Com- mandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. During the Civil war he enlisted, in 1862, in the 121st Regiment. Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and having been promoted to first lieutenant of Company E served in that rank until 1864, when he resigned on account of disability, after seeing considerable active duty, including the Gettysburg and Frede- ricksburg campaigns. He still retains his membership in Myrtle Lodge, No. 316, F. & A. M., of Franklin, Pa., which he joined as early as 1864, and belongs to the consistory bodies at Cleveland.

On May 2, 1867, Mr. Plumer married Jane Marshall Whitaker, who was born April 19, 1848, daughter of Albert Pawling and Mary (Simcox) Whitaker, fully mentioned else- where in this work. They have had three 88

children : Mary, born Sept. 5, 1868, married Fred Henry Lyder, and their only child, George Plumer Lyder, is now serving with the American Expeditionary Forces overseas; Eliza, born May 11, 1870, married Stephen H. Kohler, of Akron, Ohio, and has two children, Hurlburt (born March 17, 1896), and Lidie (born July 16, 1902), the former stationed at Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky .; George Albert, born Jan. 7, 1873, is at pres- ent serving in the ordnance department of the United States government.

JOHN RUSSELL CAMPBELL, now liv- ing retired in Oil City, has been one of the makers of history in the oil country, particu- larly as such. With undisputed gifts as a financier, he was early assigned to responsi- bilities of that kind, and handled them so cleverly that during the forty years or so of his active business career his duties were prin- cipally in that relation, in which he long held the standing of an authority. The time and care he has devoted to different local interests stamp him as a loyal and public-spirited mem- ber of the community, ready to prove his good citizenship at every opportunity. In the course of a long and varied life he has made many friends, and he commands the unqualified re- spect of men, whatever his associations with them.

Alexander Campbell, the great-grandfather of John R. Campbell, was born in Scotland. and brought his family to America in 1775 or 1776, landing at Boston. The unsettled condi- tion of the country at that time no doubt dis- couraged him, for he set out on the return voyage to Scotland in the same vessel which brought him over, expecting to return later, and leaving his son Alexander, then a boy ten years old, in the care of Dr. Edward Sawyer. of Newburyport, Mass., the rest of the family accompanying the father. The vessel was never afterward heard from.

Alexander Campbell, grandfather of John R. Campbell, was born Dec. 24, 1765, in Edin- burgh, Scotland, son of Alexander (above) and Mary (Gorham) Campbell, who it is thought had several children. He was reared by Dr. Sawyer, who seems to have given him a good start in life, and spent all his life as a shipping merchant and vessel owner, being so engaged in 1796 at Newburyport, Mass., as a member of the firm of Alexander Campbell & Company, in trade with the West Indies and European ports. Later he was associated with Ebenezer Whitmore under the name of Whit- more & Campbell until August, 1809, when he

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removed to Boston, living on Pearl street. He died in that city April 4, 1811, of apoplexy, and was interred in the Copps Hill burying ground. In 1786 Mr. Campbell married Eliza- beth Fowler, who was born Jan. 11, 1768, daughter of Lemuel and Mary (Bolter) Fowler, and died in Boston Oct. 15, 1819, of yellow fever : she was interred in lot No. 77 in the Copps Hill burying ground.

Alexander Hamilton Campbell, son of Alex- ander and Elizabeth (Fowler) Campbell and father of John R. Campbell, was born Feb. 13, 1795, in Newburyport, Mass., where he lived until the family removed to Boston in 1809. It seems likely that he adopted a seafaring life, for about 1813 a vessel in which he was making a voyage from the West Indies was captured by a French privateer, and the latter being taken by an English frigate he was im- prisoned in England, spending two years at Dartmoor. He was severely wounded in the massacre of prisoners there April 6, 1815, and at the end of hostilities was released and re- turned home. For several years afterward he was engaged as captain on packets sailing between Boston and Liverpool, and during this time carried many distinguished passengers whose friendship he retained. He also made voyages to Chinese and East Indian ports, re- tiring from the sea at the close of 1826 and settling at New Bedford, Mass. In 1838 he removed to Philadelphia. where the remainder of his life was spent, his death occurring in that city in 1853.

On Feb. 5, 1827, Mr. Campbell married Abby Tillinghast Russell, daughter of Charles Russell, of New Bedford, and she died Dec. 29, 1833, the mother of the following chil- dren: Sarah, born Jan. 29, 1828, died Feb. 8, 1829 ; Isabel Rogers, born Feb. 14, 1830. mar- ried Dec. 23. 1852, Charles H. Lay, and died April 7, 1908: John Russell was next in the family ; Thomas Ashburner. born Aug. 18. 1832, died Sept. 17, 1833; William Tillinghast, born Dec. 13, 1833, died March 29, 1836. The mother was buried in New Bedford. On June II, 1835, the father married (second ) Phoebe Champlin, daughter of William and Elizabeth Tillinghast, of New Bedford, and to this mar- riage were born the following children: Wil- liam Tillinghast, born May 31. 1837, died Jan. 15. 1838; Alexander Hamilton, born June 16, 1838, died unmarried Oct. 21, 1863; William Henry, born Jan. 3, 1840, married Jan. 7, 1864, Clara Pettit, who died Aug. 11, 1884, and he married (second) April 16, 1903, Harriet Fleming Hall : Charles, born March 14. 1842, died March 20, 1842; Elizabeth, born Jan. 4,

1843, died April 9, 1854; Sarah, born Nov. 4, 1845, married Nov. 12, 1873, William A. Till- inghast, and has one son, Thomas, born May 20, 1877.

John Russell Campbell was born April 18, 1831, in New Bedford, Mass., and passed his early life there and in Philadelphia, during the family's residence in the latter city attending the celebrated school presided over by Rev. Samuel Aaron, at Norristown, Pa. Following his graduation from that institution he served an apprenticeship in the Baldwin Locomotive Works at Philadelphia, where he remained for five years, during which period he gained a practical knowledge of mechanics. Though barely past his majority when his father died, he wound up the affairs of the general com- mission business which the latter had con- ducted. For a few years he was in business in Philadelphia on his own account, being asso- ciated with William L. and Charles H. Lay (afterward of Oil City) in the manufacture of printing inks, but in 1859 he found it neces- sary to make a change on account of his health, and spent some time in Texas. Returning to Philadelphia in 1860, he engaged in the general commission business in 1861, continuing in that line until 1865, when he made a trip to the oil regions in the interest of some oil com- panies in which he held stock. Conditions must have looked promising, for he removed his home to Oil City the same year and at once entered upon an active association with its affairs, taking care of various other interests in addition to the management of his oil in- vestments. For a time he was publisher of the Oil City Register, later a notary public and treasurer for the receiver of the Oil City & Pithole Railroad Company-the first of the many treasurerships to his credit. In 1867 he took a position as bookkeeper with Vander- grift & Lay, oil shippers, and was similarly engaged successively with J. J. Vandergrift and Vandergrift & Forman, in 1868, and there- after receiving the appointment of treasurer of the several pipe lines owned and controlled by the latter firm. Their system was the fore- runner of the extensive and efficient means of transporting oil which has been so cleverly de- veloped, and Mr. Campbell was intrusted with the important and intricate task of working out and perfecting an accurate and adequate method of keeping the numerous accounts, so that a comprehensive and reliable knowledge of each and every one was immediately avail- able. It was a responsibility requiring orig- inality as well as a thorough knowledge of accounting, but he proved equal to it, devising

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a method which, with the modifications neces- sary because of the introduction of improve- ments in various lines, is still in satisfactory use. Mr. Campbell's high character and proved integrity earned him the fullest confidence of his employers and business associates, and he showed himself worthy of it. It was in recog- nition of his sterling personal traits as well as his ability in finance and organization that, when the pipe lines of Vandergrift & Forman were incorporated with the United Pipe Lines in 1877, he was elected treasurer of that cor- poration. When the United Pipe Company, in turn, was merged into the National Transit Company, he was elected treasurer of the United Lines division, and continued to hold that position, together with a number of other similar responsibilities, until his resignation in 1903, at which time he was treasurer of twelve different corporations connected with the Standard Oil Company.

Mr. Campbell had the foresight to realize that Oil City was not a mushroom growth, and that the resources of these fields conduced to permanent business and social conditions. Hence from the establishment of his home here he has encouraged local enterprises and given his 'aid to promoting their success, particularly in his capacity as financier, in which his man- agement and counsel were very valuable. The Oil City & Petroleum Bridge Company, in- corporated in 1864, undertook the construction of the first bridge over the Allegheny at Oil City, and had part of the work done when an unexpected flood early in 1865 carried it away, involving losses which had to be covered be- fore the work could be continued. Mr. Camp- bell was elected secretary and treasurer of the new organization, reconstructed the company, obtained new subscriptions, managed the com- pletion of the bridge and placed the affairs of the company on a solid basis, serving it for some years. He was a charter member of the Venango Bridge Company, which he also served as secretary and treasurer, from Nov. 10, 1874, until April 13, 1886. He was a direc- tor of the Oil City Trust Company, serving many years as a member of its board. He was a charter member of the Oil City Hospital and also of the Oil City Relief Association and in each was president and director for many years.

When the Ivy Club of Oil City was organ- ized Mr. Campbell became a charter member, and he served eight terms as president of this successful social body. He is a high Mason, affiliating with Meridian Sun Lodge No. 158, F. & A. M., of Philadelphia : Oil City Chapter

No. 236, R. A. M .; Talbot Commandery No. 43, K. T .; Venango Lodge of Perfection; Pittsburgh Consistory; and was crowned a thirty-third-degree Mason in 1906. He is one of the oldest members of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church, of which he has been vestry- man and treasurer, and he assisted in the erec- tion of the former and present houses of wor- ship with his time and means.

Mr. Campbell occupies a fine home at No. 1 16 West Second street, Oil City. On May 12, 1863, he married Emma Ford, of Philadelphia, who died Nov. 2, 1895. His second marriage, on April 19, 1899, was to Anna M. Macpher- son, of Canada. He has no children.

Through his grandmother Elizabeth (Fow- ler) Campbell Mr. Campbell is a descendant of Philip Fowler, born about 1590 in Marlboro, Wiltshire, England, who arrived in or near Ipswich, Mass., in May, 1634. He died there June 24, 1679. Lemuel Fowler, one of his direct descendants, was born Sept. 4, 1736, and died in 1828 in Boscawen, N. H., at the ad- vanced age of ninety-two years, after being helpless with rheumatism for fifteen years. He had a large farm at that place. He was a "minute man," a private on Lexington Alarm Rolls in Captain Little's company, and took part in the skirmish at .Cambridge, Mass., April 19, 1775.

The following history of Christ Protestant Episcopal Church of Oil City was compiled by Mr. Campbell.

Christ Church appears to have had its be- ginning in 1861, at which time occasional serv- ices were held by Episcopalian clergymen in such buildings as could be secured. Mr. W. R. Johns, in the Oil City Derrick Souvenir, states : "The first building used for church purposes in 1861 was a frame structure lined with a linen cloth instead of plaster, that previously had been used as a banking house by C. V. Culver." This had been removed from Main street to the flats about where the National Transit shops now stand. Boards laid on tres- tles served for seats, and as they were usually well saturated with oil from the rubber coats of male worshippers, newspapers (when they could be had) were spread upon them to pro- tect the dresses of attending ladies.

Bishop Alonzo Potter in a letter refers to the Rev. Dr. Purdon, in 1862, then a deacon, to be missionary of the Oil Regions. Mr. Pur- don's first service in Oil City was on Sunday, June 8, 1862, and he continued holding serv- ices until he was removed to Titusville in 1863. Rev. J. W. Tays was sent as missionary

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to succeed Mr. Purdon, and he held occasional services at Oil City until his removal in the spring of 1865. At Advent, in the middle of December, 1865, the Rev. Marcus A. Tolman, rector of St. John's at Franklin, held a serv- vice in Bascom's Hall on Main street, in the Third ward. In January, 1866, he held an- other service, and as the interest seemed to warrant some steps toward a permanent or- ganization were taken.

A service was held in the new First Pres- byterian Church Feb. 20, 1866, which was fol- lowed by a meeting of the congregation for the purpose of organizing a parish. At this meeting there were about fifty persons pres- ent, Rev. Marcus A. Tolman presiding. George E .. Shepard acted as secretary. The organiza- tion was effected by the election of wardens and vestrymen : A. L. Bennett, senior warden ; John C. Welsh, junior warden; John B. Mc- Mullen, George E. Shepard, John B. Candy, Alex. W. Meyers, Charles Frink, Matthew McGarvey, Emmet Edgerton. It was decided that the parish would be temporarily under the charge of the Rev. Marcus A. Tolman. In August, 1866, the call was given the Rev. R. D. Nevius, of Mobile, Ala., to officiate as rector of the parish of Oil City in connec- tion with the parish of Rouseville, and was accepted.

At this time Mrs. William L. Lay was one of the most active workers, and organized a choir with Mrs. Kicklin as organist.

At the Diocesan Convention, in 1867, the parish was admitted into union with the Dio- cese.

In 1868 church services were held in Ex- celsior Hall, but on Christmas Day, that year, the church services were held in a room in the Mercantile building on the corner of Cen- ter street and Railroad avenue.

In February. 1869. the Rev. Mr. Nevius, having received a call to St. John's Church. Mobile, Ala., resigned charge of the parish. In September, 1869. the Rev. Morison Byl- lesby was transferred from St. John's Church. Meadville, Pa., to Christ Church, Oil City. In December, 1869, the question of building a church was adjusted and a lot secured on the South Side, on First street.

In March, 1870, a building committee was appointed to secure a place for a wooden church, and Sept. 28. 1870, the building was reported completed. Mrs. William L. Lay was very active in securing funds to erect the build- ing.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 101

Author: Babcock, Charles A. Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Number of Pages:

Author: Babcock, Charles A.
Publication date: 1879
Publisher:
Number of Pages: