Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 106

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 106

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After about four years devoted to this work he went to Mercer county, where he was estab- lished at Greenville for a time. In 1862 he came to Franklin, Pa., but at that time made only a short stay, during which he was engaged

coal business, hauling coal up Oil creek, and he kept several teams busy. He has since given a large part of his time and attention to the oil business, and has drilled many profitable wells ; he was one of the first to open up the Franklin Heavy oil, the finest oil on the market. Be- sides his interests in this line Mr. Sheasley has several farms, one of which comprises 650 acres of valuable land in Sugarcreek township, Venango county, where he conducts a fine dairy in addition to general farming. He is a director of the Franklin Trust Company, one of the leading banking institutions in this sec- tion, and to-day occupies a substantial posi- tion among the most prosperous business men of Franklin. He has taken a public-spirited interest in local affairs, and at one time was a member of the city council. Mr. Sheasley is a well known Mason, affiliating with all the Masonic bodies at Franklin and with the con- sistory at Pittsburgh.

Mr. Sheasley married (first) Sarah Rutter, daughter of George Rutter, and six children were born to them, namely: Emma, now the wife of Oscar Burns, of Franklin, Pa .; George ; Thomas ; Charles H .; Lulu, and Mar- garet. By his second marriage he had one son, Jacob. His third union was to Mrs. Pris illa A. Kline, of Washington, Pennsylvania.

CHARLES H. SHEASLEY, son of Jacob and Sarah (Rutter) Sheasley, was born in Mercer county, Pa., Jan. 22, 1864. He was given ex- cellent educational advantages, first attending the public schools of Franklin, later Lititz Academy, in Lancaster county, and taking his higher course at Andover, Mass. For a time he was engaged in the lumber business, until he entered the Lamberton Savings Bank at Franklin, where he was employed for a period of seven years. Then he went into the oil business, with which he has since been con- nected, not only as an extensive producer, but also as president of the Producers' Supply Company of Franklin, which operates a large plant. The company deals in hardware, and carries on the manufacture of oil well sup- plies, also dealing in that line. Mr. Sheasley was one of the owners and vice president of the Bessemer Refining Company, of Titusville, Pa., whose oil was piped to Titusville. Later this was sold to the Crew Levick Company.

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owned by the Cities Service Company of New York, and Mr. Sheasley is a director of same. He is also a director and general manager of the Macy Engineering Company, manufac- turers of aircraft controls and stabilizers, whose plant is located at Franklin, Pa .; secre- tary and treasurer of the Venango Printing Company, printers, and publishers of the Ve- nango Daily Herald, and in view of these sev- eral connections may be considered one of the influential business men of the county. Like his father he is a high Mason, holding member- ship in Myrtle Lodge No. 316, F. & A. M .; Venango Chapter No. 211, R. A. M .; Keystone Council No. 42, R. & S. M .; Franklin Com- mandery No. 44, K. T .; Pittsburgh Consistory, thirty-second degree ; and Zem Zem Temple, at Erie, Pa. Socially he belongs to the Elks and to the Franklin Club.

Mr. Sheasley was united in marriage with Eva Zeigler, of Franklin, and they have one daughter, Virginia.

DR. AUGUST CARL MORCK, of Oil City, has been recognized as deserving of a place among the worthy citizens of Venango county throughout the period of his residence here. His professional reputation was indeed well estab- lished long before he settled in that city, where he has not only added continually to it by sci- entific work of unquestioned service to man- kind in general, but also shown the breadth of his personal character in loyal cooperation with the best interests of his adopted place, what- ever form that might take. He has been of- fered the highest public honors within the gift of his fellow citizens, and though he has not felt able to accept the responsibilities involved has nevertheless been appreciative of the com- pliment conveyed and ready to serve them to any extent in his private capacity.

Dr. Morck came to this section from War- ren, Pa., where he was born Nov. 16, 1859. He is of German parentage, his father, August Detrich Morck, having been born Aug. 13, 1820, in Dortmund, Westphalia, and his mother, Sophia Albertine Kerberger, on Jan. 9, 1825, in Bendorf, Prussia. They were the parents of six children, namely : Wilhelmine Frederike, born Oct. 20, 1847, died in infancy ; Friedrich Heinrich, born Jan. 31, 1850, married Isabel Heitzel and (second) Bertha Keferstein, hav- ing one child by the first union, Gertrude, and three by the second. Bertha, Helen and Frances : Albert Wilhelm, born Sept. 30, 1851, is deceased; Eliza Hermine, born Aug. 30, 1853, married P. J. Bayer and had four chil- dren, Sophia, Carl, Walter and William; Aug-

ust Carl is next in the family ; Herman, born April 25, 1870, died in infancy.

August Carl Morck received his preliminary education in the public schools of Warren, sub- sequently studying in New York and Phila- delphia. Having early decided to devote him- self to the science of optics, he took a course in optometry in the Pulte Medical College at Cin- cinnati, Ohio, which he attended for three years, later, as opportunity offered, taking ad- vanced work in the Butler School of Optics (1887) and the Philadelphia Optical College. Dr. Morck had commenced business life in the jewelry trade at Warren, in partnership with his brother, but soon becoming interested in what has since been his specialty applied all his energies to perfecting himself in its re- quirements, and pursued his studies with the thoroughness characteristic of his race, with the result that he is now one of the foremost authorities in his line in western Pennsylvania. He has earned the most cherished reward of the scientific student and investigator, recogni- tion by his professional associates, who may be assumed to be the best judges of his achieve- ments. For an exhaustive article on ophthal- mology the Academie Parisienne des Inven- teurs conferred a life membership on him ; and three types of bi-focal glasses which he has in- vented are in high favor among opticians, the perfection bi-focal, lenticular bi-focal and opi- fix bi-focal. In 1886 he removed to Oil City, where he has since been established, doing busi- ness under the name of the Morck Optical Company, which enjoys the patronage of the most intelligent element in this entire section.

Dr. Morck has had the confidence of his fel- low men in the everyday affairs of life as well as in his own particular field. While at Warren he took a prominent part in the administration of the municipal government, having served a number of years as a member of the council and one term as mayor, to which office he was elected in 1889. On two occasions he received the nomination for membership in the State Legislature, but declined because of his pro- fessional associations, and he has been sim- ilarly honored since he came to Oil City, de- clining here also. He is a thirty-second degree Mason.

Dr. Morck married Anne Lee Chambers, daughter of Wesley Chambers, who is fully mentioned elewhere in this work. Of their six children, Carl A. died in infancy; Cordelia is the wife of Lieut. Benjamin H. Brinton, U. S. A .; Anita died in infancy; Wesley Chambers, Augusta Fisher and William Allen are in school.

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MAJOR JOHN M. REED has been in every sense a leading resident of Oil City. As an official he has served the city ably and re- ceived the highest honors within the gift of his fellow citizens, but he has been just as zeal- ous in its interest in his private capacity, never allowing selfish considerations to stand in the way of the public good.

Major Reed was born Nov. 9, 1855, at Mans- field, Ohio, but most of his life has been spent at Oil City, where he has lived since 1863. He attended its grammar and high schools, and commenced work as a youth in the office of the Wholesale Coal Company, where he was employed from 1872 to 1879. In the latter year he entered the Oil City Oil Exchange, and in 1888 formed the business partnership with George H. Cornwall which still exists in the New York Stock Exchange. As a business man he has been one of the most progressive spirits in the city. though no less so in his public associations. In 1898 he entered the military service for the Spanish-American war, through which he served with the rank of major, and in 1899 he was elected mayor of Oil City, serving a four years' term with dis- tinguished ability and fidelity to his obligations. He has also served a term on the city school board.

Major Reed has cooperated in making the local social organizations a success, being prominent in the membership of the Ivy Club, V'enango Club, Wanango Club and Oil City Boat Club. In 1884 he married Ella McCon- nell, and they have two children, Charles C. and Margaret. The son holds the degree of civil engineer and is practicing his profession.

SHADRACH SIMCOX (deceased) was in his day one of the best known oil operators in the Pennsylvania fields, where he was a pioneer prospector and a leading figure in the devel- opment which made the region known for its riches. He typified in his own career the fluc- tuations of fortune which attended many of the most noted exploiters, but his initiative. confidence, undaunted ambition and faith in the possibilities of the locality afforded incen- tive to so many investors that much of the capital used in the opening of oil lands here was attracted through the success of his activi- t'es. His breadth of vision enabled him to com- prehend the greatness of the promise held by the new industry, and he had the courage to un- dertake its realization, and he was ready to meet trials and shoulder responsibilities in order to attain his goal. Honest in business and in all other relations of life, he maintained the strict- est integrity through all the vicissitudes of his

experiences, and he expected the same of oth- ers. In business as in his personal associations he was considerate, kindly and helpful, one who could be counted on to give advice or material assistance when necessary, and he held the af- fectionate esteem of all who had the opportu- nity to take the measure of his character from many worthy deeds of his inspired solely by goodness of heart. His closing years were spent in retirement at Bullion, in Clinton town- ship, Venango county.

Mr. Simcox was a native of the county, born in the city of Franklin, at what is now the cor- ner of Eleventh and Liberty streets, Jan. 14, 1831, son of John and Lydia ( Adams) Sim- cox, and grandson of Shadrach Simcox, who served in the war of 1812. His parents were among the early settlers in the county. They established their home at the location above mentioned. on the lot now owned and occu- pied by John A. Wilson, and the father fol- lowed his trade of blacksmith. But he died when his son Shadrach was a boy, and the child was reared by his aunt, Patty Simcox, who be- came Mrs. William Adams, of Raymilton ; she lived to be past eighty, surviving her nephew. He was also survived by two sisters, Mrs. Margaret McMullin, of Franklin, and Mrs. Arthur B. Seaton, of Mercer; and by a half- brother and a half-sister. William Seaton and Mrs. Emma Taylor, of Polk.

Shadrach Simcox commenced work early, serving an apprenticeship to the trade of cabi- netmaker with James Black at Anandale, But- ler Co., Pa., and receiving mechanical train- ing that proved very valuable to him later in life. Returning to Venango county after he finished his time with Mr. Black, he settled here. and when oil was discovered was among the first to begin drilling and producing. He was associated with his cousin, H. M. Simcox. later of Springfield, Mo., and they were among the first to take oil by boat to Pittsburgh. This was before the close of the Civil war. Owning the farm on which the village of Summit City was located, in 1876, when the oil excitement in that neighborhood was at its height, he be- came rich on the great yields of his land, and was not only an extensive producer. but also established an oil refinery at Raymilton. With- in a year after it was founded Summit City had a population of one thousand and one hundred and eighty buildings, and the post- office of Bullion was established to accommo- date its residents. Mr. Simcox was prosper- ously engaged in the production of oil for many years, as well as in the cultivation of his farm and the raising of fine horses, cattle and sheep, but eventually he suffered financial reverses

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through unfortunate investments and the loss of his refinery, which was annexed by the Standard Oil Company. In his later years, as in his prime, Mr. Simcox showed great strength of character, by the manner in which he faced his losses. His disposition did not change with his fortunes, but remained gentle and gracious always, his patience never giving way even under great physical suffering. But he did not long survive the shock of his son's death, and he passed away at Bullion, where he had been living with his children, Feb. 27, 1901. after several months' illness. He was buried at Clintonville.

Mr. Simcox married Sarah Anderson, daugh- ter of James and Elizabeth ( Pollock) Ander- son, of Scrubgrass township, this county, where her father located in 1814, on the farm later occupied by his son James; he died in 1842. Mr. and Mrs. Simcox became the parents of eight children, two of whom preceded their father to the grave. Bertha and Rev. Frank Simcox, the latter a Presbyterian missionary in China, where he was murdered with his family. wife and three children, by Boxers at Pao Ting Fu in July, 1900. Of the rest. Mrs. A. W. Raymond makes her home at Grove City. Pa. ; John is a resident of New Castle, Pa .; Mrs. H. Austin, L. B. and Horace.live at Bull- ion : Mrs. Alice Echols lives in Chicago, Ill. The mother of these died at the old home at Bullion. and Mr. Simcox married (second) Mrs. El- mira Jennie (Sutton ) De Woody, who survives him with their only child, Anna, their home in Franklin being at No. 224 Atlantic avenue. The daughter is now secretary for S. P. An- derson. representative and manager of the State Workmen's Insurance Fund office for the Seventh district of Pennsylvania, located in Franklin. She received her appointment to this important position in 1918. from the governor.

Mrs. Simcox is a descendant of an old Irwin township family. whose members from the early days have been noted for their progres- sive business tendencies, and their property holdings are among the most valuable in this section. Her grandparents, Reuben and Ann ( Armstrong) Sutton, came hither from Har- ford county, Md., where the Armstrongs were slaveholders in the old days. They removed to Pennsylvania when their son, Reuben ( father of Mrs. Simcox), was a boy of eight years. and made a settlement in the southern part of Venango county, in Irwin township, one mile west of the present home of Valentine S. Sut- ton, Mrs. Simcox's brother. Reuben Sutton (Sr.) made a good farm there before he died.

though he only lived to reach middle age. His wife outlived him many years, passing away at the age of eighty-five. They were the parents of two sons and two daughters: Solomon, a farmer, and later an oil operator, died in this county when past eighty years of age ; he mar- ried Alma A. Knowlton, and they had nine children, of whom only one now lives in Ve- nango county, Mrs. David R. Eakin, of Bullion. Reuben is mentioned below. Elizabeth married a man named Reuben Sutton (no relative) and died in Irwin township at the age of seventy- five years. Mary married William Bigler and removed to Meigs county, Ohio, where she died at an advanced age.

Reuben Sutton (Jr.) was born in Maryland and spent his early years there. Coming to this region when it was unsettled, he was deprived of many of the advantages to be had in older communities, but his natural ability made up for any defects of youthful opportunity and he became one of the most successful men of his generation. His self-reliance and courage were no doubt strengthened by the practical train- ing which he received and the necessity for as- suming responsibility when still very young. He was but twenty-two years old when he bought the property now included in the farm of his son Valentine S. Sutton, about 1842, and there he lived and worked for almost forty years. making many valuable improvements on his tract. which comprised three hundred and fifty acres. In 1867 he built the brick residence which is still standing there. During the latter seventies he removed to Clinton township, this county, locating near the Foster schoolhouse. and there made heavy investments in oil lands, acquiring the ownership of twenty-five hundred acres of such holdings and turning his atten- tion largely to the production of oil. In this as in his other ventures he was very prosper- ous, earning his good fortune by diligent at- tention to all his interests, which became very extensive. His landed property in Irwin and Clinton townships alone reached a total of about three thousand acres, and he also owned farms in various other sections of the country. yielding him an income which enabled him to engage in remunerative financial operations. By uprightness in all his business transactions he gained and held the confidence of all who had dealings with him, exemplifying his fine Christian character in every relation of life. and particularly in his generosity to those who needed it. He served his fellow citizens in a number of minor public offices, being well-fitted to handle such matters efficiently. In politics

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he was originally a Democrat, later becoming a Republican.

When twenty-five years old Mr. Sutton mar- ried Mary Smith, daughter of Valentine Smith. She was a native of York county, Pa., three years his junior, and died at the age of sixty, at Bullion, this county. There Mr. Sutton's death also occurred, Jan. 14, 1892, when he was aged seventy-two years, six months, twenty-two days. Mr. and Mrs. Sutton were among the influential members of the Pleasant- view M. E. Church, which was located near their farm, and they are buried in the Pleas- antview cemetery. Of their six children, Jerome, who was a farmer in Irwin township, died at the age of sixty years. Sarah Jalaina is the wife of Sylvester Welton, a farmer of Victory township, this county. Elmira Jane (Jennie) is the widow of Shadrach Simcox, of Franklin. Mary Ann is the wife of George A. Blair, of Clintonville. John Homer died at Grove City, Pa. Valentine Smith is an ex- tensive farmer and landowner of Irwin town- ship.

Elmira Jane Sutton was married Dec. 23, 1873, to Wesley DeWoody (son of William De Woody ). who followed farming in Venango county, in Sandycreek township and later in Clinton township, where he died March 3, 1882, at the age of twenty-eight years. They had two sons, Homer L. and William R., both of whom reside in Clinton township, where they have been very successful in the management of their own and their mother's interests. Their joint holdings amount to six hundred and fifty acres, rich in oil and coal, and Mrs. Simcox has left the operation of part of her oil lands to her sons, leasing the rest to others. Her sons drilled the first well put down in this section for the second sand oil. Homer L. De Woody married Myrtle Gilmore and has one daughter, Josephine. William R. De- Woody married Cora Cocain, and they also have one daughter, Kathelyn.

Siederman is a native of the Province of Han- over, Germany, born June 16, 1855, son of Charles Siederman, who died in that country.

Mr. Siederman received the thorough school- ing and practical training customary in the old country, and was but a youth of sixteen when he made the voyage to America, alone, hoping to find advantages which the Old World did not offer. Landing at Castle Garden, New York City, he continued his journey until he reached Oil City, Pa., July 6, 1871. Here he soon found employment with D. L. Trax, who conducted a general blacksmith shop and tool shop, and after following that work for three years he was with the Roess Brothers in the oil business, remaining with them five years, until he began producing on his own account. It was in 1878 that he drilled his first well, in Cornplanter township, Venango county, and it is noteworthy that this well is still producing after forty years of activity. For thirteen years he lived in Mckean county, this State, engaged in the production of oil, and for two years he operated in the State of Indiana, be- sides having some experience in the same line in Ohio. The rest of the time he has been at Oil City, all of his present leases being in Venango county, in Sugarcreek township. He gives his personal attention to their operation, which has been distinctly successful under his capable direction, all of his business affairs, in fact, being in prosperous shape. For several years he has been a director of the Oil City National Bank. Mr. Siederman has shown liberality of thought and wide sympathies in his public and social activities, most of his in- terests of such nature carrying responsibilities which he has regarded as privileges and desired opportunities for service to his fellow men rather than burdensome necessities. Politically he has always been aligned with the Republi- can party and ready to do his share toward the promoting of its measures. In his home city he has been one of the practical friends of good government. For six years he was a member of the city council, serving as one of the first council under the commission form of govern- ment and taking an active part in the direction of city affairs during that period, his particu- lar labors being assigned to the department of streets, sewers and lighting. which benefited notably through his able counsel and executive ability. Many improvements made while he was in office were aided materially by his co- operation. Mr. Siederman has always been friendly and helpful to religious enterprises, is

EDWARD A. SIEDERMAN, of Oil City, represents the very progressive and public- spirited element to whose exertions the present efficient administration of municipal affairs in that city is due. As a member of the first council organized under the commission form of government, and head of the department of streets, sewers and lighting for several years. he has had a direct influence in the matter of local improvements, and the results of his ac- tivities are entirely to his credit, showing the disinterested efforts and honorable intentions , a member and one of the vestry of the Good of broad-minded, unselfish citizenship. Mr. Hope Lutheran Church, and a director of the

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Oil City Y. M. C. A. Socially he holds mem- bership in the Acacia Club and Masonic fra- ternity, affiliating with Petrolia Lodge No. 363, F. & A. M., Oil City Chapter No. 236, R. A. M., Talbot Commandery No. 43, K. T., and Venango Lodge of Perfection.

Mr. Siederman married Louisa Scott, a native of Allegheny City (now part of Pitts- burgh), Pa., and they have a family of four children: Louis, who is in business with his father and resides at Reno, this county; Ed- ward, now in Oklahoma; and Elizabeth and Josephine, at home.

EPHRAIM BLACK, of Franklin, has been a resident of that city since 1870 and through- out that time associated with the Franklin Pipe Company, Limited, whose prosperity is due largely to his good judgment and correct views regarding business conditions in this region. For many years Mr. Black was engaged in the production as well as the handling of oil, but his efforts have been bent specially toward building up the latter business, and its large measure of success is the best testimony as to his qualifica- tions. Though primarily a business man, and with little taste for public life, he has never- theless assumed responsible duties of other na- ture from time to time, his co-operation in any enterprise being welcomed and highly valued. He has found his pleasure and recreation in social and church interests, and has been promi- nent in both.

Mr. Black came to the oil country in 1864. Born in 1841 in Marion township, Butler Co., Pa., he is the son of Robert C. Black and a grandson of John Black, the latter a na- tive of Ireland, who first located east of the mountains in Pennsylvania. After his marriage to Jane Crisswell he settled in Butler county, on a tract of one thousand acres, where he ac- quired squatter's rights, and there remained until his death. His children were: Martha, Matthew, Jane, Robert C., John, James, Julian, Rebecca and Alexander.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 106

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

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