Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 91

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

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PARKER. The members of the Parker family at Oil City, the brothers William M. and Harold T. Parker, may be appropriately referred to as representative citizens of Venango county. In their family connections they typify the best elements which entered into the early history of this section: and in their own lives and work they have endeavored to sustain the honor attaching to the name, both for integrity of purpose and the ability to realize high ideals of usefulness, in profes- sional circles and as well in the obligations of citizenship. They stand foremost among the attorneys of the county and this section of the State, and their social and other personal rela- tions are of the same high order.

This branch of the Parker family has been in America for several generations, but the early history is not definitely known, nor the original nationality of the immigrant ancestors. New England, Virginia, New Jersey and New York all had families of the same name, and points of similarity between the coats of arms possessed by Connecticut, Virginia and New Jersey Parkers would indicate a common origin. in England. There are numerous Parkers in England, and the name is found in Ireland; but it is also claimed that it has been borne by Danes, Saxons and Normans. It is derived from the Latin parcarius, meaning one who keeps a park, and is thus a name of occu- pation. William M. and Harold T. Parker are of the fifth generation from William Parker, who died in 1808, and who was the

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first of the line concerning whom anything definite is known. He lived in Westmoreland county, Pa., perhaps in that part now known as Washington county, in the region which formed part of the disputed territory between Virginia and Pennsylvania during the early days. It is thought probable that he came from Virginia. Though an old man when his son John moved northward into Armstrong county, he followed him thither, with several other families, settling on Bear creek. One of his sons was drowned on the journey, one of the boats upsetting when the party was opposite the garrison at Pittsburgh and several losing their lives. Soon after his arrival at the new home William Parker built a mill. His wife was a sister or half sister of John Moore, who was presiding judge of Westmoreland county, from 1785 to 1791, and who was a son of William and Jeannette (Wilson) Moore; as William Moore died and his widow remarried, becoming the wife of James Guthrie, it seems most likely that William Parker's wife was born to the second marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Parker had children : Samuel; John, who was the great-grandfather of William M. and Har- old T. Parker ; and Mary, who married Thomas McKee, one of the first two associate judges of Venango county.

John Parker, next in the line we are tracing, was born in 1766, and died July 17, 1842. He first came to this region about 1786 in the capacity of surveyor, being a deputy under Judge John Moore, and for his services in this line was given land in the new country, taking up twelve hundred acres in that part of Arm- strong and Butler counties adjacent to what became known as Parkers Landing, on the Allegheny, so named in his honor. Nearly all the site of Parker City formerly belonged to him, and he was assessed as the owner (among other things) of one slave. He himself set- tled here in 1794. the family coming about two years later, in 1797. and though they were known as residents of Parkers Landing their house was on that part of the property lying in Butler county, at Parker. Mr. Parker was one of the most prominent men of his day, and one of the leaders of progress, doing all he could to attract settlers to the region. He was very successful in business, following farming and stock raising principally, and in 1815 laid out the village of Lawrenceburg, which now forms a part of Parker City. He was one of the first associate judges of the county, filling that office for thirty-five years. and was noted for his forethought and good judgment in all

matters, holding the confidence of all who knew him.

On Dec. 7, 1797, Mr. Parker married Jane Woods, who died July 5, 1833, and they had a large family, namely: James W., born June 14, 1799, married April 14, 1829, Margaret Hamilton, and died Aug. 24, 1833; John W. is mentioned in the next paragraph; Juliet, born Dec. 29, 1802, married April 21, 1822, John Gilchrist, and died Feb. 13, 1876; Wil- liam, born Feb. 24, 1805, died Nov. 13, 1848; Fullerton, born Dec. 15, 1806, married April 5. 1832. Amelie Harris, and died Dec. 26, 1883; Washington, born July 11, 1809, mar- ried Oct. 15, 1833, Susan Clark, and died June 25, 1844; George, born Sept. 8, 1812, married June 20, 1843, Jane Pollock, and died Dec. 10, 1887 ; Thomas McKee, born Dec. 17, 1815. married Dec. 11. 1849, Margaret Woods, and died June 17, 1864; Wilson, born June 3, 1821, died Jan. 17, 1845.

John W. Parker was born Oct. 20, 1800, was married Jan. 8, 1822, to Margaret Perry, daughter of Moses and Sallie (Russell) Perry. and died July 24. 1861. His children were: William, born May 16, 1823, died July 4. 1899: he married Isabelle Pollock, and all their chil- dren died young except Robert Pollock. James, born May 4, 1825, died Sept. 8, 1894; he mar- ried Emma Leonard, and their children were John D., Mary Jane. Clara, Samuel, Reuben. Elizabeth. William. Keziah and Phoebe. Sarah. born July 18. 1827. married Samuel Craig, and died in October, 1903 ; her children were Eliza- beth and Miranda. Elizabeth, born in 1829. died June 11. 1851, the wife of Dr. John T. Beatty. by whom she had three children, Wil- liam and two others who died young. Mar- garet, born April 18. 1831, married Dr. Joseph WV. Eggert and died Dec. 11, 1896; she had four children. John, George L .. Elizabeth and Manda. John. born Oct. 9, 1833, died Sept. 15, 1901 : he married Martha Jane Fitterer. and they had children. Alonzo S., Margaret Ann, Charles A., Katharine D., John W. and Ethel. Susan, born Aug. 29, 1835, died in 1915, married W. D. Riddle and (second ) George W. Ball. Phoebe, born July 16, 1835. died in December, 1908; she was the wife of Jason Berry, and mother of Isabelle, Richard Jason and Charles Parker. George Washing- ton was the father of William M. and Harold T. Parker.

GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKER, born Feb. 22, 1841, died March 28. 1913. He received a good practical education, attending the home schools and later studying at a business col-

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lege in Pittsburgh, and first came to Oil City in 1861, though he did not make a permanent settlement then. During the Civil war he served a three months' term of enlistment with the 154th Pennsylvania Volunteers. In 1865, after the close of the war, he came back to Oil City and engaged in business as an oil shipper, first as a member of the firm of Parker. Castle & Co., and later as one of the firm of Parker, Thompson & Co., who had a wharf and enjoyed an extensive patronage. Mr. Parker was in this line until 1872, when he became connected with the Oil City National Bank as teller, and it was thereafter his prin- cipal interest, for he was promoted in time to cashier and eventually became president, re- taining that office until his death. He was one of the directors of the bank for over fifteen years, and much of the prosperity of the bank should be attributed to his well known con- servatism and sound judgment. Though care- ful and prudent in all his affairs, he was ever thoroughly progressive, and in nothing more so than in his ideas on community life and the responsibilities of citizenship. His atti- tude in such matters, and his public spirit in giving expression to them, was of so practical a turn, that he was often called upon to fill public positions, in which he acquitted him- self with the greatest credit, showing the courage of his convictions and giving substan- tial evidence of his sincerity. When Oil City was incorporated as a city he was chosen a member of the first council, and served ten years in that body; for four years he was a member of the select council, and for fifteen years a member of the school board. Among his notable services as councilman may be men- tioned his work as a member of the committee that secured the fine water supply which Oil City is now enjoying. That and many other improvements in the city were brought about with his cooperation.

On Nov. 4. 1869, Mr. Parker was married to Rebecca McCready, who was born June 19, 1850, daughter of William McCready, a paper manufacturer, of New Jersey, and died Jan. 8, 1909. They were the parents of three chil- dren. William M., Edith (born July 13, 1874) and Harold Thompson, the two sons surviving.

WILLIAM M. PARKER was born Dec. 19, 1870, in Oil City, and here obtained his pre- paratory education, graduating from the Oil City high school. He took his collegiate course at Princeton, graduating A. B. in 1891, after which he returned to Oil City and took up the study of law with F. W. Hays and John L. Mattox, meanwhile teaching mathematics in

the high school for two years. In 1895 he was admitted to the bar, and in May of that year formed his present association with Judson D. Trax, Trax and Parker occupying a leading place among the legal firms of this part of the State. Mr. Parker was soon granted permis- sion to practice in the other courts of the State and United States, and has done notable work in his profession, he and his partner being intrusted with the conduct of many of the most difficult and particular cases brought into the local courts. Most of his energies have been devoted to his practice, which has become very extensive, and though a good Republican he has not given much time to politics or other public affairs except in his capacity of private citizen. He takes pride in his ownership of 180 acres of the original Parker tract in Butler county taken up by his great-grandfather, and which has been in the family name since 1794. Socially he holds membership in the Wanango Club and the Oil City Boat Club, being presi- dent of the latter, and his religious connection is with the Second Presbyterian Church.

On April 21, 1898, Mr. Parker married Helen Innis, and their children are: Helen Elizabeth, born July 18, 1899; Marian, born March 14, 1901 : Warren Innis, born Sept. 9, 1902; Rebecca McCready, born Sept. 2, 1905; and William M., born Nov. 14, 1907.

HAROLD THOMPSON PARKER was born at Oil City Oct. 23, 1884, and grew up there, acquiring his early literary education in the public schools. He graduated from high school in 1902 and followed with a course at Princeton University, from which institution he was graduated in 1907 with the degree of A. B., upon his return to Oil City entering the law offices of Trax and Parker to prepare for the legal profession. After thorough ground- ing in legal principles and the routine of prac- tice he passed the bar examination in 1911 and was admitted to practice in Venango county, where he has become well established, main- taining offices in the Trax and Parker build- ing in Oil City. He has also been admitted to practice in the Supreme court of Pennsylvania. Mr. Parker has commanded a lucrative cli- entele from the beginning of his independent career, and he has succeeded in winning the public confidence to such an extent that he holds the position of county solicitor, having been honored with the appointment in 1916. He holds membership in the Lawyers' Club of Oil City, and socially is associated with the Ivy and Boat Clubs, serving as treasurer of the latter.

Mr. Parker married Mary Maxwell, daugh-

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ter of Samuel L. and Harriet (Finley) Max- well, of Oil City, where Mrs. Maxwell still resides. The late Samuel L. Maxwell was well known here, having been a prominent member of the Oil Exchange.

JAMES GILFILLAN LAMBERTON, late of Franklin, typified in both his business and his private life the characteristics which have made the name of Lamberton famous in this region for almost a century. Coming to that city in 1838, a few years after his older brother, Robert Lamberton, he showed him- self to be of the same sturdy stuff, and having established a mercantile business in the pioneer period he had the breadth of character to ex- tend his operations with the increase of oppor- tunities made by the growth of the community, maintaining a leading place among the mer- chants of the locality throughout his active career. He became one of the most substantial citizens of his adopted place, and personally commanded the highest respect for his integ- rity and the honorable principles which guided him in all the relations of life. Born March 21, 1818, on the old homestead of his parents near Londonderry, in the North of Ireland, he was a son of William and Elizabeth (Gil- fillan) Lamberton and a descendant of an old family of Scotch origin.

The name is a very ancient one in Scotland. where it is found as far back as the eleventh century, Lambertons being among the land- holders of Ayrshire and Berwick-on-Tweed in the reign of King Edgar, 1097-1107. John de Lamberton was sheriff of Stirling from 1263 to 1265. One of the most renowned members of the family was William de Lamberton. Bishop of St. Andrew's, elected in 1297, and preferred to the episcopate of St. Andrew's by Pope Boniface VIII., 1298. As Bishop of St. Andrew's he was primate of all Scotland, and first peer of the kingdom, ranking next to the royal family and taking precedence accordingly. He crowned the sovereigns and was chancellor and legate of the Apostolic See. He was a friend of Sir William Wallace and Robert Bruce. After the defeat of the former at the battle of Falkirk, in 1298, Bishop Lamberton, the elder Bruce and Sir John Comyn were appointed regents of Scotland. He was one of three bishops to anoint and crown Robert Bruce king of Scotland, March 27, 1306, and adhered to King Robert through all his vicissi- tudes. He held ecclesiastical office for thirty years, dying in 1328.

In 1321 there was an Alexander de Lamber- ton among the Scottish barons who signed the

famous letter to the Pope asserting the inde- pendence of Scotland, in which it was de- clared that "never, so long as one hundred Scots are alive, will we be subject to the yoke of England." During the religious persecution under the Stuarts, the Covenanters were mal- treated and harassed until they were obliged to leave their own country, seeking refuge in Ire- land. This exodus commenced after the bat- tles of Pentland Hills, in 1666. and continued after the battle of Bothwell Bridge, in 1679. It is said that among those who sought refuge in Ireland were three brothers by the name of Lamberton, one settling at the Giants' Cause- way, another near Londonderry, and the third in the same county.

The arms of the Lamberton family are: Argent, three escallop shells, sable. `Crest: A stag's head at gaze, St. Andrew's cross between the attires. Motto: L'olonte de Dieu. As the arms would indicate, the early members of the family probably took part in the Crusades.

The second of the three brothers above men- tioned was James Lamberton, who had a son Robert, born about 1739, and these were the ancestors of the line in which we are inter- ested. William Lamberton, son of Robert. was born in 1773 and died March 2. 1849, his wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Gil- fillan, dying the same year, aged sixty-three. They had nine children, as follows: Robert. one of the foremost residents of Franklin, Pa .. in his day, who is mentioned at length else- where in this work; Jane, who married Jared Irwin and (second ) Dr. Bushnell, of Ohio : John. who lived and died in Ireland: James Gilfillan, who came to this country and became a prominent citizen of Franklin, Pa .; William. who also settled in Venango county. Pa .. and whose wife was Sarah Smullen : Ann, who be- came the wife of James Shannon and lived in Franklin. Pa .; Esther, who married John Mitchell and resided in Philadelphia, Pa .: Eliza. who married William Cunningham, and also lived in Philadelphia : and Martha, who married Samuel Cochran.

James Gilfillan Lamberton grew up in Ire- land, spending his early years on the parental farm and receiving such educational privileges as the home schools offered. His brother hav- ing come to America and begun to prosper, he followed him to Franklin in the year 1838 and like him became one of the foremost men of his day in this section. By 1842 he had acquired enough experience and capital to encourage him in starting up for himself. and he em- barked in the mercantile business in that year. meeting with such success that his store be-

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came one of the largest dry goods houses in the city. It was long before the days of railroads in this territory, and his stock came by boat from Pittsburgh. The natural resources of this part of Pennsylvania proved to be far be- yond the estimates of the most sanguine of its early settlers, and as industries developed many were attracted by the opportunities for profit- able employment, quickening trade in every line. Mr. Lamberton, alert to see the promise of the conditions which developed, bent every effort toward making his establishment a con- venient trading center. and his stock and accom- modations drew a large share of the local patronage. He continued in active business for a period of forty-five years, withdrawing from the mercantile trade in 1887, but retaining the oversight of the valuable interests he had acquired until his death, which occurred at Franklin Dec. 25, 1903. Public life and out- side interests held little attraction for him, but he never neglected the duties of citizen- ship or social life, and his cooperation with all good movements could be counted upon. He was especially interested in the welfare of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was an active member for many years, holding the office of trustee.

Mr. Lamberton married Anna M. Whiting, who was born in Chester county, Pa., daughter of William and Elizabeth Whiting. and died in 1886. She is buried with her husband in the Franklin cemetery. Of their three children, ( 1) Henry Whiting is mentioned below. (2) Mary Jane, born in February. 1855, married James N. Craft, who is in the oil refining busi- ness, and had children, George L. and Anna C., the latter now the wife of J. G. Smith, a mer- chant of Warren, Pa. (they have one child. Horton) ; Mrs. Craft died in 1883. (3)

Charles McGill is mentioned below.

HENRY WHITING LAMBERTON was born in Franklin, Pa., April 24, 1853, and obtained his early education there. Later he attended a preparatory school at Randolph, N. Y. His early business experience was acquired in his father's employ, in the capacity of clerk. and having familiarized himself with the details of the business he opened a store of his own in 1880. from that time until 1895 devoting most of his time and energies to the dry goods trade. Since withdrawing from that line he has found himself well occupied looking after his large real estate interests here. Mr. Lamberton has given important services to his townsmen as a city official, having served fifteen years as a member of the council, and for six years on the board of water commissioners. He has 80

numerous social connections, holding member- ship in the Franklin Club and the Elks Club, and affiliating with Myrtle Lodge, No. 316, F. & A. M., the chapter, and Franklin Com- mandery, K. T. His religious connection is with the Presbyterian Church.

On Dec. 7, 1897, Mr. Lamberton married Effie Hemphill, daughter of George W. and Catherine (Wilhelm) Hemphill. Mr. and Mrs. Lamberton have no children. Their home is at No. 1324 Elk street, Franklin, where he has resided during the greater part of his life.

CHARLES MCGILL LAMBERTON, younger son of the late James G. Lamberton, was born Feb. 16, 1857, in Franklin. He received his edu- cation in the grammar and high schools of his native place and at the Eastman business col- lege. Poughkeepsie, N. Y .. from which he was graduated Jan. 1, 1877. On Jan. 16, 1877, he began to work as a clerk in the Lamberton Bank of Oil City, where he was thoroughly trained in the details of banking, being em- ployed in all the departments in turn and earn- ing gradual promotion until he became cashier, in 1892, and one of the owners. He has been associated with the bank in this capacity since, and in that position and also as one of the owners has been influential in directing its pol- icies and keeping them up to the high standards long ago established by the Lambertons in their financial operations. The bank was re- organized in 1900 as the Lamberton National Bank of Oil City, and the officers are R. G. Lamberton, president : S. H. Lamberton, vice president ; C. M. Lamberton, cashier ; R. G., S. H., C. M., Chess and Harry Lamberton, directors. E. S. Rugh is assistant cashier. With a capital of $100,000, this bank accord- ing to the report made Sept. 17, 1917, had a surplus of over $400,000, circulation of $100,000 and deposits of $3.390,193.74 (the total resources now are over four millions) ; in points of surplus and undivided profits to capital in the year 1915 it was first in the city and county, twenty-seventh in the State, and fifty-sixth in the United States. Its business record places it among the "Roll of Honor" banks, those "possessing surplus and profits in excess of capital, thus giving tangible evidence of strength and security." Less than twenty per cent. of the national banks in the United States are so listed. The Lamberton National Bank is a depositary for State, United States and United States Postal funds.

Mr. Lamberton has acquired large property interests in Oil City and Franklin, and is a di- rector of the Oil City Chamber of Commerce. He makes his home in Oil City, where he has

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been very prominent socially, having been one of the organizers of the Venango Club, which he is now serving as president ; one of the organizers of the Ivy Club, of which he was president for some years; a member of the Wanango Country Club; of the Oil City Boat Club; and an original member of the Elks Club of Oil City, of which he was the first treasurer. His church connection is with the Presbyterians. Mr. Lamberton is unmarried.

EDWARD EVERETT HUGHES, of Franklin, one of the leading professional and business figures in that city, is living up to the traditions of an ancestry famous for industrial enterprise, strong initiative and aggressive en- ergy, which qualities have made various mem- bers of the family particularly valuable in the development of the resources of the communi- ties in which they have settled. He is of the fourth generation of the Hughes family in Venango county, in whose progress they have taken a definite part ever since James Hughes came into this region, more than a century ago. As the name would indicate, the family is of Welsh origin, but Ellis Hughes, father of James Hughes, moved from Wales to the North of Ireland, and there James was born. He was young when his parents died, and some years of his early life were spent at Baltimore. Md., where he served an apprenticeship to the saddler's and harnessmaker's trade. Work in that line did not play much part in his in- dependent business career, however, for he learned milling, and he and his brother Ellis settled in Butler county, Pa., where they oper- ated the Negley mills. James Hughes married before his removal to Venango county, where he was a pioneer settler, and his intelligence and force of character soon brought him into prominence in the new country, where men of his calibre were needed to set the wheels of advancement in motion. He took up a tract of land lying along Bullion run, and settled at the mouth of Big Scrubgrass creek. in 1806 erecting a sawmill there which was one of the most important industrial ventures in the county. All the lumber for new build- ings going up in that region was cut at his mill, which did a large business for the day. Several years later. in 1814, he made a much needed addition to his establishment, building a gristmill, the first in the region and for many years the only one for miles around. After a long and prosperous experience at his first location he removed to Cranberry township. this county, where he purchased and operated Slab Furnace. meeting with equal success in

the iron business. Some time later he bought Union Furnace near Cooperstown, investing ten thousand dollars in that plant, a large sum in his day. Here, in his later years, he had the misfortune to meet with reverses through no fault of his own, and his difficulties culmin- ated with the panic of 1853, when he lost every- thing. He was beyond the age when he could undertake to retrieve his losses, and he lived thereafter with a daughter in Clinton township, where he died March 26, 1856. In religion he was a Methodist, and he became a member of the first church formed at Clintonville, and its first class leader. His honorable nature fitted him well for the place he filled, finding expression in all his dealings with his fellow men.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 91

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

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