Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 93

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

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Mr. Glenn married, in Mercer county, Re- becca Wycoff. who was born in Crawford county. Pa., a daughter of John Wycoff and of Holland-Dutch ancestry. John Wycoff set- tled in Blooming Valley, Crawford Co .. Pa .. and later in Mercer county. Mrs. Glenn died fifteen years after her marriage. leaving the following children: Sarah J., who was the wife of Thomas Alexander, of Mercer county. died in 1878; Eliza B. became the wife of Rev. W. W. Mckinney. a Presbyterian minister, who later located in Philadelphia. where he published the church paper known as "The Presbyterian": Caroline F. married James Cassidy, of Utica, Pa., and died June 8. 1863 : William Wycoff died in Coos county, Oregon ; Samuel M. became a Presbyterian minister, educated in the same institutions as his father, and recently died at Wooster. Ohio ( for a time he was the Presbyterian minister at Clinton- ville. Venango county) : Dr. John Bowman Glenn is mentioned elsewhere in this work. For his second wife Rev. Robert Glenn mar- ried Mary Ann McCracken, who lived only eight months afterward. On Dec. 10, 1849, he married (third) Harriet Finley, of Evansburg,

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Crawford Co., Pa., who survived him. Three children were born to this marriage : Hon. Rob -. ert F .; George Stuart, born Aug. 12, 1855, who died Feb. 18, 1873 : and Harriet A., who re- sides in the city of Franklin. In 1887 Mrs. Glenn moved to the village of Utica, where she lived most highly esteemed by everyone, until her death May 19, 1901.

Robert F. Glenn was given an excellent edu- cation, and when a young man taught several years. He read law with Judge Christopher Heydrick, of Franklin, and was admitted to the Venango county bar in 1878, shortly aft- erward forming a law partnership with James D. Hancock which continued until April 1, 1887. Law practice has occupied a large share of his time, and his legal experience aided him greatly in the performance of his public duties, chief among which have been his service in . the State legislature ( 1887-1888) and as chief executive of the city of Franklin. He first took office as mayor in 1909, and served four successive years. He has always been a good citizen and a leader in public affairs, every worthy movement finding a valuable friend in him. He is a Democrat in political opinion. Mr. Glenn holds membership in a number of the local social bodies, including the Masonic fraternity, affiliating with Myrtle Lodge, No. 316, F. & A. M .; Franklin Commandery, No. 44, K. T., and other bodies.

On June 23, 1881, Mr. Glenn was married to Harriet Miller, youngest daughter of Isaac and Margaret D. Miller, of Greensburg, Pa., and they have had three children : (1) Donald is mentioned below. (2) Helen graduated from Vassar College in 1907, and for several years was in charge of social service at the University of Pennsylvania before receiving her present appointment, as State supervisor of mothers' pensions, from Governor Brum- baugh in 1915. She is the first incumbent of this position in Pennsylvania. (3) Elizabeth graduated from Vassar College in 1915 and is now a student in the medical department of the University of Pittsburgh. In religion the family are Presbyterians.

DONALD GLENN, only son of Hon. Robert F. Glenn, has been engaged in the practice of law at Franklin since his admission to the Venango county bar in 1909. as a member of the firm of Glenn & Glenn. He has served as city solicitor of Franklin since his appointment in 1914, and in 1913-15-two terms-represented this dis- trict in the State legislature, being the youngest member of that body during his connection with it. He was elected on the Democratic ticket, in spite of the fact that the district is

strongly Republican, and in all his public serv- ice has exemplified a spirit which makes him worthy of the confidence of his fellow citizens. Though a lawyer he has also had technical train- ing as an engineer, having taken the course in Washington and Jefferson College and served for some time as an engineer in the State High- way Department. He also helped to build the Franklin & Clearfield railroad, and has just received a commission as captain in the engi- neers' division of the Officers' Reserve Corps, subject to call into active service at any time. His comprehensive experience in railroad building and road making qualify him for re- sponsible work and he enters the government service with every prospect of a useful career, having passed the examinations with high honors.

FORSTER W. MITCHELL, late of Franklin, may be fittingly referred to as one of the most influential men of his generation in Venango county and all that section of Pennsylvania. Without any idea of minimiz- ing the achievements of his contemporaries, or emphasizing his own unduly, he must be given credit for having done perhaps more than any other one man of his day in the matter of directing the city and county toward their present-day status materially and socially. The bare record of his association with local activities bears this out fully without comment. It is an outline of participation in enterprises so varied in nature, so valuable in their rela- tion to the community, and so broad in con- ception, that reading between the lines we find a life story not often equalled and seldom exceeded for interest or accomplishment. Mr. Mitchell was born May 7, 1828, near Millhall, Center Co., Pa. He was a son of Thomas Mitchell and grandson of Rev. David Mitchell, the latter a native of the North of Ireland and of old Scotch stock. He settled in Center county, Pa., and for many years was a Methodist Episcopal preacher in this State. He had sons Thomas and James.

Thomas Mitchell, son of Rev. David Mitch- ell, was born near Bellefonte, Center Co., Pa., about 1800, and died in 1870 at Ashtabula, Ohio. He was long a resident of Venango county, Pa., having settled on a farm near Pleasantville, in Allegheny township, in April, 1836, and besides operating his farm con- ducted a general store. Subsequently he re- moved to Ohio. His first wife, Eliza (Lamb), died in 1851, and he afterward married Jane Weir. His children by the first marriage were as follows: David H., who married Delia

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Je Or Mitchell

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Sophia Wilson and became a resident of Titus- ville. Pa .; John L., born April 10, 1826, who was married Feb. 21, 1867, to Harriet Ray- mond; Forster W., mentioned below; Sarah Jane, who married Judge James L. Connely, of Philadelphia, Pa .; Martha, wife of L. T. Lamberton, of Franklin, Pa .; Minerva E., wife of Alexander W. Brown, of Pleasant- ville, Pa .; and William, Melvina, Charles R. and Mary J., all of whom died at an early age. Mr. Mitchell's three children by his sec- ond wife died in their youth.

Forster W. Mitchell was eight years old when he accompanied his parents to Venango county, Pa., and here he grew up, on his father's farm at Pleasantville. As his fa- ther's assistant he early became familiar with farming and lumbering, as well as merchan- dising, but though the rather hard conditions of his early years deprived him of educational advantages they had their practical value, de- veloping perseverance, self-reliance and cour- age, qualities which were evident throughout his life. Nor was he less noted for his strong mental characteristics and strict sense of re- sponsibility. In 1859, when Colonel Drake struck his well, Mr. Mitchell was engaged in merchandising and lumbering, and he shared the general excitement, being one of the first to view the fifteen-barrel wonder. He lost no time in securing a lease on a portion of the Buchanan farm, on the bank of Oil creek at the mouth of Cherry run, and beginning drill- ing, which was then done by the primitive and laborious spring pole method, and his was said to be the third well in operation after Drake's. It paid well, the flow beginning at seventy-five barrels a day and continuing for six months and more, and from that time until near the close of his active business career Mr. Mitchell was extensively and successfully engaged in the production of oil. Among the lands which he purchased and developed was the Shaw farm, near Rouseville, and he was interested in the Bullion field and the Bradford field, in the former owning the "Big Injun" well in company with John H. Lee and Hon. W. R. Crawford, and in the latter being asso- ciated with Capt. J. T. Jones, of Buffalo, N. Y., and the late George H. Van Vleck, of Toledo, Ohio. The "Big Injun" had the high record of the district, flowing over three thousand barrels June 18, 1877.

In March, 1865, Mr. Mitchell moved to Franklin, where he made his home per- manently, and in addition to caring for his oil interests he became engaged in banking for a number of years. He was always alert

to conserve or advance the interests of those engaged in the various activities allied with the oil industry. His discernment and prac- tical common sense made his counsel partic- ularly valuable in emergencies, and his initia- tive saved the day often when a strong leader was needed to take hold of a trying situation. The early days of the oil country development were marked by much haphazard speculation and wild fluctuations which would ruin invest- ors if allowed to continue, and Mr. Mitchell's influence was always a steadying factor when conditions were adversely affected by such operations. He took an active part in the various movements made by the producers for their protection, being one of the heavy oper- ators on the market, and the advance in the price of crude oil in 1880, from sixty cents to a dollar and twenty-seven cents, was known as "Mitchell's boom."

In 1870, in company with F. H. Steel, Mr. Mitchell opened a bank at Rouseville, Venango county. The business was removed to Oil City in 1883, and there for over twenty years the firm of F. W. Mitchell & Co. was prominent in financial circles. George V. Forman was associated with Messrs. Mitchell and Steel for some years, being succeeded in 1882 by W. H. Wise, of Oil City. When the banking business was discontinued, in 1894, Mr. Mitchell withdrew from active business pursuits.

Throughout his residence in Franklin Mr. Mitchell was looked upon as one of its public- spirited citizens, devoting both time and means to promote the material progress of the city of his adoption. He gave the ground which is now the site of the city buildings and Opera House. In 1875 Governor Hartranft appointed him a member of the Centennial commission, and he served as treasurer of the board during the Exposition.

On May 17, 1850, Mr. Mitchell was united in marriage with Laura M. Wilson, daughter of Alonzo and Lucy (Rowe) Wilson, and they spent their early married life at Enter- prise, Pa. Mrs. Mitchell died in 1907, Mr. Mitchell surviving her until Dec. 15, 1912, when he passed away in his apartments at the "Exchange Hotel" in Franklin. They rest in the family mausoleum in Franklin cemetery. Of the three children born to them, Herbert W. died in youth. Lottie M., of Paris, France, married Dilworth Richardson, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who is deceased. They had one daugh- ter, Dorothy, born March 23, 1888, died Nov. 13, 1910. Stella V. is the wife of Bryan H. Osborne, of Franklin, Pa. They have one

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daughter, Geraldine, born May 28, 1891, and married June 16, 1917, to Frederick Stude- baker Fish, of South Bend, Indiana.

Mr. Mitchell was an invalid much of the time during the last four years of his life, though he kept his clear mind and serenity of spirit to the end. His enjoyment of his friends, and his faculty for friendship, was one of his most charming traits of character. He liked congenial company and social pleas- ures, and was never so delighted as when ex- tending the hospitality of his home to some loved friend. His gift for reading human nature no doubt influenced him in selecting his companions, and for that reason he had few disappointments in them, for he chose them for their real worth, not their material stand- ing. With his fine presence and cordial, courteous manners, he fairly radiated good cheer and wholesomeness wherever he went, and the pleasure of his society lent attraction to every circle. Though he attained a good old age he kept alive his interest in the prog- ress of the times, tenacious of nothing belong- ing to the past except the loving memories of family and friends.

CHARLES H. DUNCAN, one of Oil City's leading men of affairs, now retired, is one of the oldest survivors of those who have followed the oil business in this section of the country, having passed his eighty-first year. The Penn American Refining Company stands as a monument of his years of successful ac- tivity. In Oil City there are a number of public works with whose promotion he was prominently identified, attesting to his un- selfish loyalty in matters affecting the general welfare. Mr. Duncan accomplished his own advancement by hard work and persistent effort and has given liberally of his business talents and counsel in helping to secure de- sirable conditions in his community, from the modern standpoint. The path to success was not a smooth one, as many obstacles were en- countered which would have discouraged many a young man starting out on a career in life, but not so with Mr. Duncan. He was pos- sessed of that Scotch determination and ten- acity which in the end conquers.

Mr. Duncan was born February 5, 1838, in Baltimore county, Md., of Scotch-Irish stock. He located in Pittsburgh when a youth but eighteen years of age, and there began busi- ness life as a clerk in the freight department of the Pennsylvania Railroad. At that time another Scotchman was beginning a career at the same place, Andrew Carnegie, who was a

telegraph operator in the office of the super- intendent. Later, excitement occasioned by the discovery of oil in Venango county at- tracted young Duncan. At the time he was bookkeeper for Spang, Chalfont & Company at Pittsburgh. He told the members of the firm he wanted to go to the oil fields. John W. Chalfont, member of the firm, encouraged him, although he said he would be sorry to lose his services, but it was commendable in any young man to look ahead for himself. His employer told him that his determination to change was an experiment, and if he did not succeed his old position with the firm was al- ways open to him.

At the time Mr. Duncan was not blessed with any great amount of finances in his ven- ture, and Mr. Chalfont, knowing this, gave him credit on the firm for twelve thousand dollars and told him in contracting business obligations to settle with all others first and with his firm last. Mr. Duncan then headed for the new oil fields and. at Pithole, where investors and promoters were thronging, he cast his lot. Pithole was one of the most noted towns of oil boom days and he remained there for some years, serving as mayor for two terms when its prosperity was at its zenith. The towns of mushroom growth which sprang in the oil regions presented all the elements of lawlessness and reckless expenditure which seemed to be inseparable from this kind of development. A "wide open" policy prevailed under which saloons, gambling houses and other vicious institutions flourished, and it was only through the determined effort of Mr. Duncan and a handful of men of that kind that a semblance of civilized order was maintained. At that time General Wiley. of Spanish- American war fame and at one time at the head of the State National Guard, was his chief of police, and J. M. Guffy. well known in Democratic political circles of Pennsylvania. was clerk of the council. General Wiley was also prominent in later days in the oil industry.

Toward the close of the Civil war, in the winter of 1864-65, the town of Pithole took on a boom. The sinking of large flowing wells brought it into notice and in the spring of 1865 there was an influx of humanity, among the new arrivals being soldiers released from the four-years struggle, the town growing to the size of about thirty thousand population in six months after the sinking of the wells. Peo- ple lived in tents and crudely constructed homes. Pithole was the third largest post office in Pennsylvania. In less than a year the United States well, one of the largest.

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ceased flowing. Others also failed to produce, and then began an exodus, leaving the city al- most desolate by the going away of the people, fires, and other causes incident to failures of boom towns.

Mr. Duncan for a time had been successful. He had paid all of his indebtedness except four thousand dollars of the twelve thousand dollars he owed his benefactor of the firm of Spang, Chalfont & Company. He went to Mr. Chalfont and told him the situation. His old employer was still good to him. He told him not to worry about the indebtedness, but to start somewhere else and have confidence in his youth and ability. Mr. Duncan again start- ed out and located at Pleasantville, and for- tune came his way. Within one year he had paid every cent he owed. Wider opportunities offered and new points of production were being found constantly, and the firm of Dun- can & Chalfont was established. Branches were placed at Shamburg, Cashup, Red Hot, Shaw Farm, Tight Pinch, Paxton Corners, Oil City, Triumph Hill and other places. Here the firm dealt in oil well supplies. Some of the places passed out of existence and are now but a remembrance to the older genera- tion.

In 1871 Mr. Duncan moved to Oil City and there established the firm of Duncan Brothers & Company, dealers in general hardware and oil well supplies. Soon he was drawn into the ranks of producers, and as time passed ac- quired large interests in the oil and gas fields of western Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, though few men even in this business have ex- perienced a more varied degree of prosperity. His hopes in operations involving large outlay of capital were not always realized, but with the pertinacity characteristic of the race from which he comes he kept ahead, and where dis- aster came in one form counterbalanced it with success in another, eventually accomplishing his objectives, as he deserved. Upon the whole, Mr. Duncan had a career which he may now contemplate with satisfaction, as he en- joys the fruits of long years of struggle.

Mr. Duncan contributed largely by his operations to the prosperity of Gas City, Ind., by taking in charge a gas plant through which cheap gas was supplied to its numerous manu- factories.

Mr. Duncan had a peculiar adaptability for taking charge of commercial establishments that were drifting out to the seas of failure, taking the wheel and piloting them safely into the harbor of success. Among them was the Enterprise Milling Company, of which he be-

came president ; this was another Oil City in- dustry that only needed the guiding hand of a captain of industry. Another was the Avon- dale Coal Mine, on the Pennsylvania railroad above Pittsburgh, which he developed, and through point of location and facilities it was made almost indispensable to the Pennsylvania railroad as a coal supply. Later Mr. Duncan sold this holding to the officers of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company at a large profit.

He assisted in founding the Pure Oil Com- pany of New York City and also had charge of the land interests and a large amount of oil productions owned by H. H. Honore, of Chi- cago, father-in-law of Gen. Frederick D. Grant, son of General Grant, commander of the Union forces during the Civil war and afterward president of the United States.

In 1886 Mr. Duncan organized the Oil City Tube Works, which establishment was subse- quently disposed of to the combination or trust which is now in existence.

The first natural gas company brought into existence, the Oil City gas company known as the Oil City Fuel Supply Company, was promoted and incorporated by Mr. Duncan and a few friends, to supply Oil City with fuel and light, the majority of which stock was purchased by the Standard Oil Company in 1894 and has been one of its most profitable properties. Mr. Duncan retained his stock in the corporation and is still enjoying its pros- perity.

About 1894 Mr. Duncan, having disposed of that interest, engaged in refining. buying the plant of the Old Valley Oil Works, which, at the time he took it over, was in financial dis- tress. It was reopened as the Germania Re- finery, and after acquiring the Penn Refining Company, the name was changed to the Penn American Refinery. with works at Oil City and Rouseville. He was president of the company for some years, retaining that re- sponsibility until advancing years made it de- sirable for him to withdraw from active du- ties, but he continues to serve as a director. The original capital of one hundred thousand dollars was increased to two million dollars and the output now ranges from forty thou- sand to seventy thousand barrels per month.

Of recent years Mr. Duncan has been grad- ually disposing of his crude oil interests of a producing character, concentrating rather than expanding his holdings of various kinds. His investments have not been limited to oil prop- erties, but included street railway and mining stocks and participation in enterprises of the public utility class, particularly those designed

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to benefit his own city. His faith in Oil City led him to support many local undertakings of that character. No movement for its ad- vancement found him lacking in enthusiasm and liberality. He was one of a small group who promoted the building of the great bridges spanning the Allegheny river there, and when the structures were completed he turned over his stock to the county in order to make them free thoroughfares. These bridges were built by Mr. Duncan and a few of his public- spirited friends to stop the extortionate tolls of certain bridge-holding interests. After erect- ing one bridge the rate across was placed at a very reasonable sum. This caused the owners of the toll bridge to come down in their price, this movement on the part of Mr. Duncan and his associates eventually resulting in routing the owners of the toll bridge, and the county took over the one that was the savior of the community from extortionate tolls. Later Mr. Duncan aided in the construction of other bridges across the Allegheny river at his home city.

For years Mr. Duncan served as a member of the city school board, and it was during his term of office that the people became enlight- ened on the absolute necessity of better edu- cational structures. He advocated the build- ing of a high school, but the people were averse to the expense. But Mr. Duncan pre- vailed upon his associate members of the school board to proceed in the matter, with the result that a high school building was erected. His judgment was justified. Within a year the parents of children saw the vast benefits ac- cruing and clamored for another schoolhouse of the modern type. Their wishes were grati- fied.

Mr. Duncan was a member of the city coun- cil of Oil City and was unanimously elected by that body mayor, to fill the unexpired term of Mayor Foster.

Outdoor sports always appealed to Mr. Dun- can, affording his principal recreation from his many business demands. In youth he was a great reader of books for boys on hunting and fishing. In day dreams he could imagine himself making great catches of fish, and upon one occasion he was successful in landing as many of the finny tribe as he once read of in a book. It was a great pleasure to him to go into the deepest wilds with rod and gun. It was a healthy recreation which he advocated. He possessed fine hunters' paraphernalia and dogs, and has hunted in Canada, the Dakotas and California. He has been a frequent con- tributor to "Forest and Stream" and other

publications devoted to outdoor sports. He assisted in organizing the Gun Club of Oil City and has carried off many honors as a marksman. He was numbered among the champions with the gun and won and retained the Club medal for three years, thereby be- coming the permanent owner of the trophy, something rather out of the ordinary, as in the great majority of instances a new cham- pion will arise before the time for absolute ownership of a medal has been reached. The championship for live bird shooting was never won from him. Mr. Duncan has engaged in double bird shoots in New York State and has been a contender with champions of the United States in sparrow shooting matches.

Except for engaging in local political affairs in his home city Mr. Duncan kept aloof from politics, and to this he attributes his success in business life. He did not permit political honors to entice him. He refused the Demo- cratic nomination in convention as a member of Congress, as well as other public positions outside of municipal affairs of his home city.

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Venango County, Pennsylvania: Her Pioneers and People (Volume 1), Part 93

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

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