Scott Willard Furnee
SCOTT WILLARD FURNEE, SENIOR MEMBER OF THE FIRM OF Furnee & Kennerdell of Kittanning, the leading dealers in wall paper, stationery, books, etc., in that borough, has been in business there for over forty years and is well known in social connections, being one of the most prominent members of the G. A. R. in that part of Armstrong county. He has a fine record as a soldier. Mr. Furnee was born in Kittanning Feb. 23, 1842, son of John and Susan (Willard) Furnee, the former of whom was a carpenter and came hither from Middletown, Dauphin Co., Pa. The mother was of Dutch ancestry and was a daughter of Jacob Willard, of Maryland, who enlisted and served as a private in the War of the Revolution. He was a farmer, and a pioneer of Armstrong county, whither he came with his wife (whose maiden name was Mary Smith) from the eastern part of the State, seating two tracts of land in Manor township, viz.: The Michael Mechling tract, called "Mechlinburgh," 105 acres, 59 perches, and the John Gray tract, of 280 acres. He was granted a pension, receiving twenty dollars every six months, which she drew after his death for several years. He died in 1861-62. Mr. and Mrs. Willard were members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church. He was a man of medium build. To him and his wife were born twelve children, of whom are named: Sarah, who married George Wolf, a farmer of Kittanning township, and had eleven children, Jacob, Sally, Lydia, Eveline, George, Harriet, Diana, Polly, Christina, Rachel and Henry Townsend, the last named now eighty years old; George; Daniel; Jacob; Susan, Mrs. Furnee; Betsey, who never married; Hannah, Mrs. Frederick Hague; Mary, who never married; Mattie, who married John Shoop, and lived in Armstrong county; and John, who married a Schreckengost.Scott Williard Furnee received a public school education at Kittanning. He began work in a rolling and nail mill, where he was employed for several years. During the Civil war, on April 22, 1861, he entered the Union army, and served for three years and two months, being a member of Company A, 8th Pennsylvania Reserves, under Col. George S. Hays and later under Col. S. M. Bailey, who subsequently was State treasurer of Pennsylvania. The command was attached to the Army of the Potomac and Mr. Furnee saw active service in all its battles. In May, 1864, on the second day of the battle of the Wilderness, just nine days before the expiration of his term of enlistment, he was wounded in the left ankle and sent to the hospital, eventually coming home, where he was laid up for five months. The injury made him permanently lame, but he finally regained his ability to walk and was able to work, finding employment again as roller in the rolling mills. After two years at that work he became assistant postmaster at Cottoning, which position he filled eighteen months, at the end of that time taking a position as clerk in his present line, which he has followed continuously since. He was a parnter with A. E. Weilman under the firm name of Weilman & Furnee, selling out to Mr. Weilman in 1893. That year he began business with J. B. Kennerdel, with whom he has since been associated. Their store is located on Market street.
Mr. Furnee has been an enthusiastic member of the Grand Army of the Republic for a number of years, belonging to Post No. 156, in which he has held all the offices; he has served ten years as commander, an unusual record, and one which shows clearly his popularity and his devotion to the order. He also belongs to Lodge No. 688, I. O. O. F., and to the Royal Arcanum. He and his wife are members of the Reformed Church.
On Oct. 4, 1866, Mr. Furnee married Margaret B. Williams, daughter of Daniel and Rachel (McMillan) Williams, both from Washington county, Pa.; Mr. Williams was a stonemason. To Mr. and Mrs. Furnee have been born three children: John, deceased, who was engaged in the manufacture of bathtubs; Ida B., unmarried; and Charles Henry Furnee, M.D., physician of Kittanning.
Source: Pages 361-362, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed September 2001 by Linda M. Stitt for the Armstrong County Beers Project
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