John Wareham
JOHN WAREHAM, a venerable resident of Bethel township, has lived at his present home there for eighty years, and the place, which is now under the management of his eldest son, David Wareham, is one of the finest in that section of Armstrong county. Mr. Wareham was born July 1, 1828, in Armstrong county, near Apollo (then in Allegheny township), son of Peter and Susanna (Heigs) Wareham. His grandparents were of German descent, and came to this region from eastern Pennsylvania.
Peter Wareham was born Oct. 15, 1796, and his wife, Susanna (Heigs) was born the same year, in Somerset county, Pa., and was reared by her Grandmother Meyers, of Venango county, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Wareham moved to the farm in Bethel township, Armstrong Co., Pa., where their son John now lives, and both died in 1882, he on March 15th and she on August 24th. They had a family of six children, three sons and three daughters: William, born Oct. 9, 1821, married Henrietta Ayres (he was a soldier in Colonel Sirwell's regiment, the 78th Pennsylvania Infantry, during the Civil war); Catherine, born March 10, 1823, married Daniel Keefer; Silas, born June 7, 1825, married Mary Beatty, daughter of James Beatty; John, born in July, 1828, is mentioned below; Maria, born Feb. 22, 1830, married Samuel Wolf; Margaret, born March 19, 1833, married Miles Beatty, son of James Beatty.
John Wareham was but four years old when brought to Bethel (then Allegheny) township, and the country was still wild and heavily timbered, deer and other game being still plentiful. He attended the log schoolhouses usually found in pioneer days, fitted with slab benches, the pupils facing the wall, which held the shelves--running all around the room--used as desks. Amid such surroundings he grew to manhood, early becoming familiar with agricultural pursuits, which he followed through his active years. He was one of the hard-working and intelligent farmers of his township, keeping up the old home place in the most creditable manner. He took an active part in the public affairs of the township, serving capably and efficiently in the offices of supervisor and school director, and he has been for many years one of the leading members of the Bethel Lutheran Church, in which he has held the office of deacon.
In January, 1856, Mr. Wareham was united in marriage with Julia A. Walters, of Armstrong county, who was born March 14, 1834, daughter of John and Martha (Meyers) Walters, and they have had a family of eleven children, five sons and six daughters, of whom all but one survive at this writing: David is mentioned below; Maria married Samuel Kinnard, of Vandergrift, Pa., and they have one daughter and one son, Bertha and Irvin; Albert is a resident of Braddock, Pa.; Simon, who also lives at Braddock, has been married twice, first to Emma Wagle, by whom he had one son, J. Earl, and second to Mrs. Philomena Fletcher (they have no children); Martha married Miles Zellefrow, of New Kensington, Pa., and died at the age of thirty-two years, leaving two children, Margery and Albert; Susanna is married to Sloan Banks, of Bethel township, and has three children, Paul, Irene and Ruby; Mary is the wife of James King, of Vandergrift, and their children are Vera, Eugene and Eveline; Edward married Maud Keppel, of Apollo, Armstrong county, and has three children, Cecil, Julia and Bessie; Harry married Maud Dettor, of Apollo, and they have two children, Dale and Edgar; Margaret is the wife of Calvin Cravenor, of Parks township, Armstrong county, and they have six children, Mabel, Ernest, Claud, Brice, Viola and Hazel; Olive is married to Joseph Mansfield, of Bethel township, and has two children, Marie and Rosa.
Mr. and Mrs. Wareham have lived to see many changes in their section and have aided in its progress, and they are held in very high estimation among their neighbors. Like her husband, Mrs. Wareham is a member of Bethel Lutheran Church.
DAVID WAREHAM, eldest son of John and Julia A. (Walters) Wareham, was born March 9, 1857, in Bethel township, where he has passed all his life. He obtained his education in the local public schools, and began at an early age to assist his father with the work on the home farm, of which he now has the entire management. The property has been undergoing steady improvement, Mr. Wareham keeping pace with the most approved methods of the day in his work, and it is a valuable and attractive farm, its appearance and fertility amply repaying the labor and expense necessary to bring it to its present condition. Besides farming he has followed carpentering and mining. For several years he has been a school director, having served five consecutive years in that office prior to his election in 1913. Mr. Wareham is a member of Bethel Lutheran Church, of which he has been a deacon for many years. Fraternally he is a member of the O. U. A. M. and the Grange, P. O. H.
Source: Pages 800-801, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed October 1998 by James R Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers Project
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