JOHN CHRISTY

The old and well-known resident of this county whose name stands at the head of this brief biography was the son of Daniel and Rebecca Christy, respectively of Irish and Scotch-Irish descent, and was born in Hopewell township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania, November 7, 1800. He lived with his parents until he attained his majority, and then went into Allegheny county, where he learned the trade of hatmaking, then one of the leading manufacturing industries of the rural regions, but now carried on only in the cities and upon a large scale.

In 1822 he was married to Miss Agnes McGregor, of Allegheny county, by whom he had three children- one daughter and two sons. Being early bereft of his wife, he was married again in 1830, to Miss Sallie Ann Ross, daughter of Hon. George Ross, of Armstrong county, born February 4, 1805, by whom he had ten children-seven sons and three daughters. After his second marriage Mr. Christy lived in Noblestown, Allegheny county, for about three years, working at his trade; but, yielding to his wife�s influence, in the year 1833 he removed to Armstrong county, and purchased the farm on which he and his wife still reside. Here they reared their large and interesting family of thirteen children, all of whom attained manhood or womanhood. With the exception of two sons, one of whom gave his life for his country when in his twenty-sixth year, and one who died in his own home, aged twenty-nine, all are now living to cheer and comfort their parents in their declining years.

Coming to the country as they did when it was new and still bore many traces of its recent savage inhabitants, the Christys had much to contend with. Besides being in straightened circumstances, with nearly the whole of their farm to clear, and no market for their produce nearer than Pittsburgh, their early years were full of hardships and deprivation. Their guiding motto in life, however, was "Industry and perseverance conquer all things," and they have lived to realize in some measure its verity.

While securing by their well-directed efforts and correct lives personal and family success, Mr. and Mrs. Christy have also ever diligently sought the good of the people among whom they have dwelt, and both by their effort and example have been useful to the community.

In their religious views they are Presbyterian. They labored zealously for the building and sustaining of the Appleby Manor church, of which Mr. Christie has been a ruling elder since its organization. Politically Mr. Christy has progressed from "old line" Whigism to Republicanism, and has always been deeply interested in all the issues involving the public good.

The names of the children of Mr. Christy are, by his first wife, Jane (Wilson), in Saline county, Illinois; William M., a lawyer of Saline county, Illinois, and Daniel, a farmer of Manor township; by his second wife, George Ross and Joseph Moss, twins, the former deceased; Mary (Mum) living in Pittsburgh; Rebecca A., who lives at the old homestead with her parents; James, who died as a Union soldier, in his twenty-sixth year, from exhaustion after the seven days� fight in front of Richmond; John Calvin, a merchant of Rosston (who was also a soldier belonging to the western division of the army); Washington and Jefferson, farmers in Manor township; Amelia (Blair) and Stephen, who live in the same township.

Source: Page(s) 324-325, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania by Robert Walker Smith, Esq. Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883.
Transcribed January 1999 by Donna Mohney for the Armstrong County Smith Project.
Contributed by Donna Mohney for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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