Prof. Hugh McCandless

The subject of this sketch, well known in his later years and at the time of his death as the principal of the Dayton Soldiers' Orphans' School, was born in Apollo, Armstrong county, Pennsylvania, February 16, 1835. He was the son of Jared and Elizabeth (Ford) McCandless, the former from Washington county and the latter from the vicinity of Gettysburg. When their son, of whom we write, was quite small, his parents moved into the country, a distance of five or six miles from Apollo, where they remained until he was about fifteen years of age. They then removed to South Bend township, where they passed the remainder of their days, both dying at a good old age in the year 1882. The subject of our sketch spent most of his youth at home, working upon his father's farm and gaining the rudiments of an education in the schools of the neighborhood. He was absent for a short time, attending school at Saltsburg, and he taught for a brief period at the early age of eighteen. When about twenty, upon January 4, 1855, he married Miss Mary A. France, who was born in South Bend township February 17, 1831. Her parents were John and Mary (Klingensmith) France, both natives of Westmoreland county and the children of pioneers. Hugh McCandless and wife, immediately after their marriage, moved to Apollo. Mr. McCandless had contemplated running a boat upon the Pennsylvania canal, but finding that the usefulness of that old-time artery of commerce was very quickly to be superseded by the railroad, he abandoned his intention, and after a few months the young couple returned to South Bend township, where Mr. McCandless followed farming during the summer and taught school in the winter. After making a number of changes in location and occupation, he went to Missouri, in December, 1859, whither his wife subsequently made preparations to follow. But while she was getting ready for the removal her children were taken sick and one of them died. This unhappy event brought the husband and father home. He subsequently went to Illinois and spent the summer on a farm near Galesburg, but returned home in 1860, and taught school during the winter following. The next summer he attended the Elder's Ridge Academy, for he was possessed of a strong desire to make educational progress. In 1863 he moved to his father's farm. In September, 1864, he quit school-teaching, in which he had again engaged, and enlisted as a corporal in Co. L, 6th Pa. Heavy Artillery, from which he was honorably discharged at Fort Ethan Allen, Virginia, in June 1865. After the close of the war he went to Pithole and Tidioute, where he was engaged in oil operations, and in the following year he interested himself in the cattle business, but he soon returned to his favorite vocation, school-teaching, locating at Manorville, where his family moved the next spring. After teaching there three years he removed to Freeport, where he was elected principal of the graded schools. During the summer he carried on a very successful select school. Upon the 1st of April, 1871, he was appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Mr. Samuel Murphy as county superintendent. This would have occupied his attention until June, 1872, but in January of that year he was called to take charge, as principal, of the Dayton Soldiers' Orphans' School, and accepting the position, vacated the county office, Mr. A. D. Glenn filling out his term. He took charge of the Orphans' School at a time when hard work was most emphatically demanded, and devoted himself assiduously to the task of bringing about perfect order and elevating the tone and condition of the institution. In this he was signally successful, but it was at a very dear cost. He was greatly interested in his work, and most conscientiously and energetically labored to advance the school, with the result of obtaining for it a rank second to none in the state. Under the pressure of work, responsibility and anxiety, his strength gave way, and in 1876 he found himself the victim of a disease which slowly bore him down to the grave. He died January 16, 1882, lamented and respected by all who knew him. He was a man of true worth and of the most unswerving devotion to duty. His chief ambition early in his life was to obtain an education, and this laudable desire was gratified through his patient and persistent application, and in spite of many obstacles and disadvantages. In his later years he sought to supply to his children the opportunities for education which had been missing in his own youth. Prof. McCandless was a consistent member of the Baptist church (as was also his wife), and he was a member in good standing of the Masonic fraternity.

During the years when Prof. McCandless was, to a greater or less degree, a sufferer from the malady which finally proved fatal, his eldest daughter, Miss Elizabeth (now Mrs. A. T. Ambrose), was his faithful assistant, and greatly lightened his labors. Upon his death she was appointed principal � a position which she still holds, and ably and satisfactorily fills, while Mrs. McCandless remains at the institution as matron. The other children of Prof. and Mrs. McCandless are Ada, Susannah, Bertha and Augusta. The two first named are teachers and the two last named are pupils in the school. Mr. Ambrose has charge of the boys' department of the school, and superintends the farming and gardening.

Source: Page(s) 224, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania by Robert Walker Smith, Esq. Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883.
Transcribed December 2000 by Jeffrey Bish for the Armstrong County Smith Project.
Contributed by Jeffrey Bish for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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