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Cyrus J Kepple
CYRUS J. KEPPLE, of Apollo, a businessman of long and honorable standing,
was born Nov. 17, 1831 in Westmoreland county, Pa., son of George and Isabella
(Hoffman) Kepple.George Kepple was born in Westmoreland county in 1806, and came of German
ancestry on the paternal side, and English on the maternal side. His wife was
born in 1809 and passed away in 1863, the mother of eight children. Cyrus J.
Kepple was the eldest of this family, and all his brothers became farmers. One
brother and one sister are still living. At the time of his death George
Kepple owned 100 acres of land situated between Leechburg and Cochran Mills.
The Lutheran Church had in him a consistent member , and he also served it as
elder. His death occurred in 1869, and he is remembered as a man of
unblemished character, kind and charitable to all, extending a ready sympathy
to the unfortunate. Although his educational advantages had been limited, he
was a man of considerable ability, and held various township offices, and he
advocated the establishment and maintenance of good schools. Until the Civil
war he was a Democrat, but thereafter a Republican.Cyrus J. Kepple attended the common school in his home neighborhood until
he was sixteen years old, and then devoted all of his time to assisting his
father on the farm. When he was twenty years of age he began learning the
cabinetmaker�s trade at New Salem, serving three years as an apprentice. He
then embarked in the business for himself, opening a shop. When the
introduction of Machinery-made furniture interfered with his trade he confined
himself to the undertaking branch which he had established, and still
continues in that line. In 1870 he moved to Armstrong county, and after being
in business by himself for a time entered into partnership with Robert Young,
under the firm style of Kepple & Young. They handled furniture and carried
on an undertaking business until the association dissolved in 1880, Mr. Kepple
continuing the furniture and undertaking branch, while Mr. Young took charge
of the hardware trade which they had built up. Mr. Kepple�s establishment is
one of the oldest and reliable in this section, and as a furniture dealer he
handles the finest grades of walnut, oak, ash and maple parlor and bedroom
sets, sideboards, lounges, etc., as well as the more ordinary qualities. His
large store is on Fourth street. As a funeral director he is widely known,
people sending for him from all over the county; his knowledge, experience,
professional skill and sympathetic understanding of the requirements of his
work in that line have made him a friend of many who have called upon him in
times of bereavement.On May 7, 1857, Mr. Kepple was married to Caroline Keck, in Westmoreland
county, Pa., daughter of Isaac Keck, a soldier of the Revolution, who served
with General Washington at Valley Forge. Mrs. Kepple, who was born March 26,
1832, died April 24, 1900, aged sixty-eight years. Six children were born of
this marriage: Sarah Isabelle, born April 21, 1858 ; George S., born Sept. 13,
1863 ; Cyrus W., born Jan. 6, 1869 ; Bessie Eltes, born Sept. 10, 1870, and
Isaac Newton and Anna, both deceased. Mr. Kepple is a member and elder of the
Lutheran Church, belongs to Mineral Point Lodge, No. 615, I.O.O. F., and in
political faith is a Democrat. Mr. Kepple distinctly remembers the time when
boats to Pittsburgh ran on the Kiskiminetas river.———————————-
CYRUS W. KEPPLE was taken into partnership with his father in 1891, the
style becoming C.L. Kepple & Son, under which name the business is still
conducted. He, too, is a member of the Lutheran Church, and fraternally he
belongs to the Knights of Pythias and Knights of Malta. Politically he is an
active Democrat, having been committeeman of his ward in Apollo for some
years, and he has served in the borough council. On Aug. 21, 1892, at
Pittsburgh, occurred the marriage of Mr. Kepple to Ida Brewer. One child has
been born to them, Harold, on May 1, 1898.The Kepple family is one of the most highly honored in Armstrong county.
During the many years Mr. Kepple has been an undertaker he has been called
upon to care for over one thousand bodies , and his patrons hold him in
highest esteem not only for the value of his professional services, but
because of his tact and consideration. As citizens both father and son are
known to be men of high character, who take a deep interest in the welfare of
their community and are anxious to promote its further development.Source: Pages 871-872, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed December 1998 by Pamela Clark for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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