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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
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)Armstrong County Genealogy Project Notice:
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