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Sharron M Quigley
SHARRON M. QUIGLEY, one of the oldest residents of Armstrong county, has
lived at his present home in Boggs township for sixty-seven years, having
settled there in 1847. Few citizens have been more thoroughly indentified with
with the life of their times than has Mr. Quigley. As farmer, businessman,
public official, church worker, he has taken an interest in the affairs of his
locality which has left a permanent impress upon its welfare. Though in his
ninety-first year, Mr. Quigely has never used a cane and can read without the
aid of glasses.Mr. Quigley was born June 30, 1823, in East Franklin township, this county,
son of John P. Quigley and grandson of James Quigley, a farmer of Cumberland
county, Pa. John P. Quigley was born in Cumberland county, and coming to
Armstrong county in 1810 located in East Franklin township, along the
Allegheny river, opposite the present home of his son Sharron M. Quigley. He
brought with him abundant means to establish himself in the then wild country,
still infested with wild animals, and worked industriously to make the most of
his land. But he died in his prime, when forty-nine years old. He was of
English descent , and his wife Esther , who lived to the age of seventy-two
was of German extraction. Their children were as follows: James S., who was
formerly a merchant of Kittanning, Pa.; William C.; John A.; Robert; Sharron
M.; David C.; Jonathan; Benjamin C., who crossed the plains to California in
1849 and died there; Mary M., Mrs Cochran, Rosanna, Mrs. Laird, and Hettie J.,
Mrs. Wylie.Sharron M. Quigley, now the only surviving member of his family, was
educated in the common schools of his home locality, attending under John P.
Davis, whose fame as a speller and spelling teacher was widespread in that
day. In 1847 he came to the place in Boggs township, overlooking the Allegheny
river, which he has since occupied.The property consisted of fifty-eight
acres, on which there was a one-story frame house 24 by 16 feet in dimensions,
in which he kept bachelor’s hall. While attending to his duties as
superintendent of the Brown and Mosgrove furnaces he saw to the clearing of
his land, which he subsequently cultivated throughout his active years.
However, he did not by any means devote all his time to his farming interests.
He had large coal and iron interests which proved very profitable, and he gave
considerable attention to public affair. Original a Whig, he eventually became
a member of the Democratic party, with which he has since been identified. He
has been honored with many important positions, serving as auditor of
Armstrong county for six years from 1852, was justice of the peace for five
years, and auditor of his home township. He was also active in his early days
in the establishing of churches and schools and placing their affairs on a
sound basis, and has been a prominent worker in the Presbyterian Church, which
he has served as elder.In 1848 Mr. Quigley married Mary Mateer, daughter of Sharron and Jane
(Reed) Mateer, old settlers of Armstrong county, and she died in 1882, the
mother of six children: Jane, now a widow of D.F. Hull; Eliza, Mrs. James
Heilman; Margaret, Mrs Andrew Starr; Mary, Mrs. A.C. Houston; John, of
Columbiana, Ohio; and Sharron Blair, who died in infancy. In 1888 Mr. Quigley
married (second) Mrs. Minerva (Walker) Lewis, widow of Rueban Lewis, by whom
she had one child, Lola Jane, Mrs. Beatty, who died in 1883, leaving one
child, Myrtie Jane. Mrs. Quigley’s parents were James and Jane
(“Jennie”) (Bigham) Walker, the latter the daughter of Isabella
(Potter) Bigham. Isabella Potter was captured by the Indians when ten years
old. The womwn were visiting together at a neighbor’s while the men were out
working in the field. The Indians, coming upon them suddenly, killed three or
four of the children at play. Little Isabella ran and hid in the brush.
Entering the house, the Indians captured her mother and another woman. The
latter begged them not to kill her infant, and the party started for the
Indian camp. Isabella, seeing her mother leaving, came out of hiding and was
taken along. The infant set up a crying which its mother was unable to stop,
and the Indians, taking it from her, dashed it against a tree and carelessly
threw the body across a branch, where it was found later. The captives were
exchanged after a lapse of eighteen months, during which they led a life of
drudgery among the Indians.Mr. Quigley’s family all received advantages and a good start in life, and
all are valuable members of the community and creditable representatives of
the name.Source Pages 412-413 Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed September 1998 by Rodney G Rosborough 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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