CLAYTON D. WEST

CLAYTON D. WEST, of Leechburg, Armstrong county, is a native of
Westmoreland county, Pa., born June 11, 1874, son of Samuel M. West. Adam
West, his grandfather, was a shoemaker, and followed that trade throughout his
life, dying in Pennsylvania in 1843. His wife, Sarah, survived him for many
years, dying in 1876. They had eight children, of whom Samuel M. West is now
the only survivor.

Samuel M. West was born Jan. 23, 1841, in Westmoreland county. After his
father�s death he was reared by an aunt, with whom he lived until he entered
the Union service during the Civil war. He had a public school education. In
the fall of 1861 he enlisted in Company C, 4th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry,
joined his regiment at Harrisburg, Pa., and from there was sent with his
command to Washington, D. C., where it was placed under the leadership of
General McClellan. Mr. West became first sergeant. He saw active service in
sixty-seven engagements, taking part in the battles of Malvern Hill; White Oak
Swamp; Gettysburg, where the activity of his regiment prevented General Stuart
making his proposed connection with the other Confederate forces; Antietam,
where the 4th Pennsylvania was part of the advance guard (in that engagement
the brave Colonel Childs was killed; while the battle was in progress Mr. West
was one of those detailed to give care to the wounded and dying); and the
Wilderness. Mr. West reenlisted, in the same company and regiment in which he
served out his first term, and after the surrender of Lee his regiment went
into camp at Lynchburg, Va., where it lay until honorably discharged, July 13,
1865. Returning home, Mr. West was married, Oct. 26, 1865, in Westmoreland
county, to Margaret Townsend. Four sons and one daughter were born to them:
Carrie Isabel, Robert T., Harry H., Clayton D. and Elmore Murray.

After his marriage Mr. West followed farming in Pennsylvania and Virginia,
until he moved to his present home, in Apollo, where he is now living retired.
During the early part of his residence there he engaged in the teaming and
draying business, continuing same until 1907, when failing health induced him
to relinquish active life. He is a member of Whitworth Post, No. 89, G. A. R.
In politics he is a Republican, and for nine years served as constable at
Apollo.

Clayton D. West attended public school during his youth, in the locality of
the home farm, and was reared to agricultural pursuits, being thus employed
until seventeen years of age. He then entered the mill at Apollo, as an
opener, and by application and industry became a skilled worker, advancing
until he became a sheet roller. In 1903 he moved to the borough of Leechburg,
where he has since been in the employ of the American Sheet & Tin Plate
Company as sheet roller, proving himself a competent and thoroughly reliable
worker. He owns a fine home on Main street in the borough, and is considered
one of the substantial citizens of that place. He is a member of the local
lodge of Elks and of the Knights of Pythias. In politics he is identified with
the Republican party.

Mr. West married Elsie B. Heck, and they have two children, Audrey and
Clarence D.

Source: Pages 843-844, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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DANIEL SMITH

DANIEL SMITH, who was a prosperous farmer of Plum Creek township,
Armstrong county, was a native of that township, born Feb. 26, 1852. He was a
son of Absalom and Susanna (Mulberger) Smith, the former a native of Plum
Creek township, Armstrong county, the latter born in Center county, Pa.
Absalom Smith always followed farming. Of his three children, one son and one
daughter survive.

Daniel Smith received his education in the public schools of his home
locality, and he was reared to farming, which vocation he followed all his
life in Plum Creek township. He was one of the trusted men of his township,
which he served in a public capacity as tax collector for nine years.

On July 2, 1873, Mr. Smith married Susanna Yount, of Plum Creek township,
daughter of David Yount, farming people, who had a family of ten children, six
of whom are living. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Smith, namely:
Minnie resides at home; Clara Belle married Chalmer George, who is an employee
of the People�s Gas Company, and they have five children, three sons and two
daughters, Duke, Cecil, Harold, Hazel and Margaret S.; Mary married Prof. R.
C. Gibson, of Leechburg, who teaches in the Allegheny high school, and they
have one child, Kenneth, born in August, 1910; Margaret married Jesse Ritchey,
a roller in the mill at Vandergrift, Pa.; Blair, who is employed by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Pittsburgh, married Iva Faith, of Kittanning
township, Armstrong county, and they have one child, a son, born in May 1912;
Lloyd died when four years old.

Mr. Smith lived on his farm until his death, which occurred Jan 10, 1903.
His widow subsequently sold the place and moved to Elderton, where she has
since had her home. The family are Lutherans in religious connection.

Source: Pages 842, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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J. A. JAMES

J. A. JAMES,
physician and surgeon, P. O. Yatesboro, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania.

 

Source:  Page 859.  Armstrong County, Pa.,
Her People, Past and Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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HENRY L. GRANTZ

HENRY L. GRANTZ, of Bethel township, Armstrong
county, is of German extraction, his parents, George and Hettie (Rhodes)
Grantz, both having been natives of Germany. Their parents had settled first
in Westmoreland county, Pa., upon coming from Germany, later moving into
Armstrong county, George Grantz�s parents settling upon the farm of his son
Henry, in Bethel township, about 1850. George Grantz was born May 22, 1827,
his wife Jan. 3, 1829, and they lived to old age, dying Feb. 25, 1907, and
July 29, 1908, respectively. Her parents were seventy-two and ninety-five
years old, respectively, when they died.

Henry L. Grantz was born July 25, 1866, in Bethel township, on the farm
where he now lives, and was one of a family of seven children, namely: John
A., Samuel, Henry L. and Mary M. (wife of A. T. Wareham), living; and three
deceased. Henry L. Grantz has been successfully engaged in general farming on
the old home place in Bethel township, and is one of the enterprising and
thrifty farmers of that locality, having eighty acres, most of which is under
cultivation . He raises stock and grain. Mr. Grantz is a citizen highly
respected for his genuine worth. He and his wife are members of the Bethel
Lutheran Church. In politics he is a Socialist.

On June 27, 1907, Mr. Grantz was married to Mrs. Mary Jane Schaeffer, of
Leechburg, widow of George Schaeffer, by whom she had two children: Francis
Wilmer, who works in the West Leechburg Mill at Leechburg, Pa., and Naomi
Imogene. Mr. and Mrs. Grantz have had three children, namely: Hattie L., born
Aug. 1, 1908; Clara Bell, born March 18, 1910; and Flora May, Dec. 18, 1911.

Mrs. Grantz�s parents, George W. and Lovina (Baker) Baker, cousins,
reside at Leechburg, Armstrong county. Her maternal grandmother, whose maiden
name was Mary Hilburn, wife of George Baker, was the mother of nine children,
one son and eight daughters, and the first member of this large family to pass
away had attained the age of fifty-two years; the youngest is now forty-nine
years old. They were: Nancy J. married Daniel Shaner; Mary E. married N. K.
Klingensmith; Lovina and Priscilla were twins, Lovina marrying George E. Baker
(father of Mrs. Henry L. Grantz) and Priscilla marrying Lee Smail; Hannah
married L. P. Dunmire; Caroline married Eden Klingensmith; Catherine
(deceased) married Henry Smail; George married Anna Stitt; Ella P. married
John L. Harper, who is deceased.

Mrs. Grantz�s paternal grandparents were David and Jane (Oueery) Baker,
and they had two sons and one daughter: John, who married Sarah Oueery; Nancy,
who married Thomas Gault; and George W., who married Lovina Baker, (they were
the parents of Mrs. Grantz).

Source: Pages 841-842, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
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WILLIAM K. GIBSON

 WILLIAM K. GIBSON, supervisor of Boggs township, Armstrong
county, where he is engaged in farming, has been a useful man in his community
and holds the respect of all who know him. He was born Aug. 15, 1841, in Plum
Creek township, Armnstrong county, son of John A. and Mary Jane (Kennedy)
Gibson and grandson of Levi and Jane Gibson.

Levi Gibson, who is supposed to have been a native of Ireland, was an early
settler in Plum Creek township, Armstrong Co., Pa., where he hewed a home out
of the wilderness and lived and died. There was a blockhouse in the
neighborhood in that day for the settlers to take refuge in from the attacks
of the Indians, and he himself took part in many of the Indian skirmishes.
William K. Gibson remembers hearing his grandmother relate how she and the
other women would mold bullets for the men when they were beseiged. The
children of Levi Gibson were: John, Matilda, William, Jane, Joseph, Nancy,
Sloan and Esther.

John A. Gibson, father of William K. Gibson, followed farming until his
wife died. He died in Boggs township. Their children were Martha, Margaret and
William K.

William K. Gibson was but six years old when his mother died. He passed his
early years in his native townshp and received his education in the public
schools there. At the age of fourteen he went to live with an uncle S. M.
Peart, an old settler of Armstrong county, on the banks of the Allegheny river
in Boggs township. When the Civil war began he went to the defense of the
Union, enlisting Aug. 15, 1861, at Camp Meade, in Company A, 78th Regiment,
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He served three years, and was actively
engaged in many important battles, including those at Green River, LaVergne,
Stone River, Shelbyville, Tracy City, Chattanooga; going to Florence, Ala.,
they crossed the river and took part in the engagements of Raccoon and Sand
Mountains; the operations in the valley of the Chickamauga and the battle.
Returning to Chattanooga they were in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Dalton,
Resaca, Peach Tree Creek and Kenesaw Mountain. After the battle of Atlanta Mr.
Gibson returned home, and he was mustered out Nov. 4, 1864, at Kittanning.
While in the army he contacted smallpox, and has suffered from the effects
ever since. Going back to the Peats farm in Boggs township, he was married in
that townshp in the fall of 1866 and then settled on the Peats
“eighty” there, living at that place for two years. He then moved to
a sixty-five acre tract near Pine Furnace, in Boggs township, where he made
his home for three years, spending the next three years at Wells Furnace, on
the Mahoning river. He then removed to the Stillhouse property on Scrub Grass
creek, in Armstrong county, where he remained for another three years, thence
going to the Baum property in Boggs township, near Oscar station. After two
years� residence there he moved to Goheenville for five years, and then
located on a farm at New Bethlehem, upon which place he continued to live for
seventeen years. His wife dying, he moved from there to Mosgrove, settling on
the place about one and a half miles north of that town where he has since
remained. He has taken considerable interest in the affairs of the locality,
having served several terms as supervisor, and he has filled minor offices of
a public nature, discharging his duties in every capacity with a fidelity to
duty which has won the commendation of his fellow citizens. In political
connection he is a stalwart Republican.

In 1866 Mr. Gibson was married to Rebecca Gibson, of Butler county, Pa.,
who died at New Bethlehem, April 12, 18__, aged fifty-two years. They became
the parents of four children: Lawrence, born in Boggs township, who is
deceased; John Harney, born at Pine Furnace, who is engaged in business as a
merchant; Maud, born on the Baum place, who lives at home; and Ella, born at
Goheenville, who is deceased.

Source: Pages 864, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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PHILIP FOX

           
PETER FOX, a much respected citizen of Mahoning township,
Armstrong county, has lived on his present farm there for thirty years and has
been a resident of the county for forty years. 
He is a native of Germany, born June 29, 1834, in Hessen-Darmstadt, son
of John and Elizabeth (Kline) Fox, who came to the United States in 1839,
settling in Elk township, Clarion Co., Pa. 
The father engaged in farming there, purchasing a tract of fifty-five
acres which he cleared and improved, and upon which he passed the remainder of
his life, dying there.  He reared
a family of seven children: One son, who was a soldier in the Civil war, and
died on the old homestead in September, 1911; Peter; Elizabeth, who married F.
Black; John, deceased; Jacob; Mary, who married John Weist; and Balzer.

            
Peter Fox lived on the paternal farm in Elk township, Clarion county,
during his early years.  After
reaching his majority he was employed about iron works at various places, at
Madison Furnace in Clarion county, at Patrick Carr Furnace, Stewarton, Fayette
county, and at Colwell Furnace, in Armstrong county; for eleven years he was
employed at the Brady�s Bend Iron Works in this county. 
Thirty years ago he settled on the farm of sixty-nine and half acres in
Mahoning township where he has ever since made his home and engaged in
farming.  He is an industrious,
thrifty man, of upright character and steady habits, and in religious
connection a Roman Catholic.  In
politics he has been associated with the Democratic party.

            
In 1859 Mr. Fox married Mary Fasenmyer, daughter of Balzer Fasenmeyer,
of Clarion county, and they have ten living children, viz.: 
Adeline, wife of B. Linnett; Matthias; Lizzie, married to M. Linnett;
John; Charles; Joseph; Maggie, wife of John Sterner; Annie; Cora, and Ollie.

Source: Page 843, Armstrong County, Pa., Her
People, Past and Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
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JOHN M. FISCUS

 

           
JOHN M. FISCUS, a well-known resident of Apollo, now retired
from active business, was born Dec. 11, 1841, in Valley township, Armstrong
Co., P., son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Martin) Fiscus, also natives of
Pennsylvania. 

            
Christopher Fiscus, his grandfather, was born in France, and from that
country came to America during the latter part of the eighteenth century. 
For a number of years he was engaged in farming in Westmoreland and
Armstrong counties, Pa., and became a man of large estate, owning at one time
600 acres of excellent land in Armstrong County. 
He had several sons and daughters.

            
Abraham Fiscus, son of Christopher, was born in 1791 in what is now
Burrell township, Armstrong Co., Pa., and died at the age of sixty-nine years. 
He took an active part in the affairs of his time, serving as a soldier
in the war of the 1812, and later was a leader in the public affairs of the
communities in which he lived. He served as one of the first officers of
Valley township, when it was organized in 1835. 
In religious faith he was a Lutheran, in politics a Republican. He was
twice married, his first wife, a Miss Ourie, leaving seven children, and his
second wife, Elizabeth Martin, died in 1853, the mother of eight children. 
She was a daughter of John Martin, a resident of Allegheny township,
Armstrong county. The children of the second marriage were: 
Sarah J., Sidney, Elizabeth, John M., William, Harry, Hugh and Amanda.

            
John M. Fiscus attended school until he was fourteen years of age and
remained at home until his father died, after which the family moved to
Allegheny township, Armstrong county, and on Sept. 3, 1861, he enlisted for
service in the Civil war, entering Company K, 78th Pa. Vol. Inf. 
He served faithfully until March, 1863, when he was honorably
discharged on account of disability, but by no means gave up his ambition to
serve his country.  As soon as his health was restored he reenlisted, on Sept 3,
1864, entering Company H, 5th Pa. Vols., of which company he became sergeant,
and served in this capacity until June 30, 
1865.  His command was
known as Battery H, Heavy Artillery, and was stationed in front of Washington,
D. C., at Manassas, and on the Rapidan river. 
After the war was over Mr. Fiscus returned to Armstrong county and two
months afterward became an employee in the old sheet iron mill at Apollo,
afterward being advanced to the position of a heater and continuing as such
until 1874, when he went to Pittsburgh.  There
he became a sheet roller in the rolling mill of Moorhead, McClean & Co.  
In June 1887, he returned to Apollo and entered the Apollo rolling mill
as a sheet roller, and continued to perform the difficult duties of that
responsible position until a few years ago, when he retired from hard work and
is enjoying well-earned rest.  His
life has been one of industry and he has always commanded the respect of his
fellow citizens. 

            
On July 26, 1863, Mr. Fiscus was married to Anna M. Stivison, a
daughter of William Stivison, and six children have been born to them, as
follows:  William S.; Lolla M.;
Hugh W.; Logan T., and _______.  Mr.
Fiscus and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. 
Politically a Republican, he has always given the candidates of that
party his support, but has been no office seeker himself.

 Source:  Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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JOHN FLENNER

  JOHN
FLENNER, postmaster and merchant, Cowanshannock, Armstrong county.

 

Source:  Page 875.  Armstrong County, Pa., Her People,
Past and Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
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GEORGE BOYD DOVERSPIKE

 

 

           
GEORGE BOYD DOVERSPIKE, a general merchant of Oakland, has
been proprietor of a store there since 1893, and during this time has become
a popular and successful business man.

            
His paternal grandfather was John Doverspike, a native of eastern
Pennsylvania, who spent a short time in Butler county, Pa., and later
located in 1805 on Red Bank creek, in what is now Clarion county, Pa. 
In 1816 he settled in what is now Mahoning township, Armstrong
county, purchasing about 240 acres of land. 
From this he cleared a farm which is now occupied by Clarence Gould,
and his death occurred there.  He
made agriculture his life pursuit and was a well-known and prosperous farmer
in his day.  His wife was
Margaret Jane McCullough and their children were: Daniel, George, John,
Lewis, Christina, Callop and Lavina.

            
George Doverspike, son of John, was born and reared on the homestead,
a part of which he inherited from his father. 
Here his death occurred in August, 1888, when he was sixty-three
years of age.  He married Sarah, daughter of Henry Cumbert, a pioneer of
Armstrong county.  Mr.
Doverspike followed the life work of his father, working on his farm all his
life. He was the father of fifteen children, all but one living to mature
years, as follows:  Elizabeth,
who married Z. H. Nulph; Tena, who married A. G. Kells; Hannah, who married
R. H. Nulph; Emanuel (twin to Hannah); David; Sarah A., who married
Sylvester Griner; Turney J.; Millie; Mary, who married Amos Bittinger;
William H.; George B.; Ezra L.; Maggie, who married John Cunningham; and
Wesley M.

            
George B. Doverspike was born in Mahoning township, Armstrong county,
May 26, 1863, son of George and Sarah (Gumbert) Doverspike. He was educated
in the common and select schools and resided on the homestead until 1893, on
April 18th of which year he embarked in the general merchandise business at
Oakland in which he has since been successfully engaged. He conducts an
up-to-date business in every way, and his courteous manner and reputation
for honesty and square dealing have been the attributes which have brought
him a good business.

            
On Sept. 21, 1892, Mr. Doverspike married Ella, daughter of George
and Mary (Long) Smith, of Red Bank township, Armstrong county, and they have
five children:  Wade R., Edith
Z., Cleo L., George Brent and Frank L. 
Mr. Doverspike is a member of the M. E. Church. 
He takes an active interest in his township, has served two terms as
school director of Mahoning township, and is a man ever ready to do his
share toward the welfare of his fellow citizens. In politics he is a
Democrat.

Source:  Page 840-841.  Armstrong County,
Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
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C. C. CRAIG

C. C. CRAIG has a general store in Madison township, at Hawkville,
on the Lawsonham and Widnoon road, where he has been doing business since
1908. Mr. Craig�s parents, George W. (Jr.) and Margaret J. (Paine) Craig,
also made their home in Madison township, on the road just mentioned; the
father died Aug. 24, 1913.

C. C. Craig was born Sept. 25, 1876, in Madison township, where he grew to
manhood, receiving his education in the public schools there. After commencing
work he was employed at mining for awhile and then learned the carpenter�s
trade. Some years ago he built his present store, where he has been doing a
general mercantile business, dealing in dry goods, notions, hardware and
miners� supplies, since Aug. 1, 1908. Besides the commodities mentioned he
also handles a good line of patent medicines. He is a trusted official of
Madison township, at present serving his second term as auditor, to which he
was elected on the Republican ticket. Mr. Craig belongs to the I. O. O. F.,
the Madison township Grange, and is a member of the M. E. Church at Widnoon.

On July 11, 1898, Mr. Craig married Mary O. Hawk, daughter of James H. and
Mollie Hawk, residents of Madison township. Mr. And Mrs. Craig have passed all
their married life in that township. Seven children have been born to them, as
follows: Matilda, Irene, Lester James, Hazel Olive, Howard Freeman, Paul
Curtis, Stephen Clarence and Charles Cecil.

Source: Pages 877-878, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman for the Armstrong County Beers
Project
Contributed for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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A. L. COULTER

A. L. Coulter, a farmer of Kiskiminetas township, Armstrong county,
was born Oct. 12, 1847, in that township, son of Alexander and Leah (Fowler)
Coulter.

Alexander Coulter was a native of Ireland, and his wife of Pennsylvania. He
came to the United States in 1820. By trade he was a stonemason and
contractor, and he owned and operated a fine farm of 200 acres in South Bend
township, this county, where his death occurred in 1893. The Lutheran Church
held his membership, in which he was prominent as he was in outside life. He
and his wife had fourteen children, six of whom survive, A. L. being the fifth
in order of birth.

A. L. Coulter attended school until his sixteenth year, when he enlisted,
in 1864, in Company B, 11th Pennsylvania Volunteers Infantry, and served until
the close of the struggle. Following this service he enlisted in the regular
army, Company B, 25th United States Regular Troops, and was promoted to the
rank of corporal. Mr. Coulter participated in many hard-fought battles during
the Civil war, being in the engagements at Weldon Railroad, Boydton, White
Oak, Fire Lake, the capture of Petersburg, and Appomattox Court House, when
General Lee surrendered. After Mr. Coulter was discharged from the regular
service, he came back to his old home, where his father was still living, and
a little later married. Following his marriage he began farming, buying 109
acres of land four miles southeast of Apollo, on which property he has resided
ever since. His present comfortable residence was built in 1897, while his
barn was put up in 1903. He is a good general farmer, and has succeeded very
well in his efforts. Possessing a happy, genial nature, he makes friends
easily, and enjoys meeting his old comrades at the meetings of the G. A. R
post. Both he and his wife belong to the Lutheran Church at Springchurch
(post-office), and he is a deacon of this organization. Politically he is a
Democrat.

On Jan. 7, 1873, Mr. Coulter was married, in Armstrong county, to Matilda
A. McKinstry, daughter of William McKinstry. Mr. and Mrs. Coulter became the
parents of thirteen children: William A., James B., Elder E. Arthur F., Bertha
I. (Mrs. C. E. Frederick), Clifton A., Alva B. (Mrs. W. R. Beatty) and Emily,
all living; and Norman H., Myrtle Grace, Edward, Bessie and S. S.

Source: Pages 846, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R.
Hindman 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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ALEXANDER B. CAMPBELL

ALEXANDER B. CAMPBELL, late of Dayton, Armstrong county, for many
years a farmer in Wayne township, was born in May, 1828, in Ireland.

Alexander Campbell, his father, was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1797,
and died July 10, 1872. Two of his brothers, Mark and William Campbell, came
to America with him, the former settling near Echo, in Wayne township,
Armstrong county, where he reared a family, while William settled in Manor
township, and there reared his family. Alexander came to America in 1836, and
settled in what is now Wayne township, Armstrong county, buying 260 acres of
wooded land, situated three miles west of Dayton. He cleared his land and
followed farming until his death. He was one of the early members of St.
Michael�s Episcopal Church and was buried in the cemetery adjoining it. He
married Margaret Culbertson, born in 1793, who died Nov. 5, 1882, aged
eighty-nine years, four months. They had the following children: Isabella and
Martha, both of whom died unmarried; Michael, who died on the old homestead;
William, who resides at Dayton; Alexander B.; Samuel, who died on the old
farm; Margaret, who died unmarried; John, who died at Dayton in 1883; and
Ellen, who died unmarried.

Alexander B. Campbell accompanied his parents to America. Farming became
his occupation, and he bought 150 acres of land in Wayne township, on which he
resided for sometime. Then, with his brother Michael, he bought another farm,
of about 150 acres, which they operated until 1884, when Alexander B. Campbell
retired from active life and moved to Dayton, and there his death occurred in
May, 1909. He was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was buried in
the Glade Run cemetery. He was Republican in politics and was a well known and
highly respected man, but would never accept any office except that of school
director. He married Nancy J. Borland, who died Aug. 4, 1894, when aged sixty
years. Her father was William Borland, of Armstrong county. They had the
following children: John, George and an infant daughter, all deceased; and
Florence, W. Newton, Alfred L., James and Nellie. Florence, Nellie and Alfred
all reside at Dayton, where they erected a fine residence in 1911. James is a
telegraph operator and resides at Dayton; he married a Miss Ross. Alfred L.,
who was born June 20, 1871, has been engaged upon the home farm.

W. Newton Campbell was born Aug. 4, 1868, on the homestead farm in Wayne
township, and was reared there, attending the public schools. In 1908, he came
to Dayton and erected a comfortable residence here. He married Catherine E.
Beck, a daughter of John W. Beck, of Wayne township, and they have three
children: Mabel M., Mansel M. and John A. The family belongs to the Methodist
Episcopal Church, in which he is steward. Politically he is a Republican.

Source: Pages 858-859, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914 br>
Transcribed April 2002 by James R.
Hindman 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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ELLS PRITNER BARRETT

 

           
ELLS PRITNER BARRETT, of South Bethlehem, Armstrong County,
coal miner, was born in Madison township, this county, Aug. 17, 1872, son of
Daniel W. and Emeline (Duncan) Barrett, both natives of Armstrong county.

            
William Barrett, his grandfather, was born near Ore Hill Furnace,
Armstrong county, and followed the occupation of agriculturist. 
He had a farm in Madison township, which he cleared and improved, and
he died there.  His wife was a
Miss Austin, and they were the parents of six children: David, deceased;
John, deceased; Daniel W., deceased; Martha, who married Silas Bish; Rachel,
deceased, who married Edward Gardner; and William. 
Daniel W. Barrett, son of William, was born and reared on the
homestead and his death occurred there Sept. 8, 1911, at the age of
sixty-three years.  His entire
life was spent on the home farm, where he followed the same work as his
father.  He was industrious and
persevering and became a well-to-do farmer of his day. 
He married Emeline Duncan, a native of Armstrong county, daughter of
Jacob Duncan, a pioneer farmer of Madison township, and they reared a family
of seven children:  Ells P.;
Florence, who married William Anthony; Annie, who married Leonard Powell;
Estella, who married Braden McDauley; Ross; Otto, and Ralph, the last named,
deceased.

            
Ells P. Barrett was brought up in Armstrong county, and educated in
the common schools.  At the age of seventeen he became employed as a coal miner,
and he has ever since followed that line of work in Mahoning township,
making his home in South Bethlehem since 1903. 
There he owns a comfortable home with pleasant surroundings and
enjoys the comforts of life.  He
has been a hard-working man and has gained all he now enjoys by honest
labor.  He married in 1894
Olive, daughter of Solomon T. and Alice (Mock) Shumaker of Mahoning
township, and they have two children, Alice B. and Gaylord. Mr. Barrett is a
member of the F. O. E.  He has
served for three years on the school board of South Bethlehem, and is a most
public-spirited citizen. In politics he is a Republican.

            
Mrs. Olive (Shumaker) Barrett comes of Revolutionary stock. 
Her great-great-grandfather, John Shumaker, a native of Germany,
served in both the Indian and Revolutionary wars. 
His wife was Mary Ann Baker, and they settled about 1770 in
Westmoreland county, Pa., and died there.

            
Philip Shumaker was the great-grandfather of Mrs. Barrett. 
He was born in Westmoreland county Jan. 25, 1784, and in 1814 settled
in Mahoning township, Armstrong county, where he died April 10, 1860. 
His wife was Elizabeth Rose, born Nov. 18, 1790, died June 12, 1863.

            
Joseph Shumaker, son of Philip and Elizabeth (Rose) Shumaker, born in
Mahoning township, was a farmer, and a minister of the German Baptist Church
for twenty years.  His death
occurred in December 1860, when he was aged forty-one years.

           
Solomon T. Shumaker, son of Joseph, is a prominent man in his
locality.  He follows farming in
Mahoning township, where he owns and occupies a part of the old homestead
farm where his grandfather settled in 1814. 
He married Alice Mock, and they are the parents of Olive, Mrs. Ells
P. Barrett.

Source:  Pages 857-858.  Armstrong County,
Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman 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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BENJAMIN F. BELL

 

BENJAMIN F. BELL has passed practically all of his long and useful
life in Pine township, Armstrong county, where he was born May 8, 1837, son of
George W. Bell. His grandfather was Scotch-Irish, and his grandmother was an
Italian.

George W. Bell, father of Benjamin F. Bell, was born May 4, 1811, in
Kittanning, Armstrong county, Pa., and passed his life in Armstrong and
Jefferson counties. He had a farm in Pine township, Armstrong county. His
wife, Elizabeth (Starr), was born in Pine township, in 1816, and died Jan. 30,
1897, she was a Baptist in religious faith. Mr. Bell died in December, 1886.
He had served in the Civil war, having enlisted in the army in 1862, in the 2d
Pennsylvania Cavalry; during his service he contracted rheumatism, and was
discharged for disability. Mr. And Mrs. Bell had a large family, namely: Ann
married John Murphy, Esq., of Knox, Pa.; William, who served during the Civil
war in Company B, 78th Pennsylvania Regiment, being in the army for four
years, is now living in the Soldiers� home at Dayton, Ohio; Benjamin F., is
mentioned below; Jacob was in the 62d Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer
Infantry, during the Civil war, serving two years, was wounded and discharged
for disability, and now lives at Sharpsburg, Pa; James, deceased, was in the
8th Pennsylvania Reserves during the Civil war, serving three years; Jane,
deceased, was the wife of John Brenen; Mary is the wife of Daniel Breck, a
lumberman, and lives at Tacoma, Wash.; Samuel is a merchant in Washington
county, Pa.; Sarah, Mrs. Shunk, lives at East Hickory, Pa.; Esther, twin of
Sarah, is deceased; George W. is deceased; Margaret married John Sharer, a
blacksmith of Templeton, Pa.; John is decease; Priscilla married Joseph
Church, of East Hickory, Pennsylvania.

Benjamin F. Bell was obliged to begin hard work when a mere boy, so that
his opportunities for obtaining an education were limited. He worked part of
the time at home and the rest for others until his marriage, and a few years
later, on Aug. 8, 1862, entered the Union service, enlisted in Company K,
155th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was sent to Pittsburgh and
on to the South, and took part in the battles of Antietam and Fredericksburg,
as well as other engagements. Being taken sick with malarial fever, he was
discharged on account of disability Jan. 3, 1863, and returned home; he has
never fully recovered from the effects of this illness, which has caused the
almost total loss of his hearing.

Since the war Mr. Bell has been variously employed, as pilot on the river,
as foreman in the ore mines, and in farming to some extent. He has prospered,
and owns several dwellings in the village of Templeton, as well as ten acres
in Pine township. He has been an active and public-spirited citizen, giving
faithful service in the local offices of trust to which he has been elected,
having been constable, overseer of the poor and road supervisor of his
township. Mr. Bell is very well preserved for a man of his years, and he
ascribes this to his temperate habits, as he does not use tobacco in any form
and is a strict teetotaler. On political questions he is a stanch Republican.
He formerly held membership in James O�Donnell Post, No. 281, G. A. R.,
later transferring to John F. Croll Post, Kittanning.

On Dec. 13, 1858, Mr. Bell married Priscilla Wise, and the two children
born to this marriage, Mary and James, are both deceased. On Dec. 13, 1893,
Mr. Bell married (second) Katherine Nolf, of Putneyville, Pa., daughter of
Joseph and Jane (Milliron) Nolf, of Armstrong county, and the only survivor of
their children; Mr. Nolf, who was a carpenter by trade, died June 9, 1875, and
his widow now lives in Templeton with Mrs. Bell. Nine children have been born
to Mr. And Mrs. Bell, namely: James, who married May Yohe and lives in
Armstrong county; Helen; Mabel; Laura; Doratha; Thomas; Edna; Nettie, and
Benjamin Franklin, Jr.

Source: Pages 875-876, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed April 2002 by James R. Hindman 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:

These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format, for any presentation, without prior written permission.

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Return to the
Armstrong County Genealogy Project

(c) Armstrong County
Genealogy Project

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