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Anthony Doverspike
ANTHONY DOVERSPIKE, deceased, was a farmer and lumberman in Mahoning
and Red Bank townships, this county, throughout his active years, and was one
of the most enterprising business men of his section. He was much interested
in the building of what is commonly called the Shawmut road through this
section, and was very successful in handling coal rights in his locality. Mr.
Doverspike was born Dec. 26, 1842 in Mahoning township, son of Daniel
Doverspike and grandson of John Doverspike, a native of Germany, who lived in
Berlin. In early life he came to this country and purchased a tract of land
near Putneyville, Armstrong county, where he followed farming. He prospered
and assisted all of his sons to obtain good farms. He married Catherine
knight, of Clarion county, Pa., and they had four sons and one daughter. Mr.
Doverspike was an earnest member of the Lutheran Church.Daniel Doverspike, eldest son of John, was born Jan. 9, 1818, within one
mile of Putneyville, and he passed all his life in Mahoning township, dying
there; he is buried in the Eddyville Union graveyard. He owned two hundred
acres of valuable land, and engaged in general farming. Mr. Doverspike was a
member of the Lutheran Church, in which he held office, and politically was a
Democrat. His wife, Margaret Beck, from Crooked creek, this county, was a
daughter of Daniel Beck, and is also deceased. They had a large family, viz.:
Catherine married Jacob Long, of Red Bank township; Anthony is mentioned
below; George married Margaret Hastings, and they lived at Kittanning, Pa.
(both are deceased); one child died in infancy; Levina, deceased, married
William Wolf; Christina married Hugh Kells, who is deceased; Mary is deceased;
Leah married Chambers Rugh, of Kittanning; John M. married Emma Bittinger, of
Mahoning township, this county.Anthony Doverspike received his education in the schools of Mahoning
township, and worked on the farm for his father until he attained his
majority. He then went into the lumber business, which he continued until
1872, after which, for five years, he was in business at Eddyville, Red Bank
township, carrying on a store. For some time he owned a farm in Mahoning
township, which he sold, however, buying a tract of 175 acres in Red Bank
township, which he cultivated until his retirement. After he retired from
active work, a few years before his death, his sons conducted the farm for
him. Mr. Doverspike was very much interested in the Pittsburgh, Shawmut &
Northern railroad, commonly called the Shawmut road, and he was instrumental
in having it constructed through Red Bank township. He took up many options on
coal in his township, which he sold to the railroad company, profiting
handsomely by his operation. Mr. Doverspike held the office of school director
for several terms. He was a prominent member of the Lutheran Church at
Eddyville, which he served in the capacity of elder for many years, and in
politics was a Republican. He died Sept. 9, 1912, and is buried at Eddyville.On Nov. 17, 1868, Mr. Doverspike married Henrietta Bowers, daughter of
William A. Bowers, Rev. Daniel Cooper performing the ceremony. They had a
family of seven children, namely: (1) Calvin Daniel, born Jan. 27, 1871, began
his education in the public school of Red Bank township, later attending
Dayton Academy and Select School at Hawthorn, and the normal school at
Clarion. During his boyhood and youth he assisted his father on the farm, but
from the age of twenty years he has followed the teacher’s profession, having
been engaged two terms at Bethlehem, and five terms at Little Mudlick,
Armstrong county. For the most part, however, he has been teaching in Red Bank
township, Armstrong county; he farms during the summer season. He is a member
of the Eddyville Lutheran Church, and is now serving as a member of the
council. (2) George Edwin, born Nov. 3, 1872, received his education in the
Red Bank township public schools and at the Hawthorn select school. He worked
on the farm during his boyhood, and later assisted his father in getting
options on coal lands in Red Bank township. He is now employed by the P. S.
and N. Railroad Company, in the office near Mosgrove, Pa., where he has been
located for five years. He is a member of the Eddyville Lutheran Church, and
fraternally is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to the Ancient Accepted
Scottish Rite, Valley of Coudersport. (3) Albert Ira, born June 16, 1875,
received his education in the schools of Red Bank township and has always
resided on the old homestead. He is a member of the Eddyville Lutheran Church.
(4) Orpha Irnella, born Oct. 15, 1877, was educated in Red Bank township, and
is now the wife of Newton H. Silvis, of New Castle, Pa. (5) Byron Rolsteon,
born Feb. 21, 1880, was educated in the schools of Red Bank township, learned
the trade of blacksmith, and is now engaged as construction foreman for the
Shawmut Coal Company, making his home at Mosgrove, Pa. He is a Republican in
politics. He married Pearl Wolf, daughter of David and Jennie (Fink) Wolf, of
Oak Ridge, this county, and they have four children, Dee, Mary, Orpha and
Anthony David. (6) Edith Clara Margaret, born Feb. 18, 1883, was educated in
Red Bank township, and is now the wife of Melvin C. Rumbaugh, of that
township. They have had one child, Ila Henrietta, who died Feb. 23, 1913, when
a little more than two years old. Mrs. Rumbaugh is a member of the Eddyville
Lutheran Church. (7) William Stanley Clark, born Feb. 22, 1886, received his
education in the Red Bank township schools, and the select school at Dayton,
and has been engaged in farming on the old homestead all of his active life.
He married Emma Dinger, daughter of Harvey and Susan (Doverspike) Dinger, and
they have one child, William Ray. Mr. Doverspike is a Republican, and like the
rest of the family a member of the Eddyville Lutheran Church.Mrs. Henrietta (Bowers) Doverspike was born Jan. 27, 1851, daughter of
William A. Bowers, and granddaughter of Philip Bowers. The latter came to this
region from West Virginia and engaged in general farming in Gaskill township,
Jefferson county, until a few years before is death, when he was obliged to
retire on account of ill health. His sons then took the farm. He died at the
age of seventy-three years. Mr. Bowers was a Democrat in politcal faith. He
married Catherine Kipp, of West Virginia, and they had the following children:
Andrew; William A., deceased; Susan, deceased; Mary, deceased; John, deceased;
Abraham, living in Jefferson county; Isaac, deceased; and Anna, deceased. The
parents were buried in the family graveyard at their old home in Jefferson
county.William A. Bowers, son of Philip, received a common school education in
Jefferson county, and followed farming all his life, working for his father
until his marriage. Later he bought his father’s farm about two miles from Big
Run, and in addition to agricultural pursuits he was engaged in lumbering,
floating considerable timber down the creeks to the market at Pittsburgh. He
was quite an active man in his community, serving as school director many
years, and for several terms was a tax collector. In political connection he
was a Democrat. He belonged to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Jefferson
county. Mr. Bowers married Elizabeth Anthony, and to them were born the
following children: Mary Elizabeth, deceased, married John Lantz; Henrietta
married Anthony Doverspike; Minerva Jane is the widow of James Lantz; Matilda
died in infancy; William R. married Mary Engle, of Armstrong county. The
parents are buried at Mount Pleasant, Jefferson county.Mrs. Henrietta (Bowers) Doverspike was a member of the Lutheran Church at
Eddyville. She died Oct. 7, 1913, at the age of sixty-two years, eight months,
ten days, and was buried in the cemetery at Eddyville beside her husband.Source: Pages 362-364, 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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