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George A Gourley
GEORGE A. GOURLEY, deceased, for many years a farmer and merchant of Rural
Valley, was born near Saltsburg, Indiana Co., Pa., Feb. 4, 1821, son of John
and Martha (Scott) Gourley.Samuel Gourley, his grandfather, was born in Ireland, and came to
Westmoreland county, Pa., at a very early date, there buying land which he
improved until it became a valuable property, and there he died. He married
Catherine Dickey, and they had several children, among them being John.John Gourley was born near Hannastown, Westmoreland Co., Pa., and there
grew to manhood. He was engaged as a teacher in his native county, was a fine
penman, and also an accountant and skillful surveyor, so that his services
were in demand in many ways. In 1843, he moved to Armstrong county, settling
in Cowanshannock township, and there he died in 1846. In 1816, he married
Martha Scott, and they had fourteen children, seven of whom grew to maturity:
Lavina Belinda, who married Andrew Marshall, of Dayton; Juliet; George A.;
John; Samuel; Alexander, and Benjamin. Benjamin was a soldier during the Civil
war, serving in Company D, 62nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry and
had been in the army four months when he died of quinsy in a hospital near
Washington, D.C. Alexander was also a soldier in the same great struggle.George A. Gourley was brought up on the homestead and had the advantage of
his father�s instruction during his school days. In 1852, he went to
Kittanning, where he found employment as a clerk until 1856, when he came to
Rural Valley and established himself as a general merchant, continuing thus
very successfully until 1879. Thereafter he devoted himself to farming and the
handling of his real estate interests.On Sept. 22, 1860, Mr. Gourley married Anna Earhart, a daughter of Jacob
and Mary (Ruppert) Earhart, of Saltsburg, Pa. Mr and Mrs Gourley became the
parents of the following children: Mary A. who married Dr. Thomas F. Stockdill;
Olive B., who married Harper Ambrose; Laura B. who married George S. Hosick;
and George A., Jr., who is deceased.Politically, Mr. Gourley was a Republican, and he served Rural Valley as
postmaster for several years. His religious affiliations were with the
Methodist Episcopal Church, in the faith of which he died Jan. 30, 1894, in
his seventy-third year. He had been a prosperous merchant, successful farmer
and eminently good man, and is remembered with respect.Source: Page 861, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed October 1998 by Pam 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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