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Josiah W. Klingensmith
JOSIAH W. KLINGENSMITH, one of the best known citizens of Parks township,
Armstrong County, was born there June 20, 1841; on the farm where he now
lives.The Klingensmith family is of German origin, and was founded in this
country by Peter Klingensmith, great-grandfather of Josiah W. Klingensmith,
who on coming from Germany settled in Armstrong (then Westmoreland) county, in
what is now Gilpin township. He was one of the pioneers in his section.George Klingensmith, son of Peter, was born in 1779 in Westmoreland county,
and in 1830 removed to Armstrong county, being one of the pioneer settlers in
what is now Parks township. He built a log house in the woods and cleared his
land for agricultural purposes, continuing to follow farming until his death,
which occurred in 1857. He and his wife, who was also a Klingensmith, of
Westmoreland county, were members of the Forks Church, where they are buried.
They had three children, two of whom died in infancy.Adam Klingensmith, son of George, was the only one of his parents’ family
to reach maturity. Born in Westmoreland county, he was only eight years old
when brought by his parents to Armstrong county, and was all his life engaged
in farming in Parks township, where he died Sept. 8, 1874, aged sixty-one
years, eight months, twenty-six days. He was an active member of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church at Bethel, which he served officially as deacon.
In politics he was a stanch adherent of the Democratic party. His wife, Anna
M. (Kirkland), born Aug. 20, 1806, in McKeesport, Allegheny county, was a
daughter of John Kirkland, a native of Scotland, who came to this country and
settled in Pennsylvania, where he followed boating on the Monongahela river
between McKeesport and Pittsburgh. In 1812 he fell overboard from a flatboat
on which he was employed as poler and was drowned. Mr. and Mrs. Adam
Klingensmith had the following children: William, Mary L., Josiah W.,
Nathaniel K., Eden, John and Caroline E.Josiah W. Klingensmith grew to manhood on the farm and obtained his
education in the local public schools. During the summer of 1857 he engaged in
boating on the old Pennsylvania canal, continuing that work for the season.
During the next five years he was employed as a farm hand, working for ten or
twelve dollars a month. In 1862 he entered the Union service, becoming a
private in Company C, 139th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, for three years.
He saw much active service, taking part in every battle in which his regiment
was engaged. He helped to bury the dead who had lain for eleven days upon the
battlefield of Second Bull Run. His regiment then moved on the Sharpsburg,
Md., joining the 6th Corps of the main army, and marched to Antietam, where
they took part in the battle. They were also at Fredericksburg (both
engagements), the Wilderness and Gettysburg, in which Mr. Klingensmith took
part after a force march of thirty-six hours, during which time his company
was not allowed to cook any food. He was under fire and in action there for
the greater part of twenty-four hours. On May 5, 1864, at one of the
Wilderness fights, he was wounded in the left hand by a musket ball, and was
sent to Lincoln hospital at Washington, where he remained until August. On
Dec. 25, 1864, he was discharged on account of disability, and he has never
fully recovered the use of his hand.After returning from the army Mr. Klingensmith took up farming, to which he
devoted all his time until 1874, when he opened a store on his farm. It soon
became a prosperous business center, and he continued in the business until
1892, when he sold it to his sons. Meantime, in 1881, Dime postoffice was
established at the store, and he received the appointment as postmaster. From
February, 1886, until Mr. Klingensmith’s reappointment in 1889, the place was
filled by a Democrat. Since retiring from the mercantile business he has given
all his time and attention to his farm property, which has increased to such
an extent that he now owns about twelve hundred acres in Armstrong county,
including a number of farms besides his home place in Parks township of
fifty-six acres, another of ninety-eight acres in that township, and one of
180 acres in Kiskiminetas township. Tow hundred and seventy acres of his land
is underlaid with a vein of coal 4 feet 10 inches thick. His interests are
very extensive and able managed. Though he had nothing to start with except
his energy and ambition, he has done unusually well, and he has, moreover,
maintained high standing for honor in all his dealings with his fellow men.Mr. Klingensmith has long been active in local politics as a member of the
Republican party, for whose success he has worked efficiently. He was elected
assessor of Parks township when it was formed, serving three years. In
religious connection he holds membership in the Boiling Springs Evangelical
Lutheran Church, and for sixteen years served as a member of the church
council.On Feb. 20, 1866, Mr. Klingensmith married Lucinda Knappenberger, daughter
of John Knappenberger, and they have had eight children, viz.: Mary A., who
died Oct. 21, 1911, was wife of William Ayers; John A., who resides at Mateer,
Pa., conducting a store at that place, married Lavina Brown; William Francis,
who now conducts his father’s old store at Dime, married Vivian Elliott; Nancy
I. married Charles Bortz; Susan M. married Harry Gilchrist; Josiah W., who
died in November, 1910, was married to Nellie B. Riggle; Olive L. married
Harry Lafferty; Sarah Myrna married Frank Riddel.The first of the Knappenberger family in this part of the State was Conrad
Knappenberger, who came hither from central Pennsylvania. Philip Knappenberger
was the grandfather of Mrs. Josiah W. Klingensmith. His son John Knappenberger
came to Armstrong county in 1837, and died at the age of seventy-eight years.
He is buried at Spring Church in Kiskiminetas township. He was a farmer by
occupation. He married Anna M. Hill, daughter of John Hill, of Westmoreland
county, Pa., and they had the following children: Daniel, Jacob, Augustus,
Henry C., and Lucinda (Mrs. Josiah W. Klingensmith).
Source: Page(s) PAGES 419-421,
Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J.H. Beers &
Co., 1914Transcribed July 1998 by Caral Mechling Bennett 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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