HEADER
Thomas M Klingensmith
THOMAS M. KLINGENSMITH, a farmer of Gilpin township, Armstrong county, was
born in that township Jan. 28, 1854, a son of Henry W. and Esther (Myers)
Klingensmith. His paternal great-grandfather, who came to western Pennsylvania
from Germany, was the founder of the family in this country.Adam Klingensmith, son of the founder, was born in 1804, and died in 1871.
He settled in what is now Parks township, Armstrong county, Pa., where he
owned a farm of sixty acres, operating it in conjunction with hewing timber
for barns. His remains are interred at the Forks Church, in Gilpin township.
His wife Jennie (Shoop) was born in 1809, and died in 1876. Their children
were: David, who went West; Henry W.; Abraham, of Armstrong county; Adam, who
went West, and Peter, of Armstrong county.Henry W. Klingensmith was born in Allegheny (now Parks) township, this
county, in 1829, and developed from a carpenter into a contractor and lumber
dealer. During his useful life he became a well-known man, one whose honesty
was proverbial. His death occurred in Leechburg, Pa., May 30, 1910, when he
was eighty one years of age and his remains lie in the Forks cemetery. His
first wife, Esther Myers, born Feb. 20, 1832, died July 9, 1868, the mother of
the following named children: Susanna, deceased; Thomas M.; Leanda, who
married William S. Miller; Aaron, deceased; Philip, of Westmoreland county,
Jeremiah, of Gilpin township; Margaret, who married Philip Brothers; and Laban,
who was killed by a train. After the death of his first wife, Mr. Klingensmith
married (second) Sina Craig, born Nov. 28, 1834, who died Nov. 8, 1903. By
this marriage he became the father of four children: Augustus J., of
Leechburg; Clarissa, of Leechburg; a daughter that died in infancy; and Henry,
of Leechburg. Mr. Klingensmith�s third marriage was to the widow of Finley
Shuster, and she survives, making her home at Leechburg. There were no
children by the third union. Mr. Klingensmith belonged to that high class of
men whose sense of honor was so strong that their verbal promise was accepted
as another man�s written bond would be. n During the years he lived in Parks
township he made his influence felt, always directing it towards securing the
betterment of existing conditions, and a general moral uplift. His loss was
deeply felt in the community in which he had spent his life.Thomas M. Klingensmith attended Mt. Joy school No. 7, in Gilpin township,
until he was sixteen years, when he left to devote all of his attention to
helping his father in his various undertakings, thus securing a thorough
training and laying the foundation for a life of useful endeavor. When he was
twenty-six years old he was married, and leaving the parental roof, began
teaming for Kirkpatrick & Co., at Leechburg, who conducted the rolling
mill there. For ten years he continued in this line, the last eighteen months
being labor boss. Having secured valuable experience and connections he
embarked in business for himself, and for a quarter of a century operated a
flourishing teaming business. Preferring to spend the remainder of his life on
a farm, he bought his present property in Gilpin township, moving upon it in
1907. It is a beautiful farm, located along the Kiskiminetas river, following
the line of Parks township. The property consists of fifty-seven acres of
valuable land, and is underlaid with fine soft coal, which Mr. Klingensmith
has sold. He raises peaches and apples, having a magnificent orchard, and
sells in the Leechburg markets, which he attends personally, and where he is
one of the best known dealers.On Jan. 19, 1878, Mr. Klingensmith was married to Annie M. Shaner, daughter
of John Shaner, of Parks township. They have the following children: Homer W.,
of Leechburg, employed at the steel mill; John T., of Gilpin township, also
employed at the steel mill, at Hyde Park, and Lavern S., who is at school.Mr. Klingensmith is a Republican, but has never entered a public life. The
Lutheran Church holds his membership, and he is active in the Sunday school.
Fraternally he belongs to the Odd Fellows, being past grand of his lodge and
prominent in the encampment. In everything he has undertaken Mr. Klingensmith
has proved himself a man of resource, quick to take advantage of opportunities
as presented, and he is justly numbered among the leading men of Gilpin
township.Source: Pages 913 – 914 , Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past
and Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed February 1999 by Nanci Michalkiewicz 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.Return to the Beers Project
Â
Return to the
Armstrong County Genealogy ProjectÂ
Return to the
Armstrong County Genealogy Project
Return to the
Armstrong County Genealogy Project
(c) Armstrong County
Genealogy Project
About Author
