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William Curtin Marshall
WILLIAM CURTIN MARSHALL, who is editor and proprietor of the Dayton News,
one of the leading journals of Armstrong county, is a native of this county,
born in Wayne township May 9, 1864, and is a son of David L. and Maria J.
(Marshall) Marshall. His paternal line is traced as follows;Samuel Marshall, the youngest son of William Marshall, was born in what was
then York (now Adams) county, Pa. On May 20, 1791, he married Mary Sterling,
probably of Indiana county, as he had accompanied his parents to that part of
the State at an early date, and they lived on his farm of 100 acres in
Conemaugh township, Indiana county. The children of Samuel and Mary Marshall
were: Mary, Walter, Joseph, Elizabeth, Jane, William S. and Sarah, twins,
Archibald, Samuel S., Rebecca and John.Archibald Marshall, son of Samuel, was born Feb. 10, 1805, in the southern
part of Indiana county. He learned the blacksmith’s trade and after his
marriage lived on his father’s farm until 1834, when he purchased about 500
acres of land in what is now Cowanshannock township, in Armstrong county, near
Bryan. When Mr. Marshall settled on this land in the spring of 1834, he found
the entire tract covered with a heavy growth of woods and he probably had to
clear a space before he could erect his first log cabin, which he later
supplanted by a comfortable hewed log building. In 1837 he sold a farm from
the western part of his property to Robert McMeans, and in 1840 disposed of
another portion to Samuel McCartney, this farm including the site of his first
cabin. About 1846 he sold more land, to C. A. Logan and to a Mr. Kroh, and
purchased a farm in Wayne township, near Belknap, on which the family resided
until 1868, when he disposed of that property. He moved then to Illinois,
where his wife soon afterward died, and he went out to Kansas, where his death
occurred Sept. 10, 1870. On June 29, 1829, he married Elizabeth Bricker, who
was born Nov. 17, 1807, and died May 4, 1869. They had children as follows:
Jane, born May 2, 1830, married Joseph Alcorn May 5, 1847; Catherine, born
Nov. 2, 1832, married William Christy; Margaret, born April 2, 1834, married
John Shirley; Susan, born Feb. 5, 1836, married Leslie L. Hazlett; Mary S.,
born July 21, 1838, married Thomas D. McColgin; David L. was the father of
William C. Marshall; William A., born Jan. 12, 1843, who enlisted in the 78th
Pa. Vol. Inf., and served as a soldier for three years in the Civil war, was
married Aug. 25, 1868, to Susan E. Soxman; and Sarah A., born May 29, 1845,
was married in Kansas, in 1871, to N. Long.David L. Marshall, son of Archibald, was born Sept. 10, 1840, was reared on
the old home, and learned the carpenter’s trade. On Sept. 5, 1864, he enlisted
for service in the Civil war, entering Company M, 5th Pennsylvania Heavy
Artillery, and was honorably discharged at Pittsburgh, Pa., in July, 1865. For
many years afterward he followed the carpenter’s trade. In 1872 he was
appointed a justice of the peace for Dayton borough and continued in office
until 1884, and was elected to the same office again in 1889, continuing to
serve until his death, which occurred Feb. 21, 1892. On Dec. 10, 1861, he
married Maria J. Marshall, a daughter of Joseph and Mary (Wilson) Marshall.Joseph Marshall, the maternal grandfather of William Curtin Marshall, was
born Oct. 17, 1792. On April 1, 1819, he married Mary Wilson, born July 14,
1799, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Mitchell) Wilson. Thomas Wilson was
born July 18, 1772, and was married April 14, 1797, to Elizabeth Mitchell, who
was born Jan. 25, 1770. To Joseph and Mary Marshall the following children
were born: Elizabeth, April 1, 1820 (married Jacob Hanna); Archibald A., July
4, 1822 (married Sarah N. McClelland); Catherine, June 13, 1824 (married
Nathan McClelland); Thomas W., Sept. 18, 1826 (married Eliza Shoemaker); Eves
W., Jan. 29, 1829; Joseph M., Sept. 3, 1831 (married Eliza Welsh); Eunice B.,
Dec. 5, 1833 (married David K. Alcorn); Robert A., March 6, 1836; Maria J.,
Oct. 8. 1839 (still survives and resides at Dayton, PA.); and William N. Sims,
July 5, 1842 (on Sept 14, 1862, he enlisted for the State defense in Company
G, 22d Pa. Vol. Inf.: he married Eliza Ellenberger).William Curtin Marshall is an only child. He was educated at Dayton and
Glade Run Academy, attending school regularly in the winter seasons and giving
his father assistance in the summers, both on the farm and in the carpenter
shop. His ambition, however, was to become connected with newspaper work, and
in December, 1882, he started to learn printing in the office of the Dayton News,
which was then conducted by the firm of Elder, Orr & Co., continuing in
their office for one year. In December, 1883, he became associated as a
partner with D. A. Lowe in the ownership of the News, and they
continued together until 1885, when Mr. Marshall sold his interest to Mr.
Lowe, after which he went to Putneyville, Pa., where he opened a job office
for one year. On April 19, 1887, he started on a trip through the West and
traveled over considerable territory, in every town finding work at his trade.
The death of his father in 1892 recalled him to Dayton and in July of that
year he purchased a half interest in the News, his partner being B. S.
Pontius, whose interest he bought in October, 1897. Since then Mr. Marshall
has conducted the paper alone and has made it one of the leading journals of
this section of the State. He has a natural talent for journalism and
undoubtedly has fitted himself into the right groove in life.On June 14, 1899, Mr. Marshall was married to Letta L. Hays, a daughter of
William Hays, of Washington township, Armstrong Co., Pa., and they have one
son, Malvern Hays Marshall, who was born June 26, 1903. Mr. and Mrs. Marshall
are members of the Glade Run Presbyterian Church, of which he has been
treasurer since his election to this office in January, 1907. Politically Mr.
Marshall is a Republican and is one of the active, interested and reliable
public men of Dayton borough. In February, 1895, he was first elected a
justice of the peace and served continuously for five years. After the passage
of five more years he was reelected to the same office, in 1905, and was again
reelected in 1910. For seven years he was a member of the Dayton school board,
one year being its treasurer and five years secretary; served several terms as
borough auditor, and in 1910 was census enumerator of the borough. Mr.
Marshall is a stockholder in the Dayton Normal Institute, of which he was one
of the organizers. He has been an active promoter and supporter of the Dayton
Fair Association, of which he was president for two years and secretary for
seven years. In several fraternal organizations he is quite prominent. He is
past grand of Lodge No. 738, Odd Fellows, at Dayton, for several years was
secretary of the lodge; was chief organizer of the encampment, which was
instituted Jan. 28, 1910, and served as first chief of Dayton Encampment, No.
121, of which he is now scribe; he has also been clerk of Dayton Camp, M. W.
of A., since it was instituted, April 3, 1899, and he served as the first
captain of the Sons of Veterans at Dayton.Source: Pages 557-558, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J.H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed October 1998 by Connie Mateer 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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