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Benjamin Wyland Wyant
BENJAMIN WYLAND WYANT, one of the most prominent citizens of Washington
township, Armstrong county, is a man of progressive disposition and public
spirit and a creditable representative of a most respected family of that
section. Born Sept. 4, 1855, in Washington township, he is a son of Adam and
Sophia (Bowser) Wyant, and grandson of Martin Wyant, who was from Bedford
county, Pa., He and his wife Christina (Bokher) had the following children:
Adam, Bartholomew, John, Martin, Henry, Fred, Jacob, Catherine, Julia Ann,
Susan, Christina and Elizabeth.Adam Wyant, father of Benjamin W., was born in Westmoreland county, Pa. He
was twice married, his first union being with Sarah Yerty, by whom he had
seven children: Christian Yerty, born Oct. 19, 1832; Andrew H., 1834; Martin,
Feb. 29, 1836; Archibald M., 1838; Elizabeth, 1839; and Rachel and George, who
died in infancy. The only survivor of this family is Elizabeth, who married
Harvey Frick. For his second wife Adam Wyant married, on March 25, 1847,
Sophia Bowser, who was born May 29, 1828, in Franklin township, Armstrong
county, and is still living on the old farm in Washington township. Ten
children were born to this marriage, their names and dates of birth being as
follows: Mary, March 2, 1848; Delilah, Sept.. 23, 1849; Eli, Aug. 9, 1851;
Teney, April 13, 1853; Benjamin W., Sept. 4, 1855; Emma, Feb. 4, 1858;
Catherine, March 13, 1860; John B. F., Aug. 7, 1863; Margaret, Sept. 4, 1866;
and Susanette, June 3, 1869.Benjamin W. Wyant attended common school in his youth and later studied at
summer schools. Upon leaving home he went to Lawrenceburg, now Parkers
Landing, Armstrong county, where he was engaged for three years in supplying
water to the town. He then married and settled down to farming on the Ezekiel
Dickey place, in Washington township, part of which he now owns and occupies,
making his home there for about six years. At the end of that period he moved
to the Grange Hall, in Washington township, where he conducted a general
merchandise store for eight years, from that location returning in 1889 to the
Dickey farm, buying forty acres of that property. Mr. Wyant now lives on this
place, and not only cultivates that tract but also another of 140 acres, in
which latter he owns a quarter interest. All the improvements on his home
place are the result of his own enterprise and industry, and its well-kept
condition is the best comment on his methods and ideas. It is very valuable,
being not only good for agricultural purposes but underlaid with deposits of
limestone, fire clay, iron ore and coal.Mr. Wyant has been a prominent worker in the interest of the Republican
party in his locality and at present lines up with the Progressives; he is
township committeeman. He has been honored with election to various offices,
in which he has given great satisfaction, having been supervisor for seven
years and school director for sixteen years. He is also an interested church
worker. When thirteen years old he united with the Church of God, later
transferring to the united Presbyterian Church at Cowansville, in which he
held membership for twenty-six years. When this church dissolved, in 1912, he
again united with the Church of God, joining the Limestone Church, his family
also becoming members of that congregation. He is an elder in this church, and
has served as Sunday school superintendent at the Brushvalley Church.On Nov. 28, 1876, Mr. Wyant married Cynthia Ann Dickey, like himself a
native of Washington township, born Jan. 26, 1853, daughter of Samuel H. and
Dianah (Wolfe) Dickey. Six children have been born to this union: Finnie Lulu,
born Aug. 25, 1878, who died when nine months old; Mary Josephine, born May
22, 1880, who is married to Horace E. Nichols and has one child, Kenneth, born
Feb. 12, 1907; John Finlay, born July 7, 1883; Samuel Blair Reed, born May 3,
1886; Anna Sophia, born Jan. 16, 1890; and Benjamin Franklin, born June 26,
1892.Source: Pages 461-462, Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and
Present, J. H. Beers & Co., 1914
Transcribed September 1998 by James R. Hindman 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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