Dorrance, Colonel J. Ford
attorney at law, Meadville, was born in Kingston, Penn., April 19, 1852, and is a son of Charles and Susan (Ford) Dorrance, the former of Scotch-Irish, the latter of English descent. Charles Dorrance is a banker, and now President of Wyoming National Bank of Wilkes Barre, Penn., but in his early life was a farmer, and he still owns the 400 acre farm purchased of the Government, by Col. Benjamin Dorrance, the great-grandfather of our subject, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was killed at the battle of Wyoming. Our subject’s grandfather was a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature. Col. J. F. Dorrance is the third of a family of five children, and received his education at Lehigh University, where he graduated in 1860. Soon after he came to Meadville, and studied law with Hon. David Derickson. He was admitted to the bar in 1875, and has practiced ever since. He was married in 1875 to Elizabeth W., daughter of the late James R. Dick, for many years a prominent banker of Meadville. In 1878 Col. Dorrance was appointed on Gov. Hoyt’s staff with the rank of Colonel, and served three years. He is attorney and financial agent for the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, and has loaned many thousands of dollars for them. He carries on a constantly increasing law business. Mr. and Mrs. Dorrance are members of Christ Church (Episcopal), of which he is a Vestryman.
History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania: containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc., portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1885, page 732-733.
