Biographies

Huntingdon County PAGenWeb Project

Biographies

SAMUEL D. ANDERSON

Samuel D. Anderson, son of John and Elizabeth C. (Roe) Anderson, was born in Huntington county, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1830. He moved with his parents to Richland county, Ohio, when he was quite small, and resided there until the spring of 1842, when they moved to Fulton county, Illinois, where they remained one year, and then moved to Wapello county, Iowa, where they remained until 1852. They then moved to Guthrie county, and Samuel going to Kentucky, spent two years in school. In 1854, he came to Guthrie county, where he joined his family. He was married in August, 1854, to Miss Nancy J. McClaran, daughter of Samuel McClaran. They had one child--Mary Elizabeth--born in 1855, died in 1858. In 1869, they adopted a little girl, Elizabeth J., who died in May 1881. In 1870, they adopted a boy, Thomas. Mr. Anderson is a minister of the Cumberland Presbyterian church, being ordained in 1860 by the Presbytery of West Iowa. He is also a member of the Masonic lodge, No. 121, at Panora, having been initiated in 1860.

History of Guthrie and Adair Counties, Iowa; Cass Township,

Springfield, Ill: Continental Hist. Co., 1884.

Contributed by: Wee

THOMAS COOK

Thomas Cook, deceased, late of Cass Township, Shelby County, Iowa, was a well-known and highly respected citizen. He was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, May 20, 1830, and is a son of Jesse and Ann (White) Cook. Jesse Cook was born February 15, 1800, and Ann Cook was born October 15, 1800.

Anthony Cook came from England with William Penn; his son, John Cook, was the father of Jesse Cook, who was the father of Thomas Cook, the subject of this sketch.

The Cooks were the first to discover coal in that part of Pennsylvania, and all were prominent in the coal mining of that region. The mines were known as the Cook vein of coal, which was discovered by John Cook when he was digging for a rabbit.

Thomas Cook was married in Pennsylvania in November, 1851, to Miss Mary Alloway, who was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania, November 3, 1829. She was the daughter of Jonathon and Elizabeth (Anderson) Alloway. They reared two children -- Maggie Horton, of Portsmouth, and John A. Cook.

Thomas Cook improved eighty acres of land, upon which he lived until death. In politics he was inclined to the principles of the Republican party. He was a member of the I.O.O.F., Lodge No. 579, of Broad Top, Pennsylvania, and joined the lodge at Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, at the session of the State grand lodge; he also visited the sovereign grand lodge at the Centennial in Philadelphia in 1876. He represented the Shelby Lodge at Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Thomas Cook departed this life November 21, 1887; his wife died May 15, 1886; she was a member of the Church of God.

John A. Cook, an active citizen of Cass Township, was born at Broad Top, Pennsylvania, July 24, 1857. He was reared in his birthplace, and received a good education at the Fulton Institute. He assisted his father in the coal business for some time, and came west when the family came to Shelby County. He spent one season in Wyoming Territory, near Fort Laramie, at which time he was in the employ of G.H. and J.B. Collins. At one time he was in the employ of W.F. Cleveland, in Shelby.

He was married February 14, 1882, at Wells� Tannery, Pennsylvania, to Miss Nettie Horton, a daughter of David and Susan (Wishart) Horton. she was born in Pennsylvania, May 1, 1861, and spent a part of her girlhood in the place of her birth. On coming to Iowa her parents settled in Lucas County, remaining four years and then returned to Pennsylvania.

Mr. and Mrs. Cook are the parents of three children living -- Jesse W., Ora M. and Harry Ernest. Clare Chester died at the age of six months.

Mr. Cook has unusual ability as a musician; he is a member of the Rink�s Cornet Band, and at the age of thirteen years was the leader of the Broad Top City Band. In politics he is a Republican. He is a man well informed upon general topics, of a genial disposition, and worthy of the regard in which he is held.

Biographical History of Shelby and Audubon Counties, Iowa

Section: History of Shelby County, Iowa; Chapter: Biographical Sketches

Pg. 474 & 477 (pg. 475 & 476 has photo of another person)

W.S. Dunbar, Publishers; Chicago; 1889

Contributed by: Wee

JOHN AND HANNAH (FRAKES) DOWNING

and sons Robert & James Downing

About the same year that the Birks and Buckles located on the Lake Fork, the Downings are said to have settled on Salt Creek. They consisted of John and Hannah Downing, and their sons, Robert and James. John Downing was a native of Pennsylvania, where he married Hannah Frakes. Later they moved to Ross County, Ohio.

The oldest son, Robert, was born in Pennsylvania, Dec. 3, 1793, and moved with his parents, to Ohio. Here, he was married to Jane Morrow, a native of New York. In 1822, he decided to prospect for a new location in Illinois. He and his wife, his father and mother, and his brother and family all embarked in covered wagons and crossed the then wilderness of Indiana. They came to what is now Logan County, and settled in the extreme northeastern corner of what is now Mt. Pulaski Township, locating a claim. Prior to coming here, Robert Downing had enlisted in the War of 1812, serving several months in that early conflict. After coming to Illinois, Robert Downing began pioneer life in an unhewn log house, floored with puncheon and roofed with clapboards. During the first year, the cornmeal they used was "pounted" on a log by means of a spring pole and a wooden pestle. In 1824, he hauled a load of oats and a quantity of butter to Chicago, receiving three "bits" for the oats and one "bit" for the butter. In 1826, he went to the "lead regions" of Galena, where he spent two years and where he found pork worth $18 and flour $12 per barrel. One pair of boots lasted him all this time and those he made himself, from a rudely cut and sewed cow-hide. He died June 14, 1887, at the residence of his son, Lorenzo D. Downing, aged over ninety three years. His wife, Jane Downing, died in May, 1882, aged eighty years. Of their children, John M. was born September 22, 1822, and died in McLean County fifty-seven years later; Hannah was born March 3, 1825; Mary was born August 3, 1827, married George Roberts, and moved to Iowa; Lorenzo D. was born December 27, 1829, and his first wife was Angeline E., daughter of John Shoup, who died a few months after the marriage; Alexander was born February 26, 1832; Melita was born March 26, 1834, and married Thomas Downing in 1853; Henry C. was born August 30, 1836, and died from injuries received in the Civil War; Elizabeth was born February 24, 1839, and married Samuel Downing; Delilah was born February 10, 1842, and married David Shellhamer; Robert Hardin was born August 9, 1844.

James Downing, brother of Robert, also came to Logan County with the family in 1822. He was born in Madison County, Ohio, in 1805. He married Ruth Morrow, who was a native of New York. She died in November, 1881. In October, 1882, James Downing moved to Sumner, Kansas, to live with his son, Josiah, at which place he died in 1884. His family consisted of six children: John E., a Mexican War veteran, who was born June 10, 1826, and who married Elizabeth Roberts; Mary E., who married Thomas C. Fletcher; Martha J., who married George W. Ripley and moved to Kansas; Hannah, who married David Bowles and also moved to Kansas; and Melita, wife of John Syke, who moved to Nebraska.

History of Logan County, Illinois

Lawrence Beaumont Stringer, Pioneer Publishing Co., Chicago; 1989, Pgs. 67- 68

Contributed by: Wee

ROBERT DOWNING

Robert Downing, farmer, section 2, was born in Woodbridge, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, December 3, 1793. He is a son of John and Hannah (Frakes) Downing, who removal to what is now Ross County, Ohio, about the commencement of the present century. Here Robert Downing grew to manhood, accustomed to farm work and wood-craft. In 1813 he enlisted in an Ohio battalion and served some months in the war of 1812. He is now one of the few surviving pensioners of that struggle. In 1822, he came with his father and two brothers from Madison County Ohio, to Salt Creek, Logan County (then Sangamon County), Illinois. They came with horse teams and covered wagons, crossing Indiana, then a wilderness, with scarce any vestige of improvement.

The settlers on Salt Creek were Patrick Frakes, Nicholas Moore and James Scott, with their families. Mr. Downing entered eighty acres and began life in an unhewn log house, floored with puncheons and roofed with clapboards. Springfield, thirty miles sea west, a small "huddle" of log buildings, was the nearest "town," their county-spat and postoffice. During the first year the corn for these settlers was pounded on a log by means of a spring pole and wooden pestle. In 1824 Mr. Downing hauled a load of oats and a quantity of butter to Chicago, receiving three "bits" for oats and a "bit" for butter. Cows, pigs and chickens were almost unknown luxuries among them for a year or two.

About 1826 Mr. Downing went to the "lead region," where he spent two years and found pork worth $18 per barrel and flour at $12, and general hard times prevailing. One pair of boots lasted him all this time, and those he made himself from a rudely cut and sewed cow-hide. With money earned here he yeas enabled to "prove" on his pre-emption, the patent, signed by Andrew Jackson, being still in the family. Mr. Downing's present homestead now comprises 540 acres. The substantial farm house was built in 1851; the old place with its village of barns and the native timber surrounding it presents a most homelike and picturesque appear.

Robert Downing is a man who is nearing the end of life in the enjoyment of the fullest respect of all who know him, and a type of the brave and resolute pioneers of Illinois. His wife, Jane (Morrow) Downing, was born in the State of New York and died in 1881. She was a faithful helper in the stormy days of frontier troubles, and a trusted companion in the later and brighter days. Of their children, the eldest was John M., born on Salt Creek, September 22, 1822, dying fifty-seven years later; Hannah, born March 3, 1828, is also dead; Mary, born August 3, 1827, is the wife of George Roberts; Lorenzo, born December 27, 1829, is a farmer in Logan County; Alexander, born February 26, 1832, is a carpenter in Lincoln, Illinois. He served three years in the Rebellion and came out a Sergeant of the One Hundred and Sixth, Illinois Infantry; Melita, born March 26, 1834, is the widow of Thomas Downing, of Mount Pulaski Township; Clay, born August 10, 1838, enlisted in the One Hundred and Sixth Illinois Infantry and died in the service; Elizabeth, born February 24, 1839, is the wife is of Samuel Downing, of Chester Township; Delilah, born February 10, 1842, is the wife of David Shellhamer; R. Harden Downing, born August 9, 1844, is owner of a large farm and manager of the homestead. Father and sons have been Republicans since the organization of the party.

History of Logan County, Illinois. Chicago: Inter-State Publishing Company [1886]. pp. 786-787

Contributed by: Wee

SUBMITTER'S NOTE: Nicholas Moore (mentioned above) married Sarah Downing, sister of Robert Downing and daughter of John Downing & Hannah Frakes. Sarah also was born in Pennsylvania and married Nicholas Moore in Madison Co., Ohio. From Ohio, the Moores moved to Logan Co., Illinois about the same time as Sarah's parents and brothers. Nicholas & Sarah Moore moved from Logan Co., Illinois to Poweshiek Co., Iowa, approximately 1843. Nicholas died there in 1847 & Sarah died in 1874, both buried at Tilford Cemetery in Mahaska Co., Iowa.

MARTIN PATRICK DOYLE (2)

Born 1838, probably in County Galway, Ireland, he came to the United States in 1855. His wife was Ellen V., born 1839, who immigrated in 1856. Their children were Amanda, b. 1858, Charles, b. 1859, Ida, b. 1862, George Altair, b. 1863, and Lizzie, b. 1871. He bought a grist mill at Mount Union in 1874 from Basil J. DEVOR and wife. He was also elected to represent Huntingdon County in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for the years 1878-1879. In 1915 he is given in the obituary of my gr-gr-grandmother Barbara DOYLE HAGARTY, of Johnstown, PA, (he was her brother) as Fr. M. P. DOYLE, of Huntingdon, PA. He was not a Catholic priest as was first assumed, but a United Brethren minister from 1863-1889, at which time he surrendered his license to preach as a UB minister. (There was a split in the UB church in 1889, and the UB Archivist suggests that might be why he left.) He is found in the 1900 census in Huntingdon County, occupation "Minister", living at 1207 Mifflin St, and owning his house.

Martin Patrick Doyle served in the following: 21st Regiment, Pennsylvania Cavalry (182nd Volunteers) Organized at Harrisburg February, 1864. (Co. "D" detached April 1, 1864, and duty at Scranton, Pa., entire term.) Regiment moved to Washington, D. C., May 15, 1864, thence to join Army Potomac in the field, arriving at Cold Harbor, Va., June 1. Attached to 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Army Corps, Army Potomac, to September, 1864. 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Corps, to October, 1864. 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, Army Potomac, to March, 1865. 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, Cavalry Corps, to July, 1865. SERVICE.-Battles about Cold Harbor, Va., June 1-12, 1864. Before Petersburg June 16-18. Siege operations against Petersburg and Richmond June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865. Weldon Railroad August 18-21. Poplar Springs Church September 29-October 2. Sent to City Point October 5 and mounted. Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, October 27-28. Warren's Expedition to Hicksford December 7-12. Bellefield December 9-10. Dabney's Mills, Hatcher's Run, February 5-7, 1865. Appomattox Campaign March 28-April 9. Dinwiddie C. H. March 30-31. Five Forks April 1. Paine's Cross Road April 5. Sailor's Creek April 6. Appomattox C. H. April 9. Surrender of Lee and his army. Expedition to Danville April 23-29. Moved to Lynchburg, Va., and duty there and in Dept. of Virginia till July. Mustered out July 8, 1865. Regiment lost during service 4 Officers and 80 Enlisted men killed and mortally wounded and 2 Officers and 116 Enlisted men by disease. Total 202.

21ST REGIMENT, PENNSYLVANIA CAVALRY

182ND VOLUNTEERS

Soldier Name Company Rank In Rank Out

Doyle, Martin P. E 1 Lieutenant 1 Lieutenant

Doyle, Martin P. I 1 Lieutenant 1 Lieutenant

According to information received from HCHS, Martin Patrick Doyle died in 1916 and is interred at Riverview Cemetery.

Contributed by Phyllis Edwards. lamizzee@earthlink.net

DR. HARRY BURKETT FETTERHOOF

One of the ablest and best-known physicians of Western Pennsylvania, Dr. Harry Burkett Fetterhoof ministered to a large clientele in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and displayed diagnostic and curative ability amounting to genius. He was descended from the German family of Fetterhoofs, who settled in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. The early representative, Michael Fetterhoof, soone left that first resting place and moved to Spruce Creek Valley, Huntingdon County, where he owned a tract of four hundred acres partly cleared and under cultivation by the owner until his death. He married Elizabeth Rinehart, also of German birth, and like himself a member of the Lutheran church. Children: John, Joseph, Samuel, George, Michael (2) of further mention; Lydia, who married Michael Lowe; Margaret, who married John Shaffer; Elizabeth, who married Jacob Shaffer; Susanna, who married Charles Merriman.

Michael (2) Fetterhoof, son of Michael and Elizabeth (Rinehart) Fetterhoof, was born in York, Pennsylvania, in 1802, and spent his early life farming. He inherited his father's farm, which he had helped clear, put the whole tract under cultivation, and lived there all his life, a prosperous, contented, respected farmer. Active first in the Whig, then in the Republican party, he held several township offices. He embraced the Lutheran faith and supported that church. He married Eliza Beghel, daughter of George and Elizabeth Beghel, both native Germans, the father a mason by trade. Children: Samuel, deceased; Mary, Married William Shaffer; Jess, a farmer, deceased; Elizabeth, married Thomas K. Henderson; Daniel, a farmer, deceased; George, a farmer; John, a farmer; William Beghel, of further mention; Margaret, deceased; Francis, died in infancy.

William Beghel, son of Michael (2) and Eliza (Beghel) Fetterhoof, was born on the old homestead at Spruce Creek Valley, Huntingdon County, June 18, 1843. He attended public school and spent his early life on a farm, but, when he grew older, learned the tanning trade and engaged in that business with his father-in-law, David Mong. In 1889 he was appointed guard at the State Industrial Reformatory. A Republican in politics, he was a member of the Presbyterian church. He married Margaret, daughter of David Mong, owner of a tannery near Warriors Mark. Children: Harry Burkett, of further mention; Edith, who died in 1903 at the age of twenty; Lois, residing at home, and Virginia, who died in infancy.

Harry Burkett, fourth generation of his family in America, son of William and Margaret (Mong) Fetterhoof, was born at Warriors Mark, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, July 28, 1871. He attended private school in his neighborhood and graduated from Juniata College in the class of 1895. Thus liberally educated, he completed his professional training by a course in medicine at Hahnemann Homeopathic Medical College in Philadelphia, from which he graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1899.

Dr. Fetterhoof began the practice of his profession in Huntingdon, proving himself so sympathetic, so technically and scientifically well prepared, and so unflagging in his devotion to his patients that he built up a large general practice. He was highly esteemed by the fellow members of his profession as well as by the public. He was a member of the medical staff of Blair Memorial Hospital and an active member of the Pennsylvania State and Huntingdon County Homeopathic societies. His political sympathies were with the Republican party, his religions affiliation was with the Presbyterian church. He was a member of Mount Moriah Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Dr. Fetterhoof died September 21, 1920, in the forty-ninth year of his age.

In January, 1906, Dr. Fetterhoof married Mary M. Orr, born in Philadelphia, daughter of Smiley and Martha Orr, of that city.

There are men whose memory is always green in the minds of those who knew them; whose personality is so vivid that it never fades from the recollection of friends and acquaintances; men of whom it cannot be said, "They are dead," because their vital and dominant spirit still throbs in the hearts that loved them. Such was Harry B. Fetterhoof, physician, good citizen and devoted husband.

Pennsylvania A History - Biographical. George P. Donehoo, Editor-in-Chief. (Chicago/New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1928), 129-130.

EDWARD STEWART McMURTRIE

Esteemed as one of the most expert lawyers in financial and real estate matters in his section of Pennsylvania, a gentleman of culture and refinement, who was given to making unostentatious and generous benefactions, the late Edward Stewart McMurtrie, of Huntingdon, gave proof through his long and useful life that he merited the encomiums of his brethren at the bar and the affection of his friends, who were legion. A native of Huntingdon, the second child of a family of eight children of William Edward and Margaret (Whittaker) McMurtrie, he was born August 13, 1842, and died November 21, 1925. His parents were of old and honorable families, and through his father he was of ancient Scottish lineage. His father's career as a well-known business man and expert farmer is noted elsewhere in this work. The outstanding family traits of uprightness, individual worth and business and professional integrity, found ample expression in the Huntingdon County lawyer and substantial citizen.

The preparatory training of Edward Stewart McMurtrie was received at Tuscarora Academy, where J. H. Shoemaker, father of S. R. Shoemaker, formerly cashier of the First National Bank of Huntingdon, was at the time preceptor. Graduating from the academy in 1861, he entered Jefferson College, now Washington and Jefferson, at Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, now Washington, where he finished his academic courses and was graduated in the class of 1864. He had elected to enter the legal profession, and with that goal in view, he studied law in the office of Stewart & Clark, at Indiana, Pennsylvania, where he was admitted to the bar in 1866. On August 13 of that same year he was admitted to the bar of Huntingdon County.

Mr. McMurtrie first formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Robert Milton Speer, under the style of Speer & McMurtrie, and this happy and profitable arrangement continued in effect until the death of Mr. Speer. Mr. McMurtrie then opened a law office alone, and thus continued to practice, making a specialty of settling estates and of financial law. His practice did not take him into the courts to any appreciable extent, but was almost wholly confined to business practice in his office. In the preparation of legal papers he was held by his colleagues to be the most careful and the ablest practitioner of his time in that region.

Members of the Huntingdon County bar delight to recall with what generosity and wisdom he gave of his advice to the younger lawyers, who sought his counsel in many an intricate problem. So thorough was he in the preparation of his papers that hardly ever was an error to be found in them. He was of a deeply studious temperament, and had assembled at his home one of the most select yet comprehensive libraries in this part of the State. There were thousands of volumes dealing with history, travel, biography, and technical subjects, besides a most complete library of law works.

He was much sought after by persons in financial difficulties, who highly appreciated his keen financial mind, and such persons were always confident of receiving just the assistance their respective cases required. In many of these instances he never asked or expected financial return or other consideration. He gave every evidence of delighting to be of the highest service in worthy cases either in his professional capacity or in an altruistic manner, which none but he and the recipients ever knew about. Many are there whom he had assisted to obtain an education, or to purchase a home, or to rescue their income from a state of jeopardy. When it came to fraud or any sort of deception, patience with him ceased to be a virtue, for as was freely attested by his colleagues, and all who knew him, he was the soul of honor, upright and sincere in all his actions.

All his life, Mr. McMurtrie had proved his faith and courage in an uphill fight against a poor state of health. In his earlier days he was menaced with tuberculosis of the lungs, and subsequently there arrived a crucial period, when he was compelled to seek the great open spaces and the invigorating properties of the Minnesota country, then of the warmer climes of Florida and other regions. His innate heroism and persistency, coupled with a mounting courage and an abiding faith, helped win a decisive victory over his native weakness, and he returned to Huntingdon to live many years of remarkable professional service and usefulness to his fellows.

For many years Mr. McMurtrie was a director of the Union Bank of Huntingdon, and it was he who prepared the necessary legal documents and obtained the charter when that bank was recognized as the Union National Bank of Huntingdon.

It had been Mr. McMurtrie's chief delight to spend his winters in travel, and, annually, for a considerable number of years, he sojourned in Florida, passing the time at Miami, where he made many warm and permanent friendships of kindred spirits. The winter of 1924-25 he suffered a severe illness at Miami, but made a partial recovery, so that he was enabled ot return to his Huntingdon home, where he gradually failed until the time of his passing.

Full four-score years and three

Did this fine soul complete his

Span to make of life a thing of

Joy and unselfish service to those

Who knew his heart and as kindly hand.

Pennsylvania A History - Biographical. George P. Donehoo, Editor-in-Chief. (Chicago/New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1928), 125-126.

WILLIAM EDWARD McMURTRIE

A member of an old and historic family in Pennsylvania, William Edward McMurtrie, throughout his long life, spanning almost the whole of the nineteenth century, did much to further the element of progress in his adopted town of Huntingdon. He was born in Petersburg, Pennsylvania, February 13, 1817, and died in Huntingdon, January 24, 1893. HIs father, David McMurtrie, born in 1764, died in 1843, came to Petersburg in 1776 from Philadelphia. He was a son of David McMurtrie, who came from Ayr, Scotland, in 1752, to Philadelphia.

MacMurtrie (McMurtrie) is a sub-clan of the Stewarts (Stuart) of Bute, whose arms Burke records as follows:

Arms - Or, a fess chequy, azure and argent, between three lions rampant gules.

David McMurtrie, of Scotland, married March 18, 1757, Margery Fisher. The son, David McMurtrie, attained prominence in local affairs, and served as treasurer of the town of Huntingdon. He married, in 1795, Martha Elliott, born in 1779, in Huntingdon, where she died in 1841.

William Edward McMurtrie grew up in Huntingdon, receiving his education in the common schools. After a short experience in the iron business near Frederick, Maryland, he returned to Huntingdon to engage in the mercantile business. Success attended his efforts. Upon retiring, he purchased farms scattered throughout that section of the country, made a scientific study of agriculture, and acted as consultant to farmers. An able and intelligent man, high principled and altruistic, he had the liking and respect of the whole countryside.

William E. McMurtrie married, February 13, 1840, in Huntingdon, Margaret Whittaker, daughter of Captain John and Elizabeth (Grove) Whittaker, born in 1817, and died in 1899, in Huntingdon. Her father, Captain John Whittaker, owned a hotel in the town and received his title in the days when the canals were being constructed. To William E. and Margaret (Whittaker) McMurtrie were born eight children, of whom two survive: I. Martha Ellen, who died in 1876; married Robert Milton Speer, a prominent lawyer of Huntingdon, in 1864, and they were the parents of six children: i. William McMurtrie, a Yale graduate, newspaper reporter and lawyer in New York City. ii. Dr. Robert Elliott, secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions in New York City, and father of Elliott Speer, president of Northfield College. iii. Mary, deceased. iv. Victor, deceased. v. Margaret Agnes, who married Charles L. Reed, and resides in Huntingdon. vi. Martha Ellen, who died in infancy. 2. Edward Stewart, a biography of whom follows. 3. Arthur, who died in Ogden, Utah, March 20, 1925. 4. Elizabeth Whittaker, who married C. C. North in 1870, resided in Washington, District of Columbia, until her death. They were the parents of the following children: i. David Edgar, deceased, who was a lawyer in Altoona, Pennsylvania. ii. William McMurtrie, with the Fuller Construction Company of New York. iii. Caleb C. iv. James, a cartoonist. v. Elizabeth, who married Herbert A. Kipp, of Houston, Texas. vi. Margaret McMurtrie, who resides at home. 5. David Elliott, who died in 1920. 6. Mary, who died in 1900. 7. Margaret, who died in 1879. 8. Clara, who resides in the old homestead at Fourth and Penn streets, Huntingdon, in a house one hundred and two years old, built by one of her ancestors. She is a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and is descended from Benjamin Elliott, a delegate to the first State Constitutional Convention which met in Philadelphia in 1776, and who was born in Huntingdon, in 1752, and died there in 1835, and was the first burgess of Huntingdon, the son of Robert Elliott, born about 1720, died in 1768. Benjamin Elliott married, in 1776, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mary Carpenter, born in 1754, died in 1784.

Thus the family founded in Western Pennsylvania by William E. McMurtrie throve and proved a valuable asset to the community. The founder was a fine citizen, a man of high ideals and lofty accomplishments, and a stimulating business man. The city of Huntingdon owes much to his wisdom and foresight.

Pennsylvania A History - Biographical. George P. Donehoo, Editor-in-Chief. (Chicago/New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1928), 125.

JOHN BRADLEY REED

One of the most prominent coal operators of several counties in the richest coal regions of Pennsylvania was John Bradley Reed, a pioneer in that industry who set many important enterprises going, and an executive in banks and land improvement companies. John B. Reed was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, January 24, 1857, son of J. J. and Ellen (Bradley) Reed, natives of Chester County, in that State, and of good Quaker ancestry. He attended the Dudley schools and the West Chester State Normal.

His education completed, Mr. Reed entered the coal business with his father, in the Broad Top Mines, and he was made manager of the furnaces at Saxton. He then operated in Clearfield and in Cambria County. He was put in charge of the Bakerton and South Fork mines of the Powell concern, then made general manager of the Sterling Coal Company, a position he held throughout the rest of his life. In all Mr. Reed was instrumental in the opening up of eight large producing mines, equipped with the latest appliances, including electric machines, and mining coal of a superior quality. It was he who sent out the first shipment of coal over the Susquehanna branch of the New York Central Railroad. His other interests were varied, including a part in the organization of the Bakerton Water Company, of which he was a director, and of the Bakerton Land and Improvement Company, as well as the Indiana Land and Improvement Company, which owned 2,800 acres of coal land in Indiana County and a thousand in Cambria County. He was president of the Cambria Title, Savings and Trust Company of Ebensburg and vice-president of the Spangler National Bank. His reputation was widespread as one of the best mine superintendents in the State and was very popular with the miners. His active and successful life came to an early end on January 31, 1914, when he was fifty-seven years of age.

He was an active Republican, who used all his influence to further the temperance movement Prominent in Masonry, he was a member of the lodge in Huntingdon, No. 300, Free and Accepted Masons, of Chapter No. 201, of the same place, and the Commandery No. 65, Knights Templar. Although loyal to the faith of the Society of Friends, Mr. Reed was a supporter of the Methodist church in his town, helping to erect the commodious new church and parsonage.

In 1883 John Bradley Reed married Ida Black, daughter of John W. and Jane M. (Greenland) Black, who survives him, living in Huntingdon. To them was born a daughter, Jessie, July 11, 1888. She married Rev. Harry F. Babcock, a Methodist minister of Lewisburg, and they have two children: John Reed, born 1916; Jean, born 1920.

Alert, possessed of initiative, imagination and foresight, John Bradley Reed was the ideal type of American business man. His operations, while they benefited his own fortunes, proved stimulating to the general progress of the town and brought wealth to other individuals. He was honorable and unselfish, and so well liked by equals and employees that few labor troubles disturbed his operations. Further, he was the devoted head of a family and leader in the church and all good works, as well as a forward-looking citizen.

Pennsylvania A History - Biographical. George P. Donehoo, Editor-in-Chief. (Chicago/New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1928), 121.

WILLIAM SIMPSON

1839 Member of the Rock River Conference Methodist Episcopal Church William Simpson was born in Huntingdon County on January 22, 1812. He was a son of Scotch-Irish immigrant Robert Patterson Simpson and Nancy Moore who had been married by the Presbyterian pastor, the Rev. John Johnston, on April 3, 1798. William "was a great, strong fellow, six feet high, with black hair." After a conversion experience at age twenty, William united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, moved west, and became an ordained clergyman. He was a circuit rider in the western territories as the states of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin were being established. On February 22, 1842, Wlliam Simpson married Nancy Moore Range, born in Tionesta, Pennsylvania, daughter of John Range (1804-1829) and Sarah Noble (1806-1836). They had ten children, five living to maturity: John Range (1842-1916) who married Josephine R. Waller; Melvin (1847-?); Junietta Martin (1855-1911) who married M. E. Garretson and then Chris Rich; Laura F. (1857-?) who married Joseph C. Deitrick; and William (1859-1921) who married Mary Elizabeth Seymour Parsons. William Simpson died in Marshall (now Wayland), Iowa, on February 22, 1864.

JACOB & SARAH DOWNING SHOUP

SHOUP, JACOB, born May 9, 1780, in Huntington county, Pa., was married there May 25, 1802, to Sarah Downing, who was born Aug. 13, 1782, in the same county. They moved to Pickaway county, Ohio, where they had sixteen children, each one of whom lived to be twenty-six years of age and over. The family moved to Sangamon county, Ill., arriving in what is now Ball township, in the autumn of 1831. It was then called Cotton Hill Precinct. Of their sixteen children--

JOHN, born May 31, 1803, in Ohio, was married there to Hannah Martin. They both died in Logan county, Ill., leaving six children, near Lincoln.

MARY, born Sept. 5, 1804, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, Ill., to James Fletcher. He died, leaving a widow and two children, near Lincoln, Ill.

JACOB, born Sept. 17, 1805, died unmarried in Pickaway county, Ohio, in the twenty-seventh year of his age.

SARAH, born May 12, 1807, in Ohio, died in Sangamon county, Ill., unmarried, in the sixty-first year of her age.

THOMAS, born Dec. 19, 1808, in Ohio, was married there to Rachel Anderson. They had six children, and Thomas Shoup died in Logan county, Ill. His widow and children live near Lincoln, Illinois.

ELIZA, born Feb. 27, 1810, in Pickaway county, Ohio, was married in Sagamon county, Ill., to William Gulliford. They moved to Oregon in the spring of 1852, and both died there, leaving nine children.

MARIA, born Jan. 30, 1812, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, Ill., to David Brunk. See his name.

TIMOTHY, born March 12, 1813, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, to Mary Keys. They had five children.

JACOB, died in his tenth year. ELIZABETH J., married James Crawley. They have two children, MARY E. and JOHN E., and live in Ball township, near Cotton Hill postoffice, Sangamon county. James Crawley enlisted Oct. 5, 1861, at Springfield, in Co. I, 7th Ill. Inf., for three years, re-enlisted as a veteran Jan. 1864, was captured at Allatoona Mountain, Georgia, Oct. 5, 1864, within one hour of three years from his first enlistment. After spending five months in prison, he joined his regiment, was commissioned First Lieutenant Nov. 1, 1864, served to the close of the rebellion, and was honorably discharged July 12, 1865. ISAAC F., married Maria N. Byers, a native of Madison county, Ohio. They have four children, LILA A., LEWIS, JOHN T. and JESSE E., and live one and a half miles east of Cotton Hill postoffice, Sangamon county, Ill. ALEXANDER F., born March 3, 1844, married Arthalinda Bell. They have three children, MINA, ADALEE and SAMUEL B., and live near Bell's mill, seven miles southeast of Springfield, Ill. JOHN H., born July 11, 1847, was married in October, 1868, to Rachel Bell. They have one child, WILLIAM, and live near Zion's Chapel, and New City, Sangamon county, Ill. Timothy Shoup died Feb. 28, 1850, at Crow's mill, which he then owned. His widow lives with her son-in-law, James Crawley, near Crow's mill, or Cotton Hill, postoffice, Ill.

ELIZABETH, born May 9, 1815, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, to Barrett Ramsey. They moved to the Pacific coast in 1852, have five children, and live at Marysville, Baker county, Oregon.

DELILAH, born April 27, 1817, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county, to Elijah Bradshaw. She died without children. Mr. B. was married again in the winter of 1875, and lives one mile east of Cotton Hill postoffice, Sangamon county.

ALEXANDER, born Feb. 23, 1819, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county to Mary J. Wilkinson. They had five children, and Mr. Shoup was accidentally killed while pressing cider, in the fall of 1856. His widow married Mr. Brown, and lives in St. Joseph, Missouri.

DORCAS, born Jan. 28, 1821, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county to Thomas Lovelock. They had six children, JOSEPH, ALEXANDER, THOMAS, SAMUEL, GEORGE and MARY. Mr. Lovelock died, and his widow lives in Ray county, Mo.

HENRY, born May 4, 1822, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county to Ruth Knotts. They have seven children.

ELBERT W., married Martha A. Sanders. They have one child, CHARLES L., and live near Cotton Hill. SARAH E., married James Milliner, and lives near Cotton Hill. JACOB, ELIJAH, LEANDER, SAMUEL and DELILAH live with their parents. Henry Shoup lives on the farm where his father settled in 1831, in Ball township, east of Crow's mill, or Cotton Hill postoffice, Sangamon county, Ill.

NANCY, born May 8, 1824, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county to Joseph Penn. They have five children, SARAH, JOHN, ROSY, HENRY and GEORGE, and live near Lancaster, Dallas county, Texas.

SAMUEL N., born May 16, 1827, in Pickaway county, Ohio, was married Nov. 18, 1857, in Sangamon county, Ill., to Alice J. Mourer. They had seven children. JOHN CARROLL, the fifth child, died July 24, 1874 from injuries inflicted by being thrown from a buggy attached to a runaway team two days previous. SALLIE IRVING, the sixth child, died August 13, 1874. WILLIE H., ETTIE MAY, HARRY S., LUELLA M. and LUCY live with their parents. Samuel N. Shoup has had an eventful life. He accompanied two of his sisters to Oregon in 1852 and returned in 1855. He went with another sister to Texas in the fall of 1855 and returned in 1856. When the rebellion began he raised a company which became Co. E, 114th Ill. Inf., and was elected and commissioned captain at its organization, was promoted through the different grades to colonel of the regiment, and was in command at the close of the rebellion. He was elected Sheriff of Sangamon county in 1866 for two years. Col. S. N. Shoup and family reside in Ball township, near Cotton Hill Post Office, Sangamon county, Illinois.

MELISSA, born March 15, 1827, in Ohio, was married in Sangamon county to Philemon Stout. See his name.

Jacob Shoup died Dec. 19, 1849, and Mrs. Sarah Shoup died April 20, 1850, both on the farm where they settled in 1831, in Sangamon county, Illinois.

History of Early Settlers in Sangamon County Illinois by John Carroll Powers,

pub by Edwin Wilson & Co., Illinois 1876

PETER SMICE

Peter Smice was born March 21, 1801 in Tell Township, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. His obituary lists �Pennsylvania� as his place of birth, moving to Maryland later. The 1880 census of Ogle County, Illinois, recorded �Maryland� as Peter Smice�s place of birth. He was the seventh child of Johannes SCHMEISS and Maria Elizabeth FRENCH. Johannes Schmeiss was a Hessian soldier, a Private in Company 5 of the von Knyphausen Regiment, who was captured at the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War. Maria French was the daughter of John and Maria FRENCH.

In the 1800 census, the Schmeiss family (now called SMICE) are residing in Shirley Township, Shirleysburg Borough, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. On June 27, 1824, Peter Smice married Elizabeth PARKS in Hagerstown, Washington County, Maryland. Records indicate that this marriage produced ten (10) children: Margaret, Susanna, Elizabeth, Rebecca, John, George, Lydia Amelia, Mary Louisa, Nathan and Alonzo Keith. Peter Smice and his family are residing in Boonesboro, Washington County, Maryland in the 1830 census. There is a land record of Peter Smice selling land to a �Samuel McKee� dated 1833, Washington County, Maryland.

According to the obituary of Peter Smice, the family moved to Ohio in 1844. From there, the Smice family migrated to Ogle County, Illinois in 1848. This obituary also mentions that �Mr. and Mrs. Smice belonged to the Lutheran Church in Maryland, but never joined here. While in Ogle County just a short time, death struck. Elizabeth Parks Smice died October 3, 1849. Cemetery records indicate that Elizabeth died of �Bilious Cholic, sick one day�. This left Peter Smice with several small children to raise.

In the 1850 census Peter Smice and five (5) children are found residing in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, Illinois. A Land Patent, certificate number 32000, dated January 10, 1851, describes forty acres of land sold to Peter Smice of Ogle County, Illinois. The President of the United States at this time was Millard Fillmore.

Peter Smice is found in the 1860 census with three (3) children living at home, ages 18-25, in Grand Detour Township, Ogle County, Illinois. Peter is mentioned in the 1865 Agricultural Census as residing in Ogle County. In the 1870 census of Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, Illinois, Peter Smice is the head of the household. Living with him is his son, Nace (Nathan Smice, age 23), his widowed daughter, Amelia Trump (age 28) and his granddaughter, Lydia A. Trump (age 2).

On March 8, 1877, by making his mark (�X�), Peter Smice recorded his Will. He stated he was 73 years old and a resident of Grand Detour, Ogle County. He bequeathed one dollar to his daughters: Susanna Keith (wife of John Keith), Margaret Nettz (wife of Henry Nettz) and Elizabeth Welty (wife of John Welty). The rest of his estate he bequeathed to be equally divided between and among his sons and daughters: John Smice, George Smice, Nace Smice, Mary Lawver (wife of Andrew J. Lawver) and Amelia Trump (widow of Oli Trump). Peter appointed his son, John Smice, and a man named �James Rogers� as executors of his will. Witnesses to his Will was John D. Wiley, Henry Lawver, and William Jones.

In the 1880 census of Grand Detour, Ogle County, Illinois, Peter Smice is listed as the head of the household, age 76, unemployed, and being born in Maryland. He listed his father as being born in Baden, Germany. Living with Peter was his daughter, �Milla� (Amelia, age 36) and his granddaughter, Lydia (age 12).

Peter Smice died January 30, 1884 in Grand Detour, Illinois. He was buried next to his wife in the Pine Creek Brethren Cemetery (old Dunkards Cemetery) in Pine Creek Township, Ogle County, Illinois. From his obituary in the Dixon Evening Telegraph, dated February 7, 1884, Dixon, Lee County, Illinois, page 4: ��Two children died several years ago, and eight children, twenty-five grand children and nine great grandchildren await the summons of the Master.�

Written and contributed by: Mr. Layne A. Holley

G. M. WILLIAMS [George M. Williams]

G. M. Williams is a well-known, prominent citizen of Cass Township, of which he has been a resident since 1876. He was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, January 8, 1829, and is a son of Thomas and Jane (Bell) Williams, also natives of Pennsylvania. George M. was a lad of twelve years when his parents removed to Knox County, Ohio; there he grew to manhood, passing much time in agricultural pursuits, and taking advantage of the limited opportunities afforded by the public schools. He was married October 24, 1850, to Miss Mary A. Gant, a native of Loudoun County, Virginia, and a daughter of Samuel and Mary (Andrews) Gant, natives of Virginia, and members of old families of that state, of Hollandish ancestry. Mrs. Williams was four years of age when her parents went to Knox County, Ohio, where she was reared and educated.

After their marriage they continued to reside in Knox County until 1858, when they came to Johnson County, Iowa, and settled near Iowa City. They made this their home until 1876, when they came to Shelby County.

When there was a call for men in the late civil war, Mr. Williams enlisted in August, 1862, in the Twenty-eighth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, Company E. He enlisted as a private, was promoted to Sergeant, and later was made Second Lieutenant. He took an active part in the expedition up White River, the siege of Vicksburg, Port Gibson, Champion Hills. He was honorably discharged in January, 1864.

On coming to Shelby County, Mr. Williams bought 160 acres of wild land, and has made later purchases until he now owns 1,000 acres. The farm is one of the best cultivated and improved in Shelby County, having a fine residence, and barn, cribs and sheds; there is also a windmill supplying water wherever desired. Mr. Williams makes a specialty of raising cattle and is one of the most extensive breeders in Shelby County.

He and his wife are the parents of six children -- Emeline V., wife of Robert Kuhn; Flora J., wife of N.M. Petitt; Capitola, wife of A.G. Wolfbarger; John C., George F. and Thomas.

Mr. Williams supports the issues of the Republican party. He is a member of the G. A. R., Dick Yates Post, of Shelby, Iowa. He is a man well informed upon general topics, honorable and upright in all his dealings, and held in high esteem and respect by all who know him.

Biographical History of Shelby and Audubon Counties, Iowa

Section: History of Shelby County, Iowa; Chapter: Biographical Sketches, Pg. 480

W.S. Dunbar, Publishers; Chicago; 1889

Contributed by: Wee

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