BIO: Hon. Andrew GREGG, Centre County, Pennsylvania Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja and Joan Brooks Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/centre/ _______________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1898. _______________________________________________ COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD, pages 19-20 HON. ANDREW GREGG, who in his lifetime was a citizen of distinction of Bellefonte, Centre county, having served in both Houses of the United States Congress, was born June 10, 1755, about two miles northwesterly of Carlisle, Penn., on a farm, adjoining the meeting house farm, in Middleton township. Andrew Gregg, his father, came from Londonderry, Ireland, and his grandfather's name was John. The family had emigrated from Scotland to Ireland, and an old-fashioned sword and espontoon, long in the garret of the old house on the Conodoguinet, were arms of the ancestor in the army of King William at the battle of the Boyne, July 1, 1690. Of Mr. Gregg's grandfather's family, John remained in Ireland; David, Andrew, and their sister Rachel, who was married to Solomon Walker, came to America. David settled in New Hampshire, and raised a large family there. The Gregg families of Salem, Mass., Elmira, N.Y., and Indianapolis, Ind., are descendants of David. Andrew and Mrs. Walker settled on Christiana creek, near Newark, Del., in 1732, where his first wife died, and Andrew married Jane Scott, daughter of Matthew Scott, who had emigrated from Armagh, Ireland, to Chestnut Level. Andrew Gregg, the elder, removed to the farm near Carlisle, in 1750, where he died November 18, 1789. Among his children were Matthew, who was a wagon master in the army from January 9, 1779, to August 14, 1790; James and John, who were also connected with the army. John Gregg was the father of Elizabeth (wife of George McKee), who died in Bellefonte, October 11, 1801, and of the first Mrs. Roland Curtin, Sr. Hon. Andrew Gregg received his early education at Rev. John Steel's Latin school, in Carlisle, and was then sent to Newark, Del., to complete his education. While thus engaged he turned out upon several occasions in the militia. On the march of the British from Turkey Point to Philadelphia, the academy at Newark was broken up, and Mr. Gregg returned to Carlisle to assist his father on the farm, his other brothers being in the army. In 1779 he went to Philadelphia, with the intention of going to France for his health, which had been in a declining state for some time; but changing his intention, he accepted the appointment of tutor in the college (now university) there, and continued there under Dr. Smith's and Dr. Ewing's administrations until 1783, when he removed to Middleton, Penn., where he resided four years, engaged in the mercantile business. On January 29, 1787, Mr. Gregg was married to Martha, daughter of Maj.-Gen. James Potter, at the latter's old resi- COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD - 20 dence in Buffalo Valley, now Union county. He then removed to Lewistown, then being laid out by Gen. Potter and Maj. Montgomery, where his daughter Mary, afterward Mrs. McLanahan, of Greencastle, Penn., was born, November 2, 1788. In 1789 he removed to Penn's valley, two miles east of the Old Fort. His public services commenced November 8, 1791, as member of the House of Representatives of the United States. He was continued in the House by successive elections for a period of sixteen years, and in 1807 he was chosen United States senator, which position he occupied until March 3, 1813. He was twice elected president of the Senate, the highest distinction in the councils of the nation any Pennsylvanian had then attained. In 1814 he removed from Penn's Valley to Bellefonte for the purpose of better educating his family. He was the first president of the Centre Bank, which was organized under articles of association or partnership in 1813, and was re-elected in 1814. On the 19th of December, 1820, he was appointed secretary of the Commonwealth by Gov. Hiester, which office he held when nominated by a convention that met at Lewistown May 15, 1823, for governor in opposition to Mr. Shultz, who had been nominated by what was called a Legislative Convention at Harrisburg on the 5th of March. After Mr. Gregg retired from the office of Secretary of the Commonwealth, he resided in Bellefonte until his death, which occurred May 20, 1835. He had strong party predilections, but was remarkable for his independence of character, always acting according to the convictions of his own mind, though they sometimes differed from those of political friends. He was while in office, in fact what he was elected to be, the representative of the interests of his constituents. He was always scrupulously tenacious of his oath to serve the public good according to the best of his judgment and ability, never yielding his duty to the prejudices of party spirit or the views of interested politicians. Mr. Gregg's children, ten in number, were: (1) Mrs. Mary McLanahan, of Greencastle, mother of Andrew, James, Isabella and Mary. (2) Jane, mother of Roland Curtin, Sr., father of ex-Gov. A.G. Curtin. (3) Martha, who married Dr. Constans Curtin, and died December 11, 1829. (4) Julia Ann, who married Gen. James Irvin, and died July 4, 1856. (5) Eliza Mitchell, widow of David Mitchell, of Bellefonte, now deceased. (6) Hon. Andrew Gregg, who died May 13, 1869, father of Gen. John I. Gregg, late of the United States army, of Andrew Gregg, county commissioner in 1895. (7) James P. Gregg, married Eliza Wilson, and died in Virginia, September 8, 1845. (8) Matthew D., married Ellen McMurtrie, who also died in Virginia, July 26, 1845, the father of Gen. David McMurtrie Gregg, now (1895) of Reading, Penn., a distinguished cavalry officer of the United States army during the war of the Rebellion. (9) Sarah, who married Henry Kinney, and died March 28, 1836. (10) Mrs. Margery Tucker, of Lewisburg, Penn., widow of Rev. Charles Tucker, of the Baptist Church.