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Updated: 28 Dec 2000, 17:40
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THE HISTORY OF LAWRENCE COUNTY, as contemplated in the plan of this work, involves a vast amount of research, of careful discrimination and incessant application. The various topics, which are treated more or less extensively, cover every profession and calling.
The Pioneer, the Soldier, the Missionary, the Minister of the Gospel, the Legislator, the Attorney, the Farmer, the Manufacturer, the Merchant, and the Miner, have each their respective and proper places in the pages of the work, which we have endeavored to make as thorough and complete as the time allowed us would possibly admit of. The "Oldest Inhabitant" has been everywhere consulted, and the fading memories of the veterans who have passed their four-score years, have been brightened up, and persuaded to contribute their storied wealth to the edification of coming generations. What is preserved in these overflowing pages, can never be lost; and, though it may be mingled with, and obscured by many imperfections, yet, in the main, it will be found a valuable contribution to the general history of this interesting and beautiful region.
Situated in the historic valley of the Beaver, its early history partakes largely of the romantic; and the dim traditions of the ancient Lenape, and their powerful enemies and conquerors, the farnous Mengwe--the Iroquois of the French--are strangely blended with the almost equally obscure and marvelous legends of the pioneers who first set foot in these picturesque regions.
Hither, in the full faith of their young manhood, came the Moravian pioneer Missionaries--Post, Heckewelder, Zeisberger, Senseman and others--bearing aloft the standard of the Cross, and burning with zeal in their Master's cause--literally bearing their lives in their hands, and risking all for the propogation of that faith which they believed infallible.
Following these, in the closing years of the eighteenth century, came the Pioneers--"the first low wash of waves, where soon should roll a human sea"--"bold, hardy men," Who left the luxuries and allurements of the older settlements to found a new empire in the wilderness, and leave behind them an inheritance for their children. Civilization rapidly followed, and soon the country was filled with an industrious and thriving population, who looked well after not only the physical and temporal, but also the spiritual welfare of the State, and founded towns, schools, churches, and institutions of various kinds, which still bear witness to the foresight and determination of the fathers.
In the arrangement of the work, each city, borough and township is treated separately, and a full and complete history given, including early settlements, schools, churches, manufactures, soil, timber, mining, minerals, &c., &c., from the earliest date down to the present.
A very interesting chapter upon the Geology of the county, in which are principally discussed the four subjects, Stratifications, Coal, Iron and Oil, has been prepared from a variety of information, largely obtained, from experienced men engaged in the various branches of industry involving the use of these materials.
The General History of the county is so closely interwoven with that of the townships and boroughs, that only a limited amount of space is occupied by its details. The organization of the county, and a list of all its officers and legislators, is furnished in this connection.
The city of New Castle being the focal point around which the history of the entire county centres, necessarily monopolizes a large share of the space allotted to the work.
The history of each township and borough is as thorough as careful research and diligent application could make it, and will be found very full and interesting. Educational and religious topics are treated with much ability, and in detail; and the history of the various churches, in particular, has been carefully prepared, to a great extent, by pastors, and others familiar with the subject, and competent to do it justice.
The Medical and Legal Professions are represented in two excellent arti- cles, written by well-known gentlemen, which will be read with interest.
The Biographical Department embraces numerous sketches of representative men and prominent citizens in the various walks of life, faithfully given, carefully written, and readable--making, altogether, a most interesting and instructive chapter. Accompanying these are a large number of excellently executed portraits, making a choice selection of representative men and women from various parts of the county.
The Military Record, Rosters and Roll of Honor, close the volume, and have been as carefully prepared from the best authorities to be obtained, as it was possible to make them. The record of any military organization, great or small, after the lapse of fifteen years, is exceedingly difficult to be obtained of sufficient correctness to be entirely reliable and atisfactory. We have made the best use of the material at hand.
The work is highly embelished with a large number of views of public and private property, natural scenery, &c., &c., executed in the best manner.
We sincerely trust that our attempt to rescue from oblivion, and embody in readable form the early and later facts constituting the history of Lawrence county, will be appreciated; and while we do not claim an absolutely perfect work in every particular, we insist that our labors have been directed solely with the view of giving as accurate and reliable a work as could be gathered from authentic records and documents, and from the recollections of the few remaining men and women of the "olden time."
In conclusion, we would respectfully acknowledge our many obligations to those who have obligingly furnished us with information upon the various subjects which constitute the finished work.
The following list embraces the majority of those who have kindly aided us in this enterprise:
To the following-named gentlemen we are under special obligations:
Hon. David Sankey, Major E. Sankey, Rev. David X. Junkin, D. D., Rev. Robert Audley. Browne, D. D., Joseph Justice, Esq., Joseph T. DuShane, Esq., J. H. M. and H. P. Peebles, M. D., Colonel R. B. McComb, Colonel Edward O'Brien; George W. Penn, editor of the Paragraph; George W. McCracken, of the Guardian; E. S. Durban of the Courant; Ellis Morrison, City Clerk and Engineer; Rev. Thomas Greer, of King's Chapel; Professors W. N. Aiken, Superintendent Public Schools; Martin Gantz, Superintendent of City Schools of New Castle, and John R. Steeves, of the New Castle College; Rev. E. T. Jeffers, D. D., President of Westminster College; Samuel Foltz, Esq., Joseph S. White and Shubael Wilder.
And to the following we also express our grateful obligations:
In New Castle--Reverends Youmans, Wilson, Blaisdell, Calkins, Crowe, Cowden, Father W. F. Hayes, Bateman, Fritz, and the clergy generally; the county officers; Captain M. S. Marquis, Captain O. H. P. Green, Messrs. Reis and Berger, the Holton brothers, Samuel Kimberly, T. and J. Pearson, Thomas Fisher, Hon. L. L. McGuffin, P. Butz and son, R. W, Cunningham, Joseph Kissick, E. M. McConnell, Isaac Dickson and son, Henry C. Falls, Esq., Hiram Pollock, J. F. Reynolds., Colonel D. H. Wallace, Cyrus Clarke, J. D. Bryson, David Tidball, John Mitchell, the bank officers generally, R. M. Allen, Messrs. Phipps & Johnston, photographers, for excellent work fur- nished; the Police and Fire Departments, Colonel Cubbison, Captain Hale, Rev. W. T. McConnell, of Lowellville, Ohio, and many others who have contributed valuable information.
In New Wilmington borough--Hon. Thomas Pomeroy, Hon. Wm. M. Francis, J. W. Scott, Burgess, Samuel Blair, James A. McLaughry, Robert Ramsey and others.
In Wampum borough--Rev. J. J. Imbrie, Edward Kay and son, William Thompson, Mrs. Davidson.
In Big Beaver township--John Davidson, Esq., R. J. Davidson, James Cochran, John Ramsey, Mrs. Whan, Charles Harmony, Mr. Coon, and others at Newport.
In Little Beaver township--James Mountain, Wm. Porter, George Aughinbaugh, Joseph Marshall, T. McCowin, Robert and Thomas Sprott, Charles and Israel Long, Isaac Houston, Captain John W. Hague, M. L. Andrews and mother, Cyrus Grey, John D. Caskey and others.
In North Beaver township--William Williams and mother, Samuel D. Clarke, Major Wm. Woods, Dr. Allen Nesbit, Captain William Nesbit, John Carson, Samuel Martin and wife, Ann Poak, Mr. and Mrs. S. R. Vance, Mrs. E. Blackburn, Robert Brewster, Robert Fullerton, Rev. William M. Taylor, Rev. R. H. McClelland, Robert Tait, Rev. R. M. Bear, Wm. Alsworth and others.
In Hickory township--Samuel Casteel, John H. Gormley, Thomas Patterson, John Waddington, Aaron Hinkson and son, J. Patton, A. McConaghy and others.
In Mahoning township--J. K. Rowland, Wm. Morrison, Mrs. Book, Joseph Wright, A. McBride, Arney Biddle and brother, Wm. Brown, The Parks, John Hoover, J. J. Thornburg and wife, Dr. James Mitcheltree, George Sell and others at Hillsville, members of the various churches--Rev. W. T. McConnell, E. S. Sharpless and others.
In Neshannock township--Jesse Moore, Henry Jordan, Miss Nancy Watson, Thomas McCreary.
In Perry township--Mr. Murray, James Aiken, John Miller, J. H. Van Gorder, and others.
In Plain Grove township--old Mrs. McCracken, J. M. Burns, Margaret McCommon, Geo. Rodgers, J. M. Lawrence, Esq., Mr. Williams, J. P. Elliott, David George, U. Ramsey, Esq., Wm. Gealey, Sr., David McCune, Esq., A. McKinney.
In Pulaski township--Wm. McCready, John Marquis, Mr. Bentley, John Porter, Mrs. Elizabeth Satterfield, Alexander Neal, Wm. W. Walker, E. M. Stevenson, Wm. Van Fleet, Isaac McFarlane, Mrs. Van Meter and sister, Thomas Shields (of Coitsville, Mahoning county, O.), "Father" Begel and "Mother" Anna, of " Sisters of Mary, Orphan Farm," Dr. John Cowden, Wm. M. Stitt, J. F. Scott, David A. McKee, Mrs. Henry Kyle, and others.
In Scott township--H. Young, John Cooper, James H. Locke, Wm. Martin and mother, the Hettenbaughs, McCrackens, McFarlands, Jacob Harlan, Robert Bentley, Esq., W. Wilkin, and others.
In Shenango township--Mr. and Mrs. George Grigsby, Zachariah Tindal Edward Irwin, Mrs. J. P. McMillen, R. M. Gibson and wife, Seth Rigby, J. P. Lutton and wife, the Wilsons, John McKee, Wm. Manning, Joseph Baldwin and wife, Mrs. Henderson, the Houks, J. R. Sherrard, Abraham Shaffer, and others.
In Slippery Rock township--John Fox, Henry Kennedy, Alex. Frew and wife, Murray Frew, Levi Hazen, Abraham Shaffer, Aaron Boak, George Shaw Archibald McMillen, Charles Dombaugh, George Young, Thomas J. Kelly, Jr. and mother, John Stewart and wife, Rev. Hiram Kildoo, J. C. Smith and others at Rose Point, John Randolph, Abraham McCurdy and others.
In Taylor township--Samuel L.,Vandivort, James Raney, Mrs. Samuel Sample, Samuel Hawthorne, Samuel Copper, John Wallace, Joseph Cox, Rev. J. K. Andrews and William Lutton.
In Union township--Colonel Wm. R. Wallace, Mr. and Mrs. A. N. Paisley, C. B. Lower.
In Washington township--James and Jamieson Watson, Jane Watson, James Banks, the Wilsons, J. P. Locke, Mr. King, and others.
In Wayne township--Hon. Joseph Cunningham, R. S. Cunningham, George Hennon, John Hennon, Esq., Wm. Work, Esq., Samuel Booher and wife, John McConahy and wife, Levi Ward, Isaac Newton, E. G. Matheney, Wm. Gaston, Revs. George P. Rice and John D. Glenn, R. M. Leech, and others at Chewton, Michael Liebendorfer and others at Wurtemburg.
In Wilmington township--Henry Jordan, Sr., Solomon Brown, Mr. Donley, Mrs. Samuel Collins, Abraham Grim, and others.
SAMUEL W. DURANT. NEW CASTLE, March 20, 1877.
From the 1770 - 1877 History of Lawrence County by S. W. and P. A. DURANT.
L. H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia
Explanation and Caution | Abbreviations | Lawrence Co. Maps | 1877 Portraits
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Updated: 28 Dec 2000, 17:40