Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
Lawrence County Pennsylvania 1897
[p. 176] funeral director and furnishing undertaker of Ellwood City, Wayne township, this county, is one of the leading business men of that city; he was one of the first to locate in Ellwood City as a desirable field, and during all the years of his residence there has been included among the first promoters of the place, active and energetic, almost untiring in his efforts to advance the interests and welfare of what is one of the most remarkable cities of its size and years in Western Pennsylvania. He was a son of Andrew and Rosanna (Means) Buchanan, and numbers his days from March 16, 1850, when he began life near New Castle, Lawrence County.
Andrew Buchanan was born in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pa., near the City of Brotherly Love, and was Scotch by descent. He learned the carpenter's and shipbuilder's trades, and when a young man came to New Castle, and became the owner of a farm near East Brook, five miles from the city limits. He carried on farming there, although never wholly giving up his trade; he was naturally of a strong, rugged constitution, and met his death by accident while he was building a bridge, receiving a fall, that terminated his life at the age of fifty-six. His wife survived until 1880, and rounded out an allotment of seventy-four years. Their children were: Andrew, William, Elizabeth, James, and Charles F.
Charles F. Buchanan, whose parentage has just been delineated, entered a commission-house as clerk when he was sixteen years of age. After some time in such employment, he secured a place in an undertaking establishment of Cincinnati, where he learned the art, and became skilled in the work. For four years he was in Western States, and then made his way back to Pennsylvania, and from 1881 to 1884 assisted Braby & Harmony in undertaking. In 1884 he went to Portland, Indiana, and formed a partnership, which went by the name of Lusk & Buchanan; he retained his share in the furniture and undertaking for a year, when he sold his interest, and came to New Castle, and was employed by undertaker A. Vandenvort until 1886, when the concern passed into the hands of S. Dunn & Son. At this time, Mr. Buchanan found a suitable opportunity to buy the stock and business of W. H. Braby of Wampum, and he has since carried on an establishment of his own there. In 1890, he built on Lawrence Avenue, Ellwood City, a business block, 22X60 feet on the ground, which is now owned by Dr. George J. Boyd, one of the leading physicians and surgeons of that city. This block was built on the tract of land, originally in the John Hazen farm, which was laid out in city lots; in this block he opened up a furniture store and undertaking establishment, which he conducted for six years, when he disposed of the furniture department on Feb. 1, 1897, and built an office and undertaking rooms on Sixth Street. Of the public works, in which Mr. Buchanan has taken a prominent part, one was the introduction of the Bell telephone system for general use in 1891, and in 1893 he was foremost in having a connection made with the long distance telephone, thus bringing Ellwood City into ready communication with all the cities for hundreds of miles around. Mr. Buchanan acted as postmaster of Ellwood City from June, 1891, to November, 1892, and also served in the city council for three years.
His wife is an estimable lady, formerly Mrs. Carrie Taylor, and a daughter of William White of New Castle. Mr. Buchanan is a member and Past Grand of Wampum Lodge, No. 865, I. O. O. F.; he is also a member of Pludella Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of New Castle; and the Elks Lodge, No. 283, of Rochester, Beaver Co., Pa. Mr. Buchanan, as has been stated, controls two undertaking establishments, one in Wampum, and the other in Ellwood City; he is prepared to furnish undertaking furnishings or act as funeral director; he makes a specialty of providing cut flowers. He is peculiarly fitted for his occupation, and faithfully executes the wishes of a large circle of patrons; as a mortician his long experience has rendered him an adept.
Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens Lawrence County Pennsylvania
Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
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Updated: 4 May 2001