Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
Lawrence County Pennsylvania 1897
[p. 646] a popular young man of Mahoningtown, well thought of in railroad circles, being at present the station agent at Lawrence Junction, was born in Allegheny City, Pa., May 11, 1866, and is a son of Andrew W. and Sarah (Highlands) Buchanan, the latter a native of Perrysville, Pa., and a daughter of Robert Highlands of Scotch descent. Andrew Buchanan was born in Allegheny Co., Pa. His parents both died when he was quite young, and threw him on his own resources, at the same time practically depriving him of the knowledge of the ancestry of the family, which he would have otherwise possessed, and which would have proven so valuable in this connection. He was reared and cared for by an uncle, who did the best he could for the homeless orphan until the lad was able to make his own way. Arriving at a suitable age he learned the carpenter's trade in Pittsburg, and followed it throughout the years that he spent in that city. On removing to Mahoningtown in 1871, he took up the pursuit of farming and continued to follow it successfully and with profit until his death in New Castle in 1892. In the family of our subject's parents there were eight children, the following six of whom survive: Jane, who married Christopher Hoover of New Castle; Margaret, who married Charles Stapf of Wampum; Martha; Alexander H. of New Castle; Mary, who married Joseph Mehard; and William H., the young man whose name heads this sketch.
William H. Buchanan was five years of age when the family moved to the farm in North Beaver township, near Mahoningtown, and consequently his recollections do not extend back to the home in Pittsburg to any great extent; he went to school in the district school, in the borough schools of Mahoningtown, and finished his education with a course at the high school in New Castle. In 1888 Mr. Buchanan began his railroad life in the telegraph office, and since that time his rise has been regular and sure. When he was thoroughly qualified he was assigned to the yard office at Lawrence Junction, where he remained until August, 1893, when he was promoted to the station agency at Lawrence Junction, a position he is still filling with satisfaction to his employers. Being reliable and steady, quick to learn and prompt to act, it is only a question of time, or when a vacancy occurs, for him to receive the due recognition for his services in the interest of the company.
Mr. Buchanan is an enthusiastic devotee of the wheel, and employs his spare time in taking trips on the excellent roads of the county, storing up energy and health, which are so necessary for complete business success. The Presbyterian Church has the good fortune to number him among its members, for he is an earnest worker in every legitimate line of action. He is a member of the Pythian Order, affiliating with Amazon Lodge, No. 336, of Mahoningtown.
Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens Lawrence County Pennsylvania
Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
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Updated: 27 Jul 2001