[p. 388] a prosperous farmer and respected citizen of Hickory Township, is a native of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania. He was born October 26, 1847, and is a son of Ezra and Emily (Turney) Pontius.
Ezra Pontius was also born in Armstrong County, and was a son of Jacob and Elizabeth Pontius, who moved to that county from Huntington County, Pennsylvania, at an early date.
John M. Pontius attended the common schools in his native county, and subsequently the Dayton Academy at Dayton. He engaged in the lumber business quite extensively there until 1873 then moved to Hickory Township, Lawrence County, where he has since been engaged in agricultural pursuits, with good results. He had 120 acres in his farm, but seventy acres of this is now owned by his son, Ezra. He has a fine two-story frame house in which he lives, and a set of large and substantial outbuildings. A two-story brick house adorns the part of the farm owned by his son.
On March 26, 1873, Mr. Pontius was united in marriage with Elwilda Sherbine, who came of a prominent old family of the county, and was a daughter of George and Dorcas (Bays) Sherbine. They reared six children as follows: John Fisher, born December 25, 1873, married Gertrude Heilager, and has one daughter, Geraldine; Ezra Augustus, born March 9, 1876; Fred Montrose, who married Nancy Gates, and has three children—John Henry, Harvey and George; Fern S., who is at home; Bertha Grace who is engaged in the millinery business in New Castle, where she is popular in social circles, and Beulah Pearl, who has been her father's housekeeper since the demise of her mother. Mrs. Pontius was a charter member and a very active worker in the Women's Christian Temperance Union, at East Brook, and was a devout member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died April 20, 1908, at the age of fifty-six years, and was buried in Oak Park Cemetery. Mr. Pontius is an active member of the East Brook M. E. Church and has for some years served as steward.
Ezra Augustus Pontius received his educational training in the public schools, and has always followed farming. At the age of twenty-two years he was united in marriage with Anna Rebecca Dinsmore, a daughter of Charles and Agnes (Chambers) Dinsmore, of East Brook, and they are parents of four children, namely: Charles Henry, Elwilda, Robert Dinsmore and Laura Agnes.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
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Updated: 15 Oct 2001