CHRISTOPHER COATES, farmer, P.O. Larksville, was born in Westchester, N.Y., November 29, 1812, son of John and Elizabeth (Summergills) Coates, both of whom were natives of Yorkshire, England. They emigrated to this country July 5, 1811, locating in Westchester, N.Y., where they resided six years, as farmers and milk dealers. They removed from Westchester to Ross Hill, where he remained a short time, finally removing to Newport, where he resided eight years. He sold his Newport property and bought a farm of fifty acres in Plymouth township, remaining thereon till his death, which occurred in 1862, at the age of eighty-four years. His wife died the same year, at the age of eighty-three. Their family consisted of eleven children, ten of whom grew to maturity. Three remain alive to-day (1892): Jane, Christopher and William. Christopher is the second in the family. He was reared and educated in Wilkes-Barre, and confined himself principally to agricultural pursuits, though he has occasionally followed other vocations. In March, 1846, he married Miss Mary, daughter of Charles and Rebecca Bryant, and to them have been born eleven children, six of whom are now living: Christopher, Mary, William, Walter, Ida and Estella. Walter is the only member of the family who is still unmarried. Since 1862 they have resided on their farm of ninety-nine acres, which Mr. Coates has wonderfully improved. He is a practical farmer, a good citizen, and an obliging neighbor. He has a valuable conglomerate rock quarry on his farm. Mrs. Coates was born in Luzerne borough. Her parents owned the land where the old fort, which was burned in 1776, at the time of the Wyoming massacre, stood. Politically, Mr. Coates is a Republican.
B. J. COBLEIGH, M.D., Kingston. Among the leading physicians and surgeons of Luzerne county, who are thorough masters of their profession, may well be classed the gentleman whose name appears here. He was born near Pottsville, Pa., January 10, 1863, and is a son of William and Helen Cobleigh, natives of England. He was educated in Hillman Academy, Wilkes-Barre, and at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, where he was graduated in the class of 1883; and next year he took a special course on the eye and ear, under the celebrated specialist, Dr. Fox, of Philadelphia. In 1885 he began the practice of medicine at Scranton, where he remained about two years, and then came to Kingston, where he has built up a large general practice, including an extensive patronage as a specialist on the eye and ear, a branch of science in which he has been very successful. He was the first to transplant the cornea of a rabbit's eye to the human eye, which operation was performed in September, 1891. Dr. Cobleigh was married January 1, 1889, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Daniel and Margaret Edwards, of Kingston, and one child has come to this union, Anna, born July 7, 1891. The Doctor is a firm supporter of the principles of the Republican party, and in 1886 was the party candidate for coroner, but was defeated with the rest of the ticket. He is an interesting conversationalist, a close reasoner, and an ardent worker in his chosen profession.
WILLIAM E. COBLEY, miner, Plymouth, was born October 26, 1827, in Somersetshire, England, and is the third in the family of ten children of Richard and Margaret (Barnes) Cobley, the former also a native of Somersetshire, the latter of Gloucestershire, England. The father of William Edward Cobley was a soldier in the British army, and was engaged in the fierce battles of Toulouse and Salamanca, against the French. Our subject has in his possession a silver medal awarded Richard Cobley by Queen Victoria for bravery, the same bearing the dates 1795-1814, the inscription, "Regina Victoria," and the soldier's name. The subject of this sketch was educated in Wales, and in 1848 came to America, locating in Schuylkill county, Pa., Glendower Colliery, where he was employed four years. In 1866 he came to Plymouth, this county, and worked eleven years; held the position of inside foreman at Shaft No. 1 and 2, Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. Mr. Cobley has been thrice married: first time, in 1853, to Eleanor, daughter of Hannah and Charles Savory, natives of Gloucestershire, England, to which marriage were born five children, viz.: Elizabeth Ellen, Hannah, Alice, Emily and Bennett J. The mother of this family died February 21, 1865, and Mr. Cobley then married, in 1870, Ann, daughter of Charles and Rebecca (Bevan) Gauntlett, natives of Monmouthshire, Wales. Mr. Cobley has only two children living, viz.: Bennett J., a physician at Kingston, Pa., and Elizabeth Ellen, wife of Jonathan W. Davis, a pharmacist in Plymouth, Pa., who was born in Wales, June 30, 1854, the eldest in the family of five children of William S. and Ann (Williams) Davis, also natives of Wales, who came to America and settled in Schuylkill county, Pa., where Jonathan was reared and educated. He early began life as a slate-picker in the breaker, and at the age of eighteen years had been promoted to driver-boss of the Wadesville Shaft. He subsequently came to Plymouth, and was driver-boss of Shaft No. 1 & 2 Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. for nine years, at the end of which time he opened his present business, in which he has since continued. He was married to Miss Cobley, March 5, 1876, and six children have blessed their union, viz.: William, Laura, Henry, Eleanor, Clarence and Sheldon. In politics he is a very active Republican. The family attend the Presbyterian Church.
PETER COGGINS, miner, Inkerman, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in March, 1830, and is the eldest in the family of Anthony and Bridget (Gordon) Coggins. He labored, while in Ireland, in a stone quarry, and came to this country in 1850. In New York he worked at his old employment as quarryman for a few months, and then came to this county, where he was engaged until 1854 in sinking the shafts of Mines No. 5 and No. 7, since when he has been employed by the Pennsylvania Coal Company as miner. He was united in marriage January 1, 1856, with Mary, daughter of Peter and Margaret (Lavelle) Morris, natives of County Mayo, Ireland, and they have been blessed with the following children: Bridget, born December 20, 1856; John, born February 16, 1860; Annie, born January 12, 1863, married to John Burke, carpenter, Carbondale; Katie, born May 23, 1865, married to James Corrigan, railroad fireman, Carbondale; Anthony born July 5, 1867; Hannah, born September 14, 1870, and Rose, born December 16, 1872. Our subject is an adherent of the Roman Catholic Faith, and a member of the St. John's Literary and Benevolent Association. In politics he is a Republican.
ISAIAH G. COLBORN, druggist, Mountain Top, in Fairview township, was born December 8, 1862, in Ashley borough, this county, and is a son of John W. and Mary E. (Keiser) Colborn, who reared a family of five children, viz.: Robert M., who is married and resides in Pittston; William T., married and living in Ashley; Emma, wife of Rev. James Benninger, a Methodist clergyman, stationed, at present, in Ashley; Isaiah G., and Charles W., unmarried, and living in Ashley. The subject of this sketch attended the common schools of Ashley until he was seventeen years old, when he entered his brother's (William T.) drugstore in Ashley in order to study pharmacy, and there remained until 1884, in which year he entered the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, from which he graduated in 1886. Returning to Ashley, he again accepted a position from his brother as druggist, remaining, however, but a few months, when he secured a position as manager of a drugstore in Nanticoke. After working there but a short time, he came to Fairview and opened a drugstore for his brother. In 1888 he purchased the Fairview store, and is at present conducting the same. He has, on a lot adjoining the store, built a beautiful cottage, where he now lives. On August 4, 1886, Mr. Colborn was married to Ella, daughter of John and Anna (Russell) Jones, of Ashley, which marriage was made happy by four children, viz.: Oscar G., Ethel M., Harry R. and Walter R. Mr. and Mrs. Colborn are not members of any church, but attend the Methodist services. In politics he is a Republican.
JOHN W. COLBORN, postmaster, Ashley, was born in Lycoming county, Pa., June 10, 1831, a son of John and Sarah (Burgett) Colborn, natives of Pennsylvania, and of English and German origin. His grandfathers were Robert Colborn and John Burgett. The father, who was born March 30, 1808, died May 3, 1892, near the place of his birth in Lycoming county; the mother is now living with her daughter, Jane. The family consisted of the following: two children who died in infancy; John W.; Robert, a printer in Pottsville, Pa.; William E., a mine operator in West Virginia; Mary, who died at the age of twenty-two; Hannah, married to Boyd Richie, a farmer in Lycoming county, Pa.; A. F., an electrical engineer residing at Forest City, and Jane, who lives with her mother. Our subject was educated in the public schools of Schuylkill county, and then learned the caprenter's trade. He removed to Ashley December 26, 1855, where he helped to build the first breaker. At the beginning of the Civil war he enlisted in the three months' service, and again at Scranton, September 4, 1864, in Company E, One Hundred and Eighty-eighth P.V., and was discharged at Fortress Monroe in June, 1865. He then resumed his trade at Ashley, which he followed till he was appointed postmaster, in 1882, which position he held until 1885, and was reappointed in 1889. He built his present residence in 1861. Mr. Colborn was married October 12, 1856, to Mary E., daughter of Thomas and Emily (Downing) Keizer, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and English origin. She died December 27, 1890, at the age of fifty-three years. The issue of this union was five children, viz.: Robert, who is engaged in the ice business at Pittston; William T., a druggist at Ashley; Isaiah G., a druggist at South Fairview; Emma (Mrs. Rev. James Benninger), and Charles, clerk in his brother's (William T.) store. Mr. Colborn and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of the board of trustees of which he is president. He is a member of the I.O.O.F. and Encampment. In his political views he is a Republican, and has held the offices of school director, assessor, tax collector, and he took the census of Ashley borough in 1890.
W. M. COLDREN, head miller in Miner & Co.'s Mills, Miners Mills, was born in Lower Augusta township, Northumberland Co., Pa., February 5, 1860, and is a son of Peter and Louisa (Feaster) Coldren, natives of Pennsylvania. The father, who was a farmer, reared a family of seven children, of whom W. M. is the fourth. He spent his boyhood on the farm, received a common-school education, and at the age of nineteen engaged in the Turtle Creek Mills, Winfield, Pa., to learn the miller's trade; here he remained two years, and after one year spent at home, went to Lewisburgh, Pa., where he worked at his trade five years, and accepted his present position in 1887. This mill has a daily capacity of one hundred barrels of flour, forty tons of feed, five tons of buckwheat flour or thirty barrels of rye flour; the grains are obtained from Pennsylvania and the West, chiefly the latter, the wheat of the former being preferred, however. The products of the mill are disposed of chiefly in the coal regions of Pennsylvania. Mr. Coldren was married, August 2, 1883, to Anna L., daughter of John and Susanna (Hunty) Coldren, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German origin; they have one child, Gertrude A. He and his wife are members of the Baptist church of Lower Augusta township, Pa.; he is a member of the P.O.S. of A., and a Democrat in his political views.
ALVIN P. COLES, the popular and genial proprietor of "Harvey's Creek Hotel," West Nanticoke, was born at Beach Haven, Pa., May 8, 1852, and is a son of Samuel H. and Martha (Hauz) Coles, also natives of Pennsylvania. Our subject, who is the youngest in a family of three, was reared and educated in the public schools of Luzerne county, and learned the blacksmith's trade at Beach Haven, at which he worked until 1883. He then commenced in the hotel business at Crooptown, same State, where he was the leading hotel man for seven years. He then came to West Nanticoke, and assumed the management of the "Harvey's Creek Hotel," the leading hostlery in the town, equipped with all modern hotel conveniences. As Mr. Coles is a natural hotel man, the traveling public find with him a comfortable, homelike resort. He was married December 7, 1872, to Miss Lizzie, daughter of Samuel and Parthenna (Fritz) Gibbons, of Fairmount township, Luzerne county, and they have one child, Samuel D. Mr. Coles is a member of the Jr. O.U.A.M., and in his political views is a Democrat.
ARTHUR F. COLLAMER, photographer, Wilkes-Barre, is a son of J. W. and Nellie (Blair) Collamer, born at Honesdale. Our subject is a descendant of one of the early pioneer families who came to Massachusetts in 1624, and numbered among their descendants many illustrious names, among which may be mentioned that of Hon. Jacob Collamer, who was a United States Senator, and was appointed to the office of postmaster general under President Taylor, also that of Hon. George W. Collamer, a distinguished judge at Montpelier, Vt., a man of great wealth and extended influence, who became a chief factor in locating the capital of Vermont. The father was an artist, a profession he followed for more than forty years with eminent success. The children of the father's family were two in number: G. W. Collamer and Arthur E. Collamer, the latter of whom was educated in his native place, Wilkes-Barre. When a youth he entered his father's studio, mastered the photographer's art and became a partner, which business relationship continued until the father's death, January 29, 1891, since which time our subject has carried on the gallery successfully, adding thereto oil work and life-size painting. He votes the Republican ticket, and in 1887 was elected a member of the city council. Mr. Collamer is a member of several secret societies; also of the Ninth Regiment, and is an officer of Col. Keck's staff.
THOMAS F. COLLINS, engineer at Delaware & Hudson No. 2, Plymouth. This experienced engineer was born at Scranton, Pa., September 17, 1858, and is a son of John and Catherine (Ryan) Collins, natives of County Clare, Ireland. Thomas F., who is the third in a family of five children, was educated in the public schools of Luzerne county, and began life by working about the mines. In 1879 he went to Colorado, and worked for four years in the silver mines as a practical miner. He then went to Arizona, following the same business for one year, and coming thence to Plymouth, was engaged as a fireman at No. 11, Wilkes-Barre Coal & Iron Company. He remained with this company for eighteen months, and then entered the employ of the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, first as a fireman, and soon after as an engineer, in which capacity he has since acted. Our subject was married September 25, 1881, to Miss Johanna, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Keaton) Bouney, natives of Pennsylvania. This union has been blessed with five chldren: John, Catherine, Lucy, Joseph and George. Mr. Thomas is a Democrat in politics. The family are members of the Catholic Church.
CAPT. JOHN D. COLVIN, In 1820 Philip Colvin, with his wife Sarah, and sons, Joseph and Cyrus, and daughters, Polly, Mercy and Anna, with her husband, Elemuel Stone, from Rhode Island, traveling with ox teams, and bringing their household goods with them, settled in Abington township, Luzerne county (now Lackawanna county) Pa. Philip Colvin, with his son, Cyrus, settled on a farm in the western part of the township, near Factoryville; Joseph settled near the east line of the township, on a wild farm; Elemuel Stone and his wife, Anna, settled on a farm near the south center of the township; Polly, after being married to Thomas Smith, settled in the northern part of the township; Mercy married to Mr. James Nichols, and settled in Benton township, in same county; Cyrus Colvin, in 1821, married Miss Phoebe Northrop, whose parents emigrated from Rhode Island a few years previous. There were born to Cyrus Colvin and wife four sons and two daughters; Artless L., Augustus, Deborah N., Philip, George Perry and John Dorrance. His wife, Phoebe, died December 24, 1835; Philip Colvin, Sr., died in 1832, aged seventy-eight years; Sarah, his wife, died in 1844, aged eighty-three years; Cyrus Colvin died in 1879; aged eighty-one years. After the death of his first wife he married Miss Maria Dean, daughter of James Dean, one of the early settlers from Rhode Island. The second wife died in 1876, aged seventy-two years. There were born to him, by the second marriage, two sons: Cyrus D. and Albert Colvin. All the children of Cyrus Colvin lived at home, on the farm, until about 1850, when Artless L. went to Archbald, Pa., where she engaged in the millinery business, and soon afterward married J. W. Sheerer, an engineer; they are now living at Des Moines, Iowa, and have one son and one daughter, both married and living in Iowa. Augustus married about the same time, and is yet living on a farm in Wyoming county; he raised a large family. Deborah N. married a farmer by the name of Emanuel Dershimer, who died in 1881; they reared a family of three boys and two girls; the mother and two of her sons are yet living on their fine old homestead in Falls township, Wyoming Co., Pa.; the eldest son, Oscar, who resides at Tunkhannock, Pa., is a noted barrister, and stands high with his colleagues in the profession; one daughter married J. P. Carter, a druggist, and resides at Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; the other daughter and her husband, Jerome Lillibridge, resides on a farm in Pennsylvania. Philip went to California in 1859, and is now living on a ranch, near Pueblo, Colo., where he has resided since 1873, dividing his time between raising stock and prospecting. George Perry was an engineer on the Mississippi river steamers, also in Texas, Mexico and Brazil; he now resides near Colorado Springs, Colo., being paralyzed from the effects of a Wound received at Cedar Creek, Va., October 19, 1864.
John Dorrance Colvin left home in 1854 and remained away until 1859, when he returned home, and there sojourned until the breaking out of the Civil war in 1861. After his discharge from the service, in 1865, he was connected with the work on the Central Branch of the Pacific Railroad from Atchison, Kan., to Fort Kearney, and went across the Missouri river on the ferry from Winthrop, Mo., to Atchison with the first locomotive that was placed on the road. In 1867 he returned to Pennsylvania, and was employed for five and one-half years in the coal department of the Delaware & Hudson Coal Company, when he took a position with the Lehigh Valley Coal Company. In 1885 cataracts affected his eyes. In 1890 he resigned his position with the Lehigh Valley Coal Company after seventeen years' continuous service. Mr. Colvin was married, in 1867, to Olive S. Reichardt, of Providence (now a part of Scranton), Pa., whose father's family were among the early pioneers that came from Germany and settled near Easton, Pa.; her mother was an Ackerly, whose parents emigrated from New York State, and settled in Abington, in 1828. John D. Colvin, after his marriage, settled at Olyphant, Pa.; from there he moved to Carbondale, same State, and in 1879 took up his residence at Parsons, Luzerne county, of which borough he is the present postmaster. In 1876 he took an active part in getting the district chartered as a borough, and he was twice elected its burgess. He served as school director for twelve years, and the borough's fine school property is largely owing to the exertions of John D. Colvin, Colvin Parsons, John Alderson, Jason P. Davis, Patrick Cox and William Smurl, as they took the first steps toward buying the lots and erecting the commodious graded-school building in 1877. Mr. and Mrs. J. Colvin have reared a family of two sons and three daughters—all of whom are yet at home. The oldest son, Harry, is assistant postmaster at Parsons, Pa.; Cyrus D. and Albert Colvin, sons of the second wife of Cyrus Colvin, are yet living in Lackawanna county, Pa. The six sons and two daughters of Cyrus Colvin are all yet living; out of the twenty-three grandchildren twenty-two are yet living, and out of the ten great-grandchildren nine are living. In politics the Colvins were Whigs and Republicans, and John D. Colvin cast his first Presidential vote for John C. Fremont. The war record of the sons of Cyrus Colvin should not be omitted, for they sprung from the defenders of the Stars and Stripes. Their great-grandfathers, on both sides of the family, fought in the Revolutionary war; their grandfathers, on both sides, fought in the War of 1812, and the war record below will show what the sons did for the country from 1861 to 1865.
George Perry Colvin enlisted, September 13, 1861, in the Forty-seventh P.V., and was with the regiment in all its campaigns, including the ill-fated Red River expedition under Banks. On October 19, 1864, at the battle of Cedar Creek (on the day of Sheridan's celebrated ride) he was struck by a piece of shell, which caused the removal of a portion of the frontal bone of the skull and trepanning the same with silver. He is now paralyzed, and resides near Colorado Springs, Colo., but, thanks to an appreciative government, is receiving a pension sufficient to meet all his necessary wants. Augustus Colvin also enlisted in the Forty-seventh P.V. and served faithfully until after the close of the war. Philip Colvin was out with the emergency men in June and July, 1863.
On July 2, 1861, John D. Colvin enlisted in Company G, Fifty-second Regiment, P.V. On account of some trouble between the captain and first lieutenant, while Colvin was back collecting recruits, the company was disbanded, a part joining Birney's Zouaves in Philadelphia. When he returned to Harrisburg with fifteen recruits he, along with them, was mustered into Company C (Capt. J. P. S. Gobin, now Gen. Gobin, of Lebanon, Pa.), Forty-seventh Regiment, P.V. on September 13, 1861, for three years. In December, 1861, he was detailed (in compliance with a general order from the War Department) and transferred to the U.S. Signal Corps, and sent to Red Stone Camp, near Georgetown, D.C., for instructions. On February 4, 1862, he was assigned to Gen. Brennen's brigade, and was sent to Key West, Fla., where Porter's mortar fleet was fitting out for the expedition to assist in the capture of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, on the Mississippi, below New Orleans. After the capture of New Orleans the brigade to which he was attached was sent to Hilton Head and Beaufort, S.C., to take part in the operations against James Island and the city of Charleston. At Hilton Head he was detached from the land forces, and for several months was on board the "Wabash," Admiral Dupont's flagship, for the purpose of communicating by signals with the army, and instructing the midshipmen and the quartermasters of the navy in the use of the army signals. He was placed on board the "Ericsson" when she accompanied the fleet to Charleston loaded with torpedoes for the purpose of removing the obstructions near Fort Sumter that prevented our fleet entering the harbor; was afterward assigned to duty on board the steamer "Powhattan," Capt. Green, flagship of the wooden fleet; was for a time on duty on the ill-fated gunboat "Housatonic;" was one of the signal-men on the ironclad fleet, April 7, 1863, when Admiral Dahlgren made the attacks on forts Sumter and Moultrie and the batteries protecting the channel to Charleston harbor. He afterward took an active part in the capture of the batteries on the lower end of Morris Island, in the charges on Fort Wagner in July, 1863, and was on Morris Island during the sieges of Forts Wagner, Sumter and other batteries on Cummings Point; was a sergeant in charge of the signals on the night of July 3, 1864. When Gen. Hoyt, of the fifty-second P.V. with the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh N.Y.V., were repulsed at Fort Johnson, James Island, S.C., the fifty-second Regiment having their colonel (Hoyt) and one hundred and fifty-two officers and men captured, Sergeant Colvin also lost two of his signalmen by capture, both of whom afterward died in Andersonville prison. One of the men was Thomas Rimer, a nephew of John Jennon, of Scranton. In April, 1864, by order of Gen. Foster, Capt. Clum, chief signal officer of the Coast Division, detailed Sergeant John D. Colvin to endeavor to decipher the Rebel Signal Code. He was on this Secret service until the fall of Charleston, February 18, 1865, and succeeded in deciphering six of their straight alphabetical code, and their fifteen changeable or disk code; the latter was supposed to be impossible to decipher, as no two messages need be sent from the same key letter. By his work he gained much very valuable information, and gave Gen. Foster such reliable information of the enemy's movements when Gen. Terry, with his division, was operating against the enemy on James Island in the summer of 1864, that he recommended him for a commission. On February 14, 1865, Sergeant Colvin as commissioned a lieutenant in the United States Signal Corps. He also received a congratulatory letter from Col. Nichodemus, of the Signal Bureau at Washington, D.C., relative to his fitness for that branch of the service, and the valuable information received through him. Gen. Schammelfennig, commanding a brigade in the Coast division, wrote him a letter highly extolling him for his zeal and success in his branch of the service. And he wishes to have recorded in this volume his thanks and high appreciation of the services of such men as George H. Stone, Wm. S. Marsden, Sergeant Eddy and Quick of the corps, with the men assigned to him from the Fifty-second Pennsylvania Regiment and One Hundred and Twenty-seventh New York Regiment for their arduous duties and valuable assistance rendered him whilst deciphering codes and intercepting Rebel dispatches from all points along the Confederate lines. Our subject was mustered out of the service in September, 1865, after over four years' active campaign life. What was remarkable about Lieutenant Colvin was that when he entered the service he was sickly, and went against the wishes (on that account) of his friends; but the service agreed with him, for there was not a day, for over four years, on which he was not able to be in the saddle or attend to his duties, either in the navy or in the field; in fact, he reported to the "morning sick call" only twice during his entire service, and was absent from active service only for thirty days, and that was on a veteran furlough. On July 7, 1879, Capt. John D. Colvin, Capt. Wilt, Capt. T. C. Parker, Capt. Bennett, Capt. Rush, Capt. Harvey, Capt. McGinley, Capt. Wenner, with a number of other line officers, were instrumental in organizing the Ninth Regiment of Pennsylvania, and did all in their power to assist the field and staff officers to make efficient soldiers out of the "raw material;" and the poeple of Luzerne county should be proud that they had men of military genius to lay the foundation for one of the finest volunteer organizations in the State—an organization to look at and be proud of. Company E, of Parsons, organized by Capt. J. D. Colvin, is yet in existence, and stands second to none in the regiment. The Captain was seven years an officer in the Ninth Regiment.
Capt. John D. Colvin and family are the only descendants of Cyrus Colvin living in the county, with their children: Harry C., assistant postmaster; Anna C., a teacher in the public schools of Parsons borough; J. Fredrick, Alice R. and Lena May. Harry C. was married on June 10, 1891, to Miss Carry Cordwell, and they have one child, a fine boy four months old, named Arthur Dorrance, after its grandfathers, and both the old veterans are proud of him, and hope he may grow up to be a true and loyal American citizen. Capt. J. D. Colvin is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, the G.A.R., the Knights of Honor, and the Patriotic Sons of America.
T. F. CONNELL, proprietor of livery stable, Duryea, was born at Mine Hill Gap, Schuylkill Co., Pa., February 9, 1850, and is the youngest in a family of seven sons. His parent were John and Ellen (Brady) Connell, natives of County Longford, Ireland. Our subject received his education in the common schools, and worked on his father's farm until 1871, when he went into the livery business, in Wilkes-Barre, and carried the mails between that city and Nanticoke. In 1873 he moved to Kingston, and in 1874 took charge of a livery stable in Allegheny City. In 1878 he engaged in farming and contracting in Plymouth, and in 1891 built where he now carries on his business in Duryea. Mr. Connell was united in marriage, April 5, 1885, with Matilda, daughter of John and Julia (Morris) Roach, of Jenkins township, natives of County Wexford, Ireland. Their union has been blessed with the following issue: Mary, born February 1, 1886; Annie, born June 4, 1887; Nellie, born July 28, 1888; Maud, born November 19, 1889; Bessie, born March 13, 1891, and John, born August 9, 1892. Our subject is a member of the Roman Catholic Church, and in politics, is a Democrat.
THADDEUS M. CONNIFF, justice of the peace and supervising principal of the public schools in Plains township, was born in County Cavan, Ireland, August 9, 1854. He came to America in 1870, and worked in and about the mines at Plains for four years. He then took a course at a normal school in New York State, and has since been engaged in teaching at Plains, except during the year 1883-4, when he was commissioned, by the State superintendent of the Pittston schools. In 1879 he was elected justice of the peace, which office he has since held, having been re-elected in 1884 and 1889. Mr. Conniff was married June 15, 1876, to Miss Amanda, daughter of Robert and Margaret Armstrong, and their union has been blessed with five children; Patrick Augustine, Robert Armstrong, Mary Amanda, James Norton, and Elizabeth Frances. Mr. Conniff and his family are members of the Catholic Church; he is also a member of the Father Mathew Temperance Society, which he represents at many State conventions; he represented his union at National conventions of Boston, Scranton, Philadelphia, and Chicago; is a chancellor in the C.M.B.A. In politics, he is a Democrat, was delegate to the State convention at Harrisburg, and one of its secretaries, and is at present a member of the county committee. The schools under his supervision, and in charge of an able corps of teachers, have reached a remarkable degree of proficiency.
JOHN F. CONNOLE, wholesale liquor dealer, Plymouth, was born at Elmira, N.Y., March 9, 1853, and is a son of Thomas and Honora (Dwyre) Connole, natives of Ireland, who came to America in 1848, settling in the State of New York. There were three children in this family, of whom John F. is the only son, the two daughters being Mary, wife of Andrew Heffron, of Plymouth, Pa., and Honora, wife of William Daly, also a resident of Plymouth. The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools of Luzerne county, and at the Elmira Business College, graduating from the latter in March, 1876. After completing his business course, he traveled through the west for two years, returning at the end of that time to Plymouth, where he took charge of his father's restuarant for a short time, and soon after erected the large brick block where he now is located, and established his present business. Mr. Connole was married December 19, 1878, to Mary E., daughter of Thomas and Mary (Russell) Keating, natives of Ireland. Mary E. being born at Larksville, Pa. To this union have been born five children: Mary, born November 7, 1879; Thomas, born February 17, 1871; John F., born November 25, 1882; Alethia, born May 11, 1884, and Joseph, born July 8, 1889. The family are members of the Catholic Church, and politically Mr. Connole is a stanch Democrat.
CHARLES R. CONNOR, storekeeper, Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, Wilkes-Barre, was born at Plymouth, this county, June 30, 1860, a son of John M. and Cinderella (Keller) Connor. He resided in Plymouth, where he received a public-school education, until seventeen years of age, in 1877 coming to Wilkes-Barre, where he has since resided. Since 1876 he has been in the employ of the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, and has held his present position since May, 1887. On February 13, 1884, Mr. Connor married Ella, daughter of John and Mercy (Fell) Behee, of Wilkes-Barre. To their union have been born five children, viz: Mac, Daniel, Norman (deceased), Harold and Charles, Jr. Since 1887 he has been a member of Company D, Ninth Infantry Regiment, N.G.P.; received promotion to a corporal, sergeant and to a captaincy, December 8, 1890. He is a member of the Sons of Veterans and P.O.S. of A.; in politics he is a Republican.
JOHN MADISON CONNOR, outside foreman, Hollenback Shaft No. 2, Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, was born at Mauch Chunk, Carbon Co., Pa., April 14, 1839, a son of John and Rozilla (Madison) Connor. His paternal grandfather, Hugh Connor; a native of Ireland, was a pioneer of near Carbondale, Pa., where he died. The father was a native of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., for many years a resident of Carbon and Luzerne counties, Pa., and died in Wilkes-Barre in 1867. The mother of our subject was a native of Connecticut. They had eight children: William J., Wilson B., Uranah M., Hugh C., Emily H., David C., John M., and Thomas R. Our subject was reared in Wilkes-Barre, educated in the public schools, and served an apprenticeship at the harness-maker's trade with James D. Laird. He was in the Civil war, enlisting August 14, 1862, in Company C. One Hundred and Forty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, and participated in the battles of Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Wilderness, Storming of Petersburg, Weldon Raid and other engagements, and was honorably discharged at New York City in June, 1865. His wife was Cinderella, a daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Whiteman) Keller, and by her he had ten children: Isadore U. (Mrs. William E. Bennett), Charles R., Edward P., De Haven L., Estella, Stan, Nettie, Ralph, Bessie and Ola, all deceased except Isadore U., Charles R. and De Haven L. Mr. Connor followed the harness business in Plymouth, eighteen years, and the express business, four years. He removed to Wilkes-Barre in 1877, where he has since been in the employ of the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company. He is a member of the G.A.R., and in politics is a Republican.
THOMAS R. CONNOR, retired, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., March 30, 1841, a son of John and Rozilla (Madison) Connor. He was reared and educated in Wilkes-Barre, where he learned the bakery and confectionery business, and prior to the war was in the employ of the Empire Coal Company as stationary engineer. He enlisted April 18, 1861, in the Pennsylvania Volunteers, and on arriving at Harrisburg was appointed drummer; after three months' service he was honorably discharged. On September 7, 1861, he re-enlisted, this time in Company L, Twenty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, and March 1, 1862, was transferred to the Sixty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers. He participated in all the battles of the Regiment from Fortress Monroe to Richmond; also second battle of Bull Run, Massacre Gap, Antietam, Rappahannock and Brandy Station, Fredericksburg and Wilderness; was wounded at Fair Oaks, May 30, 1862, and at Spottsylvania May 9, 1864. He was honorably discharged September 7, 1864. After his return to Wilkes-Barre he was stationary engineer for the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company from 1865 to 1868, and from 1868 to 1870 engaged in the local express business between Wilkes-Barre and Kingston. In 1870 he was appointed outside foreman for the Hollenback Shaft, Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, serving them in that capacity fourteen years; then as superintendent of Empire Division, two years; and again as outside foreman, four years, retiring on account of ill health in 1887. Mr. Connor married, February 20, 1867, Jennie, daughter of Henry and Harriet (Brink) Pruner, of Wilkes-Barre, and has four children: Hattie M., Harry P., Ruth B. and Daisy. Mr. Connor and family are members of the Franklin Street M.E. Church; he is a member of the G.A.R., and in politics is a Republican.
LEWIS H. CONOVER, fire, life and accident insurance agent, Beach Haven, was born September 26, 1826, in Salem, about one mile northeast of Beach Haven. He is a son of Lewis H. and Catherine (Corell) Conover, natives of Pennsylvania, the former of whom was a grandson of Franklin Conover, who came from Connecticut and settled near Philadelphia at a very early date; the mother of our subject was a native of Northampton county, this State, born near Leighton, of remote German ancestry. Our subject's father died in 1828 at the age of twenty-eight, his mother in 1880 at the age of seventy-eight.
Lewis H. Conover received his early education in an old log schoolhouse near Beach Haven, in the pioneer days of the Luzerne county public school system. At the age of sixteen he engaged as clerk in a store at Berwick, Columbia Co., and there was engaged in clerking about a year, when he returned to Beach Haven and engaged in huckstering, after which he resumed his position in the store, where he remained a short time; then went to Rocky Mountain, where he was also employed as clerk about eighteen months. He then came to Nanticoke, also working as clerk, and remained about a year; then moved to New Columbus, same county, and entered the employ of D. L. Chapin, where he remained a short time, and then proceeded to Shickshinny, Pa., where he began the study of medicine with Dr. Charles Parker. After remaining there about two years, he returned to Berwick. Sojourning in that town a short time, he went to Beach Haven and clerked for Hill & Sibert, remaining with them till the dissolution of the firm when he moved to Foundryville, Pa., and there remained until 1859, when he embarked in his present business. Mr. Conover has been twice married: first time to Rosanna Wilson, of Huntington, Pa., by whom he had three children, viz.: Franklin, Collins, (deceased) and Alveretta (now Mrs. Charles Anderson, of West Nanticoke). This wife dying, Mr. Conover married, for his second, Miss Martha H. Opdyke, and to them were born three children, viz.: Reuben H., Elmer Frank and Jennie. Our subject is a member of the F. & A.M., Sylvaria Lodge, No. 354, and in politics he is a Republican.
REUBEN H. CONOVER, clerk in the Susquehanna Coal Company's supply store, Nanticoke, was born in Beach Haven, Luzerne county, May 8, 1858, and is a son of Lewis H. and Martha H. (Opdyke) Conover. Our subject was educated in the public schools of Luzerne county and in the State Normal School at Bloomsburg, Pa. At the age of twenty-one he entered the employ of the Susquehanna Coal Company, as shipping clerk, and two years later he entered the supply department of the same company, where he has since been engaged. Mr. Conover was married, October 14, 1885, to Miss Fannie, daughter of W. V. Harrison, of Buttonwood, Pa. He is a member of Nanticoke Lodge No. 541, F. & A.M.; Valley Chapter No. 214, R.A.M., Plymouth, Pa.; Dieu le Veut Commandery No. 45, K.T., Wilkes-Barre; Caldwell Consistory S.P.R.S. 32º, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Bloomsburg, Pa. Mr. Conover is one of Luzerne county's most progressive citizens, a firm upholder of the principles of the Republican party, and is a supporter of every worthy and popular enterprise.
CHARLES A. CONRAD, farmer, P.O. Huntsville, was born in Ashley, Pa., May 24, 1862, a son of Philip and Catherine (Mathias) Conrad, both of whom were born in Germany. Philip came to this country about 1854, locating in Ashley, where he engaged in mining, hotel and restaurant keeping and other speculations, by which he accumulated considerable property in Ashley, as well as a large farm in Jackson township, on which his son, Charles A., the subject of this sketch, now lives. His family consisted of five children, three of whom are now living. Our subject was educated in Ashley, at the high school, where he graduated with honors, since which time he has always worked on a farm. Mr. Conrad is a young man of promise and ability, bound to make his mark in the world. Since 1879 he has lived on his father's farm of ninety-three acres, which farm was purchased from Nicholas Conrad, who had purchased it from Harrison Sickler, he from Wesley Major, and he from Absalom Skadder, who was one of the pioneers of Jackson township. The place is beautiful, well stocked, well kept and in fine repair. Mr. Conrad is a general, practical farmer. On November 16, 1881, he married Miss Lizzie, daughter of John and Mary Hendricks, by which union there were born six children, all yet living: Louisa K., Sophia A., John H., Maggie E., Philip J. and Louis C. Mr. Conrad, in his political preferences, is a Democrat.
HON. JOHN NESBITT CONYNGHAM, LL.D., distinguished during a long and useful life in the threefold capacity of Christian, citizen, and jurist, and, for thirty years preceding his death, conspicuous as president judge, at first, of the Thirteenth Judicial District of Pennsylvania, and afterward, of the Eleventh District, was born in Philadelphia, Pa., December 17, 1798, and died (the victim of an unfortunate railroad accident) at Magnolia, Miss., about one hundred miles above New Orleans, La., February 23, 1871, in his seventy-third year. His ancestral relatives on both sides, for many generations, were people of eminence, respectability and worth. As the name indicates, the family of Conyngham is of Scotch origin. For several generations, however, the ancestors of the Judge were domiciled in Ireland, and ranked there among those who were the honor of the land, among them being numbered several distinguished divines and prelates of the Church of Ireland. His grandfather, Redmond Conyngham, a native of Ireland, was a highly respected citizen of Philadelphia. He was a prominent member of the old Christ Church of that city, and was a vestryman and warden of the Church. He was one of the founders of St. Peter's Church, of that city, and continued a member of the united parishes of Christ Church and St. Peter's until his death. His son, David Hayfield Conyngham, was the father of Judge Conyngham. He was born in the North of Ireland about 1750, and came to Philadelphia very early in life. He took an active part in military affairs, and was one of the founders of the first troops of city cavalry. As a business man he stood among the wealthiest and most prominent members of the mercantile community of Philadelphia, being a partner of the firm of J. W. Nesbitt & Co., and senior member of the house of Conyngham & Nesbitt, which, in the darkest period of the Revolution, in 1780, when Washington was apprehensive that he could not keep the field with his impoverished army, nobly came forward and supplied the needed means (some five thousand pounds) for the relief of the suffering patriots. This magnificent exhibition of patriotism and confidence was gratefully acknowledged by Washington, and also by Robert Morris, the distinguished financier of the Revolution.
The subject of this sketch received his early education under the most favorable auspices in the city of his birth. He then entered the University of Pennsylvania, and taking the full course, was graduated with high honors in 1817. Selecting the law for his profession, he entered the office of Hon. Joseph R. Ingersoll, of Philadelphia, and was admitted to the bar, in that city, February 12, 1820. The same year he located in Wilkes-Barre, where he was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, April 3, and immediately entered upon the practice of his profession. To the careful training, fitting him for its ordinary duties, the young lawyer added great energy and superior discrimination. His practice was scientifically conducted, and success came to him slowly at first, but with increasing volume each succeeding year. After a most succesful career at the bar, covering nearly a score of years, during two of which he represented his District in the State Legislature, he was appointed in the spring of 1839, by Governor D. R. Porter, to the position of president judge of the Thirteenth Judicial District of Pennsylvania, then consisting of the counties of Susquehanna, Bradford, Tioga, Potter and McKean. The first session of his court was held at Tioga. By an Act passed April 13, 1840, Luzerne was added to his District, and Susquehanna was transferred to the Eleventh District—a proceeding which permitted Judge Conyngham to live at his home in Wilkes-Barre. His commission expired in 1849, but in the fall of 1851, under the amended constitution, he was elected to the presidency of the Eleventh district, then composed of Luzerne, Wyoming, Montour and Columbia counties. In 1853, and again in 1856, changes were made in the District, which finally consisted of Luzerne county only. In 1861 he was re-elected to office although holding political opinions differing on many points from those promulgated by the national administration. The firing on Fort Sumter aroused his patriotism, and immediately sacrificing every party feeling he addressed himself with special vigor to the preservation of the imperiled Union. His name and influence were all-powerful in his judicial district, and few men gave greater personal, or more support, than Judge Conyngham. He resigned his position on the bench in July, 1870, and on his resignation, the entire bar of Luzerne county, as one man, rose up to do him honor—the first instance of the kind in Pennsylvania. No less than sixteen judges from the Supreme Court of the United States, down through all the State judiciaries, gave in writing their deliberate judgment of his character as a judge. In 1824 he married Ruth Ann, daughter of Gen. Lord Butler, and granddaughter of that distinguished Revolutionary officer, Gen. Zebulon Butler. His family consisted of seven children, six of whom grew to maturity: Col. John Butler, U.S.A.; William Lord; Thomas; Maj. Charles Miner, U.S.A.; Mary (Mrs. Charles Parrish), and Anna, who married the Right Rev. William Bacon Stevens, of Pennsylvania.
CHARLES MINER CONYNGHAM, youngest in the family of the late Hon. John Nesbitt and Ruth (Butler) Conyngham, was born in Wilkes-Barre July 6, 1840, educated at the Protestant Episcopal Academy, Philadelphia, also at Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., and was graduated A.B. in 1859, and A.M. in 1862. He studied law with G. Byron Nicholson, of Wilkes-Barre, and was admitted to the bar in August, 1862, but never engaged in the practice of his profession. On August 26, 1862, he entered the U.S. army as captain of Company A, One Hundred and Forty-Third Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry, and in September, 1863, was promoted to major, to date and rank from June 1, 1863. He participated in the battles of Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness and Spottsylvania C.H., and was severely wounded May 12, 1864. He was honorably discharged July 26, 1864, and then engaged in mercantile pursuits under the various firms of Conyngham & Paine and C.M. Conyngham, and in mining operations as Conyngham & Teasdale, at Shickshinny; he has been president of the West End Coal Company, as well as director of the Hazard manufacturing Company and the Parrish Coal Company. He is also the head of the firm of Conyngham, Schrage & Company, who have extensive mercantile Interests in Wilkes-Barre, Ashley and Sugar Notch. Under the administration of Governor Hoyt of Pennsylvania, he held the office of inspector-general of the National Guard; is a prominent member of St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal Church, Wilkes-Barre, a member of Lodge No. 61, F. & A.M., the Loyal Legion of the United States, Society of the Potomac, and the Grand Army of the Republic. On February 9, 1864, he married Helen Hunter Turner, daughter of William Wolcot Turner, of Hartford, Conn., and has three children, Helen, Herbert and Alice.
JAMES COOGAN, stationary engineer at No. 2 Shaft, Susquehanna Coal Company, Nanticoke, was born at Tamaqua, Schuylkill Co., Pa., and is a son of Nicholas and Julia (Dawning) Coogan, both natives of Ireland. Mr. Coogan was educated in the village schools, and at the age of fouteen engaged in farming in the Sharp Mountain collieries at Tamaqua, where he remained seven years, when he entered the employ of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company, at Summit Hill, Pa. He remained there about six years, when he returned to Tamaqua, in the employ of Carter & Borda, remaining with them until 1873, when he came to Nanticoke and accepted his present position; here he has since been engaged, with the exception of one year that he was employed at Mill Hollow, also as engineer. In 1877 he was united in marriage with Miss Jane Vanfossin, of Slocum township, this county. They have had six children: John, Lizzie, William (deceased), Martha, James and Flora. Mr. Coogan is a member of the I.O.O.F., and politically is a Republican.
THOMAS COOK, engineer at the Wyoming Colliery, Plains, was born in Lanarkshire, Scotland, July 11, 1850, and is a son of Adam and Elizabeth (Magot) Cook, the former of whom was a miner. They reared a family of five children, viz.: Adam, a butcher in Hazleton, Pa.; Jennette (deceased), married to Archibald Nichol, a tinsmith in Scotland, by whom she had five children; Thomas, the subject of this memoir; Elizabeth, married to James Conyngham, gardener, Holyoke, Mass., by whom she has four children; and Mary, married to Alexander Thompson, head sawyer, Glasgow, Scotland, by whom she has seven children. Adam Cook was killed by a fall of coal in the mines, and his widow, who now lives at Peckville, Pa., married John Good (since deceased), by whom she had two children: John (deceased), who was a machinist of more than ordinary ability, and David, a civil engineer, now residing in Philadelphia. Our subject, who had been employed in the Speedwell machine shops in Scotland, came to America in 1883, and found employment as night watchman at the Wyoming Colliery, where he has since remained, and in 1889 he was promoted to his present position. He built his residence, a large double block, in 1886. Mr. Cook was married, June 4, 1888, to Miss Isabella, daughter of James Ralston, of Plains. Our subject and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church, of which he is trustee; in his political views he is in sympathy with the Republican party.
WILLIAM H. COOK, carpenter, Larksville, P.O. Edwardsdale. This gentleman was born in Yorkshire, England, in 1850, and is a son of John and Elizabeth (Kelly) Cook, the former a native of England, the latter of Ireland. He was educated in the land of his birth, and learned his trade there. In 1878 he came to America, and remaining in New York City a short time, proceeded from there to Wilkes-Barre, and engaged in his trade, remaining there a few years, when he removed to the West Side and entered the employ of the Kingston Coal Company as a mine carpenter, at which he is now employed. Mr. Cook was married in 1873 to Miss Emily, daughter of William Walker, of Hull, England, and this union has been blessed with five bright children, named respectively, Arthur, Elizabeth, Edward, Beatrice and Rachel Ellen.
CHARLES H. COOKE, surveyor, Dallas, was born November 30, 1850, at Blainstown, Warren Co., N.J., where he was reared and educated. He is a son of Simeon and Sarah Ann (Smith) Cooke, both of whom were born in New Jersey. Simeon Cooke was a man of great influence in his own town, and held many offices of trust and responsibility. At one time he held the office of surveyor general of the State of New Jersey; at another time he was county clerk for two terms. His advice was sought by all who knew him, because of his knowledge of law and matters pertaining to business in general. In his earlier life he was a successful school-teacher. He died in 1866 at the age of sixty-seven years. His widow is now (1892) living at the age of seventy-nine years. They reared a family of six children, all of whom are living, Charles H. being the elder son, and the third member of the family. In his early life our subject confined himself to the study of surveying, under the watchful eye of his father. In 1873 he removed to Scranton, where for two years he engaged as clerk in a wholesale establishment, at the end of which time he removed to Dallas, and here for a time was engaged by A. Ryman & Sons in their mercantile business. In 1876 Mr. Cooke married Miss Clara, daughter of Ira D. and Phebe Shaver, by whom he had three children, viz.: Helen S., Ira P. and Claude H. The same year in which he was married, he began business on his own account as a surveyor, and he has held the office of county surveyor three years. He is a justice of the peace, an office he has held for three terms. He has also held the office of secretary of the borough of Dallas since its incorporation. He is a member in good standing of the F. & A.M., and is a man of intellect and refinement. He is now (1892) erecting a town hall, the ground floor of which is to be used for manufacturing purposes.
THOMAS COOKE, a prominent contractor and builder, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Devonshire, England, May 27, 1849, a son of Thomas and Mary A. (Rowe) Cooke. He was reared and educated in his native country, and learned the carpenter's trade with his father. In 1873 he came to Wilkes-Barre, worked with M. B. Houpt for a time, later with the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, and since 1880 has been in business for himself as a contractor, in which line he has built up a first-class trade. He married Delia, daughter of John J. and Frances (Hughes) Edwards, of Wilkes-Barre, and has one son living, Willie T. Mr. Cooke is an adherent of the M.E. Church; is a member of the K. of M., and O. of W., and in politics is a Republican.
JAMES CHURCHILL COON, editor, Nanticoke, is a native of Saratoga, N.Y., born in 1842. The father of our subject died when the latter was seven months old, and the mother when he was eighth years of age. His childhood days were spent with relatives in Connecticut, Michigan and Ohio. In 1852 he entered a Michigan printing office to learn the printer's trade, and after spending three years in the Michigan office, he went to Chicago. In the spring of 1856 he joined his fortunes with a circus as assistant to the treasurer, and traveled through Illinois, Missouri, Iowa and Wisconsin. In August of that season he quit the circus at Fond du Lac, Wis., and became a clerk in a hotel, and two years later he went to Eau Claire, same State, and clerked in a hotel for a few months. He then engaged in a printing office for about a year in that place, and in 1861, being still a minor, he established the Eau Claire Herald. This paper he sold in 1863, and then went to Chicago, where he accepted employment on the Chicago Times as typesetter, assistant foreman, reporter, sporting editor, etc. He was thus engaged until 1865, when he moved to Waterbury, Conn., and founded a weekly Democratic newspaper, the Nangatuck Valley Messenger. Selling this paper in 1867, he returned to Chicago and resumed work on the Times until 1869, when he journeyed to Rochester, N.Y., in which city he spent a few months and then took charge of the Owego Press, on which he remained until 1871. From there he went to Scranton and became connected with the Republican and Times, being city editor of the latter. In June, 1872, he founded the Sunday Free Press of that city, which met with great success; but owing to a disagreement with the partners he left that establishment in 1877, and in the spring of 1878 founded the Newsdealer, a Sunday paper, and in 1883 commenced it as a daily. In 1887 he sold the Newsdealer to its present owners, and took a trip to the Pacific coast, traveling extensively over the Golden Slope, returning via Texas, and spending the winter in Florida, where he established a paper called Life in Florida. Returning to Scranton, he organized the "Times Publishing Company," and had control of the business and paper until 1891, when he retired and sought a long-needed rest. In August of the same year he became possessed of the Nanticoke Daily and Weekly News, which is one of the successful and prosperous institutions of the county, and of which he is editor and publisher. Mr. Coon in his very active busy life, has always been a great reader, a close and diligent student, and the works of all the great authors in both prose and verse, as is manifest in his writings, are familiar to him. As he learned the art of typesetting, at the same time he learned to think and write. Among his earliest efforts were communications accepted and published in "Brick" Pomeroy's La Crosse Democrat. During his journalistic career in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre Mr. Coon was defendant in no less than fourteen criminal libel suits, all of which resulted favorably for him.
WILLIAM COON, watchman at the Delaware & Hudson Railroad crossing, Miners Mills, was born in Freeburgh, Union (now Snyder) Co., Pa., April 26, 1835, and is a son of William and Sarah (Boyer) Coon (originally Kuhn), natives of Pennsylvania and of German origin. His grandfathers, George Coon and David Boyer, were Revolutionary soldiers, the latter being a drummer boy under Washington at the age of fifteen. The father of our subject who was a millwright by trade, died in 1872 at the age of sixty-two years, and the mother married, for her second husband, John Walburn (now deceased) by whom she had five children, four of whom are living; she is now living in Dushore, Sullivan Co., Pa. In his father's family there were two children, viz.: George, who is a farmer and music teacher in Snyder county, and William. Our subject received a common-school education, and embarked in life working on a farm in Bradford county, which he followed five years, and then worked at the tinner's trade in McKunesville, Pa., for four years. Then, after boating on the canal for a short time, engaged as teamster for Dr. Jackson of Dushore, Pa., where he remained two years, and next worked on a farm in Abington, Pa., till the beginning of the war. In September, 1861, he enlisted at Washington in Company L, Twenty-Third Pennsylvania Volunteers, General Birney's Zouaves, and in March, 1862, was transferred to Company D, Sixty-First Pennsylvania Volunteers; he re-enlisted, in January, 1864, for three years longer, and received a thirty-five days' furlough; he went with Grant to Petersburg, where he was wounded in the left knee, but as soon as he was able was with the regiment with crutch and cane; he was mustered out June 30, 1865, at Pittsburgh, Pa. Mr. Coon then went to Abington and rented farms for four years, and superintended a large farm for Northrope Brothers at Clark's Green three years. He then came to Miners Mills, where he drove team for Miner & Co. for fourteen years, worked in the mill for three years, and accepted, in 1888, his present position. Mr. Coon was married, October 1, 1865, to Miss Maria, daughter of Harry Smith, of Abington, and they have one child, Stella A. (Mrs. M. D. Moot). He and family attend the Presbyterian Church; he is a member of the G.A.R. at Wilkes-Barre; he is Republican in his political views, and has been a member of the borough council for four years.
ROBERT COOPER, machinist, Kingston. This gentleman, who is a native of Drumoak, Scotland, was reared and educated at Kirktown, and at the age of nineteen came to America and settled at Kingston, Pa., where he engaged in stationary engineering, in the employ of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Coal Company. He remained at that business four years, and then went to work in the machine shop of that company, where he learned the machinist's trade, and where he has since been employed. Mr. Cooper was married April 18, 1878, to Miss Sophia A., daughter of William and Elizabeth (Zink) Frauck, of Kingston, which happy union has been blessed with three children: Franklin D., Robert E. and Hannah A. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the F. & A. M. and the I.O.O.F., standing very high in both; his political views are Republican, and he is at present a member of the Kingston borough council.
H. E. COPE, farmer, P.O. Berwick, Columbia county, was born in Salem township, Luzerne Co., Pa., July 15, 1843, and is a son of John and Susannah (Seybert) Cope. Our subject was reared in Salem townshp, where he has followed farming as an occupation, and, with his sister Rebecca, resides on the homestead, which was cleared and improved by his father. He is a member of the Evangelical Church, is a Decomcrat in politics, and has served one term as school director.
JOHN COPE, farmer, P.O. Gregory, was born in Hunlock township, April 7, 1855. He is a son of Jacob and Hephziba Cope, worthy farmers by occupation; the exact place of their birth is not known. Jacob came to this county about 1828, locating in Huntington township, where he followed farming. His father was a native of Germany and also settled in Huntington, in the early settlement of the county, on this farm of his fathers. Jacob worked as a faithful tiller of the soil, and in 1848 he removed to Union (now Hunlock) township, where he purchased one hundred and twenty-six acres of land, on which he erected buildings and other improvements, although there were some improvements on the place when purchased. During his lifetime he brought under the plough about fifty-five acres. He was much respected among his fellow-citizens, and held several township offices. Mr. Cope was a devout man and a member of the Presbyterian Church. He died in February, 1890, aged seventy-seven years. He reared a family of nine children, five of whom are now (1892) living. John is the seventh in order of birth, and always lived in Hunlock township, where he was reared and educated. In his early life he served his time at the wheelwright trade, which he abandoned for farming. March 1, 1880, he married Miss Rosa A., daughter of Caleb and Jane Hess, and to them has been born one child, Laura M. Mrs. Rose (Hess) Cope, was born in this county in 1859. Mr. Cope is living on his father's farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres, which he improves every year. He is a worthy man who will achieve great prominence in agricultural circles. Politically he is a Democrat.
J. W. COPE, farmer, P.O. Beach Haven, was born in Salem township, May 28, 1841, and is a son of John and Susannah (Seybert) Cope. His paternal grandfather, John Cope, a native of Germany, for a time resided in Salem township, and died on the farm now owned by Chester Cope. His children were Jacob, John, David, Annie (Mrs. Alexander Lockard), Eliza (Mrs. Joseph Stackhouse) and Catherine (Mrs. Joshua Kinny); of these John, who was a native of Bethlehem, Pa., settled in Salem township in 1827, where he cleared a farm and died. His wife was a daughter of Michael Seybert, of Salem township, and by her he had five childen who grew to maturity: Caroline (Mrs. Samuel Pollock), Rebecca, Joshua, John W. and Henry E. Our subject was reared in Salem township, worked at the carpenter's trade twenty-six years, and since 1881 has been engaged in farming. In 1881 he married Frances E., daughter of George and Elizabeth (Sitler) Miller, of Briar Creek, Columbia Co., Pa., and has three children living: George W., Vida B. and Marvin F. Mr. Cope is a member of the M.E. Church; in politics he is a Democrat.
E. A. CORAY, Pittston. This gentleman, who stands among the many popular young politicians of the county without a superior, was born in Monroeton, Bradford Co., Pa., September 6, 1858, and is a son of George and Laura (Green) Coray. The father sprang from old pioneer stock of the Wyoming Valley, which lovely spot was the scene of his birth, and there he spent his boyhood days. He was a merchant by occupation, and died in 1883, aged fifty-nine years; the mother is still living and resides in Pittston. They had a family of three sons: William H., a farmer of Exeter township; E. A., and George E., manager of a tea store at Altoona, Pa. Our subject passed his boyhood in this county, and was educated in the public schools and at the Keystone Academy at Factoryville, Pa. In 1878 he entered the office of the Pittston Evening Press, and began to learn the printer's trade. Here he worked for one year; then was engaged in different occupations until 1880, when he became associated with the Pittston Gazette, and served on that paper as printer, reporter and assistant editor until 1888, when he was elected on the Republican ticket to represent the Second District of Luzerne county in the State Legislature; he was re-elected in 1890, and served in the Assemblies of 1889 and 1891. Mr. Coray has a host of friends throughout the entire country. He is a newspaper correspondent of pronounced merit, and is bound to succeed in that line.
JAMES CORBETT, foreman in charge of repairs on the Wilkes-Barre & Suburban Railway tracks, with residence in Plains, was born in Syracuse, N.Y., March 4, 1851, and is a son of John and Johanna (Kinney) Corbett, natives ofThurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. The father, who was a farmer, came to America in 1842, and located near Syracuse, later moving into the city, where he reared a family of four children, two of whom are living: John, a conductor on the New York Central Railroad, and James. Our subject was educated in the public schools and in the Christian Brothers' school. He worked on the farm until he was sixteen years of age, and then engaged in braking on the New York Central Railroad, and was so employed two years. He then commenced teaming in Syracuse, which business he followed two years. In 1872 he came to Sugar Notch, this county, where he was a laborer in the mine nine months, after which he removed to Mill Creek, where he followed the same occupation two years. He was then engaged in track-laying in the Union Slope fifteen years, and in 1889 he secured his present position. Mr. Corbett was married, June 22, 1886, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Hugh and Margaret (Jones) Dougherty, natives of Ireland, and they have three children, two of whom are living, viz.: James and Ellen. Our subject and family are members of the Catholic Church; he is a member of the Father Mathew Society and the C.M.B.A. In his political views he is a Democrat, and has held the office of school director in Plains township. His present residence he purchased and removed therein in 1888.
HARVEY CORBY, farmer, P.O. Larksville, was born in Morris county, N.J., August 25, 1835, and is a son of Amisa and Eliza (Smaley) Corby, both of whom were also born in Morris county, N.J. By occupation they were farmers. They removed from New Jersey to Eaton township, Wyoming county, where they also followed agricultural pursuits. They owned about 300 acres of land, 150 of which were brought under cultivation during his lifetime. He was a worthy man of good habits and sound moral principles. He died in 1881 at the age of seventy years. Amisa Corby was married twice and reared a family of twelve children. Our subject was nine years of age when he removed to Wyoming county with his father, and consequently received his first school training in New Jersey, finishing in Wyoming county. He began his active business life in Eaton township, Wyoming county, where he engaged in farming and lumbering. He was prosperous financially at both branches of business, and continued his residence there till 1870, when he removed to Plymouth township, near the west of Kingston line, on a farm of 107 acres of valuable land, made so by years of ceaseless activity on the part of Mr. Corby. On April 12, 1856, he married Miss Dorcas, daughter of William and Dolly Sickler, to which union have been born twelve children, nine of whom are living: Louisa, Aaron, Flora, Ida, James, William, Corey, Harrison, Anna and Clarence. Six are married, as follows: Louisa, married to Moses Strunk; Aaron, married to Miss Carrie Jones; Flora, married to William Blarnett; Ida, married to Thomas M. Jenkins; William, married to Miss Sarah Lilly; Corey, married to Miss Hattie Dicker. Mr. Corby is a practical farmer of large experience, who enjoys the full confidence of his fellows. In 1861 he took up arms in defense of the Union, enlisting in Company B, Twelfth Pennsylvania Reserves, for the term of three years. He participated in the following battles: Seven Days' Fight, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Wilderness, Gettysburg, Spottsylvania, North Anna, Bethsaida Church and others. In these bloody contests he displayed heroic courage and an indomitable nerve. He was wounded at the battles of Wilderness and Brandy Station. He was honorably discharged in 1864, serving longer than his stipulated time. He now enjoys a pension. He is a member of the G.A.R., a strict churchman and, politically, is a Republican.
M. F. CORCORAN, proprietor "Anthracite Hotel," Duryea, was born in Lackawanna township, now Lackawanna county, but at that time a part of Luzerne. He is a son of ex-councilman Patrick Corcoran and Bridget (Manley) Corcoran, natives of County Mayo, Ireland. The parents now reside in Scranton, where Mr. Corcoran, in addition to being proprietor of the "Meadow Brook Hotel," is also a prominent contractor, and takes an active interest in the fortunes of the Democratic party. Michael Corcoran, the uncle of our subject, is chief of police in Cincinnati, and his two sons are prominent members of the bar of that city. Michael F. Corcoran was educated in the common schools, and when but thirteen engaged in the livery and hotel business in Scranton. By strict attention to the details of his business he has attained the prominence which he now enjoys, and he is well and favorably known by almost every traveling man in the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys. In January, 1890, being far-seeing enough to perceive that the tide of conquest was in this case pushing eastward, he built the "Anthracite Hotel," where now stands the thriving town of Duryea, but where at that time was nothing but a barren waste, his hotel being the first building erected here, so that Mr. Corcoran may justly be styled the pioneer of Duryea. In politics our subject is a Democrat. He is also a member of the Phil Sheridan Rifles of Scranton, and in religion is a Catholic.
DANIEL CORGAN, manufacturer, Luzerne. This gentleman was born in Carnarvonshire, North Wales, May 10, 1841, a son of John and Mary (Dooly), and was educated partly in Wales and partly in this country. At the age of eleven years he came with his parents to America, and located at Summit Hill, Pa., where the lad of tender years went to work in a coal breaker, remaining there until he was old enough to work in the mines. He continued as a miner until 1888, when he astonished the mining community by his marvelous invention known as the "Lightning Rotary Coal and Rock Drilling Machine." This invention was the product of twenty years' experience and study, for the busy brain of the hard-toiling miner was at work as well as the hands, and after much labor and many disappointments he at last accomplished the wonderful achievement that makes mining less dangerous and much easier than the old method. Mr. Corgan and son have a large factory opposite the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, where hundreds of these machines are manufactured yearly. Our subject was married, January 6, 1865, to Miss Cecilia, daughter of John and Mary (Roach) McAndle, natives of Ireland, and nine children have been born to this union, viz.: John, in partnership with his father; Mary, residing at home; Daniel, a miner; Martin, an engineer at Waddell's Shaft; and James, Emily, William, Leo and Michael, attending the High School of Luzerne. Mr. Corgan and family are members of the Catholic Church, and in politics, he affiliates with the Democratic party.
GEORGE CORONWAY, assistant shipper, Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., was born in Liverpool, England, February 6, 1842. When one year old he was taken to the house of his grandmother in Wales, where he remained until nine years of age, and received all the schooling he ever had. He then returned to Liverpool, and was employed in the mercantile establishment of an uncle until nearly eighteen years of age. Through the influence of this uncle he received the appointment of assistant steward on the steamship "Europa," of the Cunard Line, running between Liverpool and Boston, and served in that capacity, and as under purser, four years, crossing the Atlantic over fifty times, when he was transferred to the Mediterranean Line of the same company, as steward, in which he remained about a year. In November, 1864, he went to Pernambuco, Brazil, and while on the voyage from that place to Baltimore, Md., was shipwrecked, in consequence of which he spent three months in a hospital in the latter city. On his recovery he concluded to remain in America, and has since been a resident of Pennsylvania, coming to Wilkes-Barre in 1868, where he entered the employ of the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, in whose service he still continues, and in his present position since 1882. In 1870, Mr. Coronway married Margaret, daughter of Richard and Mary (Conway) Jones, of Harding township, Luzerne Co., Pa., and they have four children living: Mary Isabella, Ethel, Hugh Roy and Archie Todd. Our subject is a member of the Presbyterian Church, of the Royal Socity of Goodfellows, and is bard of the Cambro-American Socity of Wilkes-Barre. He is a poet and writer of note. In politics he is a Republican.
FREDERIC CORSS, M.D., physician and surgeon, Kingston, was born in Bradford county, Pa., and is a son of Rev. Charles C. and Ann (Hoyt) Corss, nativesof Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, respectively. The father studied theology at Princeton, and has preached at Kingston, Wyoming, Athens and East Smithfield, all in Pennsylvania, at present located at the last named place. James Corss was the first of the Corss family, so far as is known, in this country. He made his appearance in New England about 1690, and the entire family of that name in this country are descended from him. Dr. Corss is the third of five children, viz.: Charles, a lawyer in Lock Haven, Pa., born July 20, 1837 (was twice married); Nancy, born October 9, 1839; Frederic; John H., born April, 1847, died in 1866; and Ann, born July 4, 1851, married to William F. Church. Dr. Corss was educated in the Wyoming Seminary and the Susquehanna Collegiate Institute, and was a graduate from LaFayette College in the class of '62. He then commenced the study of medicine under Dr. Holmes, and was with him until 1863, when he entered the medical college of the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in the class of 1866. He then began the practice of his profession at Kingston, where he has since successfully pursued it. He was married June 19, 1872, to Miss Martha S., daughter of John D. and Elizabeth A. (Goodwin) Hoyt. Dr. Corss is a member of the F. & A.M. and of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and the Luzerne County Medical Society, having been president of the latter one term. He is also a member of the faculty of Wyoming Seminary, where he delivers a course of lectures on hygiene, and has always been a persistent worker for the advancement of education. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a Republican.
BOWMAN CORTRIGHT, clerk, Shickshinny, was born at Beach Grove, Salem township, Luzerne Co., Pa., September 19, 1856, and is a son of Jesse D. and Martha J. (Turner) Cortright. The paternal grandfather, Andrew Cortright, was a pioneer farmer of Salem township, and his wife was a Miss Bowman; their children were: Christian B., Dingman, Morris, Fletcher, Jesse D., Susan A. (Mrs. Wilson Holloway) and — (Mrs. Moses Davis). The maternal grandfather of subject was George Turner, also a pioneer of Salem township. Jesse D. Cortright was for many years a general merchant on the Pennsylvania & Lehigh Canal, and the later years of his life were spent in Salem township where he died. His children were Bowman, Benton, Alice and Lizzie, who grew to maturity. Our subject was reared in Salem township, was educated in the common schools, and when fourteen years of age began work about the mines, where he worked six years. In 1876 he located at Shickshinny, where he has since been in the employ of N. B. Crary, general merchant, and has been manager of his store since 1886. He was twice married: first time to Laura, daughter of Milford and Susan (Kocher) Kingsbury, of Shickshinny, and by her he had one son, Lawrence; His second wife was Merinie E., daughter of J. T. and Elizabeth (Fisher) Fox, of Bloomsburg, Pa. Mr. Cortright is a member of the M.E. Church and, in politics, is a Republican.
JOHN A. CORTRIGHT, locomotive engineer, Nescopeck, was born in Salem township, this county, July 11, 1860, a son of Morris H. and Lydia (Titus). His paternal grandfather, Andrew Cortright, was one of the pioneers and prominent citizens of Salem township, and served several terms in the State Legislature. His wife was Matilda Bowman, and his children were, Christian B., Jesse D., Dingman, Ashfill, Fletcher, Morris H., Pemelia, Rebecca and Susan Ann. Of these, Morris H., born in Salem township, this county, was a railroad man, and lost an arm and leg by an accident; afterward for twenty years he was in the employ of the Jackson & Wooden Company, at Berwick. His wife was a daughter of Adam Titus, of Union, this county, formerly of Northampton county, Pa., and his children were Eugene W. (drowned at Lyons, N.Y., September 19, 1884), John A., Stephen H., Lizzie M., Clarence J. and Susan A. (Mrs. Frank M. Wooley). The father died July 8, 1892. Our subject was reared in Salem township and educated in the public schools. In 1882 he began railroading as a brakeman, from which position he was promoted to baggageman and fireman, and in 1889 to engineer, in which he has since continued, running between Pottsville and Nescopeck for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. Mr. Cortright has been a resident of Nescopeck since 1888. On November 25, 1882, he married H. Melly, daughter of John H. and Elizabeth (Bond) Harter, of Nescopeck, and they have three children: Edna M., Earl M. and Mabel E. Our subject is a member of the Evangelical Association and Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen; in politics he is a Prohibitionist.
WILLIAM S. COULTER, civil engineer, Ashley, was born in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England, September 14, 1827, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Hammond) Coulter. His father, who was a surveyor and land agent, and later a train despatcher, came to America in 1842, and located in Schuylkill county, Pa., but later removed to Pottstown, where he and his wife died, also their only other child, Thomas, who was draughtsman in the Reading Railroad office. Our subject received his education in his native country, clerked one year, and worked at the blacksmith's trade three years in Pottsville. In 1846 he engaged with Samuel B. Fisher to learn surveying and engineering, and remained with them five years; was then engaged by the Mine Hill & Schuylkill Haven Railroad company, as assistant engineer, till 1865, when he removed to Ashley and entered the employ of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company. He engineered the rebuilding of the three planes, and the building of the Central shops. In 1876 he retired from active life, and since 1889 he has been employed as borough engineer. Mr. Coulter was married October 24, 1853, to Miss Catherine Evans, of Pottsville, Pa. They are members of the Episcopal and Baptist Churches, respectively; in his political views he is a Republican.
J. G. COURSEN, merchant, Plymouth. This enterprising gentleman was born, April 6, 1833, in Sussex county, N.J., and is a son of Samuel J. and Hannah (Cougleton) Courson, also natives of New Jersey. There were nine children in the family, James E. being the sixth in order of birth. Our subject was educated in the public schools, and after completing his course of study entered the employ of Ruip & Shaffer, wholesale hardware dealers, of Newburgh, N.Y., as traveling salesman. He remained with them two years, and then was engaged with a Peterson, N.J., firm, in the same capacity for one year. He then followed agricultural pursuits for about a year, in the meantime being elected constable, on the Independent ticket, for a term of service. Removing to Wayne county, Pa., he again engaged in farming, which occupation he followed two years. When the Civil war broke out, he enlisted August 19, 1861, in Company D, Ninth Pennsylvania Cavalry, Western Division, under command of Col. Williams, and he participated in the following battles: Perryville, Stone River, and Roloford Creek, Tenn., besides several skirmishes, being wounded in the engagement at Franklin, Tenn. His term of service was for three years and four months, during which time he was a faithful and tried soldier. Mr. Coursen was married, August 19, 1865, to Laura, daughter of Jacob and Susan Myers, natives of New Jersey, and to this union have been born four children, viz.: Orell E., born April 4, 1868; William A., born January 29, 1870; Robbie, born March 4, 1874, and Harry, born March 20, 1875. In political matters Mr. Coursen is a Republican. He is a member of the P.O.S. of A., O.U.A.M. and G.A.R. The family attend the Presbyterian Church.
BENJAMIN R. COURTRIGHT, proprietor of the "Courtright House," Wilkes-Barre, was born in Plains township, June 25, 1853, a son of William H. and Clara (Swallow) Courtright. The father of our subject was born in Plains township, and in early manhood was engaged in merchandising in same, and also in Hanover, as manager of a company store. In 1864 he removed to Illinois, and later to Palmyra, Mo., where he now resides, engaged in farming. He was twice married: first to Clara, daughter of Joseph Swallow, a pioneer of Plains township, by whom he had four children: Josephine E., Benjamin R., Clara G. (Mrs. J. G. Mentz) and Joseph M. His second wife was Mary Morgan, of Plains, by whom he had five childen: William A., Gertrude, Roy, May and Nellie. Our subject was reared in Plains and Wilkes-Barre, being educated in the public and private schools. After attaining his majority he began life as a hotel clerk, continuing in that capacity seven years. Since 1888 he has been the popular proprietor of the "Courtright House," Wilkes-Barre, which has been conducted by the Courtright family, most of the time, for thirty-five years. In April, 1888, he married Lena, daughter of Samuel Goble, of Tunkhannock.
FRANK COURTRIGHT, manufacturer of and dealer in all kinds of harness, Nanticoke, was born in Orange, Luzerne Co., Pa., August 9, 1853, and is a son of Burton and Lucy Ann (Leonard) Courtright, the former of whom was born in Plains township, Luzerne county. Burton Courtright passed his entire life in this county, and died in Orange, in 1862, at the age of seventy-three years. He was a son of Henry Courtright, who was one of Luzerne county's pioneers, having settled in the unbroken wilderness of the Wyoming Valley at a very early date, and he was a descendant of one of two Courtright brothers who came to this country from Holland. Henry Courtright died at the age of ninety-eight years. Our subject's mother was also a native of this county, a daughter of Theopolis Leonard, a native of Germany, and another of the pioneers of Wyoming Valley. The family, of whom the subject of this sketch is a member, consisted of seven children, viz.: Cormella (deceased); Adelaide, living at Orange, Pa.; Oscar L., in Rockaway, N.J.; Seymour, in Orange, Pa.; Charles B., in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; Alice, in Orange; and Frank.
Frank Courtright began life as an apprentice to the harness-making trade, in the employ of G. W. Fritz, of Scranton, Pa., who has the largest harness supply store in northern Pennsylvania. After serving an apprenticeship of four years there, Mr. Courtright entered the employ of T. J. Detweller, of Providence, Pa., where he worked at his trade about three years and a half. He then came to Nanticoke in November, 1880, and began business in the same line for himself, which he has since successfully followed. In 1881 he was united in marriage with Miss Ida Maud, the accomplished daughter of M. B. Posten, of Wilkes-Barre, and there have been born to them three children, viz.: Burton Alen, Nina Maud, and Elias W. (deceased). During his stay at Providence Mr. Courtright was first lieutenant of Company H, Ninth Regiment, N.G.P. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, the I.O.O.F., and Encampment, the K. of H., R.S. of G.F., and S.P.T. In politics, he is a Democrat.
GEORGE COURTRIGHT, farmer, P.O. Luzerne, was born in Plains, April 26, 1818, where he received his primary education, obtaining the rest in Kingston township. He is a son of John and Louisa (Searles) Courtright, the former of whom was born in Plains township in 1790, the latter, in Pittston township. John was a son of Cornelius Courtright, a native of New Jersey, descended from Dutch parentage. He removed to this county previous to the Wyoming Massacre, locating in Plains township, where he lived the remainder of his life. He was a man of more than ordinary education, whose influence was used in the advancement of everything beneficent to his fellow men. He held nearly all the leading offices in the township, having been justice of the peace for a number of years, and was elected by his fellow citizens to a seat in the Legislature. He lived a life of usefulness, whose every effort was devoted to goodness to his fellows. He was a stanch adherent to the Whig party, which received his strong support for seventy years, he being over ninety years of age at the time of his death. He reared a family of ten children, one of whom is now living. John began his business career as a farmer. His property was a very valuable one, and he was a man who took the lead in every improvement and enterprise that tended to advance the interests of the county. He owned the first steel spring top buggy in his township. His life, though brief, was a useful one; he died in 1830, at the age of forty years. His famiy consisted of four children, two of whom are now living. George, being the second in order of birth, was twelve years of age when he came on the west side of the river in Kingston township, where he has since lived the busy life of a farmer. In 1847 he married Miss Mary, daughter of James and Mary Mathers, and to this union were born six children, four of whom are now living: James, John, William and Fidelia, all of whom are married. Mr. Courtright is a farmer of some means, owning a valuable farm of 145 acres; he is not only a practical farmer, but a practical man. Politically he is a Republican, and has held the office of school director for thirteen years, and now holds that of auditor.
JAMES COURTRIGHT, proprietor of Courtright's Livery and Sale Stable, in rear of the "White Horse Hotel," West Market street, Wilkes-Barre, with residence in Plains, was born in Plains, Pa., October 30, 1831, and is a son of Benjamin and Clarissa (Williams) Courtright, natives of Luzerne county and of English origin. In their family there were six children, of whom James is the fourth. Our subject began practical life in a small grocery where the "Plainsville Hotel," now stands, and here he remained several years, when he commenced farming, which he followed however, but a few years. He then resumed the grocery business in company with his brother, John M., on West Market street, Wilkes-Barre, and after four years thus engaged he was elected county treasurer, in which capacity he served three years. During the next four years he made three trips to Colorado, for the purpose of digging gold, and in 1884 he embarked in his present business. Mr. Courtright was married, September 19, 1854, to Ruth G., Daughter of John and Mary (Stark) Searle, natives of Luzerne county and of English lineage. Mr. and Mrs. Courtright have two children: John S., married to Ella V. Lathrope, of Montrose, where he is engaged in the practice of law, and where he has been justice of the peace for ten years (they have one child, Sarah L.), and Harry B., employed with his father (he married Ida C. Welles, of Wilkes-Barre, and they have three childen: Ruth S., Josephine W. and James W.). Mrs. James Courtright is a cousin of Justice Searle, of Philadelphia, and a cousin of Judge Searle, of Montrose; her grandmother Searle was among those whom flight saved from the terrible massacre of Wyoming, at which time she was seven years old. Mr. Courtright's political convictions have always been in accord with the principles of the Republican party.
JAMES A. COURTRIGHT, merchant, and proprietor of the "Midvale Hotel," Plains, was born in Wolverhampton, England, December 25, 1862, a son of Frederick and Julia (Gill) Adey, and an adopted son of Richard and Eliza (Gill) Courtright, with whom he came to America in 1870. He located at Pittston, Pa., where he obtained a common-school education, and then drove in the mines two years, after which he was employed as brakeman on the Lehigh Valley Railroad two years, and then assisted Mr. Courtright in coal operating. They erected the "Midvale Hotel" in 1885, and the store adjoining in 1888. Our subject was married, October 9, 1883, to Miss Matilda, daughter of Michael and Ann (Quinn) Donnelly, natives of Ireland, and the fruits of this union were four children, three of whom are living, viz.: Elizabeth M., Frederick R. and Bertha V. Mr. James A. Courtright is a member of the I.O.R.M., the K. of P. and the Golden Conclave; in his political views he is a Republican.
SEYMOUR COURTRIGHT, farmer, P.O. Orange, was born in Exeter township, July 29, 1845, a son of Burton and Lucy (Larned) Courtright, the former of whom was born in Plains township, March 15, 1814, the latter in Exeter, October 13, 1818. Burton Courtright is a son of Henry Courtright, who was born in 1786, and who was one of the early settlers in Plains, where he owned a large tract of coal land before that article of commerce was discovered, and which he disposed of prior to that time. He removed from Plains to Exeter, where he bought another farm, on which he remained about fifteen years, after which time he removed to Franklin, where he bought yet another farm of 166 acres, some of which was improved, and it is to-day one of the oldest farms in Franklin township. He was a man of force and influence, of sterling qualities, honest and industrious to a fault, never aspired to office, yet bore his share of responsibility his way. He died March 27, 1864, at the advance age of ninety-six years. He had born to him eight children, seven of whom he reared to maturity, and all of whom are now dead. Burton Courtright, the youngest of the children born to Henry, always lived with his father, and was about thirty-three years of age when he, with his father, in 1847, moved to Franklin township. After the death of his father Burton took charge of and fell heir to the property which he caused to improve under his magic touch, as long as he lived. He was not one to court favors, yet he always received them. He had great influence in his party (Democratic), and held most of the township offices. He was married December 19, 1838, to Miss Lucy Ann, daughter of Theophilus and Elizabeth Larned, by which union there were born seven children, all of whom grew to maturity, viz.: Mary C. (married S. D. Lewis, and died August 3, 1886, leaving five children: Oscar C., Frances E., Everett, Alice and Blanche, all now living in Odell, Ill.); Adelaide, C. (single); Oscar L. (who married Miss Sophia Stephens, by whom he had two children, Laura A. and Everett P.); Seymour (married Miss Hattie E., daughter of Charles Heft, by whom he has had one child, Alice Louisa, a charming and promising girl of sixteen summers); Everett (married Miss Lizzie Posten, by whom he has one child, Archie B.); Alice is yet single; Frank (married Miss Ida Posten, by whom he has two children, Burton A. and Nina M.). These comprise the children and grandchildren of Burton Courtright, who are now living. Burton died, 1888, in his seventy-fourth year. Mrs. Hattie E. Courtright, wife of Seymour Courtright, died May 21, 1889. Seymour is the only son at home, and attends to the farming. He is a worthy young man, and has held several township offices, which he filled with credit to himself and his fellow citizens. Politically he is a Democrat.
MATHEW COYLE, Ashley, conductor on the Central Railroad of New Jersey, was born in Utica, N.Y., May 3, 1837, a son of Michael and Mary (O'Neill) Coyle, natives of County Cavan, Ireland. His father, who came to America in 1828, reared a family of five children, four of whom are living, and of whom he is the second in order of birth. The family came to Wyoming county in 1844, settling near Meshoppen, where they took up a farm, and in 1847 came to Ashley, where the parents died. Here our subject began working about the mines, which occupation he followed ten years. He enlisted at Wilkes-Barre in April, 1861, in Company D, Eighth P.V., and served three months, when he was honorably discharged. He then entered the Government employ as a fireman in the transport service, where he performed his duties valiantly till the fall of 1865. He then returned to Ashley, and after braking three years was promoted to his present position. He purchased his present residence in 1887, and established a mercantile business in the front portion in 1888. Mr. Coyle was married April 22, 1866, to Miss Bridget, daughter of William and Mary (Kane) Dillon, natives of County Westmeath, Ireland. They have had six children, one of whom is living, Michael F., brakeman on his father's train. Mr. Coyle and family are members of the Catholic Church. He is a Democrate in politics.
NATHAN B. CRARY, general merchant, Shickshinny, was born in Salem township, Luzerne Co., Pa., a son of Dr. Mason and Deziar (Beach) Crary. His maternal grandfather, Nathan Beach, was a native of New York and a son of Nathan and Deziar (Herrick) Beach, who were among the pioneers of Salem township. The great-grandmother is said to have beent he first white woman to cross the Blue Mountains, was driven back by Indians, but later returned, and settling in Salem township, this county, died there. Nathan (the great-grandfather) was a farmer, and Nathan (the grandfather) was also a farmer and dealer in real estate, dying in Salem township in 1847. He was a wagon driver in the Revolutionary war, under Gen. Washington, from whose hands he received his pay. He was thrice married, his first wife being Susan Thomas (grandmother of subject), and by her he had children as follows: Thomas, Josiah, Nathan, Hannah, Ann, Mary and Deziar. His second wife was Rachel Wilson. Thomas Crary the paternal grandfather of our subjct, was a native of Stonington, Conn., and died in Albany, N.Y. Dr. Mason Crary, who was also a native of Stonington, Conn., was reared in Albany county, N.Y., and in 1804 settled in Salem township, this county, where he practiced medicine, and also at Wilkes-Barre until his death in 1855. By his wife, Deziar (Beach) he had eight children, viz.: Erasmus D., Beach T., Mason, Nathan B., Ellen H., Susan, Caroline and Hannah B. The subject proper of this memoir, was reared in Salem township, receiving his education in the common and select schools, and at Berwick Academy. After attaining his majority, he followed farming in Salem township until 1857, when he embarked in mercantile business at Shickshinny, in which he has since successfully continued. In 1859 he married Miranda L. Overton, of Wilkes-Barre, by whom he had the following named six children: John W. (deceased), Anna, Lenna, Sarah, Natalia, and Minnie (deceased). The paternal grandmother of Mr. Crary was Mehitable Mason, a descendant of Capt. John Mason, who took an active part in the Pequod Indian war, and to whose memory a monument was erected in 1889 at Mystic, Conn. Mr. Crary is one of Shickshinny's prominent merchants and citizens, and was one of the four purchasers of the present site of Shickshinny, which was bought for the purpose of laying out the town.
JOHN BARCLAY CRAWFORD, physician and surgeon, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Crawford, Orange Co., N.Y., January 2, 1828, and is a son of John B. and Elizabeth (Thompson) Crawford. His paternal grandfather, John Crawford, of Scotch-Irish descent, and a soldier of the Revolution, was, with his parents, among the pioneers of Orange county, N.Y., and his father participated in the French war, being with Gen. Wolfe at the capture of Quebec by the British. Our subject was reared near Havana, Schuyler Co., N.Y., where he received an academical education, his medical training being obtained at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York City. In 1850 he began the practice of his chosen profession at Holly, Wayne Co., N.Y. In 1851 he located at Wyoming, this county, where with the exception of three years during the Civil war, when he was surgeon of the fifty-second P.V., he remained until 1870, in which year he removed to Wilkes-Barre, where he has since been in active practice. In 1852 Dr. Crawford married Sarah, daughter of Martin and Mary (Chapman) Hammond, of Big Flats, N.Y., and has one daughter, Hattie L. The Doctor is a member of the Luzerne County Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State Medical Society and American Medical Association. He is consulting surgeon of the Wilkes-Barre City Hospital Staff; has served as president of the U.S. Pension Examining Board, and one term as coroner of Luzerne county. Socially, he is a member of the G.A.R.; in politics, he is a Republican.
JOHN M. CRESSLER, M.D., a prominent physician of Wilkes-Barre, was born in Conyngham township, this county, March 27, 1852, a son of Alonzo L. and Caroline (Heller) Cressler, natives of Cumberland and Luzerne counties, respectively. The father, a physician by profession, and a graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, settled in Luzerne county about 1851, and has been a resident of Wilkes-Barre sixteen years. The mother was a daughter of Michael Heller, a farmer of Conyngham township. The only issue of their marriage was John M., our subject. He was reared in his native county, and was graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, in 1874. After practicing one year in Philadelphia, two years at Pittston, one year at Lynn, Susquehanna Co., Pa., and two years at Mountain Top, he located in 1880 in Wilkes-Barre, where he has since resided and built up a successful and lucrative business. In 1877 Dr. Cressler married Emma, daughter of Nathan and Rachel (Egbert) Stiles, of Wilkes-Barre; and has three children: Edwin, Mary and John. Dr. Cressler is a member of the Luzerne Medical Society, and in politics is a Democrat.
WILLIAM H. CRISPELL, farmer, P.O. Outlet, was born in Ulster county, N.Y., December 2, 1816, son of Thomas S. and Sarah (Wicks) Crispell, both of whom were born in New York State. Thomas was a son of Solomon, who was a son of John, who was a native of Holland, his wife being a native of France. They emigrated to this country in its early history. Five of their sons served in the Revolutionary war; one of their sons was taken captive by the Indians, and they never could get any trace of him. They always made the State of New York their home. Solomon Crispell was a carpenter and wagon-maker as well as an extensive farmer in those days. He was a good man who followed the laws of health, and lived to the age of one hundred and two. He had two hundred and fifty acres of land, which he improved to a great extent, and left to his children. His children numbered three, one of whom is now (1892) living. Thomas, son of Solomon, removed to Luzerne, now Wyoming county, in its very early settlement. He settled on fifty acres, to which he added 100. After disposing of his first farm he moved to Bowman's Creek, dying at that place in 1862, at the age of seventy-three. His family consisted of eight children, all of whom grew to maturity and three of whom are now living. William H. is the eldest of the family. He was reared and educated in Ulster county, N.Y., and always confined himself to farming. In 1854 he was married with Miss Sarah, daughter of John Wright. Eight children were born to this marriage, all of whom grew to maturity; four are now living: Severn B., Gertrude, Zibe M. and Mary E. For his second wife he married Mrs. Priscilla Neely, by whom he had four children, two of whom are living: William H. and Corey L. Mr. Crispell removed to Lake township about 1872, settling on a small farm. He is a man of sound and clear principles, a good citizen, and member of the Baptist Church. Politically he is a Democrat.
GEORGE A. CROCKETT, farmer, P.O. Irish Lane, was born in Ross township, July 15, 1815, a son of James K. and Hannah (Alexander) Crockett, both of whom were born in Ireland and emigrated to this country about 1801, locating in Ross township, this county, in 1809. James Crockett, Francis Evins and Thomas Holmes jointly bought a tract of land in Ross township, each taking a third, becoming the first real pioneers in that part of the township. They ran a road by their place which they called "Broadway," but the name has been finally changed to "Irish Lane." James was a hardworking, honest, and industrious man, who did much for the advancement of agriculture in Ross township. He was a cousin of "Davy" Crockett, the celebrated trapper and hunter. James died in 1856, aged eighty-nine years. There were three children born to him, one of whom is living—the subject of this sketch. George A. Crockett was reared and educated in Ross Township, where he has always resided, respected as a worthy man whose influence was ever on the side of right. He always confined himself to farming, and has proved himself to be a practical agriculturist. He is the oldest man in the township, and was one of the first to be appointed a justice of the peace after the township was set off; he also held the office of county treasurer in 1864. He owns three hundred acres of valuable land. Their family consisted of eleven children, seven of whom are living, viz.: James, Charles, Robert P., Hannah (Shaw), Ether (Rummage), Martha (Wolfinger), and Sarah (Wandell).
ROBERT P. CROCKETT, is working the farm which is a very extensive one. He has devoted forty acres to fruit, and intends in the future to confine himself to fruit growing. He is also in the lumber business, furnishing rollers for the various mines in Wyoming Valley. On August 18, 1862, he was mustered into the United States service as a member of Company F, One Hundred and Forty-third P.V.I., for three years, and was soon promoted to second lieutenant. In 1864 he was commissioned first lieutenant, which rank he held to the close of the war. He acted as captain for twenty-two months, and had the full confidence of both men and officers. He was a good soldier who never shirked his duty, participating in all the leading battles from Chancellorsville to Hatcher's Run, and was honorably discharged at the close of the war. As he had the confidence of his comrades during the time of war, so now he enjoys the full confidence of his fellow citizens in time of peace. He held the postoffice at Bloomingdale for eleven years, and has been postmaster at Irish Lane since its establishment. In 1876 Mr. Crockett married Miss Catherine, daughter of J. R. and Hannah Sutliff, and to them were born four chilren, one of whom is living, Maye E.
James Crockett, the eldest son of George A. Crockett, was also born, reared and educated in Ross township. He is a surgeon by profession, and has been county surgeon six years. He has held the office of justice of the peace twenty-three years. He resides on part of the old homestead, and his farm comprises 160 acres. He is also a practical farmer, and lives in the house built by his grandfather, James Crockett. In January, 1863, he married Miss Mary M., daughter of John and Harriet Wandell, and four children were born to them, all yet living: Harriet A., Charles, George, and David. The Crocketts are Democrats in politics.
CHARLES A. CROOP, powder maker, Belbend, was born in Newport township, this county, July 28, 1859, and is a son of Allen B. and Margaret (Obitz) Croop. His paternal grandfather, George Croop, was a pioneer farmer of Newport township, where he died; his wife was Rebecca Thomas, by whom he had two children: Allen B. and Phoebe A. The father of our subject was a native of Newport township, where he was reared and educated, and is now a resident of Brier Creek township, Columbia Co., Pa., where he has lived since 1865, engaged in farming. His wife was Margaret, daughter of Peter and Maria (Steiner) Obitz, of Newport township, by whom he had nine children: Charles A., Susan (Mrs. L. M. Hicks), Ella, Nettie (Mrs. Frank P. Bloss), Phoebe, Ray, George, Blanche and Mary. Our subject was reared in Brier Creek township from six years of age, and after clerking in the store at Berwick, and later at Wapwallopen, he entered the employ of the Dupont Powder Company, with whom he has been connected since 1882. Mr. Croop was married October 21, 1886, to Lettie, daughter of Thomas and Margaret (Swank) Baucher, of Salem township, and has one son, Thomas B. Mr. Croop is a member of the F. & A.M. and P.O.S. of A., and in politics is a Democrat.
HIRAM CROOP, lumberman and justice of the peace, P.O. Hunlock Creek, was born in Union (now Hunlock) township, July 15, 1832, where he was reared and received a common school education. He is a son of William and Mary (Sorber) Croop, the former born in Newport township, the latter in Northampton county. William was a son of John Croop, also a resident of Northampton county, who removed to this county in its very early settlement, and was one of the pioneers of this section. He located in what is now Hunlock township, on a lot of 200 acres, which he brought to some degree of subjection. He was a man of energy and push, who did with his might whatsoever he put his hand to. He reared a family of ten children, seven of whom are yet living. William began his active life in Union (now Hunlock) township, where he married Miss Mary Sorber. By occupation he was an extensive lumberman, as well as farmer. He owned 250 acres of land, also a sawmill, which he had purchased, and in which he manufactured lumber. He was a man of influence, holding several township offices, and was much respected by all who knew him. He died in 1889 aged eighty-four years. He reared a family of seven children, six of whom are now living, Hiram being the eldest in the family. Our subject has confined himself to lumbering to a great extent, and once owned and operated four mills at one time. He owns two farms in Hunlock township, of 130 and 125 acres, respectively, and at one time he owned two thousand acres of timber land. In 1854 he married Miss Susanna, daughter of Joseph B. and Martha Dodson, and to this union were born five children, three of whom are now living: Martha, Joseph H. and Frederick W. Of these, Joseph H. is fitting himself for the medical profession, in Philadelphia. Hiram Croop is a thorough-going business man, and enjoys the full confidence of his fellow citizens. He has held the office of justice of the peace for twenty-five years.
ANDREW CROOP, farmer, P.O. Hunlock Creek, a brother to Hiram, was born in Union township, August 5, 1843, where he was reared and educated. He lived at home until the breaking out of the Civil war, when he was mustered into the United States service August 22, 1862, as private in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-ninth P.V.I., for the term of three years. He served to the close of the war, having participated in the various engagements of the last three years. He was mustered in as a musician, and did good service in his corps. Mr. Croop is a shoemaker by occupation, and after the war followed it, together with other callings. In September, 1866, he married Miss Sophia, daughter of Joseph and Christine Bonham, to which union were born six children, two of whom are living: George M. and Maud. In 1876 he removed from his father's farm, to his present place of residence, consisting of eighty acres; he also owns a thirty-acre lot, with a half interest in forty acres more. Mr. Croop, like his brother Hiram, is in the lumber business also, and owns a portable sawmill. He is a practical farmer, a genial companion and a gentleman of sound judgment. He has been honored with several township offices, such as school director, fifteen years, also secretary of the board, township clerk, etc. Socially he is a member of the G.A.R., and the Jr. O.U.A.M. There were three brothers who served in the Civil war, viz.: Alvin, Andrew and Simon Croop, all stanch Republicans.
WILLIAM H. CROOP, loading boss, Nottingham Colliery, Plymouth, was born at Lime Ridge, Pa., March 14, 1858, the only child of Lyman and Susan (Lohman) Croop, also natives of Pennsyvlania. Our subject was educated and reared in Columbia and Luzerne counties, and after receiving a liberal common-school education he studied and mastered the art of telegraph, serving an apprenticeship at Hunlock Creek, Pa., and working at same there for seven years. He then removed to Nanticoke, Pa., and was employed as shipping clerk by the Susquehanna Coal Company, until 1876 when he returned to Hunlock Creek, and for one year taught in the public school at that place. Coming from there again to Plymouth, he here engaged with the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Company, first as general outside hand, then as clerk in the supply store, and later as loading-boss. Mr. Croop was married, in 1888, to Miss Nellie, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Engle) Croop, natives of Pennsylvania. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church; in politics Mr. Croop is a Republican.
WILLIAM CROSBY, merchant and postmaster, Forty Fort borough, was born January 2, 1830, in Wilkes-Barre, and is a son of Richard and Euphemia (Miller) Crosby, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Irish and German origin, respectively. Richard was a shoemaker by occupation, who reared a family of nine children, four now living, of whom our subject is the second. He was educated in the common schools, and at the age of twelve learned the shoemaker's trade with his father, and was the main support of the family after his father's death, which occurred in 1853. He purchased a property on Wyoming avenue, in Forty Fort, in the fall of 1857, where he lived until 1877, when he traded his property at Forty Fort for a farm at Bowman's Creek, Wyoming Co., Pa., where he moved one year later, and engaged in farming for ten years. He was also postmaster for six years while at that place. He then returned to Forty Fort, purchased a lot on Walnut street, and built his present residence. In 1888 he was appointed postmaster of Forty Fort, and he also owns and runs a general store, in which he has his office. Mr. Crosby was married November 26, 1856, to Esther W., daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Drecher) Pugh, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Welsh and German origin, respectively. By this union they have six children now living: Olive A., married Fredrick Dimmick, a farmer of Bowman's Creek, Pa. (they have three children: William C., Shelby D. and Oscar L.); Ernest G., Richard S., Charles P., Carrie B. and Sadie S. Mr. and Mrs. Crosby are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of Forty Fort, and politically Mr. Crosby is a sound Republican.
THOMAS CROSS, fire-boss, Lance No. 11, Plymouth, was born in Yorkshire, England, January 17, 1857, and is the second in a family of seven children born to Robert and Mary A. (Barker) Cross, natives of England. Thomas was educated in his native land, and took up civil and mining engineering which he followed in England until 1881, when he came to America and engaged in engineering at Mon Caprice, Conn., where he worked unil 1882, when he came to Plymouth, Pa., and did contract work of tunneling until 1887. He then went to Scranton and took charge of the works operated by the Elk Hill Coal & Iron Company. Here he remained about one year, when he accepted a similar position at Hartshorn, I.T., for the Choctaw Coal & Railroad Company, remaining there six months. He then returned to Plymouth, and did contract work for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Company until July, 1891, when he accepted the position of fire boss at No. 11, where he has since been engaged. Mr. Cross was married April 5, 1883, to Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel Rodgers of Plymouth, Pa. Two children have blessed this union: Eva May, born September 26, 1884, and Maud, born December 14, 1890. Our subject affiliates with the Democratic party. The family attend the Episcopal Church.
AUGUSTUS CROUSE, carpenter, P.O. Rock Glen, was born in North Union, Schuylkill Co., Pa., February 2, 1850, a son of Peter and Matilda (Pennybaker) Crouse. His great grandfather, Samuel Crouse, a native of Germany, was a Revolutionary soldier, serving throughout the entire war. His grandfather, Frederick Crouse, a native of Pennsylvania, was a pioneer of Black Creek township, where he cleared a large farm and died. He had a family of nine children, of whom six grew to maturity. Peter, the father of our subject, was the eighth child, and was reared in Black Creek township. In 1851 he removed to Auglaize county, Ohio, where he still resides. His children were Mary A., Augustus, John, Sarah, Cynthia, Gabriel and Clara. Our subject was reared in Auglaize county, Ohio, serving an apprenticeship of two years at the carpenter's trade, and in 1875 located in Black Creek township, where he has since resided and followed his trade. He married Hannah, daughter of Samuel and Lydia (Eroh) Shellhammer, of Black Creek township, and he has five children living: Clara May, Bertha Maud, Stella Elizabeth, Mintil Pearl and Mabel Grace. Mr. Crouse is a member of the Reformed Church; in politics he is a Democrat, and is now serving his first term as school director of Black Creek township.
CHARLES CROUSE, mine-foreman, Stockton, was born at White Haven, Pa., in 1863, and is the seventh in the family of nine children of John W. and Anna (Dick) Crouse, natives of this county. When Charles was quite young the family located at Wanamie, and there he was reared. He began working about the mines at an early age, and, with the exception of three years spent in the Wilkes-Barre shops and one year railroading in New Mexico, has followed mining all his life. In 1883 he worked as a miner for the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, and continued with them until 1890 when he was appointed mine-foreman at No. 6 Stockton mines, operated by Linderman, Skeer & Co.; he has charge of 125 men. In 1886 Mr. Crouse was married to Miss Rachel, daughter of James G. and Lucy (Fritz) Brookmire, of Upper Lehigh, Pa., and one daughter, Alvena, has blessed this union. Politically Mr. Crouse casts his vote with the Republican party. Socially he is a member of the F. & A.M.
JAMES CRULIP, retired farmer, P.O. Idetown, was born in Roxbury, Warren Co., N.J. and is a son of Samuel and Zenah (Bonward) Crulip; the latter was an early citizen of this county, and a hard-working, industrious and honest man. His son James came to this county in 1843, locating in Lehman, where he has since remained. On May 16, 1846, he married Miss Martha, daughter of Simon P. and Catherine Sites, by whom he has had five children, one now living, Sarah L. (Mrs. Flynn, the mother of four children). James Crulip enlisted in 1861, becoming a member of Company F, fifty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for the term of three years; he served his full time, was honorably discharged, and then re-enlisted in the same command, serving to the close of the war. His son, W. B., was also a member of the same command, and was shot at the battle of Cold Harbor, for which loss his mother draws a pension. The Crulips are living on a neat little farm belonging to Mrs. Martha Crulips, on which they raise a "mixed crop." Politically he is a Republican.
JOHN J. CULP, Lake, P.O. Silkworth, was born in Hunlock township, this county, January 15, 1866, and is a son of Lewis and Matilda J. (Owens) Culp, who for many years were residents of Hunlock township, where the father died in 1872. Their children were George, Maggie (Mrs. Robert Hunter), Florence (Mrs. A. C. Kitchen), John J., William and Fredrick. Our subject was reared in Hunlock township, where he now resides; was married June 18, 1891, to Hattie E., daughter of William and Priscilla (Cragle) Hunter, of Hunlock township, and has one daughter, Edna V.
CHARLES CULVER, farmer, Forty Fort, was born August 8, 1846, in the town where he now lives, and is a son of William and Rachel (Culver), Culver natives of Luzerne county, and of English and Dutch origin, respectively. The father, who was one of the best carpenters in the Valley, reared a family of eleven children, four of whom are living, and of whom Charles is the youngest. Our subject was reared on the farm, educated in the common school, and, embarking in life at the age of twenty-one, he followed the example of his father and chose carpentering for his trade. This he followed eight years, and then began farming on rented farms, at which he has since continued. In 1887 he removed to the farm where he now lives, and which is owned by Robert Shoemaker. Mr. Culver was married, January 17, 1868, to Miss Ann, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Jordan) McGarry, natives of Ireland. Our subject and wife have had four children, two of whom are living, viz.: Mary C. and Charles M, both living with their parents. Mrs. Culver is a member of the Catholic Church at Kingston. Mr. Culver is justly proud to say that in political matters he votes strictly according to the dictates of his own conscience.
D. O. CULVER, farmer, P.O. Orange, was born in Exeter (now Franklin) township March 4, 1832, a son of John and Maria (Besteder) Culver, the former of whom was born in Tunkhannock, Pa., in 1802, the latter in Orange County, N.Y., in 1807. John Culver was a prosperous farmer in what is now Franklin township. As a farmer he was practical, always looking to the improvement of home and environments, and was a man of intelligence and influences in his day. He reared a family of four children, viz.: Mary J. D., D. O., John B. and Phoebe A. Of these, Mary J. D. is an accomplished lady who graduated with honors from Wyoming Seminary (she is now Mrs. Evans, whose husband owns a lumber-mill in West Virginia); D. O. is the subject of this sketch; John B. was also educated at the Wyoming Seminary, attended the Medical College at Ann Arbor, Mich., subsequently studied medicine under Dr. Buckley, of Wilkes-Barre, and in 1860 began the practice of medicine (in 1863, he entered the army as a private in the One Hundred and Forty-ninth Regiment, P.V.I., known as the "Bucktails," and in the same year became surgeon of the One Hundred and Forth-eighth P.V.I., serving in the capacity until the close of the war; he is now practicing medicine in Kansas); Phoebe A. is an educated and refined lady, making her home with her brother, D. O. John Culver died in March, 1877, aged seventy-five years; his wife, Maria, died in April, 1869, at the age of sixty-two years. John Culver was a son of David and Eunice (Osburn) Culver, the former of whom was born on Schooley's Mountain, N.J., from whence he removed to this county, where he bought a tract of 300 acres, 100 of which he cleared and improved during his busy life. He was a hard-working man and a worthy citizen. He lived to be sixty-three years of age, and reared a family of nine children, one of whom now lives named Lewis. David Culver was a son of David Culver, also a resident of Schooley's Mountain. The latter David was a son of Robert Culver, and also a native of New Jersey, a descendant of one of two brothers who came over to this country in the "Mayflower."
D. O. Culver was educated at Wyoming Seminary, and in early life taught school with marked success. He is also a natural mechanic and practical farmer, always keeping abreast of the times. He is a man of intelligence, with a fund of knowledge always on hand, and the ability to explain himself to the simplest mind. His farm consists of eighty acres of fertile land well improved; and, while his crops are "mixed," he pays special attention to potatoes. He has made many necessary improvements on his farm and buildings; his house is neat and beautifully arranged; his outbuildings are commodious, while his farm is in perfect order. In 1859, Mr. Culver was married to Miss Phebe D., daughter of Samuel and Susanna Snell, by which union there were born children as follows: Schuyler W., Geraldine W., Stanley P. (deceased), Viola M., Emily G., Edith S., Daisy B. and D. O., Jr., all of whom are accomplished in music and other arts, and are members of the M. E. Church in good standing. Mrs. Phebe D. Culver died June, 1888. She was born in Exeter township, Wyoming Co., Penn., in 1838. The Culvers are numerous, their name being represented in various parts of the country in connection with offices of trust and responsibility in the various stations of life; but, practically, they are rather producers than consumers. Politically they are Republicans.
JOHN M. CULVER, farmer, P.O. Hunlock Creek, was born, January 28, 1842, reared and educated at Forty Fort. He is the son of William and Rachel (Culver) Culver, the former of whom was born near Inmans Ferry, in Hanover township, the latter in Exeter (now Franklin) township. William was a son of George Culver, who was a native of Connecticut and a pioneer settler of Hanover township. He was by occupation a shoemaker and an excellent mechanic. George Culver reared a large family, and lived to be a good old age. His son William removed from Inmans Ferry to Forty Fort when a young man, and there bought a property on which he lived all his life. There he married Rachel Culver, and there reared a family of ten children out of twelve born to them, four of whom are still living. William Culver was a carpenter by occupation, and built a number of arks, on board of which coal was shipped down the river. He was a consistent member of the M. E. Church, and was respected for his moral worth by all who knew him. John M. is the eleventh child in order of birth. In early life he learned the painter's trade, at which he worked for eighteen years. During the Civil War he entered the U. S. service, enlisting in Company C, Forty-ninth O.V.I., army of the Cumberland, for three years. He participated in several important battles, Chattanooga, Stone River, Shiloh and others, being made prisoner at Stone River and was paroled, after which he returned home. During his visit home, while on parole, Mr. Culver was employed to assist in the arrest of a notorious character, who was a member of the "Golden Circle." The desparado was arrested, and for Mr. Culver's complicity in his arrest, his companions shot and wounded him, at another time trying to poison him. He finally returned to the army for another term of service in the same command, serving altogether four years and four months, receiving an honorable discharge and now enjoying a pension, to which he is fully entitled. After his return from the scenes of war, Mr. Culver resided in Ohio for two years and then removed to Forty Fort, his native place, where, in 1868, he married Miss Anna, daughter of Adam and Hannah Rennard. To this union have been born six children, four of whom are living: Ida, Archie, Bessie and Edith. Mrs. Ann Culver was born at Kingston in 1844. In 1886 Mr. Culver removed to Hunlock township on what is known at the Hunlock property, a farm of ninety-nine acres. He is a practical farmer and a loyal citizen. Politically he is a Republican, and has been elected to several township offices, showing the confidence his fellow citizens repose in him.
LEWIS CULVER, farmer, P.O. Orange, was born February 16, 1811, in Exeter township, this county, where he was reared and educated. He is a son of David and Eunice (Osburn) Culver, the former born in Hunterdon County, N. J., the latter in Elizabethport, same state. David Culver was a son of David Culver, who was also a native of Hunterdon County, N.J., descending from English people on the Culver side, and from Scotch ancestry on the other side. It is given by some authority that the Culvers sprung from two brothers who came to this country about 1763, settling in the state of Connecticut, and whose descendants subsequently removed to Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey. David (first) and his son David (second), migrated to what is now Wilkes-Barre, this county, in April, 1797, and in June of the same year they moved to Exeter township, after having built them a cabin on 300 acres of land purchased from the Bebee Bros. After David (first) had made provisions for his sons, he returned to New Jersey where he died at the age of sixty years. David, his son, always lived on the place on which he settled, a hard working, honest yeoman, and a man of marked brilliancy; was a staunch Democrat, and a man of some influence. He was born November 21, 1769, and died in November, 1831, aged sixty-two years. He reared a family of nine children, all of whom grew to maturity, Lewis, the subject of this sketch, being the only one living. Our subject, early in life, learned the shoemaker's trade, which he followed for some seventeen years, during which time he was not on his farm; but on account of poor health be gave up shoemaking, and is now living on part of the old homestead, consisting of sixty-five acres. He is a general farmer, and a man of marked intelligence; one who exercised much influence in his younger days. On December 28, 1837, he married Miss Sarah, daughter of James and Elizabeth Hadsell, and by her he had nine children, four of whom are living: Harriet, William H., Evangeline and Miriam. Of these, Harriet married George Dymond; Evangeline married Thomas Tracy, and Miriam married T. J. Miller. Mrs. Culver was born in Exeter, June 16, 1815. Her grandfather, James Hadsell, and her great-grandfather were both slain by the Indians, the former at the Wyoming Massacre, and the latter at another time and place. Lewis Culver is a staunch Democrat, and he and his wife are members of the M.E. Church.
NATHAN CULVER, farmer, P.O. Irish Lane, was born July 14, 1844, in Ross township, where he was reared and educated, a son of Joel R. and Ann (Wandel) Culver, the former born in Union township in 1817, the latter in Ross township in 1820. Joel R. was a son of Simeon Culver, who removed from Connecticut to this county with his father, Reuben Culver, they locating near Town Line, Union township. Reuben had a family of ten children—five sons and five daughters. Simeon had a family of seven children, and died in 1820, aged thirty-five years. They were sturdy pioneers. Joel R. began his active business life as a farmer in Ross township, owning a neat farm of sixty acres, which he worked in a practical manner. This farm was taken out of the wild woods, showing him to have been a hard working and industrious man. He was a member of the M. E. Church, of which he was a class-leader for a number of years, and was a man of intelligence and influence. He died April 10, 1889, aged seventy-two years. His family consisted of eight children, six of whom are yet living. Nathan being the third in the family. Our subject has always confined himself to farming, and is a practical agriculturist. He owns thirty-five acres of land, on which he moved in 1871, and has made thereon many needed improvements in buildings and fences, etc. On March 5, 1868, he married Miss Rebecca, daughter of Joseph and Sarah A. Nevel, and to this union were born six children, four of whom are yet living: Millie A., Wilbur H., Joel R. and Lena B. Mrs. Rebecca Culver was born in Ross township, September 19, 1846. Our subject and wife are both members of the M. E. Church, in good standing. They are well respected for their worth as good neighbors and loyal citizens of the commonwealth.
WILLIAM CULVER, breaker-builder, Forty Fort borough, was born June 3, 1828, at Forty Fort, and is a son of William and Rachel (Culver) Culver, natives of New Jersey, of English descent. The father came to Pennsylvania when young, and engaged in farming. Our subject is the fourth in a family of fourteen children, four of whom are now living; he was educated at the public schools, and at the age of twenty engaged as boatman on the Morris Canal for two years. He then came to Luzerne County and worked as boat-builder for sixteen years. He then became a breaker-builder, and has followed that business ever since. He was married April 5, 1850, to Mary A., daughter of Richard and Effie (Miller) Crosby, natives of Pennsylvania, and of Irish and German descent, respectively. By this union he had four children, two now living: Mylert L., a painter, married Loretta Rennard, daughter of Adam Rennard (they have nine children: Lizzie, Dewight, A. Cora, Maud, William, Jane A., Robert P., Edwin and Mary); and Lutisha J., married William O. Thomas, an engineer at Plymouth (they have two children: Emma S. and William C.). Mrs. Culver is a member of the Methodist Church, and in politics Mr. Culver is a staunch Democrat.
PATRICK CUMMINGS, a prominent citizen of Inkerman, Jenkins township, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, December 25, 1831, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Brown) Cummings. The father, who was a farmer, reared a family of four children, two of whom are living, viz: Mary (Mrs. Patrick McCauvic) and Patrick. Our subject came to America in 1847, first locating in New Jersey, where he followed farming two years, after which he removed to Pottsville, Pa., and here worked about the mines for one year. He was then employed on the Pennsylvania Gravity Railroad for about six months after which he was engaged in farming in Wyoming five years. He then removed to Jenkins township, where he has since resided, having been engaged in mining in all thirty-three years, during a great portion of which time he also operated a farm. Besides his property in Jenkins township, Mr. Cummings has property in Pittston, and a valuable farm in Newton County, Mo. He is a fair example of what enterprise and honest effort will do in this great land. Mr. Cummings was married January 1, 1854, to Miss Bridget, daughter of Richard and Catherine (Kirwan) McGrail, natives of County Mayo, Ireland, and they have five children, viz.: John, who is somewhere in Colorado; Michael, a merchant in Inkerman; Catherine (Mrs. Martin Gilroy, in Pittston); Mary (Mrs. Frank Boughan, in Pittston); and Thomas, who is engaged with the Acme Oil Company, Pittston. Mr. Cummings and family are members of the Catholic Church. He is a Democrat in his political views, and has held the offices of constable and supervisor in Jenkins township.
MICHAEL CUNNIFF, hotel keeper, Wilkes-Barre, was born in County Galway, Ireland, May 17, 1855, and is a son of Patrick and Bridget (Reynolds) Cunniff. In June, 1859, he emigrated to America with his parents, locating in Schuylkill County, Pa., where he was reared until seventeen years of age. In July, 1872, he came to Wilkes-Barre, where, with the exception of five years spent in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Mexico, and Arizona, he has since resided, and with the exception of three years engaged at railroading, he was employed at mining from twelve years of age until 1877. He then embarked in the hotel business, in which he still continues. Mr. Cunniff was married September 6, 1877, to Bridget, daughter of Edward and Catherine (Johnson) Leslie, of Summit Hill, Carbon Co., Pa., and has one daughter living, named Annie. He is a member of the Catholic Church and of the A.O.H.; in politics he is a Democrat, and in 1890-91 was supervisor of Wilkes-Barre township.
JOHN M. CUNNIUS, proprietor of the Freeland Planing mill, builder, and contractor, and dealer in all kinds of building material, Freeland, is a native of Drums, this county, and is a son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (Michael) Cunnius. His father, who was a native of Butler township, was a carpenter and builder, and still, at the age of seventy-two years works at his trade. In the family there were two children: Lydia (now Mrs. Nathan Snyder, of Fairview, Pa.), and John M. The mother died when the latter was fourteen days old. Our subject was reared and educated in Conyngham Valley, and labored on a farm until he was sixteen years of age. He then worked with his father at carpentering for two years; he then did journey work at Ashburton and Yorktown, in all three years. On March 6, 1866, came to Upper Lehigh, and there worked at his trade a short time, and where he has since remained. In 1872, he engaged in contracting and building, which he has since successfully pursued. He makes a specialty of building contracts, and constantly employs from fifteen to twenty mechanics. In 1890 he purchased the Freeland Planing mill, and has since utilized that institution to great advantage in his business. Mr. Cunnius was married in 1868 to Miss Laura Jane Santee, of Butler Valley, which union has been blessed with five children, viz.: Oscar Elsworth, Charles E., Calvin T., Alfred R. and Anna L. "By industry we thrive" is an expression which peculiarly covers the case of this gentleman. When he came to this locality he was scarcely worth the coat he wore, but today he is the owner of a great deal of property in Freeland and vicinity. He is a citizen of much worth to the community where he lives.
W. DAVID CURNOW, proprietor of meat market, Hazleton. This popular young business-man was born in Hazle township, a short distance from the city of Hazleton, January 17, 1868. He is a son of William and Anna (Holman) Curnow, natives of England, who came to America in 1866, locating at Beaver Meadows, where they remained a short time, subsequently removing to Stockton, where the subject of our sketch, who is second in a family of four children, was born and reared. After the close of his short school life, Mr. Curnow, worked in the mines, and has done all the work pertaining to mining coal, from slate-picking to cracking coal. He also ran a stationary engine for several years. Tiring of the mines, he engaged with Henry & Curtis in the meat business, and learned the trade. He then opened his present market, where he commands a very profitable and flourishing trade. Mr. Curnow votes the Republican ticket, and was brought up in the Methodist Episcopal faith. He is, at present, unmarried.
GILBERT V. CURRY, principal of schools, Mill Creek, was born in Denny, Scotland, and is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Granahan) Curry, natives of Fermanagh and Tyrone Counties, Ireland. The family came to this country in 1865 and located at Buttonwood, where the father was engaged as fire boss for one year; from there they removed to Wilkes-Barre, and for four years kept hotel. In 1870 they came to Plains township, where the widow and surviving children now reside. The family consisted of eleven children, four of whom are living, and of whom Gilbert V. is the seventh; the surviving ones are John J., who is engaged with Gilbert V. in the bottling business at Plains; James, who is a blacksmith for Simpson & Watkins, Duryea, Pa.; Gilbert V., the subject of this sketch, and Thomas, a carpenter at Plains. Our subject was educated in the public schools of the township, and is a graduate of the State Normal School at Bloomsburg, class of 1886. He has taught for seven years in the public schools of Plains, and is now principal of schools at Mill Creek, Plains township. He is now registered as a student at law in the office of James L. Lenahan, Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Curry is a prominent member of the A.O.H., and of Father Mathew Society. The family are supporters of Catholicity and Democracy.
JAMES CURRY, hotel proprietor, Edwardsville, was born in England, May 10, 1843, and is a son of Henry and Martha (Harris) Curry, both natives of Cornwall, England. Our subject was educated in his native country, and came to America at the age of twenty-three, locating at Dover, N.J., where he was engaged in mining about three years. He then moved to Schuylkill County, Pa., where he also followed mining, remaining a little over a year, after which he came to Kingston, where he still followed the same business, being thirteen years in the employ of G. W. Payne & Co. In 1872, he came to Edwardsville, then a part of Plymouth township, and embarked in the hotel business, of which he has made an eminent success, as he is a typical, courteous and obliging landlord. Mr. Curry was married in 1866 to Miss Mary Reard, of Dover, N.J. He was one of the first councilmen of Edwardsville, and was president of the council. He is a highly respected citizen of the locality and a prominent supporter of every worthy, popular enterprise.
E. W. CURTIS, freight agent for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Nanticoke, was born at New Road, Delaware Co., N.Y., and is the son of Luther and Charlotte (Bennett) Curtis, both natives of New York. Our subject was educated in the public schools of Nanticoke, and in Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where he was graduated in the class of 1884. Immediately thereafter he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and on January 1, 1891, accepted his presented position. In 1889, he was married to Miss Mary C. Witman, of Nanticoke, and their union has been blessed with two children, Ethel and Emmett. Mr. Curtis is a very popular railroad man, has won the confidence of his employers and the respect of their many patrons along the line. Socially he is a member of the P.O.S. of A., and in politics he is a Republican.
LORENZO J. CURTIS, carpenter, Kingston, was born at Plymouth, October 20, 1846, son of Charles Ransome and Sophia (Jones) Curtis, natives of Luzerne County, of New England origin. The Curtis family emigrated to Wyoming Valley from New London, Conn. His maternal great-grandfather, Col. William Gallup, was in the Valley during the Wyoming Massacre, and his daughter, Hannah (Gallup) Jones, was in Forty Fort at the time of the battle. After the massacre Mr. Gallup and his family returned to New England, where they remained for a time, after which they again returned to this locality. The ancestors of our subject took a very important part in the famous battle between the "Constitution" and the "Guerriere." In his father's family there were two children: Hannah, who married James Hayward, of Kingston; and Lorenzo, the subject of this sketch. He was educated in the common schools, and August 6, 1862, enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-third P. V., and participated in the following engagements: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. In the latter engagement he was captured and taken to the Danville Confederate prison, where he was kept until May 28, 1864, and from there was taken to Andersonville, thence, September 14, to Charleston, and thence to Florence, where he was paroled, December 5, 1864, after just seven months of life in Confederate war prisons, being exchanged April 2, 1865, at Annapolis. He was then sent to City Point, and after that did guard duty at Hearts Island, New York Harbor, where he was mustered out at the close of the war. He returned to Kingston and was engaged in firing on the D. L. & W. R. R. until 1870, when he began work at the carpenter's trade, which vocation he has since chiefly followed. He is a member of the G.A.R., and in politics is a Republican.
WILLIAM CURTIS, proprietor of the grocery store and meat market at No. 110 West Broad Street, Hazleton. This well-known businessman was born in Cornwall, England, March 12, 1864, and is the only child of William and Mary J. (Harvey) Curtis, also natives of England. The family came to America in 1866, locating at Summit Hill, Pa., but shortly afterward removing to Hazleton. Mr. Curtis was educated at that place, and obtained employment in a store and meat market where he continued until a meat market was started under the firm name of Harvey & Curtis. This was operated by these gentlemen until February, 1892, when the partnership was dissolved, and the present business was established by Mr. Curtis. He carries a full line of family groceries and, besides, handles home-dressed meats, getting them fresh, pure and wholesome, directly from local slaughter houses, thereby furnishing his customers the best goods in the market. He employs six men in his business. Mr. Curtis was united in marriage in June, 1890, with Miss Mary I., daughter of John Turner, of Hazleton, and they have one child, Elizabeth, who is the light of the household. Mr. Curtis votes the Republican ticket, and the family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.
REV. MORVIN CUSTER, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, Ashley, was born in Six Points, Ind., January 4, 1860, and is a son of Benjamin T. and Eliza (Fry) Custer, natives of Pennsylvania, and of early Dutch origin. He is a grandson of Matthew C. and Eleanor (Tyson) Custer, and Eneas and Sarah (Saylor) Fry, the latter family, strong Baptists, will pass away with this generation. His father, who was a blacksmith and farmer, reared a family of nine children, viz.: Albion, Eleanor (Mrs. Aaron Gouldy), Morvin, Benjamin, Emma (Mrs. Theodore Detwiler), Harry, Anna (died at the age of nine years), Webster and Matthias. Our subject was educated in the public schools of Montgomery county, Ursinus College and Princeton Theological Seminary, graduating at the former in 1883, and at the latter in 1886. He then had a charge at Elmer, N. J., where he remained three years, and was installed at Ashley May 3, 1889. Mr. Custer was married December 19, 1885, to Ida V., daughter of David and Sophia (Foster) Trucksess, and a granddaughter of Jacob Trucksess, who sailed from Amsterdam, Holland, in 1819. They have two children, viz.: Margaret D. and Mabel E. Our subject is a member of the F.& A. M., P.O.S. of A., K. of H., and A.P.A. He takes a deep interest in all political workings of the nation, but is strictly independent in his views.
GEORGE CUTLER, retired, Freeland, was born in Somersetshire, England, June 14, 1830, and is the sixth in a family of eight children born to Francis and Mary (Faner) Cutler, natives of Somersetshire, England. The family came to America in 1855, settling in Wisconsin, where the father of our subject followed the vocation of miner. The father died at Dodgeville, Wis., in 1864, the mother at Eckley in January, 1869. Our subject was educated at Monmouthshire, South Wales, and at the age of ten years began coal-mining at Monmouthshire, England, passing through the whole system of mining, and at the age of eighteen was a practical miner. He worked at mining in his native country until 1855, when he came to America with his father's family and settled in Wisconsin, where they resided on a farm. On August 14, 1862, Mr. Cutler enlisted in Company C, Thirty-first Wis. V. I., under General Sherman, and was with him in his famous march to the sea, participating in the battle of Atlanta. He was mustered out of service with his regiment June 20, 1863, and returned to Wisconsin in 1866. He came to Eckley and went to work in the mines for Sharp, Weiss & Co., where he remained until 1880, when, on account of broken health contracted in the war he was forced to retire from hard work. Mr. Cutler has since resided in Freeland, where he has since been looking after his property in that vicinity; he was elected justice of the peace, but never took out his commission, all his time being taken up with his private affairs, He is a member of the I.O.O.F., Knights of the Golden Eagle, and a charter member of the G.A.R. In politics he is a Republican. His war record is without stain or dishonor, and its pages are illumined with a halo of glory and heroism.