Franklin County, PA Biographies
Franklin County, PA Biographies
W. G. KIRKPATRICK, farmer, P. O. Dry Run, is a son of Edward Kirkpatrick, who was born in Fannett Township, this county, February 12, 1799, a son of Francis Kirkpatrick, whose wife was a Hudson. Edward married Ann Herron, a native of Burns' Valley, born May 6, 1800, a daughter of Patrick and Temperance (Moore) Herron, natives of Adams County, Penn. Patrick Herron was a son of John and Elizabeth (Bowles) Herron. Edward Kirkpatrick died June 1, 1858, his widow April 4, 1886. They reared a family of six children, but one now living - William G., our subject, who was born August 26, 1836, on the farm where he has since lived and which he owns. November 30, 1865, he married Nancy J. Burk, born near Dry Run, a daughter of William and Eliza (Smith) Burk. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick have a family of nine children, viz.: Anna E., Minnie G., Edward N., William B., Mary E., Samuel A., John H., Harry M. and Clara M. Mr. Kirkpatrick has an excellent farm of over 270 acres, which he cultivates successfully. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church; politically he is a Democrat.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 748. - Submitted by Carol Parrish]
JAMES H. LITTLE, coachsmith, Concord, was born July 2, 1823, the second son of John Little, who was born in Cumberland County, Penn., in 1792, a son of James Little. The latter was born in Ireland and immigrated to Cumberland County about 1784, and came to Path Valley in 1801. His wife was Jane Herron, daughter of Patrick Herron, of Scotch-Irish descent. To James Little were born William, John, James, Robert, Thomas, Isaac, Frank, Samuel and Matthew, Polly, Margaret and Jane. All of these moved west and settled in Muskingum County, Ohio, except William and John; the former died suddenly, going with a team to Baltimore. John came with his father to this township in 1801, and was reared to farming pursuits; when yet a young man he went out in the war of 1812, and, returning home, resumed farming. July 4, 1816, he married Sarah, a native of Ireland and a daughter of John Hays. In 1847 John Little moved to Juniata County, Penn., where he died February 6, 1855. His widow died December 15, 1861. John, for several years after his removal to Juniata County, was engaged in the manufacture of wheat fans. He was for many years a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, although first a Presbyterian, and politically he was a Democrat. He had eight children who grew up: William, Eliza, Mary, James H., Eleanor, Tirzah, John and Thomas. William resides in Clay County, Kas.; Eliza, wife of Daniel Conn, in Juniata County; Mary resides in Waterloo, Juniata County, unmarried; Eleanor is a resident of Concord, the wife of James McKim; Tirzah (deceased) was the wife of Michael Miller of Waterloo, Juniata County; John is a merchant in Concord; Thomas is a resident of Altoona, a bachelor. James H. was born on the homestead near Doylesburg, and in 1846 came to Concord and learned the blacksmith's trade with William Donnelly; in 1852 he set up in business for himself, which he still continues. In 1852 he married Melinda M., daughter of William Donnelly, with whom he learned his trade, and like Jacob, Mr. Little says, "he worked for her seven years." He has nine children (eight living), viz.: Lillian, wife of A. H. Lupper of Larned, Kas.; Luella, a mute, in Philadelphia; Newton, in Harlan, Iowa; Florence in Arizona, the wife of Rev. James Gerry Eberhart; and Laura, Arthur, Oscar, Eleanor (who died December 29, 1876), and Stella at home. Mr. Little is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has been recording steward for over twenty years. Politically he is a Prohibitionist, when not a Democrat.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 749. Submitted by Carol Parrish]
SAMUEL FREY, farmer, P.O. Chambersburg, was born July 1, 1827, on the old homestead of his grandfather, John Frey. The latter came here in 1792, from Elizabethtown, Lancaster Co., Penn., where he was a blacksmith. His ancestors were Swiss. He married Miss Kindig and reared three children: Christian, Anna and Francis. Anna married Christian Ebersole, who is now dead. John Frey died in 1838, aged eighty years, and had acquired a nice property by hard work. His son Christian was born September 1, 1785, and died August 10, 1873. He married Maria Oberholtzer, who was born here January 13, 1787, and died here October 25, 1846. She was the mother of six children: John, Anna, Christian, Elizabeth, Samuel and Jacob. Samuel, our subject, was educated in the log schoolhouse, known as the Lehman Schoolhouse. He was reared on the old farm, and after marriage came to the one he now owns, and which consists of 132 acres of land. He married Miss Anna, daughter of Abraham and Esther (Nisley) Long. To them were born the following children: Mrs. Mary Weaver, Christian, Amos, Jacob, Anna and Elnora. All the Frey family, except our subject, have been members of the Mennonite Church. Politically he is a Republican.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 775. Submitted by Carol Parrish]
HON. THOMAS GRUBB McCULLOH - No name is remembered with warmer admiration by the people of Franklin County, than that of our subject, whose fame as the great lawyer was the pride of his community. He was born in Greencastle, on the 20th day of April, 1785. His grandfather, George McCulloh, born about 1710, at Killibegs, in the County Donegal, Ireland, came to the American colonies in 1728, settled in Lancaster County, and died in Little Britian, in that county, in 1806 or 1807. His father, Robert, was the eldest son of George, and was born in 1750. On the maternal side, he was a descendant of Thomas Grubb, whose father was one of the earliest emigrants from England to this country, coming over with William Penn. Thomas Grubb settled in Lancaster County, and his oldest daughter, Prudence, was united in marriage with Robert McCulloh, the father of the subject of this sketch, in 1778. About this time Robert McCulloh removed to Franklin County, where all his children were born. Thomas G. McCulloh was educated in Greencastle, under the tuition of Mr. Borland, who afterward became a very prominent professor in a literary institution in the State of New York. He studied law in Chambersburg, under Andrew Dunlop, one of the most distinguished lawyers of Pennsylvania, and was admitted to the bar in 1804 or 1805, and was married on the 1st of September, 1808, to Margaret Purviance. He practiced law in Chambersburg about forty-three years, during part of which period he attended the courts of Bedford County, and was frequently called upon to try causes in other parts of the State, going as far as Pittsburgh even, being retained as counsel in important land suits, in which class of cases he had great celebrity. The reports of the supreme court of Pennsylvania furnish ample evidence of his immense practice, and bear convincing proof of his renown as a lawyer. In 1821 he was elected to Congress, and during his service there his wife died suddenly, February 26, 1821. For five or six terms, he represented his county in the House of Representatives of Pennsylvania, and was mainly instrumental, with his colleague, James Dunlop, Esq., son of his preceptor, Andrew Dunlop, in having the Cumberland Valley Railroad extended to Chambersburg. He was the first president of this road, but resigned a few years before his death. At the time of his decease, he was president of the Bank of Chambersburg. Thomas G. McCulloh was not only prominent as a lawyer, but was a man of varied information, capable of discussing almost any subject brought before him. He was well versed in agricultural pursuits, and very attentive to the improvement of his farms, of which he had, at times, two or three. A man of public spirit and enterprise, he was always willing to lend a helping hand to all public improvements in his county or town. To the day of his death, he was a close student, reading works upon all subjects, particularly those of a legal character. He had a large, well-selected library, miscellaneous and professional, and was constantly adding to its volume. When the first drum beat for volunteers to repel the British invasion of Baltimore, he stepped from his office into the ranks of the recruiting party, and marched with the company to the threatened city. When the regiment was formed he was appointed its quartermaster. He took charge of the Franklin Repository and edited it while its celebrated editor, Geo. K. Harper, was absent with the army on the northern frontiers. He died at Chambersburg, September 10, 1848. Mr. McCulloh was always popular with the members of the bar, not only on account of his unusual legal attainments, but for his professional courtesy, which was especially extended to its junior members. As a public speaker he was not fluent, but was clear and logical, and his manner of speaking was of a conversational character, carrying great weight with juries. He wrote with skill and force. It is traditional that he was singularly independent of the stereotyped formulas of legal documents, and that his brief papers were remarkably pointed and unassailable. Judge Jerry Black said of him: "He could say more and say it better in ten minutes than any man I ever saw." He has left behind him the reputation of being one of the ablest jurists of his day. His manners were exceedingly plain and popular, and he was always a favorite of his fellow citizens.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 664-665. Submitted by Carol Parrish]
A. H. McCULLOH, general ticket agent Cumberland Valley Railroad, Chambersburg, was born in the city of which he is still a resident, April 23, 1816, son of Thomas G., and Margaret (Purviance) McCulloh. He received a rudimentary education in the schools of his time in Chambersburg, attended a military academy at Germantown, Penn., and afterward passed a year and a half at Yale College where he completed his studies. In 1834-35-36 he studied medicine, and attended one course of lectures. He then sent West, but returned in a short time, and in 1840 studied law, and was admitted to the bar the year following. After his admission to the bar he spent some time in Indiana, and then returned to Chambersburg, where he practised (sic) law three or four years. In 1851 he entered the employ of the Cumberland Valley Railroad as conductor; then served as clerk in the superintendent's office, as assistant auditor, and as general ticket agent, respectively, which latter position he held till August 4, 1886, when he resigned on account of ill health. In 1837 Mr. McCulloh was married to Elizabeth Brown, and to them have been born six children, of whom three daughters are living. Mrs. McCulloh died August 10, 1884. Mr. McCulloh was clerk for four years for the county commissioners, and served as burgess of Chambersburg for one year. He was been a Mason for many years, and is identified with other societies. In politics he is a Republican. He organized the first Know-nothing society in Franklin County, May 11, 1854, and was the first district deputy of the organization. He and his family are members of the Central Presbyterian Church.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 665. Submitted by Carol Parrish]
J. H. McCULLOCH, farmer, P. O. Middle Spring, Cumberland County, was born March 5, 1822, in Newton Township, Cumberland Co., Penn. The great-grandfather, James McCulloch, immigrated to America when a young man, and settled in Cumberland County, Penn. He was a farmer there, and the fourth generation now possesses the land he owned and improved, William R. McCulloch, a brother of our subject, now owning it. James McCulloch was a member of the Presbyterian Church; he had three sons and three daughters; James, John, William, Sarah, Jane, and Mrs. McCormick. Of these James was a thrifty farmer, a member of the United Presbyterian Church. He married Mary Henderson and both died on the homestead, their children were John, Thomas, William, James, Sarah, Eliza, Mary J. and Margaret. Of these John was born on the homestead and died there in 1866 aged seventy-three years. He was an elder in the United Presbyterian Church; married Elizabeth, daughter of Robert Clark, formerly the owner of the Linn property in Franklin County. She died near the homestead in Newton Township in 1845, aged forty-five, leaving six children: Robert, James H., Thomas, Mrs. Elizabeth Mickey, William R. and Charles. Of these James H. was educated in the log schoolhouses of his native county. In the spring of 1867 he came to Southampton Township, this county, and bought a farm of 145 acres from Adam Shoemaker, better known as the "old Montgomery farm," which is kept in a high state of cultivation. He first married Sarah Mickey, who died at the age of thirty-two years the mother of the following named children: John C., Thomas J. and Alexander S., all farmers. He next married Mrs. Mary Mateer, nee Kelso, and their children are Belle C., William M. and Mary E. (wife of D. S. Woodburn). Mr. and Mrs. McCulloch are members of the Presbyterian Church. Politically he is a Democrat.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 923. Submitted by Carol Parrish]
JOHN LINN, retired, P. O. Concord, is a grandson of Hugh Linn, a native of Ireland, who came to this country about 1790, and located in Horse Valley, on the edge of Perry County, where he carried on farming and died. His wife, Sarah, was a sister of James Widney, an Irishman, and one of the early settlers of Path Valley; he settled in the Valley near Concord, of which town he was the founder; he was a Wesleyan Methodist and the pioneer of Methodism in the Valley; a man of enterprise, he bore a conspicuous part in the early history of the township. Hugh Linn was born in Ireland, May 10, 1785, the third son of Hugh and Ann (Widney) Linn, latter a daughter of James Widney, the pioneer. Mrs. Ann Linn was born in Path Valley, December 22, 1785. Hugh Linn, Jr., was a stonemason, which trade he followed for a number of years, and subsequently purchased the Stewart farm, where he lived fifty years. In 1865 he went to his daughter in Ogle County, Ill., where he died suddenly, April 3, 1870; he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church when fifteen years of age, and during his life was an active church worker; he served as class leader and steward. He was a Democrat until the civil war, when he united with the Republican party. He reared following named children: James, a miller by trade, who lived and died in Concord; Sarah, wife of Samuel Henry, who moved to Illinois; Mary, married to Samuel Booker, who located in Illinois; Jane, married to Andrew J. Taylor, who moved to Pennsylvania; John; Margaret, wife of A. Lougridge, who moved to Illinois; Hugh, who served in the Mexican war, and died, unmarried, from disease contracted in the service; Alexander, who served in the civil war as assistant surgeon in Newton Hamilton, Mifflin County; Arabella, married to William Bloom, and located in Martinsburg, Blair County; and Eleanor, married to William Typer, who located in Ogle County, Ill. John, our subject, is the sole survivor of the family in this county. He was born near Concord, April 13, 1820, worked on the farm until arriving at maturity, and after nine months' residence in Ohio and Kentucky, he went to Washington County, Md., where he learned the marble cutter's trade, which he followed for seven years. In 1851 he returned to the farm and married Margaret J. Hays, born in Path Valley, a daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (Cunningham) Hays, the latter a daughter of William Cunningham. In 1863 he entered the One Hundred and Sixty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry, and served eleven months, returned home and resumed farming. In February, 1865, he was drafted, but procured a substitute. He sold his farm shortly after the war, built property and has since lived retired. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In politics he was Republican, now a Prohibitionist. Mrs. Linn has been an invalid for eighteen years with chronic rheumatism. Mr. Linn's father, Hugh, was drafted in the war of 1812, but his brother James took his place.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 748-749. Submitted by Carol Parrish]
JAMES LINN (deceased) was born July 30, 1820, on the old homestead of the pioneer Linn family, in Lurgan Township, this county. He was a son of William and Mary (Galbraith) Linn, was educated in Lurgan Township and at the age of nine years came to Southampton Township, this county, where he also attended school. He followed farming, was very successful, owning 284 acres of land, known as one of the best farms in the county; was a Democrat and served as supervisor, and also held other township offices. November 28, 1876, he married Miss Jennie E., a daughter of James and Margaret B. (Steele) Coffey, latter a native of Franklin County. Four children were born to this union; James McCarroll, William G., Floyd E. and Mary Bell. The Linn family were Presbyterians, and Mrs. Jennie Linn, subject's widow, is also a Presbyterian. Her husband's father and brother were elders of the Middle Spring Presbyterian Church. William Linn was one of the Baltimore defenders in the war of 1812. Mrs. Linn's four brothers are James, Samuel B., George W., and Gilson K. Coffey. Of these Samuel B. was educated in this county and learned the printer's trade at the office of the Sentinel in Shippensburg; later was editor of the Clarion Democrat of Clarion County, Penn., and now resides in Philadelphia.
[History of Franklin Co., Pennsylvania, published by Warner, Beers & Co., Chicago, IL, 1887, p. 921-922. Submitted by Carol Parrish]