ber of the Presbyterian Church.




-Seance ^."^^^dic



BEAVER COUNTY 747

He married Jane Burnside, a native of county Fermanagh, Ireland,
whence her parents, Thomas and Margaret Burnside, came to the United
States, settHng in Ohio. Children of Thomas and Jane Wilson: i. George
Lindsey, a farmer of Beaver county, died in 1901, unmarried. 2. Margaret
Christey, married Charles Bowers, deceased; lives on the homestead in
Industry township with her sister Eliza; she is the mother of two children:
Thomas Wilson and Jane Burnside. 3. John Burnside, lives retired in Los
Angeles, California; married Matilda Aiken and has children, Mary E.,
Genevieve, Royal. 4. Eliza, lives on the old homestead. 5. An infant,
deceased.

The oldest and the youngest of the children of Thomas and Jane
(Burnside) Wilson, George and Eliza, never married, but after the death
of their father continued their residence on the home farm until the death
of the former in 1901. The eldest daughter of Thomas Wilson, Margaret
C, since becoming a widow, has made her home with her sister, Eliza.
Always the best companions in their youth, the reunion is indeed a happy
one and full of blessing to both, their natures being most congenial.



The Wilson family is of that splendid Scotch-Irish stock
WILSON which has left indelible marks upon American history. Of
this race were a great mass of the Revolutionary soldiers
of Pennsylvania known as "the backbone of Washington's army," and also
founders of the Presbyterian Church in America, and of that great in-
stitution of learning known as Princeton University. In the agricultural
interests of the country they have held a pre-eminent place, and their in-
fluence has been felt throughout the country.

(I) John Wilson was one of the early settlers in Beaver county,
Pennsylvania, where he was a farmer. Late[ .in life he removed to
Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, making his home near Little Lancaster,
and there his death occurred. He and his wife were members of the
Presbyterian Church. He married Eliza Martin, whose father, Joseph
Martin, was at one time the owner of an enormous estate in South Beaver
township. They had children: Russell, see forward; Horace, a farmer in
Pulaski township; Add, who was a soldier during the Civil War, resides
in California; John, also a soldier died on his way to his home from the
battlefield.

(II) Russell Wilson, son of John and Eliza (Martin) Wilson, was
born in North Sewickley township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and
after his marriage settled on a farm in South Beaver township. He bought
a farm of thirty acres, on which he died in April, 1909. He married Mary
Jane, bom in May, 1841, daughter of Richmond and Mary (Fink) Hart,
and she now lives with her son, Richard Hart Wilson. Richmond Hart was
one of the early settlers in North Sewickley township, where he was a
land owner and a carpenter, and where he died. He married Mary Fink,
who died in West Virginia, where she was living with one of her sons.



748 PENNSYLVANIA

They had children : Mary Jane, married Russell Wilson, see above ; Sarah,
married Samuel Boots, and lives in North Sewickley township; Annie,
married Amos Boots, and also lives in North Sewickley township; John,
who died in early boyhood; Richard, a farmer in Indiana; James, married
Annie Whisler and lives in North Sewickley township; Edward, a black-
smith, lives in West Virginia. Russell and Mary Jane (Hart) Wilson
had children: Mary, married Willis Reed and lives in Beaver Falls; John,
unmarried, lives in Darlington, Pennsylvania; Eliza, widow of John Allen,
lives in South Beaver township; Lillian, unmarried; Richard Hart, see
forward; Add, died at home after his return from the Philippine Islands
during the Spanish- American War; Daisy, married Will Peterson, and
lives in McKeesport; Willard, lives in South Beaver township; James,
died unmarried, in 1893.

(Ill) Richard Hart Wilson, son of Russell and Mary Jane (Hart)
Wilson, was born in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania,
January 14, 1875. He attended the public schools, where he acquired an
excellent education, and upon its completion he entered the employ of the
Standard Guage Steel Company, of Beaver Falls, with whom he remained
thirteen years. In 1908 he purchased a farm of one hundred and four
acres, near the homestead of his father, and erected a number of substan-
tial outbuildings upon it and made numerous other improvements. He
cultivates general produce and has been very successful in this enterprise.
His political support is given to the Democratic party, and he has served
several years as school director. He is a member of the Presbyterian
Church, and of the Knights of Malta. Mr. Wilson married, March 12,
1914, Fannie B. Jackson, daughter of Joshua and Elizabeth (Craft) Jack-
son, who live in South Beaver township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania.



The Wilson family is an ancient one in Pennsylvania and
WILSON the line herein traced has added to its historical and genea-
logical interest by alliances with the Garrett and Beatty
families.

(I) The first of this branch of whom there is definite and authentic
record is James Wilson, born in 1758, died in 1792, who came from
Bedford county, Pennsylvania, to Washington county, Pennsylvania, in
1781. By his will be left to his wife, Margaret, two hundred acres of land
adjoining the borough of Washington to be held in trust until his youngest
son, James (2), should become of age, when it should be divided among
his sons, James, Thomas, John.

(II) James (2) Wilson, son of James (i) and Margaret Wilson, was
born about 1780. He learned the trade of coppersmith and followed that
occupation in Washington county until 1813, when he moved to Beaver
county. He made his home in South Beaver township, there purchased
land and at his death was a farmer on a generous scale and a large land
owner.



BEAVER COUNTY 749

(III) George Wilson, son of James (2) Wilson, was born in Wash-
ington county, Pennsylvania, in 1809, died in South Beaver township,
Beaver county, Pennsylvania. As a child of three he was brought to
Beaver county by his parents and one of his earliest recollections was of the
soldiers recruited in the vicinity returning from the War of 1812-14. Here
his entire life was spent as a farmer, and at his death he owned three
hundred acres of land in South Beaver and Ohio townships. His last
home, a frame structure erected in 1861, is still standing, in good condition,
and is used as a residence. He was a member of the Whig party for many
years, and at the formation of the Republican party transferred his al-
legiance thereto. Both he and his wife were members of the Presby-
terian Church, living useful and quiet Christian lives. He married Par-
melia McMillan. Children: i. Rebecca, died unmarried. 2. James Martin,
died in Warren, Ohio, aged sixty-five years. 3. John Arbuckle, died
aged twenty-four years. 4. George Ralston, of whom further. 5. Zimri
W., died in East Liverpool, Ohio. 6. Mary S., for many years a teacher
in the public schools. 7. Eliza Jane, died in infancy. 8. Annie E., deceased,
married J. L. Elliott. 9. Joseph M., died in 1910. 10. Cordelia Florence,
married Miles Deane, and lives in East Palestine, Ohio.

(IV) George Ralston Wilson, third child and second son of George
and Parmelia (McMillan) Wilson, was born in Beaver county, Pennsyl-
vania, June 20, 1840, died in Salem, Ohio, November 5, 1902. He grew
to man's estate in Beaver county, attending the public schools, later fol-
lowing the occupation of a farmer, was there married on December 15,
1868, afterward moving to Salem, Ohio, where his death occurred. He
was an energetic and hardworking farmer and in his agricultural pursuits
met with gratifying and profitable success. He was a Republican in political
sympathies, and in religious belief was a Presbyterian, to which church
both he and his wife belonged. He married Victoria Beatty, born October
31, 1851, died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, August 10, 1893, daughter
of Rev. James and Elizabeth Ann Rose (Garrett) Beatty. The Beatty
family's original American home was in Columbiana county, Ohio, where
William Beatty settled. He was a native of Ireland and a large holder
of land, which many tenants cultivated, according to the system then in
vogue in that country. Becoming involved in difficulties with the English
crown, his estate was confiscated and a price set upon his head for his
capture. Forced into hiding, where he was protected by the good offices of
his many friends, a year later he contrived to obtain passage on an Amer-
ican-bound vessel. Upon his arrival he continued westward until he arrived
in Columbiana county, Ohio, where he invested his entire remaining funds
in farm land. Here he married and his son. Rev. James Beatty, was born.
James, in his youth, voiced a desire to enter the ministry and was educated
to that end, graduating from Allegheny College and teaching school for a
few years before being ordained. After his ordination in the Methodist
Episcopal ministry his first charge was in Ohio, but he soon accepted a



750



PENNSYLVANIA



call in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, and for many years wras a familiar
and conspicuous figure in the work of that denomination in the county.
Although a sincere, devout and faithful teacher of the Word he did not
confine his good works strictly to the pulpit, but believing that there was
as wide a field and one as ripe for the harvest in public life, as in the
church, gave much of his time and attention to public and political affairs.
A forceful and convincing speaker, one who made an appeal to classes
widely separated, he wielded a vast influence throughout the locality, where
he was respected for the manly manner in which he met everyday issues
in person, and not as an adviser from a height of ecclesiastical superiority.
He married Elizabeth Ann Rose, daughter of Isaac Garrett, a member
of an old New England family of "Mayflower" lineage. Isaac Garrett
came to Columbiana county, Ohio, among the first settlers and there be-
came the owner of a large estate and the possessor of a considerable
fortune, all of which was swept away by a bank failure and several unwise
business ventures. Children of Rev. James and Elizabeth Ann Rose
(Garret) Beatty: i. Victoria, of previous mention, married George Ral-
ston Wilson. 2. Nettie, married H. B. Cowan, a resident of South Beaver
township. 3. Leonidas, died in infancy. Children of George Ralston and
Victoria (Beatty) Wilson: Leonidas L., of whom further; Nettie
Florence, married John Carr.

(V) Leonidas L. Wilson, eldest child and only son of George Ralston
and Victoria (Beatty) Wilson, was born in South Beaver township, Beaver
county, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1869. He attended the public schools
and spent his youthful life on his farm, when a young man learning the
baker's trade. This he followed for a few years at Wellsville, Ohio,
abandoning it to engage in farming operations. This he only continued
for a short time and then accepted a position as general agent of the
Millson Rendering Company of Buffalo, New York. The next thirteen
years of his life were spent as proprietor of a livery stable at East Palestine,
Ohio, where in connection with the general routine of a livery, he did a
great deal of grade and excavation contracting. He also acquired real
estate holdings of value in this town, still retaining title to several proper-
ties. On October 31, 1912, he moved to his present home in the newly
platted town of Midland, Pennsylvania, where he continues in the con-
tracting business, on a larger scale than heretofore, employing forty men
and keeping eleven teams in constant use. His judgment in moving to a
town then in the first stage of growth and as yet not fully developed has
been proven of the best, as he has been awarded the contracts for many
operations as the limits of the town have been extended to accommodate the
increasing population. Mr. Wilson is a Republican in politics, and affiliates
with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Owls.

He married, December 27, 1899, Elizabeth Ellen Shasteen, daughter
of Andrew Jackson and Lucinda (Wymer) Shasteen, of Darlington, Penn-
sylvania. Children: Lena F., Glenn L., Everett D., Helen E., George E.,
Gladys M.



BEAVER COUNTY 751

i Three generations of this family, including the present, have

SEANOR borne the given name John G., the first, owning Germany
as his birthplace and coming to the United States with his
five sons. He located at Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and there became pro-
prietor of a hotel.

(II) John G. (2) Seanor, son of John G. (i) Seanor, was born in
Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, died in Beaver county, Pennsylvania,
in 1896. He was educated for the legal profession but was compelled to
abandon his intention of following that calling by failing eyesight. He
then devoted his attention to the coal industry, engaging in business at
Penn Station, Pennsylvania. He forsook this occupation to begin farming
operations, which he conducted on his farm in Lawrence county until
1874. Although continuing in the same line of activity, in this year he
changed his residence from Lawrence to Beaver county. He was uniformly
successful in his agricultural undertakings, and besides the prominence
always accorded one who has accomplished something well he held an im-
portant place among his fellowmen because of his activity in public affairs.
A strong Republican, he was appointed justice of the peace of Lawrence
county by Governor Andrew Curtin, governor of Pennsylvania at the time
of the Civil War. John G. Seanor married Susan Gasser; children: Eliz-
abeth, Lottie, Sallie, Frank, Katherine, John G., of whom further, Harvey.
(HI) John G. (3) Seanor, son of John G. (2) and Susan (Gasser)
Seanor, was born in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania, April 2, 1864. He
attended the public schools of Lawrence and Beaver counties, and when a
young man learned the business of well drilling for both gas and oil. This
occupation he has ever since followed and at the present time bears a
reputation as one of the most skillful and capable drillers in western
Pennsylvania. As the discoveries of oil and gas have been made in different
parts of the country, masters of his craft have been needed to open the way
to the subterranean flow, and in the pursuance of his occupation he has
drilled wells in twenty-two states of the United States and also in Canada
and Cuba. He has prospered in his business, and in 1912, in partnership
with J. H. Williamson, he purchased property on Seventh avenue and
there erected a commodious and splendid equipped garage, which bus-
iness showed steady growth and justified the application of the term
"success," becoming a lucrative source of income. He disposed of his
interest in the garage, August i, 1913, and devotes his time to his former
occupation. He affiliates with the Masonic fraternity, belonging to Union
Valley Lodge, No. 411, Free and Accepted Masons, the Lodge of Perfec-
tion, of New Castle, Pennsylvania, and the Modern Woodmen of the
World.

Mr. Seanor married Belle, daughter of Samuel Blair, of Beaver county,
Pennsylvania. Children of John G. (3) and Belle (Blair) Seanor: Luella,
Margaret, Elizabeth, Dorothy, Isabella, John G. (4).



752 PENNSYLVANIA

The family bearing this name has been distinguished for some
ELZE generations for the number of its members who have been
prominent in professional work, notably in the profession of
music.

(I) William Elze, a resident of Dessau, Anhalt, Germany, was a

dean of a college there for many years. He married Elisa and they

had children: Julius, of further mention; Karl, a Lutheran minister;

Guido, a director and noted composer of music in Italy ; , a well known

writer and translator; Augusta, Minerva and Celia, all deceased.

(II) Julius Elze, son of William and Elisa Elze, was born in Oranien-
baum, Germany, and was cabinet minister in Anhalt. He married Anna
Werner, born in Dessau, Germany. She was the daughter of Karl and
Lena (Gelbke) Werner, the former, who was born at Coswig, holding
office as a director of public safety throughout the active years of his
life, and after fifty years' service he was pensioned with full salary.
They had children: i. Otto, who was a general in the German army,
serving in the wars of i860, 1866 and 1870-71 ; at the battle of Spichem
he led his regiment up Spichern Hill, and so strenuously was he engaged
in this action that for a time his hearing was desroyed, but it was later
restored and he returned to military duty. 2. Karl, was an extensive
landed proprietor, his land being rented in farms to tenants who cul-
tivated it. 3. Paul, who was a piano manufacturer at Dresden, Germany,
and was manufacturer to the court. 4. Max, a wholesale merchant in
Leipsic, doing an international business. 5. and 6. Elisa and Anna. 7.
Charles William Julius, of further mention.

(III) Charles William Julius Elze, son of Julius and Anna (Werner)
Elze, was born in Dessau, Anhalt, Germany, May 22, 1859. One part of
his education was acquired in the schools of his birthplace, where he also
took a special course in music, and he then spent two years in Leipsic, where
he completed his musical education. While in Leipsic he was engaged in
business with his uncle. Max Werner. He served one year in the German
army, and held the rank of lieutenant in the Ninety-third Regiment. When
he was about twenty-seven years of age he decided to come to America,
and upon his arrival here, located in the City of New York. There he
devoted his entire attention to music, being mainly associated with operatic
companies. About 1888 he removed to New Brighton, Beaver county,
Pennsylvania, where he established himself in the piano business, in the
sale of which he has been eminently successful. He handles as manufac-
turer and distributor all the leading makes of pianos and player-pianos, also
grafonolas and small instruments; his place of business is at No. 921
Seventh avenue, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. He erected a beautiful and
commodious residence for himself and family in 1895. His fraternal
affiliations are with the Masonic Order, in which he has attained the thirty-
second degree. Mr. Elze married, in 1895, Hattie Hageman; children:
Frances, Werner, deceased.



BEAVER COUNTY 753

The name of Wallace was one of the most numerous
WALLACE among the immigrants to this country during the early
days of settlement. There were other early immigrants
bearing the name af Wallis, the two spellings appearing interchangeable,
but all came from the same Scotch ancestry. From Scotland they migrated
to Ireland, founding the town of Londonderry, there being no less than
four of this name in the enterprise. They have been distinguished in the
old country and the new by their sterling worth and their successful bus-
iness careers.

(I) Patrick Wallace was born in Ireland, and about 1794 emigrated
to America. He located in Beaver county, Pennsylvania, on the farm which
is now in the possession of one of his grandsons. At that time there were
no railroads in this country, and the toilsome and tiresome journey across

the mountains had to be made by wagon. He married, in Ireland, ■

McAdams, also a native of that country. They had children: Benjamin,
a farmer in Beaver county, Pennsylvania; John, died at the age of eighteen
years; David, see forward; Sarah, married David Luke, and lived in
Darlington township, Beaver county, Pennsylvania; Jennie, married James
Cook, and lived in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania.

(II) David Wallace, son of Patrick and (McAdams) Wallace,

was born in Ireland in 1786, died about 1870. He came to America at
the same time as his father, and shared the same hardships. He was a
soldier in the War of 1812, and was given a grant of land of forty acres,
and later another of one hundred and twenty acres in payment for his
services. He was not naturalized until he was sixty years of age. They
were Covenanters in religion, and later became New Side Covenanters. He
married Jane Scott, born in Ireland in 1796, died in 1868, daughter of

John and (Crawford) Scott, bom and married in Ireland, who

emigrated to Delaware, and remained there until the remainder of the family
came there. He finally removed to Beaver county, Pennsylvania, where
he settled on a farm, and his remaining years were spent there. They had
children: William, a farmer in Chippewa township, Beaver county, Penn-
sylvania; James, a farmer in Big Beaver township; John, a farmer in
Chippewa township; Jane, married David Wallace, as above mentioned.
David and Jane (Scott) Wallace had children: i. John, deceased; was a
farmer in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. 2. David, died at the age of
twenty- four years. 3. William, deceased ; was a tanner by trade, and lived
in Darlington, Pennsylvania. 4. James, deceased ; was a school teacher, and
died at the age of twenty-five years. 5. Robert, deceased, was a carpenter
by trade and the proprietor of a drug store in Petersburg, Ohio; was in
a company of Zouaves, Pennsylvania Regiment, during the Civil War, and
lost a leg in this time of strife. 6. Benjamin, deceased; was a carpenter and
lived in Beaver Falls. 7. Matthew, deceased; for many years lived with
his father on the homestead farm, and finally died on a farm in Mahoning
county, Ohio, which he had purchased from his father. 8. Samuel, de-



754 PENNSYLVANIA

ceased ; was a plasterer and also gave instruction in music ; lived in Peters-
burg, Ohio. 9. George Gillespie, see forward. 10. A son, who died in
infancy. 11. Ellen, deceased; married William Young; lived in Ohio. 12.
Elizabeth, died unmarried in Darlington, Pennsylvania. 13. Margaret, died
unmarried. 14. Ann Jane, died unmarried.

(Ill) George Gillespie Wallace, son of David and Jane (Scott) Wal-
lace, was born on the farm on which he still lives, in Darlington township,
Beaver county, Pennsylvania, April 23, 1838. He was educated in the
old brick district school building near his home. After the death of his
father he purchased all the rights of the other heirs to the homestead estate,
and now owns the one hundred and ninety-six acres. His father had sold
a part of the farm to a coal company, but George G. Wallace repurchased
it. He sold the coal to the State Line Coal Company, and it became known
as No. 6 Mine. He has been a staunch Republican, and has served as
town auditor, as justice of the peace and as school director. He and his
wife are members of the United Presbyterian Church. Mr. Wallace mar-
ried, in 1872, Amy Anna Mead, bom at Middletown, Mahoning county,
Ohio, June 26, 1843, died June 16, 1894, daughter of H. D. and Sarah
(Reed) Mead, the former a harness maker by trade. They had children:
I. Sarah Jane, born August 29, 1874, died November 29, 1891. 2. Florence,
born July 11, 1876; married Leander Burns; lives in Darlington township.
3. Frances Amy, born February 28, 1882; married Charles Douglas; lives
in Lawrence county, Pennsylvania. 4. David Scott, born May 27, 1884;
assists his father in the cultivation of the farm, and also works in the coal
mines.



The agricultural interests of the state of Pennsylvania
WALLACE have been benefited for a number of generations by the
efforts in this direction of the Wallace family of Beaver
county.

(I) Joseph Wallace, who was a native of Beaver county, Pennsyl-
vania, was for a time engaged in boat building, and later purchased a
farm, which he cultivated in a most modern manner for the period in
which he lived. When he purchased his farm he paid at the rate of six
dollars per acre, but it has largely increased in value since that time. He
erected a commodious and fine looking dwelling upon his land, and added
other buildings from time to time, as occasion demanded. Mr. Wallace
married Rachel Spence, who was born in county Antrim, Ireland, and
they were the parents of the following named children : Mary, James N.,
Nancy, Washington, Joseph R., Rachel, Elizabeth, John Spence, see for-
ward ; Virginia, William. Mr. Wallace was a Diemocrat in his political
opinions. He was an earnest and devout member of the United Presby-
terian Church.

(II) John Spence Wallace, son of Joseph and Rachel (Spence) Wal-
lace, was born on the homestead farm in Beaver county, Pennsylvania,



BEAVER COUNTY 755

December 29, 1849. His education was acquired in the public schools of
his native township. At an early age he commenced to assist his father
in the cultivation of the home farm, and in this manner acquired a thorough
and practical knowledge of all the details of farm life. He was always
energetic and progressive in his farming as well as his business methods.