Wetmore Township & Borough of Kane Biographical Sketches

THOMAS KEELOR, lumber merchant, Wetmore, was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1832. He was reared and educated in his native city, remaining there until thirty years of age. In 1862 he came to Pennsylvania, located on Oil creek, and became engaged in the oil trade. In 1864 he made large purchases of timber land near Wetmore, McKean county, and erected a steam saw-mill, and dwelling-houses for his employes. He has been successful in this business, and now has another mill on the Tionesta. His mills are connected by a steel-track road, stocked with his own cars. By perseverance and indomitable will, Mr. Keelor has made from the heart of the forest the thriving town of Wetmore, which is now one of the .pleasant towns of the county. He has made all the improvements, even to the cutting of the roads. He has 100 men in his employ, and both the mills have a capacity of turning out 100,000 feet of lumber daily. Mr. Keelor is one of the able men of the county, and one of the representative lumbermen. In addition to his large lumber interests he is engaged in the mercantile business, and also is farming to a large extent, owning considerable available farming land, and in all his varied interests he ranks among the foremost men in the county. Four of his sons are employed as heads of as many departments in their father's business. Mr. Keelor is descended from an old American family, his paternal grandfather having served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. This patriot moved from Camden, N. J., in 1812, to Hamilton county, Ohio, which was then a dense wilderness, but is now the most populous county in the State.

O. G. KELTS, jeweler, Kane, was born in Ridgway, Elk Co., Penn., in 1860, a son of O. P. and Ardissa (Wilcox) Kelts, natives of Potter county, where they were married. They moved to Ridgway and thence to Horton, and from there to Erie city, where the father died; the mother now lives at New Castle. They had two children: Orrin C. and O. G. After the death of his father O. G. Kelts lived with his grandmother several years, and then with C. Holes, at Ridgway, of whom he learned the jeweler's trade. In 1882 he came to Kane, where he began work at his trade, but now keeps a store, supplied with a good stock of watches, jewelry, etc., in addition to which he is a dealer in general merchandise. During Cleveland's administration Mr. Kelts was appointed postmaster at Kane. He is a member of Kane Lodge, No. 566, F. & A. M. Mr. Kelts was married, Feb. 2, 1882, to Ella Wicks, and they have one child, Clyde. C. H. KEMP, proprietor of the" Thompson House," Kane. This house, which was designed as a summer resort, is delightfully located in the mountainous regions of Northern Pennsylvania, and is accessible by the Philadelphia & Erie and the Pittsburgh & Western division of the Pennsylvania Railroad. It is situated at an altitude of nearly 2,100 feet above sea level, and on the most elevated point of that region. Pure air and water are here afforded. making it a healthful resort during the heat of the summer months. Good fishing for lovers of the piscatorial sport, and romantic drives also commend the place to those in search of amusement in that line. With cuisine department unsurpassed, and a thriving borough near by of several thousand population, with none of the objectionable features found at many of the watering places, it is eminently designed as a home for those seeking rest and recreation. Mr. Kemp was reared on a farm, and at the beginning of the war of the Rebellion he enlisted in Company H, Third West Virginia Infantry, and was afterward placed on detached duty in the quartermaster's department. He was offered promotion, but declined. After the war he returned to Winchester, and until 1867 was in mercantile business. From 1867 to 1874 he was manager of Bolton's Hotel, at Harrisburg. In the summer of 1875 he was at Cape May, and in 1876 was manager of the" Washington House," Philadelphia. He came to Kane in 1877, and took charge of the" Thompson House." Mr. Kemp is an enterprising, genial gentleman, eminently fitted for the business in which he is engaged.

O. B. LAY, proprietor of the Cummings Lumber Company, Kane, is the third son of George G. (now deceased) and Emma (Ogden) Lay, and was born in Marshall, Mich.,. January 12, 1849. The mother was a daughter of Jonathan Ogden, one of the early settlers of Binghamton, Broome Co., N. Y., then known as Chenango Point. In March, 1869, at the age of twenty years, the subject of our sketch came to Pennsylvania, and was first employed by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as assistant agent at Cameron station, where he remained two years; was then promoted to the position of agent for the same company at Daguscahonda station. Here he remained nearly two years, when he was again promoted, being given charge of the Kane station, at which borough he has since resided. He served the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Kane, nine years, ending May 1, 1882, when he resigned his position to engage in other business. Mr. Lay established and edited the first newspaper (The Kane Weekly Blade) published in Kane. It was established in J 879, and suspended in 1883 on account of the office being destroyed by fire. From February, 1882, to March; 1889, Mr. Lay was actively engaged in mercantile business in Kane, but disposed of same in order to give his entire attention to his lumber business, in which he had embarked in the fall of 1885. He is the sole owner of the Cummings Lumber Company, and his mill has a daily capacity of 25,000 feet of lumber. Mr. Lay was married in January, 1875, to Blanche E., daughter of D. T. Hall, of Kane, and they have two children: Flora A. and Oakey H. Mr. Lay is a member of Kane Lodge, No. 566, F. & A. M., the Royal Arcanum and the Sons of Temperance. Politically he is a third- party Prohibitionist, believing that prohibition, with a party behind it, pledged to its enforcement, is the only effectual method of dealing with the liquor traffic. He and his family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

JOHN D. LEONARD (deceased), born in Springfield, Bradford Co., Penn., February 3, 1816. died July 14, 1888. He was one of the first settlers of Kane. and, with the exception of ' Squire Hall, was, at the time of his death, the oldest citizen of the borough. He was one of the pioneer merchants, and for twenty-one years was postmaster, holding the position until February 22, 1886. Mr. Leonard retired from active business life some time before his death. He married Susan M. Smith, who survives him, and is one of the respected citizens of Kane. Mrs. Leonard is the daughter of Nicholas B. Smith, and was born in Alba, Bradford Co., Penn. When she was eight years of age her mother died, and her father afterward moved to Columbia township, same county, where he passed the last years of his life. His family consisted of six children: Perussa, Lydia, Huldah, Edward C., Susan M. and Mary A.

B. F. McCONNELL, merchant, Kane, was born in Newry, Blair Co., Penn., in 1864, and was reared and educated at Renovo, whither his parents, Henry and Mary Jane McConnell, moved in his childhood. Later they came to Kane, and here, in 1884, he engaged in. the grocery business, becoming a member of the firm of B. F. McConnell & Co. This was one of the enterprising firms of the borough, and had a good trade, but Mr. McConnell sold out his interest in the firm, and, August 15, 1889, with a partner. went into the dry goods trade, the business being carried on in the name of B. F. McConnell. Mr. McConnell is a member of Kane Lodge, No. 412, I. O. O. F. In politics he affiliates with the Democratic party.

JAUES McDADE, Kane, was born in Cambria county, Penn., in 1844, a son of Henry McDade. He remained at home until eighteen years of age, and during- the war of the Rebellion (in 1862) was employed with a construction corps in the building of bridges in Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. At the close of the war he returned to Cambria county, and soon after entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for eight months, being conductor of the yard engine at Williamsport. He was then transferred to Renovo, where he was yard dispatcher, five years, and upon the extension of the line was again transferred, this time to Kane, where he was yard dispatcher, also five years, In 1871 he left the railroad employ, and is now engaged in more industrial enterprises than any other one citizen in his community. On leaving the railroad he embarked in the lumber trade, and later carried on a livery stable. He was also for some time connected with the mercantile interests of the town, and is now senior member of the banking firm of McDade, Davis & Co. He is president of the Citizens' Gas Light & Fuel Company, and, with J. T. Griffith, has a lamp-black factory, which has a daily capacity of twenty barrels. The development of the Kane oil fields is due chiefly to his enterprise, as when the territory was abandoned by the oil men, in order to thoroughly test the field, he gave 300 acres free of royalty to Craig & Cappeau, who drilled on the land and found the well that opened up the field. He is a large land owner, and has since the opening of the oil fields sold 600 acres for $76,000. He is a practical farmer, and some of his land is under cultivation. Mr. McDade was married in Renovo, in 1873, to Sarah Swedy, and they have five children: William Alden, Elizabeth Mabel, James Raymond. Henry Calvin and Edward. Mr. McDade is a Democrat in politics, and in 1888 was the candidate of his party for member of the legislature.

J. D. MAGOWAN, druggist, Kane, was born in County Down, Ireland, in 1852, son of David and Jane Magowan, of Scotch-Irish parentage. He was reared and educated in his native country, and in 1872 came to America and located at Kane, Penn., where he worked at the carpenter's trade until 1877. He was in the employ of O. D. Coleman until 1881, and then for four years was employed by Joshua Davis. In 1885 he started in business for himself, opening a drug store, and now has a good trade. Mr. Magowan was married, in 1886, to Bella C. Lafferty, daughter of Robert Lafferty, one of the pioneers of Kane, but now deceased, and they have two children - one son and one daughter. Mr. Magowan is a member of Kane Lodge, No. 412, I. O. O. F. Politically he is a Prohibitionist. Mr. and Mrs. Magowan are members of the Presbyterian Church.

ADA C. MALONE, editress and manager of the Leader, of Kane, was born February 4, 1867, at Ridgway, Elk Co., Penn., in the public schools of which place she received her primary education. On June 3, 1882, she graduated from the high school, and she then attended the State Normal School at Lock Haven, one term. On June 2, 1884, Miss Malone entered the office of the Ridgway Advocate, as an apprentice, being afterward promoted to bookkeeper and proof-reader. In the spring of 1886, she came to Kane to accept a position on the Leader', but left the town June], 1887. In August of that year, she accepted a position as compositor in the office of the Daily Mirror, published at Warren, Penn., where she remained one year and a half, and April 18, 1889, she was appointed to her present position in Kane.

FRANK W. MEESE, proprietor of the St. Elmo Hotel, Kane, was born in Somerset county, Penn., in 1835. His father, Elijah Meese, of English descent, was born in Somerset. Penn.. April 25, 1808, and died in New Philadelphia, Ohio, March 29, 1879, weighing, at the time of his death, 427 pounds. The mother of our subject, Mary (Walter) Meese, who was of German descent, was born near Somerset, Penn., February 15, 1799, and was killed near New Philadelphia, Ohio, by her horse running away, December 14, 1861. When the subject of these lines was ten years old, his parents removed to Tuscarawas county, Ohio, where he was reared and completed his education, remaining there until 1851, when he went to Somerset, Penn., and then to West Virginia, and was there employed by the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company as extra passenger and freight conductor, retaining that position until 1861. He then enlisted in Company F, Sixteenth O. V. I., for a term of three months. He was wounded at the battle of Carrick's Ford, in July of that year, and at the expiration of his term of service returned to West Virginia and resumed his; former position on the Baltimore & Ohio road. In the spring of 1862 he went to Hollidaysburg, Penn., was conductor between Altoona and Harrisburg, and in 1863 was transferred to the Huntingdon & Broad Top road, where he remained until May 9, 1864, when he was sent to Renovo, and was conductor of a local freight train between that point and St. Mary's. October 17. 1864, the road was opened to Kane, which was made his terminal point. February 8, 1865, he was appointed yard dispatcher at Kane, a position he held until June 20, 1869, when he resigned and entered mercantile life, being associated with J. D. Leonard. This he continued until 1873 ; then in September, 1874, he became the proprietor of the Centennial Hotel, which he conducted until June 20, 1880. In this hotel, July 4, 1874, Mr. Meese accidentally shot himself through the thigh with a revolver, and was laid up with the wound over a year. In 1881 he built the St. Elmo hotel and opened it to the public on June 25 of that year. Mr. Meese is a genial, courteous gentleman, and this, added to his natural business ability, qualifies him for the position as landlord of one of the best hotels in Kane. Among his other accumulations he has gained in flesh until he tips the scales at 350 pounds. In politics he is a Republican, and in religion independent. F. W. Meese was married to Missouri M. Keefer, May 5, 1859, in Cumberland, Md., by Rev. Pat Hamill. His wife died March 2, 18GO, in Frederick city, Md. He was next married to Kate Virginia Penner, of Cumberland, Md., November 12, 1874, by Rev. Father Delaroque, in Kane, Penn. His son, F. W. Meese, Jr. (by his first wife), resides in Kane, Penn., is a painter and paperhanger, in politics is a Republican, and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. On Sunday, September 16, 18G6, MIr. Meese, at the suggestion of George Welker, performed a mock marriage, uniting in the bonds of wedlock, Casper Huffnagle and Miss Lizzie Marker, daughter of Fred Marker. This was the only mock marriage Meese and Welker ever were connected with, as it cost Mr. Welker some trouble and money to persuade Huffnagle to relinquish his bride.

M. W. MOFFITT, manufacturer, Kane, is a son of Jesse Moffitt, and was born in Genesee county, N. Y., in 1831. In 1832 his parents moved to Columbus, Warren Co., Penn., and thence to Erie county, where his school-days were completed, and where he grew to manhood. When he started in his business career he embarked in the lumber trade, and afterward was in mercantile business, fourteen years. In 1879 he removed to Kane, where he became a member of the lumber firm of P. C. West & Co., and subsequently of the firm of Howells, Moffitt & Co., manufacturers of clothespins. He is an enterprising man, and b as been successful in his business operations. He was married, in 1855, to Tryphena Bassett. Mr. Moffitt is a member of Kane Lodge, No. 566, F. & A. M., Bradford Chapter, No. 260, R. A. M., Bradford Council, R. & S. M., Knapp Commandery, No. 40, Ridgway, and Presque Isle Lodge of Perfection. In politics he is a Republican, and is the present burgess of the borough. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

G. H. PRESTON, M. D., Kane, was born in Lake county, Ohio, in 1854. He attended the schools of Madison, completing his studies at Madison High School; then went in to a drug store at Painesville, same State, where he learned the business and remained three years, when he began the study of medicine with Drs. Stranahan and Preston, of Warren, Penn. In 1878 he attended the medical department of the University of the City of New York, and graduated in 1879. The Doctor began his practice at Dunkirk, N. Y., and same year removed to Kane, where he has since been in the active practice of his profession. Dr. Preston has been surgeon for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, ten years, has held the same position for the Pittsburgh & Western Railroad, three years, and is medical examiner for all the insurance companies represented in Kane. He is a member of the Acme Oil Company, the banking house of McDade, Davis & Co. and the drug firm of J. W. Griffith & Co. The Doctor also has large interests in timber land and oil property. He is one of the prosperous citizens of Kane, and a leading and influential physician and business man.

WALTER B. SMITH, hardware merchant, Kane, a son of William J. and Roxana Smith, was born in Lottsville, Warren Co., Penn., in 1852. He remained in his native county until 1869, when he removed to Ridgway, Elk county, where he learned the tinner's trade. In 1872 he revisited Warren county, and went into the hardware business, which he continued until 1874, when he sold his interests there, and returned to his former employer in Ridgway. He went to California in 1875, but remained only about a year, returning to Elk county in 1876, and in 1879 moved to Kane, and embarked in the hardware business. He took George Welker as partner in 1887, the firm name being the Smith & Welker Hardware Company. They carry a complete stock in their line, and have a paying business. Mr. Smith takes an active interest in public affairs, and has served several terms as poormaster, and two terms as burgess of the borough. In politics he votes independent of party. He is a member of Kane Lodge, No, 566, F. & A. M.; Ridgway Chapter, R. A.M.; Bradford Council, and Knapp Commandery, K. T., also Kane Lodge, No. 512, I. 0, O. F. In 1883 he married Rosa Welker, a daughter of his business partner, and they have one child, Roxana.

FRED SWANSON, blacksmith, Kane, is a native of Sweden, born in 1855, a son of S. M. and Annie Swanson, the former deceased. He was reared in his native country, and in 1878 came to America, and to Pennsylvania, locating at Kane; then went to Warren, where he was employed in the foundry of Struthers & Wells, and was afterward with the Northwestern Mining Company at Dagus Mines, Elk county. He subsequently removed to Kane, and has since been working at the blacksmith's trade. He is one of the reliable citizens of the town, and takes an interest in all matters pertaining to the public welfare. He is a member of Kane Lodge, No, 566, F. & A. M. In politics he is a Republican. Mr. Swanson was married in 1881 to Josephine Oleson and they have one son, Harry. Mr. and Mrs. Swanson are members of the Lutheran Church.

J. A. VOLLMER, dealer in furniture, and undertaker, Kane, was born in Elk county, Penn., in 1855. He was reared and educated in his native county, remaining at home until his majority, when, in 1876, he went to St. Mary's and. then to Philadelphia, and learned the cabinet maker's trade. He located at Kane in 1882, and in addition to working at his trade is engaged in the furniture business, keeping a good stock in his line, including sewing-machines, etc. He also keeps a stock of undertaker's goods, being the only undertaker in the town. Mr. Vollmer was married in 1882 to Laura Tyler, and they have four children. They are members of the Catholic Church. In politics Mr. Vollmer is a Democrat, and is a member of the borough council.

GEORGE WELKER, hardware merchant, Kane, is a native of Germany, born in Rhenish Bavaria in 1836, a son of Michael Welker. In 1853 the family came to America and located at Philadelphia, where the subject of our notice learned the shoemaker's trade, and in 1857 moved to Williamsport, same State, where he worked at his trade until 1864, in which year he came to Renovo and bought the Ulrich House, which he conducted about a year. In 1865 he came to Kane, where he purchased the first lot after the town was laid out and surveyed, and built the first house on the town site. He opened a hotel, and also engaged in the boot and shoe business until 1886; he next became a member of the firm of Smith & Welker, dealers in hardware. He has taken great interest in the prosperity of Kane, and has been one of the foremost to assist all laudable enterprises. He has served several terms as a school director. Mr. Welker married Rosa Richly, who died in 1883, leaving three children: Rosa, wife of W. B. Smith; Lizzie and Emma. In 1885 Mr. Welker married Mary Sullivan, and they have two children: John and Edna. Mr. Welker is a member of Smethport Lodge, F. & A. M., and Williamsport Lodge, No. 570, I. O. O. E. In politics he votes independent of party.

P. C. WEST, manufacturer, Kane, is a son of Spencer West, one of the firm of P. C. West & Co., and was born in Minerva township, Essex Co., N. Y., August 2, 1828. His parents removed in his early childhood to French Creek, Chautauqua Co., N. Y, and thence to Mill Creek and Harbor Creek, Erie Co., Penn., where his school-days were completed, and where he started in his business career. He was variously engaged in farming. in mercantile trade, and in Corry, Penn., in the lumber business until 1879, when, in October of that year, he removed his mill from near Lowell Station to near West Kane, and is now associated in the lumber trade with M. W. Moffitt; is also a member of the firm of West & Britton, his son, J. L. West, being also a member of the firm. This firm manufacture clothespins, their factory, which is on Ballard street, having a daily capacity. of turning out 350 boxes, five gross each. Mr. West is one of the enterprising citizens of Kane. He was married in Concord, Erie Co., Penn., June 2, 1853, to Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel and Ellen Heath, of Concord, that county. His wife died in Corry, November 2, 1889, of paralysis, aged sixty years, nine months and twenty-seven days. In religion Mr. West is a Baptist, and in politics a Republican.

WILLIAM P. WESTON, attorney at law, Kane, Penn., was born in Burlington, Vt., in 1852. He completed his education at Lafayette College, Easton, Penn., from which he graduated in 1874. He afterward studied law at the Columbia Law School, N. Y., graduating in 1878. He was admitted to the bar of McKean county, Penn., in 1879, and began practice at Kane borough. He is enterprising and ambitious, and is connected with various business interests of the town. Mr. Weston is a member of the lumber firm of Stone, Weston & Co., and of the banking house of McDade, Davis & Co., of which he is also cashier. He owns considerable oil land and several producing wells; also operates in oil and timber lands. He is one of the energetic, public-spirited citizens of the town, and is prominent in business circles. In politics he is a Republican.

REV. GEORGE WINKLER, priest in charge of St. Callistus Roman Catholic Church, at Kane, was born in Brooklyn, N. Y. His educational raining was received from the Jesuit fathers at Fordham. N. Y., and at Francis Xavier's College, New York City. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1886, by Rt. Rev. Tobias Mullen, D. D., bishop of Erie, Penn. His first pastorate was at McKean Corners, Erie county, and from there, in 1888, he was sent to Kane. In addition to the church at Kane he has charge of the churches at Rasselas, Johnsonburg and Wilcox. Upon his arrival at Kane he found no desirable place for holding services, and for a time the Temperance Hall was used. At Rasselas and Johnsonburg there was no place at all suitable, while at Wilcox there was a frame structure totally unfit for a church. He went to work, and now there is a good frame church at Johnsonburg, a stone church at Rasselas, a brick church at Kane, and also a frame church at Wilcox. He has superintended the building of these churches, and in the discharge of pastoral duties has endeared himself to the people of his various charges.