James Byers,
retired merchant of West Middlesex, was born in New Bedford, Lawrence
county, Pennsylvania, January 1, 1828, a son of Andrew and
Margaret (Baird) Byers. The father was born in Virginia. 1784,
and was the son of Samuel Byers, who came to Mercer county and
settled in Shenango township, in 1796. At that date [he] was aged but
twelve years. The mother was born near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and
when a child went to Liberty township. Mercer county. The father and
mother of James Byers had eight children. The father was a
teamster and for eleven years drove one of the old-time stage coaches.
He died when aged eighty-nine years. James, the son, received a
common school education and early in life became a clerk in a store at
Pulaski and followed clerking for sixteen years. He then spent about
three years at driving cattle over the mountains for a Mr. Moone,
after which he clerked in a store again at Greenfield, in 1862, and at
Pulaski. In 1864 he crossed the great western plains to San Francisco,
California, returning by the way of Panama. In 1866 he began his
mercantile career in West Middlesex. He was married in 1868 to
Balinda Marsteller, born November 25, 1834, in Mercer county,
Pennsylvania. The children by this union were: John A., born
October 31, 1869; Margaret, born February 15, 1872; James
Chauncy, born December 24, 1878. Politically, Mr. Byers was a Democrat,
while in church connections he was Methodist Episcopal.
Source: Twentieth Century History of Mercer County, page 615
|
|