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Warren County, Pennsylvania, Genealogy

Biographies - Surnames beginning with G


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GAGE, Ora C. - Russell p. o., Elk twp (page xxxiv, Brief Personals *)

Ora C. Gage, although not among the old pioneer residents of Elk, yet the position which he has taken among his fellow townsmen, and the efforts he has made for the advancement and well-being of those whom he is surrounded by, places him among its prominent citizens. Mr. Gage was born in New York State, and came to Glade some years ago. His mother married for her third husband Jason Andrus, better known as "squire" Andrus, one of the most prominent men in the eastern part of Pine Grove, which some years ago was taken from Elk. In the Gage family were several children — Mary Elizabeth, who is now dead; Rev. Joel W., of the United Brethren Church of Sugar Grove; Rev. Orange James, of the United Brethren Church of Finley's Lake; and Ora Calvin, who is by occupation a farmer, yet is a conspicuous and prominent member of the same church society. Ora C. Gage married Jennie A. Mann, a daughter of Martin A. Mann, of North Warren, and by her had a family of four children. Their farm property presents as fine appearance as any in the town, and gives evidence of the thrift and energy of its owner. Mr. Gage is still a young man, but prominent in the councils of the township.

 

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GARCELON, Philip M. - Spring Creek Twp (page xxxiv, Brief Personals *)

P. M. Garcelon was born in Androscoggin county, Me., in 1827. He was married in 1851 to Jane Warner, of Tidioute, and settled in Warren county in 1871. His wife died in 1863, leaving two daughters — Charlotte D. and Lillian L. He was married the second time in 1881 to Maranda Garcelon. He had the offices of school director and postmaster from 1871 to 1885. In 1871 he opened with his brother, W. Garcelon, a large general store. W. G. died in 1876. Mr. Garcelon also has a large interest in all farming and lumbering pursuits. His father, who was known as Captain Peter, was born in 1787, served in the War of 1812, and died in 1867. He had a family of thirteen children, five of whom are now living — Golder, Lucy A., Catherine, Dorcas, and P. M.

[Warren County coordinator note: In 1860, Philip, 32, was a carpenter in Webster, Androscoggin County, Maine, with his wife Jane, and two daughters Charlotte, 4, and Lillian, 2. Jane, born in New York, was 29 years old. She died April 20, 1863, at age 32 years and 8 months; buried in the Oak Grove Cemetery, in Sagadahoc County, Maine.

The 1870 census lists Philip Garcelon, 42, as living in Bath Twp, Sagadahoc County, Maine, employed as a ship carpenter. Living with him are Susan A. Warner, 43, who is keeping house, and his two daughters, "Lottie," 14, and Lillian,12. Susan was born in New York. Philip's brother, W. C. Garcelon was living in Spring Creek Twp, Warren County, Pennsylvania. He was 55, living with "Mirama" who was presumably his wife, age 47. W. Garcelon died in 1876 and it appears that sometime in the 4 years before the 1880 census, his widow married his brother...

On the 1880 census (now in Spring Creek, Warren County, PA), Philip, 52, was the owner of a general store and was living with his two daughters, "Lottie," 24, who was "keeping house," and Lillian, 22, who "clerks in store." All three were born in Maine. Living with them was his sister-in-law, Miranda, 57, whose last name was listed as Garcelon.

Or at least that's my best guess. Updates to this puzzling family are welcome!]

 

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GARDNER, R. Loren - Lander p. o., Farmington twp (page xxxiv, Brief Personals *)

R. Loren Gardner is a farmer and was born in Schoharie county, N. Y., August 14, 1847. He was a son of Henry and Catherine (Ruland) Gardner, who were among the pioneers of Farmington. They for a time resided in Crawford county, and also in Schoharie county, N. Y.; later in life they returned to Farmington, where they resided until the time of their deaths. They owned and occupied the farm on which R. Loren Gardner now resides. They had two children — Diantha and R. Loren.. R. Loren's paternal grandfather was David Gardner, a pioneer of Farmington, who in later life removed to Oil Creek, and died there. R. Loren Gardner was married November 21, 1871, to Emma White, a daughter of Orange and Nancy Robbins White, who were early settlers in Farmington. They have had one child born to them — Edith P.

 

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GARFIELD, Samuel - Youngsville p. o., Brokenstraw twp (page xxxiv, Brief Personals *)

Samuel Garfield, manager and keeper of the Rouse Hospital and Warren county farm; was born in 1851, at Busti, N. Y. He is the son of Joseph and Lucy P. Garfield, and was married in 1876 to Agnes, daughter of Richard E. and Laura Brown, of Farmington. He then removed from Chautauqua county, N. Y., to Farmington, Warren county, and on April 1, 1882, the Warren county commissioners appointed Mr. and Mrs. Garfield as superintendent and matron of Rouse Hospital.

 

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GAUTZ, Andrew - Warren p. o., Conewango twp (page xxxv, Brief Personals *)

Andrew Gautz is a farmer and was born in Alsace, France, on June 3, 1837. He came to America in 1855, and settled in this county, where he worked as a farm hand for several years. He was in the late War of the Rebellion, enlisting in 1863, in Company F, 151st Pennsylvania Vols. He was wounded in the hip at the battle of Gettysburg, and was honorably discharged after ten months' service. After his return he resided in Mead township for four years. He settled on the farm on which he now resides in 1869, which he cleared and improved himself, clearing in all in this county about 100 acres. He was a son of Andrew and Mary (Yehl) Gautz. Andrew was married in 1863 to Mary Stringer, daughter of John and Mary (Arnold) Stringer. They have a family of seven children — Celia, Lizzie, Hattie, Frank, Leonora, Samuel, and Charlie. Mr. Gautz is an active member of the G. A. R.

 

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GEORGE, Benjamin - Tidioute p. o., Triumph twp (page xxxv, Brief Personals *)

Benjamin George was born in Columbia county, O., February 17, 1817. He was a son of Thomas and Sarah (Gansalus) George, who were born in Pennsylvania and died in Ohio. They had a family of nine children born to them, four of whom are now living. Benjamin married Harriet St. John in 1857; she was born in 1832. They had two children born to them— Margaretta (born in 1859) and Benjamin A. (born in 1874). They settled on their present farm in 1857, which Benjamin purchased in company with his brother, Russel St. John, who died, willing his half interest to his sister, Mrs. Harriet George. Harriet was a daughter of Ansel and Margaretta (Woods) St. John, who had a family of ten children born to them, three of whorm [sic] are now living— Harriet, William, and Fanny. One brother, Samuel St. John, enlisted from Ohio in 1861, and served up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1862. Benjamin George married his first wife, Anne Frasier, in 1841. She died August 29, 1851, leaving a family of three children — Henry B. (born in 1847), Thomas C. (born in 1843), and Sarah (born in 1842). Henry B. was murdered July 25, 1884, at Joliet, Ill.. Thomas enlisted in Captain Brown's company (he was a son of the Abolitionist John Brown) and served through the war. He was in the Andersonville prison for eleven months. Mr. George's farm is thought by many to be a rich oil section, not yet developed. He settled in a dense forest in 1857, and now has a large tract of heavy timbered land adjoining his residence.

 

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GIBBS, William - Corydon p. o., Corydon twp (page xxxv, Brief Personals *)

William Gibbs was one of the first settlers of Corydon, having immigrated from New Jersey at a very early day. His children were John L., Nancy, who married S. H. Hull, of Warren; Morris, William, Cynthia, who married Benjamin Tome; George, at the time of his death a resident of New Albany, Ind. William Gibbs was a lumberman and farmer, and for many years a justice of the peace of Corydon. S. H. Hull, who married Nancy Gibbs, built the hotel at Warren now known as the Carver House.

 

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GILSON, Rufus P. - Barnes p. o., Sheffield twp (page xxxv, Brief Personals *)

Rufus P. Gilson, the second child of John Gilson, the early settler in Sheffield, was born on January 15, 1833. He married Martha L. Blanchard, a daughter of Jasper P. Blanchard, formerly of Sheffield. They had a family of five children — Charles, Alma N. (who married Thomas Matthewson), Delia (who married George Noblet, of Forest county), Carver, and Cemer T. , both of whom live at home.

 

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GILSON, Dr. Willis O. - Spring Creek p. o., Spring Creek twp (page xxxv, Brief Personals *)

Dr. Willis O. Gilson was born in Crawford county in 1858, and is a son of C. B. and Margurita Moore Gilson. He read medicine at Cleveland, and was graduated from the Western Reserve Medical College of Cleveland in 1883; he settled in Spring Creek, where he has a large and increasing practice. He is also proprietor of a drug store, opened in 1885. He was appointed postmaster in 1886. He married Jessie J., daughter of Wm. Baker, of Spring Creek, in 1885.

 

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GOODWIN, Jacob Ransom - Pittsfield, Pittsfield twp (pages xxxv-xxxvi, Brief Personals *)

Jacob Ransom Goodwin was born in Brokenstraw November 8, 1816. He was a son of Jacob and Mary Kinnan Goodwin. Mary was born in New Jersey and died in 1858, and Jacob was born in Concord, N. H., in 1770 and died in 1847. He was married in 1792, and settled in Conewango in 1793. They had a family of nine children born to them, three of whom are now living—Hannah, Polly, and Jacob R.. Jacob Goodwin, sr., was drafted and served in the War of 1812. He was a millwright by trade. Jacob R. Goodwin, jr., was married in 1851 to Octavia R. Matthews, who was born in Mayfield, Fulton county, N. Y., in 1823. They have had a family of four sons born to them — Edgar, Adelbert, Curtis M. (who was married in 1883 to Arvilla Fancher, by whom he has had two children — Paul and Ruth O.), and Fred D.. Octavia was a daughter of Alinas and Catherine (Bovee) Matthews, who came from New York State and settled in Freehold in 1835, where they died, leaving a family of four children.

 

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GORMAN, George W. - Tidioute p. o., Triumph twp (page xxxvi, Brief Personals *)

George W. Gorman was born in Triumph in 1859. His parents were Benjamin and Alvira Clelland Gorman, she born in Chautauqua county, N. Y., and he in Crawford county in 1818; they were married in 1848, and have a family of five children—Nathan, Sarah E., Angeletta A., Mary J., and George W.. Benjamin Gorman was a son of Michael and Sarah Gilson Gorman. They had a family of thirteen children, three sons and two daughters of whom survive — Benjamin, Peter, Michael, and the two daughters. They settled in Deerfield township in March, 1819. Michael was born in Pennsylvania. His parents immigrated from Ireland before the Revolution; his son William served in the army during the Revolution, and afterwards settled in Ohio. George W. Gorman married Margaret Lott, of Tidioute, in 1882, and they have a family of three children —Josephine, Clarence, and Gertrude. He was a graduate of Saint Bonaventure College in 1867, and became a civil engineer. He was employed on different railroads, and settled on his present farm in 1882 — the old homestead of his oarents. His wife was a daughter of Henry and Charity Lott.

[Warren County coordinator's note: It would appear Geo. W. was actually born in Deerfield township. According to the 1860 U. S. Federal census, the Benjamin Gorman family was living beside his brother Michael Gorman and family near a post office in Deerfield township named "Steam Mill".]

 

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GOUDY, Dr. Samuel P. - Garland p. o., Pittsfield twp (page xxxvi, Brief Personals *)

Dr. Samuel P. Goudy, a physician and surgeon, was born in Monroe county, O., in 1847. He read medicine in Crawford county with Dr. J. J. McMellen, and graduated from the medical college in 1881, and settled in Garland in the practice of his profession. He was married in 1873 to Jane Robinson, of Albion, Erie county. They have had one child born to them. Dr. Samuel P. Goudy was a son of Isaac and Mary (McMillan) Goudy. He was born in Pennsylvania and Mary his wife was born in Maryland, and died in Ohio in 1863, aged fifty-three years. Isaac died in West Virginia in June, 1878, leaving four sons and one daughter— David, Isaac, Virginia, John, and Dr. Samuel.

 

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GOULD, Morgan Lewis - Ackley Station, p. o. Pine Grove twp (page xxxvi, Brief Personals *)

Morgan Lewis Gould was born in Wayne county, N. Y., in the year 1819, and in the year 1834 came to Pine Grove with the family of his father, Daniel Gould, for whom the extreme northeast part of the town is to this day called "Gould Town," this family being its earliest pioneer. Morgan Gould married Rachel Seekins,daughter of Stephen Seekins, also a pioneer family of the town. Morgan L. Gould was one of a family of eight children, sons and daughters of Daniel Gould. When the family settled in Gould Town there was no cleared land between their home and Conewango Creek. Mr. Gould is a member of the United Brethren Church.

 

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GRAHAM, Margaret - Garland p. o., Pittsfield twp (page xxxvi, Brief Personals *)

Margaret Graham was born in Garland in July, 1810. She was a daughter of George and Isabella (McCormick) Long. George Long was born in Virginia and was a son of Colonel Cookson Long, one of the honored officers of the Revolution. George also served in the Revolutionary War as a private. At the close of the war Colonel Cookson Long returned to Virginia, where he died. His son George settled in Lycoming county, where he was married about 1792, and had a family of ten children, only two of whom are now living—Hugh (born February 2, 1802) and Margaret (born in 1810). George came to Warren county in 1800, where he resided until the time of his death, which occurred in 1854. Mrs. Margaret Graham was married in 1837 to Samuel Graham; he was born in 1805. They had a family of four children born to them, only two of whom are now living. Samuel Graham died April 13, 1884, after a successful business life. The greater part of his life he was engaged in the lumber business.

 

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GRAHAM, Samuel M. - Pittsfield Twp (pages 685-686 *)

Engraving of Samuel M. Graham  

Samuel M. Graham, son of Samuel Graham, was born in Lycoming county, Pa., on the 9th of March, 1805. His father was a farmer in that county (now Clinton county), and died there about 1857. He had three sons and as many daughters (of whom two daughters now live), and Samuel Graham, jr., was the third of these children. When he was about eighteen years of age the subject of this sketch began to pilot on the Susquehanna River as far down as Havre de Grace. From that time until he reached his twenty fifth year he continued to labor under his father's direction, and by his own efforts almost supported the entire family. He did not relinquish the rafting business until 1837, and on the 28th of June of which year he married Margaret, daughter of George and Isabel (McCormick) Long, of Warren county. Immediately after the marriage the couple settled on a farm in the near vicinity of Mr. Graham's birth place, where they remained until 1842. They then removed to what is now the township of Pittsfield, in this county, in one village in which (Garland) Mrs. Graham was born on the 23d of July, 1810. The principal motive which induced Mr. Graham to make this removal was the condition of George Long, his father-in-law, who needed care. They resided on his farm in the southern part of the township until 1868, when they returned to their old farm in Clinton county. There they remained six years. In 1874 they sold out there and returned to Pittsfield and settled on the old homestead. In 1882 they purchased and removed to the farm now occupied by Mrs. Graham, where he died on the 13th of April, 1884. The incidents and characteristics of George Long and his career are mentioned in the history of the township of Pittsfield.

Samuel Graham
was during his life a strong Republican in politics, and though not an office seeker, was by his special adaptability for such positions as that of constable, etc., frequently forced by such persuasion to accept this and kindred offices.

Portrait from History Of Warren County Pennsylvania  

While he lived in Clinton county he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, but did not join any church in this county. As a business man he was pre-eminently successful; as a friend he was most trustworthy; and in all the essential elements of manhood was beyond reproach.

The children of Samuel M. and Margaret Graham have been as follows: Helen, born June 20, 1838, died August 14, 1847; Herman, born December 24, 1839, died December 8, 1842; and John W., born June 6, 1847, and drowned in the Susquehanna River August 24, 1869. It was his death that formed the chief inducement for their removal from Clinton county to Pittsfield the second time.

 

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GRANDIN, Samuel - Tidioute, Deerfield Twp (pages 638-639 *)

The subject of this sketch is a grandson of one Samuel Grandin, who was born in 1700 on one of the islands along the coast of France. He came to this country, settled in New Jersey, and passed nearly all his life there, but died in 1787 on an island near New York harbor. He was well-to-do, and gave his large family of children a good education. Three of his sons were educated, one for the practice of law, one for the ministry, and the other for a mercantile life. John Grandin, father of the subject of this notice, was for a time in the mercantile business, but at a later day taught school, until failing health compelled him to retire. His family lived in Morris county, N. J., but he died in Pleasantville, Venango county, Pa., more than forty-five years ago, aged sixty-seven years. His wife, whom he married in New Jersey, was a native of Sussex county in that State. They had seven children, of whom three were sons and four daughters. Only two of these are now living, namely, the subject of this sketch, and Daniel Grandin, of Jamestown, N. Y.


Samuel Grandin was born in Sussex county, N. J., on the 15th day of October, 1800. His educational advantages were very limited, the schools were not good, and he did not attend them after his eighth or tenth year. He then learned the trade of a tailor, which he afterward followed for twenty consecutive years. In 1822 he came to Pleasantville, Venango county, Pa., where he remained until 1840. In that year he removed to Tidioute in this county, relinquished his trade, and began selling goods. He also built mills and engaged in the lumber trade, rafting large quantities down the river. He continued this business until his retirement from active business pursuits shortly after the year 1860. In 1867 he built the dwelling house which he still occupies. By virtue of his sagacity and industry he amassed a fortune, his capital at the beginning being, as he has been heard to say, "a pair of shears and a lap-board." He has never been a politician, nor an office seeker. Although urged to accept office, he has persistently refused, leaving that duty or pleasure to those who sought it. He votes, independently of party distinctions, for the best man. His religious belief is that all men are at last saved, that they should do their best here and not wait until after death. He is a member of the Universalist Church, and contributes liberally to its support. He has ever been found at the head of any enterprise which looks to the advancement of the interests of the county or of Tidioute borough, taking especial pride in her educational institutions, and generously aiding them with his means. Personally he is of a sociable disposition, though his hatred for sham will not permit him to disguise his feelings when it is manifested to him. He is generous to a fault, and has never been able to refuse help to any one in need. He has lost large amounts of money by indorsing notes for the accommodation of friends who allowed him to stand the consequences of his own kindness. In public affairs he is much more discriminating, wisely giving where his benefactions would do the most good.

Samuel Grandin
Portrait of Samuel Grandin
Portrait from History Of Warren County Pennsylvania

On the 4th of October, 1832, he married Sarah Ann Henry, of Venango county, who was born October 12, 1807, and died May 11, 1852. They reared a family of five sons and two daughters, as follows: Morris Worts Grandin, born October 10, 1833, died September 5, 1834; Stephen Girard, born April 14, 1835, died by drowning July 24, 1851; John Livingston, born December 20, 1836, now a member of the firm of Grandin Brothers, of Tidioute; William J., born August 26, 1838, now of the same firm; Elijah Bishop, born November 23, 1840, also a member of this firm; Maria Jane, born February 21, 1843, now the widow of Adnah Neyhart, of Ithaca, N. Y., and living with her father; and Emma Ann, born June 29, 1849, died in Jamestown, N. Y., August 17, 1867.

[Warren County coordinator note: Samuel Grandin died January 25, 1888, and was buried in the Tidioute Cemetery.]

 

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GRANDIN, William J. - Tidioute p. o., Glade Twp (pgs xxxvi-xxxvii, Brief Personals *)

Wm. James Grandin was born in Venango in 1838. He was a son of Samuel and Sarah (Henry) Grandin. Samuel was born in New Jersey in 1800. They were married in 1832, and his wife died in 1852, leaving a family of five children, four of whom are now living — John Livingston, E. B., William J., and Maria (who is now the widow of Mr. Neyhart; she has two children — Emma and Adriah). Samuel settled in Tidioute in 1840, where he now resides in the eighty-sixth year of his age. He was a general merchant and lumberman, manufacturer and dealer, and was one of the first men who was interested in the production of oil in his section. He retired from active business life in 1860, his sons becoming his successors, when they soon closed the merchandise trade, and he became an independent banker. The sons became bankers, oil producers, refiners, and dealers. They also invested largely in western lands, and have now a farm in Dakota of thirty-eight thousand acres, which is run largely as a grain farm. Messrs. J. L. and E. B. have a grazing farm of twenty-eight thousand acres also situated in Dakota. They are also large land owners in Pennsylvania, and are now residents of Tidioute. William J. Grandin married Mary Breeisholtz, of Ulster county, N. Y., in 1863; she died in 1878, leaving a family of four children — Frank, Charles, Willie, and Mary. He then married his second wife, Annie Merkle, in 1881. They have had one child born to them — Guy.

 

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GRAY, Robert Miles - Sugar GroveTwp (pages 664-666 *)

Born on the site of Union City, Pa., on the 8th day of January, 1813. He derived his patronymic from a family in the north of Ireland, whence his father's father, William Gray, emigrated to Northumberland county, in this State, previous to 1785. He was probably in this country early enough to witness the ratification of the constitution of the United States. In 1795 he removed with his family to Huntington county, Pa., and in 1803 settled on the site of Union City. He was twice married, the second time about 1824 or 1825, and reared a family of eight children by his first wife, and three by his second. His eldest son and the son of his first wife, James Gray, was the father of Robert M. Gray, and was born in White Deer Valley, Northumberland county, Pa., on the 18th of November, 1785. He removed with his father to Huntington county, and in 1803 went to take possession of his father's newly purchased farm in Erie county. It must be remembered that in those times the present modes of rapid transit by land had not even entered the dreams of the prophet. It required the hardiest muscles, the steadiest nerves, and the most adventurous spirits of the settled portions of eastern North America, to push forward through the dark and seemingly impervious forests that frowned upon the outposts of civilization, and extend its frontiers in spite of wolves, bears, panthers, and inhospitable wilds. James Gray was well-fitted for this kind of work. After looking over the ground which was to become his home, he returned, in December of 1803, to Huntington county. The incidents of this journey disclose a glimpse of the difficulties of the traveler in Western Pennsylvania at that day. He reached the Allegheny River four miles above the site of Kittanning, where he found the stream impassable by means of high water and running ice. He finally succeeded, at great risk of life and limb, in crossing the river with his horse on ice which had formed in a single night. Then he led his horse (for he could ride very little through the thick underbrush) along a "blind path" over hills until he reached Freeport. The rest of the journey was comparatively easy. In April, 1804, he returned to Erie county, with his sister Sarah to do the housework while he cleared the farm. His first work was to build a large hewn-log house on the place. He remained at Union, as it was then called, nearly twenty years. In 1809-10 he built flat boats and took them to Waterford for the purpose of carrying salt to Pittsburgh. In the fall of 1810 he went to Pittsburgh, where he saw the first steamboat ever floated in the city.

In September, 1812, he was drafted on a requisition on the State to furnish a quota of 100,000 militia to prosecute the war with Great Britain, and rendezvoused at Pittsburgh on the 2d of October. Aften an honorable service for six months he was discharged at Fort Meigs on the 2d of April, 1813. In March, 1823, he removed to Sugar Grove, in this county, where he remained the rest of his life. He died on the 30th of June, 1858. He was one of the most useful citizens that ever lived in this township or county. He took an active and patriotic interest in public affairs, both as they related to his town and the country. He was a member of the great Whig party, and was honored with various offices that could be filled only with such ability as he possessed. In 1825 he was elected assessor of Sugar Grove, and was soon after made foreman of the county grand jury. In 1826, and again in 1843, he was chosen county commissioner, the last time on the workingmen's ticket. He was what has aptly been denominated "an every day member of the church," while in Erie county, and in sympathies was a Presbyterian. He was not a religious automaton, however, but was a thinker, in obedience to the direction of St. Paul to "think on these things," and in later life he became a Congregationalist. At a still later period he practically adopted the faith of the Unitarians.

Robert Miles Gray
Robert Miles Gray portrait
Portrait from History Of Warren County Pennsylvania

In December, 1811, James Gray married Polly, daughter of Robert Miles, with whom he passed the best years of his life, in the contentment of domestic love and co-operation. She survived him, dying a day or two before Christmas in 1864. They left two children — Harriet, now the wife of Dexter C. Hodges, of Sparta, Tenn., and the subject of this notice. Robert M. Gray received a common school education in Sugar Grove, and passed some time in attendance upon the academies at Jamestown and Warren. He remained on his father's farm until he reached the age of thirty-two or thirty-three years, when he became owner by purchase of the farm and began on his own account. He began chopping on the place in March, 1836. He lived on that farm until 1883, when his wife died, and he placed the property in the possession of his son, Hugh F. Gray, and bought the place on which he now resides. He has not been a public man in the general acceptation of the term, but he has taken a live interest in all public matters, has done without hesitation what he deemed to be his duty, and in the infirmity of declining years retires from active cares with a mind made serene by the consciousness of lifelong rectitude. His townsmen have urged upon him a number of township offices, all of which came to him without the asking. Mr. Gray votes with the Republican party, the successor of the Whig party, which he supported in earlier life. His first presidential vote was cast for William Wirt. He has been three times married. Hannah, daughter of Jacob Wells, became his first wife on the 4th of October, 1843. She died in 1862, leaving two sons and daughters, of whom Harriet, James Marshall, and Hugh Fred are still living. James M. now occupies the old homestead of James Gray, his grandfather, and Hugh Fred has been mentioned as the present occupant of the farm of Robert M. Gray. Mr. Gray was again married to Sarah Parratt, daughter of M. Ewers, of Farmington. She died on the 6th of September, 1882, leaving no children. His third wife, Mary Ann Vickory, of Glade township, in this county, was married to him on the 16th of January, 1884.

 

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GREEN, Sterling - Kinzua, Elk Twp (page xxxviii, Brief Personals *)

Born in Pine Grove October 1, 1816, and the oldest of ten children of Seth W. and Sarah (Portman) Green. Seth W. Green came from the Eastern States, settled at Pine Grove about the year 1813, where he married his wife, Sarah Portman, and lived there a number of years engaged in lumbering, and. running the same down the river, sometimes as far as New Orleans. His mode of coming back was in a barge as far as Pittsburgh, thence in a keel boat to Warren, taking three months to make the trip. After living a few years in Pine Grove he moved to Morrison's Flats, below Warren. From there he moved in canoes to the head of Kinzua valley, then known as Morrison's Mills, owned by James, Ephraim, and Samuel Morrison. He finally moved one mile below, on Sugar Run; engaged in farming until his death, which occurred August 8, 1848, at the age of fifty-six years. He left a family of ten children, who are as follows: Sterling, Wellington, Lloyd, Sarah Jane, Thomas, Artemus, William, James, Jesse, and Mary Ann. Sterling Green, the oldest son, in 1842 started in the lumber business with M. McCullough, of Pittsburgh, and A. H. Summerton, of Warren, at the Hazeltine Mills, one mile below Corydon. Afterward, in 1848, he assumed proprietorship of the Morrison House, in Warren, formerly kept by Richard Orr, Two years later he bought land in Kinzua and moved there, where he built the first hotel in 1851, which made a comfortable home for lumbermen and travelers. His first wife was Polly Cornelius Fogles. Their children were J. Wesley, George W., James S., Sarah J., and Mary Ann, the two last named dying before they reached womanhood. On March 23, 1878, his wife died of heart disease. Three years after he married Mrs. Doctress Louisa Green, of Jamestown, N. Y. The life of Sterling Green has been a varied experience of pioneer hardships incident to a first settler. He commenced when fifteen years of age to go with his father to Pittsburgh on rafts, and to push back in a canoe, a tiresome operation of two weeks' time, or more, lying on the shores at night and pushing against the current all day a canoe loaded down with provisions and articles for family use, there being in those primitive days no steamboats or railroads. In after years he became one of the leading merchants of Kinzua; was postmaster for eighteen years; frequently held town offices, and is now, at the age of seventy, one of the trustees of the M. E. Church society.

 

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GREEN, Thomas - Irvington, Brokenstraw Twp (pages xxxvii-xxxviii, Brief Personals *)

Born in Philadelphia in 1836, he was a son of Samuel and Susan Green, who were natives of Philadelphia. They had a family of three sons and one daughter. Samuel and Susan died in Philadelphia. Samuel's grandparents (Green) were from England, and of the staunch Quaker order, and settled in Burlington, N. J., from England. Thomas Green was married on September 20, 1874, to Clarissa A. Skinner, of Waterford. They had a family of four children ; three are now living — Henry, William Baldwin, and Virginia—and one child died in infancy. Clarissa was a daughter of Stephen and Clarissa R. Skinner. Thomas Green settled in Irvine, Warren county, in 1875, as joint freight agent for the P. and E., B. N. Y. and P., the N. Y. Lake Erie and Western Railroads, and Empire Line Company, and now has under his employ six men.

 

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GREGG, Thomas - Chandler's Valley p. o., Sugar Grove twp (page xxxvii, Brief Personals *)

Thomas Gregg was born in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1830, son of William and Jane (Davidson) Gregg. William died in Ireland, leaving a widow with six children. The mother with two daughters and the son, Thomas, then nine years old, came to America in 1839. They all had ship fever, and the mother died in a hospital in New York. The three children came to Beaver county, where the sisters, Jane and Margaret, died. A brother, James, came in 1840, via Canada, with his family, and died, leaving four children. Thomas settled in Sugar Grove in 1841, and in 1852 married Salona Gibbs, of Sugar Grove; she died in 1869. In 1870 he married Lena Redell, who was born in Sweden. He purchased his present homestead in July, 1870.

 

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GREGORY, Charles H., Youngsville p. o., Brokenstraw twp (page xxxvii, Brief Personals *)

Charles H. Gregory, owner and proprietor of the Fairmount House at Youngsville, was born at Oxford, Chenango county, N. Y., in 1834. He was a son of Asa and Arena (Spencer) Gregory, who settled in Farmington in 1839, where Asa died in 1855, aged fifty-six years. They had a family of twelve children. Those now living are Ezra, Lavina, Uretta, Betsa A., and Charles H.. Charles H. Gregory was married in 1854 to Delia Smith, who died in 1857, leaving one child, who died at the early age of ten months. He then married for his second wife Mrs. Rosetta H. Gregory, widow of his brother, in 1858; she died in 1860, leaving three children by her first husband — Rodolphus, Daniel, and Inez. Mr. Gregory then married his third wife, Mrs. Elvira (Spencer) Davis, in 1861, and she died in 1862, leaving one son by her first husband. He then married his fourth wife, Mrs. Lucy Soules, of New York, in December, 1866. Mr. Gregory settled in Youngsville in October, 1878, as proprietor of the Fairmount Hotel, and in July, 1882, purchased the hotel property, and is to-day one of the popular landlords of the county. He has a fine livery for the accommodation of his guests and the public. He is a man of large business qualifications and has extensive experience in various branches of business. He, after the death of his third wife, enlisted in Company 12, Ohio Independent Battery, and served to the close of the war, and was discharged at Columbus, O. He emigrated to Kansas in 1856, and met with flattering prospects at Kansas City; but his plans were changed on account of sickness, and he came back to Sugar Grove.

 

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GROSCH, Christian - Warren p. o., Conewango twp (page xxxviii, Brief Personals *)

Christian Grosch was born in Conewango on May 3, 1849. He was a son of George and Barbara (Kiel) Grosch, both natives of Bavaria, Germany. His father was born on January 4, 1820, and was a son of Andrew and Ricky (Enger) Grosch. He came to America in 1845 and settled in Conewango, where he cleared and improved the farm on which he now resides. He was married on April 22, 1847, to Barbara Kiel, a daughter of Michael and Susan (Huscher) Kiel, who settled in Conewango in 1839. He has had a family of five children born to him—Delia, Christian, George, Dora, and William. Christian settled on his present farm, which consists of 111 acres, in 1873, and cleared and made all improvements himself. He was married on December 29, 1872, to Mary Kashmer, a daughter of Adam and Otilda Kashmer, of Conewango. They have had five children born to them — Fred, Ann, Albert, George, and Frank.

 

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GROSS, George J. - Warren p. o., Conewango twp (page xxxviii, Brief Personals *)

George J. Gross was born in Conewango township on March 26, 1849. He is a son of Daniel and Philopena (Martin) Gross, who were early pioneers in the township of Conewango. He was married on April 8, 1879, to Sarah Arnold, a daughter of John and Saloma (Weiler) Arnold, of Conewango. He has lived on the farm on which he now resides since 1879,

 

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GROSS, John A. - Warren p. o., Conewango twp (pages xxxviii-xxxix, Brief Personals *)

John A. Gross was born in Brokenstraw on May 15, 1846. He was a son of Daniel and Philopena (Martin) Gross. His paternal grandfather, Martin Gross, was a native of Prussia, and settled in Conewango at an early day. He had a family of four sons —Jacob, George, Daniel, and John. Of these Daniel had a family of ten children — Philopena, Daniel N., Elizabeth, Mary, John A., George, Sarah, Carrie (deceased), William, and Henry. Mr. Gross settled on the farm now occupied by his son, John A., in 1846, and cleared and improved it, where he resided until 1886, when he removed to Glade township, where he now resides.

 

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GROSSENBURG, Samuel - Mead Twp (pgs 663-664 *)

The subject of this sketch was born on the 2d day of May, 1809, in Canton Berne, Switzerland. His parents, Samuel and Mary Ann (Stopfel) Grossenburg, were also natives of Switzerland. Mr. Grossenburg received his education in his native country, and when he was twenty years of age came to Pittsburgh, Pa., where he worked out for about six months as a common laborer, and then passed some three years and a half as a butcher. Thence he removed to Warren, where he engaged with unusual success in the same occupation. In 1839 he again moved — this time to the farm which is now in the possession of his widow, near Stoneham, in Mead township, Warren county. When he settled here he penetrated an almost trackless wilderness, in which the right of nature's sway had scarcely been controverted by any daring act of man. By dint of tireless toil Mr. Grossenburg cleared his farm and forced from its reluctant soil the harvests of plenty. He united the kindred industries, farming and lumbering, by manufacturing into lumber the trees which it was necessary to fell in clearing his farm. At first upon his arrival he built a log house on the site of the present woodshed, in which he lived until 1848. In that year he erected the dwelling now occupied by Mrs. Grossenburg and other members of his family. At that time he effected most of the improvements now perceptible about the farm. His original diminutive possessions he finally increased to three lots, one of ninety acres, comprising this farm, eighty-two in another lot, and two hundred and forty in the third — the last two of the lots being still wild land. It was about 1866 that Samuel Grossenburg, jr., erected a saw-mill on the 240-acre tract, but which was sold and removed in 1885.

The principal characteristics of this most useful but equally unostentatious man have been quite clealy denoted in the mere recital of his business undertakings. He was essentially a lover of home and its quiet enjoyments. His ambition was of that fibre which forms the only safe and trustworthy fabric of a nation's greatness and permanent prosperity. It was to acquire a home, unencumbered by indebtedness, to be able to look upon a plot of ground, a dwelling, flocks and herds, and say to his loved and loving wife and children: "This I have gained by my labors for you; enjoy it with me; share my acquisitions." He took comparatively little interest in politics, only as much as an intelligent and thoughtful private citizen should. His partisan preference was decidedly Democratic. He was conservative in his religious views, having a strong leaning toward the Lutheran Church—the church of his fathers. Mr. Grossenburg died on the 23d of September, 1885.

Samuel Grossenburg
Samuel Grossenburg portrait
Portrait from History Of Warren County Pennsylvania

On the 19th of January, 1836, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Francis T. and Catharine Yost. His widow survives him, and, as has been stated, now occupies the old homestead. She was born in Alsace, that famous battle ground between the German and French people, on the 14th of June, 1818, and came to Warren with her parents when she was about eight years of age. There she resided until her marriage. She has borne her husband ten children, seven of whom, four sons and two daughters, are still living, as follows: Samuel, jr., born September 19, 1838, and now living on the homestead; married Frances M., daughter of D. W. and Sarah A. (Cantrell) Brennan, of this township, March 16, 1875. He was the second child, the first, Mary Ann, was born September 6, 1836, and died November 6, 1838. The third child was William, born October 6, 1840, and deceased September 8, 1848; the fourth, Eliza, born March 28, 1843, is now the wife of Samuel J. Arnett, of Geneseo, Ill.; the fifth, William H., born January 12, 1846, married Rosamond Carter, of Corry, Pa., November 22, 1878, and now resides in Stoneham, Pa.; the sixth, Jerome C, born November 6, 1848, still single, lives on the old homestead ; the seventh, George F., born October 25, 1851, died January 25, 1852; the eighth, Albert G., born November 25, 1853, married Margaret Weaver, and lives in Geneseo, Ill.; the ninth, Clara E., born February 17, 1856, married first to Stephen Cochran, of Wellsbury, N. Y., in June, 1874, and secondly to Mark Lauer, from Wayne county, Pa., April 26, 1886, and now residing in Clarendon. The tenth, Lillie O., born May 16, 1860, married Samuel McNett, of Clarendon borough, January 7, 1881.

 

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GRUNDER, Daniel - Warren p. o., Conewango twp (page xxxix, Brief Personals *)

Daniel Grunder is a farmer and lumberman, and was born in Conewango township on January 16, 1840. He settled on the farm, which he now owns and occupies, in 1868. He was a son of Henry D. and Mary E. (Gross) Grunder, who were natives of Bavaria, Germany, and settled in Conewango in 1832 on the river road, and cleared and improved a farm on what is now known as the academy land. They later removed to Pleasant township, where Henry D. engaged in the lumber business, and where he died in March, 1871, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. He had a family of seven children born to him — John, Mary, Elizabeth, Henry, Catherine, Daniel, and Lewis. Daniel was married three times. His first wife was Sophia F. Geer, a daughter of Benjamin and Narcissa (Stedman) Geer, of Conewango. They had two children born to them — Mary and Irena. His second wife was Caroline Milex, and his third wife was Mary Gross, a daughter of Daniel and Philopena (Martin) Gross, and by whom he had two children — Caroline and Harry B.

 

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GRUNDER, John - Warren p. o., Pleasant twp (page xxxix, Brief Personals *)

John Grunder is a farmer, and was born in Allegany county, N. Y., February 11, 1827. He was a son of Henry D. and Mary Elizabeth (Gross) Grunder, who settled in Conewango in 1832. John Grunder was brought up as a farmer from the time he was five years old, and has been a resident of Pleasant township since 1848, where he has been engaged in lumbering and farming. He was married in 1856 to Elizabeth Grunder, a daughter of John and Catherine (Meyers) Grunder, of Allegany county, N. Y., and by her had a family of three children — Edward H., John, and Hyett.

 

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* Source: History Of Warren County Pennsylvania with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, edited by J.S. Schenck, assisted by W.S. Rann; Syracuse, N.Y.; D Mason & Co., Publishers; 1887.

 


 

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