Crawford County, Pennsylvania

1885
Part V: Biographical Sketches

SUMMERHILL TOWNSHIP
<page 1055> MINOR T. CARR (deceased) was born June 17, 1802, in Tompkins County, N .Y., son of Job and Mehitabel (Cash) Carr, parents of five boys and two girls. Their sons John and Daniel were soldiers in the war of 1812. Our subject married, October 20, 1830, Miss Sarah Houtz, a native of Lansing, N. Y., born October 9, 1806. They moved to Crawford County in 1836, settling first in Conneaut Township, but afterward in Summerhill Township, where Mr. Carr purchased the farm their daughters are now living on. They were parents of six children, four now living, viz.: Anthony H., Emma; Adelia, wife of Dr. A. T. Clark of Greenville, Penn.; Sarah A., widow of Andres C. Sterling, whose grandfather was a brother of Washington Sterling. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling were parents of two children: Wayne C. and Anna A. Mr. Sterling was a member of Company H, Fifteenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and died of disease contracted while in the service, February 25, 1873. His widow lives with her sister, Emma, on the old homestead of our subject. Minor T. Carr was a carpenter and joiner by trade, which he worked at in the early part of his life, but after moving to Summerhill Township, he engaged in farming. He died July 21, 1880, his wife having preceded him June 22, 1870. They were both Christian people and consistent members of the Baptist Church. Their daughter Miss Emma is a graduate of Edinboro (Erie County, Penn.) Normal School, and a teacher of considerable experience. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church at Conneautville, this county. <pages 1055-56> H. H. DAVENPORT, farmer, P. O. Dicksonburg, was born in Tompkins County, N. Y., March 18, 1821, son of Solomon and Nancy (Van Order) Davenport and brother of J. A. Davenport, whose sketch appears below. Our subject, who is fourth in the family, received a partial academic education, and taught school about five terms in his younger days; afterward engaged in boat building and repairing, along the line of the Erie Extension Canal, which business he followed for about twenty years; also worked at the carpenter's and joiner's trade. He was married in 1847, to Betsey McDowell, a native of Sum- <page 1056> merhill Township, this county, born in 1828, and daughter of George McDowell, whose father, John, was a brother of the father of Samuel S. McDowell. Three children were the result of this union: George F., an attorney at law in Meadville and ex-District Attorney; James L. , an extensive farmer in Summit Township, and Miss Lida A. Our subject and wife are members of the R. T. and T. He is owner of 150 acres of well-improved land, part of which is his father's old homestead. In politics he is Republican. <page 1056> JOHN A. DAVENPORTt, farmer, P. O. Dicksonburg, was born in Tompkins County, N. Y. December 8, 1827; son of Solomon and Nancy (Van Corder) Davenport, former a native of Tompkins County, N. Y., latter of New Jersey. They were parents of twelve children; members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Solomon Davenport, who was a farmer, settled in Summerhill Township, this county, October 22, 1833, on 200 acres of land, very little of which was then cleared, but by hard work he soon subdued it to cultivation. He held a life membership in the Foreign Missionary Society. He died November 2, 1870, aged seventy-five years, and his widow followed him August 28, 1883, aged ninety. Our subject, who was seventh in the family, received a common school education and was brought up a farmer. He was married in 1851 to Miss Mary P. McDowell, a native of this township, born October 20, 1830, daughter of Alexander and Julia A. McDowell, whose biography appears elsewhere [see p. 1033], and to this union were born four children, three of whom are now living: William A., Etta A. (wife of George Parkison) and Lina C. (wife of Joseph Cole). Mr. and Mrs. Davenport are members of the R. T. and T. He is owner of 150 acres of well-improved land, part of which is his father's old homestead. He has held several township offices; in politics he is a Republican. Of our subject's brothers and sisters, Leonard M. was a soldier during the war of the Rebellion in the Second Ohio Cavalry, and died October 1862, in camp at Fort Scott, Kan., of disease contracted in the service; James V. died in Solano County, Cal., June 25, 1869; following died in LaSalle County, Ill.: Lucy J. (wife of W. L. F. Jones), February 16, 1858, Julia A. (wife of Edwin Jones), April 13, 1863, and Alfred W., December12, 1854; Alice A., the eldest daughter (wife of Robert G. Henry) died March 24, 1877. <page 1056> JOHN DEARBORN, farmer, P. O. Norrisville, was born on the farm he now owns and lives on in Summerhill Township, this county, March 23, 1803; son of John and Hannah (Surena) Dearborn, former a native of New Hampshire, latter of Westmoreland County, Penn. They came to Crawford County in 1801, and are parents of ten children, of whom three only are now living. Were members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he took a special interest. John Dearborn, Sr., was a shoe-maker by trade, at which he worked in his younger days; was owner, at one time, of 400 acres of land. He gave his children as good an education as the country afforded. Our subject, who is fourth in the family, married, in 1831, Miss Catharine Cease, a native of Hayfield Township, this county, and daughter of Rudolph Cease, one of the very early settlers of western Crawford, having come in 1809. This union has been blessed with four children, three now living: Harriet M. (wife of A. Wood), Margaret E. (wife of B. Sunderlin), Nancy N. (wife of C. J. Nisley). Our subject, wife and all the daughters are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Dearborn have lived together on the same farm for over fifty-three years. He is owner of fifty acres of land, part of which is his father's old homestead. Has held several township offices; in politics has been a Republican since the formation of the party; formerly a Democrat. <pages 1059-60> FREEDOM LORD, farmer, P. O. Conneautville, was born in Saratoga County, N. Y., March 2, 1816, son of Freedom and Eunice (Prichard) Lord, natives of Connecticut, who came to Crawford County in 1830. They were parents of eight children, two only now living. Freedom Lord, Sr., was an invalid, and during the war of 1812 enlisted in an invalid company, performing home duty. He was a blacksmith by trade, and had a shop on his farm. He took up 100 acres of land which he and his sons cleared and improved. He held some township offices; was Master of a Masonic Lodge many years. He died in October, 1862. His father was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. <page 1060> Mrs. Lord died in March, 1864. Our subject, who is the youngest in the family, received a good common school education, all through his own efforts, and taught school four terms. He married, in 1842, Miss Elizabeth Beatty, a native of Perry County, Penn., and daughter of James Beatty, who came to Crawford County in the fall of 1826. He was a soldier in the war of 1812; represented his county in the Legislature one term, and was a very prominent man. To this union were born seven children, five now living: Eleanor L., wife of Miron Ransom; George B., who taught school eleven years; Francis L., a clerk in Conneautville; S. Grace, wife of J. D. Howard; and Ida M. Mr. Lord is a member of the Universalist Church, his wife of the Presbyterian. Our subject is owner of fifty-five acres improved land, his father's old homestead. Has held several township offices. In politics is a Democrat. <pages 1062-63> M. D. SHAW, farmer and stock-raiser, P. O. Centre Road Station, was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., May 6, 1811; son of Moses and Lucy A. (Cross) Shaw, also natives of Dutchess County. They were members of the Baptist <page 1063> Church; parents of eleven children, five of whom are now living. Moses Shaw, who was a farmer, died in 1856, and his widow in 1864. Our subject, who is the fifth child in the family, was married in 1832, to Julia A. Miller, a native of Orange County, N. Y. He came to Crawford County same year and settled on sixty-eight acres of woodland in Summerhill Township in 1836, which he cleared up as well as several other farms in the vicinity. To Mr. and Mrs. Shaw were born eleven children, ten now living, viz.: Lucy J., wife of Levi Walton; Moses M.; Mary C., wife of Chester Walton; William M.; Harriet M., wife of Andrew Walton; Filena, wife of Seth S. Dorchester; Louisa, wife of Simon Nichols; Rachel A., wife of George Stevens; Carrie M., wife of S. Miller; and John C. The families all reside within a few miles of their parents. Their son, Thomas Johnson, was a soldier during the war of the Rebellion, in the One Hundred and Forty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and died of disease contracted in the service, April 4, 1862. Our subject, wife and children are members of the Evangelical Church, which is situated on one corner of his land. Mr. Shaw donated the ground and was mainly instrumental in building the church. He is the owner of 160 acres of well-improved land, and is making a specialty of raising a pure breed of Holstein cattle; he has given much land to his children. Our subject has held several township offices; in politics is a Republican. This worthy old pioneer has about forty grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. <page 1063> WILLIAM M. SHAW, farmer and breeder of Durham cattle, P. O. Dicksonburg, was born in Summerhill Township, this county, March 7, 1842; son of M.D. Shaw, whose biography appears above. He received a good common school education. During the war of the Rebellion he enlisted, on first occasion, in the three months' service and was stationed during that period at New Creek, Va., and then returned home. In the spring of 1864 our subject again enlisted, this time in the Second Pennsylvania Cavalry, attached to the Army of the Potomac. He participated in the campaign of the Wilderness, and was in several minor engagements. During the service he contracted diseases from which he has never thoroughly recovered; was honorably discharged after the close of the war, June 12, 1865. He married, in the spring of 1866, Miss Alinda E. Frey, a native of Conneaut Township, this county, and daughter of Jacob Frey, one of the very early settlers of Crawford County. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw have no children of their own, but have adopted an orphan boy who is named Frank Ross Shaw. He was born in Long Island. Our subject and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church and of the R. T. of T. He is owner of 110 acres of well-improved land, and is making a specialty of breeding and raising Durham cattle. In politics Mr. Shaw is a Republican. <page 1064> WILLIAM C. STERLING, farmer, P. O. Dicksonburg, was born on the farm he now owns and lives on, in Summerhill Township, this county, March 16, 1840; son of Washington and Solama (Englehaupt) Sterling, both born near Philadelphia, Penn., parents of eight children, six now living; members of the Presbyterian Church. Washington Sterling, was of Scotch-Irish descent, a soldier in the war of 1812. He came to Crawford County in 1796, and took up 400 acres of land, most of which he cleared. He was very liberal in church matters, and a man of sound integrity. He died in 1861; his widow November 19, 1881. Their son Hiram was a soldier during the Rebellion in the One Hundred and Thirty-Seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and died from disease in hospital, February 7, 1863. Our subject, who is the sixth in the family, received a good, common school education, and taught school one term. He married June 9, 1863, Miss Sylvia Holman, a native of Chautauqua County, N. Y., and daughter of Benjamin F. Holman, a brother of John G. Holman's father. Mr. Sterling is owner of 101 acres of land, part of his father's old homestead; he has held several of the township offices, and was the Census Enumerator in 1880; is a member of the A. O. U. W. and Royal Arcanum; in politics he is a Republican. The first schoolhouse built in Summerhill Township was located on the farm our subject now owns. The mother of Mr. Sterling was of German descent. Her father was one of the Hessian soldiers and sent over by the British to America during the Revolutionary war, but he deserted and joined the American forces, with whom he served five years, three of which as one of Gen. Washington's body guard.