Baughman, Jacob

JACOB BAUGHMAN.

Jacob Baughman was born in Armstrong County, Pa., March 14, 1802. His grandfather, Henry Baughman, and grandmother, Catharine Conkle, emigrated from Germany with their parents, the former when four years, the latter when two years old, and settled in the "Blue Ridge" region of Pennsylvania, thirty miles from Lancaster City. Here they were married and raised a family of eight children, four sons and four daughters. They moved from the Blue Ridge, and settled in the eastern part of North Huntingdon township, seven and a half miles from Greensburg, where he purchased six hundred acres of land at twenty shillings per acre. Their children were Margaret, John, Adam, Barbara, Catharine, Sarah, Peter, and Henry. Henry was killed by the falling of a tree at the age of twenty-two. All the rest were married and, except Peter and Margaret, raised families.

Adam Baughman, his third child, and father of Jacob, married Magdalene, daughter of Peter Roof (or Rugh). She was born near Greensburg in 1779; her grandparents emigrated from Germany. Her uncle, Jacob Roof, represented his district in the Legislature for a number of years. There were fourteen children in her father’s family, six sons and eight daughters, to each of whom he either gave a home or money to procure one. Six of them settled in Kentucky; all the rest remained in Westmoreland County.

After his marriage Adam Baughman settled on a farm in Armstrong County, about seventy miles up the Allegheny River, and here four children, viz.:

Catharine, Michael, Polly, and Jacob, were born. Upon the death of his brother Henry, to whom in the division of their father’s estate the homestead had fallen, he sold his place in Armstrong County and returned to Westmoreland, and became the owner of and occupied the homestead until his death. Here the following children were born, viz.: Elizabeth, Margaret, Peter, Anna, Henry, Christian, and Lydia. Henry died at the age of eleven. All the rest were married and raised families, and, with the exception of Polly and Christian, settled in Westmoreland County, and all are deceased (1882) except Jacob, Christian, Anna, and Polly. Catharine was wife of George Krok, one child; Michael was twice married, and raised a family of fourteen children; Polly married Joseph Klingensmith, one son; Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Lenhart, two sons and six daughters; Margaret, wife of George Croushore, six sons and four daughters; Peter married Elizabeth Lenhart, three sons and nine daughters; Anna, wife of John Berlin, six sons and three daughters; Christian married Sarah Diel, one son and six daughters; Lydia, wife of Samuel Alshouse, four sons and six daughters. Adam Baughman died at the homestead in 1841, aged sixty-eight; his wife in 1831, aged fifty-two.

Jacob Baughman was an infant when his father moved from Armstrong County to the homestead. Here he lived until he was twenty-two years of age. He received the education afforded by winter attendance at the common school. He married Aug. 5, 1824, Margaret, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Turney) Cort.

Mrs. Baughmnan was born in Hempfield township, Westmoreland County, July 24, 1804, the eldest in a family of fourteen children, all but one of whom were married, and settled in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and Iowa.

In April, 1825, Mr. Baughman moved on to a farm belonging to his father in North Huntingdon township, five miles from West Newton, which he carried on for three years. During this time he accumulated a capital of $800, with which in the spring of 1828 he came to West Newton, where he purchased of John Richie an acre of ground, upon which a tannery and log house had been erected, for which he stipulated to pay $1200, half down and half upon credit, leaving him $200 working capital. He built a slaughterhouse upon the place, and for seven years carried on there the business of tanning and butchering. At the end of that time he purchased 85 acres lying north of the village, for which he paid $4000, and in 1836 he added 76 1/2 acres at $5000, lying on the south and east side of the village, purchased of John Niccolls, Jr., and in the spring of 1837 moved on to the latter property. The house, still a substantial farm residence, was built in 1776 by Joseph Van Kirk. Here he resided until 1879. He built upon the place a new tannery and slaughter-house.

In 1837 he purchased in West Newton a store, which he carried on for three years, and subsequently, from 1858 to 1865, was interested in a store with Daniel Swaim. He owned and ran a grist- and saw-mill, together with salt-works at the mouth of the Big Sewickley, which he sold to Alexander Plumer in 1845. The same year he purchased the grist- and saw-mills now known as the Apple Mills, on the Big Sewickley, which he operated twenty years, selling them to Mr. Apple in 1865. His dealings for years in grain, flour, cattle, and hogs were very large for the locality, his sales in flour alone often amounting to seven and eight hundred barrels per day, while he kept not only his own but many of the neighboring mills employed in grinding his wheat. Though he operated at different times in any commodity out of which he might realize a profit, he held well on to his original business of farming, tanning, and butchering as sheet-anchors, which from first to last under his vigorous management yielded him sure and ample returns. His dealings in real estate, besides the purchases already mentioned, have been quite extensive in the vicinity of West Newton and in the State of Iowa, in all amounting to several thousand acres, enough, indeed, to give all his children a farm and still have enough left to occupy the time of his old age, either for farming or disposing of in village lots.

From the first Mr. Baughman took an active interest in every effort to make West Newton accessible to the markets. To this end he took stock in the West Newton and Somerset plank-road, in the Youghiogheny Slack-Water Navigation Company, in the steamers "Shriver" and "West Newton," plying between West Newton and Pittsburgh, and in the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad, enterprises which benefited the town, but which yielded to their possessor no dividends.

He was on the building committee with Alexander and John C. Plumer, Henry Fulton, William Linn, and Judge Bell in the construction of the West Newton bridge, and when Jacob Mace, its builder, was likely to fail of completing his contract on account of the difficulty of collecting subscriptions, Mr. Baughman came to his rescue by timely raising the necessary funds.

Like many others, Mr. Baughman "took a hand" in oil operations, which only resulted in the loss of many thousands invested.

In politics he is a stanch Republican, but has never desired or sought office.

For many years he was a member of the Lutheran, and his wife of the German Reformed Churches, but for the last twenty-five years they have been members of the Presbyterian Church at West Newton.

Their children are as follows:

Lavina, born Aug. 28, 1825, married John Parson, a farmer living in Cass County, Iowa. Two children, Simon and Elizabeth.

Elizabeth, born Nov. 3, 1826, wife of George Welty, farmer, living at Pleasant Unity, Pa. Nine children, Jacob, Louise, John, Sherman, Susanna, Rose, Cort, Samuel, and Clara. John and Susanna are deceased.

William, born June 19, 1828, a farmer in Cass County, Iowa, and a member of the State Legislature, married Barbara Schwartz. Children, Henry, Jacob, Cyrus, John, Emma, Addie, Samuel, Mary, Clara, and Albert.

Adam, born Feb. 16, 1830, living in California.

Harriet, born Jan. 27, 1832, wife of George Greer. Both deceased.

Sarah Ann, born March 7, 1834, wife of William Fritchman. Two children, Edith and Elizabeth.

Cyrus, born Feb. 21, 1836, married Martha Ann Clark, living in Cass County, Iowa. Children, Henry,

Margaret (deceased), Joseph, Lewis, Lavina, Elizabeth, William, and an infant.

Martha, born March 2, 1838, wife of William Hayworth, living in Iowa.

Henry Harrison, born May 25, 1840, enlisted as private in Company E, One Hundred and Fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, wounded at the battle of Yorktown, from the effect of which he died April 19, 1868.

Samuel, born Sept. 15, 1842, enlisted as private in Company E, Thirteenth Regiment of Pennsylvania Cavalry Volunteers, March 10, 1862, promoted to sergeant, and honorably discharged March 10, 1865, at Wilmington, N.C. Now a merchant in West Newton, of the firm of Baker & Co. Married Margaret Baker.

Joseph, born May 24, 1844, married Sarah Simrall. Both deceased. Children, Frank, Charles, and Ebenezer.

Lucian, born June 2, 1846, married Jane Gracely. Children, Margaret, George, Alvin, Martha, Annie, Wesley, and Ira. Living in Pottawattomie County, Iowa.

Ebenezer, born March 21, 1848, married Amanda Smith. Children, Minnie (deceased), Grace, Edward, Mary, James (deceased). A farmer owning and living on the old Niccolls farm.

In 1879 Mr. Baughman purchased in West Newton, on Vine Street, the property of Philip Nett, where he has since resided. The family consists of himself and wife, and his son Samuel and wife, and grandson Frank. As will be seen from this account, the Scriptural injunction "to multiply and replenish the earth" has been literally fulfilled in the Baughman family. A patriarch indeed is he who may number at a family reunion ten children, forty-one grand, and fifteen great-grandchildren.

The declining years of Mr. and Mrs. Baughman are indeed blessed with the conscious enjoyment of the love and filial regard of this large family circle, and the best esteem of the entire community in which they have lived for more than half a century.