Los Angeles County CA Archives Biographies.....Wyant, Andrew Henry 1839 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ca/cafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com December 20, 2005, 1:46 pm Author: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) ANDREW HENRY WYANT, one of the first settlers and an esteemed citizen of Sawtelle, is a native of Armstrong County, Pennsylvaina, born December 24th, 1839. His father was Adam Wyant, a native of Burks County, Pa. He was of German descent and by occupation a successful farmer. His mother, by maiden name Sarah Yerty, likewise of Greman ancestry, descended from that sturdy stock of Pennsylvania Dutch which made up the pioneer settlers and developed the material resources of the Keystone State. Adam Wyant suffered the loss by death of the thrifty wife who had borne him seven children and remarried, his wife being Sophia Bowser, who became the mother of ten children. The mother of A. H. Wyant died when he was six years of age and he lived much of the time thereafter with relatives. At twenty-one years of age, he was among the first from his state to enlist for the defense of the Union, joining the Second Pennsylvania Cavalry, October 1st, 1861. This regiment was recruited at Philadelphia, Lancaster Center, Northampton, Berks, Tioga and in Armstrong County. Company M, Mr. Wyant's company, was made up chiefly in Armstrong County. Mr. Wyant put in three years and eleven months of active and most strenuous service, as may be seen by the following battles and other engagements in which he participated: Cedar Mountain, second battle of Bull Run, Gettysburg, Mine Run, Wilderness, Todd's Tavern, Richmond Fortifications, Meadow Bridge, Hawes' Shop, Hanover Court House, Cold Harbor, Trevillian Station, Jerusalem Plank Road, Malvern Hill, Deep Bottom, White Oak Swamps, Beane's Station, Poplar Springs, Wyatt's Farm, Strong Creek Station, Boydton Road, Hatches Run, Appomatox and others. Although almost continually on duty and at long and numerous intervals under fire, he was singularly fortunate in escaping serious injury. He, however, sustained a flesh wound in the left arm in front of Richmond at White Oak Swamps, August 16th, 1864. He mustered out of service at Cloud's Mill, Va., July 13th, 1865, after which he returned to his native state. There he attended school at Rudsburg for two years and at Chester for one year. He then engaged in the oil business at Parker's Landing with moderate success. In 1871 he married Miss Frances Lydia Harding in Armstrong County, Pa., and moved to Ohio where he located on a farm in Morrow County near the town of Galion. Here he pursued farming and conducted a meat market. About 1882 he came west to Paola, Kansas, where he remained until 1886. He then removed to Arizona and engaged in mining about seventy-five miles south of Tucson. In 1892 he came to California and became a member of the Soldiers' Home. Upon the laying out of the town of Barrett Villa, which later took the name of Sawtelle, Mr. Wyant was one of the first to invest in local realty. In 1898 he erected Wyant's Hall which was the fifth building in the town, and soon became the popular meeting place for all public functions. It was there that the first religious meetings and Sunday schools were held and it was used as a public hall until December 15th, 1905. The owner then changed it into a furniture store which is one of the most complete establishments of its kind in Los Angeles County outside of the city. In this business Mr. Wyant has associated with him an only son, Charles H. Wyant. Mr. Wyant for years was a consistent member of the Baptist Church. He is now one of the ardent and loyal supporters of the Union Mission, Sawtelle. He is a man of exemplary habits and strictest integrity and is held in highest esteem by all of the citizens of Sawtelle. He has been enterprising and alert, encouraging and liberally supporting all movements for the upbuilding and betterment of his home city. His influence is always found favorable to the promotion of a healthy condition of public and private morals. He is a Prohibitionist in politics but not radically partisan. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities: prefaced with a brief history of the state of California, a condensed history of Los Angeles County, 1542 to 1908: supplemented with an encyclopedia of local biography and embellished with views of historic landmarks and portraits of representative people. Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll (1908) File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ca/losangeles/bios/wyant192bs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/cafiles/ File size: 4.9 Kb