Bedford-Franklin County PA Archives Biographies.....Reed, John P. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Cathy Wentz ctwentz@aol.com February 20, 2010, 10:52 am Source: History of Bedford, Somerset & Fulton Counties, Pennsylvania. With Illustrations & Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Pioneers & Prominent Men Author: Waterman & Watkins; Chicago; 1884 John P. Reed was born in the town of Schellsburg, Bedford county, Pennsylvania. He is a grandson of John Schell, the founder of Schellsburg and a son of Hon. Michael Reed. The latter was a native of Washington township, Franklin county, Pennsylvania. He settled at Schellsburg about the year 1810, and soon after married Elizabeth, a daughter of John Schell. He was a gentleman whose early education had, from force of circumstances, been neglected, but he possessed great natural ability. He was a self-taught surveyor. About the years 1815-16, when the turnpike from Bedford westward was being constructed, he was urged by the managers of the turpike company to survey and lay out the route over the Allegheny mountain--the road in use today. He finally complied with their request, made his own instruments and completed the work to the entire satisfaction of the managers. Afterward he performed a vast amount of civil engineering and surveying. He also served as justice of the peace, county surveyor, and represented Bedford county two terms in the state legislature. His children were Elizabeth, John P., Maria, Jacob, Margaret, Joseph, Charlotte and Peter, all of whom survive. He died at Schellsburg in 1872 at the age of eighty-four years. John P. Reed was educated at Schellsburg. He has resided in Beford, Pennsylvania, since the fall of 1848, at which time he was elected prothonotary, register and recorder and clerk of courts. He was re-elected to the same offices in 1869. On the 9th of February 1852, he was admitted to the bar, and has since practiced his profession in the town of Bedford. This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 2.3 Kb