BIOGRAPHY: Jacob C. HORNER, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lynne Canterbury and Diann Olsen. Portions of this book were transcribed by Clark Creery, Martha Humenik, Betty Mirovich and Sharon Ringler. USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ ____________________________________________________________ From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 322-3 ____________________________________________________________ JACOB C. HORNER, a descendant of one of the early pioneer settlers of Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is a son of Jacob and Catherine (Horner) Horner, and was born in Hornerstown, now the Seventh ward of Johnstown, July 26, 1835. His great-grandfather, Adam Horner, a native of Adams county, was one of the early pioneer settlers of Cambria county, locating here when the prosperous county was principally a forest. Jacob Horner, paternal grandfather, was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania; he too was a pioneer settler in Cambria county. Locating there when a young man, he purchased a large tract of land, now the Seventh ward of Johnstown, known as Hornerstown prior to its annexation to the above city, and named in honor of Jacob Horner. He followed the pursuits of a farmer, and died in 1842 at the age of sixty-four years. Christian Horner, maternal grandfather of our subject, was born in Franklin county, January 25, 1778, and died October 6, 1865. Mr. Horner was married the first time in 1799 by Rev. Stoy, the founder of Stoyestown, Somerset county. The same year he removed within the present limits of Cambria county and first located near Johnstown. He was compelled to camp out with his family under a tree till he had a cabin erected to protect them from the winter. This was the year before Johnstown was laid out by Joseph Johns. Subsequently Squire Horner, as he was familiarly called, removed to the Geis farm, Richland township. Here he resided until 1847, when he removed to Somerset county. Mr. Horner, in common with the residents of Cambria county at that early day, had to endure great hardships. Salt could not be produced at any nearer point than Bloody Run, in Bedford county. There the settlers, their only road a narrow bridle-path, would annually resort and exchange their furs for iron and salt, and then lead their horses, laden with these necessary articles, over the mountain to their homes in the then wilderness. Salt at that day cost four dollars per bushel. Jonas Horner, the father of Christina Horner, at an early day dedicated the bottom of the bank of Stonycreek now adjoining Sandyvale cemetery, as a family burying-ground. The first person buried in this lot was a daughter of Christian Horner, who died in 1800. In 1809 Governor Snyder commissioned Mr. Horner a justice of the peace for Conemaugh township, Cambria county. It will give some idea of Squire Horner's jurisdiction when we state the fact that Conemaugh township then embraced the territory in which are now included in the townships of Conemaugh, Croyle, Summerhill, Jackson, Taylor, Yoder and Richland and the towns of Johnstown and Wilmore. This office has held until he removed to Somerset county in 1847. Mr. Horner was married the second time in 1828. He had in all fifteen children. His remains are interred in the Horner family burying- ground, since removed to Sandyvale cemetery. Jacob Horner, the father of our subject, was born in Hornerstown, now Seventh ward, Johnstown, in 1803, and at one time owned the greater part of the land upon which it was built and laid out the town, also Sandyvale cemetery, in the Seventh ward of the city of Johnstown. For a few years he was assistant superintendent of the old Portage railroad, and was a boss on a portion of the old Pennsylvania canal. In politics he was a democrat, and filled the office of poor-house director for three years, and that of council for several terms in the borough of Johnstown, and was captain and owner of three different canal- boats in the old canal days. He died in December, 1874, and was buried in Sandyvale cemetery, January 1, 1875. Jacob C. Horner was reared in Hornerstown and received a common-school education. On leaving school he was employed on the old homestead farm and also boated on the old Pennsylvania canal. In 1857 he went to work for the Cambria Iron company, heating rails; he remained in their employ twenty-seven years. Since 1884 he has lived a comparatively retired life. Politically Mr. Horner is a democrat and served six years as councilman in the borough of Johnstown before the organization of the city, and four years as select councilman of the city, and is at present the oldest resident of his ward. In 1857 he married Miss Mary Ann Shaffer, a daughter of Martin and Mary Ann Shaffer, and grand-daughter of Judge Kurtz, of Somerset, Pennsylvania. They have five sons and three daughters living: Eva Belle, the wife of George A. Maters, of Johnstown; Dora C., the wife of Alonzo Singer, of Johnstown; Edward W., Curtis E., Jacob M., Bertie E., Otho I., and Emory C. His mother, Catharine Horner, died September 23, 1895, in the eighty-fourth year of her age.