Cambria County Pioneers, 1910, by James L. Swank, Cambria County, PA - Preface, Table of Contents

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                             CAMBRIA COUNTY PIONEERS

                       HON. CYRUS L. PERSHING [portrait]

             A Collection of Brief Biographical and other Sketches
         Relating to the Early History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania.

                               by JAMES M. SWANK

Secretary and General Manager of the American Iron and Steel association For 38 
Years, From 1872 To 1910. Author of a History of the Manufacture of Iron in all 
ages and of Other Historical Publications.

  Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not. - Proverbs xxvii. 10.

  Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths. - Jeremiah vi. 16.

                PHILADELPHIA: No. 261 SOUTH FOURTH STREET, 1910.

   Printed by ALLEN, LANE & SCOTT, Nos. 1211-1213 Clover Street, Philadelphia.

           THE FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN JOHNSTOWN. [illustration]
                          BUILT 1835. TORN DOWN 1863.

                                   CONTENTS.

                                                           PAGE

Preface 	                                              7
The Founding of The Johnstown Tribune 	                      9
Peter Goughnour's Reminiscences 	                     19
Revelations of an Old Ledger 	                             23
Rev. Shadrach Howell Terry 	                             29
Recollections of Early Johnstown 	                     40
Edwin Augustus Vickroy 	                                     46
John Royer, Huguenot 	                                     53
Major John Linton	                                     57
The Building of the Cambria Iron Works 	                     65
Hon. Daniel Johnson Morrell 	                             71
Major George Nelson Smith 	                             77
Dr. William Anthony Smith 	                             85
Judge James Potts 	                                     90
Judge Cyrus L. Pershing 	                             99
Colonel Jacob M. Campbell 	                            108
Alexander Chesterfield Mullin 	                            114
Samuel Bell McCormick 	                                    124
A Reminiscence of President Zachary Taylor 	            129
John Fritz, Ironmaster 	                                    131
A Lesson from the Johnstown Flood 	                    135

                                    PREFACE.


  AT the outset I wish my friends who read this volume to understand plainly 
that it is not the result of a deliberate purpose to write a book of more or 
less historical value. It is a compilation entirely, with two exceptions, of 
twenty biographical and other sketches relating to Cambria county that were 
written years ago, some of them many years ago. It has fallen to my lot to 
prepare from time to time and publish biographical sketches of some of the 
prominent men of Cambria county in the old days, a few of whom were then living 
but most of whom had passed to the other side, and these sketches, now 
reproduced, occupy the larger part of the following pages; the remainder of the 
volume is devoted to subjects of historical interest relating to pioneer days in 
Cambria county which I have had occasion to consider in years gone by. The names 
and the work of the pioneers of any community should never be forgotten. Of the 
biographical sketches three relate to old and prominent citizens of Cambria 
county who have died in Philadelphia and with whom my old acquaintance had been 
renewed.
  I have compiled these sketches not only to preserve the memory of prominent 
and worthy citizens of Cambria county who have had much to do with its early 
history but also to preserve many historical facts of local interest which 
otherwise might be wholly lost, some of which are interwoven with those of a 
purely personal character. That Johnstown was a shipping point of importance on 
the Conemaugh long before the Pennsylvania Canal or the Pennsylvania Railroad 
was ever dreamed of; that there were many iron enterprises at and near Johnstown 
before the Cambria Iron Works were built; that an Ebensburg man was the private 
secretary of Governor Curtin during the civil war; that the editor of a 
Johnstown newspaper was in the battle of San Jacinto in 1836; that more than 
sixty years ago there was a volunteer military company at Summerhill called the 
Quitman Guards; that a citizen of Johnstown was the chairman of the executive 
committee of the Centennial Commission, and that other citizens of Johnstown 
have occupied high official positions; that there was no post office at 
Johnstown until 1811; that there were great floods in Johnstown in the early 
days - all these and many more facts of strictly historical value relating to 
the early days of Cambria county are certainly worthy of preservation.
  The attention of the reader is called to the date of publication of each 
sketch, which will be found immediately under its title. I could not rewrite the 
sketches to adapt them to present conditions. They are reprinted substantially 
as they were originally written. If any errors of fact should be discovered I 
can only plead in explanation that all but one of the sketches were written away 
from my old home in the mountains.
  PHILADELPHIA, December 26, 1910.	                                  J. M. S.