BIOGRAPHY: Robert T. LONGWILL, Cambria County, PA 

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From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria 
County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 332-4
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ROBERT T. LONGWILL, president of the Longwill Supply company, of South Fork, and 
a member of the mercantile firm of L. A. Haupt & Co., of Portage, is one of the 
young and progressive business men of Cambria county. He is a son of John S. and 
Sarah (Henderson) Longwill, and was born in Green township, Indiana county, 
Pennsylvania, December 28, 1862.
     The original ancestors of the Longwills in this country were two of three 
brothers who started for America on board of a ship, from which one of them fell 
overboard and was drowned. The two surviving brothers became ship-builders in 
New York city, and some of their descendants settled in New Jersey, from which 
State a Longwill came to Centre county, this State, and was the ancestor of Mr. 
Longwill's paternal great-grandfather, who was a shoemaker by trade, and settled 
in Clarion county, where he died when over one hundred years of age. He left 
several children, one of whom, Thomas, was a shoemaker and brazier by trade, and 
in early life removed from Centre to Indiana county, where he died at the age of 
seventy-six years. He married Sarah Beamer, who was born in Maryland in 1800, 
and died at Dixonville, Indiana county, in 1883. Some of her ancestors fought in 
the Revolutionary war. Her father was one of the early settlers of Sinking 
Valley in Blair county, where quite a number of his descendants still reside. 
Mr. and Mrs. Longwill reared a family of children, and their son, John S. 
Longwill, was born January 14, 1831, at Blairsville, Indiana county, where he 
received his education in the early common schools. At twenty-four years of age 
he removed to Green township, in his native county, and purchased a one hundred 
acre tract of woodland in a section that was then nothing more than a 
wilderness. He converted his tract into an excellent farm, and in 1871 removed 
to the village of Dixonville, where he followed the mercantile business for 
seven years. He then purchased a farm adjacent to his own, and now spends the 
larger part of his time in their management and improvement, although still 
residing at Dixonville. He is a republican politically; has served as supervisor 
and assessor of his township, and has always taken an active interest in 
politics. He is one of the founders and working members of the Wesleyan 
Methodist church, is earnest and industrious, active and influential, and has 
gradually enlarged the scope of his business, until he is now one of the 
acknowledged public-spirited citizens of his township. Mr. Longwill married Miss 
Sarah Henderson, who was a native of Saltsburg, Indiana county. To their union 
were born ten children: Harmon H., a resident of Indiana, this State; Hail and 
John A., living at Dixonville; Robert T., subject of this sketch; A. Lincoln, 
now living at Irvona, Clearfield county; Frank B., of South Fork, this county; 
Harry, residing on the home farm; A. Burton, of Freeport, Pennsylvania; Belle, 
still at home; and Charles, who died at twelve months of age.
     Robert T. Longwill received his education in the public schools, Marion 
Centre select school, and the Indiana State Normal school of Pennsylvania, and 
was a teacher for four years in the schools of his native township. He then, in 
1885, entered the store of S. S. Gibson & Co., at Dixonville, where he remained 
one year as a clerk, and from there went to Irvona, Clearfield county, at which 
place he served for three years as a clerk for H. Haupt & Co. By this time he 
had made himself thoroughly conversant with the details of the general 
mercantile business in all of its lines, and, removing to Portage, formed a 
mercantile co-partnership with L. A. Haupt, under the firm name of L. A. Haupt & 
Co. Mr. Longwill has the personal management of the store, which is heavily 
stocked with goods, and has built up a fine and renumerative trade. This store 
building was built and used as the first store at Portage, and Mr. Longwill does 
the leading mercantile business of the place. Soon after coming to Portage, Mr. 
Longwill organized the Longwill Supply company, of which he is president, and 
established its store and centre of operations at South Fork, where it is doing 
a profitable business. In 1892 he formed the firm of Lukens, Haupt & Co., and 
purchased coal mines at Portage and South Fork, which they operated until 1895, 
when he sold his interest to the South Fork Coal Mining company. While a member 
of this coal company, he had full charge of the mines and managed them to good 
advantage. He is a man of practical business ideas, very enterprising, and ever 
ready to push an enterprise rapidly when circumstances will justify; 
progressive, but not rash; energetic, but not reckless; with a purpose in life, 
he has overcome all obstacles in his way to business success. Mr. Longwill has 
always been a republican in politics, and, while not a politician, yet is active 
in the interest of his party when an energetic support is necessary. He served 
as a member of the school, board of Portage, and was secretary during his term 
of service. In religion he is a Methodist, and has been a member for several 
years of the Wesleyan Methodist church. He is a member of Summit Lodge, No. 312, 
Free and Accepted Masons, of Ebensburg; and Conemaugh Valley Conclave, Improved 
Order of Heptasophs, of South Fork.
     On October 9, 1889, Mr. Longwill married Mary Bartley, who was a daughter 
of William Bartley, of Centre county, and died May 23, 1895, aged thirty-four 
years. To their union were born three children: Ralph B., Helen, who died in 
infancy, and William Russell.