BIOGRAPHY: Samuel W. VAUGHEN, 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. 317-8
____________________________________________________________

SAMUEL W. VAUGHEN, superintendent of the blast furnace department of the Cambria 
Iron company, at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, is a son of Jeremiah and Elizabeth J. 
(Beatty) Vaughen, and was born at Marietta, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, 
September 16, 1851. His father is a native of eastern Pennsylvania, and came to 
Johnstown in the year 1853. He remained there for a short time, then removed to 
the State of Ohio, where he remained about one year, then returned to Johnstown, 
and still resides there. He has been employed for many years as an engineer in 
charge of stationary engines at the Cambria Iron company's blast furnaces.
     Samuel Vaughen, then grandfather of our subject, was of English descent, 
and a native of Lebanon county, Pennsylvania. He died in Johnstown in 1868, aged 
sixty-six years. The mother of our subject, Mrs. Elizabeth J. (Beatty) Vaughen, 
is a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, where she was born in 1833. Her 
father, William Beatty, was a native of Scotland, who emigrated to America when 
quite young. Samuel Vaughen has had few advantages in securing his education. He 
attended the public schools until his thirteenth year, and since that time has 
been employed about the iron works. His first employment, when a lad of thirteen 
years, was carrying drinking water to the workmen at the blast furnaces of the 
Cambria Iron company at Johnstown, this county. Next, he was employed as a wiper 
of machinery, then as stationary engineer, in charge of the pumping engines that 
kept the "Old slope" mine free of water. From the pumping-engines he was 
promoted to engineer on a locomotive, and employed in hauling cinder from the 
blast furnace to the dump. He remained in the employ of the Cambria company as a 
locomotive engineer until 1874, and having acquired a practical knowledge of the 
working of all kinds of machinery in use at a blast furnace, was then selected 
to go to East Conemaugh and overhaul the machinery at the old "Conemaugh 
furnace," and put it in running order. This he did to the satisfaction of his 
employers, and when the furnace was put in blast, he was given charge of the 
machinery and boilers. From this position he was promoted to foreman of 
machinery on one turn at the old blast furnace plant of the Cambria Iron company 
at Johnstown, Pennsylvania. This plant embraced four furnaces.
     In 1876 the Cambria Iron company completed a fine new furnace, which was 
considered a great improvement over all previous furnaces. In honor of the year 
in which it was built, the centennial of American liberty, it was called 
"Centennial Furnace." In the fall of 1876 Mr. Vaughen was given charge of the 
machinery of this new furnace, and held that position for six months, and was 
then promoted to the position of assistant foremen of the old blast furnaces. He 
held this position for one year, and was again promoted, this time to be foreman 
of No. 5 blast furnace, then one of the largest in the world. He held this 
position for several years, then became general foreman of all the company's 
blast furnaces, six in number. His next promotion was to the position of 
assistant superintendent of the blast furnace department, and, finally, in 1888 
he was made superintendent of the entire blast furnace department of the Cambria 
Iron company, and still holds that position.
     In 1873, Mr. Vaughen was married to Miss Elizabeth H. Seese, daughter of 
John Seese, of Johnstown. This union was blessed by the birth of four sons and 
four daughters; one of these Elizabeth J., died at the age of three years. The 
others are: Carrie B., Anna G., Jerry, John W., Lillie B., Samuel, and Robert.
     Mr. Vaughen has been too busy a man to devote much time to politics, and is 
not an office-seeker, but has served several terms as school director and member 
of the borough council of Coopersdale. Mr. Vaughen might well be proud of the 
position he holds, and the reputation he has gained as a practical furnace man. 
Starting, as we have seen him, a poor boy, at the very foot of the ladder, he 
has ascended step by step, without the aid of money or influential friends, 
aided only by his own perseverance and energy, until he is now at the head of 
the department where he began as water boy, some thirty years ago.