BIO: George W. LONG, Centre County, PA

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Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including 
the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing 
Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. 
Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1898.
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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.  331

  GEORGE W. LONG is now practically living a retired life at 
Eagleville, Centre county, enjoying the fruits of his former toil.  His 
has been a long and busy career with little time for idleness, and 
through his own untiring efforts he has succeeded in accumulating a 
competence which enables him to lay aside business cares, though to 
some extent he still engages in the express business.  The money that 
he had succeeded in saving he now has out on interest.
  On January 27, 1833, Mr. Long was born in Bucks county, Penn., and is 
a son of Jacob and Ann (Van Horn) Long, natives of Selins Grove, Snyder 
county, and Yarleyville, Penn., respectively.  Both died in Harrisburg, 
Penn., the former in 1876, aged eighty years, and the latter in 1871, 
aged seventy-six.  Throughout his business career the father served as 
superintendent of a tannery.  In their family were the following 
children: Joseph, a brick manufacturer of Ohio; George W., of this 
review; Lewis, who was killed in 1882, when in the employ of a railroad 
company; Jerome B., a brick maker of Harrisburg, Penn.; Jacob, who died 
in 1886; and Margaret, who is living in Harrisburg.  The paternal 
grandparents of our subject were Joseph and Juliet Long, the former a 
native of Germany, and the latter of Little York, Centre Co., Penn., 
where the grandfather located at an early day and engaged in 
merchandising and milling on Penn creek.  The maternal grandfather, 
Joseph Van Horn, was of English extraction.
  George W. Long remained with his parents until twenty-six years of 
age, during which time he obtained a fair common-school education, and 
worked at brick-making in Harrisburg.  In 1852 he came to Eagleville, 
though he did not locate permanently there until 1858.  For a number of 
years he spent the winter seasons in lumber woods, while through the 
summer he was engaged in boating, owning three good vessels.  On 
September 25, 1858, in Howard, Centre county, he was married to Miss 
Jane R. Courter, and to them were born eight children, namely: William, 
weigher and shipper, of Homer, Centre county; Edward, who died when 
young; George, who died at the age of eleven years; Albert, a resident 
of Johnsonville, Penn.; Charles and Eldra, engineers of that city; 
Minnie U., who is with her parents, and is serving as organist of a 
Church; and Joseph H., who is also with his parents.
  Mrs. Long was born in Liberty township, Centre county, where her 
parents, Abraham and Nancy (Rogers) Courter, who were of English 
descent, had located at an early day.  Both died in Eagleville, where 
the father had worked as a laborer.  His parents, Abraham and Elizabeth 
Courter, were natives of Lycoming county, Penn., and became pioneer 
settlers of Centre county, where they spent the last years of their 
lives.  Michael and Susan Rogers, the maternal grandparents of Mrs. 
Long, were of Scotch-Irish de-

332  COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

scent.  The family of Abraham Courter and wife, were as follows: 
William, a shoemaker of Eagleville; Lucinda, a widow of Hiram Spangler, 
and a resident of Eagleville; Peter, deceased; Charles, who died in 
1890; Mary A., widow of Andy Kline, of Bloomsburg, Penn.; Jane E., wife 
of our subject; Lidda, wife of John W. Long, a farmer of Clinton 
county, Penn.; Rebecca, wife of Nathan Minnick, a miner of Wilkes 
Barre, Penn.; David, who died in infancy; and one who died unnamed.
  In 1864, Mr. Long enlisted in Company B, 11th P. V. I., under Capt. 
Ben Haines, and at the battle of the Wilderness was shot through the 
right leg.  He was then confined in the hospital at Chester Hill, 
Philadelphia, until November, 1864, when he rejoined the command at 
Petersburg, but two weeks later became ill, though he remained with his 
regiment.  At the battle of Five Forks, in 1865, he was shot through 
the left hip joint, and was confined in the hospitals at Alexandria and 
Washington until honorably discharged in June, 1865. On returning to 
his home in Eagleville, he became foreman in a sawmill, where he was 
employed during the summer, working in the woods for two winters.  In 
1878 he purchased a boat which he ran on the river, and later handled 
coal and engaged in general freighting at Eagleville.  A 
straightforward, honorable business man, he won the confidence and 
respect of all with whom he came in contact, and in his declining years 
is enjoying the reward of a well-ordered life.  He is a stalwart 
Republican in politics, and fraternally is a prominent member of the 
Grand Army of the Republic, and of the Patriotic Order of Sons of 
America.