BIO: William STEWART, Centre County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Patty Millich

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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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  WILLIAM STEWART, late of Snow Shoe, Centre county, was a brother of 
Dr. Miller Stewart, who is now a resident of that locality, and a son 
of Robert and Margaret (Miller) Stewart, whose lives were passed in 
Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania.
  William Stewart was born at the Stewart homestead in Huntingdon 
county, December 1, 1811.  He received only a limited education, and 
began his business career as a clerk in a general store at Huntingdon 
in the employ of Thomas Reed.  From this store of Mr. Reed, young 
Stewart went into the office of the prothonotary of Huntingdon county, 
in the same county.  He was a good penman, became a quick and accurate 
clerical man, and after the election of Governor David R. Porter to the 
gubernatorial chair was chosen by that gentleman as 

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.  210

his private secretary, which took him to Harrisburg, Penn.  After years 
of service in this capacity he went to Nanticoke, this State, as 
business manager of the Governor's affairs.  In 1849 he came to Snow 
Shoe in search of health, his constitution having been somewhat 
impaired by previous confinement at close office work. Here he bought a 
large tract of timber land in connection with John S. Miller, who sold 
out to Robert Dorsey, and it is said built the first steam sawmill in 
Centre county.  These gentlemen carried on an extensive business in the 
sawing of lumber and in the shipment of square timber.  Until the 
completion of the Snow Shoe and Bellefonte railroad, they rafted their 
logs and sawed lumber to market via the Moshannon creek and Susquehanna 
river.  In January, 1854, the interest of Mr. Dorsey was purchased by 
Dr. Miller Stewart, and since that time up to the death of William, the 
Stewart brothers conducted a most extensive and successful lumbering 
business, and accumulated a large fortune.  They usually rafted from 
one to one and one-half million feet of lumber annually.  William's 
death occurred at his home in Snow Shoe, May 5, 1886.  He was quite a 
philanthropist, giving liberally of his wealth where he thought it 
would do good and relieve distress.  He was most kind and charitable 
and died, as he lived, universally respected and esteemed.  The older 
Stewarts were formerly Democratic in their political affiliations, but 
with the beginning of the Civil war they became Republicans, and 
William was no exception.  He never married.