BIO: Franklin FINSTHWAIT, Clearfield County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja & Sally Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/ NOTE: Use this web address to access other bios: http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/clearfield/1picts/swoope/swoope.htm _____________________________________________________________ From Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and Representative Citizens, by Roland D. Swoope, Jr., Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, 1911, pages 765 & 766. _____________________________________________________________ FRANKLIN FINSTHWAIT, a prominent young business man, cashier of the First National Bank at Cherry Tree, Pa., was born at West Newton, Pa., August 28, 1879, son of Franklin B. and Caroline (Everhart) Finsthwait. He is a descendant on the paternal side of James Finsthwait, born January 14, 1759, of English ancestry, and his wife Mary, who were natives of Kent county, Delaware, where many of their descendants are living today. They had five daughters and one son, as follows: Sarah C., born February 22, 1806; Ann S., born December 19, 1807; Eliza M., born April 10, 1810; Susan G., born February 3, 1812; Mary S., born June 21, 1814; and James, born March 1, 1816, a few weeks after the death of his father. The daughters all married and reared families of children. James Finsthwait, Jr., the date of whose birth is given above, and who is next in the present line of descent, died in 1872. His wife in maidenhood was Lucy Collins Messick, born September 17, 1810, near Georgetown, Sussex county, Del. She died in 1890. They had two daughters and four sons as follows: Caroline Collins, born August 11, 1839; Franklin Buchanan, born March 15, 1841; James Purnell, February 28, 1843; Minos Gibson, December 5, 1844; Frederick Marion, January 28, 1847; Sarah Marilda, December 29, 1849. James Purnell Finsthwait was killed at the battle of Gettysburg. Caroline married George P. Hitch of Laurel, Sussex county, Del. They live at Norfok, Va., and have four children living, having lost two in infancy. Gibson married Appia Davis of West Middlesex, where they now live; they have four daughters. Frederick married Susan Everhart of West Middlesex; they live in Chicago and have no children. Sarah married G. W. Bement, of Lansing, Mich.; she is a widow with two sons, and lives in Lansing. Franklin B. Finsthwait, whose nativity has been already given, was connected during his entire industrial period with the oil industry and was formerly a member of the Oil Exchange at Pittsburg. He is still living at the age of 66 years and is a resident of Swissvale, Allegheny county, Pa. On January 7, 1873, he married Caroline Everhart, of West Middlesex, Mercer county, Pa., and of this union there were four children, namely: Ida Harrington, born November 16, 1873; Lloyd E., born June 3, 1877, who is engaged in the wholesale dry goods business at Pittsburg; Franklin, born,, as already stated, August 28, 1879, who is the direct subject of this sketch; and Donald E., born January 1, 1882, who is an employee of the American Tobacco Company at Pittsburg. Ida is residing at home. Mrs. Franklin B. Finsthwait is a descendant on the paternal side of Michael Eberhart, who came from Germany in the ship "Friendship," landing at Philadelphia October 16, 1727. He settled in Lehigh county, Pa., and died in 1788. He had two sons, Henry and Paul. Paul Eberhart, son of Michael, was born in 1827 on the Atlantic Ocean. He was reared and lived in Lehigh county, Pa., until he was 46 years old, when in 1773 he moved to Westmoreland county, Pa., where he died at a ripe old age. He had four sons - Jacob, John, Christian and Frederick. Abraham F. Eberhart (or Everhart, for he changed the spelling of the family name), son of Frederick Eberhart, was born in Mercer county, Pa., October 22, 1810, and was married in 1841 to Susan Haywood of Mercer county, Pa. He died November 2, 1881, aged 71 years. The following is a record of his children: Sarah E. Everhart, born October 22, 1842, was married May 15, 1866, to Dr. J. W. Hillier of Mercer county, Pa. They have no children. Mary M. Everhart, born October 22, 1843, was married October 22, 1860, to Horatio N. Warren of Buffalo, N. Y. They had two sons, Dr. Albert E. Warren and Henry D. Warren. Caroline Everhart, born January 21, 1846, married Franklin B. Finsthwaite, as already noted. William M. Everhart, born March 26, 1848, married Rhoda Long, of Mercer county, Pa., and they have two sons. Henry Clay Everhart, born August 2, 1850, died March 3, 1854. Susan Everhart was born March 2, 1855, and married F. M. Finsthwait. Franklin Finsthwait began his education in the common schools, subsequently graduating from the Wilkinsburg (Pa.) high school. His first industrial experience was gained in the employ of the P. Lorillard Tobacco Co., where he remained for a time. In 1897 he entered the Second National Bank as a messenger, and continued there until 1901, at which time he went to the Mellon National Bank as clearing house clerk. He was later promoted to the position of receiving teller, which he held until he resigned in order to accept his present position as cashier of the First National Bank of Cherry Tree, Pa., in March, 1903. He is also treasurer of the Cherry Tree Electric Light Co. and of the Cherry Tree Water Co., in all these varied positions showing good business ability and a comprehensive grasp of affairs. He is a member of and an elder in the Presbyterian church of Cherry Tree, and also of the Masonic order, belonging to the Blue lodge at Ebensburg, Pa. In politics he is a Republican and is at present a member of the borough school board. Franklin Finsthwait was married in October, 1908, to Helen McKeage, who was born in July, 1887, a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Harter) McKeage. Her father is a miller and lumberman residing at Cherry Tree. Our subject and wife are the parents of two children, Franklin McKeage, and Ruth Everhart.