BIO: George W. PIFER, 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 438 - 440. _____________________________________________________________ GEORGE W. PIFER, senior member of the firm of George W. Pifer and Sons, engaged in a planing mill and contracting business at DuBois, Pa., is also its founder and is one of the leading and representative men of the borough. He was born on his father's farm in Allegheny County, Pa., October 24, 1844, about one month after the family settled in America, and is a son of John and Mary Jacobs Pifer. John Pifer was born in Germany and was reared there on a farm and contracted his first marriage there. With his wife and one son he came to the United States in 1844 and after landing started for Pittsburg. At that time no railroad lines were yet completed across the State of Pennsylvania and the long journey was made partly by wagon and partly on foot. Upon their arrival, John Pifer rented a small farm which is the present site of East Liberty, a suburb of Pittsburg, and there he carried on truck gardening for some eight years. He then removed with his family to Kittanning, Pa., and went to work in the rolling-mills. Later, however, he resumed farming, renting land on the Indiana turnpike road, in Armstrong County. In 1859, together with his sons, he bought a farm in Kittanning Township, on which the new owners put up a log house and barn. About ten acres of the land had been cleared and put under cultivation when the Civil War broke out and although the old father was left alone on the farm while the brave and sturdy sons were battling for their country's liberties, he received their wages and thus was able to continue the payments on the land. John Pifer died on this farm in which he took vast pride and satisfaction, in 1864, at the age of forty-nine years. John Pifer was married three times, first in Germany as noted above, to Mary Jacobs, who died in Allegheny County. Five children were born to that union, namely: Conrad, who died in Lima, Ohio, (he was a member of Co. I, 78th Vol. Inf.); George W.; Henry, who died while serving as a soldier, being a member of Co. C, 103rd Pa. Vol. Inf.; John, who lives in Jefferson County, Pa.; and Martha, who is the widow of Rudolph Crooks. George W. Pifer was about eight years old when the family moved to Armstrong County and he readily recalls the occasion when he first saw a railroad train that ran to Pittsburg. Shortly afterward he went to work on a farm for John Hood, with whom he remained for six and one-half years and then went back to his father and worked on the home farm until September 16, 1861, when he enlisted for service in the Civil War. He entered Co. C, 103rd Pa. Vol. Inf., as a private and was promoted to be corporal of his company and remained in the service until the close of the war, being mustered out in July, 1865, in North Carolina and receiving his honorable discharge at Harrisburg, Pa. During this long period, Mr. Pifer served under four different captains - Capt. S. P. Townsend, Capt. Albert Vanastock, Capt. John Coughern and Capt. Thomas Coughern. Although he participated in twenty-six battles and skirmishes, he was never taken prisoner or wounded, although, on several occasions he had parts of his uniform pierced by bullets. At one time a minie ball carried off the number from the front of his cap, and on another occasion, the strap of his haversack was cut in two by a bullet. When the war was over he returned to the old farm, of which he was part owner and remained there until 1877, when he moved to Jefferson, a small town in Clarion County that experienced a boom on account of the discovery of oil in that region, and there conducted the Commercial Hotel for five years. When the boom subsided, business died out and Mr. Pifer soon looked about for a better business field. While living in Clarion County he was more or less interested, like everybody else, in the oil business and after the tide of success had passed on, he found himself with several boilers and engines on his hands for which he had no special use. It was in following out a suggestion made by a friend, Delmar Fairchild, that he used this machinery in experimenting in shingle manufacturing and as it seemed a successful venture, in June, 1882, he brought his outfit to Clearfield County and he and Mr. Fairchild went into the shingle manufacturing business in woods near DuBois. This almost accidental experiment was, in fact, the foundation on which Mr. Pifer has built up his extensive industry of the present. At a later date he sold out to Mr. Fairchild and then, in partnership with his brother, John Pifer, set up a portable saw-mill and still later, a second one, with J. A. Bowersox. For many years thereafter, Mr. Pifer and Mr. Bowersox dealt in lumber. At a later date, Mr. Pifer, with George Hess as a partner, started into the planing-mill business which has continued until the present time, being developed into a very important business enterprise of DuBois. The firm name was Pifer, Hess & Co., until Mr. Hess retired. As Mr. Pifer's sons, James and Charles, reached suitable age, they entered the employ of the firm and subsequently became partners and since then the firm style has been George W. Pifer and Sons. The work is evenly balanced, the senior member attending to the affairs of the firm on the outside, while the younger partners have charge of the inside work. The plant is situated on the corner of S. Brady and Tozier Avenue, DuBois, where excellent railroad facilities are enjoyed. Employment is given twenty-five men. Mr. Pifer has many times demonstrated his business judgment and foresight and never more so than when he bought his first acre of land when he first came to DuBois. To this acre, right on the edge of the village he was able to add more acres and, as he foresaw, the time has come when this land has been added to the town and has been built over and is now some of the most valuable real estate in the place. He is interested also in real estate at Falls Creek, Pa. In 1883 he erected his own comfortable residence at No. 715 S. Brady Street and his sons, following in his footsteps, have also invested in land and have homes in the same neighborhood. On November 2, 1865, Mr. Pifer was married first to Miss Hannah Shrumm, who died in 1875. The following children were born to them: Bessie, who is now deceased; Sarah E., who is the wife of Samuel Langford and they have two children - Ethel and Bessie; James H., who married Carrie Robinson and they have two children - George Cadmus and Virla Wynona; Charles E., who married Mary Shaw and they have three children - John George, Catherine Eva and Rachel. In 1876, Mr. Pifer was married secondly to Miss Hannah Malinda Wolfe, a daughter of Isaac and Maria (Ehinger) Wolfe, both deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Pifer have had the following children: Elizabeth, who is now deceased; Isabella; George B. McClellan, a minister, who is a graduate of Mt. Airey Seminary; Warren A., who died at the age of nineteen years; Frances Cleveland; Grace May, who is a teacher of music, in Philadelphia; and Florence Leona. Mr. Pifer has always been a strong Democrat and as Sandy Township is strongly of his political way of thinking, he has been called upon to serve in many township offices. For many years he has been a member of the township school board and by following his practical advice, the schools are in excellent condition, comparing very favorably with those in other sections. He is a member of Easton Post, No. 229, G. A. R., at DuBois, Pa. With his family he belongs to the Lutheran church.