BIO: S. C. READ, Clearfield County, PA
 
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From Twentieth Century History of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania,
and Representative Citizens, by Roland D. Swoope, Jr.,
Chicago: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, 1911, pages 685 & 686.
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  S. C. READ, one of Lawrence township's prominent and useful citizens, 
residing on his farm of eighty acres, was born in Lawrence township, Clearfield 
county, Pa., June 16, 1858, and is a son of Amos Alexander Read.
  S. C. Read grew to manhood on the home place and attended the Goshen Township 
schools until he was about eighteen years of age, since when he has been 
engaged in agricultural pursuits.  He owns eighty acres and has fifty-six of 
these under cultivation, having systematically cleared his land, not more than 
four acres at one time.  In 1878 he cleared the first two acres and two more in 
1879.  After the great storm of 1880 through this section, much valuable timber 
was blown down and no more clearing was done in consequence until 1884, when 
two additional acres were cleared, Mr. Read doing all the work thus far under 
his father's superintendence.  In March, 1885, he built a part of the present 
comfortable farm house and in July of this year was married and in the same 
year he cleared two more acres of his land.  In 1886 he made further progress 
in building his house which he completed in 1894, in the former year also 
erecting his large barn and laying a drain that carries off all waste water.  
The drinking water is secured from a fine spring on the place.  Although Mr. 
Read has done almost all the work on his farm by himself he has his possessions 
in fine condition, his fields well fertilized and cultivated, his orchards 
healthy and productive and his stock in the condition that pleases a careful 
breeder.  He carries on general farming, according to modern methods, for he is 
an intelligent and progressive agriculturist, a leading member and an official 
of the Clearfield County Grange and for eight years has been treasurer of the 
Clearfield County Agricultural Society.  Among the interesting exhibits of the 
office of the agricultural society is the old fair record book which was 
started by James Wrigley when the first county fair was held, in 1860.  Mr. 
Read still uses the same, all transactions of the society since then having 
been entered in this volume.  In politics, Mr. Read is a Democrat and he has 
frequently been the choice of his party for office.  From 1905 until 1908 he 
was township assessor and during that time registered more school children than 
had any other official.  For three years he was also precinct assessor and for 
one year was committeeman.
  In July, 1885, Mr. Read was married to Miss Elizabeth Ardrey, a daughter of 
James and Hannah (Poorman) Ardery, of Center County, Pa., and they have the 
following children:  Leda H., who is a stenographer with a business firm at 
Philipsburg; Aaron Shira, who lives in the east end of Lawrence Township; 
Thompson Graham, who lives at Readville; and Mrs. Laura M. Sankey, who lives 
near Goshen Church.  Mr. Read is a member and is also secretary of the board of 
trustees of Goshen Methodist Episcopal Church.  He belongs to Golden Eagle 
Lodge No. 318 at Clearfield.