Montour-Northumberland County PA Archives Biographies.....BALDY, Peter (Sr.) pre 1814 - 1880 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@gmail.com August 6, 2005, 2:52 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. PETER BALDY, Sr., who was one of the most prominent men of Danville, was a son of Paul and Catherine (Beam) Baldy, and was born in Sunbury, Northumberland County, Pa. In 1814 he left the town of his nativity and located in Danville where he followed his trade, that of a blacksmith, for several years. He subsequently engaged in the general merchandise business, at which he was very successful and at which he continued the rest of his life. He was a public-spirited man and did much for the borough of Danville. He organized the first bank of Danville in 1848 and served as its president until his demise. He was a liberal supporter of the volunteer soldiers of Danville, especially of the Baldy Guards under Capt. Ramsey, and the Fencibles under Capt. Shreeve. He did considerable building in the village. He retired from active business duties some twenty years before his death, which occurred November 24, 1880. He was always deeply interested in religious works. When young he was an active member of the Lutheran Church, but in 1828, when Christ Episcopal Church was built, he became one of its first vestrymen. His son, Peter Baldy, Jr., was the first to be baptized in the church, and afterwards he became the organist. Peter, Sr., was one of the main supporters of the church and in 1844 presented it with a large bell. He bequeathed $5,000 for the support of the clergy of that church, $500 to the Sunday School, and $50,000 for a suitable memorial to himself and his beloved wife. His will was executed to the letter, and as a result one of the most beautiful churches in Eastern Pennsylvania was erected at Danville. His companion in life was Sarah Hurley, a daughter of Daniel and Martha Hurley, who passed to her eternal rest in November, 1875, in the eighty-fifth year of her age. They were the parents of the following children: Edward Hurley, Martha Hurley, Mary Catherine, Peter, Jr., Hurley, and Ellen Ann. Edward Hurley Baldy was a man of scholarly attainments and graduated from Princeton College before he was of age. He then took up the study of law with Josiah Comly, and was admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-two years. He then began to practice in the village of Danville, and was one of the most successful lawyers of the county. He was a shrewd and energetic man and was an eloquent orator. His reputation extended throughout the state and he acquired high standing in the foremost ranks of his profession. He was an enterprising man, and, like his father, took an active interest in the welfare of Danville. He succeeded his father as president of the Danville National Bank. In company with Charles Paxton he laid put a tract of land which is to-day within the corporate limits of the borough. He was attorney for all of the early manufacturing plants in the eastern part of the state. He accumulated a fortune. In 1872 he erected a handsome stone residence on West Market street, one of the finest in the town at that time. After living a long and useful life he was called to his final rest in 1891, at the age of seventy years. He was united in the bonds of wedlock to Mary Jennison, a daughter of William Jennison, who was for many years connected with the Pennsylvania Iron Works of Philadelphia, but finally located in Danville, residing on the site of the present Methodist Episcopal parsonage. Five children blessed this union, namely: Mary J. (Grove); Kate G. (Watson); Edward H., Jr., and Emily, deceased; and William Jennison, a well-known attorney and real estate dealer of Danville, who succeeded his father as president of the Danville National Bank. Mrs. Baldy died at the age of twenty-six years. Her husband formed a second matrimonial alliance with Henrietta C. Montgomery, who came from one of the early families of Pennsylvania. She is descended from one Robert Montgomery, who, with his wife Sarah, emigrated from Ireland at the age of thirty-two years and located on the present site of the city of Harrisburg, Pa., where he engaged in the cultivation of the soil. His son, John, was born in County Armagh, Ireland, and was but four years old when he came to America with his parents. He lived in the vicinity of Harrisburg all his life, and his death resulted from an accident in 1792, at the age of fifty-eight years. As a result of his union with Christina Foster he became the parent of a son, David, the grandfather of Mrs. Baldy. David Montgomery married Agnes Shaw, by whom he had the following children: Eliza; John G., the father of Mrs. Baldy; Margaret; William S.; David B.; Robert F.; Christina; Nancy; and Caroline B. John G. Montgomery was born on January 28, 1805, and after reaching maturity Studied law under the direction of Judge Cooper of Danville. He was a prominent lawyer of Danville and lived an active life until his demise, in 1857. His first marriage was with Deborah B. Kerr, a daughter of Jacob Kerr, and after her death he married Henrietta Cooper, a daughter of his former preceptor, Judge Cooper. This union resulted in the following issue: Agnes; Alice; Elizabeth; Henrietta C.; Margaret; John C.; and Caroline. Mrs. Baldy died in 1864, leaving five children: Sarah. Hurley, the wife of Dr. Irving H. Jennings, a record of whose life appears below; Dr. John Montgomery of Philadelphia, who is without doubt one of the best physicians of the state of Pennsylvania; Alice, who married a Mr. Hartman; Henry Waller; and Henrietta Cooper. Edward H. Baldy was again married, his third union being with Alice Montgomery, a sister of his second wife. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899) This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/pafiles/ File size: 6.2 Kb