Northumberland County PA Archives Biographies.....McCleery, John 1837 - ************************************************ 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@yahoo.com July 31, 2005, 9:56 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. JOHN McCLEERY, president of the Milton Trust & Safe Deposit Company, through whose efforts it was organized in 1887, has for many years been prominently identified with business enterprises in Milton, Northumberland County, Pa. He is a man of great energy and strong personality and his efforts in various undertakings have met with gratifying and deserved success. He is a son of Dr. William and Margaret (Pollock) McCleery, and was born April 8, 1837. Our subject's ancestors were natives of Scotland, who, at the time of the early persecutions, established a home in Ireland, where Michael McCleery, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born. He had a brother John, who came to America and served as a captain in the Revolutionary War, being killed in the battle of Bunker Hill. John McCleery, the grandfather of our subject, was born at the forks of the Conestoga, in Earl township, Lancaster County, Pa., October 13, 1767, and at an early age engaged in mercantile pursuits at Harrisburg. He later moved to Milton, Northumberland County, Pa., being among the first to engage in business there, and opened a general merchandise store on the corner of South Front street and Broadway, where Folmer's grocery store is now situated. He dealt largely in produce and grain, but the means of transportation to markets were very limited and he had to ship them down the river in arks to the larger cities, where he would trade for merchandise. He finally retired from that business and purchased a farm, which now forms a part of the William Cameron estate, and there successfully engaged in farming the remainder of his life. On September 23, 1802, he and Mary Lytle, who was born at Lytle Ferry, on the Susquehanna River, in Dauphin County, March 16, 1774, and was a daughter of Joseph and Sarah Lytle, were united in marriage by Rev. Nathan Soudcn. Paternally she was of English descent, while maternally her ancestors were of Irish extraction. Their union resulted in the following issue: William; Sarah, the wife of John L. Watson, was born February 18, 1805; Joseph, born January 10, 1807; Jane, who married Rev. David X. Junkin, was born February 4, 1809; Elizabeth, born September 10, 1811; and Mary, born March 16, 1814, who wedded Rev. Nathan Shotwell. Dr. William McCleery, the father of our subject, was born at Halifax, Dauphin County, Pa., July 31, 1803, and early in life was brought to Milton by his parents, practically growing up with that borough. His education was obtained in the Milton Academy, Rev. David Kirkpatrick, D. D., principal. He then attended the Washington College at Washington, Pa., and later graduated from the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia in 1827. He then entered upon the practice of his profession at Milton, and in a very short time established a very large clientage, which he retained until 1857, when he was succeeded by his son, Dr. James P., who is a prominent physician of the borough at the present time. He then lived in retirement for a brief period, gaining a much needed rest, but a state of idleness was antagonistic to his energetic temperament, and he was soon actively engaged in business, building at Milton the first steam saw-mill erected on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, it being situated where the car manufacturing establishment is now located. This saw-mill was erected in 1844. This he operated until death, which occurred on December 4, 1867, at the age of sixty-four years. He was originally a Whig in his political affiliations, as was his father, but he later became a Republican. He built the handsome residence in which our subject now lives, in which he spent his latter days. He was joined in the holy bonds of wedlock with Margaret Pollock, a daughter of William Pollock, and a sister of the late James Pollock, ex-governor of Pennsylvania, and they were the parents of the following children: Mary, born September 9, 1830, is the wife of Joseph D. Potts of Philadelphia; James P., a record of whose life appears elsewhere; Sarah, deceased, was born November 5, 1834; John, the subject of this personal history; William P., born April 27, 1834, was a captain in the i8th Reg. U. S. Inf. in the Civil War, and later served against the Indians on the western plains,—he resigned his commission in 1868 and is now engaged in business at Troy, Pa.; and Julia J., deceased, who was born October 18, 1841, was the wife of Gen. Jesse Merrill. Mrs. McCleery died in 1842 aged thirty-six. John McCleery was educated at the Milton Academy, Tuscarora Academy, Juniata, and in Princeton College, from which he was graduated in 1858. Immediately after leaving college he accepted a position as assistant principal of the Milton Academy, being associated with Rev. W. T. Wylie, and at the same time he read law with Hon. James Pollock, and continued until the Civil War broke out, when he entered the service, being mustered in June I, 1861, as captain of Company H, of the 5th Regiment of Pennsylvania Reserves. He was severely wounded in the battle of the Charles City Cross Road in the seven days' fighting before Richmond, and was taken prisoner on June 30, 1862, being incarcerated in Libby Prison. There his health was impaired and he has never completely regained it as his injuries finally resulted in paralysis. Upon his release from Libby he was mustered out on account of his physical disability, but as he later greatly improved in health, he was mustered in as a lieutenant-colonel with the 28th Emergency Regiment at Harrisburg. After the close of the war he returned home and began to practice law, but the duties were too arduous for one who had undergone the great physical strain to which he was subjected during the war, and he finally gave it up. He has since been closely allied with all enterprises organized to further the interests of Milton. He was recently identified with the Milton Car Works; the Milton Rolling Mills; is a director of the Milton Water Works; and is president of the Milton Trust & Safe Deposit Company. It was largely through his efforts that the latter was organized on February 17, 1887, it being incorporated with an authorized capital of $250,000,000 one-half of which was paid in cash. Mr. McCleery was married June 6, 1866, to Mary Helen Marr, a daughter of David and Hettie L. (Davis) Marr, and a great-granddaughter of Joseph and Susanna (Price) Marr. Joseph was born in Northampton County, Pa., June 15, 1750, and in 1793 he came up the West Branch of the Susquehanna River to Turbot township, where he purchased of the widow of Turbot Francis a tract of 379 acres of land, it being a portion of the estate known as "The Colonel's Reward." It was a choice piece of land for which he paid five pounds per acre, and in 1793 he located upon it with his family. He lived there the remainder of his life, dying September 3, 1796; his wife died December 27, 1826. His wife's maiden name was Susanna Price, and she was born April 27, 1754. They had the following children: Mary, the wife of Robert Martin; Hannah, the wife of William Hull, whose sketch also appears in this work; David; William; Joseph; and Alem, a prominent attorney who has twice served as congressman. David Marr, the father of Mrs. McCleery, was born on the old homestead, and was a farmer by occupation, owning two fine farms. He later became a railroad contractor and finally became a woolen manufacturer at White Deer Mills, Union County. He died at the age of forty-seven years. He married Hettie L. Davis and they had four children: Annie Eliza, the wife of John A. Grier; Mary Helen, the wife of our subject; William, who died in infancy; and Rebecca, who also died young. Mr. Marr formed a second union with Harriet Matchin, by whom he had five children: William; Alem; Brainard; Alfred; and Jeanette. Mr. and Mrs. McCleery have two children, namely: Edward Heber, a physician of Kane, Pa., who attended Lawrenceville School, was a member of the class of 1888 at Princeton, and graduated from the Jefferson Medical College in 1890; and Margaret Pollock. Politically our subject is a stanch Republican, but has never accepted an office. He is a conscientious member of the Presbyterian Church. Socially he is a member of the G. A. R. post; and also the Union Veteran's Legion. 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.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 8.9 Kb