Northumberland-Schuylkill County PA Archives Biographies.....Robertson, Andrew D. 1853 - living in 1899

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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com July 1, 2005, 9:27 pm



Author: Biographical Publishing Co.



ANDREW D. ROBERTSON, a business man who is of high standing among his

fellow-citizens of Shamokin, is a son of Andrew Robertson, a sketch of whom

appears elsewhere in this work, and Phoebe (Barlow) Robertson, and was born July

31, 1853, in New Philadelphia, Schuylkill County, Pa.



  Up to the age of ten years our subject attended the public schools at his

birthplace, and at that age he started out to earn something on his own account,

going to work at the Eagle Hill Colliery near Port Carbon, which was then

conducted by his father and Thomas Beddall. Our subject worked as a slate-picker

for some time until his father removed to Pottsville. Young Andrew attended the

public schools in Pottsville for a short time and then went to Mill Creek where

he worked in and about the mines in the summer and later attended the select

schools in West Chester until he reached the age of seventeen years. He then

returned to Pottsville and entered the Washington Iron Works in which he worked

for three years, learning the machinist's trade under the direction of James

Wren. After learning his trade Mr. Robertson migrated to Mahanoy City where he

entered the employ of his uncle, Daniel Barlow, who ran a wholesale flour and

feed business, remaining with Mr. Barlow until 1875 when he removed to Ralston.

At Ralston he was in the employ of his father and Alexander Fulton, who then

were mining coal under a large contract with the McIntyre Coal Company, our

subject being bookkeeper for the firm. Subsequently our subject returned to

Mahanoy City and engaged in the flour and feed business in which he was very

successful and which he continued until April, 1880. He then removed to

Excelsior where he became assistant superintendent of the Excelsior Colliery, of

which his father, Andrew Robertson, was part owner and superintendent. He

subsequently took an interest in the company and continued as its assistant

superintendent. He is also assistant superintendent of the Corbin Colliery which

has long been operated in connection with the Excelsior Colliery.



  In 1882 Mr. Robertson purchased the interest of Nathan J. Robertson, now

deceased, who owned a flour mill in Shamokin and conducted the business

successfully for about a year when the firm became Robertson & Parmley. This

firm occupied the present mill property, a three-story brick structure, 40 by 75

feet, which was erected by our subject's father. The firm also has a grain

elevator in the rear of the flour mill which is 100 by 36 feet. The capacity of

the mill is 100 barrels of flour per day. In 1887 the firm became Robertson,

Parmley & Co., and a year later became Robertson & Osler as it is to-day, Mr.

Parmley retiring.



  An active man of great energy, our subject has devoted much of his time and

talents to local enterprises to which his business ability and energetic

direction have been of great benefit. Mr. Robertson is secretary and treasurer

of the Elkhorn Coal & Coke Company of Mayberry, W.. Va., of which he was one of

the incorporators, and has held those offices since the organization of the

company. The company operates mines in the famous Flat Top or Pocahontas region

of West Virginia, which were opened in 1888. The company was one of the first

operators to ship coal through the Mill Creek Tunnel. The Pocahontas coal is

known as the best steam-producing coal mined and it is used by the Cramps, the

noted shipbuilders, on all vessels which are being tested or are tried for

speed. Our subject is a director of the Shamokin Coal & Coke Co.; a stockholder

in the Booth-Bowen Coal & Coke Co. of West Virginia; vice-president of the

Shamokin Powder Co.; a stockholder in the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of

Shamokin; and a stockholder in and vice-president of the First National Bank of

Shamokin.



  Mr. Robertson is a trustee of the First Presbyterian Church of Shamokin of

which he is an active member.



  In May, 1882, Mr. Robertson took as his life-partner Clara A. Heffner,

daughter of Charles Heffner of Pottsville, Pa., and to them have been born two

children: Chester Kingsley, who is at home; and Mary Margaret, deceased.





Additional Comments:

Extracted from:



Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District

Published by 

Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899)











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