Family History: Forsyth: Northumberland, Northumberland County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Alison Marcoff. amarcof@hotmail.com USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. According to Bell's History of Northumberland County, William Forsyth was born in Hamburg, Berks county, Pennsylvania, October 8, 1788. His father, Andrew Forsyth (1743-1814) son of Alexander Forsyth & Margaret Temple was born in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. He was with Washington in Philadelphia and Valley Forge. William's mother was Agnes Loughhead (Longhead). Andrew and Agnes married in Philadelphia in 1780 and had six children, the eldest of which was James Forsyth (1781-1858) who later moved to Ohio. By reason of depreciation of Continental money Andrew Forsyth was reduced in circumstances, and with his family moved to the Northumberland area. In 1804 William was apprenticed to John Cowden, of Northumberland, to learn store-keeping. According to Bell "After he was free he managed a keel-boat, and was one of the first to navigate the Susquehanna river from Northumberland to Owego, New York, carrying iron and stoves to the latter, and bringing salt and plaster to the former." In March, 1817, he was married to Elizabeth "Betsey" Gaskins (b. 1798?), daughter of Thomas Gaskins (b. 1749) of Point township, and kept a tavern and stage office on Water street, Northumberland. According to Bell "At the commencement of the construction of the public works, he took contracts and built several miles of canal, and also of the Susquehanna canal." In 1835 he purchased the store of John Cowden and in 1837 was appointed postmaster, which he filled until 1841. He was an active business man, took a great interest in the affairs of his adopted borough, and served many years in its council. He died in March, 1876, an honored and respected citizen. Additional quotes from Bell regarding the activities of William Forsyth: "John Cowden, who served as postmaster of Northumberland from 1795 until his death, January 12, 1837, was engaged in merchandising nearly the whole of that time. His business establishment passed to William Forsyth in 1835; the latter was succeeded in 1844 by his son, William T. Forsyth, who continued in business until 1884." "The first postoffice in Northumberland county was established at Northumberland in 1795; postmasters have been commissioned in the following order: John Cowden, November 13, 1795; William Forsyth, January 26, 1837...John C. Forsyth, September 8, 1885..." "By the terms of this act, Ephraim P. Shannon, John Taggart, and William Forsyth were appointed to superintend the first election of borough officers, which was held at the house of John Leisenring on Monday, April 6, 1829, resulting in the choice of the following persons: burgess, Lawrence Campbell; council: John Porter, William Forsyth, John G. Wells, John Taggart, James Gaston, Joseph R. Priestley, James Hepburn; high constable, Thomas Waples; constable, William H. Ross; overseers of the poor: John B. Boyd, John Leisenring; supervisors: Samuel Cox, John Shreiner, Jr." "The Northumberland Car Works were erected in 1872 by a company of which A. C. Simpson was the first president and William T. Forsyth the first treasurer, and occupied a location near the North Branch at the outskirts of the borough." "In 1798, or thereabouts, the first school house at this point, a log structure, thirty by thirty feet in size and one story high, was built on the corner of Wheatley and Park alleys, in the northern part of the town, and so was called the "Wheatley school house" or "Alley school house," in after years. Among the families who sent their children to this school, we have the names of Cowden, Forsyth, Frick, Hepburn, Priestley, Shannon, and Wheatley." "The Northumberland Cemetery Company was incorporated on the 26th of March, 1853; the corporators were Joseph R. Priestley, Daniel M. Brautigam, William H. Waples, Amos E. Kapp, William Forsyth, John Taggart, James Taggart, and Jesse C. Horton. The grounds, comprising twenty acres in the northeastern part of the borough, were laid out by Dr. R. B. McKay. The first president of the company was Joseph R. Priestley, the first vice-president, Jacob Leisenring, and first secretary and treasurer, Daniel M. Brautigam. The first board of managers, elected on the 6th of January, was composed of Joseph R. Priestley, Daniel M. Brautigam, Amos E. Kapp, Jesse C. Horton, William H. Waples, William T. Forsyth. and Jacob Leisenring." Children of William Temple Forsth Sr and Elizabeth Gaskins: William Temple Forsyth Jr (b. 1823) Kate Forsyth (d. 1893) Mary Forsyth (d. 1900) married Edwin Musser Herr - founded Priestley-Forsyth Library John Curry Forsyth (1839-1915) (I'm not sure if there were others or not) In 1867 William Temple Forsyth Sr and Elizabeth Gaskins were both still alive to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. John Curry Forsyth was born October 16, 1839, son of William and Elizabeth (Gaskins) Forsyth. According to Bell "He received a common school and commercial education, and after clerking some time, formed a partnership in 1865, with William H. Morgan in the grocery and coal business, which lasted until 1876. After two years experience in the grocery business in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, he purchased in 1884 the general store of William T. Forsyth at Northumberland and continued the business until 1886. In 1885 he was appointed postmaster at Northumberland and served in that office until 1890." He was married in 1865 to Mary Alice Gulick, daughter of Derrick H. Gulick (1804-1852) and Jane C. Curry, by whom he had four children: Charles G. (1866-1920); Walter L.(1869-?); Jennie C.(1876-?), and John Howard (?). According to Bell, he served as chief burgess of Northumberland for three successive years, was a Democrat in politics and a member of the Lutheran church. Charles Gulick Forsyth was born in April 1866 in Northumberland, Pa. He worked on the railroad. In 1890 he married Anna Elizabeth Burke (1869-1951), daughter of George Pearson Burke (1824-1906) and Amelia Zimmerman (1828-1918) at St. John's Lutheran Church in Northumberland. They had three children: Mary "Mamie" Rockefeller Forsyth (b. 1895), Alfred Leroy Forsyth (1902-1971), and Jane Amelia Forsyth (1905-1994). Mary Forsyth's first husband was Mr. Orner and they had a son named Charles who died in 2002. Her second husband was Murray Kratzer and they had no children. Charles Orner married Mildred and they had a son named Robert. Alfred Forsyth married Mildred Boyer and they had 2 children: William and Mary Jane. Mildred died in 1962. Jane Amelia Forsyth married Paul Stocker Marshall (1906-1965) of Sunbury, Pa in 1925 in Chicago, Illinois. They had 2 daughters: Ann Elizabeth Marshall (b. 1929) and Mary Alice "Mollie" Marshall (b. 1943).