Sullivan County PA Archives Biographies.....BEAHEN, Thomas W. 1850 - living in 1899 ************************************************ 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 2, 2005, 1:57 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. THOMAS W. BEAHEN, a popular and genial landlord of Laporte, Sullivan County, Pa., is the owner and proprietor of the hotel well known in the county as "The Maine." The hotel is handsomely situated, affording its patrons a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and it is regarded as one of the best summer hotels in the Allegheny Mountains in its section of the county. Our subject is one of the most prominent and enterprising business men of the town, and is held in high esteem by his fellow-citizens. He was born in Troy, N. Y., May 1, 1850, and is a son of John and Ann (Roe) Beahen. John Beahen is descended from the sturdy Irish race and was born three miles from the city of Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland. Being unsuited with the position he had attained in his native country, he decided to immigrate to the United States to seek a fortune and better home; he accordingly sailed for this country at an early age and upon his arrival he went to work in a tannery in Troy, N. Y. Later he engaged in the same occupation at Binghamton, N. Y. Mr. Beahen labored diligently for a number of years and by the exercise of economy succeeded in accumulating enough money to purchase a farm, and after his marriage he bought a farm near the village of Montrose, Pa., and there carried on agricultural pursuits until his death, at the age of seventy-three years. He was joined in marriage to Ann Roe, a daughter of James Roe; she was born in County Westmeath, Ireland. To this happy union a family of two children was born: Mary, who resides on the homestead, and Thomas W., the subject of this personal history. The mother of our subject entered the final rest at the age of sixty-nine years. Thomas W. Beahen remained under the parental roof until he attained his majority, attending the district school and assisting his father about the farm. He chose the vocation of a carpenter as a means of obtaining a livelihood and pursued that trade for twenty-five years. In 1880 he became a resident of Laporte, where he was employed by the Laporte Tanning Company as a carpenter and woodsman. Later he rented the Commercial Hotel at Laporte, succeeding Mr. McKibbens. One year later he took charge of the Laporte Hotel, succeeded in establishing an excellent reputation as a host, and soon built up a large patronage. Our subject conducted the Laporte Hotel until March 25, 1898, whent it was burned to the ground, our subject meeting with a heavy loss. Upon the advice of his friends Mr. Beahen decided to continue the hotel business and purchasing the Lambert property he erected his present hotel, "The Maine;" he also built a large barn, 36 by 50 feet. "The Maine" is a handsome structure, contains seventeen rooms which are elegantly furnished, and has a large dining hall capable of seating many people; it is situated on a high elevation commanding a view of the surrounding mountains; the water is pure and the mountain air which is very healthy and invigorating makes "The Maine" a typical summer resort. The proprietor of this popular resort commands the respect and good-will of the entire community, and takes an active interest in any measure which tends to benefit his fellow-citizens. Mr. Beahen was united in the bonds of matrimony to Ella Readding, a daughter of Hugh Readding of Rush township, Susquehanna County, Pa., and this union has been blessed by three children, as follows: Annie; John, who has been engaged in teaching during the past three years; and Catherine. Religiously Mr. Beahen and family are active members of the Roman Catholic Church. Politically our subject is a solid Democrat, has held the office of school director five years, and has been a representative in the town council five years. 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: 4.4 Kb