Sullivan County PA Archives Biographies.....McFARLANE, James unknown - living in 1899
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  Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com June 29, 2005, 4:31 pm
  
  Author: Biographical Publishing Co.
  
  JAMES McFARLANE, who is familiar to every family in Sullivan County as one who
  has done more to promote the public welfare of Laporte and the county at large
  than any other man, is proprietor of the largest general merchandise store in
  that borough and is an extensive lumber merchant, owning about 6,000 acres of
  land, nearly all of which is covered with a rich growth of hemlock timber. He
  was born in Arbroath, Scotland, and is a son of the Rev. James and Elizabeth
  (Anderson) McFarlane.
  
    Rev. James McFarlane emigrated from his native land, Scotland, and settled in
  what was known as the "English Neighborhood" in New Jersey. He was a devout
  Christian and a faithful minister, and during the remainder of his life preached
  in the Presbyterian Church. He was joined in wedlock with Elizabeth Anderson,
  who was born at Ratho, near Edinburgh, Scotland, and their union was blessed by
  the birth of the following children: James, the subject of this personal
  history: John, who is engaged in the lumber business in New York City; Kate, who
  married H. J. Tappan, who also resides in New York City; Elizabeth, deceased;
  and William, a dry goods merchant in Hoboken, N. J.
  
    James McFarlane, after obtaining a good education in a private school and
  attaining his majority, became a member of the firm Thorn, McFarlane & Co.,
  composed of himself, Jonathan and William Thorn, dealers in hides and leather,
  with headquarters at No. 76 Gold street, New York City. Being men of ambition
  and energy the firm soon grew to be one of influence and bought many tracts of
  land in Pennsylvania and erected a number of tanneries, owning at one time as
  much as 40,000 acres of valuable land. The firm purchased the Laporte tannery,
  which at the time was a very small concern, at a sheriff's sale and immediately
  rebuilt it, and subsequently added to it from time to time until at the present
  day it covers many acres of land and ranks among the foremost tanneries of the
  state. Much of the land which the firm owned was covered with hemlock forest and
  our subject moved to Laporte in order to superintend its clearing, and at the
  same time built many tenement houses. He established the Thorndale tannery,
  which he operated very successfully for fifteen years, established a small
  general store, and in all gave employment to several hundred men. In 1893 the
  firm disposed of its entire estate to the Union Tanning Company, and Mr.
  McFarlane, who owned a private estate of four hundred acres and a store in
  Laporte, remained in the latter borough and has since conducted the store and
  operated the farm, which he improved to such an extent that it is now considered
  one of the best estates in that vicinity. The store building was a two-story
  affair, the second floor being used as a Sabbath School room and the first floor
  as the store, which was operated on a small scale. Upon assuming the management
  of the latter our subject re-stocked it with a new and complete line of general
  merchandise, utilizing both floors, and made many improvements. Business
  increased with great rapidity, and the building has since been enlarged and he
  now handles almost every article that may be demanded by his customers, carrying
  a complete line of dry goods, ready-made clothing, groceries, crockery,
  hardware, drugs, hats and caps, boots and shoes, oils and paints, and many other
  useful articles. He built a saw-mill near the railroad station which he operates
  extensively, as he obtains the timber from his land in Forks township. Mr.
  Mc-Farlane is a man of public spirit and he has done all within his power to
  elevate the standing of the town of Laporte. While the tannery was under his
  superintendence he built the depot at that point, in which he permitted the
  Roman Catholics to hold services, and also allowed it to be used as a
  school-house until the new building was built, the latter being erected upon
  land which he liberally donated. In politics our subject is a stanch Democrat
  and has served as councilman and superintendent of schools. He has ever
  performed the obligations of a dutiful citizen and is held in high esteem by a
  large circle of acquaintances throughout the section.
  
    Mr. McFarlane was joined in hymeneal bonds to Augusta L. Lovett, daughter of
  John Lovett, a retired merchant of New York City, by whom he is the father of
  three children: James, Jr., who is associated in business with Austin, Nicholas
  & Co., of New York City; Ada, who resides at home; and William, whose sad death
  at the age of twenty years, just prior to the time of his graduation from the
  Stephens College of Hoboken, resulted from too close confinement to his studies.
  
  
  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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