BIOGRAPHY: A. W. GREEN, Cambria County, PA 

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From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria 
County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 271-2
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A. W. GREEN, a merchant of Chest Springs, this county, is a son of William and 
Eliza (Beckett) Green, and was born near Freeport, in Butler county, 
Pennsylvania, October 22, 1821.
     Nathaniel Green, grandfather, was a native of County Antrim, Ireland, where 
he followed farming all his life in the parish of Ballendery. In the latter 
parish was born William Green, the father of the subject of this record. He was 
born early in the present century, and in July, 1821, with his young wife, came 
to America. He located for a short time in Butler county, and later at the salt 
works near Freeport, where he remained about three years, and then removed to 
Pittsburg, and there learned the trade of plasterer, which trade he followed in 
that city until 1850. Upon the latter date, he purchased a farm near 
Strongstown, Indiana county, and lived upon it until the death of his wife, in 
1856, when he returned to Pittsburg, and made that city his home until his 
death, which occurred in 1857, at the age of about fifty-five years. In 
religious matters, he was in his earlier years an Episcopalian, but later cast 
his church affiliations with the Methodist Episcopal church. In matters of 
politics, he was originally a democrat, and later a staunch whig. He married 
Miss Eliza Beckett, an Irish lady of his native parish, and they became the 
parents of eleven children: A. W., subject; Helena, widow of D.C. Kurtz, now of 
Washington, D.C.; Mary Ann, deceased, was the wife of William Hines; James, died 
in infancy; Thomas Nelson, who, when last heard from, was in the army of the 
Southern Confederacy; Eliza, died in early girlhood; Sarah died in infancy; 
William H., deceased; James and Matthew, merchants of Pittsburg. A. W. Green 
received his educational training in the common schools of Pittsburg. He then 
served a five years' apprenticeship at the carpenter trade, pursuing that trade 
from 1837 until 1850, in Pittsburg. After finishing his trade in 1842, he took 
to contracting and building in that city, until 1847, being a member of the firm 
of Lyons & Green, a firm that did an extensive and prosperous business. In 1847 
he formed a partnership with John Gettys, under the firm name of Green & Gettys, 
and went to the city of St. Louis, where they operated one year. The next year 
they came back to Pittsburg, and remained until 1850. The latter year he 
purchased a farm near Strongstown, Indiana county, consisting of one hundred and 
fifty-five acres, and lived upon it, jointly following farming and carpentering 
until 1857, when he removed to Chest Springs, this county, and followed his 
trade a short time, when, in connection with his brother William, he founded the 
first planing-mill of Chest Springs, and also operated a steam sawmill in 
connection with it, shipping the product to the Pittsburg and Philadelphia 
markets. This partnership continued two years, when the subject of this sketch 
became sole owner, and operated it alone for a time, and then sold out, together 
with all his possessions in Chest Springs, which included considerable real 
estate, and in 1867 removed to Iowa county, Iowa. There he purchased a farm of 
one hundred and thirty acres, and for a time followed farming and carpentering. 
He remained in Iowa county twenty- three years, and built, during that time, 
thirteen churches. In 1889 his wife died, and shortly afterward he returned to 
Chest Springs, where he embarked in the confectionery business, which was later 
enlarged to a green grocery and notion store. Politically he is a republican, 
and served a number of terms in Iowa as a member of the school board. 
Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order, and is a past grand 
representative of the Grand Lodge of Iowa I.0.0.F. He is a member of the 
Methodist Episcopal church.
     He has been twice married. His first marriage was on April 2, 1844, with 
Miss Elizabeth Luker, of Allegheny city, and this marriage resulted in the birth 
of nine children: James L., a carpenter who lives at Deep River, Iowa; Rachel 
Matilda, wife of D. C. Little, a carpenter of Summit, Pennsylvania; John R. a 
carpenter of Grinnell, Iowa; Wesley L., deceased; Elizabeth Annabelle, wife of 
Charles Wessels, superintendent of the Grinnell Agricultural works, at Grinnell, 
Iowa; Angeline Frances, wife of Finley Glendennin, also of Grinnell; Mary 
Catherine, wife of John Brown, of Graham county, Kansas; and Henry W., deceased. 
On January 14, 1890, Mr. Green married as his second wife Miss Jane Douglas, of 
Chest Springs.