Bios: CHARLES F. BUCHANAN: Lawrence County, Pennsylvania

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  Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lawrence Co transcribers.
  Coordinated by Ed McClelland

  Copyright 2004.  All rights reserved.
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
 
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  Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
  Lawrence County Pennsylvania
  Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
  
  An html version with search engine may be found at 
  
  http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/lawrence/1897/
  
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    CHARLES F. BUCHANAN,
    
    [p. 176] funeral director and furnishing undertaker of Ellwood City, Wayne
  township, this county, is one of the leading business men of that city; he
  was one of the first to locate in Ellwood City as a desirable field, and
  during all the years of his residence there has been included among the first
  promoters of the place, active and energetic, almost untiring in his efforts
  to advance the interests and welfare of what is one of the most remarkable
  cities of its size and years in Western Pennsylvania. He was a son of Andrew
  and Rosanna (Means) Buchanan, and numbers his days from March 16, 1850, when
  he began life near New Castle, Lawrence County.
    
    Andrew Buchanan was born in Germantown, Philadelphia County, Pa., near the
  City of Brotherly Love, and was Scotch by descent. He learned the carpenter's
  and shipbuilder's trades, and when a young man came to New Castle, and became
  the owner of a farm near East Brook, five miles from the city limits. He
  carried on farming there, although never wholly giving up his trade; he was
  naturally of a strong, rugged constitution, and met his death by accident
  while he was building a bridge, receiving a fall, that terminated his life at
  the age of fifty-six. His wife survived until 1880, and rounded out an
  allotment of seventy-four years. Their children were: Andrew, William,
  Elizabeth, James, and Charles F.
    
    Charles F. Buchanan, whose parentage has just been delineated, entered a
  commission-house as clerk when he was sixteen years of age. After some time
  in such employment, he secured a place in an undertaking establishment of
  Cincinnati, where he learned the art, and became skilled in the work. For
  four years he was in Western States, and then made his way back to
  Pennsylvania, and from 1881 to 1884 assisted Braby & Harmony in undertaking.
  In 1884 he went to Portland, Indiana, and formed a partnership, which went by
  the name of Lusk & Buchanan; he retained his share in the furniture and
  undertaking for a year, when he sold his interest, and came to New Castle,
  and was employed by undertaker A. Vandenvort until 1886, when the concern
  passed into the hands of S. Dunn & Son. At this time, Mr. Buchanan found a
  suitable opportunity to buy the stock and business of W. H. Braby of Wampum,
  and he has since carried on an establishment of his own there. In 1890, he
  built on Lawrence Avenue, Ellwood City, a business block, 22X60 feet on the
  ground, which is now owned by Dr. George J. Boyd, one of the leading
  physicians and surgeons of that city. This block was built on the tract of
  land, originally in the John Hazen farm, which was laid out in city lots; in
  this block he opened up a furniture store and undertaking establishment,
  which he conducted for six years, when he disposed of the furniture
  department on Feb. 1, 1897, and built an office and undertaking rooms on
  Sixth Street. Of the public works, in which Mr. Buchanan has taken a
  prominent part, one was the introduction of the Bell telephone system for
  general use in 1891, and in 1893 he was foremost in having a connection made
  with the long distance telephone, thus bringing Ellwood City into ready
  communication with all the cities for hundreds of miles around. Mr. Buchanan
  acted as postmaster of Ellwood City from June, 1891, to November, 1892, and
  also served in the city council for three years.
    
    His wife is an estimable lady, formerly Mrs. Carrie Taylor, and a daughter
  of William White of New Castle. Mr. Buchanan is a member and Past Grand of
  Wampum Lodge, No. 865, I. O. O. F.; he is also a member of Pludella Lodge,
  Knights of Pythias, of New Castle; and the Elks Lodge, No. 283, of Rochester,
  Beaver Co., Pa. Mr. Buchanan, as has been stated, controls two undertaking
  establishments, one in Wampum, and the other in Ellwood City; he is prepared
  to furnish undertaking furnishings or act as funeral director; he makes a
  specialty of providing cut flowers. He is peculiarly fitted for his
  occupation, and faithfully executes the wishes of a large circle of patrons;
  as a mortician his long experience has rendered him an adept.