Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
Lawrence County Pennsylvania 1897
[p. 631] Among the brainy young men of the city of New Castle, whose future seems especially bright, there are few whom it would give us greater pleasure to give a place in this Book of Biographies than the gentleman whose name heads this short sketch. The present age is an age of inventions and labor-saving devices, and special attention has been given in late years to the study of mechanics; our subject is an expert on mechanical contrivances and inventions, and quite a number of patents on various processes and utensils in the manufacture of iron have been taken out under the direction of Mr. Courtney.
The subject of this sketch was born March 8, 1868, and is a son of David M. and Lizzie C. (Curran) Courtney, the former of Mercer Co., Pa., and the latter a native of Zanesville, Ohio. David M. Courtney was born in Wolf Creek, Pa., in 1810, and after obtaining a common school education in the schools of his native place, worked in an iron furnace. Later on he took charge of a furnace for a few years, finally removing to New Castle, where he engaged in a general mercantile business on Neshannock Avenue. He was a prominent man in public affairs, and as a Democrat was elected to the office of county commissioner. He was twice married. His first wife was Violetta Fox of New Castle, and from this union there resulted the following children: Charlie F.; Henry, deceased; Ellen (Mrs. Edward Patterson); Thomas; Anna; and Edward L. After his first wife's death he was again joined in marriage, the bride being Elizabeth C. Curran, daughter of Brice Curran; this took place in 1867. Two children were the fruit of this union: Philip T. and Mary W.
Our subject was a pupil of the New Castle schools until he was sixteen years of age, when he learned the machinist's trade and worked at pattern-making about two years. At the age of twenty years he turned his attention to mechanical drawing, and has been more or less engaged in that occupation since as an experienced draughtsman; he has made several designs from which valuable machines have been constructed for use in the manufacture of iron. It was chiefly through Mr. Courtney's untiring efforts that the New Castle Tube Mill located at New Castle and he is interested in its financial success as a stockholder in the concern. He is at present engaged in the manufacture of a horseless carriage. Mr. Courtney is a man of rare mechanical ability, and will some time rank among America's noted inventors. He is a Democrat politically.
Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens Lawrence County Pennsylvania
Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
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Updated: 26 Jul 2001