Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
Lawrence County Pennsylvania 1897
[p. 122] a prominent and well-to-do farmer of Neshannock township, was born on the farm he now owns and operates, Oct. 13, 1822. He is a son of Lot and Margaret (Houston) Watson, the former of Penn Valley Pa., and the latter of Mercer Co., Pa. Our subject's paternal grandfather was a native of Ireland, but came to this country when a young man, and settled in Penn Valley about 1765 on a tract of land, which he brought into cultivation, and where he made his home, engaged in agricultural pursuits the remainder of his life, being highly esteemed as a sober, industrious citizen, and as one who by unceasing toil and good foresight had accumulated a comfortable competence. He enlisted and fought in the War of Independence. He was a Whig in respect to his political views. He and his family were United Presbyterians in religious attachments. To him and his first wife were born the following children: William; Thomas; John; James; Nancy, who was the mother of Gen. Irvin; Margaret; and Lot. He married a second time and added three children to his family: Nellie; Robert; and Joseph.
Lot Watson was educated in the schools of Penn Valley, and in 1805, settled on the farm, now owned by his son, which he cleared and put in a high state of cultivation. The farm contains 157 acres, 100 of which are yearly put to various farm crops, and is admirably adapted to general farming and stock raising; it is situated about three miles north of New Castle. Our subject's father fought in the War of 1812. He was a Whig in his politics, and served the township of which he was a citizen as school-director, auditor, assessor, as well as in several minor capacities. He was twice married. His first wife, who was Margaret Cunningham of Neshannock township, bore him four children: James; Isabel; William and Samuel. After the death of his first wife, he entered into a second matrimonial alliance with Margaret Houston, daughter of Col. Houston, an officer in the Revolutionary Army, and by this union he became the parent of eleven more children: Hiram; Harriet (Fisher); Nancy; Dixon; John; Margaret (McCreary); Lot; Thomas; Sarah (Garrett); Julia (Boyd); and Elizabeth (Love). In his religious leanings he was a United Presbyterian. His death occurred in 1863, when aged seventy-seven years; his second wife departed her life in l877, aged seventy-five years.
Hiram Watson attended school and worked on the farm till he was twenty-eight years old, and then left home, but still followed the same occupation of farming. In 1863, he returned to the paternal estate, which he purchased at that time, and has since been very successfully engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is a Republican in his politics, and has held the offices of school director, assessor, supervisor, and took the census of the township in 1880.
Mr. Watson was married in 1850 to Rebecca Gibson, daughter of William Gibson, and this union has been abundantly blessed with eleven children: Harriet Jenevra, who married first Oscar Hazen and had one child, Roy, and on the death of her first husband married James Martin; Margaret, who married Frank Maitland of Youngstown, Ohio; William A., who married Edith Mitchell, and has seven children—Frank, Mary R., Howard, Irene, Edgar, Albert, and an infant unnamed; Sarah; Thomas, who married Alfretta Bowles of Topeka, Kan., and has one child, Walter B.; Alice, who married Charles Donaldson of Neshannock township, and has three children, J. Roscoe, Harold W., and Carl H.; Harry I.; Rebecca B., and two that died in infancy. The family are strong Presbyterians and Mr. Watson has been a member of the session since 1853. He was a member of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, which was held in Saratoga, N. Y., in May, 1896. He is sincere in his convictions, forms his opinions with deliberation, and adheres to them with manly courage and fidelity.
Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens Lawrence County Pennsylvania
Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
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Updated: 29 Apr 2001