[p. 388] a well known and respected citizen of North Beaver Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, with his sisters, is the owner of a fine farm of 194 acres, situated about three miles west of Mount Jackson, on the Springfield road. He was born on this farm March 22, 1864, and is a son of William and Jane (McClelland) Duff. His grandfather, James Duff, was a pioneer settler of this township.
William Duff, the father, was born on a farm and lived in this community all his life, engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was a successful farmer and a man of considerable prominence. His first marriage was with Hannah Sherer, by whom he had several children, all of whom died in infancy, except a son, Hernando, who met death in the Union Army while serving in the Civil War. Mr. Duff formed a second union With Jane McClelland, who was born in Lawrence County, and was a daughter of William McClelland. Six children were born to them, one dying in infancy. Those who grew to maturity are as follows: Mary E., who died in 1903; Martha J., Mina E., Lizzie H., and William J. Both parents died on the home farm in North Beaver Township.
William J. Duff was reared and has always resided on the old home place, which has been in the Duff family for so many years. It is a finely improved farm, with two dwellings, in one of which his sisters live, and well equipped with barns and outbuildings, so necessary for the successful prosecution of farm work. He is a man of modern ideas, which he brings into play in his work, and the results accomplished have justified the methods he employs. He takes rank among the substantial men of the township, and takes a wholesome and public-spirited interest in all that pertains to the development and prosperity of the community.
Mr. Duff was united in marriage with Elizabeth Walker, who was born in Pulaski Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and is a daughter of John and Mary (Cowden) Walker, an old family of the county. Four children were born to bless their union: Wendell W., Margaret I., Clarence W., and Robert A. Politically, Mr. Duff is a Prohibitionist. He is a member of Westfield Presbyterian Church, of which he has been ruling elder for some years.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
Previous Biography | Table of Contents | Next Biography
Explanation/Caution | Lawrence Co. Maps | Lawrence Co. Histories
Updated: 15 Oct 2001