[p. 431] a leading member of the Lawrence County bar and an enterprising and public-spirited citizen of New Castle, was born in the city in which he resides, September 30, 1864, and is a son of William S. and Margaret C. (Curry) Emery.
The early family records of the Emerys coincide with those of the city of New Castle, for David Emery, the grandfather of Samuel P., was one of the early settlers of the place. He carried on a blacksmith business here when the village was the center of a but sparsely settled neighborhood, and later he was a prominent public official, being chosen the first sheriff when Lawrence County was organized, in 1849. He was a man well fitted for the responsibilities of public life and had many interests to look after. He engaged in railroad contracting for some years, and during the Civil War he held the office of postmaster at New Castle. After a career of great activity he finally retired to private life and his death took place in 1880. He married Sarah Jack, who belonged to the prominent family of that name in Butler County, and they had the following children: Benjamin, J. Reed, William S., Mrs. Mary A. Kiefer, Mrs. Isophena Nessle and Samuel.
William S. Emery, father of Samuel P., was born at New Castle, in 1836, and died 1890. Like his father, he was a man of business stability and of sterling character. During his father's incumbency as postmaster he was his assistant, and later he went into partnership with a brother, conducting a grocery store until 1873. His subsequent life was passed in retirement.
Samuel P. Emery was an only child and he was afforded both educational and social advantages. He passed from the public schools of New Castle to Geneva College, at Beaver Falls, where he was graduated in the class of 1887. His law education was secured with the prominent law firm of Dana & Long, at New Castle, and since his admission to the bar, in June, 1889, he has been actively engaged in the practice of his profession in his native city. Following in the footsteps of his father, his political identification has always been with the Republican party, and on that ticket he was elected district attorney, a responsible office which he efficiently filled for three years. Aside from serving as a member of the City Council, Mr. Emery has not been particularly active in politics, although always ready to assist in movements which give promise of benefitting the community. He is one of the men whose opinion is asked and judgment consulted when plans are outlined to make New Castle a still more important center than it has yet become.
20th Century History of New Castle and Lawrence County Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens Hon. Aaron L. Hazen Richmond-Arnold Publishing Company, Chicago, Ill., 1908
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