[p. 906] the genial proprietor of the St. Charles Hotel, at New Castle, is a well known citizen and is a member of one of the oldest county families. He was born in Union Township, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, in 1866, and is a son of James McWilliams.
James McWilliams, father of J. Edwin, is a son of James McWilliams, a former magistrate and a pioneer settler in this section. The present James McWilliams was born in Lawrence County, where he has spent his life. He engaged in farming for a number of years and later in broom manufacturing. He has been prominently identified with Republican politics, served for nineteen years as a school director in Union Township and at present, although he has reached his seventy-fourth year, is efficiently serving in the office of tax collector, for the Sixth Ward of New Castle.
J. Edwin McWilliams left school when he was about twelve years of age, an active life appealing to him more than his books at that time, and he started out to become the capitalist he now is by serving on a delivery wagon. Later he became a teamster of coal between Coaltown and the sheet mill and after the hard work that labor entailed, found more congenial employment in the manufacture of and dealing in mineral waters, still later going into the quarry business. For some years he quarried building stone and engaged in street building contracting, after which he resumed the mineral water business and remained interested in that for seven years. In February, 1895, Mr. McWilliams took charge of the St. Charles Hotel which he has conducted ever since as a first class house. He has other interests.
In February, 1887, Mr. McWilliams was married to Miss Margaret White, and they have two sons: Charles Edwin and George Alfred. Mr. McWilliams is an active Republican and has served for four years on the Republican County Committee. He also was a member of the New Castle city council for several terms and is known as a broad-minded, public-spirited citizen. He belongs to the Knights of Pythias and to the Elks.
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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Updated: 26 Jan 2002