[p. 729] president of the Board of County Commissioners of Lawrence County, is a successful agriculturist and one of the best known and most popular citizens. He is a native of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, and was born in North Beaver Township, February 12, 1852. His parents were Daniel and Susan (Miller) Pitts.
For several generations the ancestors of Mr. Pitts have been Pennsylvanians. His great-grandfather, Michael Pitts, was born in Berks County, lived for a time in Lancaster County, and came to North Beaver Township, Lawrence County, among the first settlers. He established his home in the western part of the township, a locality in which his descendants have ever since been large land owners. He secured 300 acres of land, built a primitive log cabin and resided in North Beaver Township until his death in old age. Four sons survived to perpetuate his good name, Michael, William, John and David.
John Pitts, grandfather of John F., was born in Lancaster County Pennsylvania, but accompanied his father to Lawrence County. He was trained to agriculture and acquired first a farm near Zion Church, which he cleared from its wild condition. Following thrift and good management, he became the owner of more than 300 acres of land. He died at the age of seventy-eight years and was known all through the section in which he lived as a man of probity as well as of substance. He married Annie Painter and they reared children as follows: Adam, David, John, Annie, Catherine and Daniel.
Daniel Pitts, father of John F., was born in North Beaver Township. For the greater part of his life he followed the blacksmith trade and he was also an expert butcher. In the days when each family provided its own meat, a capable butcher was in great demand all over the country, more especially in the fall of the year, when large provision was made for winter supplies. He was a worthy citizen and a good neighbor and many testified to the same when his death took place in 1865. He married Susan Miller, who still resides on the old homestead. They had the following children: John F., Emma, Samantha Jane, Alfred, Catherine, Lewis H. and Mary Eliza. Of these three are deceased: Samantha Jane, Catherine and Mary Eliza.
John F. Pitts attended the Martin School, near his home, through boyhood. In 1870 he went to Canfield, Ohio, where he concluded his apprenticeship of three years to the trade of carriage building and wood-working. Returning home in 1873, he bought out the business of D. I. Hill, at Mt. Jackson, secured the old schoolhouse, which was earlier used as a church, raised it and placed a basement underneath and thus provided excellent quarters for carrying on his business of manufacturing lumber and heavy wagons, trucks, drays and carriages, in which he embarked on a large scale. He successfully conducted this business alone until 1887, when his brother, Lewis H. Pitts became associated with him and together they developed it into large proportions. In 1890, O. L. Miller was admitted to the firm and the style of Pitts Brothers & Miller was adopted. In addition to their extensive manufacturing and repair business, the firm handled a full line of farming implements.
Mr. Pitts owns a large amount of valuable property, his fine residence standing on the site where Mr. Henry built the first house erected at Mt. Jackson. He married Louise Mollenkopf, who is a daughter of Daniel Mollenkopf, a well-known citizen of North Beaver Township.
Their family consists of seven children, namely: Rena, Hattie, Laura, Warren, Harrison, William and Elmira.
A stanch Republican in politics, Mr. Pitts has held many local offices in the gift of his party, including that of postmaster at Mt. Jackson. In the office of county commissioner he has made a creditable record and has demonstrated that he is possessed of good business foresight, sound judgment and fidelity to the interests of the public. He has been nominated for a second term and this nomination is equivalent to election. He is an active member of the Knights of Pythias, in which he is a past chancellor. In religious faith he is in accord with the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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: 10 Dec 2001