[p. 660] an extensive owner and operator in real estate and actively identified with many of the leading interests of New Castle, is a citizen who is deservedly held in high esteem. He was born in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, July 3, 1851, and is a son of Jeremiah Watson, and a grandson of James Watson.
The late Jeremiah Watson was born in 1812 and died in 1878. He was a prosperous and well known farmer and dairyman, near Windsor, Broome County, New York. He married Parmelia Rockwell, who was the daughter of a merchant, a woman of fine education and was born at Yonkers, New York, 1810, and died in 1889. They had the following children: Edward M., residing at Westfield, New York; Henry L., residing at Portland, New York; Albert S., residing at Westfield; Julia, widow of C. N. Wetmore of Great Bend, Pennsylvania, now living in Binghamton, N. Y.; Elizabeth, wife of D. D, Terrill, residing at Franklin Forks, Pennsylvania; and Philip J., of New Castle. The grandfather came from County Armagh, Ireland, near Belfast. He was a Presbyterian. His father was of Scotch descent, a land owner and linen manufacturer.
At the age of fifteen years, Philip J. Watson left home to carve out his own fortune. Having been equipped with a good, district school education he began to teach when eighteen years old during the winter seasons, and continued teaching four years and he worked as a carpenter in the meantime, a portion of one year. He then went out on the road selling Vermont and Massachusetts granite, and after about three years of traveling experience, became a salesman for the Appleton Publishing House of New York City, in the encyclopedic department, where he continued for the next eleven years. From that old time standard publishing company, Mr. Watson went into the Bankers' Loan and Investment Company, of New York City, and during his connection of eighteen months, he invested his own capital in Buffalo real estate, which was a wise and farsighted piece of business. In 1892, Mr. Watson came to New Castle and purchased thirty-five acres of the Matthew Irvin estate, a rough and unimproved tract lying on what is now Highland Avenue. Here Mr. Watson built his home and platted the remainder of the land, subsequently selling building lots here on which have been erected some of the finest residences in the city. Improvements of all kinds have been extended here and many of the capitalists of New Castle have found this to be the most desirable place of residence and own fine homes here.
Mr. Watson, having succeeded so well with his first venture in Lawrence County, next bought the Henry C. Falls farm of 126 acres and organized the Oak Park cemtery Association, laying out and beautifully improving forty-two acres, now enlarged to about sixty-five acres, for this purpose. Mr. Watson selected and purchased with the aid of Mr. E. T. Kurtz, and directed the starting, with very few exceptions, of all of the beautiful shrubs and trees that adorn what is recognized as one of the most attractive cemeteries in the State. With the exception of two years, he has served as president of the cemetery association ever since its organization. Mr. Watson has been very active in fostering plans for public improvements of various kinds, has been interested in extending the scope of public utilities to additional territory and was one of the main movers in having the electric street car lines extended to Highland Avenue. One man like Mr. Watson in a community is worth, to the public, more than one hundred indifferent citizens.
Mr. Watson was married July 23, 1879, to Miss Nellie A. Comstock, who is a daughter of Abner Comstock, of Windsor, New York, and they have five children: Arthur C., who is assistant engineer of the Vincennes & Indianapolis Railroad, with office headquarters at Indianapolis, Ind. Ruth A., Philip J., John R. and Francis Dorothy. Arthur C. is a graduate of Washington-Jefferson College. Ruth A. is a graduate of the New Castle High School and of Miss Wheelock's Kindergarten Teachers' Training School of Boston, and is now connected with philanthropic work in the Alfred Corning Clark Neighborhood House, in New York city. Philip J., Jr., is a civil engineer by profession. He took a special two years' course of study in Princeton University and for two years has been engaged in active railroad engineering. He is now with the Missouri Pacific Railroad. The youngest son, John R., expects to graduate from the high school the current year of 1908. Frances Dorothy, the youngest, is still in the grammar school. Mr. Watson has afforded his children every educational advantage and they have won their own way socially.
Mr. Watson is a member of the session of First Presbyterian Church at New Castle. Formerly he was president of the Young Men's Christian Association of this city for several years and was for four years president of the Lawrence County Sabbath-school Association, an organization of about fifty years standing, embracing the Sabbath schools, of all denominations, of the city of New Castle and of Lawrence County.
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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