Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/655

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

550

COLUMBIA ANT) MONTOUR COUNTIES

He was in the action ac Chanibcrsburg, and was lying in camp while the l>atilc o f Antietam w as iKing fought. Dr. H ar]xl has given loyal sen'icc as a public official also, leaving been a school director for nine years in Danville, lie belongs to the State Homeopathic Medical Society and to the Inter-*State Homeopathic Medical Society o f Pennsylvania and New Y ork. I'ratcrnaUy he is a mcinl>er o f tiie Odd Fellows and a past grand of the local organization* M yrtle Lodge* No. 858. ancl also liclongs to the grand lodge of the State and to Mnenioloton Kncanipmcnt. No. 40. of Dan­ ville. i lis church membcrshi)) is in St. Paul’s Methodist Church, which he formerly served as trustee for a number o f years. On Dec. 4, 1883* Dr. Haqiel was married to Kuphemia A. Brader. who w as liorn Dec. 3* t86o* daughter o f Joseph M. and Minerva t W ight) Brad er; the former a minister of tlte Evangelical Association. Mr. Brader was bom Feb. 24, 1839. and died Dec. 25. 1881); his w ife, bom Sept. 9* 18 4 1, died M ay 20, I9M . Dr. and Mrs. Harpel have two chil­ dren: Martha ixirn Feb. 14. i88fi* is the w ife o f 'I'heodore Angle, editor of the Morntm/ X ctvs o f D anville: Frances Eugenia, born May 2^}. 1895. graduated from the Danville high school in 19 13 . and completed the course in music at the Hloomsburg State normal school as a mcmlicr of the class of 1914. R FA ’ . J A M E S W O I.I.A S T O N K IK K! I). 1).. eleventh minister of the Mahoning I'resbytcrian Churcli* Dauville. I'a.. has l>eeu in this charge since u p / . Dr. K irk is a I'ctmsylvanian. o f Scotch-Irish stock, the old fam ily Bible showing that his grandfather* Jam es K irk, Ixirn Aug. 18. 1776* <lic<l Feb. 2 1, 1858, married Margaret llillis* Ixirn Sept. 16, t ^ 5 . and <lie<l Ju n e 5, 18 3 1. Both were of ^'Otch descent. Aliout they emigrated from County Down. Ireland, to the United States* and made thcir home in Debt ware. By occupation they were fam icrs. T hey had eight children, four o f whom, sons, grew to manhofxl. Rolicrt and David* twins, were Ixjni .Aug. 2(i. 1809. Roliert K irk became a contractor and huiUlcr. serving seven years to learn the trade thoroughly. .About 1840 he took up his rcsidciH'c in Fairvicw township. E ric Co.. Pa., and on .April 10* 1844. married Elizalicth Fargo, soon afterw ard settling u|X)n a farm in the same township two miles smith of the shores o f I .akc Erie. Elizalicth Fargo, bom in Fairvicw township. Eric Co., I'a.* Oct. 7, 18 17, w as the yo u n go l o f twelve children.

Her father, ^ 'homas T urner Fargo, was burn 1 in .New [.ondon. Conn.. M ay ly* i j i P, and died Oct. 6, 18 6 1. H is father and eldest brother were stanch defenders of the Colonics in the w ar of the Revolution. Thus Mrs. K irk was a lineal member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her mother was Cynthia Randall* of Rhode Island* born .March t/87. died M ay 19* 18 6 1. Both the I'argo .and Randall families were of Welsh descent. They also were fam iers. Jam es Wollaston K irk, son o f Robert and Elizabeth (F a rg o! Kirk* was Ixim in Fairview, E ric Co., Pa., and w as the fourth of seven children* all o f whom grew to full age. In early life he attended the public schools and later taught in them. In 1870 he studied in V'entiiiiioii Institute. Hayesville* Ohio, and in 18 7 1-7 3 in the West Je rse y .Academy. Bridgeton* N. J . In the latter institution he also tutored fo r two years. In (873 he en­ tered the junior class of the U niversity of Wooster, Wcwstcr* Ohio, from w*hich he w as graduated in the class o f 1875. Persuaded that his calling was to l>e in the go^>eI m in­ istry he entered Princeton Theological Sem ­ inary in 187$* and graduated from that in­ stitution in the class o f 1878. T he summer o f 1878 Dr. K irk spent as pulpit supply of the French Creek Presliytcrian Church* in Upshur county. W. V’a. In the autumn of the same year he l>ccamc pas­ tor’s assistant in the Olivet Presbyterian Church. Philadelphia. Pa.* working in the Hebron mission, now the Hebron P resby­ terian Church. In 1879 he liecame pastor’s assistant in the First Presbyterian Church, Cicnnantown. Philadelphia, in 1880 he a c ­ cepted a cal) to the pastorate of the .Ash­ bourne (P a .) Presbyterian Church, but r e ­ cently o^anized* thus becoming its first jiasior. In 1882 he accepted a call tendered hy the I,cveringioii Presb)ierian O uitch, Ridge and I^vcrington avenues. I'hiladelphia. Pa., and r e ­ mained in this pastorate seventeen years* resigning in to accept a call from the P re s­ byterian Board o f Home Missions to assist in the organization o f mission work along the Yukon river, in the arctic portion o f Alaska. H e was stationed at a point now known as Eagle, in the far interior o f that country. A fte r four seasons spent under the strenuous conditions o f that pioneer life D r. K irk was granted a furlough, during which he l>ecame cliaplain for the summer o f 1903 at Fort Stanton* N. M cx. It w as arranged l>etwecn the department at Washington and the Board o f Missions in New' Y o rk lhal Dr. K irk might