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/323

 COLUM BIA AXD MOXTOUR COUNTIES vcnicnt kind o l workman to have in a com ­ munity w here three-legged stools were chiefly the seats o i honor, l i e died in 18 5 1. H is children w ere Joseph, Duncan, Ja n e. Frances. Kmity ^w ife o f Samuel F ard o c) and Sarah (w ife o f lico rg c V. F o rre st). Rev. I s a a c G r i e k, S . T . D., w as the son of John G rier, who in the seventeenth cen­ tury w as rescued a s he and his w ife were abcmt to Ik: driven into one of the lakes o f Ireland on account of their religion. John Grier and his w ife fled to this country and settled in the Cumberland valley. R ev. Isaac Grier w as l>om in 1764. H e graduated at Dickin.'on Coll«?ge in 178 8 and entered ffic Presbyterian ministr)* in t ^ t. H e studied theology with R ev. Thom as Cooper, D. D .. of Middle Sp rin g Church, in the Cumberland valley, and m arried D r. Cooper's daughter. He settled at Northum berland and estab­ lished there the brick college so w ell known throughout all this region. D r. G rie r was called, in 1794, to the pastorate of the three congregations which in 179 2 were combined to form the G reat Island Church in wliat is now Lock H aven. The follow ing were the children o f Dr. Isaac G rie r and his w ife : ( i ) Hon. Robert C. G rier, mentioned in Chapter V I among the members of the bar at Danville. H e was an eminent law yer and in 1846 w as appointed, by President Polk, a ju slicc of the Suprem e court of the United St.itcs. H e w as long an elder in Dr. IJordm an's Church, Philadcl|diia. 12 ) Thom as G rier, who attended Princeton College and taught fo r some time in the D an­ ville .Academy. ( 3 ) Rev. Isaac G rier, D. D., for nearly fifty years (>astor of the B uffalo Prcsbvterian Clturch, and fo r {a r t of the time, in connection with the B u ffalo charge, {lastor of W hite D eer Church. Ijoih in the Presby­ tery o f Northumlicrland. " A n active and usefu f pastor, greatly lielovcd by the j)COple whom he served so long, and held in high esteem hy his co-prcsbytcrs." (4 ) Jo h n C . G rier, for many years a merchant and active citizen in D anillc. interested in all that w as good and fo r the u plifting of the town. .About 1845 he removed to Peoria, III., and died about 1895. aged ninety years. ( 5 ) Michael C. G rie r, fo r many years one of the substan­ tial ,md leading citizens o f Danville. H e w as king a ruling elder in the M ahoning P resb y­ terian Church and afterw ard s in the G rove Church, in the organization o f which he took an active part. H e m arried Isabella M ont­ gomery. daughter o f .Alexander M ontgom ery, and a fte r h e r death m arried her sister, M ary

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.Montgomery. H e wa.s the father o f I. X. G rie r and R ev. Jo h n B. G rier, D. D., o f Dan­ ville, W illiam A lexan d er ,M. G rier, now o f Brooklyn, ,. Y .. M rs. M ary E ly, o f Peoria, III., and .Mrs. Jen nie Youngm an, now de­ ceased. H e died Dec. 25, 1879. (^ ) Gen. W illiam N. G rier, a graduate o f W est Point and a brigadier general in the regular arm y, who sjicnt much o f his life in the m ilitary service o f his country, in N ew M exico and other places on the frontier. H e served fo r some time in the .Army of the Potomac d u r­ ing the C ivil war, under the command o f Gen. George B. M cClellan. ( 7 ) M artha B. G rier, who m arried Jo lm Thom as O rr, o f Kittanning. P a. (8 ) F.iizabcth G rier, who married Rev. Thom as C. Strong^, D. D ., of the Dutch R eform ed Church o f Flatbush, Long Island. (9 ) Ja n e G rier, who m arried W illiam Hibblcr. o f W ilkes-B arre, I*a. ( to) M arraret G rier, who m arried H enry C. Sproul, ror a long time clerk of the United S ta le s District court at PitLsbutg. ( 1 1 ) Anna G rier, who died unmarried. Nov. 24. 1784. is the date of the oldest rec­ ord extant containing a partial list o f those who were first here. It w as a subscription {laper. draw n by Gen. W illiam Monlgom er)’’s hand and entitled "P reach in g Subscription." It was not especially sectarian, and a s all men in those days were deeply religious in faith and pined fo r the expounding o f G od's word, it is quite probable that the list contained nearly every head o f a fam ily then in the county who w as able to subscribe tow ards the desired fund. It is an interesting relic. T o their descendants it is a kind o f “ Declaration o f Independence signers.” and it is due their memories that their histories, so fa r as can be now obtained, be gathered up. T ^ e list is here given in fu ll, and follow ing it is such an account of their descendants as it has been possible to gather from some of the oldest citizens. Foiiow ing is the document and (he amounts respectively subscribed: W c. th e M ibscribem. prumsse t o pay the several sums an n exed to o u r nam es intn the hands o f such person as shall b e nam ed b y a m a jo rity o f us t o r e ­ c e iv e and collect the same, tn be set apart as a fund fo r the encou ragem ent and p ro m o tin g the preaching of the G ospel a m on g us at the settlem ent of M ahoning. D one this tw e n tv -fo u rth day o f K o v e m lie r. 17R1. t s. d. Jno. E m m itt ..................................................... 7 6 Jas. E m m itt ...................................................... 7 6 C h a rlie M c O a h a n ......................................... 7 6 D a v id S u bin gail ...........................................i 0 o