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/556

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

spring o f 1896. after which he took a special course m penmanship at the Zancrian A rt I ollcge, Columbus, Ohio, graduating in the fall of 1896. Returning to Bloomsburg, he liecame deputy sheriff under his father in (8Q7 and served during (he three years of his term, continuing as deputy under Sheriff K norr and then again in nis father's second term. F o r the next three years he was clerk to the county commissioners, completinir twelve years o f service at the courthouse. For a short time following M r. Black taught penmanship in the summer school at Benton, ('olumbia Co., Pa. In 1909 he took his pres­ ent |>osi(ion a l the Bloomsbui^ Normal School. He has done raluable work for the institution, not alone in the discharge of the duties as­ signed to him, but in setting and nuintaining Standards o f work in his particular field which aid his pupils in all their endeavors. H e is a conscientious and respected member of the teaching staff. M r. Black is a devoted stu­ dent, a lover o f good books, and has already acquired a creditable library^ including some rare and old voluntes. During the summer of 1 9 1 1 he took a European trip, and another in 1914. M r. Black devotes considerable time to lit­ erary work, and in 1900 issued a little volume entitled "L ik e Expressions,” which he has since revised and enlargctl, so that at present it is printed in two good-sized volumes. The work is intended to do away with parallelism arguments, especially in the Bacon-Shakespeare controversy, and has met with much favo r among literary students and authors. Mr. Black lu s been prevailed upon to grant permission for its ]nibiication in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is also joint author o f a novel, " A Randoni Shaft/* On Feb. 23, 1907, M r. Black married Helen W illiams, o f Bloomsburg. who died Aug. 30, 19 10 . T hey had one son, T asso lo s i n g. Mr. Black lielongs to the Methodist Church and socially is a member of the Sons o f W tcrans. Politically he is a Democrat. M R S. A B lC iA H - A. (lE lS lN C iK R . o f DanviUc is a descendant o f one of the earliest and most prominent familic> of the liorough» the Comelisons. Joseph Comelison, the grandfather, located in Danville when it was but a small settle­ ment, in striking contrast to the now thriving business center widely known throughout the State for its up-to-ud faith in the success would attain, and none who have had the good fortune to see Danville in recent years can doubt the correctness of their predictions. Joseph Com elison w as liorn in Holland, and upon coming to this country set­ tled in the State o f New Jerse y, but soon aBerw ards moved to DanviUe, Montour Co., Pa., where he established the first blacksmith shop. He followed that line o f work the rcnutnder o f his life, died in the town, and w as laid to rest in Grove cemetery. H is w ife, whose maiden name w as Martin, was allo buried in iiro v e ccmcter)*. T o their m arriage were born the foUowing children: Jo sq d i, who was the first male white child bom in Dan­ ville : W illiam : Ja c o b; Isa a c; C ornelius; Ja m e s; M assey; Mar)% M rs. Y o r k s; and Anna, M rs. Best. Is,iac Com elison, son o f Joseph, w as bom in Danville, and at an early age learned the trade o f wagonciiaker, carrying on business on Mill street, where he was engaged in such work until his death, Oct. 6, 1843, o f forty-three years. He married A bigail Pan­ coast, a daughter o f Mordecai and Mary (M e ars) Pancoast, who were strict adherents of the Society o f Friends. M rs. Com elison died at the age o f twenty-four years, six months, leaving two children: M ary E ., the wi fe o f D. Rice, both now deceased; and A bi­ gail A; M rs. Geisinger. .Abigail A. Com cnson w as first m arried to Jacob Com elison, who w as for some years proprietor of the hotel known a s the "W hite S w a n ." Me was the son of the Jac o b C or­ nelison. who in 1820 purchased the ground on which the "C ity HotcU is now situated, and ten years later erected a building in which he conducted a fine hotel. T his establishment became well known throughout chat section as the "W hite Sw an ." and the sign w hkh hung over the door was appropriately an artistically (Minted white swan. He continued at the head o f this estabiislimeiu until 1852, when h is son, Jacob, succeeded him as proprietor. T h e lat­ ter conducted the business with success un­ til his death in 1865, at the age o f thirty-five years. The building was large and substan­ tial. In 1872 it was purchased by Adam Geringer, who erected the present structure known as the "C ity ,H o te l.” M rs. Com elison married for her second husband. Ju n e 7, 1865, Geotge K. Geisinger. who was lx>m in Hingham. Mass.. in 1821.