Husband William Larimer, Jr. 1 2 3
Born: 24 Oct 1809 - Circleville, North Huntingdon Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA 1 3
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Died: 16 May 1875 - near Leavenworth, Leavenworth Co, KS 3 4
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Father: William Larimer, Sr. (1771-1838) 2 5 6 7 8
Mother: Anne Sheakley (1792-1853) 3 7
Marriage: 16 Oct 1834 - Turtle Creek, Allegheny Co, PA 1 9
Wife Rachel McMasters 1 9
Born: - Allegheny Co, PA
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Died: 16 Sep 1879 10
Buried:
Father: John McMasters ( - ) 11
Mother: Rachel Hughey ( - ) 11
Children
1 M John Larimer 1
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2 M William Larimer 1
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3 M Edwin Larimer 1
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4 M Thomas Larimer 1
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5 M Cassius Larimer 1
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6 M Joseph Larimer 1
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7 M George Larimer 1
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8 F Annie Larimer 1 9
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Spouse: T. M. Jones ( - ) 1 9
Marr: 1858 1
9 F Rachel H. Larimer 1 9 12
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Spouse: James Ross Mellon ( - ) 1 9 12 13 14
Marr: 1867 1
General Notes: Husband - William Larimer, Jr.
He was one of the prominent business men of his day. Larimer township, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania; Larimer station, on the Pennsylvania railroad; Larimer avenue, in Pittsburgh; Larimer County, in Colorado; Larimer street, in Denver; and Fort Larimer, in Arkansas, were all named in his honor.
At Larimer Station he and Hon. John Covode organized the Westmoreland Coal Company, which was long one of the largest in the state. But his first extensive business enterprise was with his friend and neighbor, John Irwin, of Irwin, Pennsylvania, in the "Conestoga Wagon System." By means of wagons they carried goods between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia as early as 1830, many years before the railroad was projected. His next business venture was in partnership with his brother-in-law, John McMasters, Jr., in merchandising. It was a time of new enterprises, and in many of them William Larimer was interested. For over twenty-five years he was very successful, and held many important positions. He was the first president of the Pittsburg and Connellsville railroad; treasurer of the Ohio and Pennsylvania (later the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne, and Chicago) railroad; chief proprietor and creditor of the Youghiogheny Slack Water System; chief projector and builder of the Remington Coal railroad at McKees Rocks; and a large share-holder in numerous California gold mining enterprises, and Overland Transportation Companies. He was uniformly successful in all his enterprises and acquired considerable wealth, indeed a large fortune for those times. His public spirit, enterprise, and generosity made him hosts of friends to whom the hospitality of his homes, one on Penn avenue, Pittsburgh, and the other on Larimer avenue, East End, was ever free.
Politically, Mr. Larimer identified himself with the anti-slavery movement, and assisted in the organization of the old Liberal party, supporting Birney for president in 1844. From this time up to the defeat of General Scott in 1852 he was in sympathy with the principles of the Whig party, and took quite a prominent part in the politics of Pennsylvania. He was made major-general of state militia in 1852, and was mentioned as a possible candidate for governor. Religiously he was an "old school" Presbyterian. He was also an enthusiastic temperance worker, and gave substantial aid to the cause.
After financial difficulties which reached a climax during the general business depression in 1854-55, General Larimer decided to start anew in the West, and left Pittsburgh for Nebraska the next year. Soon after his arrival he was elected to the legislature of that territory. He took an active part in behalf of Republican principles, and the meeting at which the Republican party of Nebraska was organized was held at his home in Omaha. He moved to Kansas in 1858, but remained there only a few months. During the Pike's Peak gold excitement of that year he went to Colorado. He was one of the founders of the city of Denver, and he built the first house on the site of the present city, on land which he and his son William H. H. Larimer had pre-empted for their own private possession. While a resident of Colorado, General Latimer served for a time as United States commissioner and judge of probate for the First judicial District of the territory. He became well known throughout the West, being prominently identified with the public interests of Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado for more than twenty years.
At the outbreak of the Civil war, General Larimer raised the Third Regiment of Colorado Volunteers, and was its first colonel. After a short term of service he resigned and returned to Kansas, but soon entered the service again as captain of General Blunt's bodyguard. After the massacre of Baxter Springs he was commissioned captain of Company A, 14th Kansas Cavalry, by Governor Thomas Carney.
After the war General Latimer was a member of the Kansas state senate, 1867-70. At that time it was said of him, "He is earnest in his convictions conscientious in the discharge of his duties, and zealously labors for the good of the people he represents." At this time he was frequently spoken of by the press of the state in connection with the gubernatorial chair and United States senatorship. While General Latimer was living in Pittsburgh he was personally acquainted with prominent bankers, journalists, and statesmen of New York, Philadelphia, and western Pennsylvania, and many of them were entertained at his home on Penn avenue. The great editor and philosopher, Horace Greeley, was a frequent guest. Mr. Greeley looked more like a farmer than a noted man of letters. One morning when Mr. Greeley and Mr. Larimer were walking down Penn avenue, a neighbor, seeing them, stepped back into his house. "To spare Mr. Larimer the embarrassment of introducing his country cousin," thus missing an introduction to the great journalist. In later years Mr. Greeley visited General Larimer in his cabin in the early pioneer days of Denver City. After years of friendship and correspondence, it was natural that General Larimer should take a prominent part in the Greeley campaign in 1872, and should be the first man to suggest the name of Mr. Greeley in connection with the presidency. After Mr. Greeley's death, in response to his daughter's request, his letters to General Larimer were sent to her. When the letters were returned, Mrs. Smith sent her father's favorite pen to his life-long friend. Another friend of General Larimer's was Governor Samuel Houston, the liberator and first governor of Texas. He expressed his appreciation of the General in gifts of value: at one time presenting Mrs. Larimer with a beautiful brocade gown, and on another occasion with two miniatures of himself in solid gold frames.
Not only was General Larimer loved by his friends, but he had a personal magnetism that held an audience's attention when he was called upon for a public speech. He was a man of fine appearance, with a martial bearing due to his lifelong military training. His height was about six feet, his hair a soft brown, his eyes hazel. He could speak in public without notes or the slightest preparation. He had command of a great fund of general knowledge, and never seemed at a loss for words with which to express himself. The way in which he was received by an audience is shown in the following quotation from the Rocky Mountain News of September 1, 1862. At the time he delivered the speech mentioned, (two paragraphs of which only are given), he was recruiting officer for the Third Regiment of Colorado Volunteers:
"The war meeting held here Saturday night last was the largest and most enthusiastic ever held in the territory. The meeting was scarcely organized before General Larimer was called for by the immense crowd in attendance. He came forward and was received with hearty cheers and most kindly feelings. Lights were called for in order that they might see his face. When these were brought, the applause was renewed. The General spoke as follows:
"'Mr. Chairman and fellow citizens: I am an old pioneer. I came to this country in the fall of 1858. I am one of the first settlers of our Rocky Mountain Territory. I wrote one of the first letters ever written from this country, certainly the first ever written from Denver City. I had dated my letter the night before, "Golden City," but after writing it, we met and changed the name to Denver, after our Governor, an honor to his country and to his name. Well, Denver is there still, and I believe will be for ages to come. * * * * *
"'Abraham Lincoln has been trying to preserve the Constitution and the Union, sustaining every state in all its rights, whether real or fancied, and to leave slavery untouched wherever it existed, believing that the National government was not responsible for it. He has been moving slowly, and has done everything that could be done to conciliate and assure the south that their institution should be untouched. In this course I have been disposed to stand by the President. Now I begin to think that I can see the hand of God in this matter. Had this war been ended a year ago, slavery would have remained untouched; the millions who have so long been bowed down by tyranny and oppression would never have scented the air of freedom and universal liberty as it passed on every breeze over the plantations of the south from every far-off blood-stained battlefield; but now they have breathed its breath, heard its words, drunk in its spirit, and 'as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth into the west.' so has the light of universal freedom flashed tongue to tongue and mind to mind over all the land.'"
William Larimer, Jr., spent the last years of his life on his farm near Leavenworth, Kansas, where he died. Of him it may be truthfully said, he was a man of ability; genial and companionable; broad-minded; always ready to give the best he had; true to his Huguenot descent and principles. He served his country as an officer of the National Guard of Pennsylvania and of Nebraska, and in the Civil war.