Husband Daniel Shupe 1 2 3 4 5
Born: 26 Jun 1816 - near Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland Co, PA 1 6 7 8
Christened:
Died: 30 Apr 1878 - Allegheny City, Allegheny Co, PA 7 8 9
Buried:
Father: Isaac Shupe (1790-1847) 1 5 6 10
Mother: Elizabeth Whitmore (1798-1845/1847) 1 6 7 8
Marriage: 27 Feb 1840 1
Other Spouse: Sarah Cease (1828-Aft 1906) 2 7 11 - 5 Aug 1850 11
Wife Caroline Hitchman 1 6 11 12
Born: 9 Nov 1818 13
Christened:
Died: 24 May 1848 6 11 14
Buried: - Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland Co, PA
Father: Robert Hitchman (1790- ) 4 15 16
Mother: Elizabeth McCrady ( - ) 4
Children
1 M Oliver Perry Shupe 5 7 9 17
Born: 5 Jan 1843 - near Mt. Pleasant, Westmoreland Co, PA 9 11 17
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Sarah B. "Sallie" Dick ( - ) 9 18 19 20
Marr: 1863 18 19 20
2 F Lucy A. Shupe 7 9 11
Born: 1845 9 11
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Frank Briar ( - ) 7 11
3 F Buenavista T. Shupe 7 9 11
Born: 1847 9 11
Christened:
Died: while young
Buried:
General Notes: Husband - Daniel Shupe
"The many good points of character which went to make the man might be summed up in these words: He was public-spirited to a marked degree; he was good to the poor; was a genial, whole-souled, pleasant companion; a kind and sympathizing friend, always ready to oblige a neighbor or a stranger; he was upright and fair in his dealings; he was generous to enemies and charitable to all. He was a member of the United Brethren Church, was without hypocrisy, and had many Christian graces. His life-long friend, the late Col. Painter, said to a mutual friend shortly after Mr. Shupe's death, with tears in his eyes, "God made only one Dan Shupe." And it was the general expression when he lay dead that the poor and distressed of Mount Pleasant had lost a good friend.
Perhaps some details of his life and doings may give a clearer idea of the man. Mr. Shupe did not live in Mount Pleasant borough, but in the suburbs, in Mount Pleasant township, and was a member of the board of public schools for twenty-five years in succession until his death. He took a lively interest in the schools and in building school-houses, and by dint of hard fighting against opposition from stingy taxpayers, succeeded in having built for every district in that large township a handsome and commodious house of modern style and accommodations. No other township in the county can compare with Mount Pleasant in the matter of school buildings, which result is to be attributed mainly to the efforts and perseverance of Mr. Shupe. When the schools opened yearly he was in the habit of hunting up children whose parents were poor, and of buying, at his own expense, outfits of books as an inducement to attend the schools.
"For twenty years he labored, in season and out, to have a railroad built to Mount Pleasant, and finally, in the building of the branch road from Broad Ford, on the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad, realized the hope of many years. He was one of the most active workers in that enterprise. It was proposed to Mr. Shupe to join with a few others in allowing the road to become embarrassed, and then have it sold and buy it themselves for a song. And although there was plenty of money in it, and he a shrewd, money-making business man, he refused to join in the wholesale robbery, as he called it, of those who had taken stock in good faith. That job was accomplished afterwards, but he had no part or lot in it. He by such a course gained the esteem of all good citizens.
"During most of his life he was engaged in the milling business, and many a sack of flour found its way from his mill to families in need, and during the panic times of '73 and the long depression following, a poor man or woman was never turned away by him or his partners in business, Mr. James R. Wade and his son, Mr. O. P. Shupe, even when they knew to sell on credit to many was to give away. If Mr. Shupe was remonstrated with he was ready to admit it was not business, and to add in a high tone of voice in the same breath, "People must live, and how in the name of God can they live without bread?" If a man got into financial difficulty he was ready to look into his trouble to see if there was not some way out, and if possible help him out and set him on his feet again. For others who got into the hands of the law for some offense, he would do what he could; even if they landed in the jail or penitentiary he would look after them, and as soon as free see that they got employment. His disposition was to reach out a helping hand, and lift a man up when others kicked him down; of this many examples could be given.
Like most good, enterprising men he had his enemies, ready to kick him down too; and at one time (about 1861 or '62), becoming involved in financial trouble, he was near being pushed to the wall by them without remorse. About this time he and Mr. James R. Wade met in Pittsburgh. Mr. Wade had come down from the oil regions and was not aware of his friend's troubles; but in the night discovered by his restlessness that he was very ill or in some great trouble, and after striking a light asked him what the matter was. His troubles were explained, and Mr. Wade, who is one of the best-hearted of men, took from his waist a belt, and handing it to Mr. Shupe, said, "Here, Dan, is six thousand dollars in money; will it do you any good?" "Yes," said Mr. Shupe, overcome with emotion, "with six thousand dollars I can quiet all my creditors and get out." This was soon accomplished, and he was prosperous again.
"Mr. Shupe was one of the pioneers in the oil business, and in this he was successful. He was of a joyous disposition, seldom or never despondent, was fond of fun and frolic, and took great pleasure in making others happy, and especially the boys of his own town. He was always around at a circus or show of any kind, and generally remained outside till the crowd was in, and then gathering up all impecunious lads, would make a job lot of them with the doorkeeper. Of a pleasant winter's day, when sleighing was good, he has been seen with his team hitched to a good sled, the sled filled with little girls, and a hundred feet of good stout rope reaching out behind with dozens of small boys on their little sleds attached by a cord to the rope, having the merriest of times up and down and around town, and himself as merry as the merriest. He was known familiarly in business circles and by all his neighbors as simply "Dan" Shupe." [HWC 1882, 551]
He owned and operated a large flouring-mill at Mt. Pleasant and in connection with it was engaged in the commission business at Pittsburgh. He was also a pioneer and a successful operator in the oil business near Oil City. While operating successfully on a large scale in those different lines of business, he still had time to engage in other inviting fields and accordingly dealt largely in real estate, invested heavily in stock and built up a good trade in the lime business at Mt. Pleasant. He purchased one of the first three Clydesdale horses ever imported to this country. At the time of his death he owned several large farms and seventy-four houses at Mt. Pleasant and its immediate vicinity. He was largely instrumental in securing and building the railway from Broad Ford to Mt. Pleasant and the township was chiefly indebted to him for its handsome and commodious school houses. He was an active democrat, an energetic member of the U. B. church and served during the last twenty-five years of his life as school director. [BHCWC, 510]
He was born on the homestead, just east of the borough of Mount Pleasant, and was educated in the old Bonnett school house. He became one of the most active business men of that part of Pennsylvania, being a farmer, lumber manufacturer, tanner, distiller, miller, manufacturer of cigars and merchant. He was a pioneer in the oil business, and was one of the first to import high grade horses to the region. He was a commission merchant in Pittsburgh, and also owned a number of teams for carrying freight between that city and Baltimore. He also operated lime kilns, making and shipping lime in great quantities. It was largely due to his efforts that a branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was built in Mount Pleasant, and in this he was a stockholder and director until his death. He was a member of the I. O. O. F, and in politics a strong Democrat, but never an office seeker. He was largely interested in educational affairs, and for twenty-five consecutive years served as member of the school board. During this period he did much toward perfecting the school system and brought about the erection of a school building in every district. [HWC 1906 III, 495]