George W. Pifer and Hannah Melinda Wolff
Husband George W. Pifer 1 2 3
AKA: George Piper 4 Born: 24 Oct 1844 - Pittsburgh, Allegheny Co, PA 1 2 3 Christened: Died: 31 Oct 1911 3 Buried:
Father: John Pifer (Abt 1815-1864) 1 Mother: Anna Martha [Unk] ( -1850) 1
Marriage: 9 Mar 1876 - Kittanning, Armstrong Co, PA 1
Other Spouse: Hannah H. Schrum (1846-1874/1875) 1 5 - 2 Nov 1865 - Kittanning, Armstrong Co, PA 1 6
Wife Hannah Melinda Wolff 1
AKA: Hannah Malinda Wolfe,6 Linnie Wolff 4 Born: 13 Dec 1848 7 Christened: Died: 18 Nov 1911 3 Buried:
Father: Isaac Wolff ( -1887) 4 Mother: Maria Ehinger ( -Bef 1911) 4 6
Children
1 F Elizabeth "Lizzie" Pifer 5 6 7
Born: 26 Jul 1877 5 Christened: Died: 26 Jul 1877 5 Buried:Spouse: Did Not Marry
2 F Ada Belle Pifer 3 7
AKA: Isabella Pifer 6 Born: 6 Jun 1879 3 Christened: Died: 11 Jan 1939 3 Buried:Spouse: Felix Lamaryeux ( -1941) 5 Marr: 8 Sep 1914 5
3 M George B. McClelland Pifer 5
AKA: George McClellan Pifer 6 7 Born: 5 Aug 1881 5 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Alice Stauffer ( - ) 5 Marr: 12 Sep 1911 5
4 M Warren Adolphus Pifer 5 6 7
Born: 13 Oct 1885 5 Christened: Died: 10 Nov 1904 5 Buried:
5 F Frances Cleveland Pifer 5 6 7
AKA: Frances F. Pifer 5 Born: 28 Jan 1888 5 Christened: Died: 30 Apr 1938 5 Buried:Spouse: Charles Williams ( - ) 5 Marr: 21 Dec 1906 5Spouse: Victor Lamaryeux ( - ) 5 Marr: 3 Feb 1921 - Shreveport, Caddo Co, LA 5
6 F Grace May Pifer 5 6 7
Born: 17 May 1891 5 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Donald McCreight ( - ) 5 Marr: 27 Nov 1911 5
7 F Florence Leonia Pifer 5 7
AKA: Florence Leona Pifer 8 Born: 4 Jan 1893 5 Christened: Died: Buried:Spouse: Charles Schneider ( - ) 5 Marr: 4 Dec 1918 5
General Notes: Husband - George W. Pifer
As he was only eight years of age when his father moved to Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, his education was mainly acquired in the schools of that locality. He had not entered upon an independent business when he left home to enter the army, but after receiving his final discharge at Newbern, North Carolina, in 1865, he returned to Armstrong County and engaged in farming. Shortly afterward he became interested in a threshing machine, which he operated for seven years, and in 1877 he moved to Clarion County, where he successfully conducted a grocery business one year; for five years he was engaged in the hotel business in Jefferson City, and owned a number of oil wells in that district. In 1882 he located at Du Bois, and built a shingle mill which he conducted for four years, in partnership with N. D. Fairchild, and then sold out to go into a saw-mill business with his brother. Later he became a partner of J. A. Bowerson in a sawmill and a retail lumber business, and in 1896 he formed a partnership with George Hess, in a general planing-mill business, and in the manufacture of coffins, furniture and all kinds of wood work to order. Their factory was a two-story building, 90 x 48 feet, and they employed from eight to seventeen men.
When a mere youth of sixteen, he enlisted, in 1861, for three years in Company C, 103d P. V. I., and served in the Army of the Potomac throughout the war, re-enlisting, in 1864, at the close of his first term in the same company. He took part in many important battles, including the fierce conflict in the Wilderness and the engagements at Yorktown, Fair Oaks, Williamsburg, Chickamauga, White Oak, Railroad Bridge, Bellows Bridge, Long Bridge, Jones Ford, Charles City Cross Roads, Harrison Point, Kingston, White Hall, Goldsboro, Blackwater, Southwest Creek, Blount's Creek, Foster Mills, Williamsburg, Chickahominy and others. Of his three brothers, one was not old enough to enter the army, but the other two enlisted, and one of them, Henry, lost his life in the service.
He was an active worker in the G. A. R., belonging to Easton Post, No. 229, at Du Bois, in which he twice held the rank of senior vice commander. He also held the office of treasurer of Sandy township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.
He was a farmer in Manor Township, Armstrong County, for a number of years, and later in Clarion County, where he operated a bakery and grocery business for some years. He then conducted a hotel in Jefferson City, Clarion County. On June 6, 1882, he came to Du Bois and opened a shingle mill in partnership with Dell Fairchild, continuing it for some years before going into the sawmill business with his brother, John Pifer. They carried on their milling business in different parts of the district of Pennsylvania-Clearfield, Clarion, Jefferson, Elk and McKean counties. While so engaged, they started a planing mill and retail lumber enterprise in Du Bois, with Squire J. A. Bowersox as a partner. In 1896 they decided to devote their attention entirely to this business, whereupon they admitted a Mr. Hess to the firm, which came to be known as Pifer & Hess. After a year, Mr. Hess sold his interests in it, however, and Mr. Pifer's sons, James H. and Charles E. Pifer, formed a new company, known as G. W. Pifer & Sons. This company was continued until George W. Pifer's death, in 1911, when the sons took over the work and changed the firm style to G. W. Pifer Sons. In 1936 Charles E. Pifer gave his share in the business to his two sons, John G. and William J. Pifer, and their uncle, James H. Pifer, sold them his share after a serious illness made it imperative that he retire.
He was about eight years old when the family moved to Armstrong County. Shortly afterward he went to work on a farm for John Hood, with whom he remained for six and one-half years and then went back to his father and worked on the home farm until September 16, 1861, when he enlisted for service in the Civil War. He entered Co. C, 103rd Pa. Vol. Inf., as a private and was promoted to be corporal of his company and remained in the service until the close of the war, being mustered out in July, 1865, in North Carolina and receiving his honorable discharge at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
During this long period, Mr. Pifer served under four different captains\emdash Capt. S. P. Townsend, Capt. Albert Vanastock, Capt. John Coughern and Capt. Thomas Coughern. Although he participated in twenty-six battles and skirmishes, he was never taken prisoner or wounded, although, on several occasions he had parts of his uniform pierced by bullets. At one time a minie ball carried off the number from the front of his cap, and on another occasion, the strap of his haversack was cut in two by a bullet.
When the war was over he returned to the old family farm, of which he was part owner, and remained there until 1877, when he moved to Jefferson, a small town in Clarion County that experienced a boom on account of the discovery of oil in that region, and there he conducted the Commercial Hotel for five years. When the boom subsided, business died out and Mr. Pifer soon looked about for a better business field. While living in Clarion County he was more or less interested, like everybody else, in the oil business, and after the tide of success had passed on, he found himself with several boilers and engines on his hands for which he had no special use. It was in following out a suggestion made by a friend, Delmar Fairchild, that he used this machinery in experimenting in shingle manufacturing and as it seemed a successful venture, in June, 1882, he brought his outfit to Clearfield County and he and Mr. Fairchild went into the shingle manufacturing business in the woods near DuBois.
This almost accidental experiment was, in fact, the foundation on which Mr. Pifer built up an extensive industry. At a later date he sold out to Mr. Fairchild and then, in partnership with his brother, John Pifer, set up a portable saw-mill and still later, a second one, with J. A. Bowersox. For many years thereafter, Mr. Pifer and Mr. Bowersox dealt in lumber. At a later date, Mr. Pifer, with George Hess as a partner, started into the planing-mill business, which developed into a very important business enterprise of DuBois. The firm name was Pifer, Hess & Co., until Mr. Hess retired. As Mr. Pifer's sons, James and Charles, reached suitable age, they entered the employ of the firm and subsequently became partners and then the firm style became George W. Pifer and Sons. The work was evenly balanced, the senior member attending to the affairs of the firm on the outside, while the younger partners had charge of the inside work. The plant was situated on the corner of S. Brady and Tozier Avenue, DuBois, where there were excellent railroad facilities. Employment was given to twenty-five men.
Mr. Pifer many times demonstrated his business judgment and foresight, but never more so than when he bought his first acre of land when he first came to DuBois. To this acre, right on the edge of the village, he was able to add more acres and, as he foresaw, the time came when this land was added to the town and was built over, becoming some of the most valuable real estate in the place. He was also interested in real estate at Falls Creek, Pennsylvania. In 1883 he erected his own comfortable residence at No. 715 S. Brady Street and his sons, following in his footsteps, also invested in land and had homes in the same neighborhood.
He was always a strong Democrat and he was called upon to serve in many township offices. For many years he was a member of the township school board. He was a member of Easton Post, No. 229, G. A. R., at DuBois. With his family he belonged to the Lutheran church.
1 Editor, Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion. (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1898), Pg 837.
2 Roland D. Swoope, Jr., 20th Century History of Clearfield County, Pa., and Representative Citizens (Chicago, IL: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1911), Pg 438.
3 Joseph Riesenman, Jr., History of Northwestern Pennsylvania, Vol. III (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1943), Pg 248.
4 Editor, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Her People Past and Present (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1914), Pg 886.
5 Joseph Riesenman, Jr., History of Northwestern Pennsylvania, Vol. III (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., Inc., 1943), Pg 249.
6 Roland D. Swoope, Jr., 20th Century History of Clearfield County, Pa., and Representative Citizens (Chicago, IL: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1911), Pg 439.
7 Editor, Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion. (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1898), Pg 838.
8
Roland D. Swoope, Jr., 20th Century History of Clearfield County, Pa., and Representative Citizens (Chicago, IL: Richmond-Arnold Publishing Co., 1911), Pg 440.
Home | Table of Contents | Surnames | Name List
This Web Site was Created 15 Dec 2024 with Legacy 9.0 from Millennia