Levi Silvis and Elizabeth Elisa Smail

---

---

Husband Levi Silvis ^{1 2}

---

           Born: 12 Nov 1835 - Washington Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 6 Jul 1921 - Unity Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA 2
         Buried: 

---

         Father: Jacob Silvis (Abt 1800/1801-Abt 1892/1893) 4
         Mother: Lydia Reeger (      -      ) 5

---

       Marriage: 12 Jan 1859 or 1869 2 3

---

---

Wife Elizabeth Elisa Smail ²

---

            AKA: Eliza Smail 6
           Born: 4 Feb 1837 - Pennsylvania 2
     Christened:  - Brush Creek Church, Westmoreland Co, PA
           Died: 1906 2 6
         Buried: 

---

         Father: Capt. John Marion Smail (1804-1894) 7 8 9 10
         Mother: Catherine Uber (1807-1862) 10

---

---

Children

---

1 F Lydia Ann Silvis ^{2 6}

---

           Born: Jul 1870 - Pennsylvania 2
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Caleb S. Barnhart (1873-      ) 2 6

---

2 M John Milton Silvis ⁶

---

           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Margaret Elizabeth Leasure (      -      ) 6

---

3 M Samuel Logan Silvis ^{2 6}

---

           Born: 
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

         Spouse: Tillie Winkler (      -      ) 2 6

---

---

General Notes: Husband - Levi Silvis

---

Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland Co, PA

He was born on his father's farm in Washington township, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, and spent the first eleven years of his life there. From early childhood he attended the local school and helped with the work on his father's farm during the summer months. His first business venture was while still a mere youth and was connected with the operation of a water mill on Brush Creek, just above his later mill at Jeannette. This mill he operated for fourteen years and met with a success there. In the year 1876 he came to Unity township, where he purchased forty acres of good farm land. This tract he developed into a fine vineyard, which yielded to him very handsome returns for some years. But while interested and entirely successful in his farming operations, Mr. Silvis was always interested in machinery and mechanical devices, and accordingly it was not long before he secured a mobile or portable saw mill and for many years made the operation of this mill his principal occupation. His operation covered a wide area and not only included large parts of Westmoreland County, but reached into Fayette County, as well. A large amount of fine cultivated land owed its existence to Mr. Silvis, whose course of procedure with his mill was as follows: he first bought a tract of timber land, and after selling the lumber and converting it into usable form by his saw mill, he would extract the machines and turn the property into good farm land. At one time Mr. Silvis owned and operated as many as three of these mills. He also added a threshing machine to his farm equipment, the first of these being a distinctly primitive device, worked by horse-power, and not long after he also added a separator. With these instruments he carried on threshing and separating for his neighbors and covered a wide region in this manner. He was thus engaged for a period of more than half a century and without doubt became one of the best known agriculturists in the county. After his retirement from the more active part of this work, he was succeeded in it by his son.
Mr. Silvis for many years carried out the policy of investing in land in his immediate neighborhood, so that he became the owner of above three hundred acres, comprised in four farms, all situated in Unity township. He was a constant builder and improved each tract which he owned. He also chose coal lands to invest in and disposed to the coal operators in his region the right to the underlying mineral, selling various portions of these at different times and realizing all the way from one hundred to eleven hundred dollars per acre.
Besides his other activities, Mr. Silvis has devoted considerable time and attention to the horse trade and at one time or another owned many of the best animals ever seen in the vicinity.
Mr. Silvis' home was a most charming one and was located attractively on his farm in Unity township, situated about six miles southeast of Greensburg.
He was a Democrat in politics, and although absolutely devoid of political ambition of any kind, nevertheless consented to hold the position of road supervisor. This post he filled for a number of years and was elected and reelected thereto, until at last he resigned and refused any longer to continue.

1 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 401, 497, 673.

2 Marlin A. Field, Peter Smail of Pennsylvania & His Descendants (Ozark, MO: Dogwood Printing, Sept., 1990), Pg 420.

3 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 673.

4 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 400, 497, 673.

5 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 401.

6 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 674.

7 George Dallas Albert, History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: L. H. Everts & Co., 1882), Pg 532.

8 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 116.

9 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. III (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 171.

10 Marlin A. Field, Peter Smail of Pennsylvania & His Descendants (Ozark, MO: Dogwood Printing, Sept., 1990), Pg 415.