Solomon Long
SOLOMON LONG, farmer, and a surviving soldier of the Civil war, resides in Red Bank township, Armstrong county, he has about 164 acres of land. He was born in Franklin township, Westmoreland Co., Pa., Feb. 17, 1837, son of Jacob and Sarah (Huffman) Long.
Jacob Long was born probably in Northumberland county, Pa., in 1796, and died in Armstrong county in 1867, at the age of seventy-one years. He was a weaver by trade. When he came to Westmoreland county be bought three acres of land, which he put under cultivation, but continued to work at his trade. In 1848, he left Westmoreland county and came to Armstrong county, settling in Red Bank township, where he purchased a tract of eighty-five acres, which, at the present time is occupied by G. W. Hankey. He erected a weaving shop on his land and a part of his crop was flax, which his sons assisted him to prepare for weaving. He married Sarah Huffman, a daughter of John and Mary (Good) Huffman, and they had the following children: Emily, who married Peter Branthoover (both now deceased); Sarah, who died when twenty-one years old; Elinor, who died at the age of seventeen years; Hannah, who married John Wallet (both now deceased); Elizabeth, who died in Red Bank township, at the age of fifty years; Esther, who married Adam Carnahan, of Leechburg (both deceased); Solomon ; Jacob, who married Catherine Ann Doverspike, who is now deceased; John, who was killed at the battle of Gettysburg, during the Civil war; George, who is deceased; Abigail, who iis the wife of G. W. Hankey and lives on the old Long homestead in Red Bank township; Mary, who is the wife of G. D. Smith, residing in New Bethlehem; Rachel, deceased, who was the wife of Wesley Neal, residing to Wayne township; and Jemima, who died when eight years old. The wife of Jacob Long died when about seventy-eight years old, and was buried in the Eddyville cemetery. Jacob Long was nominally a Democrat in his political allegiance, but he was a man of good judgment and entertained independent views on public questions. He was a member of the German Reformed Church at Eddyville, and at times served in church offices.
Solomon Long, son of Jacob, accompanied his father to Armstrong county when the latter was about fifty years of age. Previously he had attended school in Westmoreland county, and had further opportunities in Red Bank township, later, in 1860, teaching one term of school. He remained at home and gave his father assistance until he was twenty-one years of age, and then bought a farm of fifty acres. Before he had placed his land in the best of condition, as was his purpose, the Civil was precipitated, and on Aug. 14, 1861, Mr. Long enlisted from Armstrong county and was mustered in at Kittanning as a member of company B, 78th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. His regiment was assigned to General Negley�s Brigade, in the army of the Cumberland. Company B was well officered, James Hochenberry, the captain, had served as a private in a three-months company and after his return at the end of that enlistment formed what became Company B, and was made its captain, but later resigned, Lieutenant McCanna succeeding him; Samuel Lee then became first lieutenant. This company was enlisted for three years of during the war and took part in many serious engagements, and was particularly prominent at the battle of Chickamauga. It accompanied General Sherman�s command through Georgia and it was at Atlanta that Mr. Long received notice of his honorable discharge. He went to Nashville, Tenn., by steamer, and from there, on the "Caroline," reached the mouth of the Cumberland, thence proceeding up the Ohio to Pittsburgh. He was discharged at Kittanning Nov. 4, 1864.
After this long patriotic service Mr. Long returned to the peaceful pursuits of agriculture once more, subsequently adding to his property until now he has about 164 acres, which he devotes to general farming. In his political views, Mr. Long is a Democrat, and at times has accepted local offices, serving frequently as a school director and also as a poor director and as supervisor. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, as was his mother.
Mr. Long was first married to Mary Snyder, who died in 1891, when aged thirty-eight years, and was buried at Eddyville. She was a daughter of the late Jacob and Sarah (Hoak) Snyder, who are buried at Zion Church, in Porter township, Jefferson Co., Pa. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Long; Virginia Dare, who is the wife of Edward Pankey, of Butler, Pa.; Sarah Irene, who lives at home; George A. Jinks, who died at the age of six years; and Etta Jane, now deceased, who was the wife of William Codner, of Toronto, Canada.
The second marriage of Mr. Long was to Levina Clemenza Kells, who is a daughter of Ralph and Margaret (Batty) Kells. They have no children.
(I) Augustus Kells, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Long, was born and married in Ireland, where both he and his wife Margaret died and are buried.
(II) Ralph Kells, son of Augustus Kells, emigrated with his wife, Margaret (Humes) Kells, from Ireland to the United States, and settled in Westmoreland county, Pa., where he followed the weaver�s trade. The had the following children: Augusta, Andrew, Robert, Mary, Jane, Rachel, Margaret, Ellen and Ralph, all of whom are deceased. The grandparents of Mrs. Long were buried in Westmoreland county.
(III) Ralph Kells, son of Ralph, was born in Westmoreland county, Pa., March 12, 1810, and died in Wayne township, Armstrong Co., Pa., July 31, 1884. In his native county he attended subscription school in all probability, and worked for farmers in the neighborhood until he became of age, there being no record of his learning his father�s trade. His first purchase of land was a tract of eighty acres, in Westmoreland county, from which he sold the underlying deposits of coal, and he afterward bought two farms in Wayne township, Armstrong county, one containing 160 acres and the other 170 acres. In Westmoreland county he married Margaret Batty, who was born in Westmoreland county, Feb. 3, 1812, daughter of William and Jane (Batty) Batty, and died Sept. 19, 1883. They had the following children: Nancy Jane, born Aug. 25, 1833, married George B., Sloan, and died Sept. 5, 1863; Margaret C. was born Nov. 11, 1835; John H., born June 5, 1837, married Lucinda C. Marshall, and died May 7, 1862; Sarah A., born Jan. 31, 1839, died June 31, 1859; William H., born April 24, 1843, died Dec. 21, 1860; Robert H. B., born March 11, 1845, married Angeline Kirkpatrick, and died Jan. 23, 1910; Andrew G., born Nov. 23, 1847, married Christina Doverspike, a Virginian, and died April 23, 1911; Hugh C., born Sept. 21, 1849, late of Mahoning township, married Christina Doverspike, and died April 3, 1913; Levina Clemenza, born April 15, 1853, married Solomon Long; Mary C., born Jan. 9, 1856, is the wife of Henry Rugh, of Eddyville; Mr. Kells was a member and class leader of the Methodist Church at Dayton, in Wayne township. He was a Republican politically, and served as school director, supervisor, and in other offices.
Source: Pages 694 - 696 Armstrong County, Pa., Her People, Past and Present, J. H. Beers Co., 1914.
Transcribed September 1998 by Carl Waltenbaugh for the Armstrong County Beers Project.
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