Alexander Fleming

ALEXANDER FLEMING was born October 27, 1872, in Airdry, Scotland, son of John and Elizabeth (Cunningham) Fleming. The family sailed to America in 1874 and located at Port Washington, Ohio, where the father was employed as superintendent of the blast furnaces. He was superintendent of various furnaces in Ohio, then removed to Pennsylvania, about 1881, settling in Mifflin county, later in Huntingdon county, where he was engaged as superintendent of a furnace, thence going to Wampum, Lawrence county, and then returned to Ohio, about 1884. He soon returned to Pennsylvania and spent four years at Penn Furnace, then went to Bellefonte and operated the furnace for about two years. then engaged with the Cameron Coal and Iron Company, as superintendent. He is at present living at McKeesport, Pennsylvania, and is virtually retired. He is a member of the Presbyterian Church. His children are : Isabella, wife of J. A. Little, of McKeesport; Grahmey, wife of James Bryce, of Homestead, Pennsylvania; David. deceased; Magdaline, a music teacher at McKeesport; Harry, a shipping clerk, McKeesport: Alexander, of whom later.

Alexander Fleming attended the Carnegie night school, then took a special course in LaFayette College at Easton, Pennsylvania. He studied chemistry in the laboratories of the Bellefonte Furnace Company, the Cameron Iron and Coal Company, the Joseph E. Throop Company, Everett, Pennsylvania; the 'Monongahela Furnaces, McKeesport. He then accepted a position with the Carnegie Steel Company, working- at their various plants in and around Pittsburg. In 1897 he settled in Scottdale, engaged as the chief chemist of the H. C. Frick Coke Company. He filled this position for seven years, then, in 1904, entered the business world as an independent chemist, opening the laboratory where he is at present. He has the agency for the Climax Refining Company, of Cleveland, Ohio, and is distributing agent for western Pennsylvania and as far as Altoona, West Virginia. and Maryland. He makes a specialty of water analysis, and is an expert in firebrick manufacture, in addition to the analysis of all kinds of ore, minerals, coal, coke. etc. He receives commissions from all parts of the United States, and does the work for most of the independent firms in the coke regions. He already requires an assistant in order to keep abreast of the great volume of work that pours in upon him. He was one of the incorporators and is one of the stockholders of the Savage Hill Firebrick Company, of Fairhope, Pennsylvania. He is vice-president of the West Virginia Fire Clay Company, Thornton, West Virginia, and it was through his experiments and professional skill that the coke-oven brick has been raisel to the present efficiency. Formerly the life of a fire brick in the ovens was from thirty days to one year, but through Mr. Fleming's untiring efforts the life of a brick has been prolonged to last from ten to twelve years. He stands at the head of his profession and is a member of the American Chemical Society. He is also a member of A. I. O. K. of M., Scotia Commandery, No. 116, of McKeesport; Marion Lodge, No. 562, F. and A. M., Scottdale; Connellsville Chapter, 283, R. A., Connellsville; Uniontown Commandery, 49, K. T., Uniontown, Pennsylvania; Scottdale Lodge, No. 777, B. P. O. E. Mr. Fleming married, September 26, 1895, Josephine F. Gogley, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Amick) Gogley, of Bedford county, Pennsylvania. They have three children, Ruth, Elizabeth and Marion Fleming. They are members of the Methodist Episcopal church; Mr. Fleming being also a member of the choir.  

Source: Page(s) 215-216, History of Westmoreland County, Volume II, Pennsylvania by John N Boucher. New York, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906.
Transcribed August 2008 by Nathan Zipfel for the Westmoreland County History Project
Contributed for use by the Westmoreland County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/westmoreland/)

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