OF CAMBRIA COUNTY.

303

time Major John Linton bought Meyers' interest. After a short time the Messrs. Linton bought the interest of the Levergoods and the name of the firm became Lintons & Galbraith. The firm failed to meet its payments, however, and after a year was summarily closed out by Peter, Sr. Rhey, Matthews & Co. then bought it and it was operated by them down to 1858, when it was abandoned.     After the withdrawl of the latter from the furnace firm, Peter, Sr., built a foundry for his son Peter near the old American House, on the corner of Coal and Railroad streets, in Conemaugh borough; but it also proved a failure, and was then sold to Linton & Galbraith, who operated it until they failed. It was then sold to the late Jacob Fronheiser, who carried on the business for a while and then abandoned it.     By this time the Cambria Iron works, destined to become one of the greatest of their kind in the world, were giving promise of marvelous success in store for them. The ground on which the works were built was bought of Mr. Jacob Livergood for $3000. It had previously been worked as a farm. The valuable hill above the rolling-mill site, filled with minerals, had been given to this son-in-law, John Benshoff and Mr. Levergood built for the occupancy of the Benshoff family the old brick house which still stands just above the Pennsylvania Railroad freight station. He also built a frame house further up the Ebensburg road. This farm, Mr. Levergood subsequently took back from his son-in-law, giving him therefor $16,000, with which to buy a farm in Iowa for himself, his six sons and one daughter, and to improve them.     Peter Levergood, Sr., was married three times. His first wife, as stated above, was named Susan Rodfong, whom he married in

Lancaster county. She bore him all his children. Kittie was the oldest. She married John Benshoff, and died after the removal of the family to Iowa.     Jacob, who died on February 7, 1885, in Johnstown, was the second eldest. The other children were: Mary, the wife of Harry Sutton; Phoebe, the wife of Robert P., and mother of John P., Wm. And Peter Linton, and Mrs. John H. Clark, who died in Johnstown in 1842; Lucinda, who married Jacob Meyers, died in Johnstown in 1844; Peter, Jr., who died in 1853 at the age of thirty-one years. Three other children died young. Peter, Jr.'s widow, sister of Mrs. Wm. Cover, married Thomas Yeakle; her maiden name was Saylor.     The first wife of Peter, Sr., died in 1840. His second wife was an elderly widow, named Mrs. Catherine Fite, whose husband formerly owned the site of what is now Coopersdale. Soon after her death, in 1852, he drove to Philadelphia to fulfill a contract of marriage made with the mother-in-law of Jordan Marbourg. She was a widow of considerable means; but when they came to talk about their respective properties, they were unable to agree, and he drove home again alone. A short time subsequently he married the widow of the Rev. Sharrets, of Indiana.     Mr. Levergood was never an active politician, but was an earnest whig. He enjoyed the fullest confidence of that party, and was several times called upon to be their standard-bearer. He served two terms in the legislature when Cambria and Somerset counties composed one legislative district, and was one of the three canal commissioners during the term of Governor Ritner. These commissioners were a powerful triumvirate. Their duties were to construct and maintain the public works, and they consequently had a great

Title Page

Contents

Image

Index