Sons & Grandsons of Westmoreland County, Part 3
Written, Compiled & Edited by K. R. Overholt Critchfield, © 1-1-2007
~~ Updated 1-26-12 ~~

Joseph Markle (1777-1867)
Son of Gaspard Markle & Mary Roadarmel;
Grandson of John Chrisman Markle & Jemima Weurtz;
Husband of Elizabeth "Betsy" Painter;
Husband of Elizabeth Lloyd;
Father of thirteen children.

In 1799, Gen. Joseph Markle, then a young man twenty-two years old, made his first trip to New Orleans with a load of flour from his father’s mill. He left Robbstown (West Newton) in March, and was six weeks on the voyage. The early traders and boatmen on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers followed quick on the heels of the pioneers, and were a hardy and adventurous race. Before the introduction of steamboats on the Western waters they were the common carriers of the Great West. Pittsburgh and Robbstown were their headquarters, and New Orleans the Ultima Thule of their voyages. It was a long and tedious journey, the difficulty of returning adding greatly to its perils and the time occupied. As far as communication with white inhabitants was concerned, the voyage might as well have been made on the wide ocean.

The unwieldy and sluggish flat-boats crawled slowly along with the current until it entered the Mississippi, where, amidst its whirlpools and eddies and its rushing waters, the sturdy voyager strained every nerve to save it from wreck on snags and sawyers. At night they lashed their boats close under the shore, and again at early dawn set out for their voyage.

The boatmen generally returned by what was called the "Wilderness route" by the way of Natchez, Nashville, Lexington, Chillicothe, etc. From the vicinity of Natchez to Nashville the route was by the Indian trail through the Chickasaw nation, a distance of about six hundred and fifty miles.

~~ Engraved by A. H. Ritchie ~~

Gaspard Markle had retired from business before 1799, when the management of the mills, farms, etc., all devolved upon Gen. Joseph Markle.

In 1806 he erected another grist-mill, and in 1811 formed a partnership with Simon Drum, of Greensburg, and during that year built a large paper-mill, the third establishment of the kind west of the Alleghenies. Mr. Drum, father of Adjt.-Gen. Drum, of the United States army, residing at a distance, the entire superintendency was added to Gen. Markle’s other duties. Gen. Markle was captain of a company of light dragoons (troop) in the war of 1812, and was in the battle with the Indians on the expedition against the Mississinewa towns on the Wabash River, in which Lieut. Waltz (from his vicinity) and sixteen others were killed.

Four other members of the Markle family were in this troop, one of whom, Jacob [Joseph's younger brother], was appointed to fill the vacant lieutenancy occasioned by Waltz’s death. Gen. Markle was under Gen. Harrison, and was at the siege of Fort Meigs, and the sorties which accompanied it. While [he was] away in the West fighting the British and Indians, the dam of the paper-mill on the Sewickley was swept away by a flood, but it was immediately repaired by the supervision of his wife, and the manufacture of paper extensively carried on. His dealings with a single house in Pittsburgh in a few years then amounted to more than a hundred thousand dollars. He supplied a greater part of Western Pennsylvania with paper, and personally distributed large quantities in Ohio and Kentucky. His farm, too, in the meanwhile was cultivated with great industry and vigor.

The flour-mill was kept constantly employed. He also kept a store, out of which the great number of hands employed by him were partly paid for their services. The profits of the whole were no doubt very great, but the freedom with which he lent his name to his friends ultimately swallowed them up and left him deeply involved. In 1829, in order to relieve himself from the vexation consequent to his embarrassments, he transferred to two of his sons, S. B. [Shepherd Brown Markle] and Cyrus P. [Cyrus Painter Markle], over three hundred acres of land, including the paper-mill, upon the condition of their paying his responsibilities. This condition was faithfully performed by the payment of every dollar for which he was morally or legally bound.

He retained the ancient homestead of two hundred and twenty-five acres. It is one of those retired and fertile nooks into which our German population are so fond of retiring. Though selected by Gaspard Markle with far different views, it is just such a spot as the eye of the lover of nature would delight to survey. It is beautifully situated on the east bank of the Sewickley. The principal part of the farm, descending gently from the east, terminates with a more abrupt descent at the stream. On an elevated point between the creek and a small rivulet which traverses the farm stands the family mansion, now occupied by George Markle [George A. Markle, m. Ov2a39 Emma F. Overholt]. It is a large stone building, erected about 1818, and of rather modern construction. The frame mansion built in 1817 is occupied by Gen. C. P. Markle.

Mill Grove - Residence & Paper Mill of Gen. Cyrus Painter Markle
Sewickley Township, Westmoreland Co., PA

Immediately below the former is the mill built in 1806. From this point the stream, rushing and brawling among the rocks, pours along the base of a high and precipitous hill, crowned with oaks and fringed below with spruce and cedar. Hemmed in by the hill, it sweeps around a beautiful plateau of cultivated fields, and again approaches the mansion house. It has evidently at one time, after traversing a distance of a mile and a half, returned to within fifty paces of its present channel near the mill. Through the narrow isthmus thus formed Gen. Joseph Markle cut a tunnel, and through this and a canal cut along the deserted bed of the creek the water is now conveyed to the paper-mill. Here after having performed its office it is precipitated into its parent stream, which rushing through a cleft in the rocks rolls down its water towards the Youghiogheny.

All or most of these objects are directly under the eye of the mansion. The hill towering and stretching along it towards the setting sun, the creek at its base with its fringe of evergreen, the fields embossed in their midst and dotted over with the houses, paper-mill, the residences of the proprietors, and the neat white cottages of the hands, the clatter of the mill, and the ceaseless rush of the waters, all conspire to make this a spot where its owners may seek repose from the cares and vexations of life.

In the "Whiskey Insurrection" of 1794, Maj.-Gen. Daniel Morgan’s wing of the Federal army encamped on Gaspard Markle’s homestead, and the garlic still found in this region troubling the land-owners is attributable to its being introduced by that army. Gaspard Markle was opposed to the lawless opposition engendered against the excise laws and the officials sent here to enforce it, and saw with chagrin the defiers of law erect a liberty-pole on his lands, being unable in the excitement of the then maddened populace to prevent it. He died in 1819. Gen. Joseph Markle, his son, in 1837 purchased of his friend and old commander, Gen. Harrison, five hundred acres of land near Princeton, Md., and eighty acres of another party near Vincennes same day. He died March 15, 1867, in his ninety-first year.

C. P. Markle & Sons Paper Mills
West Newton, PA

Gen. C.P. Markle has some one thousand acres of rich lands on the Sewickley, all underlaid with the finest Youghiogheny coal. His splendid stock and dairy farm consists of three hundred acres, from which the annual sales of Jersey cattle exceed ten thousand dollars. His cattle and herds are among the best in the State. He and his sons have also a large butchering establishment in West Newton, where are daily slaughtered animals from their farm to feed the people of that manufacturing town.

The first paper-mill was erected in 1811, by Gen. Joseph Markle, in connection with Simon Drum, who only continued in the business a few years. It was a frame structure, located half a mile below the mansion, and was torn down in 1826. Gen. Markle built the steam paper-mill in 1827 by the narrows. It was constructed of stone and wood, and was over one hundred feet long. The stone end is still standing, and is used for a warehouse. In 1829 he turned the mill over to his sons, S.B. and Cyrus P., who in 1846 built the frame paper- mill in South Huntingdon township. It was operated both by steam and water-power. It was burned in 1862. In 1859 they erected the brick steam paper-mill in West Newton, to which in 1864 they made extensive frame additions. It was burned in 1876, and rebuilt in 1878. It was again burned in 1878 and rebuilt the same year. In 1879 it was again burned and rebuilt the same year.

In 1881, Cyrus P. Markle & Sons, who for several years have been the active partners of their father, the general, purchased some five thousand acres of land on the Castleman River, in Somerset County, where they invested over two hundred thousand dollars, and erected very extensive "pulpworks," in which the live trees of the forest are manufactured in two days into pulp, as elsewhere in this book minutely described. The principal paper manufactured by them is the glazed hardware paper, a particular fabric of extreme niceness and rarity, of which they are the only manufacturers in America of this special kind. Part of it is shipped to Pittsburgh and the balance to New York, where much of it goes to foreign shores, and a large amount to China.

The Markle paper-mills have been operated by three generations. Formerly they made all kinds of writing and bank-note papers, manilla wrappers, etc., but now their chief fabrics manufactured are the glazed hardwares, of a great variety of shades and textures. When Gen. Joseph Markle established the factory in 1811, and for a long time afterwards, the paper was all made by hand shaking, but now the latest inventions of skilled machinery are employed in all departments of its manufacture. The glazed hardwares are used by hardware manufacturers and dealers in the packing of all kinds of steels, cutlery, etc. The business of their paper-mill this year will reach a million dollars, and gives employment to several hundreds of hands of both sexes and all ages. The firm has also very extensive coke-ovens — the "Bessemer" and "Rising Sun,"— located near Mount Pleasant, which are among the largest and best in the State.

The pulp-factories of C.P. Markle & Sons at Markleton, in Somerset County, are said to be the largest in the world in their capacity for the production of wood pulp. The following sketch of these great works was written by one of a party of recent visitors, and published in the newspapers.

Markleton Wood-Pulp Mills
Markleton, PA

"Markleton is a station created out of nothing by Mr. Markle. He has already built ten dwelling-houses, and is building five more; has erected a church, a store, and an elegant little railroad station, besides his factories. The town lies in a little basin, surrounded by great hills densely wooded, and the Castleman River winds along beside it. On the opposite side of the river is one of the timber tracts belonging to C.P. Markle & Sons. They have over 8000 acres In Somerset and Westmoreland Counties. From Markleton a tram road extends back into the forest for eight miles. The road is carefully built, and T rails of excellent quality are used on it. The scenery along the road is highly picturesque and its beauty was heightened by about a quarter of an inch of snow which lay upon the ground under the evergreen trees, although there was no snow in the open spots where the sun’s rays could strike It. A large gang of men were at work about two miles from the station, getting wood ready for the mill.

"They do not use axes or cross-cut saws up there in cutting down trees. Such tools are too slow in performing the required work. They simply blow a tree up with dynamite. A specimen of this sort of thing was witnessed by the visitors. A few large spruce were selected as the victims, and the ‘feller’ who fells began to quickly bore a hole in the base of the tree with an inch auger. The hole was driven in about ten inches, the chips were removed, and a dynamite cartridge was inserted in the hole. The dynamite used comes in sticks like a candle, and resembles moist brown sugar. A fuse was attached to the charge, and after it was lighted the men sought a place of safety and waited. In a few seconds there was a mighty roar, and the great tree was lifted up into the air about ten feet, then with a swoop and crash it came to the earth, splintered half way up the trunk.

"Dynamite is not cheap, but it may truthfully be said that a little of it goes a great way.

"The trees are cut up into four-foot lengths and split up into pieces like cord-wood. Then they are hauled over to the storage-yards beside the factories. Almost any kind of timber could be used for making pulp, but the fibre of spruce and hemlock is so straight and soft that it can be worked more speedily and economically than any other available wood. The machinery in Markle’s mill is strong enough to make pulp out of lignum vitae, but it would not pay.

"About a hundred feet above the railroad is the mill proper. It is a superb building, one hundred and sixty-two by eighty-six feet, built in the most substantial manner and fitted out with the finest class of machinery. It is here the process of manufacture is carried on. The process is briefly this: The sticks of wood are brought into the mill and thrown into a large funnel which feeds a clipping-machine. This machine consists of a large wheel furnished with five knife-blades, and the blades chip the wood off just as the knives of a fodder-machine cut straw. The chips are conveyed by an elevator to the second story of the mill and are dumped into ‘digesters.’ There are eight digesters in this mill. They resemble vertical boilers. The chips are fed into the digesters from openings in the top, and then a preparation of soda ash and lime is poured upon them, and they are boiled. The pressure of the chips as they spread apart and the fibres separate is immense, and the digesters have to be made to resist a pressure of one hundred and fifty pounds to the inch. In a short time the chips become a stringy pulp, and the liquid is run off by a pump and conveyed to the evaporator, of which we will speak later. The pulp next goes through a wet machine, where it is strained and cooled. It then passes between rollers, and is made into sheets like pasteboard. Indeed, to the uninitiated, the sheets seem to be pasteboard of a fine and strong quality, and of a pure white color. The most striking feature about the mill is its water supply. Four six-inch pipes are supplied with water from a strong mountain stream a hundred feet above the mill. The water is carried to the mill through thirteen hundred feet of huge pipe, with a fall of one hundred and sixty feet. A more magnificent supply of water could not be desired, and it is so remarkably soft it does not require any artificial softening.

"The evaporator which has been alluded to is a great building, one hundred and forty-eight feet long and thirty-eight feet wide. It is supplied with a long battery of small furnaces, above which are the retorts into which the alkalai is pumped from the mill. It is then evaporated until soda ash is the result, and this ash is again used in preparing pulp. There is but a trifle loss in evaporation, and the same alkali is used again and again. This evaporator is the most perfect building of its kind in existence, and yet it is not large enough to do all the work required, and the foundations of another one have already been laid.

"On the mountain side, a couple of hundred yards above the evaporator, is a six-foot vein of coal, which is opened, and which is to be connected with the works by a tramway.

"The capacity of the mill is sixty thousand pounds of pulp daily. A cord of wood will make twelve hundred pounds of pulp. This pulp is worth one hundred and forty dollars a ton. About five tons of the pulp will make three tons of paper, we believe, although we base this on a guess. The pulp is transported to the Markle paper-mills at West Newton, and there it speedily becomes paper. The firm has invested over a quarter of a million of dollars in its works at Markleton, but they will be amply repaid for their outlay. The mills will be in operation in two weeks, and will give employment to nearly two hundred men. A new paper—mill has been built at West Newton by the firm, and in a day or two it will begin work. The store of the firm is managed by Mr. John A. Miller, a very clever young gentleman, and the post-office— called Fibre— is in charge of Mr. John Cannon.

"This mere outline of this great enterprise gives but a poor idea of its merits, but it shows how, as Capt. Markle remarked, ‘a tree that waved its branches in the forest wind at noon on Monday may be sold on Tuesday morning by the newsboys of Pittsburgh, who shout, Here’s your morning paper! All about the great pulp-works at Markleton!’"

[This portion taken from History of the County of Westmoreland,"South Huntingdon Township," pp. 644-671.]

More About General Joseph Markle

Gen. Joseph Markle was born in the township of South Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, Pa., Feb. 15, 1777. The family are of German descent. His grandfather, John Chrisman Merklin (written in this country Markle), was born at Alsace, on the Rhine, about the year 1678. Some time after the Edict of Nantes, in 1685, he fled from Germany, passing down the Rhine into Holland, and settled in Amsterdam. Here he married Jemima Weurtz, or Weurtzen, a sister of the admiral of that name. In 1703 he emigrated to the United States, and settled at a place called "Salem Springs," in Berks County, Pa. Here he purchased fifteen hundred acres of land. He was by trade a coach-maker, and established on his purchase a wagon-maker’s shop, blacksmith-shop, and grist-mill. He had nine children, of whom Gaspard Markle, the father of Gen. Markle, was the youngest. He (Gaspard) was born in Berks County in 1732. He married Elizabeth Grim, and in 1770 removed to Westmoreland County. Not long after his removal to the West his wife died, and in 1776 he returned to Berks and married Mary Roadarmel. Gen. Markle was the eldest child by this marriage.

Gaspard Markle died in September, 1819, aged nearly eighty-eight year. For several years after the settlement of the family in Westmoreland the neighboring settlements on the Allegheny and Kiskiminetas were harassed by the Indians, and the residence of Gaspard Markle was the post of refuge to which the settlers fled for succor and safety. Gen. Markle’s elder brothers were active participants in repelling the attacks of the savages, and distinguished themselves by their courage, intrepidity, and power of enduring fatigue and exposure. Several of the general’s near relations were engaged in both the war of the Revolution and that of 1812. George Markle, a cousin, was in the battle of Brandywine. Jacob Markle, a brother of George, was in the naval service under Commodore Barney, and was on board the "Hyder Ally" at the capture of the "General Monk." Barnet Markle, a cousin of both Jacob and Gen. Markle, was also on board the "Hyder Ally" on the same occasion, and was wounded in the engagement. Joseph Roadarmel, the uncle after whom he was named, was in the battle of Long Island in August, 1776, was wounded, captured, taken on board a prison-ship lying in the harbor of New York, where he died of the wounds received in the battle. There were four of Gen. Markle’s family connection in the troop which he commanded in the war of 1812.

One of the first of Gaspard Markle’s enterprises after his settlement in Westmoreland County was the erection, in 1772, of a grist-mill on Sewickley Creek, which traversed his ancient homestead. Here was made some of the first flour manufactured west of the Alleghenies. It was transported in flat-boats by Jacob Yoder, a citizen of Reading, in Berks County, to the New Orleans market. This feat of the enterprising Yoder was repeated five different times subsequently by Gen. Markle. The services of his elder brothers being required on the farm, at the early age of thirteen, and for several years thereafter, the duty of transporting from the Eastern cities the supply of salt necessary for the family devolved on Joseph. This was accomplished by pack-horses, and being through an almost unbroken forest, with taverns or habitations of any kind being "few and far between," the dangers and hardships attending one of these journeys can hardly be conceived by people of the present day.

His first trip to New Orleans was made in 1799, followed by others in 1800, 1801, 1803, and 1809. From the first trip he returned by what is called the wilderness route by way of Natchez, Nashville, Lexington, Chillicothe, etc. From the vicinity of Natchez to Nashville the route was by the Indian trail through the Chickasaw nation of Indians, a distance of about six hundred and fifty miles. In all this distance there were no houses or white inhabitants, and the traveler was compelled to camp out overnight. The thrilling incidents attending such a journey, its narrow escapes from the fording of rivers and attacks of savages, would fill a volume in their description. From the trip of 1800 Gen. Markle returned by sea, having entered as a common sailor on board the ship "Mars," Capt. George, owned by Tench Cox, of Philadelphia. She carried seventeen guns, with letters-of-marque, and was bound from New Orleans to Philadelphia, where she arrived after a passage of thirty-two or three days. From his other trips he also returned by sea, but always as a passenger, his ambition as a sailor being satisfied by the first experiment. Previous to his first voyage his father had retired from active business, and devoted the whole management of the estate upon him. He farmed largely. In 1806 he erected another large grist-mill, and in 1811 he formed a partnership with Simon Drum, of Greensburg, and during that year erected a large paper-mill, the third establishment of the kind erected west of the Alleghenies. Mr. Drum residing at a distance from the paper-mill, its entire superintendence was added to his other duties. He was in the midst of these various employments when the war of 1812 broke out.

In May of that year, in prospect of the war, he had raised from among his neighbors a troop of cavalry, of which he was elected captain. Their services were immediately tendered to the President. The acceptance was a long while delayed, but upon the surrender of Hull at Detroit they received orders to join the Northwestern army. Upon arriving with the troop at Pittsburgh, provisions which had been promised were not forthcoming. In this exigency Gen. Markle raised the necessary funds by giving his own note, endorsed by his friends, William Fullerton, Major Joshua Budd, and John Daily, payable at six months, of $1250, which was discounted at the old bank at Pittsburgh. This amount, together with $800 raised by Quartermaster Capt. Wheaton, enabled him to go forward with the troop. On their arrival at headquarters the commander-in-chief assigned them the first rank in the volunteer cavalry. Of the distinguished part which Gen. Markle and his companions in arms bore in the service which followed the following general orders issued by Gen. Harrison at the termination of their term of service sufficiently attests:

A short time after his return from the army he was elected major-general of Pennsylvania militia for the division composed of the counties of Fayette and Westmoreland.

Upon his return home he entered upon the duty of retrieving his private affairs, which had greatly suffered during his absence. The dam of his paper-mill had been swept away by an extraordinary flood in the Sewickley. It was repaired, and the manufacture of paper extensively carried on. He supplied a great portion of Western Pennsylvania with paper, and personally distributed large quantities of it through Kentucky and Ohio. His farm, too, in the meanwhile was cultivated with great industry and vigor. His flour-mill was kept constantly employed. He also kept a store, out of which the hands employed by him were partly paid for their services. The profits of the whole were no doubt very great, but the freedom with which he lent his name to his friends ultimately swallowed them up and left him deeply involved.

In 1829, in order to relieve himself from the vexation consequent upon his embarrassments, he transferred to two of his sons two tracts of land containing over three hundred acres, including the paper-mill, upon the condition of their paying his responsibilities. This condition was faithfully performed by the payment of every dollar for which he was morally or legally bound. He retained the ancient homestead of his father, and thenceforward devoted himself to its cultivation, and from this source, together with the proceeds of his flouring-mill, he supported his family. The political principles of Gen. Markle are sufficiently indicated by his votes cast for President. His first vote was given for Mr. Jefferson. He voted for Mr. Madison in 1808. Being in the army in 1812, he did not vote. He voted for Mr. Monroe, was in favor of Mr. Adams. In 1828 voted for Gen. Jackson, but became estranged from him and the party in consequence of his course in relation to the tariff from the first, and always maintaining strong ground in favor of a protective tariff.

He was a stanch supporter of his old commander-in-chief Gen. Harrison, and also of Henry Clay, and indeed of every Whig and Republican candidate for the Presidency to the time of his death. With one exception (when nominated by his party as their candidate for Governor, to which his assent to the use of his name was given with great reluctance), he never was with his own consent a candidate for any civil office, though often urged to do so, and a number of times placed upon the ticket against his earnest protest, on one occasion as candidate for the Assembly, and on another occasion in 1838 as a candidate for Congress, on both of which occasions he electioneered against himself. He lacked only about 4000 votes of an election at the time he ran for Governor in 1844, when Mr. Clay lost the State by over 8000 votes.

The general was a great reader, and his memory, especially of facts, dates, and numbers, was remarkable. His hearty good humor, his great fund of information, united with a vivacity of manner, made him excel in the social circle. Perhaps the most prominent traits of his character were his courage, honesty, hospitality, and benevolence. A physician who practiced several years in his neighborhood says he scarcely ever visited a poor family in sickness where he did not find that Gen. Markle had been in advance of him with a supply of whatever was necessary to their comfort. Traveling ministers of the gospel always found a welcome at his board and fireside, and the poor were never turned away without experiencing his kindness and liberality.

During the war of the Rebellion, when Pennsylvania was threatened with an invasion, the general, though eighty-four years of age, promptly responded to the call, and was elected captain of a company formed in the neighborhood for home protection. He was for many years a member of the old Sewickley Presbyterian Church.

The general [Joseph Markle] was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Judge Jacob Painter, whom he married Jan. 18, 1805, and by her he had four children, viz.: Shepard B., a resident of Rostraver township; Mary E., widow of John Boyd, living in West Newton; Elias R., died at the age of fourteen, in 1818; and Gen. Cyrus P. (a sketch of whom will be found in this volume) [see below]. His second wife was Elizabeth, daughter of Col. Joseph Lloyd, of Westmoreland County, whom he married Sept. 27, 1825. By this union there were twelve children, seven of whom are living, viz.: Lafayette, editor of the Nyack Chronicle, Rockland County, N.Y.; Joseph and George W., owners and occupants of the old homestead farm; Roxanna, wife of Dr. William L. Miller, of Allegheny City; Sidnie, wife of Robert Taylor, of West Newton; Margaret, living with Mrs. Boyd at West Newton; and Hannah, who died at the age of fifteen.
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Cyrus Painter Markle (1810-xxxx)
Son of Joseph Markle & Elizabeth "Betsey" Painter;
Grandson of Gaspard Markle & Mary Roadarmel;
Great-Grandson of John C. Markle & Jemima Weurtz;
Husband of Sarah Ann Lippincott;
Father of nine children.

Gen. Cyrus P. Markle was born in the township of Sewickley, county of Westmoreland, Pa., April 18, 1810, the third in a family of four children of Gen. Joseph and Elizabeth (Painter) Markle. (For genealogy of family see biography in this volume of Gen. Joseph Markle.) His education was limited to an attendance at the common school. One of the most pleasing incidents of his boyhood, and one remembered with no little pride, was his meeting Gen. La Fayette at Uniontown, Pa., and acting as one of his escort on horseback from that place to the city of Pittsburgh. This occurred when he was fourteen years old. Very early in life he became actively employed in the business enterprises carried on by his father, and foreshadowed in the boy a capacity in the management of affairs which has been a marked characteristic of the man.

In 1829, at the age of nineteen, a partnership was formed with an elder brother, Shepard B. Markle, under the firm-name of S.B. and C.P. Markle, which partnership continued for more than half a century. The manufacture of paper was the business in which the firm was chiefly employed, though farming was also quite extensively carried on. Two tracts of land containing over three hundred acres and the paper-mill at Millgrove were deeded them by their father on condition of their meeting certain pecuniary obligations for which he had become liable by undersigning. These obligations were eventually fully met by the firm.

~~ Engraved by A. H. Ritchie ~~

For thirty years the firm continued in the manufacture of paper at the "Millgrove" mill. In 1859, in order to meet the increasing demand for their products, and at the same time to avail themselves of better facilities for transportation, they built a large paper-mill (brick) at West Newton. At this mill paper from rags was manufactured until 1865, when they erected a straw pulp-mill (wood), and subsequently the production of wood pulp was introduced.

In 1870, Mr. S.B. Markle retired from the firm, since which time the business has been carried on, largely extended, under the firm name of "C.P. Markle & Sons," the firm consisting of Gen. C.P. Markle and his sons, Capt. C.C. Markle and Shepard B. Markle, Jr. In 1881 this firm built at West Newton another mill (brick), designated "Mill B," fifty-three by three hundred and twenty-nine feet, the largest and one of the most complete in the State, and one into which they have introduced all of the latest and most improved machinery. These mills are situated on the bank of the Youghiogheny River, between it and the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. (A representation of them appears on another page of this volume.)

In 1880 the firm purchased five thousand acres of coal and timber, land in Milford township, Somerset County, Pa., and in 1881 built thereon extensive wood-pulp works. The pulp-mill is two hundred and fifty by eighty-three feet, the evaporator one hundred and fifty by fifty feet. In addition to the works, a station house, store, and twenty-four dwelling-houses were built by them. The place, named after the general, is named Markleton. It is situated on the Castleman River, on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. A better conception of the magnitude of these works can be formed by a visit to them. Something of an idea may be formed from the representation of them on another page of this volume.

About twenty tons of paper are manufactured from the pulp produced at their Markleton and West Newton mills. While their mills at West Newton are devoted exclusively to the manufacture of printing paper, a very superior quality of hardware paper is produced at the "Millgrove Mill." The firm have their warehouse at 126 Second Avenue, Pittsburgh.***

While the manufacture of paper has been the leading business of the general, he has also been largely interested in the product of coke. In 1871, in company with John Sherrick, of Mount Pleasant, under the firm of "Sherrick & Markle," he built on the Mount Pleasant Branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad the "Eagle Coke-Works," one hundred ovens. Sold his interest in these works in 1879 to H. Clay Frick. In 1873 he purchased of Peter Sherrick and William McMasters their farms, two hundred and sixty acres, in East Huntingdon township, near Mount Pleasant, and in company with the former firm, Markle & Sherrick, erected on the Sherrick farm the "Rising Sun" Coke-Works, one hundred ovens. On the McMasters farm C.P. Markle & Sons built the "Bessemer Coke-Works," one hundred and fifty ovens. In connection with these works about fifty tenant-houses were built, also about a mile and a quarter of railroad, which is known in that section as the "June Bug" Branch of the Baltimore and Mount Pleasant Railroad.

In company with Col. Israel Painter, Gen. Larimer, Horatio Burrows, and Gen. Haupt, Gen. Markle has operated extensively in coal lands in the township of Sewickley. To the original homestead tract of three hundred acres he has added nine hundred acres adjoining in the townships of Sewickley and South Huntingdon.

For a number of years the general and his sons have taken interest in blooded stock. Four of the finest "Jerseys" in the country may be seen at their stock-farm. Their yearly sales of stock run into the thousands.

In all the operations of C.P. Markle & Co. about six hundred men are employed. Owing to a partial stroke of paralysis, from which he has never fully recovered, Gen. Markle has for a number of years left the active conduct of the business to his sons, by whom he is kept thoroughly posted in regard to all operations, and who fully appreciate the value of his advice and mature judgment in all business matters. The general became very early in life interested in the military, a taste undoubtedly inherited from his father. At the age of fourteen he became a member of the Sewickley Artillery Company, afterwards its adjutant, and then captain. Still later he was elected major and finally general of the Thirteenth Legion Pennsylvania Militia, composed of the counties of Washington, Fayette, and Westmoreland.

In politics he has been a firm supporter of the principles of the Whig and Republican parties, but, like his father before him, has always been more ready to help a friend to office than to accept official position himself. Indeed, the successful conduct of his extensive business interests, which have made him one of the busiest men of his times, would have precluded his entrance upon public life, even if he had entertained any aspirations in that direction. He was interested in the construction of the Pittsburgh and Connellsville Railroad, and served as one of its directors. He was for many years a member of the Sewickley Presbyterian Church, but at the present time is a member of the church of the same denomination at West Newton.

He married, May 5, 1835, Sarah Ann, daughter of James and Margaret Lippincott. Mrs. Markle was born June 12, 1814, at Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland Co., Pa. Their children are as follows:

Margaret Ann and Mary Elizabeth, twins, born Jan. 28, 1836. The former [Margaret Ann], widow of Thomas McMasters, residing at Turtle Creek. She has one child, Rachel, wife of M.C. Miller, Esq. Mary Elizabeth, died June 14, 1843;

Joseph L., born Nov. 7, 1837, died July 4, 1843;

Jesse Henry, born Jan. 8, 1839, died June 10, 1843;

Cassius C. Markle, born Oct. 31, 1840;(4*) [ On Feb. 21, 1865, he married Mary A. Overholt, daughter of Jacob S. and Mary (Fox) Overholt.]

Shepard B. Markle, Jr., and Cyrus P., twins, born May 15, 1844(5*) (Cyrus P. died Jan. 8, 1845);

Mary Emily, born Sept. 7, 1846, wife of John M. Larimer, a merchant at Turtle Creek. Two children living, viz., Cyrus P. Markle [Larimer] and Thomas McMasters Markle [Larimer].

Harriet Cornelia, born Sept. 28, 1847, wife of A.O. Tintsman, living at Turtle Creek. One son, Cyrus Painter Markle [Tinstman]. Amanda, born July 26, 1850, died Nov. 18, 1850; Winfield Scott, born Feb. 14, 1852, died November, 1853.

Mrs. Markle died Nov. 26, 1869. In the death of this most estimable woman the family, her church, and indeed the entire community in which she lived met with an irreparable loss. She possessed in large measure all the rare qualities which characterize the devoted wife and mother and the truly Christian woman. In the home and social circle she was easily a leader, and she was a helpmeet indeed in the dispensation of a hospitality for which the Markle home has always been distinguished — a hospitality without stint, extended to the stranger equally with relatives and friends.

Honorableness and fair dealing have been the marked characteristics of Gen. Markle in the conduct of his business affairs. A contract once made has always been to him a sacred matter, something to be fulfilled and not shirked, though its fulfillment, as sometimes has happened to him, might entail large loss; but in the long run his successes have abundantly proven the truth of the old adage, "Honesty is the best policy." Though he has uniformly declined official position, few men have exerted a wider personal influence in local and State politics. Men whose candidacy he approved and measures which he favored have always found in him a powerful ally. The Union cause in the late war had no more ardent supporter. Relying upon his discretion and good judgment in all business affairs, his counsel and advice have been frequently sought after by his neighbors and friends. In the development of the material resources of his locality and the advancement of all interests which look to the betterment of society it would be difficult to find one who has exerted a more commanding influence.

[Memoirs of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania: Personal and Genealogical, Vol. 2; Northwestern Historical Association (1904); p. 240; an article about Abraham Overholt Tinstman.]

Mr. Tinstman was married, July 1, 1875, to Harriet Cornelia, daughter of Gen. C. P. [Cyrus Painter Markle] and Sarah (Lippincot) Markle, of Westmoreland county, Pa., and has one son, Cyrus P. [Cyrus Painter Tinstman], who has completed the civil engineering course at the Pennsylvania military college, at Chester, Pa. Mr. Tinstman and family have lived in Turtle Creek since the erection of their beautiful home there in 1879. The site of a pioneer cabin, long since gone to decay, and the home of a Mrs Myers, who gave food and shelter to George Washington, are on the Tinstman grounds.

[History of Fayette County, by Franklin Ellis; L. H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia; 1882; an article about Abraham Overholt Tinstman.]

On July 1, 1875, Mr. Tinstman married Miss Harriet Cornelia Markle, youngest daughter of Gen. Cyrus P. Markle and Sarah Ann Markle (whose maiden name was Sarah Ann Lippincott) of Mill Grove, Westmoreland Co., Pa. He has one son, named Cyrus Painter Markle Tinstman.

Shepard B. Markle, Jr. (1844-1900)
Son of Cyrus Painter Markle & Sarah Lippincott;
Grandson of Joseph Markle & Elizabeth "Betsy" Painter;
Great-Grandson of Gaspard Markle & Mary Roadarmel;
G-G-Grandson of John C. Markle & Jemima Weurtz;
Husband of Isabella Carothers;
Father of five children.

SHEPARD B. MARKLE, JR., youngest son living of Gen. C. P. and Sarah (Lippincott) Markle, was born at Millgrove, Sewickley township, Westmoreland County, Pa., May 15, 1844 [d. May 5, 1900]. He was twin-brother to Cyrus P., who died Jan. 8, 1845. From a fall, which happened when about eighteen months old, and which affected the left limb, he was rendered a cripple for life. Many of the most eminent physicians of the country were consulted without favorable results. Finally horseback riding and "plenty of it" was advised by Dr. Pancoast, of Philadelphia, as the means most likely to bring relief. The sequel proved the wisdom of the doctor’s advice, for, though no permanent cure was possible in the case, he continued to gain daily in strength, and his ability to discharge these many years the varied duties devolving upon an exceedingly busy man is attributed almost solely by Mr. Markle to the benefit he derived from horseback riding.

"Sheppy" Markle and his horse became, if not one, at least almost inseparable. The varied business interests of his father, in which he began early in life to participate, gave him ample scope for his favorite exercise. An average of from twenty-five to thirty miles per day for many years is no exaggeration of the extent of his riding.

The necessity for this exercise, together with the important part he was thus enabled early to take in his father’s business matters, quite precluded the idea of his entering upon any extended course of study, and in consequence his education was limited to an attendance at the neighborhood district school and a select school at West Newton.

In 1870 he became associated with his father and brother, Capt. C.C. Markle, under the firm "C.P. Markle & Sons," in the manufacture of paper, the production of coke, raising of stock, and farming generally. He has given special attention to the stock department. In 1876 he purchased twelve head of registered Jerseys at Philadelphia, the first introduced into Westmoreland County, since which time the operations of the firm in that line, managed principally by Shepard B., have been very extensive, involving many thousands of dollars yearly. For the last five or six years he has been obliged to discontinue his horseback riding, having become too stout to use his favorite mode of conveyance with any comfort to himself or horse. Few men of soundest body, however, ride more miles in the day, or accomplish more in the execution of business. Rain or shine, cold or hot, a man may "set his watch" by the promptness and regularity with which he may be statedly seen with his carriage at his usual places of business.

In politics he is a Republican, and though he has neither sought nor desired office, no man in the locality is more liberal of his time and money in forwarding the interests of the party.

He married, June 11, 1874, Isabella, daughter of James P. and Jane K. (Moore) Carothers. Mrs. Markle was born in South Huntingdon township, Westmoreland County, Pa., Oct. 18, 1852. She is the great-granddaughter of the Rev. James Power, one of the pioneer ministers of the Presbyterian Church in Western Pennsylvania. It is not too much to say that the Markle home at "Millgrove," always proverbial for its unstinted hospitality, has lost nothing of its prestige in this respect since Mrs. Markle became its presiding genius. Mr. and Mrs. Markle have children, as follows: Sarah Ann, born June 5, 1875; Jane C., born Jan. 29, 1877; Maggie McMasters, born Dec. 30, 1878; Mary Emily, born Feb. 23, 1880; and Cyrus Painter, born April 7, 1882.

Karen's Note: This is genealogical information about the other Shepherd Brown Markle (notice the different spelling of the first name), brother of Gen. Cyrus P. Markle. The following is taken from the Charlotte Kaye Butler family tree, using her notation system, which begins with 1 Heinrich Merklin b: 1435 in Prussia, Germany.

Shepherd Brown Markle (1805-1882)

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Cassius Clay Markle (b.1840)
Son of Cyrus Painter Markle & Sarah Ann Lippincott;
Grandson of Joseph Markle & Elizabeth "Betsey" Painter;
Great-Grandson of Gaspard Markle & Mary Roadarmel;
G-G-Grandson of John C. Markle & Jemima Weurtz;
Husband of Mary Anne Overholt (b. 1846);
Son-in-law of Jacob Stauffer Overholt (son of
Abraham Overholt & Maria Stauffer) & Mary Fox;
Father of six children.

Capt. C.C. Markle was born at Millgrove, Sewickley township, Westmoreland County, Pa., Oct. 31, 1840, the fifth child of Gen. C.P. and Sarah A. (Lippincott) Markle. He received his primary and academic education in the district school of his native place, at Turtle Creek and Mount Pleasant Academy. He took a business course of study at the Iron City College, Pittsburgh.

He entered the army Aug. 25, 1861, as second lieutenant Co. E, 105th Regt. P.V.I., Col. McKingly, of Brookeville, commanding; was promoted to first lieutenant, and afterwards to the captaincy of the company. He was appointed and served as provost-marshal under Gen. Birney, and subsequently was appointed inspector-general of forts north of the Potomac, first under Gen. Hoskin, and afterwards under Gen. Hardin, and occupied that position at the time of the expiration of his three years’ term of enlistment. He was honorably discharged Sept. 3, 1864.

Upon his return from the army he became actively employed in the business enterprises of C.P. Markle & Co., and upon the dissolution of that firm became a partner in the firm of C.P. Markle & Sons, and since the retirement from that position of his father, Gen. C.P. Markle, the management of their extensive, paper- and coke-works has devolved chiefly upon him. He married Feb. 21, 1865, Mary A., daughter of Jacob S. and Mary (Fox) Overholt. Mrs. Markle was born in Mount Pleasant township, Westmoreland County, July 1, 1846. Their children are Cyrus P., born Feb. 12, 1866; Thomas McMasters, born Feb. 25, 1868; Mary O., born Sept. 13, 1870; Sarah Bessie, born Feb. 2, 1873, died Nov. 27, 1874; Jessie Benton, born May 25, 1875; and Margaret Z., born March 8, 1878.

[A Genealogical Record of the Descendants of Martin Oberholtzer, by A. J. Fretz, 1903; pp.116-118]

V. Mary Anne Overholt, b July 1, 1846; m Capt. Cassius Clay Markle Feb 21, 1865. P O West Newton, Pa. Mr. Markle enlisted Aug 25, 1861, as Second Lieutenant in Co., E. 105th, Reg't., P. V. I. He was promoted to First Lieut., and at the second battle of Bull Run was promoted Captain of his Co. He was appointed and served as Provost Marshal under Gen. Birney, and subsequently was appointed Inspector General of Fort North of the Potomac, first under Gen. Hoskin and later under Gen. Harden, and occupied that position at the expiration of this three years term of enlistment. He was honorably discharged Sept 3, 1864. Upon his return from the army he became actively engaged in the paper and coke manufactory; now retired. C: Cyrus, Thomas, Mary, Sarah, Jessie, Margaret.

VI. Cyrus Painter Markle, b Feb 12, 1866; m Margaret C. Rholand Oct 10, 1899. P O Greensburg, Pa. Clerk in Register and Recorders office. He served through the campaign in Manilla, on the firing line 70 days with the 10th, Penna, Reg't. Mr. M. Presby. Mrs. M. Baptist. C: (VII) Mary Jane Markle, b May 24, 1900.
VI. Thomas M. Markle, b Feb 25, 1868; m Ida Landsperger Sept 6, 1899. P O West Newton, Pa. Lumberman. Mr. M. Presby. Mrs. M. Luth. C: (VII) J. Webster O. Markle, b May 10, 1900.
VI. Mary O. Markle, b Sept 13, 1870; m James W. Shupe Oct 25, 1892. P O Mt. Pleasant, Pa. Supt. Electric Light, Heat & Power Co. Presby. No issue.
VI. Sarah B. Markle, b Feb 2, 1873.
VI. Jessie B. Markle, b Mary 25, 1875; m Theodore Hawley Oct 19, 1893. Supt. Continental Paper Bag Co., Rumford Falls, Maine. Mr. H. Catholic, Mrs. H. Presby. C: (VII) Eleanor Hawley, b Aug 25, 1894. Dorothy F. Hawley, b Aug 28, 1900.
VI. Margaret Z. Markle, b Mar 8, 1878; m Frank Watterson Jackson Aug 16, 1898. P O Mt. Pleasant, Pa. He was born in Fayette Co, Pa., in 1874. He received his education in the Mt. Pleasant, Pa, Classical and Scientific Institute, from which he graduated in 1891 with honors, besides winning the H. K. Porter prize of $300, offered for the one best prepared for College. He then went to Bucknell University, from which he graduated with the degree of A.B., in 1895, and then went to Chicago University for some time. He has for the past five years been Professor of Greek in the Western Penna. Institute, Mt. Pleasant, Pa. In the spring of 1901, he was appointed by the President, consul to patron Greece. Mr. J. Baptist. Mrs. J. Presby. C: (VII) Marian M. Jackson, b Aug 15, 1899.
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[History of the County of Westmoreland, by George D. Albert; L. H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia; 1882. ]

THE MARKLE CEMETERY is eligibly situated on the south side of Big Sewickley Creek, on the original homestead of Gaspard Markle, and near the old block-house [which is no longer standing], the refuge of all the settlers during the Indian incursions. In it [as of 1882] lie the remains of:

Near this cemetery, on the lands of Gen. Joseph Markle, was the site of old-time musters and militia trainings, and the great resort for public and political meetings. "Mill Grove," the Markle seat, was the great centre of all public assemblages of people, who came for miles around, as the most accessible point for meeting.

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Old Markle Blockhouse .............................Joseph Markle Obilisk

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Detail of Markle Farm................Cyrus Painter Markle & Anna Miller Markle Headstone

The original photographs can be found at Linda Mae Brown's web site.
http://mypeoplepc.com/members/tylinn/mymarklefamilysite/index.html

Karen's Markle Notes

My research online brought to light several Markle family trees. Regarding the three marriages of Johann Christian Merklin, Charlotte Kaye Butler's compilation gives the following data: m.1 Anna Catherina Bruckner (nine children, including Casper "Gaspard" Markle); m.2 Eva Kelchner (no children); and m.3 Jemima Weurtz (no children).

However, a family tree by Linda Mae Brown includes this note:

Burton D. Munhall, 17533 Fairlawn Drive, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022 states Johann Christian Merkel fled to Amsterdam, Holland from Alsace-Lorraine section of Merzig on the Rhine, near Metz, to avoid religious persecution after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes which occurred 18 October 1685. His first wife was Jemima Weurtz, sister of the noted Admiral Weurtz of the Dutch Navy. He first came to America in 1703, apparently with Jemima Weurtz. No record of any children. There is speculation that says Jemima Weurtz was the mother of all his children, however, other sources claim he returned to Holland where he married Catharina Brucker and had their first two children before returning to America on the ship Phoenix on either 19 April 1718 or 19 April 1719. For the time being I [i.e., Linda Mae Brown] will list the children as being from his first marriage. This needs to be investigated in more depth.

Johann Christian Merkel settled in Salem (Moselem) Springs, Philadelphia Co., later Berks Co., PA where he was a farmer, blacksmith and coach-maker. His will was dated 25 Apr 1749 & proved 22 May 1766. J. V. Thompson Journals vol. 1, p. 123 (Will of Christian Merckel), 180-181; vol. 2, p. 328; vol. 21, p. 318. Other records show that Catherina Bruckner was the mother of all his children.

Charlotte Kaye Butler's Web Site
http://kid4ever.tripod.com/index.html

Linda Mae Brown's Web Site
http://mypeoplepc.com/members/tylinn/mymarkelfamilysite/index.html

Using this material, RE: "Gaspard" Casper Markle (b. 1730):

With first wife, Elizabeth Grimm (1732-1776), he had eight children: Magdalena Markle (1751-1853), m. John Neyman; Anna Roslina Markle (1756-1839), m. Sebastian Burgett; Catherine Eliza Markle (1757-1836), m. Jacob Whitesell; George G. Markle (1761-1850), m.1 Barbara Kaultesure, m.2 Mary Deere Kaultleasure; Abraham G. (Col.) Markle (1762-1841), m. Rachel Blackburn; Ester G. Markle (1766-1827), m. George Ament; Daniel G. Markle (1771-1868); Elizabeth G. Markle (b. 1773), m. George DeCamp.

With his second wife, Mary S. Roedermel (1753-1776), "Gaspard" had eleven children: (General) Joseph Markle (1777-1867), m.1 (1805) Elizabeth "Betsy" Painter, m.2 Eliz Lloyd; Gaspar Markle (1790-1881), m. Mary "Polly" Lobingier; Susanna Markle (1779-1850), m. Charles J. Scholl; John Markle (1782-1831), m. Elizabeth Jack; Hanna Markle (1784-1864); Sarah Solomon Markle (1785-1797); Jacob Markle (1786-1864), m. Catharine Painter; Salome Markle (1787-1848), m. Samuel Oliver; Mary Markle (1788-1873), m. William Miller; Leah Markle (1793-1825), m.1 [-?-] Findley, m.2 Andrew Finley Thompson; David Markle (1796-1828), m. Maria Cowan.

Regarding (General) Joseph Markle (1777-1867):

With his first wife, m.1 (1805) Elizabeth "Betsy" Painter (1782-1815), he had thirteen children: Shepherd Brown Markle (1805-1882), m. Hannah Lobinger; Elias Rodermel Markle (b. 1807); Cyrus Painter Markle (b. 1810), m. Sarah Ann Lippincott [their daughter Harriet Cornelia Markle m. Abraham Overholt Tinstman]; Mary E. Markle (b. 1812); Layfette Markle; Joseph Markle (b.abt.1815); Infant Markle; Roxanna Markle; Sidney Markle; Ariadne Markle; Hannah Markle; George Washington Markle; Margaret Lloyd Markle.

List of Sources

(1) History of the County of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, edited by George Dallas Albert; L. H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia; 1882.
(2) History of Fayette County, by Franklin Ellis; L. H. Everts & Co., Philadelphia; 1882.
(3) A Genealogical Record of the Descendants of Martin Oberholtzer, by Rev. A. J. Fretz; Press of The Evergreen News, Milton, New Jersey; 1903.
(4) Along the Banks of Jacobs Creek, compiled by Winifred Paul, Mennonite Publishing House, Scottdale, PA.
(5) The Oberholtzer Book: A Foundation Book of Oberholtzer Immigrants and Unestablished Lines, compiled & edited by Barbara B. Ford, The Overholser Family Association, Wallingford, PA.
(6) Charlotte Kaye Butler's Web Site: http://kid4ever.tripod.com/index.html
(7) Linda Mae Brown's Web Site: http://mypeoplepc.com/members/tylinn/mymarkelfamilysite/index.html
(8) John Pritiskutch Reproductions Web Site: http://www.anthracitemaps.com/
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