J0NATHAN ALLISON. Prominent among the foremost of Washington county's most prosperous and progressive citizens stands this well-known and highly respected gentleman. He is a native of the county, having been born February 3, 1828, in Chartiers township, his ancestry being traceable to a family who left Scotland for the North of Ireland during the period of religious persecution in their native land. James Allison, grandfather of our subject, was a native of Ireland, whence he emigrated to Maryland, locating in Cecil county, and thence on October 26, 1778, moved to Washington county, Penn., having purchased from Thomas Moffatt of Cecil county a tract of wild land in Washington county containing 560 acres. This tract Moffatt had acquired by squatter's right, and the first patent for same was made out to James Allison; the farm is now owned and occupied by his grandson. Jonathan Allison. Here the grandfather set to work to carve out a home for himself and family, and great were the hardships he endured and many the dangers he encountered in his herculean task of converting a forest wild into a smiling fruitful farm. Indians and wild animals were numerous and ofttimes aggressive, and many a night did this old pioneer watch with his trusty rifle for the bloodthirsty savage and not less ferocious marauding wolf. In fact, after his first visit to his tract of land the Indians were so hostile that he had to beat a retreat, betaking himself to the "Forks of Yough," as the confluence of the Youghiogheny and Monongahela rivers was then called, but, in 1774, he returned to his new home in strength, some twenty families accompanying him, among whom were the Bradfords, McDowells, Parks, Scotts, etc. As a haven for the families to retreat to in times of danger, they here built themselves a blockhouse or fort, in which they lived one year, and then erected log cabin, so that they might have individual homes, and here they endured the many hardships and privations incident to pioneer life, and which were particularly distressing in the northern part of the county. The old frame house, built by James Allison in 1788 or 1789 is still standing in a remarkably good state of preservation. James Allison was married to Miss Jane, sister of David Bradford, who was prominently connected with the "Whiskey Insurrection" in Pennsylvania, and by this union eight children were born as follows: William, who moved in 1834 to McDonough county, Ill., where he died; James, for fifty years an attorney at Beaver, Penn., now deceased; but whose descendants still reside there; John, who in 1834 went to Illinois, where his descendants are yet to be found, George who was a merchant in Pittsburgh, Penn, where he died, Thomas father of Jonathan, David, killed when a youth by kick of a horse; Mary, married to Rev. McIlroy of New York City, and Rachel, married to Dr George Craighead, of Washington county. Mr Allison was a very prominent citizen in his day, having been associate judge of the courts of Washington county in 1786-87-88, and in 1789 a member of the Supreme Executive Council at Philadelphia, during which incumbency he voted for the abolition of slavery, the question having, in some connection, been brought up in that council, and thus He became one of the first Abolitionists in the county. He was one of the first ruling elders in Dr. John McMillan's church in North Strabane township, one of the first Presbyterian Societies organized in the county. For years he was a trustee of Jefferson College, and strongly advocated the union of the two colleges, Washington and Jefferson. Thomas Allison, son of this honored pioneer, was born in 1780, in Chartiers township, Washington Co., Penn., where he grew to manhood on his father's farm, helping to clear it of timber and brush. In 1817 he married Mary, daughter, of Richard Johnson, of North Strabane township, and ten children came to brighten their pioneer home, viz.: Jane (deceased), James (now in Chartiers township), William and Richard (both deceased), Thomas (in Chartiers township), Jonathan (subject of sketch), David and Joseph (both in Chartiers township), Uriah (deceased), and Mary (in Chartiers township). Of these, James served five years in Company G, One Hundred and Fortieth Regiment, P. V. I.; he was made a prisoner at Gettysburg, and held by the enemy two hours, but on account of his having rheumatism was released. The father of this sturdy family died October 21, 1849, at the age of sixty-nine years; the mother, who was a "mother in Israel" a thorough home woman, beloved by all for her many noble traits, passed from earth in 1884, at the patriarchal age of eighty-six years. Mr. Allison was a most exemplary man, hardworking, I thrifty and scrupulously conscientious. He was a prominent member of the Presbyterian Church, and a trustee of the Chartiers congregation. Jonathan Allison, whose name opens this biographical memoir, received his rudimentary education at the common schools of his district, and at the age of seventeen years entered Jefferson College, remaining two years, when, owing to the death of a brother, he returned home and engaged in farming, which he has for the most part followed through life. After his marriage he bought of William Hopkins a farm of 148 acres, situated about one mile from the place of his birth, and here remained eight years, when He purchased a part of his grandfather's old farm, from the Andrew Allison estate. Here it was that a hundred years ago, while excavating the land for drainage, grandfather Allison discovered the first coal found In Washington county, some of which he dug up for blacksmith's use, and sold at 25 cents per bushel, after hauling it many miles; but not till long afterward was it used for house fuel. Andrew Allison had mined coal for some time, not as a regular business, however; but when in the Chartiers Valley Railroad was built, Jonathan Allison opened the mine on a large scale, developing it to its fullest working capacity, and sending the product to the lake ports, even as far as Chicago, besides supplying the borough of Washington and other places with the bituminous mineral. From 1873 to 1891 he employed about fifty men at the mine, and shipped over a million bushels per annum; but in 1891 he sold the concern out to J. V. H. Cook & Sons, of Canonsburg, Penn., and retired from the coal interests. In 1887 Mr. Allison removed to the "Old Acheson Homestead," in Washington, where he now resides. On April 7, 1857, Jonathan Allison and Margaret Gabby were united in marriage. She is a daughter of William and Margaret Gabby, the former of whom was a farmer of Franklin township, where he died; the latter is still living in Washington borough, at the advanced age of eighty-three years, in fair preservation, but blind for the past five or six years. To Mr. and Mrs. Allison were born the following named children: Mary, deceased when a child of four years; Maggie, who died in Canonsburg, was married to William Dickson, of that place; Albert, a farmer in Chartiers township; Thomas, in the Citizens National Bank; Edward and William (twins), the former of whom is attending the Medical College at Pittsburgh, the latter was drowned in 1881, when coming from school, by falling off a foot log laid across a creek; and John, Ralph and Jennie, all three at home, attending school. Mr. and Mrs. Allison are consistent members of the First Presbyterian Church, in which he is a deacon. Politically he was a Whig, up to 1856, but since has been a stanch Republican. For twelve years he served as school director, being first elected the year he cast his first ballot; was a justice of the peace from 1872 to 1873, but resigned in order to accept the position of representative to the State Legislature to which he had been elected in the fall of 1872, and in which he served with eminent ability for two terms. Through some condition of politics, Hon. Mr. Allison was the only representative from Washington county in the State Legislature at that time, since when, however, there have been two. For a couple of years he was a burgess of Washington borough, during which period the town was greatly improved in many respects. Mr. Allison was one of the original stockholders, in 1886, of the Citizens National Bank, and is now one of its directors.

Text taken from page 204 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by George and Mary Ann Plance of Gainesville, FL as part of the Beers Project. Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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