STEPHEN APPLEGATE, than whom there is no more enterprising citizen in the county, was born in Allegheny county, Penn., May 5, 1825. He is a grandson of Benjamin Applegate, the place of whose birth was eastern Pennsylvania, where he was reared and educated, and whence, in 1767, he migrated to this county, settling near the Monongahela river, in what is now Forward township, Allegheny county, where he patented a tract of 400 acres of land, subsequently entirely improved by the family. He came in the spring of 1767, and, having made a clearing, seeded it to corn, then returned home, but when he again came, in the fall, he found bears had destroyed the entire crop. He was one of the earliest members of the U. P. Church in this section, their place of worship being known as the "Henderson Meeting House," and he was one of the most active and progressive of the earlier pioneers. Vincent Applegate, son of Benjamin, was born in Allegheny county, Penn., where he was educated, trained to farming pursuits, and where, on the old home farm, he passed his entire life. He married Riodosha Harker, of Virginia, and their children were Richard, Delilah (Mrs. Abraham Applegate), Harvey, Elizabeth, Josiah, Harrison, Rebecca (Mrs. Gideon Wall), Keziah (Mrs. Jacob Conklin), Eli and Stephen. The father died August 3, 1839, the mother September 3, 1859. They sleep in the family burying-ground. They were members of the Henderson U. P. Church; in politics he was an active Whig. Stephen Applegate was reared on the farm where he was born; his education was, necessarily, very limited. For some years after his marriage he remained on the home place, and in 1873 came to Monongahela City, where he has since resided, retired from active life. On October 29, 1846, he was married to Minerva, daughter of James Applegate, also a native of Allegheny county, whose wife was Rachel (Holdcraft), and children as follows: Elsie (Mrs. Samuel Dennison), John, Elizabeth, Rachel, Harriet J. and Minerva (Mrs. Stephen Applegate). James Applegate was a prominent farmer and stock-raiser, in politics a Whig, in religion a Baptist. Our subject and wife have had one child, Josephine, married to Moses Colvin, and their children are Minnie, Mary and May. Mr. Applegate was originally a Whig, but a Republican since the formation of the party. He is a representative, self- made man, one who has attained success by his own efforts, industry, perseverance and thrift.

Text taken from page 975 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project. Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

[ [Back to Beers Table of Contents] [Back to Beers Project Page]