JOEL PATTERSON BLAYNEY. This gentleman, one of the wealthy and influential citizens of West Finely township, is a lineal descendant of Cadwallader Blayney, a Welshman by birth, and a gallant officer in the British army, who for meritorious services to his country was made a general, and soon thereafter was given an estate in Ireland, the mansion on which came to be known as "Blayney Castle," while the new occupant was raised to the peerage with the title of "Lord Blayney." Cadwallader had a brother, whose baptismal name is forgotten, a rector in the Church of England. John Blayney, grandfather of Joel P., came with his family, in 1795 from his native Ireland to this country, making his first settlement in Ohio county, W. Va. Among his children was one Edward, who was born in the Emerald Isle, in 1785, and, as will be seen, was ten years old when he came to the United states with his father. Edward assisted in the duties of the farm his father had settled on in Ohio county, W. Va., until his marriage with Miss Betsey Potter, of the same county. To this union were born four children, vis.: Joseph, died in West Alexander, Penn.; David, died in Morrow county, Ohio; Matilda, died in Ohio county, W. Va.; and Eliza, died in Morrow county, Ohio. The mother of these children dying, Mr. Blayney married, for his second wife, Miss Nancy Patterson, of Ohio county, W. Va., daughter of Robert Patterson, a native of Ireland, who came to America in pioneer days, settling in Ohio county, where he passed from earth at the advanced age of ninety-six years. By this union there were eight children, as follows: Robert, married to Jane Campbell, and living in Tuscola, Douglas Co., Ill.; Edward, married to S. J. Patterson, and residing in Osage county, Kans.; Joel, deceased in infancy; Joel Patterson, our subject; Mary Jane, died in Ohio; Isaiah, married to Nancy Floyd, in Nebraska; John McKinley, married to Sarah Jane Wheatley, and living in Washington, Penn.; William S., married to Anna Robinson, of Ohio county, W. Va., and died April 1, 1875, in West Alexander, this county, where his widow is yet living. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Blayney resided in Belmont county, Ohio, four years, then returned to Washington county, and died at the home of the subject of this sketch, he dying May 3, 1851, the mother some years later. Joel Patterson Blayney was born April 13, 1829, in Belmont county, Ohio, where he lived with his father until he was five years of age, when the family moved to Washington county, Penn., settling near Independence. After a four years' residence there they came to Good Intent, West Finley township, afterward moved to Marshall county, W. Va., and thence to the farm where he now lives in West Finely township. Here he was united in marriage April 27, 1854, with Joanna Frazier, daughter of Alexander Frazier, of whom the following interesting sketch appeared in the Pittsburgh Leader at the time of his death: Alexander Frazier, the oldest man in Washington county, who died last week, was born in Donegal township in 1792. When he was twelve years old he spent some time with his grandmother, Mrs. Nancy Ross. One morning he, for some childish reason, pleaded to go home, and was allowed to have his wish. That day Mrs. Ross was cruelly murdered by the Indians, and in all probability her grandson would have met the same fate had he been with her. In his old age Squire Frazier still looked back at this as a providential escape. In 1799 he attended the first school taught in the township by Mr. McDonald, whose work consisted in teaching the pupils from "Diller's Spelling Book," the Bible and the shorter catechism. In 1811 he cast his first vote, and since that time has not missed an election, being all his life a strong Democrat, having voted for every Democratic nominee for President from Madison to Hancock. The greater part of Mr. Frazier's life was spent on a farm between West Alexander and Good Intent. For a number of years he was justice of the peace, and was a pioneer Squire Mayes. Once he was offered as a marriage fee a $1 bill, with the remark, "take your change out of this;" in another case, a backwoods bridegroom offered to split rails. In both cases the generous-hearted Squire refused the proffered payment. Mr. Frazier was married three times, and has ten living children, thirty-nine grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren, making a total of sixty-six descendants, many of whom are in the West. Squire Frazier was very generous with his means, and assisted generously in the building of three churches. No needy person asked aid of him in vain. He was a true Christian in profession and practice. We will not soon forget the familiar form and cheerful words of Squire Frazier, linked, as he was, with the infancy of our country. It may be added that the Fraziers are descended from Lord Alexander Frazier, a Scotch peer, who won fame in the seventeenth century by defending the rights of the Barony of Lovat. To Mr. and Mrs. Joel P. Blayney were born eight children as follows: Albert, born in 1855, married to Dessie Malone; Sophia S., born in 1857, married to William B. Gibson; Lillie M., born in 1860, married to William Egan; Clement A., born in 1862, died in infancy; and Edward E., Charles A., Lizzie A. and S. Rice, born in 1865, 1869, 1871, 1876, respectively, all living in the paternal home. Mr. Blayney is a living example of what patience, perseverance, resolution, steadfast integrity and strict attention to business will accomplish in the proper channel. He commenced life with but $700, to-day he is the owner of 535 acres of as fine land as can be found in the county, well stocked with cattle, horses, hogs and sheep; and all this is over and above losses he has sustained from time to time in speculation, forfeiture of bonds, etc., aggregating some $10,000. Mr. Blayney has always been a Democrat, and served in various township offices. The family are members of the Presbyterian Church at West Alexander.

Text taken from page 493 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed January 1997 by Karen Souhrada of Pittsford, NY as part of the Beers Project. Published January 1997 on the Washington County, PA pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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