Abram Colvin, p. 1219

ABRAM COLVIN is a son of Stephen Colvin, whose father, Vincent, was an early settler of Fallowfield township. The latter invested largely in land, having at one time owned nearly 2,000 acres in Fallowfield township. On March 28, 1780, he received a grant for the home place, which was situated on Pigeon creek, and contained 470 acres. The following children were born to Vincent Colvin: Stephen (who inherited 200 acres of the old place), John, Vincent, Joshua, Moses, Lott, Agnes (Mrs. Powell), Susanna (Mrs. Wilson), Charlotte (Mrs. Frye), Lucy (Mrs. Frye) and Harriet, who married a Baxter.

Stephen Colvin was born in 1778, in Fallowfield township, Washington Co., Penn., and became a leading agriculturist, devoting special attention to stock raising. He was married to Mary, daughter of Abram Frye, who married a Miss Wilson, of Washington county, who bore him thirteen children, whose names are given as follows: Hester, Julia, Nancy, Abram, Lucinda, Sarah, Stephen, Mary, Elizabeth, John, Lewis, Rebecca and Vincent, of whom Vincent and Lewis enlisted in the army, Vincent dying while in the service. The father died in 1846.

Abram Colvin was born April 21, 1820, on the homestead in Fallowfield township, and his education was received in the log-cabin schoolhouse of the district. In 1848 he was married to Miss Frye, daughter of Abraham, and granddaughter of Samuel Frye, a farmer of Washington county, who erected the first house on the west side of the Monongahela river, in this county. Samuel Frye was born in 1729, in Virginia, and was there married to Christina Speers, who was born in 1752 in the same State. They came overland to Washington county at a very early day, and July 19, 1792, took out a "tomahawk right" to a large tract of land in Fallowfield township, where the Gibson distillery is now located. He was a famous hunter, and also worked on the farm, remaining in the neighboring fort at night for protection from the Indians. He died in 1814, his widow, November 9, 1841.

Abraham Frye, son of Samuel and Christina (Speers) Frye, was born in 1792, on the home farm in Fallowfield township. He received a subscription-school education, and in early life was married to Isabella Ringland, a native of Washington county, who bore him eleven children, namely: Samuel and John, both in Allen township; Christina, Mrs. Abram Colvin; Abraham, who entered the service in Washington county, and is now living near Nashville, Tenn.; Henry, a resident of Sumner county, Tenn., on the Cumberland river; Noah, who died in Fallowfield township; Sarah, wife of Thomas McGowan, Lock No. 4, same township; Jackson, living in Cowley county, Kans., enlisted and was taken prisoner, being confined in Andersonville prison eleven months; Clarissa, married to Alexander Allman, and died in East Pike Run township; Smith; and Isabelle, wife of Elgy T. Van Voorhis, of Kansas City, Mo. After their marriage Abraham and Isabella Frye settled on the lower part of the old homestead in Fallowfield township. He was actively interested in public matters, first affiliating with the Democratic party, then becoming a Whig and Republican. He died December 11, 1866, followed by his widow April 12, 1881, she having lived to see her youngest daughter the mother of twelve children. Both parents were members of the Disciple Church.

Mr. and Mrs. Colvin are the parents of seven children, namely: Stephen, Belle, Abram, Christiana, Smith, Fremont and Ellsworth, of whom the youngest child has for the past five years been a resident of Los Angeles, Cal. The home farm contains 110 acres of land, located about five miles southwest of Monongahela City, where Mr. Colvin deals extensively in stock. Politically, he votes with the Republican party.

Text taken from page 1219 of:
Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893).

Transcribed February 1997 by Neil and Marilyn Morton of Oswego, IL as part of the Beers Project.
Published February 1997 on the Washington County, PA pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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