THOMAS McKEAN, one of the retired successful merchants of the borough of Washington, is a native of the county, having been born September 14, 1820, in Amwell township. The first of the family to come to Washington county was Robert McKean, father of the above, who was born February 12, 1795 in County Tyrone, Ireland. In 1815 he came to America by way of Canada, landing at Montreal, thence proceeding to Washington, this county, where he lived until 1820, in which year he moved into Amwell township, on a farm, and in 1828 returned to Washington borough. In 1832 he started on a trip to Philadelphia, but died of cholera while on the way. In 1817, soon after coming to Washington county, he married Mrs. Mary McClintock, formerly Mrs. McGowan, who had several children by her first husband, all now deceased. By her second marriage there were four children, viz.: Mary, who was a Presbyterian missionary to the Creek Indians at Tallahasse, Indian Territory, and died there January 21, 1861; Thomas, our subject; Alexander, who died in Washington, Penn., March 27, 1890, and whose family are still living here; and Sarah, who died in infancy. The mother was called from earth march 17, 1867, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years, at the time living with her son Thomas. Thomas McKean, of whom this sketch chiefly treats, was eight years old when the family came to live in the borough of Washington. He received his education partly at the schools of his native township, and partly in Washington, and learned manufacturing tobacco and cigars, which he carried on, wholesale and retail, for forty-five years, opening out for his own account September 25, 1843, and retiring from same in 1888. His original stand was the room now occupied as the office of the Washington Reporter. At his retirement he was about the only man in Washington who was in business there when he commenced in 1843. On March 14, 1844, Mr. McKean married Fannie Jane, daughter of Samuel Snodgrass, a farmer who came from Lancaster county, Penn., at an early date. He died of cholera at West Alexander, this county, in 1832, and his wife in Washington borough, in 1840. They were the parents of three children, as follows: Fannie Jane; Mary Margaret, now the widow of John V. Wilson, a carpenter of Washington, who died July 2, 1876; and William, who died in March, 1846.
By the marriage of Thomas and Fannie J. McKean, there were ten children, of whom the following is a brief record; Mary Ellen is married to Rev. J. C. McClintock, and lives in Burlington, Iowa; John A. is a physician at Washington, this county; Maria is the wife of Hon. W. J. Davis, of Goshen, Ind.; William is in Grand Rapids, Mich., a traveling salesman for J.V.. Farwell & Co., of Chicago; James, is married to Jennie D. Ackelson, and lives at Abilene, Kans.; George is teller in Wells, Fargo & Co.'s bank at San Francisco, Cal.; Annie is the wife of Rev. W. P. White, a Presbyterian minister at Germantown, Penn.; Elizabeth is the wife of Homer U. Seaman, jeweler, Pittsburgh, Penn.; Thomas C. is clerk in a gents' furnishing business, Pittsburgh, Penn., and Bernard is an insurance agent at No. 135 Broadway, New York.
Mr. McKean is one of the well-known citizens of Washington. His place of business and home, No. 164 and 166 South Main street, was built by him in 1854, and he has lived on the Square ever since coming to the borough. Politically he is a Republican, and has served as school director six years, and secretary during that time. For twenty-seven years he has been a trustee and treasurer of the Washington Female Seminary. Forty years ago he was a member of the Sons of Temperance, and continued so until they disbanded. Since 1846 he has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church, of which he was trustee for twelve years, and since 1864 has been an elder. For forty years he was secretary and treasurer of the Sunday-school. He has been a director of the First national Bank of Washington for more than thirty years, and is now the vice president of that financial house. Mr. McKean was interested in the establishment of a board of health for his borough, which prompted him, without compensation, to keep a complete record of the deaths in Washington and vicinity, including names, ages and causes of death; commencing June 20, 1850, and up to January 1, 1893, a record of 3,240 deaths has been made by him.
Text taken from page 236 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 USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.[ [Back to Beers Table of Contents] [Back to Beers Project Page]