History of Chester County Pennsylvania United States of America

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Biographies:

James Grier Ralston, educator, was born in Chester county, Pa., Dec. 28, 1815; son of Samuel and Nancy Hays (Grier) Ralston; grandson of John and Christiana (King) Ralston, and a descendant of John and Mary (McCummack) Ralston, who came from Ballymena parish, county Antrim, Ireland, to "Craigs," or the Irish settlement in Northampton county, Pa., about 1732. He was graduated at Washington college, Pa., 1838; attended Princeton Theological seminary, 1839?40; was principal of Oxford Female seminary, Chester Country, Pa., 1841?45; was ordained by the presbytery of New Castle, Dec. 17, 1845; founded, and was principal of Oakland Female institute, Norristown, Pa., 1845?74 and 1877?80. He was a student of natural history and chemistry and the discoverer of a fluoride of aluminum and calcium, the mineral being natured Ralstonite after the discoverer. He received the honorary degree of LL.D. from Lafayette college in 1865, having served as trustee of that institution, 1860?65; and the degree of D.D. from Washington and Jefferson college in 1868. He died in Norristown, Pa., Nov. 10, 1880.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Gilbert Cope, historian and genealogist, was born in East Bradford, Pa., Aug. 17, 1840; son of Joseph and Eliza (Gilbert) Cope; grandson of Joseph and Ann (Taylor) Cope and of Abner and Ann (Cooper) Gilbert; great-grandson of John Cope; and of Benjamin Gilbert, who with his family was taken captive by the Indians in 1780; and a direct descendant of Oliver Cope, who came to America from Avebury, Wiltshire, England, and settled in Pennsylvania in 1682-83. He was educated at Friends' schools in West Chester and Westtown, completing his course at the latter in 1857. He engaged in farming, in collecting historical and genealogical data, and in preserving church and other public records and manuscripts. He was elected a member and director of the Genealogical society of Pennsylvania, secretary of the Chester county historical society, member of the Historical society of Pennsylvania, of the Delaware historical society, and corresponding member of the New England historic genealogical society in 1861. He was married Feb. 5, 1880, to Anna Garrett. He compiled manuscript abstracts of Friends' records and put into book form hundreds of folio volumes of ancient manuscript both for his personal use and for the Pennsylvania historical society. He is the author of Cope Genealogy (1861); Duttons of Pennsylvania (1871); Futhey and Cope's History of Chester County (1881); Sharpless Genealogy (1887); Darlington Genealogy (1899); Smedley Genealogy (in preparation, 1899); and of various genealogical MSS.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Joseph Graham, soldier, was born in Chester county, Pa., Oct. 13, 1759. He removed with his widowed mother and five other children to Mecklenburg county, N.C., in 1766, and with his brother George (1758-1826), also a soldier of the war of the American Revolution, and major-general of the North Carolina militia, he was educated at Queen's Museum, Charlotte. He enlisted in the 4th N.C. regiment, and served under General Rutherford, and with General Lincoln at the battle of Stone Ferry, June 20, 1779. In 1780 he was severely wounded by a British dragoon, and after his recovery opposed the British army in its advance at Cowan's ford, captured a British guard at Hart's mill, defeated a band of Tories numbering 600, with 136 men near Fayetteville, and otherwise greatly distinguished himself throughout the war. He represented his county in the state legislature; was married in 1787, removed to Lincoln county, and in 1792 erected iron works, which he conducted with success. In 1814 he was placed in command of 1000 men raised in North Carolina to operate against the Creek Indians in Georgia. He was commissioned major-general and commanded the 5th division of state militia for many years. He died in Lincoln county, N.C., Nov. 12, 1836.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Horatio Gates Jones, educator, was born in Chester county, Pa., Feb. 11, 1777; son of the Rev. David and Anne (Stilwell) Jones. He was educated under the care of the Rev. Burgess Allison, principal of an academy at Bordentown, N.J. He was licensed to preach, Sept. 26, 1801; ordained to the Baptist ministry, Feb. 13, 1802, and was pastor at Salem, N.J., 1802-05. He removed to Roxborough, Pa., in 1805, and was one of the founders and first pastor of the Lower Merion Baptist church, 1808-53. He was a director of the bank of Germantown; director and controller of the public schools; was a member of the board of managers of the Baptist board of foreign missions, and secretary of the board for a number of years; was influential in the organization of the manual labor school at Haddington, which in 1836 became Haddington college; was president of the board of trustees of the college, 1836-40; president of the board of trustees of the Philadelphia Baptist association, 1829-53; moderator of the association, 1816 and 1822, and was clerk in 1808-10, 1813, 1815 and 1835. He was married to Deborah Levering, a descendant of Wigard Levering, who settled in Germantown, Pa., in 1685. Brown university conferred on him the honorary degree of M.A. in 1812 and the University at Lewisburg, Pa., their first degree of D.D. in 1852. He is the author of: History of the Philadelphia Baptist Association (1823), and was co-editor of the Latter Day Luminary. He died in Roxborough, Pa., Dec. 12, 1853.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

History of Chester County Pennsylvania

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