James A. Winner    

JAMES A. WINNER, farmer, post-office Sandy Lake, was born April 24, 1851 in Fairview Township, son of Jesse and Elizabeth (Brest) Winner, natives, the father of Westmoreland County and the mother of Lawrence County, Penn. The father came to Mercer County about 1842; was married in Lawrence County, where he lived some time, and finally settled in Fairview Township, where he lived until 1857, when he moved to Deer Creek Township, and there died in May, 1859. His widow died September 10, 1885. They had the following children: Anna (married William Bowman), Levi, James, Lizzie (married David Weston, a miner at Stoneboro) and Mary (married Henry lineman, of Mercer). The father and mother were Methodists, and he was a Democrat. Our subject was educated in the common schools, and brought up, principally, on a farm. After his father’s death he stayed at home until twelve years old, when he went to live with V. B. Coulson, of Lake Township, for five years. He began at $7 per month, and got $25 at the close. He drove a huxter wagon two years for him, selling produce. At the age of seventeen years he began as a brakeman on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad, running from Oil City to Jamestown and Girard on a freight train. He then engaged in huxtering to Oil City, and continued at it thirteen years. He bought butter and eggs in Cool Spring, Jackson, Sandy Lake and Lake Townships, and also in Venango County. At the end of that period, in 1875, he settled on the farm where he now lives, and has been dealing in horses ever since. He was married, in 1871, to Sarah C., daughter of Jacob Smith, of this township, and has three children: William J., Nannie and Harry. He has been township supervisor, constable, and collector three years, and is a Republican. He is rearing Clara Bell, the daughter of his brother, Levi Winner, whose wife died when the child was three days old. The following reference is given to the mother of Mr. Winner: “Mrs. Elizabeth Winner died very suddenly of apoplexy, at the residence of her son-in-law, David Weston, Main Street, this place, on Friday morning, September 10, 1885. She had been in usual health, and fell dead over a wash-tub without a moment’s apparent warning. Mrs. Winner was born August 19, 1818, and consequently at the time of her demise was sixty-seven years of age. She was the mother of Messrs. James and Levi Winner, and Mrs. Elizabeth Weston, this place; Mrs. Mary Rineman, Mercer, and Mrs. Ann Bowman, Stoneboro, Penn., and was a sister to Joseph Brest, Sharpsville; Andrew Brest, Mercer, Penn. , and Mrs. Catherine Sweitzer, Cincinnati, Ohio. A. large number of relatives showed, by their sorrow at her funeral, the strong hold Mrs. W. had upon their sincere affection. After suitable religious service in the Wesleyan Methodist Church, conducted by Revs. Foster and Crawford, of this place, on the afternoon of Saturday, September 12, the remains were followed to the cemetery at New Lebanon, and there interred beside those of her husband, who a few years preceded her to the mysterious hereafter. The appropriate discourse, delivered by Rev. S. H. Foster, was founded on the words, ‘Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.’ Sandy Lake News.

History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present : including its aboriginal history, its early settlement and development, a description of its historic and interesting localities, sketches of its boroughs, townships and villages, neighborhood and family histories, portraits and biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc. : also, a condensed history of Pennsylvania. Chicago, Ill.: Brown, Runk & Co., 1888, pages 1067-1068.  Read this book on line - Free Trial  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file!  Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com.