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Major James M. Bredin |
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MAJOR JAMES M. BREDIN, the eldest son of Maurice Bredin, was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, on the 14th of November, 1828. His parents came from the northern part of Ireland, near Belfast, and he was, therefore, of Scotch-Irish descent. He received his education at the Butler Academy, an institution which was well known in western Pennsylvania whilst under the direction of the Reverend William White, D. D., L. L. D., of the Episcopal church. After completing his education he read law under the direction of General John N. Purviance, in his native town, and was admitted to the bar in 1851. Soon after his admission to the bar he conceived the idea of securing the coal lands in the northern part of Butler county, for the purpose of promoting the industry of coal mining upon a large scale. Having been successful in obtaining a large body of these lands he entered into arrangements with James McHenry, who was then in control of the Atlantic and Great Western Railway Company. With the cooperation of Mr. McHenry, the Mercer Coal and Mining Company was organized and also the Shenango and Allegheny Railroad Company. In both these enterprises he was a member of the board of directors and took an important part. On the 28th of November, 1864, he was admitted to the Venango bar, removed to Franklin early in the following year, and in the latter place not only continued the practice of his profession, but also took an active interest in commercial and industrial enterprises. He was one of the organizers of the Franklin Bank, and after the merging of that institution into the First National, he was chosen a director of the latter. In 1870, at the solicitation of his friends, he was put forward as a candidate for nomination to the office of state senator, his opponent for Venango county being Colonel A. P. Duncan, who had previously been a member of the legislature. At the primary election Major Bredin received a considerable majority of the vote of Venango county, but failed to receive the nomination of the district, which was accorded to Colonel Harrison Allen. Major Bredin represented the reform element in this struggle, and most of his friends claimed that his defeat was due to the illicit influences which he was only too open in condemning. In 1873 Major Bredin, in company with others, developed a new and important oil field in Cranberry township, Venango county, and founded the town which is now known as Bredinsburg. During this year also he became a member of the city council of Franklin. He was likewise a charter member of the Franklin Cemetery Company. He received his military title by appointment from Governor Packer as a member of his official staff. Major Bredin’s energy was not confined to the law, commercial pursuits, or politics. He was an earnest and efficient member of St. John’s Episcopal church of Franklin, and a member of its vestry from 1864 up to the time of his death. He took a prominent part in the erection of the western diocese of the state. This project was opposed by Bishop Stevens, but by the admission of St. John’s parish of Franklin, the one vote necessary for a majority was secured at the convention at Philadelphia, which resulted in the erection of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, and thereafter Major Bredin represented this parish in nearly every annual diocesan convention. At home he was largely instrumental in. replacing the old church building by the present beautiful structure, which was the first of the large church edifices erected in Franklin. The character of Major Bredin was of a rugged and positive type, and in consequence of this those who did not know him well were sometimes led to misinterpret him. But to those who did know him, and especially to those who knew him intimately, there was no misunderstanding concerning him. His eccentricities of disposition were but the cover of his manly character. Beneath and behind his positive and strong exterior manner, there was a play of sensibility which was almost feminine in its delicacy. To sum up his qualities, he was energetic, frank, honest, and generous, and it may be said of him, without the least exaggeration, that he contributed his full share to those influences which go to make up a wholesome industrial and moral community. Major Bredin was married September 28, 1871, to Mrs. Ruth K. Elliott, daughter of Colonel James Kinnear, who died June 24, 1880. He survived her nearly four years, and died May 17, 1884, in his fifty-sixth year, having but little more than passed the meridian of life.
History of Venango County, Pennsylvania
: its past and present, including its aboriginal history, the French and
British occupation of the country, its early settlement and subsequent
growth, a description of its historic and interesting localities, its rich
oil deposits and their development, sketches of its cities, boroughs,
townships, and villages, neighborhood and family history, portraits and
biographies of pioneers and representative citizens, statistics, etc.,
etc. .
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