Hon. John Mulkie    

HON. JOHN R. MULKIE. No man is more widely known or highly respected in Union City than the Hon. John R. Mulkie, a former legislator and councilman. He was born in Cattaraugus county, New York, in 1842, and reared and educated in the county of his birth. At the age of twenty-one years he moved from there to Erie county, where he has since resided as a useful, progressive and prosperous citizen. During thirty-four years he served the Erie Railroad Company as an agent, and during ten years previous to that time he was a freight clerk for the same company at Corry, Pennsylvania. In 1873 he was stationed in Union City as joint agent for the Erie and the Western New York, and Pennsylvania railroad companies, and served in that capacity ten years or until the Western New York was merged with the Pennsylvania Company about the year 1883. From that time until his resignation Mr. Mulkie was the agent for the Erie Company, but during that time he also carried on an extensive wholesale and retail business in coal and mason and builders’ supplies, being associated in that capacity at different times with C. L. Reed, S. W. Brown and E. Collopy as partners.

On the 1st of April, 1907, Mr. Mulkie, with his son Roy B., purchased the grist mill which he now operates in connection with his former coal and supply business, and the industry is known as the Union Coal and Supply Company. The mill was built by R. D. Poor and others in 1871, and after operating it as a stock company for six years they sold it to Messrs. Camp, Geiger and Beebe, of Warren, Ohio, who carried on the business tip to the date of purchase by Mr. Mulkie and son in 1907. The former capacity of the mill was one hundred and ten barrels of flour and twenty tons of feed per day, but the flouring machinery has since been moved from the mill, and it is now operated solely as a feed mill with the above capacity and contains a sixty horse power engine. Mr. Mulkie served his city as a councilman, and during his administration had the pleasure of seeing a city water plant inaugurated. During 1899 and 1901 he served his district as a member of the state legislature and was a member of the following committees: “legislature appropriations,” “railroads,” “municipal corporations,” “public roads,” “geological surveys,” and “compare bills,” serving on the last named as a chairman. He is a worthy member of the Masonic fraternity, and affiliates with Eureka Lodge No. 360 of Union City, Columbus Chapter No. 22 of Corry. Clarence Commandery of that place and Zem Zem Shrine of Erie. He is both a past master and past commander of his order.

In 1867 Mr. Mulkie was united in marriage to Miss Sarah S., daughter of W. T. and Cynthia (Scott) Brown, and their two children are Maud and R. B. Mulkie. The daughter is now the wife of Dr. G. E. Humphrey, the resident physician of River Side Hotel, Cambridge Springs, and the son is in partnership with his father. Mr. Mulkie is a member of and an elder in the Presbyterian church.

A twentieth century history of Erie County, Pennsylvania : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Chicago: Lewis Pub. Co., 1909, pages 476-477. More Erie County History Books   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.