Joseph B. Coale    

JOSEPH B. COALE a son of Joseph H. Coale was born in Harford County Maryland, in 1816. Accompanied by his mother and step-father, David H. Townsend, he migrated to New Brighton about 1830. As a partner with William Lightfoot under the firm name of Coale and Lightfoot, a file of old correspondence shows their operation of a flour and grist mill in 1845-46 at the latter place, from which they shipped 150 to 200 barrels of flour per month to Philadelphia by canal boat. The quill pen writing also discloses that the price received for their product depended upon the quotations reported by the most recent ship arriving at that port from England. Moreover ‘it also reminds the reader that New Brighton had no post office at that time as all the letters are addressed to Fallston, Pa. He was married to Sara V., youngest daughter of Benjamin Townsend, and was also a Quaker. He died in June, 1846. Being a member of a local fire company, he caught cold at a fire and succumbed quickly of pneumonia.

To the couple were born three children, Joseph Brinton, Benjamin, and Garrison. Benjamin was a member of Company “C” 11th Ohio Infantry in the Civil War. Garrison enlisted in Company “C, 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers and became color bearer. Mrs. George Marquis, a niece, of 702 Sixth Avenue has the battle flag he carried. Relatives say they were both wounded and both were at one time prisoners of war. They are now deceased. Joseph B. Coale had a brother, Charles Coale, who for many years was active in manufacturing in the borough.

Joseph Brinton Coale, son of the above Joseph B. Coale, was born on November 3, 1846, five months after the death of his father. He found work at several factories about town at different periods until 1868, when he became an employee of his uncle, Charles Coale, at his feed store on Ninth Street, and remained two years with Mr. Coale’s successor, Hiram Reed. Leaving this employment in 1875 he opened a similar feed store for himself in Sewickley which he disposed of after two years. He subsequently became a railway mail clerk, which occupation he resigned to become City Messenger between New Brighton and Pittsburgh. Eleven years elapsed before he gave up this occupation which he began about 1881-82. It was as Messenger that Mr. Coale was best known. Every weekday morning he made his way up Third Avenue and across the old wooden bridge to the P. & L. E. R. R. station pushing before him an empty two wheeled cart, which he left at the station until his return. In his pocket were numerous orders for merchandise of every possible description that could be conveniently transported, given him by residents who could not or at least thought they could not supply their needs locally.

These orders were left for Mr. Coale at designated stores if not delivered personally. Arriving in the city he bought the merchandise desired, and returned upon the first evening train looking like Santa Claus. Loading up his cart he went back down Third Avenue delivering his packages and collecting what he had paid out for them together with a small charge for his services, and was often not through until after dark. Upon giving up this avocation Mr. Coale became shipping clerk at the Standard Sanitary Works where he was employed when he died on April 27, 1921.

History of New Brighton 1838-1939, published by the Historical Committee of the Centennial, Butler, PA, pages 24-25. More Beaver 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.