Thomas Edward Rice    

THOMAS EDWARD RICE, farmer, P.O. Mosiertown, was born November 27, 1822, in Cussewago Township, this county; son of Harmon and Mary (Barnes) Rice, who came to this county in 1815, and settled on a farm near Meadville, and the following year located in Cussewago on the farm which they cleared and improved, and where they lived and died. Harmon was a native of Connecticut, a son of Thomas Rice and of English descent. Mary, his wife, was a native of Orange County, N.Y., daughter of Edward Barnes, who served through the Revolutionary war. They had ten children: Sally Ann (deceased), born May 13, 1809; Henry, January 9, 1811; William (deceased), March 15, 1813; Harmon, June 13, 1816; Hiram, September 26, 1818; Thomas E.; Mary Ann (deceased), September 25, 1824; Elizabeth, June 10, 1830; Amaziah (deceased), August 10, 1833; Hezekiah (deceased), or whom came to this state from Germany in 1702, and cast his lot with the rising fortunes of the young colonies. Philip Spitler married Miss Mary Zimmerman, of Swiss descent, a native of Union County, Penn. They settled in this county about 1838. He was a weaver by trade, but employed himself occasionally at farming and other work. He was accidentally drowned in Bemis’ Dam, French Creek, in October, 1842. His widow died April 1, 1877. Their children were Samuel; Henry, who pre-empted the land which is now the site of Topeka, Kan., where he died of cholera in 1855; Israel, died in his country’s service in Kentucky during the war of the Rebellion; George, and Philip (deceased). Our subject enlisted, August 19, 1863, in the Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was severely wounded at Drury’s Bluff, Va., May 16, 1864, causing permanent disability. He received his discharge May 5, 1865, and left an honorable record as a brave and faithful soldier. September 24, 1883, our subject married Miss Fanny Nisley, of Hayfield Township, this county, born June 15, 1843, in Dauphin County, Penn., and daughter of Jacob Nisley, born in Dauphin County, Penn., in 1806, and Barbara (Hoffman) Nisley, born in Lancaster County, Penn., in 1812, both of German descent. They immigrated to this county in 1852, and settled in Cussewago Township, near Mosiertown, and were largely influential in establishing the church of the United Brethren in Christ. Mrs. Nisley died in 1872. Mr. Nisley is still enjoying life at a ripe old age, and is in fair health. To this union were born—Flora Viola, who died in February, 1868, aged twenty-two months; J. Arthur; May B.; Albert L.A.; J. Lloyd; Kittie Georgie and Frances Lucretia. After spending over three years in the oil regions, our subject and family settled in Cussewago Township, this county, in 1869, and here they have a comfortable home of fifty acres of well improved land. Mrs. Spitler is a consistent member of the United Brethren Church. Mr. Spitler has held the office of School Director fourteen years, and Secretary of the Board most of the time. He was himself a teacher several years in early life. In politics he is a Republican.

History of Crawford County, Pennsylvania: containing a history of the county, its townships, towns, villages, schools, churches, industries, etc., portraits of early settlers and prominent men, biographies, history of Pennsylvania, statistical and miscellaneous matter, Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1885. View image of this page of the book on line at ancestry.com.  Free access  More Crawford 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

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