William Houston    

WILLIAM HOUSTON, post-office Mercer, proprietor of the Mercer Grist Mills, was born in Pittsburgh, Penn., May 18, 1839. A mention of his parents and family is to be found elsewhere in this work. He attended the district schools of his boyhood days, going through the woods at a great inconvenience. He was brought up at rural pursuits, and helped his father to clear away the heavy timber on his farm. He was engaged in the coal business twelve years in the coal bank now owned and operated by John T. Crill. In 1882 he, in company with W.R. Packard, erected the Mercer Roller Grist Mills. He subsequently bought Packard’s interest, and, with his son, now operates the business. The mill has a capacity of 125 barrels per day. He employs seven men regularly. If running continually they can grind about 28,000 bushels per month. The mill contains twelve eighteen-foot reels, three of Martin’s contrifugals, fourteen sets of Steven’s rollers, one Richmond Empire bran duster and bolt, six of George T. Smith’s purifiers, one Richmond bust machine, one Eureka separating and scouring machine, one H. A. Bernard dustless wheat separator and extractor, one Babcock & Ewing warehouse cleaner, one meal bolter, and the following, made by the John T. Noyes Manufacturing Company, of Buffalo, N.Y.: The improved bolting chest, two four-reel chests and two two-reel chests. Mr. Houston was married February 6, 1868, to Jane E. Crill, whose family history is found in another part of this volume. By this union he has four children: Lewis C,. is engaged with his father in the mill, and Mary A., Ella J. and T. A. are at home. Mr. and Mrs. Houston are members of the First United Presbyterian Church of Mercer, and he is a Democrat.

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.  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.