ARCHIBALD
MC BRIDE, farmer, post-office Sandy Lake, was born December 19,
1820, in Cool Spring Township, to Thomas,
born in 1779, and Mary (Gill) McBride, the
father being a native of Scotland and the mother of Pennsylvania. Her
father, William Gill, was a soldier in the
Revolutionary War, from Pennsylvania and lived near Courtney’s Mill,
Liberty Township. Thomas McBride came from
Scotland in 1787, and with his father, Charles,
settled in Pennsylvania. They came to Cool Spring Township about 1803. The
land where they settled is now owned by John
McCurdy. The mother of Thomas is buried at the old Cool Spring
church-yard. He died in 1884, and she about ten years later. There were
twelve children born to them: William, died
in Ohio; Thomas, killed by the cars in the
oil region; Charles, died in Ohio; James,
died in Butler County; Robert, died in Ohio; Mary,
died in Cool Spring Township; Archibald; Sarah,
died in Butler; Margaret, single, lives in
Butler; Samuel, lives in Nebraska; Isaac,
died in Cool Spring Township, and John,
lives, in Trumbull County, Ohio. The parents were members of the
Springfield Church, and the father was a Whig. Our subject was educated in
the common schools, was brought up on the farm, and worked four months at
the carpenter trade. He was married in 1845 to Susanna,
daughter of George Barnes, and settled in
Cool Spring Township, where he remained three years. In 1848 he came to
where he now lives, buying 100 acres, sixty of which he still owns. By
this marriage they have had twelve children:
Maggie,
married Thomas Powell; George,
deceased; Melissa, a teacher at Knoxville,
Freedmen’s Mission School; Mary A., married
James Wallace, of Mercer; Sadie,
married A. C. Reagle; George E., of
Westmoreland County; Mattie; Thomas, at home;
John, attending Grove City College; Myrtle,
at home; Ella, at home, and Bella,
married A. C. Horn. Our subject was elected
justice of the peace, and held that office for two terms, about 1860-70.
He has also been assessor two terms. He is a member and elder in the
United Presbyterian Church, and was superintendent of the Sabbath-school
of Sandy Lake. In politics he is a Prohibitionist.
History of
Mercer County, 1888, page
1059.
