The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1912-08-14

MO better immigration ever reached the
" soil of our Republic than that OF the
Scotch-Irish people who sought home
in western Pennsylvania. BY their en-
thronement of the Word of God above all
human authority, by their faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, and by their fidelity
to what they believed to be His will con-
cerning them, they left their impress for
good on everything that tended toward
the upliit Of humanity. To such people
Dor, Mr.. Archibald Bennett Kelly, whose
death, at 3;l5 p. M, Tuesday, August l3,
1912, removes from our midst one of the
rsrest specimens of a true Christian gen.
tleman. Although prince among men
by reason of a strong, rich nature, by the
range of his abilities, and by the devotion
with which be gave himself to God and
men, yet through his quiet, unobtrusiVe
life, we did not know how large canvas
he could fill and how nobly, until we set
ourselves to the hopeless task of pictur-
ing him. Ho was the only son of the late
James Dunlop and Sarah Bennett Kelly,
of Pittsburgh, Pa. and was born in that
city January 10, 1887. From them he in
herited that innate refinement 80 charac-
terstic of the gentry of County Down,
Ireland, which only served as an adorn
l.. aha OH
which he possessed. Carefully reared
and trained in the faith of the Scottish
Coveuanters, he early learned to place an
unfa ltering trust and confidence in the
Lord, and in this gained an invincible fl
deity to conscience and truth which serv-
ed as an anchor throughout his life.
His father being prosperous business
man, afforded him the privileges of
liberal education in the public and private
schools Of. his native city and also at
Washington and Jefferson College where
he graduated in 1858 Attracted to the
Venango county oil fields, be began his
business career at Reno, in 1860 One
year was spent in drilling well with a
spring pole which proved decided fail
ure and would have disheartened a less
courageous spirit than no possessed. But
with true Spartan bravery, he embarked
the next year in the manufacture of tight
oil barrels, with Kelly, Holmes and Co.
at Tionesta in which he was engaged till
the fall of 1866, during which time he was
also interested in refinery owned by his
father on the Tarr Farm which was des-
troyed by fire at total loss to its owners.
About this time he became interested in
the manufacture of lumber, and in COM
pany with Hall and May, began lumber
ing on the Taylor tract in Kingsley
township. These enterprises proving
member of the firm of May, Park Il Co.,
bankers, OF Tionesta, and was made CASH
er of the bank from its organization till
it was merged into the Forest County Ma
tional Bank in 1896, when he was contin-
ued as cashier under the new organiza-
tion. Too much cannot be said of the
high esteem in which he was held by all
who knew him in the business world. He
was honest and upright and his word was
always regarded as being as good as his
bond.
In 1881 he, in company with Messrs. II
II. and B. w. May of Tionesta, and e. b.
Grandin of TidiOute, took lease of the
famous Cook lands, on Tionesta creek,
which doubtless proved the most fruitful
of all his enterprises. The first two wells
we're failures, and a third was begun, be-
ing located by MIR. H. H. May who did so
by sticking his cane in the ground at a
place where the conductor hole was to be
from the last wells. AS soon as finished
it began to flow at a rate of 1000 barrels a
day, which caused great excitement
throughout the oil regions and had quite
an effect upon the oil market. Within a
short time over million barrels had
been realized from the lease and for many
years its annual production was 90 900
barrels. During this time and to the close
of his life, he still retained his interest in
numbering, his last operation of any con-
sequence being in what is known as the
Warren Lumber Co., with Messrs. Law
renee and Smearbaugh of Tionesta, which
also proved successful enterprise.
Mr.. Kelly was well-rounded, many
sided man, a student of high order, with