JOHN A. FLACK. Among the early pioneers of Washington county was John Flack, who came from Lancaster, Penn., to Washington village, where he purchased a town lot in the year 1784, becoming one of the first lot owners in the borough. In 1788 he removed to Buffalo township, where he purchased a farm upon which he erected the first frame house in that section of the country. This home is still in a good state of preservation, and there may be seen, to-day, members of the fourth generation of the family, born therein, the homestead having remained constantly in the possession of the family. John Flack married Jane Gault, a native of Canonsburg, Washington county, and to them were born the following children: James, John, Samuel, David and Mary. The mother of these children died on the homestead in Buffalo township, December 14, 1823, in her sixty-third year. John Flack was known among the earliest settlers of Buffalo township, and resided there until the time of his death, which occurred in 1832. John Flack, second child of John and Jane (Gault) Flack, was born October 23, 1788. He married Miss Ann Anderson, daughter of Rev. Mr. Anderson, of Upper Buffalo, Washington county, and a pioneer minister there. The young couple took up their residence in Buffalo township, where they reared a large family, and passed the remainder of their useful and honorable lives, the father dying September 13, 1842, the mother several years later. John A. flack, son of John and Ann (Anderson) Flack, and at present one of the oldest and best known residents of Buffalo township, was born February 6, 1824, on the old homestead where he now resides. He spent his boyhood days upon the farm, amidst the trials and limited advantages of that pioneer period. The little subscription school, held in an humble log cabin, whose primitive furnishings of puncheon floor, slab desks and benches were eloquent witnesses of the privations of the day, was the only "college" afforded him. There, for a few weeks during the winter, the children from the surrounding country would assemble, and while one half of their attention was employed in extracting wisdom from the old-fashioned spelling book and reader, the other half would be utilized in directing the struggle with the cold which came in through many a crack and crevice in the building. Amidst such scenes as this Mr. Flack spent his boyhood, and in his later years, when the advancement of our day has provided the youth with greater comforts, he looked back with pleasure upon the past, and related many amusing incidents of his early struggles. He died January 17, 1893, in his sixty-ninth year. On February 24, 1846, Mr. Flack was united in marriage with Elizabeth McWilliams, daughter of Gen. Wallace McWilliams, of Buffalo township, who had represented his district in the State Legislature, and was a major-general of the State militia. Four children were born to this union: Wallace McW. (who now conducts the home farm), Annie (deceased at the age of twelve years), Lizzie and Nannie died in infancy. Mrs. Flack died December 22, 1886, in her sixty-fifth year, having been a devoted member of the Presbyterian Church. Politically Mr. Flack was an ardent Democrat, and in early life he took an active part in the political questions of the day.

Text taken from page 458 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed June 1997 by Paula Talbert of Caldwell, OH as part of the Beers Project. Published July 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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