ALEXANDER W. POLLOCK, of the firm of Baker & Pollock, widely known as extensive dealers in lumber, Washington borough, is a native of the county, having been born April 21, 1839, in Peters township. Alexander Pollock, grandfather of our subject, emigrated from his native County Derry, Ireland, to America, about the end of the last century. With him came one brother and one sister, the former of whom is now deceased; the latter married Robert Thompson, of his county, and her descendants are still living here. Alexander Pollock here married Martha Greives, and they had a numerous family. The grandfather died in Lawrence county, Penn., at the advanced age of eighty years; the grandmother passed away in the year 1810, leaving five children: John; Mrs. Sarah Brown, in Lawrence county; James; Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Brown; and Alexander, in Lawrence county. Alexander Pollock was engaged during his lifetime in public works -- canals, the Pennsylvania & Erie Railroad, etc. James Pollock, father of Alexander W., was born in 1805 in Peters township. His first occupation was farming and teaming in his native township, and afterward, in addition to agriculture, he operated a gristmill and carried on a general store. In 1834 he married Miss Jane, daughter of John Buchanan, of Cecil township, who came from Ireland to this county about the closed of the last century, settling in this county; one grandson, John Buchanan, is now living in Cecil township. Mr. and Mrs. James Pollock lived on their farm in Peters township, where were born to them: Martha, who married David G. Moore, of this county, and is now deceased; John, deceased at the age of sixteen years; Alexander W.; Isabella, wife of W. T. Moore, of Cecil township, and Jane, who was married to M. P. Ross, and is now deceased. The mother died in 1845, at the age of thirty-seven years; the father was carried off by typhoid-pneumonia in 1862, being then in his fifty-eighth year. In the fall preceding his death he had been elected county treasurer, on the Republican ticket, and had been in office but about six weeks when death overtook him; he was a member of the United Presbyterian Church, and in politics an active worker. Alexander W. Pollock grew to manhood on the homestead in Peters township, attending the common schools of the neighborhood. He assisted in farm work until September 12, 1861, when he enlisted in Company A, Eighty-fifth P. V. I. for three years’ service. He was in the Peninsula Campaign and served in the engagement at Kingston, N. C., December 13, 1862, where he was struck by a bullet in the thigh, which so disabled him that for sixteen weeks he was unable to use crutches, and when at the end of that time he could move around with them, it was ten months before he was well enough to lay them aside. On My 28, 1863, he was honorably discharged and returned home. In 1864 Mr. Pollock married Miss Mary J., daughter of Robert Moore, of Peters township, and the children born to them were: James, attending a law school at Buffalo, N. Y.; John in the Theological Seminary, at Allegheny; Robert (deceased), and Alexander and Mary, both at home. In 1866 Mr. Pollock and his family moved to the borough of Washington, he having been elected county treasurer, a position he held two years, after which, desiring to improve his education, he attended Washington and Jefferson College two and one=half years. He then spent one year and one-half as cashier in a bank at Washington, Penn. Finding his health failing about this time, Mr. Pollock betook himself to the farm in Peters township, where for twelve years he followed agricultural pursuits, including droving, etc. When he went on the farm his weight was 135 pounds, with symptoms of consumption; now (1893) he tips the scales at 165 pounds, with a grand constitution and many years of life before him. In 1886 he returned to the borough and embarked in the general lumber business, including sash, door and builders’ materials, in partnership with David B. Baker. Mr. Pollock is a member of the United Presbyterian Church, and of W. F. Templeton Post, G. A. R., at Washington.

Text taken from page 705 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed May 1997 by Barbara Bower of Yorktown, VA as part of the Beers Project. Published June 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

[ [Back to Beers Table of Contents] [Back to Beers Project Page]