ANDREW PROVINES has passed his eighty-seventh birthday, and is now as hale and hearty as many a man of twenty years his junior. He is a son of William Provines, whose father, John, was born and reared among the hills of Scotland, where he was married and whence a few years later he moved to Ireland. William, the son of John Provines, was born in Scotland, and came with the family to Ireland when a boy. He was there reared to agricultural pursuits, and was married to Rebecca Hemphill, a native of Ireland. William Provines remained in Ireland about ten years after his marriage, where his eldest five children were born: Mary, Samuel, Andrew, John and Robert. At the end of that time, the family came to America, locating in Washington county, where children were born as follows: Margaret, James, Sarah, Jane and Rebecca. Andrew Provines, the third child of William and Rebecca (Hemphill) Provines, was born August 11, 1805, in County Tyrone, Ireland, being seven years of age when his parents emigrated to America. They embarked in a sailing vessel named "William S. Bradford," and landed in New York, thence proceeding to the home farm in Washington county, of which our subject still owns a portion. Here Andrew grew to manhood and assisted in the general duties of a farm. At the age of eighteen years he began to work for neighboring farmers at a salary of $8. per month. He continued in this employment several years, then went to Washington, where he was employed to haul freight to Philadelphia and other points east of the mountains. Since then he has been engaged in various occupations, of late years having passed the greater part of his time upon the farm, but is now living a retired life with his brother-in-law, Robert Stewart, having never married. In politics Mr. Provines is a stanch Democrat, and has never missed but one election since he came of age. He has voted in the States of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Text taken from page 745 of: Beers, J. H. and Co., Commemorative Biographical Record of Washington County, Pennsylvania (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1893). Transcribed March 1997 by Jack McNatt of Valrico, FL as part of the Beers Project. Published March 1997 on the Washington County, PA USGenWeb pages at http://www.chartiers.com/.

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