PACAMBRI-L Archives

From: "David Monahan" <>
Subject: John Lantzy Bio
Date: Sat, 20 Jun 1998 08:17:29 -0400

>From Wiley's 1896 Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County:

MR. JOHN LANTZY, now living a retired life near Hastings, has been
identified with many important enterprises, and for a period of fifty years
wielded an extended influence in the business interests of the communities
in which he resided. He is a son of Joseph and Mary Ursula (Betters)
Lantzy, and was born in Barr, then Susquehanna, township, Cambria county,
Pennsylvania, March 24, 1827.
Joseph Lantzy was a native of Canton, Organ, Switzerland. He was born in
1775, received a fair education, and followed farming until 1810, when he
came to Philadelphia, which he soon left to settle in Lancaster county.
Sixteen years later he removed from his Lancaster county home to Susquehanna
township, this county, where he purchased one hundred acres of woodland off
the Fisher tract. He was one of the pioneer farmers of his section, and
after clearing up his land, he bought an additional one hundred acres,
owning at the time of his death a two hundred acre farm of fertile and
productive land. Mr. Lantzy prospered as a farmer, and was highly respected
as a man, a neighbor and a citizen. He was a consistent member and a
constant attendant of the Catholic church, in whose faith he had been
nurtured and taught. His toils of life ceased on February 20, 1889, when
his spirit left its earth-clay casket, and passed to the invisible world.
His remains were interred in the Carroll cemetery.
Joseph Lantzy, while on shiphoard, coming over to America, formed the
acquaintance of Mary Ursula Betters, a girl, whom lie married shortly
after arriving at Philadelphia Their union was blessed with nine children
four sons and five daughters Elizabeth widow of Henry Gray; Susan married
Philip Gray, and now deceased ; Joseph, residing on the home farm; John,
whose name heads this sketch; Mary Ann, wife of Daniel Eckenrode, a
well-situated farmer of Allegheny township; Ambrose, a farmer of Susquehanna
township; Matilda wedded Augustus Eckenrode, and is now deceased; and
Philip, who enlistcd in the Union army, and was killed at the battle of
Antietam, in 1863.
John Lantzy passed his boyhood days on his father's farm, and at the early
age of sixteen years commenced life for himself as a farmer, which vocation
he followed for ten years. From farming he went to millwrighting, in which
he was engaged for a period of twelve years, and then embarked in timber
contracting, which he followed for fifteen years. During the time he was in
the timber business, he invested his earnings judiciously in timber and coal
lands in Carroll and Elder townships, which he cleared up, cutting, rafting,
and otherwise disposing of all the timber. As fast as he cleared his land,
he sold or exchanged it to good advantage, and being an energetic,
enterprising and practical business man, he has in his various and numerous
transactions, extending over a period of half a century, accumulated an
ample competency, that is the just reward of honorable and honest
enterprise. He retired from active business life in 1888, and six years
later removed to his present farm in Susquehanna township, from his farm in
Elder township, where lie had resided continuously for thirty-five years.
\Vhile practically retired from active business, yet characteristic of his
energetic nature, he takes quite an interest in keeping up and improving his
various farms, that rank high in value and productiveness.
On June 10, 1847, Mr. Lantzy was married, Father Gallagher, at Loretta, to
Mary Whitehead, who is a daughter of Edward Taylor Whitehead, formerly of
Huntingdon county, but then a resident of Susquehanna township. The
children born to their union were Joseph, a farmer on the Elder town-ship
home farm John, now farming in Linn county, Oregon; Mary Jane, wife of
Simeon Kline, a farmer of Carroll township; William Edward, engaged in
farming in Susquehanna township; James; Henry and Francis Anthony, who are
both deceased; Margaret Matilda, wife of Michael Kline, a resident of
Susquehanna township; Andrew, a wholesale liquor dealer and prominent
business man of Hastings; Philip, a farmer of Linn county, Oregon; David
Albert, now farming in Susquehanna township; George Iredon, now deceased;
Rachel Elizabeth, wife of Samuel Giggey, a farmer of Aroostook county,
Maine; Barbara Elmira, wedded William Conn,of Philadelphia; Sarah Matilda,
now deceased; Lucinda Agnes, wife of Burt Neason, of Altoona, this State;
and Emma Ann, wife of George Bearers, of Bennett, this State.
In his political belief Mr. Lantzy is a declared democrat, being active in
the promotion of the interests of his party and its success. He has served
three terms as justice of the peace, and is now serving on his fourth being
elected the last time in the Spring of 1896. 'Squire Lantzy was reared in
the faith of the Catholic church, of which he is an active, influential and
useful member. He is a pleasant and affable gentlemen, justly with all with
whom he comes in contact, and has achieved a marked success in lines of
business where many others only met disaster or ruin.

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• John Lantzy Bio by "David Monahan" <>