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The McClure Family

Find A Grave Links Available

Located in Old Section D, Lots 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, & 43

overlooking the property of the former family estate.

The McClure memorial consists of a large obelisk surrounded by smaller stones. Interments include those of:

Abdiel McClure, (1816 – 1887) and his spouse, Anne "Annie" Wiles (Risher) McClure, (1818 – 1895);

 

Their children:

1. Sarah Risher (McClure) Taylor, (1839 – 1922);

2. Matthew L. McClure, (1841 – 1912) and his spouse, Hannah S. (Read) McClure, (1842 – 1919);

3. Martha Denny McClure, (1844 – 1927);

4. Daniel Risher McClure, (1846 – 1938) and his spouse, Mary Ellen (Gleadall) McClure, (1847 – 1905), along with their infant son, (1877);

5. William Edgar McClure, (1849 – 1853);

6. Susan Elizabeth McClure, (1854 – 1862);

7. Otto Munson McClure, (1857 – 1863)

8. Jennie (Ramsey) McClure, (1855 – 1879), wife of John Henry McClure (son of Abdiel and Annie McClure, buried elsewhere), and their son, Joseph Ramsey McClure, (1879 – 1889).

Abdiel McClure

The McClure family history begins after John McClure, Sr., born 1723,(buried in Lebanon Church Cemetery, West Mifflin), moved to the greater Pittsburgh area in the 1760s from Carslisle, PA. Having inherited much land and a manor house from his father who had purchased nearly 6,500 acres from the Penn family, John became a well-known and successful Pittsburgh merchant. He received a contract to supply Fort Pitt through government favor, and managed the abandoned Fort McIntosh located in Beaver, PA. Through his supply line, he amassed a fortune through trading with local Native Americans. For $262, he purchased nearly 330 acres of land, called "Amity," which is now what we know as the entire borough of Homestead, the steel works area, and a portion of the borough of Munhall. When John was killed in 1811 allegedly by the Native Americans he had traded with, his land was willed in succession from his son, John M. McClure (buried in Lebanon Church Cemetery, West Mifflin), to his grandson, Abdiel McClure. Abdiel is credited with the creation of the Homestead area, by dividing and parceling his land into 60x120 foot lots. His business, the Homestead Bank and Life Insurance company, was responsible for marketing and selling the lots to those looking to escape the polluted downtown areas and create a peaceful suburban community.

 

Among the parcel that he kept for himself, he built a lumber planing mill which he ran until his death, and wisely set apart building lots for churches and schools. Of note, the land currently housing the Homestead United Presbyterian Church on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Ann Street, was donated by Abdiel, a charter member of the Church. In 1880, the 113 acre area, along with an additional 100 acres of land purchased from the West family by the Bank, was formally incorporated as the borough of Homestead, named after the McClure "homestead" of over 100 years. Another tract of land was purchased in 1881 by Andrew Kolman, who went on to build the Pittsburgh Bessemer Steel Works. This mill was the beginnings of the steel boom that Homestead would be noted for by the turn of the century.

According to his entry in the 1889 History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Abdiel was "a man of unusual ability. His influence was felt in religious and business matters, and he was universally loved and respected. In political circles he was recognized as an upright, honest gentleman. He was a republican, and held the office of county recorded from 1863 to 1866. In the latter part of his life he identified with temperance reform and was an earnest worker and supported of that cause. After his term of office as recorded expired, he farmed the "Homestead," and also became interested in a wholesale business in Pittsburgh...His life was an example worthy of emulation. He was a quiet and thoughtful man, of a just and peaceful disposition, honest and equitable in the extreme. He was justice of the peace a number of times, and he was often chosen to settle estates. He was an earnest Christian and a ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church." Abdiel married Anne Wiles Risher, born 14 Dec 1818, and had eight children.

Matthew L. McClure

Matthew was a son of Abdiel and Anne McClure. The 1889 History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, writes that Matthew was "born at Homestead, Dec. 24, 1841, where he received his education and learned the trade of carpenter. In September, 1862, he enlisted in Co. H, 14th P. C., and served with his regiment under Gens. Hunter, Averill and Sheridan in the Army of Western Virginia. At the close of the war, he returned home, and was clerk for his father in the county recorder's office; then engaged in the lumber business in Pittsburgh." He married Sarah S. Read of Union City, PA, on September 13, 1866, and had two children, Abdiel R. and Florence L. McClure. He served as a councilman and assessor of Homestead. According to his 1912 obituary, he had been a member of the Alexander Hays Post No. 3 G. A. R. and of the Union Veteran Legion.

Daniel R. McClure

Daniel was a son of Abdiel and Anne McClure. The 1889 History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania writes that Daniel was "born at Homestead, Oct. 17, 1846; is a graduate of Duff's College. He also attended the Penn Institute. He was a deputy county recorder two years. After traveling for his health he accepted the position of bookkepper for the old Fort Pitt Bank. He ranks among the leading business-men of Homestead, has taken an active interest in anything that is of benefit to that town, and has been councilman four years. Mr. McClure is a director of the First National Bank, and president of the Homestead Building & Loan association." He married Mary Ellen Gleadall on February 22, 1876, and had three children, Daniel R., Mary G., and Robert M. McClure. He died on 23 Aug 1938 in Los Angeles, CA, following a month-long illness.

The McClure's namesake roadway, McClure Street, connects E. 6th Avenue to 22nd Avenue in Homestead. Amity street, which connects E. Waterfront Drive to E. 12th Avenue, is the namesake of the Amity area purchased by John McClure, Sr.

Information sources:

  • Barkes, Kevin. “Cemetery Bares Famous Names, History.” 5 Dec. 1973, pp. 7–7.

  • Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889, Part 2, p. 279-280, 577)

  • Leftwich, Mariruth. “Smithsonian Learning Lab Resource: Chapter 1: Plans for a New Community.” Smithsonian Learning Lab, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, 10 Jul. 2017, https://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/XLjFBfsXExXLw5Yh#r/153798

  • Meinert, Norman J. “HOMESTEAD CEMETERY 2257 Main Street Homestead, PA 15120 (412) 461-1818.” Homestead Cemetery, Homestead, PA, 5 Dec. 2012, sites.rootsweb.com/~njm1/08Homestead.html.

  • Rishel, Joseph F. "Founding Families of Pittsburgh: The Evolution of a Regional Elite 1760-1910. University of Pittsburgh Press. 1990.

  • Vojtko, Margaret Mary. “In Memoriam Homestead Cemetery - 1896-1986.” The Valley Mirror, 8 Jan. 1987, pp. 8–12.

Abdiel McClure

Portrait of Abdiel McClure. Photo source: Leftwich, Mariruth. “Smithsonian Learning Lab Resource: Abdiel McClure biography.” Smithsonian Learning Lab, Smithsonian Center for Learning and Digital Access, 28 Jun. 2017, https://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/XLjFBfsXExXLw5Yh#r/150115

Interments include those of:

​Dr. George H. Munhall, (1856-1934) and his spouse, Isabella L. "Belle" (Lowry) Munhall, (1853-1934), along with their children (unnamed, no dates available)

 

The Munhall name became notable in the region for brothers William, Capt. John, and Michael Munhall. Following the deaths of their parents in their childhood, the siblings came to Pittsburgh in 1834, and found work in coalmines. John opened a successful mercantile business in Elizabeth, PA, at the age of 17. The panic of 1857 left him stranded with his entire capital in trust to the miners. In the following year, John, along with his brothers, built the steamboat, "J. S. Cosgrove" after felling timber from the virgin territory. By John's retirement in 1867, the brothers had grown the fleet to include the steamboats "Grey Eagle," "Brilliant," and "Albion." John relocated from Oil City, PA, to an area known as the Bellwood Mines in 1880. This land eventually became known as the "Munhall Estate," and sat adjacent to farmland owned and operated by the City of Pittsburgh. The City Farm, as it was known, acted as a poor house and mental institution until 1892 when the structures were razed, and the land was partitioned and sold to be repurposed for the expanding steel mills owned by Carnegie, Phipps & Co. The Munhall Borough was founded in 1901 and included the Munhall Estate and portions of the sold City Farmland. John and William Munhall rest in a family plot in Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh, and Michael Munhall rests at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery, Pittsburgh.

 

Dr. George Munhall was a son of Capt. John and Henrietta (Cunningham) Munhall, and one of eight children. He was born in Oil City, Venango County, Pennsylvania on 18 January 1856. He attended the Davenport, Iowa based Palmer School of Chiropractic Medicine, and worked for 37 years as a chiropractor and osteopath in his 15th Avenue, Homestead office where he treated some of the greatest athletes of the country. He retired in 1927, and wintered with his wife, Belle, in Florida. They had married in Homestead, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania on 24 May 1877. She was a daughter of Scotch-Irish immigrants, John D. and Mathilda (Francies) Lowry

 

​He was the last of his pioneer family, and died on 25 September 1934 at the age of 77. He died of a heart attack sustained at the residence of his niece and nephew, Mr. and Mrs. James G. Hill, at 1614 West Street, Homestead. 

Dr. Munhall had been a member of the Homestead I. O. O. F. # 1049, and attended the Presbyterian Church. 

He was survived by his wife and 22 nieces and nephews.

His funeral services were held in the Hill residence on 28 September 1934.

 

Information gathered from:

  • "Dr. George Munhall Dies in Homestead." The Pittsburgh Press, 27 Sep 1934, p. 2.

  • Barkes, Kevin. “Cemetery Bares Famous Names, History.” 5 Dec. 1973, pp. 7–7.

  • "John Munhall." A. Warner & Co., History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 1889.

  • Meinert, Norman J. “HOMESTEAD CEMETERY 2257 Main Street Homestead, PA 15120 (412) 461-1818.” Homestead Cemetery, Homestead, PA, 5 Dec. 2012, sites.rootsweb.com/~njm1/08Homestead.html.

  • Vojtko, Margaret Mary. “In Memoriam Homestead Cemetery - 1896-1986.” The Valley Mirror, 8 Jan. 1987, pp. 8–12.

  • “William Munhall, Founder of Borough, Passes Away.” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, 10 Dec. 1915, pp. 6–6.

  • Year: 1860; Census Place: McKeesport, Alleghany, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1063; Page: 397; Family History Library Film: 805063

  • Year: 1870; Census Place: Oil City, Venango, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1460; Page: 439A

  • Year: 1920; Census Place: Homestead Ward 3, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: T625_1513; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 143

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Negley Replacement Stone.jpeg

Interments include those of:

Daniel Frederick Negley, (1843 - 1910) and his second spouse, Rachel "Cecelia" (McDonald) Negley, (1849 - 1932).

 

Daniel is laid to rest in the Soldier's Circle; his wife is buried nearby in Old Section F, lot 82.

 

Alexander Negley was born in Hessen, Germany in 1734 to Swiss parents, Jacob Negley and Margaret (Mohr) Negley Leh. He immigrated to America with his family at the age of five in 1739. He worked as a blacksmith and served as a Private in the American Revolutionary War before settling in Allegheny County. He was among the first white men to inhabit the East Liberty area after purchasing a 278-acre farm called "Fertile Bottom" along the Allegheny River in 1778. The family quickly rose to sit among the financial elite within the city and developed the area which was formally annexed by Pittsburgh in 1868. Daniel F. Negley, a grandson of Alexander Negley, was a son of the wealthy pioneer settler of Western Pennsylvania, Casper Negley (buried in Allegheny Cemetery, Lawrenceville). Their family farm sat at the entrance of Highland Park, part of which was later used to build a mansion for Senator William Flinn.

 

According to Daniel’s 1910 obituary, he died at the age of 70 at his residence on 255 West Eighth Avenue in Homestead on 14 March 1910; he was a prominent steel worker and had been a resident in the district for the past 12 years. At the outbreak of the Civil war, he enlisted in Company I, Third Pennsylvania Volunteers and was injured at the battle of Pittsburg Landing. He was a member of the Lutheran church, the G. A. R., and the Army and Navy Union. He is buried within the Soldiers Circle within the Homestead Cemetery.

His first marriage to Mary Coleman of the East End ended up her death in 1881. Together, they had two children, Charles C. Negley and Marie (Samuel) Wilson, who survived him. He married his second wife, Rachel Cecelia (McDonald) Eberman in 1884. Her previous spouse, Sidney R. Eberman, had passed in 1882; together with Mr. Eberman, they had five children. She worked as a boarding house operator within Homestead, and died on 29 December 1932 at the age of 83.

His 2 PM funeral services, conducted by Rev. D. Upton Bair of the Messiah Lutheran Church, were held in his residence at 255 Eighth Avenue, West Homestead. The G. A. R. conducted honors for him at the Homestead Cemetery later that afternoon.

 

The family’s namesake roadways, South and North Negley Avenues, connect the suburbs of Highland Park Historic District, East Liberty, Friendship, Shadyside, Squirrel Hill North, and Squirrel Hill South

 

Information gathered from:

  • “Daniel F. Negley.” Pittsburgh Daily Post, 16 Mar 1910, pp. 3.

  • “Death Record: Daniel F. Negley.” The Pittsburgh Press, 15 Mar 1910, pp 5.

  • “Guide to the Negley Family Papers 1862-1922.” Historic Pittsburgh, historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3AUS-QQS-mss863/viewer.

  • "Personal - Casper Negley." The Pittsburgh Daily Post. 12 May 1877, pp.4.

  • Rishel, Joseph F. "Founding Families of Pittsburgh: The Evolution of a Regional Elite 1760-1910. University of Pittsburgh Press. 1990.

  • "Veteran - Daniel F. Negley Came of an Old Pittsburg Family." The Daily Messenger, Pittsburgh. 14 Mar 1910, pp. 8.

The Trautman Family

Find A Grave Links Available

The Trautman memorials sit within several sections of the Cemetery, and consist of an obelisk and individual stones. Interments of the large extended family include those of:

 

Frederick Trautman, (1840-1901) and his spouse, Margaret (Durst) Trautman, (1850 - 1906), located in Old Section D, Lot 148;

Trautman obelisk

Adam J. Trautman, (1882-1885);

Freddie A. Trautman, (1876-1877);

Henrietta Trautman, (1884-1900);

Louisa Trautman, (1886-1889);

Minnie Trautman, (1891-1893)

Trautman stone

Henry D. Trautman, (1871-1961) and his spouse, Augusta M. (Brickner) Trautman, (1870-1931), located in Old Section F, Lot 95, and their daughter, Irene Margarette Trautman, (1896-1923);

Clarence Trautman, (1903-1905);

Delores Trautman, (1914-1937);

Hazel Trautman, (1897-1898);

Viola M. Trautman, (1909) 

Jacob Henry Trautman, (1868-1906) and his spouse, Carrie Dorothea (Motz) Trautman, (1875-1938), located in Old Section D, lot 92;

Caroline Trautman, (1874 1945);

Clarence Trautman, (1873-1918);

Elizabeth Trautman, (1896-1898);

Elmer A. Trautman, (1903-1934);

Henry N. Trautman, (1871 - 1905) and his spouse, Freda Marie (Starke) Trautman, (1873-1906), located in Old Section C, Lot 21;

Frederick Trautman, originally of Beyon, Germany, immigrated to the US with his parents as a young child before settling in Ohio. After starting his own family, he moved to Homestead in 1888. He died in 1901 after battling a year-long illness, leaving an estate worth over $23,000.00 to his widow. Their namesake roadway, Trautman Street, connects W. Miller Avenue to Main Street in Munhall, and houses the baseball complex, Trautman Field. 

More information to come soon,

Information gathered from:

  • “Estates of Decedents: Wills Filed for Probate and Disposition of Much Property.” The Pittsburgh Press, 12 Nov. 1901, p. 2.

  • Meinert, Norman J. “HOMESTEAD CEMETERY 2257 Main Street Homestead, PA 15120 (412) 461-1818.” Homestead Cemetery, Homestead, PA, 5 Dec. 2012, sites.rootsweb.com/~njm1/08Homestead.html.

  • “The Death Record: Frederick Trautman.” The Pittsburgh Press, 4 Nov. 1901, pp. 7–7.

B Annex, Farragut Street entrance

Interments include those of:

Rev. Edgar Price Tunie, D. D., (1893 - 1968), with his spouse, Effie D. Tunie, (1891 - 1963); their sons, Edgar P. Tunie, Jr., (1918 - 1987) and spouse, Sharnelle C. Tunie, (1930 - ?), and James Waddy Tunie, Sr., (1927 - 2012), with his daughter, Terri L. (Tunie) Reed, (1955 - 1992);

Rev. Donald A. Tunie, PhD, (1932 - 1965);

Kenneth B. Tunie, (1923 - 2004), his spouse, Norma J. Tunie, (1932 - 1993);

The Tunies have been a prominent family within the Homestead area for nearly a century. Rev. Dr. Edgar P. Tunie served as Pastor for the Clark Memorial Baptist Church of Homestead, still located on Glenn Street, for 32 years until his passing at the age of 74 in 1968. He had been a member of the Pittsburgh Ministerial Association, Homestead Ministerium, Board of the Salvation Army, executive board of the Homestead Community Center, Race Relations Commission, Pittsburgh Council of Churches, and the executive committee of the Homestead Area NAACP.

 

Mr. James W. Tunie, Sr., a son of Rev. Dr. E. P. Tunie, went on to found the Tunie Funeral Home, Inc., in 1960 which has faithfully serviced the Homestead and surrounding areas since its incorporation. Alongside his ex-wife, Ms. Evelyn Hawkins Tunie, another of the firms funeral directors, Mr. Tunie, Sr., grew the business, relocating over time. He was a dedicated and compassionate funeral director until his passing in 2012 at the age of 85. The business remains a pillar of strength to the families they serve within the Homestead community. 

Information gathered from:

  • McConnell Schaarsmith, Amy. “Obituary: James W. Tunie Sr. / Funeral Home Owner in Homestead since 1960.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 19 Dec. 2012.

  • Meinert, Norman J. “HOMESTEAD CEMETERY 2257 Main Street Homestead, PA 15120 (412) 461-1818.” Homestead Cemetery, Homestead, PA, 5 Dec. 2012, sites.rootsweb.com/~njm1/08Homestead.html.

  • “Rev. Dr. Edgar P. Tunie.” The Pittsburgh Press, 27 Feb. 1968, pp. 42–42.

The Vondera Family

Find A Grave Link Currently Unavailable

Location: TO BE ADDED

Interment include those of:

F. H. Vondera (? - 18 February 1897)

F. H. Vondera, a member of the St. Paul's German Protestant Church in Braddock, was a Homestead farmer noted for his honesty and integrity. He was born in Prussia and moved to Pittsburgh in 1847. His sons, Frank and Charles managed the property after his death in 1897. A third son, C. T. Vondera, was a successful Homestead merchant. His funeral, led by Rev. C. Engelder, took place on February 20, 1897. 

Their namesake roadway connects Farragut Street with Homestead-Duquesne Road in Munhall.

Information gathered from:

  • "Gathered to Rest," Pittsburgh Press, 19 Feb 1897, p. 11.

The West Family

Find A Grave Links Available

The Wests were a prominent family heavily involved with the development of the Homestead and Steel Valley areas. The family owned and operated a successful bricklaying business located along the Homestead portion of the Monongahela River. Several members of the West family served as members of the original Homestead Cemetery Company Board after it's incorporation in 1886. The West monuments consist of a tall obelisk and surrounding stones in Old Section I, Lots 68, 69, & 70. The obelisk, marking the burials of Lowry H. West and his wife, Eliza J. West, was shortened by five feet in the first half of the 20th century because it was continually struck by lightning. Surrounding extended family members can be found nearby in Old Section I, Lots 60, 63, & 66, and Old Section G, Lots 1, 2, & 3. Their namesake roadway, West Street, divides the East and West portions of Homestead, connecting 8th Avenue to E. 22nd Avenue. Interments include siblings, 

  1. Lowry Hay West, (1826-1901), organizer and first President of the Homestead Cemetery, his spouse, Eliza Jane (Snyder) West, (1825-1907); their son, North West, organizer and first Treasurer of the Homestead Cemetery, (1852 - 1911), his spouse, Martha "Mattie" West (burial as of yet unconfirmed, and dates unknown), and their daughters, S. Madaline West, (1890 - 1903), and Marguerite West, (1887 - 1889);

  2. Matthew Hay West, (1836 – 1888), and his spouse, Ann Wesley West, (1839 – 1907);

  3. Captain Edward West, (1838 – 1900), his spouse, Anna Marie (Noble) West, (1839 – 1898), their daughter, Flora T. (West) Ackard, (1867 – 1933), and her spouse, Alby O. Ackard, (1858 – 1941);

Lowry H. West

Lowry H. West, was a pioneer resident of Homestead. He was born on February 1, 1826, in a log cabin built by his grandfather in colonial times, to parents, Joseph (d. 1873) and Sarah (Whitaker) West, of whom were among the earliest settlers in Mifflin Township, and was one of ten children. Lowry was named after relative, Col. Alexander Lowry, who came from the north of Ireland to Lancaster Co., PA, in 1729, and went on to command the Lancaster militia at the Battle of Brandywine in the Revolutionary War. Lowry married Eliza Jane Snyder, a Pittsburgh native, on October 30, 1851, and raised six children, including North West, a fellow organizer and first Treasurer of the Homestead Cemetery. Lowry, along with Abdiel McClure, are credited with founding the First Presbyterian Church within the borough in 1873. His death occurred after falling ill on October 30, 1901, the date of his golden wedding anniversary to Eliza, and died on November 14, 1901, at their family home on West Street and Fifth Avenue. He left an estate worth over $90,000.00, which would be worth over $2, 876,000.00 today.

North West

Born August 15, 1852, North West, a native of Homestead and prominent businessman, died of apoplexy in Johnstown, PA, a day before his 59th birthday, on August 14, 1911. Mr. West conducted a wholesale paper store in Pittsburgh, called N. West & Co., of Water Street, prior to manufacturing paper roofing in Johnstown following the purchase and relocation of his plant by the Cambria Steel Company. He continued as general manager until his death, but the Cambria Steel Co. soon afterward sold it to the Barrett Manufacturing Co. He was married to Martha “Mattie” Walker on June 1, 1876. Mr. West was one of the organizers and the only treasurer of the Homestead Cemetery Association. He was a member of the Johnstown Lodge of Elks.

 

General information gathered from:

  • Barkes, Kevin. “Cemetery Bares Famous Names, History.” 5 Dec. 1973, pp. 7–7.

  • Vojtko, Margaret Mary. “In Memoriam Homestead Cemetery - 1896-1986.” The Valley Mirror, 8 Jan. 1987, pp. 8–12.

Information on Lowry H. West gathered from:

  • History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, by Thomas Cushing, A. Warner & Co., 1889.

  • “Lowry H. West.” Pittsburgh Daily Post, 15 Nov. 1901, p. 2.

  • “News of the Courts.” The Pittsburgh Press, 20 Nov. 1901, p. 7.

Information on North West gathered from:

  • History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, by Thomas Cushing, A. Warner & Co., 1889.

  • “Hymeneal.” Pittsburgh Weekly Gazette, 3 June 1876, p. 4.

  • “North West.” The Pittsburgh Press, 15 Aug. 1911, p. 10.

  • 10.

The Whitaker Family

Find A Grave Links Currently Unavailable

The Whitaker borough, incorporated on January 4, 1904, is named for James Whitaker, a pioneer, who came to the area in 1767 with his family. He is credited as being the first European settler in the area. Prior to its incorporation, the Whitaker area was part of the former Mifflin Township.

Information gathered from:

  • Ackerman, Jan (May 10, 1984). "Town names carry bit of history". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 6. Retrieved 18 February 2021.

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