Oliver Ormsby

Oliver Ormsby
BornFebruary 23, 1767
Bedford, Pennsylvania
DiedJuly 26, 1832
Resting placeTrinity Cathedral Churchyard, Pittsburgh, PA
Known forMount Oliver, Pennsylvania
SpouseSarah Mahon
ChildrenJane, Sarah, Sidney, Caroline, Mary Mahon, John, Oliveretta, Oliver Harrison
Parent(s)John Ormsby, Jane McAllister

Oliver Ormsby (February 25, 1767 – July 26, 1832) was a merchant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was a wealthy and influential leader in the city, and the borough of Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania, is named in his honor.

Career

After his father died in 1805, Oliver continued his father's trading business in north-western Pennsylvania, and expanded it to new locations at Erie, Pennsylvania, and Niagara, New York.[1] During the War of 1812, Ormsby was the acting naval agent in Pittsburgh and worked with Oliver Hazard Perry to successfully outfit the Lake Erie Fleet.[2] In 1820, he was also a commissioned merchant, a director of the Pittsburgh branch of the U. S. Bank, owner of a flour mill in Cincinnati, Ohio, a cotton factory and rope walk in Chillicothe, Ohio, a grist, sandmill, forge, and iron furnace in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania.[3] His steam powered flour mill in Cincinnati burned down in 1823.[4][5] He was on the board of managers at Monongahela Bridge Company and was occasionally a member of the Pittsburgh town council.[4]

Life and family

Ormsby was the son of John Ormsby[6] and Jane McAllister,[7] born on February 25, 1767, at Homestead Farm later a part of Pittsburgh and died on July 26, 1832, in the Pittsburgh South Side.[4] His siblings were John Jr. Jane, Joseph, and Sidney.[8] He was educated at one of the Harrison Estates in Virginia.[4] He married Sarah Mahon, daughter of David Mahon and Sarah Dougherty. Ormsby had one son live to adulthood, also Oliver (married Jane Eliza Hoffa), and several daughters, including Jane (married Robert Ormsby), Josephine (married Edward Madison Yard), Sidney (married John Harding Page), Sarah (married Asher Phillips), Mary (married Elias Phillips), Oliveretta (married Clifton Wharton), Caroline (died young), and John (died young).[4] His son's estate included forests, meadows, and a private racetrack overlooking the Monongahela River, and Mount Oliver, Pennsylvania, takes its name from Oliver, Jr.[2][9]

References

  1. ^ Rishel 2005, p44
  2. ^ a b Skaggs, David. Oliver Hazard Perry: honor, courage, and patriotism in the early US Navy. Naval Institute Press, 2013. p246
  3. ^ Rishel 2005, p53
  4. ^ a b c d e Page 1892, p20-21
  5. ^ "Fire, Nashville Whig (Nashville, Tennessee) November 24, 1823, page 3". National Banner and Nashville Whig. 24 November 1823. p. 3 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Swayze v, Burke". Retrieved 2009-05-09.
  7. ^ Page 1892, p15
  8. ^ Page 1892, p19
  9. ^ Hoover, Bob (2003). "A family prospers for generations from an early foothold". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (August 10). Retrieved 2008-09-10.

Sources