James Milton Imbrie    

JAMES MILTON IMBRIE, son of Rev. David Imbrie, was born near Greersburg, Beaver county, March 9, 1816. His grandfather, James Imbrie, was a native of Glasgow, Scotland, and emigrated to America about 1760, landing in New York. There he remained several years; was married and engaged in business as a merchant in New York and Philadelphia. During the revolutionary war he was arrested by British spies or officers for having an American gun or rifle among his stock of goods and was imprisoned. His wife appealed to Gen. Howe, whose sympathies she won, and obtained her husband’s release. In 1787 he returned to his native country, Scotland, and there remained about ten years. He returned to America and located in Philadelphia, where he was engaged in commercial trade. He was then quite wealthy, but the loss of some vessels at sea injured his fortune; fortunately, however, he had money enough left to continue business. Not being able to compete successfully with others after his losses, he sold out and removed to Fayette county, Pa., and from there to Frankfort Springs, Beaver county, where he engaged in business as a drover. He died at the age of seventy years, leaving a family of fourteen children. Three of his sons settled in Beaver county, where some of their descendants still remain. David, his eldest son, was born in New York in 1777, and received a classical education at Glasgow University. He studied theology under Dr. John Anderson, of Frankfort Springs, and was licensed by the Associate church when twenty-seven years of age. In 1805 he settled in Big Beaver township, then a thinly settled region, covered with dense forests, near the town of Greersburg (now Darlington), and here, for forty years, was engaged in the work of the ministry. He married Jane Reed, daughter of David Reed, of Canonsburg, Washington county, Pa. He had three sons and four daughters. On the 12th of June, 1842, while on his way to church, he had a stroke of apoplexy, of which he died, aged sixty-five years. James Milton, the youngest son, was born on the farm where he now resides, and, with the exception of three years, has always lived there. He received his education at the Greersburg Academy. Mr. Imbrie has a farm of 100 acres, where he resides, the greater part of which he cleared with his own hands. He also owns one in Darlington township. He has been very successful as a farmer; starting with nothing, he has by industry and economy accumulated a farmer’s fortune. His farms are always kept in good repair. For a number of years he has been engaged in wool growing, and so successful has he been in this, that his wool is known far and near to be the best grown in that section of country. He married Clarinda, daughter of Samuel Jackson, of Darlington, and he has three children, one daughter and two sons. He gave his family a good education, his sons being both graduates of Washington and Jefferson college. The youngest son, Addison M., is an attorney at law, a partner of the firm of Marshalls & Imbrie, counselors at law, Pittsburgh, Pa. The other, William J., is at home assisting his father keeping up the farms and taking care of the sheep. Both sons have the industrious habits of their father, and are well respected by their neighbors. Mr. Imbrie is now in his seventy-second year, and enjoys good health. He is a member of the Reformed Presbyterian church; in politics a Republican.

History of Beaver County, including its early settlement; its erection into a separate county; its subsequent growth and development; sketches of its boroughs, villages and townships; portraits of some of its prominent men; biographies of many of its representative citizens; statistics, etc. by J. F. Richard; A. Warner & Co., Publishers, 1888. More Beaver County History Books  Search Hundreds of 1880s-1890s Pennsylvania County History Books for biographies and historical information on your ancestors.  View the book page images on line and print them out for your genealogy file! Free Access to the old history books - plus birth & death records, census images and ALL other records at ancestry.com