My Genealogy Hound

WILLIAM K. VANDERGRIFT, JR., a son of William K. and Sophia (Sarver) Vandergrift, was born in Pittsburg, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, in 1835, and died in Jamestown, Chautauqua county, New York, on the 17th day of September, 1888, aged fifty-three years. William K. Vandergrift, Sr., was a native of Pennsylvania, born near Philadelphia, and while in his young manhood moved to Pittsburg, where he married Sophia Sarver. Both of them were of German descent.

William K. Vandergrift, Jr., was educated in the common schools of Pittsburg, and studied especially to fit himself for an engineer. He followed that line of business until the commencement of the oil excitement, when he removed to Oil City, and remained until April, 1881. He then came to Jamestown, and began manufacturing washing-machines, — an article which is as useful and almost of as much a necessity as the sewing-machine, which he continued until his decease. Mr. Vandergrift was an active politician, and his proclivities were decidedly republican; but he was satisfied to be a party worker instead of an office-seeker, and attended steadily to his business.

On December 1, 1859, he was married in the city of Pitttsburg to Martha R. Carson. She was the daughter of John A. H. and Susan (Borrett) Carson, the former an American, and the latter of English birth, and had a family of five children — two sons and three daughters. To Mr. and Mrs. Vandergrift were born six children. Four of them attained mature growth, and are now living: Etta, Victoria, William and Henrietta. The former is the wife of William Duffur, resides at Oil City, Pa., and has three children — Florence, Elsie and Sarah. The latter three reside with their mother at her fine home on Allen street, Jamestown.