My Genealogy Hound

JOHN WAMPLER, engineer, McKeesport, was born in Versailles township, Allegheny county, Feb. 7, 1827, a son of Joseph and Polly (Thompson) Wampler. His paternal grandfather was Jacob Wampler, a native of Germany, and a pioneer of Westmoreland county, Pa. Joseph was a native of Westmoreland county, a millwright by trade, and about 1820 settled in Versailles township, where he followed his trade for several years. In 1828 he located in McKeesport, and built the first sawmill there, which he conducted fourteen years. He was then elected justice of the peace, and filled that office thirty years. During his term of office he engaged in business as a watchmaker, and, being a natural mechanic, became quite an adept in the manufacture of telescopes and microscopes, and was always successful in accomplishing everything he attempted to do in that direction. He was awarded a silver medal at the Ohio state fair in 1832, being the first premium over all exhibits of telescopes from this and foreign countries. A fine telescope of his manufacture is now in possession of our subject. He was three times married, his first wife being Polly Thompson, by whom he had four children: Jackson, John, Joseph and David; his second wife was a Mrs. Owen, and his third wife, Mary Griggs, by whom there is one son living, William P. Joseph Wampler died April 14, 1885, honored and respected by all who knew him.

The subject of this sketch was reared in McKeesport, where he removed with his parents in 1832. For a number of years he conducted his father’s sawmill, and afterward assisted in putting up the engine and machinery for the first planing-mill erected in Mc Keesport, of which he was manager for a short time; later he built the planing-mill of Neel & Wampler, in which he was a partner three years, and in 1872 erected another planing-mill in company with Bartley Rankin, in which he was interested until 1881. For past seven years he has been an engineer in the rolling-mill of W. D. Wood & Co. He was married twice; his first wife was Mary A., daughter of Samuel Kuntz, of Westmoreland county, and by her he had two children, Elizabeth and Elmer. His present wife is Ellen, daughter of Aaron Longaback, of Somerset county, Pa., and by her he has four children living: Richard, Anna, Olive and James. Mr. Wampler has served as member of the council of McKeesport three terms; is a member of the F. & A. M., and is a democrat.