History of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, 1887
John Klingensmith Biography
John Klingensmith was born August 26, 1809, in Westmoreland county, Pa. In 1811 his parents, Peter Klingensmith and Susannah (Kifer) Klingensmith, came to this county and settled near Madison Furnace. The following year they returned to Westmoreland county. In 1824 his father came again to this county and settled with his family, on what is now called the Cribbs farm, in Monroe township. After a few months' residence here he removed to Williamsburg, and a year later to the Cathers farm. From thence he went to Reidsburg.
During the residence of the family at Reidsburg the subject of this sketch, assisted by his brother Samuel, cleared a farm at Williamsburg, to which the family removed, and where they lived about twenty years.
In 1838 John Klingensmith was married to Catharine Smith, who was his faithful helpmate until 1885, when she died. They had four children, Celinda, Reuben, Fianna, and Clarissa, all of whom except the eldest are married.
Mr. Klingensmith's public life began with his election as sheriff of Clarion county, in 1849, as an independent Democratic candidate. He served three years in this office, and at the expiration of his term removed to Westmoreland county and purchased the farm on which he was born. He remained about four months, then sold the farm and returned to. Clarion county. The following year he moved into Madison, in which township he has resided ever since.
Mr. Klingensmith has been both a farmer and a miller. He had charge of the grist-mill at Reidsburg one year, and of Corbett's mill on Leatherwood for the same period. For eight years he had charge of the grist-mill at Madison Furnace. He has a well-improved farm, on which his homestead is, in Madison township. Along with farming he conducted the business of a saw-mill, near Corsica, Jefferson county, which he had built at a cost of about $10,000. He continued in the lumber business eight or nine years, until the memorable flood of 1865, by which he lost 300,000 feet of lumber in the Allegheny River, and soon after the mill was burned, entailing an additional loss.
Mr. Klingensmith is a respectable citizen, a true type of the early settlers of our county, and by his industry and enterprise has contributed much toward the development of Clarion county.
Source: History of Clarion County; Davis, A. J.; Syracuse, NY; D. Mason and Co., 1887.
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