Christian Altman, third son of David and Susanna (Riggle) Altman, was born February 16, 1801. He married Barbara Sholl, born April 25, 1806, daughter of John and Magdalena (Cose) Sho1l, and granddaughter of Jacob and Barbara Sholl, who were of German descent, John Sho11 died in 1816, and his wife died in 1806. They were the parents of four children: Jacob, John, Elizabeth and Barbara. Five sons and seven daughters were born to Mr. and Mrs. Altman, namely: David A., born January 13, 1825, died October 2, 1903. He married Lydia Stough, issue, nine children. May, born February 20, 1827, married Jacob Buzzard, of Hempfield township, issue: three children. Anna Catherine, born July 9, 1829, married John Shotts, of Hempfield township, issue: ten children. Susanna, born June 15, 1831, married Jacob Errett, of Hempfield township, issue: four children. John C., mentioned hereafter. Lucinda Errett, born March 4, 1836, married (first) James Errett, issue: five children; married (second) Michael Baker, issue: two children. Jacob A., born September 10, 1838, married Eliza Meyers, no issue. Daniel S., born February 13, 1841, married Sarah Keener, issue: five children. Barbara Eleanor, born August 20, 1844, married J.L. Kunkle, of Greensburg, issue: four children. Elizabeth, born May 9, 1848, married William Staymates, issue: two children. Christian C., born March 30, 1846, married Elizabeth Allshouse, issue: two children. Cordelia. born June 8, 1850, married Alexander Harding, issue: two children. Three of these five sons recruited the ranks of the Union army during the Civil war, and two were wounded, but all returned in safety. The mother of this family died June 29, 1871, and the father attained almost to the age of his own parents, passing away February 26, 1889, a few days after his eighty-eighth birthday.
John C. Altman, second son of Christian and Barbara (Sholl) Altman, was born January 16, 1834, on the Hempfield farm. He received a common school education and remained at home until the age of twenty-one, when he learned the tanning trade with John Shotts. He followed this calling for eighteen years, and in 1872 associated himself with his brother-in-law, Jacob Buzzard, with whom he remain three years. The succeeding ten years he spent in the horse business with his brother-in-law, J.L. Kunkle. He then engaged in farming on the homestead until the autumn of 1893, when he went to Irwin for a time. One year after this he abandoned agricultl1ral pursuits and retired from active labor, taking up his abode in Irwin where he has since lived. In 1862 Mr. Altman filled the offices of assessor and tax collector. He also collected the bounty tax during the latter portion of the time it ran. He is a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Lutheran church. He married, April 7, 1887, Elizabeth R. Meyers, daughter of Joseph and Eliza (Gongaware) Meyers, of North Huntingdon township, and it was on the occasion of his marriage that he went to live on the homestead, as mentioned above.16 |