Uniontown founders鈥� descendants making significant contributions to society
Many members of the Beeson family, the founders of Uniontown, are buried in the historic Oak Grove cemetery.
Jacobs
Alyssa Choiniere/For the 蘑菇视频
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Great-Great-grandparents鈥� first home near Hopwood
Boyhood home of W.E Uniontown (Laurel Hill)
Uniontown蘑菇视频 founding began with a quest for religious freedom, and today, the descendants of the city蘑菇视频 founders are driven to live up to the family name: Beeson.
Nick Jacobs of Windber, the son of Mary Beeson, traces his family history back 10 generations to Thomas Beeson, born in Lancashire, England, in 1634. Members of the Beeson family came to America by ship in the 1670s and 鈥�80s, Jacobs said.
鈥淭hey left England because they were persecuted for their Quaker beliefs,鈥� he said.
Richard Beeson settled near Martinsburg, West Virginia, and had nine children, including Henry and Jacob, who became the founders of Uniontown.
鈥淎t 25, Henry decided to head for the Kentucky area with his wife. She was riding behind him, carrying a baby,鈥� Jacobs said.
They took a break on their journey to stay with friends in Mount Braddock in 1768. They fell in love with the area and decided to stay instead of continuing, Jacobs said. They selected a 225-acre tract of land along what is now Morgantown Street and built a log cabin they named Mount Vernon. The log cabin was located near the current site of Mount Vernon Towers apartments.
Henry Beeson was accompanied by his brother, Jacob Beeson, the following year. They settled the area and originally named it Beesontown.
Jacobs said his family history played a major role in his childhood and throughout his life.
鈥淢y mother was very proud to be a descendant of the founders of Uniontown,鈥� he said.
His mother, Mary Carolyn Beeson, was the daughter of Wallace Edgar Beeson and Dora Hagerty Beeson. Jacobs said his grandfather was an engineer on the railroad -鈥渁 big deal in those days鈥� 鈥� and died from a stroke when Jacobs was a young boy. Jacobs蘑菇视频 father was born to 鈥渄irt poor Italian immigrants鈥� named Iacoboni and changed his surname to Jacobs. Jacobs recalled his roots and visiting both sides of his family, with the English heritage and the Presbyterian church on one side and 鈥渉ail Mary full of grace鈥� on the other, he said.
鈥淥ne side drank tea with their fingers up and the other drank wine from a jug off their shoulders,鈥� he said.
Jacobs said many members of the family in both past and present generations made an impact in history. A family member taught former President Richard Nixon how to play the piano, and a Beeson was listed as a major donor for the San Diego Zoo, he said. The Beeson Divinity School of Samford University was named for the family. The Beesons even made an appearance in the classic TV series 鈥淕unsmoke,鈥� with the Long Branch Saloon. A member of the Beeson family owned the real saloon, he said.
Jacobs said his family history, in part, motivated him in his career, in which he was recognized for his work in breast cancer research.
鈥淚t was always kind of a driver in the back of my head. I had all these Beeson relatives that did well. It was something that gave me a push,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been all over the world, and that was in the back of my head: 鈥榊ou鈥檙e a Beeson. Make it happen.'鈥�