Various Biographies

• Byron D. Benson - First president of the Tidewater Pipe Company, Limited, which was organized in Titusville on November 13, 1878, for the purpose of building a pipe line from the Bradford field to Williamsport, PA. An arrangement was made whereby the Reading RR would then haul the crude oil in tank cars to Philadelphia.

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• David K. McKelvy - As the first counsel for the Tidewater, McKelvy piloted the company through all of its legal difficulties and in collaboration with J. G. Benton designed tongs, pipe jacks, jack boards, swabs, and other equipment needed to lay the line. McKelvy succeeded Benson as president in 1888.

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• C. L Wheeler - was president of the first Oil Exchange in Bradford. Organized March 1878. A building was erected in 1879. It became the foremost oil exchange in the world. High mark transactions exceeded $1,000,000 a day.

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• Captain J. T. Jones - the biggest producer in the Bradford field furnished money for the Captain J. T. Jones Juvenile band of Bradford. Although the town band practiced diligently it lacked the money for uniforms and instruments. Captain Jones furnished the money for these items. When the band made its next public appearance the gift was well advertised by the inscription on the drum.

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• Mathias W. Thessen - was a prominent Bradford resident. He conducted a meat market in East Bradford. He was engaged the the meat business for 5 years. He was a memeber of the Eastend Presbyterian Church, Tuna lodge, I.O.O.F., and the K.O.T.M. He was married to Margaret V. Thessen, she was a member of the Church of the Ascension, the Margaret Guild of the church and the Foster Valley Club. They had a son Wayne H. Thessen of Bradford and a grandson William Thessen of Salamanca, and great grandchildren, Margo, Fred, and Wayne Thessen.

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• William Major TOY - was working in his father's hotel in Titusville in 1859 and when he was 17 there came a group of men who claimed to be looking for salt. They were making test borings in the area. William was assigned to drive them about in the family dray and was actually with them when they brought in the first successful oil well in 1859. The group was of course headed by the renowned Colonel Edwin Drake. Bill Toy was a good country fiddler and dance caller, and he was chief of the volunteer fire department in Bradford for many years.

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• Ed McIntyre from Bradford went to Texas where he edited the Oil Journal and Jim McIntrye his brother went to Oklahoma's oil fields were he was an advisor to oil companies on where to dig for oil.