My Genealogy Hound

ALEXANDER HUGHES, farmer, post office Lewis, was born in Pittsburgh in 1827, son of Johnston and Martha (Wallace) Hughes, natives of County Donegal, Ireland. His father died July 7, 1872, aged ninety-seven years, and his mother April 16, 1858, aged sixty-five years. Johnston Hughes was twice married; first in Donegal, Ireland, to a Miss Shaw, and came to America in 1818, settling in Washington county, Pa., where she died, leaving two children, Samuel and Thomas, former of whom was a farmer, and he is now living retired with his daughter in Ohio; Thomas died some time ago. The father married, in 1822, for second wife, Martha Wallace, who bore him five children: Benjamin, James, Alexander, John and Mary. Benjamin was a soldier in the Mexican war, and his body lies buried near the Rio Grande; John died in West Deer township, in his twenty-second year; James lives on part of the old homestead; Mary moved to East Liberty in 1868, where she bought property. The father owned a distillery and farm for some time in Washington county, and moving to Pittsburgh he was there employed in the iron-works for some years. Later he moved his family to East Liberty, and in 1838 to Pine township, where he remained eleven years. In 1849 he came to West Deer township, where his sons James and Alexander bought a large tract of land, which remained in their father’s name until his death, when it was divided between the two sons.

Alexander was married to Annie Jane Wilson, a native of County Monaghan, Ireland, and daughter of William and Mary (Henry)Wilson, who came to this country in 1849, settling in Middlesex township, Butler county, where the father died, in 1851; the mother, now (1889) in her eighty-third year, lives with her daughter, Mrs. Hughes. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hughes are Annie Mary, Lydia Martha and John Alexander. The family are members of Bakerstown Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Hughes has been an elder for several years. He is a democrat, and was school director two years. He owns a farm of 120 acres, with good buildings.