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History of Clarion County, Pennsylvania
Edited by A. J. Davis
Pub. D. Mason & Co., Syracuse, N.Y. - 1887

         [p. 660-661]
         
         KLINGENSMITH, JOHN, 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 Williams-
       burg, 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 whome 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 busi-
       ness 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 con-
       tributed much toward the development of Clarion county.
       
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