The following articles, taken from local newspapers following Col. Galbraith’s death in March 1885, describe his life before and after the Civil War.
Col. R. C. Galbraith — Death Claims Another Well-Known Citizen
We announced this morning with a feeling of deep regret, which will be shared by many of our readers, the death of Colonel Robert C. Galbraith, which sad event occurred at his home in Sinking Valley at 2:30 o’clock yesterday afternoon, after an illness of four days, of pleuropneumonia. The colonel had been in excellent health, as had indeed been the case all his life. In the beginning of this month he visited Washington for the purpose of attending the inauguration of President Cleveland. While there he contracted a cold which caused no special alarm, and, after his return, he visited Tyrone City on several occasions. The cold held on, grew worse and finally developed into pneumonia, which caused his death in the 63rd year of his age.
Colonel Galbraith was a native of Birmingham, Huntingdon County. Arriving at man’s estate, he married Miss Alice Harrison, who, with ten children, five sons and five daughters, survives to mourn his loss. The children are: Victor, William, Robert C. Jr. (married), and Harry and Frank (single); Mrs. Captain McCahan, Mrs. George Cryder, and Misses Annie, Lillie, and Maggie, who reside at the home of their parents. Mrs. George Guyer was a sister of the deceased; his brothers are W. J. Galbraith, of Roaring Spring, and William Galbraith, of Bedford.
For many years he was the efficient clerk of W. M. Lyon & Co., at Tyrone Forges. He was known to have kept the most complete and detailed diary of daily events as well as receipts and expenditures perhaps in central Pennsylvania. Politically he was a Democrat. He was elected a member of the school board at the recent election, and had previously served for over eleven years. He was also a notary public by appointment of Governor Pattison. He was a good friend of the common school system and rendered reliable services to the cause of education in Sinking Valley.
A Tribute
Colonel Robert C. Galbraith was widely known, and will be lamented by a very exclusive circle of friends and acquaintances. He knew nothing but generosity, and his life was one of magnanimity, liberality and nobleness of soul, his generosity knowing no bounds. In his death Sinking Valley loses one of her largest hearted and most generous-souled citizens, and the community at large, an active and enterprising member. He was known as the warm friend of everybody, always having a kind and cheerful word for all with whom he came in contact. Peace to his ashes.
Birth, Career, and Family
Col. Galbraith was born in Birmingham, October 19th, 1822. His father, William Galbraith, left that town in 1840 to occupy a farm which he had purchased near Shellsburg, Bedford County. Robert C. was then eighteen years old, and assisted his father in farming, who, in the meantime, did surveying, he being a civil engineer.
The subject of our notice left his home in 1844 and engaged in clerking for Wm. M. Lyon & Co., at the forges, where he remained twelve years, most of the time holding the position of chief bookkeeper. In 1855 or 56 he purchased a farm in Sinking Valley, on which he resided until the time of his death.
He had been married in March of 1850 to Miss Alice Harrison, from near Tipton. They had twelve children — six sons and six daughters; one son and one daughter died in infancy. Those living are: Victor, Ella (Capt. McCahan’s wife), William H., Clarence, Bell (Peter Cryder’s wife), Harry, Annie, Frank, Lillie, and Maggie. Mrs. Galbraith, the Colonel’s mother, is 92 years old, and is now living at Birmingham with her son-in-law, Rev. George Guyer.
Sometime before the late war, the Colonel was connected with a cavalry company commanded by Capt. Crowther and was commissioned Colonel on the staff of Gen. Bell. When the Pennsylvania Zinc Works were started, he purchased property for the concern and was agent for the company at his death.
He was not only a model, but a practical farmer and was noted for having one of the best farms in Sinking Valley. Aside from his general usefulness in the community, Col. Galbraith was a man of noble qualities. He was not only an accomplished gentleman, but generous almost to a fault; charitable to all, with malice toward none, and without an enemy in the world.
The Funeral
Notwithstanding the crisp biting morning air well before 10 o’clock Sunday morning, a time fixed for conducting obsequies of Sinking Valley’s generous, useful, highly respected and universally beloved son, Colonel R. C. Galbraith, hundreds of people who seemed to vie with each other in their expressions of sympathy and profound sorrow and regret, could be seen in carriages and wagons wending their way to the home made beautiful, cheerful, and inviting by the industry, enterprise and intelligence of him whose sudden and unexpected demise had thrown his much endeared family into mourning and shrouded his palatial home in the habiliments of woe.
Before the obsequies began, an opportunity was given for viewing the remains of the deceased, after which the sorrow-stricken family and relatives, among whom was his aged mother, now in her 92nd year, filed into the room and viewed for the last time the features of a dutiful son, affectionate husband, and loving father. Rev. Thrush, of the United Brethren Church, led in the solemn services by reading a suitable portion of scripture and announcing a hymn. Rev. J. J. Francis, of the Presbyterian Church, followed in fitting words of eulogy on the life of the deceased and exhortation to the living, when the aged divine, Rev. George Guyer, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who was in position to speak of the excellent virtues, generous and useful life of Col. Galbraith from personal knowledge, continued at some length and with great feeling.
The funeral cortege, not including the hearse and horsemen, contained 103 conveyances — buggies, carriages and spring wagons, which, allowing a safe and reasonable distance apart, made a procession of five-eighths of a mile in length. His remains, at 10 o’clock, were lowered in the silent tomb in the Presbyterian burying ground in Birmingham, the place of his birth. He was 62 years, 5 months and 1 day old. Peace to his slumbers.
From J. T. Matthias, Esq.
The following is from the pen of J. T. Matthias, Esq. of Westminster, Maryland, to Mr. Patrick Carey. Matthias was the surveyor who plotted the lots that became Tyrone City in 1851, and served as postmaster at Tyrone Forges.
“I am much obliged to you for your thoughtful kindness in informing me of the death of my kind-hearted and whole-souled friend, R. C. Galbraith. It made me sad to think of his passing away in the very prime of his life, and in the full blossom of his prospective usefulness. His memory is very dear to all the members of my family, for he was faithfully and devotedly attached to each and every one of them. To myself, he was the very soul of trusting attachment and fidelity. Whilst he watched over my interests with unfailing vigilance, he was equally faithful and honest in all his transactions with all, whose dealings brought them in contact with myself in business. May he rest in peace!”
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