William Barnsdall
1810 - -
Name William Barnsdall Born Feb 06, 1810 Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England 
Gender Male Census Jun 17, 1880 Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, USA [1] Census Jun 07, 1900 Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, USA [2] Died Y Notes - From the Crawford Co. History pub. 1885 pg. 1089: Titusville -- William Barnsdale: Mr. Barnsdale was twice married, on the first occasion Sept. 1, 1835 to Eliza Curry, a niece of Jonathan Titus, who died of hydrophobia March 19, 1843, and after whom Titusville was named. Six children were born to this union, two now living; Olivia, wife of P.T. Withrop, and Lucy A. wife of O. H. P. Cleland. Losing his wife, Mr. Barnsdale married in November 1846, Fidelia A. dau. of Chauney Goodrich of Rome Twp. To this union were born Fanny (deceased), Hattie (deceased), Rosa C. wife of Charles Snakard), N.B., T.N., and W.W.
(William Barnsdale was b. Feb. 6, 1810 in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England. Immigrated to America in 1831)
He was an English tanner who came to the United States to find his fortune -- he drilled the second oil well in U.S. history and became enormously wealthy selling the crude at $18 per barrel.
In 1859, Col. Edwin L. Drake drilled the first oil well in Crawford county, Pennsylvania, about 100 miles north of Pittsburgh. William Barnsdall and Moone Meade of Titusville and Henry Rouse, a merchant from Enterprise, drilled the second well on the Parker farm a short distance above the Drake Well, near Titusville, in Venango county. In November 1859 they struck oil, but the yield proved to be less than five barrels daily, so they resumed drilling. A few days later, when it was down 112 feet, oil rushed up and flowed over the top of the pipe at the rate of about 10 barrels.
Refineries sprung up almost instantaneously along Oil Creek and the Allegheny River, at Union Mills, Corry and Erie. William Barnsdall, W.H. Abbott, and James Parker built the first refinery in Titusville in the fall of 1860 on the north bank of Oil Creek. It consisted of six stills and bleachers, with all the tanks and fixtures under one roof. The first run of oil was made Jan. 22, 1861, with the yield being less than 50% of the crude. Two grades of illuminating oil, the white and the common yellow, were produced. Not knowing how to utilize the byproducts, benzene, tar and other products which are now held valuable, were either dumped into Oil Creek or burned.
(There is a Helen R. Barnsdall, b. March 1833 NY on the Titusville, PA census in 1900 (ed 45, 15-B; T623-1400, 55). She is listed as having one child, still living. Is she related?)
Person ID I54989 mykindred Last Modified Dec 22, 2007
Family 1 Eliza Curry, d. Mar 19, 1843 Married Sep 01, 1835 Children 1. Olivia Jane Barnsdall, b. Jul 18, 1836, Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, USA , d. Y2. Lucy Barnsdall, d. Y Family ID F44414 Group Sheet | Family Chart
Family 2 Fidelia A. Goodrich, b. Aug 1826, Pennsylvania, USA , d. Y Married Nov 1846 Notes - 1870 census, Pennsylvania, Crawford cty, 2-WD Titusville, series M593, roll 1331, p. 633, dwelling/household 53/53, lines 24-31:
Barnsdall, William, 60,M, W, Oil Producer, $25,000 real, $6,000 personal, b. England
? , Noel B, 23, M, W, Oil Producer, PA
" , Ferdelia, 44, F, W, Keepinghouse, PA
" , Theodore, 19, M, W, at home, PA
" , William, 17, M, W, clerk in grocery, PA
" , Rosa, 9, F, W, at school, PA
Green, Kearrit (?), 27, F, W, servant, PA
O'Neill, Maggie, 23, F, W, servant, NY
1880 census, PA, Crawford, Titusville, p. 45, sd 10, ed 123, (T9-1121, p.262)
June 17, 1880, Washington Ave, HH 420
Barnsdall, Wm, W, M, 70, city treasurer, Eng, Eng, Eng
" , Fidelia A, W, F, 54, PA, Conn, Conn
" , Rose C, 19, dau, PA, Eng, PA
Fenton, Marietta, W, F, 43, servant
C???eless, David, W, M, 42, goarder
Barnsdall, Theodore, W, M, 28, son, oil producer, PA, Eng, PA
1900 census, PA, Crawford cty, 2-WD Titusville, ed 47, 7-B, (T623-1400, p. 74)
June 7, 1900, 112 North Washington St
Barnsdall, William, head, W, M, Feb 1810, 90, Eng, Eng, Eng, farmer
" , Fidelia A., wife, W, F, Aug 1826, 6/3 children, PA, CT, CT
Children 1. Fanny Barnsdall, d. Y 2. Hattie Barnsdall, d. Y 3. Noel B. Barnsdall, b. circa 1847, Pennsylvania, USA , d. Y4. Theodore Newton "T.N." "Ted" Barnsdall, b. 1851, Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, USA , d. Feb 28, 1917, Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 66 years)5. William B. Barnsdall, b. Jan 10, 1854, Titusville, Crawford county, Pennsylvania, USA , d. Mar 27, 1910, Bradford, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 56 years)6. Rose C. Barnsdall, b. Sep 1860, Pennsylvania, USA , d. YFamily ID F19410 Group Sheet | Family Chart
- From the Crawford Co. History pub. 1885 pg. 1089: Titusville -- William Barnsdale: Mr. Barnsdale was twice married, on the first occasion Sept. 1, 1835 to Eliza Curry, a niece of Jonathan Titus, who died of hydrophobia March 19, 1843, and after whom Titusville was named. Six children were born to this union, two now living; Olivia, wife of P.T. Withrop, and Lucy A. wife of O. H. P. Cleland. Losing his wife, Mr. Barnsdale married in November 1846, Fidelia A. dau. of Chauney Goodrich of Rome Twp. To this union were born Fanny (deceased), Hattie (deceased), Rosa C. wife of Charles Snakard), N.B., T.N., and W.W.
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Photos 
Barnsdall, William
He drilled the second oil well in U.S. history.Barnsdall Co. Store 1905
The man on the left is Charles Snakard. The rest are unknown.
(Photo courtesy of Charles Snakard.)
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Sources
