George Acklin of Luzerne Twp.

GEORGE ACKLIN - LUZERNE TWP, FAYETTE CO. 
Cyclopedia of Fayette Co Biographies, Wiley and Gresham, Chicago, 1889,
p534

George W Acklin, a resident of Luzerne township, was born near
Heistersburgh, Fayette county, Pa, November 17, 1850, of mingled German
and British ancestry. His great grandfather, Joseph Acklin (of English
descent), was a Revolutionary soldier, and one of the two white men who
first attempted to make a permanent settlement in southerwestern
Pennsylvania. He was born at Winchester, Va, in 1732, and died near
Brownsville, Pa, in 1836. His grandfather, George K Acklin, was born in
1803 and died in 1887. His father, Thomas J Acklin, born near
Heistersburgh, Pa, in 1827, served in the War of the Rebellion, as a
private in Company H, Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, and was killed while
a prisoner of war at Savannah, Georgia, September 10, 1864.
On his maternal side a great grandfather, Peter Snyder, who was among the
first settlers of Steubenville, Ohio, was killed at that place by
accident in about 1805, leaving a large family of children, of whom Sarah
Snyder, the grandmother of the subject of this sketch, was the eldest,
who was born in 1791. She was a woman of rarest virtue, first married to
Jepthat Baker, afterwards to James Pratt, and died in 1874. Among the
children of her latter marriage was Mary J Acklin, born 1831, mother of
George W Acklin, born 1831; Margaret G Acklin, now married to J H Ridge;
and Annie Acklin; George W and Annie are now living with their mother at
her home near Davidson's Lower Ferry, Pa. 
The early years of Mr Acklin were spent in the country, where he worked
as a farm hand, coal miner, and country school teacher. In September,
1880, he went to Chicago, where he was enrolled as a sutdent at law at
Union College and was graduated June 15, 1882. He remained in Chicago as
a student and clerk in the offices of Sheldon & Sheldon and Daniel H Hale
& Co until March, 1883, when he returend to his native State and was
admitted to member ship in the bar of Allegheny county July 5, 1884.
Since that time he has pursued the practice of his profession at 402
Grant Street, Pittsburgh, where he is now enjoying a comfortable
practice, especially preferring Orphans' and United States Admiralty
court business.  A democrat of the old school, a zealous member of the M
E Church, a steadfast friend, a self-reliant, perservering worker; always
preferring success to notoriety. Mr Acklin stands among his fellows a
fair example of the self-made man.