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BIOGRAPHICAL AND PORTRAIT CYCLOPEDIA

judgeship was abolished by a change of constitution. In his home ward -- the Ninth -- where the democrats were a majority of 300, he was elected a member of select council by a majority of four. When Coopersdale was raised to the dignity of a borough, Mr. Masters was a resident of the town, and was honored by an election to the responsible offices of burgess and justice of the peace.     Mr. Masters was married to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John Shaffer, on November 27, 1857. To this union ten children have been born, of whom one died in infancy. The surviving children are Anga, wife of John W. Wonders, of Johnstown; George H., of Coopersdale; Albert M., Johnstown; Kate, wife of Ellsworth Kunkle, Coopersdale; Emma, wife of Samuel Greer, Johnstown; Frank, married and a resident of Coopersdale, and Sarah, Lilly and Cora, at home. Mr. Masters is a member of the First Methodist Episcopal church, also of Johnstown Lodge, No. 538, F. and A. M. His venerable mother is still living at the advanced age of eighty-four years. COL. JOHN P. LINTON was born in Johnstown, January 26, 1833, and died August 31, 1892. He was of Scotch-Irish extraction. His grandfather, John Linton, was born in County Down, Ireland. While attending McGilligan college he became involved in the revolutionary schemes which led up to the outbreak of 1798, and was obliged to flee the country. In 1796 he embarked for America, and located at Greencastle, Franklin county, this State. There he married, and in 1809 he and his family came to Johnstown. They set up the town's first hotel, an old-fashioned country inn. It was a log-house on the Ellis property, corner of Franklin and Locust streets, opposite the property of the late 'Squire

Brady. Mr. Linton was an engineer and conveyancer. He became postmaster of Johnstown, and one of the county's first auditors. He died in 1818, and his remains were interred in the old Union graveyard. They were recently interred in Grand View.     His son, Robert P. Linton, father of the subject of this sketch, was sheriff of the county three terms between 1832 and 1856. He fell dead on Main street, in front of what is now the Merchants' hotel, in 1879. His wife, who was Phoebe Levergood, died when John P. was only eight years of age, but her son did not forget her admonitions and example, and his boyhood was spent in close application to study in the schools of Johnstown. He also attended Jefferson college, at Cannonsburg, one term.     When eighteen years of age he entered the office of Cyrus L. Pershing, now judge of the courts of Schuylkill county, as a student at law. He was admitted to the Bar on June 6, 1854, a few months after he had attained his majority, and for some years after his admission he and Mr. Pershing were in partnership. When the brick building, which now stands at what is known as "the bank corner," was erected -- over thirty years ago -- young Linton opened an office for himself in the rooms which he occupied during the remainder of his life. He at once attracted attention as a safe counselor and accomplished pleader, and soon acquired an extensive practice, which he retained until he was no longer able to give it attention. It is said that during all his long years of practice he never missed attendance at a regular term of court.     Many of the most important cases, both civil and criminal, tried in the county courts during the thirty-eight years of his practice, were conducted by him as counsel-in-chief on

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