New Castle News June 24, 2000 Leslie family has long history, strong work ethic Jun 24 2000 12:00AM By Judy Hruska: News Correspondent Members of the Leslie family settled in the area long before Lawrence County was founded. In the late 1700s, John Leslie, the great-great-great-great-grandfather of James Leslie, president of Spencer Paint & Glass Co., settled in what is now North Beaver Township. It was then a part of Beaver County. In 1849, Lawrence County was formed from sections of Mercer and Beaver Counties. The Leslie farm was within the limits of the new county. John's family had fled to County Antrim, Ireland, from Aberdeen, Scotland, for religious reasons. John's brother, George, preceded him on the venture to the United States. John Leslie, who was born in 1767, was married to the former Nancy Neal. They had five children and their eldest son was also named John Leslie. That son married Hannah VanEman and they had 10 children. Their son, Nicholas, was born in 1836, one year after his grandfather, John Leslie, had died. Nicholas married Margaret Fullerton on Nov. 29, 1859. The couple left their mark in North Beaver Township where street signs indicate Leslie and Fullerton roads. They couple had six children, the third of whom was Herbert Fullerton Leslie. Herbert married Rowena M. Silliman on Nov. 25, 1891. The couple, who had four children, ran a dairy farm. In 1936, they sold the farm and moved to New Castle. Their son, Walter, was born on April 8, 1901. He married the former Blodwen Leyshon and they had three children - William Earl Leslie and twins, Robert Leyshon and a little girl who died at birth. After Blodwen died on April 20, 1961, Walter married Kathleen Young. A mail carrier for 36 years, Walter was a hard worker, according to his son, Robert Leslie, 76. Robert, who was born Jan. 6, 1924, was president of Spencer Paint & Glass until his retirement in 1989, when his son, James, took over. "He was very active in his church," said Robert of his father. "I inherited a lot of his stick-to-itiveness and hardheadedness. Sometimes he would work for four or five years without a day off. Even when he had all his teeth pulled when he was in his 30s, he went to the work the next day. "My mother was a Welsh girl who loved to sing," he continued. "I have a good feeling when I think about my mother." It was through relatives of his grandmother that Robert found his livelihood. Rowena's brother-in-law, Clarence Spencer, opened Spencer Paint in 1917 with his two brothers. Robert started working in the store when he was about 12. "At first they only sold paint, then also went into the glass business," he said. "Right before the Depression, they sold toys because paint smelled so bad at the time, no one could paint during the winter and the store needed something else to sell during the off season. All during the Depression, they were the biggest toy store in town." After Robert graduated from high school in January 1942, he made $17.80 working at the store 56 hours a week. "I wanted to make more money, so I went to work for a paint contractor and made $25 a week for 40 hours. That was big money in those days," he said. After serving in the Army during World War II, Robert entered Westminster College. The store's buyer had a heart attack and Robert decided to quit school and return to the business, which was prospering at the time. On Aug. 28, 1948, he married the former Betty Coryea. Robert ended up sharing interest in the store with his cousin. Robert and Betty had three children - Karen Baughman, who lives in Butler; David Leslie, who lives in San Diego; and James Leslie of New Castle. Like his father, James, 45, started working at Spencer's at the age of 12 or 13. "Every Monday night, Dad came home for dinner and my brother and I went back to work with him," James recalled. "We swept the floor, stocked shelves, and when it came time for our music lessons, we walked to Donati's Music, had the lessons and came back to work. We each got a bottle of pop as payment." After working at the store 30 hours a week while attending Westminster College full time, James wasn't interested in a career in the paint and glass business. He earned a degree in business management in 1977 and, a year later, changed his mind. James married the former Judy Jamison and they have three children: Alisan, 16, Jamie, 12, and Andrew, 11.