Family:John Liggett and Rosanna Sharp (1)

Founding Families of Pittsburgh 1760-1910, Pittsburgh, Joseph Rishel, 1990.

• John Liggett was a cabinet maker on the south side of 2nd St, res. Pittsburgh. He was a member of the fire company, Vigilant established in 1811 (p60).

• He was first a cabinetmaker and then owner of a struggling tannery that was plagued by several fires. His fortunes suddenly changed after his marriage to Rosanna Sharp of a notable Philadelphia family which had founded Sharpsburg, PA. He soon became associated with Leech and Co, transporters on the Pennsylvania Canal at Sharpsburg where he occupied a responsible possition. While no recorded evidence indicates that he received help from his in-laws, his success after moving to a town founded by his wife’s family and perhaps still controlled by it, is certainly suggestive (p96-97).

• When he married Rosanna he was able to use her family’s wealth and connections to reestablish himself after repeated fires had ruined his tannery business (p148-149).

1.   .

   John W. Jordan, Colonial and Revolutionary Families of PA, Vol 3, NY: The Lewis Historical Society, 1911, 1547-1551.

2.   .

   185. Pittsburgh, PA directory, 1815.