Coleman Family History

Then in the following year he constructed the "Homestead" estate just north of furnaces. George Dawson Coleman was very generous to the Lebanon Community and was acquainted with President Abraham Lincoln and a personal friend of President U. S. Grant. George Dawson Coleman remained active in the furnace operations until his early death in 1878, at the age of 53. His two youngest sons were only in their teens at the time and not able to take over the management of the operations. Fortunately, his sons-in-laws, Arthur and Horace Brock were more than capable to assist Deborah Brown Coleman in the task.

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George Dawson Coleman and his brother Robert built the North Lebanon Furnaces in the 1840s. They were the grandsons of Robert Coleman - the Robert Coleman that purchased Elizabeth and Cornwall Furnaces. This Robert Coleman was Pennsylvania's first millionaire of record. His grandsons exhibited the same bold industrial leadership by constructing Lebanon County's first hot-blast anthracite iron furnace and they were only in there 20s. George Dawson Coleman was considered one of the finest Iron Masters of his day. He married Deborah Brown of Philadelphia in 1852, the same year he purchased his brother’s interest in the North Lebanon Furnaces.

Horace and Arthur Brock were sons of John Penn Brock, a wealthy coal operator, among other activities. Both sons had a keen business sense with industrial interests. They married daughters of George Dawson and Deborah Brown Coleman – Arthur married Sarah and Horace married Debbie. It is interesting that the Brock brothers and the Coleman daughters were actually distant cousins. The Brocks managed the furnace operations for Deborah Coleman after her husband’s passing until Bertram Dawson and Edward Coleman were of age to assume the management of the furnaces.

Robert Coleman

Ann Old Coleman

George Dawson Coleman