BIOGRAPHY: Ferd. KIEFHABER, Mifflin County, PA

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The Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley, Comprising 
the Counties of Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, and Perry, Pennsylvania.
Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897, Volume I, pages 530-531.

  FERD. KIEFHABER, general merchant and postmaster, Atkinsons Mills, Wayne 
township, Mifflin county, Pa., was born July 8, 1862, at Atkinsons Mills.  He is 
a son of Frederick J. and Susan (Seaburn) Kiefhaber.  His grandfather, John 
Kiefhaber, was a native of Germany, who came to this country when a young man, 
and died in Wayne township, where he had settled.  One of his sons was Frederick 
J. Kiefhaber, who was born May 22, 1819, at Karthouse, Clearfield county.  He 
was a blacksmith, and followed his trade for more than forty years at Atkinsons 
Mills.  He had learned the trade under George Green, at Strouds Mills, Mifflin 
county.  He married Susan Seaburn, a native of Pennsylvania.  They had twelve 
children, of whom one died in infancy.  The others were named as follows:  
Lizzie;  Katie;  Elmira (Mrs. C. C. Coulter), of Wayne township;  Clara;  
William, a blacksmith, residing at Atkinsons Mills;  Ferd, postmaster at 
Atkinsons Mills;  L. Edward, residing in California;  Harry, a blacksmith in 
Clay county, Mo.;  North;  Scott;  Hannah, died young.  Frederick J. Kiefhaber 
was a member of the Republican party, and took a citizen's interest in public 
affairs.  He was a pious, upright man, who was for more than forty years a 
member of the United Brethren church.  He died February 26, 1888.  His wife died 
November 23, 1880.
  Ferd Kiefhaber attended the public schools of Wayne township, and also a 
normal school conducted in Mifflin county.  In early life he learned the 
blacksmith trade with his father, but never followed it.  He was for eight years 
engaged in school teaching in the townships of Wayne, Bratton and Granville, 
Mifflin county.  Having saved a little money, he went into a general mercantile 
business in partnership with his brother, L. E. Kiefhaber, under the firm name 
of Kiefhaber Brothers.  This continued until 1895, when he bought out his 
brother's interest and has since conducted the business himself, meeting with an 
encouraging degree of success.  On March 1, 1895, he was appointed by the 
department at Washington as postmaster for the place.  In this position he has 
been a courteous official.  He is unmarried;  a Republican in politics;  and a 
member of the Presbyterian church.  He is also an active Sunday-school worker, 
as superintendent and teacher.  He is known in the community as an able, upright 
and industrious man, of great promise.