GEORGE RABER, farmer, P.O. Nescopeck, was born in Salem township, this county, December 25, 1828, a son of Michael and Susan (Hess) Raber. His paternal grandfather, George Raber, a native of Northampton county, Pa., born of German parentage, settled in Salem township in 1814; he was a cabinet maker by trade, which he followed in connection with farming. His wife was Margaret Snyder, and their children were Jonas, Michael, Margaret (Mrs. Samuel Smuthers), Betsey (Mrs. Henry Thomas), Polly and Lydia (Mrs. William Harter). Michael Raber was reared in Salem township, was a weaver by trade, which he followed during the winters for fourteen years, making grain cradles in the summer time. He was the first lock-tender on the Pennsylvania Canal at Beach Haven, and held that position about fifteen years. In 1842 he settled in Nescopeck township, on the farm occupied by our subject, on which he made all the improvements in buildings; there he died November 25, 1891, at the age of eighty-four years. He served as one of the commissioners of Luzerne county for one term, and was an honored and respected citizen. His wife was a daughter of Jeremiah Hess, of what is now Conyngham township, and was the youngest of twenty-four children. The children of Michael and Susan Raber were George, William, Margaret (Mrs. John W. Seely), Sarah J. (Mrs. Albert Smith), Lydia A. (Mrs. Thomas H. Smith). Our subject was reared in Salem and Nescopeck townships, and educated in the common schools. He has resided in Nescopeck township since 1842, has always followed farming, and succeeded to the homestead at his father's death. He was twice married, his first wife being Mary, daughter of Jacob Bittenbender, of Nescopeck township, and by her he has one son living, Michael F. His second wife was Ellen, daughter of John Shoemaker, of Shickshinny, Pa., by which union there were two daughters, Alice and Florence. Mr. Raber is one of the substantial farmers of Nescopeck township. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, and in politics he is a Democrat.
REV. JAMES LEE RACE, clergyman, Duryea, was born in Richmond, Yorkshire, England, July 4, 1830, and is a son of Rev. Daniel (a Methodist minister) and Mary (Lee) Race, natives of Scotland. They reared a family of six children, of whom James L. is the fourth in order of birth. Our subject was educated in the Richmond Grammar School, and in 1846 received a license to preach four years before leaving school, being known as the "boy preacher." He left school in 1850, and received a charge in London. On February 22, 1858, he arrived in America, and since that time has served the following charges in the Wyoming Conference: Lackawaxen, Moscow, Paupac, Thompson, Damascus, Bethany, Beech Pond, Waymart, Tunkhannock, Nicholson, Smyrna, Plains, New Milford, Marathon, Mehoopany, Lehman and Lackawanna, his present charge. Rev. Mr. Race was united in marriage September 9, 1851, with Jane, daughter of Thomas and Jane Humble, natives of Yorkshire, England. She died March 15, 1868, leaving the following issue: Jabez W., born June 27, 1852; John H., born March 10, 1862, a graduate of Princeton College, and at present professor of rhetoric in the Wyoming Seminary; and Ulysius G., born May 10, 1864. Our subject was married again, on October, 22, 1868, to Hattie E., daughter of Samuel A. and Ann (Brentnall) Abbot, natives, respectively, of Nottingham and Derby, England. This union was blessed with two children, namely; William F., born December 19, 1870, and Lillian, born November 28, 1874. Mrs. Race also has a son by a previous marriage, who is a professor of music in Havre-de-Grace, Md. His name is Charles E. Wright, and he was born June 1, 1860. Our subject is a member of the F. & A.M., and is a Prohibitionist.
JOHN W. RAEDER, blank-book manufacturer, Wilkes-Barre, was born at White Haven, November 8, 1858, a son of William and Maria (Baltz) Raeder, natives of Germany. They were the parents of five children, of whom John W. is the eldest. Our subject received his education between the ages of five and eight years, having for his instructor the late William Dow. On October 21, 1872, he started out as an apprentice in a blank-book making establishment, in the old Slocum building on the Public Square, now Brown's bookstore. On April 6, 1881, he branched out for himself, and at this writing has the largest plant in northeastern Pennsylvania; in fact it is larger than all the rest combined. He is recording secretary of the Y.M.C.A., also of the First Presbyterian Church Sunday-school, of which he is a member. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, belonging to Landmark Lodge No. 442, and holds several other positions.
WILLIAM LAFAYETTE RAEDER is a son of John and Melinda (Wendell) Raeder, the former of whom was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and emigrated to America in 1841, coming direct to Luzerne county, Pa. He has lived alternately at White Haven, Ransom, Pittston and Wilkes-Barre, finally achieving a competence. At Pittston he was a director of the bank, and of the Street Roadway Company; in Wilkes-Barre, since 1873, he has owned and conducted the "Washington Hotel," on Northampton street. The Wendell family from which Mrs. Raeder is descended is among the oldest and best known in what was once New Amsterdam (now New York), where the founder of the American branch, Everett Jansen Wendell, came from Hanover (now a Province of Prussia) in 1642. Very many distinguished men and women have traced their lineage back to this man. William LaFayette Raeder was born at Ransom (then in Luzerne county, now in Lackawanna), November 27, 1854. His father having removed to Pittston, our subject attended the public schools at that place, and the West Pittston Seminary. Later he took the course of civil engineering at the Lehigh University, and after graduating he served for a term as a civil engineer under the Wyoming Valley Coal Company. In 1877 he began the study of law in the office of E. P. and J. V. Darling, and was subsequently admitted to practice in the several courts of Luzerne county in June 1881. Meanwhile, in conjunction with L. C. Kinsey, he organized the Wilkes-Barre Telephone Exchange (since merged into the Northern Pennsylvania Telephone and Supply Company), and until his admission to the bar was employed as its solicitor and collector. Mr. Raeder is the publisher of the Real Estate Intelligencer. He married, February 17, 1885, Elizabeth, a daughter of George and Eunice Worrel, of Elmira, N.Y. The Worrels were among the earlier settlers of lower Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. Raeder have two children, both daughters. In politics, Mr. Raeder is a Democrat.
OTTO K. RAEUCHLE, proprietor of the "Lehigh Valley House," Wilkes-Barre, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, April 3, 1849, a son of John and Dorothea (Bollinger) Raeuchle. He was reared in Germany, where he served a three years' apprenticeship at the confectioner's trade, in Stuttgart, and later worked as a journeyman two and one-half years in that city. In 1869 he sailed for America, landing in New York City July 3. He remained there a little over a year, then removed to Philadelphia, where for nearly eight years he was employed as cook in some of the leading hostelries of that city. In December, 1878, he located in Wilkes-Barre, where for seven years he was employed as cook in the "Wyoming Valley House." In 1885 he embarked in the hotel business, in which he has since continued, occupying his present stand since 1887. He was married, June 21, 1874, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Miss Anna, daughter of William and Margaret (Schneider) Koehler, of Germany, and by her has three children living: William, Annie and Charlie. Mr. Raeuchle is a member of the German Protestant Church, of the K. of P., the Mystic Chain, the O.R.M., I.O.O.F., the Schuetzenverein, and of the Saengerbund and Concordia Societies. In politics he is a Republican.
JOSEPH RALSTON, miner in the Keystone Colliery, Plains, was born in Whiflet, Scotland, January 1, 1856, and is a son of James and Isabella (Johnston) Ralston. The father, who was a miner, left "Old Mauchline" in 1871 and came to America; he located on Scotch Hill, where he still resides, being the first Scotchman to locate there; from this fact the place received its name. He was married, October 4, 1845, to Miss Isabella, daughter of John and Isabella (Frasier) Johnston; her father, who was a weaver by trade, served twelve years in the British army, during which time he participated in the battle of Waterloo and the Peninsular War. James and Isabella Ralston had ten children, seven of whom are living, viz: William, a miner in Clearfield county, Pa.; Isabella (Mrs. Thomas Cook); John, a miner in Plains; Joseph, the subject of this memoir; Sarah, married to Isaiah Morris, a miner in Plains; James, outside laborer at the mines, living at home; and Jessie, married to John I. Alexander, a miner at Ralston, Pa. Alexander was burned in the mines at Plymouth, in February, 1889, and died from the effects about a year later. Mrs. Ralston died suddenly December 1, 1891, at about eight o'clock in the morning. Our subject tended door for the Rosall Mining Company, Scotland, for about two years, and then came to America; here he has been engaged in driving, door-tending, running, laboring, firing and mining in the Wyoming, Enterprise, Baltimore, Waddell and Midvale Collieries, and went to the Keystone in February, 1891. Mr. Ralston was married, January 25, 1882, to Ida May, daughter of Emanuel and Mary Jane (Festmaker) Smith, natives of Columbia county, Pa., and of early German origin. They have four children, viz.: Alfred F., Mary I., Jessie Irene and Minnie G. Mr. Ralston and family, and also his father's family, are members of the Presbyterian Church; he is a member of the Tuckalula Lodge No. 173, I.O.R.M., Mill Creek, of Sodi Lodge No. 670, I.O.O.F., Plains, and the Caledonian Club of Wilkes-Barre. Politically he is a Republican.
SILAS RANDALL, stationary engineer, Mill Creek, was born in Wyoming, September 23, 1856, and is a son of George and Rachel A. (Low) Randall, natives of New Jersey, and of Dutch origin. In their family there were six children, of whom Silas is the fourth. Our subject began life picking slate in the breaker at the age of fourteen, and in two years worked himself up to his present occupation. He came to Plains in 1869, and has followed engineering here since. Mr. Randall was married July 4, 1875, to Ella T., daughter of Jonas and Sarah (Hine) Schlabach, of Plains, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German origin. To their union have been born three children, viz.: Rachel A., Ella and Allen F. Our subject and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; he is a member of the O.U.A.M.; he is a Republican in politics, and has held the office of school director three years. In 1875 he built and occupied his present residence.
FRANCIS D. RANSOM, farmer, Forty Fort borough, was born October 13, 1847, in Jackson Township, Luzerne Co., Pa., son of William and Clara (Davenport) Ransom. They were natives of Pennsylvania, and of English and Scotch origin, respectively. Our subject is the fourth in a family of nine children, eight of whom are now living. He was reared on a farm, and educated in the common schools and a select school at Huntsville, Pa. He started in life for himself at Plymouth, at the age of twenty-three, where he remained five years farming on shares. He then moved to Forty Fort and engaged in general work for three years, when he returned to Jackson township, where he farmed for five years, thence removing to Wyoming, farming there for one year. He then moved back to Forty Fort and purchased two lots, on one of which he built his present residence. Mr. Ransom was married, October 16, 1870, to Isabella, daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Santee) Culp, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German origin. This happy union was blessed with six children, viz.: Catherine, who is a dressmaker and lives at home; Herbert D., weighmaster at the Pettebone Mines; Clara B., a student at the Wyoming Seminary; Eva M., Arthur J. and Grace E. Mr. and Mrs. Ransom and the four oldest children are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. Ransom is a Prohibitionist.
IRA RANSOM, farmer, P.O. Plymouth, was born in Plymouth, October 11, 1822, a son of George P. and Elizabeth (Lamareux) Ransom, both of whom were born in Plymouth. George P. was a son of Capt. Samuel Ransom, who was slain at the Wyoming Massacre. Both the Ransoms and the Lamareux are of the oldest settlers in the Valley, coming here in the county's early history, and were by occupation farmers, honest, sturdy and industrious, whose descendants now hold prominent positions in the county. George P. Ransom had seventeen children by two marriages—four by the first and thirteen by the second—Ira being the thirteenth member of the second marriage. Our subject was reared and educated in Plymouth, and has always followed the example of his ancestors in tilling the soil, and now occupies the farm on which his maternal grandfather, Thomas Lamareux, settled 100 years ago. In 1844 he married Miss Mary, daughter of Benjamin and Mary Smith, by whom he had six children, four of whom arrived at maturity, viz.: Edwin, Ellen, Emeline and Lira, the latter of whom remains single, all the rest being married and in good circumstances. Mr. Ransom is a well-to-do agriculturist, and has resided on his present farm for the last thirty-six years. In the fall of 1862, when his country was threatened by invasion, he patriotically enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, for the term of three years, serving to the close of the war. He passed through some of the most severely contested battles, viz.: Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, etc., without receiving a wound. At the close of the war he was honorably discharged. He is a member of the G.A.R., Post No. 109. He has been called upon to fill trusted and responsible offices in his town, discharging the duties of the same with credit and fidelity.
PETER J. RARICH, farmer, P.O. Conyngham, was born in Sugar Loaf township, this county, August 20, 1847, a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Maury) Rarich. His paternal grandfather, Peter Rarich, settled in Sugar Loaf township in 1827, cleared and improved a farm and died there. His children were Peter, Charles, Martin, Lydia A., Barbara (Mrs. Nathan Barria) and Daniel. The father of subject was a native of Lehigh county, Pa., and was reared in Sugar Loaf township from eight years of age. He was a pioneer farmer, and died May 24, 1890, at the age of seventy years six months and twenty-five days. He was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Maury, by whom he had three children: Mary A. (Mrs. George Drasher); Sarah (Mrs. George Kisthart) and Peter J. His second wife was Mary Magdalena Wert, by whom he had one son, Daniel (deceased). Our subject was reared on the old homestead, whereon his grandfather settled in 1827, and to which he succeeded by will at his father's death. His wife is Emma, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (Rockel) Zellner, of Sugar Loaf township, and his children are Carrie, Daniel, Abraham, Edith, William and George. Mr. Rarich is a member of the Reformed Church, is a Democrat in politics, and served one term as school director.
ANDREW G. RAUB, miller, farmer, coal operator, and lumber dealer, Luzerne borough, was born in said borough March 5, 1861, and is a son of Samuel and Caroline (Bisel) Raub, also natives of Pennsylvania. The father was one of the early pioneers of the Valley, and did much to develop the resouces of what is now known as Luzerne borough. There are four children in the Raub family, viz.: Anna C., Addie B., Moriah B. and Andrew G. Our subject was educated in the common schools, and also at Wyoming Seminary. After completing his education, he embarked in the milling business, which had been established by his father, and has since been operated by him, together with his mining and lumbering interests. He was married in May, 1888, to Maud B., daughter of Andrew J. and Mary H. (Collings) Baldwin, of Trucksville, Pa., to which union have been born two children: Samuel J., born May 17, 1890, and Edwin H., born May 8, 1892. Mr. Raub has always followed the precepts of the Republican party, but, like his father, he looks to principle for the governing test.
REV. T. J. REA, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo's Catholic Church, Sugar Notch, was born in Charleville, County Cork, Ireland. He was graduated in philosophy from Allhallows College, Dublin, in 1869, when he came to America and entered the college of St. Bonaventures, from which he was graduated in 1872, and was ordained at Scranton by the Right Reverend William O'Hara on July 14 of the same year. He was then appointed assistant at Archbald, which position he filled for two years, after which he served two years at Wilkes-Barre in the same capacity. He was then to have gone to Hazleton, but a sudden decline in health compelled him to travel. He spent a year in Ireland and continental Europe, and after his return he was appointed pastor at Montrose, Pa., also supplying Meshoppen, Tunkhannock and Auburn, and in 1879 came to Sugar Notch, where he built the pastoral residence the same year, and completed the church which was commenced by Father O'Hearn in 1881, thus affording the congregation an elegant and commodious property, which is free from encumbrances.
IRA K. READ (deceased) was born in Warren county, N.J., December 14, 1828, a son of Richard and Rebecca (Howell) Read, natives of New Jersey, and of English origin. In his father's family there were ten children, of whom he was the sixth; he began life farming in his native State, which he followed till 1858, when he removed to Dallas, and there continued farming for seven years. His health failing him he removed to Kingston, and engaged in the hardware business there for three years, afterward going to Wilkes-Barre, where he lived six years. He traveled two years for William Bertels, and then engaged with Payne & Co., as agent, in whose employ he remained until his death June 14, 1890; he removed to Miners Mills in 1881. Mr. Read was married December 3, 1851, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Philip and Margaret (Bought) Howell, natives of New Jersey, and of English and German lineage, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. Read had three children, viz.: Sarah M., married to Henry Bachman (she and her only child, Arthur R., live with her mother, where she conducts a large dress-making establishment); Anna Rebecca, married to James L. Ribble, a harness-maker in Wilkes-Barre (they have one child, Willard A.); Emma A., married to William Allen, boss plasterer for Charles Shiver, Wilkes-Barre (they have one child, Ira W.). Mr. Read was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which the family is also connected; he was a Republican in his political views.
JOSEPH C. REAP, doctor of dental surgery, Pittston. This well-known and highly esteemed dentist is a native of Pittston and was born May 3, 1866. He is a son of Michael and Mary (Bolin) Reap, natives of County Mayo, Ireland. His father, who was one of Pittston's most successful business men, and a very highly respected and influential citizen, died in 1885. The Doctor received his preparatory education in the Harry Hillman Academy, Wilkes-Barre, and later attended the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, where he was graduated in the class of 1888, taking the degree of D.D.S. He immediately came to Pittston and engaged in the practice of his profession, where he has since enjoyed a large and eminently successful practice. The Doctor is a member of the Dental Protective Association, and his political views are of a thorough Democratic nature.
JOHN R. REED, miner, Plymouth, was born November 3, 1851, in Schuylkill county, Pa., and is the sixth in a family of fourteen children born to Daniel and Mary E. (Howtz) Reed, also natives of Pennsylvania. John R. was educated and reared in Luzerne county, and started life as a workman at the mines, where he remained but a short time. He then went to Harleigh, and engaged in firing and running an engine for six years at No. 2. He then did company work, inside, at the same mine for four years, afterward going to Highland, where he was engaged as a track-layer for two years, coming at the end of that time to Plymouth, and has since worked as a practical miner at Delaware & Hudson No. 2. Our subject was twice married: first, on January 4, 1872, to Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Mason) Caswell, natives of England, to which union were born three children: Ann, Mary E. and Leona. Mrs. Elizabeth Reed died March 3, 1889, and he married for his second wife, on June 25, 1890, Alice, daughter of Thomas Wylie, of Plymouth. One child has blessed this union, Ernestine. Mr. Reed is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the I.O.O.F. The family attend the Presbyterian Church.
HERBERT Y. REES, reporter, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Bristol, England, April 2, 1843, a son of John and Jane (Evans) Rees, both natives of Llangadock, Wales. His father was a tallow chandler, and carried on an extensive business at Merthyr Tydvill, South Wales, for forty years. They were the parents of two children: Herbert Y., and Harry J., of Pocahontas, Virginia. Our subject was educated at Bristol, England, and at the age of twenty-five he left Wales for Johnstown, Pa., where he remained two years in the position of clerk in Wood Morrell & Co.'s store. He left there for Jermyn, Luzerne Co., Pa., and accepted a position with John Jermyn & Co., as clerk. From there he came to Wilkes-Barre, to fill a position as clerk in Conyngham & Paine's store, known as the "Empire Store." From there he left for Sugar Notch, where he remained several years, as clerk for the same firm. He finally again came to Wilkes-Barre, and accepted a position as reporter and circulation manager, on the Wilkes-Barre Record, which positions he still holds. On August 31, 1862, he was united in marriage with Miss Isabella, daughter of John and Margaret (Pearson) Moody, both born at Newcastle, England, and of this union there are six children as follows: Edith, John M., Harry P., Jennie M., Bella H. and Gertrude. He is a member of the Methodist Church, the F. & A.M., the Cambro American Society, Royal Arcanum, I.O.R.M., and of the Chicago Cymradorion Society. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. He is the United States correspondent for the Western Mail, Cardiff, Wales.
MORGAN J. REES, This gentleman, who is one of Nanticoke's most enterprising merchants, is a native of Carmarthenshire, South Wales, born May 7, 1851. At the age of nineteen he bade farewell to his mother land, set sail for America, and became one of her adopted sons. When he arrived in this country he located at Frostburg, Md., where he found employment as clerk in a grocery store. He remained there about one year and six months and then came to Luzerne county, where he accepted a position as mine foreman, at Jamesville, for the Spring Mountain Coal Company. In the employment of this company he remained some fifteen years, with the exception of three years he spent in California. In 1887 he came to Nanticoke, and embarked in the grocery business, since which time he has increased his stock in every line until he has well earned the title of "General Merchant." His place of business is on Market street. Mr. Rees was united in marriage at Jamesville, in 1881, with Miss Almena Meek of that place. This union has been blessed with five children, viz.: John Howard, Morgan G., Anna Brooks, Alfred and Leroy. Mr. and Mrs. Rees are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Socially, he is a member of the S.P.K. Politically, he is a Prohibitionist.
MORGAN T. REES, general merchandise, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, October 31, 1864, and is the son of Morgan T. and Elizabeth (David) Rees, who came to America in 1871, locating in Scranton. In 1874 they came to Wilkes-Barre, where the father engaged in general merchandising, establishing, in 1878, the business now conducted by our subject. This he followed until his death, which occurred in 1883, when he was succeeded by his widow, with our subject as manager. His eight children were: Bessie (Mrs. A. Rhoads), Mary (Mrs. William T. Smith), Catherine (Mrs. William E. Jones), Morgan T., William I., Alice, Edith and Mabel. The subject of this sketch was reared in Wilkes-Barre, up to fifteen years of age, being educated in the public schools. He learned the trade of tinsmith and plumber; and, as before stated, at the death of his father in 1883, became manager of the store. He is a member of the K. of P. In politics he is a Republican.
WILLIAM S. REES, miner in the Wyoming Colliery, Miners Mills, was born in Merthyr Maur, near Bridgend, Glamorganshire, South Wales, December 24, 1835, and is an only son of William and Mary Rees, his father being a shoemaker by trade. He came to America in 1865, located at Providence, and engaged in the vocation he had always followed; he remained there three years, then worked at Mill Creek seven years, and at Prospect eight years, since which he has been employed at Wyoming. He built his present residence in 1871. Mr Rees was married, December 28, 1857, to Miss Mary, daughter of Benjamin and Gwenllian (Price) Thomas; She was born in Tafswell, near Cardiff. August 27, 1828. Mr. and Mrs. Rees had two children, viz : Gwenllian, who died in Wales at the age of two and one-half years, and Benjamin, who died at the age of five years and was buried in Hyde Park. He and his wife are members of the Welsh Congregational Church at Plains; he is a member of the Ivorites, and in politics is a steadfast Republican.
A. REESE, general mine foreman, Nanticoke, one of the most respected citizens of Luzerne county, was born December 14, 1847, near Clifton, Carbon Co., Pa. He is the youngest but one of five children born to Daniel and Mary (Morgan) Reese, natives of Wales. When the subject of this sketch was but two years old, his father, who was a miner, was killed in the mines at Clifton by a fall of rock. Being thus early left an orphan, entirely dependent upon his poor widowed mother who had a family of five children to support, his early advantages were very limited, and at the tender age of seven years he began picking slate at the Sugar Loaf Mines, near Hazelton, and very soon after engaged at work inside. He continued working in the mines until March 4, 1864; then, when but little over sixteen years of age, he enlisted in the Eighteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. He was in the fight at Weldon Railroad and engaged in several sharp skirmishes at Reems Station. He was under Gen. Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley raid, and took part in all engagements in that locality during the fall of 1864, and remained with that general until the spring of 1865, when he was among the troops left in the valley while Sheridan moved towards Petersburg, where he was when Lee surrendered. His company was then sent from Winchester, then to Cumberland, Md., and in July, 1865, it was sent to Cannon, W. Va., and there Mr. Reese was one of a detachment of fourteen who were sent to Beverly, W. Va., in command of a lieutenant, to assist the sheriff in enforcing the laws of the Federal Government. He received his discharge November 1, 1865, and engaged in mining at Providence, Lackawanna Co., Pa., which he followed a short time, when he went to work at the carpenter's trade with E. L. Riggs. After following that business about two years. he went to Jeddo, where he worked one year again engaged in mining, and next removed to Wanamie, where he remained until 1872. Our Subject then accepted the position of mine foreman for the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company at Plymouth. On January 1, 1874, this company was succeeded by the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, but Mr. Reese continued in the employ of the new firm in the same capacity, until August, 1874, when he went to Wanamie, also in the employ of the same company, where he was given charge of the general underground work. Mr. Reese remained there until 1875, when he entered the employ of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company at Pleasant Valley and West Pittston, remaining there until November 1, 1885, when he accepted the position of general mine foreman for the Susquehanna Coal Company, at Nanticoke, which position he now holds. Mr. Reese was married, December 29, 1868, to Miss Harriet Davies, of Providence, Pa. Mrs. Reese died December 2, 1889, leaving five children, viz : Alfred B., Victor E., Anna May, Eva and Ethel. He is a member of the G.A.R.; politically he is a Republican, and has been a member of the borough council, at present a member of the school board.
ABRAHAM REESE, merchant, Wilkes-Barre, was born February 15, 1840, and is a son of Caspary Reese, a native of Prussia. Our subject came to America in 1856, and located in Dubuque, Iowa, a short time, from there going to the city of New Orleans. Here he was employed as a salesman in one of the largest houses in the South, remaining there twelve years. At the beginning of the Civil war our subject enlisted, in 1861, in the Confederate service with the Crescent Regiment, of New Orleans, Louisiana Volunteers (Infantry), and served the lost cause three years and a half, during which time he became an officer on Allen Thomas' staff. After the war closed he went to Mexico, where he was offered a commission in Maximilian's army. He did not accept this, however, but after remaining in Mexico about two months proceeded to Galveston, Tex., and thence returned to New Orleans, where he remained as salesman in a large wholesale house until 1870, in which year he came to Plymouth, Pa., and established a business, which he carried on in a commodious double store, one department being filled with a large assortment of gents' furnishing goods, the other containing a full line of boots and shoes. The subject of this sketch was married March 23, 1870, to Miss Sarah Reese, daughter of Louie Reese, who, it will be remembered, was foully murdered and robbed, in 1852, near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The murderer was subsequently apprehended, tried, found guilty and executed. Louie Reese's daughter, Sarah, was soon after this sad tragedy adopted by Isaac Livingstone, with whom she lived until married to Mr. Abraham Reese. Eight children have been born to this union: Ella, Ruth, Ettie, Harry, William Cleveland, Fannie, Gertrude and Marion. Our subject has always been identified with the Democratic party. After a successful business career of over twenty years, Mr. Reese removed to the city of Wilkes-Barre, where he now resides in his beautiful mansion on the corner of South and Franklin streets.
EVAN REESE, proprietor of the "Black Ridge Hotel," West Hazelton, was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, March 26, 1834, a son of David and Gwennie(Reese) Reese. He was reared in his native county, and at seven years of age began work about the ore mines; from 1844 to 1863 he was employed in the coal mines of Schuylkill county, Pa., five years; then for seventeen years was employed at the Yorktown Colliery, Carbon county, Pa., during fifteen years of which time he was inside boss of the colliery. On his retirement from the mines, he received a recommendation from the company as being thoroughly competent to take any position about mines he might be called upon to fill. Since 1886 Mr. Reese has been the popular proprietor of the "Black Ridge Hotel," and his friends are legion. He was twice married, his first wife being Mary, daughter of Thomas and Mary Price, of Wales, by which union he had fifteen children. of whom eight grew to maturity : Gwennie (Mrs. Charles Tanner), Mary (Mrs. John Thomas), Thomas, Sarah A. (Mrs. Evan Davis), Maggie (Mrs. August Wonderlich), William, Lizzie (Mrs, E. E. Fisher) and Evan D. His second wife was Mrs. Josephine (Charles) Young, of Carbon county, Pa. In politics Mr. Reese is a Republican.
GEORGE F. REESE, conductor on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Hazleton Division, Hazleton, was born January 23, 1848, in Glamorganshire, South Wales, and is the oldest in a family of five children born to John and Martha (Brown) Reese, natives of Wales. The parents came to America in 1852, settling in Pottsville, Pa., where they resided four years, afterward moving to St. Clair, Pa., where the children were reared and educated. Our subject at the age of twelve, left school and began working about the mines, and did all kinds of work that relates to the mining of coal. His services extended throughout the mines of St. Clair where he worked four years as a practical miner. In 1871 he came to Hazleton, and after working a short time at Mt. Pleasant Mines began railroading, as a brakeman on the Lehigh Valley Road, and after about two years' service in that capacity was promoted to conductor of a freight train. He continued to conduct until 1889, when he was again promoted, to the position of passenger conductor, running between Hazleton, White Haven, Eckley and Lattimer Mines. In his business relations with the public, Mr. Reese is always obliging and pleasant, and looks to the safety and comfort of those who are patrons of the trains he runs. Mr. Reese was united in marriage, December 24, 1874, with Miss Susan, daughter of Robert and Ann (Bertley) Stevens, natives of England, to which union have been born nine children. In political matters Mr. Reese is a firm Republican; he is a member of the Royal Arcanum, and of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
B. C. REEVE, farmer, P.O. Dallas, was born February 16, 1849 in Kingston township, where and at Wyoming Seminary he received his education. He is a son of David and Martha (Chandler) Reeve, the former born in orange County, N.Y., and the latter in Hope township, Warren Co., N.J. They are now living in Kingston township on a place of 220 acres, and are prosperous farmers, highly respected by all who know them. The father is an honest, industrious and upright man; politically he is a stanch Republican. There were five children born to them, all of whom are living. B. C. is the only son, and has always confined himself to agricultural pursuits. In 1871 at the age of twenty-two, he began life for himself in Dallas township as a farmer, working the farm he now owns, but which then belonged to Joseph Frantz. After the lapse of two years, he moved back to Kingston township, and finally, in 1877, he again moved to Dallas on the farm he formerly worked, and which he had purchased from Joseph Frantz, his father-in-law. It consists of 100 acres of land which he is fully able to manage. He is a man of tact and energy, always keeping abreast of the times. His stock is of mixed grade, but fine; it numbers thirty-nine, and this is accounted for by the fact that Mr. Reeve is an extensive dairy-man. In other respects he is a general farmer. He hauls his milk to Wilkes-Barre, where he sells it to wholesale dealers. Mr. Reeve was married, at the age of twenty-one, on February 22, 1870, to Miss Sarah E., daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Frantz. To this union there were born children as follows: Joseph, David, Charles, Emma and Mary E., all of whom are living. Politically, Mr. Reeve is a Republican.
STEPHEN J. REGAN, a popular liveryman of Wilkes-Barre, was born in Ransom, Lackawanna county, October 7, 1861, a son of Daniel and Mary Regan, natives of Ireland. His parents came to America about 1855, and settled in what was then Ransom township, now Lackawanna county, Pa., where the father was employed by the Reading Railroad system. Their children who are living number seven: Mary, Kate, Stephen J., William, Ellen, Margaret and Elizabeth. Our subject was reared in Ransom township, educated in the public schools, and began life as a farm hand. In 1881 he located in Wilkes-Barre, where he was employed as teamster two years, and where, in 1883, he embarked in the teaming business on his own account. In 1888 he established a livery business, which he has since successfully conducted. June 11, 1890, Mr. Regan married Miss Anna, daughter of Patrick and Mary Lenahan, of Long Eddy, Sullivan county, N.Y., and by her had one daughter, Mary. He is a member of the Catholic Church and St. Aloysius Society, and in politics is a Democrat.
COL. GEORGE N. REICHARD, of the well-known firm Reichard & Co., brewers, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., October 13, 1834, a son of John and Wilhelmina (Schrader) Reichard. The father came, an immigrant, to Wilkes-Barre in 1833, and soon after purchased the old brewery of his cousin. [See history of the first brewery in Wilkes-Barre elsewhere.] There were sixteen children born to the parents, eight of whom grew to maturity (the others having died in infancy), and six are now living, in the order of births as follows: George N. (our subject); Henry C., in the employ of the brewery; Kate (Mrs. Leonard), of Wilkes-Barre; Lena (Mrs. Swoyer), whose husband in his lifetime was one of the prominent coal operators of Wilkes-Barre; John, a real estate agent of Denver, Colo., whither he had removed on account of his health, and Charles W., who owns and operates a cattle ranch in New Mexico. Our subject was educated in the public schools and Deacon Dana's Academy, of Wilkes-Barre, and at the President's call for volunteers in the spring of 1861 he enlisted, and was made captain of Company G, Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; he served his three months, was discharged, and returned home. In August, 1862, he helped to organize the One Hundred and Forty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, was elected captain of Company C, and as such served two years, when he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and thus continued in the service to the end of the war, experiencing all the trials and vicissitudes in camp and field and bloody battle-ground. He was twice wounded in battle: at Gettysburg, and June 18, 1864, in the storming of Petersburg; he was honorably discharged with his command in June 1865. In 1870 he became associated with his father in the brewery, when the name and style of the firm became Reichard & Son, and so continued until the death of the father, which occurred August 19, 1884. Soon after this John Reichard was admitted to the firm, when it became known as Reichard's Sons until January 1, 1889, at which date, owing to failing health, John Reichard retired from the firm, and George Weaver and J. G. Reichard were admitted, the style of the new firm being Reichard & Co., as it stands to-day.
On October 27, 1875, our subject was united in matrimony with Miss Grizzy E., daughter of Peter McC. and Elizabeth (Horton) Gilchrist, natives of New York State, the former born in Saratoga, the latter in Windsor, Broome county. Mr. and Mrs. Reichard have no children. They are members of the Episcopal Church, Mr. Reichard affiliates with the Democratic party, and has held the office of assistant United States assessor, and has been a member of the city council. He is a director of the Anthracite Savings Bank, and is a F. & A.M.
WILLIAM A. REICHARD, of the firm Reichard & Trethaway, prominent grocers of Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city June 14, 1868, a son of Henry and Jennie G. (Griffin) Reichard. He was reared in his native city, educated in public schools and Harry Hillman Academy, and began his business career as a civil engineer, which profession he followed for three years. In September, 1890, he embarked in the grocery trade as a member of the firm Reichard & Trethaway, in which he has since successfully continued. Mr. Reichard is one of the popular young business men of Wilkes-Barre, and is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Landmark Lodge No. 442, F. & A.M., Shekinah Chapter No. 182, R.A.M., and Dieu Le Veut Commandery No. 45, K.T.
FRANKLIN S. REICK, jeweler, Ashley, was born in Cressona, Pa., July 22, 1865, son of William E. and Catherine A. (Heiser) Reick, of Ashley, natives respectively of Germany and Pennsylvania, the latter being of early German origin. His father, who is a carpenter by trade, reared a family of four children, two of whom are living, Franklin S. and Esther. Franklin S. was educated in the Ashley public schools, and at the age of fourteen began learning his trade which he has since followed. He engaged in business in 1888. Mr. Reick was married March 5, 1890, to Miss Lida, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Hamilton) Kilmer, of Wilmington, Del., natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and Scotch origin, respectively. Mr. Reick and family are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the Jr. O.U.A.M.. and is a Democrat in his political views.
THOMAS H. REID, proprietor of a meat market, Pittston, was born at Yatesville, Pa., and is a son of John B. and Grace Reid, natives of Staffordshire, England. His parents came to America in 1849, settling at Pittston, Pa., where they resided until 1851, when they removed to Yatesville and purchased a farm which they tilled for thirty-six years, and where they reared a family of twelve children. The father soon after removed from the farm and took up his residence in the village, and was engaged in carrying mail up to the date of his death, which occurred in 1886. The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in Yatesville, and until eighteen years of age worked on the farm owned by his father. He then moved to Wyoming, Pa., and served an apprenticeship of four years with a carriage builder. In the fall of 1882 he came to Pittston, Pa., and engaged in the meat business with W. A. Reid, a brother who started the business at Pittston in 1880. It was conducted from 1880 to 1890 under the firm name Reid Bros., and at the latter date W.A. retired from the business and William Gowan took his place. The firm is now known as Reid & Gowan. They are enterprising men and are doing an extensive business. Mr. Reid attends the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics he is a stanch Republican.
PHILIP REILEY, late merchant in Wilkes-Barre, passed into eternity January 6, 1892, and was followed by his kind and dearly beloved wife, May 15, of the same year, both being survived by their four children: Peter, Cornelius, Mary A. (Mrs. P. E. Flood), and Katie A. Much has been written concerning the early settlers in Luzerne county, but in recording the history of the wise, industrious, important and ambitious families of a more modern time, none can be found more worthy of note and a place in the annals of the county than that of Philip Reiley, as one among thousands of his countrymen who emigrated to this country to seek their fortunes. He was born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1824, and was a son of Peter and Catherine (Waters) Reiley, in whose family there were two sons and two daughters, of whom Michael, a welathy prospector and speculator, residing at Placerville, Boise Co., Idaho, is the only survivor. Philip Reiley came to America in 1847, and for two years was employed on a farm in New Jersey, where, in 1849, he met Miss Mary Masterson, of Newark, N.J., daughter of Cornelius and Catherine (Coyle) Masterson, natives of County Cavan, Ireland. In October of the same year he went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he found employment on the coal docks, and accumulated a sufficient sum to purchase a comfortable home. Meantime he was very prompt in his attention to Miss Masterson, and the following year sought and obtained her hand in marriage, after which they located in their new home in Cleveland, where is now the central part of that great city. Becoming dissatisfied with his employment there, he sold his property, and in 1851 removed to Wilkes-Barre, where, in March of that year, he entered the employ of a Mr. Lippencotte, of the Baltimore Mines, having charge of the loading of boats and wagons in the capacity of weighmaster for about thirty years. Mr. Reiley's education was scant, but his rare judgment and good common sense won for him the greatest confidence of his employers during that long term of service, and was his unerring guide in his mercantile and real estate business in which he was, lately, extensively engaged. He was a kind father, a loving husband and an excellent financier and business man. Mr. and Mrs. Reiley were noted for their industry and good management, kind and charitable disposition and neighborly conduct, to which may be largely attributed their success in the mercantile business from 1883 to 1892. Another great component of their success was the fact that they reared a good family who always worked for a common interest, and to whom they gave a liberal education. When Mr. Reiley embarked in mercantile business, his daughter, Mary A., took charge of his books and accounts until her marriage in 1885, when she was succeeded by her sister, Katie, who was educated in the Wyoming Seminary, including the commercial department, and in the Sisters of Mercy Convent, Wilkes-Barre. Being a very accurate accountant, she opened a systematic and comprehensive set of books for her father, and was otherwise of great aid to him in the management of the business until his death, when she became interested with her brother, Peter, in the management of their present business, the style of the firm being known as P. Reiley & Co. The Reiley family have been widely known in Luzerne County, and among their business fraternity, as they were always considered very charitable to the poor, devoted advocates of Catholicity and Democracy, and supporters of every worthy enterprise in the community in which they live.
PETER REILEY, of the firm P. Reiley & Co., No. 471 Hazle street, Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city, January 5, 1853, and is a son of Philip and Mary (Masterson) Reiley. He was educated in the public school, and then worked in the breaker and about the mines for several years, was for a short time variously engaged in the draying, retailing cigars and in the bottling business, after which he returned to the mines where he was for seven years stationary engineer until January 1892. At that time he joined his sister Katie in the continuance of the well-established business of their father. Mr. Reiley was married January 27, 1881, to Miss Mary O'Brien, daughter of Michael and Catherine (Walsh) O'Brien, natives of County Waterford, Ireland, and they have five children, as follows: Mary, Philip M., Catherine, Edward J. and Irene. Mr. Peter Reiley and his family are members of the Catholic Church; he was a charter member of the St. Aloysius Society, and the E.B.A., and in his political views is a Democrat.
CORNELIUS M. REILEY, merchant, No. 215 Parrish street, Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city, and is a son of Philip and Mary (Masterson) Reiley. He was educated in the schools of his native town and at the Wyoming Seminary, where he finished the commercial course. Was then car dispatcher at the Franklin Mine, five years; county detective of Luzerne county, three years; railroad detective for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company from Wilkes-Barre to Sunbury, one year; and in 1887 built his beautiful place of business, with residence attached, and engaged in his present business which he has since carried on with a marked degree of success. Mr. Reiley was married September 25, 1889, to Miss Katie M., daughter of Patrick and Bridget (Walsh) Fitzpatrick, of West Auburn, Susquehanna Co., Pa., natives of New Jersey and of Irish origin. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius Reiley are both members of the Catholic Church; in his political views he is a Democrat.
JAMES T. REILLY, merchant, Ashley, was born in Towanda, Pa., November 10, 1838, and is a son of Hugh and Anna (Reilly) Reilly, natives, respectively, of Counties Longford and Cavan, Ireland. His father, a weaver by trade, came to America about 1830 and located in Towanda, later in Montrose, and then at the red mill on the Ashley Planes, where he was stable-boss for many years; thence removed to Newtown, where both he and his wife died. The family consisted of four children, viz.: Mary A. (Mrs. Patrick Smith); Sarah (Mrs. Patrick McGraw); James T.; and Margaret (Mrs. John Shea). Our subject was educated in the old log schoolhouse which stood where the Central machine shop does, and commenced work in the blacksmith shop on the Plane where he remained until 1858, after which he was successfully engaged as brakeman on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, two years; brakeman on the Bloomsburg Railroad, one year; fireman on the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad, fifteen years; engineer on the Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad, five years. In 1884 he came to Ashley and engaged in his present business. In April, 1863, Mr. Reilly married Miss Anna, daughter of James and Anna (Deleavy) Mulligan, natives of Ireland, and by her had the following children: Hugh V., collector for Coslet & Co., Wilkes-Barre; William S., clerk for Coons & Co., fourteen years, and now for Hoffimier, Wilkes-Barre; Annie T., clerk in Coons & Co, four years, married John Rain also a clerk in the same store; Agnes; Alice; James; Thomas; Edward; Austin; and Emmet (the last was instantly killed by a street car in front of his home at the age of two years; there was also one child that died in infancy). Mr. Reilly and family are strong advocates of Democracy, and zealous adherents of the Catholic Church.
JOHN REILLY, of Hanover Township, while riding down South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, with Andrew Lenahan, was shot and killed by the latter about half past six on the evening of September 15, 1874. The body was carried to the Newtown bridge, and thrown down the bank where it was soon after discovered. The murderer escaped to Rock Island, Ill., where he assumed the name of Patrick Reilly; but murder will out, and he was discovered by a decoy letter and brought to Wilkes-Barre for trial. The jury was out but twenty minutes when they brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree, and he paid the penalty of his crime. Mr. Reilly was a man well liked by all, and held the office of justice of the peace at the time of his death. Even his murderer and he were friends, and the motive that prompted the deed is difficult to locate, unless it was for money paid by some politicians to destroy the life of one whom they imagined had wronged them, or at least defeated their purposes. Mr. Reilly was born in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1841. After coming to America he enlisted in Company D, Ninth P.V.I., served during the entire war and was discharged as corporal; afterward he was captain of a company of Shield's Home Guards. When he returned from the war he embarked in the grocery business, which he followed until within two months of his death, when he engaged in the saloon business in Wilkes-Barre but continued to live in Hanover Township. April 4, 1867, our subject married Miss Margaret, daughter of James and Mary (McGonigal) Meighan, natives of County Donegal, Ireland, where the family are wealthy and influential, and whence her parents emigrated in 1839. Of this union were born three children: Mary E. A., a graduate of the Bloomsburg State Normal School in 1886, and teacher in Wilkes-Barre schools; Anna B., graduate of the same school in 1891, and teacher in Hanover township and assistant principal; and Alice, who lives with her mother. The family have always been devoted advocates of Catholicity and Democracy.
AUGUSTUS REISENWEAVE, proprietor of the "Phoenix Hotel", Conyngham, was born in Sachsen Coburg, Germany, July 11, 1851, and is a son of George and Margaret (Laesterin) Reisenweave, who came to America in 1852, locating in Sugar Loaf township, this county. The father, who was a mason by trade, which he followed in connection with farming, died in Hazleton March 17, 1888, in his sixty-sixth year. His children were five in number, viz: John, Augustus, Peter, Amelia (Mrs. Leroy Gavitt), and Jacob (deceased). Our subject was reared in Sugar Loaf Valley, learned the shoemaker's trade, which he carried on four years. In 1883, he embarked in the hotel business, and as since been owner and proprietor of the "Phoenix Hotel", the principal hostelry in Conyngham, since 1886. On December 23, 1873, Mr. Reisenweave married Sarah, daughter of William and Sophia (Benninger) Houseknecht, of Sugar Loaf township, and they have two children living: William W. and Esther F. Our subject is a member of the Lutheran Church, of the I.O.O.F., and in politics he is a Democrat.
GEORGE REITH, farmer P.O. Carverton, was born in Kincardineshire, Scotland, near the city of Aberdeen, on the banks of the River Dee, January 19, 1841, where he was partly reared and educated. He is the son of George and Ann (Esson) Reith, both of whom were born in Scotland, the former near the castle of Fyvie, the history of which dates back about nine hundred years to the time when the Norman Conquerors invaded Great Britain. George was a son of Alexander Reith, who was in his day a practical farmer, serving seven years to fit him for all the various branches of horticulture. His son, George, Sr., was an overseer on the estate of a large landowner, where he became thoroughly acquainted with agricultural pursuits. He removed to this country with his wife and son, George, Jr., when the latter was eleven years of age. After a voyage of six weeks he located in Wilkes-Barre in June 1852, engaging as a farmer, and taking a deep interest in all its branches. His long practice and knowledge of farming on scientific principles became so widely known that his counsel was sought after and acted upon by the thinking men of his community. He was a man of pure life; one in whom his fellow-men could place confidence without fear of betrayal; he was honest and industrious, and loyal to his adopted country. In religious doctrine he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and an elder in that body at the time of his death, which event occurred February 17, 1866, when he was aged fifty years. His family consisted of four children, two of whom are living. His son, George, Jr., began life in Kingston township, on the John Dorrance estate, on which his father labored five years previous to his death, and on which our subject labored five years subsequenly. In 1871, he removed to Franklin township, where he purchased of D. H. Frantz a farm of 125 acres. On December 20, 1865, Mr. Reith was married to Miss Eliza J., daughter of Aaron and Zibee La Bar. This union resulted in the birth of one son George, born October 3, 1866. Mrs. Eliza J. (La Bar) Reith was born in Mt. Bethel, Northampton county, Pa. The La Bars are a numerous family, and are of French descent. Mr. Reith is a practical man in every sense of the word; a man who reads and remembers what he reads, keeping well abreast of the times in civil and social matters. He is a self-made man, who, by a close application to business, has succeeded in accumulating for himself a sufficiency of this world's goods. He has made many visible improvements in his place, and many others, not quite so apparent, perhaps, but which are appreciated in harvest time. He has held nearly all the town offices with credit, and is a man of influence in his neighborhood.
H. S. REMALY, farmer, Huntington township, P.O. Huntington Mills, was born February 13, 1852, in that township, and is a son of George and Lucy (Smith) Remaly, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and English origin, respectively; the father is a farmer and resides near Huntington Mills. Our subject is the fifth in a family of eight children, six of whom are now living. He was reared on a farm, educated in the common schools, and when when seventeen years of age went to work as a fireman in Koons Bros.' paper-mill, where he remained for nine years, after which he went to Canada with Prof. Robert, prospecting for coal for three years. He then returned to his native township and rented the Monroe farm which he worked in this way until the spring of 1889, when he purchased the same. It is a property of 110 acres, between the turnpike and Huntington creek, one-half mile from the post office. Mr. Remaly was united in marriage, April 17, 1887, with Miss Edith, daughter of Perry and Martha (McCafferty) Monroe, natives of Pennsylvania and of English origin. Mr. and Mrs. Remaly attend the M.E. church. He is a member of the I.O.O.F. and K. of P.; has held the office of school director, and in politics is a Republican.
WILLIAM J. RENNIMAN, druggist, Avoca, son of Justus and Mary (Miller) Renniman, was born in Honesdale, Pa., November 10, 1854. His father and mother are both natives of Germany, where they were educated. At the age of eighteen, Mr. Justus Renniman left Germany and came to this country, in 1849 taking up his residence in Honesdale, Pa., where he remained as a canal boatman and teamster until 1880; at that time he removed to Avoca, where both he and his wife now live. Thirteen children were born to their marriage, viz.: William J. (the subject of this sketch); Justus, Jr., (deceased); Win; Anna (deceased); Mary, married to James Bell, a barber at Avoca; Margaret, a teacher at Avoca; Magdalene, residing with her parents; Carrie, married to P. H. O'Brien, a miner at Avoca; Elizabeth, living at home; and four who died while quite young. Mr. Renniman was educated in the schools of Honesdale. When thirteen years of age, he left school and began working in a rolling-mill at Scranton, Pa., remaining until 1869, and then entered the drug store of Matthews Bros., of that place. In 1874, he matriculated at Lehigh University , Bethlehem, Pa., as a special student, and graduated in 1876. Mr. Renniman then returned to Scranton, to his old place in Matthews Bros., and remained with them seven months. In the latter part of 1876, he removed to Avoca and opened a drug-store of his own, which he is still conducting. in 1890 he was appointed deputy coroner. our subject is a member of Valley Lodge No. 170, Avoca, Pa., Knights of Honor. He sustains an honorable reputation and has prospered in business because of his unflagging industry, his courteous bearing and manly qualities having won for him many friends.
THEODORE RENSHAW, ice dealer and liveryman, Plymouth, was born in that town November 11, 1836, and is a son of William and Martha (Jenkins) Renshaw, natives of Pennsylvania, who settled at Plymouth before the mining industry was developed and when the place was simply a little country town. They, like many other early settlers, were compelled to endure many privations connected with that period. There were seven children in this family, the subject of this sketch being the second in order of birth, and there are five now living. Mr. Renshaw was educated in the public schools of Plymouth, and commenced life by engaging in the ice trade with the Plymouth Ice Co., finally succeeding to the entire business, and afterward establishing a livery, which is carried on in connection with his ice trade. He keeps between fourteen and eighteen fine horses. In 1880, he built and launched the river steamer "May Flower", and also purchased the "Marshland". These steamers ply the river from Wilkes-Barre to Nanticoke, making regular trips except during the winter season. Mr. Renshaw was first married January 9, 1839, to Miss Emily, daughter of Samuel Bangs, a native of Luzerne county, and one child was born to this union, William Elmer, who resides in Colorado. Mrs. Renshaw died in 1860, and Mr. Renshaw was married in 1862 to Charity C., daughter of Benjamin F. and Mary E. (Hicks) Smith, natives of Jackson township, Luzerne county. This marriage has been blessed with children as follows: Emily (deceased), Ira Marvin, John J., Charles Irwin, Celia, Blanche, Theodore Raymond and Gertrude H. Mr. Renshaw was chief of police for some years when Plymouth borough was first incorporated. The family attend the Christian Church. M. Renshaw is a member of the F. & A.M. , and of the Order of Elks. In politics he is a Republican.
FRED REUTELHUBER, flour broker and councilman of the Twelfth Ward, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Lambsheim, Rhine, Bavaria, Germany. March 2, 1846, a son of Peter and Gretchen (King) Reutelhuber. He was reared and educated in his native country; came to America in 1865, and in 1870 located in Wilkes-Barre where he has since been a permanent resident, carrying on flour business in that city. On March 10, 1874, he was married to Anna, daughter of Herman and Christiana (Werling) Frank, of Hawley, Wayne county. They have three children: Fred, Willie and Mamie. In politics, Mr. Reutelhuber is a Republican, and is now serving his second term as a member of the city council.
FRED L. REYNOLDS, engineer at No. 5 shaft, Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, Plymouth. Among the many trusted engineers employed by the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company is the young man whose name heads this sketch. He was born, January 24, 1860, at Factoryville, Wyoming county, Pa., and is a son of Elias and Caroline (Spencer) Reynolds, natives of Pennsylvania. He was educated in the public schools of his native county, and at the Keystone Academy at Factoryville. In 1880, our subject came to Plymouth, where he was engaged as fireman at the Nottingham, and worked at the Howell Drill Company Machine Shop during slack times at the breaker. At these places he continued for nine years , and then took a position as pump engineer at the Delaware & Hudson No. 2 Shaft, where he remained until February 1892, when he was promoted to hoisting engineer at Colliery No. 5, which place he has since creditably filled. Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage, March 25, 1884, with Miss Jennie Weisley, of Plymouth, and three children have been born to them, viz.: Ashley S., Edith and Caroline. Our subject is the second in a family of three children as follows: Steward E., a machinist employed at Howell's; Fred L.; and Emma E., now Mrs. F. L. Bailey, of La Plume, Pa. Mr. Reynolds in his political preferences is a Republican. The family attend the Baptist Church.
JOHN BUTLER REYNOLDS is a scion of the numerous family of the name, several of whom are sketched in this book, and one or more of whom have been closely and prominently identified with the history of Wilkes-Barre, and nearby towns, during every period thereof, from its earliest settlement to the present time. His father was Elijah W. Reynolds, who was a leading merchant in Wilkes-Barre, and his grandfather was the Benjamin Reynolds, who in the early "thirties" was sheriff of Luzerne, and was otherwise conspicuously concerned in the affairs of the county and city. John Butler Reynolds descended, through his mother, from Col. Zebulon Butler of Revolutionary fame. She was a daughter of Pierce Butler, who was a grandson of Zebulon Butler. John Butler Reynolds was born in Wilkes-Barre, August 5, 1850, and after a course at the Wyoming Seminary, entered La Fayette College at Easton, Pennsylvania. He read law with W. W. Lathrope, and was admitted to practice November 15, 1875. Mr. Reynolds soon achieved a good reputation in the profession, as was demonstrated when, in 1881, he was chosen one of the examiners of the Orphans Court of Luzerne County, a position he held continuously for a number of years, being, for a part of the time, the only examiner. He was the prime mover and energetic spirit in the organization of the companies by which the New North Street Bridge connecting Wilkes-Barre with upper Kingston and the West Side railway Company were, respectively , constructed. One project was a collateral of the other, and Mr. Reynolds was the official head of both. He is a Democrat in politics, and was frequently spoken of as a candidate for district attorney and other offices. In 1888 he was the Presidential elector on the Democratic ticket for the XIIth Congressional District, Pennsylvania, and in 1890 was nominated by his party as their candidate for Congress in the same District. His Republican opponent, Hon. John W. Shonk, was returned as elected, but Mr. Reynolds instituted a contest for the seat, on the ground that his defeat had been consummated by a corrupt use of money, which contest is still (May 1892) pending in the Committee on Elections., though it has already been ably argued by distinguished lawyers for both sides. Mr. Reynolds married, October 21, 1879, Emily Bradley Dain, a daughter of Nathaniel Dain, who is a native of Maine, a graduate of Bowdoin College, and was, for a time, a medical practitioner, but later, owing to ill health, he abandoned the profession and became a large and successful lumber dealer at Peekskill, N.Y. Five children have come of this union.
JOHN F. REYNOLDS, inside foreman at the Pennsylvania Colliery, No. 6, with residence in Sebastopol, where he was born March 8, 1858, is a son of William E. and Anna (Jones) Reynolds, natives of South Wales. The family came to America in 1850, lived a short time in Hughestown and then removed to Sebastopol, where his father was foreman at No. 6, for ten years, and where he died in 1886, at the age of sixty-eight years. The mother died in 1888, at the age of sixty-six years. The family consisted of eight children, four of whom are living, viz.: Ann (Mrs. Isaac James), Miriam (Mrs. Thomas Pierce). John F., and Edward E., mine foreman for Simpson & Watkins, Carbondale, Pa.. Our subject was educated in the public schools, and began working in the mines at an early age, which occupation he has since followed, working chiefly inside, and has held his present position six years. In December 1886, he was nearly burned to death. Mr. Reynolds was married, April 21, 1891, to Miss Nettie M., daughter of Frank Boon, of West Pittston, and to their union has been born one child, Anna. Our subject and wife are members of the First Baptist Church of Pittston. He is a member of I.O.O.F., and is a Republican in his political views.
SHELDON REYNOLDS is descended from James Reynolds, of Plymouth, Mass., 1643, and who moved twelve years later to Kingston, Rhode Island, where three generations of the family continued to reside. About 1750 a branch of the family removed to Litchfield county, Conn., and came thence with the first settlers of the Wyoming Valley under the Connecticut charter in 1769. The family name is conspicuous in the records of the events of those early years, figuring in connection with the famous battle of Wyoming, and in the first lists of taxables in Plymouth, where Benjamin, grandfather of Sheldon Reynolds, was born February 4, 1780. On his mother's side he came of the Greenes, of Rhode Island, of which stock, Gen. Nathaniel Greene, of Revolutionary fame, was a notable example. Benjamin Reynolds married Lydia Fuller, a descendant of the "Mayflower" Fullers; was justice of the peace many years; sheriff of the county, and in other ways a prominent and useful citizen. He had five sons and three daughters. The eldest son, William C. Reynolds, was born in Plymouth in December, 1801, and educated at local schools and at Wilkes-Barre Academy. He taught school, and in 1820 began the shipping of coal to Harrisburg. Four years later he associated himself in business with his kinsman, Henderson Gaylord, and the firm of Gaylord & Reynolds continued the shipping of coal and other products, the conduct of two large general stores—one in Plymouth, the other in Kingston—until 1835. The shipments were wholly by river and turnpike, until the completion of the canal to Nanticoke. In 1835 the firm dissolved, and Mr. Reynolds continued the business in his own name until 1854. He was a prime mover in the securement of the charter for, and the construction of, the Lackawanna & Bloomsburg Railroad, from Sunbury to Scranton, now an important branch of the extensive Delaware, Lackawanna & Western system. He was its first president, holding the office until the completion of the road, when he resigned, though continuing a director until 1865. He was a Democrat, and served in the State Legislature 1837-38, during which time he introduced the bill under which the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company's railroad, connecting the head of navigation, on the Lehigh river, with the North Branch Canal at Wilkes-Barre, was constructed. He was associate judge of Luzerne county 1841-46, for thirteen years a trustee of the Wyoming Seminary, and held many other important places in the community. He was a Democrat and a Presbyterian. His wife's father was John Smith, who came from Derby, Conn., and with his brother Abijah began the shipment of coal to Columbia in 1807—or thirteen years before coal shipments are popularly supposed to have begun—continuing in the business through a long life. He was the first to use powder in mining coal. In 1834 he placed the first steam engine ever used in the county, in a gristmill he owned. Sheldon Reynolds was the fourth of five children—four sons and a daughter—and was born in Kingston, February 22, 1845. His earlier studies were pursued in the Luzerne Presbyterian Institute at Wyoming, and the Wyoming Seminary, and he was prepared for Yale at the Hopkins Grammar School at New Haven, Conn. He was graduated A. B. from Yale in 1867, and later received the degree of A.M. He read law in the Columbia College Law School, and afterward with the late Andrew T. McClintock, LL. D., and was admitted to the bar October 16, 1871. He has given his attention rather to general business and scientific pursuits than to the practice of the law for which, however, he is regarded as admirably adapted. He has for a number of years been the secretary , one of the trustees and a mainstay of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, among whose publications are many valuable papers from Mr. Reynolds' pen. He is also one of the trustees of the Osterhout Free Library, and a member of many Historical and Scientific Societies through the country; he has been president of the Wilkes-Barre Electric Light Company for several years and is a director of the District Telegraph and Messenger Company; is president of the Wilkes-Barre Water Company; was for many years a director of the Wyoming National Bank, and is now its president. He was a school director in 1875 to 1876; was chairman of the Democratic Committee of the city of Wilkes-Barre in 1880, and of the Democratic Committee of Luzerne county in 1881. During his term in the latter position, he introduced a number of reforms in the party management, and a new code of rules for the party was adopted, which have proven very advantageous in many particulars, and are still in force. He has been repeatedly solicited, but has persistently refused, to become a candidate for State, Senate or Congress. On November 23, 1876, Mr. Reynolds married Annie Buckingham, only daughter of the late Col. Charles Dorrance, and has one son, Dorrance, born September 9, 1877.
SIMON REYNOLDS, merchant, Plymouth, was born in Cornwall, England, August 8, 1842, and is a son of Simon and James (Samson) Reynolds, also natives of England. Our subject was educated at his birthplace, and at the age of twenty years came to America, locating in the State of Michigan, where he was engaged in mining seven years. He then removed to Dover, N.J., where he worked in the iron mines for one year, afterward removing to Philipsburg, Pa., and there engaged in coal mining for a short time, coming from there to Plymouth, same State, where he continued his occupation as a coal miner at various collieries in the Valley. During the time of his residence in Luzerne county, Mr. Reynolds made two distant trips, the first one being in April, 1875, from Plymouth to Georgetown, Colo., where he worked in the silver mines a short time, and then returned to Plymouth; his second trip was in May, 1879, when he proceeded from the same borough to Newfoundland, where he worked in the copper mines one and one-half years, at the end of which time he once more returned to Plymouth. In 1889 he established his present business, occupying the basement of his neat brick block as a general store, where he commands a growing trade. Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage, in January, 1881, with Miss Lizzie, daughter of William and Anna (Brunt) Ellis, natives of Nottinghamshire, England, and two children have blessed this union, namely: Simon Fuller, born September 5, 1886, and John Stewart, born October 24, 1889. In politics, Mr. Reynolds is a Republican. The family attend the Primitive Methodist Church.
JACOB RHINEHART, outside foreman, Stanton Shaft, Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city July 29, 1846. He is a son of Jacob and Mary (Steinhauer) Rhinehart, natives of Bavaria, Germany, who came to America in 1842, settling in Wilkes-Barre, where the father worked as carpenter until 1889, when he retired. Their children were: Elizabeth, Matilda (Mrs. Anthony Baker), Jacob and John. Our subject was reared in his native town, educated in the public schools, learned the carpenter's trade and engineering. For ten years he was a stationary engineer at the Franklin, Hartford and Sugar Notch Shafts. From 1868 to 1871 he was outside foreman of the Germania Breaker at Ashley; was outside foreman at Sugar Notch three years, and has been at the Stanton Shaft in Wilkes-Barre since 1886. He was married, July 29, 1869. Mr. Rhinehart married Miss Catharine, daughter of William and Mary (Devenny) Gillen, of County Sligo, Ireland, and has five children: Harry, Josephine, Carl, Theodore and John E. Mr. Rhinehart and his family are members of the St. Nicholas German Catholic Church of Wilkes-Barre. In politics he is a Democrat.
EDWARD F. RHOADES, pumpman at the Henry Shaft, Plainsville, was born at Port Carbon, Pa., June 6, 1857, and is a son of Samuel and Lucy (Frain) Rhoades, natives of Pennsylvania, and of New England origin. The father, who was a carpenter by trade, reared a family of six children, of whom our subject is the third. He received a common-school education, and at the age of twenty-one began his present business, which he has since followed; he has resided in Plainsville since 1869, and built his present residence in 1881. Mr. Rhodes was married, February 23, 1878, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Robert and Rosanna (Park) Curtis, and to their union have been born seven children, six of whom are living, viz.: Rosanna, Oscar O., Mary, Viola M., Warren A. and Olive. The family attend the Presbyterian Church, of which Mrs. Rhoades is a member; in his political views Mr. Rhoades is a Republican.
CAPTAIN SYLVESTER D. RHODES, line inspector for the Wilkes-Barre Water Works, was born in the borough of Parsons (then Plains township), December 6, 1842, a son of John and Mary A. (Rothrock) Rhodes, the former a native of Monroe county, the latter of Northampton county, Pa., both being of German lineage. Our subject was educated at the common schools of Plains, and April 18, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Eighth P.V. for ninety days, which term he served. On September, 2, 1861, he re-enlisted, this time in Company L, Twenty-third P.V., and March 7, 1862, was transferred to Company D, Sixty-first P.V. He was first assigned to Williams' Brigade, Cadwalader's Division, Patterson's army, and later to the First Division, Fourth Corps, army of the Potomac, and in October, 1862, was again transferred, this time to the Second Division, Sixth Corps, army of the Potomac, later to the Fourth Division, Sixth Army Corps, and finally to the Third Brigade, Second Division, of the Corps of the Army of the Potomac. In November, 1861, he was promoted to corporal; on July 23, 1862, to fourth sergeant; on April 25, 1864, to third sergeant; on July 12, 1864, to second sergeant; on September 15, 1864, to first sergeant; on October 20, 1864, to second lieutenant; on December 20, 1864, to first lieutenant, and on April 27, 1865, he was commissioned captain of Company D, Sixty-first P.V. During his term of service he participated in the following engagements: Falling Water, Keys Ford, Siege of Yorktown, the reconnoissance to Bottom Bridge, Chickahominy, Fair Oaks, Seven days fight before Richmond, Seven Pines, White Oak Swamp, Turkey Bend, Malvern Hill, Williamsburg, in the expedition up the Potomac, Fredericksburg, St. Mary's Heights, Salem Heights, Gettysburg, Fairfield Gap, Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, Locust Grove, Brandy Station, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Bloody Angle, Cold Harbor, siege of Petersburg, the Weldon Railroad raid; was injured near the Yellow tavern, June 22, (1864), and was taken to City Point Hospital, where he remained until September 15 following, when he rejoined his regiment. Afterward he participated in the following battles: Winchester, Fisher's Hill, Cedar Creek, second siege of Petersburg and fall of the city, Sailors' Creek, and Appomattox; he also did provost duty at Danville, Va., and was mustered out June 28, 1865. He then returned to Plains, and followed various pursuits, chiefly that of stationary engineering. Mr. Rhodes was married May 12, 1865, to Susan A., daughter of George and Margaret (Courtright) Huffman, of Plains, and they had six children, viz.: John S., born March 19, 1867, a conductor on the Lehigh Valley Railroad; Fred C., born October 16, 1868, died August 19, 1870; Charles S., born June 3, 1871, died May 3, 1875; Allen O., born April 19, 1873; Daisy B., born April 23, 1875, and Paul B., born July 27, 1878, died October 16, 1884. Captain Rhodes has been a soldier nearly all his life, having been a member of the Wyoming Artillerists, prior to the war, since when he has been second lieutenant of Company E. Ninth Regiment N. G. P., and during the Pennsylvania riots of 1869-70, was appointed to the coal and iron police. He is a member of the G.A.R., and in politics is a liberal Republican.
WILLIAM H. RHODES, carpenter, Parsons, was born at Nanticoke, January 22, 1834, a son of John and Mary A. (Rothrock) Rhodes, natives of Pennsylvania, of German descent. His parents removed from Nanticoke to Parsons, then a part of Plains township, when he was one year old, and here he has since resided. He was educated in the common schools, and at the age of twenty-one began life for himself at the carpenter's trade, in the employ of the Lehigh Valley and the Delaware & Hudson Railroad. He continued in their employ until within the last few years, during which time he has devoted himself to general carpenter jobbing. April 1, 1855, Mr. Rhodes married, for his first wife, Miss Hannah, daughter of George Yale, of Parsons. She died October 15, 1877, leaving six children, viz.: William A., born January 8, 1858, died May 12, 1859; George E., born February 1, 1860, died July 13, 1861; Mary A., born April 19, 1862, died December 19, 1890; Delilah, born August 3, 1865, died October 28, 1869; Ovid, born August 3, 1868, married Elizabeth Fletcher, of Parsons; and Burdie, born October 23, 1872, died February 20, 1874. He was again married, April 24, 1879, to Mrs. Elizabeth Sigman, daughter of Richard and Catherine (Hough) Hinkle, of New Jersey. Mr. Rhodes and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; politically he is a Republican, and has held the office of school director.
HON. CHARLES EDMUND RICE was born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N.Y., September 15, 1846, a son of Thomas Arnold and Vienna (Carr) Rice, and of old New England stock. His paternal grandfather, Moses Rice, a native of Wallingford, Conn., in early life removed to Salisbury, Herkimer Co., N.Y., where he died. His wife Roxanna, was a daughter of Atwater Cook, a descendant of Henry Cook, a native of Kent, England, who was a resident of Plymouth, Mass., prior to 1640. The father of subject was a resident of Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N.Y., for many years, was one of the leading men of the town, and served as trustee of Fairfield Academy and Fairfield Medical College. His wife was a daughter of Eleazar and Hannah Carr, natives of Herkimer Co., N.Y., and of an old Connecticut family. The subject of this sketch was prepared for college at Fairfield Academy, and was graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, N.Y., in 1867. He then taught school one year at the Bloomsburg Literary Institute, Bloomsburg, Pa., and at the same time read law; and in 1869 he was graduated from the Albany Law School, and was admitted to the bar of the supreme court of the State of New York. He then located in Wilkes-Barre, where he has since resided, and February 21, 1870, was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county. In 1876 he was elected district attorney of the county. In 1879 he was elected law judge, re-elected in 1889, and is now president judge of Luzerne county. Politically Judge Rice is a Republican. He was one of the charter trustees of the Memorial Presbyterian Church, and is one of the trustees of the Wilkes-Barre Female Institute. On December 18, 1873, he married Maria Mills Fuller, daughter of Henry M. Fuller, of Luzerne county, and has two children living, Charles Edmund and Philip Sidney.
CHARLES N. RICE, farmer, Lehman, was born June 11, 1848, in Trucksville, and was reared and educated partly in Trucksville and partly in Lehman. He is a son of Levi C. and Elizabeth (Carle) Rice, both born in this county, the latter in Kingston Township. Levi was a son of Jacob, who came from New Jersey in the early history of the county, and owned most of the territory adjacent to Trucksville, where he first located, lived and died. He was a Methodist minister of some ability in his denomination. His family numbered five sons and three daughter, three of whom are now living; Charles L., a minister of the Gospel; Mary Ann, wife of Rev. L. James Phoenix; and Caroline, wife of Dr. J. J. Rogers, of Huntsville, Pa. His son Levi C., settled at Trucksville, but after a few years moved, in 1860, to Lehman, where he lived up to his death, which occurred in 1880. His family consisted of seven children, six of whom grew to maturity. Although a deaf mute he was a good business man, and especially when the disadvantage under which he labored was considered. Charles N. is the sixth in his family, and has always confined himself to tilling the soil, at which vocation he has become an expert. At the age of twenty-two, April 2, 1871, he married Miss Emma J., daughter of Rev. Stephen A. and Dorinda C. Edwards, in Lehman. There were born to them four children, three of whom are living: Walter E., Clarice D. and Thomas M. Mrs. Rice was born in Ross township in 1849. In 1873 Mr. Rice moved on his present place, a farm of fifty acres, where there was no clearing, no building nor shelter of any kind. He has succeeded by hard work and perseverance, and with the assistance of a help-meet for him in the person of his estimable wife, he has a well-cleared and fertile farm, upon which are a neat house and a commodious barn. Mr. Rice began life with nothing, but by a close application to business principles, he has succeeded in overcoming all obstacles. His entire surroundings, both indoors and out, show taste and refinement. He is a consistent member of the M.E. Church, and his wife is in full fellowship with the Christian Church. Politically he is a Republican.
JACOB RICE, retired, Dallas borough, was born June 16, 1817, in Dallas, where he was reared and educated. He is son of Chriseon and Sarah (Mackferrin) Rice, both of whom were born in New Jersey, the former, December 25, 1780, the latter, February 20, 1780. They came to this county in 1812, locating first in Trucksville, Kingston township, where they resided for several years. The father was a wagon-maker by trade, and at various times followed milling. In 1816 he removed to Dallas, where he purchased a tract of land on which he built a sawmill propelled by water power, said to be the first mill in Dallas. He was a man of sober and industrious habits, and lived to be over eighty-four years old; he reared a family of three children, two of whom are now living. Jacob is the youngest in the family, and confined himself to farming and lumbering for the first thirty years after reaching his majority. He kept store in Dallas for about twenty years, and at one time kept the "Lake Grove House," which he built on Harvey's Lake, that beautiful summer resort. Our subject was married, June 25, 1837, at the age of twenty, to Miss Susan, daughter of Alexander and Margaret Ferguson. By this union there were born six children, five of whom grew to maturity, and four of whom are now living: Zibe B., George H., William H. and Sarah J. Mr. Rice owned the first painted house, and used the first spring-wagon in Dallas township. Jacob Rice has an interesting and honorable military record, and is the representative military man of Dallas. In May, 1839, he was commissioned first lieutenant of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Pennsylvania Militia. On August 20, 1849, he was commissioned captain of the Dallas Artillery; in 1857, lieutenant colonel of Col. Rhoads Regiment; on May 1, 1861, quartermaster of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and on October 12, 1861, of the Fifty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, thus showing a record of which he may be proud. At the expiration of his term of service in the Civil war, he received many recommendations from line officers of the brigade and regiment to which he belonged, to Gens. Hancock, and Ingalls, for promotion; but pressure of business at home prevented him from presenting them, or desiring to return to camp life. Capt. Rice, as he is familiarly called, is a man of muchinfluence in his town, both in civil and religious circles. He is a member of the G.A.R., and of the M.E. Church, holding the office of trustee in the same. Politically, he is a Republican.
DAN C. RICHARDS, fire-boss, Hillman Vein Coal Company, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales, August 25, 1844, and is a son of William P. and Hannah (Williams) Richards, who came to America in 1860, and located in Pittston, where the father engaged in mining; later he removed to Springbrook, now Lackawanna county, where for several years he was farming, after which he once more moved to Pittston, where he now resides. His children were seven in number; David, Harriet (Mrs. Edward Harris), Dan C., Sara (Mrs. Thomas J. Morgan), Lettice (Mrs. John Mathews), Maria (Mrs. T. B. Evans) and Maggie (Mrs. William W. Mathews). Our subject was reared in Wales until sixteen years of age, when he came to America with his parents in 1860. He has been a resident of Wilkes-Barre since 1868, where he has been engaged in mining, and has held the position of fire-boss under the Hillman Vein Coal Company since 1883. Mr. Richards was married June 20, 1869, to Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Mathews) Kidney, of Wilkes-Barre, and has seven children living: William, George, Joseph, Eddie, Albert, Lewis and Arthur. He is a member of the First M.E. Church of Wilkes-Barre, and of the Mystic Chain and K. of G.E. In politics he is a Republican.
DAVID L. RICHARDS, retired, Wilkes-Barre, was born near Swansea, Glamorganshire, South Wales, May 26, 1834, a son of David L. and Sarah (Lloyd) Richards. He was reared in his native county, where, at seven years, of age he entered the coal mines, working in the various positions up to 1860. He then came to America, locating in Scranton, Pa., and was employed in the mines of that vicinity two years. In 1862 he came to Wilkes-Barre, where he has since resided, and for eighteen years was in the employ of the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, as miner, inside and outside foreman and contractor, retiring in 1880. His wife was a daughter of David and Charlotte (Davis) George, of Wales, and by her he has one daughter, Charlotte (Mrs. Thomas Oliver), a resident of Wilkes-Barre, and who has three children living: Gertrude, Edith and Alice. Mr. Richards is one of the old and respected Welsh residents of Wilkes-Barre; is a member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, and in politics is a Republican.
DAVID T. RICHARDS, mine contractor, Hanover township, was born in Carmarthenshire, South Wales, March 2, 1857, a son of Reese and Mary (Thomas) Richards. The father, who was a farmer, reared a family of nine children, four of whom are living, viz.: Mary (Mrs. Henry G. Jones); William T., farmer, Vermont; David T., and Jane (Mrs. John Richards, Wales). Our subject was educated in South Wales and followed the occupation of jockey until 1878, at which time he came to America, locating in Wilkes-Barre. He engaged in mining, which he has since followed, and in 1881 removed to Ashley, where he built his present residence, at the corner of Ridge and Liberty streets in 1888. January 12, 1883, Mr. Richards married Miss Hannah, only daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Thomas) Hughes, natives of North Wales, and by her had five children, viz.: Mary, Joslin, William B., Rees T. and Julia Lena. Mr. Richards is a member of the I.O.R.M. and of the Ivorites. He is independent in his political views, but in sympathy with the Republican party.
EDWARD RICHARDS, of the firm of Richards & Fry, dealers in wall paper and stationery, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., August 25, 1852, and is a son of Oliver and Harriet (Peterson) Richards. The father was a native of Manchester, England, a carpenter by trade and in early life located in Luzerne County, where he followed his trade for several years; in 1853 he removed to Fayette County, residing there until his death in 1861. His wife was a daughter of Isaac Peterson, of Luzerne County, and by her he had four children: Emeline (Mrs. William Baur), Edward, William (deceased) and Albert (deceased). Our subject was reared in Wilkes-Barre from nine years of age, was educated in the public schools, and served an apprenticeship of three years at painting, also two years at paper-hanging, and followed his trade from 1869 up to the present time, six years in Oil City. He has been a permanent resident of Wilkes-Barre since 1884, and September 1, 1890, he formed a partnership with E. K. Fry, under the firm name of Richards & Fry, dealers in wall paper and stationery, ranking among the prominent firms of the city in that business. Mr. Richards was married, May 8, 1876, to Clara, daughter of John Boehmler, of Hazleton, this county, and has six children living: Mable, Grace I., Emma, Ida, William and Walter. Our subject is an adherent of the Baptist Church; politically he is an advocate of Prohibition.
GEORGE P. RICHARDS, retired, Plymouth. This genial gentleman was born April 17, 1820, at Ahesyshen, Monmouthshire, South Wales, and is a son of David and Mary (Parey) Richards, the former a native of Carmarthenshire and the latter of Breconshire, South Wales. The subject of this sketch was educated in Wales and in 1860 came to America, locating at Dunmore, near Scranton, Pa., where he engaged in mining, which he followed for nearly two years. Removing from Dunmore to Wilkes-Barre, in 1852, he put in the ponderous machinery for the Black Diamond Breaker, this being among the first to be erected in the Valley. In 1854 he removed to Mauch Chunk, Pa., and was employed by Bradley & Butler as machinist one year, at the end of which time he returned to Wilkes-Barre and assumed charge of the mechanical work in the mill then operated by O. B. Hillard & Son. From Wilkes-Barre, Mr. Richards proceeded to Plains, where he had charge of a hoisting engine, and where he remained a short time, coming in September, 1865, from there to Plymouth, where he at present resides. There he was engaged in running the river steamer "William Patton," which plied between Plymouth and Nanticoke, which he followed for about fifteen years, although he was connected with the line for twenty years. During the time he was with the steamship line our subject was also employed as salesman by Patton, Fender & Co., coal operators. At about this time, Mr. Richards purchased the steamer "Windhoken" and launched her on Harvey Lake, it being the first boat of the kind ever floated on that picturesque body of water. It was transported by sleighs from the Susquehanna overland through what was then called a dense wilderness. Mr. Richards kept it on the lake three years, during which time it was well patronized. He then sold it to Col. Wright, who transferred it to New Jersey (this was in 1865), and since then Mr. Richards has been extensively engaged in the real estate and hotel business. In 1887 he erected the imposing brick block situated on the corner of Main Street and Center Avenue, which is occupied by James Eley and is known as the "Eley House," one of the finest regulated and best kept hotels in northern Pennsylvania. Mr. Richards has been twice married, first time in Wales to Miss Sarah, daughter of William and Ann (Thomas) Thomas, natives of Wales, and to this union were born fifteen children. The three eldest are deceased, and those living are: Mary Ann (now wife of E. E. Fletcher, of Plymouth, Pa.); Sarah (who married Reese D. Williams, druggist, Plymouth), David, Ida (who married John Appleton, of Plymouth), Martha (now Mrs. John B. Phillips), George W., Harriet (wife of Joseph Griffith, merchant, Danville, Pa.), John (married and residing at Plymouth), and Maggie, Cora, Josie and William at home. Mr. Richards was again married May 5, 1880, this time to Alice, daughter of Julius and Sarah (Whittaker) Mulford, granddaughter of Rev. John Whittaker, who emigrated from England and settled at Dringman's Ferry, Pike County, of which county he was one of the early pioneers. Mr. Richards is a Republican, and in 1870 was elected clerk of the Luzerne County courts. Charles Robinson was his opponent, but the grayhaired veteran downed him by 624 votes. In 1874 he was also elected to the office of justice of the peace. He has done much to develop and build up Plymouth, and it can be truthfully said that he was here early in the history of the borough, and has always been ready to assist in any enterprise that would add prosperity to the town. Mr. Richards and family attend the M.E. Church.
HENRY J. RICHARDS, inventor and mining timberman, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Merthyr Tydvill, Glamorganshire, South Wales, November 14, 1845, a son of William H. and Martha (Jones) Richards. His father came to America in 1856, locating at Danville, Pa., where he remained about fifteen months, and returned home. In 1873 he came back, located in Plymouth, this county, and engaged in mining up to the time of his death, in 1882. His children were: Catherine (Mrs. John Davis), William, Jane, Henry J., Miriam (Mrs. John Evans), Arthur, Hiram, Jane (second) (Mrs. William Walters), Anna (Mrs. John W. James) and Frank. Our subject was reared in Wales, and educated in the public schools. He began life in the mines at six years of age in his native country, where he was employed sixteen years. He started for America in October, 1867, but three days out from Queenstown was shipwrecked, and was rescued by a ship sailing for Quebec, Canada, where he landed. At a later date he spent five months in Pittsburgh, and from there moved to Danville, Pa., in 1868, and to Kingston, this county, in 1869. Since that time he has been a resident of Luzerne County, and of Wilkes-Barre since 1880. He has been in the employ of the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company twenty years, as timberman, and has worked for other companies. Mr. Richards is an inventor of note, having taken out inventions of particular interest for mining purposes the most important being miners' lamps, patented June 16, 1885; November 23, 1885; November 6, 1889; a drilling machine patented in 1886; and a safety gauze lamp patented May, 1892. All of these inventions are pronounced by competent critics superior to any others used. May 15, 1865, Mr. Richards married Miss Ann, daughter of Theophilus and Charlotte (Charles) Lloyd, of Merthyr Tydvill, South Wales, and by her has six children living: Martha A., Margaret, William H., Theophilus H., Arthur H., and Harry J., Jr. Mr. Richard's wife and sons are members of the First Welsh Presbyterian Church of Wilkes-Barre, and his daughter of the First Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the I.O.O.F., Mystic Chain, and I.O.R.M. In politics he is a Republican.
THOMAS E. RICHARDS, Baptist minister, Edwardsville, was born in South Wales, in 1860, and is a son of Evan and Elizabeth (Evans) Richards, also natives of Wales. He was educated in London, and at the age of eighteen began the ministry, preaching in both England and Wales. In 1886 he came to America, and embarked in his ministerial work in New York City, where he remained about two years. In 1890 he came to Edwardsville, this county, where he has since been pastor of the Baptist Church. Mr. Richards was married to Miss Elizabeth Steeksma, of England, and they have two children, Ruel and Mary Belmont.
J. H. RICKETTS, Pittston. This gentleman is well known in business circles as "Ricketts the Hatter," and he is not only the leader in his line in Pittston, but in Luzerne County. He was born in Danville, Montour Co., Pa., September 6, 1855, a son of Samuel and F. (Hacker) Ricketts, natives of England. His father came to America in 1853, and located at Danville, where he has since resided. Our subject is the fifth in order of birth in a family of six children. He was educated in the public schools of Danville, and at the age of twelve entered the employ of Waterman & Beaver at Danville, as a cash boy. A short time after he took charge of their shoe and hat departments, and remained with them seventeen years, when he came to Pittston and engaged in his present business, which consists of ladies' and gents' furnishing goods and hats. In 1885 he was united in marriage with Miss Mary E. Coxey, one of Danville's most accomplished young ladies. This happy union has been favored with three children: Howard, Mary and John. Mr. Ricketts is a Republican, and a member of the P.O.S. of A.
WILLIAM T. RIDALL, a prominent farmer of Huntington township, P.O. Waterton, was born in that township June 26, 1844, and is a son of William T. and Elizabeth (Robinson) Ridall, natives of Nottinghamshire, England. The father was a minister by profession, and came to America in 1842, settling in Huntington township, where he followed farming until his death, which occurred October 18, 1871. The subject of this memoir is the fifth in a family of twelve children, nine of whom are now living. He was educated in the common schools, and when twenty years of age enlisted in Company I, Second Pennsylvania Volunteers, Capt. R. J. Millard. He participated in the following battles: Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Spottsylvania, North Ann and Petersburg; he was wounded in the back by a piece of shell, in front of Petersburg, and received his discharge in October, 1865. On his return Mr. Ridall engaged in lumber business for one year; then worked rented land for four years, when he bought a farm on Buck Hill, which he sold one year later, and then purchased one at the foot of Knob Mountain, which he sold in 1876, and purchased his present farm of ninety acres on Huntington creek, one mile below Waterton post office. Our subject was married August 30, 1866, to Sarah A., daughter of William and Catherine (Delamater) Thomas, natives of Connecticut, and by her he has nine children, viz.: Cora M., born January 27, 1868, a dressmaker, at Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; John T., born January 18, 1880, at home on the farm; Jennie B. (Mrs. John Chapin), born February 14, 1872; Bertha L., born May 31, 1874; Robert B., born April 7, 1877; Walter C., born May 6, 1880; Harry S., born April 22, 1883; Myrtle, born January 23, 1886; and Maud L., born May 23, 1888. The family are members of the M.E. Church. Mr. Ridall is serving his third term as supervisor of his township. He is one of the sound men of his section, and politically is a Republican.
FREDERICK RIECHERS, retired, Miners Mills, was born in Hanover, Germany, August 16, 1822, and is a son of John and Louisa Riechers. The father, who was a farmer, reared a family of seven children, of whom Frederick is the second. Our subject came to America in 1847, and for thirty-six years was engaged in laboring, mining and mine contracting, in the anthracite coal region of Pennsylvania. He built his present large and beautiful residence in 1865. Mr. Riechers was married, February 28, 1853, to Miss Catherine, daughter of Conrad and Sophia (Herman) Killian, natives of Wurtemberg, Germany; three of her brothers served in the Civil War, viz.: John, Philip and Peter, the last named being killed in the battle of Bull Run. This happy union has been blessed with nine children, seven of whom are living, viz.: Martin, Mary (Mrs. Otto Kiel), Fred P., Jacob, Margaret (Mrs. Henry J. Stark), John and George. Mr. Riechers and family are members of the German Lutheran Church at Wilkes-Barre, and he is a Republican in his political views.
FRED P. RIECHERS, liveryman and contractor, Miners Mills, was born November 9, 1859, in a log house near his present residence, and is a son of Frederick and Catharine (Killian) Riechers. He was educated in the public schools and the German schools at Wilkes-Barre, and at the age of eight years began working about the mines, which vocation he followed till 1881. He then engaged in teaming for his father, and two years later, engaged in his present business, at first on a small scale, but now has twelve horses and two mules, and employs twelve men; besides his livery he does a general delivery and moving business, and furnishes sand and building stone from his sandpit and quarry. Our subject is unmarried and lives with his parents; he attends the German Lutheran Church at Wilkes-Barre; he is a member of the I.O.R.M. and the I.O.O.F., and is a Republican in his political views, but votes for the best candidates and principles, irrespective of party lines.
JOHN J. RIECHERS, merchant, P.O. Hudson, Plains township, was born in Miners Mills, August 10, 1865, and is a son of Frederick Riechers, of that place. He was educated in the common schools and the German school in Wilkes-Barre, and at the age of seven years began working about the mines, which occupation he followed chiefly for seven years, doing every kind of work about the mines except that of a foreman. He embarked in his present business in 1888. Mr. Riechers was married, April 4, 1889, to Miss Margaret, daughter of John and Catherine (Schaeffer) Adolph, natives of Germany; they have two children, viz.: Margaret Caroline Mary and John George Fred. Mr. Riechers and his wife attend the German Lutheran Church at Wilkes-Barre; he is a member of the I.O.R.M. and the P.O. S. of A.; politically he is a Democrat, but votes for the best candidates and the best principles, regardless of party lines.
MARTIN RIECHERS, mason, Miners Mills, was born in that place May 14, 1856, and is a son of Frederick and Catharine (Killian) Riechers. He was educated in the common schools and the German school in Wilkes-Barre, and began working in the breaker, following all the different stages of mining for nineteen years, after which he learned his trade, which he has since chiefly followed; he built his present residence, on part of the old homestead, in 1888. Mr. Riechers was married, October 15, 1884, to Miss Isabelle, daughter of Jackson and Elizabeth (McDonald) Faulkner, of Tioga Centre, Tioga Co., N.Y., natives of England, and of Scotch origin. They have three children, viz.: Mary, Frederick and Martin. Mr. Riechers is a member of the German Lutheran Church at Wilkes-Barre, and his wife of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Parsons; in his political views he is a Republican.
JACOB RIEG, musician and proprietor of restaurant, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, February 8, 1836, and is a son of Generos and Catherine (Bernthaler) Rieg. He was reared and educated in Germany, and served six years as a musician in the German army. In 1866 he came to America, and in July, 1867, located in Wilkes-Barre, where he has since resided. He was a music teacher, but for the last eight years has been proprietor of a restaurant on South Main Street, and this is the headquarters for the musical talent of the city. In 1866 Mr. Rieg married Miss Christiana Rieder, of Germany, and by her has had seven children: Fannie, Rosa, William, Nicholas, Mary, Doren and George. Mr. Rieg is one of the most prominent musicians of Wilkes-Barre. He is a member of the Catholic Church, his family of the Lutheran Church. Politically he is a Democrat.
E. RILEY, farmer, P.O. Dallas, was born in Morris County, N.J., September 13, 1817, and educated in Dallas township. He is son of Joseph and Jane (Doty) Riley, both of whom were also born in Morris County, N.J.; they moved to this county about 1813, locating in Dallas township, where they passed the remainder of their lives, dying in 1858; Joseph was at that time seventy-three years of age. He had nine children, four of whom are now living. Our subject is the fourth in the family. He came to Dallas when nine years of age, and has always confined himself to agricultural pursuits. He began life as a farmer, and has never left the plow nor turned back from his chosen vocation. On March 23, 1841, he married Miss Jane, daughter of Edward and Esther McCarty, and ten children were born to them, eight of whom grew to maturity: William J., Adeline D., Edward, Almond, Marvin, Julia, Esther, Mary E., Ida and Josephine. William J. married Miss Mary S. Nulton; Almond married Miss Clara Bisher; Marvin married Miss Emma Randall. In 1884 Mr. Riley moved from another farm in Dallas township on his present farm of seventy-five acres. He is a practical farmer, and possesses the entire confidence of his neighbors; he is a hardworking and honest man. In politics, our subject is a Democrat, and has been honored with several offices in his township.
GEORGE W. RIMER, county auditor, Kingston, was born in Wilkes-Barre, March 8, 1845, a son of John H. (an engineer and farmer) and Sarah J. (Ruggles) Rimer, both natives of Hanover township; Mrs. Rimer's parents were born in Connecticut. John H. and Sarah J. Rimer were the parents of thirteen children, as follows: George W., Jennie, Carrie, Louisa, Perlina, Sadie, Rhoda, Rettie, R. M., F. J., J. E., Rejenia and Flora J. George W. Rimer was educated in the public schools at New Columbus Academy, at New Columbus, Pa. He worked on his father's farm until his sixteenth year, when he enlisted in Company A, Fifty-second Pennsylvania Volunteers, and later in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers, under Gen. Osborne, and was discharged June 29, 1865. After the war he engaged in the lumber business until 1884, when he had his spine fractured, since then he has had no particular occupation. He was confined to the house for three years. In 1887 he was elected county auditor, and has filled that office ever since. On September 13, 1868, he was united in the holy bonds of matrimony with Mary, daughter of George and Eliza (McSherry) Armstrong. Of this union there were eleven children, as follows: Elzora May (deceased), John A., Elsie, Flora (deceased), Jennie (deceased), Reese M., Rettie Maude, Rilla May, Hazle, George D. and Warren J. (the latter being deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Rimer are members of the Christian Church. He is a member of the G.A.R., S. of V., P.O.S. of A., Golden Rule, Conclave No. 20, S.P.K., and politically he is a Republican.
JOHN RINGSDORPH, laborer in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, at the Henry Colliery, was born in Columbia County, N.Y., October 20, 1818, and is a son of Simeon and Elizabeth (Coon) Ringsdorph, natives of New York and of Dutch origin. The family came to Scranton in 1831, where they remained three years and then removed back to New York State, where they remained four years, and then returned to Scranton. His parents resided there until their decease, except the time, between 1856 and 1862, when they lived near where the Plainsville Church now is. Simeon and Elizabeth Ringsdorph had five children, of whom John is the third. He was reared on a farm, educated in the common schools, and began life farming, which occupation he followed fifteen years. Our subject enlisted at Brooklyn, January 20, 1864, in Company K, Forty-eighth New York Volunteers; participated in the engagement at Lake City, Fla.; was on the skirmish line at Petersburg, and at Drury's Bluff; and was also in many minor engagements; he was mustered out September 1, 1865, since which time he has been employed around the coal works in the vicinity of Plainsville. Mr. Ringsdorph married, for his first wife, Miss Harriet, daughter of Jacob E. Everett, of Laurel Run, and by her he had four children, one of whom is living, Edgar Ringsdorph, of Plains. Mr. Ringsdorph married, for his second wife, Mrs. Rosella (Smith) Brownell, daughter of Robert and Harriet (Benedict) Smith, natives of Luzerne County and of Dutch origin, and widow of James Brownell, by whom she had five children, viz.: Charlotta, Anna, Edgar, John and George. By this union there is one child, John. In politics our subject has been identified with the Republican party.
E. RINGSDORPH, foreman of the Wyoming Breaker, Plains, was born in Jenkins township, this county, and is a son of John and Harriet (Everett) Ringsdorph. The subject of this sketch received a common school education, and at the age of sixteen began driving mules in the mines, and has worked himself up through all the different stages, doing Company work, and being then employed as assistant driverboss, and driverboss, until he received his present position, which is ample proof of his ability and trustworthiness as a workman. Mr. Ringsdorph was married, April 2, 1882, to Miss Helen, daughter of James and Rosella (Smith) Brownell, natives of Luzerne County, and they have two children, viz.: Harriet and Edith P. Our subject has always given his political support to the Republican party.
ABRAM RINKER, JR., farmer, Wyoming borough, was born November 25, 1839, in Eaton, Wyoming Co., Pa., son of Abram and Susanna (Young) Rinker, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and English origin, respectively. They reared a family of eight children, seven of whom are now living, and Abram is the sixth in order of birth. Our subject was educated in the common schools and Wyoming Seminary, and, at the age of twenty, began teaching. He taught two terms, and September 26, 1861, enlisted in Company B, Fifty-second P.V., Capt. Jayn; he participated in the following battles: Fair Oaks, Seven Pines, Lees Mills, Williamsburg, Chickahominy, White Oak Swamp, and many other minor engagements. Mr. Rinker served nearly two years in South Carolina, and was in the siege of Fort Wagner. The flag of his regiment was the first hoisted over Fort Sumter, after it was surrendered; he served five months in the signal corps in Morris Island, and was discharged November 5, 1864. Returning home, he taught school one term, and then rented the Thomas P. Hunt farm, where he has since resided. Our subject was married November 22, 1865, to Miss Frances, daughter of Seth and Eliza (Allen) Burgess, natives of Pennsylvania, and of English origin. This happy union was blessed with two children, viz.: Eva M., born January 20, 1868, and Thomas H., born October 23, 1872. Mr. and Mrs. Rinker are members of the Baptist Church of Pittston; he is a member of the G.A.R.; in politics he is a sound Republican, and served as school director from 1879 to 1887.
WILLIAM RITTEL, butcher and greengrocer, PIttston, was born in that town, August 7, 1863, a son of Jacob and Clara Hernman Rittel, the former a native of Germany, the latter of Luzerne county. His father came to America in 1848, locating in New York City, and was employed in boating on the Rondout Canal until 1857. He then came to Pittston and engaged in butchering most successfully until 1887, when he was succeeded in business by William. Mrs. Rittel died in 1875. Our subject is the fifth of a family of ten children, was educated in the public schools of Luzerne county, and in the meantime learned the butchering trade with his father. At the age of twelve he went to Syracuse, N.Y. where he worked at his trade, and soon after this entered the employ of the King Bridge Company of Cleveland, Ohio. He followed bridge construction for various companies in the United States and Canada until 1866, during which time he worked in nearly every state in the Union. He then came to Pittston and engaged in his present business. He was married, in 1887, to Miss Mary Kingan, of Pittston. They have two children, Clara and Mary. Mr. Rittel is one of Pittston's most highly respected citizens and in politics is a solid Democrat.
JOHN RITTENHOUSE, retired, P.O. Sybertsville, was born in Sugar Loaf township, this county, may 21, 1824, and is a son of Charles and Rachel (Wenner) Rittenhouse, the former of whom was a son of Jacob Ritten house, formerly of Philadelphia, and a Revolutionary soldier. He (Jacob) was among the pioneers of Sugar Loaf township, where he died at the age of ninety-two years; his wife was Catherine Orner, and he reared a large family, of whom Charles, the father of the subject, was the eldest. The latter lived and died in Sugar Loaf township; his wife was a daughter of Christian Wenner, of that township, and their children were: Joseph, John, Charles (who died in the United States service during the Civil war), Maria (Mrs. James Kester), and Elizabeth (Mrs. Jacob Arrow). Our subject was reared in Sugar Loaf township, where he has always resided, and for many years he worked at the carpenter's trade, after which he followed farming fifteen years, when he retired. His wife was Sarah, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Orner) Houseknecht, of Sugar Loaf township and by her he had twelve children, as follows: Stephen, Marietta (Mrs. Nathan Spade), Maggie (Mrs. William Daubert), Sallie (Mrs. Henry Bohlander), John, Ella (Mrs. William Cogan, Aggie (Mrs. Francis Schaffer), Miranda (Mrs. Otto Beithaupt) and Lina (Mrs. Edward Heller). Mr. Rittenhouse is one of the oldest native-born residents of Sugar Loaf township. He is a member of the Reformed Church; in politics he is a Democrat, and was supervisor of his township two years, and school director three years.
JOSEPH W. RITTENHOUSE, farmer, P.O. Mountain Grove, was born in Black Creek township, July 26, 1838, a son of Amos and Anna (Wolf) Rittenhouse. His paternal grandfather, Martin Rittenhouse, formerly of Montgomery county, Pa, was a pioneer miller of Black Creek, and erected the mill now operated by Enoch Rittenhouse. His wife, Amelia, was a daughter of William Rittenhouse, who purchased land at Sheriff's sale in what is now Black Creek township, and who built the first gristmill in the township. He was a prominent miller of Briar Creek, Columbia Co, Pa., where he died. The children of Martin Ritten house were: Amos, William, Anna (Mrs. William Wolf), Sarah (Mrs. Jesse Johnson), Phoebe (Mrs. John Hauze), Nicholas, Mary (Mrs. Elias Smith), Susannah (Mrs. William Shellhammer). Of thesee Amos was a farmer and lived in Black Creek township, where he died in 1882. His wife was a daughter of Andrew and Louisa (Hassa) Wolf, of Black Creek and his children were: Mary A. (Mrs. Enoch Rittenhouse), Caleb, Joseph W., Jesse and Sarah. Our subject was reared in Black Creek township, where he has always resided, engaged in farming. He operated a sawmill up to 1886. In 1867 he married Eliza A., daughter of Henry P. and Catherine (Getting) Yost, of Sugar Loaf township, and has two children, Anna C. and Mary Etta. Mr. Rittenhouse is a member of the Reformed Church. In politics he is a Democrat, and has held the offices of supervisor, auditor and school director.
MARTIN J. RITTENHOUSE, telegraph operator, Shickshinny, was born in Fairmount township, Luzerne Co., Pa., and is a son of Peter and Susan (Wyant) Rittenhouse, natives of New Jersey and Luzerne county (Pa.), respectively. His father came to this county in 1845, and has been a resident of Shickshinny since 1872. His children are: D. Edward, Elizabeth (Mrs. W. J. Enke), Frances (Mrs. C. W. Bulkley), Evaline (Mrs. D. H. Jones), and Martin J. Our subject was reared in Shickshinny from six years of age, was educated in the public schools of the borough, and has been telegraph operator for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad Company. Since 1888 he has been shipping clerk for the West End Coal Company. Socially, he is a member of the I.O.O.F., and in politics he is a stanch Republican.
WILLIAM H. RITTENHOUSE, farmer, P.O. Prichard, was born in Nescopeck February 6, 1814, a son of Henry and Margaret (Dull) Rittenhouse, both of whom were born in this county, and were worthy farming people. Henry was a son of William Ritten house, an old pioneer in Columbia county, where he owned 300 acred of land and was a practical and extensive farmer in those days. His son Henry began life as a farmer, in which pursuit he was well experienced; he also owned and operated a carding, grist and sawmill. In fact, Mr. Rittenhouse was an energetic business man, always keeping ahead of the times. He was twice married, and by the two unions reared a family of ten children. He lived to be eighty years of age. William H. is the only son by the first marriage. He was reared and educated in Union township, and has always confined himself to lumbering and farming; he now owns a neat little place in Hunlock township. On April 3, 1837, he married Miss Ann, daughter of Adam Cragle, who bore him ten children, eight of whom are living: Samuel, Sarah, James, Emily, Frank, Harry, Mary J. and William. Mrs. Ann (Cragle) Rittenhouse was born in Hunlock township, August 15, 1821. Mr. Rittenhouse is an honest, upright and worthy citizen, and has the full confidence of his fellows.
JOHN ROACH, retired, Inkerman, was born in County Wexford, Ireland, August 13, 1818, and is the youngest in the family of eleven children of John and Mary (Doyle) Roach, natives of the same place. His grandfather, also named John Roach, was an extensive farmer, who in 1798, during the rebellion in Ireland, was one of the first to lay down his life at the famous battle of Vinegar Hill. The father of our subject, believing with the poet that "Whether on the scaffold high, or in the battle's van, the noblest place for a man to die is where he dies for man," also volunteered, and saw his country's hopes go down in defeat at the battle of New Ross. With such ancestry, no wonder that our subject is a fervent lover of this glorious Republic and its free institutions. He received his education in Ireland, and in 1836 was apprenticed to learn the trade of a carpenter, at which he labored until September 24, 1850, when, after having seen the hopes of the young Ireland party again destroyed, he sought a home and freedom in the land of Washington. He settled in Pittston, Pa., where he worked as a wagon builder until 1853, when he was employed as a car builder by the Pennsylvania Coal Company, until his retirement in 1885. He was united in marriage February 2, 1840, with Ann, daughter of Martin and Julia (Breen) Morris, natives of County Wexford, Ireland. She died January 28, 1882, leaving the following issue: John, born March 11, 1841; Mary E., born August 14, 1844, married August 21, 1865, to Michael O'Neil, a cooper of Sebastopol, this county; Kate, born February 15, 1847, married September 3, 1866 to Patrick Leahy, a tinsmith of Pittston, who died July 11, 1882 (she was again married, this time February 14, 1889,to Charles Swetland, agent, Pittston); Thomas, born December 30, 1850; Elizabeth, born December 6, 1854; James and Annie (twins), born July 9, 1856; Margaret, born June 29, 1858, married December 15, 1878, Michael Gilroy, a mine carpenter, of Pittston; Matilda, born July 9, 1861, married April 5, 1885, to Thomas Connell, livery stable proprietor at Duryea, this county. Our subject is a member of the Roman Catholic Church; in politics he is a Democrat.
CYRUS B. ROBERTS, a prominent lumberman of Shickshinny, was born in Sugar Loaf township, Columbia, Co., Pa., January 1, 1860, and is a son of Edwin and Eliza Jane (Kile) Roberts. His paternal grandfather, William Roberts, and maternal grandfather, James Kile were pioneers, respectively of Jackson and Sugar Loaf townships, Columbia Co., Pa. His father was a native of Jackson township, Columbia county, a carpenter by trade, and died in Plymouth, Luzerne Co., Pa., in April 1879, where he had located in 1874. Our subject was reared in Columbia county, educated in the common schools, and after attaining his majority, worked at farming and lumbering. He located at Shickshinny in 1886, where he has since been engaged in the lumber business. In January, 1889, he married Fannie A., daughter of Charles and Lydia (Adams) Dodson, of Salem township, this county. Mr. Roberts is a member of the M.E. Church; in politics, he is a Republican.
JONAH ROBERTS, farmer, P.O. Pikes Creek, was born in Union township, February 27, 1815. He is the son of Ephraim and Elizabeth (Fink) Roberts, the former born in Connecticut, the latter in Pennsylvania. Ephraim was a son of Stephen and Rebecca (Richards) Roberts; the latter was twelve years of age at the time of the Wyoming Massacre, and, in company with her mother and a child, escaped from the Indians after the death of her father, Elisha Richards. About 1810, Stephen Roberts, accompanied by his wife and two children, removed from Connecticut to Plymouth, where he remained a few years, then removed to Union township, where he purchased seventy-five acres of unimproved land, most of which was under cultivation at this death. He was a man of marked influence in society, a leading spirit in politics and in religion, and held all the responsible offices in the town. He was seventy-five years old at the time of his death. He reared a family of eight children: His son, Ephraim, began life in Union township as a farmer, on seventy-five acres of land, on which he built and which he improved to a great extent. He was a man of industry and enterprise, and during his life did much for the advancement of agricultural pursuits. Ephraim Roberts died November 30, 1862, at the age of seventy-seven years. His family consisted of ten children, eight of whom grew to maturity, and four of whom are now living. Johah is the sixth in the family in order of birth, and has always confined himself to farming. In his younger days he was an inveterate hunter, and succeeded in killing as many as two hundred deer, one of which weighed two hundred and sixteen pounds with the hide on. In November, 1836, he married Miss Mary Ann, daughter of Stephen and Myra Evans. This union resulted in the birth of eight children who grew to maturity, six of whom are still living: Ephraim, Elizabeth, Evaline, Rachel A., Francis A. and Samantha L. Mrs. Roberts was born in Plymouth, October 23, 1815, and in early life was a competent school teacher. They removed from Union to Lake township, in 1839, on a lot of sixty acres of wild land which, by hard and honest toil, he brought under cultivation. He made many marked improvements then, which today attract attention. Mr. Roberts is a worthy citizen of his native county, who has served her well in various offices. Politically, he is a Republican.
PETER C. ROBERTS, justice of the peace, collector and real estate agent, Plymouth, was born December 5, 1832 at Bodfarry, Denbighshire, North Wales, and is the son of Robert and Ann Roberts, also natives of North 'Wales. This highly respected citizen was educated in Wales and in 1864 came to America and began mining in Luzerne county. This he followed until 1885, when ill-health compelled him to seek lighter work, and he accepted the position as janitor of the Plymouth high school, and discharged the duties connected therewith for the following three years. In 1889 Mr. Roberts was elected to the office of justice of the peace, on the Republican ticket, his term expiring in 1894. In 1890 he was appointed, by order of the court, burgess of Plymouth, and after the expiration of this time, he was elected to the same office on the Citizen's ticket in February, 1891, being re-elected in 1892. He also served three years on the school board. Mr. Roberts was married, in Wales, to Maria, daughter of Herbert and Mary (Walts) Herbert, natives of Breconshire, Wales. Four daughters were born to this union, all of whom are at present living at Wheeling, W.Va., where three of them have married. His first wife died at Ironsdale, Ohio, in 1872. He was again married in September, 1875 to Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Bowen, a native of Cefn Mawr, Wales. One child was born of this union, but died in infancy. Mr. Roberts and family are members of the Baptist Church.
SILAS ROBERTS, farmer, P.O. Muhlenburg, was born in Union township, February 5, 1831, a son of Stephen and Elizabeth (Harvey) Roberts, the former born in Union township, the latter in Plymouth. Stephen was a son of Ephraim Roberts, who was also born in Union township. Ephraim was a son of Stephen Roberts, who removed from Connecticut in the very early history of the county. He first located in the Valley, making his residence there a number of years, finally removing to Union township, where he, with Mr. Marvin, bought a tract of land, most of which is still in the possession of their descendants. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary army, doing good service in the cause of independence. He lived to a good old age, after rearing a family of eight children, who became prominent citizens of the county. His son, Ephraim, began life in Union township, on a tract of land adjoining his father's place. He was a hard-working man, of sober, quiet habits, whose life was uneventful, and had the honor of holding several township offices, having the full confidence of his fellow citizens. He owned 310 acres of land, and was a practical farmer. He died in 1862, at the age of seventy-seven years, and there were nine children in his family, who came to maturity. His son, Stephen, began life in Union township, on a farm of seventy acres. He was not only a practical farmer, but a practical man, whose goodness was exemplified in his life. He died June 22, 1891, aged eighty-six years. His family consisted of eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity, and seven of them are living now. Silas, who is the eldest in the family, was reared and educated in Union township, of which he has been a life resident. He is an honest, hard-working man, having begun life at the bottom round of the ladder, and by industry and perseverance has reached a commendable height, both socially and financially. He is a practical farmer, owning seventy-five acres of valuable land. In 1864 he was mustered into the United States service for the term of one year, and showed his heroism at the first battle of Fort Fisher. At the close of the war he was honorably discharged, and has since ingratiated himself into the good graces of his fellow citizens. In 1858 Mr. Roberts married Miss Elmira J., daughter of John and Eliza Marvin, by which union were born eleven children, nine of whom are yet living: Rachel, Eliza, Elsie, Frank, Elmer, Harry, George, Laura and Mary. Mrs. Roberts was born in Huntington township, October 14, 1838, and is descended from the Marvins, an old and prominent family of that county. Politically, Mr. Roberts is a Republican.
PETER ROBERTSON, miner in Shaft No. 14, Inkerman, Jenkins township, was born in Scotland, April 9, 1848, and is a son of James and Agnes (Black) Robertson. The family came to America in 1854, resided one year at Port Griffith, and then removed to Inkerman, where the parents died. The family consisted of twelve children, eleven of whom came to America, seven of whom are living, and of whom Peter is the eleventh. The subject of this sketch was educated in the common schools, and at an early age began working about the mines, which occupation he has since followed; he has been mining since 1869. Mr. Robertson was married, March 27, 1872, to Miss Mary, daughter of Thomas and Martha (Williamson) Harvard, natives of South Wales. The fruit of this union was ten children, five of whom are living, viz.: Thomas, Agnes, Martha, Marion, and Clarence. He has also adopted into his family William Peters, an orphan boy, of Slatington, Pa. Mr. Robertson has always given his political support to the Republican party.
WILLIAM ROBERTSON, who in his lifetime was a prominent citizen of Inkerman, Jenkins township, and who had worked in the mines in Scotland and America for forty years without receiving any injury, died at his residence, October 7, 1874, at the age of fifty-two years. He came to America in 1854, and followed mining till the time of his death. Mr. Robertson was married September 30, 1841, to Miss Barbara, daughter of Edward and Jane (Beverage) Laird, natives of Scotland, and the fruit of this union was as follows: William; Jane, married to Alexander Latta, a miner, of Inkerman; John, engaged in mining, and living at home; Barbara (Mrs. William Jones), who died at the age of twenty-six years; Marion, married to William F. McIntyre, a boiler maker, in Ohio; Alexander, engaged in mining, and living with his mother; Edward, who died at the age of five years; Edward (second), engaged in gold and silver mining in Colorado; and David, living at home. This family have been identified with the Presbyterian Church, and are Republican in their political views. [Since the above was written, information has been received of the death of Mrs. Barbara Robertson. Ed.]
WILLIAM ROBERTSON, miner, Inkerman, Jenkins township, was born in Scotland October 28, 1848, and is a son of William and Barbara (Laird) Robertson. The family came to America in 1854, where they resided in Hazleton one year, and then removed to Inkerman. Our subject received a common-school education, and at the age of fifteen began working about the mines, which occupation he has since followed, including twenty-four years mining; he was never injured till March 23, 1892, when he was struck by a fall of rock and nearly killed. Mr. Robertson was married, March 19, 1875, to Miss Jane, daughter of Graham and Margaret (McFarland) Simpson, natives of Scotland, and they have seven children, viz.: William, Margaret, John, Nellie, Barbara, Agnes and Elizabeth. Our subject is a member of the I.O.O.F. and the K. of P., and in his political views is a Republican.
B. E. ROBINSON, outside foreman, No. 3 Colliery, Susquehanna Coal company, West Nanticoke, was born in the County of Durham, England, October 11, 1840, being educated and reared in his birthplace. At the age of fifteen years, he began working about the mines, doing general outside and inside work. He followed mining in England until the year 1879, when he came to America, locating at Pittsburgh, Pa., where he followed mining for one year. In 1880 he came to Nanticoke, and worked for the Susquehanna Coal Company about the breaker at No. 2 until 1887, when he was made foreman at No. 3, in which capacity he is at present engaged. He has about sixty men and boys to oversee, who work on the outside, and the daily output is 200 tons. Mr. Robinson was married in England, in April, 1862, to Anna Pringle. Three children have been born to this union: Mary, Jennie and Lilly. In politics Mr. Robinson is a Republican. He is a member of the American Legion of Honor, the Knights of Malta, and the Improved Order of Heptasophs. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.
JOHN ROBINSON, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Salem township, this county, November 2, 1837, a son of William P. and Elizabeth (Raught) Robinson. He was reared in Fairmount township, educated in the common schools, and by occupation has always been a farmer. On June 13, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserves; on July 26, 1861, was promoted to sergeant; on November 12, 1861, to first sergeant; on August 1, 1862, to second lieutenant; on March 1, 1863, to first lieutenant; on July 20, 1863 to captain, and on March 13, 1865, to brevet major. He was honorably discharged and mustered out of the service June 16, 1864. After his return from the war, he engaged in farming in Fairmount township until January 1, 1889, when he was appointed deputy sheriff, under his brother R. P. Robinson, for a term of three years. On January 22, 1865, Mr. Robinson married Sallie C., daughter of John and Rachel (Creveling) Buckalew, of Farimount Springs, this county, and they have two children: Stewart E. and William B. Mr. Robinson is a member of the M.E. Church and G.A.R. He was twice elected to the office of justice of the peace of Fairmount township, and served eight years. Politically he is a Republican.
ROBERT P. ROBINSON, sheriff of Luzerne county, was born in Fairmount township, this county, October 17, 1849, a son of William P. and Elizabeth (Raught) Robinson. His great-grandfather, William Robinson, came from Ireland to America in 1771, settling in Delaware, and his grandfather, John Robinson, was born during the voyage July 22, 1771, and married Jane Stewart April 3, 1800. William P. Robinson, father of our subject, was born in Delaware, January 29, 1805. Left an orphan at an early age, he went to live with his grandfather on a farm, with whom he remained most of the time until he became of age, and during this period he learned the book-binder's trade. He was well educated in the common branches of learning, having taken advantage of every opportunity to improve himself, both in and out of school. During the construction of the North Branch Canal, he came to Pennsylvania and held a position as bookkeeper in that enterprise, and about this time he married and settled in Salem township, this county, teaching in the winters and farming the rest of the year. A few years later he removed to Fairmount, where he cleared and improved a farm. For several years he taught school during the winter months, and his reputation as a teacher was such that he never wanted for a position as long as he was willing to follow this profession. He was a prominent member of the M.E. Church, and he filled the office of justice of the peace three terms. He died in Fairmount May 4, 1888. His children were fourteen in number, as follows: Susan J. (Mrs. A. S. Rittenhouse), Sarah (Mrs. Dennis Wyant), J. Stewart (killed at Benton, Columbia Co. Pa., by deserters in 1864), John, George (deceased), Mary E. (Mrs. W. J. Robbins, deceased), Jerusha (Mrs. J. S. Koons), William F. (who enlisted in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-Ninth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers August 22, 1862, and died at Belle Plain, Virginia, March 12, 1863), Thomas, Elizabeth A. (Mrs. B. F. Pollock), J. Downing (deceased), Robert P., Gilbert H. (deceased) and Edward F. Our subject was reared in Fairmount, and was educated in the common schools. He followed farming until twenty-five years of age, during which time he learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed to some extent, taught school winters and also clerked in a general store. He was married July 4, 1874, to Jessie E., daughter of John H. and Rachel B. (Koons) Smith, of Fairmount township, and they have two children, Lizzie and Robert B. In 1882 Mr. Robinson was mercantile appraiser of Luzerne county; the same year was appointed by the court county auditor to fill a vacancy, and served over two years. In 1885, at the expiration of his term of office, he was appointed commissioner's clerk, and held that position until September 1, 1889, when, having received the unanimous nomination of his party for sheriff, he resigned to look after the interest of his canvass, and was elected for a term of three years by a plurality of 1,292 votes. Politically, he is a Republican, and the first of that party ever elected to the office of sheriff in Luzerne county.
LIEUT. JAMES STEWART ROBINSON was born March 10, 1835, in Salem township, Luzerne Co., Pa., and was educated in the common schools and Pine Grove Seminary in Centre county, Pa., and followed farming. On June 13, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves (Thirty-Sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers) as private; promoted to sergeant July 26, 1861, to sergeant-major April 1, 1862, to second lieutenant March 1, 1863, to first lieutenant July 20, 1863, mustered out with company June 16, 1864. He was wounded in the battle at Charles City Cross Roads, June 30 1862, also at Fredericksburg December 13, 1862 and was taken prisoner in the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864. On the evening of July 30, 1864, less than two months after his arrival home, he went with a deputy provost-marshal to assist in arresting deserters and drafted men who failed to report, in Benton township, Columbia Co., Pa. (a locality strongly tainted with secession doctrines, a majority of the citizens having been led to believe that the Government had no business to interfere with their liberties by compelling them to take up arms against their wishes), and was shot and mortally wounded by one of a party of armed men whom they attempted to arrest, dying from the wounds November 3, 1864. Immediately after the occurrence a body of U.S. soldiers was sent into the locality, and a number of arrests were made, principally of persons who had aided and abetted the actual participants in the affair, and taken to Fort Mifflin, where they were confined for some time; but by reason of the near close of the war, and upon recommendation of loyal citizens, they were released without trial. Those who were suspected of doing the shooting left the country at once, and others who had been evading the draft immediately reported to the proper authorities, to escape arrest. At this time it seemed impossible to fix the crime upon the guilty ones, so no arrests were made by the civil authorities, and the matter was dropped for the time. On March 16, 1891, nearly twenty-seven years after the shooting, Elias Young, of Jackson township, Columbia Co., Pa, was arrested for the crime and committed to the jail in Luzerne county without bail. He was indicted for murder April 7, 1891, and arraigned for trial September 16, 1891. The trial lasted three days, and the defendant admitted having been one of the party of three who did the shooting, but denied that his gun was loaded with the kind of bullets that made the fatal wound. The jury, probably taking into consideration the long time elapsed between the crime and the arrest, also the age of the accused as well as the fact that he had been urged on and encouraged by the people of the neighborhood, brought in a verdict of "not guilty."
ISAAC ROBSON, miner, Duryea, was born in the County of Durham, England, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Nixon) Robson, natives of the same place. They reared a family of seven children, of whom our subject is the eldest. He received his education in the free schools of his native city, and in the year 1844 began work in the mines. In 1864 he came to the United States, settling in Pittston, where he remained until 1882, when he bought a house in Duryea, and removed hither. Mr. Robson was united in marriage June 16, 1870, with Margaret, daughter of Thomas and Margaret Thomas, natives of Wales. Their union has been blessed with the following issue: Thomas, born March 15, 1871; Edward, born January 20, 1873; and Isaac, born June 17, 1875. In politics Mr. Robson is a Republican; he is a member of the I.O.O.F. and Sons of St. George.
F. V. ROCKAFELLOW, banker. The subject of this sketch was born near Somerville, Somerset Co., N.J., a son of Christopher and Mary (Vossler) Rockafellow. He was educated in his native county. In 1855 he came to Wilkes-Barre, and entered the employ of his uncle, C. B. Fisher, as clerk in his store, where he remained four years. He then entered the bank of Charles B. Drake, as cashier, with whom he remained two years. He subsequently formed a partnership with A. H. Emley, and they established a banking business which continued until 1869, when he established his present bank. Mr. Rockafellow is the oldest living banker in Wilkes-Barre. He married Miss Julia, daughter of Sylvanus Ayre of Boundbrook, New Jersey, and by this marriage they are the parents of two children: Charles Frederick and Grace Ferdinand. In his political views Mr. Rockafellow is a Democrat. He has served in the city council, has filled the office of school director, was treasurer of the borough of Wilkes-Barre four years, and has been city treasurer since its incorporation. Mr. Rockafellow is one of Wilkes-Barre's leading and progressive citizens, and has always taken a deep interest in its public and social development.
RICHARD RODDA, manager of hotel and drup-store at Glen Lyon, is a native of St. Clare, England, where he was born April 3, 1860. His parents were Benjamin and Mary (Grosworethey) Rodda, also natives of England. The father of our subject was a machinist, and died December 27, 1874, at the age of fifty-three years. Richard is one of a family of eleven children—seven brothers and four sisters—of whom only seven are now living, the names of those living being as follows: Thomas, Richard, Albert, Frederick, Malenda, Mary Grace, and Eliza. The subject of this memoir is the second eldest living. He was educated at the common schools in England. Mr. Rodda was married July 7, 1881, to Mary Gluyes, daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth (Andrews) Gluyes, natives of Cornwall, England; Oliver Gluyes died in Scranton in 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. Rodda were born five children, of whom two are dead; the survivors are Frederick C., Richard E. and Sidney W. The wife of our subject was born at Port Orem, New Jersey, June 5, 1855. Mr. Rodda has, for a great many years of his life, been mining and traveling on the road. He has been engaged for six years in his present situation, manager of S. M. Sutliff's hotel and drug store, in Newport township. He is a member of the M.E. Church. He came to this country in 1875, and in 1876 joined the J.H.P.A., which is now the L.K. of America; he belongs to the Sons of St. George, Knights of Malta, also the I.O.R.M.; in politics he is a Republican.
D. J. RODERICK, mine foreman, Stockton, was born in Cardiganshire, Wales, January 23, 1864, and is a son of Richard and Ellen (Jenkins) Roderick, natives of Wales, who emigrated to America in 1865, settling at Wilkes-Barre. The children, seven in number, of whom David J. is third, were educated in Wilkes-Barre. When the subject of this sketch was fifteen years old the family removed to York county, where they spent three years on a farm. They afterward removed to Plymouth, where the father was engaged at contracting on rock work. During this time our subject acquired his knowledge of mining. Mr. Roderick remained nine years at Plymouth, and then went to Stockton, where he successfully worked rock contracts a year and a half. In 1891 he was appointed foreman at No. 5. Colliery, of Linderman, Skeer & Co., which position he still holds; he has 250 men under his charge, the output of coal being 600 tons per day. Mr. Roderick was united in marriage, in November, 1886, with Miss Frisswith, daughter of David P. and Rachel (Lloyd) Davis, of Plymouth. Two children have been born to this union, Richard and Ida. In politics Mr. Roderick is a stanch Republican; he is a member of the Mystic Chain and Knights of Pythias; the family attend the Presbyterian Church.
JAMES E. RODERICK, general superintendent for Linderman & Skeer, Stockton. Among the men who have had vast experience in the anthracite coal regions of Pennsylvania, none are more prominent than the subject of this sketch. James E. Roderick was born January 14, 1841, in Cardiganshire, South Wales, and is a son of Edward and Eleanor (Edwards) Roderick, also natives of Wales. He was educated in the land of his birth, and in 1864 came to this country, settling at Pittston, where he engaged in mining for the Pennsylvania Coal Company, with whom he remained however, but a short time; then went to Wilkes-Barre and engaged with the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, mining coal for them until February, 1866, when he was given the position of mine foreman at the Empire Shaft. In June, 1870, he accepted a position as general superintendent under A. D. Davis & Company, Warrior Run, with whom he remained until June 1881, when he was appointed by the State to the position of mine inspector for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania; he served the term of five years, and at its expiration was re-appointed. At the end of three years of his second term, he resigned to accept a more lucrative position as general superintendent for Linderman & Skeer, which position he has held since May, 1889. He is in charge of six collieries, employing in all about 1,400 men, and mining 2,000 tons of coal daily. Mr. Roderick has been thrice married: first to Miss Sarah Davis, of New York, by which union were born four children, namely: Nellie, Edward, James and John. After the death of this wife Mr. Roderick was married in September, 1881, to Mrs. Mary Lloyd, who died in September, 1883, leaving no children. Mr. Roderick's third marriage was in October 1885, with Mrs. Ulmer, of Hazleton. In 1879 Mr. Roderick was a candidate for county treasurer on the Labor-Greenback ticket, but at all other times he has been closely identified with the Republican party, and is at present an earnest worker in the ranks. He is a shrewd political worker, nevertheless one of those who believe that hard-fought political battles can be won without resort to unfair methods. With this principle for a foundation, Mr. Roderick has a very large following in this county, and his influence is of vast importance to the party which he represents.
REES D. RODERICK, general merchant, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Carmarthenshire, Wales, May 29, 1850, and is a son of Daniel and Ann (Lewis) Roderick. He was reared and educated in his native country, where he began his business life in the lead mines. In 1870 he came to America and settled in Wilkes-Barre, where, with the exception of three years during which he lived at Scranton and Dunmore, he has since resided. He followed mining eight years, and for five years was a contractor in shaft sinking and tunnel driving, and since 1885 has been engaged in his present business. Mr. Roderick was married October 30, 1869 to Hannah, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Williams) Thomas, of Wales, and has two children living: Daniel and Ariel. Mr. Roderick is a popular merchant; he is a member of the Welsh Presbyterian Church, and of the K. of P., and in politics is a Republican.
RICHARD RODERICK, contractor in shaft sinking and tunnel driving, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Cardiganshire, Wales, January 2, 1832, a son of Edward and Eleanor (Edwards) Roderick. He was reared and educated in Wales, where he worked in the lead mines from twelve years of age. He spent three years in the same capacity in Spain, and came to America in April, 1864. He settled in Wilkes-Barre and worked in the coal mines until 1875, being for three years inside foreman of the Stanton Mine No. 7, Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Company. He has since been engaged in his present business. On April 12, 1854, Mr. Roderick married Miss Ellen, daughter of David and Ellen (Williams) Jenkins, of Wales, and by her had nine children, seven of whom grew to maturity: Ellen (Mrs. David R. Morgan), Edward, David J., Mary A. (Mrs. John E. Hughes), John, Richard and Lizzie. Mr. Roderick and his family are members of the Welsh Presbyterian Church, and he is a member of the I.O.O.F. In politics he is a Republican.
JOSEPH RODGERS, engineer at No. 2, Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, Plymouth, was born January, 15, 1843, and is the youngest in the family of ten children born to John and Elizabeth (Casona) Rodgers, natives of England. In early life our subject learned engineering and followed it in his native country until 1863, when he came to America, locating at Houghton, Mich., where he worked six years as a miner in the copper mines. He then came to Pennsylvania, locating at Jefferson, York county, where he remained a short time in the mines, and coming thence to Plymouth, engaged in firing at No. 12, which he continued for two years. He then fired at No. 3, Delaware & Hudson Canal Company for one and one half years, afterward going to No. 2, same company, as pumpman, and remained there two years, then taking charge of the hoisting engines, which he ran for seven years. At the end of that time Mr. Rodgers took a position at No. 1, Delaware & Hudson, where he was engineer for about one year, and then he accepted a similar position at No. 2, where he has since been employed. Mr. Rodgers was married, July 23, 1874, to Miss Isabella, daughter of James and Ann (Hope) Kennedy, natives of Scotland, to which union have been born four children: James A., Josiah H., Bessie and Harry. Mr. Rodgers is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Foresters. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.
ISAAC M. ROGERS, farmer, P.O. Idetown, was born August 5, 1845, in Lehman township, where he was reared and educated. He is a son of David and Sarah M. (Newman) Rogers, the former born in Plymouth, the latter in Lehman township, on February 28, 1811, and June 7, 1821, respectively. David was a son of Joseph, who was a native of Connecticut, and who came to Plymouth soon after the Massacre; he was a mason by trade. He was married three times and reared twelve children, all of whom are now dead. He lived to be eighty-two years old. His son David, lived with B. Reynolds of Plymouth until he was twenty-one years of age, when he became a soldier and participated in the Indian war of 1832, being stationed at St. Anthony's Falls, Wis. He served three years and re-enlisted for three years more, serving his country with honor; he was wounded in the left hand, having part of it shot away. On his return in 1838, Mr. Rogers married Miss Sarah Newman, by whom he had three children, two of whom grew to maturity and one of whom is now living. He first located in Jackson township, but did not settle permanently until 1854, when he bought a farm in Lehman township, southwest of Harvey's Lake, consisting of forty acres of land, which he cleared and beautified. He died August 16, 1885. His son, Isaac M., the subject of this sketch, was nine years of age when he came hither with his father, and has remained on the same farm ever since, beautifying and embellishing it year after year; at the same time adding acre after acre to the original forty until now it comprises seventy-five acres. He has built a neat little house and a commodious barn. Mr. Rogers is a thorough-going and practical farmer, energetic and thrifty. In 1862, at the age of seventeen years, prompted by that spirit of patriotism, latent in every true and loyal citizen, he become a member of Company G, One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Militia, for nine months. After serving his time faithfully, he was honorably discharged and now enjoys a pension. His brother, Jacob Rogers, was a member of the same company and regiment, and after serving his time re-enlisted in Battery M, Heavy Artillery, serving to the close of the war. He was honorably discharged, but died from the effects of exposure six months afterward. On June 25, 1866, our subject married Eveline, daughter of Abijah Baird, and by her he has had twelve children, eleven of whom are living: William S., Enre J., Hester A., Mary E., Miranda D., James G., Dora R., Richard W., Apple I., Charles H. and George W. William S. is married to Miss. Phoebe Garnett; Hester is married to George Garnett, her brother-in-law. Mrs. Rogers was born in Lehman township, January 15, 1845. Politically, Mr. Rogers is a Republican.
JOHN W. ROGERS, farmer, P.O. Meeker, was born in Huntington township, August 13, 1825, where he was reared and educated. He is a son of Jonah and Mary (Whitman) Rogers, both born in 1795, the former in Plymouth, the latter in Columbia county. Jonah was a son of Jonah, who was born in Connecticut, and removed to the Valley before the Massacre. One day, when he was a boy of thirteen summers, he and a man were making sugar at Nanticoke; the man was killed by Indians, while the boy was captured and taken in the direction of South Mountain; there were two other men, named Pike and Van Campen, captured by the same Indians, and they, through the cunning of the boy and the oversight of the Indians, contrived to convey a knife to Pike, who liberated himself and his companion, who slew the Indians. They then made their way back, Pike swimming streams with the boy on his back. After this lad Rogers reached his majority, he settled in Plymouth, where he resided until 1825, when he removed to Huntington township, locating on a farm of 100 acres, some of which was improved, and here he lived until his death, which occurred when he was at an advanced age. His family consisted of four children, all of whom are deceased. His son, Jonah, lived on the old place ninteen years, when he removed to Lehman township, where he died in 1859, at the age of sixty-five years. His life was uneventful. He was a hard-working, honest man There were six children born to him, three of whom are now (1892) living, John W. being the fourth in the family. He always confined himself to farming, and has lived all his life in his present neighborhood. In 1849 he married Miss Susan Ann, daughter of Ezra and Sarah Ide, and eight children were born to them, six of whom are now living: Sarah L., Winfield S., Melville E., Franklin J., Edward B. and Emma, all married except the latter. In 1862 he entered the army, becoming a member of Company F, one Hundred and Forty-ninth P.V.I., for the term of three years. He served two years, and was then honorably discharged on account of disabilities. In 1850 he removed to his present residence, on a farm of one hundred acres. Mr. Rogers is a practical farmer, is a man of sound principles, and has served his term in various offices with credit. He has worked hard for his property, and has succeeded in accumulating sufficient for all needs, all by his own hands. On February 15, 1881, Mr. Rogers married, for his second wife, Mrs. Montgomery. Socially, he is a member of the I.O.O.F., politically, he is a Republican.
STEPHEN F. ROGERS, farmer, P.O. Outlet, was born in Huntington township, July 23, 1836. He is the son of Jonah and Mary (Whiteman) Rogers, the former of whom was born in Plymouth, the latter in Fishing Creek, Columbia county. Jonah was a son of Jonah, a native of Connecticut, who was taken captive by the Indians at the age of thirteen years. Subsequent to the Wyoming Massacre, after his capture, there were two others (Pike and Van Campen) taken prisoners with him, and by the carelessness of the Indians and the watchfulness of the captives, they succeeded in escaping, after slaying all the Indians but one. He afterward settled in Plymouth, where he lived most of his life. Some time before his death he removed to Huntington township, where he lived until his death, which occurred in 1834. His family numbered six children. Jonah, Jr., was thirty years of age when he removed with his father to Huntington; in 1844 he removed to Lehman, where he bought a farm of fifty acres. Here he died at a ripe old age. His family consisted of six children, all of whom grew to maturity; three are now (1892) living: Jackson J., John W. and Stephen F. The latter is the youngest of the family, and was reared and educated in Lehman township. He always confined himself to agricultural pursuits, though in his early life he was extensively engaged in the lumber business. On November 20, 1856, he married Miss Sarah A., daughter of Robert and Lucy Major, by whom he has had three children: Henry M., now aged thirty-four; Emogene A., now aged thirty-one; and May L., now aged twenty-three. The two former are married. Henry M. married Miss Amelia Huff; Emogene A. married John R. Crispell. Mr. Rogers removed from Lehman to Lake township in 1860, and, after working six years in a sawmill, he bought his present place of fifty acres, some of which was under improvement. The effects of years of incessant toil are seen in his well-planned fields and commodious outbuildings, for he is a practical farmer in the full sense of the term. In 1864 he entered the army for the term of one year, serving in Company E, Two Hundred and Third P.V.I., serving to the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. He, with his wife and daughter May, are members of the Baptist Church. Miss May is an accomplished young lady who has been educated at Dallas high school; from thence, to Wilkes-Barre. She is now attending the Wyoming Seminary; she has taught seven terms of school in her own and adjoining districts, where she has endeared herself to the pupils, and proved herself a proficient instructor, to the directors.
T. M. ROGERS, superintendent of Hollenback Cemetery, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Broome county, N.Y., July 14, 1816, a son of Alexander and Nancy (Menn) Rogers, the former born in Massachusetts March 13, 1776. They settled at Forty Fort, this county, prior to 1820, and later at what is now Laflin, also in this county, where they were offered sixty acres of land, at $1.00 per acre, with ten years to pay for it without interest. There they remained six years, and then removed to Sullivan county, Pa., where the father helped to build the Delaware & Hudson Canal; then removed to Honesdale, Wayne Co., Pa., where they passed the remainder of their days. Our subject was reared in Pennsylvania, and his first business ventures were farming and lumbering in Wayne county; later he learned the boat-builder's trade at Honesdale, Pa., an occupation he followed from 1852 to 1870 in Wilkes-Barre, in connection with carpenter work; from 1870 to 1873 he was superintendent of the Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery. Mr. Rogers married, August 9, 1835, Rosanna, daughter of Samuel and Lois (Lilley) Corey, of Wayne county, Pa., and by her had ten children, of whom five grew to maturity: Mary E. (Mrs. John Fulton), Clementine L. (Mrs. Robert Nesbitt), Abi (Mrs. William A. St. John), Estella (Mrs. Hiram Montanye), and William. Mr. Rogers is a member of the M.E. Church, and in politics he is a Republican.
JOHN ROHLAND, superintendent of the machine and preparation department of the enormous coal works of Coxe Bros. & Co., Drifton, is a native of New York City, born December 31, 1848. He is a son of Frederick and M. S. (Ficht) Rohland, both natives of Germany, the former born in Bremen and the latter in Worms. The father emigrated to America at the age of eighteen years, and died in 1876 at the age of fifty-five. Our subject's mother now lives in Wayne county, Pa. John Rohland was educated in the public schools of New York City, and in Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College. At the early age of fourteen, he engaged in the lumber business on the Delaware, which he followed for a period of twenty years. In 1880 he entered the employ of Coxe Bros. & Co., as outside superintendent at Deringer, shortly after accepting his present position, in which he has since been engaged. Mr. Rohland was married May 22, 1870, to Miss Ruth M. Skimer, an accomplished young lady of Wayne county, Pa. This happy union has been blessed with three children: Ida, Charles H. and William F. The family are members of the Lutheran Church, and in politics Mr. Rohland is a stanch Republican.
CALVIN D. ROHRBACH, hardware merchant, Freeland, is a native of Saegersville, Pa., and was born January 22, 1862, a son of A. G. and Rebecca (Wien) Rohrbach. When he was five years of age his parents removed from Pottstown, Montgomery county, to Butler township, this county, where he was reared and educated. At about the age of sixteen he began working around the mines, and filled several positions, following mining until he was twenty-five years of age, when he entered the employ of H. C. Koons, as clerk, at which he continued two years. He then engaged in the hardware business at Freeland, and he now commands a large public patronage. Mr. Rohrbach was married, August 20, 1885, to Miss Maggie Betterby, of Butler Valley, and they have had four children, viz: Thomas, Olive (deceased), Howard (deceased), and Bertha. Our subject is a member of the P.O.S. of A., and Jr. O.U.A.M.; in his political views he is decidedly a Democrat.
GEORGE ROHRIG, one of the oldest residents of Ashley, was born in Prussia, Germany, August 14, 1826, a son of Martin and Mary (Hermann) Rohrig. The father, who was a miner, reared a family of four children, of whom our subject is the second. Mr. Rohrig was a miner, fireman and assistant engineer in his native country and emigrated in 1848, locating in Schuylkill county, Pa., where he followed mining for eighteen months. He then went to Eagle Harbor, Michigan, and worked in the copper mines two years, and in 1852 came to Ashley, working as stationary engineer until 1886, at which time he retired from active life. In 1854 Mr. Rohrig married Miss Ann, daughter of John Hart, of Scranton, Pa., and by her had four children, viz: Martin, who died at the age of thirty-two; Margaret (Mrs. Edward Brown); George, tinsmith, St. Joseph, Mo.; and Catherine (Mrs. Charles G. Baur). Mrs. Rohrig died in 1864, and our subject afterward married Mrs. Susan Shidal, daughter of Theodore and Catherine (Russhe) Deibel, natives of Germany, and widow of Martin Shidal, by whom she had two children, viz: John, a shoemaker of Ashley, and Elizabeth (Mrs. George Henry). Of this union were born two children, viz: Louisa and Frederick. Mr. Rohrig and wife are members of the German Lutheran Church, and he is a member of the I.O.O.F. and Encampment, and of the F. & A.M. In his political views he is a Republican.
ALVIN S. ROOD, carpenter, Bloomingdale, was born in Huntington township, April 10, 1837, a son of David and Sarah (Seward) Rood, the former of whom was born in Ross township in 1812, the latter in Huntington township. David is a son of Ira Rood, the first of that name and family to settle in this county, and who first located in Union township and then removed to Ross, where he owned ninety acres of farm land. He was a man of good judgment and moral habits. His family numbered twelve children, two of whom are now living. His son David began his business life as a farmer in Ross township, owning eighty acres of land which he improved and beautified during his lifetime. He was a worthy man of respectability. He was a strict member of the M.E. Church for fifty years, during which time he did some preaching; he died February 13, 1891, aged eighty-three years, after a life of recognized usefulness. His family consisted of six children, five of whom are living. Alvin S., who is the second in order of birth, in early life learned the carpenter's trade, he served his country when she needed the aid of all the loyal men. He was mustered into the service of the United States in March, 1864 (for the term of three years), as a musician and member of Company A, One Hundred and Eighty- eighth P.V.I., serving honorably and well to the close of the war, being discharged in December, 1865; he draws a pension. After his return to citizenship he worked at his trade, and is a first-class mechanic. In 1855 Mr. Rood married Miss Eliza Wolfe, who was born in Ross township in 1838, daughter of Peter and Lois Wolfe, and to them were born five children, all living: Josiah, Steward, Edward, Hattie and Minnie. Mr. and Mrs. Rood are members of the M.E. Church, in good standing. Mr. Rood owns the property of Peter Wolfe, a small farm of thirty-five acres which he works in conjunction with his trade. Politically he is a Republican.
LUDWIG ROOS, butcher, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Bavaria, Germany, March 3, 1845, a son of Gottfried and Elizabeth (Stahl) Roos. He was reared and educated in Germany, where he served an apprenticeship of two years at the butcher's trade, and afterward worked nine years in that business. He served eleven months and twenty-four days in the Franco-Prussian war. In February, 1872, he came to America, located in Wilkes Bare, and embarked in the butcher's business, in which he has since continued with success. He was twice married: March 12, 1873, he married Miss Mary, daughter of John Henry, of Lehman township, this county, and by her he had one child, Mary (deceased). His second wife was Miss Margaretta Henry, sister of the first, and of this union have been born two children, yet living: Louisa and Frank. Our subject is a member of the German Catholic Church. In politics he is a Democrat, and has served one term as member of the city council.
EDWARD C. ROOT, was born in Wilkes-Barre, July 25, 1866, a son of Chauncy C. and Mary P. (Kelley) Root. The father, who was a native of Wilkes-Barre, and a brick mason and contractor by trade, died in 1870 leaving two children: Edward C. and Mamie (Mrs. Fred G. Smith). Our subject was educated in the public schools of Wilkes-Barre, and at eighteen years of age entered the employ of W. D. White & Co., druggists, Wilkes-Barre, with whom he remained two and one-half years. Then he entered the employ of J. H. Houch, of Pittston, at the West End Store, and after one year's service was promoted to manager and since 1887 he has been a registered pharmacist. He is a member of the West Pittston Presbyterian Church, and of the Y.M.C.A.; politically he is a Republican.
DAVID L. ROSS, physician and surgeon, Pittston. This gentleman, who ranks among the best of Luzerne county's physicians, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, May 27, 1845, and is a son of David and Mary (Ivison) Ross, the former of whom was born in the Highlands of Scotland, and became a sailor. David Ross immigrated to the United States many years ago, and served in the United States navy fifteen years as mate. He has retired from active business life, and resides at Lisbon, Conn. The mother was born in Carlisle, England. They had a family of three living children, viz: Annie, wife of W. W. Woodward, a druggist of Danielsonville, Conn.; David L.; and George I., a physician and graduate of the Washington University of Baltimore, and now practicing his profession at Canton, Mass. Our subject passed his boyhood in Connecticut, and was educated in the public schools of his native city. At the age of seventeen, on March 21, 1864, he enlisted in Company B, Tenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, and was discharged August 25, 1865, at Richmond, Va. He participated in the following battles: Drurys Bluffs, Deep Bottom, Strawberry Plains; at the last-named engagement he was wounded with a musket ball in the left thigh, and was sent to Portsmouth (Va.) Hospital, where he remained three months. After rejoining his regiment he was in the battle of Hatcher's Run, Fort Gregg, and at the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. After the close of the war he traveled for a short time in the West, finally locating in Chicago, where he secured a position in a drug-store as a night clerk, and at the same time entered Rush Medical College in 1868, graduating from there with the degree of M.D. January 17, 1872. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession in that city, and continued there one year; then removed to Danielsonville, Conn., where he remained one year, and then was one year at Moodus, same State. In 1874 the Doctor came to Pittston, and here remained six years; then removed to Scotland, Conn., and remained there until 1887, when he returned to Pittston, and has here since been in active practice. The Doctor has been a very successful practitioner, and has enjoyed the perfect confidence of his patients. He was united in marriage, October 12, 1873, with Nellie Underwood, a daughter of Jerome Underwood, of Pittston, which union has been blessed with two children, Mabel and Ada. The Doctor is a member and past commander of Nugent Post No. 245 G.A.R.
EDWARD E. ROSS, Luzerne, was born October 17, 1855, at Tuscarora, Schuylkill Co., Pa., and is a son of John E. and Sarah (Davison) Ross, natives respectively of the counties of Northumberland and Durham, England. They emigrated to this country about the year 1852, and settled in Schuylkill county, Pa., where the subject of our sketch was born and spent his early childhood. He was educated in the common schools of his native county and, at the youthful age of fifteen, became a teacher, in which occupation he continued until 1885, when he established a drug business at Luzerne, which is in a prosperous and flourishing condition. In 1887 he was offered a position as outside foreman of a colliery, operated by the Northwest Coal Company (limited), located in Lackawanna county. In this position he accepted and faithfully performed the duties connected therewith until 1889, when he received the appointment as principal of the graded school at Kingston, a position he still occupies. Mr. Ross, in 1889, was a candidate for county superintendent of schools; he was unsuccessful, yet, if elected, he would have undoubtedly performed the trust imposed in him in that careful and highly commendable manner which has characterized his entire career. He was married, January 18, 1887, to Amy S., daughter of Joseph and Rosanna (Tylie) Blackman, and one child, a daughter, fourteen months old, who bears her mother's name, has blessed this happy union. In politics Mr. Ross is always found in the Republican ranks; and is a member of the F. & A.M., I.O.O.F., Imp'd O.R.M., and P.O.S. of A.
GILES ROSS, contractor and builder, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Falls township, Luzerne (now Wyoming) county, Pa., March 18, 1845, and is a son of David and Charlotte (Olmstead) Ross. His paternal grandfather, who was a native of England, born of Scotch parentage, came to America about 1790, and was one of the pioneers of what is now Moscow, Pa., where he resided many years; in later life he removed to Michigan, and died there. Of his family, David, father of subject, was born in Luzerne county in December, 1806, near Moscow, and lived in Luzerne county, dying there at the age of eighty-three years. His wife was a daughter of David Olmstead, of Falls township, and by her he had sixteen children, eleven of whom grew to maturity, viz: James N., Lydia (Mrs. Joseph Griffin), David, Delilah (Mrs. John Covert), Miles, Mary (Mrs. John Sites), Esther (Mrs. Charles L. Moore), Giles, John W., Wilson E. and Charlotte R. Our subject was reared in Ross township, this county, and was educated in the common schools. On September 24, 1864, he enlisted in Company A, Eighty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, participating in all the battles of the Fifth Corps, Army of the Potomac, which took place after his enlistment, and was honorably discharged at close of the war. He then located in Wilkes-Barre, where he learned the carpenter's trade, after which he worked as a journeyman from 1868 to 1876, when he embarked in business for himself. In 1879 Mr. Ross married Anna, daughter of John Bastuscheck, of Wilkes-Barre, and has three children: John D., Charlotte M. and Giles G. Mr. Giles Ross is a member of the G.A.R., and in politics is a Republican.
JASON ROSS, farmer, P.O. Orange, was born March 23, 1856, in Franklin township, where he was reared and educated. He is a son of Joseph B. and Sarah M. (Hallock) Ross, the former born in Franklin in 1820, the latter in New Jersey. Joseph is a son of William Ross, who was born in New Jersey, April 11, 1793, and removed hither in 1800, with his father, James, when only seven years of age. James had five children at the time when he moved here by wagon from New Jersey, and two more were born after he settled. He located first in Hanover township, but after four years removed to what is now Dallas, and there purchased a lot of land on which he lived and which he cultivated. He was a hard-working man and patriotic in the extreme, serving his country faithfully for five years in her struggle with England for independence. He lived to a good old age. William, his son, remained on the homestead until having attained his majority; he followed the example of his faher by serving four years in the war of 1812. On his return to citizenship, he removed to what is now Franklin township on a farm of fifty acres. He married Miss Anna Brace, and by her had three children, one of whom, Sarah, is now living. William was an honest and industrious man, a Democrat who had influence with his party, a good citizen, and did much to improve the town in which he lived. He died in 1868, at the age of seventy-five. His son, Joseph B., began life on his father's farm, and was a man of sterling qualities, honest, faithful and industrious. Under his magic touch the farm of fifty increased to eighty-seven acres, and was improved and cultivated. He had five children, four of whom reached maturity and are now living: Ira H., Julia A., Homer S., and Jason. Our subject, the youngest of his father's children, has always confined himself to agricultural pursuits, and is now a practical farmer, living on the old homestead on which his grandfather settled. He is a thorough business man of pure principles and fine ideas, and has filled various offices with credit. On January 13, 1880, he married Miss Carrie M., the accomplished daughter of David and Phoebe Barlew. Of this union one child, Augusta B., was born August 1, 1882. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are consistent and active members of the M.E. Church at Orange.
JOHN ROSS, miner in the Delaware Shaft, Miners Mills, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, about three miles from the birthplace of Robert Burns, September 22, 1835. He is a son of William and Elizabeth (McGary) Ross; his father, who was a miner, reared a family of nine children, four of whom are living, viz: John, Jane (Mrs. Cornelius Beatty), Hugh, a mine foreman at Stauffer, Pa., and Mary, who married Elias Phillips, a mine foreman, at Lemont, Pa. Another son, William, was killed by an explosion of dynamite at Mount Lookout, Pa., in February, 1891. Our subject began life working in and about the mines in his native country, and came to America in 1866, locating at Blossburg, Pa., where he worked in the mines one year. He then returned to Scotland, remaining two years, during which time he was married. In 1869 he came to Renova, Pa., and after working about the mines there for a few months removed to Arnot, where he worked in the mines three years, and then embarked in the mercantile business in Blossburg for three years. He next removed to Plains, where he remained eleven years, thence in 1886 to Miners Mills. Since that time he has worked chiefly in his blacksmith shop during the summers, and in the mines during the winters. Mr. Ross was married March 20, 1868, to Miss Anna, daughter of David and Catharine (McGill) McNaughton, of his native town; they have had born to them nine children, five of whom are living, viz: Catharine (Mrs. George Tasker), who has two children, Anna and William; William, who works in his father's shop, building iron fence; Elizabeth, John and Hugh. Mr. Ross and wife attend the Primitive Methodist Church, of which she is a member; he is a member of the I.O.O.F., K. of P., and F. & A.M. In his political views he is a Republican, and has held the offices of assessor and tax collector in Plains; he is now justice of the peace in Miners Mills, and is serving his second term as burgess.
MILES ROSS, farmer, P.O. Kyttle, was born in Wyoming county , February 23, 1839. He is the son of David and Charlotta (Olmstead) Ross, the former born near Spring Brook, Lackawanna county, in 1806, the latter in Schoharie, Schoharie Co., N.Y., in 1810. David was a son of William Ross, a native of Connecticut, who removed to this county in 1786, locating at Spring Brook, where he became engaged in farming. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and did honor to his country. He was an inveterate hunter, in those days, when game was in abundance. William Ross reared a useful and interesting family, and died at a good old age. His son, David, began his business life in Falls township, Wyoming county, where he farmed on a small scale. May 14, 1850, he removed to Ross township, this county, where he purchased a farm of 218 acres of unimproved land, part of which he brought under cultivation during his lifetime. He was an honest, industrious and hard-working man, and a consistent member of the M.E. Church. David Ross died October 19, 1889, aged eighty-three years. His family consisted of sixteen children, eleven of whom grew to maturity. Nine are now living. Miles Ross is the eighth of the family in the order of birth. He was reared and educated in Wyoming county, and lived with his father until after the outbreak of the Civil war. He was mustered into the U.S. service August 22, 1862, in Company F. One Hundred and Forty-ninth P.V.I., for the term of three years, participating in all the principal battles of the army of the Potomac. He was taken prisoner by the enemy while carrying provisions to a picket post, a gap being left between two sentinels, he and his company passed outside the Union line. He remained nine months a prisoner, serving time in Andersonville, Augusta, Milan and Florence. At the close of the war he was honorably discharged, and has since followed agricultural pursuits. November 16, 1865, he married Miss Mary E., daughter of Stephen H. and Ruth Parks. To them has been born one child, La Roy. Mr. Ross owns eighty-five acres of land, the cultivation of which he oversees, his principle crop being grass. He is a member of the G.A.R., and in religion an adherent of the M.E. Church. Mrs. Mary E. Ross was born in Monroe, Wyoming county, March 2, 1841. The Parkses are old settlers who came from Connecticut about 1810; they are well-to-do farmers and worthy people. Several members of their family fought in the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812.
NATHAN ROSS, engineer at Henry Shaft, Plains, was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, July 12, 1847, son of Nathaniel and Janet (Frazer) Ross. The father, who was a mine foreman, reared a family of ten children, three of whom are living in America, and of whom Nathan is the seventh. Our subject came to America in 1870, and located at Providence, Pa., where he was engaged in mining two years; then removed to Plains, where he worked as engineer, a position he had held in Scotland. He erected his present residence in 1874, and has since built other houses which he rents. Mr. Ross was married, July 13, 1865, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Donald and Mary (Minges) McLellen, of Lanarkshire, Scotland, and they have five children, four of whom are living, viz.: Nathan; Nathaniel, who was educated in Plains high school, then served four years as drug clerk at Nanticoke, afterward entering Jefferson Medical college, at Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1892, and is now practicing in Wilkes-Barre; Mary, who is a seamstress, and resides with her parents; and Kate R., who graduated in the Normal and Manual Training courses of the Bloomsburg State Normal School in 1891 and is at present teaching in Plains. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are members of the Presbyterian Church; he is a member of the I.O.O.F. and Encampment, and the Caledonian Club of Wilkes-Barre, in all of which Societies he is a past officer; in his political views he is a Republican.
NATHAN ROSS, JR., engineer, Plains, was born in Scotland March 9, 1866, and is a son of Nathan and Margaret (McLellen) Ross. He was educated in the common schools, after which he fired for the Lehigh Valley Coal Company at the Henry Shaft four years, and then secured a position as engineer for the Sheldon Axle Works, Wilkes-Barre, which he at present holds, residing in Plains. Mr. Ross was married, December 31, 1888, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of William and Isabella (Porter) Keir, natives of Scotland; they have two children, a son named Nathan, and a daughter, Isabella. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are members of the Presbyterian Church; he is a member of the I.O.O.F. and Encampment, and the Caledonian Club of Wilkes-Barre; politically he is a Republican.
WILLIAM WALLACE ROSS, stationary engineer, Parsons, was born in Bush, Susquehanna Co., Pa., November 5, 1850, and is a son of William W. and Malinda (Mericle) Ross, the father a native of Pennsylvania, of Scotch, and later of New England, origin, a grandson of Capt. Perrin Ross, who was killed at the Wyoming massacre, the mother a native of Pennsylvania and of German descent. When Mr. Ross was about eighteen years of age his parents removed to Camptown, Pa., where he was educated, and at the age of twenty he came to Parsons, where he has since been engaged in stationary engineering, at present employed at the Prospect Mine. Mr. Ross was married, July 17, 1876,to Miss Carrie, daughter of John and Catherine (Herne) Hines, of Peckville, Lackawanna Co., Pa., and the fruit of this happy union is five children, viz.: Charles, Harry, Gertrude, Oscar, and Sadie. Mr. Ross is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men; his political views are Republican, and is a member and president of the Parsons borough council.
WILLIAM W. ROTH, outside foreman of Lattimer Colliery, No. 1, Drum's. This competent foreman was born in Butler Valley, January 22, 1863, and is the eighth in a family of eleven children born to Samuel and Caroline (Dauber) Roth, early settlers of Butler Valley. William W. was reared and educated at his birhplace, and until he became of age worked at farming. After reaching his majority he learned the carpenter's trade, and worked on the construction of breakers until 1886, when he was given the position of foreman of the carpenter gang at the Lattimer Colliery, No. 1. On 1887 he was promoted to the foremanship of the Lattimer Mines, Nos. 1 and 2,and has since held that position. He has under his charge about 300 men, whose daily output of coal is 700 tons. Mr. Roth has had an extensive practical experience about the mines, and is well up in the business of running a colliery. He was united in marriage, December 22, 1883, with Miss Sabina, daughter of Stephen Cunfer, of Carbon county, Pa. To this union have been born four children, namely: Elmer, Blanche, Caroline, and Ellen. In political matters, Mr. Roth is not wed to any party, but votes purely on principle, and for the best man. He is a member of the P.O.S. of A., and the family belongs to the Lutheran Church.
EZRA ROUGH, farmer, P.O. Briggsville, was born in Nescopeck township, April 22, 1846, a son of Samuel and Jerusha (Brown) Rough. His paternal grandparents, Daniel and Anna (Henry) Rough, were pioneers of Nescopeck township, and his maternal grandparents, John and Betsey (Linneberry) Brown, were natives of New Jersey, and pioneers of Mifflin township, Columbia Co., Pa. Samuel Rough was born in Nesocpeck township in 1824. and died in 1881, leaving two sons, Ezra and John. Our subject was reared in Nescopeck township where he has always resided engaged in agricultural pursuits. His wife was Huldah, daughter of Joel and Mary (Lutz) Honsinger, of Black Creek township, and by her he has five children; Samuel R., Dallas W., Jordan E., Blanche M. and Lena E. Politically Mr. Rough is a Democrat.
CASPER M. ROUSE (deceased) was born in Bennington, Vt., December 15, 1832, and was a son of John H. and Clara (Moore) Rouse, natives of New York and Vermont, and of German and New England origin, respectively. The father, who was a wagon-maker by trade, reared a family of three children, of whom Casper M. was the eldest. He came to Pennsylvania in 1869, and located at Moosic, where he was employed as superintendent of the Powder Works at that place for four years; and then superintended the construction of the Powder Works at Laflin, in which he was superintendent and also a stockholder until his death, which occurred at his residence in Laflin, Pa., April 6, 1890. Mr. Rouse was married, August 14, 1858, to Wealthy J., daughter of Joseph and Sarah (St. Clair) Vananden, of Fair Haven, Vt. This union was blessed with four children, three of whom are living, viz,: John Franklin, "black-boss" at the Laflin Powder Works; Sarah Jane (Mrs. Thomas Barrett), resides at Bennington, Vt. (she has one child, Edward) and Clara Belle, who resides with her mother. Mrs. Rouse and her daughter Clara Belle are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Plainsville.
W. C. ROUSHEY, farmer, P.O. Dallas, was born in Hope, Warren Co., N.J., November 27, 1812. He is a son of Peter B. and Rebecca (Wolf) Roushey, both of whom were born in Warren county, N.J. His father was a tailor by trade, and moved to this country about 1816, after the death of his first wife, locating in Dallas on the property owned by William Goss. He was married four times, and his family by the four wives numbered eleven children, five of whom are supposed to be living. William C., our subject, is the first child by the first marriage, and was reared and educated in Dallas, having been brought here when ten years of age, and after the death of his mother. He had very few educational advantages, but has studied men as well as books, and is thoroughly conversant with nature and art. He is a self-educated and a self-made man. In early life he learned the carpenter's trade at which he worked a number of years and in 1837 purchased of W. Baldwin a farm of eighty-three acres, which he cleared, and on which he put up buildings and added improvements until today it is a perfect farm. In his younger days, Mr. Roushey was a thorough business man and an extensive farmer, and the eighty-three acres of 1837 have increased to 177 acres. He is a general farmer, but gives to hay-making the preference. He was a leading man in the Republican party, and during the war was employed as enumerator preparatory to the draft. He was assessor and school director for eighteen years; was for ten years in the insurance business, at which he was very successful; and was postmaster from 1836-1837. May 1, 1834, in Dallas, Mr. Roushey married Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher and Sarah Rice, who was born in Hope township, November 7, 1813. Of this union were born eight children, three of whom are living: Oliver L., Franklin A. and George W.; Oliver L. has thirteen children by his two marriages; Franklin A. is a widower with two children; George W. has one child. Mr. Roushey is in his eightieth year, his wife in her seventy-ninth year, but both enjoy good health. They are consistent members of the M.E. Church.
EVAN M. ROWLAND, general merchant, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Monmouthshire, South Wales, April 22, 1842, a son of Morgan and Elizabeth (Thomas) Rowland. He was reared and educated in South Wales, where at the age of eight years, he began life in the coal mines, and where he followed mining in different capacities until 1867. The same year he came to America, locating in Carbon county, where he engaged in mining for eighteen months. In 1869 he located in Wilkes-Barre and mined until 1885, at which time he embarked in general merchandising, a business he still continues. In 1867 Mr. Rowland married Miss Mary, daughter of William and Rachel Herbert, of South Wales, and has one daughter living, Mrs. John T. Williams. Mr. Rowland is a member of the Ivorites, of the K. of P., and also of the Welsh Baptist Church, in which he has been a deacon twenty years. In politics he is a republican.
M. J. RUDDY, merchant, Miners Mills, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, March 13, 1840, and is a son of John and Ann (Ruddy) Ruddy. John Ruddy, who was a farmer, reared a family of nine children, viz: Charles, in Ireland; Thomas, in England; Michael J.; James in England; John, who died at the age of fourteen years; Austin and John, both in Scotland; Bridget (Mrs. Michael Maycock), in Miners Mills; and Constantine, a miner in Miners Mills. Our subject came to America in 1863, and worked at mining in Providence, Pa., two years, and at Olyphant fourteen years. In 1891 he built his store (with residence attached), which he purchased in 1886, and engaged in the mercantile business. Mr. Ruddy was married, May 13, 1886, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Thomas and Ellen (Ferguson) Grady, natives of County Mayo, Ireland, and to this union have been born ten children, viz.: Patrick J., who taught school six years, and is now studying law with John T. Lenahan, Wilkes-Barre; John, deceased in infancy; Mary E.; Anna; Michael, deceased at the age of six and a half years; Thomas; James; Nellie; Frank, and Harold. He and his family are members of the Catholic Church; he is a member of the C.M.B.A.; is a Democrat in his political views and has held the office of school director.
ANTHONY RUDEWICK, general merchant, South Heberton, P.O. Freeland, one of the enterprising business men of the county, is a native of Poland, born in 1854. He received his education in his native land, and at the age of nineteen came to America, locating at Shenandoah, Pa., where he worked in the mines two years. He then removed to Mahanoy City, where he followed mining for one year, after which he went to Pittsburgh, whence after a short stay he came to Upper Lehigh, where he worked in the mines four years. In 1878 he came to South Heberton and engaged in the general mercantile business, which he has since continuously followed with the exception of two years that he was in business at Freeland, and a short time that he was engaged in farming. Mr. Rudewick carries on a very extensive trade. He is a well-known business man, and has many patrons. On January 10, 1882, he was married to Miss Wanda Czyzewska, also a native of Poland, and they have four children, viz.: Josephina, Stella, Wanda and Anthony, Jr.
C. W. RUGGLES, merchant, Pike's Creek, was born in Ross township, February 21, 1849, a son of Josiah and Mary Ann (Naugle) Ruggles, natives of Hanover township, the former born in 1816, the latter in 1819. Josiah was a son of Lorenzo Ruggles, a native of Connecticut, born in 1790, and who removed to this county about 1797, locating in Hanover township. During his lifetime he owned 140 acres of land, all of which were brought under subjection in his day, tangible evidence of his energy and pluck in those pioneer days. He was also a blacksmith, and in those early times was looked upon as a first-class mechanic. He was an expert in making ploughs for the breaking up of the new soil. He was an active politician, and in his party (Whig) had some influence—indeed, his political, social and religious influence was materially felt in his neighborhood; he was an active member of the M.E. Church. He lived to be about seventy-eight years of age, and reared a family of nine out of eleven children born to him. His son Josiah began life as a farmer in Hanover township, but soon removed to Pittston where he remained a few years when he came to Ross township, where he remained about twenty years. In 1860 he removed to Lehman township, where he purchased 800 acres of timberland, and engaged extensively in the lumber trade. He built four sawmills, two steam, and two water power—one in Lake, one in Ross, and two in Lehman. He has been in partnership with J. J. Shonk, of Plymouth, in the lumber business at Ruggles, where they also built a tannery. He was the means of establishing a post office, which in honor of him was called Ruggles, and of which he was postmaster ten years. While he resided in Ross township, he was postmaster for about twenty years. He has been a very active man, one of much worth in society. Always ready to give to the needy. His home is ever open to the homeless, and his heart to the distressed; an active churchman, and a free and liberal giver in the support of the Gospel. His family consisted of twelve children eight of whom grew to maturity. He and his good wife are yet living at advanced ages, and are in fair health. C. W. Ruggles, who is the seventh in the family, was reared and educated in Lehman and Ross townships, and spent two terms in Kingston Seminary. In his early life he followed the business of sawyer; afterward was clerk for Ruggles and Shonk, and in 1874 he removed to Lake township, where he engaged in mercantile business on a large scale. He has a commodious and well-stocked storeroom of general merchandise, and enjoys a large custom which has been brought to him mainly by his strict attention to business principles and his paying special attention to the "Golden rule," which is sure to bring success in the end. Mr. Ruggles was married August 1, 1872, to Miss Rosa Rood, who was born in Ross township, November 9, 1852, a daughter of Thomas D. and Martha Rood, and there were seven children born to them, six of whom are now living, viz.: Milton L., Jennie M., Torrance, Bertha L., Rosa B. and Eliza B. Besides his store, Mr. Ruggles has a neat farm of eighty-two acres. He is a Republican, and has held the office of postmaster fourteen years—ever since the establishment of a post office there.
W. O. RUGGLES, farmer, contractor and builder, Pike's Creek, was born in Ross township, September 12, 1850, a son of Josiah and Mary A. (Naugle) Ruggles, the former born in Hanover township, the latter, it is presumed a native of the same town. Josiah is the son of Lorenzo Ruggles, who was one of the first of this family to come to the county, arriving about 1797, from Connecticut, and locating in Hanover township, where he purchased a farm of 140 acres. He was a blacksmith by trade, and, as well as clearing up his farm; he also made ploughs and axes by hand, and these ploughs and axes, although crude in appearance, were very effective practically. His family numbered eleven children, nine of whom grew to maturity. He died in 1868 in his seventy-eighth year. His son, Josiah, in early life, followed boating and other vocations, and, as he advanced in years and experience, entered mercantile business; he finally went into the farming and lumbering business extensively. At one time he owned about 1,000 acres of timber land. He is a man of large experience, and in his younger days of much influence and sterlng worth. He had held the office of postmaster for about twenty years at one time, and for ten years at another, and he had other minor officers in the town which he discharged with credit. He and his good wife are now living and enjoying life in Lehman township at the age of seventy-six and seventy three years, respectively. They reared a family of eight, all of whom grew to maturity and are now (1891) living, W. O. being the eighth in the family. Our subject was reared and educated in Lehman at the common school. In early life he confined himself to the carpenter's trade, at which trade he became an adept, and has always followed it in conjunction with his farming. He contracts for all his work, bridges, building of various designs, etc. Mr. Ruggles is not only a master builder but an extensive and practical farmer, owning 120 acres on which he resides, fifty-six in another lot, besides building lots in the borough of Nanticoke. He has held several offices, and is a man of influence and ability. Last October he lost property to the extent of $800. At the age of twenty, September 12, 1870, he married Miss Mary A., daughter of Nathan and Emily J. Ide, and by her he had five children: F. L., C. M., Eugene, Emily J. and Grace, all of whom are yet (1891) living. Mrs. Mary A. (Ide) Ruggles was born in Lehman, December 20, 1851, and is a descendant of the first settler of Luzerne township. W. O. Ruggles is a member of the I.O.O.F. and Jr. O.A.U.M. Politically he is a Republican. He and his wife are consistent member of the M.E. Church.
CAPTAIN A. H. RUSH was born in Germany, September 26, 1836. He came to Wilkes-Barre in 1840, and as soon as old enough began work in the mines, where he was employed seven years. He then learned the marble-cutter's trade, and followed that business until the breaking out of the Civil war, in which he served three years and eight months—one year as first lieutenant in the Fifty-second Pennsylvania Regiment, and two years and eight months as captain of Company E, Sixteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. Since his discharge he has been engaged as traveling salesman in the monument business.
MICHAEL C. RUSSELL, merchant, Edwardsville, is one of the leading business men of this locality, having been engaged in the mercantile business here for over fourteen years. Previous to this time he was engaged at railroading as locomotive engineer. Mr. Russell was born in the parish of Rhine, County Clare, Ireland, and is a son of Timothy and Mary (Malloney) Russell, who were both natives of Ireland. When he was a little over twelve years of age his parents emigrated to America, settling in Kingston, Pa.., in which locality he has principally remained ever since. Mr. Russell was married, December 19, 1863, to Miss Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Keating, of Plymouth, Pa.; Mr. Keating was one of the first settlers in Plymouth township. The fruits of this happy union are nine children, viz.: Elizabeth, married to John H. Ryan, of Edwardsville; John J, married to Julia Vahey, of Edwardsville; Thomas F.; Mary Ann; Michael C., Jr.; Joseph; Agnes, Matthew, and Paul. Mr. Russell and his family are members of the Catholic Church. His political principles are Democratic, and he has been borough councilman for three years.
JOHN RUTLEDGE, laborer, Port Blanchard, was born January 14, 1832, in County Mayo, Ireland, and is the youngest in a family of five children born to Michael and Mary (Burke) Rutledge, also native of County Mayo, Ireland. Our subject was educated in the Irish National Schools, and afterward worked with his father on the farm. He arrived in New York in August, 1847, and settled in Schuylkill county, this State, where he received employment as a laborer in the mines. He came to Pittston in 1849, and worked at general laboring work until 1851, when he again went into the mines as laborer; one year later, in 1852, he was employed as a miner by the Pennsylvania Coal Company, with whom he stayed until 1891, when he was again employed at outside laboring work. Mr. Rutledge was united in marriage May 14, 1856, with Bridget, daughter of Peter and Bridget (Walsh) Nealon, natives of County Mayo, Ireland. This union has been blessed with five children, namely: Kate T., born May 6, 1858, and married December 26, 1889, to Patrick J. Manley, a school teacher, in Sebastopol, this county; Mary A., born March 26, 1861; John P., born April 28, 1864; Belinda A., born July 2, 1866, was married August 6, 1890 to Edward J. Moran Gibbons, a miner, of Port Griffith; and Elizabeth L., born January 2, 1872. The wife of our subject died July 6, 1882. He is a member of the Catholic Church and of the Catholic Total Abstinence Union. In politics is a Democrat.
JAMES RYAN was born in Framingham, Mass., December 10, 1850, and is a son of William and Catherine (Lynch) Ryan. His father died in 1891; he was a farmer, a soldier in the late Civil war and a member of the Third Mass. V. He was the father of three sons: John, of Ellenville, N.Y., proprietor of a pottery; James; and William, proprietor of a pottery of Keene, N. H. Our subject was reared on a farm until seventeen years of age, then entered the employ of the Somerset Pottery Company at Somerset, Mass., with whom he remained three years. He continued in business in the eastern States until 1872, when he located in Pittston and entered the employ of Evan R. Jones, remaining there three years, after which he formed a partnership with his brother at Ellenville, which existed three years. He then returned to Pittston and again worked for Mr. Jones until his death in 1880, then continued in the employ of the estate until it was disposed of in 1887, and thereafter with the purchaser, Lewis Jones, until the building burned down in 1890. He then purchased the ground and erected the building he now occupies, and has since conducted a successful business. He married, March 30, 1882, Mary G., daughter of John Gahn, an old resident of Pittston, and has two children, Esther and Harry. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, is Past Master of St. John's Lodge No. 233, F. & A.M., and is present high priest of Pittston Chapter No. 242; a member of the Wyoming Valley Commandery No. 57, K.T., the Eastern Star, Chapter No. 1, and Gahonto Lodge, I.O.O.F., No. 314; in politics he is a Republican.
JOHN RYAN, foreman, Pittston, is a native of New York City, and was born December 15, 1850. He is a son of John Ryan, in whose family were three children, viz.: Michael, a reporter on the New York Sun, who died at the age of twenty-two; Bridget, a Sister of Charity in New York; and John. When our subject was about six years of age his parents died, and soon after he went to Monticello, N.Y., to live with Mr. J. Booth. He remained there two years and attended school, then went to Damascus, Wayne county, and worked for E. Beech & Son, where he learned the tanner's trade during the next three years. June 26, 1863, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, on the gunboat, "Penobscot", but was taken out of the service by his sister who was his guardian, he being under age. He returned to the tannery, where he remained until 1873, when he came to Pittston, and has since been engaged in contract work in railroad building, chiefly through the anthracite regions. He was married in 1873 to Miss Sarah, daughter of John Morgan, of Wilkes-Barre, and by her has had three children, viz.: John M., William W., and Sarah J. Mr. Ryan is a member of the Masonic Lodge and of the Knights of Pythias. In politics he is a Republican.
T. H. RYAN, merchant, Miners Mills, was born in Scranton November 16, 1856, and is a son of James and Ann (Smith) Ryan, natives of Counties Galway and Sligo, Ireland, respectively, and a grandson of James and Mary (Ford) Ryan, who came to America in 1847, and located in Philadelphia. In his father's family there were seven children, viz.: Thomas H.; James, who was killed in the Pine Ridge Shaft at the age of fifteen; John, employed in the Steel Works at Scranton; Catharine, who lives with her mother in Miners Mills; Mary A., deceased in infancy; Ann and Mary Agnes, also living with their mother. Our subject began working in the Iron Works at the age of fourteen, and later removed with the family to Miners Mills, where he mined twelve years, afterward returning to the Iron Works for one year. He then attended the Saint Francis College, Brooklyn, one year; and after working a few months in the Scranton Steel Works, came to Miners Mills, where he worked in the mines a year and a half. He built his present store in 1884, and a few months later devoted his whole attention to the business, which he has since conducted. Mr. Ryan was married, January 21, 1883, to Miss Margaret, daughter of Patrick Munday, of Miners Mills, a native of Ireland. They have six children, viz.: James R., Ellen, Anna, Mary, Leo and Regina. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan are members of the Catholic Church. He is a member of the A.O.H.; he is a Democrat in his political views, and has held the office of school director.
J. J. RYMAN, merchant, Dallas, was born in that town April 3, 1852, and is a son of Abraham and Jemima L. (Kunkle) Ryman, both of whom were also born in Dallas. Abraham was a son of Philip, a native of New Jersey, who came to this county in its early settlement, locating in Dallas, between that village and Huntsville, on a place which is now known as the "Ryman stock farm." He was a thorough-going business man, all his lengthy life; he lived to see many changes for the better in Dallas, many of which he helped to make. He reared a family of nine children. Abraham Ryman began life in Dallas, his native town. He was a man of large business capacities, and was extensively engaged in the lumber and mercantile business. In the former business he was in partnership with Joseph Shaver; they built a saw and planing mill south of Dallas, where they manufactured lumber; this mill was burned down, but another was built on its site with greater facilities for manufacturing purposes, and now has a capacity of from 12,000 to 15,000 feet per day. Mr. A. Ryman was a public-spirited man, and possessed great influence; he was very active in church matters, and a liberal contributor to the support of the Gospel, being a member of the M.E. Church. He died December 17, 1873, having been born August 21, 1817. He reared a family of eight children, seven of whom are living, viz.: Elizabeth, Ruth E., Theodore F., William P., John J., Fred S. and Leslie A. John J. received his education in Dallas, and at the Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, and has always confined himself to lumbering and mercantile business. Mr. Ryman is a striving business man, pleasant and genial with all. He was the prime mover in organizing the Dallas Broom Company, which is now incorporated and is doing a thriving business. He has been twice married, first, to Miss May, daughter of Charles Atwater, formerly of Providence, Pa., by whom he has two children: Edith and Edna. For his second wife he married Miss Jessie, daughter of E. C. Lynde, of Scranton, Pa., by whom he has one child, Lynde. They are both members of the M.E. Church and contribute largely to its support. The Ryman Stock Farm is owned and superintended by the Ryman Bros., who confine themselves principally to raising draught horses. The lumber business is carried on in Wilkes-Barre under the name of Ryman Brothers.
WILLIAM P. RYMAN, attorney at law, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Dallas, Luzerne Co., Pa., August 23, 1847, a son of Abram and Jemima (Kunkle) Ryman. The ancestry of the Ryman [originally spelled Reiman] family came from the vicinity of Warmbrunn, in the Government of Liegnitz, Province of Silesia, Kingdom of Prussia. The first ancestor in America was George Ryman, who came to America about 1750 and settled in New Jersey, near Easton, Pa., and there married Kate Motley. He was the great-grandfather of our subject, and his children were Peter, John, Jacob and Kate, of whom Peter (the grandfather of subject) was born in New Jersey in 1776, and married Mary Sweazy, who was born in 1780, a daughter of Richard Sweazy. Peter Ryman and his wife lived for a time near Hope, Warren Co., N.J., and in 1812 settled in Dallas, Luzerne Co., Pa., with their family of children, viz.: John, Joseph, Peter and Eliza (Mrs. J. R. Baldwin); two sons were born in Dallas: Abram and Richard. They settled on Lot 5, certified, Bedford township (now Dallas), which farm is still in the possession of the Ryman family, and a portion of four generations have been born there. Abram Ryman was born August 21, 1817, and his life was spent on the old homestead, where he died December 17, 1873. His wife was a daughter of Philip and Mary (LaBar) Kunkle, of Dallas township, and by her he had seven children: Mary E. (Mrs. C. M. Maxwell), Theodore F., William P., John J., Ruth E., Fred S. and Leslie S. Abram Ryman began business as a lumberman and farmer, in 1834, and soon after embarked in the mercantile business, which he continued up to his death, the present firm of A. Ryman & Sons, of Wilkes-Barre and Dallas, having been established by him. He was one of the most progressive and enterprising men of his day and place. He commenced life with nothing, took care of his parents, had a successful business career, and was honored and respected by all who knew him. An elder brother, John Ryman, was a distinguished lawyer of Lawrenceburg, Ind., where he was in the practice of his profession for twenty-five years, and during that time had charge of a large portion of the cases taken to the Supreme Court of the State. Our subject was reared on the old homestead in Dallas, was educated in the common school at Dallas, and at Wyoming Seminary; was graduated from Cornell University in 1871, and from Harvard Law School in 1872. In November, 1873, he was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county, and to the United States Court in 1882. Since 1873 he has been in the active practice of his profession at Wilkes-Barre. He is president of the Wilkes-Barre & Eastern Railroad, and Wilkes-Barre & Williamsport Railroad, in process of construction. On December 17, 1879, Mr. Ryman was married to Charlotte M., daughter of George P. and Charlotte (Freeland) Rose, of Freeport, Ill., and has two children: Roselys and Emily. Our subject is one of the progressive citizens of Luzerne county; he introduced the first telephone put in practical operation in Wilkes-Barre, and was the organizer of the Wilkes-Barre Electric Light Company. In politics he is a Republican.