LOUIS M. CHILDS, recognized as one of the principal leaders of the Norristown bar, is a native of Pennsylvania, descended from an early English ancestry. The family originated in Hartfordshire, one of the most beautiful and interesting counties in England, and the progenitor of the American branch came from the village about ten miles distant from the city of London.

From the original Childs stock came John Childs, the paternal grandfather of Mr. Childs, born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, who was a farmer in Norristown township, and died in 1826, in early manhood. His wife, who was Ann Moore, survived him sixty-five years, dying in 1892, at the venerable age of upwards of ninety years. Joseph Foss, maternal grandfather of Mr. Childs, was of German descent, and his ancestors came to Pennsylvania early in the eighteenth century. He was a farmer by occupation, and a member of the Society of Friends. He and his wife, who was a Jones, both died early in life and on the same day, leaving two daughters.

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Jacob Childs, father of Louis M. Childs, was a native of Montgomery county and was born and reared upon a farm in Plymouth township. He removed about 1844 to Norristown and became one of its most useful and enterprising citizens. He was actively engaged in mercantile pursuits, and for some years in the iron manufacturing business. He was prominent in public affairs and served as a member of the town council for the unusual period of thirty-six years, and was for some years president of that body. He also occupied the position of borough treasurer for the period of six years. He married Lydia Foss, a native of Chester county. Both of Quaker descent, they affiliated themselves with the Society of Friends, but were not members. Mr. Childs died in 1886, at the age of sixty-four years, and his widow still survives, making her home in Norristown. They were the parents of five children: Mary, deceased; Louis M.; Walter F. and Emma H., (twins) and Lillian.

Louis M. Childs, eldest son of Jacob and Lydia (Foss) Childs, was born in Norristown, August 19, 1852. Studious from the first, he laid the foundation of an excellent education early in his youth, graduating from the high school at the age of fifteen years. He graduated in a higher course in 1868 and again in 1869, and when only seventeen entered the sophomore class in the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated in 1872, in his twentieth year. For a year afterward he was engaged in his father's iron establishment and he then entered upon a course of law reading in the office of S. R. Fox, and was admitted to the bar of Montgomery county in March, 1870, and has since then been actively engaged in his profession, maintaining offices at No. 505 Swede Street, Norristown. With ample equipment for all the departments of law, civil and criminal, he entertains a preference for those of commercial and corporation law, for which he has developed genuine talent and aptitude. His abilities found almost immediate recognition, and he entered upon ample employment in conducting the legal affairs of various important financial and commercial corporations. He has been phenomenally active in connection with banking affairs and has successfully reorganized several banking companies, in some instances finding it necessary to conduct litigious proceedings, which served to prevent insuperable difficulties. Among the institutions thus reorganized, involving severe and protracted labor and requiring deep knowledge not only of law but of business methods, were the Tradesmen's National Bank of Conshohocken, in 1889, and the Doylestown National Bank in 1903. Mr. Childs has been for some years attorney for the Tradesmen's National Bank of Conshohocken, the National Bank of Norristown, the Jenkintown National Bank, the Montgomery Trust Company and the Bucks County Trust Company. He has also been for several years counsel for the Norristown Water Company, the Norristown Gas Company and the Standard Oil Company.

Mr. Childs has always been an active and efficient advocate of the principles of the Republican party and he has wielded a potent influence throughout his county in maintaining its organization and aiding in its usefulness, but without thought of personal ambition or self-seeking and has never sought or held a public office. Mr. Childs was married, in September 1889, to Miss Alice G. Hibberd, a daughter of Norris and Eliza (Moore) Hibberd. Of this marriage have been born three children - Alice H., Marjorie and Louis M. Childs. Mrs. Childs is a member of the Presbyterian church, and her husband is an attendant there. The family home is at No. 15 Jacoby street.

 

 

FRANKLIN B. DAVIDHEISER, of the firm of Davidheiser & Keiser, contractors and builders of Pottstown, is a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he was born January 19, 1861. He is the son of John and Mary (Bingerman) Davidheiser. John Davidheiser (father) is also a native of Montgomery county. He is a farmer in Pottsgrove township. His wife is a native of Berks county. They have had eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, of whom seven are now living as follows : Franklin, Ephraim, Harrison, Howard, Annie Miranda, wife of Maurice Dotterer; Ida, wife of William Reppert, and Sallie, wife of Calvin Prutzman. John Davidheiser and his wife were Lutherans in religious faith. In politics he is a Democrat. They live in West Pottstown.

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Samuel Davidheiser (grandfather) was born in Montgomery county, and was reared in Pottsgrove township. He was a farmer by occupation. He was blind for eighteen years before his death. He was twice married, his second wife being a Mrs. Eagle, whose maiden name was Levengood. They had a large family of children. Mr. Bingerman (maternal grandfather) lived at Pine Iron Works, in Berks county, for some time, but later went to Harrisburg, where he was accidentally killed on a railroad, when he was upwards of seventy years of age. He was a miller by trade. His wife was a Miss Hatfield. They had a large family.

Franklin B. Davidheiser was reared on a farm in Montgomery county, spending the summers in the usual way, and attending the district schools in winter. He worked at the carpenter trade three years, and then began contracting on his own account. Most of his life has been spent in Montgomery county, although he lived for some time in Kansas, and in the South. He has been a resident of Pottstown for the past eighteen years.

On October 30, 1887, he married Mary Emma, daughter of John and Rebecca (Burkey) Endy. Mr. and Mrs. Davidheiser have had six children: Harry, (died at the age of three months), Sallie Rebecca, Mary Ella, Charles F., Morris F., Hilary E. Mr. and Mrs. Davidheiser are members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church of Pottstown. He belongs also to Stichter Lodge, No. 254, Free and Accepted Masons; and Pottstown Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. Politically Mr. Davidheiser is an Independent. He built his present substantial brick residence, No. 518 North Franklin street, in 1893. He owns several business lots.

Mrs. Davidheiser's parents reside at Leesport, Pennsylvania. They lived for some time in Montgomery county. They had eight children, of whom six are now living as follows : Mary Emma, Harry, Cora, wife of Oscar Hiester; John, Lizzie, wife of Milton Snyder; and Oscar. John Endy follows various pursuits. His father was David Endy. Mrs. Davidheiser's maternal grandfather was Jonathan Burkey.

 

 

JOSEPH K. CORSON, M. D., of Whitemarsh township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, a physician and surgeon of high repute, and who made an excellent military record in the line and in the medical department of the army during and subsequent to the Civil war, is a representative of the Corson family whose ancestral history is given on other pages of this work.

He was born at Maple Hill, in the township in which he now resides, November 22, 1836, son of Dr. Hiram and Ann (Foulke) Corson. He began his education under private tutors in the parental home; studied advanced branches under the preceptorship of Frederick Anspach, of the Lutheran church at Barren Hill, and then finished a course under the Rev. Samuel Aaron, an accomplished teacher, in the famous Treemount Seminary at Norristown. He then entered the drug store of William and John Savery, in Philadelphia, and in 1858, at the age of twenty-two, received his degree in pharmacy. Being offered a situation in St. Paul, Minnesota, then a small but growing town, he accepted, but the failure of his employers soon left him without employment, and he returned home. There he engaged in the lime business with his cousin, Laurence F. Corson, at Norristown. Soon afterward he matriculated in the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, but his studies were almost immediately suspended on account of the outbreak of the slaveholders' rebellion. Laying aside his text books, he enlisted in a company of the Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment, recruited in Norristown, and of which Walter H. Cook was captain.

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His company was mustered into the service of the United States at Harrisburg, and then proceeded to Perryville. Mr. Corson was honorably discharged on July 26, 1861, having completed his three months term of service under President Lincoln's first call for troops, and retiring with the rank of sergeant. He then resumed his medical studies in Philadelphia, and received an appointment as medical cadet in the army hospital at Broad and Cherry streets, and served in that capacity from June 1, 1861, until March 1863. In the same month he graduated from his medical school with the degree of doctor of medicine, and was at once commissioned assistant surgeon of the Sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, a position which he filled from March 23, 1863, to June 11, 1864, and he was subsequently acting assistant surgeon at Camp Discharge, in Lower Merion township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. During his army service he was present at the battles of Gettysburg, Falling Water, Manassas Gap, Bristow Station, Mine Run, Rappahannock Station, the Wilderness, Spottsylvania, North Anna River, and Bethesda Church in Virginia, and acquitted himself so creditably that he received from the President the brevet commission of major, "for faithful and meritorious service during the Wilderness Campaign in Virginia." He subsequently received the congressional Medal of Honor, conferred "for most distinguished gallantry in action near Bristow Station, Virginia, with the Pennsylvania Reserves," and his honorable discharge from the army, consequent upon the close of the war, he practiced medicine at home in association with his father.

October 9, 1867, Dr. Corson was commissioned assistant surgeon with the rank of first lieutenant, in the United States army. From November of that year to March 1, 1868, he was on duty at Governors Island, in New York Harbor and during this time made a sea voyage to Galveston, Texas, with recruits, and at New Orleans cared for forty of their number who were stricken with cholera. From March to September of the same year he was on duty at the cavalry depot at Carlisle Barracks; to December 6, 1869, was stationed at Fort Fred Steele, in Wyoming, and while here (July 23, 1869), was promoted to a captaincy in the medical corps. His further army service was as follows Omaha Barracks, to July, 1870; Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming, to September, 1870; Fort Bridger, Wyoming, to November, 1872; Mobile Barracks, Alabama, to September, 1873; Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama, to May, 1876; Plattsburg Barracks, New York, to May, 1878; Fort Whipple, Arizona, to October, 1878; Fort Yuma, California, to August, 1882; Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, to November, 1886; Fort Sherman, Idaho, to September 15, 1890; Washington Barracks, District of Columbia, to October, 1894, during which time he was commissioned surgeon with the rank of major. After a leave of absence for one month, which he spent at home, he was assigned to duty at Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming. He remained in the army until 1897, when he was placed on the retired list, and took up his residence at his elegant home, "Maple Mill," in Whitemarsh township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. Dr. Corson is a member of the Patriotic Order of the Sons of the Revolution, and of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion.

Dr. Corson married, November 2, 1874, Miss Mary Ada Carter, daughter of Judge William Alexander Carter, of Fort Bridger, Wyoming, originally from Virginia, where the family is one of the oldest and most honored in the state. Two children were born of this marriage, Mary Carter and Edward Foulke Corson. The daughter was born at Mount Vernon Barracks, Alabama, January 4, 186. For the obtainment of better educational advantages for her, her parents sent her to school in Philadelphia. On her return home after a years absence, in June 1890, the train in which she was traveling went over an embankment, and she sustained such injuries that she died within an hour. The remains were interred at West Laurel Hill Cemetery. The son, Edward Foulke Corson, was born at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, in February 1883. He attended the Friends School in Washington City while his father was stationed there. In October 1895,

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he entered the Germantown Academy, from which he was graduated in 1901. He has just completed his second year in the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania.

 

NEWBERRY ALLEN SMITH, who for many years was a highly respected citizen of Abington township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was a native of the city of Philadelphia, born April 24, 1807. His paternal ancestors were English, and his maternal ancestors, the Keysers, were of an old German family which located in Germantown during the time of William Penn. The earlier generations of the Keyser family were prominently identified with the Society of Dunkards. His parents were Newberry and Sarah (Keyser) Smith, who were married in 1804, the former named having been a native of Burlington, New Jersey, and the latter of Germantown, Pennsylvania.

Newberry A. Smith obtained an excellent education in the schools of his native city, and the knowledge thus acquired thoroughly qualified him for a life of usefulness and activity. He was a prominent and successful wholesale merchant of Philadelphia, but retired from active business pursuits in 1864.

From about 1853 until his death, October 25, 1877, a period of almost a quarter of a century, he was a resident of Abington township, and during those years he faithfully and conscientiously performed all the duties pertaining to good citizenship.

On March 8, 1832, Mr. Smith married Ann A. Gorgas, who was born May 30, 1813, a daughter of George and Rachel (Clemens) Gorgas, and three children were the issue of this marriage: 1. Sarah K., born November 29, 1832; she was united in marriage, June 11, 1862, to Edward Augustus Turpin, who was born in Powhattan county, Virginia, January 8, 1804, a son of Horatio and Mary Ann (Bancroft) Turpin, and a descendant of an old and prominent family who were connected in marriage relationship with some of the leading families of Virginia and the south. Mr. Turpin was a graduate of Transylvania University, at Lexington, Kentucky, and read law in the office of his cousin, John J. Crittenden, who was secretary of state, at Washington, D. C. Mr. Turpin, however, did not practice law. During the administration of James Buchanan as President of the United States, he was appointed United States minister at Caracas, Venezuela, and served in that capacity during the administration of President Buchanan and part of that of President Lincoln. After a long and useful career Mr. Turpin died June 22, 1880. By his marriage with Sarah K. Smith he had born to him one daughter, Emma Smith Turpin, the date of the birth being December 17, 1864. His widow married, secondly, George Cockburn Harvey, who was born in 1815, in Bermuda, and for a number of years was a prominent merchant in Halifax, Nova Scotia. To this union there was no issue. 2. Emma Wayne, born June 13, 1837; she was united in marriage in 1856 to Edward C. Stockton, who died in 1863. They were the parents of two children: Newberry Allen Stockton, born October 22, 1859, who married Christine S. Hare, daughter of Charles W. and Mary Hare, in June, 1887, and their children are: Mary H., born September 3, 1888; Newberry Allen, born December 31, 1890; and Christine H., born June 3, 1897. The second child of Edward C. and Emma W. Stockton was Constance W., born in 1862, and died in 1864. 3. Anna W., born in 1840, died in infancy.

 

 

EDWARD Y. TOWNSEND, whose death occurred at his country home at Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, November 5, 1891, in the fullness of a well-spent life, was for eighteen years the president of the Cambria Iron Company, and one of the most useful, representative business men of Philadelphia. During his entire lifetime he worthily upheld the name of a family that has been held in esteem since the days of William Penn. His ancestors in direct line were John W., William, John, and Joseph, and he was the fifth in lineal descent from the latter named, who was a younger brother of Richard Townsend, who was prominently connected with William Penn in the early history of the province of Pennsylvania. Joseph Townsend came to America in 1712, soon after the arrival here of William Penn, and purchased

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a large tract of land, including a part of the site of the present town or borough of West Chester, and extending westward to the Brandywine. In 1746 he built a dwelling near West Chester, which is still standing and in a fair state of preservation. Herein they lived, and they worshipped according to the tenets of the Society of Friends or Quakers.

Edward Y. Townsend was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, October 4, 1824, a son of John W. and Sybilla K. (Price) Townsend, the latter named having been a daughter of Philip Price. His early education was acquired in Anthony Bolmar's school at West Chester, which he left when eighteen years old to enter the wholesale dry goods house of Wood, Abbott & Co., of Philadelphia. This firm was composed of Richard D. Wood, James Abbott, Josiah Bacon, John Yarrow and others, and transacted a large and profitable business with the south and west. During his apprenticeship he made many business trips on horseback through the then unsettled wilderness of the frontiers, extending as far as Santa Fe, New Mexico. These journeys were made alone, and some of them consumed weeks and months. Wood Abbott & Co. having subsequently dissolved, about the time Mr. Townsend became of age, he was taken into partnership in the new firm of Wood, Bacon & Co., where he continued until the acquisition of a large interest in the Cambria Iron Company by Richard D. Wood and his brother, Charles S. Wood, when in the firm of Wood, Morrell & Co. was organized and he became an active partner in it. The Cambria Iron Works were situated at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and this concern was organized to lease the works and carry on the business of making iron rails, and to purchase the stock with the idea of ultimately reorganizing the company. Of the six partners that composed the firm, three took the active management of the business, namely: Charles S. Wood, Edward Y. Townsend, and Daniel J. Mortell. In 1857 the rolling mill was destroyed by fire, but the firm immediately rebuilt it and continued the business until 1861, when, one of the purposes of the partnership being carried out by the purchase or control of all the stock of the old Cambria Iron Company, that corporation was reorganized, Charles S. Wood becoming president, Edward Y. Townsend vice-president, and Daniel J. Morrell general manager. The company was one of the earliest to become interested in the Bessemer patent for making steel, and gradually increased the capacity of the works until it became one of the largest producers of steel rails in this country. Upon the death of Charles S. Wood, in May 1873, Mr. Townsend was elected to the presidency of the company, which he held up to the time of his decease. In this wide field of usefulness his remarkable business qualities had ample scope, and they were eminently successful. With the assistance of an able board of directors, and by careful, conservative management, he was enabled to reduce the floating debt and to place the establishment on a sound financial basis, and in this way it was able to withstand and recover from the destructive flood of 1889 without embarrassment. That great disaster was an especial shock to Mr. Townsend's kindly and sympathetic nature, and one from which he never fully recovered, as so many of his workmen and their families were swept away. When the news of the disaster reached him he hurried from his home, accompanied by a personal friend, Mr. J. Lowber Welsh, to the residence of Mayor Fitler, where he met in consultation several members of the Citizens Permanent Relief Committee of Philadelphia. Day after day his entire time and attention were absorbed by the company affairs, and his energy in getting the works started again helped to restore confidence in the future, which was almost as much needed as food, clothing or shelter. He donated generously to various worthy charities, and was ever ready and willing to counsel and help those who came to him for advice and assistance, and this his death was sincerely mourned by all classes of men.

Mr. Townsend first became a resident of Montgomery county in 1868 when, with his wife and two sons, he came to spend the summer at Haverford. Five summers were thus spent by the family until Bryn Mawr was formed, when they passed two summers at the hotel erected there by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. In 1874 Mr. Townsend purchased a few acres on Merion Avenue, where he enjoyed his summers, and three years later he purchased the adjoining property owned by the Tilghmans and extending along Montgomery Avenue, making about thirteen acres in all, in the middle of the new settlement of Bryn Mawr, on the north side of the railroad.

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The property was mostly unimproved farmland, and Mr. Townsend spent considerable time and money in grading it and having it cultivated and planted with rare trees, which now, after thirty years of growth, are monuments to his memory. There was an unsightly dam in the middle of the place on Montgomery Avenue, and he arranged with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company when widening the cut at Bryn Mawr to have the earth hauled in to fill up the low places, thus greatly improving the appearance of the place, and the creek which before flowed through the land was placed in a deep culvert. The only positions held by Mr. Townsend were directorships in the boards of the Philadelphia National Batik and the Philadelphia Trust and Safe Deposit Company. His political affiliations were with the Republican party. He was brought up in the Society of Friends, but of late years attended the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Trinity, Nineteenth and Walnut streets, Philadelphia.

Edward Y. Townsend married Henrietta M. Troth, daughter of Henry and Henrietta Troth, the former named having been an honored and public-spirited citizen of Philadelphia. Their children are Henry T. and John W. Townsend.

 

 

HENRY TROTH TOWNSEND, of Lower Merion township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, eldest son of Edward Y. and Henrietta M. (Troth) Townsend, was born October 1, 1851.

He was educated at private schools in the city of Philadelphia, and in 1870 he graduated from the Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania, taking the degree of Mechanical Engineer. In 1872 he was elected treasurer of the Logan Iron and Steel Company, which position he held for ten years, when he was elected president of the company. After a continuous service in that capacity for twenty-two years and a service of thirty-two years in all with the same company, he declined a re-election as president in January, 1903, although continuing to serve as a director. For a number of years he has served as a director in the Southwark Foundry and Machine Company, in the Bryn Mawr Hotel Company, and in the Philadelphia National Bank. Mr. Townsend is a member of the council of the Philadelphia Board of Trade. He also holds membership in the Merion Cricket Chub, the Art Club of Philadelphia, the Engineers Club, the Church Club, and the American Institute of Mining Engineers.

Mr. Townsend was married, in 1874, to Maria Potts, daughter of Robert S. Potts, a member of an old Montgomery county family, residents of Pottstown, and they immediately settled at Bryn Mawr, where they have since continued to reside. They are the parents of one son Edward Y. Townsend-and three daughters.

 

 

JOHN W. TOWNSEND, vice-president of the Cambria Steel Company, whose works are located at Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was born in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 29, 185. He is a son of the late Edward Y. and Henrietta M. (Troth) Townsend.

John W. Townsend graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1875, and three years later was given the degree of Master of Arts. He entered the office of the Cambria Iron Company after leaving college, and is now in his thirtieth year of continuous service in that company, and of the lessee company-the Cambria Steel Company-serving now in the capacity of vice-president and a member of the boards of both companies. Mr. Townsend became a voter in Montgomery county shortly after attaining his majority, residing at Bryn Mawr eight months of the year, and the remainder of the time he resides at No. 2103 Walnut street, Philadelphia. Upon his marriage, which occurred in 1881, his father built for him the stone house on the north side of Montgomery Avenue, near Merion Avenue, Bryn Mawr, in which he resided until 1902, when the needs of a growing family necessitated his building the larger house in which he now lives.

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It is west of his old house, both houses being on the old Tilghman property purchased by his father in the year 1879. In the early days of the history of Bryn Mawr, Mr. Townsend took a deep interest in its development and welfare, collecting the subscriptions and arranging for the macadamizing of a portion of Montgomery Avenue, which was then only covered with gravel. He also devoted considerable time to the societies which in the early days were formed to attend to the general care and needs of the neighborhood. The deep interest he has always taken in literary and scientific matters is evidenced by the fact of his holding membership in a number of societies and clubs, among which are the following: Franklin Institute, Engineers' Club, Historical Society, Numismatic and Antiquarian Society, Horticultural Society, Foresters Association, Genealogical Society, Philobiblon Club, University Archaeological Society, Archaeological Institute of America, Academy of Fine Arts, Contemporary Club, University Club, Rittenhouse Club, Penn Club, Church Club, and the Merion Cricket Club. He is a member of the Board of College Alumni of the University of Pennsylvania, of the Church Club, a director of the Young Men's Christian Association of Philadelphia, and has been for many years a vestryman of the Church of the Holy Trinity, at Nineteenth and Walnut streets, Philadelphia.

Mr. Townsend married Mary S. Sharpe, daughter of Charles A. and Marianna S. Sharpe, and their children are: Charles S., a graduate in the class of 1904, University of Pennsylvania; Edith, a graduate of the Ingleside School, at New Milford, Connecticut; John W., Jr., a member of the class of 1907, University of Pennsylvania; Stockton, a member of the class of 1905, Episcopal Academy; Roger R.; and Richard L. Townsend.

 

 

JAMES K. THOMSON. The Thomsons are an old family in Norriton township. Hannah Thomson kept the Jeffersonville Hotel in 1784 when Montgomery county was created. The date stone in the western wall shows the inscription, "A. T., 1765," the initials being those of the builder, Archibald Thomson, who was a colonel in the Revolutionary war. Colonel Thomson's grandfather, also Archibald, on March 23, 1742, purchased of the Isaac Norris estate one hundred twenty-six and one-half acres of land, and in 1743, of Samuel Norris, ninety acres. He died September 17, 1746, in his sixty-eighth year, leaving a widow, Rebecca, and the following children: Robert, James, Samuel, Archibald, Moses, Martha and John. Rebecca died in 1748.

Robert Thomson, the eldest son, had purchased land five years before his father, as well as two other tracts later. These tracts are all located in Norriton, Jeffersonville Hotel standing in their center. He died August 6, 1747, in his fortieth year. His wife's name was Mary, and his children were: Archibald (Colonel), Mark, James, Martha, Agnes, and Rebecca. Robert Thomson's widow afterwards married Robert Curry, a neighbor. She died April 9, 1804, aged ninety-seven years, her husband having died ten years previously. Of the children of Robert Thomson, Mark settled in Sussex county, New Jersey; James married Sarah Falconer and settled in Chester county; Martha married James Sheppard and settled in Plymouth; Agnes married Thomas Darrah and settled in Bucks county; Rebecca married William Darrah and settled in Bucks county. Archibald Thomson married Hannah Bartholomew. Having built the hotel, He secured a license as an innkeeper in 1766. He took a very active part in the Revolutionary war, but like other members of his family he died early, on November 19, 1779, in the thirty-ninth year of his age. His wife and seven children survived him, as follows: Sarah, Robert, Joseph, Mark, Benjamin, Archibald and Mary. His widow conducted the inn after his death. She died November 4, 1789.

Benjamin Thomson (grandfather) married Elizabeth Stroud, and they had a large family of children. She lived to a great age, and was known as Aunt Petsy Thomson, dying in 1878, at the age of one hundred and two years. Among the children of Benjamin and Elizabeth Thomson was James, who married Susan Keel.

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Their children were: John A., deceased, Mark, a well-known resident of Norristown; Archibald D., who died in 1880; Samuel, who died young; James K.; Emma Margaret, who died young; and Charles H., who lives in Roxboro.

James K. Thomson was born January 27, 1844, at Laurel Hill, Philadelphia, where his parents were residing at that time. His father died in May of the same year, from the accidental running of a hemlock sliver under his finger nail while he was unloading a barrel of flour from a wagon. His wife had died a month previous.

The earlier years of James K. Thomson were spent on a farm, he attending the schools of Plymouth township, in which he resided.

From 1871-75 he was engaged in mercantile business at 128 East Main street, Norristown, being most of the time with Ambrose Dettre. He was married March 9, 1875, to Annie Ramsey, they commencing married life on the Herberner farm, near Hickorytown, now occupied by Orlando Rex. Later he occupied the Vail farm, and for a time served milk in Norristown. Another farm he occupied was that of James Loeser, the farm which he now owns.

From 1883-1886 he occupied the Harley farm and for the next three years the Sylvester Zimmerman farm in Whitpain. In 1890 he returned to the Rhoads farm where he now lives, purchasing it in March, 1903, after having occupied it thirteen years. It contains seventy-seven acres of good land and a house which was erected in 1775 and is still in good condition, having been very substantially built. The couple have one child, Mary R. Thomson, born May 18, 1877. Mrs. Thomson is a daughter of Michael S. and Mary Holgate (Rodenboh) Ramsey. She has a brother, William H. Ramsey, who lives in Norristown, and a sister, Mary J., in Upper Providence. Her father died in 1857, and her mother in January, 1899, at the advanced age of eighty-seven years.

James K. Thomson has been, from the time he became of age, a very active Republican, taking an earnest interest in party successes in township, county, state and nation. The district in which he resides being Democratic, he has held no office therein except those of auditor and member of the election board. In November, 1901, he became a candidate for director of the poor of Montgomery county, on the Republican ticket. He was elected and has filled the office with credit to himself and benefit to the institution.

Mr. Thomson is a successful farmer. He takes all active interest in farmers' institutes and other agencies for promoting the progress of agriculture. He is prominent in every movement for the advancement of the community in which he lives. Since 1865 he has been a member of Curtis Lodge, No. 239, I. O. O. F., of Norristown, filling. several subordinate offices therein. He is also a member of Cold Point Grange and has been its secretary for the past fourteen years. He was its master for one year and also of the Pomona Grange No. 8, of Montgomery county, of which he is chaplain.

 

 

 

DR. DAVID HENDRICKS BERGEY is the son of Godshalk Reiff and Susan D. (Hendricks) Bergey. He was educated in the public schools of Lower Salford township, at West Chester State Normal School and at Ursinus College. He taught public schools for two years, and in 1881 commenced the study of medicine with Dr. Samuel Wolfe, of Skippack. He entered the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, October 1, 1881, graduating with the degree of M. D., May 1, 1884, and also received the degree of B. S. from the University June 13, 1884. He received the degree of A. M. from the Illinois Wesleyan University in 1894 for non-resident work in science and. philosophy. Dr. Bergey engaged in the practice of medicine at North Wales, Pennsylvania, from June, 1884, to November, 1893. In the fall of 1893 he entered the Laboratory of Hygiene of the University, of Pennsylvania as a special research student, and was appointed Scott Fellow in Hygiene, 1894-95; Instructor in Hygiene, 1895-96: First Assistant in Hygiene, 1896-1903: Assistant Professor of Bacteriology, 1903. He is the author of the following text books: "A Handbook of Practical Hygiene," 1899: "The Principles of Hygiene," 1901. Dr. Bergey married June 5, 1884, at Skippack, Pennsylvania, Annie S., daughter of Joseph F. and Catherine (Stauffer) Hallman, of Skippack township, Montgomery county.

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Joseph Hallman is a farmer by occupation. He is the son of Joseph and Margaret (Fry) Hallman and a descendant of Anthony Hallman, of Skippack township, who was one of the building committee of the Old Trappe Lutheran church in 1743. Margaret Fry (grandmother of Mrs. Bergey) was a descendant of Henry and Catherine (Levering) Fry, who came to America in 1680.

Dr. David H. Bergey is a Republican in politics. He held the office of school director in North Wales for three years, and served as secretary of the board of health of North Wales from its first organization until 1893. Dr. Bergey stands very high in his profession for so young a man, being but little past forty years of age. He has achieved a high rank among the medical practitioners of Philadelphia and of the country. He is a member of the following organizations: Montgomery County Medical Society, Pennsylvania Medical Society, American Medical Association, Society of American Bacteriologists, American Association of Pathologists and Bacteriologists, American Climatological Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Educational Association, University of Pennsylvania Chapter Sigma Xi.

Godshalk Reiff Bergey (father) was born in Lower Salford township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, January 25, 1833. He was educated in the public schools of the township, and at Washington Hall Collegiate Institute at Trappe, Pennsylvania. He taught in the public schools of Berks and Montgomery counties and later engaged in the occupation of farming which he followed in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, up to 1901. He now lives retired in Philadelphia. He is a Republican in politics, and served as a member of the school board of Lower Salford township for a number of years. In religious faith he is a member of the Mennonite church. He married, January 13, 1856, Susan D. Hendricks, daughter of John H. and Mary (Detweiler) Hendricks, (both deceased), of Skippack township.

The ceremony was performed by Rev. Henry G. Johnson of Skippack. John H. Hendricks (father of Mrs. Bergey) was the son of Henry and Barbara (Hendricks) Hendricks, of Towamencin township. Mary Detweiler was the daughter of Joseph and Susanna (Shoemaker) Detweiler and granddaughter of Jacob and Maria (Funk) Detweiler, great-granddaughter of John Funk, and great-great-granddaughter of Bishop Henry Funk, of Lower Salford township.

Godshalk Reiff Bergey had by his union in marriage born to him the following children 1. Nelson H., born January 3, 1857; he married, October 25, 1879, Mary Moyer, and has children L. Arthur, Sallie M., Susan M., Katie M., Nelson and Raymond D. 2. Dr. David H., of this review, 3. Elizabeth H., born August 9, 1862; she married John C. Kaiser, June 11, 1881, and has children Harry G., Lizzie Irene, Susan May, who married Harry Gottshalk, September 2, 1903; Ida Myrtle is the next in order of birth; Barbara Ella and Bertha Alvilda, who is deceased. The mother of these children, Elizabeth (Bergey) Kaiser, died April 8, 1890. 4. Sarah H., born December 4, 1863; she married Nari Hunsicker, November 18, 1882, and had one child, Lovina B. Hunsicker. The mother died October 8, 1883. 5. Mary H., born April 7, 1865, died January 21, 1860. 6. Irwin H., born March 31, 1869; he married, February 20, 1892, Mary Kepler; no issue.

The Bergeys are one of the oldest families of German descent in Montgomery county. John Ulrich Bergey, the founder of the family in this country, emigrated to America about the year 1717, presumably from Saxony, and located in Salford township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where he purchased a farm of 250 acres from Hugh Roberts, March 16, 1726. In 1760 he served as road supervisor of Salford township. At the organization of the congregation of the Salford Mennonite church, in 1738, John Ulrich Bergey was one of the charter members. His wife was Anna Mary Bergey. The ancestors of Dr. David H. Bergey in direct line of descent are as follows, the list being confined to those living in America: 1. John Ulrich Bergey, founder of the family: 2. John Bergey, whose wife was Anna

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Bergey; John Bergey was a miller in Upper Salford township; 3. Jacob Bergey, married Elizabeth Godshalk. Jacob Bergey was a farmer and weaver by occupation, and resided in Lower Salford township; 4. Rev. David Bergey, married (first wife) Elizabeth (Reiff) Kolb; second wife Annie (Burgstresser) Kreamer. He was a farmer by occupation; he was a minister in the Mennonite church, residing in Lower Salford; 5. Godshalk R. Bergey, married Susan D. Hendricks. He was a farmer by occupation but now resides in Philadelphia; 6. Dr. David H. Bergey.

Among other prominent ancestors of Dr. David H. Bergey may be mentioned the following: Jacob Reiff, the elder, of Lower Salford township; Valentine Hunsicker, of Lower Salford; Dillman Kolb, Peter Schumacher, and Isaac Von Sintern, of Germantown; Jan de Voss, burgomaster in Hansbooten, in Flanders, about 1550; Gerhart Clemens, of Lower Salford; Leonard Hendricks, and Rev. Jacob Gaettschalk, of Towamencin; Christian Moyer of Lower Salford, and Jacob Shoemaker of the same township.

Among prominent ancestors of Annie S. Hallman (wife of Dr. Bergey) are the following: Christian Stauffer, of Lower Salford; Dillman Kolb, Isaac Van Sinterm and Jacob Schumacher, of Germantown; Jacob Grater, of Skippack, and Valentine Hunsicker, of Lower Salford.

 

 

JOHN HAMPTON, one of the most prominent farmers in Upper Merion, has long been influential in Republican politics in Montgomery county. An active worker at the polls, he also takes an active part in the township and neighborhood affairs generally. He filled the position of county commissioner, one of the most responsible offices, for a period of six years, from 1887 to 1903, during which many important improvements were carried through and the reconstruction of the courthouse entered upon, although not completed. Besides the services thus rendered as a leading spirit in the board, Mr. Hampton has been frequently a delegate to county conventions of his party, has been township auditor and Republican county committeeman for many years.

Mr. Hampton resides near the village of Abrams. He is the second son of John and Anna (Chalfant) Hampton. He is a native of Delaware county, Pennsylvania, where he was born August 15, 1842. His grandfather resided in Chester county and was a leading farmer there.

John Hampton, Sr., (father) grew to manhood in Chester county. On coming of age he removed to Montgomery county, locating in Upper Merion township in 1840. He died in January, 1881. He was a Republican in politics and in religious faith a member of the Baptist church. He took an active interest in township affairs and served as road supervisor, besides holding other local positions. He married Anna Chalfant, who was born in 1806 and died in 1878. The couple had four sons, David, John, Isaiah and George (deceased). Their daughters were Lydia; Sophia, who harried Joseph Gill; Jane, deceased; and Mary, who married Jacob Michner.

Coming with his parents to Upper Merion at the age of two years, ex-Commissioner John Hampton has been practically a lifelong resident of the township. He was educated in the common schools and Treemount Seminary and assisted his father until twenty-five years of age. After reaching his majority, he made choice of the occupation of farming, in which he had been reared, and purchased the farm which he has since occupied, one of the most fertile and best cultivated in his section of Montgomery county. Mr. Hampton is a practical, progressive and prosperous farmer, giving the most careful attention to business. He has long been an active member of the Patrons of Husbandry. He is also a member of the Masonic order. In 1866 Mr. Hampton married Esther Hallowell Ramsey, daughter of Benjamin B. and Sarah Potts (Hallowell) Ramsey. Mrs. Hampton was born November 15, 1839, in Upper Merion township. Her father was a member of an old Montgomery county family of Swedish descent. He was a mechanic and also engaged in the lime business, which has so long been an important industry of Upper Merion. Mr. Ramsey was a Republican and served as justice of the peace for many years, his influence being exerted to diminish rather than to encourage litigation.

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He also held the office of school director for several years. Although not a member he was a frequent attendant at Christ (Swedes') church, Upper Merion. He marred Sarah Potts Hallowell, also of an old Upper Merion family, of English descent. Their children are: Nathan H. and (2) Esther H., twins, born November 15, 1839. Nathan H. resides in Lancaster. He married Miss Cascaden, who is now deceased. (3) Hannah Wager, born May 14, 1842. (4) Elizabeth A. married George W. H. Thomas, a well known resident of Bridgeport, who died several years ago. (5) Charles A. married Clara Martin. The couple reside in Conshohocken.

Mr. and Mrs. John Hampton have four children: Clarence, born October 21, 1867, married Miss Lillie Pannepacker, and has one son, William. They reside in Philadelphia. Clarence Hampton, a teacher of long experience, is supervising principal of a Philadelphia grammar school, and stands high among the educators of that city. William T., born October 27, 1870, died March 19, 1890. Howard, born October 25, 1872, is unmarried and resides with his parents. Bertha Esther, born September 3, 1876, married Herbert H. Ganser, who is the superintendent of the Gas Company of Montgomery county, of Norristown, where the couple reside. They have no children.

Few men are possessed to such an extent of the esteem and confidence of their neighbors as John Hampton. When he has been a candidate for public office he has invariably led his ticket, receiving many votes from political opponents. In every relation of life he is an example which every one may follow.

 

 

CHARLES MATHER, a conveyancer of Jenkintown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was born in Cheltenham township, Montgomery county, March 19, 1823, a son of John and Martha (Potts) Mather, the latter named being a daughter of Zebulon Potts, who was an officer in the Revolutionary army, the first sheriff of Montgomery county, and a member of the senate at the time of his death.

The Mather family are of English ancestry. Joseph Matther, the great- great-grandfather of Charles Mather, came to America in 1682, previous to the coming of William Penn, and settled in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he served for four years with Phineas Pemberton.

In 1697 he married Elizabeth Russell, of Cheltenham township, a daughter of John Russell, and after his marriage resided on the Russell homestead, a tract of three hundred acres of land situated in Cheltenham township, and there spent the remainder of his life. He died in 1724. Their children were: Isabella, Elizabeth, Mary, Diehard, John, and one other son who died in early life.

Richard Mather great-grandfather of Charles Mather, was born in Cheltenham township, Montgomery, Pennsylvania, in 1698. He learned, he cabinet nicking trade, but never followed that business, residing on the homestead farm the greater part of his life.

In 1727 he married Sarah Penrose, daughter of Bartholomew and Esther (Leach) Penrose, and their children were: Joseph, Bartholomew Elizabeth, Sarah, Richard, Benjamin, Mary, Isaac, Esther, and Hannah. Richard Mather, father of these children, died July 17, 1776.

Isaac Mather, grandfather of Charles Mather, was born in Cheltenham township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, July 9, 1749. He acquired a common school education, and afterward served an apprenticeship at the trade of millwright. In 1769 he erected a mill near what is now Chelten Hill Station, the mill being now the property of John Wanamaker. He subsequently removed to Whitemarsh, Montgomery county, and there engaged in the milling business for a number of years. He spent the autumn of his life on the homestead farm, where his death occurred in 1808. He married Mary Morris, daughter of Joshua Morris, May 17, 1770, and they had issue Susanna, Mary, Joseph, John, Sarah, Joshua, Charles and Isaac.

John Mather, father of Charles Mather, was born at Whitemarsh, Montgomery county; Pennsylvania, February 13, 1776. He received a common school education, and his business career was devoted to milling and farming. A portion of the latter years of his life were spent on the homestead farm, and the remainder in Jenkintown, where he died on August 7, 1865.

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His wife, Martha (Potts) Mather, who died on August 2, 1873, bore him the following named children Isaac, born August 27, 1806, married Ann Hallowell, and resides on the old homestead, now in his ninety-eighth year. Edward, born July 24, 1808, married Hannah Paul, and died March 26, 1901. John, born June 27, 1810 not heard from since 1838. Martha, born May 19, 1812, died unmarried on September 13, 1886. Daniel, born December 6, 1816, died May 12, 1817. Rebecca S., born January 18, 1819, widow of Charles Mitchener, Elizabeth H., born November 21, 1820, became the wife of Samuel W. Noble, and died September 12, 1897. Charles, born March 19, 1823, mentioned hereinafter. Jane, born May 13, 1825, died July 23, 1897. Ann, born August 31, 1827, unmarried, and living at the present time (1904).

Charles Mather, youngest son of John and Martha Mather, acquired his education in the Friends' School of Jenkintown, and afterwards engaged in agricultural pursuits until he attained the age of twenty-one years. He then went to Rochester, New York, was there employed for two years, and at the expiration of this period of time returned to Jenkintown and purchased a spice mill in Philadelphia which he operated for three or four years. He then sold his spice mill, and for the following five years was engaged in the manufacture of printing ink. He was next engaged in the advertising business, which be conducted until 1861, when he returned to Jenkintown, and since that date has been engaged in a conveyancing and insurance company. He is secretary of the Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Jenkintown, and of the Mutual Home Insurance Company of the same place. He served as justice of the peace for a number of years, but resigned this office to become a notary public for the Jenkintown Bank. He was one of the first borough councilmen, and served one term as burgess. Politically he is a Republican, but takes no active part in political matters. Socially he is a charter member of Friendship Lodge No. 400, Free and Accepted Masons. He is an honored resident of Jenkintown, and is respected and esteemed by the whole community.

Mr. Mather was married to Alice O. Warner, daughter of William and Maria (Pierie) Warner, of Philadelphia, in that city, by Mayor Swift, on December 31, 1846. To them were born the following named children: Mary W., born October 22, 1847. Charles, born April 18, 1849, married Annie Bates, daughter of George and Margaret Bates, and they are the parents of four sons Charles, born August 19, 1883; Pierie, born January 18, 1895; Raymond, born June 28, 1886; Otis, born January 30, 1890. William W., born April 4, 1852.

 

 

WILLIAM JOHN MARTIN. Dennis Charles Martin, a highly respected and worthy citizen of Bryn Mawr, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 14, 1856, a son of the late William John and Anna M. (Kelly) Martin.

William J. Martin (father), for many years an active and prominent citizen of West Haverford, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, was born in London Derry, Ireland, in 1824, and died June 13, 1860. He acquired a practical education at the national schools of his native country, and when a youth of seventeen years emigrated to the United youth he being of the same opinion as many other young men that the opportunities for business success were greater there than in the country of their birth. Upon attaining his majority he engaged in the shipping business, running merchant vessels, trading between this country and the West India islands, making the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his business center. In 1856 he removed from Philadelphia to West Haverford, taking up his residence at the old Revolutionary hostelry known as the "Old Buck," at which place he died.

William J. Martin was united in marriage to Anna M. Kelly, daughter of Dennis and Mary (Boyle) Kelly, and the following named children were born to them: 1. Henry D., born March 21, 1853, in Philadelphia, near Eighteenth and Cherry streets. He acquired his early education in the private school of Professor Roth, located at Broad

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and Pine streets; he then attended Villa Nova College, at Villa Nova, Pennsylvania, for about one year, and this was supplemented by a full course in one of the commercial colleges in Philadelphia. He then entered the commercial world, serving almost constantly in the capacity of traveling passenger agent for railroads. For a number of years he served as the Philadelphia representative of the Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Railroad, after which he traveled for the Old Colony Railroad, and subsequently became manager, in Philadelphia, for the Union Steamship Advertising Company. He was a consistent member of the Bryn Mawr Catholic church, where he worshipped regularly, was a member of the Merion Cricket Club, and in politics was an independent Republican. His death occurred at Atlantic City, New Jersey, August 5, 1903. 2. William J., born June 24, 1854, died February 21, 1884. 3. Dennis C., born September 13, 1856, mentioned hereinafter. 4. Mary E., born September 15, 1858; she was educated at Sharon Convent, Sharon Hill, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, and she resided with her parents up to the time of their demise. Since the death of her mother she has held and filled the position of Sacristan of the order of Mother of Good Counsel, of the Church of Our Mother of Good Counsel, of Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. For many years she has been actively connected and interested in the church and charitable work belonging to the parish, and is much respected and esteemed by all who know her. 5. Anna M., born November 30, 1859, died July 6, 1896.

Dennis Kelly, maternal grandfather of Dennis C. Martin, married Mary Boyle, in Ireland, she coming from a highly respected and wealthy family who resided in County Donegal. In 1802 Mr. and Mrs. Kelly emigrated to America, locating at the lower banks of Cobb's Creek, situated in Lower Merion township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, a part of which property is now owned by the Ashurst estate .He purchased land there, erected thereon a mill, and began the manufacture of cotton goods. Later he purchased land on Cobb's Creek, upon which was standing an old powder mill, which he remodeled and used for manufacturing textile goods. Subsequently he purchased another mill, including considerable land, located above Leedom's saw mill on Cobb's Creek, after which he purchased a large tract of land from the Humphrey estate, and erected thereon an additional mill, and finally purchased two more mills which were located at Haddington, Philadelphia county. In addition to these enterprises he had an interest in the Blonden and Goodintent Mills, situated in the city of Philadelphia, all of which were used for the manufacture of cotton and woolen cloths for the trade, and during the progress of the Civil war his mills were kept working steadily in order to supply the demand required by the United States government. His land holdings comprised seven hundred and thirty acres, covering two miles in length by one half mile in width, which extended from the southern line of Haverford east to and beyond the city, line of Philadelphia. He was one of the influential and prominent men in the community, took a keen and zealous interest in local affairs, and the various important improvements of the county were brought about largely through his instrumentality and liberality. Mr. and Mrs. Kelly were the parents of eight children, namely 1. Margaret, born in 1801; she became the wife of Charles Kelley, and their children, all of whom are now deceased, were as follows: Dennis 13., Walter, Sallie, William, Edward, Mary, and Louise Kelley. 2. Hannah, born in 1808, died March 7, 1867; she was the wife of John Russell, and their children were Mary Jane, born September 13, 1828, died March 23, 1859; Dennis A., born January 27, 1830, died July 29,, 1830; John A., born January 1, 1832. 3. Dennis. 4. Elizabeth, twin with Dennis. 5. William, born in 1810, died March 9, 1836. 6. Mary, born February 16, 1811, died July 28, 1892; she was the wife of Jacob Ott, and their children are as follows Jacob, born July 3, 1833, died July 13, 1886; Mary, born January 28, 1835, died in 1837; Sarah E., born May 7, 1837, died August 16, 1863; Dennis, born October 3, 1839, died in 1840: Andrew, born June 29, 1841, died in 1846; Mary Ann, born January 29, 1843, died in 1845; Joseph born October 4, 1844, died October 5, 1867; Jaremiah J., born January 1, 1852. 7. Elizabeth, born May 5, 1819, died April 29, 1888; she was the wife of Frederick Eckert, who died June 20, 1856; and had four children, Mary, Anna, Bessie and Frederick; she was then united in marriage to Professor Peter M. Arnue; no issue. 8. Sarah, died September 4, 1873; she was the wife of Roderick O'Connor, and their children were: Dennis, deceased; William, deceased; Roderick, deceased; Frederick, deceased; Charles, Mary, and Sarah. 9. Annie M., aforementioned, born May 10, 1824, died November 21, 1896, as the wife of William J. Martin. Dennis Kelly, father of these children, died July 21, 1864, in his eighty-fifth year, and his wife, Mary (Boyle) Kelly, died May 24, 1861, in her seventy-eighth year. They, their children and grandchildren are buried in the Augustinian St. Denis' Cemetery, the ground for which was donated to the church of St. Denis by Dennis Kelly.

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By his will dated June 5, 1863, proved. August 3, 1864, will book II, page 591, letters granted same day to Hannah Russell and Dennis P. Kelly, executors, he gave and devised all his estate unto his six daughters- Margaret, Hannah, Mary, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Ann- during the term of their natural lives, to be equally divided among them share and share alike, and at the death of said daughters, or any of them, share of said daughter or daughters to go and be vested in the children or child of the said daughter or daughters respectively in fee simple, to be equally divided of said children of the said daughters as tenants in common. And he did direct and request his daughter Hannah to take as part of her share of said real estate the Mansion House which he occupied, situated in Lower Merion township.

Dennis C. Martin, son of William J. and Anna M. (Kelly) Martin, received his early educational training at a private school situated at Haverford, and this was supplemented by a course at Mount St. Mary College, located at Emmitsburg, Maryland. Shortly after the completion of his studies he accepted a clerical position, and later he assisted in engineering in both Delaware and Montgomery counties, after which he retired from active business pursuits. He is now living privately on the old homestead in Bryn Mawr, the house in which he resides having been erected in 1739 by, the Miller estate, an addition being placed to the property in 1780 by the same family.

In the early years of 1700 and up to and including the year 1845, this old property was used as a public hostelry known as the Old Buck Hotel, which name it retained until its purchase by Dennis Kelly, Sr., and it is still in the possession of the family. During the Revolutionary war, just previous to the troops going to Valley Forge, a letter, which is on record, shows that General Washington wrote to Philadelphia requesting the government to furnish the soldiers with blankets, they being then on their way to camp. At that time General Washington was making the old hostelry his headquarters.

Dennis C. Martin was united in marriage to Mary Elizabeth Leary, daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Duane) Leary, and their children are: William J., born September 23, 1901, died August 29, 1902; and Marie Gertrude, born January 7, 1904.

 

FRANCIS J. CLAMER, a leading citizen of Collegeville, and for some years its burgess, is descended from an honored family of Hamburg, in Germany, it having produced many statesmen and soldiers. He was born in that ancient city, July 4, 1841, and was there educated.

He was the son of George P. H. and Marie (Rush) Clamer, the wife also being descended from a distinguished German family. His father was the son of Christian J. Clamer, the most extensive planter in the vicinity of Hamburg, being an influential and wealthy citizen. The family history dates back to the twelfth century. The country from which came the original Clamer is not known, but the dignity of the family began with the development of the city of Hamburg. There was born, September 13, 1706, Guilliam Clamer, whose father was Johannes Clamer, a prominent merchant of Hamburg. Johannes' mother was Elizabeth, daughter of the eminent family of Vegesaek, who came from Bremen and settled at Hamburg, having a civil and military record for five hundred years or more.

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Guilliam, son of Johannes and Elizabeth Clamer, was named for his maternal grandfather, his mother's grandfather, Conrad Vegesach, had the honor of being a senator of Hamburg. Guilliam Clamer was given a liberal education. When he was sixteen years of age he entered the office of Reynier Von Schoonhoven. The youth was exceedingly capable, and in ten years succeeded to the business, the former proprietor retiring. Having been honored with office, he set out on a tour of Europe, with the expectation that the knowledge thus gained would rebound through him to the benefit of his native city.

In 1734 he married Anna Maria Boon, daughter of Philip and Anna (Moelman) Boon. Philip was the son of Adrian Boon, a senator of Hamburg. The wife died at the birth of a daughter in 1737, and the husband again married, the second wife being Catharine Elizabeth Schluter, daughter of David Schluter, Doctor of Laws, and his wife Catharine, the bride being a cousin of his first wife. Guilliam Clamer was a child of the second wife. He was born September 13, 1706. He was a man prominent in church councils and in the affairs of the city, and ultimately became senator and administrator of Hamburg, and admiral of the fleet, protecting its commerce in the days of pirates and buccaneers. Guilliam and Jacob Clamer, who were brothers, were heirs-at-law of Senator Jacob Langerman, who died intestate in 1762. They were aware that it had been his great desire to present his various collections to his beloved city, and instead of enriching themselves they gave his magnificent library of seven thousand volumes to Hamburg, and a large donation from Guilliam Clamer, in the shape of historical books, guns and other relics. Louis XV. conferred valuable gifts on Guilliam by way of testifying his admiration for the man.

His son, Guilliam Clamer, Jr., was twenty-six years of age at the time of his father's death in 1774. In 1776 he married Miss Philipsen, by whom he had three sons, of whom Christian Heinrich was the oldest. He studied at a agricultural college, and his father bought him the estate of Majenfeld, seven miles from Hamburg, paying for it 70,000 marks. He married Sophia, daughter of Johann George Hoffman, overseer of the castle of the King of Saxony at Dresden. He was the first to introduce orange culture into Saxony. Guilliam Clamer and his wife had six sons and three daughters. George P. H., father of Francis J. Clamer, was baptized June 12, 1802. He was born June 1, of that year.

In 1808 the French fleet was stationed at Hamburg, which city was in 1810 incorporated with the French empire. The Russians came to its relief. The result of strife was the temporary ruin of the prosperity of Hamburg and of the wealth of the Clamers, their landed estates being devastated alike by friend and foe, as is usually the case during wars. The generations of the Clamers in the past two centuries are thus as follows: Guilliam, senator of Hamburg; Guilliam Jr., the illustrious merchant of the same city; Christian H., the country gentleman of Majenfeld; George Heinrich (father), the greatest silversmith and artist of his day; Franz Julius, subject of this sketch, who is the inventor of the Ajax metal, now of Collegeville; Guilliam H., his son, the young metallurgist, who is carrying forward what his father so well began. Back of these stretch away into the dim past many generations of Clamers, who were always known as patriotic and useful members of their communities. Their marriage alliances brought them into contact with some of the best blood of Germany.

The children of Christian J. Clamer: George P. H. (father); Francis J., Henry, William, Theodore, Nicholas, Johanness (Mrs. Arps), Wilhelmina (Mrs. Wilhelm Whitrock), Augusta (Mrs. Vanholm). At the diamond wedding of the parents, the emperor presented a diamond iron cross. He died at the age of ninety-two years, and his wife, who was a Hoffman, also lived to a great age.

George P. H. (father) received a liberal education and learned to be a silversmith. He was an artist in work of this kind, having been summoned to Mexico to fashion the ware for the Catholic churches of that country, and was the designer of all the work.

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His family remained in Hamburg, but he came and settled in Philadelphia in 1852, after traveling over a great part of the United States, having selected that city for his residence. His family speedily joined him, and he secured employment at special art work in his line, at which he continued until he was eighty-three years of age. His last work was a bronze portrait of the late William L. Elkins, the traction millionaire. The portrait hangs at the Union League, in Philadelphia. He died on February 20, 1889, at the age of eighty-seven years. His wife died on March 11, 1886, at the age of seventy-seven years. Their children were Francis J. (subject of this sketch); Augusta Maria, Mrs. Henry Buch (herself and her husband both being deceased); Louisa Henrietta (Mrs. Spicker), he being deceased, and she residing in Philadelphia.

Francis J. Clamer came to America with his mother in 1852, at the age of eleven years, they joining his father in Philadelphia as has been stated. He completed his education at Camden, studying chemistry and the natural sciences generally under the best chemists of the country, after which he acquired under the tuition of his father a knowledge of the trade of goldsmith and silversmith. Later he engaged for five years in the merchandise, hardware and house-furnishing business. Then engaging in the manufacture of bronze hardware, he experimented in the production of anti-frictional metal, and in 1868 accomplished the first practical results. By 1880, with hard study and hard labor, he made his discovery a complete success. About that time he made the acquaintance of the late William L. Elkins, William G. Warden and J. G. Hendrickson, who had heard of his success, and advanced money to manufacture it on a large scale, and a corporation was formed known as the Ajax Metal Company, known the world over and having a large establishment in Philadelphia. In 1897 Mr. Clamer turned over the active work to his son. The officers of the company are: President, J. G. Hendrickson : Vice President, Guilliam H. Clamer. The last named is also manager.

Since he was fourteen years of age, Mr. Clamer has accomplished successfully everything that he has undertaken to do. He had all his life resolved that he would retire at fifty-five years of age, which he was able to realize. In 1888 he purchased a small farm near Collegeville, which he rented out in 1889, and bought Professor J. Shelly Weinberger's farm. During the summer of 1890 he occupied the Weinberger farm, and spent the winter in Philadelphia, making the location which he calls "The Glen" his home. Mr. Clamer has built many houses, and owns twenty-two properties which he rents. In 1903 he built on Main street, Collegeville, of native stone, a palatial mansion in modern style, of beautiful design, and equipped with all conveniences, in which he now resides. It occupies a conspicuous site, and is admired by all who see it. He makes frequent visits with his family to his native land.

In 1864 he married, at Philadelphia, Miss Margaret Diederich, born April 30, 1843, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Diederich, of Wurtemberg, Germany. Her family came to America in 1859. Mr. Diederich was a baker by trade, carrying on that business in Philadelphia, but on account of his wife's ill-health he removed to Collegeville, where he bought a small farm and retired from active labor, residing there until his death. The couple were Lutherans. Their children: Catharine, died at the age of twenty years: Warren, died at the age of twenty-two years: Margaret (wife of Mr. Clamer). The mother dying, Mr. Diederich married a second time and had two children, John, and Frederika, (Mrs. George Yeakle).

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Clamer; Guilliam, who is highly educated and is manager of the Ajax Metal Company, and married Miss Florence Foulkes, of Philadelphia; Marie, unmarried; Gertrude and Alma, also unmarried.

Mr. Clamer is fortunate in all his surroundings, enjoying the respect and esteem of all with whom he comes in contact. He has been blessed

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abundantly in life, and enjoys the fruits of a well spent life. He is a Republican in politics, and was unanimously elected burgess of Collegeville, succeeding Professor Weinberger. He is one of the board of trustees of Ursinus College.