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HORACE MARTIN BELLOWS, a well known physician and surgeon of Huntingdon Valley, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, is among the oldest practicing medical men of his section of the state. He was born in the city of Philadelphia, June 30, 1839, being the son of Martin: and Maria (Keim) Bellows. Martin Bellows, father, was a native of Massachusetts, and a direct descendant of Colonel Benjamin Bellows, the founder of Walpole, New Hampshire.

Martin Bellows was born at Sturbridge, Massachusetts, April 5, 1813, being the son of Jonas and Sallie (Bridges) Bellows. He married Maria Keim, July 12, 1838. Their children: Horace Martin, subject of this sketch; William Henry, born March 19, 1841; John Saunders, born January 19, 1843. Martin Bellows was a manufacturer of boots and shoes. He died in Philadelphia, in September, 1888. His wife died in 1898.

Horace M. Bellows obtained his education in the public schools of Philadelphia, including the Hancock Grammar School and the Boys' High School with the expectation of becoming a physician, but he was apprehensive that he might be too long dependent upon his father. He began to look, after he had graduated with honor, February 12, 1847, toward mercantile pursuits, and took a course in Crittenden's Commercial College, Philadelphia, receiving his diploma

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May 8, 1857. Having thus qualified himself for an accountant, he entered his father's store as bookkeeper. This occupation was not, however, suited to his taste, and after a short experience he resolved to turn his attention to the study of medicine as he first intended. In 1858 he entered upon his medical studies with the eminent teacher, Professor Joseph Leidy, as his preceptor at the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania. He entered that institution September 28, 1858, and graduated March 14, 1861. After his graduation he served in the hospital of the Philadelphia Almshouse as resident physician for one year. The rebellion had meantime assumed a threatening appearance, and skillful surgeons were needed in the quickly improvised hospitals that were established in Philadelphia and elsewhere.

On January 31, 1862, Dr. Bellows was placed in charge of one of the wards of the United States army general hospital at Broad and Cherry streets, and his services proved to be so satisfactory that he was placed in charge of the hospital itself by the medical director of the department, Surgeon John Neill, during his absence with the troops at Gettysburg.

From this time to the close of the war in 1865, the services of Dr. Bellows were constantly required in the hospital department March 15, 1864, he was placed in charge of the hospital for recruits, drafted men and substitutes, at Twenty-second and Wood streets, Philadelphia. It still remained under his charge when it was transferred to Twenty-third and Filbert streets, in that city. May 2, 1864, Dr. Bellows was transferred to the United States army general hospital on South street, Philadelphia May 14, 1864, he was ordered to report to the surgeon-general at Washington, and on May 16 he was assigned to Harewood United States army general hospital on the Corcoran Place, near the national capital. July 12 of the same year he was detailed by the medical director of the department of the Susquehanna to examine recruits at Camp Cadwalader, near Philadelphia.

On August 16 he was detailed to examine recruits for muster in the Sixth Union League Regiment, raised by General Horatio Gates Sickel for the Reserve Corps, and known as the One Hundred and Ninety-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. March 21, 1865, he was ordered to perform the duties of the surgeon commanding at the Citizens' volunteer hospital, Broad and Prime streets, Philadelphia, during the temporary absence of that officer May 9, 1865, he was ordered by the medical director to the Citizens' volunteer hospital for duty. July 16, of that year, he was ordered to conduct a number of sick and wounded soldiers from Philadelphia to the United States army general hospital at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and other points enroute, according to designation. August g he was transferred to Mower United States army general hospital, being assigned to the charge of the Christian street general hospital, which was afterward made a ward of the Mower general hospital at Germantown. His connection with the army ceased October 4, 1865, the Christian street general hospital being the last of the army hospitals remaining at Philadelphia, and it was closed soon afterwards. In addition to the positions which have been mentioned, Dr. Bellows held many others under the medical department of the United States government.

After the close of the war, Dr. Bellows began the practice of medicine in the city of Philadelphia, where he remained until March, 1870, when he removed to Huntingdon Valley, having purchased the property on which he still resides, and which from time to time he has greatly improved. He is deeply interested in whatever is likely to interest the community in which he lives, and in which he has built up a large and lucrative practice. He is a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, and while he lived in that city was a member of the Medical County Society of Philadelphia, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Bellows married, in Philadelphia, May 21, 1863, Catherine Schober, daughter of George and Susan Schober. They have one daughter, Susan S., born March 29, 1865. Dr. Bellows is a member of Union Lodge, No. 21, Free and Accepted Masons. He is past master of Excelsior Park Lodge, and a member of Oriental Chapter, No. 183, Royal Arch Masons, of Philadelphia. He is a member of and past grand of Eagle Lodge, No. 222, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of Huntingdon Valley, has been its secretary for many years, and is a member of the grand lodge of Pennsylvania. He is a past chief patriarch of Hatboro Encampment, No. 169, of Odd Fellows, and a member of the grand encampment of Pennsylvania for six years. He is a member and past chief of Moreland Castle, No. 82, K. G. E., and a member of the grand castle of Pennsylvania. Dr. Bellows has filled the position of school director. He has always been interested in every enterprise that is calculated to benefit the community in which he lives. He was reared in the Presbyterian faith.

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Dr. Bellows is a direct descendant of Joseph Bartlett, a Puritan of distinction, who arrived in this country in 175o and was one of the early settlers of Cambridge and Newton, Massachusetts. Joseph Bartlett was born in 1634, and died in 1701. He married Mary Wayt, at Cambridge, Massachusetts, October 22, 1668, and had a family of six children, four of whom were born at Cambridge, and two at Newton, to which place they removed in 1678. John, the fifth child of Joseph and Mary (Want) Bartlett, was born at Newton, in 1679. He married Patience Cady in 1706, and had ten children. Nathaniel, the fifth child of John and Patience Bartlett, was born at Newton, March 7, 1713.

He married Sarah Thompson, of Brookfield, Massachusetts, on May 24, 1734, and his wife died October 28, 1749. He married (second wife) Mrs. Dorothy Harwood, of Worcester, Massachusetts, July 5, 1750. By his two marriages Nathaniel Bartlett had thirteen children, seven by the first, and six by the second marriage. Lucy, the fourth child of Nathaniel and Sarah (Thompson) Bartlett, was born at Brookfield, Massachusetts, April 27, 1740. She married Edmund Bridges, of Spencer, Massachusetts, and had nine children. The eighth child of Edmund and Lucy Bridges was Sarah, or Sallie, born October 22, 1772. She married Jonas Bellows in 1794. They had eight children born at Paxton, West Boylston and Sturbridge. Martin Bellows, father of Dr. Horace M. Bellows, was the youngest child of the family, and was born at Sturbridge, April 5, 1813. He married Maria Keim, at Philadelphia, July 12, 1838. Dr. Bellows is the oldest of their three children.

 

 

BARNET K. BEAVER, son of Frederic and Margaret (Knipe) Beaver, was born on the Beaver homestead, on the Bethlehem turnpike, now adjoining the limits of the borough of North Wales, June 19, 1859. He attended in the intervals of farm work the public schools of North Wales, and later the business college conducted for many years by the late Professor Samuel U. Brunner, which was the resort of many of the studious young men and women of that community in his school-going days. He attended that institution until he was about nineteen years of age, when he discontinued school studies and assisted his father on the farm until 1884, when he succeeded to its management.

Mr. Beaver married, April 5, 1884, Angeline, daughter of Jacob and Fietta (Grove) Vanfossen, residents for many years of Centre Point, in Worchester township. Mrs. Beaver was born May 7, 1860, and died April 3, 1903. Their children: Harvey, born May 21, 1885; Samuel Arthur, born August 31, 1888; Irma Luella, born November 2, 1896; Raymond, born February 17, 1899. All reside with their father, Samuel attending the North Wales high school, and Luella also attending school.

The Beavers have always taken an active part in local affairs, and have contributed much to the development and prosperity of the community in which they live. Barnet Beaver is a Democrat in politics. He is a director in the North Wales Building and Loan Association, a position which he has held for many years. In religious faith the Beavers adhere to the Reformed church, being members of St. Luke's, at North Wales. He has been one of its trustees for many years, since 1892.

Frederic Beaver (father) is the son of Henry and Barbara (Wanner) Beaver. He was born on the farm which has of late years been known as the William Ray Farm, being separated from the property now held by Barnet K. Beaver by the North Pennsylvania Railroad. Mr. Beaver was born July 15, 1816. In 1829, when he was about thirteen years of age, his father bought the present Beaver property and removed with his family to it, where Frederic was reared. He took an active interest in neighborhood affairs, and was an honored member of the community in which he lived.

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He married Margaret Knipe, of an old and respected Gwynedd family. Their children: Samuel Henry, born February 17, 1841, married, March 9, 1878, Phebe Ann, daughter of George Hallman and Catharine Ann (Phander) Dannehower, of Spring-house, who were farmers and well-known residents of that section of the county, the children of Samuel H. and Phebe Ann Beaver were Kate, Walter and Norman, all residing with their parents at North Wales; Mary Ann, born December 7, 1844, married Washington Irving, son of Adam and Mary Fleck, of Lower Gwynedd township; Emma Louise, born November 15, 185o, married March 18, 1874, Charles Henry, son of Charles and Elizabeth (Wilson) Dannehower, of Springhouse, in Lower Gwynedd.

Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Dannehower reside at Centre Square, where they are farmers, their children being: Walter Charles, born October 28, 1876, married Emily, daughter of Thomas Banks, of Norristown; Irvin Frederic, born September 12, 1879, died May 22, 1899; Samuel Henry, born October 22, 1882, died August 26, 1884; Catharine Ann Beaver, born September 3, 1853, married William Henry Dannehower, of Lower Gwynedd, they residing at Colmar, and having two children; Barnet K., subject of this sketch.

 

 

MILTON R. DAVIDHEISER, of the firm of Davidheiser & Wiand, contractors and builders of Pottstown, was born in Upper Pottsgrove township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, December 6, 1851. He is the son of Henry and Sarah (Reigner) Davidheiser.

Henry Davidheiser (father) was born in Montgomery county, and spent his life in farming in Upper Pottsgrove township, where he owned a fine farm of 160 acres. He died at the age of seventy years. His wife survived him ten years, and at the time of her death was seventy-one years old. He was a Lutheran in religious faith, and she was of the Reformed church.

They had eight children who grew to maturity, six sons and two daughters, four now living. They are: Ephraim, Reuben, Mary Ann, wife of Henry Wise, Milton R.

Henry Davidheiser (grandfather) was a farmer and died in 1852, being advanced in years. He had nine children. Joseph Reigner (maternal grandfather) lived in Upper Pottsgrove township, where he died at an advanced age. He was a farmer. His wife was Rosanna Reigner, and they had three sons.

Milton R. Davidheiser was reared on his father's farm, and lived with his parents until he married. He received his early education in the district schools, and later attended the Hill school at Pottstown. After leaving school he entered on the occupation of teaching, and remained thus engaged for sixteen terms, working at the carpenter trade in the summer season, and teaching in winter.

On October 10, 1874, he married Miss Anna E. Linderman, daughter of Peter and Sarah (Egolf) Linderman. They have had no children. Mr. and Mrs. Davidheiser are members of Emmanuel Lutheran church, of Pottstown. Mr. Davidheiser is a church trustee and a member of the church council, and is also the present church treasurer, and a teacher in the Sunday school connected with it. Politically he is a Democrat. He has never sought or held public office, he has served of the borough school board for fifteen years, being its president for a number of years. Mr. Davidheiser and his brother Reuben own a brickyard at Stowe, a short distance above Pottstown. He built a beautiful home in which he resides at 364 Fork street, in 1893-4. He also owns a number of other properties in Pottstown.

Mrs. Davidheiser's parents were natives of Montgomery county. They had two children. The father died in 1900, the mother is still living. He was a school director and a prominent man in his community, having been a teacher in his younger life. Mrs. Davidheiser's grandfather was Aaron Lindeman. He lived on Crooked Hill, in the vicinity of Pottstown. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and died at the age of eighty-five years, and was buried in Limerick.

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WILLIAM J. WELLS. When, in April, 1861, the firing upon Fort Sumter aroused the entire north to the fact that war was inevitable and that the issues then existing between the two sections would be settled by the arbitrament of the sword, among the first to express a desire to respond to President Lincoln's call for seventy-five thousand volunteers was a boy of nineteen years, who only three years before had landed in the United States from his home beyond the sea. His father would not consent to his enlisting, as the youth was small of stature, and in his opinion not able to stand the hardships of a soldier's life. There was naught to do but obey and for three months the boy continued at his work in the coal mines of Pennsylvania. The day came, however, when he quit work and set out to find employment in another part of the coal regions, with no thought of enlisting. While on his way to work, and walking along a mountain side he heard the sound of martial music, as it came to him across the valley. He halted, and for a few minutes listened to the inspiring strains and watched the stars and stripes floating in the summer wind. He turned about, went home, changed his working clothes, and without saying a word to the family as to his intentions started for Minersville, where Captain Joseph H. Hockins was recruiting for the Forty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.

The youth had no thought of bounty nor had he any knowledge of what was a soldier's pay. His only desire was to serve the country of his adoption.

That boy was William J. Wells, who was born, in Blaina, South Wales, July 24, 1842. He remained there until 1858, when, with his father, he came to America.

Joseph Wells (father) was born October 10, 1810, at Wells, near Bath, Somersetshire, England, which had undoubtedly been for generations the home of his ancestors, as indicated by the town and family name being the same. He grew to manhood in Wells and married Miss Elizabeth Smith, whose father was for many years keeper of the Minton Abbey Lodge and died holding the position. Mr. Wells, Sr., in early life and until he removed to Blaina, was engaged in farming.

About 1838, he with his family, which then consisted of his wife and two sons, Henry and John, removed to Blaina, where he obtained employment as all iron worker in the Blaina Iron Works, then under the management of Mr. Levick. He remained in Blaina until 1858, at which time his family consisted of seven children, six sons and a daughter.

In that year he came to America with the intention of making a home for himself and family, and brought with him his son William. After a voyage of eight weeks on the sailing vessel, George Washington, they landed at Castle Garden, New York, and at once went to Minersville, in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, where a home was secured and all his family but his sons, Henry and John, were sent for. They arrived in 1859, and of the family who then came over all are alive but the parents and daughter. After a short stay in Minersville, he removed to Thomastown, in the same county and engaged in the mining of coal. In 1864, he removed to Girardville, same county, and was one of its first settlers. Here he engaged in the same work as in the other towns and remained there until his death, which took place August 9, 1889. In politics Mr. Wells was an ardent Republican but never a politician. He was a member of the Methodist church over a half century, and a memorial written at the time of his death by a committee of his church in Girardville says of him: "He has lived among us twenty-five years and was honored and respected by all. He was thoroughly honest and a man of great integrity. He was of the old school of Methodism and an earnest advocate of the old fashioned Methodist camp-meeting.

Mr. Well's first wife passed away in 1849 and was interred in the burial ground of the established Church in Blaina. Her children

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Henry and John, both of whom married in England and now reside in Cleveland, Ohio, and follow the occupation of iron workers; Julia, who was born in England, and died in childhood; William J., the subject of this sketch; Thomas, now a resident of Savannah, Georgia, engaged in manufacturing cars for the Georgia Central Railroad Company; Alfred, who married and is pastor of a Baptist church in Rocktown, New Jersey; and Charles, who married and is an iron worker in Toledo, Ohio.

William J. Wells came to Minersville with his father in 1858, with an experience (young as he was) of eight years in the rolling mills in Blaina. He sought and obtained employment in and about the coal mines in the towns where his father resided, his last work before enlisting being that of a pumping engineer. He enlisted August 12, 1861, in what became Company F, Forty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was organized at Pottsville, Pennsylvania, by James Nagle. The regiment was ordered to Harrisburg as soon as its ranks were filled and was quartered at Camp Curtin, where it remained until October 1, 1861, when it was mustered into the United States service for three years and at once sent to the front. It went to Fortress Monroe, Virginia, and remained there until the eleventh of the following month when it joined General Burnsides expedition to Hatteras, North Carolina, where it remained until the spring of 1862, when it participated in the campaign which resulted in the battle of Newbern.

The regiment remained in Newbern until July 6, 1862, and then returned to Newport News, Virginia, thence to Fredericksburg to cooperate with General Pope's army at Slaughter Mountain, which occupied the time from August 2 to 14, inclusive. It was then at Kellys Ford, August 19; Groveton, August 29; second Bull Run, August 13; and Chantilly, September 1. It next participated in the Antietam campaign which comprised the battles of South Mountain, Maryland, September 14; and Antietam Creek, September 17. After the battle of Antietam the forces moved to Pleasant Valley, Maryland, where they were encamped from October 7 to 27, enjoying a much needed rest. From Pleasant Valley the regiment was sent to Fredericksburg, Virginia, and on November 10, 1862, was in a skirmish at Amissville, Virginia, and December 12th to the 14th was engaged in the battle of Fredericksburg, under Burnside, and again met with severe losses.

The regiment then went into camp for the winter and on March 16, 1863, being a part of Burnsides Ninth Army Corps, went to Lexington, Kentucky, where it did garrison duty until September 8. During a portion of this time, Mr. Wells did duty as orderly at the headquarters of Generals Burnside, Hartsuff, Wilcox and Sturgis.

In September 1863, the regiment went with Burnside in his invasion of east Tennessee, known as the Knoxville campaign and participated in the engagements of Bulls Gap, October 4; Blue Springs, October 10; Lenore Station, November 13; Loudoun Bridge, November 15; Campbell's Station, November 16; and siege of Knoxville, November 17 to December 5. During the siege the regiment was in the attack at North Knoxville, November 24, a short but very fierce battle.

After Longstreets's retreat, the regiment did duty at Pleasant Valley, or Maine's Cross Roads, Tennessee, from December 7, 1863, until January 13, 1864. From that time to January 23, 1864, the regiment marched some two hundred miles from Pleasant Valley to Knoxville, Tennessee whence they tool: the cars for home.

On January 1, 1864, the regiment re-enlisted for three years, and was sent to Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on veteran furlough, remaining there until March 14, recruiting men to fill the ranks. The regiment was then ordered to Annapolis, Maryland, where it remained until the commencement of Grant's campaign which resulted in the surrender of Lee.

In this campaign the regiment was engaged in the following battles: Wilderness, May 6, and 7; Spottsylvania Courthouse, May 8 to 18, inclusive; engagements at Taylors Bridge, May 23; North Anna River, May 24 to 27; Tolopotomy Creek, May 29; Bethesda Church, May 30; Mechumps Creek, May 31; Battle of Cold Harbor, June 1 to 6, and White Oak Swamp, June 13.

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Then followed the flank movement on Petersburg, Virginia, June 14 to 16 and the crossing of the James river. On June 16 they were in the assault on Petersburg, after which they were in the skirmishes and battles incident to the siege of Petersburg from June 16, 1864, to April 2, 1865, among their being the assault on the Petersburg and Norfolk Railroad, June 18, 1864, and Welden Railroad, June 22 and 23. About the 25th of June, 1864, Colonel Pleasants (a civil mining engineer by profession) of the Forty-eighth Regiment, which was composed of miners from the coal region of Pennsylvania, conceived the idea of the famous mine at Petersburg, which he claimed could be built by his regiment and the fort in his front blown up and the advance on Petersburg made easy.

From June 25 to July 30, men of the Forty-eighth ceased to be soldiers and were again miners and did all the work in building the mine and placing in it twenty-five thousand pounds of powder and for the work thus performed the regiment received special commendation in general orders. After the mine explosion the regiment participated in a battle known as Welden Railroad, August 18 to 21; Poplar Spring Church, September 30; Hatches Run, October 27 and 28.

The regiment then did duty in Fort Sedgewick (Fort Hell), from December, 1864, to April, 1865, after which they were in an attack on Fort Mahone and in the fall of Petersburg, April 2, 1865. In almost the last battle of the war Sergeant Wells received a gun-shot wound in the right arm, which incapacitated him for further service.

On July 17, 1865, he was mustered out with his regiment at Pottsville, Pennsylvania. The following letters are self explanatory:

POTTSVILLE, July 31, 1866.

"This is to certify that I am well acquainted with Sergeant William J. Wells, who served his full term of enlistment in Company F, Forty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Veteran Volunteers, commanded by me, during the late Rebellion and always was a good and faithful soldier who always performed his duties satisfactorily to all.

"He was one of the unfortunate ones to get wounded in the right arm in front of Petersburg, Virginia, which disables him to do hard manual labor: so he went through a course of study and qualified himself for school teaching or a clerkship, and I take great pleasure in recommending him favorably as a trustworthy, honest and sober young man, and one who deserves at least a favorable situation from the hands of his fellow citizens for his services rendered to his country.

JAMES NAGLE

Late colonel and brigadier general, U. S. A."

POTTSVILLE, August 6, 1866.

"To all whom it may concern:

"The bearer hereof, Sergeant William Wells, I am well acquainted with. I know him to be a very worthy young man, of sober and industrious habits.

"He enlisted in the Forty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers at its organization, for three years, in Captain Joseph H. Hoskins' Company, of Minersville, and, at the expiration of said term of service, he re-enlisted and served faithfully through all its service, until the regiment was mustered out at the close of the war. He was wounded once. I often took particular notice of him as being a very clean, tidy and obedient soldier. I never knew him to shirk from any duty, but was always ready and willing to perform any service required of him. For a while, he was clerk for his captain.

Very Respectfully,

DANIEL NAGLE,

Late colonel One Hundred and Seventy-third Volunteers and formerly major of the Forty-eighth Regiment."

After the war Mr. Wells returned to Minersville, and, on September 1, 1865, he entered Dickinson Seminary, Williamsport. After ten months in the seminary, he took a school in Yorkville, a suburb of Pottsville, where he taught for two, years.

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In 1868, he came to Norristown (having married in his second year at Yorkville) and became the principal of the Bridgeport school and held the position four years, giving entire satisfaction.

In 1872, he secured the Marble Hall school, in Whitemarsh township, and the long daily walk from his home in Norristown to the school, a distance of five miles, proved of great benefit to his health. He taught the school for two years and during that time passed a successful examination for a Philadelphia school but preferred to remain in Norristown. He therefore occupied the position of principal of Sandy Street school and taught there six years.

In 1880 he accepted the principalship of the Oak Street school, Norristown, where he has taught continuously to the present time.

For many years he has been secretary of the local Teachers' Institute. After his removal to Norristown Mr. Wells became a member of Curtis Lodge, No. 239, I. O. O. F. He passed through all the chairs, becoming Noble Grand in 1879. In May, 1878, he was mustered into Zook Post, No. 11, G. A. R., and has been from the first an energetic and earnest member thereof.

In 1884 he was made commander of the Post, having previously been its adjutant five years and one year subsequently. Mr. Wells is the historian of the Post, and well wrote in two memorial volumes presented to it a comprehensive war record of each of the members.

In 1884, he was appointed an aide on the staff of Robert B. Beath, then commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and in 1889 served as aide on the staff of W. C. Johnson, senior vice commander-in-chief. He was a delegate to the state encampment held at Harrisburg and has been assistant department inspector of posts of Montgomery county for a period of ten years; also assistant inspector at large for the department of Pennsylvania.

On December 24, 1866, Mr. Wells married Miss Annetta Garner, daughter of Eli and Mary Garner, of Norristown. She was born February 12, 1843, and died June 17, 1873. Their children are: Frank E., born December 13, 1868; and Alonzo R., born September 28, 1871. Frank E.. went to Augusta, Georgia, about 1890, to visit an uncle and died in the hospital of that city of typhoid fever sometime in 1892. Alonzo is married and lives in Norristown.

Eli Garner was born in Ducks county, September 9, 1809, and died March 13, 1888. He married, October 2, 1832, Mary Ann Smith, who was born August 9, 1809, and died September 5, 1901.

On May 17, 1879, Mr. Wells marries (second wife) Miss Leah Shultz, who was born February 23, 1853, in Llewellyn, Pennsylvania. Her father, John Shultz, was born in the province of Saxe Weimer, Germany, and eighteen years later emigrarated to America, locating in White Haven. He learned tailoring in his native land but never followed it in this country, as something morn to his taste offered soon after he reached his new home. For a time he was engaged in building canals and railroads and was a pioneer in that line in his section of his state. He worked in the mines at Llewellyn, then engaged in the lumber business for Samuel Grisom, which proved to be a starting point in a business in which he was very successful and which he followed for thirty years year Llewellyn he cleared the timber from more than a hundred acres, while in the Rice Mountains in Schuylkill county, in Clark's valley, in Dauphin county, Yellow Springs, Lebanon county and Cherry Run, Union county, he cleared large tracts. In his death Tremont lost one of its best citizens- one whose honor and integrity was never questioned and whose influence was always on the side of right. Of him it was said, "The laborer found in him a kind employer; the needy, the spirit of charity. He lived not unto himself, but for the welfare of his fellow men and for the glory of Christ, His Redeemer."

By his second marriage Mr. Wells had three children, namely: Nina, who died in infancy; Ivan S., born September 2, 1883: and Leah M., born June 27, 1890, and died when eleven months old. Mr. and Mrs. Wells are both members of the First Methodist Episcopal church of Norristown.

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William J. Wells is a Republican in politics. He has taken an active part in political work, and has rendered efficient service in town council, serving three terms in all, and occupying important chairmanships in that body. He is a patriotic, progressive and public-spirited citizen, being found invariably on the side of improvement. Mr. Wells has been an active pension attorney since 1890 and has been very successful in his efforts in that direction.

 

 

SAMUEL F. JARRETT. The Jarretts are among the oldest families in Montgomery county, their ancestor having come, it is said, from the Highlands of Scotland to America more than two hundred years ago. The first Jarrett in this country was John Jarrett, who in 1700 settled in Horsham township, and in old records the family coat of arms appears in connection with his name. In the early records of Abington, Horsham and other meetings in this vicinity, the name occurs frequently, and its members have intermarried with those of the older families, not only of Friends, but of other religious denominations.

In the records of Gwynedd Monthly Meeting the name is frequently found. One of the descendants of the settler was John Jarrett, who was born in 1719 and married Alice Conrad. Their children were: John, Mary, Elizabeth, Hannah, Rachel, William, Alice, Jonathan, David, Jesse, Tacy and Joseph. Of these children Jesse married Elizabeth Palmer and they had six children, as follows: Mary, who married Isaac Shoemaker; David, who lived to be about ninety-three year of age; Alice; Joseph, Tacy, who married James Kirk; and John, who became a merchant in Philadelphia. David Jarrett (father) was born in Whitemarsh township, October 24, 1797, followed the occupation of a farmer in Upper Providence township, removing in 1836, and locating in Plymouth township. He died October 2o, 1890, his remains being interred in Plymouth Friends burying-ground. David Jarrett was a member of the Society of Friends.

He was a Republican in politics and served for several years as a school director. He married Rebecca Farra, daughter of Atkinson Farra, of Norristown. She was born January 31, 1798, and died February 11, 1872.

Their children: Jesse, born September 27, 1822, who married Ann G. Bean and died in 1898; Samuel F., born November 19, 1825; Charles P., who was living in the south at the outbreak of the Civil war and becoming all officer in the Confederate service, was killed at the battle of Shiloh; Atkinson F., born September 13, 1830; Elizabeth, born July 15, 1833; John, who married Margaret Loeser; Lucretia, who was born January 26, 1838, married Joseph Umstead; Chalkley, who married Elizabeth Bisson; Atkinson, who married Amanda Skean; and John Jarrett, is deceased.

Samuel F. Jarrett served for three consecutive terms as county treasurer, being the first Republican ever elected to this office in Montgomery. Born in Upper Providence, and reared in that township and Plymouth, he remained with his father on the farm until he was twenty-four years of age. He then engaged in farming in Lower Providence, continuing there until 1853. He purchased in that year his farm in Norriton, two and a half miles west of Norristown, to which he removed and where he now lives. He is one of the most successful farmers of his generation in Montgomery county.

On June 3, 1849, he married Amanda Crawford, whose parents, Joseph and Rebecca (Francis) Crawford, lived in lower Providence. They had two children: Emma, who died in infancy; and Anna R., wife of Dr. W. H. Reed, of Norristown.

When Lee threatened Pennsylvania, Samuel F. Jarrett enlisted in the Norris Cavalry and was in the emergency service two months in Maryland. He was always an active Republican, and in 1872, when many Democrats were dissatisfied with the nomination of Horace Greeley on their party ticket for president and either remained at home on the day of election or bolted the ticket. He was on the Republican ballot for county treasurer and was elected by a majority of twelve votes. He was given the nomination by his party the next year and was again elected. The constitution of the state having meanwhile

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been changed (1874), and the term of county treasurer extended to three years, Jarrett was again nominated and re-elected by an increased majority. Although he did not again seek or hold public office, he has always taken an active interest in county politics and has been the trusted and valued advisor of the party leaders. He has always been recognized as one of the most substantial and reliable citizens of the county, his high reputation for integrity and veracity and his excellent sense and sound judgment causing him to be universally esteemed. He has been for many years a member of the board of directors of the Peoples National Bank of Norristown, and a stockholder in six other banks of the vicinity. He is also president of the Norristown Farmers' Market Company. He is a life member of the Historical Society.

 

 

ABRAHAM KEELER METZ was born in Worcester township, Montgomery county, May 25, 1846. He attended the public schools until he was seventeen years of age and then started to work on his father's farm. He has been a farmer ever since. A few years after leaving school he purchased the Samuel R. Detwiler farm, where he has lived ever since. He married Mary Jane, daughter of Matthias Fox, of Towamencin township.

They had twelve children: Margaret, born January 30, 1869, is unmarried; Joseph, born January 13, 1870, died September 13, 1871; Harvey, born September 12, 1871, died February, 6, 1893; Amos, born February 21, 1873, died September 15, 1874; Hannah, born December 7, 1874, died March 20, 1877; Mary Elizabeth, born October 29, 1876; Martha, born September 3, 1878, married Harry Burgert in the spring of 1904; Henry, born June 13, 1880; Susanna, born May 28, 1882, was married June 16, 1900, to Oswin S. Erb, son of Reuben and Sarah Erb; Abraham F., born July 28, 1884; Emma, born January 3, 1887; and Harrison, born January 11, 1889, are at home.

Of these children Henry married Sophrania Graft and they have three children; Elmer, born February 20,1899; Flora, born in August, 1901, and Eleanor, born in September, 1903.

The farm of Abraham K. Metz consists of twenty-nine acres and one hundred and thirty-nine perches. The house was built in 1755. In politics Mr. Metz is a Republican and he belongs to the Mennonite church.

Garrett Metz (grandfather) was born April 28, 1715, in Towamencin township. He married Hannah Heebner.

Joseph H. Metz (father), of Worcester township, married, March 31, 1844, Hannah H. Keeler, daughter of Henry and Susan (Hunsberger) Keeler, who was born June 17, 1822. The ceremony was performed by Rev. W. T. Gerhart.

Their children: Abraham K., the subject of this sketch; Lydia K., born December 29, 1847, died in infancy; Susanna K., born May 13, 1849, married Henry F. Frederick, a farmer, they having no children; Garret K., born January 24, 1851, married Hannah Saylor, daughter of Jeriah Saylor, who lives in Philadelphia, they, having seven children; Hannah K., born September 30, 1853, married John Heffendrager, a farmer, they having three children; Margaret K., born November 23, 1854, married Joseph Moyer, a son of Abraham Moyer, who is a farmer, they having five children, one deceased; Henry K., born March 8, 1856, died in infancy; Jacob K., born August 26, 1857, died in infancy; John K., twin brother of Jacob K.; William K., born November 3, 1859; Joseph K., born December 24, 1861, died in infancy; Samuel K., born September 20, 1863, married Lizzie Gotshall, daughter of Jacob Gotshall, Samuel being a farmer in Towamencin, and they having seven children, one deceased; Lizzie K., born August 31, 1866, lives with her brother, William K.

Mary Jane (Fox) Metz, wife of Abraham K. Metz, was born July 10, 1847, in Chester county. Her father was Matthias Fox, a plasterer by trade, who died at the age of forty-seven years, and is buried near Kulpsville, Pennsylvania. His wife was Margaret (Gotshalk) Fox, who died at the age of seventy-one years. Their children are: Mary Jane (Mrs. Metz); Andrew Fox, born in 1850; Henry, who was born in 1853, and lives in Nebraska, where he is a painter by trade; Matthias, born in 1856, a farmer and lives in Skippack township; William, born in 1858, residing at Lansdale; Hannah, born about 1860; Abraham, born in 1861, living at Ambler.

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The brothers and sister of Matthias Fox were: Nicholas, John, Moses, Abraham, Henry, Benjamin and Kate, who married John Meadows. The sisters of Mrs. Metz's mother were: Susan, wife of Simon Heist; and Annie, who was the first wife of Mrs. Metz's father. There was one child by that marriage- Jacob Fox.

 

 

JOHN E. LENHART, a well known farmer of Hatfield township, is a native of Cheltenham township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, where he was born October 14, 18O2. He is a son of the late John E. Lenhart, of that township.

He was educated in the public schools of Cheltenham, and on leaving school engaged in farming on the homestead, which he continued for several years with great success. He then rented a farm on shares, remaining on it nine years. In 1893 he removed to Hatfield township, near Colmar, having purchased a fine farm on which he new resides, being the old Peter Evans farm, of one hundred and thirty acres. In June 1886, Mr. Lenhart married Miss Catherine Marm, of the city of Philadelphia.

The children of Mr. And Mrs. John E. Lenhart: John, George E., Ruth E., Catherine M., Edith V., Joseph E., Lydia D.

Mr. Lenhart is a Democrat in politics. He is an active member of the junior Order of American Mechanics. He is a successful farmer, and a man who is respected by the community in which he lives. He and his family attend the Baptist church.

The Lenharts are an old family in Montgomery county, of German origin. George Lenhart, born March 8, 1754, emigrated from Germany to the United States when he was seventeen years of age, in company with his brother Peter, their parents, who accompanied them, both having died and been buried at sea. The young men were sold to pay for their passage, and George served three years and nine months with Jonathan Tyson. At the expiration of his term of service he located in Upper Dublin township, then Philadelphia, now Montgomery county, Pennsylvania where he engaged in lime burning and in buying and selling real estate. he married Catherine Hoffman, who died January 31, 1783.

The children of the couple were John, George, Jonathan and one who died young. Mr. Lenhart married (second wife) Christiana Kohler, their children being Mary, Henry, Joseph, Sarah, Christiana and Margaret. George Lenhart, who was the great-grandfather of John E. Lenhart, subject of this sketch, was, an active and exemplary worker in the Reformed church of Germantown.

Of the children of George Lenhart, Joseph (grandfather) was born January 30, 1788, in Upper Dublin township, but in 1801 removed with his parents to the farm in Cheltenham on which John E. Lenhart was born. He married Elizabeth, daughter of John Funk of that vicinity.

Their children: John F., Margaret (Mrs. David Heist), and Catharine (Mrs. Isaiah Campbell), Joseph Lenhart died January 7, 1845.

John F. Lenhart (father) was born November 5, 1821, on the homestead in Cheltenham township, where he was employed in farming his entire life. On the death of his father he inherited a portion of the estate and purchased the remainder. He gave much attention to horticulture, and propagated several fine varieties of fruit, and was generally a very successful farmer. Mr. Lenhart married, November 13, 1871, Ruth, daughter of Joseph Addis, of Moreland township.

Their children: Amy (deceased), Margaret (Mrs. John D. Stout), Joseph (deceased), Eliza (Mrs. Franklin P. Bryan), John E., subject of this sketch, and one who died in infancy. Mr. Lenhart was a director of the Limekiln Turnpike Company, and also of the Willow Grove and Germantown Turnpike Company. In politics he was a Democrat. In religious faith he was a Presbyterian, and he and his family attended the Market Square church, in Germantown.

 

 

JOHN S. McHARG is a descendant of an old family of Lower Providence township. He was born near Shannonville, now Audubon, September 16, 1840. He was reared in farm pursuits, attending the public schools of the neighborhood, and the Academy at Mount Kirk, where he completed his studies. He is the son of William and Rachel (Plush) McHarg. William (fattier) was the son of Ferguson and Mary McHarg.

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Ferguson McHarg (grandfather) was an East Indian trader and merchant. On a trip to Liverpool for goods, his vessel was lost on the ocean, and he perished with the rest of those on it. He left his widow and two children, John and William, in Scotland. John became a sea captain and for many years followed that occupation. He died in the West Indies, leaving a widow and two sons, James and John, in Scotland. Ferguson McHarg had a brother John, who came to America, landing in South Carolina, where he fell into the hands of the British, but was released, and then went to New York and later to Pennsylvania, where he located in Montgomery county, buying land in Lower Providence township, about 1810. He built a house, and then sent to Scotland for his nephew, William McHarg (father), who was born in 1800, in Ayrshire. The nephew came to Pennsylvania, and he and his uncle lived together until the death of the latter, who left him the farm by will.

William McHarg was twice married, his first wife being Isabel Francis. The couple had one child, a daughter, who died young. Mrs. McHarg dying, her husband married (second wife) Rachel W. Plush, daughter of Lawrence and Mary Plush, both of German descent, although residents of the vicinity, Lawrence Plush having left Europe and came to America because of Napoleon's wars in the early part of the last century. He was kidnapped, and about to be sold, but made his escape and arrived in America, locating in Lower Providence, where he bought land containing the well-known copper mines which were very extensively worked at one time. He sold the land and returned to his native country to attend to the settlement of his father's estate, and on embarking on a vessel to return to America, he was lost at sea. His children were: Catharine, Christian, Rachel (mother).

The children of William and Rachel McHarg: Mary, unmarried; Isabel, wife of William F. Mason, a retired merchant of St. Paul: John S., subject of this sketch; William who lives retired at Trappe; Rebecca, died in 1898; Anna, unmarried.

William McHarg(father)was one of the prominent members of Lower Providence Presbyterian church, being an elder for many years. He stood very high in the community, and was widely known and respected.

John S. McHarg and two sisters reside in the village of Audubon, not far from the home of the great naturalist. None of them have married. The sisters preside over the home. Their brother John spent several years in Minnesota with his brother-in-law and sister, Mr. and Mrs. William F. Mason, where he was engaged in clerking. returning to Montgomery county, he turned his attention to farming, in which as well as in every other business he has undertaken, he has been successful. He is a Republican, and has filled the office of school director. In religious faith, he and his sisters, like all the McHarg family, are strict Presbyterians.

 

 

HENRY H. HERNER, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Hallman) Herner, was born in Chester county, October 16, 1850.

Henry Herner (father) was a stonemason and resided for many years in Chester county, Pennsylvania. He was a Democrat in politics and a Lutheran in religious belief, holding many offices in his church. He was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth (Fry) Herner, of Montgomery county, and they had three children, as follows: i. John, married and has a family. He resides in Spring City, where he is a stonemason. 2. Katherine, married Evan Brooks, of Pottstown, where he is engaged as a carpenter. 3. Mary, married John Christack (deceased), who was a carpenter. His widow resides in Trappe, Upper Providence township.

Henry Herner (father) married for his second wife Elizabeth Hallman, and they had one child, Henry Herner. Henry Herner (father) died in 1892, and was buried in Montgomery county. He lived with his son Henry H. Herner until the time of his death. Elizabeth (Hallman) Herner, his wife, died in 1856. Henry Herner (grandfather) emigrated from Germany and settled in Montgomery county. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.

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Henry H. Herner attended the public schools until he was fifteen years of age, and then worked on the farm. He spent five years in the trade of carpentering before he purchased the farm where he at present resides. He is a Republican, and has been election inspector for a number of years. He is a member of the Patrons of Husbandry, Knights of the 'Mystic Chain, and the Junior Order of American Mechanics.

Henry H. Herner has been married twice. His first wife, whom he married November 2, 187O, was Mary Bouchert, daughter of Eli and Harriet (Bickel) Bouchert (deceased). Mrs. Mary (Bouchert) Herner died fifteen years ago. They had two children: 1. Erwin, married Sarah Buchert, daughter of Hezekiah Buchert. Erwin Herner resides in Pottsgrove township, where he is engaged in farming. 2. John, married Gertrude Moyer, and is employed by the Philadelphia Traction Company.

Henry H. Herner married (second wife) Sallie A., daughter of Conard and Elizabeth Snell, of Montgomery county. They have two children Elsie S. and Austin E.

 

 

JOHN DUDDY, who was one of the best known farmers of Whitpain township, where he owned for many years the farm on the State Road, formerly the Caleb C. Cresson property, was born in County Galway, Ireland, in 1830, and came to the United States at an early age. After spending sometime in Philadelphia, he removed to Montgomery county and entered the employ of Charles Wood, and later, of Caleb C. Cresson of Whitpain township, with whom he lived for a number of years. There he met his future wife, Ann Toohey, who was a native of County Tipperary, Ireland, and was also employed by the Cresson family, having come to this country when quite young.

After the marriage of John Duddy and Ann Toohey, Mr. Cresson, realizing the loss he would sustain should Mr. and Mrs. Duddy leave him, built for their use a home of such proportions as to cost nearly six thousand dollars, which in those days was not only considered a large sum of money but also thought to be quite a fortune, and this act of Mr. Cresson illustrates very well the great esteem he entertained for them and the value he placed upon their services.

After remaining some years on the Cresson farm, during which time several children were born to them, Mr. and Mrs. Duddy removed to Upper Merion township, where they had purchased a small farm. Later they moved to Horsham township, where in conjunction with his brother Thomas, who had removed from Philadelphia, John Duddy bought what was known as the Grant homestead.

After remaining there for some years, Mr. and Mrs. Duddy returned to the Cresson farm, to become master and mistress of the place where they married and spent their number years.

Of their thirteen children, but two survived. Ellen Josephine, who bought the home farm, October 14, 1903, and now occupies the residence built by Mr. Cresson for her parents; and Martin Francis, now deceased, who May 29, 1901, married Laura N., only daughter of George and Jane Lawrence Arp, and resided with the family of his wife, the Arp farm adjoining the Duddy or Cresson farm. Martin F. Duddy died October 6, 1903.

John Duddy was known principally for his interest in agricultural affairs and was proud of his record as a successful tiller of the soil. He took great interest in his stock, and was very appreciative of a horse that he "go" in him. His cattle always showed the effects of care and attention.

In politics, Mr. Duddy was a Democrat, and while he never held even minor offices he always took an interest in party affairs. In religion the Duddy family were Catholics, and in whatever parish they resided always attended and contributed to the support of the church. In later years Mr. and Mrs. Duddy attended St. Patrick's Catholic church, at Norristown, from which church they were buried.

Mrs. Ann Toohey Duddy was of a modest, retiring nature, but ever ready to perform a kindness and render a service unasked. Her

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many acts of charity and kindness are remembered by the old people of Whitpain township, and in times of distress and death many families of her neighborhood found her "a friend in need and a friend indeed." Mrs. Duddy died March 1, 1896, and John Duddy died February 1, 1901.

 

 

THOMAS S. GILLAN, borough engineer of Ambler, and well known as a surveyor, is the son of James and Anna Matilda (Felten) Gillin. He was born September 27, 1853, On the farm on which he now lives.

In his early youth he attended the old Eight Square school, which was the place at which many of the voting men and women of his generation were educated. He also attended for a time the select school of William Arrott, of Penllyn. Still later he was a pupil at Sunnyside School, Ambler, taught by the Misses Knight, which was very popular in its day, but has recently been discontinued after a prosperous career of more than thirty years. He next became a student at the Polytechnic College, of which Dr. Alfred L. Kennedy was the head for many years. He graduated from that institution in the class of 1877. He then remained at home one year, at the end of which time he engaged in railroad engineering in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, on the Gould and Vanderbilt systems, and assisted oil the surveying corps of the South Pennsylvania Railroad until 1882, when the corps was disbanded at Pittsburg, and he returned home and resumed work on the farm.

In the meantime he engaged in local survey and topographical work, and since the incorporation of Ambler into a borough he has been employed as its engineer. On May 19,1885, Mr. Gillin married Mary Hannah, born January 28, 1863, daughter of Tilghman V. and Elizabeth Rebecca (Breinig) Rhoads, of Fort Washington, and located at Lilac Lane Farm, the Gillin homestead.

The house, which was built in 1768, is a good example of the old colonial style of architecture, being such a home as the prosperous German farmers of that day were wont to erect, having an eye to general convenience as well as comfort. It is a long two and a half story building, constructed of stone, with low ceiling; and great open fireplaces, in which are large iron cranes that were used in former times for a support over the fire for kettles in which were made the delicious apple butter for which that section of the county was famous. Everything about the mansion and the farm indicates thrift and abundance on the part of its fortunate owners.

The children of Mr. and Mrs. Gillin are: James Rhoads, born March 4, 1880, resides with his parents and is a student in the Department of Mechanical Arts in the Drexel Institute, Philadelphia; Mary Matilda, born March 29, 1887, attended school at Sunnyside Academy, Ambler, and was also a student at St. Joseph's Academy, at Chestnut Hill, resides with her parents, at Lilac Lane Farm.

James Gillin (father) son of Robert and Catharine (Hamilton) Gillin, was born October 9, 1805, near Belfast, in County Antrim, Ireland. He emigrated to this country, reaching the port of Baltimore in the spring of 1830. Having spent seven weeks of the voyage to this country, he remained some time in Baltimore to rest, and then, in company with several others, set out on foot for Philadelphia, there being no railroads at that early date.

On arriving in Philadelphia he applied himself at once to his trade of stone mason, and devoted himself to the improvement of his condition. In the fall of that year, having heard of the demand for stone masons in Mauch Chunk and its vicinity, he journeyed to that place, but a very hard winter setting in soon afterwards, he found very little doing at his trade, but found many opportunities of making money that are ordinarily neglected by mechanics. He was not afraid to work, and he shoveled snow and whatever else offered itself, so that by the opening of spring he had still untouched the money he had earned the previous winter in Philadelphia. He returned to that city in 1831, where he rejoined his parents and the rest of the family who had meantime come from Ireland, encouraged by the good accounts he and others had sent them. They came by way of Canada. James Gillin continued for some time to work at his occupation of stone mason, but about the Year 1843 he began dealing in horses and cattle, his occupation of drover often taking him as far west as the valley of the Ohio.

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In this business he was associated for a time with a brother of the late Jeremiah Black, who occupied a prominent position as judge, and was a member of the cabinet of President James Buchanan. On October 6, 1840, Mr. Gillin married Anna Matilda Felten, daughter of Anthony Felten, of Norriton township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, and located at the corner of Twenty-ninth and Master streets, Philadelphia, engaging in business as a dairyman and farmer, and remaining there until 1853.

In the spring of that year he purchased the farm of Isaac Ellis, in Lower Gwynedd township, containing 105 acres of excellent land, well timbered, and its farm and dairy products, under the management of Mr. Gillin and his wife supplying some of the most prominent families of Germantown and Chestnut Hill with what they needed in this line.

The children of James and Anna Matilda Felten Gillin were: Catherine, born in 1841, married James Mann, a farmer, of Lower Gwynedd, and had eight children as follows: Margaret, Jennie, Thomas, Gillin, Harvey, Matilda, Cynthia, Francis; Robert Hamilton, born December 3, 1843, in Penn township, Philadelphia, now Twenty-ninth and Master streets, attended in his youth a public school in that neighborhood, and, after the removal of the family to the farm purchased by the father in Montgomery, county in 1853, he attended the Eight Square school, previously mentioned, until his sixteenth year, also attended the William Arrott School, after which he remained at home on the farm assisting in its cultivation and in the marketing of its products; James, born 1845, deceased ; Jane, born 1818, married Lewis F. Sloan, son of Robert Sloan and his wife, who was a Miss Shively, whose parents were farmers of Montgomery township: Margaret Ross, born 1851, married Maurice Weiss, son of Casper Weiss, who resides at Flourtown; Thomas S., subject, of this sketch. By the will of James Gillin his real estate was left to his sons, Robert and Thomas, on the death of their mother, as owners in common.

Since that time there has been a division of the estate, Robert taking for his share of the property fifty-four and one-third acres of the northeastern part, on the higher ground and including the woodland, and Thomas retaining thirty-two acres of improved land with the buildings attached, including the mansion, which is rendered clear by the many associations connected with it. In this capacious residence he has abundant room for his specimens in ornithology, in which pursuit he is greatly interested.

Mrs. Thomas Gillin is descended from a long line of honorable ancestors, of whom she may well be proud. Her father, Tilghman Victor Rhoads, was the son of Josiah and Hannah Rhoads. He was born in 1835, and died October 27, 1872. He married, in 1862, Elizabeth Rebecca Breinig, of Allentown. He located in Philadelphia, some time after his marriage, but soon afterwards removed to Allentown, where he edited and published the "Lehigh Patriot," and had a book and stationery store.

He was a staunch Republican in politics, and during President Grant's administration he held the position of United States internal revenue assessor in that district. While residing in Allentown, Mrs. Gillin attended the public schools of that city. The family removed to Fort Washington in 1878.

The children of Tilghman V. and Elizabeth (Breinig) Rhoads were as follows: Mrs. Thomas S. Gillin, born January 28, 1863 ; William Breinig, born October 27, 1865, resides at Fort Washington, where he is a real estate agent; Magdalene Elizabeth, born April 8, 1867, married, March 27, 1889, Samuel Yeakle, son of William A. Yeakle, deceased, of Flourtown, and has one child, William, born July 30, 1893; Annie Victoria, born in November, 1870, married, August 24, 1897, David Brooke Johnson, son of Hophni and Elizabeth (Shrawder) Johnson, of Eagleville.

Thomas S. Gillin is a Democrat in politics, as was his father. He is a justice of the peace. His popularity is shown by the fact that he has been repeatedly elected to the position of borough engineer in the Republican district of Ambler. He frequently serves on road juries, in which his acquirements as a surveyor are of great value in assisting the members to agree upon their award. The family are members of the Upper Dublin Lutheran church, in whose graveyard the father and mother were interred.

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ROBERT HAMILTON GILLEN was born in Penn township, in Philadelphia, being the son of James and Matilda (Felten) Gillin. The old farmhouse in which he was born stood at what is now Twenty-ninth and Master streets, where the father conducted a market garden and dairy. He attended school in that vicinity and at the Eight Square in Gwynedd township, after the removal of the family from Philadelphia to the old Isaac Ellis farm purchased by the father in 1853. He was nine years of age when they removed to the farm. He continued on it for some rears, assisting in its management, and later, after the death of his parents, receiving a portion of his father's estate on which he now resides.

He married, August 20, 1903, Annie, daughter of Evan Thomas and Cornelia (Hinkle) Kreider, of Philadelphia. Mrs. Robert H. Gillin is a graduate of the Philadelphia Girls' High and Normal School, of the class of 1877, and taught in the schools of Philadelphia for a number of years. The portion of the farm occupied by Robert Gillin and his wife is known as Edgewood, from the situation of the buildings on the margin of the woodland.

It is located on the watershed or ridge which divides the waters that flow on one side into the Delaware river and on the other into the Schuylkill. Mrs. Gillin taught in the graded school at Twelfth street and Fairmount avenue for several years. The house in which the couple reside is of colonial architecture. Shipments from the farm are made to commission merchants in Philadelphia. Mrs. Gillin is one of four children.

 

 

R. MORGAN ROOT, outfitter and manufacturer of Regal shirts and pajamas, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was born in North Coventry township, Chester county,, Pennsylvania, June 6, 1848. He is the son of Eli and Sarah (Pennypacker) Root.

Eli Root (father) was born in Chester county, and learned the carpenter trade, which he followed for a short time. He afterwards became a feed merchant, and later a farmer in Chester county, where he still lives. He is now in his eighty-seventh year. His wife died April 5, 1892, being seventy-four years of age at the time of her death. She was also a native of Chester county. Both were members of the Reformed church.

They had seven children, three sons and four daughters, namely: Mary Jane, widow of H. H. Wanger, or Philadelphia; R. Morgan Root; Frank H., of Chester county; Emma, wife of H. F. Yergey, who is president of the Columbia Wagon Works, of Columbia, Pennsylvania; Catharine Root, a teacher; Maurice, of Texarkana, and Carrie E., wife of William H. Herr, of Columbia, Pennsylvania.

Jacob Root (grandfather) was born in Pennsylvania. He was a carpenter by trade. He married Miss Safried, and they had a large family. He died at the age of thirty years. Jacob Root (great-grandfather) was a soldier in the Revolutionary war. His father was Sebastian Root, who spelled his name Rutt. Sebastian Rutt was born in Berne township, Berks county, early in the eighteenth century, but moved to North Coventry township, Chester county, in early manhood. The family were of English descent, and the name was originally spelled Roots.

Richard Pennypacker (maternal grandfather) was born in Pennsylvania in Montgomery county. He was a farmer. The Pennypacker family is of German origin, and dates back several centuries in Montgomery county. The first of the name in this country was Henry, who made a purchase of land on Skippack creek on Christmas day, 1702, on which he settled, and in 1708 purchased two hundred acres more in the same vicinity.

About 1705 he married Eve Umstead, daughter of John Peter Umstead, of Germantown. He died April 4, 1754, aged more than eighty years. He had eight children, as follows: Martha, born 1706; Adolph (Olif) 1708, died in May, 1789: Peter, 1708, died in 1770; John, born in 1713, died 1781; Jacob, 1715, died 1752; Henry, 1717, died 1792. Peter married Elizabeth Keyser, Martha became the wife of Anthony Vanderslice. [Ed. Note: Only six children listed here. Others seen are Susannah and Barbara, oldest and youngest.]

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The Pennypackers are a very numerous family in Montgomery, Chester and adjoining counties, and members of the family are still among the most substantial citizens along the Perkiomen and Schuylkill, as well as elsewhere. Governor Pennypacker is one of the most prominent members of this family, and he has published a very complete genealogy of the descendants of Henrich (Henry) Pennebaker. Richard Pennypacker (maternal grandfather) married Catherine Roberts, of Welsh and Scotch origin. He died at an advanced age, leaving a large family.

R. Morgan Root was reared on his father's farm in Chester county, attending the district schools and Oakdale Seminary. He resided with his parents until reaching manhood, when he married. He then engaged in the hardware business in Pottstown, he being associated with Lewis B. Reifsneider, the partnership continuing for about eighteen months. In 1876 Mr. Root engaged in his present business, and has followed it continuously since. He also had a similar store in Philadelphia, at 206 North Eighth street, which he disposed of on April 23, 1903.

On August 15, 1871, Mr. Root married Elizabeth, daughter of Abraham and Mary Ann (Holman) East. They had five children, as follows C. Cleaver, J. Lawrence, Carrie, Howell and Mary. C. Cleaver Root assists his father in the store. He married Miss Jane Cofrode, daughter of Daniel R. Cofrode. J. Lawrence Root was married to Miss Elizabeth Hoch, of Philadelphia, in 1893. The other children are unmarried.

Mr. and Mrs. Root are both members of the Presbyterian church. Mr. Root is a member of the following social and fraternal organizations Stichter Lodge, No. 254, Free and Accepted Masons; Pottstown Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Nativity Commandery, knights Templar; Madison Lodge, No. 466, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Royal Arcanum, of which he was one of the original thirteen members to organize the council, July 1, 1878, and was its secretary for twelve years; the Order of United American Mechanics, the Patriotic Order of Sons of America, and others.

Politically Mr. Root is a Democrat. He was elected delegate at large to the proposed Constitutional Convention in 1891, and polled the highest vote in Philadelphia of any delegate in the state on the Democratic ticket.

J. Lawrence Root, the second son of Mr. Root, was in the hospital corps and served as orderly under Major Ashenfelter in the Spanish-American war. His eldest son, C. Cleaver Root, was a member of the National Guard, and was encamped at Homestead, on the Cinder Banks, in the famous riots of 1891.

 

 

ADAM FISHER, a substantial farmer of Worcester, is a native of Lower Salford township, where he was born August 29, 1848. He acquired his early education by attending the schools of the vicinity in which he lived. He left school before reaching the twentieth year of his age. He then worked at home for his father, continuing to live on the homestead until he married and purchased it.

He married Mary, daughter of Jesse Snyder, of Towamencin township, in February, 1881, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. John Kriebel, at the home of the wife's father.

Mr. and Mrs. Fisher have had seven children: Jesse S., born in 1883; Edwin who died at the age of eleven months; John, who is twenty years of age and lives with his parents, and has been engaged in attending a business college in Philadelphia; Lydia, who is in her nineteenth year, and resides with her parents; Adam, who is thirteen years of age: Ada, who is ten years old, and Mary who died at the age of seven months.

The founder of the Fisher family in America was Adam Fisher, who came from Germany. Nothing in known of his ancestry except that he was the son of Jacob Fisher, and came to this country in 1836. After many adverse experiences he located in Pennsylvania, where he married Maria, daughter of George Heydrick, on December 22, 1839. Their children were Susanna, Mary and Adam, the last named the subject of this sketch.

Adam Fisher (father) was a carpet weaver by trade. He stopped at first in New York after landing in this country, where he found an old friend of his boyhood in Germany. This friend

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of his early days proved to be unreliable, and Mr. Fisher lost all of his hard earnings. Undaunted by this experience, Mr. Fisher kept diligently at work. He finally drifted to Pennsylvania, and found two of his old friends from the old country. They were joint and Peter Coleman, of Upper Salford township. They gave him work, and he was not long in accumulating a fair share of this world's goods. He continued to work at his trade as a weaver, and also did farm work, and as his savings grew purchased twenty-five acres of land, and then added to that until he owned forty-two acres, now the home of his son, where the father lived and died.

The Fisher family in Germany were very poor, and with little education to assist them, never kept any record of their ancestry. The subject of this sketch has tried for many years to trace the family genealogy in the old country, but without success. All that he has ascertained is that his father, Adam Fisher, came from Gilheim, Germany, stopped for a while in New York, and then journeyed to Pennsylvania, where he spent the remainder of his life. He had been a soldier for six years before emigrating from Germany. He was buried in the Schwenkfelder cemetery in Lower Salford township.

Mary (Heydrick) Fisher (mother) was the daughter of George Heydrick, of Lower Salford township. Mrs. Heydrick's sisters are Susanna, wife of Isaac Kreibel, a farmer of Lower Salford; Mary, wife of John Clements, a retired farmer who lives in Lansdale.

Mrs. Fisher's mother has two sisters, Hannah, wife of Reuben Kreibel (deceased), and Rachel, unmarried and living at West Point, at eighty-five years of age.

In politics, Mr. Fisher is a Republican. He is a member of the Schwenkfelder church, and a man highly esteemed in his community.

 

 

DANIEL M. BISHOP, a well known farmer of Hatfield township, is a native of New Britain township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where he was born January 7, 1862. He is the son of Joseph and Susan (Moyer) Bishop. He was educated in the schools in the vicinity of his boyhood home, and on leaving school learned the trade of a carpenter, which occupation he followed until 1876, when he removed to Hatfield township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, and purchased a fertile farm near the village of Line Lexington, where he has resided ever since, conducting it very successfully. He married in 1885 Miss Mary Ruth, daughter of joint and Catharine (Swartley) Ruth, of New Britain township.

The Children of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel M. Bishop: Stella, Harry, Wilson and Raymond. Mr. Bishop is an active Republican, working and voting in behalf of the candidates and policy of that organization. He and his family attend the Mennonite church, to which his ancestors for several generations have belonged. He is a good neighbor, a progressive citizen, and a man highly respected by the community in which he lives.

Joseph Bishop (father) was a native of Bucks county. He was born in 1813, and educated in the schools available to farmers' sons in his day, there being little choice at that tune in this respect. He engaged in the occupation of farming, which was that of his ancestors from the time they settled in the country, and followed it through life. He died in 1885, at the age of seventy-two years. He was a Whig, and later a Republican in politics and held the office of supervisor for many years. He was a member of the Mennonite church. He married Susan Moyer, of an old Bucks county Mennonite family.

The couple had ten children, as follows: Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, Susan, Samuel, Jacob, Jonas, John, Enos and Daniel M., the last named being the subject of this sketch.

 

 

LEVI FREDERICK KEPLER, a very prominent farmer in Lower Pottsgrove township, was born in Montgomery county, February 28, 1839. He is the son of John and Sarah (Levy) Kepler, of Montgomery county.

John Kepler (father) was a cabinet maker possessed of great skill in his work. He lived in Montgomery county for many years, and made the furniture for all the families living in the vicinity of his home. He was a Democrat, and a member of the Lutheran church. John and Sarah (Levy) Kepler had nine children, six of whom are deceased, having died at all ages between twenty years and sixty-three years.

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The deceased children are: Jonathan, Reuben, Copland, Hannah, Sophia, and Isaac. The others are: Edward, married Mary Ann Smith, daughter of Jacob Smith, he has always been a miller in Lower Pottsgrove township; Sarah Rebecca, married James Neall (deceased), of Philadelphia, where he was a civil engineer and a magistrate for many years; she survives, and lives sometimes in Philadelphia and sometimes in Atlantic City; Levi Frederick.

The grandparents of Levi Kepler lived at Milltown, New Hanover township, where he engaged in milling, farming, store keeping, and oil dealing.

Levi Frederick Kepler left school when he was thirteen years of age, with a fair education and a determination to accomplish something in this world. He became a miller, and continued as such for about twelve years. When the war of the rebellion broke out he enlisted as a private in Company H., Fifty-fourth Regiment of Pennsylvania Infantry.

His regiment was engaged in the following battles: New Market, Shenandoah Valley, Staunton, Cedar Creek, Winchester, Lynchburg, Richmond, Fort Hill, Appomattox. He was present at the fall of Richmond, and was taken prisoner after the battle of Appomattox, and at the surrender of General Lee four days afterwards he was only a few feet from the General. He served in an independent division and in the first battle there were 168 killed and wounded. He served throughout the war, and rose from the rank of private to that of lieutenant, being commissioned April 3, 1865.

On returning to his home, he again took up the milling business, and later carried on a produce store in Philadelphia for two years. For the next five years he was clerk in the Security Bank. While thus employed he was married.

He married Miss Mary Ellen Gibbs, daughter of George S. and Ellen (Mattes) Gibbs, of Philadelphia. They later removed to Eddington, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, where they died about twenty years ago. They are buried in Bucks county. Both were members of the Episcopal church. John M. and Mary (Matthews) Gibbs (grandparents of Mrs. Kepler) lived in Philadelphia and kept a country seat in Bucks county. He is buried in Monument cemetery, Philadelphia, and his wife in All Saints' cemetery. John M. Gibbs was the son of a nobleman, and left many thousand pounds, and a family crest which is now in the possession of Mrs. Kepler.

After his marriage Mr. Levi F. Kepler removed to a farm in Bucks county, which had been the home of his mother's parents. He remained there five years, and then purchased his farm in Lower Pottsgrove township, Montgomery county, where he has lived ever since. In politics he is a Republican and is a member of the Episcopal church.

Mr. and Mrs. Levi Frederick Kepler have three children, namely: 1. Frederick Gibbs, an engineer residing in Philadelphia, he married Maggie Bossert, of Montgomery county, and they have one child, Frederick. 2. George Gibbs, married Jennie Levengood, of Pottstown, and has one child, Emily. He resides in Philadelphia, where he is a hardware merchant. He is in very poor health. 3. Ellen Gibbs, married William S. Peltz, who is engaged in the express business; they reside in Pottstown, and have two children, Louise Crispin Peltz, and Einina Frances Peltz.

 

 

SARAH HUNSICKER LONGSTRETH, widow of the late Henry Longstreth, was born November 20, 1842, on the farm which was the home of her paternal grandfather, Jacob Hunsicker, near Collegeville. She received a liberal education, being graduated from the Pennsylvania. Female College, under Professor Sunderland, of Freeland, now Collegeville, this being the first institution of the kind in the state. She taught school for a member of years before her marriage.

Jacob, Jr., and Mary (Bechtel) Hunsicker, the parents of Mrs. Longstreth, were natives of Montgomery county. He spent his life in farming, and built a house near the old homestead, where he was born. He never joined any church. In politics he was formerly a Whig, and later a Democrat, but held no office. He died in 1879 at the age of sixty-six years. His wife died in September, 1878.

Their children were: Sarah (Mrs. Longstreth); Anna Jane (Mrs. Warren Grater), died in 1875, aged thirty years; Ella M., died unmarried, at the age of forty-three.

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Jacob Hunsicker, grandfather of Mrs. Longstreth, was born in Skippack township, Montgomery county. He was a farmer and miller, and settled on a farm in Perkiomen Valley, near Collegeville, in 1811. Here he remained through life. He remodeled the house and made many, improvements on the farm. He was reared a Mennonite, and was always a member of that church. In politics he was a Whig and a Republican.

His children were: Catharine (Mrs. D. Allebach); Esther (Mrs. G. Bean); Sarah (Mrs. D. Culp); Martin, a farmer; Jacob (father); Henry, died young; Benjamin, a merchant, died and left two children. Some of the children of Jacob Hunsicker were Mennonites, and some had no church relations.

Henry Hunsicker, the great-grandfather of Mrs. Longstreth, was a descendant of Valentine Hunsicker, who came from Switzerland. As far as is known the family were all farmers and mechanics. They were all Mennonites, and some of them elders and bishops in the church. The children of Henry Hunsicker were: Abraham, Jacob (grandfather), John, Garret, Isaac, and Anna (Mrs. Johnson).

Abraham Bechtel, the maternal grandfather of Mrs. Longstreth, was a farmer and a descendant of an old Montgomery county family. They were Mennonites. His children were: David, died in Montgomery county; Nancy (Mrs. H. Bechtel); Susan (Mrs. J. Kratz); Abraham, Elizabeth, married (first husband) Joseph Johnston. and (second husband) George Kratz; Mary (mother); Philip, Esther (Mrs. Rosenberger) and married (second husband) R. Longaker, John and Henry.

Sarah (Hunsicker) Longstreth still lives on the property formerly part of her father's farm and where he died December 1, 1879.

In 1865 she married Henry Longstreth, who was born in Chester county, January 6, 1838.

Henry Longstreth was reared on the old Longstreth homestead at Trappe, which was originally a hotel, but is now owned and occupied by Isaac Longstreth. He received a good education in the common schools and in Freeland Seminary. He afterwards taught school: for several winters, and helped his father on the farm during the summer. He was a sergeant in Captain Benjamin F. Bean's Company I, One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. He enlisted August 4, 1862, to serve nine months, and was honorably discharged May 18, 1863. He served again in the Emergency service in 1863, but saw no fighting after his marriage in 1865 he removed to a farm near Linfield, Limerick township, Montgomery county, situated in the Schuylkill Valley, and spent the rest of his life in farming. He had the most unproved farm machinery, and conducted his farm very successfully. He was a business man far above the average, and commanded respect of all who knew him. On August 25, 1875, death separated him from his sorrowing wife and children. In politics he was a Republican.

John and Catharine (Kline) Longstreth were the parents of Henry Longstreth. He was born in Chester county, and learned the blacksmith trade. Later he became a farmer, attending market regularly. He was a man of very strong convictions. He was of English origin. His wife was born in Montgomery county, and they both died there. She was of German descent, and a member of the Reformed church.

Their children: Henry, married Sarah Hunsicker; Rebecca (Mrs. Rhoads); Anna, died at the age of twenty-two years; Morris, died unmarried; Samuel, Isaac, and two who died in infancy. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Longstreth kept her family together, and reared her children with credit.

Her children were: Earnest H., born August 22, 1860, was graduated at Ursinus College, at Collegeville, and first obtained employment in the First National Bank of Norristown, and later held a position in the Manfacturers' Bank of Philadelphia, and other trusted positions. He was secretary and treasurer of the Security Trust Company, Camden, New Jersey, when he died, March 30, 1900, cut off in a promising career. Mayne R., born February 27, 1869 graduated from Ursinus College, Collegeville, with two honors, in 1869, and later from the law department of the University of Pennsylvania. He is practicing his profession in Philadelphia. and shows great ability as a lawyer. He is at present assistant city solicitor of Philadelphia. He is unmarried. In politics he is a Republican, and takes an active interest in his party.

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