USA > Pennsylvania > Delaware County > A history of Delaware County, Pennsylvania, and its people; Volume III > Part 20
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In the office of superintendent of schools, Mr. Baker was in "the province of his best usefulness" and of his dearest interest. For the duties of this office he was admirably equipped in scholarship and in character. He had "execu- tive ability of the highest type in the management of school affairs." He pos- sessed the power of initiative in an exceptional degree, his ideals sprang from his brain fully formed, to conceive was to execute if expedient. His energy in the fulfillment of a purpose was tireless. He sympathized with men as man, and lifted burdens with tenderness and helpfulness correspondingly large, leav- ing the recipient of his wise sympathy cheered and strengthened. He remained "ever an example and an inspiration" to his teachers, always easily the leader and the master, equal to every demand. In taking "affectionate leave of the work," he modestly said: "I retire from the superintendency with clean hands and a clear conscience, humbly praying that my labors may not have been in vain." Happily he lived to realize that the fulfillment of his prayer had begun before its utterance.
James W. Baker was pre-eminently a teacher. In order to be a successful teacher one must not only have knowledge, but he must be able to impart this clearly and concisely to others ; he must have a deep and thorough interest in his work, and must be able to maintain discipline. In all of these requirements Mr. Baker was well qualified, and although progressive was not radical. It was his "delight to assist and encourage," not alone the many school children of the county in their efforts at learning, but all young people with whom he came into friendly relation, and every endeavor was made looking towards making
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"each generation of men better, wiser, and more learned than the preceding one." His interest in education is perpetuated through the establishment of two scholarships in the University of Pennsylvania for the benefit of the graduates of the Media High School. For many years he was a member of the Board of School Directors of Media, and filled successively the positions of treasurer and president. His last public duty was the presentation of diplomas to the gradu- ates of the high school, June 28, 1902.
During the years he was in business he devoted much of his leisure time to the study of physical sciences. Being an independent and original thinker he frequently gave scant credence to many scientific theories, finding them inade- quate to his demands. He read, not to accept, but to test, and in working out his own conclusions, unconsciously placed himself among the great thinkers of his time. He also read wisely in general literature, and was critical not of mat- ter only, but of manner, being sensitive to the structure and rhythm of sen- . tences, and exacting in the close use of words. He was a lover of language, and wrote fluently when the occasion demanded.
He was a man of strong character, abstemious in his habits, never using tobacco or liquor in any form, and his broad, scholarly attainments made him a prominent factor in the best circles. As a citizen he was public-spirited, and quietly and generously encouraged every effort to promote the general good of his town and county. In religion he accepted the Orthodox belief of his church, the Disciples of Christ, and in politics he was always a Republican, standing unswervingly for the principles of the party while abhorring many of its practices.
Mr. Baker married, in 1865, Frances Naomi Smith, of Chester county, Pennsylvania, daughter of Andrew Smith, of Scotch-Irish parentage, born in county Clare, Ireland, educated for the Presbyterian ministry, but was forced to abandon this calling on account of ill health. He came to the United States in early manhood, locating in Chester county, Pennsylvania, where for a short period of time he followed the profession of teaching, and subsequently became the owner of considerable property in the same county. He married Matilda Schreiver, a native of Adams county, Pennsylvania, of German descent, a descendant on the maternal side of Hermann, the great German patriot. Mr. Smith died at a comparatively early age.
Mr. and Mrs. Baker took up their residence in Media, Pennsylvania. In 1873 she entered the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, in Philadel- phia, taking up the study of medicine. She was among the first to take the long course, when the studies were divided, she pursuing the four year instead of ne two year course, graduating with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1877. After spending some time in hospital and post-graduate work, thus gaining valuable experience, she opened an office in Media, Pennsylvania, and has since engaged in a general practice, meeting with a marked degree of success, her practice extending throughout a large portion of Delaware county. That she has been a practitioner in the same locality for so many years proves conclu- sively her high standing in the profession, this indicating a good business for it is only the capable and devoted physician that can command and retain the public patronage. Dr. Baker is one of the managers, of the Woman's College Hospital of Philadelphia, having been connected with it for many years, and is chairman of the Public Health Educational Committee of the American Medi- cal Association for Delaware county. She keeps in touch with the advanced thought along the line of her profession by membership in the American Medi- cal Association : the Delaware County Medical Society, of which she was pres- ident in 1911, and she is also identified with the Alumni Association of the Woman's Medical College, and one of the early members of the society to aid in
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the prevention of tuberculosis ; also a member of the Society for the Pre- vention of the Social Disease. She is a member of the New Century Club of Philadelphia and the Woman's Club of Media, and is in sympathy with the suffrage movement.
Mr. Baker and his wife spent considerable time in travel, both in this coun- try and abroad, crossing the ocean five times, using this as a means of study and recreation, from which they derived great pleasure, and since the death of her husband, Dr. Baker has made three trips abroad. During the summer of 1913 she visited Labrador, and during her stay inspected the Mission Hospi- tals located there.
The Bartows came to Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, from West-
BARTOW chester county, New York, where William Bartow was born, in the town of Bartow, named in honor of the family, who early
settled there. William Bartow later came to Marcus Hook, where he died leaving a widow and six children, all deceased: Sarah, married John Chance ; Eliphas, married Benjamin Smith : William. George, John (of whom further), and Henry.
John, son of William Bartow, was born at Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, November 16, 1822, and died there. He attended the public schools, and when a young man became a Delaware river fisherman, an occupation he followed throughout his active life. He married Jane Valentine, born in Wilmington. Delaware, only daughter of Jefferson Valentine, who also had an only son, William. a railroad contractor of Wilmington. Children of Jolin Bartow : John H., married Bertha Clayton ; Eliphas; Alfred; Elizabeth, married K. T. W. Pechmann : Martha, died unmarried : Florencio, of whom further.
Florencio, son of John and Jane (Valentine) Bartow, was born in Mar- cus Hook, Pennsylvania, January 10, 1870. He was educated in the public school, graduating in 1887 under the instruction of A. G. Smith, then superin- tendent of public schools after which he began business life. In 1906 he was appointed postmaster of Marcus Hook, was reappointed in 1910, and still holds that office. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Knights of Pythias. Mr. Bartow is unmarried.
Ideas backed with indefatigable energy .- the desire and power to
DUKE accomplish big things,-these qualities make of success not an ac- cident but a logical result. The man of initiative is he who com- bines with a capacity for hard work an indomitable will. Such a man recog- nizes no such thing as failure and his final success is on a parity with his well directed efforts. Henry Duke, builder and real estate operator at Norwood, Pennsylvania, is strictly a self-made man and as such his success in life is the more gratifying to contemplate.
A native of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, Henry Duke was born Septem- ber 27, 1865. a son of Hardy and Sarah (Morgan) Duke, the former of Eng- fish descent and the latter of Swedish origin. Mr. and Mrs. Duke were mar- ried in Nansemond county, Virginia, whence they removed to Ridley Park. Pennsylvania, in 1864. The father was a laborer by occupation and he died it Moores, Pennsylvania, in 1887. He was a Democrat in politics and a Bap- tist in his religious faith. He and his wife were the parents of thirteen chil- dren, of whom the subject of this review was the sixth in order of birth.
Henry Duke was educated at Moores, Pennsylvania, and for a time he attended the Norwood public school. As a young man he worked in the dairy business for a time at Chester, and then he entered upon an apprenticeship to
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learn the trade of carpenter. He has long been active as a builder, many homes in Norwood having been erected by him. He is likewise interested in the real estate business at Norwood, and in that line of enterprise is achieving marked success. He has a beautiful residence in Norwood, and the same was built in 1909. Mr. Duke is a Democrat in all matters affecting the welfare of the na- tion, but in local politics he maintains an independent attitude, preferring to give his support to men and measures meeting with the approval of his judg- ment, rather than to vote along strictly partisan lines. He has been a member of the borough council at Norwood, and has held all the offices in the local fire department, being still connected with the latter as a member. He and his family are Methodist Episcopal in their religious faith, and in a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
August 26, 1892, Mr. Duke married Miss May Bower, and they are the parents of the following children : Mary, Harry, Frank, Horace, Charles and Ruth, all of whom are living except Mary, who died in 1891.
DOOLING Man's greatest prize on earth is physical health and vigor ; nothing deteriorates mental activity so quickly as prolonged sickness, hence the broad field for human helpfulness afforded in the medical profession. The truly successful doctor requires more than merely a technical training,-he must be sympathetic, kindhearted and con- genial, capable of inspiring hope and faith in the heart of his patient. These qualities are possessed in good measure by Dr. Henry C. Dooling, who has been engaged in the active practice of medicine and surgery at Norwood since 1909.
Dr. Dooling was born at Clayton, New Jersey, June 23, 1885, a son of John W. and Sylvia (Cheeseman) Dooling, both natives of New Jersey and residents of Clayton, that state, in 1913. John W. Dooling is a glass blower by trade, and he is now serving his fourth term as postmaster at Clayton, where is recognized as a man of sterling character. The Dooling ancestry is of Scotch origin, the founder of the family in America having been an early settler in the state of New York.
Dr. Henry C. Dooling passed his boyhood and youth in Clayton, New Jersey, where he attended the public schools, being graduated in high school as a member of the class of 1901. For two terms thereafter he was a student in Temple College, at Philadelphia, and in 1904 he entered the Medico-Chiru- gical Medical College, at Philadelphia from which excellent institution he was graduated in 1908, as honor-man of his class, receiving a gold medal and the Spencer-Morris cash prize of $500 for highest general average, duly receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine. He was resident physician at the Pres- byterian Hospital for one year immediately succeeding his graduation, and in 1909 he established his professional headquarters at Norwood, in Delaware county, where he now controls a most lucrative practice, and where he is rapidly gaining distinctive prestige as an unusually successful physician and surgeon. In connection with his work he is a valued and appreciative mem- ber of the Delaware County Medical Society and of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society. Fraternally, he is connected with the Junior Order of American Mechanics, and with Forest Grove Lodge, No. 91, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. In politics he is a Republican, and he is serving as vice-president of the school board at Norwood.
June 1, 1909, Dr. Dooling was united in marriage to Miss Nellie M. Essler, a native of New Jersey. To this union have been born two children : Frances Jean, whose nativity occurred May 14, 1910; and George Halvor,
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born April 17, 1912. Dr. and Mrs. Dooling are popular in connection with the best social activities at Norwood, where they are held in high esteem by all with whom they have come in contact.
BARTLETT Civilization will hail riches, prowess, honors, popularity, but it will bow humbly to sincerity in its fellows. The expo- nent of known sincerity, of singleness of honest purpose, has. its exemplification in all bodies of men : he is found in every association and to him defer its honors. Such an exemplar whose daily life and whose life work have been dominated as their most conspicnons characteristic by sincerity, is- Arthur T. Bartlett, passenger engineer on the Maryland & Delaware division of the Pennsylvania railroad, his runs being between Philadelphia and Wash- ington. Mr. Bartlett resides at Norwood, in Delaware county, Pennsylvania.
In the city of Baltimore, Maryland. December 22, 1861, occurred the birth of Arthur T. Bartlett, who is a son of Thomas and Mary A. (Lovell) Bartlett. the former a native of Maryland, and the latter of New Castle, Delaware. The father was a blacksmith by occupation, devoting his attention to that line of business for a period of fifty-two years, during the greater part of which time he was in the employ of the P. W. & B. Railroad Company, his headquarters being at Baltimore. He and his wife became the parents of four sons and one daughter, of whom three sons are living, in 1913. Mr. Bartlett passed to the great beyond in 1901 and his wife died in 1881.
To the public schools of Baltimore, Maryland, Arthur T. Bartlett, of this notice, is indebted for his preliminary educational training. At the age of eighteen years he began to work, and in his nineteenth year he turned his at- tention to railroading. His first position was with the P. W. & B. Railroad Company, and he worked in their shops at Baltimore for eighteen months, at the expiration of which he began firing on an engine. He was fireman for seven years and eight months, and at the expiration of that period he became a full-fledged engineer. This was in 1880, and for the past twenty-four years he has been running freight and passenger trains without any serious mishaps. Since 1905 he has been running express trains on the Pennsylvania railroad be- tween Philadelphia and Washington. His present position as engineer on this run is one of infinite responsibility. Mr. Bartlett is familiar with every depart- ment of railroading, having worked in the shops, in the yards, switching freights and passengers, and as fireman, and finally, as passenger engineer. He entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1880, and he has a fine record for being careful in all his work. He resided in Baltimore un- til 1893, when he established the family home in Philadelphia, whence he re- moved to Norwood in 1907. In politics he is an unswerving supporter of Re- publican principles and in a fraternal way he is affiliated with the Royal Arca- num, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the Pennsylvania Railroad Volunteer Relief Association and the Veteran Employes of the Maryland & Delaware Division. Formerly he was a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and he is a charter member of the Protective Order, Sons of America. Religiously he is a fervent member of the Norwood Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a strong advocate of the no license movement in Del- aware county.
October 31. 1883, Mr. Bartlett married Miss Marion L. Caleb, a native of Baltimore. Mr. and Mrs. Bartlett have two daughters .- Bessie, who is the wife. of R. P. Collins, of Philadelphia : and Clara, wife of J. H. Wells, of Philadel- phia.
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John C. Wahl is a man highly respected in the business circles WAHL of Fernwood, and one who by strict morality and integrity of pur-
pose furnishes an excellent example to others. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, December 23, 1853, son of John C. and Mary (Strucher ) Wahl, and a descendant on both the paternal and maternal side of a Ger- man ancestry.
John C. Wahl Sr. was born in the town of Uln, Saxony, Germany, 1830, died in Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1901. He was the only son of his parents, who were born, lived and died in Germany, their other children being daugh- ters, all of whom remained in their native land. During his young manhood John C. Wahl emigrated to the United States, the trip being made in a sailing vessel, which got off its course, and was nine months in reaching this side of the Atlantic. There is a law in Germany that on marriage the husband shall put up a certain sum of money, which shall be refunded upon the birth of the first child, and with the equivalent of this sum in his pocket Mr. Wahl left his native land. During his early life he learned the trade of shoemaker, and this occupation he followed in the United States, first in Brooklyn, New York, where he married Mary Strucher, who was born in Berne, Switzerland, 1832, died 1903, whose parents lived and died in Germany. She came to this country with her intended husband and an older lady, but upon arriving here they became separated and never saw each other again, and later she became the wife of Mr. Wahl. After the birth of his oldest child, John C., of whom further, Mr. Wahl went to Boston, Massachusetts, leaving his wife and child in Brooklyn, and all the capital he could spare, $33.00. The landlord of the house she resided in swindled her out of her money, intercepted the letters sent her by her husband, thinking that they would contain money, but by strategy she succeeded in getting from the postman the seventh letter sent her by her husband, and by threatening to expose the landlord she secured from him suf- ficient money to defray her expenses to Boston, where she joined her husband. They remained in that city for six years, and then the failing health of Mrs. Wahl compelled them to seek a different climate, and Mr. Wahl purchased, on the installment plan, a small farm in the German settlement at Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, where they resided for six years, after which they moved to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where Mr. Wahl was the proprietor of a shoe store and in addition to the management of this followed his trade of shoe- maker. Mr. and Mrs. Wahl were the parents of two other sons, namely : William F., a resident of Atlantic City, where he has amassed considerable capital as the result of speculation in real estate, and Charles F., proprietor of a shoe store in Atlantic City, from which he derives a comfortable livelihood.
John C. Wahl Jr. obtained the greater part of his education in the pub- lic schools of Egg Harbor City, the mornings being devoted to the study of German and the afternoons to the study of English. He learned the trade of shoemaker under the personal supervision of his father, becoming thoroughly expert in all branches, and in early life he worked for his father and in vari- ous other shoe shops in Atlantic City, acquiring an experience which has proven valuable to him in late years, and for a period of time he assumed full charge of his father's shoe store. In 1884 he removed to Fernwood, Penn- sylvania, and for one year was in the employ of John Fryger, and then estab- lished a business of his own, which he has conducted ever since, his patronage steadily increasing every year. In 1889 he erected a frame building, with a store for his own use, in which he displays all kinds of foot wear, and in the rear of the store has a shop where shoes are manufactured. He has the largest trade of any store of its kind in that section of Fernwood, and is recog- nized as one of the substantial business men of the place. He is a Methodist
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in religion, a Republican in politics, and is affiliated with the Improved Order of Red Men and the United Order of American Mechanics.
Mr. Wahl married, 1880, Rebecca Sperber. Children: 1. Carl J., born November 25. 1891 ; a telegraph operator ; married Winifred Bailey ; resides at Freehold, New Jersey. 2. Harry B., born August 4, 1893; a railroad line- man ; unmarried.
GREEN The Green family is well represented throughout the United States, and a large number of them are to be found in the state of Pennsylvania, where they have made their mark in various directions.
The grandfather of Sidwell Green, late of Gradyville, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, was the father of three sons and two daughters, among these being Sidwell, born in Chester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, whose occu- pation was that of a laborer : Abel G., a well known Methodist minister.
Sidwell Green Jr. was born in Chester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, in 1836, and died at Gradyville, Delaware county, in 1904. He was educated in the schools of his native township, and then apprenticed to learn the wheel- wright's trade. With this and farming he was identified until his death. The greater part of his life was spent on his farm in Delaware county, which he cultivated very successfully. He was an active worker in the interests of the Democratic party, and served as a county commissioner for a considerable period of time. His religious affiliations were with the Methodist church.
Mr. Green married, in 1870, Annie Mary, born in 1851, daughter of Gilpon and Annie (Speakman) Thompson, the former born in 1835. died in 1800. They have had children : Sylvester G. : Daniel W. : Abel ; Anna M., born in 1868, married, March 27, 1901, Harry Carr, and has children : Hannah Mary, born in 1903. Elsie S., born in 1907. and Francis ; Sidwell, the third of the name; Grover, deceased : Francis, twin of Grover ; Horace P. Mrs. Green, who is possessed of an unusual amount of executive ability, now manages the farm very capably, being assisted in this enterprise by her son and son-in- law. Harry Carr.
WITTIG The Wittig family is of direct German extraction. For many generations it has lived in Germany, contributing by its indus- try to the general wealth and prosperity, of the Fatherland. One of the principal occupations of the family has been that of piano making, in which trade they are among the most expert in their country. They know it from the least to the greatest and most important detail, and the factories for which they work invariably become famous, not only for the beauty and finish of their instruments but also for the exquisite quality of tone.
Conrad Wittig, the first of the family to emigrate from Germany to this country, was born in Germany, 1822, emigrated to the United States in 1848. and died in 1900, in Lester, Delaware county, Pennsylvania, his wife having died four years previous. He was a piano maker in Germany, and on coming to this country he at once engaged in the same line of business, the making of pianos at that time being comparatively in its infancy. He located in Philadel- phia and was employed by the Shoemaker Piano Company, with whom he con- tinued for many years, or until one year after the Lester Piano Manufacturing Company was organized and incorporated, and moved from Philadelphia to Lester, Pennsylvania, where the firm erected a large and complete plant. Mr. Wittig was a Republican in politics, giving his allegiance to that party after its organization in 1867. and he and all of his family were members of the Ger-
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man Lutheran church. Before leaving Germany he had served his time in the army, and was for that reason martial in his bearing. Mr. and Mrs. Wittig were the parents of six children, four of whom survive, and among these is Herman, of whom further.
Herman Wittig, son of Conrad Wittig, the German emigrant, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1862. He attended the neighborhood public schools, and at the age of twelve years entered the employ of the Shoemaker Piano Company, and for thirty-nine years has followed this vocation. In 1886 he engaged with the F. A. North Piano Company, which later became the Lester Piano Manufacturing Company, and still later it was moved to Lester, where it established a large and perfectly equipped plant. Mr. Wittig has remained with this company to the present time (1913). He worked from bench to bench, with each removal being promoted to a higher place that required skill and experience in advance of the last, until now he is assistant superintendent of the plant. This was accomplished through merit, for which Mr. Wittig deserves the greatest credit, as no outside influence was brought to bear upon the heads of the various departments through which he passed, until he attained his present responsible position. He is a member of the German Lutheran church, and in 1903 assisted in organizing a church in Lester, and later in raising funds for the purpose of building an edifice in which the members of that faith might worship. When the church was organ- ized it worshipped in a part of the Lester piano factory, and the present struc- ture is a credit to both the congregation and the town. In politics Mr. Wittig is a Republican ; he served as school director for seventeen years, only retiring recently because the demands of his position required all of his time and atten- tion.
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