USA > Pennsylvania > Luzerne County > Wilkes-Barre > A history of Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania : from its first beginnings to the present time, including chapters of newly-discovered early Wyoming Valley history, together with many biographical sketches and much genealogical material. Volume V > Part 34
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Mr. McCracken has always found time in which to take a helpful interest in the civic and general affairs of his community. In his political views he is a Repub- lican, and he stands behind any movement designed for the benefit of Wilkes-Barre. He has been active in welfare work, and is now a director of the Wilkes-Barre branch of the Young Men's Christian Association. He is also a member of the Westmoreland Club, and is a valued worker in church and religious circles.
Samuel McCracken married, June 4, 1902, Phoebe Englert, of Dunmore, Pennsylvania, daughter of George and Siddie (Van Buskirk) Englert. Mr. and Mrs. Mc- Cracken became the parents of three children: 1. George Englert, a graduate of Princeton University; now an instructor in Greek and Latin at Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania. 2. Elizabeth J., who resides at home. 3. Samuel McCracken, Jr., who died in child- hood. Mr. McCracken and his family maintain their principal residence in Wilkes-Barre, in which community they attend the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, of which Mr. McCracken is a trustee.
EDMUND EVAN JONES, a member of the well- known law firm of Bedford, Jones, McGuigan & Waller, whose offices are at No. 832 in the Miners' Bank Build- ing, Wilkes-Barre, was born on September 12, 1870, at Coaldale, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, a son of David E. and Elizabeth (Gwilliam) Jones, both of whom are now deceased. David E. Jones was a native of Wales, in the British Isles, but he came to this country with his parents when he was still but a four weeks old infant. His father was Evan E. Jones, who became the father of and reared to maturity a large and prosperous family. By his marriage to Elizabeth Gwilliam, David E. Jones became the father of six children: Edmund Evan, of whom further; Mary, who is now deceased; Sarah ; William, who held the degree of Doctor of Medicine, and who was a successful physician up until the time of his death; Severus G., of Tamaqua, Pennsylvania; and Franklin.
Edmund E. Jones, the first son and first child of David E. and Elizabeth (Gwilliam) Jones, received his early education in the public schools of the community in which he was born and reared, Coaldale. He then studied and mastered telegraphy, later being employed
as a telegraph operator for the Lehigh Valley Railroad. After some years at this work he resigned to become associated with the Shelden Axle and Spring Company. He later became an expert stenographer, opening a pub- lic stenographic office in Wilkes-Barre. During this same period of time he also undertook the study of the law under the competent preceptorship of the late Thomas H. Atherton. So well did he succeed that in the year 1896 he was admitted to practice at the Luzerne County Bar. Immediately after his admission, he prepared him- self by private study for college, and in the fall of that same year he enrolled as a student at Princeton Univer- sity, and graduated from there with the class of 1900, when he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts. After the completion of these courses of study he at once re- turned to Wilkes-Barre and there began the practice of his profession as a lawyer. This has unquestionably proved to be the right field for Mr. Jones' talents, and he is today considered one of the outstanding men at the Bar of Luzerne County. Not only is he a member of one of the most prominent legal firms in Wilkes-Barre, as above stated, but he is also a director of the Morris Run Coal Mining Company, and Wyoming Valley Build- ing and Loan Association.
Mr. Jones is particularly noted for the keen interest he has shown in the political and general affairs of his city and his county. He has, indeed, taken much of his own time to serve the people of his community in other than a private capacity. In his political preferences he is strongly inclined toward the Republican party, and as such he served for more than six years as secretary of the Wilkes-Barre Park Commission; and he served for a like period, six years, as assistant district attorney for Luzerne County. During the World War Mr. Jones served as a "Four-Minute" speaker ; was active in Red Cross and Liberty Loan Drives, and a member of the Draft Board. He has been equally active in his club and social life, for he is now affiliated, fraternally, with the Wilkes-Barre Lodge, No. 61, Free and Accepted Masons, the Shekinah Chapter, No. 182, Royal Arch Masons, the Dieu le Veut Commandery, No. 45, Knights Templar, the Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Wilkes-Barre: the Sons of Liberty Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and he is a member of the Westmoreland Club : the Wyoming Valley Country Club : the Irem Country Club, and Nassau Club of Princeton, New Jersey. For twenty-one years he was the secretary and treasurer of the Wyoming Valley Country Club, and for two years he was its president, also for three years, secretary and treasurer of West- moreland Club.
Edmund E. Jones married, April 22, 1908, Bertha von Kolnitz, of Charleston, South Carolina, a daughter of George F. and Mary (Wayne) von Kolnitz, both de- ceased. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are the parents of one child, a daughter : Esther Trezevant, who is now a student at Vassar College. Mrs. Jones is also active in the social life of Wilkes-Barre, and she now holds membership in Charleston chapter of both the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution and the Daughters of the Confederacy Mr. Jones and his family maintain their residence in Wilkes-Barre, in which community they attend the St. Stephens Episcopal Church.
G(EORGE) MURRAY ROAT-Continuing a busi- ness established by his father many years ago and con- ducting it to ever increasing prosperity, G(eorge) Murray Roat, of Kingston, has reached a high place in the com- mercial activities of the region and in the esteem of his fellow-citizens. Knowing him from boyhood and watch- ing his career through the years, the electorate of the city has given him its whole hearted approval by choosing him to hold its highest elective office. He takes a great pride in the growth of Kingston, in its many industries and in the administration of its official affairs. The respect in which he is held is only equalled by the staunch friendships he has made, through his honesty of purpose and his fidelity to trust.
G. Murray Roat was born in Kingston, February 29, 1864. His father was Andrew Jackson, and his mother Mary (Gabriel) Roat, both natives of Luzerne County and members of one of its oldest and most respected families. Andrew Jackson Roat was born in 1834 and learned and followed the trade of blacksmith for many years. Starting on a broader career, he established the A. J. Roat Supply Company, in Kingston, which became the leading hardware and mine supply company in North- east Pennsylvania. It was Andrew Jackson Roat who imported the first ton of iron into Kingston, bringing it here from Philadelphia, before the railroads had come
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to this district, by way of the old Pennsylvania canal. For many years he was one of the leading merchants and citizens of Luzerne County, a staunch Democrat and a supporter of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His death occurred February 13, 1913. There were three children : Harry, Edward and Murray. Murray re- ceived his education in the Kingston public schools and at the Wyoming Seminary, at Kingston. Upon his grad- uation, he entered into association with his father, toge- ther with his two brothers, remaining until 1924, when, after more than forty years of unceasing work, he sold out and retired. He close the Republican party as his political faith and the Methodist Episcopal Church for his religion. In 1923 he was elected burgess of King- ston for four years. He is president of the Merchants' and Miners' Bank, of Luzerne, a thriving financial insti- tution. He served for six years as a member of the Kingston School Board and for more than forty years has been one of the active and leading citizens of the city and county.
Mr. Roat married Blanche Stroud, of Dallas, Luzerne County, daughter of Barney Stroud and a descendant of Colonel Jacob Stroud, founder of Stroudsburg, Penn- sylvania. They are the parents of one child, Gertrude Marion, who is the wife of Ira G. Hartman, of Wilkes- Barre, prominent in real estate there. Their children, grandchildren of George Murray Roat, are Murray Roat, and Ira George Hartman.
CHARLES NOYES LOVELAND-The family of the surname Loveland of the Wyoming Valley of which Charles Noyes Loveland, well known member of the Luzerne County Bar, is a member, was founded in America by Thomas Loveland, who settled in Wethers- field, now Glastonbury, Connecticut, previous to 1670; and from him the line of descent is traced to John, 1683- 1750, to John, 1710-51, and to Joseph, 1747, of whom the last was first to visit Pennsylvania. He came twice to the Wyoming Valley in search of a home, once before the Revolution and once afterward. Because of the un- certainty of the land titles granted by the Susquehanna Land Company, he refrained from purchase of a home- site, however, and returned to Connecticut. On one of his visits to this State he was a participant in 'several of the skirmishes so frequent between the Pennsylvanians and the Yankees, and every instinct of his nature impelled him to take up arms with the latter. For a time he lived in New Hampshire and in Vermont, and while in the former State enlisted in Colonel Jonathan Chase's regiment to reinforce the Continental Army at Ticon- deroga and other points in the Champlain Valley. There were many Lovelands who served during the Revolution, from beginning to end of the war. Joseph Loveland married, November 12, 1772, Mercy Bigelow, and they had thirteen children, of whom two sons, William and Elijah, came to the Wyoming Valley.
Elijah Loveland, the eighth child, was born in Nor- wich, Vermont, February 5, 1788, and with his brother, in 1812, settled in Kingston, Pennsylvania. He was a farmer, broom corn grower and broom maker, distiller of peppermint and other essences which he sold to apothecaries, and manufacturer of bricks; no man in the township was more industrious or more resourceful than Elijah, and he achieved a fair competence. He thought seriously of joining the tide of emigration to the West but reconsidered and purchased a farm of fifty acres instead. He was the first elder of the Kingston Presbyterian Church. Elijah Loveland married, in King- ston, in 1815, Mary Buckingham, a descendant in the seventh generation of Thomas Buckingham, the Puritan, who arrived in Boston, June 26, 1637, from England, and also a descendant of Rev. Thomas Buckingham, one of the founders of Yale College. This union resulted in the birth of six children, and of these George Love- land was the third son, of whom further.
George Loveland was a native of Kingston, born No- vember 5, 1823; was a senior member of the Bar of Luzerne County; retired during the first decade of the twentieth century, and died in Wilkes-Barre, June 12, 1910. He acquired his preparatory education in the Dana Academy, and matriculated in Lafayette College. After leaving college he taught school about three years, then read law in the offices of General E. W. Sturde- vant ; he was admitted to practice his profession in 1848, and for half a century was closely identified with the professional life of Wilkes-Barre. As counsellor in office he attained to an enviable reputation, and sought to prevent litigation rather than to promote it. In his intercourse with clients he was thoughtful and conserva- tive; his counsel was always preceded by mature delib-
eration, and, as a result, his conclusions were found to be correct almost invariably. He proved himself a use- ful citizen, a conscientious lawyer, a faithful friend, and an honest Christian. He was made an elder of the Pres- byterian Church while in Kingston, and continued to fill that office after his removal to Wilkes-Barre. For many years he was a director of the First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre, and a member of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society. In Lyme, Connecticut, Septem- ber 29, 1869, George Loveland married Julia Lord Noyes, a native of Lyme, born September 23, 1833, died in Wilkes-Barre, June 18, 1885. Mrs. Loveland was a daughter of Daniel R. and Phoebe (Griffin) Lord Noyes. Her father, a son of Colonel Thomas Noyes, of Westerly, Rhode Island, was born there October 3, 1754, and died September 19, 1819. Thomas Noyes served as colonel in the Revolution, at White Plains, Long Island, Trenton, Valley Forge, and, it is thought, at Germantown; he was representative to the General Assembly, a senator for twenty years, and president of a bank. His father was Captain John Noyes, owner of Stony Point, and Captain John was a son of Rev. John, who graduated from Har- vard University in 1656, and was one of the founders of Yale College. Rev. John was a son of Rev. John Noyes of Newbury, Massachusetts, who came with his brother Nicholas from England to locate in New. England, in Newbury, in 1634. George and Julia Lord (Noyes) Loveland were the parents of three children: 1. George, born October 25, 1871, died November 30, the same year. 2. Charles Noyes, of whom forward. 3. Jose- phine Noyes, born November 5, 1874.
Charles Noyes Loveland, second son of George and Julia Lord (Noyes) Loveland and of the sixth genera- tion from Thomas Loveland, founder of the family in America, was born in Wilkes-Barre November 26, 1872. He received his preparatory education in the public schools of his native city and in the Harry Hillman Academy, thereafter matriculating in Yale College, New Haven, Connecticut, whence he graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, in the class of 1894. He returned then to Wilkes-Barre, and began to read law in the office of Judge Henry A. Fuller, where he applied himself with intelligently-directed industry ; and in 1896, in January, was admitted by examination to practice his profession before any bar in Pennsylvania. Mr. Loveland, like his father before him, has achieved to distinction as coun- sellor, and his offices are known to a clientele of im- portance. While the greater part of his time has been devoted to the profession, he has not failed to partici- pate freely in civic matters, and is accounted one of the most public-spirited members of the community. A Republican and loyal to the principles of government upheld by the party, he has exercised a considerable political voice locally, and has filled a number of public offices. In 1910, Mr. Loveland was elected from the Tenth Ward as a member of the Common Council, and served with high credit to himself for two years; in 1913, he was elected one of the first four councilmen to serve under the commission form of city government, acted in that capacity for two years as superintendent of streets and public improvements, and in 1917 was again elected to the council and served as superintendent of parks and public property. In 1916, Mr. Loveland was accorded the honor of representing his district in the National Republican Convention which met in Chicago and nominated the Hon. Charles E. Hughes for President of the United States. In 1919, 1923 and 1927, Mr. Love- land was candidate for the office of mayor of Wilkes- Barre, and while he was each time defeated, it was by small majorities, and it is believed that should he choose to run once more his election will be a natural result.
Mr. Loveland is a communicant of the First Presby- terian Church, and an elder. Toward charity he has ever been large of heart, regardless of whether or not appeals are sponsored by his own denomination and with no limiting considerations of race or creed. He is a director of the First National Bank of Wilkes-Barre, the Young Men's Christian Association, the Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, and the United Charities. Of the last- named he is vice-president. He is also a director of the Wyoming Council of Boy Scouts and the Community Welfare Federation, as well as a trustee of the James Sutton Home for Aged and Infirm Men, of Wilkes-Barre. Fraternally, he is affiliated with several organizations, including the Wyoming Valley Motor Club, the Wyoming Valley Country Club, and the Westmoreland Club. Mr. Loveland heard the call of his country in the Spanish- American War, and enlisted in the 9th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He was made a corporal in Com- pany D, and his record is meritorious in line of duty.
Roman t. Akarton.
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Although too advanced in years for service in the mili- tary during the World War, Mr. Loveland did serve tirelessly on boards and committees in charge of the pros- ecution of the conflict from within this country, and was most instrumental in securing subscriptions in each of the Liberty Loan campaigns.
On June 7. 1900, Mr. Loveland was united in marriage with Mabel Huidekoper Bond, of Jamaica Plain, Massa- chusetts, a daughter of George and Rebecca ( Huide- koper) Bond, and they are the parents of three children : 1. Rose Cracroft, wife of John E. Toulmin, of Boston, Massachusetts, and by him mother of one child, a son, Peter Noyes. 2. Charles Noyes, Jr., a student in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University, class of '29. 3. George, a student in Yale College, class of '32. Mrs. Loveland is a woman of many pleasing qualities of character, and is popular in the circles in which she moves.
WILLIAM NELSON MULTER is one of the most progessive business men in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and an exceptionally active influence for good in the affairs of the Young Men's Christian Association and other organizations there affecting the welfare of boys and young men. A descendant of an old New York family, Mr. Multer is now in partnership with his son as an insurance and real estate agent.
Mr. Multer was born in South Worcester, Otsego County, New York, where many of the original Dutch settlers made their homes when they landed at Niewe Amsterdam and braved the wilderness and hostile Indians to conquer a new world. This son of Jacob J. and Cor- delia J. (Wilbur) Multer, was born October 17, 1863. His father was a lawyer and newspaper editor in his native town and there were four other children: Leslie. deceased : Marcus M., of Hudson, Massachusetts; J. J. Multer of California: and Lewis H. Multer of Kingston, Pennsylvania.
William Nelson Multer attended the public schools with other boys of his age and neighborhood and later entered the high school. He and his brother, Lewis H .. were much of an age, with tastes and inclinations in the same channel. Both were anxious to prove their worth in the business world and had hardly finished their full course in the high school when they decided to form a partnership. The laundry business appcaled to them. and they found an excellent prospect in Norwich, Con- necticut, and opened for business there. The business continued profitably for some years, when William Mul- ter began to interest himself in the work of the Young Men's Christian Association in Norwich, so much so that he was offered the post of assistant secretary there. He sold out his interest in the laundry and accepted the offer and continued in the service of the Norwich branch for two years. His work in Norwich had been called to the attention of his superiors and he was promoted to the position of secretary and librarian of the asso- ciation's branch in Berwick, Columbia County, Pennsyl- vania. During his three years in this capacity he ex- tended the service and activity of the branch, increased its membership and gained the goodwill of the entire town, especially of the boys and young men. The State organization of the association heard of him and his work and again he was promoted, this time as an as- sistant secretary of the Pennsylvania State Young Men's Christian Association.
It was about this time that the association first began to organize branches among the male employees of rail- roads and other large employers of labor, whose hours gave them no access to the regular branches. The State association decided to entrust the organization and devel- opment of a Pennsylvania Railroad Young Men's Chris- tion Association to Mr. Multer and he was appointed gen- eral secretary, with unusual success. His next post in the service of the association was as general secretary of the large branch in Washington, District of Columbia. He was in charge of this branch when news of the explosion in Havana Harbor, in 1898, sent a fever of . war blazing through the Nation's capital. There was an immediate necessity, with those first soldiers sent into camp for service in Cuba, for an organization to provide entertainment and preserve the morale of officers and men in those weary days of waiting for action, so the Christian Commission of the United States Army was formed, with Mr. Multer in charge. Because of the nature of the commission's work, it was necessary that the headquarters be in Washington, in close touch with government affairs, and he directed the course and scope of the commission's activities until the end of the war.
A desire to enter business, after the excitement of
the war had subsided, sent him to Wilkes-Barre at the beginning of 1800, as the agent of the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia. For the next twelve years he devoted his energies to this work and so developed the company's territory in Luzerne County that he had earned a comfortable income and a solid reputation as an insurance expert by the time he decided to establish a business of his own in conjunction with I .. A. Diamond, as real estate and insurance agents. The partnership was profitable and continued until 1923, when Mr. Diamond moved to California and William W. Mul- ter became a partner with his father. The business has since become even more expanded under the name of William N. Multer & Son, with offices in Room 312, Coal Exchange Building. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
For many years Mr. Multer was a speaker for the Anti-Saloon League and is regarded as one of the most substantial and public-spirited citizens in the city. He is a member of Landmark Lodge No. 442, Free and Accepted Masons, of Wilkes-Barre; and of Kingston Lodge, No. 700, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has been always interested in affairs of the Kingston Methodist Episcopal Church, and a member of the board of stewards and has served as superintendent of the Sun- day school for the last twelve years.
Mr. Multer married, February 23, 1890, Ida Walton. daughter of Ellis P. and Anna ( Hossler) Walton, for- merly of Plymouth, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. They have three children: Ruth Walton, now the wife of William Traxler, professor of science at Wyoming Semi- nary, Kingston; William Walton, associated with his father in the insurance and real estate business; Walton L., a professor of music, now living in Beaumont, Texas. Both of Mr. Multer's sons are veterans of the World War, William Walton Multer serving as a first lieuten- ant with the Marine Corps, stationed at Madison Bar- racks, Wisconsin, where a training camp for recruits had been established. William W. Multer has served as president of the Rotary and Lions' clubs and was chair- man of the Welfare Federation Campaign which raised $575,000 for charitable purposes. Walton L. Multer, graduate of Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecti- cut, served overseas with the 2nd Division of the Marine Corps and took part in nine major battles on the Western Front. He was transferred later to a Machine Gun Battalion and won the Distinguished Serv- ice Cross for bravery while in action. He was sent with the Army of Occupation to Coblenz, Germany, and was later mustered out of service, decorated for merito- rious service and honorably discharged, when American forces were withdrawn from German territory. The Multer family home is at No. 295 College Avenue, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
THOMAS H. ATHERTON, skilled architect and prominent citizen of Wilkes-Barre, is a son of the late Thomas H. and Melanie ( Parke) Atherton, and a direct descendant of Robert and Mary Ann Henry, who came to this country from England in 1722, settling in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
From Robert and Mary Ann Henry, the line is traced through their son, John, who married Elizabeth- De- Vinne; their son, William Henry, who married Ann Wood; their son, William Henry, who married Sabina Schropp: their son, William Henry, who married Sarah Atherton, and by her became the father of Thomas H. Atherton, whose wife Melanie ( Parke) Atherton, was a daughter of the Rev. N. G. Parke, prominent minister of the Presbyterian Church. Mrs. Atherton died in 1916; while her husband, Thomas H. Atherton, who was born July 14. 1853. at Wyoming, Pennsylvania, died in 1923, at Wilkes-Barre. Thomas H. Atherton, Sr., a graduate of Princeton University, class of 1874, degree of Bachelor of Arts, was an able lawyer and a prominent banker. He was regarded as one of the most brilliant authorities on corporations and corporation laws in the State of Pennsylvania. He served as attorney for several large concerns local to Wilkes-Barre; was a counsel director and chairman of the board for the Second National Bank of that city. He was deeply religious and a constant attendant of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkes-Barre, serving as a member of the sessions of that body. He was active in the Young Men's Christian Association, and materially assisted in making it one of the leading welfare organizations of the State. He also contributed substantially to charities and charitable or- ganizations. Mr. Atherton, Sr., was a man of high and admirable character, beloved by those who knew him well, and respected by all with whom he came in con- tact.
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