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 VI > Part 17
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Mr. Joh married Emily Elizabeth Lutman, of Birmingham, England, daughter of Wil- liam and Elizabeth (Hutton) Lutman. They are the parents of two children: Florence Lillian, who married Ernest Watkinson, of Philadelphia; and Emily Lutman Job, un- married and living with her parents.
DR. EDWARD RHYS RODERICK, oculist, with offices at No. 92 South Franklin Street, one of the best known eye-specialists of Wilkes-Barre, hails from sturdy Welsh an- cestors, representatives of whom have done their part toward the upbuild of sections where they have settled in this country, and particularly in the coal mining industry.
James E. Roderick, his father, for years chief of the Pennsylvania Department of Mines and a pioneer in the anthracite coal mines of this State, was born January 14, 1842, at Goginan, Cardiganshire, South Wales, a son of Edward and Eleanor (Edwards) Roderick, and grandson on his paternal side of Edward and Jane Roderick, of Penygaru, Cardiganshire; and on the maternal side grandson of Edward and Elizabeth (Black- well) Edwards, of GogInan, near Aberystwyth. Edward Roderick, his father, a native of Wales, died in Cardiganshire in 1855, aged sixty-four; his mother, also a native of Wales, died in Wilkes-Barre at the age of eighty- four years, and was buried in Hollenback Cemetery. The children of Edward and Eleanor (Edwards) Roderick were eight: 1. Evan, died in January, 1881, at the home in Wilkes-Barre, and was interred in Hollen- back Cemetery. 2. John, died in Wales at the age of thirty-one. 3. Edward, died in Wales at about sixty-five years. 4. Richard, died at Wilkes-Barre at about seventy years of age, and was buried in Hollenhack. 5. Mary, died in Wales at the age of two. 6. Mary (second), died at the age of seven in Wales. 7. Mary (third), married Thomas R. Jones, of Wilkes-Barre, where she died and was buried in the city cemetery. 8. James E., of whom further.
James Edward Roderick spent his early days in Cardiganshire, where he received his preliminary tutoring in the public schools. His father passing away when he was thir- teen, he was thrown upon his own respon- sibilities, and took up the mining of silver, copper and lead in South Wales, and he was working alternately day and night shifts at the age of eighteen, attending school days and half days as best he could arrange it. He did not waste his time but applied himself with vigor, and secured a diploma in book-
Frederick C. a. Sof
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keeping. In March, 1864, he left his native land for the United States, and had an inter- esting passage over during the later days of the Civil War between the North and the South. Following a short stay at New York he located in Scranton, this State, then re- moved to Pittston, and for three months thereafter was engaged as a miner's laborer in the mines of the Pennsylvania Coal Com- pany. Taking up his residence in Wilkes- Barre, he engaged with the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company to mine coal for them until January 1, 1866, when he was promoted to the position of mine foreman of the Empire Shaft. A. J. Davis & Company employed him June 1, 1870, as general super- intendent at Warrior Run, and he remained with this concern to the end of June, 1881. Following a competitive examination at this time, he was appointed by Governor Hoyt to the position of mine inspector for what was then known as the Fourth Anthracite District of Pennsylvania, with headquarters at Hazle- ton, this district having become recognized in later days as the eleventh. After serving five years he took another competitive exami- nation and was reappointed by Governor Pat- tison. He proved that he was the best man to be had for this place, and his services were in demand in numerous quarters. At the end of his third year of the second term he re- signed to accept a more lucrative position as general superintendent for Linderman and Skeer, which position he held from May, 1889, to June, 1896. In this work he had charge of six collieries employing some fourteen hun- dred men and mining some 2,000 tons of coal a day. Mr. Roderick resigned June 1, 1896, to become general manager of A. S. Vanwickle's extensive coal business and other interests. Mr. Vanwickle having died meantime, he re- signed this place June 1, 1899, to accept the position of chief of the Bureau of Mines under appointment from Governor Stone. The bureau was changed to a Department of Mines, and to this place he was reappointed by Governor Pennypacker. Mr. Roderick was one of the organizers of the Hazleton Na- tional Bank, and was made a director; he was one of the organizers and a director of the Hazleton State Hospital, served as presi- dent of the Board of Commissioners that built it, and and as president of the board of trustees after the death of Hon. Eckley B. Coxe. He was always a staunch Republican in politics. From 1872 to 1880 he served as school director in Warrior Run Borough, and served one term as a select councilman of the city of Hazleton, having been one of the first members. Since 1872 he was active as a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, becoming a Master Mason: and he belonged to Hazleton Lodge of Elks. He and his wife were long active workers in the Hazleton First Presbyterian Church; for eighteen years he served as secretary of the churches and superintendent of the Sunday Schools at Warrior Run and Wilkes-Barre. He was one of the first members of the First .Welsh Presbyterian Church, at Northampton and Meade streets, and was active in its erection; as its first secretary he served from 1864 to 1870. He was likewise secretary of the War- rior Run Church from 1870 to 1881. He re- moved to Warrior Run in 1870 and the pres- ent church edifice was built in 1873, largely due to his indefatigable labors.
Mr. Roderick married (first), in December. 1868, Sarah Davis, of New York, who bore him four children: 1. Eleanor, born Septem- ber 26, 1869, and married David C. Jones, of D. C. Jones & Company, of Wilkes-Barre. 2. Edward R., of whom further. 3. James, born January 25, 1874, who served in the Depart-
ment of Mines at Harrishurg. 4. John, horn February 27, 1877, died at the age of ten years and was buried in Hollenback Ceme- tery. The mother died in February, 1881, and she was buried at the same place. Mr. Rode- rick married (second) Mrs. Mary Lloyd, who died in September, 1883, without issue, and was buried in Hollenhack. Mr. Roderick mar- ried (third), October 27, 1885, Mrs. Maria (Lawall) Ulmer, of Hazleton, one of the ten children of Thomas and Katherine (Geiger) Lawall, of Northampton County. The father of Mr. Lawall, Peter Lawall, conducted a hotel at Butztown, Northampton County, and here he and his wife died; his wife was a daughter of John and Mary (Stecker) Geiger, of Butztown, where John Geiger taught school many years. Thomas Lawall was pro- prietor of the Hazleton House, and died at the age of forty-nine in 1866; his wife died in 1889 at the age of seventy-two, and they were buried in the Vine Street Cemetery at Hazleton.
Dr. Edward R. Roderick, second child and first son of James E. and Sarah (Davis) Roderick, was born at Warrior Run, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, April 20, 1872, and at the age of eight removed with his parents to Hazleton, where he attended the public schools, then the Nazareth Moravian School at Nazareth, where he finished in 1888; and then he matriculated at Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, from which he was graduated in 1892 with the degree of Bache- lor of Arts, after which he entered the Medi- cal Department of the University of Pennsyl- vania, graduating in 1895 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Removing to Wilkes- Barre, he served as house surgeon of the Wilkes-Barre City Hospital in 1895-96. Spe- cializing on the eye, he became house sur- geon of the Wills Eye Hospital in 1896, and remained until 1897, when he performed sim- ilar duty at the Manhattan Hospital, New York City, in 1898. From 1898 forward he has been attending oculist at Mercy Hospital, Wilkes-Barre, and since 1903 at Pittston Hospital. In 1902 he became division oculist of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. He is a mem- ber of the Luzerne County Medical Society, the State Medical Society and the American Medical Association, and has taken high rank among his associates. In politics he is a member of the Republican party, and in religion, of the Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Westmoreland Club.
Dr. Roderick married, June 1, 1898, Kath- leen Leonard Reichard, daughter of Henry C. and Jennie (Griffin) Reichard, and grand- daughter of Colonel John Reichard, who served as an officer of the "Bucktails" during the Civil War; was prominent in secret order affairs of Wilkes-Barre and died in 1884 at the age of seventy-five years, having been buried in Hollenback Cemetery. Mrs. Rode- rick was educated in the public schools of Wilkes-Barre and the Moravian Seminary at Lititz, Pennsylvania. The union of Dr. and Mrs. Roderick has been blessed with four children: 1. James Edward, born at Wilkes- Barre December 22, 1899. 2. George Reichard, born October 19, 1901. 3. Edward Griffin, born June 11, 1903. 4. Louise Roderick, born in Wilkes-Barre, February 21, 1910. Mrs. Rode- rick died March 2, 1922. She was an active worker in the work of the Presbyterian Church and was sincerely beloved and mourned by all who knew her.
PAUL JOSEPH SCHMIDT-Few of his friends who are aware of the attainments of Paul J. Schmidt in his profession of attor- ney-at-law, know that he has won place
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and preferment not by easy gradations but rather by means of the ladder of practical effort, and through his own unaided endeav- ors. He thereby secured a footing, and without the usual resources of most stu- dents, proved himself a worthwhile claimant for honors in his struggle through work- shop and school, until he found the merited college degree, success in his profession, and the sought-for recognition from his friends, the public, and his patrons.
Paul J. Schmidt was born January 14, 1874, in Germany, a son of Albert and Agnes Schmidt, both parents now deceased. Com- ing to the United States when he was only eleven years old, Mr. Schmidt first located at Shenandoah, where he was employed as a slate picker for about six months, after- wards removing to Nuremburg. Here he became a clerk in the grocery of John Mar- kettie; and after three years he came to Wilkes-Barre, and secured a position in a general store at Miners Mills, in the employ of Thomas Quigley, remaining here for two years and a half, after which he removed to Pittsburgh.
In Pittsburgh, Mr. Schmidt was given a position in the employ of the firm of Town- send and Brown, electric railway contractors and builders, at first as time-keeper, and later on a general manager; and during the three years of his association with this concern he built electric railways at Beaver Falls, New Castle, Punxsutawney, Clayville, Sharpsburg, and South Pittsburgh.
Mr. Schmidt now considered himself en- abled to return to Luzerne County, where he matriculated at Wyoming Seminary, in Kingston. Graduating there in the class of 1896, he then prepared himself for his pro- fession in Dickinson Law School, at Carlisle, where he was graduated in 1899, received his degree Bachelor of Laws, and was ad- mitted to the Luzerne County Bar on Janu- ary 9, 1899, and admitted to practice in the Untied States Federal Court and Superior and Supreme courts of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Luzerne County Bar Asso- ciation. A Republican in his political views, Mr. Schmidt has been active in the interests of his party for a quarter of a century.
In May, 1917, Mr. Schmidt joined the Of- ficers' Training Camp at Madison Barracks, New York, and soon received his commission as a second lieutenant. Later, transferred to Camp Dix, he served there as assistant quartermaster, until his further transfer to the 187th Division as adjutant of his bat- talion. He was mustered out of the serv- ice at the close of the war, with the rank of captain, subsequently promoted to the rank of major. In 1921, Major Schmidt was elected county comptroller of Luzerne County, and he served in the duties of that office from January 1, 1922, to January 1, 1926. He is an excellent linguist, and speaks German, Polish and Italian, as well as English; and for four years he was proprietor of the Polish weekly newspaper, "The Gornik," at Wilkes-Barre.
Fraternally, Mr. Schmidt is affiliated with Lodge No. 61, Free and Accepted Masons; Shekinah Chapter, No. 182, Royal Arch Masons; Dieu Ie Veut Commandery, No. 45, Knights Templar, of Wilkes-Barre: Key- stone Consistory, of Scranton, Ancient Ac- cepted Scottish Rite of the thirty-second degree; and Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; as well as Lodge No. 109, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and the Loyal Order of Moose. He is a member of the American Legion, Disabled Veterans of World War, Reserve Officers' Association, also member of several Polish and German societies. He resided for
twenty-two years on his farm of about two hundred and seventy-five acres in Wright Township. His present residence is at No. 552 North Franklin Street, Wilkes-Barre.
Paul J. Schmidt married, September 18, 1897, Maude Halwig, of Blackwood, Schuyl- kill County, Their children: John H., a student at Carlisle, class of 1931; Paul A., student at Bucknell University, class of 1931; George P., graduated from Pennsylvania University, class of 1928, now studying law at the same university; Joseph, a student at the Stroudsburg State Normal School, class of 1932; James, high school student, class of 1931; Edward, and Anna, students in Wilkes-Barre public schools.
E. A. COSTELLO, M. D .- One of the great- est boons to mankind in the last century has been the stupendons advancement of medical science which has reached heights undreamed of in bygone years. A leading exponent of modern medical progress is Dr. E. A. Cos- tello, of Wilkes-Barre, who has been engaged in the active practice of his profession in this city since 1914, where he has gained an enviable reputation for his accomplishments not only in general work but in surgical cases as well. Dr. Costello has always had a deep and loyal interest in this city and its activi- ties, and he has ever worked hand in hand with the municipal authorities in all en- deavors which tend to promote the better health of the community at large.
Dr. Costello was born in Bear Creek, Lu- zerne County, June 12, 1889, son of Patrick J. and Winifred (Lynch) Costello. Patrick J. Costello was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1846 and died in February, 1922. Winifred (Lynch) Costello was born in White Haven, Luzerne County, in 1849, and died in August, 1922. Both were prominent, respected resi- dents of this vicinity all their lives and held the esteem of their fellow-citizens.
E. A. Costello was educated in the public schools of Inzerne County and after gradu- ating from the Harry Hillman Academy in 1904, entered Villanova College, from which institution of learning he received his degree of Bachelor of Arts with the class of 1908. He then entered the Medico Chi College in Philadelphia and proceeded to apply himself to the study of medicine, completing his course with honors, and receiving his degree of Doctor of Medicine when he graduated in 1912. Dr. Costello then took his interne work at the Mercy Hospital in this city and later served as assistant superintendent of Nanti- coke State Hospital for one year. In 1914, he came to Wilkes-Barre and opened his office here for general medical practice, build- ing up a large clientele in a short time. He has ever since continued to be one of this city's most reputable, dependable physicians and has won the confidence and commenda- tion of all by his expert ability, his thought- fulness and his cheerful personality. As a member of the surgical staff of the Mercy Hospital, Dr. Costello has received the plau- dits of his fellow-physicians and surgeons for his skill and accomplishments in this field of medical science. He is a prominent mem- ber of the county and State Medical Asso- ciations and is also a member of the Ameri- can Medical Association. In politics, he is a member of the Republican party and his fraternal affiliations are with the Knights of Columbus, and Wilkes-Barre Lodge, No. 109, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church of this city.
Dr. E. A. Costello married, September 22, 1927, Regina O'Donnell of Parsons, daughter of Timothy and Catherine O'Donnell, both of whom reside in Parsons.
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SAMUEL S. HERRING-A lawyer by choice and training, Mr. Herring early identified himself with those members of his profession who fought the battles of the weak and un- fortunate; and, especially when he was con- vinced of the innocence of an accused one, he put forth, in the courts, his every effort to see that such a one went free and was totally exonerated of the charge made against him. In the last thirty-six years of his life Mr. Herring defended forty-three persons charged with murder, forty of them men and three of them women, and, of these, he cleared forty- one, only two of the entire number having been convicted. So it was that his faith in his clients was justified by the actions of juries and courts on all hands, and his ability as a lawyer attested to by all with whom he was associated. In the life of the Wilkes- Barre community he took a prominent part, and was beloved of all who knew him. Great was the sorrow of his fellowmen upon the sad occasion of his passing, which dealt a blow to the civic and professional life of this region of Pennsylvania.
The Herring family, of which he was a leading member, is of English and Welsh ancestry, and among Mr. Herring's early progenitors were men who settled in the Colony of Delaware, in which region of the United States some of the family still live. Samuel S. Herring himself was born on a farm at Felton. Kent County, Delaware, on March 4, 1870, son of Samuel S. and Sarah (Harrington) Herring, both now deceased. His father was a lifelong farmer and a son of Abner and Mary Herring, who were na- tives of the Kent County neighborhood, as well as members of old families which dis- tinguished themselves in this vicinity before the War of the American Revolution. Abner Herring and his wife became the parents of a large family. Samuel S. Herring, father of the man whose name heads this review, was born in 1834, and died in 1913. His wife, Sarah (Harrington) Herring, was born in 1829, and died in 1911. They had four chil- dren: 1. George C., farmer, of Felton, Kent County, Delaware, who has served his county as county commissioner and member of the lower and upper branches of the State Legis- lature. 2. Mary E., who became the wife of John M. Evans, a merchant of Felton. 3 Samuel S., of whom further. 4. Sarah, wife of John W. Graham, of Germantown, Pennsyl- vania, leading member of the Philadelphia bar. The maternal grandparents of Mr. Her- ring were John and Sarah Harrington, both natives of Kent County, Delaware; and they became the parents of four children: 1. Na- thaniel, deceased, a well-to-do farmer. 2. John W., also a farmer, who has served his county as county commissioner, and a mem- ber of the upper and lower branches of the Legislature. 3. Ruth, who became the wife of Thomas B. Coursey, who was a miller of Kent County, Delaware. 4. Sarah, who be- came the mother of Mr. Herring.
Samuel S. Herring was reared on the old farm in Kent County, Delaware, where he attended the public schools. As a boy, he worked on his father's farm, and acquired many of the sturdy characteristics that stayed with him throughout life, rendering him a most able lawyer and useful citizen. He subsequently went to Delaware College for two years, and in the fall of 1890, having determined to follow the law for a profession, entered the law school of Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he applied himself vigorously and was graduated in 1892 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He then settled in Wilkes-Barre, and was admitted to the Luzerne County bar on Sep-
tember 6, 1892. For the thirty-seven years from then until his death he was one of the most active trial lawyers in this region of Pennsylvania, and as such gained much notice and attention among the members of his own profession and the citizens of his community and State, becoming especially noteworthy in his labors in behalf of the downtrodden and the accused.
He was also active in political matters. A member of the Republican party, he ever supported its political policies and its eco- nomic principles. He was a member of the Luzerne County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He also be- longed to several fraternal groups, having been leading figure in the Fraternal Order of Eagles, in which he was affiliated with Aerie No. 363, as well as in the ranks of the Order of Owls, in which he was a member of Nest No. 102.
He never married, and gave up most of his time and attention to the important mat- ters of his profession. His death occurred on September 28, 1928, and was a cause of gen. eral regret throughout the community in which he had so long lived and labored with advantage to his fellowmen. A self-made mau, with a notable record, he deserved the praises and tributes that were accorded him; and his memory is likewise fully deserving of the place that it holds today in the minds and hearts of the people of Wilkes-Barre.
STANLEY J. TYBURSKI-Secretary of the Pennsylvania Bank and Trust Company, vice- president of the Wilkes-Barre Mortgage Com- pany, and chief clerk for the Central Poor District of Luzerne County, Stanley J. Tybur- ski is unquestionably among the foremost of citizens of the Wilkes-Barre area. Like many of the leading figures within the city's region, he has heen the principal in a career of unusual interest. Beginning life in a foreign country, coming to America without funds or influence, his innate abilities and character, together with an unbounded courage, served him to high purpose; and after innumerable hardships-though he did not consider them as such, perhaps-a career of fullest sub- stance was built up. What he has done may well inspire others.
Stanley J. Tyburski was born in Galicia, Poland, August 24, 1873, son of Joseph and Pauline Tyburski, and their only child. The father died at the age of fifty-three years, and is survived to the present time (1929) by Mrs. Tyburski, aged eighty-one years, who makes her home with her son, in Wilkes- Barre.
In his native Poland Mr. Tyburski secured a fairly comprehensive education, to which he has added constantly through wide and judicious reading and reflection, and through further study in this country. He came to the United States in 1891, at the age of eighteen years, and found work. This first position was as clerk in a drug store, paying ten dol- lars a month. In 1894, being of a literary turn of mind and seeing an opportunity, he became editor of the "Gornik," a Polish weekly newspaper, of Wilkes-Barre. Later he re- moved to Scranton, and there conducted a weekly of the same type with a Polish circu- lation, still later removing to Shamokin, where he ran a third weekly publication. His next move was to Buffalo, New York, and in Buffalo he served two years as a teacher, returning to Scranton thereafter, and to further teaching. In Scranton he taught five years, at the end of that period returning to Wilkes-Barre and succeeding to owner- ship of the "Praca," Polish weekly, which he
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founded in 1905 and conducted with success and considerable circulation until 1923. In 1923 he sold his holding, and since then has been apart from the publishing and editorial field, though frequently urged to re-assume editorial responsibilities. As owner of the "Praca" he was enabled over a long stretch of years to perform to the benefit of Wilkes- Barre, and the people hereof have just cause to be appreciative of his efforts in that direc- tion. It was in association with Michael Bosak that Mr. Tyburski organized the Penn- sylvania Bank and Trust Company, of which he has been director and secretary, as noted, since foundation. He is also vice-president of the Wilkes-Barre Mortgage Company.
Mr. Tyburski is among the most public- spirited of citizens of the community, as well as a foremost man of business affairs. He has devoted his years to productive effort, and to study, and is in all matters pertinent abreast of the times. His political adherence is with the Democratic party; his religious faith with the Polish Catholic Church. He is and has been for many years a member of the Polish National Alliance, serving as dele- gate to various Polish conventions, and is a member of the Polish Union of United States of America. He is a member of Wilkes-Barre Lodge, No. 109, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and has been active in the Order of Polish Falcons.
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