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 20
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Lawrence Bullard Jones, son of Rev. Henry Lawrence and Sarah Eastman (Coffin) Jones, was born at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Janu- ary 8, 1872; when he was two years of age his father removed from Fitchburg to Wilkes- Barre on becoming pastor of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in 1874, and thus began for the father a notable career of forty years in this interesting charge, and in this en- vironment grew up Mr. Jones in the start of his own useful career. Dr. Jones died at Wilkes-Barre June 17, 1914, at the age of seventy-five years, and closing a life of great usefulness to his fellowman. His widow still survives at the age of eighty-five years. Mr. Jones attended the Harry Hillman Academy and graduated from Yale University in the class of 1894 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. On the completion of his academic studies he returned to Wilkes-Barre and fol- lowed the instruction of Hon. Henry A. Ful- ler, in the latter's law office. In these earlier days it was the custom among many young men not to attend a law school, but to take their work under the tutelage of lawyers like Mr. Fuller; and it is no disparagement to the more refined learning that what was acquired in this matter-of-fact way, without frills, stood up quite well with the other, and in some respects even surpassed it. In two years of study here he was enabled to pass the bar examination and was admitted to the Luzerne County Bar in 1896. Thereupon he began the practice of law, and he has ever since been uniformly successful. In addition, he has taken a wholesome interest in com- munity affairs, and his business ability has
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been such that he has become a power in financial affairs.
Mr. Jones is a Republican, and as such served as a member of the Wilkes-Barre City Council for seven years, during which time he became the father of important leg- islation which is still on the statute books as an aid in the campaign to keep the city in the forefront of municipalities of its size throughout the country. A résumé of his varied connections will indicate to some ex- tent the esteem in which he is held by his fellow-citizens: as a member of the Free and Accepted Masons he has taken thirty- two degrees by the Scottish Rite; is a mem- ber of Wilkes-Barre Lodge, No. 61, and of Keystone Consistory of Scranton, and lrem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. At Yale University, he joined the Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity. In addition to being first vice-president and a director of the Union Savings Bank and Trust Com- pany, he is vice-president of the Haddock Mining Company, and Alden Coal Company. He is a trustee of the Young Women's Chris- tien Association, a director of the Young Men's Christian Association, a member of the Budget Committee of the Community Wel- fare Federation and chairman of the Wyo- ming Valley Chapter, American Red Cross. He is a valued member of the Luzerne County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania State Bar Association and the American Bar Associa- tion. He has followed his father's admoni- tions to the extent of taking an active inter- est in the work of the St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal Church, in which denomination he occupies the position of vestryman, and he is also Chancellor of the Diocese of Bethle- hem. In social life he belongs to the West- moreland and Wyoming Valley Country clubs.
Mr. Jones married, June 15, 1899, Martha Phelps Bennett, daughter of George Slocum and Ellen W. (Nelson) Bennett, of Wilkes- Barre, who were the representatives of promi- nent citizens of many generations, and three children have blessed their union: 1. Henry L., 2d, whose biography accompanies this. 2. George Bennett, employed by the Haddock Mining Company at Hazleton. 3. Nelson Jones, who died at the age of sixteen years.
HENRY L. JONES, 2d-Since the comple- tion of his college course Henry L. Jones, 2d, has been a member of the firm of Howell and Jones, Incorporated, real estate and in- surance, with offices located in the Bennett Building, in Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Jones is of Quaker ancestry, tracing descent from Lem- uel Jones, who settled at Brunswick, upon his arrival from Great Britain, and who was termed "a highly approved and accepted min- ister" among the Friends, the line descending through four generations to Lawrence Bul- lard Jones, father of Henry L. Jones, 2d, and including as many ministers of the Gospel. (A full account of the Jones ancestry appears in this work in the sketch of Lawrence Bullard Jones which precedes this).
Lawrence Bullard Jones (q. v.) was horn at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, January 8, 1872. He married Martha Phelps Bennett, daugh- ter of George Slocum and Ellen W. (Nelson) Bennett, of Wilkes-Barre, members of fam- ilies prominent in this section for many generations, and they became the parents of three children: Henry L., 2d, of further mention; George Bennett, who is in the employ of the Haddock Mining Company, at Pottsville; and Nelson Jones, who died in 1923, aged sixteen years.
Henry L. Jones, 2d, son of Lawrence Bul-
lard and Martha Phelps (Bennett) Jones, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Septem- ber 1, 1900, and received his early school training in the local public schools, later attending Wyoming Seminary and the Hotch- kiss School, at Lakeville, Connecticut, and then becoming a student in Wesleyan Uni- versity, Middletown, Connecticut. When his college course was completed, he engaged in the real estate business, in association with John T. Howell, Jr., under the firm name of Howell and Jones, and in this line of business he has successfully continued to the present time (1929). Politically, he is a Republican; and he is a member of Lodge No. 61, Free and Accepted Masons, of Wilkes-Barre; and of all the Scottish Rite bodies; also of Bloomsburg Consistory, in which he holds the thirty- second degree; and of Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Wilkes-Barre. He is also a member of Irem Country Club, Chamber of Commerce, Black Diamond Post, No. 395, American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars; the Craftsmen's Club, and the Wyoming Valley Country Club. Mr. Jones has an honorable military record to his credit. In 1917 he enlisted in Battery D, 109th Field Artillery, with which unit he served overseas, for four- teen months, taking part in four major drives against the enemy. On April 4, 1919, he' was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, by the United States Government, and he re- turned to this country in July, 1919. He has continued his interest in the 109th Field Artillery and at present is on the staff of the 2d Battalion at Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Jones is a member of Alpha Delta Phi college frater- nity, and his religious affiliation is with St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.
Henry L. Jones, 2d, was married, May 22, 1926, to Katharine Church, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Harden Church, of Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania.
DR. FRED E. DAVIS-Native of Pennsyl- vania and for many years a resident in Nanticoke, here a citizen prominent in affairs of general concern, and professional man outstanding in the veterinarian fraternity of Luzerne County, Fred E. Davis, V. M. D., was born in Pittston, September 14, 1886, a son of George L. and Fannie (England) Davis. George L. Davis was born in England, 1843, and died in Nanticoke, 1917. He was a contractor, and, coming to the United States while a young man, first settled in Pittston, but removed with his family to Nanticoke in 1887. Here he engaged in business as con- tractor and took part in general matters of the town. He was a communicant of the Presbyterian Church, temperate in manner, a good husband and father. George L. Davis married in England, and his widow, Fannie (England) Davis, survives him (1928). They were the parents of ten children, all of whom have attained to maturity: 1. George E. 2. Philip. 3. Fred E., of whom further. 4. Wil- liam. 5. Arthur F. 6. Albert R. 7. Robert. 8. Annie. 9. Bessie. 10. Pearl.
Fred E Davis received his early education in the public schools of Nanticoke, having been brought here by his parents from Pitts- ton when he was one year of age. When he had reached the age of twelve he began working in the mines, and continued this for the next ten years, working in the coal mines by day and attending school at night. In 1905, when he was nineteen, he entered Wyo- ming Seminary, in Kingston, arranging his school work to be complementary in its time to the time of his work in the mines: and in the fall of 1907 he matriculated in the Uni-
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red E. Davis.
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versity of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1910 with the degree of Doctor of Veterinary Medl- cine. He returned to Nanticoke to practice his profession, specializing in the treatment of dogs. In 1924 he established an animal hospital, not large, but one of the finest in this part of the country, modern in all of its appointments.
Mr. Davis has been outstanding in affairs of the community for several years, since the beginning of his practice in Nanticoke. He was one of the organizers of the Kiwanis Club, its first vice-president, and its second president. While he was president of the club he launched a movement for the benefit of crippled children, and has never discon- tinued this humanitarian campaign, being at the present time chairman of the organiza- tion in charge. He is a member of Nanticoke Lodge, No. 546, Free and Accepted Masons; Keystone Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scot- tish Rite, and Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; the Craftsmen's Club; and both State and Na- tional veterinarians' associations. He is a director of the People's Savings and Trust Company, first vice-president, was one of its organizers and at one time treasurer. During the epidemic of influenza Mr. Davis assisted in the conduct of an emergency hospital, as director and purchasing agent; and in that trying period, as well as after, he was, and is, of assistance to the community whenever possible, ready without fail to do his utmost for the people of Nanticoke in any capacity whatsoever. A Republican, Mr. Davis is staunch in support of the party's principles. He wields a considerable influence in local matters of a political nature, without fan- fare, consistently to good purpose. For a number of years he served on the board of health, and as meat and milk inspector for the community. Toward charity he is of large heart and deals generously, giving without thought of race or creed or other non- humanitarian consideration. He is a com- municant of the Presbyterian Church.
On April 22, 1908, Mr. Davis was united in marriage with Esther Griffith, of Nanticoke; and they are the parents of four children: 1. F. Donald. 2. Muriel E. 3. Dorris M. 4. Jean E. The family reside at No. 28 North Walnut Street.
AUGUSTUS C. LANING-The family of the surname Laning of which Augustus C. (and his brother John) Laning of Wilkes-Barre is a member, is of Welsh origin, and dates back in its American foundation to the latter part of the seventeenth century, with the arrival in this country of three brothers Laning, who settled first on Long Island and later in New Jersey. One of them, Robert, located in what is Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and married a Miss Hart. Among their chil- dren was a son, Daniel, baptized in Lawrence- ville in 1713, who married a sister of Jona- than Furman; and this Daniel Laning was a surveyor, and lived near Ewingville. One of his sons, Robert, was born in 1779, lived and died in Sussex County, New Jersey, and married Sarah Coryell, daughter of John Cor- yell, of French-Huguenot extraction, whose lineage is traced to the nobility of France. Among the children of Robert and Sarah (Coryell) Laning was John, who lived in Owego, Tioga County, New York; and he was the progenitor of one of the prominent families of the "Southern Tier" of New York, whose descendants in later years came to be recognized among the foremost families of the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. John Laning of Owego, New York, married, in
1806, Mary Ann Deshong, widow of Welmer Godfrey Deshong and a daughter of Colonel Mathias Hollenback. They had seven chil- dren, and of them Augustus C., who was born September 30, 1808, and died May 29, 1875.
It was Augustus C. Laning who removed from Owego, New York, and founded the fam- ily in Wilkes-Barre, in 1822. He made hls home with his uncle, George M. Hollenback, and obtained a clerkship in the mercantile establishment of his grandfather, Colonel Mathias Hollenback. For a time. too, he worked in his uncle's store, and in 1830, after he had become of age, set up in business for himself, in Kingston, but removed back once more to Wilkes-Barre within a short time, here, for a period, doing business on the east side of the square. In 1833-34 he erected a stone building for an iron foundry, on the west side of the square, on the site where now (1929) stands the Laning Building. Here he carried on business with good suc- cess until the building was destroyed by fire, in 1850; then he built again, a foundry and machine shop on the west side of the canal, north of Market Street, and there engaged in iron manufacturing. About 1853 Samuel R. Marshall of Philadelphia acquired an interest in the business, and the partners made it the foremost of its kind in Northeast- ern Pennsylvania. In 1869 they sold it. From then until his death eight years later Mr. Laning devoted his time to private interests, notably real estate. He was active during his career in all phases of civil life, served in various offices and was a benefactor to Wilkes-Barre on more than one occasion. He married Amanda Elizabeth Christel, daughter of Dr. Charles Francis Joseph Christel, and his wife, Elizabeth (Stookey) Christel.
John Laning, only son of Augustus C. and Amanda E. (Christel) Laning, was born in Wilkes-Barre, in October, 1836, and here spent his whole life. He was educated in the old academy that stood on the public square, entered Lafayette College, and at the end of three years there matriculated in Union Col- lege, Schenectady, New York, where he grad- uated in 1858 at the age of twenty-two years. He was employed by his father, in the firm of Laning and Marshall, mastered thoroughly its every detail, and upon its sale in 1869 and the death of his father in 1875 assisted in and then attained to management entirely of the extensive Laning properties and inter- ests, which became greatly enlarged under his handling. The estate was never divided, but remained intact, as when Augustus C. Lan- ing died. John Laning was a director of the Miners' Savings Bank, of the Wilkes-Barre Bridge Company, and the Wyoming Valley Traction Company. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and was prominent in Masonry and other orders. He married Helen Cobb Brower, daughter of John Gardiner and Sarah (Berger) Brower of New York. Her parents removed to New Orleans in her child- hood, and on a steamboat near Vicksburg she was wounded in the leg by a bullet from a Rebel's musket. John and Helen Cobb (Brower) Laning were the parents of chil- dren: 1. Augustus C., of whom directly. 2. Emily B., born and died in 1867. 3. Eliz- abeth V., born in 1868. 4. Horace P .. born in 1869, died in infancy. 5. Helen B., born in 1871, died in infancy. 6. John, Jr., born March 16, 1872.
Augustus C. Laning, first child and son of John and Helen Cobb (Brower) Laning, was born in Wilkes-Barre, June 19, 1866. Here he received his preparatory education in the
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public schools, and in the Harry Hillman Academy. He matriculated in Lafayette Col- lege, pursued a course of study there for some time, and went immediately into a career of business, in his native city. For a number of years he has engaged in opera- tions in real estate, and in the selling of insurance, attaining to a prosperity in his own right and aside from the fortunes of the family. While he has been most intensively occupied in commerce Mr. Laning has not failed to uphold the tradition of his imme- diate ancestors in participation in civil affairs. A Republican, he is loyal in support of the party and is possessed of a considerable influence which he exercises without fanfare, selectively, and to best results for the com- munity. Fraternally, he is quite active in the Free and Accepted Masons, with membership in Landmark Lodge, No. 442; Shekinah Chap- ter, No. 182, of the Royal Arch Masons; the Council, Royal and Select Masters; Dieu le Veut Commandery, No. 45, of Knights of Templar; and Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Wilkes-Barre. Furthermore, he is affiliated with the Irem Country Club and the Wyo- ming Valley Motor Club. Although he was somewhat advanced in years for service in the military during the World War, Mr. Lan- ing did serve, and tirelessly, on the various boards and committees in charge of the pro- secution of the conflict from within this country, and his efforts in the securing of subscriptions to the several Liberty Loan campaigns were of great benefit to his country and its cause. He is a communicant of the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkes-Barre, is devoted to its service, and generous in contributions to charity, regardless of the denomination by whom sponsored, or of race, or of creed, giving in a spirit truly humani- tarian. Kindly, just in his dealings, well endowed with those qualities of character which cause a man to share warmly in the affections of his fellows, it is said of Mr. Laning by those who know him well, that he is firm in his opinions yet ready to alter them in the face of new evidence, that he is an honorable member of an honorable fam- ily, and that to community, State and Nation he is a valuable citizen.
On September 20, 1894, Augustus C. Laning was united in marriage with Eva M. Cole, of Wilkes-Barre, daughter of Samuel B. and Harriette M. (Maxfield) Cole. Mr. and Mrs. Laning are the parents of six children: 1. Helen Cobb, wife of Benjamin F. Musser, of Philadelphia, and is the mother of three chil- dren, Benjamin F., Jr., Frederick Augustus, and Nancy Gardner. 2. Emily Harriet, wife of E. A. Wood, Jr., of Birmingham, England, and the mother of two children, Edward Augustus, 3d, and Lois Elizabeth. 3. Augus- tus C., Jr., veteran of the World War, who saw service overseas; married Ida Van Nor- man. 4. Elizabeth V., at home, unmarried. 5. Dorothy Rozet, wife of Charles E. Brown of Sutton, Coldfield, England. 6. Robert Hol- lenback, of Wilkes-Barre.
CHARLES MURRAY TURPIN, D. D. S .- For many years recognized as one of the skilled and progressive dentists of Wyoming Valley, Dr. Charles Murray Turpin, of King- ston, is more widely known for his construc- tive participation in public affairs. His years of loyal and efficient service to the public culminated in June, 1929, with his election as Congressman from his district.
Charles M. (C. Murray) Turpin was born at Kingston, Luzerne County, March 4, 1878, of a
fine old American family dating from early pioneer days in Wyoming Valley. His par- ents were Charles J. and Sarah Ann (Bry- ant) Turpin, who had three older children: 1. Emily, wife of Dr. Cecil Stevens, of Stevensville, Montana. 2. Frederick Corss, who was in Dr. Turpin's office in the Wilkes- Barre County courthouse. 3. Anna Ruth, unmarried and engaged as a masseuse in Kingston.
Dr. Turpin is a graduate of the Kingston High School, class of '96; Wyoming Seminary Business College, class of '99, and the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, whence he graduated in 1904 with the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. Prior to entering college Dr. Tur- pin worked at the carpenter trade, also as grocery clerk, and was a steamboat captain and belonged to the Clerks' Union and the Boatman's Union. He practiced his profes- sion in Kingston from 1904 to 1926.
Keenly interested in education, Dr. Tur- pin was a member of the Board of Education from 1916 to 1922, the latter year being the beginning of his term of service as burgess of Kingston, an office to which he was elected for four years (1922 to 1926). He was elected, in 1925, to the office of pro- thonotary of Luzerne County. Dr. Turpin resigned on June 3, 1929, to become a can- didate for Congress and was elected to the important office of Congressman, June 4, 1929 to represent the Twelfth District, the largest district in the United States. Dr. Turpin is a Republican, but does not permit partisanship to bias his execution of the oath of office, and his candidacy in 1925 was indorsed by each of the major parties because of his well-established reputation for integ- rity and responsibility. He is a member of the Pennsylvania State Society for Crippled Children, of the United Sportsmen of Penn- sylvania, and of the Junior Order United American Mechanics; committeeman of the Boy Scouts of America.
FREDERICK JOSEPH SCHMITT, D. D. S., has practiced dentistry in Wilkes-Barre since 1914, in that period winning for himself an enviable professional reputation unusual for so young a man, as well as a place of signif- icance in the civic and social life of the com- munity, Kingston, where he makes his home at No. 34 Pierce Street.
Dr. Schmitt is a native of Wilkes-Barre. Born there April 16, 1889, he is the son of John A. and Victoria (Ruff) Schmitt. The father was born in Germany in 1851 and came to the United States in 1865. He engaged in business as a general contractor in Wilkes- Barre until his death September 6, 1902. The mother was also a native of Germany. After doing his early school work in St. Nicholas Parochial School, Dr. Schmitt attended Ford- ham Preparatory School in New York City, then for three years attended Fordham Uni- versity. There followed work at Georgetown University, from which institution he was graduated with a D. D. S. degree with the class of 1914. Immediately after graduation Dr. Schmitt started to established a practice in Wilkes-Barre, where his office is located at No. 44 East Market Street. Dr. Schmitt takes active part in the affairs of the County and State Units of the National Dental So- ciety. Independent in politics, he is a mem- ber of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Eagles. He is a popular member of the Wyoming Valley Country Club.
On October 12, 1915, Dr. Schmitt married Louise Becker, daughter of John J. and Lucy
murray Turpin
Perry VEDershimer
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(Weaver) Becker, of Wilkes-Barre. To this union were born four children: Marrietta Louise, horn February 12, 1917; Rita Marie, born December 24, 1918; Frederick, Jr., born May 25, 1921; and Paul J., born July 23, 1923.
BRUCE WELSTED BENNETT, head of the Wilkes-Barre office of the American Steel and Wire Company, Pennsylvania subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation, is one of the best known and most popular men about Wilkes-Barre, for, in addition to extensive fraternal affiliations, he holds mem- bership in a number of clubs and is active in civic affairs and church work of the com- munity.
Native of Wilkes-Barre, Mr. Bennett is the son of William Evert Bennett, well known to the people about Wilkes-Barre as, for many years, he served as auditor of Luzerne County. In later years he was connected with the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Com- pany, and his death occurred May 25, 1914. Born in Woodbridge, New Jersey, May 5, 1853, William Evert Bennett married Isadora Urana Conner, born at Wilkes-Barre April 17, 1858; died April 6, 1916.
Their son, Bruce W. Bennett, was born June 21, 1883 and attended the public schools, being graduated from the high school with the class of 1899. He entered the business world in the employ of the Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Coal Company and remained with that concern, as colliery clerk and in other positions, for twelve years. Mr. Ben- nett went to New York City and there was in the employ of the United States Steel Cor- poration of New York for six months, then returned to Pennsylvania to represent the same concern here. Mr. Bennett established the present headquarters and business in Wilkes-Barre. Republican in his political affiliations, Mr. Bennett's fraternal member- ships are with Landmark Lodge, No. 442, Free and Accepted Masons; Shekinah Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Dieu le Veut Com- mandery No. 45, Knights Templar, and Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of West- moreland Club, Franklin Club, Wyoming Val- ley Country Club, Pottsville Club, Scranton Club, and the Engineers Club. Mr. Bennett belongs to the First Presbyterian Church of Wilkes-Barre.
On June 16, 1908, Mr. Bennett married Try- phena Doty, daughter of George W. and Emma Doty of Asbury Park, New Jersey. They became the parents of three children: Bruce D., born November 22, 1912; James, born December 4, 1914; Elizabeth, born Feb- ruary 5, 1923.
NATHANIEL BOSS, M. D .- As one of the medical inspectors of the public schools of Wilkes-Barre, Dr. Nathaniel Ross has in his charge 15,000 children, of whom he must make periodic examinations. Through this connec- tion in conjunction with his extensive general medical practice. his public-spirit and high character, he is one of the outstanding figures in Luzerne County.
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