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 45
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CHARLES ALBERT MALPASS-Although a native of England and a resident of that country until he was twenty-five years of age, Charles Albert Malpass came to America about seventeen years ago and, following the trade he had learned in his native land, has prospered steadily until now (1928) he is sole proprietor of one of the best known contracting firms in Luzerne County, special- izing in the erection of brick and stone buildings. Mr. Malpass first learned brick- laying, later familiarized himself with other mason work, and thus attained to his present standing thoroughly qualified. His experience includes a period of employment in New York City and other large centers of population, where he was able to learn the most modern methods of masonry. Since locating in this section, he has entered wholeheartedly into many other circles, including finance, frater- nal organizations, social clubs, and political affairs.
Mr. Malpass was born at Stourbridge, Eng-
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land, April 9, 1886, son of James and Annie (Roddy) Malpass, both natives of England, the mother having passed away in 1901. James Malpass, who was born in 1860, is a contracting mason in the land of his birth.
After completing the studies required in the public schools of England, Charles Albert Malpass took up the vocation of his father, and apprenticed himself to the brick-layers' trade in 1899. He was so engaged in England until 1911, when he came to the United States. For a year after arriving in this country Mr. Malpass worked as a mason in New York City, and then removed to Wilkes-Barre, go- ing to work there in 1913 as a mason in the contracting firm of Saba & Malpass. This association continued for a period of five years, at the end of which Mr. Malpass formed a partnership with Ernest E. Wat- kins, with the title of Watkins & Malpass, and they functioned as contracting masons until 1923. In the last-named year Mr. Mal- pass became sole owner of the enterprise, and since has conducted it under his own name, with offices in Kingston, since 1922. He has had a part in the industrial develop- ment of this county, and many structures of the first class were erected by this firm, which employs about twenty-five men.
As his business expanded, Mr. Malpass naturally was drawn into further commercial enterprises of this section and is a member of the board of directors of the West Side Trust Building & Loan Association. He is a Democrat and usually is found supporting the tenets and candidates of that party, wherein he exercises considerable influence, although he has refused to accept public office. Among social organizations with which he affiliates may he mentioned Lodge No. 109, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the Knights of Columbus, and the Exchange Club. Mr. Malpass is a Catholic in religious belief and has contributed materially-physi- cally, morally, and financially to this denomi- nation, being a member of the Holy Name Church.
Charles Albert Malpass married, in June, 1913, Eliza Dallimore, native of Forest City, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, and a daughter of Harry and Jane Dallimore. Mr. and Mrs. Malpass have six children: Evelyn, Charles, Harry, Donald, Thomas and Robert. The Malpass family resides at No. 1041 Wyo- ming Avenue, Forty Fort, while Mr. Malpass has his offices in the Kingston Corner Bulld- ing, Kingston.
WESLEY ADAMS STEELMAN-Succeeding to a well-established business founded by his father, Mr. Steelman has carried it on ably, developing its contacts and widening its field and scope, until it may be counted as one of the outstanding industries of the State. Wesley A. Steelman was born in Philadelphia on March 25, 1897, a son of Walter E. and Mary E. (Duxbury) Steelman, the latter born in Philadelphia in 1869 and died in Wilkes- Barre in February, 1928. The elder Steelman was born at Ocean View, Cape May County, New Jersey, in 1871, and came to Wilkes-Barre in 1903 and was, at one time, president of the Board of Trade here. In 1917, he estab- lished the W. E. Steelman Company, which sold insulations, pipe coverings and asbestos shingles. He was a man of spirited force of character, undeviating ideals of probity and business energy, and his business was a most successful one. He was president of the Franklin Club and an ardent disciple of the out-of-door life, particularly keen about hunting and fishing. He died on April 17, 1922, and his son has carried on his busl- ness.
Wesley A. Steelman was educated in the public schools of Wilkes-Barre, graduating from the high school and then taking two years at the Pennsylvania State College. After these collegiate years, he went into his father's business as a salesman, con- tinuing in this capacity until his father's demise, when he assumed the reins of control and took his father's place at the head of the firm, retaining, however, the same name. Responding to an industrial demand, the business was changed more specifically into a roofing contracting and roofing material sales organization, and the name changed to the Steelman Roofing Company, with Wesley Steelman as sole owner. It employs on an average eighteen or twenty workers and has been an eminently prosperous concern. Mr. Steelman holds membership in Lodge No. 61, of Free and Accepted Masons; the Chapter of Royal Arch Masons; Dieu le Veut Commandery of Knights Templar; and Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is an active mem- ber of the Kiwanis and of the Franklin clubs and president of the Pennsylvania State Col- lege Alumni of Wilkes-Barre.
On February 23, 1921, Wesley Steelman married Anna Jean Van Loon, daughter of Charles and Gussie (Zimmerman) Van Loon, of this city. They have one daughter, Martha Jean. Mr. Steelman and family reside in a very pleasant home in Trucksville, a few miles outside of Wilkes-Barre.
CHARLES DUNCAN BROWN-The entire active career of Charles Duncan Brown, to the present time (1929) has been associated with the American Railway Express Com- pany, first in Rutland, Vermont, then Albany, New York, later in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and during the World War at Plattsburgh, New York. Since 1919 he has been located in Wilkes-Barre as agent for the Wilkes- Barre district, which includes Kingston.
Lewis F. Brown, father of Mr. Brown, is a son of Charles Brown, descendant of an old American family dating back to Colonial times. He married Harriett Perkins, and they became the parents of three children: Lewis, who died in infancy; Clarence Alvin, of Rutland, Rutland County, Vermont; and Charles Duncan, of further mention.
Charles Duncan Brown, son of Lewis F. and Harriett (Perkins) Brown, was born In Rutland, Vermont, November 15, 1881, and received his education in the public schools of his birthplace, graduating from Rutland High School with the class of 1898. After graduation from high school he took a course in the Rutland Business College, and then
entered the employ of the American Rail- way Express Company as clerk, at Rutland. Here he remained for a period of three years, after which he was transferred to Albany, New York, where he remained until 1914. In that year he was promoted to the position of money clerk and again transferred, this time to Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he was located until the entrance of the United States into the World War in 1917. At that time he was transferred to the Officers' Train- ing Camp, at Plattsburg, New York, and there he remained until after the close of the war. On January 1, 1919, he was trans- ferred to Wilkes-Barre as agent for the Wilkes-Barre district, which includes King- ston, and here he has continued to give expert service to the present time (1929). Mr. Brown is thoroughly familiar with all the phases of the work in which he is em- ployed, and gives his careful and undivided attention to the faithful discharge of his duties In this connection. He is a member
Andrew Bauriski
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of the Wilkes-Barre-Wyoming Valley Cham- ber of Commerce, and is well known among the business men of the city. Politically, he supports the principles and the candidates of the Republican party, and his club Is the Rotary Club. His religious membership is with the Congregational Church, and his fraternal affiliation is with the Modern Wood- men of America.
Charles Duncan Brown was married, April 26, 1905, to Belle Keenholts, of Albany, New York, daughter of J. V. O. and Mary (Winne) Keenholts. Mr. and Mrs. Brown have two children: Harold and Duncan.
ANDREW J. ZAWOISKI has since Septem- ber, 1920, been engaged in general legal prac- tice in Wilkes-Barre, where he has his offices at No. 715 in the Miners Bank Building. Mr. Zawoiski is a graduate of Dickinson Law School, from which he was graduated in September, 1920, but he is also a veteran of the World War, which service interrupted his college course, taking him away In the spring of his second year. Mr. Zawoiski is solicitor of the Borough of Plains, where he resides, and is also a member of the Plains School Board and its secretary, and attorney for the Plains State Bank.
John Zawoiski, father of Mr. Zawoiski, is a retired coal miner who resides at Plains, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and he and his wife, Anna, are the parents of eight chil- dren: Andrew J., of further mention; John and Michael, who died in childhood; Mary, who is unmarried; Frank, who was killed by a railroad train at the age of ten years; Catherine; Paul; and Stephen.
Andrew J. Zawoiski, son of John and Anna Zawoiski, was born at Plymouth, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1893, but while he was still an infant he was taken to Plains, Luzerne County, by his parents. There he grew up, attending the public schools and graduating from Plains High School with the class of 1910. He then became a student in the State Normal School at East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, where he gradu- ated with the class of 1913. For two years after the completion of his normal course he worked in a grocery store at Plains, and in the fall of 1915 entered Dickinson Law School, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Upon the entrance of the United States into the World War, he enlisted for service, being mustered into the 61st Infantry at Gettysburg, Penn- sylvania, in May, 1917, and was sent to Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, where he was assigned to the Officers' Training Camp. On November 23, 1917, he was commissioned a second lieu- tenant of Field Artillery and was sent to Camp Jackson with the 81st Division. On July 1, 1918, he was ordered overseas with his division, which landed at Liverpool, England, and then went to France. Upon arriving in France Mr. Zawoiski was transferred to the 15th Balloon Company, as an artillery ob- server in the St. Mihiel Sector, and here he remained until the signing of the Armistice, in November, 1918. While serving with the Field Artillery he was commissioned a first lieutenant. He arrived in this country April 19, 1919, and returned to Dickinson Law School, where he was graduated with the class of 1920, receiving the degree of Bache- lor of Laws. He was admitted to the Luzerne County bar, September 20, 1920, and since that time has been successfully engaged in general legal practice here. In addition to the care of his large private practice, Mr. Zawoiski is attorney for the Plains State Bank, at Plains, and a director of Liberty State Bank and Trust Company of Wilkes- Barre. Politically, he gives his support to
the principles and the candidates of the Re- publican party, and he is active in local public affairs, giving freely of his time and hls ability, also of his professional knowledge for the advancement of the general welfare. He is secretary of the Plains Township School Board, and solicitor for the township of Plains, and he is one of the generous and earnest supporters of all civic welfare work. His religious affiliation is with the Greek Catholic Church.
Andrew J. Zawoiski was married, June 10, 1924, to Florence M. Wallace, of Wilkes- Barre, and they have two sons: Andrew J., Jr., and Eugene J.
GEORGE S. BRAY-Raised on a Pennsyl- vania farm, where he worked hard all sum- mer after attending school all winter, leav- ing that occupation to learn the plumbing trade, which he followed for twenty-six years, George S. Bray finally found himself and today is a leader of the commercial, social and fraternal life of Kingston. Here is a case of a poor boy, whose father had been a miner in his native Cornwall, England, and who took up farming in this country as an easier occupation, starting life without a penny and rising by his own efforts to a commanding eminence within a compara- tively short time. He possessed in large measure a pleasing personality, coupled with an inherited and cultivated industry, a per- severance not to be diverted and a faith in himself that could not fail to bring its reward. He has made a host of friends and won a reputation for integrity, sincerity, loyalty and earnestness in his business and civic duties.
George S. Bray was born near Honesdale, March 25, 1875. His father was Walter Bray, and his mother, Mary (Bryant) Bray, deceased. Both were natives of Cornwall and came to the United States about 1852. They settled near Honesdale and Walter Bray undertook to rear his family by farming. The couple became the parents of fourteen children, seven of whom grew to maturity: Thomas, of Jermyn, Lackawanna County; William P., of Honesdale; John E., of Lacka- wanna County, who died in 1926; Sarah, who became the wife of Theodore Spettigue, both now deceased; Ella, who married Walter Pryor, of Lackawanna County; Walter A., who died in Hazleton, Pennsylvania, in 1922, and George S. Bray, of whom further.
George S. Bray was educated In the pub- lic schools in Wayne and Lackawanna coun- ties, and helped his father on the farm until he was sixteen years of age, when he decided to learn the plumbing trade and- went to Bell and Prudy, at Courtdale. In 1895 he came first to Wilkes-Barre, where he engaged in the plumbing trade and business, con- tinuing it for ten years, when he gave it up and transferred his business Interests to the automobile and associate enterprises. For ten year he was located at No. 172 South Washington Street, Wilkes-Barre, but in 1926 built his present handsome building in King- ston, of which he is sole owner. Located at the corner of Gates Avenue and Market Street, it houses the Keystone Motor Car Company, dealing principally in Oldsmobile passenger cars. It is one of the finest and most completely equipped buildings devoted to automobile service in the entire State of Pennsylvania. It has a frontage of ninety- four feet and a depth of two hundred feet, is constructed of white enamelled brick and terra cotta over a steel skeleton, and is ornamented with one of the handsomest of great clocks, its dial being eleven feet In diameter. An ornate gas and oil station In
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front adds to its architectural attractive- ness. Mr. Bray is a Republican in politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. His fraternal affiliations include membership in the George M. Dallas Lodge, No. 531, Free and Accepted Masons: Shekinah Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Dieu le Veut Commandery, No. 45, Knights Templar, of Wilkes-Barre; Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic
Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also is a member of the Irem Temple Country Club. He has served as president of the Master Plumbers' Local and was for one term State president of the Master Plumbers' Association. He also belongs to the Penn- sylvania Automobile Association, of which he was president in 1926.
Mr. Bray married, in February, 1898, Bessie Kemp, of Kingston Township, a daughter of Harry and Elizabeth (Wellington) Kemp. Their children are: I. Myrtle Mary, now the wife of Marcus Slade, of Bay Shore, New York. 2. George Thomas, associated with his father in the automobile business. 3. Harry, also with his father. 4. Elizabeth, at home.
CHARLES L. ALBERT-His native in- stincts for business organization, combined with a valued scholastic training and experi- ence, have made for the pronounced success that has made itself evident in Charles L. Albert's career in the insurance world, par- ticularly in the constructive results obtained in his large field at Wilkes-Barre. In the important duties of his district management, Mr. Albert has proven a most useful servant to the company he represents; while his interest in civic expansion and improvement is seen in his association with many of the leading organizations of township and county.
Charles L. Albert was born October 25, 1885, in Waynesboro, Franklin County, son of Charles H. and Anna (Bell) Albert, resid- ing at Bloomsburg, Charles H. Albert having been for thirty-five years a teacher in the Bloomsburg State Normal School; both Mr. Albert and Mrs. Albert are members of long- established Pennsylvania and Maryland fam- ilies, and they are the parents of five chil- dren: Keller Albert, of Reading, Pennsyl- vania; Mary Ellen Albert, who married Jesse Glenn, of New York City; Charles L. Albert, of whom further; R. Bruce Albert, of Blooms- burg; and Ruth M. Albert, who married Rev. Dallas Bair, a clergyman of the Lutheran Church.
Charles L. Albert attended Bloomsburg State Normal School and was graduated with the class of 1903. Matriculating at Lafayette College, at Easton, he was graduated there in 1908 with the degree Bachelor of Arts; and returning to Bloomsburg, he taught his- story and civics for three years. Removing to Wilkes-Barre, he taught for three years in the City High School; and then relinquish- ing his educational work, he entered upon the activities of life insurance, as district manager of the North Western Mutual Life Insurance Company, of Milwaukee, Wiscon- sin, with local offices at No. 615 Miners Build- ing, Wilkes-Barre, and is known as one of the most hustling men in the country in his line.
A Republican in the political field, Mr. Albert with his vote and influence supports the principles of that party, Fraternally, he is affiliated with Bloomsburg Lodge, No. 265, Free and Accepted Masons; Caldwell Consis- tory, of Bloomsburg, Ancient Accepted Scot- tish Rite, in the thirty-second degree; and Irem Temple, of Wilkes-Barre, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of the Franklin Club
and Craftsmen's Club; member of the board of directors' of the Y's Men's Club, of the Young Men's Christian Association; was sec- retary of the Nuangola Lake Association, a summer cottage resort in the Pocono Moun- tains; member of the board of directors of the Wilkes-Barre Life Underwriters' Asso- ciation; secretary and treasurer of the La- fayette Alumni Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania: and member of the Wilkes- Barre Chamber of Commerce. He is affiliated with the Kingston Presbyterian Church.
Charles L. Albert married, in April, 1917, Jannette Davis, of Scranton, daughter of John and Annie (Leyshon) Davis, and they have two children: Charles L., Jr., and Mary Elizabeth. The family residence is at Over- brook, Dallas Township, Pennsylvania.
STANLEY WALTER BLAZEJEWSKI, M. D. -One of the skillful doctors of medicine in Wilkes-Barre and vicinity, is Dr. Stanley Wal- ter Blazejewski, who specializes in the dis- eases of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. Although originally he intended to study theology, he is now a careful and successful practicing physician, with offices at No. 46 South Washington Street. Dr. Blazejewski, who comes of Polish ancestry, enjoys a lucra- tive and enviable practice in Wilkes-Barre, where he counts among his patients and those who come to him for advice an especially large number of members of the city's Polish population.
He was born in Poland on April 6, 1880, the son of George and Catherine Blazejewski, the former of whom is a retired merchant of Plains, Luzerne County. Mrs. Blazejewski died January 8, 1929. He and his wife became the parents of five children: 1, Dr. Stanley W., of whom further. 2, Frances, now de- ceased; she married Stanley Cihocki. 3. John A., who conducted the grocery store at his father's old stand at Plains, Pennsylvania, and now employed by Eureka Vacuum Cleaner Company. 4. Michael, who is traveling sales- man, of Kingston. 5. Mary, who is the wife of Louis Witczak, of Cleveland, Ohio.
Stanley W. Blazejewski was only four years old when his parents came to Luzerne County, settling in the town of Wilkes-Barre. Here he attended both the public and the parochial schools, and later became a student at the Polish Seminary, in Detroit, Michigan, where he was preparing for the study of theology, Then he changed his plans, and, in 1903, he entered the Baltimore Medical College, from which he was graduated in the class of 1907 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, after which he served as interne in the Maryland General Hospital six month, He first prac- ticed his profession in Shenandoah, Pennsyl- vania, where he remained for eight years, and was a Board of Health physician in 1911. In 1915, he went to Philadelphia, where he took a post-graduate course at the Philadel- phia Polyclinic, making a special study of the eye, ear, nose, and throat. He also took a special course at the Wills Eye Hospital, in Philadelphia, then went to New York City, where he took post-graduate work at the Manhattan Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hos- pital, and also in the New York Post-Graduate Hospital. In 1916 he returned to Luzerne County, settling in Wilkes-Barre, where he has practiced his profession since that time. Active in the organizations of his colleagues in the medical profession, Dr. Blazejewski is a member of the American Medical Associa- tion, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the Luzerne County Medical Society, and the Wilkes-Barre Ophthalmological Society; also
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the Polish Medical and Dental Association, a National organization. He is a member of the surgical staff of the Hudson Coal Com- pany, and also of the staff of the Wilkes- Barre General Hospital. During the World War he was medical examiner in the draft exemption service for District No. 3, which constituted Luzerne County. Taking a promi- nent part in the fraternal life of his com- munity and in the organizations of Polish- American citizens, Dr. Blazejewski is a mem- ber of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, in which he is affiliated with Lodge No. 109, of Wilkes-Barre; the Polish National Alliance of America; the Tatra Club, of Wilkes-Barre; and is affiliated with St. Mary's Polish Catholic Church.
On October 4, 1910, Dr. Blazejewski mar- ried Anna N. Radziewicz, of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, daughter of Charles and Doro- thy (Karczewski) Radziewicz. They have two children: Anna Helen A. and Stanley Walter, Jr.
WILLIAM ASTON-A member of the Aston Brothers Construction Company, at Wilkes- Barre, William Aston occupies an executive position in one of the most successful enter- prises of its kind in the State. The com- pany has built the Poli and Majestic theaters, at Wilkes-Barre, the recent addition to St. Stephen's Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church in Forty Fort, and are now general contractors for the Elmer L. Meyers High School, in Wilkes-Barre, the largest high school in the State with the exception of those in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This work is distinguished, in general, by the excellence of its design and the honesty of its materials, and is a distinct credit to its builders as well as an asset to the commun- ities in which it stands.
William Aston was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on February 6, 1884, a son of Job B. Aston, a brick layer by trade, who was born in England in 1845 and died in 1903, and of Jamimma (Titley) Aston, also born in England, in 1849, and died in 1911.
As a boy William Aston attended the Wilkes-Barre public schools, and was grad- nated from the Harry Hillman Academy. Later he entered Lafayette College, at Easton, Pennsylvania, and from this institution was graduated in 1911 with the degree of Bach- elor of Arts. Mr. Aston decided to adopt the profession of educator, and in 1916 re- ceived the degree of Master of Arts from Lafayette College. In all, he taught for a period of eight years, dividing this time between the Wilkes-Barre High School, and Lafayette College, discharging the duties of each position in a very successful way. In 1919, however, he became a partner in the firm of W. and E. Aston, mason contractors, at Wilkes-Barre, this arrangement continuing until 1927, when the business was consol- idated with the Aston Brothers Construction Company, established in 1906 by Richard and Albert Aston, the former of whom died in April, 1927. The new venture was imme- diately successful, and has gained wide repu- tation for its work throughout the Wilkes- Barre section, employing at present sixty to seventy men. They have done work on many important buildings, and their engagement in the construction of the Elmer L. Myers High School, which will cost approximately $2,500,000, was thoroughly well merited by the consistently high quality which they have previously shown. As secretary and treas- urer of the company, the other officers of which are Albert Aston, president, and Ernest Aston, vice-president (see following biog-
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