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 56
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Like his father, Mr. Pierson is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Lodge No. 61; Shekinah Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Dieu le Veut Commandery, No. 45, Knights Temp- lar; and Irem Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. His club mem- berships include the Franklin and the Wyo- ming Valley Country.
Mr. Pierson married, in 1908, Helen Kerr, daughter of William H. and Harriet (Perrin) Kerr, of West Pittston. Mrs. Pierson died June 3, 1911, leaving one daughter, E. Har- riet, who married Henry W. Kuni, September 18, 1929, and lives in Jackson Heights, Long Island. On November 20, 1913, Mr. Pierson married (second) Ruth McDonnell, of Scran- ton, Pennsylvania, daughter of W. C. and Lulu (Corson) McDonnell. Of this marriage there were three children. They are: William L., Jane E., and Leland S., Jr. Mr. Pierson and family attend the First Presbyterian Church, of Wilkes-Barre.
JOHN CRAWFORD HARVEY-The Har- vey family, of which John Crawford Harvey, general agent for the Girard Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia, with offices in the Brooks Building, Wilkes-Barre, is a worthy representative, proceeded originally from England, where the name is synonymous with accomplishment in every worthy field of human activity. The Harveys of England have been of the nobility and of the gentry, while others have been identified with the yeomanry and the middle classes. One of the most noted was Dr. William Harvey, who dis- covered the circulation of the blood, became a physician about the time of the death of Queen Elizabeth and was made doctor to Sir Francis Bacon and the Earl of Arundel. The Wyoming Valley Harveys came from the New England Harveys, and they from Eng- land; the original paternal American ances- tor was Thomas Harvey or William Harvey, brothers, sons of Thomas Harvey, of Eng- land: they were born in Somersetshire, Eng- land, and came to New England in 1636, and first settled in the colony of Dorchester, Mas- sachusetts. Thomas became the progenitor of the Wyoming Valley Harveys; he removed from Dorchester to Taunton, where he died in 1651; his wife was Elizabeth Andrews and their youngest son John had a son John who had a son Benjamin, who made a settlement in the town of Plymouth, in Wyoming Val- ley, Pennsylvania, in 1772, where he became a man of prominence among the colonists from Connecticut.
John Crawford Harvey was born at the ancestral estate at Harveyville, Huntington Township, Luzerne County, May 6, 1860, a son of Abram Nesbitt and Sarah Maria (Crawford) Harvey, both now deceased. The
name Nesbitt goes back to Sarah Nesbitt, wife of Colonel Elisha Boarnerges Harvey, a native of Harveyville, school teacher and Union officer in the Civil War; he later be- came a lawyer. Ahram Nesbitt Harvey was a son of Benjamin Harvey, who married a Nesbitt. The children of himself and wife were the following: 1. Emma, widow of Wil- liam B. Cannon, of Wilkes-Barre. 2. Grace, died In childhood. 3. John Crawford, of whom further. 4. Charles, died in childhood. 5. Benjamin Jameson, deceased. 6. Ruth, who is a widow.
Mr. Harvey was reared on the old home place and while a boy worked on the farm and attended the public schools, later attend- ing Dickinson Seminary at Williamsport, from which institution he graduated in the class of 1880. He then returned to Luzerne County and engaged in mercantile pursuits with his father at Harveyville, under the firm name of A. N. Harvey & Son. This part- nership continued until 1901, when Mr. Har- vey removed to Wilkes-Barre, and has since been engaged successfully in the life insur- ance business. He has been a strong sup- porter of Republican party principles for nearly fifty years, and in 1891 was elected to the State Legislature from the Second Luzerne County Legislative District, and was reelected in 1893. In 1895 he made a strong race for the State Senate, but met with defeat. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and of Kingston Lodge, No. 395, of the Free and Accepted Masons.
Mr. Harvey married Myrtle Courson, daugh- ter of Clark and Joanna (Rote) Courson, of Washingtonville, Montour County, and their children are: Benjamin Nesbitt, engaged in the bond brokerage business in this city: Sarah, a trained nurse; John Crawford, Jr., a bookkeeper for the Goff Lumber Company in Wilkes-Barre. Mr. and Mrs. Harvey and family reside at Wilkes-Barre during the winter and spend their summers in the de- lightful atmosphere of the old Harvey home- stead at Harveyville, where his ancestors have lived since the Wyoming Massacre.
THOMAS I. RAMER-A native of Snyder County, Pennsylvania, Mr. Ramer has been a resident of Wilkes-Barre since his early manhood, having come to that city at the age of twenty years, immediately after he had completed his education. After having represented for a short time one of the larg- est life insurance companies, he established himself in the general insurance business under his own name almost two decades ago. He has built up a very large and profitable clientele and, in his particular field, is con- sidered one of the most successful and reli- able men. He is prominently active in fra- ternal and religious affairs and is regarded as one of the most useful and substantial of the younger generation of Wilkes-Barre business men.
Thomas I. Ramer was born at Beaver Springs, Snyder County, Pennsylvania, August 25, 1887, a son of John C. and Louisa (Swartz) Ramer. His father, who was born in Snyder County in 1852 and who died September 15, 1914, was for many years successfully en- gaged in agricultural pursuits. His mother, likewise born in Snyder County, in 1859, is still living.
Mr. Ramer was educated in the public grammar and high schools of Middleburg, the county seat of Snyder County, and at the Union Seminary at New Berlin, Union County, Pennsylvania, after which he taught school
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in Snyder County for two years. He then went to Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, and there took a course in bookkeeping at a local commercial college. In 1907 he came to Wilkes-Barre and for a year and a half represented the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. In 1910 he opened up an office of his own and since then has been engaged in the general insurance busi- ness, representing a number of prominent insurance companies of various kinds. In re- cent years his offices have been located in Suite No. 806, Brooks Building, Wilkes- Barre. He is a member of Fidelity Lodge, No. 655, Free and Accepted Masons; Keystone Consistory, thirty-second degree, Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, of Scranton; Irem Temple, No. 71, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Wilkes- Barre; Patriotic Order Sons of America; and Knights of Malta. He also belongs to the Irem Temple and Craftsman's Club. In politics he is a supporter of the Republican party, while his religious affiliations are with the Evangelical Church, of the Sunday school of which he is superintendent and of the board of trustees of which he is a member.
Mr. Ramer married, July 21, 1910, Claire Bowersox, of Wilkes-Barre, a daughter of Francis C. and Harriet Bowersox. Mr. and Mrs. Ramer are the parents of two children, Francis B., born April 28, 1914, and Jean H., born August 31, 1919. The family residence is located at No. 147 Hanover Street, Wilkes- Barre.
HARVEY H. KEMMERER-Business estab- lishments of all sorts are so common in every town and hamlet in this advanced industrial age that it is difficult to notice them; but once in a while one encounters an institu- tion that seems to be more than a business enterprise-in fact, almost an essential part of a community. Such is the case with the business of Harvey H. Kemmerer, which was established more than one hundred years ago, and which, since it was founded, has been operating smoothly for decade after decade, changing hands occasionally with the pass- ing of the generations but going on just the same. Under Mr. Kemmerer's management and ownership, this enterprise has continued successful as always, even making little gains here and there. The Kemmerer estab- lishment, founded in 18IS, has since that time handled all types of leather goods; and today its stock of trunks, traveling bags, suit cases and telescopes, both domestic and imported, is one of the finest that is to be found in this part of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Kemmerer, the proprietor of this busi- ness, is a son of Zachariah and Martha ( Grover) Kemmerer, both of whom are now deceased. His father was for many years the proprietor of the Old Mansion Hotel on East Northampton Street, Wilkes-Barre; he died at the age of sixty-two years. He was the father of six children, three of whom were by his second wife, Martha (Grover) Kem- merer. These three children, of whom the first two were twins, were: 1. Harvey H., of further mention, and 2. Harry; and 3. E. G., who is a retired jeweler of Wilkes-Barre.
Harvey H. Kemmerer was born in Luzerne County on November 5, 1865; was educated in the public schools of Wilkes-Barre; at the age of eleven years went to work in Frank Rummell's store, continuing with store work for five years. At the age of sixteen years he went to work in Thomas Taylor's harness and leather store, which was founded by Thomas Taylor in 1818 at the present stand
of the Kemmerer store, No. 40 West Market Street. For more than forty years, both with Mr. Taylor and later in business for himself, Mr. Kemmerer has remained. Upon the death of Mr. Taylor, which occurred in 1906, Mr. Kemmerer bought the business, which he has continued to conduct under his own name.
Mr. Kemmerer's interests and activities are not only with the leather store, however; for he is keenly interested in political and indus- trial matters generally, especially as they affect the city of Wilkes-Barre and its environs. He is identified politically with the Democratic party, whose principles and candidates he supports. He is an enthu- siastic member of the Central Methodist Episcopal Church, of Wilkes-Barre.
On September 30, 1903, Mr. Kemmerer was married to Victoria A Sickler, of Falls, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Riley and Dora (Mahon) Sickler. This marriage was blessed by the birth of one daughter, Martha Eudora, The Kemmerers reside at No. 92 Academy Street, Wilkes-Barre.
EDWIN J. REICH-Through individual efforts and undivided attention to his duties through many years, Edwin J. Reich, a native of the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania and a member of one of the oldest families in this region, has reached a position of com- mercial importance which is a fine tribute to his industry and native ability. As man- ager of the Kingston Division of the Reming- ton-Rand Accounting Machine Company he has become one of the prominent industrial- ists of the country, with hundreds of workers under his command and a great responsibility owing his employers. That the owners of the vast enterprise selected well has been illus- trated by the work he has accomplished with the little army of mechanics and others en- gaged in the production of modern office machines at this plant, while to the people of Kingston and neighborhood he is ac- counted one of the outstanding citizens and a valuable member of the progressive com- munity.
He was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, August 8, 1879, a son of Joseph H. Reich, a telegraph operator in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and Ella (Weisel) Reich, of Easton, deceased in Feb- ruary, 1900. His education was acquired in the local public schools and when he was seventeen years of age he entered the employ of the Ingersoll-Rand Company in Easton, where he remained for ten years. He then went to the Western Electric Company in New York City, remaining for seven years and from 1914 to 1916 was foreman in the manufacturing department, later assuming a similar post in the engineering model shop. He became associated with the Powers con- cern and until 1921 was superintendent, be- coming general superintendent in that year of the Manhattan Electrical Supply Company and holding that place until August, 1926, when he again went to the Powers company as manager of their Kingston plants, and of that at New Brunswick, New Jersey. The present Kingston plant was originally built for the Wales Adding Machine Company, afterward being sold to the Powers Account- ing Machine Company, which disposed of it to the present owners and operators. The plant manufactures the well-known tabulat- ing machines that are a part of large office equipment throughout the world and employs an average of five hundred men and women employees. It is one of the some twenty- six or more factories controlled by the Rem- ington-Rand Company of New York. Mr.
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Reich is a Republican in politics and a mem- ber of St. John's Lutheran Church of Easton. He belongs to the Wilkes-Barre Rotary Club, is a member of the Union League Club of Jersey City, and is fraternally affiliated with the Order of the Free and Accepted Masons, with membership in Metropolitan Lodge, No. 273; Ancient Chapter, No. 1, Royal Arch Ma- sons; Columbia Council, No. 1, Royal and Select Masters; Columbia Commandery, No. I, Knights Templar, and Mecca Temple, New York City, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, affiliated with a Brooklyn lodge, and is a member of the Wilkes-Barre-Wyoming Val- ley Chamber of Commerce.
Edwin J. Reich married, in 1903, Mamie Freshman, of New York City.
RAY WHALEN-Wilkes-Barre numbers among its successful operators in the auto- mobile trade Ray Whalen, head of Whalen and Company, Inc., which as distributors of the General Cord Tire, is one of the largest in its.line in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Mr. Whalen was born in Avoca, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on March 10, 1890. He is the son of Michael and Mary (Murray) Whalen. Michael Whalen was killed in the 'mines of the Glen Alden Coal Company, De- cember 5, 1910, at the age of sixty-six. His wife died November 8, 1927, at the age of eighty-three. Mr. and Mrs. Whalen were the parents of thirteen children, all of whom are living. They are: 1. Catherine, wife of T. F. O'Donnell of Parson, Luzerne County. 2. Joseph, of Wilkes-Barre. 3. Mary, married F. K. Dills of Duryea, Pennsylvania. 4. Elizabeth, married Thomas McKune of Atlan- tic City. 5. John, of Wilkes-Barre. 6. Michael, of Avoca. 7. Thomas, of Wilkes- Barre. 8. William, of Wilkes-Barre. 9. Anna, married Joseph Murray of Trucksville. 10. Agnes, married Terence Riley of Wilkes- Barre. 11. Theresa, married Alexander Lar- mour of Philadelphia. 12. Leo, of Wilkes- Barre. 13. Ray, of whom further.
The parents of Mr. Whalen brought their son to Wilkes-Barre when he was six years old, and he received his education at St. Mary's Parochial School. When he was fifteen, he went to work in an undertaking estab- lishment owned by M. J. Mclaughlin of Wilkes-Barre, remaining in this calling with Mr. Mclaughlin during the next sixteen years.
Then he saw the possibilities which lay in the future of the automobile, gave up the undertaking business, and went into the automobile industry. In 1924, Whalen and Company, Inc., occupied its present plant at Kingston, having developed from modest be- ginnings to an enterprise of local importance. In October, 1929, the company opened its new plant at No. 229 South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, named "Whalen's." It is the best equipped plant in the State for auto service, the plant covering 85x215 feet. This they occupy as their headquarters or main office. Associated with Mr. Whalen in this firm is David Walksman. The salesrooms of the company are at the corner of Market and Landon Street, Kingston, Pennsylvania, and its service station is at the corner of Carey Avenue and Division Street, Wilkes-Barre.
Mr. Whalen takes an active interest in the civic and religious affairs of the city. He is a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus, fourth degree, and in politics he is a Democrat. Mr. Whalen is also
a member of Wilkes-Barre Lodge, No. 109, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Whalen married, February 3, 1912, Catherine Mclaughlin, of Wilkes-Barre, daughter of Edward A. and Mary ( Flaherty) Mclaughlin. Mr. and Mrs. Whalen have three children, Mary, Ned and Nancy.
A. P. COPE-By an intelligent community which recognized his entire fitness for a shap- ing part in public progress, Professor A. P. Cope was in 1926 chosen head of the school system of Luzerne County. The superinten- dent thus performs the responsible task of supervising seventeen hundred teachers and sixty thousand pupils. His ambitious and forceful, yet sympathetic nature, his thor- ough and well-rounded education, acquired largely by his own efforts, and his broad outlook are characteristics which mark him as the ideal man for this important position.
Professor Cope was born near Shickshinny, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, son of Henry and Susanna (Sult) Cope, now deceased, and descended from a family long established in the county. The father was a farmer. Six children comprised his family: Millard, of Shickshinny; Josiah: William; Ernest; Joseph ; and A. P., subject of this record.
A. P. Cope grew up on the farm near Shickshinny, interspersing his attendance at public school in the neighborhood with work on the farm. At the age of nineteen he launched himself on the profession to which he has since adhered-that of teaching. His first school was a one-room building in the rural districts. After a year, he determined en further preparation in pedagogy, and attended the Bloomsburg State Normal School from which he graduated in 1900. His next position was in the Shickshinny High School, where he taught for a year. Advancement then came to him in the shape of appoint- ment to principalship in the Mifflinsville schools, in Columbia County, Pennsylvania. Returning to his home county, he then was elected principal of the West Nanticoke schools and held the position for a year. In 1904 and 1905 Professor Cope taught in the Wyoming Seminary at Kingston, Luzerne County, and in 1906 found himself in a posi- tion to complete his education. He attended Syracuse University, in New York State, and graduated in 1909 with the degree of Bach- elor of Philosophy. Supplemental courses in higher education brought him a year later the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. In the fall of 1910 he was chosen supervising prin- cipal of Ashley Borough Schools in Luzerne County, where he remained for sixteen years. His record there was so notable as to win for him universal recognition of his ability and character and ideals. Public confidence in him was soon proved by his election to the high office of superintendent of schools of Luzerne County for a term of four years, the largest county division in the State of Pennsylvania. His first year in office has already demonstrated the wisdom which prompted the choice of so zealous and effici- ent a man for this work.
An independent in politics, the professor is active in every movement looking toward better government. His religious affiliation is with the Presbyterian Church. He is a member of Sylvania Lodge, No. 354, Free and Accepted Masons, Shickshinny, and a holder of the thirty-second degree; of the Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows of Ashley, Penn- sylvania; the Patriotic Order Sons of America; and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. He belongs also to the National Scholastio Greek Letter Fraternity, Delta
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Tan Delta, to the National Education Asso- ciation, and the Pennsylvania State Asso- ciation.
In 1914, A. P. Cope married Ethel May Davis, daughter of Lemuel and Esther (Sassaman) Davis, of Ashley, Pennsylvania, also a teacher in the public schools of Ash- ley. Children: Virginia Laura and Donald Edgar.
HENRY MILLS HARDING-Sales engineer for the Hazard Manufacturing Company, now Hazard Wire Rope Company of Wilkes- Barre, Henry Mills Harding has been con- nected with this firm for over thirty years assisting materially in its growth and ex- pansion through his able efforts and knowl- edge of local business conditions. He is also well known in various other phases of the city's life and holds membership in many Wilkes-Barre clubs and associations.
Mr. Harding was born at Wilkes-Barre on July 16, 1862, a son of Garrick Mallery Harding, who was born at Exeter, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, and died in May, 1904, and of Mariah Mills (Slosson) Harding, born in Kent, Connecticut, died in 1872. The father was a well-known lawyer and jurist of Luzerne County, practicing at Wilkes- Barre for many years, and also taking a prominent part in Republican party affairs.
Henry Mills Harding attended the Wilkes- Barre public schools and following gradna- tion from the high school here, studied for two years at Yale University. At the end of this time he began his business career, entering the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad as a clerk in their freight depart- ment. After a period of two years, he formed a connection with Ahlborn and Com- pany, wholesale meat packers of Wilkes- Barre, which offered larger opportunities than his earlier work. For a period of eight years he remained with this firm and then, on December 21, 1898, became associated with the Hazard Wire Rope Company. Mr. Harding had acted as clerk and salesman for Ahlborn and Company and he started with the Hazard Company in minor positions "at the bottom of the ladder." His strict attention to the tasks which came to hand, his enthusiasm and loyal services soon won him advancement as he rose through various positions to places of greatest confidence and trust. He played an important part in the building of their insulation department, and eventually became sales engineer, an office which he has filled most efficiently for the past fifteen years.
In politics Mr. Harding is a member of the Republican party, maintaining a constant interest in questions of government and the advancement of the civic welfare. He is a director of the Oak Lawn Cemetery, and a member of several local clubs and associa- tions, including, the Westmoreland Club, the Wyoming Valley Country Club, the Valley Country Club of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, the Scranton City Club, and the Boys' Club of St. Stephen's Church. With his family he attends St. Stephen's Church of Wilkes-Barre.
In 1905, Henry Mills Harding married Adelia Sharpe of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a daughter of William and Georgianna (West) Sharpe. Mr. and Mrs. Harding are the parents of one daughter, Katharine Sharpe, a graduate of Miss Bard's School, of Orange, New Jersey. The family residence is at No. 77 West Northampton Street, Wilkes-Barre.
CHARLES FREDERICK TERRY-Since 1918 Charles F. Terry has been engaged in the mercantile brokerage business under the
name of the Barnes-Terry Company, mer- chandise brokers. Their offices are located at Nos. 210-11-12 Dime Bank Building, in Wilkes-Barre, where the concern is taking care of a large and steadily growing busi- ness. Mr. Terry is a native of Mauch Chunk, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, hut has been living in Wilkes-Barre since he was five years of age, with the exception of four years during which he was in the whole- sale grocery business in Bethlehem, Penn- sylvania.
Charles F. Terry, father of Mr. Terry, was for many years in the passenger service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. In 1889 he removed to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsyl- vania, where he died at the age of sixty- three years. He married Catherine Esser, and they became the parents of five children: Gertrude, who married H. W. Hinterleiter, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania; Frank L., who is in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, located at Philadelphia; J. Edward, a resident of Wilkes-Barre, is a traveling salesman; Charles F., of further mention; and Katheryn, who married Frank G. Heller, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Charles F. Terry, son of Charles F. and Catherine (Esser) Terry, was born in Mauch Chunk, Carbon County, Pennsylvania, June 29, 1884, but was brought to Wilkes-Barre with his parents when he was only five years of age. He received his education in the publio schools of this city, graduating from Wilkes-Barre High School with the class of 1901, and then became a clerk in the office of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company at Wilkes-Barre. After four years spent in this connection he made a change and became identified with the Crocker Wholesale Gro- cery Company of Wilkes-Barre as clerk. Here he remained for a period of eight years, at the end of which time, in 1914, he accepted a position in a wholesale grocery house in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he remained until 1918. In that year he returned to Wilkes-Barre and purchased the mercantile brokerage business of the late W. Burt Barnes, and this he has since conducted under the name of Barnes-Terry Company, merchandise brokers. Mr. Terry is one of the well-known and able business men of the city, and is thoroughly familiar with every phase of the wholesale business. In his
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