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 62
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Mr. Williams graduated from the Larks- ville High School in the class of 1914 and from Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massa- chusetts, in the class of 1922 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. His collegiate education was interrupted by service in the World War, he having enlisted in the 311th Field Artil- lery, 79th Division, in the spring of 1917, and served as corporal and sergeant with the organization until the close of hostilities. He was stationed at Camp Mead, Maryland, until June 4. 1918, when he was shipped overseas with his command where he served in the Argonne-Meuse region until the Armistice, when the division was sent to the vicinity of Coblenz on the Rhine as a part of the Ameri- can Army of Occupation in Germany. After more than two years of military life he was
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mustered out in July, 1919, and resumed his studies.
Following his graduation, Frank J. Wil- liams went to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he became an instructor in mathe- matics, physics and Latin at Duquesne Uni- versity; remaining there he enrolled in the law department and in 1925 was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and also in the same year receiving the degree of Master of Arts from that university. In October of the same year he was admitted to the Luzerne County Bar where he has practiced since. He is a member of the Black Diamond Post, No. 302, American Legion, at Kingston; Knights of Columbus; and St. Ignatius Roman Cath- olic Church of Kingston.
Attorney Frank J. Williams and Loretta Catherine Dettemore were married October 20, 1926, and to them have been born two children: Frank J., Jr., born August 18, 1927, and Margaret Ann, born December 6, 1929. Mr. and Mrs. Williams have their residence at 57 South Welles Street, Kingston.
ADNAH GOULD KOSTENBAUDER-Among the prominent business men of Plymouth, Pennsylvania, is Adnah Gould Kostenbauder, well known as a consulting engineer and a member of the firm of Smith and Wells. Mr. Kostenbauder is the son of George B. and Mary (McDaniels) Kostenbauder. The father, who is a carpenter by trade, was born at Union Township, Columbus County, Penn- sylvania, in 1864. The mother was born at Hunlock Creek, Luzerne County, Pennsyl- vania, in 1868. Both parents are living.
Adnah Gould Kostenbauder was born on March 22, 1890, at Plymouth, Pennsylvania. This town, situated four miles south of Wilkes-Barre, has been a manufacturing and coal mining center for many years and is now, through its own growth and the growth of the city of Wilkes-Barre, a suburb of the latter. It was here that Adnah G. Kosten- bauder received his education in the public schools and then went to work for the firm of Smith and Wells, consulting engineers, of Wilkes-Barre. He was in the employ of this organization until January 1, 1927, when the retirement of one of the partners, Mr. Wells, took place and Mr. Kostenbauder became associated with Mr. Smith as a partner, the firm since being known as H. S. Smith, con- sulting engineers.
In addition to his business interests and activities, Mr. Kostenbauder has taken an actively prominent part in civic affairs. He is a member of the Republican party and has held the responsible position of tax collector in Plymouth for the term of 1922 to 1925. He is a member of Lodge No. 109, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Lodge No. 137, of the Patriotic Order Sons of America. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club and of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Kosten- bander has also taken active part in military affairs. On June 5, 1908, he enlisted in Com- pany 1, 9th Infantry. He served as private, corporal, sergeant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant and captain. He was in active service on the Mexican border as first lieu- tenant of Battery C, 3d Pennsylvania Field Artillery, in 1916 and 1917. During the World War, he was in active service overseas as first lieutenant and then as captain of Bat- tery C, 109th Field Artillery. He was in action at Fismes, Vesle and Oise, Argonne and Lys and the Scheldt front. He was dis- charged May 19, 1919.
In October, 1922, Adnah Gould Kosten- bauder married Lenore Campbell, of Plym- outh, Pennsylvania, daughter of Joseph and Frances (McAlarney) Campbell. Mr. and Mrs. Kostenbauder have one son, Adnah, born April 11, 1923.
JOSEPH MALLERY STARK-In Hudson, Pennsylvania, Joseph Mallery Stark has been known as a capable and successful business man for more than three decades. Born here soon after the close of the Civil War, he was a successful general merchant and postmaster in Hudson for some fifteen years. Later he engaged in the coal mining business, and as his experience and his available capital increased he participated in numerous business projects. He has served as vice-president of the Dime Deposit Bank of Wilkes-Barre, and was president of the Kitsee Battery Company, Inc., of Wilkes-Barre until sold in 1928. Mr. Stark is active in civic and community affairs, and has for years been known as one of the progressive citizens of Hudson.
The Stark family in Luzerne County dates back to pre-Revolutionary times, and back of that the family tree is rooted in New Eng- land soil. It was in 1771, just four years prior to the opening of the Revolution, that Christopher Stark, then at the ripe age of eighty years, left his home in Connecticut and came to Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. Be- hind him was an honorable ancestry. The immigrant ancestor was Aaron Starke, who was one of the early settlers of Connecticut, and served under Captain John Mason during the Pequot wars in 1637. His name is found in the old military records in the colony, where he took part in the Narragansett War of 1675 under the same commander. He re- sided at Mystic, which was the eastern part of the township of New London, Connecticut, as early as 1653. In 1666 he was made a free- man at Stonington, while in 1669 he became freeman at New London, and he was always prominent in church affairs. He died in New London, Connecticut, in 1685. He was the father of several children, of whom one was William Stark, born in 1664, died in 1730, who was reared in the faith of the Congregational Church, then dominant in the colony, but later became a Baptist and an ardent advo- cate of the Baptist teachings, and who mar- ried Elizabeth, and they became the parents of four children, of whom one was Christo- pher, born in 1698 at Groton, Connecticut, died at Wyoming, Pennsylvania, in 1776, whither he removed in his later life, and be- came a large purchaser of land, and who married, April 1, 1722, at Groton, Joanna Walworth, daughter of William and Abigail Walworth. One of their children, James, born May 22, 1734, died July 20, 1777, married, in 1758, Elizabeth Carey, daughter of the Rev. Henry Carey, one of the first Baptist min- isters of Dutchess County, New York. Their son, Henry Stark, born April 19, 1762, lived in the Wyoming Valley, and married, November 3, 1791, Elizabeth Kennedy. He was the father of several children, among whom was John, the grandfather of Joseph Mallery Stark.
John Stark was born January 4, 1795, and died June 22, 1878. He lived in the Wyoming Valley, and was a prominent figure there, taking always an active part in the life of the place. He married, on November 4, 1815, Cornelia Wilcox, born March 24, 1797, died May 11, 1884, daughter of Isaac and Nancy (Newcombe) Wilcox, and they were the par- ents of the following children: 1. Hiram, born February 9, 1817. 2. G. W. Dinsmore, born April 16, 1818. 3. Elizabeth, born Feb-
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J. G. Edwards
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ruary 3, 1820, died November 17, 1852; mar- ried, June 23, 1839, Samuel Billing. 4, Nancy, born December 8, 1821, hecame the wife of Elijah Conard. 5. Jane, born May 3, 1827, married, April 22, 1857, Garrick Mallery Mil- ler. 6. Henry, born October 10, 1831. 7. Mary Almeda, born February 16, 1833; married, April 26, 1855, Stephen N. Miller. 8. John R., mentioned below. 9. Martha, W., who became the wife of Major Oliver J. Parsons, whom she married in 1865; she died in 1904.
From such sturdy stock came John R. Stark, who was born in Hudson, Pennsyl- vania, December 15, 1834, attended the local schools of his time, and engaged in farming, which occupation he continued to the time of his death, which occurred October 17, 1901, at the age of sixty-seven years. He married Phoebe Jane Swallow, who was born in Plainsville, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1830, and died December 6, 1875, aged forty-five years.
Joseph Mallery Stark, son of John R. and Phoebe Jane (Swallow) Stark, was born in Hudson, Pennsylvania, August 28, 1868, and as a small boy attended the public schools here. Later, he continued his studies in Wyo- ming Seminary, at Kingston, Pennsylvania, where he was graduated with the class of 1885. For six years after his graduation he served as a clerk in the employ of the Dela- ware and Hudson Coal Company, and then for one year, 1892-93, he was "walking hoss" on the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern Railroad. The following year he decided to become an independent business man and became the owner of a general store in Hudson. At the time he opened the store he was appointed postmaster of Hudson, and for a period of fifteen years he served a goodly number of customers and faithfully delivered to the populace Uncle Sam's mail. In 1907, a year hefore he gave up his general store, Mr. Stark engaged in the coal mining business, in which he was successful. Being a man of versatile tastes and abilities, however, he was not devoting his whole time to this one line of activity, but in 1908, at the time he closed out his general store, he became presi- dent of the Kitsee Battery Company, Inc., of Wilkes-Barre, which office he held until this company was sold in 1928. Meantime, in 1912, Mr. Stark had retired from the coal mining business, and in 1914 he was elected vice- president of the Dime Deposit Bank of Wilkes-Barre, which office he held until 1923.
In politics, Mr. Stark is a Republican. He is a member of Lodge No. 442, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and is identified with several local organizations formed for the advance- ment of the general welfare of this section of the State, including the Pocono Forestry Association and the Blakeslee Community Association. He is also a member of the Craftsman's Club and of the Westmoreland Club, and is president of the board of trustees of the Plains Methodist Episcopal Church.
Joseph Mallery Stark married (first), June 25, 1891, Elizabeth A. Stewart, of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, daughter of Charles L. and Sarah J. (Billings) Stewart. She died April 5, 1921, and Mr. Stark married (second), July 6, 1922, Lillian Sylva Edwards, of King- ston, Pennsylvania, daughter of Rev. T. C. Edwards, D. D. (see accompanying biography ) and Elizabeth (Morgan) Edwards. Mrs. Stark graduated from Kingston High School in 1906, was a member of Wyoming Seminary, class of 1909, and graduated from Wilkes-Barre Hos- pital Training School for Nurses in 1912, fol- lowing this profession for ten years. She is a member of the Cambrian Club, The Ameri-
can Legion, Women's Auxiliary Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. During the World War Mrs. Stark was a nurse with the American Expeditionary Forces in Siberia, serving for two years in the army and in active service fourteen months. She received her honorable discharge in June, 1920. Mr. and Mrs. Stark make their home at No. 18 Stark Street, in Hudson.
REV. THOMAS CYNONFARDD EDWARDS,
D. D .- In the years of a long life, Dr. Thomas Cynonfardd Edwards achieved a career of the greatest distinction and honor. Minister in the faith of the Welsh Congregational Church, poet, scholar, a firm believer in the fine tradi- tions of his native Wales, and a peerless leader of his people, his interests were broad enough to embrace all of life and his versa- tile talents were hardly matched by any other of his era.
Dr. Edwards was born on December 6, 1848, at Landore, Swansea, South Wales, a son of Richard and Mary (Owen) Edwards. He was educated in both the Welsh and English schools, attending high school at Merthyr Tydvil where he was assistant master. Even at this early age his remark- able abilities were evident. His keen, pene- trating mind impressed all those who knew him and his nobility of spirit marked him as a destined leader. Having decided to enter the ministry, he entered the Presbyterian College at Carmarthen, and was there gradu- ated in 1870. In the same year, influenced by uncertain health, he came to America, and on January 1, 1871, began his ministerial career at Mineral Ridge, Ohio. Shortly after- wards he was married. In February, 1872, Dr. Edwards assumed pastoral charge of the Congregational Church of Wilkes-Barre, and on January 1, 1878, accepted the charge of the Welsh Congregational Church of Edwards- ville, Pennsylvania, where his earthly labors were to center thereafter for almost a full half century.
Dr. Edwards had, meanwhile, regained full constitutional vigor and plunged with en- thusiasm into his duties. He never thought of self. His life was given always to the service of others and to the perpetuation of those noble traditions and standards which have been associated with the Welsh people through the centuries. In his pastoral work no man could be more faithful. He was the constant leader of his people, their friend and counsellor in all the vicissitudes of life. He occupied his pulpit always with the fine dig- nity which alone constitutes true eloquence, and although he never compromised his high ideals, he never forgot the humanity of man. To quote from the testimony of those who knew him best in the years of his earthly ministry:
He was a consummate leader, whose cour- ageous loyalty and wise counsel, the fra- grance and beauty of whose whole life placed him foremost among his fellowmen. His was a virile, Christian, persevering manhood su- perb with unclouded friendship and unfailing honesty. Trained by Nature to guide and lead. a stalwart life replete with undying love exemplified the highest type of citizenship, and like the shepherd who leads his pastoral flock along the verdant hills and winding val- leys where, weary, they seek fresh repose from labor-such was Dr. Edwards. He was a giant of his race; fearless, clear-visioned, of god-like attributes and unswerving from the path of duty though sometimes beset with earthly ills. The beacon light he raised aloft with loyal affections for all to follow to coveted goals-goals that once appeared as phantoms, but now realized and held as cher-
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ished deeds. He was a modern Moses whose picturesque life of spiritual leadership, sensi- tive to every heart throb, quickened the pub- lic mind with dynamic force to truth and justice, and thus he led as a great compatriot, with unstinted loyalty, "the hosts of Zion to a Promised Land," respected, revered, honored and loved by all.
This paragraph and the one which follows are taken from the memorial book of the Welsh Congregational Church at Edwards- ville, for the ten years 1918-28:
Although Doctor Edwards ranked foremost . in many ways, yet as a servant of Almighty God he stood the nonpareil. He was the sturdy defender and builder of the Christian life and faith, an ambassador and herald of the King of Kings, and a channel through which the blessings of the Eternal God flowed to man. He was an eminent divine, devout with holy zeal, who proclaimed the eternal truths to earth and who pointed the way of redemption to the wayward sin- ner. His was a divinely guided and inspired life-a life whose earthly labors for nearly four score years were richly crowned with blessings from heaven above, for he was one of God's good prophets, an Abraham or a St. Paul among his people. Strong in faith, pure of heart, elevated in thought, wise in counsel and fervent in prayer, he was a preacher in daily living as well as in spoken sermon-a noble Christian zealous character who gave to earth a rich heritage of sublime and abiding faith, possessing a consecrated life adorned by bounteous grace and dedicated to the work of his Creator. When expounding the word of God he struck conviction in the hearts of men. With God he made his covenant and hence with unquestioned devotion to his min- istry, and with a heart pulsating with devo- tion to his Lord, held sacred and worthy the stewardship that was given to him. Ever loyal to the Bible, orthodox and sound in the fundamentals of Christian doctrine, tolerant (loved by preacher, priest and rabbi) a pre- cursor of more tolerant days, preaching to all a robust evangelism. Moreover, as a minister his messages were fervent, inspiring, logical, forceful, eloquent and convincing. Simple il- lustrative examples of practical life were used to convey the deeper truths of Christian living. His spiritual advice and peaceful or emotional propensities marked his whole pas- toral career. His sermons were inspired by a deep-rooted faith in God and on yonder summits he caught glorious visions of the Divine, which aided him to strive in the inner holy sanctuary of his life for a consistent emulation of the life of Christ. Upon the forge of life he welded many a Christian character. And though confronted by human frailties, as mortal man is, yet "well did he run the race set before him and win the prize of his high calling." O thou winner of pas- sion for righteousness, well hast thou played thy part! Upon God and godlike men like thee we build our trust!
Always a scholar, a constant student from the time he first attended the Welsh schools until his death, Dr. Edwards was a man of the broadest culture in all the great fields of human knowledge. He was a master orator, a poet of rare talent, a thorough musician, and a leader without a peer in the traditional Welsh festivals, the eisteddfods. In 1881 he was graduated as an honor student from the National School of Elocution and Oratory, Philadelphia, and eight years later received the degree of Master of Oratory from the same institution. From 1880 to 1890 he was professor of elocution at Wyoming Seminary, where he firmly established himself as a lead- ing elocutionist. In 1891 the Congregational College of Marietta, Ohio, conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in recognition of his distinguished career and his sure place in the affections of all those who knew him.
As an orator, international fame and re- nown were his. He was the author of several books on elocution published in Wales and written in Welsh, and indeed the fame of his reputation so spread throughout his native land that in 1891 he was called to serve the most important church of the country, the Welsh Congregational Church at Cardiff. He remained as pastor of that church until 1893, when he returned to his old congregation at Edwardsville, and this was the only interval in his long period of service here. Dr. Ed- wards had traveled widely, and drew upon the immense store of observation and knowl- edge gained in these journeys to illustrate his remarks. He made several trips through the Holy Land, and afterwards conducted a series of lectures illustrated with slides. The lectures in those days were doubly interest- ing because the moving picture had not come into its own and the Holy Land was little known. To quote again from the testimony of those who sat spellbound many times by his eloquence:
His was a melodious voice of silvery tones -a voice unmatched for power, resonance, and clarity. He could stir to laughter the disconsolate heart by his inimitable wit or move to sober, meditative thought and action the ecstatic, joyous person, by his tragic pathos. As a harpist, he played upon the emo- tional strings of his hearers. His irrefutable logic taught nothing but the eternal truth. With his comprehensive training and versa- tile background, widespread in its scope and influence, he was a colossal figure in the community-unique in great achievements, which his myriad of admirers in full ac- claimed. Dr. Edwards had a winsome per- sonality that was graced with precision, dig- nity, control, and stately mien. He was a master of himself, of others, and of all situa- tions in which he was placed. His tact, geni- ality, natural humor, mental alertness, com- manding and pleasant physique, were all characteristics of his personality that enabled him to surpass his contemporaries. He was a lecturer and traveler of note, a convincing logician, and a clear thinker. The stories of his travels, which he often related, extended to the Golden West, where in the early days the rugged life of the frontier was seen, or the far-distant Holy Land upon which, with reverent step, he trod the soil where the Son of Man proclaimed to earth a new and holy doctrine. Of these he spoke with convincing force, making indelible impressions which shaped and moulded youth and age by his extensive travel lore.
Wherever the great eisteddfods were held, Dr. Edwards was a preeminent figure. Dur- ing the two years of his ministry in Wales he had made such a deep impression that fre- quently in later years he was recalled to con- duct the national eisteddfods, attended by thousands and thousands. In 1913, at the In- ternational Eisteddfod in Pittsburg, he was greatly honored in his election as Archdruid of America by Dyfed, the Archdruid of Great Britain, an office which made him chief of the bardic fraternity in this country. Cynon- fardd, as he was known, Archdruid of Amer- ica and Bard of the Cynon, "dreamy river of his native Wales," was a prince on the Eis- teddfodic platform. There was no man in the country more capable in Eisteddfodic gather- ings than was Dr. Edwards. Winning many a prize himself, he attained the highest rank as a judge of poetry and prose. He was the bard of the Cynon, that dreamy winding stream in the valley of the Cynon, where in early days the environment of such quaint and picturesque scenes on Cymric soil im- pressed itself upon him and nurtured him in the mastery of the art of the beautiful. With
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carefully measured accents and solemn, minor, reverential notes, his hymns proclaim the important truths of life, buoying up the discouraged and instilling into youth the real joy and worth of Christian living. His hymns were those of eternal things-of truth, of redeeming life, of Calvary, of Consecration, of God. His productions stand as classics which many a poet can well envy. He pos- sessed a keen musical temperament, a fine discriminating mind, and a deep appreciation of every worthy musical phase in art, espe- cially in congregational singing. At all times he was an ardent promoter of every worth- while musical enterprise. At one time he was editor-in-chief of the "Congregational Hym- nal," and at another edited the magazine "Missionary." He conducted scores of Eis- teddfods, national and international, and rose to the pinnacle of bardic fame, well worthy of emulation by young ambitious men whose inclinations tend in this direction.
Dr. Edwards' international reputation is indicated in the following notice, published in the North Wales Chronicle at Bangor, and reprinted in American papers:
The fact that "Cynonfardd," the veteran eisteddfod conductor will be unable to attend the "National" at Swansea this year, recalls an impressive figure in eisteddfodic circles some years ago. Hardly a national eisteddfod passed without the services of "Cynonfardd" being requisitioned, despite the fact that he lived in the United States. Apart from his likable wit and genial personality, "Cynon- fardd" had a carrying voice of remarkable range, which served him well when a crowd of ten to fifteen thousand people was before him, as is often the case at the national fes- tival on the chairing day. Another asset to him as a conductor of eisteddfodau was the business-like way in which he carried through the program.
"Dr. Edwards," to quote from a Pennsyl- vania paper at the time of his death, "pos- sessed a keen musical temperament, a fine discriminating mind and consequently a deep appreciation of every worthy phase in musical art. The elements that constitute good melody, the symmetry and contraction so necessary in living, glowing music, and the charms of harmonic construction were quickly discerned and admired by this musically- minded clergyman. Dr. Edwards also deeply appreciated the value and importance of mu- sic in the church service, particularly con- gregational singing, and never failed to give it its due measure of time in the hour of divine worship.
And finally, Dr. Edwards was a poet of re- markable gifts, adept in both the dramatic and the lyric art. He wrote and published many verses, the titles of some of which, with their English equivalents, are here given: "Gwron Y Conemaugh" (The Hero of Cone- maugh), "Y Boreu" (The Morning), "A Lly- thyr ei fam wrth ei Galon" (His Mother's Letter Found by his Heart), "Y Tynewydd" (Tynewydd Colliery), "Islwyn fel Bardd" (Islwyn as a Poet), "Gwyllt Walia" (Wild Wales), "Y Ffoadur" (The Fugitive), "Nid Da lle gellir Gwell" (None Good where you can Better), "Y Dyn Ieuanc" (The Young Man), "Y Dyn Ieuanc yn Gadael ei Gartref" (The Young Man Leaving his Home).
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