USA > Pennsylvania > A history of the Juniata Valley and its people, Volume III > Part 35
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America. He sailed on the ship "St. Andrew" from Rotterdam, touch- ing at Plymouth, England, and arriving at Philadelphia, September 9, 1749. He settled on a farm in Berne township, Lancaster (now Upper Berne) township, Berks county, two miles west of Hamburg. This he purchased from the proprietaries, Richard and Thomas Penn, warrant dated January 9, 1750, price stated $1.25 per acre ; the name of the tract, "Contentment," its area, 182 acres and 30 perches. In 1752 he pur- chased II0 acres; in 1765, 36 acres; in 1766, 44 acres; and in 1773, 30 acres, with odd perches in each tract, the whole totaling 404 acres, 4 perches, all of which he improved. On August 30, 1773, he divided his lands among his children, John, Jacob, Christian, and Fanny, the latter wife of John Kauffman. Catherine, his second wife, died between Au- gust 30, 1773 (when she is known to have been alive) and March 4, 1774 (when it is known she was dead). Jacob, the Swiss emigrant, died in 1786, later than March 20. Both are buried in the Amish Men- nonite burial ground, two miles west of Hamburg, Pennsylvania, their graves unmarked, as was the custom of that faith. The sons of Jacob, having taken the oath of allegiance to the King of England, consequently took no active part in the revolution, refusing, as did all the Amish Mennonites, to break their oath.
(II) John, only son of Jacob Hertzler and his first wife, was born in Switzerland; was with his father in Germany, and came to Phila- delphia with him on the ship "St. Andrew," arriving September 9, 1749. He became a farmer, and lived on land inherited from his father, near Moortown, Center township, Berks county, where he died in April. 1801, and is buried in the Adam Kurtz graveyard, near Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania. He married Veronica Reichenbach, of Swiss birth, daughter of John and Veronica Reichenbach, born in Switzerland. She died in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, in 1806, and is buried in Amish burial ground near Belleville. Children: John; Barbara; Catherine; Jacob; Elizabeth; David, of whom further; Veronica and Christian.
(III) David, son of John and Veronica (Reichenbach) Hertzler, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, January 26, 1768, died in Menno township, Mifflin county, October 21, 1855. He was a land- owning farmer, and adhered to the religious faith of his fathers. He married Mary Yoder, born September 16, 1771, died June 25, 1856.
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Children: John, Fanny, Sarah, Mary, Shem, Abraham, Joseph, Leah, Elizabeth and David.
(IV) Shem, son of David and Mary (Yoder) Hertzler, was born in Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, October 3, 1805, died in Juniata county, January 19, 1849. He was a farmer all his life, but after his marriage moved to near Academia, Juniata county, which was ever afterward his home. He was a member of the Amish Mennonite church, and lived in strict accordance with the regulations of that faith. He mar- ried, March 22, 1827, Lydia Yoder, born in Juniata county, July 16, 1805, and in 1836 they moved to Juniata county. Children: Julianna, Sarah, Benjamin, Mary, Tobias, Jacob, of whom further, David, Bar- bara and Lydia.
(V) Jacob, son of Shem and Lydia (Yoder) Hertzler, was born in Juniata county, Pennsylvania, November 29, 1839, and now at the age of seventy-four years is living retired in Belleville, Pennsylvania, hon- ored and respected. He was educated in the public schools, and all his active years was engaged in farming. He is a minister of the Amish Mennonite church, having held that sacred office for forty years. He married (first) Sarah Renno, born in Fermanagh township, Juniata county, died about 1882, aged about thirty-three years, daughter of David and Rachel (Yoder) Renno-he a land-owning farmer near Mifflin, and both members of the Amish Mennonite church. Children : John, David, Stephen, Jonas, Christian, Sarah, of pre- vious mention, and Barbara. Children of Jacob and Sarah Hertz- ler : David, born June 24, 1870; Israel Zook, of whom further. Jacob Hertzler married (second) Katherine Y. Byler, born in Mifflin county, daughter of J. L. and Sarah Byler; no issue.
(VI) Israel Zook, second son of Jacob and Sarah (Renno) Hertz- ler, was born at Walnut (postoffice), Juniata county, Pennsylvania, April 21, 1875. He was educated in the public schools near Nook, at Mechanicsburg and Ore Bank. Being ambitious to accomplish a course in engineering, he entered as a student in the mechanical engineering course of the International Correspondence School of Scranton, being the first student enrolled from Belleville. He faithfully pursued the studies of this course and obtained a good theoretical knowledge, at the same time working out and proving the theories while working in the engine room of Wilson & Maclay, where he was in charge of the en-
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gine and its maintenance for four years. He became thoroughly in- formed in engine and machine construction, and also a good machinist, with such confidence in his ability that in 1899 he formed a partnership with Thomas E. Zook, and started a small machine and buggy repair shop. This business grew and expanded into the present large and profitable business of Hertzler & Zook Company, of Belleville, capital $50,000, with an extensive plant and a product known over the entire American continent. Of this company Mr. Hertzler is secretary and treasurer. Besides his mechanical ability, which has always been a strong asset of the firm, he is a well-balanced man of business, with a keen judgment and fine executive ability. He is a Progressive in poli- tics, and thoroughly independent in his political action. Both he and his wife are members of the Amish Mennonite church, he being a trus- tee and chairman of the young people's meeting.
He married, January 25, 1898, Mary E. Yoder, born in the Kisha- coquillas Valley, daughter of Levi Z. and Fanny Yoder, of an old Val- lev family. Children: Arie Lenore, born November 17, 1902; Mary Elizabeth, July 19, 1907; Elsie Ruth, March 23, 1911. The family home is at Belleville, Pennsylvania.
The Goodhart family, of which James McEwen
GOODHART Goodhart, of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, is a mem- ber, has been connected with the history of the country since a considerable length of time prior to the revolution.
(I) Frederick Goodhart emigrated from Germany to America.
(II) John Goodhart was of Trumbull county, Ohio.
(III) John, son of John Goodhart, was born in Perry county, Penn- sylvania, March 22, 1809, and died at Spring Mills, Center county, Pennsylvania, July 7, 1888. During his earlier years he was engaged in the manufacture of the once celebrated Conestoga wagons, for which the state of Pennsylvania was noted before the advent of railroad travel. His later years were spent on his farm near Spring Mills, Pennsylvania. Mr. Goodhart married, March 13, 1834, Martha Gregg, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Gregg) McEwen, and granddaugh- ter of William and Sarah ( Holmes) McEwen. The last two mentioned came to this country from Gileorbet, Ireland, about 1734-35, and were
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of Scotch-Irish descent. Elizabeth (Gregg) McEwen was a daughter of James Gregg, and a niece of Andrew Gregg ( ist).
Henry McEwen enlisted in a company of Pennsylvania riflemen under the command of Captain Hendricks, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. They were at once ordered to Boston, and his company with several others was chosen by General Schuyler, with Arnold in command, to make the memorable march from Fort Western, now Augusta, through the wilderness to join General Montgomery and assist in the attack on the fortress at Quebec. In this hand-to-hand fight McEwen was wounded and taken prisoner, his captain and steadfast friend, Hen- dricks, mortally wounded. Henry McEwen had the distinction of not only serving his country during the revolution, but gave one of his sons in the war of 1812, one in the war with Mexico, another, his namesake, Henry McEwen Jr., when he was quite an old man, to the war of the rebellion.
(IV) James McEwen, son of John and Martha Gregg (McEwen) Goodhart, was born at Potters Mills, Center county, Pennsylvania, Sep- tember 28, 1842. He was educated at the Aaronsburg Academy, and at the Plainfield Institute, now Northwestern College, Napierville, Illi- nois. After leaving school he came to Lewistown and entered into the employ of George Blymyer & Sons, and several years later associated himself in a partnership with J. Ritz Burns and J. S. Houtz, in the dry goods business, the firm name being Burns, Goodhart & Houtz. Twen- ty-one years were spent in this business, and then Mr. Goodhart with- drew and purchased the Lewistown Foundry & Machine Company, of which he was president for a period of fifteen years. During this time, in connection with several others, he purchased a farm east of the town and organized the Mount Rock Land & Improvement Company and the Mount Rock Cemetery Company, of both of which companies Mr. Goodhart is president. Some years ago he was also one of the organ- izers of the Lewistown Trust Company, in which he is serving as vice- president and as one of the directors. He served as postmaster of Lewistown during the second administration of President Cleveland ; was a school director for twelve years, during this time acting as secre- tary of the board; and has been active in any project for the public welfare. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and has taken the Knight Templar degree. His association with the Presbyterian church
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is active ; he is at present a ruling elder, and he has frequently served in its higher courts.
Mr. Goodhart married (first) Sarah Beatty, daughter of Samuel Kyle, of Reedsville, Pennsylvania, and granddaughter of Judge Joseph Kyle, of Kishacoquillas valley. They had no children. He married (second) June 7, 1882, Rosanna Catharine, daughter of the late Hugh Hamilton, of Fermanagh, Juniata county, Pennsylvania. Her great- grandfather was Captain John Hamilton, of revolutionary fame, who gave his services as well as his means to the cause of his country. Her mother was Sarah Kloss, of Juniata county. Of this marriage two children were born: 1. Martha Gregg Goodhart is wife of Charles M. Thompson, of Elkhurst, West Virginia, and has one child, James Good- hart Thompson. Mrs. Thompson was a graduate of Elmira College, Elmira, New York. Mr. Thompson is a son of John I. Thompson Jr., and a grandson of the late Moses Thompson, of Lemont, Center county, Pennsylvania. 2. Hugh Hamilton Goodhart, a graduate of the Penn- sylvania State College, Pennsylvania; is a mechanical engineer, resid- ing in Buffalo, New York. Through her Hamilton ancestry Mrs. Ro- sanna Catharine Goodhart is a member of the Bellefont ( Pennsylvania) Chapter, D. A. R.
References as to family history: "The Goodhart Family," by Rich- ard Goodhart; "History of Loudoun Virginia Rangers," by Briscoe Goodhart; "The History of Clan McEwen," by R. S. T. MacEwen, Esq., of Glasgow, Scotland; "The Hamilton Family History," by A. Boyd Hamilton, Esq., of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; as to McEwen, in the revolution, Lossing's "Our Country," volume 2, chapter 17; "The History of Center and Clinton Counties," by John B. Linn, Esq .; and Pennsylvania Archives.
Thomas Spangler Johnson, a prominent business man, JOHNSON of Lewistown, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, has been identified with much that has made for the prosperity and welfare of the town in which he resides. His family has been resident in this country for some generations, having come here from Ireland.
(I) Thomas Johnson, a native of Ireland, married Jane Boyd.
(II) Thomas, son of Thomas and Jane (Boyd) Johnson, was also
William Johnson
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born in Ireland. He married Nancy Hazlett and had children: Mary, died unmarried, at an advanced age; Jane, married James McGonigal, had a number of children, all deceased; Nancy, married William Mc- Gonigal, and had one son who assumed his mother's maiden name, be- ing known as Jolin Johnson, and is a resident of Bethlehem, Pennsyl- vania; Margaret, married John Clark, and had a number of chil- dren: Matilda, married Henry Stewart, of county Derry, Ireland, and has had four children; William, see forward.
(III) William, son of Thomas and Nancy ( Hazlett) Johnson, was born in county Derry, Ireland, March 28, 1819, and died in Lewistown, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1898. He was educated in the common schools of his native country, in which he remained until he had at- tained his majority, being employed meanwhile in farming operations. He emigrated to the United States in May, 1840, and after a voyage of fifty-six days arrived at Philadelphia and after a short stay there went on to Lewistown, in which he lived until his death. For a period of five years he filled various positions in the general store of Lewis G. Watson, at which time he was promoted to a clerkship in the business, and at the expiration of seven years Mr. Johnson established himself in the shoemaking business, commencing his operations on the same prem- ises on which he resided for so many years. This residence, however, was not a continuous one. He sold the business to Joseph Wills in 1855, then removed to Lewisburg, Union county, Pennsylvania, where he was in the boot and shoe trade for one year. Returning to Lewis- town, he purchased the place in which he previously conducted his busi- ness in rented quarters, and again opened a boot and shoe store there. His previous reputation had not been forgotten, and his place of busi- ness was at once well patronized, and was an immediate success. He gave it his personal supervision until 1893, at which time he turned it over to his son, Thomas Spangler Johnson, and his son-in-law, John C. Axe. In politics he was a Republican. Mr. Johnson married, January 17, 1856, Julia Ann, a daughter of John and Catherine (Bingman) Riegel, and a granddaughter of Captain Frederick Bingman, who en- tered the Continental army as a drummer boy, served throughout the revolutionary war, rose to the rank of captain, and participated in the battle of Brandywine and many other important engagements. He was ninety-one years of age at the time of his death and had become a
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wealthy ironmaster. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson had children: William Hazlett, died January 8, 1868; Maggie Bingman, married John C. Axe, of Lewistown, Pennsylvania; Mary Hazlett; Thomas Spangler, see for- ward.
(IV) Thomas Spangler, son of William and Julia A. (Riegel) John- son, was born in Lewistown, Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, March 24, 1872. He was educated in the public schools of his native town and at the Lewistown Academy. At a suitable age he entered the business of his father, which was turned over to him and his brother-in-law, John C. Axe, and they were successfully associated until the latter part of November, 1907, since which time Mr. Johnson has managed its affairs alone. He has proved that the business ability which characterized his father has descended to him in full measure, and has the esteem of all who know him. His methods are enterprising and progressive and as a member of the Republican party, he has been elected to the position of treasurer of the Republican county committee of Mifflin county. He is a member of Lewistown Lodge, No. 97, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Patriotic Order of Sons of America.
About 1642, William Stewart, of Edinburgh, Scotland,
STEWART sailed from London, England, for America. He was a member of a famous family, and at that time the name was spelled Stuart. He landed in New York and there remained for many years. His descendants are now scattered throughout the United States, many of whom are in both New York and Pennsyl- vania. They intermarried with the Thompsons, the Pierponts, the Gemmills, and many other families of more or less note, and thus are connected with hundreds of families.
(I) John Gemmill Stewart was born November 25, 1801, at the old Lockhouse, in Alexandria, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania. His mother was the daughter of Zachariah and Elizabeth Gemmill. Zacha- riah Gemmill was the owner of the land which is to-day the site of Alexandria, having purchased it from the former owner by whom it was patented in 1775. After the death of Zachariah Gemmill his widow, Elizabeth, with far-seeing business acumen, laid out the town of Alex- andria, August, 1793. There were one hundred lots, each two hundred feet long, with sixty feet frontage. These lots were subject to a
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ground rent, beginning September 1, 1793, and running until the present day. The rental of the front street lots, on the river, was one dollar annually; on Second Street, two-thirds of a dollar, etc. A century later these lots were still subject to ground rent. John Gemmill Stewart was a prominent and influential man in his community, standing for all that is highest and noblest in manhood. He died, in 1882, mourned by his neighbors and the county at large. He married Elizabeth Steinman, born at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, in 1829, and died in 1892. She was descended from a Palatine family long settled in Pennsylvania. Children : 1. T. Calvin, deceased, a Presbyterian minister of note ; had churches in Niles, Ohio, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 2. John Gem- mill, retired; makes home in Alexandria, but spends summers in New York City. 3. Satira, deceased ; married Evander P. Walker. 4. Jacob Steinman, an attorney in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. 5. Robert A., a physician in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. 6. Sarah F., unmarried, lives in Alexandria. 7. William T., of whom further. 8. George Lowrie, died in 1892; a salesman for Wanamaker, of Philadelphia. 9. Joseph, died in infancy. 10. Jacob Steinman, died in infancy. The two latter are not in order of birth.
(II) William T. Stewart, son of John Gemmill and Elizabeth (Steinman) Stewart, was born May 14, 1855, in Alexandria, Hunting- don county, Pennsylvania. He early entered the public schools, and made a record as a student. At the age of eighteen he decided to enter commercial life, and went to Easton, Pennsylvania, where he was em- ployed in a drug store for three years. His larger opportunity came during the year of the Centennial in Philadelphia, and he was quick to embrace it in the form of the responsible position of assistant paying teller in the Centennial National Bank of Philadelphia. He remained there until 1881, when he entered a partnership with A. D. Cooke to manufacture chamber furniture. In his new venture he did exceedingly well, not only supplied the market but created new markets in other localities. For two years this business was continued with success, but he was desirous of a larger field, and in 1883 formed the W. T. Stewart Company, with Dr. Peetrie as the company, and for twelve consecutive years he was engaged in the manufacture of a fine line of household furniture. Looking over the field he saw the need of furniture for school buildings, and began the manufacture of modern school furni-
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ture, at Dayton, Ohio, under the name of the Philadelphia School Furniture, with the main office in Philadelphia. The business grew by leaps and bounds, and was a pronounced success from the be- ginning. In 1911 he formed a connection with the American School Furniture, and changed the name to the American Seating Com- pany, with Mr. Stewart as manager of the Philadelphia house. He may be said to be the pioneer in the modern furniture world. He is quick to seize an innovation, adapt it to the use of the public and its comfort, and is always on the alert for new ideas in every department of furniture building. He is progressive, up-to-date and original in his ideas and methods. His furniture factories are, and always have been, equipped with the latest machinery, and the materials used are the most approved and substantial. He lives at 1233 South 58th street, Philadelphia, but has a handsome country home in Alexandria, Penn- sylvania, where he and his family spend a portion of each summer. He is a member of the Masonic order, in high standing; and he and his wife are Presbyterians.
He married, in 1881, Margaret Tate Davis, born in Philadelphia, daughter of Captain Wilton S. and Elizabeth Davis. Captain Davis commanded a company in the civil war, and was killed in the battle of Mine River. Children of William T. and Margaret Tate (Davis) Stewart: Edith, at home; William T. Jr., in insurance business in Philadelphia.
The Harpers of this record descend from William
HARPER H. Harper, a farmer of Huntingdon county. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, married, and had issue.
(II) Archibald, son of William H. Harper, died in August, 191I. He obtained his education in the public schools, and throughout his life followed farming, owning one hundred and seventy-five acres of land, improved with excellent buildings. He fought in the Union army during the civil war, and on some occasions would entertain a gathering of friends with thrilling tales of the hard-fought battles and gallant deeds he witnessed and took part in during the war between the states. He was a Republican in politics, and very active in local affairs. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. He married, in Dublin
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township, Huntingdon county, Pennsylvania, Margaret Appleby, who died May 23, 1899, aged about sixty years. Children: 1. Anna, mar- ried Daniel B. Kline, an employee of the Pennsylvania railroad. 2. William, a lumberman, of Virginia. 3. Alvira, married Charles Cor- nelius, a farmer. 4. John Walker, of whom further. 5. James M., employed by State Ilighway Department. 6. Lizzie, died in early childhood. 7. Bessie, deceased. 8. Margaret, single.
(III) John Walker, fourth child and second son of Archibald and Margaret (Appleby) Harper, was born December 26, 1871. He ob- tained a public school education, and when a young man engaged in farming, first renting land, then purchasing one hundred and sixty- three acres of fertile and well improved land in Huntingdon county, on which he conducts fruit raising and dairy operations, besides raising some stock of excellent blood. He is a Republican in politics, but does not take an active part in political affairs.
He married, November 16, 1897, Emma Laird, born July 4, 1859, daughter of Robert A. and Elizabeth (Martin) Laird, the former a farmer, and associate judge of Huntingdon county. Two children blessed this union, Mabel M., and Mary Elizabeth, who died aged three months. The family are members of the Presbyterian church of Alexandria, Pennsylvania. He is a member of Hartslog Grange, Patrons of Husbandry.
The ancestral seat of the ancient Scottish family of Elder ELDER was Elderslie, six miles west of Glasgow, on the south bank of the Clyde, near Paisley, in the county of Renfrew, Scotland. The family originated in the counties of Perth and Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, along the Tay, at Perth, Dundee, Kinross and Forfar, in and below the Sidlaw Hills, many of them settling in the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, where their descendants still live.
The first of the name to come to America was Robert Elder, born about 1679, in Edinburgh, Scotland, moving first into the neighborhood of Lough Neagh, county Antrim, Ireland, from whence he emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1730, locating in Paxtang township, then Lancaster, now Dauphin county, three miles east of Harrisburg.
Robert Elder, of Path Valley, Franklin county, Pennsylvania, pro- genitor of the Elder family of Lewistown, was born near Perth, on the
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Tay, Scotland, migrating about 1737 to the vicinity of Lough Inch or Lough Swilly, county Donegal, Ireland, from that point emigrating to the county of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with his brother David, about 1745 to 1754, and finally settled in the Path Valley of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, about 1750, where a great many of their descendants now live.
Both these Elder families were of the same stock and were closely related in blood to the brothers Robert and Samuel Elder, who came from Scotland in 1729 and 1730 to the state of Maine, and who were the first ancestors of the large family of Elders in the New England states.
(I) Robert Elder, great-grandfather of George Wilson Elder, came to Path Valley, Cumberland county (now Franklin county), 1750 to 1754; was a farmer, and took up extensive tracts of land; some of that land is still owned by his descendants. He married and lived to a great age. To Robert and Mary Elder, his wife, were born a large family of sons-David, Abraham, John, Robert, Mathew, Joseph and Sam- uel. He died upon the old home place in 1807, which in his will he called a plantation. That in his sixty years residence in Pennsylvania he never forgot his Scottish birth, is proved by describing himself as "yeoman" in his will. He is buried at Dry Run, Franklin county, Penn- sylvania.
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