USA > Pennsylvania > Erie County > A twentieth century history of Erie County, Pennsylvania : a narrative account of its historic progress, its people, and its principal interests, Volume II > Part 6
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
ber of Lake Shore Lodge No. 718, and a past noble grand of Pittsburg Lodge No. 336. He joined the order at Halifax in May, 1879; was transferred to Pittsburg lodge in 1884, and demitted to Lake Shore lodge in 1894.
Mr. Sweigard's wife was Sadie Ann Sockett. of Pittsburg, born in England and daughter of John Sockett. She is a member of Chestnut Street Presbyterian church, and a popular and highly respected lady. The pleasant family home is at No. 355 West Twenty-first street, the attractive residence having been erected in 1896.
DR. FRANCIS ANTON GOELTZ has been practicing medicine in Erie for the past eight years, or since 1901. He is one of the younger repre- sentatives of the profession, whose youth has not been detrimental to his progress, for in the comparatively brief period he has been rendering medical services in this city he has gained an enviable reputation as a physician, while his skill as a practitioner summons him to attend an ex- tensive patronage. Both as a physician and surgeon he has rapidly risen in the estimation of the community, courts the esteem of his fellow practitioners and deserves honorable mention among the leading members of the medical fraternity of the city.
Born in New York City, December 13, 1876, Dr. Goeltz was the son of Francis Anton and Alvina (Steinsieck) Goeltz. The father was of a German family who left the fatherland and located in Vienna, Au- stria, where for several generations its members were prominent jewelers. It was there his birth occurred June 19, 1847, and he was but a boy when he accompanied his parents to the United States in 1856. They settled in New York City, where his father, who also bore the given name, Francis Anton, and who had been a jeweler in the old country, remained for a time but spent his later years on his farm in Huntington, Long Island. The son, however, established his home in New York City, where he learned the jewelry business and in 1873 engaged in the enter- prise for himself, conducting operations at No. 377 Third avenue. At that location he continued until the fall of 1906, when he retired from commercial activities. His death occurred July 13, 1907, while his wife had departed this life in 1889. She was a native of Long Island, born in 1851 and a daughter of Charles and Marie (Schlingheid) Steinsieck, both of whom were natives of Germany.
In New York City Dr. Goeltz was reared, acquiring the rudiments of learning in the public schools. Following the bent of the family and that which had commanded the skill and attention of his ancestors for many generations, he then associated himself with the jewelry business, entering a wholesale establishment as an office boy. Strict application to duty soon won him advancement and he was given a clerkship, con- tinuing in the employ of the house for three years. ' After that period of service he severed his connections with the firm and, in fact, with the commercial world and became a pupil at a preparatory school, in prepara- tion for entering the profession he now follows. Then, having com- pleted his studies at that institution, he was matriculated in the medical department of the University of New York, from which he was gradu- ated with the class of 1898. Immediately after graduation his career as a physician began and from 1898 until July 1, 1900, he served on the resident staff of the J. Hood Wright Memorial Hospital of his native city. His incumbency there was in every sense satisfactory, greatly adding to his experience and enabling him to put into practice his knowl-
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edge of materia medica and surgery, thereby enhancing his self-reliance and strengthening his confidence as a practitioner. Upon leaving the hos- pital he was appointed instructor in histology in the medical department of New York University and assistant physician of the college dispensary, which appointment evidences a high appreciation of his talents as a student of medicine. Arriving in this city February 1, 1901, well qualified to conduct a private practice, he established an office at No. 210 West Eighth street, where he remained until 1902 when he removed to his present quarters at No 205 on the same thoroughfare. The doctor is a profound student in all branches pertaining to his profession, careful and accurate in the practice of surgery and his kindly and cheerful disposi- tion, reinforcing the virtues of his remedies, makes him a welcome visitor to the sick room. In addition to caring for a large private prac- tice he also serves as attending surgeon of Hamot Hospital, of this city, to which post he was appointed on July 1, 1901, his long continuous period in this position indicating his high reputation as a physician.
On September 17, 1902, was celebrated the marriage of Dr. Goeltz to Miss Frances Lelia Boydell, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, and the couple have two children: Francis Boydell and Henrietta May. The doctor keeps in close touch with the progressive thought of his profession and is affiliated with a number of organizations which are specifically designed for the consideration of the various phases of materia medica and surgery. He belongs to the Erie County Medical Society, the Penn- sylvania State Medical Society, the Northwestern Medical Society and the American Medical Association ; while he finds gratification for his social propensities as a member of the Country Club.
JOHN S. SCHEER, alderman and well known citizen of Erie, was born at the old land light house, east of the city, on November 25, 1859. He is a son of the late John A. and Catherine (Kent) Scheer, both natives of Germany, who came to the United States in 1844. They were mar- ried in St. Mary's Roman Catholic church, Erie, and in 1901, celebrated the golden anniversary of their union in that church. John A. Scheer, was a contractor, and accomplished much public work in that line. He and his wife died in 1902, within about three months of each other.
John S. Scheer was reared in Erie and was educated in various public and parochial schools of the city. In 1876, he worked for a firm in the Centennial Exposition grounds at Philadelphia. Later, he entered the service of the Union News Company, operating on different rail- road lines, and finally becoming superintendent of the business at Cleve- land. Three years later, he was promoted to the superintendency of the entire southern division of the company, with headquarters at Cin- cinnati. Ohio. In 1891 he returned to Erie and engaged in business in State street. Mr. Scheer's term as alderman commenced in 1906, and his service in that capacity has been thoroughly appreciated. He is also widely known in fraternal circles, being a member of the Knights of Maccabees, Woodmen of the World, Eagles, and Order of the Moose, as well as of the Press Club and East Erie Turner Society. His religious connections are with St. Mary's Roman Catholic church. Mr. Scheer's wife was formerly Florence E., daughter of George and Florence (Beutz) Ritchie, of Cleveland, Ohio.
BENJAMIN J. COATES is superintendent of the City Waterworks Pumping Station, whose services in that capacity are all that can be de-
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
sired, his ingenuity as a mechanic being on par with any who work along the line of his vocation and, having throughout his entire life been a resident of Erie, he is well known, not only for his mechanical skill and unsurpassed services in the position he now holds, but also for his excellent traits and qualities of character, which give him high stand- ing as a worthy citizen of this city.
The Coates family were numbered among the pioneers of this part of the state, having located in Erie in the fall of 1832, members of the family at that date having come from the village of Eckols, Yorkshire, England. Upon the arrival of the ancestors in this country the constituent was made up of the maternal grandparents, Joseph and Mary (Holmes) Burnley, Benjamin Coates and his wife, Elizabeth, the parents of the subject of his review, John and Grace Coates, a brother and sister, two cousins, Joseph Hardacker and Joseph Burnley, who were orphans reared by Grandfather Burnley, and the Waddingtons, the wife of one of whom was an aunt of Benjamin J. Coates. In all the party that came from England to this country was composed of twenty-one souls. The paternal grandparents, John and Mary Coates, remained in their native land, where they departed this life. Two of their sons, who have since passed away, also remained in England, while two daughters came to the new world sometime after the above mentioned party. Of these Martha married John Thornton of Fairview, Erie county, while Anna married his brother, Thomas Thornton, of Girard, this county. All of the above mentioned have since entered into rest with the exception of Benjamin J. Coates, of this review, who is the only surviving member of his family. Joseph Burnley, the maternal grandfather, upon his ar- rival in the new world, first settled in Mill Creek township, near this city, where his wife responded to the summons of death in 1848. Two years later, in 1850, he removed to Newcastle, Pennsylvania, where he resided until his demise.
Benjamin Coates Sr., was born in 1805 and for eighteen years was foreman for Vincent, Himrod & Company, founders and machinists, being considered a skilled and expert mechanic, whose death occurred in 1855, while his wife whose birth occurred one year later than that of her husband, in 1806, passed away in 1889, thus surviving her last companion by upwards of thirty-four years. They were the parents of five children, namely: John, whose birth occurred in the old country in 1829 and his death in this city in 1900, whose first wife was Char- lott Sennett, after whose death he married Lucinda Weigel, by whom he had the following children : Clara, who wedded Charles W. Geibel, who is engaged in the plumbing business ; Gertrude, the wife of Pierce Flinn, of this city ; Howard J., who resides here; Florence, the wife of Walter Bull, a resident of this place ; and Adella, who is at home with her mother. The other children of the elder Mr. Coates are: Grace, whose birth oc- curred on the other side of the sea in 1832 and whom death called in this city September 10, 1850 ; Samuel, born here in 1835 and who died in 1895 : Edward, whose birth occurred here in 1837 and his death in 1873 ; and Benjamin J.
In the Bay city Benjamin J. Coates was born October 6, 1842, and here he acquired his education in the public schools, completing his studies at the age of fifteen years when, desirous of taking part in the activities of life, his natural faculties leaning toward mechanical work, he became apprenticed as a machinist with his brother John, with whom he became proficient as a tradesman. About six years after entering upon this ven-
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
ture, being then a skilled journeyman, he became employed with the Bay State Iron Works, with which he remained for a brief period, when he became engaged by the Erie City Iron Works, in whose employ he worked for two years, at the termination of which period he returned to the Bay State Iron Works, where he plied his craft as a journeyman for ten years. His ingenuity as a mechanic being noted and his excellent class of workmanship observed, he soon proved himself to be worthy of a higher station in the establishment of his employers and he was promoted to the position of foreman and later to the responsible position of super- intendent, serving in the latter capacity until 1897, during which year he resigned his position and accepted a place at the City Pumping Station as a machinist. There he served with eminent proficiency and, being ad- judged as the best man for the general duties of that department of the city, in October, 1904, he was made superintendent, the duties of which responsible post he is now performing.
The marriage of Mr. Coates to Rosanna Weigel, born in this county, January 20, 1847, was celebrated on December 8, 1868. She is a daugh- ter of Joel Weigel and to this union the following children have been born : Charles B., who was married to Eva Gould of this city, the couple residing at Wilmette, Illinois, fourteen miles from Chicago, where he is an electrical engineer for the Chicago Pneumatic Tool Company; Alice R., who taught in the Erie high school for four years and then wedded Frederick A. Mott, of Syracuse, New York, the couple now residing in Rochester, that state, and Mr. Mott is an electrical engineer in the employ of Wheeler Green Electric Company, of that city; Bertha E., a teacher of English in the Erie high school; and Eva C., the wife of Rev. Roy George Catlin, a Lutheran minister stationed at Decatur, Illinois. Rev. and Mrs. Catlin were both residents of this city until their marriage August 26, 1907.
The Republican party has always commanded the support of Mr. Coates, by reason of the fact that, having given due consideration to its principles in comparison with those of other political cults, he deems the product of the wisest statesmenship, in every particular best suited to subserve the utmost interests of the commonwealth and consequently his fealty has always been strong in the advocacy of the principles of his favo- rite party and its candidates. He belongs to Lakeshore Lodge, No. 718, I. O. O. F., of which he has been a member of thirty years, having ef- ficiently served in the entire round of chairs, and the Henniossis Adelphon Encampment, No. 42, I. O. O. F., having also performed the duties of its offices. Moreover he is a member of Erie Lodge No. 327, Knights of Pythias and, an honorary member of Local No. 7, N. A. S. E., while at the same time being dutiful to his religious obligations, both he and the members of his family attend divine services at the Central Presby- terian church. Mr. Coates is one of the best known citizens of Erie, whose present position is indicative of his success in life and he justly deserves a place in a volume of this kind and mention as a deserving and highly respected citizen.
JOHN W. SCHMELTER, M. D. Among the medical practitioners of Erie who are sharing the honors of the profession, by reason of their excellent services and success in restoring health, is Dr. John W. Schmel- ter. He is one of the most popular physicians of the city and, although he has spent his entire life in this country, his medical career is embraced
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HISTORY OF ERIE COUNTY
within the past nine years and he now attends to a large private prac- tice, his office being at No. 813 Sassafras street. However, within that period his skill and ability as a practitioner has brought him prominently before the public and for four years he served as coroner of Erie county. Being thoroughly familiar with every phase of his profession, profound in his knowledge of materia medica, accurate in surgical operations and careful in his diagnosis, he has met with a full measure of success in the treatment of cases and stands high in the ranks of the medical fra- ternity of the city.
Fairview township, this county, was the birthplace of Dr. Schmelter and there he entered this life on October 30, 1867, as a child of John and Mary (Knodel) Schmelter, the father having been born in West- phalia, Germany, in 1820 and the mother in Summit township, this county, in 1834. It was in 1851 that the elder Mr. Schmelter left his home and kinfolk and crossed the Atlantic to the new world, being the only one of his family to sever relations with the fatherland. Immediate- ly upon his arrival in the United States he came to Erie where, for a period, he worked on the old Sunbury Railroad, now known as the Lake- shore Railroad. Finally he gave up railroad work and became employed as a farm hand in Mckean township. In the meantime by modest living and practical economy, a life characteristic of the sons of the fatherland, he accumulated considerable means and bought a farm in Fairview township, where he pursued agriculture until September 26, 1895, when he met death by being run down by a railroad train at Avonia. His wife entered into rest in 1899. In their family were six children: Elizabeth, deceased, who was the wife of John Grappy; George, a resident of Mill Creek township; Henry F., who lives in Erie; Albert M., a resident of Mill Creek township; Dr. John W .; and Charles E., a member of the Erie police force.
On the home farm Dr. John W. Schmelter was reared, part of the year finding him busily engaged in the fields, plowing, planting or har- vesting, while in the short winter months, during his boyhood days, he availed himself of the educational advantages of the country schools. He was also afforded the privilege of a business-college course. Until he was twenty-three years of age he followed agricultural pursuits but, at that period of his life, he left the farm, being ambitious for larger opportuni- ties and accepted a clerkship in a retail grocery store in this city. The duties of this position he faithfully performed for four years and, since it has been his ardent ambition to become a member of the medical pro- fession, in 1896 he began the study of medicine in the office of Dr. J. E. Silliman. His natural bent being in that direction, he advanced rap- idly, at the same time acquiring both theoretical and practical knowledge and prepared himself for matriculation in the Ohio Medical University, at Columbus. In that institution he successfully completed the course of study and was graduated with the class of 1900. He then opened an of- fice at No. 18 East Eighth street, in this city, where he practiced until 1892, when he changed his office to his present location at No. 813 Sassa- fras street.
Shortly after beginning the practice of medicine, or in 1902, the doctor was elected to the office of county coroner, in which he officiated during the specified term of three years and also an additional year, owing to the demise of his successor. On January 5, 1909, the doctor was appointed poor physician over the West side, the duties of which office he is now performing. He is of a highly intellectual turn of mind,
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directing his study chiefly in those branches of study pertaining to his profession and his profound investigations have yielded him such knowl- edge as enables him to meet all emergencies and successfully cope with constantly recurring perplexities.
Dr. Schmelter was united in marriage to Miss Bessie Davison, a daughter of the late William Davison, of Harbor Creek, this county, and the couple are enjoying the happiness of a refined home. Politically he is a Republican, being a stanch and able supporter of the principles of the party. His fraternal relations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Golden Eagles, in both of which organizations he has many friends, while he is widely known both for his social qualities and professional worth.
ISAAC WOLF, a retired agriculturist of Erie county, who is now living in the enjoyment of well earned rest in his own residence at No. 242 West Twenty-first street, is a native of Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, his birth having occurred in the village of New Holland, on March 17, 1828. However, from carly boyhood he has been a resident of Erie county, where as soon as he was vigorous enough to engage in agricultural duties worked upon his father's farm and carried on the pursuit of hus- bandry until the year 1900, when he withdrew from the activities of life to enjoy somewhat of the fruits of his energies extended through many years. During his career in this county he has witnessed many changes, has seen the approach of civilization, marked the transformation of wood- lands into fertile fields, of fertile fields into villages and, with respect to the city of Erie, he has witnessed its growth from a mere hamlet to its present large and prosperous proportions. There are few men of his day now living, who can converse with him upon the scenes and experi- ences of those early days and it is with delight that he reverts to the past, remembering the times when the surrounding region, which now bears every mark of civilization, was then in a primitive condition without any apparent promise or prospect. Mr. Wolf is widely known as a ven- crable gentleman, his life always having been such as to command the respect of all with whom he came in contact and today, in his declin- ing years, as a resident of the thriving Bay city, perhaps there is no man who is better known or more highly esteemed.
Mr. Wolf's parents were Jacob and Catherine (Platt) Wolf, while his grandfather was Henry Wolf, a native of Lancaster county, Penn- sylvania, who came to Erie county, in 1820, where he purchased four hundred acres of land in Mill Creek township, his property being located about three miles south of the city of Erie. There he settled and, need- less to say, at that time the region was a thick forest unlike its ap- pearance today when it is a succession of fertile fields as far as the eye can see. However, being of the sturdy pioneer type, he was undaunted in the presence of difficulties and obstacles, being only too willing to have a promising prospect toward which to bend his energies and soon the forest was hewn out and in course of time the once undeveloped land yielded for him bountiful harvests. On that farm he spent his entire life, passing away about the year 1842. His wife entered into rest in Lancaster county prior to his location in this county. The maternal grandparents were natives of Ireland, who came to America at an early day. The parents of Mr. Wolf, both of whom were born about the year 1802, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, were there united in marriage, removing to Erie county about the year 1838, locating on the tract of
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land settled by his grandfather. The estate was large and the elder Mr. Wolf took up one hundred acres and this he cultivated until he departed this life in 1872, his wife entering into rest in 1884. In his family were the following children: Elem and Isaac. Elem, whose birth occurred in 1830 and who died in 1870 wedded Leah Heidler, the daughter of Curtis Heidler, a pioneer of Fairview township, this county. They left the following children: Cassie, the wife of Christopher Rilling, residing in Girard; Tillie, the wife of George Wagner, residents of Summit township, this county; Jacob, who married Mary Heintz and resides in Sterrettania; Ida, who became the wife of Lee Milliner, the couple living at Twenty-second and Reed streets, this city; Annie, the wife of George Stark, also residing here; Levi, who married Mary Meyers; Etta, who was twice married, first to Lester Saunders, after whose death she wedded George Jackson ; Frank, married and lives at Union City ; and Elem, who departed this life in his nineteenth year.
The other member of the family, Isaac Wolf, reared to farm life, passed through the usual experiences common to the country lad during his boyhood days and at that time the city of Erie and environs were far different than they are today, the entire region being constituted of vast stretches of woodlands while the present site of the Bay city itself was little more than a village with but few houses. The farm upon which he was reared was in Mill Creek township and there during the summer months he toiled in the pursuit of agriculture, plowing, planting and reaping in due season, while during the winter months he took advantage of the educational privileges afforded by the district school. The school- house in his day was a log-cabin, which stood where his present farm- house now stands and, while seated on a peg-leg bench, he acquired the rudiments of learning which, although not comprehensive, served him well throughout his later business experiences. After he finished his school- ing he remained upon the home farm and upon the death of his father he inherited one hundred acres of the original four hundred acre tract and to this, through the fruits of his industry and energy, he added one hun- dred and eighty acres so that his farm was very extensive and one of the finest in the township. In the pursuit of agriculture he continued, at the same time paying some attention to stock raising until 1900, when he re- tired from active life and took up his abode in the city of Erie, although at the same time he still owns his farm and supervises its management.
Mr. Wolf was united in marriage to Fannie L. Heidler, the daughter of Curtis Heidler Sr., a pioneer of Erie county. Her birth occurred March 28, 1832, and she is the mother of the following children: Curtis N., born August 5, 1850, married Ella Carr and they now reside in Springfield, South Dakota, their family consisting of one son, Robert. and two daughters, May and Esther. The father went west in 1877, so- journing in Kansas and Nebraska, previous to his location in South Da- kota. Saphronia M., born March 28, 1853, married John B. Burton, and departed this life May 1, 1892, her husband surviving until November 24. 1895, leaving two children : Hattie J., born in 1874 and died February 13, 1890 ; and Edith L., born in 1880 and passing away May 9, 1898. John C. born March 10, 1855, was twice united in marriage, his first union be- ing with Lillian Church, who died November 13, 1883, leaving one child, Lillian, born November 2, 1883. His second wife was Jeanette Arbuckle, the wedding being celebrated October 25, 1888, to whom were born two children: Richard, born in 1890; and John S., who passed away August 5, 1899. Charles A., born January 19, 1857, was educated in the
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