USA > Pennsylvania > Chester County > Biographical and portrait cyclopedia of Chester County, Pennsylvania : comprising a historical sketch of the county, by Samuel T. Wiley, together with more than five hundred biographical sketches of the prominent men and leading citizens of the county > Part 105
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Dr. Hartman married Mary Jane Kabee, daughter of John Kabee, of Jefferson county, West Virginia, on December 3, 1841.
While ranking high as a physician, yet Dr. Hartman ranks higher in a field where his labors have made his name known throughout this country and Europe as one of the successful natural scientists of the nineteenth century. When a boy at school he showed such a fondness for the natural sciences that at fifteen years of age he was mentioned by Dr. William Darlington in his Flora Cestrica as " a zealous and promising young botanist." While completing his course at school and during several years of his early practice as a physician, he took up successively and made himself familiar with different branches of natural history. He has paid particular attention to conchology, entomology, geology and mineralogy. He has made a large collection of shells which is especially rich in the genera of partulà and Achinella. Of the latter class his col-
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lection exceeds that of the British museum and the Jardin des Plantes. Dr. Hartman has published bibliographie and synonymic catalogues in these genera collections. In 1874, he and Dr. Ezra Michener issued an illustrated treatise on the fresh water and land shells of Chester county, under the title of Conchologia Cestrica. Dr. Hartman has contributed some very valuable articles to the scientific journals of this country, and for several years has corresponded with the leading scientists of Europe and America. He is quoted by Dr. Darwin in his " Descent of Man " for his published observations on the cicada septendecim or seventeen-year loeust of this country.
The founder of the Hartman family in Chester county was John Hartman, a native of Schwerin, Hesse-Cassel (now Prussia). In 1753 he, with his wife, whose maiden name was Moses, and their family of five sous and several daughters, came to Philadelphia, and afterward settled west of Yellow Springs. His wife died some time after coming to this country, and John Hartman married again. Abigail, a daughter by his second wife, married Zachariah Rice, and was the mother of twenty-two children, and whose grand- daughter, Mrs. Daniel Kable, was the mother of Mrs. Dr. Hartman of West Chester. John Hartman's sons by his first wife were : John, Joseph, George, Peter and Christopher. Christopher was born May 6, 1750: in Au- gust, 1776, married Mary Hutchinson of Mercer county, New Jersey, and died in Clermont county, Ohio, March 16, 1833. Pe- . ter Hartman, the fourth son, went to Phila- delphia to learn the sugar refining business, which he abandoned in 1775 to serve as an officer in the Continental army. He mar- ried a widow named Stein, whose maiden name was Smith, and who had come from
Germany. They had one son, George Hart- man (grandfather), who served through the revolutionary war as a drum major. Be- fore the battle of Brandywine he was stricken down with camp fever and sent home, but on account of the tories harass- ing the neighborhood he was removed at night several times to different whig houses to save him from capture by the "King's Men." Ile and his father, while Washing- ton lay at Valley Forge, took their four- horse wagon and collected provisions for the suffering army, for which they often re- ceived the thanks of General Washington.
Major George Hartman married Eliza- beth Hench, who was a daughter of Chris- tian Heneh and had seven brothers, who were men of remarkable physique, all being over six feet in height, and all perished in the revolutionary war. Of three children born to them, the third and only surviving one was Gen. George Hartman (father), who was born in East Pikeland township, May 5, 1793. Ilis design in early life of enter- ing the mercantile marine was interfered with by the war of 1812. He then studied military taeties, became a drill master, and in 1814 enlisted in Captain Wersler's vol- unteer company as an orderly sergeant, but an injury which he received caused him to be dropped from the roll. On his recovery he was elected as captain of the 2d com- pany of the 65th Pennsylvania militia. On August 31, 1821, he was commissioned as colonel of the 57th militia, and August 3, 1835, was elected brigadier-general of the first brigade, third division, which position he held until the death of General Barnard, when he was elected and commissioned as major-general of the third division. General Hartman served as deputy sheriff under his father after the war of 1812, and was re-
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corder of deeds from 1839 until 1843. A fine penman and mathematician, a popular surveyor, he was regarded as a gentleman of unswerving integrity. He wasa member and officer of St. Peter's Lutheran church, and died November 5, 1878, aged eighty- five years and four months. General Hart- man married and had a family of children : Dr. William D., Granville S., Mary T., widow of Isaac Sloanaker; Joshua W., G. Washington, Elizabeth Roby, Albert S., and two who died in infancy.
S AMUEL H. EGOLF, vice-president and general manager of the Columbia Paper Company, of Buena Vista, Virginia, is a gentleman prominently identified with the business interests of Spring City, this county, where he resides, and is also largely interested at Royer's Ford, Montgomery county, this State. He is a son of John and Mary (Horner) Egolf, and a native of Doug- las township, Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he was born September 9, 1842. He passed his boyhood on his father's farm, and received a good common school education in his native county. In 1860, at the age of eighteen, he began life on his own account as a farm laborer, but after eighteen months secured a position with the American Wood- paper Company at Spring City, with which he remained for a period of eight years, in different capacities. At the end of that time he engaged in the manfacture of doors, sash and blinds at Spring City, and successfully conducted that business for nearly a year. The paper company then offered him inducements to return to their employ, and in 1874 he became superintend- ent of the paper mill at Spring City, which he managed successfully until 1880, when
the Manyunk Pulp works was added to the business, and from that time until July 1, 1892, Mr. Egolf was superintendent of both these concerns. At the latter date he re- signed his position here to look after the in- terests of the Columbia Paper Company, a new organization then formed for the pur- pose of manufacturing pulp and paper at Buena Vista, Virginia. This is a joint stock company, and upon its formation Mr. Egolf was elected vice-president and soon after- ward made general manager of the business. While carefully attending to the duties of his new position he continues his residence at Spring City, this county, where he is largely interested in various enterprises. He is a director in the National bank of Royer's Ford, and is also president of the Royer's Ford Machine Company, and holds a like position in the Spring City Bloom works, while he is also president and gen- eral manager of the Spring City Gas Com- pany. Mr. Egolf is likewise a director in the Home Water Company, and in addition to these varied interests is also connected with a number of other enterprises in Spring City and elsewhere. He owns a farm of sixty acres, one third of which lies inside the borough limits of Spring City, and also owns considerable real estate at Royer's Ford. In National politics he is a democrat of the old school, but inclined to independ- ence on local issues, and has served on the school board and as a member of the bor- ough council. He is a member of the Evan- gelical Lutheran church, and of Spring City Lodge, No. 553, Free and Accepted Masons, while he also holds membership in the local Council of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Samuel H. Egolf first married Emma Louisa Clemmens, by whom he had two
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children : Mary, who died in childhood, and John, deceased at the age of twenty-three years. Some time after the death of his first wife, Mr. Egolf wedded, on May 30, 1872, Annie Boze, a daughter of Joseph Boze, of Montgomery county. By his see- ond marriage Mr. Egolf had eight children, five sons and three daughters : Harry New- ton, Aaron B. (deceased), Daniel W., Wil- liam Elwood, Emma May (also dead), Clar- ence Burgess, Bessie Salena and Katie Evalina.
The Egolfs are of German extraction, but have been resident Pennsylvanians since early times. Adam Egolf, paternal grand- father of Samuel HI. Egolf, was a native of Berks county, this State, but in later life removed to Pottsgrove township, Montgom- ery county, where he died in the eighty- fourth year of his age. He was a farmer by occupation and he and his wife, Rachel, had two sons and four daughters : John, father of the subject of this sketch ; Rebecca, now deceased ; Rachel, also dead; Sarah, now living on the old homestead in Mont- gomery county ; Mary Ann, married Peter Lindenman, a Montgomery county farmer ; and Aaron, for many years a citizen and live stock dealer of Perry county, this State,
where he died in 1892. John Egolf (father) was born in Douglas township, Berks county, where he grew up and received an excellent common school education. After attaining manhood he engaged in farming and made that the principal occupation of his life. IIc was industrious, capable in management, and becanie quite prosperous. He still owns and resides on a fine farm in Douglas town- ship, Berks county, but retired from active business several years ago. Politically he is a stanch democrat, and formerly took con- siderable interest in politics. He is a mem- ber of the Evangelical Lutheran church, and married Mary Horner, who died in 1874, leaving behind her a family of five sons and three daughters: Jonathan, who served in the civil war and is now a retired merehaut, residing in Ohio; Matilda, at home with her father; Elizabeth, married Charles Hu- ber, a prosperous farmer of Washington township, Berks county ; Mahlon, now liv- ing on the old homestead in Berks county ; Samuel H., whose name heads this sketch ; Levi, a resident of Pottstown, Montgomery county; William, employed in the paper mill at Spring City ; and Catherine, who married Samuel Livengood, of Pottstown, Montgomery county.
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