USA > Pennsylvania > Cumberland County > Biographical annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families > Part 114
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Of Abraham Weber's brothers and sisters, Henry, born in Lancaster county, came to Cumberland, married Mary Hirst, and died in Lower Allen township; John, born in Lancaster county, married Esther Zimmerman, and both died in Lower Allen township; Christian, born in Lan- caster county, married Elizabeth Hess, now deceased, and follows farming in Lower Allen township; Elizabeth married Christian Zimmerman, and both died in Lower Allen township; Mattie married his brother, Peter Zimmerman, and both died in Lower Allen township; Nancy died unmarried in Lower Allen township.
Henry Weber was born Oct. 6, 1831, atended one year at the Lower Allen district school and completed his education at Center Square, in Upper Allen township. Until his marriage, at the age of twenty-seven years, he worked for his father, and then lo- cated in Upper Allen township, where he now lives retired. He is a man of large means and one who enjoys the esteem of his neighbors.
Mr. Weber married Susan Brenner, daughter of George and Annie Brenner, of German extraction. She died in 1888, aged fifty-two years, and lies buried at Slate Hill. Their children were as follows : Anna Mary . is the wife of Reuben Cockley, a farmer in Monroe township, near Churchtown; Eliza- beth Jane married Henry Mann, a farmer in Lower Allen township; Abraham, a
farmer in Monroe township, married Lucy Couch; George B. married Ida Shealey; Alice married John Roth, of near Shiremans- town; Henry married Annie Shealey, and lives at Cedar Run; Samuel, of Cumber- land, married Minnie Dietz, now deceased.
George B. Weber was born in Upper Allen township, where he was educated in the township schools. He remained with his father until his marriage, in 1884, to Ida Shealey, daughter of Jonathan and Leah (Bosley) Shealey, of Lower Allen town- ship. They then located in Hampden town- ship, on the Schupp farm, for two years, spent one year in Silver Spring township, two years in Lower Allen, and one year on the Henry Yohn farm. Mr. Weber then removed to the Frank Martin farm, in East Pennsboro township, for four years, and then operated a farm near New Cumberland for three years. In 1899 he bought his present farm of Henry Booser, in East Pennsboro township, which contains 115 acres. His long experience has made Mr. Weber a good and careful farmer, and his present place, under fine cultivation and with excellent improve- ments, shows that he is a good manager. In addition to. farming he carries on a dairy business, disposing of his milk in Fairview.
Mr. and Mrs. Weber have had five chil- dren : Viola M., Paul S., George G., Vesta V. and Robert L. Politically Mr. Weber is a stanch Republican. He was reared in the Mennonite faith, his father being a preacher and one of the leading members of that re- ligious body in this locality.
MILTON S. MUMMA. Cumberland county, Pa., is one of the best developed farming districts of the Keystone state, and in the township of Silver Spring are found many who have successfully carried on that calling for years, among whom may be men-
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tioned Milton S. Mumma, born one mile north of Mechanicsburg, Oct. 5, 1858, son of Martin and Catherine (Shelly) Mumma, prominent people of that locality.
Milton S. Mumma was reared upon the farm he now owns, and was well-educated in the district schools, after which he chose to be a farmer, and he now owns the old Mumma homestead of 100 acres, well im- proved and in a good state of cultivation, and he has been eminently successful in all his operations.
On Dec. 23, 1880, Mr. Mumma married Miss Sarah Ellen Eberly, daughter of Jo- seph and Sarah Eberly, of Hampden town- ship. The Eberly family is one of the oldest in Cumberland county. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Mumma: C. Romaine, Mary Ellen, Martin Eberly and Sarah E. Mr. Mumma is a member of the Republican party, but has not as yet been very active in local affairs. He is very prom- inent in the Silver Spring Presbyterian Church, of which he is a consistent member and treasurer, as well as member of the board of trustees and an elder. Mr. Mumma is a man of sober, temperate habits, is in- dustrious and enterprising, and has won the full confidence of his neighborhood.
ABNER WILLIS, in his lifetime one of the successful agriculturists of Cumber- land county, where his whole life had been spent, was born at Silver Spring, that coun- ty, in April, 1824, son of James and Phoebe (Atkinson) Willis.
James Willis was born near. his home at Silver Spring, and there grew to maturity. By trade he was a blacksmith, and that call- ing he followed all his life. He was twice married, his first wife, Phoebe Atkinson, dying when her son Abner was but two years old. After her death the bereaved hus-
band moved with his little family to a farm two miles east of Shippensburg. This farm James Willis purchased of the Widow Moore, whom he afterward married. He continued to work at his trade, while his boys carried on the farm. His children were: Samuel, of Plain City, Ohio; Abner ; Isaac A., of Shippensburg; Sallie C., of Shippensburg; and Catherine, who married Robert McClay.
Abner Willis received a common school education, and was fully instructed regard- ing the labor on a farm. With his brothers he cultivated the home place until his mar- riage, after which event he engaged in farm- ing for himself. He was industrious and practical, and in time became quite well-to- do, owning at his death, not only the old Willis homestead of 65 acres, but the ad- joining farm of 130 acres, situated on the Harrisburg Turnpike, three miles east of Shippensburg. This latter farm, which was his home, and where his widow and chil- dren now reside, is one of the best improved in the neighborhood, having a substantial brick house, bank barn, well built sheds and outbuildings, all well cared for, and kept in first-class condition. Mr. Willis died at his home Nov. 9, 1894, and was laid to rest in Springhill cemetery, sincerely mourned by a large number of friends and neighbors. He died in the faith of the Presbyterian Church, the funeral services being conducted by Rev. W. A. McCarrell, pastor of that church, assisted by Rev. George C. Henry, pastor of the Memorial Lutheran Church. Besides his widow and children, his sister, Miss Sallie C., and brothers, Samuel and Isaac A., were left to mourn his loss. By nature Abner Willis was endowed with a gentle, kindly disposition, which won and retained many warm friends. He was honest and upright in all things, and all men re-
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spected him. His political affiliations were with the Democratic party, and he held at various times a number of minor offices. among them being member of the school board, tax collector and assessor, and he dis- charged his duties faithfully and well.
In August, 1864. Abner Willis was mar- ried to Miss Ismah Kitzmiller, who was born Oct. 30, 1832, in Southampton township, eldest daughter of Jacob and Rebecca (Weber) Kitzmiller, the former of whom, an old resident of Cumberland county, died Oct. 7, 1871, and the latter in June, 1898. Mr. and Mrs. Willis had five children, as follows: William, James and Robert, all three engaged in farming; Charlie, employed in the Harrisburg railroad office; and Carrie May, who is at home with her mother. The family is justly esteemed in the neighbor- hood, and the different members are each en- deavoring to bear worthily their honored name.
EDWARD W. WITTER, for a num- ber of years a successful and responsible citizen of Good Hope, Hampden township, Cumberland county, was born in Adams county, Pa .. Jan. 22, 1851, a son of George Witter, and grandson of Samuel Witter. The latter was the father of five children, but aside from that there appears to be no definite record of him.
George Witter was born in Adams coun- ty, and there received a common school edu- cation, and at the same time learned the trade of a tanner. He married Sarah Saultz- gever, of Adams county, and eight children were born to them: Elizabeth married Ben- jamin Eicholtz, and lives at Oxford; George married Anna Miller, and lives at New Ches- ter, Adams county; Samuel, who married Fannie Burtman is a merchant of Colum- bus, Ohio; David is deceased; Jacob, who
married Barbara Cunrod, is retired and lives at Boiling Springs; Matilda married Joseph Palmer and lives near New Chester; Harry married Miss Mary Spong, and is employed by the Cumberland Valley railroad company ; Edward W. is our subject.
Edward W. Witter, like his father, was educated in the public schools of Adams county. In 1871 he moved to Cumberland county, locating at Good Hope, and there learned the trade of a blacksmith, which he has followed for over thirty years. In the spring of 1904 he sold out and moved to Adams county. On Nov. 12, 1874, he was married to Miss Mary Ellen Wertz, a daughter of Solomon and Mary (Lininger) Wertz, and four children were born to them : Florence married William Adams, of Hamp- den township; George married. Minnie Fake and lives near Fairview ; Cora married Irvin Fishel, a miller of Hampden township, and they have one child, Chester; Effie is at home.
In sentiment Mr. Witter has been a life- long member of the Democratic party, but he casts his vote for the man he deems best fitted for the office in question. Having been industrious, hard-working and thrifty, he succeeded in his business, and gained the confidence and respect of his fellow towns- men during his long residence in Good Hope.
JACOB W. SIMMONS, one of the representative men of Silver Spring town- ship, was born here Oct. 20, 1855, and in the maternal line of the house is descended from a very distinguished family.
Frederick Stein, father of his mother, was a resident of Silver Spring township, and a very wealthy farmer. He married Mary Smith of Middletown, and became the father of eight children : Daniel married and lives in Ohio; John married Susan Rhule,
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of Middlesex township, and lives in Illinois; Christian is married, and lives in Vermont; Joseph married Lydia Lantz, of Hampden township, and both are now deceased; Saralı married John Simmons, and became the mother of our subject ; Kate married Philip McGaw, and lives in Shippensburg; Emilia married George Rudy, of Union county, and lives in Piketown, Dauphin Co .. Pennsyl- vania ; Mary also married Jolin Simmons.
There is but little known of the paternal side of the family. John Simmons was born in Hampden township, there received a com- mon school education, and followed the oc- cupation of farming. He was married first to Sarah Stein, by whom he had three chil- dren : Jacob W .; John, who married Eliza- beth Spangler, daughter of Amos Spangler, of Silver Spring township, and had three children, Willis, Samuel and Charles, all at home; Sarah, who married George Shum- barger, of Hampden township, and has chil- dren, Kate (who married Arthur Adams, of Hampden township, and has one child, Clyde Franklin, at home), Alda, Mary, Agnes, Walter, Franklin, Elsie, Francis and Ruth. The maiden name of the second wife of John Simmons was Mary Stein, she be- ing a sister of his first wife, and by her he had two children : Samuel, who married Anna Hosler, of Hogestown, and has two children, Ira and Viola, both at home, is a butcher; Emma, who married Mcclellan Walters, of Silver Spring township, now re- sides in Shiremanstown, and has three chil- dren, Cora, Mary and Esther, all at home.
Jacob W. Simmons received a common school education in Silver Spring township, and attended until he was twenty years of age. At that time he commenced farming for himself upon the place he now occupies. About sixteen years ago Mr. Simmons be- gan practicing veterinary surgery, which
he had learned at home, and attending lectures, and as he has been very successful, he has been able to build up a large practice in addition to carrying on farming, his property being kept in excellent condition.
On Dec. 21, 1878, Mr. Simmons married ·Elizabeth Weary, daughter of George W. Weary, of Middlesex township, by whom he had one child, John, unmarried, and living at home. His first wife died on March 12, 1898, and was buried at the stone church above Wertzville. On Dec. 14, 1900, Mr. Simmons was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Albright, daughter of W. A. and Jennie (Hill) Albright of Perry county. Mr. and Mrs. Simmons have one child, Will- iam Albright. Mrs. Simmons received her education in the common schools of Perry county, finishing when she was about twenty years of age. After leaving school, she re- sided at home until her marriage. She is a very pleasant lady, an excellent house- keeper, and a devoted wife and mother. She is a consistent member of the Evangelical Church. In politics, Mr. Simmons has been a lifelong Republican, but has never aspired to office.
Mr. and Mrs. Simmons, residing on their excellent farm of 110 acres, all of which is under cultivation, dispense a gracious and generous hospitality to their many friends, and are important factors in the life of the township.
IRA F. MOUNTZ, late president of the Carlisle Commercial College, of Carlisle, Pa., was a native of Cumberland county, having been born in Frankford township March 10, 1877, and he came from a long line of distinguished ancestors who lived in this county, his great-grandparents on both the paternal and maternal sides being among the early settlers of Cumberland county, and
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coming originally from Stockholm, Ger- many.
Prof. Mountz was the son of William H. and Sarah A. (Swigert) Mountz, and was of the sixth generation of Mountzes in this country, the first of the name here, (I) Adam Mountz, being the one who came from' Stockholm, Germany. From him the line is traced through (II) Lazarus, (III) Mar- tin. (IV) John, and (V) William H. to the latter's sons Aaron W., Ira F., Harvey E. and John C. The remains of (II) Laz- arus Mountz, (III) Martin Mountz and (IV) John Mountz are buried in the Stone Church cemetery in Frankford township, Cumberland county.
William H. Mountz, father of Ira F., and son of John and Susannah (Knisely) Mountz, died Dec. 31, 1900, aged fifty-eight years. His widow survives and lives in Frankford township. Her parents were Filex and Margret (Minnich) Swigert. William H. Mountz was a farmer. He was a very prominent member of the Zullinger So- ciety, in which religious denomination he was a minister, although he did not occupy any regular charge. His remains were tenderly interred in Opossum Hill cemetery. He and his wife had a family of nine children, two of whom died in infancy, and one, Ivy, died in early childhood. The others were : Annie married W. S. Shulenberger, of Stockton, Ill. ; Clara J. married Samuel L. Blosser, of Middlesex township. this county ; Aaron W., a carpenter and fencemaker, resides on the old homestead in Frankford township; Ira F. is mentioned below; Harvey E. is an en- gineer at the Central Iron Works, of Harris- burg; John C., who lives at home with his mother and brother Aaron, is learning car- pentering and fencemaking with his brother Aaron W.
Prof. Ira F. Mountz received his early
education in the district schools, which he attended until 1894, and a select school at Bloserville. In 1895 he went to a select school at Churchtown, Cumberland county, and in 1896 attended the Zanerian Art School in Columbus, Ohio, from which he received a diploma in 1902. In the fall of 1896 he entered the Carlisle Commercial College as a student, attending night sessions, during the day teaching a district school in Frankford township. In the spring of 1897 he attended the day sessions, and the same year was en- gaged as one of the teachers of the college, so proficient had he become. He was serv- ing as president at the time of his death which occurred May 11, 1904, and his re- mains were tenderly laid to rest in Opossum Hill cemetery, beside those of his father.
During the summer of 1903 Prof. Mountz took a pleasure trip to Porto Rico, and during his life he traveled considerably, it being his theory that n'o man could be really well educated without the polish given by contact with different peoples and lands. He attended the Reformed Church. Al- though a young man in years and in his profession, Prof. Mountz was one of the best qualified to be found in the State. Having a natural tendency toward his work, he seized upon every opportunity to perfect himself in his line, and endeavored to im- part to his pupils not only the mere principles of the several branches he taught but their practical application to every day business life. For this reason, and many others, the pupils of Prof. Mountz are in active demand, and the fact that an applicant for a position is a graduate of the college of which he was the president, is sufficient recommendation of efficiency and thoroughiness in every par- ticular.
The Carlisle Commercial College, con- veniently located at No. 201/2 North Han-
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over street, Carlisle, Pa., was established May 4, 1896, by J. W. Shenberger, of Har- risburg, and conducted by him for eighteen months, when he was succeeded by H. W. Shaeffer and G. S. McClun. About a year later Mr. McClun was succeeded by Mr. Shaeffer, who then assumed full control. Six months later, in the spring of 1899, the school was purchased by Ira F. Mountz, O. K. Weibly and I. L. Calvert. In March, 1899, Mr. Mountz assumed the interests of Mr. Calvert, and in September of the same year he became the sole proprietor and princi- pal, remaining as such until his death. May II, 1904. Under his able management the school took a foremost place among com- mercial institutions, was well equipped with every modern device, including typewriters, while the corps of teachers was an exception- ally fine one, including the following : O. K. Weibly, principal of bookkeeping; Lucille Bernhiser, instructor of stenography; Viola Zeigler, principal of typewriting. The at- tendance at the time of Prof. Mountz's death numbered 200 pupils. A full commercial course was included in the curriculum. The Carlisle Commercial College was the only one of its kind in the county, and the man- agement guaranteed a position to all grad- uates. The school was open all the year, for both day and evening sessions, so that all might benefit from the advantages it offered.
CLARENCE B. BAKER, a prosperous young business man of Churchtown, Monroe township, Cumberland Co., Pa., is a son of John and grandson of Christian Baker, the latter of whom was born Oct. 3, 1815, in Monroe township, Cumberland county. As soon as he was old enough he bought a tract of land along the Lisburn road, consisting of 180 acres, upon which he followed farm- ing. He married Christiana Howe, of Me-
chanicsburg, Pa., who died at Churchtown in 1890. After his marriage the grand- father came to Churchtown, bought a home and lived there until his death, in 1899.
John Baker, father of Clarence, was born in Mechanicsburg, where he received his education and worked for his father until his marriage in 1872 to Catherine Brindle. a daughter of Peter and Mary (Goodyear) Brindle, of Monroe township. For thirteen years he and his wife lived on the homestead, and then moved to Churchtown, where his death occurred. In politics he was a Repub- lican. He was a member of the German Baptist Church of Monroe township, and was a man highly esteemed in his commun- ity. His remains were tenderly conveyed to the cemetery at Baker's Church, Monroe township. The children born to himself and wife were: Alberta, born July 18, 1873. died Feb. 3, 1875 ; Effie Jane, born Aug. 24, 1874, married Talbert T. Stambaugh, a brick mason at Mechanicsburg, and they have these children : Russell B., Helen C., Mary E., deceased, David Clinton.
Clarence B. Baker, born March 3. 1877, on the old homestead in Monroe township, was educated in the public schools of his native township, and then went to Franklin county in order to receive additional ad- vantages. He then spent a year in York county, and two in Illinois, when he returned home.
In 1899, Mr. Baker married Sarah B. Lear, born May 12, 1879, daughter of War- ner and Elizabeth (Starry) Lear, of Cum- berland county. After marriage they lo- cated at Churchtown, where they still re- side, and Mr. Baker carries on his trade of painting, he being very skillful in his work, and his services in great demand. Two chil- dren have come to them: Lloyd B., born Dec. 12, 1900; Catherine Elizabeth, born
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April 4. 1903. In politics Mr. Baker is a Republican, and he supports the candidates of his ticket, although as yet he has taken no active part in public affairs.
ARCHIBALD LOUDON. In 1754 James Loudon and his wife, Christiana, came from Scotland to America. On the 24th of August of that year, while the ship in which they came was in the Gulf stream, their first child, a son, was born. They named him Archibald, and we shall aim to make him the leading character of this gene- alogical sketch.
The family landed in Baltimore, but did not long sojourn there. James Loudon was a printer and probably worked at that trade while in Baltimore, but soon found it advan- tageous to change his occupation and his lo- cation. He moved inland toward the frontier and his family became the Loudon family which for many years figured prominently in the affairs of southern Pennsylvania.
The region to the north of the Kittatinny range of mountains having been purchased from the Indians in 1754, that desirable sec- tion was thrown open to settlers. James Loudon accepted the invitation and early in 1755 located in that part of the Shearman's Valley which afterward came to be desig- naterl as the Raccoon Valley. Here he pre- empted land, built a cabin and prepared to make a home for himself and his family. But he was not permitted to long remain in his new abiding place. Braddock's de- feat on July 9, 1755, let loose the Indians of the western Pennsylvania woods, and with torch and scalping knife they descended upon every settlement along the entire frontier. The Loudons, with such goods as they could carry on the backs of their horses, fled into the Cumberland Valley, where they re- mainedl for five years. Peace having become
fairly well established by that time, they ven- tured back to their frontier possessions, and busied themselves at rebuilding their homes and improving their lands. But they came only to be again driven away. In the suni- mer of 1763, two years after their return, the fires of Indian hostility again swept along the entire western border and the Tusca- rora and Shearman valleys again suddenly emptied their population into the Cumber- land Valley. The Loudons were again com- pelled to flee for their lives, this time to re- main away for two years. They then re- turned for the third time and nearly all of them remained in the Raccoon Valley in peace and comfort to the end of their days. James Loudon died on Sept. 22, 1783, and is buried in Bull's graveyard, three miles east of where the town of Ickesburg now stands.
James Loudon left surviving him his wife, Christiana, and the following children : Archibald, John, Margaret, Matthew, Eliza- beth and Christiana. The widow and the old- est son, Archibald, were administrators of the estate, but the records show that Archi- bald alone acted. Mrs. Loudon, widow of James Loudon, died June 21, 1807, and was buried by the side of her husband.
Of this family of six children Archibald became the most prominent. He is chiefly known as printer and publisher and the char- acter of his occupation and business would indicate that he did not get much of his edu- cation and early training in the Raccoon Valley. He probably, while quite young, was placed with friends in Carlisle to be taught the useful trade by which in after life he earned a livelihood and won a proud dis- tinction. His frontier home, however, af- forded him an experience that influenced and shaped his subsequent life, for he there met the Indian in his primitive state, studied his habits and character, and heard many of
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the stories of Indian atrocity which he after- ward related in his book on "Indian Narra- tives." Upon one occasion the famous chief John Logan, whose memory is perpetuated in a specimen of remarkable Indian elo- quence, spent about two hours in the Loudon home in Raccoon Valley. One Sunday fore- noon in the year 1765 the children, among them Archibald, were playing outdoors when they unexpectedly espied three Indians with guns coming across the meadow only a short distance away. Having on the even- ing before heard that the Indians were again murdering white people, the sight startled the little folks and they hastily ran into the house and informed their parents. The Indi- ans, however, set their guns down outside of the house, which was proof of peaceful in- tentions, and allayed much of the fear their first appearance had caused. On entering, they were invited to take seats, which they did. Later on they had dinner with the family, and remained for some time after the meal. One of the Indians was a remark- ably tall man, straight as an arrow, strong and well proportioned, and in appearance not afraid of any living being. This one spoke tolerably good English, but during their en- tire stay the other two said nothing that any of the family understood. They took a spe- cial interest in the large wooden chimney, looking up into it and laughing and making remarks about it. This the family inter- preted as comment upon the case of a man on the Juniata, not far away, who made his escape through the chimney of his house when it was attacked by the Indians. One of the little girls, a child of three or four years, had very white curly hair. With this the two toyed, taking locks of it between their fingers and thumb and stretching it up and laughing, probably observing that it would make a nice scalp. After the family
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