Biographical annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families, Part 27

Author: Genealogical Publishing Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Genealogical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 994

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 27

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On Dec. 23. 1860. Mr. Spahr was mar- ried, by Rev. J. Fry, of the Lutheran Church to Miss Annie C. Ritter, who was born in Carlisle, daughter of Henry S. and Mary (Wunderlich) Ritter. Her father, who died in 1888 in Carlisle. was, a well-known mer- chant tailor of the town. The young couple commenced married life in a small house on North East street. where they lived only a short time, however. after which they moved to the present residence, which Mr. Spahr rented for fifteen years from John Under- wood, who was teller at the Carlisle Bank for many years. Mr. Spahr eventually bought the place from Mr. Underwood. Here Mrs. Spahr passed away Nov. 15, 1878, in her forty-first year. She had grad- uated from the Carlisle high school in the class of 1856, being under the tuition there of Mrs. Annie Underwood, and was well known in Carlisle for her many endearing and ennobling traits of character. Her kind heart and devotion to her family and friends made her beloved by all who knew her, and she was sincerely mourned by a wide circle of friends and acquaintances. She was a working member of the Lutheran Church, sang in the choir from girlhood until her death, and for many years taught in the Sun- day-school. She and her husband became acquainted as members of the same church choir. Mr. and Mrs. Spahr became the par- ents of four children: Bella Arnold mar- ried A. R. Read, of Falling Springs, Perry county, and they have had two children,

Anna Elizabeth and Harriet Spahr. Harry Ritter, who resides in Carlisle, married Har- riet Leffler. Charles William, of Carlisle, has been a clerk in the Bixler hardware store for twenty-two years; he married Belle Har- ris, and they have one child, Charles Will- iam, Jr. Jennie MI. is deceased. Mr. Spahr is a Democrat in political belief and has served six years on the borough council.

CHARLES FREMONT MARKLEY, one of the prominent and representative citizens of Cumberland county, was born Aug. 29, 1856, in Butler township, Adams county, a son of John C. and Isabella A. (Weaver) Markley.

John C. Markley was born in 1831, in Franklin county, Pa., a son of Daniel and Anna (Cockley) Markley, of Lancaster county. Grandfather Markley removed to Cumberland county and engaged in farming near Slate Hill, in Lower Allen township, a few years afterward removing to Franklin county, where he farmed and owned a saw- mill. Later he moved to Idaville in Adams county, and then retired, being advanced in years. John C. Markley received an ex- cellent education, as his parents were in easy circumstances, and was reared to practical farming. He married Isabella A. Weaver, of Adams county, and after his marriage settled on a farm in Adams county which he operated until he engaged in the manufacture of windmills, of which he was a patentee. At a later date he resumed farming, in But- ler township, Adams county. He became one of the most prominent and respected men of that locality, and for twenty-two years served as a justice of the peace. His father, Daniel Markley, was also a justice of the peace for many years, and his brother, Daniel H., served as such at York Springs, for thirty years. John C. Markley died in

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November. IS94. and was laid to rest in the cemetery at the U. B. Church at Center Mills, Adams county. His widow still sur- vives. Children as follows were born to John C. Markley and his wife: Urith died young : Florence married John Brame, of Butler township. Adams county; Charles Fremont is mentioned below ; Ruth Ann died young : Harry is a resident of Lemoyne: Georgia married Adam Hotz, of Harris- burg : Grace married Howard Newcomer, of Lemoyne: William, of Harrisburg. mar- ried Kitty Yoder.

Charles F. Markley attended the district schools in Butler township until he was fif- teen years of age and remained on the home farm until he reached maturity. At the age of fifteen he began to learn the milling busi- ness, which he followed for fourteen years. In 1885 he left Adams county and located at Oyster's Mill, on the Yellow Breeches creek, near Jacksonville. Cumberland county, re- maining there for the best part of three years, operating the mill for Elias Oyster. He then operated the Henry Brechbill mill, near Mt. Holly, for one year, and then the Craighead mill, at Craighead Station, for four years. Mr. Markley then removed to Harrisburg for two years and was in the employ of the Reading Railroad Co., in the freight department, for about six years. In 1895 he came to Lemoyne. With Clarence Crow, and later with Robert Byers. he formed what was known as the Lemoyne Cigar Box Mfg. Co., an enterprise which was continued for three years. Since then Mr. Markley has followed contract plaster- ing. In 1900 he was elected to the office for which the members of this family seem, by nature, to be especially fitted, that of justice of the peace. His term of office continues until 1905. and doubtless he will fill the re- sponsible position for many more years.

Mr. Markley was married, in 1878. in Adams county, to Alice G. Frazier, a daugh- ter of Stephen S. Frazier, formerly a car- penter at York Springs, where he was born. Mr. Frazier followed carpenter work and cabinetmaking until he enlisted for service in the Civil war. in 1862 entering Company I. 165th P. V. I., and he died in the hospital at Norfolk. Va .. in 1863. At a later date the members of his company, by whom he was much beloved. had his body embalmed and reburied at York Springs, and in a boly followed the remains to their last resting place. He was a Republican in his political attitude, having been a Whig in earlier life. and in religion he was a consistent member of the Methodist Church. After an interval of fourteen years Mrs. Frazier was married to Philip Beamer, who died in December. 1892. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Fra- zier were as follows: Ellen married Eli LaRue. of York Springs: Florence marrie 1 Levi Smith. of Kansas City: Alice G. be- came Mrs. Markley: Stephen. of York Springs, married Alice Mengas. The Fra- zier family was established in the United States by John Frazier. the grandfather of Mrs. Markley, who was probably born in the North of Ireland. of Scotch-Irish parent- age. He came to America in young man- hood, married ( first ) Polly Proctor. and (second) Hannah Smith, and died at York Springs, of which he was one of the found- ers. The children of his first marriage were : Stephen S .: Elizabeth, Mrs. Jacob Tanger. of Adams county: Proctor, who died young : and of his second union: Emily, Mrs. Si- mon Musselman. of Dayton; Eliza. Mrs. Samuel Greer. of Tadmor, Ohio; and Ellen, Mrs. Milton Singer. of Dayton, Ohio.

Mr. and Mrs. Markley are members of the U. B. Church at Wormleysburg, in which both are active. Mr. Markley being one of

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the teachers in the Sunday-school. They have two children, Clarence and Helen. Po- litically, he is a Republican, and fraternally, he belongs to the Modern Woodmen.

JAMES C. FLEMING, editor and pro- prietor of the Shippensburg News, was born April 30, 1861, in the borough of Shippens- burg, son of George Fleming, and grandson of James Fleming, who was born at Coates- ville, son of John Fleming, a native of Coatesville, Chester Co., Pa., of Scotch-Irish clescent.

George Fleming, father of James C., was born September 3. 1818. at Coatesville. In early life he was associated with the iron business, and then became connected with the forwarding business on the Cumberland Valley Railroad, traveling from Shippens- burg to Philadelphia and Baltimore. After 1862 he devoted himself to farming, and died Feb. 11. 1884. His family consisted of four sons.

James C. Fleming completed the com- mon school course, and then spent two years in the Cumberland Valley State Normal school. Entered the printing office of the Annville Gasette, he remained there until he had learned the business. Upon his re- turn to Shippensburg he became foreman on the Newes, a position he held for six years. In June, 1900, he purchased the plant and good will, and is the proprietor of one of the leading journals in this section of the State. It is a folio, 26x40, Republican in politics, and has a large and constantly increasing circulation, both in the city and country. This newspaper was established in 1844. and has had the following editors and pro- prietors : John F. Weishample, from 1844 to 1846: J. L. Baker. 1846-1848; Jacob Bomberger. 1848-1853: Bomberger & D. N. Wagner. 1853-1854: D. K. Wagner.

1854-1855; Curriden. Miller & Co., 1855- 1856; Edward W. Curriden, 1856-1864; D. W. Thrush, 1864-1866: D. K. Wagner, 1866-1867: D. K. & J. C. Wagner, 1867- 1893 ; and J. C. Wagner. 1893-1900, when Mr. Fleming took charge.

Mr. Fleming has been associated in a business way with a number of the success- ful enterprises of Shippensburg, had been a member of the directing board of the Ship- pensburg Manufacturing Company, and was one of the seven original stockholders of the Shippensburg Electric Light, Heating and Power Company, which was organized Oct. 3, 1890, but has disposed of his inter- ests in both companies, confining his ener- gies to the production of a first-class news- paper.

On Jan. 14. 1886. Mr. Fleming was mar- ried to Minnie F. Shade. second daughter of George W. and Mary C. ( Elsrode) Shade, and they have two children, Nellie M. and George Clark. Fraternally, Mr. Fleming is a member of Cumberland Lodge No. 90, I. O. O. F .. Valley Encampment, No. 34. I. O. O. F .: Hazel Rebekah Lodge. No. 82, I. O. O. F. ; and Shippensburg Cou :- cil. No. 995, Royal Arcanum.

MILTON R. PETERS, M. D., a prom- inent physician and surgeon of Boiling Springs, is a native of Adams county, Pa., where he was reared. and received his edu- cation in Union Seminary, in which institu- tion he expected to prepare for the ministry. Later, however, he decided to take up the study of medicine, and entered the office of J. H. Marsden, M. D., of Sulphur Springs, Pa. In 1878 he entered Hahnemann Col- lege of Medicine at Philadelphia, from which he graduated March 10. 1881. After re- ceiving his degree he located at Hanover, Pa., and from there moved to Gettysburg.

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where he remained a year, in 1892 locating at Boiling Springs. Since coming here he has established an excellent practice, and is justly regarded as one of the leading physi- cians of this part of Cumberland county. Dr. Peters is a member of the Hahnemann Institute of Philadelphia, and he is very pop- ular socially. He has erected a pleasant home for himself and family. where their many friends are cordially welcomed.

In 1882 Dr. Peters married Miss Jen- nie Virginia Collins, of Adams county. a daughter of John W. Collins. Dr. and Mrs. Peters have three children, Hale L .. Lydia and Bender. They are members of the U. B. Church and very prominent not only in Boiling Springs, but throughout the county.

Dr. Peters comes of good German stock. His great-grandfather, Ulrich Peters, came from Germany and settled near Gettysburg, where he was engaged in horticulture, raising fruit trees. His family was a large one, and nearly all of his sons followed in his line of business. Some of the sons went W'est and established large nurseries at Troy and Carlisle, Ohio.

Jolin Peters, the Doctor's grandfather. was a nurseryman in Adams county. He married a Miss Group, by whom he had the following family: William, a farmer of Adams county ; Daniel; David, who married and moved to New Carlisle, where he estab- lished a large nursery; George, a nursery- man at Troy, Ohio; Jolin, a nurseryman of Urialı, Cumberland county; Eliza; Susan. married to Rev. Mr. Schaff ; Rachel, Mrs. Haskell ; Matilda, Mrs. Eppleman ; and Cath- erine, Mrs. Hewitt.

Daniel Peters, the father of Dr. Peters, dlied in 1891, aged sixty-seven years. Dur- ing a number of years he followed farming and milling, and was an experienced machin- ist. He was also a local preacher of the

Evangelical Church, and was a devout Chris- tian man. His wife, whose maiden name was Bender, died when about forty-five years of age. She bore him seven children : Cath- erine, wife of C. E. Porter, a nurseryman of Bendersville; John, a minister of the Presbyterian Church, stationed at Benards- ville, Texas; Milton R .; Fillmore, of Center- ville; Clayton A., a professor of biology at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, N. Y .; Anna E., married to P. D. Richwine, of Boston, Mass. ; and one child that died in infancy. This family is well represented in the several professions as well as in business circles, and all have been successful. Drs. William, George and John C. Peters, of New York City, the latter the author of sev- eral medical works, belong to the same fam- ily. The Rev. M. C. Peters, author and lecturer of Philadelphia, also belongs to this branch of the Peters family. -

HON. J. CALVIN RUMMEL, Burgess of Shippensburg, Cumberland county, Pa., and president of Rummel, Himes & Co., manufacturers of clothing, is one of the prominent and enterprising citizens of this portion of the State.

Mr. Rummel was born March 7, 1846, in Antrim township, Franklin county, Pa., son of John and Catherine ( Miller) Rum- mel, also natives of Franklin county. They were most highly respected residents of their locality, and lifelong members of the Re- formed Church.

J. Calvin Rummel attended the district school until eleven years of age, beginning his business career at that age as a clerk in the general store at Middleburg, Franklin county, where he was employed five years. He then accepted a position as clerk with Samuel Ogliby at Hagerstown, M.d., remain- ing at Hagerstown five years. From there

J. Calvin Rummel

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he went to Philadelphia with the firm of Wood, Marsh, Haywood & Co., and then located at Mercersburg, where he entered into a business partnership with John Rear- ick, which continued for five years under the firm name of Rearick & Rummel, dealers in dry goods, and conductors of a general store. At the expiration of five years Mr. Rummel sold his interest and retired from the firm.

After his marriage Mr. Rummel located at Newville, Cumberland county, Pa., em- barking in a mercantile business which he successfully conducted for two years, and then disposed of his stock to William R. Titler, who succeeded in the business. After a short residence in Franklin county Mr. Rummel came to Shippensburg, Aug. 18, 1877, where he engaged in a mercantile business from 1877 to 1888, when he dis- posed of this business. At this time Mr. Rummel organized the Shippensburg Man- ufacturing Company, of which he was made president. In 1903 the name of the firm was changed to Rummel, Himes & Co., In- corporated, with J. C. Rummel, president, George W. Himes, treasurer, and Charles L. Rummel, secretary. Their factories are located at Shippensburg, Mongul and Fay- etteville, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Rummel has had other business in- terests, having been president of the Ship- pensburg Electric Light Co., and is now senior member of the firm controlling the People's Coal and Ice Co. However, his greatest interest, outside of politics, is in the business which he established, and which has grown to such large proportions. The present plant at this city is of brick, and is equipped with modern machinery, both water and steam power being used. Em- ployment is given to nearly two hundred. Mr. Rummel is also interested in a company operating an immense peach farm, probably

the largest venture of the kind in Cumber- land county, and in the People's National Bank of Shippensburg.

Since 1878 Mr. Rummel has been a member of the board of trustees of the Pres- byterian Church, and was a member of the building committee when the church and manse were erected, and for many years was superintendent of the Sabbath-school and a director in the Cumberland County Bible Society. In 1903 Mr. Rummel was elected, on the Prohibition ticket, Burgess of Ship- pensburg, a position he fills with dignity and efficiency. Since 1884 he has zealously worked for Prohibition principles in local as well as national issues. He has been for years State committeeman and county chairman, and was a candidate for his party for State senator, receiving a large vote in 1896.

Mr. Rummel married Miss Alice Parker Lowe, of Mercersburg, daughter of Charles Gillespie and Mary ( McFarland) Lowe. Two children were born to this union : Charles L., a graduate of Shippensburg high school, who is secretary of Rummel, Himes & Co., was married June 17, 1903, to Miss Mary Bender, daughter of Dr. John W. Ben- der, of Shippensburg. Mary Catherine, a graduate of the Shippensburg high school, and also of Wilson College, at Chambers- burg, was married June 2, 1904, to Jeremiah S. Omwake, of Shippensburg. She is a lady of many accomplishments, and is gifted in music.

ROBERT L. MYERS, of Camphill, Cumberland county, was born Nov. 16, 1862, at Round Hill, Adams Co., Pa., where his great-great-grandfather, Philip Nich- olas Myers, settled in 1736. His father was the late Adam Smyser Myers, and his mother was Margaret Berkheimer, daughter

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of the late Samuel Berkheimer, of Mechan- icsburg.

Mr. Myers was educated in the public schools of Adams county, at Baugher's Academy. Hanover. Pa .. and graduated from the Pennsylvania State Normal School at Shippensburg. in the class of 1885. He taught and supervised schools in Adams, Cumberland and Dauphin counties. He is the founder and manager of the National Educational Bureau and senior member of the firm of Myers. Fishel & Co., educational publishers, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

In 1887 Mr. Myers married Miss Joanna Bowman, daughter of the late Dr. J. D. Bowman. of Camphill. niece of H. N. Bow- man. Esq .. of Camphill, of the late Ex-sher- iff George B. Eyster, of Cumberland county. and of Mrs. J. E. Barnitz, of Carlisle. His family consists of his wife and five children -Helen. Alice. John, Robert and Joanna.

The Democratic party claims Mr. Myers as a member, and he represented Cumber- land county in the Legislature for three con- secutive terms, 1899-1900, 1901-1902, and 1903-1904. His activity in behalf of his constituents, his untiring loyalty to the best interests of the Commonwealth, and his un- yielding opposition to legislative crooked- ness secured for him the confidence of his constituents, and won praise from the best journals throughout the State. Although he gave due attention to every class of leg- islative work, yet he gave special attention to all educational legislation, and during his last two sessions every educational measure that he opposed was defeated, and every educational measure he championed was passed. To him the State owes the various measures, rendering the town- ship high school law of 1895 effec- tive-(1) By the passage of the law provid- ing for the centralization of rural schools,

the poor man's children as well as the rich man's children are afforded a means of reaching the central high school; the "little tots" as well as the big boys and girls are brought within the cherished influence of the more cultured teacher of the high school; the patrons have a common interest : and the whole community is drawn together. (2) The prolonged struggle for the passage of the Centralization Law won the support of the public press and resulte.l finally in se- curing a special appropriation of fifty thou- sand dollars for the encouragement of town- ship high schools, which, during the session of 1903, was increased to one hundred thou- sand dollars. (3) By inserting into the gen- eral appropriation bill the proviso. "That participation in the amount hereby appro- priated for the encouragement and support of township high schools shall not be made dependent upon the teaching of any dead or foreign language," he checked the Depart- ment of Public Instruction in its tendency to hamper the growth of township high schools by its insistence upon an undue amount of Latin and German, which was required by the courses of study issued by the Depart- ment prior to 1901.

In the course of his legislative career he delivered the following addresses, which were at the time notable : A eulogy on the death of his colleague, the Honorable Henry W. Manning, delivered in the Hall of the House of Representatives, session of 1899; "Needed School Legislation." delivered be- fore the Cumberland county School Direc- tors' Association at its Midwinter meeting in 1899, in Mechanicsburg .- of which five thousand copies were printed and circulated; "What Shall Our Public Schools Teach?" delivered before the Cumberland County School Directors' Association at its midwin- ter meeting in 1900, in the Shippensburg

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State Normal School; "Does the Community Get the Worth of the Money It Expends on Its Schools?" delivered before the seventh annual convention of the Pennsylvania State School Directors' Association, Feb. 13, 1902, in the Hall of the House of Representatives, Harrisburg, of which six thousand copies were printed and circulated; an address in opposition to the measure which aimed to deprive teachers of their right to sell school supplies during their vacations, session of 1903, which was extensively quoted and commented upon by the newspapers of the State, irrespective of party. In addition to these more formal addresses, he spoke to large educational meetings in nearly half of the counties of the State, including Wash- ington, York, Clearfield and Clinton.

Mr. Myers is serving his fourth term as a member of the Camphill School Board. He is a director in the Farmers' Trust Com- pany, Carlisle. Pa., a director in the Hamil- ton Library Association, Carlisle, a member of the Board of Trade of the City of Harris- burg, a life member of the Pennsylvania State School Directors' Association, and chairman of the Legislative committee for the years 1901, 1902 and 1903.

CALEB S. BRINTON. In 1854 Caleb Brinton came to East Pennsboro, Cumber- land county, and for a period of ten years resided upon a farm owned by the late Richi- ard J. Haldeman, just south from West Fairview. For some years prior to his com- ing to Cumberland he had resided in Dat- phin county, near Harrisburg, but he was born and reared in Chester county, Pa. From the information in hand the lineage is not clearly established, but it is reasonably cer- tain, that Caleb Brinton was a descendant of William Brinton, who in 1684, landed at Newcastle on the Delaware. That early

Brinton ancestor came from Birmingham, England, and, it is said. was already an old man with long white hair when he came. Instead of remaining in the settlement at the landing place, he pushed into the wilderness and located on the Indian trail, twelve miles back from the river. where, during the first winter of his stay, he would have starved had not the Indians helped him out with game. The public records show that he subsequently acquired a large amount of land in that lo- cality, and was quite prominent as a citizen and as a member of the Society of Friends. He had a son William. who had four sons, from whom sprang the many Brintons now scattered over Chester. Lancaster and Cum- berland counties. Ever since their first set- tlement in America the Brintons have been known as an intellectual. progressive family. holding well-defined convictions upon all public questions and possessing the courage to advocate and promote what they believed to be right and proper. The family name of Caleb has come down through many genera- tions, and is one of the signs that blaze the lineage through more than two hundred and twenty years of descent.

The Caleb Brinton who settled in Cum- berland county in 1854 married Lydia Alle- man. by whom he had children as follows : Martin is mentioned below: John, who was born in Dauphin county, near Harrisburg, in 1835, died in 1897. leaving a family who continue to reside in that city: Ellen, who married P. M. Hershey, resides in Har-' risburg; Susan married Joseph DeWitt Sprout, of Cumberland county, and both have died, leaving two sons who reside in Harrisburg : Caleb, who during the Civil war entered the Union army from Illinois and rose to a position on the staff of Gen. John A. Logan, now lives at Helena, Mont. : George was for many years in business in

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Harrisburg, where he still lives, but is now retired from active business engagements : Elizabeth, who married Dr. B. F. Jones, of Cornell, Illinois, died in 1894: Henry N. is an active business man of Harrisburg.

Martin Brinton. the eldest child of the family, was born Feb. 22, 1832, in Dauphin county, near Harrisburg. He spent his youth and young manhood upon the farm, and received his education in the country dis- trict school. In 1862 he married Nancy. daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Stoner) Dietz, and granddaughter of George Dietz. Nancy Dietz's parents were natives of York county, where her father and paternal grand- father were born on the same farm. In 1837 while yet a citizen of York county, Daniel Dietz bought from Alice Carothers a farm in East Pennsboro township, which her grandfather, William Carothers, in 1762, purchased from the proprietaries of the Prov- ince, and moving to it there lived out the rest of his days. He died Jan. 10, 1860, at the age of sixty-two; his wife, Lydia Stoner, died Aug. 31, 1866, at the age of sixty-eight. and their remains are buried in the grave- yard of the Brick Church near West Fair- view.

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Biographical annals of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families, Part 27

Author: Genealogical Publishing Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Genealogical Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 994

Author: Genealogical Publishing Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Genealogical Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 994