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 99
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and progressive views have found favor with his party and the people in general. In 1899 he was nominated for county treasurer, and notwithstanding the fact that the odds in the county were strongly against his party he came very near being elected. Acting upon the prestige that this demonstration of confidence gave him his party in 1902 nomi- nated him for county commissioner, and he was elected. In this office he is at present serving with general acceptability.
On Jan. 13, 1881, Levi H. Shenk was married to Mary Emma Zollinger, Rev. David Swope, pastor of the Lutheran Church at Centerville, performing the cere- mony. Mary Emma Zollinger was born Jan. 19, 1863, a daughter of David and Maria ( Forney) Zollinger. At the time of her marriage her parents lived at Moore- dale, Dickinson township, but they formerly were of Franklin county, Pa., where the Zollinger family located at an early date, and where they long have been prominent and influential. Since her marriage her par- ents have returned to Franklin county. To Levi H. and Mary Emma (Zollinger ) Shenk have come the following children : Charles Warren, born Nov. 17, 1881 ; Floyd Zollin- ger, Nov. 3, 1883; Martin Luther, May 7, 1886; David Paul, Aug. 5, 1888; Marie Catherine, Aug. 14, 1890; Walter Freder- ick, March 4, 1893 ; and Earl Zollinger, Feb. 6, 1895. The second born of these children died at the age of three years, but all the others are living and at home under the parental roof. The family are members of the Lutheran Church, and attend the serv- ices of that denomination at Centerville.
WILLIAM H. LONGSDORFF, M. D .. a successful practitioner of the medical profession, an honored veteran of the Civil war, a progressive and public-spirited citi-
zen. of Camp Hil!, Cumberland county, was born in that county March 24, 1834, of German descent.
"Henry Longsdorff, his grandfather, came in an early day from Germany, locating in Cumberland county, Pa., on land two miles west of Mechanicsburg, purchased from the William Penn estate.
Adam Longsdorff, son of Henry, was born in Silver Spring township. Cumber- land county. His educational advantages were limited, and on reaching manhood he engaged in farming in his native township. In 1844 he was elected sheriff of the county, serving three years. Returning to Silver Spring township at the close of his term of office. he died at the age of fifty-one years, just six months afterward. He married Maty Senseman, who was born in Cumber- land county, daughter of John and Hannah Senseman, and of the children born of this union only Dr. William H. is yet living. The mother died at the age of eighty-five years.
William H. Longsdorff remained on the old homestead in Silver Spring township un- til he was fifteen, except during his father's term as sheriff, when the family lived in Carlisle. He entered Dickinson College, and at the end of three years' study there, having determined to enter the medical pro- fession, he placed himself under the in- struction of Dr. Dale. In 1856 he was graduated from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and in 1857 from the Pennsyl- vania Dental School. His first location for the practice of medicine was in Bellevue, Neb., but after about a year there he went to Denver. Colo., then a mere hamlet of three or four cabins and less than fifty men. He spent something like a year and a half prac- ticing medicine and prospecting, and then returned to Cumberland county. In Au-
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gust. 1861. he became first lieutenant of Company I. 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry, and was afterward promoted until he attained the rank of major. He was discharged Jan. 19, 1864, with both legs broken at the ankles. During his enlistment the Doctor partici- pated in some eighty engagements, among thein being the hard-fought battles of Per- ryville, Ky .. and Chickamauga, Ga. Re- turning to Cumberland county after his dis- charge, he entered upon a general practice of his profession, and built up a large clientele. continuing thus actively engaged until 1881. when he was elected county treasurer for a term of three years. When he went out of office he located in Carlisle. where he soon reached the front rank of suc- cessiul physicians. In 1897 he made a lengthy visit to the New England States, and on his return to Pennsylvania located at Camp Hill. The following year he erected his present comfortable residence, where he and his family dispense a liberal hospitality.
On April 7. 1857. Dr. Longsdorff was married to Lydia R. Haverstick, daughter of Benjamin and Lydia (Mylin) Haver- stick, old settlers of Cumberland county. To this union came the following children : Harold H., a physician practicing in Penn township: Ernest. who died in 1881, aged twenty-one years: Zatae L., who is married to Dr. A. G. Straw, and living in Man- chester, N. H., where she is practicing her profession, having graduated at the Wo- man's Medical College in 1890: Hildegarde H., of Carlisle, where she is practicing med- icine, having graduated at the Woman's Medical College in 1891; Jessica W. D., who also took a course in medicine, now married to Rev. H. R. Bozorth, and living in Downingtown, Pa .; and Persis M., who is married to E. W. Sipple and living in Montrose, Susquehanna county. All of the
children graduated from Dickinson College where all alike were distinguished for thei high grade of scholarship. All are mem bers of the Presbyterian Church. Politic ally Dr. Longsdorff has always been an un- compromising Democrat, and it was as a representative of that party that he was elected treasurer, an office he filled with such signal ability that he won high praise from men of all parties. He has also served as township auditor and school director. Whatever responsibility he accepts, he en- deavors faithfully to shoulder it well, and he is one of the most useful citizens in his town.
REV GEORGE CONRAD HENRY, pastor of the Memorial Evangelical Luth- eran Church, at Shippensburg, Pa., was born Feb. 22, 1856, at Pine Grove, Schuylkill Co., Pa., son of Rev. E. S. and Sarah A. (Con- rad ) Henry.
The ancestors of the Henry family came to Pennsylvania from Germany in the 18th century. George M. Henry, the paternal grandfather of Rev. George C., was born in York county, Pa .. there married Lydia Strickhowser, and died in 1866. They had five children.
Rev. E. S. Henry was born Nov. 30, 1823, in York county, Pa., and was a gradu- ate of Gettysburg College. In 1850 he en- tered the ministry at Newville, and in 1852 he became pastor of the Pine Grove Church, remaining with that charge until the time of his death in 1897. He married Sarah A. Conrad, daughter of Henry W. Conrad. who was a major in the war of 1812, and who afterward became a prosperous and in- fluential citizen, a member of the Pennsyl- vania Legislature, and a patron of music. Ilis two sons, Frederick W. and Victor L .. were joint editors of the Lutheran Observer at Philadelphia, the leading journal of that
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religious body, from 1865 to 1895. Mrs. Henry died at Pine Grove, in 1869.
Rev. George Conrad Henry was pre- pared for Gettysburg College in both public and private schools at Pine Grove, graduat- ing at this noted institution in June, 1876. He then entered the Theological Seminary, where he was graduated in 1879.
The occasion of the celebration of Mr. Henry's twenty-fifth anniversary in the min- istry, was commented upon in a most pleas- ing and appreciative manner by the Ship- pensburg Chronicle, and we are permitted to quote from this reliable article, as follows :
"In 1878 Mr. Henry entered the minis- try in Philadelphia as a licentiate, and was ordained to the holy office he now holds in September. 1879, in Zion Lutheran Church. Harrisburg, the oldest Lutheran Church in the Valley, and the one from which the late president, William Henry Harrison, re- ceived his nomination in 1840.
"Rev. Henry became pastor of the Millersburg church that year, remaining in Lykens Valley three and one-half years. He then was transferred to the Iowa Synod, and he became pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church, Des Monies, lowa, in 1883. and served a pastorate there of twelve years.
"On Nov. 1, 1894, Rev. Henry received a call from Memorial Lutheran Church, this place, to become their pastor, and has served this congregation faithfully for the past nine years, always responding to calls where duty demanded his presence. During his pastorate at Des Moines, the congregation of St. John's Lutheran Church built a beautiful church and parsonage on one of the most eligible lots in that city, the indebtedness being cleared off the buildings a few years ago by the congregation. Since Rev. Henry's pastorate here he has gained the confidence and love not only of his congre-
gation, but the community in general, His church and Sunday-school are in a flourish- ing condition and are prospering under his guidance." That beautiful tribute is richly deserved.
On June 1, 1880, Rev. Henry married Henrietta Ulrich, of Reading, Pa., daughter of Dr. D. A. and Henrietta ( Nesbit ) Ulrich, formerly residents of Reading. Two sons and one daughter have been born to this marriage, namely: Ruth C., a graduate of Irving College; Donald N .; and G. Harold. Rev. Henry is one of the trustees of Irving College at Mechanicsburg, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. He is a valued contributor to a number of religious period- icals, and is a man of worth, learning and piety.
PHILIP RANKIN KOONS, M. D., so well and favorably known in Mechanics- burg, is one of the leading medical practi- tioners of Cumberland county. The birth of Dr. Koons took place on his father's farm near Shippensburg. Pa., and he is a son of Jacob and Jane (Grier) Koons, both de- ceased.
The early founders of the Koons family came to Pennsylvania from Germany and settled in Lancaster county, where Isaac Koons, the grandfather of Dr. Koons, was born, and there he reared a large family and lived to old age. His children who lived to rear families of their own were: Isaac; Philip; Adam, who moved to Indiana: George and John, who followed him to the same State; David and Jacob, who died in Pennsylvania ; and two daughters who mar- ried men by the names of Black and Duke.
Jacob Koons, of the above family, was born in 1803, in Cumberland county, fol- lowed farming all his life, and died at
45
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Churchtown in 1885. His five children were as follows: Isaac Grier, a farmer of Hamp- den township. Cumberland county: Eliza- beth, who died at the age of seven years; Josiah Grier, a farmer near Mechanicsburg ; Margaret, wife of John A. Means; and Philip Rankin, of this sketch. In politics, Jacob Koons was a lifelong Democrat. He was one of the leading members and liberal supporters of the Presbyterian Church, and was a man who was always held in high es- teem.
Dr. Koons was reared on the old home farm near Shippensburg, where his sum- mers were spent in farm work and his win- ters in the public schools. At an early age he became a student at the Academia Acad- emy at Tuscarora, Juniata county, where he remained a year, subsequently spending three years at the Alexander Classical Insti- tute at Columbia, where he was graduated. The young man completed his education by one year's attendance at the normal school at Millersville.
Dr. Koons then returned to Cumberland county and passed the succeeding two years in teaching school at Oakville, later becom- ing one of the teachers at the Grammar school at Newville. In 1876 he began the study of medicine at Carlisle, with Dr. Keiffer, and in 1877 entered Jefferson Medi- cal College, Philadelphia. Here he was graduated in March, 1879, the president of his class and bearing off the highest honors. The young physician then returned to Cum- berland county and took up a country prac- tice which he continued until 1886, when he located at Mechanicsburg, where he has since resided.
On Oct. 16, 1879, Dr. Koons was united in marriage with Ninna Robertson Brew- ster, of Newville, a daughter of James R. and Nancy (Stewart) Brewster, who were
natives of Franklin county. The Brewsters are among the oldest families of the Cum- berland Valley.
Dr. Koons attributes his success to per- sistent application and a determination to succeed. His practice is one of the largest in this part of the county, and his friends in- clude not only his patients but many pro- fessional brethren and the majority of those with whom he comes in daily contact. He is a member of the County and State Medi- cal Societies, also of the American Medical Association.
JOHN WARREN PEFFER. Philip Peffer, who settled on the Yellow Breeches creek in Cumberland county, in 1773, had a large family. It is definitely known that he had six sons and two, probably three, daugh- ters. His youngest son, named John, was born on the farm on the Yellow Breeches and always lived near the place of his birth. Like most of the boys of his section and time his education consisted of the instruction received in the country school, and the indus- trial training of the farmer. When John Peffer reached the years of manhood he married Elizabeth Souder, a daughter of David and Judith ( Hoffman) Souder. David Souder was a native of Pennsylvania, but his wife, Judith, was born in Germany and brought to America while yet a child. John Peffer's forefathers for generations had been farmers, and he, following their example, took up the same honorable occu- pation. He was not naturally inclined to mingle much in public affairs, but bore his full share of the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, being frequently called upon to fill township offices. He was also ot patriotic impulse, and served his country as a soldier in the war of 1812. In religious faith he was a Lutheran, and he and his
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family were members of the Lutheran Church at Carlisle, where they regularly at- tended worship. A family tradition relates that Jolin Peffer's four oldest children, Philip, Benjamin K., John A. and David S., would walk to Carlisle to church, a distance of six miles, and that when the weather was warm they would take off their shoes on the way and go in their bare feet. John Peffer died Sept. 7, 1872, aged eighty-four years. His wife died several years afterward, also at an advanced age, and their remains are interred in the Lutheran graveyard at Cen- terville, in Penn township. John and Eliza- beth (Souder) Peffer had children as fol- lows : Leah, Philip, Abbiah Jane, Benjamin Keller, John Augustus, David Souder, Sam- uel, Henry, Sarah Elizabeth, and William Alfred.
Benjamin Keller Peffer, the fourth child of John, was born June 3, 1817, on the an- cestral Peffer homestead in Dickinson town- slip, and was named after Rev. Benjamin Keller, who was then the much esteemed pastor of the Carlisle Lutheran Church. The minister came to the Peffer home to baptize four children, Leah, Philip, Abbiah Jane and another, the latter only six months old, and as yet unnamed. When the matter of a name for the baby boy came up for consider- ation the mother requested that the minister give him a name. The minister readily com- plied saying "He shall have my name, Ben- jamin Keller," and Benjamin Keller Peffer he was named. He grew to manhood in the vicinity in which he was born, and on Sept. 5, 1839, was married to Anna Fickes, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. Jolin Ulrich, who was then pastor of the Lutheran Church at Carlisle. Anna Fickes was a daughter of Jacob and Sarah ( Wonders) Fickes, and a descendant of two well known representative families of Cumberland coun-
ty. Jacob Fickes in his day was prominent in the affairs of the Reformed Church of Carlisle, and when that congregation's pres- ent church edifice was built, his was one of the names which were deposited in the cor- ner stone. After his marriage Mr. Peffer began farming on the farm where he was born. and lived there all his life. In his earlier years, prior to the coming of the rail- roads. he teamed on the road, along with his farm work, hauling to and from Baltimore, Philadelphia and Pittsburg, which was an experience he always remembered and often recounted to his children. The farm passing into his possession, he built upon it a new barn, afterward two new houses, and also otherwise greatly improved it. He was a man much esteemed for his modest worth and genial ways, was of a quiet and reserved nature, yet popular, and frequently selected for township office, and once for county office. He long held the position of school director in his district, also that of assessor and other local positions of responsibility, and in 1882, was elected director of the poor. In politics, he was always a Democrat, but while he was a firm believer in the doctrines for which his party stood, he was never a politician nor an office seeker. Benjamin K. and Anna (Fickes) Peffer had children as follows: Sarah Elizabeth, born Jan. 9, 1841; Isaac Newton, Nov. 17, 1842; Wil- liam Henry, July 16, 1846; John Warren, Aug. 25, 1853; Elmira C., Sept. 2, 1855. Of these, Sarah Elizabeth Peffer, on Dec. 1, 1859, married Reuben Fishburn, and has two daughters: Anna Peffer, who is mar- ried to Melvin P. Herman, now of Camp- Hill; and Edna Keller, who is married to George H. Rupp, now of St. Paul, Minn. Mr. Fishburn died Oct. 26, 1890, and Mrs. Fishburn now lives in East Louther street, Carlisle. Isaac Newton Peffer married Di-
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ana J. McKelvy, of Monmouth, Ill., and had five children. His wife died in 1896, and he and all his children reside in Harrisburg. William H. Peffer married Virginia Val- lance, and resides at Mt. Holly Springs. He has three children. Elmira C. Peffer married Dr. J. C. Davis, and lives in Carlisle, where her husband is a practicing physician. They have four children, three daughters and one SO11.
J. Warren Peffer, the fourth and young- est son of Benjamin K. Peffer, was born Aug. 25, 1853. on the Peffer ancestral home, where he grew to manhood and where he still resides. Being a farmer's son he in childhood and youth received the training usually given farmers' boys in Pennsylva- nia, being sent to school during the winter months, and at other times given such farm work as suited his strength and years. Pass- ing through this kind of experience natur- ally made of him the practical and successful farmer which he is to-day. On Dec. 25, 1879. he married Susan A. Weakley, of Dickinson township, a daughter of Stephen F. and Harriet (Kauffman) Weakley, and a lineal descendant of a James Weakley who settled in that same section of country about 1724. when the territory that is now Cum- berland county was yet a part of Lancaster county. Mrs. Peffer is a woman of marked intelligence. is from an intellectual family who have long been prominent, and prior to her marriage was a teacher in the public schools of the county. The family attend the Methodist Church at Barnitz, of which Mrs. Peffer is a member. J. Warren and Susan ( Wcakley) Peffer have one child, Robert Weakley, born March 24, 1883, on the same farm where his father, his grandfather and great-grandfather were born. He was edu- cated in the township schools and at the
Cumberland Valley State Normal school, and is engaged in teaching.
In 1899 Warren Peffer purchased the farm upon which he was born, and where he has always lived, and which has been in the Peffer name and occupancy since his great-grandfather, Philip Peffer, settled upon it in 1773. He is much attached to it, and it is probable that he will spend all of his days in the home in which he first saw the liglit of day.
HON. GEORGE W. MUMPER, one of the prominent and substantial citizens of Cumberland county, Pa., for many years a farmer in Lower Allen township and now a resident of Elmwood, where he has erected a handsome residence, is a worthy represen- tative of an old German family, which was established in York county, by his grand- father.
Michael Mumper, or Momber, as the name was then spelled, was of prominent and wealthy ancestry in Germany, and was a young man when he came to make his own fortune, in America. He was very success- ful and became an extensive farmer and large land owner in York county.
John Mumper, son of Michael, and father of Hon. George W., was born at Dillsburg, York county, Pa., and spent his life there, engaged in farming, dying Aug. 8, 1863, aged eighty-one years. He mar- ried Jane Bealman, of Center Square, who died June 4, 1864. They had these children : Ann died unmarried; Elizabeth is the wife of Jacob Heiges, of Dillsburg; Christina, wife of Daniel Bailey, died at Dillsburg: Michael, who married Eliza Coover, died at Dillsburg; Maria, who married Capt. Jacob Dorsheimer, died at Mechanicsburg; John, who married Elizabeth M. Allison, of Perry
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county, died at Williams Grove, York coun- ty; Lydia, who married Matthew Porter, died March 15. 1874. at Dillsburg : Cather- ine died single; Samuel, who married Mary King, of Adams county, is the farmer on the old homestead; and George W.
Hon. George W. Mumper was born in January, 1828, near Dillsburg, York Co .. Pa., and attended the village school. one of his companions and associates being the late Senator Matthew S. Quay, with whom he was long on friendly terms, although en- tirely opposed to him in his political con- victions and methods. Mr. Mumper grew up a practical farmer, and remained at Dills- burg until his marriage, when he bought a fine farm property in Lower Allen township. Cumberland county, on which he made his home until the spring of 1901, when he re- moved to his present spacious residence at Elmwood.
A lifelong Democrat and a conscientious supporter of the principles of that party, he became prominent in Cumberland county, and in 1874 was elected to the House of Representatives, serving through two terms with an efficiency which reflects credit both upon him and his constituency. For twenty- one years he has been president of the school board, and deeply interested in everything which has promised to prove of substantial benefit to this section.
At Dillsburg, in 1854, Mr. Mumper was united in marriage with Mary Jane Mateer. born in Cumberland county, a daughter of William and Mary Ann (Porter) Mateer. Mr. Mateer was one of the early members of the Silver Spring Church, in the days when, peaceable as was their intentions, they carried with them their trusty rifles. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Mumper were : William Murray, who died at the age of three years; John, who died at the age of
four years ; Lulu B., who died aged thirty- one years ; George B. McClelland, who grad- uated at Dickinson College, in 1884, later engaged in cattle raising in Kansas, and is now a commercial traveler for a Harrisburg shoe house (he married Campellena Mc- Keever, who died in Kansas) ; Samuel, a resident of New Cumberland, who married Harriet Nixon ; and Mary Ann, who resides at home. Mr. Mumper is a leading member and one of the liberal supporters of the Sil- ver Spring Presbyterian Church, and one of its trustees. Fraternally, he is a Mason.
GEORGE CLEVER, who laid out the town of Cleversburg, and gave to it his honored name, has been one of the import- ant factors in the development of the natural resources of Cumberland county. As a merchant, farmer, lumberman, public offi- cial, or in whatever position he is found, he has played well his part, and now, when re- tired from active business his integrity is still unquestioned, and his reputation un- stained. The Clever family originated in Germany, and was founded in America by William Clever, who emigrated in the early days, and settled in New Jersey.
Barnhart Clever, son of the emigrant, was born in New Jersey, and on reaching manhood, moved first to Lancaster county, and thence to Cumberland county, making the latter his permanent home. He mar- ried a Miss Bollinger, and they reared a family of twelve children, six sons and six daughters, all of whom lived to attain ma- ture years.
Conrad Clever, son of Barnhart, was born in Lancaster county in 1781, and was but six years of age when his parents came to Cumberland county, where he grew to man- hood. For many years he was engaged in farming and lumbering, meeting with great.
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success in all his undertakings. He became widely known throughout the county, be- cause of his extended operations, and he was universally respected. He was very active in public affairs, and filled with great credit many public offices. He was a man of large stature, and was possessed of marvellous strength and endurance. His death oc- curred in 1861, in his eighty-first year. He married Catherine Walters, who bore him four sons, Joseph, David, John W. and George, all of whom except George, the youngest, are dead. The mother died in IS39, and with her husband is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery.
George Clever was born upon a farm in Southampton township Jan. 4, 1819. and passed his childhood on his native place. He attended a pay school, and later on at the Clever school. the latter a rude log structure. His schoolmates were his brother David, James B. Ellinger and John McLean. While his opportunities for obtaining an education from books were few, he improved what he had, and he was given unlimited facilities for education along agricultural lines. He remained at home assisting his father until he was twenty-five years old. For three years after his marriage he engaged in farm- ing on the old homestead, and in 1848 he moved to his present farm, where he also operated a grist mill, an old fashioned burr mill, receiving its water supply from a mountain stream. He was a versatile man, and had a variety of occupations. At the same time he was cultivating his farm and operating a gristmill, he ran a general store, and later added a sawmill for the manufact- ure of hard lumber, which he sold to his neighbors. His means rapidly accumulated, and he opened other stores in the county, having six or seven different stores in Cum- berland county alone. He continued to be
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