USA > Pennsylvania > Lancaster County > Biographical annals of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania : containing biographical and genealogical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settlers > Part 60
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Christian H. Coble was the second son of Chiris- tian and Eliza (Hoffer) Coble, farming people of Dauphin county, where Christian died in 18so, and his years had reached seventy-five. His second wife, Nancy Snyder, died in 1807. aged eighty years. No children were born to the Second marriage, but those - ---- born to the first union were as follows: Barbara, ' deceased, who married Isaac Meckley: Isaac, who is a farmer in Dauphin county; and Christian H., John, Jacob and Samuel. all deceased. The parents were buried on a portion of their old farm, set aside for that purpose.
Christian H. Coble was reared on the farm and acquired his education in the district schools. He became an excellent farmer and continued to follow agriculture until the wheel of progress, in the shape of the Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad, was turned across his land. After satisfactory arrangements were made with this road in 1880, Mr. Coble em- barked in the grain, coal and lumber business, open- ing up a first-class general store, and he conducted this with success and ability until his death. His very capable wife still carries on the business, which is one of the prosperous ones in the village of Bell- aire. Mr. Coble had the honor of being appointed the first postmaster of Bellaire, which position he most efficiently filled until his death, when its duties
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were assumed by his son and wife. Mr. Coble was prominently identified with Republican politics, and faithfully served the county as one of its comnis- sioners for a period of six years. He was a convey- ancer and surveyor, was also justice of the peace, in fact, was one of those estimable, level-headed men who naturally become almost a necessity to a grow- ing community. In every relation of life Christian H. Coble bore an honest, manly part, and won the esteem of his fellow-citizens.
In 1854 Mr. Coble was married. in Harrisburg, to Anna A. Eby, and a most estimable family was born to this union, as follows : Allen A., a farmer of Mt. Joy township, married Emma Keiper: Edwin E., who married Mary Meckley, is a jeweler in Elizabethtown and is president of the Electric Light Co .; Clara C. married Harry Bachman, the pro- prietor of a hotel in Campbellstown: Christian L., deceased. married Alice Ressler, of Bellaire : Samuel L. and Grant died young : Robert A., a grain and coal dealer, married Jennie Breneman, and lives at home : and Emlin W. died at the age of eleven years.
Mrs. Anna A. (Eby) Coble, who so efficiently manages the business left in her hands by her hus- band. was born March 17, 1836, in Derry township, Dauphin county, daughter of Peter and Mary ( Wis- ler ) Eby, natives of Dauphin and Lancaster coun- ties. The former was a farmer in Dauphin county. where he died in 1846, aged forty-two years. The latter made ber home subsequently with Mrs. Coble, where she died in 1801. aged ninety years. They were members of the Mennonite Church. Their children were: Sanmel O., who is in the hotel business at Bismarck, Pa. ; George W., who died in 1002 : Henry B., a merchant in Bachmanville, Pa. : Anna .A., the widow of Mr. Coble: Mary, deceased. wife of John Detwilder; and Peter, deceased. The paternal grandparents of Mrs. Coble were Michael and Eliza- beth (Oberholtzer) Eby, of Lancaster county, and the maternal grandparents were George and Anna (Breneman) Wisler, also of Lancaster. Mrs. Coble is a valued member of the Mennonite Church, and a lady who enjoys the friendship and respect of a very large circle of friends.
JOHN H. DIEM. The agricultural supremacy of some portions of Lancaster county can easily be explained when one considers the various classes of farmers who manage these interests. Good farmers are no more accidents of chance than are capable workers in any other line. To be a successful farmer every branch must be understood, from a knowledge of the properties of the soil, and its adaption to the vegetable and cercal growths, to the economical breeding and feeding of stock.
Among those who have thus succeeded in Sads- bury township is John H. Diem, who is now retired from active labor, enjoying the ease won by earlier effort. He was born in Earl township, this county, March 21. 1842, son of Kennedy and Hettie (Brower) Diem, the former of whom belonged to
Salisbury and the latter to Earl township, by virtue of birth. Kennedy Diem was a miller by trade and died in Salisbury township, Jan. 21, 1801, at the age of seventy-eight years. the mother of John H. pass- ing away Aug. 21, 1862, when but forty-five. Both these worthy people were consistent members of the Pequea Presbyterian Church, and they were buried in its shadow. For a number of years Kennedy Diem was the efficient supervisor of his township, and a prominent man in public affairs. The children born to Kennedy Diem and wife were: Mary, who died in 1806, first married George Sweigart, and sec- ond. Davis Weller : Catherine, who married Manseli Reed, of Salisbury township: Emma, who married David High, and lives in Philadelphia: John H .: Lavina, who married Joshua Roop, of Colerain township : Ellen. deccased ; Kennedy, who is a ma- chinist of AAtglen. Pa. : Sarah, who married William Axe, of Salisbury township; Margaret, who mar- ried Harry Parker, of Parkesburg: Christiann, who lives, unmarried, in Philadelphia : Susan, who mar- ried Frank Hall, an attorney in Lancaster: Denja- min, who is a farmer in Kentucky ; and Harvey, who lives in California. John Diem, father of Kennedy Diem, was a shoemaker in Salisbury township at the time of his death, although he had been born in Ger- many. His wife's maiden name was Kennedy.
Belonging to a large family, John H. Diem fin- ished his pablie school education in order to become an earning factor in the family, at the tender age of eleven years leaving home to assist neighboring farmers. Until he was eighteen this was his cus- tom, his ready and willing service always making him welcome. Then Mr. Diem learned the wheel- wright trade in Salisbury township, and was en- gaged in this when came the stirring events of !861. His services were with the transportation depart- ment, and as a driver and wheelwright he was in the service of the Government until the close of the war. often being placed in the most dangerous situations, but he returned to Salisbury township in safety.
For one year Mr. Diem engaged here in his trade. and then added to it a coach manufacturing business, continuing in this line for a period of thirteen years. In 1881 he moved upon his present farm, which con- sists of forty acres of well-improved land, and here he remained. also interested in his other enterprises. until 1801, when he retired. Formerly Mr. Diem was connected with a number of fraternal organiza- tions, but resigned from them all, and for many years has been an Independent in politics, voting as his judgment directs, trying to select the best man for the position. irrespective of party ties.
In December. 1868. in Lancaster. John H. Diem was married to Miss Catherine Trego, and the fam- ily born to this union is one of the most highly es- teemed in this township. They are as follows: Har- lin, who operates the home farm : Dorothy, who mar- ried Christian Erb, a farmer of this township: Amanda, who married Harry Mullen, a livery keeper, of Christiana ; Frederick, who resides in Lan-
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BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS OF LANCASTER COUNTY
caster; Rebecca, who is attending college in Phila- delphia : Evanna, who is attending the Millersville Normal School : Brinton, a barber by trade. living at home; Scott, deceased : and Flora. deceased. All of these children have been afforded excellent educa- tional advantages.
Mrs. Catherine (Trego) Diem was born in Salis- bury township Jan. 25. 1843. daughter of Robert and , ary war, and who afterward succeeded Muhlenburg Dorothy ( Ely) Trego, the former of whom was a as Collector of the Port at Philadelphia. to which position he was appointed by President Madison. Walter and John Shee, tea merchants. were among the first to sign the Non-importation Act in 1773, and their names hang in Independence Hall. Mr. Shee's great-grandmother. on his father's side. Ce- cilia Parke, was a sister of Col. John Parke, of Rev- olutionary fame, who carried to Washington the news of the surrender of the British in New York harbor, and the renowned Tolin Parke Custis was a cousin. Few, indeed, among us. can boast of Rev- olutionary ancestry like this. His grandfather, Parke Shee, was one of the oldest paper manufactur- ers in Delaware county (near Media), and he was one of the most prominent Whigs in the State. He died about thirty-five years ago, aged eighty-six vears, and the paper business descended to his son, Edmund Brooks Shee. the father of Farke E. Shec, of Lancaster. native of Chester county, and the latter of Lancaster county and Salisbury township. In his younger years Mr. Trego was a mason by trade, but later he purchased a farm and operated it until within two years of his death, when he retired from active work. The father of Mrs. Diem died April 15, 18So. at the age of seventy-seven years, and the mother at the age of eighty-three years, having survived until 1888. Both parents had been most worthy members of the Presbyterian Church, and they were laid to rest in the cemetery at Pequea, regretted by all who knew them as kind neighbors and reliable friends. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Trego were: Mary A., who married Tohn Ream. a farmer of Salisbury township: George M., who is a retired farmer of Gap; Christiann. who died young: Catherine, the wife of John H. Diem ; and John L .. who is a farmer of Salisbury township. The grandparents of Mrs. Diem were Peter and Mary C. (Jenkins, Trego. farming people of Chester county, and George and . Catherine (Pearl) Elv. of Lancaster county.
Mr. Diem is one of the substantial and respected citizens of this township, who built un a large busi- ness by the exercise of sound methods, and in con- nection proved himself a most excellent farmer and a representative citizen.
PARKE EDMUND SHEE, secretary of the In- ternational Cream Separator Co., whose works are located at the corner of Grant and Christian streets. is a Lancasterian by adoption, having lived here for the past three years, and has had business relations with our people for twenty years. One year ago, he became the organizer of the Cream Separator Co .. of which he is secretary. The other officers are: Byron L. Dodge, of cork works and safety buggy in- terests, president : ex-sheriff John H. Myers, vice- president : and Charles H. Locher, president of the City Trust Company, treasurer. The cream sepa- rator which this company manufactures saves twen- ty-five per cent. over the old crock process. It is not strange. therefore, that the output of the company should find vast sales, not only all over the United States, but even in South Africa. Portugal, Spain, Venezuela. England and other foreign countries.
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Mr. Shee has an exceedingly interesting his- tory, and no man in the State-perhaps no man in the country -- is descended from a more historical line of ancestry. These ancestors came from West- meath, Ireland, and were the owners of Ardanogroh Castle. They left Ireland on account of the tea riots, and settled in Germantown, where their lands were
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confiscated by the British. Mr. Shee's great-great- uncle is mentioned in the Encyclopedia Britannica as l'resident of the Royal Academy of Arts, in Lon- don, and his great-grandfather. Walter Shee, who was a successful wholesale tea merchant in Philadel- phia, was a brother of Gen. John Shee, who was com- . mander of the Ninth Continentais in the Revolution-
Edmund B. Shee, who entered into rest at the early age of forty-two years. married Emaline D. Wayne. daughter of Joseph Wayne. a wholesale lum- ber merchant of Philadelphia. and a granddaughter of a brother of "Mad Anthony" Wayne. Four chil- {Iren were born of this union. one of whom, Frank, died in early childhood. The survivors are: Ed- ward, in the insurance business, in Philadelphia ; Anna, widow of William Thompson. a lawyer of New York. and now making her home in Marviand. near Washington, D. C .; and Parke Edmund, of Lancaster.
Park Edmund Shee was born in Philadelphia Ang. 8, 1855, and was educated in the public schools of that city. He began his business career as a clerk in a sugar refinery. afterward held the position : of time keeper for the Wharton Railroad Switch Co., for two or three years. He then passed three years as assistant superintendent of the Riverside Oil Works, and six years with the Seaboard Oil Works. ! Two years more were spent with Thomas P. Conard, : dealer in rails and equipment. boilers. engines and . machinery, after which he engaged in the same bus- iness for himself. in Philadelphia, for three or four 1 years. In 1808, Mr. Shee came to Lancaster, and is very comfortably located, with his family at No. 552 West James street, College Heights.
Nr. Shee has been twice married. His first wife was Miss Marguerite Bonsall. daughter of Job T. Bonsall, of Middletown. Delaware county. Five children were born of this union, one of whom died in infancy. The survivors are Parke B .. a machinist in Philadelphia, married and has one child : Emma and Mary, both attending Maryland College at
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BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS OF LANCASTER COUNTY
Lutherville. Md .: and Warde attending school in this city. The mother of these children died at Chester, in 1897, and on April 2, 1899, Mr. Shee married Miss Sarah Roberts, daughter of the late Samuel Roberts, of Lancaster. Religiously Mr. Shee is of the Episcopal faith, although his ancestors, pa- ternal and maternal were Hicksite Quakers. Politi- cally he is a Republican, but he never held anv office save that of census enumerator. in Delaware county in 1880. Socially he is a member of the B. P. O. E. Ile is a thoroughly wide-a-wake, progressive and lib- eral minded business man and citizen.
JOHN B. STROH, who is serving as justice of the peace in Manheim, has filled that position for twenty years with credit to himself and satisfaction to. his constituents. He is thoroughly impartial in meting out justice, his opinions being unbiased by either fear or favor, and his fidelity to the trust re- posed in hier is above question.
Mr. Stroh was born in Annville. Lebanon Co., Pa., May 22, 1847. son of John and Leah ( Booser) Stroh, both of whom are deceased. Being left motherless in infancy, he was reared by his maternal grandmother and an aunt, Elizabeth Booser, and was educated in the common schools and the Annville Academy. attending the latter institution during the summer months. At the age of sixteen he began teaching in the public schools of Dauphin county, and taught eight years in the sanic township, work- ing on the farm during vacations and in the evenings. He devoted all his spare moments to study, and by close and continuous application gained a large fund of practical knowledge.
In 1872 Mr. Stroh came to Manheim, Lancaster county, where he purchased property, and at once se- cured a position as teacher in the public schools. Each spring he aiso assisted in the Manheim National Bank for some four weeks. At first he had only a county certificate for teaching, but in 1880 he secured a State certificate, signed by J. P. Wickersham. He always took a great interest in his pupils, and through : his devotion to them turned out some fine scholars. : On first coming to Manheim he had charge of the secondary school : later served as assistant principal one term; and then had charge of the grammar school. In 1870 he taught the high school, but after his election to the office of justice of the peace he returned to the grammar school, with which he was connected until ISo8, when, on account of his in- creasing duties in his private affairs, as well as his official work, he retired from school teaching. hav- ing been re-elected justice of the peace at each suc- ceeding election. He is now serving his fourth term in that office, has been notary public many years, and has also been a member of the town council and audi- tor of his borough, as well as deputy coroner for Manheim and vicinity for eight years, having just been reappointed for another term. Mr. Stroh as- sisted in establishing the city water works, was also one of the promoters of the Manheim Heating & !
Manufacturing Co., of which he was secretary and treasurer. and is engaged in the fire and life insurance business. while in a legal capacity he does a large business in executing deeds, etc.
In 1867 Mr. Stroh married Miss Susan Steen. a native of Lancaster county, and to them were born seven children, of whom two died in infancy. Those living are John Jacob Uriel, a graduate of the high school and Union College of Lancaster, and row chief bookkeeper in a wholesale house in Philade'- phia; Mary Ann, wife of A. K. Huber, of Crete, Neb. ; Elizabeth. wife of W. C. Enck, of Beatrice, Neb. : Susie Maud, a graduate of the Manheim high school. now at home : and Florence Dell. also at home.
Fraternally Mr. Stron is an honored member of Manheim Lodge, No. 58 ;. F. & A. M. : Charter. No. 13. R. A. M .. of Lancaster : Lancaster Commanderv. No. 13. K. T .: Manheim Lodge, No. 657. I. O. O. F .: Ridgly Encampment, No. 217. of Lancaster : Canton No. 23; Kittanning Lodge. No. 25. A. O. U. W .. of Lebanon: Washington Camp, No. 500, , P. O. S. A. : Manheim Council. No. 154. O. U. A. M. : Steigel Castle, No. : 66. K. G. E. ; and the Man- heim Volunteer Fire Commany. At present he is serving as senior warden in the Masonic Lodge. He attends the Lutheran Church, has been a member of the choir for the past twenty years, and also takes an active part in Sunday-school work, teaching the Bible class. Since :8:3 Mr. Strob has taken quite an active and influential part in political affars: is at present a member of the Republican committee of his ward: of the Republican county committee. in which he is serving on the executive board : and has been a hard and constant worker in the party ranks. He is a recognized power in his community, and has always been alert and active in advancing any enter- prise for the public good of Manbeim and Lancaster county in general. He has erected a nice modern home in Manheim, complete in all its appointments.
MARTIN WITMER. One of the representa- tive citizens of whom all speak with respect and esteem, in Strasburg township, is Martin Wimmer. a member of one of the oklest and most honorable families of Lancaster county.
Martin Witmer was born July 6. 1836, and was reared on the form of his father, the well-known Ja- cob Witmer, of West Lampeter. With others of his age. Martin attended the district schools and ac- quired a very fair education, remaining with his fa- ther until the age of twenty-four, since which time he has been operating upon his own responsibility. Until 1802 he was the efficient manager of one of his father's farms, consisting of forty-nine acres, and when it came into his possession at that date, he added a small tract to it. Much interested in all agri- cultural pursuits, he has been a very successful farm- er, and is so regarded by his neighbors, and has also shown himself a public-spirited and progressive cit- | izen, interested in all the affairs for the good of the county.
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BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS OF LANCASTER COUNTY
The first marriage of Mr. Witmer was on Sept. 2, 1862, to Lizzie Huber, a daughter of Levi Huber, of Willowstreet, who died in 1871, at the age of thirty vears, four months and seventeen days, leaving four children: Ida L., born May 27, 1863, married J. Frank Herr, of Paradise township, and they have four children, Ivan, Edna, Myrtle and Miriam ; John H., born Oct. 3. 1864, a resident of Strasburg town- ship, married Barbara Irvin, and they have six chil- dren. Clara. Irvin, Lizzie. Clayton, Cora and Irene ; Catherine, born Dec. 22, 1865. was the wife of Isaac Hostetter, of Paradise township, and died May 2, 1893, aged twenty-seven years, four months, and ten days : and Martin, born March 11, 1868, a resi- dent of Lancaster, married Naomi L. Finnisfrock, and has one son, Howard : the youngest of the family, Abraham, born Jan. 12, 1870, died on Sept. 7th, fol- lowing. The second marriage of Mr. Witmer was on Nov. 13. 1873, when Mary Mowrer, a daughter of Adan and Mary Mowrer, became his wife. She tras born near Strasburg Oct. 14. 1836. To this union were born five children : Adam, born June 29, 1874. resides in Strasburg, and married Lizzie Groff; Aaron, born Oct. 20, 1876, resides in Stras- burg. married Florence McClune, and they have two children. Nom and Sarah: Amos. born Oct. 27, IS70: Mary, Aug. 27, 1881 ; and Enos. born Oct. 6, 1883. all these younger children still remaining at home. The family is one which has long been con- nected with the Old Mennonite Church, and in it and in the community at large it enjoys the esteem of all. In 1802, Mr. Witmer took possession of his property at Strasburg, adjoining the borough on the north. this place containing twenty-eight acres, and on account of its close proximity to the town it is very valuable and desirable.
MARTIN M. FIELES, a retired hotel man of Christiana. Pa., who hears well the weight of many years, was born in 'Warwick township, Feb. 20, 1823, a son of Peter and Magdelina ( Manderbach) Fieles, natives of Duesseldorf, Germany, and Penn- sylvania, respectively.
Peter Fieles came to this country alone when only eleven years of age. and was sold for his passage, serving out its cost in Lancaster county, for a man named Batterman. He worked in the distilling business near Lititz, Pa .. and for over forty years operated a distillery in Warwick township at the same stand. After a successful career he lived re- tired. and died near Berlin. Lancaster county, in 1850. He took an active part in county politics, and on several occasions served as a delegate to the Democratic conventions, though he would not ac- cept office. His wife died in 1853. at the age of fifty-six. They were members of the Moravian Church, and had the following family: Elizabeth, deceased. married Samuel Bricker : Catherine mar- ried Isaac Kline, and is now deceased : William is also deceased : Maria married John Shirk and Abram Bair, and has entered into rest : Henry is deceased ;
Matilda, deceased, married Nathan Sole : Lucy Ann, leceased. married Jeremiah Rhodes: Reuben and Henrietta are both deceased; Martin MI .; Thomas D. is a retired butcher at Amboy. Ill. ; William (2) was a resident of Haysville, Pa .. but has passed away.
Martin M. Fieles was married in February. 1848. to Ellen R. Rogers, who was born in Leacock town- ship. Dec. 26, 1830. a daughter of William and Mar- garet Rogers. This union was blessed with the following children: Martin L., deceased ; Morde- cai M., a hotel man in Christiana : Margaret C., and Kansas M., who both died young: William R., a hotel man in Christiana, who married Cecilia Peters, by whom he has two children, Myrtle and William : Mary E., who married Giles Rush, and lives in Washington ( They have lost one child ) : Maggie. who died at the age of twelve years and two months : Carrie B. and Harry P., twins, who both died young : and two sons and two daughters that died in early infancy.
Martin M. Fieles remained at home with his parents until he was twenty-eight years of age, for three years being in partnership with his father in the distilling business in Warwick township. In ISST the distillery was sold. and Mr. Fieles then en- gaged in the hotel business in Williamstown. Lan- caster county, being located there for some three years. At the end of that period he spent several years on a small farm in Leacock township. For seven years he was in the hotel business at George- town. This hotel was destroyed by fire, and for about twelve months he was out of business. For the ensuing seven years he was in a hotel at Paoli, Chester county, after which he lived retired at Lit- itz some seven years, and then removed to Balti- more, to take charge of a hotel. which he conducted for ten years. In the spring of 188; he came back to Christiana, and bought a hotel for his two sons, which they have continued to carry on to the pres- ent time.
Mr. Fieles takes a Democratic view of the politics of the country. He recalls with satisfaction the fact that in all his busy life he was never before a court, that his fees and dues as a hotel man were promptly paid. that he maintained the most friendly relations with his servants, and that he never sold a drink on Sunday. The hotel at Christiana is a four-story brick structure, containing twenty-five rooms, and is furnished with baths and electric lights.
William Fieles runs a livery and feed stable in connection with the hotel, and also handles trained hunting dogs. In Baltimore he was an extensive shipper of pigeons.
PLANK REESER. Agriculture has found in the person of this gentleman an able exponent of its theories as scientifically understood, and as a dem- onstrator of its actual value through practical labor, although he is now living in retirement in his na-
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