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 71
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[(y), is unmarried. and lives with her parents. (8) Jacob P., born Jan. 27. 1871, is a prosperous farmer of Manor township : he married Sallie Greider. for Catherine B., born March 27. 1873, died in her sey- enteenth year. (10) Mary B., born Feb. 7. 175. lives at home, unmarried. ( II) Harvey, born Jane 30, 1877, died at the age of eighteen years. (12) Christian B., the youngest of the family, born Doc. 23. I879, lives with his parents.
REESE H. DAVIS, long time a resilent of Terrehill, is one of the representative men of Lan- . perils, he had several narrow escapes from the In-
raster county, and bay nes to one of the time-honored families of this section of the State.
Isaac Davis, his grandfather, was a minister in the Albright Church, although he was reared a U'res- byterian. From him the Lancaster Davises are all descended. Isaac Davis died in Caernavon township Jan. 5. 183%, at the age of eighty-three years and nine months. He was a farmer, and his home was in Earl township, in which he had very extensive real estate holdings, which have since been dividel into three tarnas. In religion he was deeply interested. . and was a local minister in the Albright Church. His wife, Lydia, died Oct. 5. 1821, at the age of six- tv-three years. They were blessed with a large iam- ily of children, of whom Richard, the father of Reese H., was one.
Mr. Devis was married, in 1803. to Miss Mary Clime, a daughter of Almer Clime. To this union have come two children: (0) Dora, who died . Aug. 14. 1800, at the age of one year and seven days. Richard Davis was a farmer in early life. and was later engaged in a mercantile business, in con- nection with farming in Brecknock township. Lan- caster county, where he died. He was one of the : leading Republicans of that part of the county, and (2) Richard B .. who was born Nov. 1. IOS, belongs to the firm of Davis & Watts, at Terrehill, where they are extensively engaged in the mercantile busi- less ; he married Miss Margie Weaver, and is the father of two children : Mary and Reese H. Both held various local offices, such as member of the . Richard B. and his wife are members of the Evan- school board, and other positions. He was a liberal gulical Church, of Terrehill, he being one of its tristees. contributor to the churches, as well as to any project for the public good. He married Catherine ( Strohm ) Yundt, who by her first husband was the mother of CHRISTIAN F. HOSTETTER. a highly es- teemed and prosperous farmer of the township of East Donegal. Lancaster county, was born in Man. heim township, Aug. 9. 1837, son of Christian (2) and Catharine ( Franck) Hostetter, who were born in the townships of East Donegal and Warwick, re- spectively. three children: Harriet. who married Moses Wen- ger. is dead: Mary married Sammel Slick, and is dead : John died in Franklin county. To Mr. Davis she bore the following children : Ann, born in Ists. and was the wife of Jacob Manderbosh, died in Ohio. May 15, ISGo; Isaac, born Jan. 23. 1821. diel April 23. 1830 ; Heury, born Sept. IO, 1822, died April 10. : 1853: Richard, born May 15. 1824, die Sept. . 8. 1859. at Naperville. Ifl. : Lydia, born Oct. 21. 1825. is the deceased wife of John W. Oberholtzer : Elmira C .. born Sept. 18. 1820, died at the age of seventeen : Reese H. whose name appears at the opening of this article, was born Feb. 5. 1828; and Samuel B., born Jan. 1. 1832. is retired. and has his home in Terre- hil !. The father died Oct. 10, 1861. at the age of seventy-two years and six months. His widow passed to her rest March 31. 1868. He was a suc- cessful man, and became one of the most prominent citizens of his native county.
Reese H. Davis was reared on the farm. and edu- cated in the common schools. When a lad well in his teens, he learned the carpenter trade. following it, however, only a short time, and about the time
le attained his majority, in company with his broth- er. Richard X., he became engaged in stock dealing, handling horses and cattle for some five or six years. After this the two brothers went into flinois, but sickness, however, compelled Reese H. to return to Lancaster county, and to go from this State to Cali- fornia via the Isthmus route. He spent some five years in that State. prospecting and conducting a stock ranch. His career in the Golden West was not devoid of the discomforts that attended the pioneer life of the early days, and among other dangers and dians.
Vir. Davis returned to Lancaster county a sec- und time, where he married and located at Terre- hiit. Here he became prominent locally, and served three years as supervisor, and three years as a men- ber of the school board. He was engaged in a cigar manufacturing business at Terrehill for some twenty years, and at one time employed as many as thirty or forty hands in his factory. Since his retirement from the cigar shop he has devoted himself to his private affairs, and to the discharge of lis duties as director in the New Holland Bank.
The history of the Hostetter family begins with Jacob Hostetter. a Swiss Mennonite, who arrived in the province of Pennsylvania with his wife Anna, in 1712. They made a home on the north side of the Conestoga, within the present limits of the city of Lancaster. where he died in 1761. They had the following children: Anna, who married John Bru- baker, and died in 1-8-, two years after her husband, John: Jacob, who died in Manor township in 1796; Barbara, who married Christ Hershey: Elizabeth. who married Christ Bomberger : Abraham, who married Catherine Long: Margaret, who married John Kreider : John, who married Elizabeth Shenk ; and Catherine, who died unmarried in Manor town- ship.
John Hostetter, son of Jacob the immigrant, married Elizabeth Shenk, as above stated. They
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BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS OF LANCASTER COUNTY
became the parents of the following children : Jacob. who married Maria Bachman; inn, the wife of Christ Kauffman ; John, who married Ann Kreider : Barbara. the wife of Michael Kreider ; and Christian, the grandfather of our subject.
Christian Hostetter, son of John, lived in East Donegal township. and there married Catherine Kreider, who died in May, 1844, aged seventy-five years. He died Nov. 20. 1847. at the age of eighty- two years, six months and eighteen days. They were both buried in Eberly Cemetery, Mt. Joy, Pa. Their children were: Michael, who married Catherine Kauffman: Jacob, who married Anna Stauffer; John ; Christian ( 2), the father of our subject, who was married to Catharine Franck; Catherine, who married Jacob Newcomer: Anna, who married Henry Nissley, and on his death David Brubaker ; and Benjamin, who married Elizabeth Heistand.
Christian Hostetter (2), son of Christian and father of Christian F., was born Feb. 19, 1805. and was a farmer by occupation. Ife died in Manheim township, Jan. 28. 1879. His wife, Catharine Franck, was born Sept. 2. 1807, a daughter of John and Maria (Bournage) Franck. farming people of Warwick township. She died Dec. 20. 1886. and was buried in East Petersburg. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hostetter were members of the Mennonite Church. and were thoroughly honorable and respectable peo- ple. The following children were born to them: Michael, born in September. 1832, is a retired farm- er in Penn township: John is a carpenter in the city of Lancaster; Christian F .; Catherine is the widow of Isaac Stoner. Penn township: Henry is living on the old Manheim township homestead ; Benjamin, born May 15, 1844, died March 18. 1862; Anna married Joseph Gochnauer, a farmer in East Hempfield township ; and David is a farmer in Man- heim township.
Christian F. Hostetter, the subject proper of this sketch, remained with his parents until he reached the age of twenty-one years, when be began for him- self by working some time among the neighboring farmers, and was in Whiteside county, Ill., for about seventeen months. After this visit in the West he came back to Lancaster county and continued work- ing out among the farmers around him until after his marriage, when he came to his present place. Here his adult years have been spent, and here he is watching the shadows lengthen behind him, knowing that he has lived a good life, honest, manly and square with all. Never has he sought for show, place or power, but has been ever willing to stand in his own place, and to do the work given him.
On Nov. 28, 1867, by Bishop John Brubaker, Christian F. Hostetter was united in marriage with Barbara K. Nissley. This union was blessed with one daughter, Catherine, who married Rohrer Sto- ner. who farms the home place ; they have had a bright little family, consisting of Ellen H., Ada H., Christian H., Mary H. (deceased), Esther H. and Isaac H.
Mrs. Darbara K. ( Nissley) Hostetter was born in her late home March 1, 1840, and there she died Ser ... 16, 1888, aged forty-eight years, six months and twelve days, and her remains are now resting in the Gravbill Meeting House Cemetery in East Donext! township. Mrs. Hostetter was the daughter of the Rev. Peter and Catherine ( Kreider ) Nissley, the former a son of Christian and Anna ( Snyder) Niss- lev. Rev. Peter Nissley was born July 22, 1802, and died Jan. 16, 1890, aged eighty-seven years, five months and twenty-four days. He was a farmer and. Mennonite preacher, and moved to the present honte of our subiect in 1825, and passed the rest of his life there. His wife, Catherine Kreider, born Sept. 29, ISog. died July 31, 1852. Both were buried in the Graybill Meeting House cemetery. To Rev. Peter and Catherine Nissley were born the following chil- dren : Mary, who married Solomon Schwartz, and is deceased : Esther, who died single: John K., de- ceased, who married Mariah Reist ; Leah, who mar. ried David L. Miller, a retired farmer of Mt. For bur- rongh : Christ W., who died unmarried : Barbara K., Mrs. Hostetter : Catherine K., who died unmarried : and Anna K., who also died unmarried.
HENRY FISHER (deceased). The history of a community is made by the substantial. public- spirited citizens of that locality, and whenever a record is made, mention must consistently be made of those who, although no longer living, still speak in the memory of their deeds. Such a man was Henry Fisher, of Lancaster, who passed away in this city, Sent. II, 1879, and is now buried in Woodward Hill Cemetery.
Henry Fisher was born May 2, 1825. in Gears- dorf. France, a son of John G. and Catherine E. ( Helsel) Fisher, also of Gearsdorf, but who came to America. in 1820, with their children, one of whom died on the voyage and was buried at sea. The other children were: George, of Hollidaysburg. Pa .. de- ceased : Lewis, of York, Pa., deceased : Michael, who died in Lancaster : Henry; and Charles, a tailor of Lancaster, Pa. The father died in 187, aged six- ty-eight years, while the death of the mother oc- curred in 18,2, when she was seventy-five years of age, and both are buried in Woodward Hill Ceme- terv. By occupation, the father was a tailor, and he taught his trade to all his sons.
Henry Fisher was reared in Lancaster, Pa .. and learned the trade of a tailor under his father. follow- ing this calling until he purchased a grocery store, and operated it until his death, being very success- ful in his enterprises, and gaining the respect and esteem of all with whom he had business relations.
On Oct. 19, 1848. Mr. Fisher was united in mar- riage. by Rev. John C. Baker, in Lancaster, Pa .. to Elizabeth Flood, born in that city, June 4. 1825, daughter of George and Auna ( Messenger) Flood. of Ireland and Germany, respectively, who died when Mrs. Fisher was quite young, and who were buried in Lancaster. The children born to Mr. and
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BIOGRAPHICAL ANNALS OF LANCASTER COUNTY
Mrs. Flood were: Alexander, deceased ; Elizabeth, Mrs. Fisher ; Mary, now deceased, who was the wife of Rudolph Shultz, a now prominent cigar manu- facturer of the city; Margaret, deceased; and George, deceased. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Fisher were: Henry M., a printer of Lancas- ter, who married Susan C. Snyder ; William F., of Lancaster, and George L. ( married to Kate Steever ), both engaged in the grocery business established by their father, under the firm name of Fisher Bros .; and Mary E., of Westchester. Pa., married to Frank P. Thomas, a printer.
Mr. Fisher was a prominent member of all the Masonic bodies and of the order of Odd Fellows, and took an active part in these fraternities. In re- ligious matters he was a life-long and consistent member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. He al- ways took a deep interest in matters pertaining to the welfare of the city, serving at various times as a member of the city council and as school director.
Mrs. Fisher resides in her pleasant home, with her son William, surrounded by the comforts of life, and looked up to and loved, not only by her children, but eight grandchildren and three great-grandchil- dren, as well as the whole community, where she is recognized as a lady of high Christian character, a kind neighbor and a devoted mother and grand- ยท mother.
ROBERT A. SCOTT. Lancaster county num- bers among its citizens niany influential and progres- sive farmers, and a good representative of this im- portant class is Robert A. Scott, of Little Britain township, who was born June 26, 1847, a son of Robert and Martha J. ( Gibson) Scott.
Alexander Scott, great-grandfather of Robert A .. was a native of Ireland, and was one of the first settlers of Little Britain township, where he pur- chased the home now owned by Robert A. Scott.
Alexander Scott, Jr., son of the emigrant, was reared to manhood on the farm in Little Britain township.
Robert Scott, son of Alexander. Jr., and father of Robert A., was born on the old home farm in 1805, and followed farming as an occupation until his death in 1882. He married Martha J. Gibson, who was born Sept. 5, 1816. and who passed away Aug. 19, 1900. Twelve children were born of this union, eight of whom reached mature years, as follows : Mary Ann, wife of Alexander Ewing, of Oxford. Pa .: Eliza, who married Joseph Wood, of Erie, Pa., but is now deceased ; Martha J., wife of James Clen- denin, of Little Britain township: Harriet G., who married J. L. Walker, of Little Britain township, and is now deceased ; Emma G., wife of Ellis Brown, of Little Britain township : Robert A. : Amelia, who married William Risk, of Drumore township ; and Alice, wife of E. P. Housekeeper, of Fulton town- ship.
Robert A. Scott was reared upon his father's farm, and attended the district school during the
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winter months, as did all farmer boys of his day. .As he grew to manhood, he continued farming. and has made that calling his life work. The homestead, which he now owns, is a fine one, consisting of 150 acres, all of which is in an advanced state of cultiva- tion, and Mr. Scott has made many improvements. Thoroughly understanding his business, Mr. Scott has made a success of farming, and is regarded as one of the substantial men of the township.
On Sept. 2, 1874, Mr. Scott was married to Miss Mary G. Caufman. a daughter of Christopher and Emeline (Gibson) Caufman, of Fulton township. Mrs. Scott was born Sept. 2, 1853, and was one of a family of seven children born to her parents : Lena, wife of Jeremiah Haines, of Philadelphia : Mary G., wife of Mr. Scott: Ida, wife of Fred Paxson. of Britain township ; John, of Britain township : Emma. wife of Amos Nesbitt, of Fulton township ; Fred, of Fulton township : and William, also of Fulton town- ship. The parents of Mrs. Scott are of German de- scent and they still reside in Fulton township, where they are highly respected.
Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Scott: Blanche, born July 25, 1875, is the wife of William Hambleton, of Fulton township; Leiper, born July 21, 18-8, married Florence Herr, of Fulton town- ship, a daughter of Silas Herr ( see his sketch else- where in this volume) ; Robert C., born Doc. IS, 1882; Fred L., born Jan. 8, 1885; and Frank G., born Jan. 20. 1887. Mr. Scott is a stanch Republi- can, and has served his party as auditor, discharging the duties of his office to the entire satisfaction of his constituents. His religious affiliations are with the Presbyterian church, of which he and his wife are members, and they attend the Church of that de- nomination in Little Britain. Having always lived uprightly, being an honorable man in all his deal- ings, and kind and liberal in his home, Mr. Scott has gained in the highest degree the respect and esteem of his neighbors, and the friendship of the best men of the county, and the records of this locality would not be complete without a sketch of so representative a citizen.
JAMES H. FERRY, a retired mechanic of Cole- rain township. Lancaster county, was born in Bart township, same county, May 10, 1820, his parents being Patrick and Catherine ( Dugan) Ferry, both of whom were born in Donegal, Ireland.
Patrick Ferry was the son of Patrick Ferry. Sr., who came from Ireland in 1780, and located at Georgetown. Lancaster county, where his son Pat- rick grew to manhood. The younger Patrick fol- lowed peddling until he earned money enough to buy a farm in Bart township, where he lived until his death in 1827, at which time he left a wife and three sons, his daughter, Margaret, being born three months after his death. His widow later married Samuel Sharp, and moved with him to Kansas, where she died leaving two sons by her second marriage, i Isaac, a noted lawyer now practicing his profession,
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in Washington, D. C. ; and J. L., still unmarried and living in Kansas.
Of the children of Patrick and Catherine Ferry, James H. was the chiest. Samuel B., born in Bart township, in 1823, married in Steubenville, Ohio, where he worked some years as a machinist, and where he died : he was a soldier in the Union army during the Civil war, and served three years at the front, being a member of a corps of engineers formed at Philadelphia. Joseph F .. the third son. born in Bart township in 1825. was sent to West Point, from which he graduated in 1846, receiving an ap- pointment as lieutenant of artillery : during the Mex- ican war he was at the front, and was killed while leading the assault of the battle of Molino del Rey, known as the "Forlorn Hope," being only twenty- two years of age, and a youth of much promise. Margaret Ferry, the only daughter, born in Bart township in 1827, married William Langhan, of Gettysburg. Pa., where he was then engaged in the coach making basiness. Some years later, with his wife, and two children. he started on a journey to Illinois, where he intended making a home in Joliet. but with all his family was killed in a railroad wreck.
James H. Ferry received a very fair district school education, and was numbered among the bright and scholarly youths of his native town. When a young man he took ap teaching, and followed it as a business for some years. In the he was married to Mary M. Montgomery, daughter of Samuel and Eller ( Daily) Montgomery, one of Colerain's all families, and represented in that township since ; IFNo. Mrs. Ferry was born in 1822. Mr. and Mrs. Ferry settled in "Dry Wells Hotel." Lancaster coun- ty, where he kept hotel until the building was de- stroved by fire. when he moved to Lancaster. to take up his trade of tailoring, at which he worked in the summer season, and taught school during the winter. In 1858 he bought land and built a home. He worked at different trades, being good at tailoring. carpenter work and at stone masonry.
an upright and Christian Hife. and was much beloved by all who knew her.
Mr. Ferry has always voted the Republican tick- et, and belongs to Everly Post. No. FR. G. A. R. at Quarryville. He is a member of the Masonic lodge at Christiana, and of the lodge of Old Fellows at Kirkwood. Mr. Ferry is one of the old and highly esteemed citizens of Colerain township, and is much respected. alke for his learning. industry and char- actor. In his berg and active life he has displayed a kind heart, and is possessed of a host of lasting friends where he is known the best.
WILLIAMI HARM. the enterprising and suc- cessful grocer of Columbia, was in the Fatherland. during his youth, a school teacher, having acquired a good education, and possessing a fondness for in- tellectual purs :: ::. Emigrating to America. mercan- tile business chained him, and he became one of the prosperous an I substantial citizens of Columbia, pub- lie-spirited, indential and forceful as a man of his character should be.
Mir. Ilarm was born in Wurtemberg. Vier- many, May 6. 1835. a son of John and Catherine (Wolf) Harte. The father was a lifelong farmer in Germany, and died in 1852. aged sixty-five His wife survived him until 1873, passing away at the age of seventy-four years. Their children were: Fred, who died in Ger- many; Leonard, a coal merchant, who died in Har- risburg. Pa. : John, who farins the old homestead in Germany; Christian, a machinist of Steelton, Pa .; and William.
William ITarm attended! school during his youth, and at the age of eighteen became a school teacher. lle taught for a term of seven months, and then came to America, where a bright and prosperous future awaited him. Locating in the city of Philadelphia, he soon obtained! employment in a bakery, in which he worked steadily for nine years. He then started in business for himself. ani conducted a bakery at Philadelphia successfully for three years. Then re- moving to Columbia. he opened a grocery store. and soon became one of the reliable. substantial business
Mr. Ferry enlisted as a soldier in the Union army. becoming a member of Co. I. 122nd P. V. L. which regiment received its arms at Harrisburg, and was men of the borough. He remained continuously in business to his son George. Upon the latter's death. in 1898. Mr. Harm again assumed control of the business, which he now conducts with the assist- ance of his sons Harry and John. In 1806 the Co- luunbia Brush Company was organized as a stock company, of which. the concern failing in 1808. Mr. Harm and Thomas Edwards became the successors ; : they at once changed the name to the East Columbia Brush Company, which they have thus far run suc- cessfully, and not only reap wealth from it, but also . give employment to a hundred men in the works and i a number outside, who take material and work it up Mr. Harm was one of the original stockholders in the Columbia Trust Com- at once moved to the front under command, at first, , trade until I865, when he transferred his grocery of Gen. MeClellan, and later of Gen. Burnside. It. participated in the great battles of Fredericksburg. Chancellorsvifte, and in the fighting along the Wel- don Railroad, beside many skirmishes that in less important wars woukl rise to the dignity of noted battles. Mr. Ferry was promoted to second ser- geant. and was honorably discharged at Harrisburg. Mr. Ferry returned to his wife in Colerain town- ship, where he has maintained his home to the pres- ent time. In these years he has won a high standing for personal probity and business ability. His wife died in March, 1901, leaving him no family. They had three children, but they all died in infancy. She ; in their own homes. was long a member of the Baptist church, and lived
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pany, and is now one of its directors. In politics he i borious life of a blacksmith until 1892, when he re- is a Democrat, but he is in no sense an office secker. tired from active labor, moving to the home where He is a member of the Lutheran Church, and one of i his widow resided until ber death, to spend the last its liberal supporters. Fraternally he is a Knight of h two years of his life. In his active days he was a Pythias.
In 1863 Mr. Harm was married. in Columbia, to Miss Barbara Greene, who was born in Bavaria. Germany, Aug. 15, 1845. daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Greene. Her mother died in February, 1846, and four years later the father, with his two young chiklren, Jacob ( a farmer of St. Cloud. N. L.) and Barbara, came to America and settled in New York, where he died in I8;1. To William and Bar- Jirs. Nauman's grandfather Reese was drowned bara (Greene) Harm were born the following chil- , at the age of forty years. . Her great-grandfather dren: Emma, wife of Charles Rochow. of Column- Reese, who lived to be one hundred and cxeven years old, passed his ffe near Frederick. Md. Mrs. Nax- man was a Jady of much character, highly esteemed by all who knew her for her industrious and ex- ceedingly usciul Mie, as well as her amiable disposi- ten and kind heart. She passed away March 1;, IDOI. bia; Katie, who died voung : Lizzie, deceased : Will- iam, who married Effe Seasholz. and is manager of the East Columbia Brush Co. : George, who married Mary Wolf, of Lancaster, and died in ISON: Rosa; Charles, deceased ; Harry : Albert, a traveling sales- man ; John ; Minna ; Bertha : Mary : and Huber. Mr. Harm is another instance of the industrious, pros- perous American citizens the Germans become in the land of their adoption. He not only has a beautiful home and a competency, but he has gained an en- 1 viable position as a citizen and a business man in the borough where he has resided for the past thirty- six years.
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