USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Biographical annals of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, containing genealogical records of representative families, including many of the early settlers and biographical sketches of prominent citizens, Vol. I > Part 33
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"The day that hath no evening, The health that hath no sore ; The light that hath no ending, But lasteth evermore."
ABRAHAM H. HENDRICKS, district at- torney of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was born at Collegeville, 'Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, December 21, 1866. He is the son of Joseph H. and Catharine (Hunsicker) Hendricks, both natives of Montgomery county. They had five children, one son and four daughters, as follows : Ella M., wife of F. G. Hobson, of Norristown ; Bertha, wife of Rev. Charles Wehler, of Phoenix- ville, Pennsylvania, Abraham H., of Pottstown; Miss Sarah C., of Collegeville; and Lizzie, who died in infancy.
Joseph H. Hendricks (father) was a school teacher in young manhood, and is now pastor of Trinity Reformed church of Collegeville. He celebrated his fortieth anniversary as a minister in April, 1902. He is also pastor of the Skippack church.
Abraham H. Hendricks (paternal grand-
father) was a native of Montgomery county. By occupation he was a farmer. His wife was Cath- arine Hunsicker and they had six children. At the time of his death he was more than seventy years of age.
Rev. Abraham Hunsicker (maternal grand- father) was also a native of Montgomery county and was of German descent. He was a farmer and a Mennonite preacher and was the founder of Freeland Seminary, now Ursinus College. His wife was Elizabeth Alderfer, who lived to her one hundredth year. He was more than sixty years old at the time of his death.
Abraham H. Hendricks lived in Collegeville until 1893. He attended the public schools there and was graduated from Ursinus College in the class of 1888. He began reading law in the office of Bickel & Hobson of Norristown in the same year. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1890, and has practiced in Pottstown ever since.
On October 21, 1890, he married Miss Ella T. Miller, daughter of Addison T. and Lucinda (Dismant) Miller. They have one daughter, Miriam E. Hendricks. Mr. Hendricks is a mem- ber of Trinity Reformed church at Collegeville and his wife of St. Augustus Lutheran church at Trappe.
Mr. Hendricks belongs to Warren Lodge, No. 310, Free and Accepted Masons, and is past master of the lodge; to Pottstown Chapter, No. 271, Royal Arch Masons ; to Nativity Commandry No. 71, Knights Templar ; to Manatawny Lodge, No. 214, I. O. O. F., and Excelsior Encampment, No. 85. He is first exalted ruler of the Benevo- lent Protective Order of Elks, No. 814, of Potts- town ; past regent of Pottstown Council, No. 351, Royal Arcanum, and representative in the grand council for four years ; also a member of Wash- ington Camp, Patriotic Order Sons of America, of Pottstown; and of the Fraternities' Accident Order.
Mr. Hendricks is one of the most prominent Republicans of Montgomery county. He was solicitor of the borough of Pottstown for three years, until March, 1899, being elected by a Dem- ocratic town council; and in the fall of 1898 was elected to the office of district attorney, and re-
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elected in 1901, being the only district attorney of Montgomery county that ever served two succes- sive terms in the position.
The name Hendricks is of wide distribution in all parts of the United States and the family are undoubtedly of Dutch origin, their first ancestor in this country having settled at Germantown. The family name is said to have been originally Hendricksen.
The father of District Attorney Hendricks was born December 21, 1834, in Upper Providence township, his maternal grandfather. being Rev. Jolın Hunsicker and his maternal great-grand- father Rev. Henry Hunsicker, both very prom- inent and influential Mennonite bishops in their day in eastern Pennsylvania. He was at first, on reaching manhood, a teacher, becoming assistant in Freeland Seminary and vice-principal of the institution, founded by Rev. Abraham Hunsicker, whose daughter he married in the fall of 1858. While engaged in this occupation, at a meeting of the Christian Society in 1860, he was chosen to the office of minister. On June 25, 1861, he was or- dained. The Christian Society, of Collegeville, was the outgrowth of a disownment by the Men- nonite church of Rev. Abraham Hunsicker, Israel Beidler, Abraham Grater, and Henry A. Huns- icker and about forty of their followers, by a branch of the Mennonite church of which they had all been members. The charges against them were founded on their liberal views of Christian doctrine, church fellowship, education, and kin- dred matters. The schism gave rise to the build- ing of the Christian Meeting-House at College- ville, which was opened to worship in 1855. Of this church Mr. Hendricks became the pastor in 1862. The charge subsequently known as Trin- ity Christian church, with its branches at Skip- packville, and Iron Bridge (formerly Rahn's Sta- tion) remained independent until 1888, when all became connected with the German Reformed church in the United States, although the Skip- packville congregation was not formerly made a part of that denomination until 1892. The Col- legeville church was very advanced in its views on slavery, intemperance and on popular educa- tion. Mr. Hendricks is one of the oldest pastors
in the county. He is a pleasant and popular speaker and is highly respected by the entire com- munity in which he has been so active a spirit during his long lifetime.
District Attorney Hendricks is one of the best- known lawyers of Montgomery county. He has performed efficiently the duties of the responsible office which he has held and has been especially active in the effort to put a stop to lawlessness in all sections of the county, doing all in his power to discover and punish the authors of the mys- terious assaults and murders which have oc- curred from time to time in the last few years.
HIRAM B. FEATHER, one of the leading grocers of Pottstown, was born in Falkner's Swamp, New Hanover township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, June 18, 1846. He is the son of Jacob and Carolina (Bitting) Feather, both natives of Montgomery county. Jacob and Caro- lina Feather had four children, two now living : Hiram B. and Mary, wife of Jacob S. Wagner, of Falkner's Swamp.
Jacob Feather (father) was a shoemaker by trade, but spent the greater part of his life on a farm in New Hanover township. He died in May, 1884, aged sixty-seven years. His wife died five weeks later, aged seventy years. In re- ligious faith he was a member of the Reformed church and his wife was a Lutheran.
Isaac Feather (grandfather) was born in Montgomery county. He was a weaver and in his younger days was engaged in the hotel busi- ness. His wife was Mary Bickel. They had four children. At the time of his death Isaac Feather was about seventy-five years of age and his wife lived to the age of ninety-four. Isaac Feather was of German descent.
The maternal grandfather of Hiram B. Feather was Isaac Bitting. He was born in Montgomery county. His wife's given name was Elizabeth and they both lived to an advanced age, leaving a large family.
Mr. Hiram B. Feather has lived all of his life in Montgomery county, except one year spent in Philadelphia and one year in Berks county. He attended the district schools and later the Waslı-
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ington Hall Seminary at Trappe. For the next four years he taught school. He attended Pierce's Commercial School in Philadelphia. After clerk- ing one year in Reading and two in Pottstown he opened a grocery store of his own in Pottstown, which he has conducted very successfully ever since.
November 28, 1872, Hiram B. Feather married Miss Sallie G. Hartline, daughter of George and Elizabeth (Gauser) Hartline. They had three children, two sons and one daughter, all of whom died in early childhood. Mrs. Feather died in May, 1897, at the age of forty-eight years. She was a member of Trinity Reformed church to which Mr. Feather also belongs and in which he is an elder.
Politically Mr. Feather is a Democrat. He is a director of the school board, which position he has held for more than fourteen years, and he is now serving his sixth term as treasurer of the board. He is also a member of the board of health. He resides in the house adjoining his store, 213 Charlotte street, which he built in 1893.
DR. JOHN TODD, a prominent physician of Pottstown and one of the best known medical men in the county, was born at Collegeville, Mont- gomery county, Pennsylvania, April 30, 1830. He is the son of John and Christianna ( Bachman) Todd, both natives of Montgomery county. John and Christianna Todd had six children, four sons and two daughters: Dr. John Todd; William, of Norristown ; Christianna, wife of Horace Royer, but now deceased ; Emily, wife of H. W. Kratz, of Norristown; Samuel N. of Boyertown; and Brooke, of Reading, Pennsylvania.
John Todd (father) was a farmer and lived in Upper Providence township at Freeland, now Col- legeville, where he died in 1863, aged eighty-five years. His wife died in February, 1887, aged seventy-six years. He was a Presbyterian and his wife was reared an Episcopalian. John Todd was sheriff of Montgomery county one term and treasurer one term. Under Governor Porter he was appointed appraiser of damages in connection with the Pennsylvania Railroad. In politics he was a Democrat.
Andrew Todd (grandfather) was born in Ire- land but removed to America and settled in Mont- gomery county early in life. He was born of Scotch-Irish parents. He was the first justice of the peace in Montgomery county and held office as long as he lived. He was a farmer. He died on the farm near Collegeville, when nearly eighty- seven years of age. He was a brother of the father of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln.
John Bachman (maternal grandfather) was a native of Montgomery county and died in mid- dle life. He had a small family.
Dr. John Todd was reared in Montgomery county and attended first the district schools and later Freeland Seminary, now Ursinus College. He taught school for about three years. In 1854 lie began the study of medicine at Harleysville and graduated from the Pennsylvania Medical College in 1857. He practiced thirteen years at Boyertown before going to Pottstown, where he has been since 1870. The Doctor has had an ex- tended practice and his records show that he has been in attendance at almost five thousand births.
In March, 1857, he married Miss Amanda Smith, daughter of J. K. Smith, a hardware mer- chant of Philadelphia. Her mother was a Keeler.
Dr. John Todd and Amanda (Smith) Todd had one child, a daughter, Amanda, who married George Kramer, of Philadelphia. They have three children : Jacob, Stanley and Mabel.
The second marriage of Dr. John Todd oc- curred November 23, 1862, to Sarah M. Heller, daughter of Daniel and Mary Heller, of Boyer- town. By his second marriage he had seven chil- dren : (1) Blanche married Irvin Culp, of Phila- delphia, and they have two children, Robert and Helen. (2) Bertha married Lyman Byers, of At- lantic City, and they have three children, Blanche, John and Clarence. (3) Sarah married Maurice Gilbert, of Pottstown, and they have one child, Marion. (4) Mary married H. I. Schotter, and they live in Allegheny county, Pennsylvania. (5) Clara died at the age of three years. (6) John, an electrician, married Miss Effie Davis and they have three children : John, Geraldine and Ruth. (7) Florence died at the age of three years.
Dr. John Todd and wife are members of the
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Lutheran church. Dr. John Todd is a member of Stichter Lodge, No. 248, Free and Accepted Masons ; Phoenix Chapter, No. 194, Royal Arch Masons; and Phoenix Commandery, No. 15, Knights Templar. Politically he is a Democrat.
Dr. John Todd was burgess of Pottstown for several years, a member of the town council nine years and was elected to the constitutional con- vention, which did not convene. He is a trustee of the Bringhurst Trust Fund and is a director of the Security Company. He was a delegate to the Democratic national convention in Chicago, in 1896.
Dr. John Todd is a member of the Pottstown Medical Society and is president of the Hospital Staff.
WILLIAM M. HOBART, the son of John H. and Mary ( Mintzer) Hobert, was born in Norris- town, Pennsylvania, September 16, 1840. His father was a native of Philadelphia and his mother of Pottstown. John H. and Mary Hobart had six children : Robert Enoch, deceased; Captain Will- iam M .; David Potts Hobart, of Williamsport ; John Henry, of Philadelphia; and two who died in infancy.
John H. Hobart was an attorney in Norris- town for many years and afterward removed to Pottstown where he practiced for some years, dying there in March, 1888, aged seventy-eight years. His wife died in 1860. In religious faith they were Episcopalians. John H. Hobart was a graduate of West Point Military Academy but never entered the army. During the emergency in the Civil war he took a company and went with it, but saw no further service. He was district attorney of Montgomery county for a number of terins, first by appointment and afterwards by election.
Robert Enoch Hobart (grandfather) was born in Philadelphia. He was a dealer in real estate and insurance. He was married at Pottsgrove, by Rev. Slater Clay, to Sarah May Potts, born Janu- ary 18, 1770. In his later years he removed to Pottstown, where he completed the house on the hill commenced by his brother-in-law, David Potts. In 1825 he became one of the incorpora-
tors of Christ church of Pottstown. Robert Enoch Hobart was a member of the legislature, and while serving in that capacity he died at Harrisburg, March 17, 1826. His wife died January 2, 1826, and both were buried in the family graveyard.
Enoch Hobart (great-grandfather) was born in Philadelphia, April 25, 1768. He was educated as a lawyer and practiced in that city. His wife was Anna (Pratt) Hobart, of Philadelphia.
The founder of the Hobart family in this country was Captain Joshua Hobart, who came from Hingham, England, and settled in Hing- ham, Massachusetts, in 1633. Captain Joshua was distinguished in the early annals of Massa- chusetts as a member of the house of assembly for twenty-five years, and speaker in 1674.
William Mintzer (maternal grandfather) was a native of Pennsylvania, and his history is in the biographical sketch of General William M. Mintzer in this work.
Captan William M. Hobart lived in Norris- town until he was sixteen years of age, attending Treemount Seminary and the Hill school of Potts- town. He enlisted in Company C, Fourth Penn- sylvania Regiment, and served three months as a private, and then re-enlisted as first lieutenant of Company A, One Hundred and Sixteenth Penn- sylvania Volunteers, serving nearly four years. He was mustered out as captain of Company A. He took part in all the battles of the Army of the Potomac in which the Second Corps was en- gaged.
After the war he was engaged in civil en- gineering in the oil country of Pennsylvania, where he built railroads. He remained thus em- ployed for four years. He then accepted a posi- tion with the Pottstown Iron Company, where he remained twelve years. Becoming interested in the lead and zinc mines of Missouri he went west. He still owns an interest in the Montgomery Lead & Zinc Company and other enterprises.
December 18. 1867, Captain Hobart married Miss Elizabeth Wills Rutter, daughter of Charles and Mary (Ives) Rutter. They have four chil- dren : Anna P., married Joseph Hartshorne and resides at Stowe. They have one child, Josephinc. Mary Ives (deceased) was the first wife of Joseph
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Hartshorne and they had one daughter, Merriel. Elizabeth Rutter and Samuel Osborn Hobart are the younger members of the family. Captain Hobart and wife are members of the Episcopal church. Politically he is a Republican.
·MISS ANNA E. RICHARDS, daughter of George and Anna (Sands) Richards, of Potts- town, occupies the family homestead. Her pa- rents were both natives of Pennsylvania, her father having been born in Montgomery county and her mother in Berks county. They had four children, two sons and two daughters : Sophia M., wife of Dr. Thomas Lancaster, of 1303 North Broad street, Philadelphia : Mark H. Richards, deceased : Matthias E. Richards, deceased ; and Miss Anna E. Richards.
Matthias E. Richards served in the army dur- ing the whole of the Civil war, being on General Bartlett's staff and a major in the Ninety-sixth Regiment. He participated in all the battles of the Virginia campaign, Before the war he was an attorney-at-law in Pottsville. He studied in Lawyer Gowan's office and practiced there a num- ber of years. M. E. Richards Post, G. A. R., was named for him, as was also the public fountain on High and Charlotte streets. He was one of the first defenders of the Union from Pennsylvania.
Mark H. Richards was for many years a real- estate agent for the Reading Railroad Company. He was an active man in politics, being formerly a Whig and afterward a Republican. He took an active interest in school matters in Pottstown and one of the schoolhouses is named in his honor. He was a justice of the peace in Pottstown. Both Matthias and Mark Richards were public-spirited men.
Dr. Thomas Lancaster, the husband of Sophia M. Richards, came from England when about twelve years of age and practiced medicine in Philadelphia for many years. He now lives re- tired in that city. Mrs. Thomas Lancaster died January 13, 1904, at the old home in Potts- town and her remains were interred in Philadel- phia, at St. James the Less cemetery.
George Richards (father) was born in New Hanover township, Montgomery county, Penn-
sylvania, on June 17, 1788. He was educated in Montgomery county but when he became of age he went to Philadelphia and entered a counting house as clerk. He became a shipping merchant and part owner of several vessels running between the United States and South America. In 1811 he made a voyage to Cuba, and another to Porto Rico in the same year. In 1812 he made a third voyage to La Guayra, the seaport of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, South America. Here he witnessed the terrible earthquake that shook the city of Caracas. He was at one time taken prisoner by order of the king of Spain for shipping tobacco. Spain thought that the privilege of shipping to- bacco belonged exclusively to her. He engaged in farming in New Hanover township for some years and lived retired in Pottstown for the re- mainder of his life. He owned the home at No. 213 High street, where two of his children were born and which home has been in the family for more than seventy years. He died there August 19, 1873, aged eighty-five years, two months and two days. His third wife, Anna Sands Richards, died April 6, 1843, aged thirty-nine years. In re- ligious faith he was a Lutheran and his wife was a Baptist.
George Richards was a Mason for many years and was a soldier in the war of 1812. He was a member of the Pennsylvania legislature, being senator from Pottstown district. He was also burgess of Pottstown and interested actively in all public affairs.
His first wife was Miss Sophia Herman, daughter of Rev. F. L. Herman. They had one son, Dr. John Richards (deceased). His second wife was Maria Mathias.
John Richards (grandfather of Anna E. Rich- ards) was born April 18, 1753, and died Novem- ber 13, 1822. He was a member of the fourth congress, 1796-97 ; state senator, 1801-07; mem- ber of the Pennsylvania convention on federal con- stitution in 1787. During the Revolution he was appointed a magistrate before whom the people were obliged to take the oath of allegiance to the government. He was a member of Lodge No. 8, Free and Accepted Masons, one of the very old- est in Pennsylvania, which met at the Valley
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Forge encampment in 1777 and was attended by General Washington and many distinguished American officers. His wife was Sophia Hu- bener, whom he married May 2, 1775. They had a large family. One of their sons, Mark Rich- ards, was a prominent resident of Philadelphia. Sophia Hubener was the daughter of John Hubener. The parents of John Richards were Mathias and Margaret Richards.
The founder of the Richards family in this country was John Richards who came from Ger- many and bought land in New Hanover township, Montgomery county.
The maternal grandfather of Miss Anna E. Richards was Othniel Sands, and his wife was Catharine Sands. He lived at Amity where he owned a sawmill. In religious faith he was a Baptist. He died well advanced in years, leaving a large family.
Miss Anna E. Richards is the only remaining representative of the family now living in Potts- town.
CALVIN FEGELY, of the firm of J. Fegely & Son, wholesale dealers in hardware, coal, iron, etc., 60-62 High street, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was born in Pottstown, September 16, 1858. He is the son of Jacob and Mary (Hunsberger) Fegely. Jacob Fegely was a native of Berks county and Mary, his wife, was a native of Chester county. They had seven children, three sons and four daughters, three of whom are now living : Calvin ; Mary, wife of George Gilbert of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, and Susan, wife of Dr. Charles MI. Vanderslice, of Pottstown.
Jacob Fegely (father) was a mill-wright by trade but he worked at his trade only a few years. In 1853 he came to Pottstown and estab- lished a coal business in partnership with his brother Isaac. The firm continued so for a num- ber of years when William Swinehart became in- terested in the business, and they began dealing in lumber also, and later Isaac withdrew and Samuel Fronehiser became a member of the firm, which was known as J. Fegely & Company from the time of Mr. Swinehart's connection with it, this arrangement continuing until about 1886.
In the year mentioned the business was di- vided, Mr. Swinehart taking the lumber depart- ment and Mr. Fronehiser retiring from the busi- ness. The firm then became J. Fegely & Son, Mr. Fegely's son, Calvin, being associated with him. In 1878 hardware was added to the busi- ness, first in a retail way, and, since the son be- came associated with the firm, a hardware busi- ness has been conducted along both wholesale and retail lines.
Jacob Fegely continued in the business to the time of his death, in November, 1901. He died at the age of seventy years. His wife survives him. Both were members of Emmanuel Lutheran church. He was church treasurer until his death, a period of forty years. He was a member of the town council one year and a school director one term. Politically Mr. Fegely was a Democrat.
Jacob Fegely was one of the organizers of the Warwick Iron Company and its treasurer for many years. He was also one of the directors of the Electric Light Company, Pottstown Market Company, Pottstown Cemetery Company and of the Pottstown Hospital. He was president of the Iron National Bank, and one of its organizers ; of the South Bethlehem Bank and of the Security Company of Pottstown. He was always active in support of institutions and enterprises whose tendency was towards the development of Potts- town. He owned a farm in Chester county. He erected one of the handsomest residencs in Potts- town, at No. 63 High street. He was also the owner of the Merchants' Hotel, now the largest in Pottstown.
Jacob Fegely (grandfather) was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania. He was of German descent, and a farmer by occupation. He died at the age of eighty-five years. His wife, Susanna Fegely, died at the age of seventy-nine years. They had seven children. He was a Lutheran in religious faith and was church treasurer for many years. After retiring from the farm, he resided in Pottstown ten or twelve years previous to his death.
Conrad Fegely (great-grandfather) was a resident of Berks county, living there his whole life.
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John Hunsberger (maternal grandfather) was a native of Chester county and a farmer by occu- pation. His wife was Rebecca Hunsberger. He died at the age of seventy-five years, she at the age of eighty-seven. They had five children.
Calvin Fegely has resided in Pottstown all his life. He attended the public schools of that borough in the different grades, and later the Hill school for two years. He followed farming one year and in 1874 became bookkeeper in his father's store. He has continued in the business ever since, becoming a member of the firm in 1886, and carrying on the business the same as it was prior to his father's death.
On April 14, 1878, he married Miss Lillie Hetzel, daughter of Samuel and Susanna (Wart- man) Hetzel. The couple have had four chil- dren : Minnie, who died at the age of nearly ten years ; Florence, who married George W. Zimmer- man, of Collegeville; Anna and Jacob.
Mr. and Mrs. Fegely are members of the Lutheran church. Politically he is a Democrat. The family reside at No. 55 High street, the old homestead which he has remodeled.
He is a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Fegely is a director in the following corporations: Security, of Pottstown; the Pottstown Water Company; the Pottstown Passenger Railway Company ; and the Cold Stor- age Company of Pottstown.
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