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 52
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Henrie Ornolin
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In the fall of 1871 he decided that he would leave his native land and emigrate to the United States, as he had been informed of the probabil- ity that he could do well in the great Western Republic, and succeed in life. He left France and landed at Liverpool, with four other young men, bound like himself for America. They sailed from Liverpool in the ship "Algeria," and landed in New York. He then traveled to Philadelphia, and later to Norristown. He secured employ- ment in Whitman's butcher shop, in Bridgeport. He remained in that position until Mr. Whit- man's death, when he assumed the management of the business, carrying it on very successfully. He next went to the Exchange Hotel, Norristown, one of the leading taverns of Norristown in those days, drove a team and later took charge of the yard. He saved his earnings, with the expecta- tion that he would be able at some time to engage in business on his own account. He next went to Conshohocken where he secured employment in the Albion Print Works, remaining there until 1876, when he removed to Philadelphia and was employed by Mr. Philip Loubee, the leading ca- terer of Philadelphia at that time. He remained in that city during the Centennial Exposition, which was then in progress. Returning to Nor- ristown he took charge of a hotel on the Bridge- port side of the river. Later he went into the liv- ery business, carrying it on very successfully. In 1886 he sold his livery stable and bought the hotel Schuylkill Valley on Main street, below Walnut, Norristown. He is a self-made man, who owes his success in business entirely to his own exertions.
Mr. Arnoldy married, in 1873, Lena Diller. who came from Bavaria, Germany, the couple having the following children : Lillian, who mar- ried Joseph Schuler, a jeweler of Norristown, and they are the parents of one child-Ralph Schuler. Minnie. Henry, a member of the In- vincibles of Norristown. William, who is em- ployed as clerk in the Atlantic Refining Company at Norristown. Bertie. Helen, and Elsie, all living.
In politics Mr. Arnoldy is an active Republi- can, and an earnest supporter of the principles and
candidates of the party. He is an active member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Im- proved Order of Red Men, Foresters of Amer- ica, the Elks, the Shouck Post, No. 91, Grand Army of the Republic, of Norristown, with which he has been affiliated for fifteen years, and the Royal Art Association. He and his family at- tend the Presbyterian church.
REV. THOMAS R. BEEBER, for over eighteen years pastor of the First Presbyterian church of Norristown, is a son of Teter D. and Mary J. (Artley) Beeber. He was born at Muncy, this state, June 18, 1848. The name is of German origin and was originally written Bieber. The Beeber family trace their ancestry to the Palatinate, from which so large a number of immigrants came into Pennsylvania, on ac- count of the religious persecution endured in their native land.
The ancestor of Dr. Beeber came from Ger- many in the ship "Jeneffer," commanded by Cap- tain George Kerr, and landed at Philadelphia, November 6. 1764. His son, John, born near Wurtemberg, Germany, in 1762, was reared in Berks county, this state, and served as a non- commissioned officer in the Revolutionary war. He enlisted in the third battalion of the Pennsyl- vania line, commanded by Colonel John Slee, and was captured by the British at Harlem Heights, November 16, 1776, but escaped six days later. He served under Colonel Daniel Un- dree in the second battalion of the Berks county militia at the battle of Brandywine, and served actively in the American army until the close of the war and the acknowledgement of our in- dependence by Great Britain.
John Beeber was a farmer. He married Julia Dimner of Lycoming county, to which place he removed after the Revolutionary war. She was the daughter of George and Julia Dimmer. John Beeber's son, Colonel Jacob Beeher, was born in Muncy valley. September 10, 1786, and became a man of considerable prominence, serving in the militia and commanding a regiment. He was a devoted member of the Evangelical Lutheran church. He was also a farmer. and a Democrat
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in politics. He married Mary Elizabeth Dimner and had several children. His eldest son, Teter D. Beeber, was the father of Rev. Dr. Beeber.
Teter D. Beeber at first engaged in farming and afterwards became a mechanic and a coal dealer. He was intensely opposed to the systeni of southern slavery. He became a Republican, in spite of the opposition of his family, at a time when it required some courage to take this step. His three brothers went with him into the Repub- lican party. In 1861 he was elected county com- missioner in Lycoming, being the only Repub- lican who was sucessful that year.
Teter D. Beeber was one of the founders of the Muncy Lutheran church, organized Novem . ber 7, 1852, was for many years one of its princi- pal financial supporters, and filled every office in the church open to a layman. He also took in- terest in municipal affairs, serving for many years as a councilman and school director. A man of integrity, affability, and of great kindness of heart, he was beloved by all who knew him. He died May 6, 1876, in his sixty-first year. He was married on March 25, 1841, to Mary J. Artley, they having three sons: J. A., a lawyer of Williamsport; Dimner, an attorney-at-law, and a prominent citizen of Philadelphia ; and Rev. Thomas R. Reeber.
Mrs. Beeber died December 2, 1869, aged fifty-two years. She was of Holland descent and a daughter of John and Christina (Duck) Artley. The Artley family was resident of Berks county until 1785 and Solomon Artley enlisted during the war of 1812 but was never called into active service.
Thomas R. Beeber prepared for college at Selinsgrove. He entered Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg, in 1865, winning second graduation honors of his class in 1869. In the autumn of that year he entered Andover Theological Sem- inary, becoming valedictorian of the class of 1872, after which he took a post-graduate course. In January, 1873, he became associate pastor of Rev. Charles Beecher, of the First Congrega- tional church, of Georgetown, Massachusetts. Remaining there two years, he resigned to accept a call, extended June 8, 1875, from the Mahoning
Presbyterian church, Danville, Pennsylvania, serving in the capacity of pastor until March 8, 1880, when he accepted a call from the Second Presbyterian church, at Scranton. This pastorate extended over seven years, a handsome stone church being erected by the congregation during that time at the cost of eighty thousand dollars. The call from the First Presbyterian church of Norristown, which he has served ever since, was extended March 21, 1887.
On August 17, 1874, he was united in mar- riage by the Rev. Charles Beecher to Mary F .. Haley, of Georgetown, Massachusetts, daughter of J. K. Harriman. The couple have had two children, both now deceased: John Artley, born August 22, 1875, died January 11, 1889; Whit- man Boynton, born May 26, 1877, died June 27, 1885. Dr. Beeber has one adopted son, Kimball H. Beeber, who is a child of Mrs. Beeber's first marriage.
Dr. Beeber spent three months, in 1878, in a European tour, visiting many noted places. His health having somewhat declined, he, with Mrs. Beeber, spent some months on another European tour in the summer of 1902. His degree, Doctor of Divinity, was conferred by Lafayette College in 1891.
As a speaker Dr. Beeber is eloquent, logical and pleasing. He is the author of several his- torical works of value, including the histories of the First Congregational church of George- town, Massachusetts, and the Second Presby- terian church, of Scranton, Pennsylvania. His pamphlet "History of the Presbyterian Church in the United States" is comprehensive and in- teresting. He is a member of the Montgomery Historical Society and takes active interest in its proceedings. He is a member of the Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, and also a mem- ber of the Board of Ministerial Relief of the Presbyterian church. While at Scranton he was elected director of the School for the Deaf and did much valuable work in its behalf.
Dr. Beeber belongs to the progressive element of Presbyterianism, but is thoroughly conserva- tive in his views. He is deeply interested in home and foreign missions and is indefatigable in his
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pastoral work, leaving nothing undone to promote the interests of a large and cultured congregation, who thoroughly appreciate his ministerial work.
EPHRAIM F. SLOUGH, a successful mem- ber of the Norristown bar, and a business man of recognized ability, owes his position in life al- most entirely to his own efforts. A self-made man and largely self educated, he has by industry and perseverance overcome obstacles that would have been deemed insurmountable by many and achieved an honorable and independent position among his fellow men. He was born in Heebner- ville, in Worcester township, January 15, 1852. He is the son of Jesse W. and Mary A. (Fry) Slough. The couple had twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, of whom six are now living as follows: Ephraim F., of Norristown, Miss Clara, Jacob, Cornelius, Margaret Jane, and Emma Elizabeth, all of whom reside at Day- tona, Florida, except Ephraim F., the parents also having resided there for some years. Jesse W. Slough, the father, was a farmer, residing in Montgomery county until the spring of 1877, living successively in Worcester township, where he was born; Towamencin, seven years; and upper Providence, near Trappe, for sixteen years. In 1877 he removed with his family to Florida and engaged in farming, gardening and poultry- raising. He died at Daytona, November 18, 1900, aged seventy-eight years. He and his wife were members of the Reformed church of the United States. In his younger days he was a Sunday-school superintendent, a choir leader, and also an elder of the church. In his earlier years he taught a public school in Towamencin town- ship. A Democrat in politics, he never sought or held office, preferring to live a quiet and retired life. The grandfather of Ephraim F. Slough was Nicholas Slough, descended from a German an- cestor who came with the tide of emigration of that nationality about the middle of the eighteenth century. His wife, Elizabeth Wanner, was also of German descent. They were engaged in the occupation of farming in Worcester township. and had two daughters and four sons. Nicholas was religiously inclined and devoted much of his
time in the latter part of his life to church work. He owned a large farm in Worcester. His father was also named Nicholas Slough. Like the names of other old German families, the patronymic "Slough" has undergone many changes. It is said to have been originally spelled Schlouch, but for nearly a century it has retained its present orthography.
The maternal grandfather of Ephraim F. Slough was Daniel S. Fry, also of German lineage, although a native of Towamencin town- ship and a resident therein nearly to the time of his death. He was a great Bible student in his last years. He died in Lower Salford, aged nearly ninety-four years. He was an able farmer, owning several properties, and when too far ad- vanced in years to carry on such work actively, for the sake of having something to do he learned the art of basket-making and followed it as a pastime for the rest of his life. He shared his property with his children, reserving a consider- able portion for himself, and died well-to-do. His first wife was Mary Allabaugh, by whom he had six children. By his second wife, Sarah Ottinger, he had one son, Daniel O. Fry. Daniel Fry (grandfather of our subject) donated ground now the site of the Fry school house in Towamen- cin, where he taught school for several years. He was a member of the denomination known as Dunkards. His early ancestors in this country settled at Germantown, Philadelphia county, in December, 1724, a deed to Henry Fry in that year for a tract of land in that vicinity being still in the possession of his descendant, Ephraim F. Slough. Jacob Fry settled in this county prior to 1782. His will was probated at Norristown in 1786. The name was originally spelled Frei and some- times Free.
Ephraim F. Slough grew to manhood in Upper Providence township being reared on a and early accustomed to habits of thrift and industry, learning in the school of labor lessons which were to be of great value to him in after life. When not employed in the work of the farm, he attended the public schools of the dis- trict and later the Washington Hall Institute at Trappe. He also studied at Ursinus College,
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completing the course and being graduated in 1877. He taught public school three winter terms, 1869-70-71. He was looking forward, however, to entering the legal profession and accordingly, early in the summer of 1877, he registered as a law student in the office of Joseph L. Allabaugh, of Norristown, and was admitted to the Montgomery county bar in 1881, prac- ticing law continuously in Norristown since.
December 18, 1900, Mr. Slough married Annie, daughter of Augustus and Elizabeth (Koons) Thomas. They have a son, Frank Au- gust Slough, born August 29, 1902. Mrs. Slough was born in Upper Salford township, Montgom- ery county.
Mr. and Mrs. Slough are members of the Trinity Reformed church. He belongs to Mont- gomery Lodge, No. 57, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and to Beaver Tribe, No. 62, Im- proved Order of Red Men. In politics Mr. Slough is a Democrat. In 1901 he was his party's candidate for district attorney, failing of election by only three hundred and twenty-seven votes although the county gives a large Republi- can majority. Mr. Slough is in no sense an office-seeker, his nomination for the position which he so nearly won being the work of his friends. He has for some years been actively interested in various manufacturing enterprises in Norristown which contribute to the growth and prosperity of the city. He is a considerable property owner in Norristown; is president of the Western Market Company and its solicitor ; and is also one of the managers and solicitor of the Union Mutual Fire Insurance Company. He has a lucrative law practice to which he devotes himself with assiduous attention. He planned his own educa- tion and in its acquisition was dependent on no one, paying his own way. He was a member of the State Militia from 1880 to 1885.
J. FRANK BOYER, head of the J. Frank Boyer Plumbing and Heating Company and the leading spirit in several other Norristown enter- prises, is one of the youngest of Norristown's business men. He was born March 2. 1867. He is the son of Michael C. and Mary A. (Ziegler)
Boyer, the former deceased, both of them belong- ing to old Montgomery county families of Ger- man origin.
Mr. Boyer attended the public schools of Nor- ristown, but did not continue longer at school after having reached the age of sixteen years, pre- ferring to engage in active business. Immediately on leaving school he took a position with Frank W. Wilson, long since deceased, but then lo- cated on West Main street, Norristown, to learn the tin, stove and hardware business. Mr. Boyer began business on his own account at the age of eighteen years. He made a success of his ven- ture from the start. In 1889 he located at the corner of Main and Green streets, Norristown, where he remained until his business had in- creased so much that it had entirely outgrown the accommodations, when he purchased a suitable site for an establishment of the kind he had pro- jected for his growing needs, erected a substantial and well appointed building, and now occupies it fully in connection with the operations of the J. Frank Boyer Plumbing and Heating Company, the patrons of which are not confined to Norris- town or even to Montgomery county. The new building is located on the west side of Main street, about midway between Green and DeKalb, and it contains samples of everything in the line of the company, which can be furnished at the short- est possible notice and at figures which will com- pare favorably with those of any Philadelphia es- tablishment, however extensive. It is a favorite theory of Mr. Boyer that the customers of the firm should not be allowed to go to Philadelphia for any article in his line, and they very seldom do so. In every enterprise with which Mr. Boyer has been connected in his comparatively short but very successful career he has been an earnest and indefatigable worker. Among these may be in- cluded the Plumbing and Heating Company, the- Hamilton Terrace Company, the Norristown Brick Company, and the Hamilton Apartment Company, in all of which he has filled the posi- tion of president. He is also a director of the Peoples National Bank of Norristown, of the Norristown Trust Company, and of the Norris- town Steam Heating Company. .
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY,
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J'Franky Boysn
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
The Hamilton Terrace Company, which has recently gone out of business as a corporation, the assets in land and money having been divided among the individual members, was formed to develop the tract known as Hamilton Terrace, on which it laid out streets, graded them at enor- mous expense, erected fifty or more elegant and desirable residences, and made the entire trans- action a paying investment, selling the houses to the best class of buyers-those who occupy them with their families. It requires genius to formu- late and execute practical plans for enterprises of so extensive a character, and to carry them to a successful conclusion as in this instance, and the results attained may be regarded as highly cred- itable to the president of the company and to his coadjutors. Another instance of Mr. Boyer's ability for organization was dis- played in the formation of the Hamilton Apart- ment Company, which was planned, erected, and filled with the families who are among the best in Norristown, and all in the short space of six months. The mere task of equipping the estab- lishment, after it had been erected, was no light matter, and most of it, as well as the arrange- ments to secure the occupants of the Apartment House, devolved upon Mr. Boyer. Without the highest kind of executive ability exercised in its management, the idea might have been a com- parative failure, but, on the contrary, it became from the start a complete and overwhelming suc- cess.
In politics Mr. Boyer is a Democrat, but he is not a partison. During his term as councilman, he being the youngest member of that body ever elected to the position, his action on matters com- ing before council for action was dictated solely by a desire to promote the public welfare, and not by mere partisan reasons. He is interested in all that relates to the well being of the Norristown public, with whose progress he has from his earliest youth been so closely identified.
Mr. Boyer married, November 14, 1888, Miss Annie G., daughter of Patrick Curran, a well known and prominent citizen of Norristown.
Michael Boyer (father) was a native of Up- per Salford township, Montgomery county, Penn-
sylvania, being the son of Philip Boyer, also of that township. He attended Washington Hall Collegiate Institute, at Trappe, and engaged for a time in the occupation of teaching. He was a Democrat in politics, and having secured his party's nomination for sheriff of Montgomery county in 1852, he was elected to that office, and served very acceptably for three years. After the expiration of his term as sheriff, Mr. Boyer remained in Norristown, and was for many years. one of its most active business men and manufac- turers. He formed a partnership with William: Schall for making nails, and afterwards became. interested in the Norris Iron Works, a flourishing establishment that employed more than a hundred and fifty hands. Mr. Boyer was the inventor of many patentable articles, for more than fifty of which he secured patents, among them being Boyer's Hoof Liniment, a company being organ- ized to make and sell it. Mr. Boyer was born May 28, 1821, and died October 10, 1891, in his seventy-second year. Mr. Boyer gave consider- able attention to building. For some years he resided with his family in a mansion on West Main street, which was afterwards occupied and owned by President John Slingluff, of the Mont- gomery National Bank, and after his death by his widow and daughter, and was recently purchased by Mr. Hervey C. Gresh. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Boyer; Jesse, Katie, Wal- lace, Horace G., Wilson, Michael A., Howard C., Harry Z. Mary L., J. Frank, subject of this sketch, and Charles, several of whom are now de- ceased. Mr. Boyer's mother, Mrs. Mary Boyer, is a resident of Norristown, and is highly re- spected by all who know her.
J. Frank Boyer is the president and organ- izer of the Norristown Brick Company, which is the successor of the Morgan Brick Company, as that was of the establishment of Shaffer Broth- ers. It may be said of this company that it very much improved the equipment of the plant at Forest and Sterigere streets, and produced a fine product which is rapidly replacing all other bricks heretofore used in Norristown and vicin- ity. The company are doing business strictly on business principles, and are operating very suc-
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cessfully. This enterprise may be said to be the first really successful brickmaking establishment in Norristown, and the most unbounded success may be predicted for it in the future, in view of what it has already accomplished.
Mr. Boyer is a member of the leading Norris- town social club, the lodge of the Benevolent and. Protective Order of Elks. He is a contributing member of the Hancock Fire Company of the West End, and is always ready to extend sub- stantial aid to all deserving organizations that have been established in the community. He has traveled extensively from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coast of the United States, and is well in- formed as to the business situation throughout the country at all times. He is always interested in whatever promises to benefit Norristown from a business or other standpoint, and is generally recognized as one of the most enterprising as well as progressive citizens of the county-seat of Montgomery. His genius for organization has been well displayed in the different corporations of which he is or has been the effective head, and their uniform success is the best possible testi- mony to the good sense and practical business views which guide him in every undertaking in life.
DR. GEORGE K. MESCHTER, one of the best known and most successful physicians of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, has been a resident of Centre Point, Worcester township, for more than thirty-five years. During all this time he has been engaged in active practice, ex- cept for a few years latterly when it has been interrupted by ill health. His professional ability and his sympathetic personal interest in all his patients brought him a large following even at the beginning of his career and as his skill be- came publicly recognized he was called frequently in consultation into the adjoining counties and even to Philadelphia.
His ancestors were among the brave followers of Casper Schwenkfeld, one of the leaders of the Protestant reformation in Germany in the sixteenth century. He differed from Luther on some points of doctrine that now seem immater-
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