USA > Pennsylvania > Book of biographies; This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of the Seventeenth congressional district, Pennsylvania > Part 14
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LINCOLN H. BOODY.
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
gaged in huckstering and ran an individual car on the railroad. The next ten years were spent in Snyder County, and in 1880 he re- turned to Shamokin, where he again took up merchandising and carried on that line of bus- iness until January 1, 1896. He was one of the enterprising and progressive merchants of Shamokin and by his straightforward meth- ods of dealing he succeeded in establishing a large and enviable patronage. In the fall of 1895 Mr. Fagely was a candidate for sheriff of Northumberland County and was elected by a majority of 1,227 votes, which shows his popularity and the esteem and respect in which he is held by his fellow-citizens. He is a strong Republican and has contributed much toward the success of his chosen party. He has also served as a councilman and as a school director of Shamokin.
Our subject is now conducting a wholesale flour and feed store on Independence street and also operates a roller process flour mill in Snyder County. Mr. Fagely is a member of Lafayette Lodge, No. 194, F. & A. M., of Selinsgrove; Shamokin Chapter, No. 264, R. A. M .; Shamokin Commandery, No. 77, K. T .; Calvary Commandery, No. 123, Knights of Malta; Washington Camp, No. 149, P. O. S. of A .; and Lincoln Post, No. 140, G. A. R., of Shamokin. He was a director in the post, which is probably worth $70,000, and is one of the richest G. A. R. posts in the state of Penn- sylvania.
Our subject was joined in the bonds of mar- riage November 17, 1867, with Mary A. Yo- der of Snyder County, and one child was born to them, Mary N., now deceased. Mrs. Fag- ely passed from this life September 1, 1869. Our subject formed a second marriage with Anna Keeler January 6, 1871, and one child blesses their home, namely: Solomon Grant, who is now deputy sheriff under his father.
INCOLN H. BOODY. Among the
prosperous business men of Columbia
County who have succeeded in life mainly on account of their energy, persever- ance and economy, coupled with the fact that success in life depends considerably upon at- tending to one's business and not mixing in the affairs of neighbors, is the subject of this biographical sketch, whose portrait is shown on a preceding page. Mr. Boody is one of the hustling business men of the town of Rupert and is the proprietor of the Rupert Granite & Marble Works. He was born at Mullica Hill, N. J., September 28, 1860, and is a son of David and Elizabeth (Looper) Boody.
The Boody family is of English origin, and the first of that name to locate in this country settled in the state of New Jersey, where they were engaged in tilling the soil. George Boody, the grandfather of our subject, owned a large farm where the village of Vineland, N. J., now stands.
David Boody, the father of our subject, was a millwright, carpenter and cabinetmaker by trade, and followed those occupations at inter- vals throughout his entire life. He also con- tracted for building and erected many large manufacturing plants throughout the country. Mr. Boody was an author of considerable note and his most valuable work was a history of the Civil War, which was not completed by him on account of his death. When the Civil War broke out he assisted in forming the first company that left the state of New Jersey in response to the call issued by President Lin- coln. After three years' gallant service he fell a martyr to the Union cause. He was united in the bonds of matrimony to Elizabeth Loop- er, a daughter of John Looper, a well-to-do resident of Gloucester, N. J. As a result of this union three sons and three daughters were born, namely: R. H., a hotelkeeper re-
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
siding at Tivoli, Pa .; David, who is employed in the iron mills; Rachael, who was drowned at the age of eighteen years; Amy, wife of William Camm of Bridgeton, N. J .; Lincoln Il., our subject; and Hattie, wife of John Fletcher of Fairton, N. J.
Upon the death of Mr. Boody our subject's mother, after losing considerable property, moved to Mullica Hill with her family and our subject at a very early age was compelled, at the age of nine years, to go to work in a nail factory. After remaining there a short time he was employed as a cabinboy and as- sistant cook aboard several vessels, continuing that line of business a number of years. In 1876 he moved to Philadelphia, where he worked in a market at No. 12 Market street. His next move was to Rupert, Columbia County, Pa., where he served an apprentice- ship to the stonecutting trade. After learning the trade he became a salesman and later he was taken as a partner in the works owned by his brother, R. H. Boody. They success- fully carried on that business and later started another granite and marble works at Hughes- ville, Columbia County. In 1888 the firm dis- solved partnership and our subject became sole proprietor of the Rupert works, and in 1896 he purchased the works at Hughesville. Mr. Boody is now carrying on a successful business and is evidently on the high road to prosperity. He is a fair-and-square business man, and, though young in years, has made his mark in the community where he resides. He has a large and increasing trade and is esteemed throughout the county for his strict business principles and upright character. He is at present carrying a stock worth twelve thousand dollars and also owns considerable property in and about Rupert, including a fine farm. Our subject was one of the first in this section to engage in the bicycle busi-
ness, and besides he is an expert rider and has won many prizes for both speed and trick rid- ing. Mr. Boody is an unwavering Democrat. -
On December 21, 1887, Sarah L. Nichols of Bridgeton, N. J., and our subject were united in marriage, and as a result of this union three children blessed their home : Mary Catherine; Porter Rupert, who died in infancy; and Letitia Morgan.
As one of the esteemed citizens of Columbia County, Lincoln Boody occupies an enviable position. He possesses more than ordinary intelligence, is truly a self-made man, of high principles, upright and honorable in all his dealings, and is a citizen whose worth is ap- preciated at its full value.
EW C. FOSNOT, the subject of this short sketch, the able editor of the
Watsontown Record and Star. was born February 8, 1848, in Cumber- land County, Pa., and is a son of Jacob and Mary (Vanderbilt) Fosnot.
Jacob Fosnot, our subject's father, was born in 1804, and died in 1850. He was a weaver by trade. He married Mary Vanderbilt. who was born in 1804, and died in 1872, surviving her husband twenty-two years. Their family consisted of twelve children, eight of whom grew to maturity, as follows: William C .; Mary Jane; Martha M .; John C .; Joshua V .; Edward W .; Lew C .; and Henry J.
Lew C. Fosnot, our subject, received a good education in the public schools and then learned the printer's trade. Feeling it his duty to serve his country in her hour of need he enlisted as a private on January 30, 1864, in Battery G, 2d Reg., Pa. Artillery, and served until January 29, 1866, going with the armies of the Potomac and James. He was also em- ployed in the United States Weather Bureau
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
for three months. In 1877 he became the editor of the Watsontown Record, and in 1882 began the publication of the West Branch Star, which he has continued to edit with marked success until the present time. In 1884 the Record was consolidated with the Star under the name of the Record and Star. In politics the paper is independent, always championing that which is best for the town and county.
Mr. Fosnot has ever upheld the principles of the Democratic party, and is a member of the G. A. R. and I. O. O. F. On January 23, 1871, he was united in marriage with Belle Westafer of Newville, Pa., and three children blessed this union, but only one son, John Clyde, survives, the two daughters, Lu- lu Maud and Bessie Irene, having gone to a better world.
RIAS BLOOM of Sunbury, North- umberland County, formerly was register of wills, recorder of deeds and clerk of the Orphans' Court of the coun- ty. He is a son of Hiram and Maria (Hile- man) Bloom, and was born in Lower Augusta, now Rockefeller township, Northumberland County, April 1, 1854.
Our subject's ancestors were pioneers of Northumberland County and for five gener- ations the family has been prominent and in- timately connected with the growth and his- tory of the county. , The first of the family to locate in the county, Stephen Bloom, settled there prior to 1795 as is demonstrated by his will. A son of Stephen, Samuel Bloom, was the father of Jacob Bloom, and Jacob was the parent of Hiram Bloom, the father of our subject. Samuel Bloom was commissioned a justice of the peace in February, 1809, was county commissioner from 1813 to 1815, and
was county treasurer in 1834-36. He bought the farm on which he long resided from Mar- tin Raker and wife in 1797 and the property. which is near the okl stone church in Rocke- feller township, is now owned by the subject of our sketch who prizes it highly. Hiram Bloom, father of our subject, was born in what is now Rockefeller township, October 22, 1831, and was a son of Jacob and Julia Ann (Bartholomew) Bloom. He was a carpenter by trade, also was a farmer, and for some years ran a saw-mill. He married Maria Hileman, mother of our subject, in 1852. She was a daughter of Daniel Hileman of Rockefeller township.
The subject of this sketch, Urias Bloom, is the eldest of nine children, eight of whom are living. He was educated in the common schools and when sixteen years old began work as a school teacher, which he continued for four years when he accepted a clerkship in the office of Lemuel Shipman, then recorder. He served also under the successor of Mr. Shipman, George D. Bucher, remaining a clerk in the recorder's office until 1886 when he assumed his duties as register of wills and recorder of deeds to which office he was elected in 1885 as a Democrat. In 1885. when he first stood for the office, Mr. Bloom's popu- larity was well demonstrated by the fact that he ran 250 votes ahead of the other candi- dates on the Democratic ticket. He was re- elected in 1888, when he surprised even his closest friends and all of his admirers by run- ning over 1,200 votes ahead of his ticket.
Mr. Bloom was married in Lower Augusta township, November 25, 1879, to Anna M. Wintersteen and their union has been blessed with four children, Essie Uarda, Grace Imo- gene. Goldie Edna, and an infant son. Mr. Bloom is a Mason, also an Odd Fellow, and is a member of the M. E. Church.
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
ORACE BREECE, who has been the efficient secretary of the Y. M. C. A. of Berwick since October, 1893, is a son of Daniel and Mary (Case) Breece, and was born in Columbia County, Pa., in 1857.
Daniel Breece, father of our subject, was born in Lycoming County, where he learned the trade of a mechanical engineer which he followed for many years at Irondale. He then moved to Bloomsburg, where he resided the remainder of his life. He was united in marriage to Mary Case, a daughter of Wil- liam Case, and they were the parents of nine children : Jane, wife of J. B. Robinson; Mar- garet, deceased; George, deceased; Horace, in whom the interest of this sketch centers; Eliza, deceased; Hannah, a teacher of Blooms- burg; William H., who was born October 3, 1863, in Bloomsburg and learned the trade of a mechanic; he entered the employ of The Jackson & Woodin Manufacturing Company in 1886, and later held a position in the boiler- room. In 1893 he was promoted to the posi- tion of engineer, and has since had charge of the wonderful Porter-Allen cut-off engine with a horse power of 900, which furnishes power by Manila cables to the machine shops, foundry, framing-shop, and other departments of the plant. He was united in marriage to Emma Lundey, a daughter of Pierce Lundy of Berwick, and they have an adopted daugh- ter, D. Ollie, who was born July 17, 1890. The remainder of the children born to Mr. and Mrs. Breece were: Dr. Ervin, deceased; and Dora, a teacher. Mr. Breece was called to his eternal resting place at the age of seventy years. His wife survives him and lives in the old homestead at Bloomsburg.
Horace Breece attended the public schools of Bloomsburg, after which he learned the trade of steam engineering which he followed
for three years. In 1879 he removed to Ber- wick and became an engineer for The Jackson & Woodin Manufacturing Company, and faithfully acted in that capacity for fourteen years, when he was appointed secretary of the Berwick Y. M. C. A. The association was organized in 1878 in the basement of the M. E. Church by C. H. Zehnder, who was as- sisted by George S. Bennett and George Lep- pard. They elected the following officers : C. G. Jackson, president; Isaiah Bower, vice- president; and C. H. Zehnder, secretary, without pay. It was established in rooms donated by The Jackson & Woodin Manu- facturing Company which also furnished the light and heat free of cost to the association. As the institution flourished and the member- ship increased rapidly, the rooms were found to be too small, and the erection of a more adequate building was planned, the following donations having been generously offered : $6,000 and the light by Mr. C. R. Woodin; a three-story dwelling house and $3.000 by Mrs. E. S. Jackson; and liberal subscriptions by many of the prominent business men. This enabled the association to begin work on the present building in 1884 and it was dedicated April 7, 1885 with suitable services. It is a handsome brick building, 45 by 66 feet, con- taining two stories and a basement; has a beautiful library containing 5,000 volumes; a large and spacious reading room; two social rooms on the first floor; an auditorium with a seating capacity of 350 people: parlors; and in the basement a large gymnasium for the accommodation of athletic young men; and also good baths. The building is well sup- plied with electric lights and gas and is heated by a hot-air system. There has been an ever- increasing membership under the faithful guidance of Mr. Breece and preceding secre- taries, and there are now over three hundred
ULYSSES BIRD.
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
members enrolled. Mr. Breece is a man of purpose and it has ever been his aim to ele- vate the social and moral standing of the com- munity.
Our subject was joined in the bonds of mat- rimony to Sadie Van Horn, a daughter of Abraham and Susan Van Horn of Blooms- burg, Pa., and they became the parents of the following children: George, who died in in- fancy; May L .; Fred N .; and Horace Wil- lard. Mr. Breece is past commander of the Knights of Malta, a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
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LYSSES BIRD, a representative farmer and surveyor of Elkland township, is descended from one of the oldest families of Sullivan County. He is a son of George C. and Harriet (Kaye) Bird, and was born on the farm on which he now resides, October 3, 1856.
The great-grandfather of our subject, Pow- ell Bird, was born in Norfolk, England, and came to this country in 1792, locating in Northumberland County, Pa. He made the acquaintance of Dr. Joseph Priestly, who owned extensive landed interests in what is now Sullivan County, and offered choice tracts of land as an inducement to the early settlers to make that their home. In 1794 Mr. Bird located on a tract of 150 acres, all of which was located in Forks township on the Little Loyalsock Creek, upon which J. K. Bird now resides, and, with William Moly- neux and John Warren, was the first to locate in the county. They all lived within a few miles of each other, each having cleared a piece of land on which to erect log cabins and then been joined by their families. The cen-
tennial of the settlement of these three old pioneer families was celebrated at the Forks- ville Fair, October 5, 1894, and excited much favorable comment. This hardy old ancestor of our subject devoted the remainder of his life to clearing up the place. Being a weaver by trade he built a loom and wove all of the cloth for his own family and neighbors. Liv- ing as they did out in the forest far from civili- zation with none but the wild animals for friends, these pioneers met with many thrill- ing experiences and at times narrowly averted death. Mr. Bird was a man of education and during the last years of his life acted as local Baptist minister. It may indeed be said that his was an exemplary life, one of which his descendants are justly proud. He married Lydia Hannant and they became the parents of twenty-one children, nineteen daughters and two sons, the following being the only ones of whom there is any record : Mrs. Mary Jones; George; Mrs. Rebecca Molyneux, the first white child born in Sullivan County, who was born June 1, 1797; Mrs. Sarah Bennett; Mrs. Ruth Bennett; Mrs. Lydia Yours; Mrs. Eleanor Bull; Esther; Philip I .; Mrs. Elizabeth Summers; and Iona. Powell Bird lived to the age of eighty years, dying April 13, 1829; his wife died June 29, 1832, both being buried in the Bird family cemetery, a portion of the original purchase.
George Bird, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in 1790 and after reaching man- hood inherited the old homestead upon which he built the frame house, which is still stand- ing and in good condition. He followed farming all of his life and, as his sons grew up, with their aid built and operated a saw-mill, the lumber from which he floated down the river on rafts to market. He was a Whig in politics. Mr. Bird was famous as a hunter and killed many panthers and wolves and
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
bears without limit. He once saved the life of his nephew, Job Summers, by despatching a panther which held Mr. Summers in its em- brace. Mr. Bird married Sarah King and their children were as follows: Phoebe, who married John Fawcett; Powell, who married Sarah Molyneux; Mary, who married Thomas Norton; Thomas, who died in early youth; Esther, who married Richard Biddle; Lydia, who inarried Joseph Fawcett: Charles, who married Harriet Molyneux; William, who died at an early age; George C .; Ann; and John K., who married Carrie Yonkin. Mr. Bird died on July 14, 1872, and his wife passed away in 1867 at the age of seventy-nine years.
George C. Bird, our subject's father, was born on the old homestead February 14, 1829. He assisted his father in the duties about the farm until 1855 when he purchased a tract of 106 acres on the Strong Run Creek. At the time of his purchase the tract was a wilder- ness untouched by the hand of man, and after clearing fifteen acres he erected a board cabin, the lumber for which was obtained with great difficulty, a portion of it being carried by hand, as there were no wagon roads. There he located with his bride, and they have lived there to this day, clearing away the forest and converting the land into rich and cultivated fields. After a time the cabin became unsuited to the marked advancement which had been made in other particulars and in 1857 it was replaced by a commodious house. Mr. Bird took great pleasure in hunting and fishing. He killed several bears, about 300 deer and scores of small game. Game became scarce in his locality and he made several trips up the West Branch of the Susquehanna River on most successful hunting expeditions. Al- though Mr. Bird is now almost three-score and ten he is hale and hearty and his business transactions are extensive, he being a large
dealer in lumber. Politically he is a stanch Republican and has served as jury commis- sioner and assessor, and has filled a number of township offices. He is a man of marked abil- ity and is well known to the citizens through- out his section of the county. His union with Harriet Kaye resulted in the following off- spring: Ulysses; Alma, who is the wife of W. E. Miller; Mary, the wife of G. C. Bird- sall; Jennie, wife of J. P. Rogers; Nellie, who married Charles Clark; and Isadore, who mar- ried B. R. Plotts.
Ulysses Bird, the subject of this biograph- ical record, attended the public schools and the Normal National University of Lebanon, Ohio, where he took a special course in sur- veying and bookkeeping, graduating with high honors in the class of 1885. Our subject has a permanent certificate from the state for teaching and has already taught twelve terms. He has since devoted his time principally to farming and surveying in Sullivan and Brad- ford counties, being highly successful. In 1885 he purchased fifty-six acres of the old homestead farm, upon which he built a fine modern home, and has since bought an addi- tional tract of one hundred and fifty acres of timberland, engaging in lumbering to a great extent. He is a man of exceptional business ability, honest and energetic, and he occupies a high place in the estimation of his fellow- citizens. Mr. Bird has held all the offices in the Sullivan County Agricultural Society and at this date is president of the organization.
Mr. Bird was . united in marriage with Emma McCadden, a daughter of Thomas and Hannah (Lockwood) McCadden Thomas McCadden was born in England in 1832 and came to the United States in 1868, locating in Philadelphia. At the time of his death, in 1898, he was living in the city of Brooklyn. He was the father of the following children :
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
Joseph; Mary; Joseph; Alfred; George; Emma; Herbert; Mary H .; Selina; James; Earnest; Lillie; Dora; Delbert; and Arthur. Our subject and his wife are the happy par- ents of five children : Carl Orlando, born April 28, 1886; LaRue, born April 5, 1887; Victor, born January 18, 1889; Lloyd Vernon, born September 7, 1890; and Myra, born October 29, 1894. Mr. Bird has been a life-long Re- publican and he has served as school director, county auditor for six years, for ten years as justice of the peace, and in 1890 he was census enumerator. In religious views he is a Wes- leyan Methodist. He is a member of the Pa- triotic Order Sons of America and of the Grange. His portrait is shown on another page of this work.
IRAM H. BROWN is one of the hon- ored and prominent farmers of Scott township, Columbia County, Pa., and is also successfully engaged in raising and selling the Italian honey bee. He was born in Mifflin township, Columbia County, June 29, 1837, and is a son of John and Jane (Hutchison) Brown.
There is in the Brown family an old Bible and on a fly-leaf the following lines were written by James Brown, the great-great- great-grandfather of our subject: "England is my native land and Long Island my home," and dated 1716. He probably moved to Hainesburg, N. J., and there spent his re- maining days, at least his son John, the great- great-grandfather of our subject, resided there and was the owner of considerable property. The latter built an old stone house and above the door appears the date 1789; this ancient building is still being used and is owned by a Mr. Brugler, one of his descendants. John
Brown disposed of his property in the state of New Jersey and moved to Mifflin town- ship, Columbia County, Pa., and purchased a large tract of land four miles east of the town of Mifflin. Finding his purchase unsuitable for farming land he sold the property and bought what is now known as the Rosebud farm, which is in Mifflin township. In addi- tion to farming he was a gunsmith and black- smith by trade; he served throughout the Rev- olutionary War, and besides doing the duties of a regular soldier, he shod the horses in camp and repaired guns. He was treasurer of the Nescopeck Bridge Company at Berwick, Pa., as is shown by a share of stock, No. 105, now in possession of his great-grandson, the sub- ject of this sketch, which share is dated Aug- ust 6, 1814. He was twice married and was the father of five children, namely: James, Samuel, Mary, Elizabeth, and Sarah.
Samuel Brown, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was reared on his father's farm, and was a farmer and miller. He operated what is now known as the Brown Mills which were supposed to have been erected by his father. He was wedded to Dortha Nice of Philadel- phia, and they reared the following children : John, the father of our subject; Mary Mar- garet, who was the wife of Samuel Creasy of Mifflin township, . both now deceased; Sarah, deceased, was the wife of George A. Bowman, also of Scott township; William N., deceased, was formerly a farmer of Mifflin township, but later owned the Brown Mills,- he is the father of James C. Brown, editor of one of Bloomsburg's most flourishing papers; Mathew, late a farmer of Mifflin township; James, deceased, who was a boatman on the Schuylkill Canal; Elizabeth, who wedded Alexander Thompson of Berwick, Columbia County; George B., deceased, who was a den- tist and book and stationery dealer of Dan-
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
ville, Pa .; and Elisha, late a merchant of Mifflin.
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