USA > Pennsylvania > Book of biographies; This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of the Seventeenth congressional district, Pennsylvania > Part 18
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and State Normal School, the town council, and the vestry of St. Paul's Church, all passed resolutions of respect to his memory.
Judge Elwell always was regarded as one of the foremost citizens of Bloomsburg and Co- lumbia County. In 1881 he was appointed on the bi-centennial committee by Gov. Hoyt, but his official duties prevented him from taking a very active part in that cele- bration. In 1868 he was elected trustee of the Bloomsburg Literary Institute and State Normal School, serving as president of that body from 1873 until 1891, and in its darkest days he did much toward guiding it through; it is to-day a flourishing institution and its sound financial standing is largely due to his untiring efforts in its behalf. Religiously he was a devout member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
Judge Elwell was twice united in the holy bonds of matrimony, his first union being with Clemana Shaw of Towanda, Pa., by whom he had three children, as follows: William El- well, Jr., deceased, who went to Plymouth, Wis., in early manhood and engaged in mer- chandising for a number of years, but subse- quently removed to Sheboygan, Wis., where he was clerk of the county courts for several years and finally became superintendent of construction of a railroad from Milwaukee to Sheboygan, and also served as superintendent of the road after its completion; Clemana, the relict of the late P. H. Smith, who was en- gaged in merchandising and served one term as a state senator of Wisconsin,-she now re- sides with her family in Plymouth, Wis .; and one child who died in infancy. Mrs. Elwell died and he was again married, September 19. 1844, to Mary Louise Thayer, a daughter of Col. Ebenezer and Martha (Ager) Thayer.
Col. Ebenezer Thayer was born in Wil- liamstown, Mass., August 28, 1788, and de-
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scended from Ebenezer Thayer, who emi- grated from England in the sixteenth cen- tury and settled near Boston, Mass., where his son Ebenezer was born. The latter was the progenitor of a family of five children, as follows: Baruch, grandfather of Mrs. Elwell; Daniel, who moved to Shelburne, Vt., and married a daughter of Capt. Clark, who at- tained distinction in the Revolutionary War; Eli, who also settled in Shelburne, Vt., and married a niece of Gen. Montgomery, who was killed at Quebec during the Revolution- ary War; Reuben; and Rachel, who died in early womanhood.
Baruch Thayer was born in Mendon, Mass., September 19, 1764, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, being stationed at West Point where he witnessed the execution of the British spy, Maj. Andre. In 1783 he married Mary Bingham who was of Scotch descent and lived at Windham, Conn., and then moved to Williamstown, Mass. In 1804 he removed to Shelburne, Vt., and seven years later to Batavia, N. Y., where he died in January, 1826. Mrs. Mary Bingham Thayer died at Batavia, N. Y., June 14, 1860, at the remark- able age of ninety-eight years. Their union was blessed by thirteen children, one of whom was Col. Ebenezer Thayer, the father of the wife of our subject
In December, 1808, Col. Thayer moved to Ithaca, N. Y., and soon after his marriage two years later, he removed to New York City and there enlisted in the service of his coun- try during the War of 1812. He subsequently moved to Watkins, N. Y., where he was en- gaged in dealing in shoes, and during the ad- ministration of Buchanan, 1856 to 1860, he served as postmaster of that village. In 1870 he retired from business and moved to Troy. Pa., but a few years later moved with his fam- ily to Bloomsburg, Columbia County, Pa.,
where he and his wife lived the remainder of their lives. She died at the age of seventy- six years, and he passed away on the 20th of August, 1880, aged ninety-four years. While a resident of Ithaca, N. Y., on September 12, 1810, he was joined in hymeneal bonds with Martha Ager, who was of Scotch descent on the paternal side of the family and French on the maternal, and they. reared six children, one of whom is the relict of our subject, Mary' Louise. She was born in Ithaca, N. Y., Jan- uary 14, 1824, and now resides in Blooms- burg, Pa.
Judge and Mrs. Elwell became the parents of six children, a record of whom follows: E. W. Elwell, freight agent and in charge of the State line and Sullivan Branch of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, born in Towanda, Bradford County, and still resides there, having been in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad for more than thirty years. He married Harriet M., a daughter of William Neal of Blooms- burg, and they had two children: Catharine, who died at the age of eighteen years, and William, who died at the age of sixteen years. George E. Elwell, the second son of Judge Elwell by his second marriage, resides in Bloomsburg, a record of whose life fol- lows. Marie Louise, who was born in To- wanda, Pa., in 1853, is the wife of N. U. Funk, Esq., of Bloomsburg, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this Book of Biographies. Mar- tha died in April, 1864, aged five years. Robert died in December, 1863, aged three years. Charles Prentice, whose pro- fession is that of a musician, was born in January, 1868, was educated in the Blooms- burg State Normal School and in the Dio- cesan School at Reading, Pa. From the lat- ter institution, he entered the New England Conservatory of Music at Boston, and spent four years there. He has proved a talented
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and accomplished musician, and has estab- lished a good reputation as an instructor of instrumental music.
GEORGE EDWARD ELWELL, who since 1893 has been sole owner and proprietor of The Columbian, the oldest paper published in Columbia County, is a gentleman of high intellectual attainments and through the me- dium of his paper has materially assisted in promoting all of the worthy enterprises and undertakings which have made the town of Bloomsburg what it is at the present time. He is a son of Judge William Elwell, the sub- ject of the foregoing sketch, and was born in Towanda, Pa., October 16, 1848. His early mental training was obtained in the Susque- hanna Collegiate Institute of Towanda, at George R. Barker's preparatory school at Philadelphia, and in the Bloomsburg Literary Institute. He then took a complete course of study in Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., and was graduated in 1870, after which he was appointed assistant principal of the Fifth Street School in Bloomsburg, Pa., in which capacity he served until January, 1871. Being elected a member of the faculty of the Blooms- burg Literary Institute and State Normal School, he became professor of English liter- ·ature, French and German, and was instruct- tor in these subjects until July, 1873. Hc then pursued the study of law with his father and in the office of C. B. Brockway, Esq., and was admitted to the bar September 4, 1874, upon the same day forming a partnership with Mr. Brockway under the firm name of Brock- 'way & Elwell. They enjoyed a very successful practice. On October 1, 1875, they entered the field of journalism, purchasing The Co- lumbian. This publication they edited togeth- er until October 1, 1879, when J. K. Bitten- bender succeeded to Mr. Brockway's interest,
and on February 23, 1893, our subject became the sole owner and has since conducted the journal alone. "The Columbian," a large three-story brick building on Main street, is the largest and oldest printing establishment in its section of the state. Democratic in politics, the newspaper's influence makes it a controlling factor in the affairs of the party throughout the district. At present Mr. El- well is not engaged in the practice of law but devotes his entire time to editing the paper and looking after his private business.
On October 26, 1876, Mr. Elwell was united in marriage to Mary A. McKelvy, a daughter of I. W. McKelvy of Bloomsburg, and they have one son, George Edward, Jr., who was born April 19, 1886. Mr. Elwell is a member of the board of trustees of the Bloomsburg State Normal School; is a di- rector of the Industrial Building & Loan Association; formerly was a director of the Bloomsburg Gas Company, and the Blooms- burg Water Company; and was vice-president of the Board of Trade. Politically he is a Democrat, served several years as a member of the Democratic State Central Committee, and served four years as a member of the town council of the borough. In religious attach- ments he is a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, and has always been active in the church work. He has been a vestryman for more than twenty years and a deputy to the diocesan convention a greater part of that period. He also has had charge of the music of the church as organist and choirmaster for thirty years. In 1874 with the assistance of the rector, Rev. John Hewitt, he succeeded in raising $1,200, with which a pipe organ was purchased. In 1897 he assisted in raising subscriptions amounting to $3,000, with the assistance of several church guilds, for the purchase of a new organ, which was placed
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in the church in time for the Easter services of 1898.
ILLIAM KRICKBAUM, editor and proprietor of The Democratic Sen- tinel and The Bloomsburg Daily, Blooms- burg, Pa., is a native of Catawissa township, Columbia County, Pa., and was born Sep- tember 18, 1835.
The Krickbaums are of German extraction, and the first of the family to settle in the United States located in Montgomery Coun- ty, Pa. The first to settle in Catawissa town- ship was Philip Krickbaum who located there in the spring of 1794. His wife's maiden name was Susannah Trexler of Hickorytown, near Philadelphia. He died in 1822, aged sixty-three years; his wife also died in Cata- wissa township, and both are buried in the Catawissa Cemetery.
Henry Krickbaum, father of our subject, was a farmer owning some two hundred acres of land in Catawissa township, and he died when our subject was but a year old, and his widow, Susan (Breisch) Krickbaum, married for her second husband Benjamin Miller. Wil- liam remained on the farm with his mother and stepfather until he reached his majority. and in the meantime attended the common schools of the vicinity several years; also for two terms at Millville, Pa., Seminary; and subsequently spent two terms at Dickinson Seminary, Williamsport, Pa., and one more term at Millville. Previous to his last school term at Millville, in March, 1857, he married Judith Miller, daughter of George Miller of Maine township, Columbia County. During his student days he had taught school and he followed that vocation, all told, about twelve terms. From his majority he had always tak- en an active part in politics, and worked in the
interest of the Democratic party, to which he is now and always has been an adherent, and in 1866, while still teaching, he was appointed clerk to the commissioners of Columbia Coun- ty, a position he filled with rare ability for twelve consecutive years; during a greater part of that time he acted as deputy treasurer and as sheriff's clerk. In 1878 he resigned the clerkship to accept the office of prothono- tary and clerk of the courts, to which he had been elected the same year. In this office he served two terms and in 1889 was a candidate for a third term, but, although having a ma- jority of 175 of the popular vote, under the limited system of voting in choosing delegates (which system has since been done away with). was defeated.
April 12, 1885, Mr. Krickbaum purchased the office and plant of The Democratic Senti- nel in Bloomsburg. The paper was then 24 by 36 inches, of seven columns per page, had a circulation of 600 and was printed on an old Washington hand press. Since then he has enlarged the paper to a nine-column, 28 by 44 inches, and has a circulation of 2,500, the edition being printed on a two-revolution, four-roller, job and book press. In Novem- ber, 1888, our subject was elected a member of the State Legislature, and was re-elected in November, 1890, serving two full terms with credit to himself and constituents. In February, 1892, he started The Bloomsburg Daily, an independent journal which, together with the Sentinel, he is still publishing, and it is the only daily paper printed in Columbia County. In 1896 our subject was prevailed upon to again enter politics, and in November of that year was elected one of the board of county commissioners, which office he holds at present, the term being for three years. In addition to the above responsible positions he has also held township offices, served as a
CRUSADE
MOOSBURG, PA.
JAMES M. SHEW.
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
delegate in state and national conventions, and in fact for upward of thirty-six years Mr. Krickbaum has been officially and otherwise prominently and influentially identified with the Democratic politics of Columbia County.
Probably no man ever held a public posi- tion in the county who worked with truer regard for the interest of the tax-payers and their public welfare than did Mr. Krickbaum through his exceptional long service to the county as an official and a newspaper man. It is proverbial that in his taking charge of the prothonotary office, and indeed, from the first years of his service as county commis- sioner's clerk, many fees in the sheriff's and prothonotary's office and bills in the commis- sioner's office, which he thought exorbitant and an injustice to the tax-payers, were re- duced through him to a lower and more con- siderate figure and remained so during his official occupancy.
AMES M. SHEW, proprietor of the Bloomsburg Paper Company, manu- facturing waterproof paper for cart- ridges and blasting, also for mining, packing. etc., and one of the highly esteemed residents of the town, was born in Baltimore County. Md., September 9, 1831, and is a son of Jos- eph and Mary (Shew) Shew.
Joseph Shew, the father of our subject, was born in London, England, and during his boy- hood days came to the United States and lo- cated in Baltimore County, Md. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, was a farmer by vocation, and also followed sur- veying. He acted as constable for several years, and when the War of 1812 broke out offered his services in defense of his country and was probably an emergency man in the
protection of Baltimore. He was wedded to Mary Shew, of Scottish origin but a native of Virginia, and a family of four children was born to this union, namely: Our subject; Henry, who died while en route for Denver, Col., on business in behalf of the Order of Railway Conductors, he having been a con- ductor on the Baltimore Central R. R. a num- ber of years; Jacob, a machinist and engineer at Port Deposit, Md .; and Mary, wife of Charles Heiser of Baltimore, Md.
James M. Shew, the subject of this bio- graphical sketch, was but seven years of age when he began to serve an apprenticeship in the paper mills of Baltimore County, which were owned by William H. Hoffman who is now deceased. He remained in the mills for forty-four years, during which time he was promoted several times; in 1858 he was promoted to manager of the entire plant of four mills, Gunpowder, Marble Vale, Clip- per, and Rockdale, all of which are located in Baltimore County, Md. Upon the death of William H. Hoffman, the proprietor of the mills, his sons fell heirs to the entire plant, and, wishing to reduce the expenses of the mills they lowered the salaries of the em- ployees, and our subject was one who refused to accept a reduction in his pay and accord- ingly quit. He came to Scott township, Co- lumbia County, Pa., and purchased a half in- terest in the Trench Paper Mills located in Fishing Creek township, and the firm name became Trench & Shew; later Mr. Trench sold his interest to J. H. Maize and the firm name was changed to Maize & Shew. After being connected with this paper company nearly two years, his former employers, the Hoffmans, wishing him to return to them, of- fered an increase over his former salary, and bought J. H. Maize's interest in the paper mills of Fishing Creek township, thus relier-
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ing our subject of the obligation of partner- ship, and Mr. Shew returned to Baltimore. After managing the Baltimore mills three and one-half years, he returned to Bloomsburg, and in 1892 became sole owner of the paper mills of that town. The mills are operated by the magnificent water power of the Fishing Creek. The mills have a capacity of two thousand pounds of paper per day and give steady employment to nine men. A few years ago our subject bought the Hulshiser shops near his home and does all kinds of black- smithing and repairing.
In politics Mr. Shew is a strong Republi- can, and his party gave him the nomination for associate judge and, although not elected, he received more votes than any other Re- publican that ran on the same ticket.
On February 6, 1852, Mr. Shew was united in marriage to Anna Mary Fisher, a daughter of Lewis Fisher of York County, Pa., and to this union eleven children were born, namely : Sarah, deceased; Margaret J .; Lydia, wife of Robert J. Ruhl; Rebecca, who wedded John B. Kidd of Baltimore, Md .; Mary, wife of D. S. Richards, also of Baltimore, Md .; James U. M., whose sketch may also be found in this work; Josephine, united in the bonds of wedlock to George B. Smith of Scott town- ship, Columbia County; Irene, wife of Wil- liam M. Ent of Light Street, Pa .; Phoebe; and John W., a paper manufacturer of Bloomsburg. Mr. Shew is a member of the following fraternal orders: Washington Lodge, No. 265, F. & A. M., of Bloomsburg; Bloomsburg Chapter, No. 218, R. A. M .; Mt. Moriah Council, No. 10, R. & S. M .; Crusade Commandery, No. 12, K. T .; Orient Con- clave, No. 2, Red Cross of Constantine; and Caldwell Consistory, S. P. R. S., 32º N. M. J. Mr. Shew's portrait accompanies this sketch, being presented on a previous page.
OHN PARDOE, who resides in a fine home in the town of Forksville, Sul- livan County, Pa., is now retired, but for many years was one of the progressive farmers of Elkland township. He is a son of William and Jane (McCarty) Pardoe, and was born in Elkland township, April 6, 1839.
Our subject is of English descent, his grandfather, Joseph Pardoe, coming from England at an early day and locating in Northumberland, Northumberland County, Pa. At the time he was a single man, but he subsequently married Sarah Williams and they became neighbors of Dr. Priestly, a well-known land-agent and a native of Eng- land. Joseph Pardoe purchased a tract of 200 acres of land from Dr. Priestly at two dol- lars per acre in the timber section of Elk- land, Sullivan County, and there he erected a little log cabin. In this rude structure they lived and, although it required much hard labor to clear the land and they met with many rough experiences, they were happy and theirs was the pleasure of seeing a veritable wilderness transformed into rich fields of growing crops by their own industry. Under their log cabin roof, their children were born and reared and Mr. Pardoe continued to re- side upon that property until he retired from active work, when he disposed of it to his youngest son, Thomas, and went to reside with a daughter. The place is now owned by Watson Wright, Esq. He lived to reach the advanced age of almost ninety years and his wife also attained a ripe old age before pass- ing away. They lie buried in the Pardoe bury- ing ground, which he set off from his farm for that purpose. Their children were: William; Joseph; John; George; Richard; Thomas; Elizabeth; and Sarah.
William Pardoe, father of our subject, after reaching maturity purchased a tract of land
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
about three miles south of the old homestead which consisted of eighty acres of thickly- covered timber land. He made a clearing and erected a substantial log house in which he lived the remainder of his life, and there he followed farming. He was but forty-three years of age when, in clearing the land, he received a severe cut on his foot, from which he almost bled to death at the time and which finally proved fatal. He married Jane Mc- Carty, a daughter of Joel McCarty, and they had five children: John, the subject of this sketch; Albert, deceased; Joseph of Elkland township; Joel, deceased; and Mary, the wife of Frank Barnes of Elkland township. Mrs. Pardoe died at the age of fifty-four years. Mr. Pardoe was originally a Whig in politics but became a Republican in after years and held a number of township offices. He was affiliated with the Friends in his religious views.
John Pardoe attended the common schools but at the age of fourteen years, because of the death of his father; he was called upon to take charge of the farm and aid his mother in car- ing for the younger children. The responsi- bility was heavy for his young shoulders, but he bore it well and proved equal to the occa- sion. He cleared the remainder of the land rapidly and farmed it very successfully. By the exercise of thrift and economy he saved the money whereby he was enabled to pur- chase the land from the heir after the death of his mother. He greatly improved the old log house, by building an addition to it, and in 1876 tore down the log barn erected by his father and in its place erected a large frame barn. He purchased an adjoining piece of property of eighty acres and after making some valuable improvements sold it to advan- tage. In 1889 his wife's health became poor and, thinking that a lower and warmer cli- mate would prove beneficial to her, he moved
to Forksville, although he still owns the farm. He purchased three valuable lots there and erected a fine residence in which he has since resided, devoting his leisure hours to the culti- vation of small fruits and berries. He is a man of high principles and good character, and has many friends wherever known.
In 1871 Mr. Pardoe married Celinda R. Glidwell, a daughter of William Glidwell of Elkland township, and later of Forksville, and they reared two children: Laura M., aged seventeen years; and Mary E., who is fifteen years of age. Mrs. Pardoe was called to rest in 1895 at the age of forty-seven years.
Mr. Pardoe is a Republican and has held numerous township offices such as commis- sioner and tax collector. Religiously he is a Friend and his wife was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
RANK HANNAN, one of the most enterprising and influential business men of Forksville, Sullivan County, Pa., has efficiently served as postmaster of the bor- ough since July 7, 1897. He is a son of Fran- cis and Abigail (Ely) Hannan, and was born in Bath, Steuben County, N. Y., August 29, 1838.
Francis Hannan, father of our subject, was born in 1798 and was forty-two years of age when he met with a sad accident, in 1839. being killed by a falling tree. But little is known concerning his life. His union with Abigail Ely resulted in the following issue : Lucretia; Harriet; Mary; Jane; Louisa; Helen; and Frank, the subject of this bio- graphical record. Mrs. Hannan attained the advanced age of seventy-nine years.
Frank Hannan was reared in Bradford County, Pa., and obtained his mental training
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in the Collegiate Institute at Towanda, after which he engaged as a teacher for four years, three years in the schools of Forksville. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 he en- listed in Company I, 6th Pa. Reserves, on April 22, just ten days after the declaration of war. He served gallantly for three years and was promoted from private to the rank of sergeant, which rank he held at the time of his discharge in 1864, at Harrisburg, Pa. In all he participated in seventeen important en- gagements, and established a good record as a true and brave soldier. At the close of the war he returned to Asylum, Bradford County, Pa., where he remained a year. He then lo- cated in Millview where he engaged in lum- bering with much success for twenty years. He then engaged in the insurance business which he continued until he received his ap- pointment as postmaster of the borough of Forksville. Since his occupancy of that of- fice he has erected a fine postoffice on Bridge street, and the manner in which he has dis- charged his official duties has won for him the highest esteem and good will of the citi- zens throughout that section. Mr. Hannan owns considerable property, including a hand- some residence on Main street and a farm of two hundred and forty acres which is partly timber land. Upon the latter he has made many improvements, built new barns, remod- eled the other buildings, and erected a saw- mill, which he conducted during the period he was engaged in lumbering.
Mr. Hannan was united in marriage to Vic- toria Wood, daughter of George Wood of Bradford County, Pa., and they are the proud parents of two children, namely : Richard G., a conductor on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, who married Anna Mahaffey and has one child, Murrell; and Dora, who is a dress- maker by occupation. Politically Mr. Han-
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