USA > Pennsylvania > Book of biographies; This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of the Seventeenth congressional district, Pennsylvania > Part 2
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
tive in Congress from the Seventeenth Dis- trict, which includes Northumberland, Co- lumbia, Montour and Sullivan Counties. He served in the 52d Congress and in 1892 was re-elected to the 53d Congress. As repre- sentative he was an untiring worker in the interest of his district, faithfully and most ably representing those who had so strenuously insisted upon again bestowing upon him po- litical honors. At the expiration of his second term in Congress our subject's legal business had attained such magnitude that he realized he either must abandon law and its practice or give up political position. He decided to abandon politics, except as he might partici- pate in political affairs as a citizen, and to (levote his entire time and energy to the prac- tice of his profession.
No better endorsement of the great ability of Mr. Wolverton as a lawyer could be put forward than the statement that he is attorney for a number of very large corporations, in- cluding the following : Philadelphia & Read- ing Railroad; Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company; Lehigh Valley Railroad Company; Lehigh Valley Coal Com- pany; Cox Bros. & Company, the larg- est coal operators in Pennsylvania; the Dela- ware, Sunbury & Schuylkill Railroad Com- pany, and many other corporations of less magnitude. Our subject was among those prominent in organizing and constructing the Sunbury, Hazleton & Wilkesbarre Railroad and the Shamokin, Sunbury & Lewisburg Railroad, of which he was president, and which is now a part of the Reading system. Mr. Wolverton built the Sunbury & North- umberland Electric Railway and is now inter- ested in it. He also is interested in the Sun- bury Electric Light & Power Company, the Northumberland Illuminating Company, and other local enterprises which are of a semi-
public and beneficial character as greatly aid- ing in the development and growth of Sun- bury.
On March 23. 1865, Mr. Wolverton was united in marriage with Elizabeth D. Hen- dricks, daughter of Benjamin Hendricks of Sunbury. They have reared a family of three charming children : Mary G., wife of Biddle Arthurs of Pittsburg, Pa .; Elizabeth K .; and Simon. P. Jr., who is a student of law in his father's office.
This review of the interesting and wonder- fully successful career of Simon P. Wolverton would be somewhat incomplete without suit- able reference to his ancestry. The Wolver- ton family is of English-Quaker origin. Ac- cording to well authenticated tradition three brothers emigrated from Wolverhampton, England, about 1700 and settled on Long Is- land, N. Y. The family was then, as now, one of distinction, and its coat of arms bore the wolf's head. The descendants are scat- tered over nearly every state in the Union, and many are residents of Canada. Many members of the family have attained promi- nence in business, political and professional circles. Of the three brothers who originally came to this country Charles Wolverton, the lineal ancestor of the subject of our review, Simon P. Wolverton, in 1714 removed to Hunterdon County, N. J., where the family resided for several generations.
Charles Wolverton, a lineal descendant of the Charles Wolverton who was one of the original immigrants, was the great-grand- father of our subject. He served in the War of the Revolution. He owned a large tract of land in Hunterdon County, N. J., which he granted to his son, Isaac, grandfather of our subject, on February 12, 1816. Isaac Wolver- ton was born in Hunterdon County, N. J., August II, 1777, and came with his father
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
and family to Augusta township, Northum- berland County, in 1800, where he died in 1800. His father died in Augusta township, as did the son who died in 1855. Isaac Wol- verton was a prosperous and successful farm- er. He was a Democrat in politics and served as county commissioner. He was a devout Baptist and filled numerous offices in the church society of which he was a member. He married Lucretia Chamberlain and reared a family of five children,-two sons and three daughters.
Joseph Wolverton, father of our subject, was born in Augusta township, Northumber- land County, September 25, 1803, and died in Sunbury in 1883. He spent his lifetime in his native township and in the neighboring town- ship of Rush, and was engaged in agricultural pursuits. He was a Baptist. He married Char- ity, a daughter of William Kase, who was of German descent, and resided in Rush town- ship, where he was a farmer, and also served as a justice of the peace. The family of Jo- seph and Charity Wolverton consisted of two sons and three daughters.
AMES G. HEMPSTED, superintend- ent of the forging department of The Jackson & Woodin Manufacturing Company and one of the successful business men of the town of Berwick, is held in high esteem by his employers and by his fellow-workmen. Our subject was born in Perthshire, Scotland, August 24, 1857, and is a son of John and Mary (Gardiner) Hempsted.
John Hempsted was born in Scotland and is one of the successful tillers of the soil in that country. He was joined in the bonds of wed- lock to Mary Gardiner, also a native of Scot-
land, and a large family of children was born to them.
Our subject received his intellectual train- ing in the public schools of his native town, and for seven years he served an apprentice- ship to the trade of a mechanic. In 1883 he immigrated to the United States and located in Boston, Mass., where he found employment in the Hinkley Locomotive Works for two years; later he was employed as foreman of the forging department of the Cape Ann An- chor Works at Gloucester, Mass. His next move was to Pittsburg, Pa., where he was foreman in the forging department of the Carnegie Lower Union Mills and sub- sequently foreman in the Pittsburg Loco- motive Works at Pittsburg, Pa. In 1893 he removed to Berwick. In 1884 The Jackson & Woodin plant was moved from the Hill and enlarged to its present capacity and is now do- ing all kinds of railroad forging and black- smithing. Our subject's department contains ten steam hammers; two Bradley hammers; two drop hammers; about ninety other ma- chines for manufacturing forgings; and thirty- four forges, which require 340 men to operate them. Mr. Hempsted is an excellent mechan- ic and a thoroughly reliable workman and is held in high esteem for his ability and sterling worth.
Mr. Hempsted was joined in the bonds of matrimony to Marie Evans, a daughter of Capt. James Evans of Cornwall. England. Three children were the result of this union : James E. and John B., twins, born December 10, 1897; and Ellen, born June 25, 1890. died August 12, 1890. He is a member of the Ma- sonic Order and the A. O. U. W. Since Mr. Hempsted has resided in this state he has idle 1- tified himself with its interests and is consid- ered one of its most valuable citizens. He has done all in his power to assist in the building
VERY REVEREND JOHN JOSEPH KOCH.
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
up of his own community, and is considered one of its mainstays.
ERY REVEREND JOHN JOSEPH KOCH, whose portrait appears on the preceding page, is the beloved pastor of St. Edward's Roman Catholic Church, the oldest religious organization in Shamokin and the first to build a church in the town. He is a man of sterling character and has for many years been identified with everything which has been for the spiritual and moral advancement of the people with whom he has been so closely associated for over thirty-two years. Father Koch in his priesthood, he has also been father in material ways, and countless families revere him and love him for his fatherly interest and assist- ance which he has bestowed in times of need, with that unostentatious Christian spirit which marks all his labors and which, with his many manly qualities, has won to him the ever- lasting love of the Catholics of his parish and the admiration and respect of all citizens of the borough. His high Christian character and the grand work he has accomplished for the people over whom he has charge, stand as fitting and ever-living monuments to his energy, his faithfulness and his untiring labors as priest and as citizen.
Our subject is a son of John and Elizabeth (Francois) Koch. He was born February 5, 1840, in Lorraine, France, part of the Province of Alsace-Lorraine which was ceded by France to Germany in 1871 after the war which ended in the triumphant march of the Germans to Paris. At the age of eight and a half years our subject entered the University of Pont-a- Mousson, from which he was graduated Aug- ust 5, 1857, at the early age of seventeen years.
He then entered the Seminary at Nancy, hav- ing determined to study for the priesthood. He remained in the seminary for about five years, leaving the institution within four months of the time required to complete the requisite course. The cessation of his studies was owing to the fact that because of his youth he could not be ordained a priest for two years, he being two years under the age fixed by the church for ordination in the priesthood. This circumstance rendered it inadvisable for our subject to remain in France and await the time when he might enter the priesthood there. In 1861 this studious and energetic young man, in re- sponse to an invitation from Bishop Wood of Philadelphia, came to the United States. priests at that period being comparatively few as compared with the extensive fields in which the work of the church was being en- ergetically prosecuted. After spending two weeks in Paris he sailed for this country, and after a brief stay in New York City joined Bishop Wood in Philadelphia. He was then twenty-two years of age, too young to be ordained unless by special dispensation, the age of ordination to the priesthood being twenty-four years. In order that his services might be utilized and that he might imme- diately enter upon the duties he had chosen for his life-work, a dispensation was granted by Bishop Wood and our subject was or- dained and admitted to the priesthood in February, 1863. He was first installed as an assistant at St. Patrick's Church, Philadelphia. Two months later he was appointed assistant chaplain for the hospitals in the Quaker City. an honor which was bestowed upon him be- cause of his special fitness for the work and his knowledge of Latin, French, German, Italian and English.
Father Koch's abilities as a priest quickly
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
demonstrated themselves and he was trans- ferred to this section to take charge of import- ant territory. He located in Milton, Northum- berland County, December 1, 1863, assuming the charge of the church there and also of the churches and missions in five counties, in- cluding one at Cascade, Lycoming County, where there was an Irish settlement number- ing seventy families; a German congregation at Danville, where he built a church; at Trev- orton, where he took up and zealously pushed to completion a church which was unfinished when the priest died who formerly had been in charge of the congregation: the churches at Sunbury and Lewisburg; and the missions at Herndon, Ralston and Trout Run. For three years our subject made his headquarters at Milton, vigorously performing the multitude of duties incumbent upon him as the shepherd of so many flocks of the faithful in the adjacent country. On September 2, 1866, Father Koch removed to Shamokin, in obedience of orders transferring him to the larger sphere of use- fulness and placing upon him the important responsibility of enlarging and perfecting the organization in behalf of his church in the coal region of Northumberland County. He was then appointed the first resident pastor of St. Edward's Church in Shamokin, having charge also of missions at Trevorton, Locust Gap and Mount Carmel.
A brief review of the history of St. Ed- ward's Church is necessary to a clear and sat- isfactory understanding of the conditions which existed when Father Koch assumed charge of the church and the remarkable en- ergy he displayed and the most satisfactory achievements he accomplished in the years which he has devoted to the church and the Catholics of Shamokin and vicinity. Many Catholics were employed in the construction of the Danville & Pottsville Railroad, and as
early as 1838 Catholic services were held in Shamokin by the priests of Pottsville and Minersville. An acre of land in the west end of the village was secured for a church and cemetery and in 1839 sufficient money had been raised to erect a frame edifice, 20 by 32 feet in dimensions, unplastered and very plain, on the southwest corner of the site. The leaders in this enterprise were Patrick Reilly, master mechanic in the railroad shops, and Matthew Brannigan, and the small church was built by Stephen Bittenbender. It was dedicated as St. Edward's Church, October II. 1840, by Bishop Kenrick of Philadelphia. These early Catholics of the little village of Shamokin were administered to by priests of Pottsville, Minersville, Danville and. Milton, and occasionally by a missionary, and thus their faith was kept fittingly before them and they rejoiced in their worship, though in a most humble and scantily-furnished church. Rev. Michael Sheridan, pastor of St. Joseph's Church, Danville, had charge of the congre- gation from 1854 to October, 1857, when he was succeeded by Rev. Edward Murray, who served as pastor for nearly nine years, giving way to the subject of this review in Septem- ber, 1866.
Upon taking control of the Shamokin par- ish Father Koch immediately set out to infuse new life into the congregation and to build up the church. Early in his administration of the affairs of the church he bought the site. upon which the present handsome edifice stands, for $3.400. The old frame building was demolished and a considerably larger edifice built upon the new site which was opened on Thanksgiving Day. 1866. So rapidly did the congregation of St. Edward's increase under the able guidance of Father Koch that in the following spring of 1867 it was necessary to further enlarge the church
25
SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
that the people might comfortably be accom- modated and that none might be deprived of the privilege which they so greatly desired, of attending the services over which our subject presided with graceful dignity and earnest- ness which are two of his personal charms which have won him respect and love throughout his active and successful career in the priesthood. In the spring of 1869 a parochial residence was erected on a lot ad- joining the church at an expenditure of $8,- 500. In 1870 were purchased the lands at Springfield which have since been used as a burial place for the members of the Catholic faith.
Constantly the attendance upon the church increased and within a short period of time the congregation had grown so large that a new place of worship was an imperative ne- cessity. Ground was broken in the summer of 1872, the foundations were put in, and in September following Father Koch laid the first stone in the wall of the church which is to-day the pride of the Catholics of Shamo- kin. The corner-stone was laid with impres- sive ceremonies May 23, 1873, by Bishop O'Hara of Scranton. A contract had been let for the entire stonework, but the contractor abandoned the work, an act which would ut- terly have discouraged a less energetic, less persevering man than our subject. Deter- mined that there should be no unnecessary delay, Father Koch for the time acted as his own contractor, and, hiring masons, superin- tended the construction of the walls until they were ready for the roof, at the same time keeping up with his many pastoral duties. In December, 1873, the roof was on, the tower was built and walks had been laid about the structure. On Christmas morning the first mass was celebrated in the basement of the new church, in which the services were held
until June, 1880, when the church was fin- ished. The edifice is of white cut sandstone, quarried from the mountain side about a mile from Shamokin; its interior is 64 feet wide and 125 feet long, and the tower is 207 feet high. The completion of the building was delayed by the lack of funds, but Father Koch hopefully and energetically kept at work and finally was enabled to see the church finished in reasonable time. In November, 1876, a chime of four large bells was hung in the tower, weighing, with the fittings, 8.500 pounds. The frescoing in the interior was lone in four months under the direction of a well-known Philadelphia artist. Over the main altar are paintings representing the Cru- cifixion, St. Patrick, and the patron of the church, St. Edward, the figures being life-size. In the center of the ceiling a beautiful fresco twenty-two feet in diameter portrays the "Resurrection of Christ" and is surrounded by figures of the four Evangelists, and around the walls are paintings of the twelve Apostles. Especially noticeable are two beautiful pieces of statuary standing on either side of the altar, one representing "Christ meeting His Mother on His way to Calvary," and the other "The Descent of the Cross," both of which were im- ported from France by Father Koch. The building is lighted with electricity and heated by steam and has a seating capacity of over 1,000 and as many as 1.400 persons have gath- ered within its walls.
Especial attention has been paid to educa- tional facilities by Father Koch since he as- sumed charge of St. Edward's Church. In 1874 he organized a parochial school, using the old church as a school building. The school was for the first year of its existence in charge of lay teachers. In 1875 the school was placed under the supervision of four S's- ters of Charity from Mount St. Vincent, Md ..
26
BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
and in 1877 a convent was erected for them. Subsequently a lot was purchased opposite the church and the present parochial school was built, being completed in 1883-84. The school is now conducted by eleven Sisters of Charity and has from 500 to 600 pupils.
The congregation of St. Edward's now numbers about 3.500 souls, and of these 2,650 are communicants. Its Sunday School is very large and the rector takes great pride in it.
For ten years, from 1888 to 1898, Father Koch was vicar-general of the Diocese of Harrisburg. On the death of Bishop McGov- ern. in 1898, he was appointed administrator of the diocese.
Catholics and Protestants alike unite in be- speaking for Father Koch a long continuance in his worthy and beneficial station and long life which shall be crowned with the rewards which come of well doing, rightly living, and faithful performance of the duties in this life laid upon His servants by Him who ruleth all.
OSEPH M. LILLEY, a member of the firm of Lilley & Smith, proprietors of the Berwick Manufacturing Company, and one of the most reliable and enterprising business men of the town of Berwick, was born at Limeridge. Columbia County. Pa., and is a son of Joseph and Lucinda (Evans) Lilley.
Joseph Lilley, the father of our subject, was born at Black Hole Valley. Lycoming Coun- ty. Pa., and during his manhood came to Co- lumbia County, where he accepted a position as lock-tender at Limeridge. Later he em- barked in the mercantile business, in which he was more than ordinarily successful. He was very prominent in his community and served
his fellow-citizens as justice of the peace for many years. He formed a matrimonial al- liance with Lucinda Evans, a daughter of Ephraim Evans, a well-to-do farmer of Co- lumbia County. Five children were the result of this union, namely: William, an Evange !- ical minister residing in Glenrock, Pa .: Mary, united in wedlock with L. M. Sleppy; Etta. wife of Harry Towsend; James, who is pros- pecting in the West; and Lizzie, who wedded Dr. A. S. Stoddard. Mr. Lilley died in 1867 at the age of sixty-eight years; his wife passed from this life, aged sixty-nine years.
Our subject possesses a good education, which he acquired in the public schools of his native town. For some time he was station agent and operator at Wyoming; later he worked as an extra at Bloomsburg, Espy, Shickshinny and other places on the D .. L. & W. R. R., but in 1872 he was appointed to a regular station and was sent to Berwick, where he remained until 1893, honestly and faithfully discharging the duties to which he had been assigned. In 1896 the Berwick Man- ufacturing Company was established, and in 1897 our subject and James E. Smith became the proprietors. They erected a large two- story building 30 by go feet, with an engine room 15 by 20 feet, on the corner of Ninth and Pine streets, and employ about seventy hands. who are constantly kept busy in the making of men's shirts and ladies' shirtwaists. The proprietors of this establishment are thoroughly acquainted with this line of busi- ness. and by their honest methods of dealing have built up a large and paying patronage.
Mr. Lilley was united in marriage to Emily Dietrich, a daughter of Jacob Dietrich, a resi- dent of Berwick, and as a result of this happy union one child was born to them, Harriet W., who is a graduate of the Baltimore Wo- men's College, Neff's College of Oratory at
DR. THEODORE C. HARTER.
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
Philadelphia, and Mrs. Kirk's Kindergarten School at Philadelphia. She conducted a kin- ยท dergarten school in Berwick and met with the greatest of success until appointed model in- structor of the model department of the State Normal School at Bloomsburg, Pa.
Our subject strongly advocates the prin- ciples of the Republican party and has repre- sented his fellow-citizens two terms in the town council. He is a member of Knapp Lodge, No. 461, F. & A. M., of Berwick. In 1887 our subject built a neat residence on Sec- ond street, which he has since made his home.
R. THEODORE C. HARTER. We have the pleasure to present to our readers the biography of one of Bloomsburg's foremost physicians and sur- geons, whose excellent reputation for profes- sional honor and skill has been acquired through a general practice in Bloomsburg, ex- tending from 1880 until the present time. He was born in Nescopeck, Pa., November 10, 1850, and is a son of Jacob and Margaret (Dietrich) Harter, and a grandson of Martin Harter.
Martin Harter was a farmer who resided near the village of Nescopeck; he was also engaged in hauling produce to the markets of Philadelphia, as that was the only means of transportation, and in return he brought back merchandise. He reared a family of chil- dren, one of whom was Jacob, the father of our subject.
Jacob Harter's chief occupation throughout life was farming. He purchased a farm when he grew to manhood and in addition to farm- ing operated a saw-mill and was extensively engaged in the lumber business. Later he learned the brick mason's trade, which he worked at for a short time, when he purchased
a farm in Mifflin township, Columbia County, Pa. In 1862 Mr. Harter enlisted in Company A, Pa. Vol. Inf., and after serving nine months was wounded in the battle of Yorktown, which rendered him unfit for further duty and finally resulted in his discharge. He was joined in marriage to Margaret Dietrich and they were the parents of the following chil- dren : Martin; Jacob; Lucinda; Aaron; John; A. Luther; Theodore C., our subject ; and Delilah, Catherine, Nathan and Sarah, all deceased. Mr. Harter died at the age of six- ty-four years. The mother of our subject died aged sixty-seven.
Dr. Harter received his primary education in the public schools, which was later sup- plemented by a course in Dickinson's Acad- emy and the Bloomsburg State Normal School. He then studied medicine under Dr. B. F. Gardner, one of Columbia County's most noted physicians and surgeons, and then entered the College of Physicians and Sur- geons at Baltimore, Md., graduating from that institution in 1880. He then settled in Nescopeck, where he practiced a short time, and finally selected Bloomsburg as an eligible field for his future operations. There he has prospered and has become a successful physi- cian and a popular member of the community. Our subject's office is located on the corner of East and Main streets; he makes a specialty of throat, heart and lung diseases, and for several years was jail physician and surgeon for the county. He is also engaged extensive- ly in the real estate business, having built nineteen tenement houses located on Seventh and Eighth streets. He also owns a handsome brick block adjoining his office and residence.
Dr. Harter formed a matrimonial alliance with Martha Alice Snyder, a daughter of Daniel Snyder, who was born in Northamp- ton County, Pa., and was a son of John Sny-
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
der. Daniel Snyder and his brother were en- gaged in farming on the old homestead and later Mr. Snyder learned the tanner's trade. In 1810 he removed to Columbia County, where he purchased ten acres of land and en- gaged in farming; the house in which he lived was an old log cabin and stood where our subject's office is now. He also built a two-story brick building, which was known as the Forks Hotel, on the corner of East and Main streets. He owned several farms in Co- lumbia County, and was one of the progres- sive men of his community. He was a mem- ber of the state legislature several years. He wedded Mary Magdalene Mickley, a daughter of Peter Mickley of Allentown, and a family of ten children was the result of the union, name- ly : William; Sarah A .; Melvina; Polly; Dan- iel; Mary B .; Annie; Matilda; Mary; and Martha Alice, the wife of our subject.
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