USA > Pennsylvania > Book of biographies; This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of the Seventeenth congressional district, Pennsylvania > Part 3
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Dr. Harter is a member and past master of Washington Lodge, F. & A. M., No. 265, of Bloomsburg; of the R. A. M .; I. O. H .; P. O. S. of A .: Sons of Veterans; and Jr. O. of U. A. M., and an ex-member of the K. of M. and I. O. O. F.
It is with pleasure that we present an ex- cellent portrait of Dr. Harter on another page. Dr. Harter's resemblance to Gen. U. S. Grant is remarkable and has quickly been noted wherever he has been, particularly by veterans who served under Grant.
J OHN MULLEN, head of the firm of John Mullen & Son, manufacturers of engines and machinery, at Shamokin, Pa., is one of the most substantial, en- terprising and public-spirited citizens of that city. He is another of the citizens of North- umberland County who have worked their
way up unaided from comparative obscurity. Possessing unbounded energy and being a practical machinist, Mr. Mullen has placed himself in the first rank of the representative men of the county, and is to-day interested in several of the largest and principal industries and corporations of Shamokin.
Our subject was born February 27, 1838, in Port Carbon, Schuylkill County, Pa., and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Monguey) Mul- len, who came from Ireland to this country in 1831 and settled in Port Carbon. Circum- stances made it necessary for our subject to begin to earn a living early in his youth, and at the age of ten years he entered the shops of T. H. Winterstein at Port Carbon and learned his trade as a machinist, remaining in the shop until he was twenty-five years old. During this period young Mullen supple- mented his hard work every day by attending night schools and studying at home those things which were of the best advantage to him in preparing himself to be something be- sides an employee. When he reached the age of twenty-five years he was an expert machin- ist and mechanical engineer, and the ability which he acquired and which is due to his study and his diligence in mastering details has since been admirably demonstrated in the character of work done by the firms of which he has been a member, and the large business which he has built up. Leaving Mr. Winter- stein, Mr. Mullen took an interest in the firm of Robert Allison & Co., general machinists and manufacturers of machinery. Two months after he joined the firm its shops in Port Carbon were destroyed by fire, and our subject lost the hard-earned savings which he had invested. The shops were subsequently rebuilt by Allison & Bannan and Mr. Mullen was installed as foreman, holding the position until 1870, when he removed to Shamokin,
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
formed a copartnership with David Huffman, and the firm of Mullen & Huffman leased and conducted the Shamokin Iron Works, a busi- ness which was started in 1838 by the late S. Bittenbender. In 1876, on the death of Mr. Huffman, his interest was purchased by his co- partners and the business continued by Messrs. Mullen and Bittenbender, under the firm name of John Mullen & Co. In 1880 Mr. Bittenbender retired from the firm, Mr. Mul- len buying his interest, and the business was continued by Mr. Mullen until 1889, when he admitted his eldest son, Thomas, the firm becoming John Mullen & Son, as it is to-day. The junior member of the firm is a practical master machinist and a man of marked exec- utive ability, energy and sound judgment. The extensive plant of the firm contains the most modern machinery and appliances, and in- cludes a foundry 50 by 80 feet in dimensions, a machine-shop 40 by 100 feet, and a boiler- shop 30 by 50 feet, the whole constituting what is declared to be the finest plant in Northumberland County for the manufacture of high-class engines, boilers, general and spe- cial machinery. The firm has built many of the large stationary engines in use at coal mines in Pennsylvania, also many engines for mills and factories; also is the sole manufac- turer of Allison's cataract steam pump, having the largest capacity for heavy mine work. This pump is said to be the most perfect in action and ease of any in the world when fitted with the isochronal valve movement. The firm employs upwards of one hundred men in its works.
When the First National Bank of Shamo- kin was organized, in 1883, Mr. Mullen was one of its charter members, and he has been its president since 1889. He is also treasurer of the Edison Electric Light Co., which office he has held since the organization of the cor-
poration. He was one of the prime movers in forming the company, which was the first company furnishing incandescent electric lights organized outside of New York City. It is notable, too, that the church of which Mr. Mullen is a faithful and active member, St. Edward's Roman Catholic Church of Sha- mokin, was the first church in the United States to be lighted with the incandescent light. Our subject is vice-president of the Shamokin Gas Co .; a trustee of the Vega Silk Co .; treasurer of the Shamokin Arc Light Co .; president of the Shamokin Coal & Coke Co., which is mining 15,000 tons of coal every month, has 150 coke ovens, pro- ducing 1,000 tons of coke per month, has 1,350 acres of coal lands under lease and em- ploys 300 hands; president of the Shamokin Powder Co .; a charter member of the Shamo- kin Steam Heating Co .; a director in the Shamokin Manufacturing Co .; vice-presi- dent of the Shamokin Building & Loan Asso- ciation; a stockholder in the West Ward Building & Loan Association; and a member of the Home Building & Loan Association.
A veteran of the Rebellion, Mr. Mullen is a leading member of Lincoln Post, G. A. R. He served three months in the 9th Reg., Pa .. Vol. Inf. The Post some time ago erected a fine monument in Shamokin commemorating the deeds of the soldiers and sailors and the raising of the fund to erect it, amounting to several thousand dollars, was most energeti- cally and successfully directed by our subject. who was treasurer of the committee which had the matter in charge. Our subject is a Repub- lican and was a member of the borough coun- cil in 1884 and 1885.
Miss Mary B. O'Brien, now deceased, of Herkimer County, N. Y., was united to Mr. Mullen in marriage September 3. 1861. Ten children were the fruit of the happy union, as
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
follows: Thomas J., who is his father's co- partner and mainstay in the business of which our subject is the head; Mary B., who was the wife of Cornelius J. McCarthy of Shenandoah, Pa., and is deceased; William A., superintend- ent of the Shamokin Powder Co .; and Nellie E., Clara G., Edward F., Charles R., Lettie A .; and Joseph and John, who died in in- fancy.
AMES McFARLANE, who is familiar to every family in Sullivan County as one who has done more to promote the public welfare of Laporte and the county at large than any other man, is proprietor of the largest general merchandise store in that bor- ough and is an extensive lumber merchant, owning about 6,000 acres of land, nearly all of which is covered with a rich growth of hem- lock timber. He was born in Arbroath, Scot- land, and is a son of the Rev. James and Eliz- abeth (Anderson) McFarlane.
Rev. James McFarlane emigrated from his native land, Scotland, and settled in what was known as the "English Neighborhood" in New Jersey. He was a devout Christian and a faithful minister, and during the remainder of his life preached in the Presbyterian Church. He was joined in wedlock with Elizabeth An- derson, who was born at Ratho, near Edin- burgh, Scotland, and their union was blessed by the birth of the following children : James, the subject of this personal history; John, who is engaged in the lumber business in New York City: Kate, who married H. J. Tappan, who also resides in New York City; Eliza- beth, deceased; and William, a dry goods merchant in Hoboken, N. J.
James McFarlane, after obtaining a good education in a private school and attaining his majority, became a member of the firm Thorn,
McFarlane & Co., composed of himself, Jona- than and William Thorn, dealers in hides and leather, with headquarters at No. 76 Gold street, New York City. Being men of ambi- tion and energy the firm soon grew to be one of influence and bought many tracts of land in Pennsylvania and erected a number of tan- neries, owning at one time as much as 40.000 acres of valuable land. The firm purchased the Laporte tannery, which at the time was a very small concern, at a sheriff's sale and im- mediately rebuilt it, and subsequently added to it from time to time until at the present day it covers many acres of land and ranks among the foremost tanneries of the state. Much of the land which the firm owned was covered with hemlock forest and our subject moved to Laporte in order to superintend its clearing. and at the same time built many tenement houses. He established the Thorndale tan- nery, which he operated very successfully for fifteen years, established a small general store, and in all gave employment to several hun- dred men. In 1893 the firm disposed of its entire estate to the Union Tanning Company. and Mr. McFarlane, who owned a private es- tate of four hundred acres and a store in La- porte, remained in the latter borough and has since conducted the store and operated the farm, which he improved to such an extent that it is now considered one of the best es- tates in that vicinity. The store building was a two-story affair, the second floor being used as a Sabbath School room and the first floor as the store, which was operated on a small scale. Upon assuming the management of the latter our subject re-stocked it with a new and complete line of general merchandise, util- izing both floors, and made many improve- ments. Business increased with great rapid- ity, and the building has since been enlarged and he now handles almost every article that
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
may be demanded by his customers, carrying a complete line of dry goods, ready-made clothing, groceries, crockery, hardware, drugs, hats and caps, boots and shoes, oils and paints, and many other useful articles. He built a saw-mill near the railroad station which he operates extensively, as he obtains the tim- ber from his land in Forks township. Mr. Mc- Farlane is a man of public spirit and he has done all within his power to elevate the stand- ing of the town of Laporte. While the tan- nery was under his superintendence he built the depot at that point, in which he permitted the Roman Catholics to hold services, and also allowed it to be used as a school-house until the new building was built, the latter being erected upon land which he liberally donated. In politics our subject is a stanch Democrat and has served as councilman and superintendent of schools. He has ever per- formed the obligations of a dutiful citizen and is held in high esteem by a large circle of ac- quaintances throughout the section.
Mr. McFarlane was joined in hymeneal bonds to Augusta L. Lovett, daughter of John Lovett, a retired merchant of New York City, by whom he is the father of three chil- dren : James, Jr., who is associated in busi- ness with Austin, Nicholas & Co., of New York City; Ada, who resides at home; and William, whose sad death at the age of twenty years, just prior to the time of his graduation from the Stephens College of Hoboken, re- sulted from too close confinement to his studies.
ARRY CLARK WALLIZE, who stands foremost among the business men of Upper Augusta township, Northumberland County, Pa., now resides on a fine farm of one hundred and forty-seven
acres and is engaged in huckstering. He is a man of integrity, and is accorded the esteem of all with whom he has been in any way con- nected. He is a son of Samuel H. and Re- becca (Clark) Wallize, and was born in Lewis township, Northumberland County, July 14, 1844.
Jolin Wallize, the grandfather of our sub- ject on the paternal side, was a native of Berks County, Pa., and was the first of his family to settle in Northumberland County, where he followed his occupation as a farmer. He and his wife Sarah were the parents of the follow- ing children: Michael, a carpenter by trade; Samuel; John, a farmer: Noah, a carpenter living in Illinois; Silas: Charles, a stock- dealer residing in Decatur, Ill .; Catherine, the wife of John Speck: Hannah, the wife of Sol- omon Eshbach: Sarah, the wife of Samuel Watson; Abbie, who married John Grey; Elizabeth, wife of Rev. George Billman; Mary, the wife of Jerry Raker; and Rebecca, who married Joseph Moyers, and resides in Grundy County, Ill.
Samuel Wallize, the father of our subject. was born in Lewis township, March 12, 1812, and learned the trade of a miller in Lycoming County, where he lived for some time. He then went to Jersey Shore, Pa., where for four years he plied his trade as a miller on his own account and then entered upon agricultural pursuits in Derby township, Montour County. Two years later he moved to Liberty township of that county, where he purchased a farm and lived from 1847 to 1855, when he returned to Lewis township, Northumberland County, to care for his parents in their old age and con- duct the affairs of the two farms owned by his father. He lived there for a period of twelve years and was a large land owner and pros- perous farmer. Shortly after the death of his parents he moved to Watsontown, where
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
he lived a retired life. In his latter days, how- ever, he lived with his son, John I., in Rush township, and his death occurred January 30, 1892. Throughout his active career he was engaged in droving and huckstering to a cer- tain extent, and in all lines of business met with success. Religiously he avas a member of the Lutheran Church. He married Rebecca Clark, who was born in Upper Augusta town- ship, November 3, 1811, a daughter of John Clark, a farmer who came from Scotland and located in Upper Augusta township, North- umberland County. Mr. Clark was the father of the following children : Elizabeth, the wife of William Cooner; Mary, the wife of Solo- mon Starner; William; John; Jonathan; George; Wesley; Samuel; Rebecca, the mother of our subject; and Margaret. Mr. WVallize and his wife reared the following chil- dren: Emma, the wife of Martin Gillinger of Rush township; William E., who died young; John I .; Sarah E., the wife of Thomas H. Kissner; Harry C., subject of this sketch; Annie, the wife of William Bly; Silas, a clerk in the railway shops at Grand Rapids, Michi- gan; and George, a liveryman of Watson- town, Pa. Mrs. Wallize at the present time resides with a daughter in Watsontown.
Harry Clark Wallize was reared on the farm and attended the public schools and Warren Institute at Warrenville, Ill., living at home until he was twenty-two years of age, when he located at Huntley Station, McHenry County, Ill. He was employed there as over- seer on a dairy-farm at first, but he was sub- sequently called upon to act in the capacity of superintendent, continuing for a period of one and one-half years. He then returned home and counted lumber in a saw-mill for a like period, after which he lived with his brother in Rush township for three years. In 1871 he was married and then engaged in
farming in Upper Augusta township, near his present home, for a period of six years, but later conducted a store in East Buffalo Val- ley, Union County, Pa., for two years. He then sold out and returned to Upper Augusta township, where he engaged in the manufac- ture of brick and operated a flagstone quarry. After a period of three years spent at that bus- iness he bought his present farm of one hun- dred and forty-seven acres, known as the old H. G. Kline homestead, and has since lived there. He rents a major portion of the land. but carries on market gardening himself, mak- ing on an average of three trips a week to Sha- mokin to dispose of his produce. He has also dealt in fertilizers for some years, and his success has been great in whatsoever line of business he has undertaken, owing to his nat- ural industry and general business capacity.
On March 16, 1871, Mr. Wallize was joined in hymeneal bonds with Elizabeth C. Kline, a daughter of Harmon G. and Mary Kline of Upper Augusta township. Her father was a farmer and a school teacher and is now living in retirement in Sunbury. This union re- sulted in the birth of two children, namely: Arthur B., a promising young man who is now in attendance at Easton College: and Bertha Estella, who died at the age of five years. Politically our subject has always been an unswerving supporter of the Republican party, and has at various times been called into public office. He served as auditor of the township at the time East Sunbury was taken from the township: school director for six years, and was secretary of the board during the entire period. At the present time he is a director of the Mutual Fire Insurance Com- pany, operating in Upper and Lower Augus- ta, Rockefeller and Mahanoy townships. In religious attachments he is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and is very act-
1169836
HON. GRANT HERRING.
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
ive in its workings. He is a class-leader in the Sunday School and is now acting as superin- tendent of that body. He is also an active worker of the Epworth League. He is a prominent member of the Farmers' Alliance.
ON. GRANT HERRING, who has attained much prominence as a practi- tioner of law and in politics in the town of Bloomsburg, Columbia County, Pa., was formerly collector of internal revenue for the Twelfth District of Pennsylvania and re- cently served as president law judge of the Twenty-sixth Judicial District. He repre- sented the Twenty-fourth Senatorial District in the State Senate for a term of four years. He is a son of George A. and Mary A. (Hess) Herring, and was born at Centerville, now known as Limeridge, Columbia County, May 19, 1862.
The Herrings were originally a family of German peasants, and Christopher Herring, his wife, and their eight children were brought to this country prior to the Revolutionary War as "redemptioners," their services being sold to pay their passage. Of these children two were killed in the battle of Brandywine and another, Ludwick, who was the great- grandfather of our subject, settled in Orange- ville, Columbia County, Pa., in 1800. He was a teamster and was engaged in hauling pro- duce and goods from Orangeville and Potts- ville to Reading before the introduction of the railroad system in that section.
John Herring, the grandfather of our sub- ject, was born in Orangeville, Pa., in 1808 and there resided throughout his active life. He was a carpenter by occupation and for twenty years was foreman of carpentering on the Pennsylvania Canal, between Nanticoke and
Sunbury. Politically he was a Jacksonian Democrat, casting his first vote for Jackson, and adhered to the Democratic party until his demise. For ten years he was justice of the peace at Orangeville. He moved to Blooms- burg in 1889 and during the following years lived in retirement, dying in 1893. He mar- ried Rebecca Snyder, a sister of the late Sher- iff John Snyder of Orangeville, and they had eight children, six sons and two daughters.
George A. Herring, the father of our sub- ject, was born in Orangeville, December 24, 1833, and obtained his education in the acad- emy at that place. At the age of twenty years he moved to Bloomsburg and learned the trade of a molder, which he followed for a period of four years in Bloomsburg, Ill., and in Michigan. He then returned home and en- gaged in carpentering with his father, build- ing canalboats at Limeridge, Columbia County. He continued carpenter work and boat building until 1864, when he purchased a colliery, now known as No. 3, at Shenandoah, Schuylkill County, Pa., in connection with J. W. Williams, Esq., operating it for a few years under the firm name of Williams & Herring. He then met with a serious accident which nearly resulted in his death and which termi- nated his connection with the mine. He dis- posed of his interest and engaged in merchan- dising in Shenandoah up to the year 1876. when he sold out. During this period he was elected treasurer of Schuylkill County, serving from 1870 to 1873. He was one of the organ- izers and a director of the Shenandoah Water Company; also a director of the Shenandoah Valley Bank. In 1876, owing to poor health. he sold his store and moved to Bloomsburg. purchasing a farm two miles from there and also renting a tannery, which he operated un- til 1882. He then disposed of the tannery, but has since owned the farm. From 1881 to 1887
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
he served as deputy treasurer of Columbia County and for the following three years as treasurer. In 1894 he was made deputy col- lector of internal revenue for the Twelfth Dis- trict of Pennsylvania, with office at Scranton, under his son Grant, and he has since held that office. Politically Mr. Herring is a firm sup- porter of Democratic principles and has fre- quently served as delegate to state conven- tions from Columbia and Schuylkill Counties. He was a delegate to the convention which nominated Pattison for governor, and the delegation from Columbia County, being the last to cast its vote, had the distinction of naming the Democratic candidate, as the vote was very close. Mr. Herring married Mary A. Hess, who died in 1893 at the age of fifty- seven years, and they became the parents of three children : Grant, the subject of this bio- graphical record; Ida, who resides with her father at Bloomsburg; and John, who died in March, 1890, at the age of twenty-two years. The latter was graduated from Lafayette Col- lege in June, 1889, and during his Junior year in college he received three honors in orator- ical contests. Upon leaving school he began the study of law with our subject and contin- ued it until his death.
Grant Herring attended the common schools of Shenandoah until 1876, when he entered the Bloomsburg State Normal School to prepare for college, remaining there until 1879. He then took a classical course in La- fayette College, graduating therefrom in June, 1883. He is an excellent speaker and a fluent writer, and in his Junior year took first hon- ors in the oratorical contest. In September, 1883, he began the study of law with E. R. Ikeler, Esq., afterwards president judge of the Twenty-sixth Judicial District of Pennsyl- vania, being the immediate predecessor of our subject in that office at Bloomsburg, being ad-
mitted to the bar in February, 1885. He formed a partnership with Mr. Ikeler on the same day under the firm name Ilkeler & Her- ring, and they continued together for four years, until Mr. Herring was elected to the bench. He has since practiced alone, and has admission to the County, United States, State and District Supreme Courts. He had a good corporation practice, being solicitor for the Farmers' National Bank, attorney for the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, for The Jackson & Woodin Manufacturing Company of Berwick, and a number of . other prominent firms. He possesses essentially a legal mind and is indefatigable in the prosecution of cases which he under- takes, and has miet with unusual success. Politically he has been quite active in the af- fairs of the Democratic party, and represented the Twenty-fourth Senatorial District of Pennsylvania in the State Senate from 1890 to 1894, being in the extra session called by Gov. Pattison in 1893 for the investigation of state officers. He was delegate-at-large from Pennsylvania to the Democratic National Convention in 1892 which chose Cleveland as the party candidate, and was also a delegate from his district in 1896 to the Chicago Con- vention. He was appointed collector of inter- nal revenue for the Twelfth District of Penn- sylvania, assuming the duties of office on Feb- ruary 3. 1894. He was appointed judge of the Twenty-sixth Judicial District August 12. 1898, but was not a candidate for election at the polls in November. He resumed the prac- tice of his profession in January. 1899.
On September 4, 1885, Mr. Herring was united in marriage to Emma Jones of Blooms- burg, and they are the parents of three chil- dren, as follows: Donald, born September 25. 1886, who attends the Bloomsburg High School: Laura. born December 24, 1887:
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
and Mildred, born September 24. 1893. Our subject is a man of strong personality and has a large following in Eastern Pennsylvania. and it is with pleasure that we announce that his portrait is presented on another page of this work.
UVAL DICKSON, station agent of the D., L. & W. R. R .. also agent for the United States Express Company at Berwick. one of the popular and energetic business men of that town, was born in Northumberland County. Pa., and is a son of Rev. James and Jeanette (Duval) Dickson, grandson of Archibald and Elizabeth (Waite) Dickson, and great-grandson of Archibald Dickson.
Archibald Dickson. Sr., was a native of Ke'so. Roxburyshire. Scotland. and during his boyhood learned the trade of a shoemaker, and. attaining manhood. engaged in the shoe business. following that line of business the rest of his active days. He was the father of four children. namely: Robert: Jane: Eliza- beth: and Archibald. Mr. and Mrs. Dickson each lived to the age of seventy years.
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