USA > Pennsylvania > Book of biographies; This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of the Seventeenth congressional district, Pennsylvania > Part 39
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George W. Seibert obtained his education in the public schools, after which he learned the mechanic's trade, which was almost a natural gift to him. He spent several years working at his trade as a journeyman, attain- ing a reputation for thorough and excellent work. Having been saving and prudent, he had a considerable sum of money with which he purchased a home; this was one hundred acres of land which contained, at that time, only a log building. He then set about to improve this farm in every possible way and make a home worthy of the name. He built a large brick house, planning and construct- ing it himself. Many pet schemes of his were unfolded and used advantageously to himself in making his home attractive and convenient. He also built large and commodious barns. His whole farm is now in a state of high cultivation and is one of the choicest grain farms in Delaware township, located near Mc- Ewensville. He was united in marriage to Amelia A., daughter of Jacob Stitzel, and four children were born to them. The eldest of these were twins; Charles, a prominent farm- er of Limestoneville, and Jacob, who died, aged fourteen years; their third child, Han- nah, wedded Arthur Gauger of Delaware township; while George W., the fourth child,
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JOHN L. WILLIAMS.
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married Carrie Kriner and now has charge of the home farm.
Mr. Seibert is a worthy citizen, such as all good men love to honor. He has always taken an active interest in educational affairs having served in the capacity of school di- rector for eight years and has been overseer of the poor for many years. In his political affiliations Mr. Seibert is always found in the Democratic camp, ever loyal to the principles espoused by Jefferson and Jackson. Both he and his estimable wife are good Christian workers, Mrs. Seibert being a strong believer in the Reformed Church, and Mr. Seibert a member of the Lutheran Church.
OHN L. WILLIAMS, who is well known among mine operators as a thoroughly equipped and very success- ful superintendent of coal mining, is one of Mount Carmel's most progressive and promi- nent citizens. He is a son of Thomas L. and Sarah (Lloyd) Williams, and was born May 4, 1840, in the County of Denbigh, North Wales.
Our subject naturally took to mining, as his father was a miner. The father, Thomas Williams, was born in Wales about 1820, and immigrated to this country in 1871. He had followed mining since the early age of some- thing over eight years. He located in She- nandoah, Schuylkill County, where he fol- lowed mining in all its branches until about 1895. He had had experience in Wales as an assistant foreman and in this region he served several years as fire-boss. To him and his wife were born three sons: John L .; Thomas L., who was an outside-foreman for the Read- ing Company at the Maple Hill Colliery, where he died in 1896; and Daniel, who re- sides in Mount Carmel and is assistant out-
side-foreman of the Richards Colliery, and has followed mining all his life.
John L. Williams attended the common schools in and near his birthplace until, at the age of thirteen years, he entered the employ of the Great Western Railway, for which he worked four and a half years. Then, at the age of seventeen years, he took a position as a fireman with a coal company, with the in- tention of becoming a mechanic and engi- neer. He remained in the company's employ about ten years, working as a fireman, engi- neer, inspector of pumps and in various other positions, obtaining a complete knowledge of mining and mining machinery, which served him well in his subsequent career in the min- ing region of this state. Mr. Williams came to the United States in December, 1869, lo- cating at Shenandoah, a stranger, with will- ingness to work and thorough knowledge of mines and machinery as his only capital. At that time work in the mines was suspended and positions were scarce. Our subject ob- tained employment, however, sinking the In- dian Ridge shaft at Shenandoah and putting in all the pumps. When the mine was opened and operations began he was made assistant inside-foreman, which position he held for three years, when he was promoted to fore- man, the mine having been absorbed by the Reading Company, remaining foreman until 1880. In that year Mr. Williams was ap- pointed superintendent of the Shenandoah district, comprising six collieries, serving as such for three years, when he was again pro- moted and made superintendent of all the collieries owned by the Reading Company north of Broad Mountain and from Trevorton to Mahanoy City. He visited the collieries and carefully inspected them and the manner in which they were worked, making reports which were declared complete in essential de-
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tails and very satisfactory. At the end of a year the district was divided into two di- visions, the Shamokin and the Shenandoah, and our subject was appointed superintendent of the latter division, extending from Girard- ville to Mahanoy City and including 24 col- lieries. He remained superintendent of that division until 1892, when he resigned from the service of the Reading Company and, remov- ing to Mount Carmel, became superintendent for the Union Coal Company on May 1, 1892, and is now with that company. He has the supervision of four collieries, the Hickory Ridge, Hickory Swamp of Shamokin, Pa., and the Pennsylvania and Richards at Mount Carmel. These collieries give employment to 4,000 men and boys, and their supervision is a task which only a well-equipped and unu- sually capable man, such as Mr. Williams, could successfully undertake. Our subject has been very successful and is regarded as an expert in coal mining. He has won success by his ability and because he possesses in great degree the perseverance which makes men successful.
In July, 1866, Mr. Williams was united in marriage with Sarah E. Edwards, and to them have been born the following children : Thomas H., who for some time was an assist- ant to his father and is unusually capable as a business man, and has served as president of the council in Mount Carmel; John, a miner, who resides in Mount Carmel; Jennie, wife of Thomas Sanger of Mount Carmel, a draughtsman for the Mount Carmel Iron Company and a graduate of Girard College, Philadelphia; Harry L., a mechanic by occu- pation; and Edwin S., also a mechanic, who began at the bottom by serving a full appren- ticeship. In politics Mr. Williams is a Re- publican. We take pleasure in announcing that his portrait is shown on a preceding page.
A ARRY S. KNIGHT, who has been very successful in the practice of the legal profession in the town of Sunbury since May 1, 1894, is a son of Fred .H. and Annie (Schoc) Knight, and was born in Watsontown, Northumberland County, March 6, 1868.
The family is of Welsh descent, and, upon coming to America during the colonial pe- riod, located on Long Island. Albert Knight, the great-grandfather of our subject, was born on Long Island and was a soldier in the co- lonial wars. His son, Richard Knight, our subject's grandfather, was also born there and when eleven years of age enlisted in the army during the Revolutionary War as drummer-boy, serving in that capacity throughout the struggle for liberty. He then moved to Harrisburg, Pa., when that now thriving city was but a small village, and en- gaged in merchandising until the War of 1812. He then organized a company and was mustered into service as captain and served faithfully until the close of the war. He then removed to Liverpool, Perry County, where he operated packet boats on the Sus- quehanna Canal until his death, which oc- curred in 1848, aged sixty-eight years. Re- ligiously he was a member of the Episcopal Church. He was the father of five children, two sons and three daughters, one of whom was Fred H., the father of our subject.
Fred H. Knight was born in Liverpool. Perry County, Pa., November 22, 1838, and obtained his education in the public schools and in Millersburg State Normal School of which he is a graduate. Upon leaving school he taught for a short period, but in 1861 en- listed in Company G, 147th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., as a private and served through the en- tire war, acquitting himself with credit. From time to time he was promoted and was fin-
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ally ranked as major. He was attached to Sherman's Army during the memorable March to the Sea and also participated in the following important engagements: Look- out Mountain; Chancellorsville; Chatta- nooga; Vicksburg; Siege of Atlanta; and was taken prisoner and incarcerated on Belle Isle for a short time. After the close of the war, he located at Selinsgrove and in 1866 moved to Watsontown, where he has since resided and carried on a general merchandise store with good results. He is superintendent of the Watsontown Water Works, of which he is the chief stockholder. Religiously he is a member of the Lutheran Church, whilst in political views he is a stanch Republican and has held the office of chief burgess a number of times. Socially he is a member of Bryson Post, No. 225, G. A. R., of Watsontown. December 13, 1866, he was united in marriage to Annie Schoc, and they became the parents of one son, Harry S.
Harry S. Knight is a gentleman of scholar- ly attainments, being a graduate of Watson- town High School in 1884; he also took a three years' course in Wyoming Seminary and was graduated therefrom in the class of 1888. He then engaged in newspaper work on the Wilkesbarre Record until the fall of 1889, when he took up the study of law under the direction of H. C. McCormick, who is at present an attorney of Williamsport, and was admitted to the bar of Lycoming County in the fall of 1891. He shortly afterwards formed a partnership with N. N. Edwards, Esq., and under the firm name, Edwards & Knight, practiced for one year, when on ac- count of poor health and failing eyesight he was obliged to give up active work. Having recovered sufficiently at the expiration of two years, on May 1, 1894, he moved to Sunbury where he was admitted to the bar and im-
mediately began practice. He has secured a large clientage and has pleaded cases in the State and United States courts with much success. He organized - the board of trade soon after his arrival in Sunbury, and has been secretary of the board ever since. He is the leading spirit of the organization and has secured for the city many large enterprises, chief of which are the silk mills and knitting mill. On May 1, 1897, he took Milton Loeb into partnership, the firm now being Knight & Loeb.
June 16, 1896, Mr. Knight was joined in wedlock to Mary B. Martin of Williamsport, and they are the happy parents of one son, Frederick H. Politically he is a Republican and takes an active interest in all affairs of a political nature. In religious attachments he is a member of the Episcopal Church and an active worker in the Sunday school. Socially he is a member of the James Cameron Camp, No. 60, S. of V., and Pa. Div. S. of R.
SAAC KINNEY KRICKBAUM LAU- BACH, who has been engaged exten- sively in farming and lumbering for many years, is one of the progressive business men of Benton township, Columbia County. He is a son of Peter and Susan Catherine (Krickbaum) Laubach, and was born in Ben- ton township October 28, 1849.
He is a descendant of sturdy Hollanders, whose home was the native country of John G. Laubach, the great-great-grandfather of our subject, who immigrated to Philadelphia. Pa., as early as 1736 and lived there the re- mainder of his life. He was the progenitor of the following children: Susan; John Mich- ael; John; John Christian; Ann Mary: John Conrad, who died in infancy: John Conrad,
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second of that name; Anna Margaret; Cath- erine; John George; Wilberg; and Elizabeth. John Christian Laubach, the great-grand- father of our subject, was born June 30, 1764, in the city of Philadelphia, and was the first to locate in Columbia County, settling there in 1790. Three years later he moved to Sugarloaf township, took up a tract of four hundred acres of land on what is now known as Fritz Hill and followed farming until his death, on March 15, 1825. He was united in marriage to Mary Frutchy, who was born February 3, 1773, and was called to her final rest July 8, 1823. They reared a large fam- ily of children, namely: Susan, who mar- . ried John Moore, was the mother of eight children, and withstood the vicissitudes of for- tune for ninety-one years before succumbing to the inevitable; George, who married Eliza- beth Coleman, a daughter of Benjamin Cole- man, was one of the early settlers of Sugarloaf township, but during his later years resided in Michigan; Frederick, who took as his wife Mary Larish, by whom he had eight children; Peter, who died in childhood; Han- nah, who became the wife of Thomas Con- ner of Bloomsburg and had three sons and two daughters: Elizabeth, who was the wife of William Cole and bore him nine children; Anna Margaret, who married William Ikeler and died in Fishing Creek township; Polly, wife of John Ikeler, moved to Michigan; Catherine, who married John R. Davis, was the mother of nine children and resided in Benton township, Columbia County; Chris- tian, who was united in marriage with Hannah Hefley and lived in Danville, Montour Coun- ty; and John, the grandfather of our subject.
John Laubach followed the calling of a farmer all of his life in Sugarloaf township, and was a very prosperous man. In connec- tion with farming he carried on a distillery.
He was joined in wedlock to Ann Kline, a daughter of Abraham Kline, Jr., and their union resulted in the following issue: Abra- ham, a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, who died in the state of Washington; Rhoda Ann, who married J. H. Harrison and died January 29, 1884, in Union township, Luzerne County; Isaac, who mar- ried Sarah Ash, a daughter of Christian Ash. was a soldier of the Civil War, serving for three years,-at the expiration of that time he enlisted for three more years, but the war came to a termination shortly after,- At present he is conducting a farm and dairy in Southeastern Iowa; Peter, our subject's father; George, who married Charlotte Mc- Henry, a daughter of Henry McHenry, Jr., and served for one year in the 199th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., receiving an honorable dis- charge; Christian, united in marriage to Sally Ann Pennington, a daughter of Jonathan C. Pennington; John Frutchy, whose wife was Susan Tailor, died October 24, 1863; Dan- iel S., who married Elizabeth Young and now resides in Bloomsburg; David Kline, who married Mary Pennington, served in the 199th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf .; and Frederick. who married Lucy Harrison, a daughter of Rev. M. E. Harrison, enlisted in the army during the Civil War for three years' service and again for a similar period, but received his discharge before his time expired,-his death occurred October 29, 1881.
Peter Laubach was born April 15, 1825, in Sugarloaf township, on the old Laubach homestead. At the age of eight years he went with his parents to Benton township, where he lived on the old John Laubach property. After attaining his majority he conducted a store in Benton for about nine months, and in 1847 he purchased 100 acres of land in that township. He improved it greatly and culti-
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vated it with good results for many years, buying more land from time to time until he had 440 acres in all. He was a good citizen and one of the leading farmers in the northern section of Columbia County. Politically he was a supporter of the Republican party, whilst in his religious belief he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, of which he was trustee and elder, and was one of the building committee for the erection of the present church edifice. Socially he was a member of the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Laubach lived a long and useful life and was called Home May 28, 1890. As a result of his union with Susan Catherine Krickbaum, the following children were born: Isaac Kinney Krick- baum, the subject of this biographical rec- ord; John C., who died in childhood; Rhoda Ann, wife of Henry C. Learn of Ber- wick, and Margaret Ann, wife of Frank P. Dildine of Benton, twins; Sarah E. Brown and Freace Brown, also twins,-the former died in infancy and the latter is married to Alvin W. Dresher of Benton township; Win- field Scott, who is farming on the old home- stead, and married Elizabeth C. Roberts, a daughter of Samuel Roberts; and Susan Ma- tilda, who died in 1866.
Isaac Kinney Krickbaum Laubach was reared on the farm and obtained his intel- lectual training in the public schools of his na- tive town and in the New Columbia Acad- emy and the Bloomsburg State Normal School. After receiving a good English edu- cation he left school and turned his attention to lumbering and farming, which vocations he has followed since. He is one of the leading and progressive business men of his section of the county and stands high in the estimation of the public. He is a man of high principles, honest and straightforward, and numbers his friends by the score.
July 3, 1875, he married Annie Gibbons, a daughter of the late Thomas Gibbons, a farm- er of Benton township, and their union re- sulted in the following offspring: Laura 1 .. , the wife of P. E. Tubbs, a mason and plasterer of Benton township; Susan, who died in in- fancy; Peter Clyde; Sadie E .: and Letha M. Mrs. Laubach was called to her eternal rest May 27, 1897, aged forty-eight years and six days. Politically Mr. Laubach is a Republi- can. He was jury commissioner from 1895 to 1898, also school director for a number of years. Socially he is past grand and an active member of Benton Lodge, I. O. O. F .; member of the Patrons of Husbandry: and secretary of the Grange, which of- fice he has held for a number of years. Re- ligiously our subject is allied with the Presby- terian Church of Raven Creek. Pa., in which he is trustee and elder, offices he has faithfully filled for several years.
OHN F. SCHAFFER, an attorney-at- law of the town of Sunbury, North- umberland County, where he enjoys a large and lucrative patronage, is a son of John F. and Sarah A. (Houghton) Schaffer. and was born in Sunbury, September 20. 1867.
The family originally came from Switzer- land, John Schaffer, the great-grandfather of our subject, being a native of that country. He was a soldier in the Napoleon wars and after receiving a serious wound in the chest he left the army and came to this country, lo- cating in the city of Reading, where he lived until his death. He was the father of John Schaffer, the grandfather of our subject, who was born in Reading and early in life learned the trade of a tailor, which trade he thereafter followed. He took an active part in the po- litical affairs of his day and was a member of
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the Democratic party, spending time and money in aiding his friends to office. He was a member of the Reformed Church, in which he was an active worker and was Sunday School superintendent. He was twice before the matrimonial altar, his first wife being Louise Winckler, by whom he had four chil- dren, including John F., the father of our sub- ject.
John F. Schaffer was born in Reading, Au- gust 3, 1834, where he grew to manhood and learned the trade of a tailor with his father. In 1855 he went to Lewisburg, Pa., where he engaged in merchant tailoring until 1864, when he returned to Reading and in the fol- lowing spring removed to Sunbury, where he remained until his death, on August 3, 1878. He engaged in his trade at Sunbury with good results. He was also an artist of more than ordinary ability. He was united in marriage to Sarah A. Houghton and they became the parents of one son and one daughter.
John F. Schaffer, the subject of this bio- graphical sketch, was reared in Sunbury and obtained his education in the public schools, graduating from the high school in the class of 1884. He then was a clerk in the office of the register and recorder and clerk of the Orphans' Court in Sunbury. In 1887 he went West, spending three years in California, Co !- orada, and Arizona, during the time of the great boom. He was employed in an abstract and title company's office at Los Angeles, and later by Fred Harvey, the proprietor of a chain of eating houses from Kansas City to San Bernardino, Cal. Prior to his departure for the West our subject passed the preliminary examination and upon his return to Sunbury in 1890 he read law under the direction of Hon. John B. Packer, a distinguished lawyer of that place, and upon the latter's death in 1891, he continued to study under George B.
Reymonsnyder of Sunbury. He was admitted to the bar in December, 1894, and has since been successfully engaged in practice. From 1891 to 1894 he served as deputy prothono- tary in a satisfactory manner.
Politically Mr. Schaffer is a member of the Democratic party, but has never aspired to of- fice, taking only the interest of a dutiful citi- zen in politics. Religiously he is a member of the Presbyterian Church.
ILLIAM HENRY SMALL, one of the enterprising farmers of Laporte township, Sullivan County, Pa., was born at Clifford Corners, Susquehanna County, this state, the date of his birth being August 8, 1835. He is a son of Bradner S. and Harriet (Hunter) Small, and a grandson of Matthew Small.
Matthew Small was born in Tompkins County, N. Y., and died at Havana, N. Y., at an advanced age. His wife died aged eighty years. Little is now known of Matthew Small. but that he was a soldier of the Revolutionary War and saw active service on Staten Island, N. Y. He was the father of Bradner S., our subject's father; Jane; Sarah Ann; Hannah; Lydia Ann; and Elias. In politics our sub- ject's grandfather was an active Democrat : in religious belief he was inclined to be lib- eral.
Bradner S. Small was born in Orange Coun- ty, N. Y., where he grew to maturity; he learned the trade of a miller and wood-carver and, practically, followed these lines of busi- ness all his life. He passed from this world at the age of sixty years. In politics he firmly upheld the principles advocated by the Demo- cratic party. He was the father of the follow- ing children : Asneth, now deceased; our sub-
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ject; John Thomas, deceased; Esther, who married Henry White and resides in Virginia; Mary married Elmer Shewmann, and they re- side in Corning, N. Y .; Julia, who resides in Ithaca, N. Y .; Sarah Eliza, who married By- ron Rogers, now deceased, and lives in El- mira, N. Y.
William Henry Small was but seven years of age when his parents became residents of Ithaca, N. Y., and there he received his men- tal training and grew to manhood. Leaving home he went to Benton, Luzerne County, Pa., where he apprenticed himself to the blacksmith's trade for three years. From Benton he went to Laporte, his present adopted town, and there carried on his trade until 1861, the beginning of the most disas- trous and bloody war of modern times. In response to a call issued by President Lincoln for troops to put down the Rebellion, our sub- ject immediately enlisted in the 11th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., for a term of three months. He took part in the skirmishes at Haines Run, near Williamsport, Md., and later his regiment camped within four miles of Martinsburg; there our subject was ill a short time before his term expired and was sent to the hospital at Hagerstown, from which place he was hon- orably discharged. He then went to Harris- burg, Pa., where he was again taken sick, and upon his recovery he returned to Laporte, where he took up his former trade. In 1864 he moved upon the farm owned by the father of his wife, and upon Mr. Clark's death she fell heir to her present fine mountain-top or table- land farm of eighty-eight acres. Mr. Small has since purchased twenty acres of timber- land adjoining the estate, and on the Clark part of the farm has since been erected a fine two-story, modern farm-house and a commo- dious barn. He is. a hard-working, careful
farmer and his home and surroundings show that he is prosperous and progressive.
Mr. Small was united in marriage in 1863 with Florence Clark, a daughter of Edward and Mary (Van Fleet) Clark of Laporte, Pa., and they are the proud parents of six cliil- dren, namely : Hattie, deceased; Andrew married Millie Fritz and at present resides at home; Emmet, deceased; Edward, Frank, and Merlin, all single. Politically Mr. Small is a Republican. In his religious views he is liberal.
ILLIAM HI. RHAWN, one of Co- lumbia County's most prominent attorneys-at-law, was born in Catawissa, Oc- tober 11, 1856, and is a son of Casper and Catherine (Kruck) Rhawn.
The grandfather of our subject was Henry Rhawn, a native of Montgomery County, where he resided most of his life. He was the father of a family of children, one of whom was Casper, the father of our subject.
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