USA > Pennsylvania > Book of biographies; This volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of the Seventeenth congressional district, Pennsylvania > Part 47
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Our subject and wife have reared two chil- dren: Nell Bonham married William L. Mc- Clure, teller of the First National Bank of Danville, and they are the parents of two children, Harold Russell and Donald Arm- strong; and Jasper Greenleaf, who died aged four years. Mr. and Mrs. Gearhart reside in a handsome house on Market street, which our subject purchased from Thomas Reaves.
HOMAS SANGER, one of the most prominent men and highly respected citizens of Mount Carmel, Pa., is a son of Thomas and Sarah (Brown) Sanger, and was born November 24, 1869, at Girardville, Schuylkill County, Pa.
Thomas Sanger, the father of our subject. was a native of the parish of Gernoe, Cornwall County, England, and was born in 1842. He was the only son and great care was taken in bringing him up. His father was a Meth- odist minister and he died when Thomas was but five years old, leaving the family in
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straitened circumstances. Therefore Thom- as was obliged to begin work at an early age, going into the Great Work tin mine, where he remained until he was nineteen years old. He then decided to try his luck in the United States, and set sail for this country in 1861, landing in New York City. A miner by oc- cupation, he immediately sought the mining regions, and was successful in securing work at Beaver Meadows, under the employ of T. Gertz, remaining there a short time. His next move was to Stockton, Schuylkill Coun- ty, where he hired out with a man named Paul Quick. They soon became firm friends and, wishing to better their condition, decided to move to Locust Gap, and later went to Dark Corner, working at Anderson's Colliery. In May, 1866, they went to California, and then Mr. Sanger worked his way to Virginia City, Nevada, where he obtained the position of overlooker in a gold mine, under the super- vision of William Locke. After three years in that city he returned East and located at Waterloo, N. J., where, shortly after his ar- rival there, he married a daughter of William Brown of Belleville, N. J. After a few months he went to Girardville. Schuylkill County, Pa., and worked in the colliery of Beatty & Garretson for five years, when he accepted the position of inside-boss at the colliery of the Messrs. Heaton, at Raven Run, Schuylkill County, and continued there until he was murdered, September 1, 1875, by Mollie Ma- guires, who were afterward hung for the crime at Pottsville, Pa. The murderers were Thomas Monday, Friday O'Donnell, James McAlister and Michael Doyle.
Mr. Sanger always gave the greatest satis- faction to his employers and was highly re- spected in the community. He was a man of generosity and he never failed to remember the mother across the sea, always sending her
part of his earnings. Ile was an Odd Fel- low and a Free Mason. Mr. Sanger's wife was married first to Pierce Oliver, and by him were born two children, namely: Emma, the wife of William Wragg, outside foreman at the Hickory Ridge Colliery; and Mary E .. wife of William R. Pratt of Shenandoah. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Sanger were as follows: Thomas Sanger, the subject of this biography; Annie, wife of David Bodine of Plainfield, N. J .; Johanna, wife of John E. Pratt of Philadelphia; and Gertrude. Mrs. Sanger's third husband was Paul Quick. now deceased.
. Thomas Sanger, the subject of this sketch, was educated at Girard College, Philadelphia. and after leaving college entered the employ of J. B. Lippincott & Co., as stock-clerk, re- maining with them for one and one-half years. when he went to Delano and engaged as draughtsman for six years for the Lehigh Valley R. R. Co. He then became draughts- man for Goyne Bros., manufacturers of pumps at Ashland, and remained there two years, when he entered the employ of the Mount Carmel Iron Works in 1897 as draughtsman, and remained in that capacity until February 11, 1899, when he was pro- moted to the position of superintendent of the works.
Politically Mr. Sanger is a firm Republican and takes an active interest in the politics of the county. He is chairman of the Repub- lican standing committee of Mount Carmel. Our subject is a member of several fraternal orders, including the Knights of Malta at Mount Carmel; Jr. O. U. A. M., Council No. 874 at Mount Carmel, also of the national and state body, being a delegate to the national conventions, having served five years, attend- ing the various meetings throughout the country; also a member of the P. O. S. of . 1.
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He is president of the Citizens' Hook & Lad- der Company, having been one of the organ- izers.
Mr. Sanger married, May 10, 1893, Jennie Louisa Williams, a daughter of John L. Wil- liams, and they have been blessed with two children, Ethel Vivian and Thomas. Mr. San- ger is a man of splendid principles and strict- est integrity, and is always willing to assist in anything which is for the good of the people.
"A" LFRED NEVIN YOST stands fore- most among the worthy men of Co- lumbia County as an energetic, able and upright attorney, a courteous gentleman, and a kind neighbor and friend. He was born in Fishing Creek township, Columbia County, August 23, 1855, and is a son of David and Sarah Catherine (Creveling) Yost, grandson of Samuel and Esther (Winters) Yost, great-grandson of Henry and Margaret (Rickert) Yost, and great-great-grandson of John and Molly (Krause) Yost.
The father of John was a native of Germany who immigrated to America and located in Chester County, Pa., where he was engaged in the cultivation of the soil. John Yost. the great-great-grandfather of our subject. was born in Chester County and later settled in Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pa., and followed the vocation of an agriculturist all his life. He was twice wedded; his first wife was Molly Krause who bore him a family of five children, namely: Henry, Philly, Sam- uel, Elizabeth, and Mary; his second marriage was to Miss Seivel and the following children were born to them: John, Jacob, Catherine. Rachel, and Sarah. Henry Yost, the great- grandfather of our subject, was one of the
pioneer farmers of Roaring Creek township, Columbia County; he was also engaged in the tannery business for about seven years. Later in life he moved to Conyngham town- ship, Luzerne County, where he carried on general farming the rest of his active days. He was joined in wedlock to Margaret Rick- ert and the following children blessed their home: Susan, Elizabeth, John, Solomon. Henry, Mary, and Samuel. Mr. Yost passed from this life in 1862 at the age of eighty- seven years; his wife died in 1862 aged eighty- five years.
Samuel Yost, grandfather of our subject, was born in Roaring Creek township, Colum- bia County, June 13, 1805, and during his younger days he learned the trade of a car- penter and cabinet-maker, which trade he followed in the vicinity of Conyngham and Hazleton until 1842, when he purchased a farm in Fishing Creek township, Columbia County, Pa., and successfully carried on gen- eral farming until 1866; he then retired from active work and spent the remainder of his life quietly enjoying a well-earned compe- tency. His demise occurred in 1894 at the age of eighty-nine years. The old homestead is now in possession of his grandsons. George, Clarence, and our subject. In December. 1826, Mr. Yost was united in marriage to Esther Winters, who passed from this life aged sixty years. She left the following children: Margaret, wife of G. M. Howell; Sarah, who married William Lunderbauch; . Mary, who was twice wedded,-her first hus- band was Nathan Pennington, and after his death she married Nathan Dreisbach; and Da- vid, the father of our subject. Mr. Yost mar- ried for his second wife Mrs. Henrietta Hart- man. He was a very prominent man of his community and held many township offices; in religious views he was a believer in and a
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SEVENTEENTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT.
member of the Reformed Church and was deacon and elder of that church for many years.
David Yost, the father of our subject, was born in Conyngham, Luzerne County, Pa., December 13, 1830, and was reared upon his father's farm in Fishing Creek township, and when he attained his majority carried on farm- ing for some years. Later he bought the John Creveling farm, where he has successfully carried on agricultural pursuits to the pres- ent time. Mr. Yost always works for the betterment of the community and is held in high esteem throughout the county. In 1884 he was appointed justice of the peace to fill a vacancy and was later elected to the same office for a term of five years. He was the first superintendent of the Sabbath School of the Reformed Church of Van Camp, of which he is a member and is at present elder of the same. In 1887 he represented his church at the general synod held at Akron, Ohio. Our subject's father was united in marriage to Sarah Catherine Creveling, a daughter of John Creveling, a farmer of Columbia County. The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Yost: Alfred N., born August 23. 1855; Mary Alice, born September 17, 1857, was the wife of Noah W. Hess; Clarence Wil- bur, born September 9, 1859, wedded Ida De Witt and they reside on the old homestead; John C., born February 18, 1862; George D., born August 14, 1864, united in wedlock to Alice Hayman, and he is a blacksmith by trade and resides in Benton, Pa .; Bruce C., born June 30, 1866, a lumberman residing in the state of Washington; Dora Esther, born February 2, 1870, resides at home; and Samuel, born September 23, 1878.
Alfred Nevin Yost attended the primary schools and then took an academic course in the Orangeville Seminary; later he attended
the State Normal School at Bloomsburg. He then taught in the high schools at Wilkes- barre and Plymouth, Luzerne County, and later became a law student under Judge E. R. lkeler and was admitted to the bar in 1884. Since then he has been practicing law at Bloomsburg. He served as deputy sheriff in 1885-86; as treasurer of Bloomsburg; sec- retary of the Columbia County Agricultural Association for six years; and as secretary of the local building and loan association. Mr. Yost is a man possessed of great energy and will power, the elements of character which have carried him to the front in busi- ness circles.
Our subject formed a matrimonial alliance with Bessie J. Holmes, a daughter of W. O. Holmes of Bloomsburg. They were happily wedded December 15. 1897, and now reside in their new home, corner of Fourth and Jef- ferson streets.
R E. STAGER, a much esteemed citizen of Shamokin, Pa., and outside-fore- man at the Luke Fidler Colliery, was born May 28, 1853, in St. Clair, Schuylkill County, Pa., and is a son of Abraham and Jane (McQuay) Stager, and grandson of Henry Stager. Our subject's grandfather. a native of Chester County, Pa .. removed to Schuylkill County and settled near Schuylkill Haven, at Orwigsburg, being one of the car- ly settlers of that locality.
Abraham Stager, our subject's father. was born July 10, 1822, near Schuylkill Haven, and was educated in the schools of his native place. At an early age he engaged in the coal mining business near Schuylkill Haven and in 1867 removed to Carbon County. He was first in the employ of the Star Coal Com- pany of Schuylkill County, and then went to
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES.
Audenried, Carbon County. His first posi- tion of prominence and responsibility was as assistant outside-foreman at Audenried for the Honey Brook Coal Company, which shortly afterwards became a property of the Lehigh & Wilkesbarre Coal Company; he continued as foreman in the colliery for a period of about thirty years, when he began to feel the infirmities of age and decided to retire from active labor. He has now been living in retirement only two or three years. His family consists of his wife and three chil- dren.
R. E. Stager, our subject, received his ed- ucation in the common schools and at the early age of thirteen years made a beginning in the work of supporting himself by picking slate at Audenried, Carbon County, where he worked about the mines and also ran a sta- tionary engine until he was eighteen. He first became an assistant outside-foreman at Audenried, and then resigned, but soon re- turned. In August, 1897, he became outside- foreman of the Luke Fidler Colliery, under the Mineral Railroad & Mining Company, with which concern he has since remained.
Mr. Stager is a member of Washington Camp, P. O. S. of A., at Audenried.
EWART FAMILY. The American branch of this distinguished family, which has furnished Northumber- land County with some of its most illustrious sons, is descended from William Dewart, a native of Ireland who came to America in early colonial times. He first located in Ches- ter County, Pa., where he remained until 1775, when he removed to Sunbury and em- barked in mercantile business. He was one of the first merchants of what is now one of the liveliest and most thrifty towns of its size
in the state. He continued in business in Sun- bury until his death, November 14, 1814.
One of William Dewart's sons, Lewis De- wart, was born in Sunbury November 14. 1780, and during his youth assisted his father in conducting his mercantile business. Al- though he was very successful in business, it was in political circles that he attained his greatest prominence. He was one of the lead- ing Democrats of this section of the state, and figured conspicuously in the doings of the Democratic party. At the age of thirty-six years he was elected to the State Assembly, and in 1823 he was elected to the State Sen- ate; in 1834 he was again elected to the As- sembly, serving as representative for three terms, during the latter of which he acted as Speaker of the House. He was also elected to the 23d Congress from what is now the Seventeenth Congressional District and ac- quitted himself with credit. He formed a matrimonial alliance with Elizabeth Liggett, a native of Chester County, Pa., by whom he had one son, William L. Dewart.
William L. Dewart was born in Sunbury, June 21, 1820, and, after completing the re- quired course in the common schools, at- tended Dickinson College at Carlisle, Pa., and later the New Jersey State College of Prince- ton, N. J. He then took up the study of law under the preceptorship of Charles G. Donald of Sunbury and was admitted to the bar in 1843. Like his father, he attained distinction in politics and several times served as a dele- gate to national conventions of the Demo- cratic party. He represented the Seventeenth Congressional District in the 25th Congress and served his constituents in a highly satis- factory manner. He, as were his forefathers, was an adherent of the doctrines as promul- gated by the Presbyterian Church. He was a director in the Northumberland National
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Bank, now known as the First National Bank of Sunbury. Socially he was well known in the Masonic fraternity. Mr. Dewart was united in the holy bonds of wedlock in 1848, with Rosetta Espy Van Horn of Williams- port, Pa., and they became the parents of three sons and two daughters, three of whom are living at the present time: Lewis, whose personal history is herein recorded; William L., the editor and proprietor of the Northum- berland County Democrat and the Sunbury Daily; and Bessie S., the wife of Edward L. Brice, a resident of Washington, D. C. Mr. Dewart closed his eyes in final sleep in the town of Sunbury, April 19, 1888, at the age of sixty-eight years.
LEWIS DEWART, a leading member of the Northumberland County Bar, was born in Sunbury May 6, 1849. He received all the education that the common schools offered and then took a preparatory course at Colum- bia, Pa., and at Edge Hill. After this he en- tered Princeton College and was graduated in the class of 1872. Choosing the legal pro- fession as his life work, he entered the law of- fice of Judge Jordan, with whom he read law until he was admitted to the bar in 1874. The standing which the young attorney quickly acquired may be appreciated by the fact that in the following year he was made borough clerk and in 1877 was elected to the responsi- ble position of district attorney of Northum- berland County. He has since been engaged in active practice in Sunbury, and, having re- ceived a thorough preparation and having mental abilities and a natural bent of the kind most useful to a successful lawyer, our sub- ject has attained both prosperity and influ- ence. Shrewd, alert, and farseeing, he is an advocate in whom men trust and an antagon- ist whom they combat with caution. He is a
gentleman of wide range of experience, and in the financial field, in which he is an im portant factor, he brings to bear the same thorough and methodical ways which stand him in such good stead in his profession. Po- litically Mr. Dewart is an influential Demo- crat. He has been a delegate to county, dis- trict, state and national conventions, having been a delegate to the convention that nomi- nated Grover Cleveland for the presidency in 1892. Socially he is a member of Sunbury Lodge, No. 22, F. & A. M. Mr. Dewart is one of the representative men of Sunbury and takes an important part in the general councils of the best citizens in matters per- taining to the welfare of the community and the general prosperity of the town.
AMES C. DEININGER, assistant chief clerk in the office of the Secre- tary of the Commonwealth, is one of the most respected citizens of the village of Sonestown, Pa., and is a man of many sterling qualities. The gentleman whose name ap- pears at the head of this narrative is of Ger- man origin and was born at Millheim, Center County, Pa., May 7, 1873. and is a son of Au- gustus O. and Hannah (Hoover) Deininger. and a grandson of Emanuel Deininger.
Our subject's grandfather was born in Ger- many, and while a young man removed to the United States, settling in Philadelphia. where he remained a number of years, when he became a resident of Center County, Pa. While residing in his native country he was a teacher of languages and pursued that pro- fession to some extent in this country. He was united in matrimonial bonds with Miss Ovenland and they became the parents of five children, who were named as follows: Chris- tian F., who was a prominent minister and
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presided in the pulpit of the Evangelical Church for a period of nearly fifty years; Mary, who was the wife of Jacob Keen; Ben- jamin O., proprietor and editor of the Mill- heim Journal, and one of the trustees of Penn- sylvania College, Gettysburg, Pa .; Jonathan O .; and Augustus O. Our subject's paternal grandfather passed away at the age of nearly eighty years, while his grandmother died aged sixty-five years.
Augustus O. Deininger, father of our sub- ject, was born in Philadelphia, and when he reached manhood, as the Civil War was in progress, he enlisted in Company A. 148th Reg., Pa. Vol. Inf., and served until the close of the war. After peace had been restored he accepted a position in the War Depart- ment at Washington, D. C., in which capacity he remained about eighteen months; he then entered the marble business at Millheim, Cen- ter County, Pa., from which business he re- tired to enter the revenue service. He was joined in the bonds of wedlock with Hannah Hoover, and to this union a family of seven children was born.
James C. Deininger, our subject, received his primary education in the public schools of his native town, which was later supplemented by a course in the high school at Hughesville, Pa. Upon leaving school he accepted a posi- tion with the W. & N. B. R. R., working in the freight department; later he was promoted to the passenger service as baggage-master and conductor, and while working in that ca- pacity made his home at Nordmont, Pa. In 1894 he severed his connection with the rail- road company to engage with M. W. Botsford in the manufacture of cigars, from which busi- ness he retired a year later and removed to Sonestown, Pa. In 1895 he accepted a clerk- ship in the office of the Secretary of the Com- monwealth, and in February, 1898, he was
promoted to his present position as assistant chief-clerk. In June, 1898, he was appointed one of the commissioners to represent Penn- sylvania at the Trans-Mississippi and Interna- tional Exposition, held at Omaha, Neb.
Our subject is a member of Masonic Lodge No. 299 of Muncy, Pa., in which he takes much interest. Mr. Deininger holds the in- terests of Sullivan County much at heart and is held in high esteem by a large circle of ac- quaintances in every section of Sullivan County.
J OHN HOWELLS has for several months held the responsible position of inside-foreman at the Hickory Ridge Colliery, and he has performed his du- ties in such an able and commendable man- ner that he has won the esteem and good will of his employers as well as of his fellow workmen. He has had a thorough training in mining affairs, having followed that busi- ness all his life. Mr. Howells is a native of England, having been born in South Wales. near the town of Tenby, September 28, 1861. His parents, Thomas and Mary (Nicholas) Howells, never cared to come to America, and our subject made his home with them until he was twenty-one years of age. They had the following children: William, George, John, Adah, Lewis, Thomas, Sarah, Benja- min, and Elizabeth. In religious belief they were faithful members of the Baptist Church.
At the age of ten years Mr. Howells began working around the mines, continuing until he immigrated to America in 1883, when he located in Coal township and began work as a laborer around the mines, later becoming a miner. He was then promoted to the posi- tion of fire-boss and so faithfully filled his po-
GEORGE E. BROWN.
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sition that he was again promoted to assistant inside foreman, and in March, 1898, he accept- ed the position of inside-foreman. His entire attention is given to mining business in which he has been very successful.
Politically Mr. Howells is an unswerving Republican and takes an active interest in all of the affairs of that party. He is also ever ready to assist in all matters which tend to advance the welfare of the community. He was joined in wedlock with Alice Thomas, a daughter of William Thomas, and they are the parents of six children, namely: Thom- as; William, deceased; Edith May; Earl; Ben- jamin Norman; and an infant. Socially our subject is a member of Mount Tabor Lodge, No. 125, I. O. O. F. of Shamokin, Pa .; and Shamokin Lodge, No. 255, F. & A. M.
EORGE E. BROWN. Among the well known residents of Elkland township, Sullivan County, Pa., none have met with greater success in the prosecu- tion of that independent calling, farming, than the gentleman whose name appears above, and whose portrait appears on a preceding page. He is a son of Archeless and Sarah (Harris) Brown, and was born in Fox town- ship, Sullivan County, November 4, 1846.
His great-grandfather Brown lived in Mas- sachusetts all of his life, He reared a family of two children, namely: Aaron and Samuel, both of whom came to New Albany, Brad- ford County, Pa., in the year 1812. Samuel bought a farm there and lived upon it the remainder of his life.
Aaron Brown, the grandfather of our sub- ject, lived at New Albany until about 1824, when he moved to Fox township, Sullivan
County, where he followed farming the re- mainder of his life. He married Annie Luce, a daughter of Archeless Luce, who came from Massachusetts with him, and they were the parents of the following children: Archeless; John M., who married Debby Wilcox; Dency, who married George Norton; Samuel, who married Mary Wilcox; Sophrona, the wife of Latney Porter; Allsbury, who married Sallie Wilcox; William, who married Angeline War- burton; Aaron, who married Nancy Wilcox; and Harriet, who married Jewett Spencer.
Archeless Brown, the oldest child born to his parents, was born near New Albany, Brad- ford County, Pa., and came with his father to what was called the William's Settlement, Fox township, Sullivan County, Pa., in the year 1824. Some years after he bought a farm in Fox township, which is now owned by his son, Murry, and there followed the pursuits of an agriculturist throughout his life. Politi- cally he was a firm supporter of the Demo- cratic party. He was a man greatly esteemed for his high character and had many friends. His property consisted of a farm of 100 acres. He was the progenitor of the following chil- dren: Peter, who married Susan Mills; Han- bah, who married Frederick Anderson; Will- iam; George E .; Sylvester, who married Har- riet Brown; Maria, who became the wife of William Bagley: Reuben, who married Man- thia Morgan; Chandler, who married Jane Morgan; Rosette: Rosilla, who married George Bryan; Almeda, who married James Bagley; Saloma, the wife of Allen Rightmire; Murry, who married Matilda Baltin; and Jud- SO11.
George E. Brown, our subject, was also reared to agricultural pursuits and about fif- teen years ago bought 200 acres of land in Elkland township, moving thereon with his family a short time afterwards. He has since
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