USA > Pennsylvania > Dauphin County > Commemorative biographical encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania : containing sketches of prominent and representative citizens and many of the early Scotch-Irish and German settlers. Pt. 2 > Part 72
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Mr. Whitney is a lineal descendent of John Whitney, who with his wife, Elinor, emigrated from England in 1635, and settled in Watertown, Mass. An exhaustive work, entitled " The Whitney Genealogy," has lately been compiled and written by Frederick Pierce, of Chicago, Ill. Also a very interest- ing and valuable work by Henry Melville, of New York, entitled the " Ancestry of John Whitney." It is only proper to say that a large majority of those persons in the United States who are named Whitney are descend- ants of John and Elinor Whitney, who set- tled in Watertown, Mass., in 1635.
DAVIS, CHARLES S., Steelton, Pa., was born in New Bloomfield, Perry county, Pa., No- vember 14, 1864. IIe is a son of James R. and Margaret (Dougherty) Davis. Mr. Davis' great-great-grandfather settled in Lan- caster county, Pa., on coming over from Wales, about 1740. His great-grandfather, John Davis, moved thence to Shippensburg about 1760, where he became a farmer, a
contractor for part of the old Philadelphia and Pittsburgh turnpike, a Revolutionary soldier, a member of the Pennsylvania Leg- islature about 1818, and later a local Metho- dist Episcopal preacher. He had a family of one daughter and six sons, all of whom became more or less prominent: (1) Frank D. was a contractor on the Cumberland Val- ley railroad, superintendent of the old forge at Roxbury, Franklin county. His son, Wesley Reid Davis, D. D., is now pastor of Dr. Bethune's Dutch Reformed church, in Brooklyn. A daughter married Dr. Miller, of West Virginia. (2) Jessie L. was for many years the head of a bureau in the postoffice department at Washington. (3) Rev. Samuel died in 1822, at the age of twenty-nine while pastor of the Foundry Methodist Episcopal church, of Washington, D. C. (4) John W. removed to Carlisle, Ind., and was sent to Congress for several terms, was speaker of the National House of Representatives in 1847-48, was later gov- ernor of Oregon, was minister to China. He was for a number of years in the Indiana Legislature, speaker of the House there, was president of the National Convention that nominated Franklin Pierce. The late Rear Admiral John Lee Davis, United States navy, was his son. A. daughter Mary married William Aiken, of Evansville, Ind .; Carrie, another daughter, married Attorney Gen- eral Denney, of Indiana; Captain Denney, United States Marine Corps, being a son by this marriage. (5) Lemuel Davis, the grand- father of C. S. Davis, was a surveyor, justice of the peace at Shippensburg, teacher of the grammar school in Mansfield, Ohio, dying when but thirty-five years old, while on his way to Pennsylvania. He married Cathe- rine Reynolds, who was descended from a prominent French Huguenot family, which was obliged to flee to Germany to escape re- ligious persecution in France. Later they emigrated to Baltimore, and her mother was among the early Cumberland Valley settlers, coming there from Baltimore. They had but two children, James Reynolds, the father of Charles S. and Margaret C., who died un- married. James R. Davis married Margaret A. Dougherty. They had seven children, only three of whom are now living, Charles S. being the only living son.
On his mother's side he is descended from Hugh Dougherty, of Silver Spring, Cumber- land county, a son of whom, George A., mar- ried Martha Shoemaker. The Shoemakers
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settled in the Cumberland Valley about the middle of the eighteenth century, coming from Lancaster county, Pa., John and David being the first of the family. Mr. Davis is descended from the former, who built the old stone homestead, yet standing, about midway between Newburg and Roxbury. It is yet occupied by the Shoemaker descend- ants, who constitute one of the largest and most respected families in the Cumberland Valley.
Mrs. Davis' father is descended from the Kinneys who settled originally in Connecti- cut, moving later to New York, and yet later to Ohio. He served three years during the Civil war as lieutenant, adjutant of his regi- ment, being a long time in Maj. Gen. David S. Stanley's staff. Her mother is descended from the Delaplanes, a prominent French family, members of which settled first in Virginia, her branch moving later to Ohio.
Charles S. Davis received his education principally in the public schools at Liver- pool, Perry county, completing his course at the Central State Normal School, Lock Haven, Pa., in 1883. In the years 1881-82 he taught the high school, at Thompsontown, Juniata county, Pa. In 1883 Mr. Davis began teaching in the secondary school at Steelton ; after one term in that school he was trans- ferred to the intermediate school, where he taught for four months. He was then, on January 1, 1885, made assistant principal of the high school, and was in 1888 promoted to principal ; he still occupies that dignified and important post. In the first year after coming to Steelton, Mr. Davis edited the Daily Item during his summer vacation. Mr. Davis has been since 1888 a member of State Capital Lodge No. 70, I. O. O. F., and of En- campment No. 56, I. O. O. F., both of Har- risburg; also a charter member of Com- mandery No. 108, K. of M., of Steelton. He is also a member of the Dauphin County Historical Society. His politics are Demo- cratic. He was married, July 14, 1892, to Miss Leonora, daughter of John P. and Emma D. (Delaplane) Kinney.
EARLE, THOMAS, Steelton, Pa., was born in Philadelphia, Pa., September 7, 1865; son of Henry and Martha (Barker) Earle. The family is an old New England one, having settled there about 1634. For several gen- erations the family lived in Leicester, Mass.
Mr. Earle's grandfather, Thomas, was the first one of the family to settle in Pennsyl- vania. He was born at Leicester, Mass., April 21, 1796, and died at Philadelphia, July 14, 1849. He was a lawyer and writer of note. He practiced his profession in Phil- adelphia for many years, and was an in- fluential member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1837, and was the vice-presi- dential candidate of the Liberty party in 1840.
Thomas Earle attended a public school in Massachusetts for one year; was afterwards for four years a student at the Germantown Academy, Germantown, Philadelphia, and in the fall of 1883 entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N. Y., from which he was graduated in the spring of 1887. In the same year Mr. Earle engaged as draughts- man with the Pittsburgh Bridge Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., and served in that capacity for one year ; then for one month occupied a similar position in the service of the Penn Bridge Company, at Beaver Falls, Pa. In 1888 he went with Levering & Garringues, engineers and contractors, at Philadelphia, and was with them for fifteen months, draft- ing, designing and estimating on bridges and buildings. From the fall of 1889 to April, 1891, he was assistant engineer on the Norfolk and Western railroad, being second in charge of the extensive improvements made by that company at Norfolk. In the spring of 1891 he entered the employ of the Pennsyl- vania Steel Company, working in the draw- ing room of the bridge and construction de- partment, where he checked all drawings made, and also designed new buildings, be- ing so employed until July, 1892. He then went to Chicago, with Fraser & Chalmers, and was assistant superintendent of their new shops until January, 1893, when he returned to his former position as assistant engineer, in charge of the designing of buildings, at Steelton. Later in the same year Mr. Earle's faithful and valuable services received recog- nition and reward in his promotion to the position of superintendent of the shops of the bridge and construction department of the Steel Company's plant. This is his pres- ent position. Mr. Earle, while at the Rens- selaer Polytechnic Institute, joined the Theta Delta Chi Fraternity; is a member of the Germantown Cricket Club, and since 1892 has been a member of the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia. Thomas Earle was married,
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June 7, 1894, to Miss Sarah, daughter of Bassler and Ellen B. (Shirk) Boyer, natives of Lebanon county. They have one son, Thomas Earle, Jr., born June 6, 1896.
-BARNET, JOHN J., Steelton, Pa., was born in Middletown, Dauphin county, Pa., Octo- ber 2, 1838; son of George and Barbara (Snyder) Barnet. Mr. Barnet's maternal grandparents were natives of Wurtemberg, Germany. His parents were both natives of Middletown, Dauphin county, where his father was born on July 29, 1813, and his mother on October 12, 1812. Mr. George Barnet was a saddler and cooper, but his principal business engagements were on the canal and the railroads. Mrs. Barnet, to whom he was married in the year 1838, was a daughter of Christian and Mary Snyder. They had nine children, of whom Susan died, aged ten years, and George, aged twenty-five years. The survivors are : John J .; Augustus; Annie, wife of John Daugh- erty, deceased ; Elizabeth, wife of Charles Hartline; Clara, wife of Jacob Mckinley, and, after his death, of John Brindle; Chris- tian, and Margaretta. Mr. George Barnet, at the time of his death, which occurred March 7, 1886, was in the lumber business. Mrs. Barnet died December 8, 1873, aged sixty years, one month and twenty-eight days.
John J. Barnet attended the public schools of Middletown, Pa., until, in his eighteenth year, he began a six months' course at the Emaus Institute, at Middle- town. His school days ended, he lost no time in idleness, but engaged as clerk in the general store of Lauman & Crum; in the following year he was away from Middle- town, but on his return was received again into the employ of the same firm, and served them for two years more. At about twenty- one years of age he began a three years' ap- prenticeship at carpentry. At the end of that time he engaged with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company as brakeman for one year, and afterwards with the Northern Central Railroad Company as conductor for about nine months. He was next employed as a millwright until 1866, at which time he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Steel Company. Mr. Barnet entered the service of this company as a carpenter. Only a year was necessary to make the company
fully sensible of the value of his services as a skilled and versatile mechanic and a faith- ful employee. At the expiration of that time he was made foreman of the carpentry de- partment, and has continued for thirty years to manifest the same qualities in that re- sponsible position. Mr. Barnet votes with the Democratic party. On November 13, 1859, he was married to Miss Harriet A., daughter of John and Susan (Wise) Gurtner, of New Cumberland, Cumberland county, Pa. One of their family of seven children, William Augustus, died in 1864, aged three weeks. The living children are: Harry, Annie B., John Robert, Katie E., Florence, and. Walter Herbert.
- BENT, WINSLOW B., Steelton, Pa., was born in Norfolk county, Mass., December 17, 1825. Mr. Bent is a son of Ebenezer and Nancy (Stehler) Bent, both natives of Norfolk county, where Mr. Ebenezer Bent was occupied with mercantile business, his lifelong pursuit. Mrs. Bent was a Miss Stehler. Mr. and Mrs. Bent had ten children; only four are now living: Elizabeth, wife of William Monroe ; Mary, wife of R. S. Hausman; Winslow B .; and Edith S.
Winslow B. Bent was a pupil in the public schools of Norfolk until he was eighteen, when he went to Quincy, Mass., to complete his school education. From 1842 until April, 1848, he assisted as clerk in his father's store. In 1849 the golden gleam of California mines allured him, and he joined the great exodus of young and enterprising Eastern men of that State. There he no doubt shared the general experience of vicissitudes, often more spicy and agreeable in the subsequent rela- tion than in the actual occurrence; but he pluckily remained in that State, engaged in various pursuits, for about fifteen years. Afterwards, from 1864 to 1879, he saw life on the broad western plains, in the service of the Union Pacific railroad. At length the pale glitter of steel drew Mr. Bent eastward with truer, if more moderate, promise than the lustre of gold had held out; and in the employ of the Pennsylvania Steel Company he found a position worthy of his accept- ance-that of superintendent of the yard department. Mutual satisfaction of employer and employees have brought about a long tenure of the position, which he has held from 1879 to the present time. Mr. Bent's
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politics are Democratic. On March 10, 1859, Winslow B. Bent was married to Miss Jean- nette, daughter of Shellen Tomlinson. They have had three children : Shellen C .; Alice, wife of E. C. Felton ; and Edith.
HOCKER, REV. M. P., pastor of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church, Steelton, Pa., was born at Union Deposit, Dauphin county, Pa., October 1, 1853. His mother, Barbara Martin, was a native of Cumber- land county, and his father, George Hocker, a native of Dauphin county, having been born at Hockersville, June 15, 1806. The father lived to be over eighty years old. His grandfather, Martin Hocker, lived to be over ninety-three years old, and was the founder of Hockersville, Dauphin county. He was one of three men appointed to run the division line between Dauphin and Lebanon counties; the other two having been William Cochran and John Harrison.
Rev. Hocker was named at baptism after his grandfather, in honor of which event a Mexican silver dollar, given at that time, is still in his possession. His boyhood days were spent in the place of his birth, work- ing on the farm and assisting about the hotel owned and kept by his father. Al- though his early environments were not the most conducive to the best morals, yet, owing to the blessed influence and the prayers of a precious mother, whose death occurred, however, before he was twelve years old, and the example and instruction of a most honorable father, he was reared to reverence holy things, and to regard honesty and thrift as the best human equipments for an honorable and successful career. Although the youngest of nine children his father, who was a strong patron of the common schools, gave him every advantage possible to secure an education. The oppor- tunities afforded were, in the providence of God, eagerly embraced, and an early aspira- tion to enter one of the professions was thus fostered. After a brief academical course he received his first appointment as teacher in the public schools, at the age of nineteen years. By teaching school during the winter seasons and attending school during the remaining months of the school term at Palatinate College, Meyerstown, Pa., he was finally prepared to enter the freshman class in Pennsylvania College, Gettysburg. in September, 1876. After joining the home church in 1876, the hitherto fixed purpose
to enter the profession of law was aban- doned for that of the gospel ministry. Ro- ceiving some assistance from the church, he was enabled to complete the prescribed course without interruption, graduating with the class of 1880. He entered the Theological Seminary at Gettysburg in September of the same year.
Throughout the college and seminary courses he supplemented the church allow- ance by engaging in manual labor, selling books, or in colporteur work. In the fall of 1882 he was licensed to preach the gospel by the East Pennsylvania Synod of the Lutheran church, convened in Pottsville, Pa. February 1, 1883, he received a call from St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church, of Steelton, Pa., to come as their pastor. Being still a student in the senior class of the Theological Seminary, he could not take pastoral care of the congregation, but supplied them with preaching services until after his graduation in June, '83. On the 5th day of July of the same year he en- tered into holy wedlock with Miss Millie A. Farnsler, a daughter of Joseph Farnsler, Esq., one of the most prominent residents of Union Deposit. Two weeks later, accom- panied by his bride, he took full charge of the congregation in Steelton, being installed in his pastoral relation by the Rev. C. A. Hay, D. D., and Rev. M. Valentine, D. D., LL. D., on the 22d of July, 1883. A few months later, at the meeting of the East Pennsylvania Synod in Germantown, Pa., he was ordained to the ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran church of the General Synod.
His entire ministerial life up to the pres- ent time, July, 1896, has been associated with his present congregation, it being his first and only pastorate. A record of his life work, therefore, necessarily involves in large measure, a history of this energetic and prosperous congregation, which was but eight years old when they called him to be their pastor. At that time they worshiped in a chapel of modest pretensions on Locust street, and numbered less than fifty mem- bers, and some of these discouraged because of disheartening conditions resulting from & period when they had no pastor in the field. Taking courage with the advent of the new pastor, the congregation soon re- gained their lost position and more. The chapel building was enlarged the second time within five years. About this time a
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lot of ground was secured on the corner of Second and Pine streets at a cost of $5,000. In the fall of 1892 ground was broken for the erection of a fine church building. April 30, 1893, the cornerstone was laid with most impressive services. A year later, July 15, 1894, the completed church was dedicated to the glory of God. The handsome build- ing cost over $45,000, or $50,000 including the ground. The congregation now num- bers nearly six hundred, with a Sunday- school of about seven hundred and fifty members.
In these thirteen years of his pastoral re- lations he has seen the most rapid advance- ment of the progressive borough of Steelton, witnessed the brilliant career of Major L. S. Bent, general manager and president of the noted Pennsylvania Steel Company, and the no less substantial success of the present honored president, Mr. E. C. Felton. Living in these environments, he has learned the animus of the community, has come into sympathetic touch with the noble people making up the bulk of the population, and so has learned to love the people and work for the community's interests. In his min- isterial work he has received nine hundred members into church fellowship, baptized four hundred and seventy-five children, per- formed one hundred and eighty marriages, officiated at two hundred and sixty-eight funerals and made at least eight thousand pastoral visitations in the homes of Steelton. Being in the prime of life, he naturally looks forward to a career of usefulness in the Master's service, if it so please the Great Head of the church, to whom shall be all praise forever.
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-- MONROE, C. E., superintendent of the elec- trical department of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, Steelton, Pa., was born in Lauder- bach, Germany, October 15, 1864. He is a son of the late Selmor and Rosa (Cor) Mon- roe, both natives of Germany. Selmor Monroe was in early life engaged in brewing, but later became a banker, and was in the latter employment at the time of his death. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Selmor Monroe were : Julia, Selmor, Theodore, Edith, C. E., Johanna, Ernestina, and Pollie; also, Barn- hard, deceased, and Isidor, who was killed at the battle of Sedan, in the Franco-Prussian war. The father died at the age of sixty- five, and the mother at the age of forty-eight years.
C. E. Monroc was educated in the German public schools, and graduated from the high school, at Breslau, at the age of eighteen. He then took a four years' course at the Uni- versity of Munich. After a service of one year in the German field artillery, he en- tered an engineering school, from which, after a course of study covering two years, he graduated in 1887. He was then em- ployed for three years by the General Elec- trical Company, of Germany ; in 1890 he ob- tained a position in the electrical depart- ment of the patent office, at Berlin. Mr. Monroe came to Chicago during the World's Fair, and at its close entered the service of the Westinghouse Electric Company, of New- ark, N. J., where he remained for two years. In the fall of 1894 he came to Steelton, where he was made superintendent of the electric department of the Pennsylvania Steel Com- pany ; he still retains that position.
Mr. Monroe was married, February 23, 1895, to Miss Ella, daughter of Allen and Amanda (Newhard) Brader. They have one child, Selmor. Mr. Monroe is a Democrat. He and his wife are members of the Dutch Reformed church.
Mrs. Monroe's grandfather, Charles Bra- der, was a native of Lehigh county, and was all his life a prominent business man. He had two sons: Allen and Franklin. He died in September, 1892, aged twenty-eight years. Allen Brader, and his wife Amanda, daughter of Reuben Newhard, were the par- ents of Mrs. Monroe, and were both born in Allentown, Lehigh county, Pa. Mr. Brader was a machinist, but was for a few years en- gaged in farming, and at a later time in the hat business, which was his occupation until his retirement in 1893. During the war of the Rebellion he was captain of company K, Fifty-first Pennsylvania volunteers, and after serving four years was honorably discharged in March, 1865. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Brader are: Henry, and Ella, Mrs. Monroc. Mrs. Brader died November 19, 1886, aged forty-eight. Her husband sur- vives her, and resides at Cherry Ford, Le- high county, where he has filled several township offices.
NEWBECKER, JOHN J., master mechanic of merchant and billet mill, Pennsylvania Steel Works, Steelton, Pa., was born near Halifax, Dauphin county, Pa., February 5, 1850. Hle is a son of Dr. J. B. and Caroline (Maize) Newbecker. Ilis great-great-grand-
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father, John Martin Newbecker, came over the ocean from Rotterdam in the ship Edin- burg. He qualified September 15, 1749, and settled at the mouth of Powell's creek on the Susquehanna river, eighteen miles above Harrisburg. His son, Philip Newbecker, great-grandfather of John J. Newbecker, was first lieutenant of the Sixth company, Fourth battalion of associated battalions and militia of the Revolution, in 1777, under Col. Rob- ert Elder. Philip Newbecker, Jr., grand- father of John J., was a farmer and ,black- smith for many years at Powell's creek, Dauphin county. He was also an expert gunsmith and manufactured rifles and shot guns from the raw material. Some of these weapons are still in existence in Dauphin county. He died about twenty years ago, at the age of seventy-eight, leaving three sons, George, Samuel, and John B.
The third son, John B. Newbecker, was the father of John J. Newbecker, and was born at Halifax, Dauphin county, July 2, 1820; son of Philip and Mary M. (Rhawn) Newbecker. He attended the schools of his na- tive borough, after which he began the study of medicine with Dr. S. P. Brown, of Hali- fax, and graduated from Jefferson Medical Col- lege in 1852. After practicing in Lower Augusta township, Northumberland county, until 1861, he settled in Trevorton and es- tablished his drug business, which he has since conducted in connection with his prac- tice. In 1862 the Doctor was commissioned by Governor Curtin as assistant surgeon of the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania volunteers, and in 1864 was attached to the White Hall hospital, Bucks county, Pa., and the Semin- ยท ary hospital, Alexandria, Va. The Doctor is a Democrat. In 1871 he was elected to the State Legislature. He has served the township as treasurer, also many times as school director. He is connected with the Masonic fraternity and with the Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows. Dr. Newbecker was married, in 1842, to Caroline, daughter of Henry Maize, of Dauphin county. Four of their children are living : Philip, a phy- sician, of Danville, Pa .; Louisa, wife of A. L. Bastress, of Lycoming county, Pa .; John J., master mechanic at Steelton ; and Mary M., wife of J. J. John, Lykens, Pa. Dr. New- becker is a member of the Baptist church. He is regarded as one of the representative citizens of Northumberland county.
John J. Newbecker was educated in the public schools and at Dixon's Academy,
which he attended until he was sixteen years old. He then learned his trade, that of machinist, with the Hickok Manufactur- ing Company, of Harrisburg, serving an ap- prenticeship of four years. He worked one year for the Harrisburg Foundry and Ma- chine Company and then went to Kansas, where he took charge of the King Iron Bridge Company, of Topeka, as master mechanic, remaining there until 1874, when he returned to his native place. In 1875 Mr. Newbecker entered the employ of the Snyder Manufac- turing Company, of Pottsville, Pa., builders of steam engines and mining machinery. After serving with this company for several years he became superintendent of the Sha- mokin Gas Company, and a year later began work for the Pennsylvania Coal Company, of Lykens, Pa., where he remained for a similar length of time. In 1878 he entered the service of the Pennsylvania Steel Com- pany and worked as a mechanic for four years. Then a new mill, known as the " mer- chant and billet mills" being erected, Mr. Newbecker was, in 1881, made its master mechanic, a position which he fills to-day with the same integrity and devotion to duty that have characterized his work wherever he has been employed.
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