Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 168

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 2390

USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 168
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 168
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 168
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 168

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M. FRANK COOLBAUGH, one of the prom- inent business men and agriculturists of Middle Smithfield township, Monroe county, is a worthy descendant of a family whose members have been conspicuous in the history of this part of Pennsyl- vania, for the past three generations, as leaders in political and commerial circles. He was born Feb- ruary 3, 1844, on the homestead which he still oc- cupies, which was also the home of his father, Moses Coolbaugh, and his grandfather, John Coolbaugh, who in their day were among the most influential citizens of this region.

John Coolbaugh was a native of the State of New Jersey, and during the Revolutionary war served as a Continental soldier in a New Jersey reg- iment and took part in the battle of Monmouth, un-

der Washington. After the close of the conflict he migrated to Monroe county, Penn., where he mar- ried Miss Susanna Van Campen, and they settled in Middle Smithfield township, Mr. Coolbaugh having purchased a large amount of land lying along the Delaware river and Marshall's creek, in the im- provement of which he was engaged for the re- mainder of his life. He erected the comfortable stone mansion now occupied by our subject, and suc- ceeded in clearing off a large portion of the land, for it was in its primitive condition when it came into his possession, and he experienced all the hardships and inconveniences which fell to the lot of those who had the courage to brave pioneer life in this section. He became prominent in the civic affairs of the coun- ty, serving as a member of the General Assembly, from this District, for several terms, and as associate judge of Pike and Wayne counties for many years, and emphasizing in his public career those traits which brought him success and popularity in his private life, making a clean and honorable record. as a statesman and jurist. He passed away in 1842, his death occurring on the farm, some years after that of his wife. To this worthy couple were born six children, Abram, John V., Sarah, Susan, Hannah and Moses, of whom we have the following record : Abram settled at Shawnee, Monroe county, where he followed surveying for the greater part of his life : he married Miss Margaret Dingman, daughter of Judge Dingman, one of the leading citizens of Monroe county, and they left one daughter, Susan, who became the wife of Rev. Andrew Tully, a Pres- byterian minister of Monroe county. John V. mar- ried Miss Elizabeth Eilenberger, of Monroe county, and they settled in Smithfield township, where he was engaged in agricultural pursuits; they left a large family ; throughout his life he took an active interest in Church work and kindred affairs, and he was a leading elder in the Presbyterian Church. Sarah became the wife of William Overfield, and they settled in Smithfield township, where they died, leaving a large family. Susan married William Brodhead, who came from one of the best families in Pike county, and their children live in New York State. Hannah was the wife of Solomon West- brook, who also belonged to an old and prominent family of Pike county.

Moses Coolbaugh was born in 1799 on the Cool- baugh homestead, in Middle Smithfield, and there grew to manhood, receiving his education in the public schools of the locality. When a young man he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Nyce, whose parents, John and Eleanor Nyce, were born and reared in Pike county, along the Delaware river, and were descended from Virginia families of the first rank ; at one time, when slavery was allowed in Pennsylvania, Mr. Nyce had a large number of slaves at his home in Pennsylvania, near Bushkill, where he and his wife both ended their days. Mr. Cool- baugh brought his wife to the old homestead, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits, and in addition engaged to some extent in lumbering, and

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though he followed in his father's footsteps as a leader in the public life of the community his great- est interest was always centered in his home life and private business affairs. Hle made his home on the farm, but he was nevertheless a prominent factor in the development of the city of Stroudsburg, espe- cially in a business way, and he was active and in- fluential in every project for the general welfare and advancement of the entire county for many years. Politically, he was one of the "wheel-horses" of the old Jacksonian Democratic party in this section, in whose interest he was a tireless worker, and his name and fame spread far beyond the boundaries of his native county, for he served several terms in the State Legislature as member from Monroe and Northampton counties, being first honored with elec- tion to that position in 1838. He was subsequently appointed by Governor Shunk to fill a vacancy as associate judge, and later was elected to the same in- cumbency, which he held with ability for a number of years, displaying rare good judgment in his dis- charge of the duties of this office and attaining a high standing among the foremost men in public life in this part of the State. Mr. Coolbaugh was equally active in religious affairs, being a zealous worker in the Presbyterian Church, in which he held membership and toward whose support he was a liberal contributor. He passed from earth in Feb- ruary, 1866, widely mourned in the community where his busy and useful life had been spent, and was followed to the grave by his wife in August, 1867.

Mr. and Mrs. Moses Coolbaugh reared a large family, as follows: William F. is mentioned more fully below ; Amzi, who was a prominent farmer of Monroe county, died January 28, 1896, in Strouds- burg; George is deceased; John is now living in Iowa; M. Frank is mentioned more fully below ; Mrs. Catherine Kerr is a resident of Stroudsburg ; Mrs. Lydia Peters resides in Somerville, Somerset Co., N. J .; Elenor is the wife of E. Freeman, of Montclair, N. J. ; Fannie married Q. S. Hoagland, of New Jersey ; Susan, Mary and Hannah died un- married.

William F. Coolbaugh, the eldest child in the above family, was born on the home farm, received his early education in the common schools of the home neighborhood, and finished with an academic course in Philadelphia, in which city he remained for some time, employed as clerk in a store. Later he took charge of a store at Burlington, Iowa, which, after managing a few years, he purchased in part- nership with John H. Gear (who has since served as governor of Iowa, and is now United States Senator from that State), and as a member of the firm of Coolbaugh & Brooks he was one of the organizers of the Burlington (Iowa) Bank, a private concern. From Iowa he removed to Chicago about 1860, where he passed the remainder of his life, promi- nently identified with the business interests of that city, as one of the organizers and president of the Union National Bank. William F. Coolbaugh was

first married to Miss Jane Brown, of Kentucky, who died leaving four children-Mary, who became the wife of Chief Justice Fuller, formerly of Chicago; Jennie, who married B. F. Marsh, member of Con- gress from Illinois and chairman of the Military committee ; and Minnie and James, both of whom died young. Mr. Coolbaugh's second marriage was to Miss Ada Reeves, of Newburg, N. Y., by whom he had three children-Addie, Wilhemine and Illinois.

M. Frank Coolbaugh received his education in the common schools of the home neighborhood, and with the exception of the six years he resided in Stroudsburg he has always made his home on the farm, engaging in agricultural pursuits. Mr. Cool- baugh has inherited the Democratic tendencies of his father and grandfather, and has been foremost among the leaders of his party in this section, being well known in political circles throughout the State. He began his public service in early manhood, when he filled the office of auditor of Monroe county, and he served frequently as delegate to county and State conventions up to 1880, when he was first honored with election to the State Legislature. He was re- elected in 1882. Mr. Coolbaugh represented part of the District from which his father and grand- father were elected, and he ably sustained the rep- utation established by them for efficient and faith- ful service. He served on a number of important committees, was chairman of the Committees on Ap- propriations and Agriculture, and one of the joint committee which attended the one hundredth anni- versary of the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, Va., the members of this committee being for the most part descendants of Revolutionary soldiers. After his service in the legislature Mr. Coolbaugh withdrew to some extent from the political arena, though he has always continued to take a warm interest in the affairs of his locality. In 1891 he removed to Stroudsburg, where he resided until 1897, and during that time he served two years as president of the city council, and was active in the building of the street railroad. In 1886 he was the candidate of his party for State senator, but was de- feated, and though in 1898 he was urged by the leading men of his section to again take the nomina- tion he declined for personal reasons. The same year he declined nomination for Congress as Dem- ocratic candidate. During his residence in Strouds- burg Mr. Coolbaugh carried on the coal business which his nephew, Robert Coolbaugh, has since con- tinued.

In November, 1872, Mr. Coolbaugh married .Miss Martha V. Squire, daughter of Joseph and Mary (Cole) Squire, prominent residents of Plain- field, N. J., and their union has been blessed with one child, Adelaide R., who is still with her parents. The family occupy the old stone mansion built by Mr. Coolbaugh's grandfather, a comfortable and com- modious dwelling containing about twenty rooms, and many prominent men have been entertained as guests beneath his hospitable roof. In 1821 the upper part of the house was used as a hall by the

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

Masonic Lodge in this locality, this being the only lodge between Easton and Milford, and our subject's father and grandfather were both masters of that lodge and active members of the Fraternity. He himself, however, is connected with no social order. He attends the Presbyterian Church, with which the family has always been connected, and of which his wife and daughter are members.

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The Coolbaugh farm is a fine estate of 140 acres, equipped with substantial barns and outbuild- ings, and all the surroundings betoken the most careful attention on the part of the owner to every detail connected with the management of the place. Mr. Coolbaugh owns another farm of about the same size, as well as some valuable property in Stroudsburg.

JOHN M. EILENBERGER, a worthy rep- resentative of the intelligent and enterprising citi- zens who make up the agricultural population of Smithfield township, Monroe county, is a native of that county, born in Middle Smithfield township, in May, 1834, and is a son of Frederick and Sarah ( Michaels ) Eilenberger. The father was also born in that township, in June, 1798, a son of Andrew and Elizabeth Eilenberger, who were natives of North- ampton county and at a very early day settled at Shawnee, Smithfield township, Monroe county, where both died. Their children were Jacob, who also died at Shawnee; Frederick, our subject's father ; Henry; Peter ; Moses; David; and Mary, the only daughter, who married John Coolbaugh, of Middle Smithfield township. All are now de- ceased.

Frederick Eilenberger cleared the farm in Mid- dle Smithfield township now owned by Charles W. Angle, and throughout life followed lumbering and agricultural pursuits, being quite extensively en- gaged in the former occupation, rafting his lumber down the Delaware river to the markets of Phila- delphia. He made many improvements upon his farm, and there died in March, 1854, his wife de- parting this life ten years later. Their family con- sisted of three children, our subject being the only son, and second in the order of birth. (1) Cath- erine, born in Smithfield township, in 1831, mar- ried Jacob Angle, of Warren county, N. J., and they located in Stroud township, Monroe county, near the Delaware & Lackawanna railroad, but later re- moved to South Stroudsburg ; he departed this life in 1888, leaving a widow, who still resides there, and three children, Chester, Cora, and Charles, the last named being a Baptist minister of East Stroudsburg. All are unmarried. (3) Louisa, born in Smithfield township, in March, 1837, is now the wife of Rev. John E. Sweitzer, of Allendale, N. J., and they have two children, Walter and Carrie, who reside in New Jersey.

On the old Eilenberger homestead John M. Eilenberger grew to manhood, and is indebted to the subscription and free schools of the locality for his education. He remained on the farm with his

father until the latter's death in 1854, and then be- came manager of the estate in connection with his mother. In 1864 he was united in marriage with Miss Katharine Bush, of Ohio, formerly of Monroe county, her birth occurring in Middle Smithfield township, in January, 1836. At the time of her mar- riage she was residing with her brother George in Ohio. She is a daughter of Jacob and Annie La- Bar) Bush, and granddaughter of Henry Bush, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, who was taken prisoner by the British at the battle of Long Island in 1776, at which time he was also wounded,and later he died in Monroe county from the effects of the same.

Mr. Eilenberger brought his bride to the old homestead which they occupied until 1872, when he sold the place to Charles W. Angle, and removed to the home of his father-in-law. Prior to his mar- riage he engaged in school teaching, and continued to successfully follow that profession for twenty- three years, conducting his last school in Smithfield township in 1893. In the spring of 1886 he pur- chased, of James Kintner, the farm known as the Jacob Kramer homestead, where he has forty acres of well-improved land, and is now devoting his en- tire time and attention to agricultural pursuits with marked success. He has remodeled his residence, and made many other improvements upon the place which add greatly to its value and attractive appear- ance. He is an enterprising and energetic man, his success being due entirely to his own efforts, and he has not only succeeded in gaining a comfortable competence, but has also won the confidence and es- teem of those with whom he has come in contact. Politically he is a Jacksonian Democrat, and has been honored with a number of local offices in Mid- dle Smithfield, as well as in Smithfield township, in- cluding those of mercantile appraiser and school director, while he is assessor of the latter township at the present time. He and his family are leading members of the Presbyterian Church of Shawnee, and socially he and his son Frederick affiliate with the Knights of Pythias.

In the family are five sons: (1) Frederick W., born in Smithfield township, in 1866, received a good practical education, and is now one of the leading business men of Monroe county, being extensively engaged in lumbering, milling and other business. In 1893 he was elected county treasurer of Monroe county, which office he filled in a most able and cred- itable manner. In 1899 he was re-elected to the same office, which he now holds, being the only man who was ever re-elected to this office in the county. He married Miss Amy, daughter of Melcher and Sarah Heller, one of the prominent families of Monroe county. (2) William B., born in Smithfield town- ship, in 1876, was for a time a student at the Kutztown (Penn.) Normal, subsequently completed the scientific course, and was graduated at Lebanon (Ohio) University, and then took up the study of law under Judge Storm, of Stroudsburg, and com- pleting his preparation for the legal profession at

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the Law School of Pennsylvania. He is now a prominent young attorney of Stroudsburg. He married Miss Clara Rhodes, of East Stroudsburg, and they have one daughter, Catherine. (3) Louis D., born in 1870, is now bookkeeper for his brother Frederick W., and resides in East Stroudsburg. Hle married Miss Minerva Heller, of Monroe county, and they have two children, Ralph and Gladys. (4) C. WEBSTER, born in Smithfield township, in 1872, was a student of the Stroudsburg Normal, also of the Drexel Institute of Architecture, and is now a prominent contractor and builder, making his home with his parents. He is a scholarly young man, and is well posted on everything pertaining to his chosen profession. (5) Clinton B., born in January, 1876, was educated in the public schools and the East Stroudsburg Normal, also took one term at Drexel Institute in the Normal Department, and has been a successful teacher in the public schools for several terms. He makes his home with his parents. At the present time he holds the posi- tion of deputy treasurer of Monroe county, Penn- sylvania.

JONATHAN BROWN, a well-known boot and shoe merchant of Lake Ariel, is one of Wayne county's most reliable and upright business men, and his genial temperament, sound judgment and well- proved integrity have brought him the esteem and friendship of a host of acquaintances far and near.

Like many of our best citizens, Mr. Brown is a native of England, born in Callington, Cornwall, December 28, 1841, third son of Thomas and Eliza- beth (Pote) Brown, also natives of England, where the father died June 18, 1874, aged seventy years. Throughout life he followed the tailor's trade, and also owned a grocery store, which is now carried on by the widow and a daughter. Our subject's mother was born March 9, 1816, and is still living at the old home in Callington, highly respected by all who know her. The record of the family is as follows: (1) John died in infancy. (2) Thomas was drowned at London at the age of sixteen years, while working on a vessel. (3) Jonathan is the subject of this sketch. (4) Dr. George, M. R. C. S. (member of the Royal College of Surgeons), is a prominent and wealthy physician of London, No. 6 Gibson Square, the originator of the Medical Practitioners' Association of that city, founded in 1891 ; also founder of a popular journal in 1872, now known as the Medical Times and Hospital Gasette, and for over twenty years its sole editor. He is now head of the editorial department of a new official weekly journal, entitled The General Prac- titioner, which the Medical Practitioners' Association, through their executive committee, decided to pub- lish. The first number appeared January 6, 1900. It is devoted to Medical Reform, Medico-Ethical questions, Clinical papers and reports relating to ad- vances in Medicine and Surgery, and new methods of treatment. Dr. Brown is also the author of "Aids to Anatomy," "Aids to Surgery," etc. He

was married December 8, 1898, to Miss Edith Kate Reay, only daughter of Major-General Reay, late of the Indian army ; a son was born to them Decem- ber 27, 1899. He is one of the direct representatives for England and Wales on the General Medical Council. (5) Samuel is a general outfitter and dealer in ladies' and gentlemen's clothing at Plym- outh, formerly Callington. He has a large family of sons and daughters. (6) John died in infancy. (7) John (2) is also a distinguished and wealthy physician, medical officer of the borough of Bacup, England, and has a family of six sons, of whom two are physicians. (8) Eliza lives with her mother, and conducts the store. (9) Emma, wife of Will- iam Jane, is engaged in the millinery business. They have two children, George and Ellen. (10) Ellen is the wife of William G. Bickle, a leading wealthy merchant of Tuckingmill, Cornwall (there is no issue). (II) William has a marble yard in Call- ington. He married Bessie Angwin, and three chil- dren were born to them, Angwin, Margaretand Thom- as Owen (deceased). (12) Albert died in infancy. Our subject's paternal grandfather was Jonathan Brown, a grandson of John Brown, of Trethinna, Alternun, Cornwall, which estate has been the prop- erty of the Brown family for several centuries. The family crest is a vine with bunches of grapes. Jon- athan Brown, the grandfather, passed his entire life in England. His children, all of whom are now de- ceased, were: Thomas; Edward; John; William; Jonathan, who migrated to America, was once a blacksmith at the old glass factory near Bethany, afterward a farmer in that locality ; George; Mary, who married William Gadgecombe; and Jane, who married Joseph Parkyn, for many years a farmer in Dyberry, Wayne county, Pennsylvania.

The boyhood and youth of our subject were passed at home. After leaving school, at the age of between ten and eleven years, he began learning the shoemaker's trade, serving a six-years' appren- ticeship with John Coker, of Callington. After his time had expired he remained with that gentleman for a few weeks, and then worked for a Mr. Rogers, of the same place. Going to Albaston, four miles from home, he worked at his trade there for a year and a half, and for the following four years was in the employ of Collier & Son, at Devonport. In 1865 he embarked in business on his own account, but in less than a year, finding he was not prosperous, he decided to come to America. Having relatives liv- ing near Honesdale, Penn., he located at that place, where he worked for John Wood for several months, subsequently for William H. Stanton, and continued in the same position until April, 1868. He then came to Lake Ariel, where he first engaged in re- pairing and making boots and shoes. In 1871 he put in a stock of manufactured goods, and is to-day the leading shoe merchant of the place.

Mr. Brown was married at Lake Ariel, in Sep- tember, 1871, to Miss Mary F. Mills, of that place, a daughter of Dwight Mills, a machinist, who set up the engines on the Gravity railroad in 1849. She

Jonathan Brown

Mars. S.A. Brown

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

died November 4, 1876, aged thirty-one years, leav- ing three children: Hattie E., wife of Robert H. Cobb, a machinist of Scranton, Penn., by whom she had three children, William B. (who died), Ellen B. and Ethel F .; Homer D., also a machinist of that place ; and Francis M., a machinist of Oxford, N. J., who married Blanche M., daughter of George and Mary Bell, of Salem township, Wayne county (a son, Edwin, was born to them June 10, 1899). On May 18, 1880, Mr. Brown married Miss Sarah A. Hand, the ceremony being performed in Hawley, by Rev. P. R. Tower, a Methodist Episcopal minister. Mr. Brown is an active worker in and prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he has served as class leader, superintendent of the Sunday-school and in other official positions. Being a strong Temperance man, he gives an un- wavering support to the men and measures of the Prohibition party, and his aid is never withheld from any object which he believes calculated to prove of public benefit or will in any way better the condition of his fellow men. He is a true Christian gentleman, and is justly entitled to the regard in which he is uniformly held.

Mrs. Sarah A. (Hand) Brown was born on a farm two miles from Hawley in Palmyra township, Wayne county, April 27, 1850, and is the youngest child of Robert and Susan (Goble) Hand. Her ma- ternal great-grandfather, Matthias Goble, was the largest land owner and wealthiest man in Valley Forge, whence he had come from England prior to the Revolution. He spent almost his entire fortune furnishing soldiers in that historic encampment. In later years, when Independence had been se- cured, and the new government offered him remu- neration for his services, he proudly exclaimed, "My country's freedom is my all-sufficient reward !" He married a daughter of Stephen Roy, who fled from Scotland in a time of great persecution, and settled in America. Their son, Nathan Goble, was born in Sussex county, N. J., and was engaged as a farmer and drover. Susan, daughter of Nathan Goble, and mother of Mrs. Brown, was a granddaughter of Francis Price, who was judge of Sussex county for thirty-two years. She was also a relative of the illustrious Governor Price of New Jersey. All of the male members of the family who were old enough to carry a gun fought in defense of the colonies during the Revolution. Four of Mrs. Hand's great-uncles bearing the family name of Dunn were killed in the Wyoming massacre, and two of her sons and sons-in-law enlisted in the Union army during the Rebellion, and one of each sacrificed his life for his country ; thirteen cousins served in the Union army. During the Rebellion Mrs. Hand and her youngest son, thirteen years old, did almost the entire work of the farm.

On the paternal side, Mrs. Brown's great-grand- father, Stephen Hand, was a native of New Jersey, and raised a family of twenty children. He was a descendant of one of four brothers who came from England and settled in Connecticut and Long Island.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 168

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 2390

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 2390