Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 60

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 60
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 60
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 60
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1 > Part 60

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(10) Kate married George Enslin.

Hans Ulrich Swingle died March 28, 1809. His widow passed away in March, 1816. Both for many years were members of the M. E. Church. The site of the original homestead of this pioneer couple is now in the possession of Eugene Swingle, their great-great-grandson.

Passing to the next generation, a brief men- tion is made of some of the grandchildren of Hans Ulrich Swingle, who make or have made their homes in South Canaan township, where the an- cestor figured.

John Swingle (2), son of John Swingle, was born at South Canaan Corners, where he passed his life engaged in farming. He was a man of excel- lent character, a member of the Methodist Church, and was greatly esteemed by his associates. He married Sarah Wagner, who lived to be eighty years of age, dying in 1892 ; he died in 1843. They reared a large family of children, among whom is Andrew Swingle, a substantial farmer and re- spected citizen of South Canaan township.

Joseph Swingle was born April 16, 1800, in South Canaan township, Wayne county, and died in 1886. He followed agricultural pursuits, and was one of the substantial men of the township. He was married three times, (first) to Hannah Quick, ( second) to Orrilla Parish, a native of Connecticut, and (third) to Elizabeth Chumard. There were three children born to the first marriage, one of whom, Prof. Ira W. Swingle, a military veteran and educator, has been long and favorably known in his locality.

Moses Swingle was born April 2, 1804, in what is now South Canaan township, Wayne coun- ty, where he was occupied in farming. He was a man of intelligence, in earlier life engaged in school teaching, and held various local offices, being an active worker in the Democratic party until the nomination of John C. Fremont for the Presidency by the Republican party, of which he then became a stanch supporter. He lived to be eighty years of age. He married Elizabeth Cobb, and one of their children, Squire Paul Swingle, is a leading citizen of South Canaan township.

Isaac Swingle was born October 17, 1807, in South Canaan township, where he lived a long and useful life, which closed in 1892. On February 3, 1833, he married Miss Polly Croop, a native of Luzerne county, born December 11, 1816, and died in 1892. Three children were born to the union, namely: Conrad, Enoch and Seth. Enoch is an enterprising and thrifty farmer of South Canaan township.

Andrew Swingle was born in South Canaan township. He married Sarah Enslin, and their union was blessed with three children: Thomas, who died in California in 1894; Miles, who lived in South Canaan township, engaged in farming, and died there in 1865; and one, whose name is not given, deceased in infancy. Of these, Miles mar- ried Sarah Burleigh, and one of their children, An-

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

drew Thomas Swingle, is a successful farmer of South Canaan township.

Jacob Swingle, a native of South Canaan town- ship, married Susan Shaffer, a daughter of Moses and Mary (Swingle) Shaffer, of the same township, and they had five children, of whom Chauncey Swingle is another of the substantial farmers of the Swingle family residing in South C: naan township.

Chauncey Swingle was born July 15, 1827, and in 1846 married Elizabeth Sloat. Among their children is Edward B. Swingle, who, too, is a farmer. Chauncey Swingle is an esteemed citizen and an influential man in his community.

George Swingle was born March 1, 1808, and died in 1893. He was a farmer, and followed the teachings of his ancestors, making a good citizen. He married Lucy Swingle, and one of their chil- dren, Rev. George Washington Swingle, is still a resident of South Canaan township.

THOMAS FRANCIS MANGAN is one of the active, enterprising and progressive business men of Hawley, where he is now successfully en- gaged in general merchandising. He was born November 8, 1864, in the house where he still con- tinues to make his home, and is a son of Thomas and Ellen (Flannery) Mangan, who were natives of County Mayo, Ireland, but became acquainted and were married in Hawley, Wayne Co., Penn. The paternal grandfather, Richard Mangan, was born in the North of Ireland, and from there re- moved to County Mayo, where his last days were passed.

In 1847 the father of our subject came to the United States and took up his residence upon the present site of Hawley, where he was employed the first two years by the Delaware & Hudson Canal Co. The following eight years he was connected with the Pennsylvania Coal Co., and then embarked in business on his own account as a general mer- chant. He never cared to become wealthy, being content with a competence which enabled him to obtain the comforts of life. In 1859 he took charge of the store established by his brother, Patrick Man- gan, four years previous, and there carried on busi- ness up to his death. He died March 21, 1885, when he was sixty-two years of age, his remains being interred at Hawley. He was charitable and benevolent, and always had a cheerful word and pleasant smile for all with whom he came in contact. He was public-spirited and enterprising, and. being one of the prominent and influential citizens of Hawley, he was often called upon to serve in official positions, being a member of the first council, treas- urer of his district many years, and school director for the long period of twenty-one years.

Four of the six children born to Thomas and Ellen Mangan died within a year; Edward at the age of nine, Margaret at the age of seven, Patrick at the age of three, and Mary Ann at the age of about eighteen months. The only two now living are Thomas F. and Helen, who both live with their

mother in Hawley. She is now seventy years of age, and is beloved and respected by all who know her.

Mr. Mangan, the subject of this sketch, re- mained at home until seventeen years of age, and then entered the Georgetown University at Washing- ton, D. C., to receive a good classical education. He attended that institution for three years ; but be- fore his graduation his father died and he was com- pelled to return home and take charge of the estate. Though he always stood well in his classes, yet ne did not return to Georgetown to complete the course. He is a devout member of the Roman Catholic Church, and in politics is an ardent Demo- crat, taking quite an active interest in political affairs. He has always refused to become a can- didate for county offices, but served for one term as president of the town council of Hawley, and at the age of twenty-one years was elected school di- rector, acceptably filling that position for eleven years.

ANDREW G. TRACY, one of the most re- liable and progressive business men of Dyberry, Wayne county, is a native of that county and be- longs to a family that was founded there early in the present century. His grandfather, Jeremiah Tracy, was born in Lisbon, Conn., April II, 1761, and was married May 19, 1785, to Miss Martha Lasette. In 1813, with their family, they came to Wayne county, Penn., locating first in Mt. Pleasant township, and later removing to Dyberry township, where they spent their remaining years.

Calvin Tracy (the father of our subject) was born November 5, 1803, in Connecticut, and was fifth in the order of birth in a family of twelve children. At the age of ten years he accompanied his parents on their emigration to Wayne county, where he was reared. On attaining to man's estate he was united in marriage with Miss Caroline, daughter of Ezekiel and Clara (Bates) White, and to them were born five children: Andrew G., the subject of this sketch; Catherine J., who married Henry Gleason, and died August 26, 1896; Eliza, wife of George N. Bonem, of White's Valley, Wayne county ; Helen, wife of Thomas A. Bell, of Preston, Wayne county ; and Henry, who lives on the old homestead in Mit. Pleasant.

Andrew G. Tracy was born February 18, 1832, in Mt. Pleasant, where he remained until he had attained his sixteenth year. Wishing to see more of the world, he then traveled quite extensively over the West, going as far as Wisconsin. On his return to his native township he bought a farm on which he lived for eleven years, and in connect- ion with its operation he also worked at the mason's trade, which he had learned during his youth. On selling that place he removed to Oregon township, and on disposing of his place there in 1885, he came to Dyberry, where he has since successfully en- gaged in business as a general merchant, and at the same time he still works at the mason's trade and

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at farming. His success has come to him through energy, labor and perseverance, guided by sound judgment and honorable business principles.

On October 4, 1855, Mr. Tracy was married, by Rev. Henry Curtis, a Baptist minister, to Miss Sarah Jane Turner. Her parents, Jacobus and Susan (Churchwall) Turner, were natives of Roch- ester township, Ulster Co., N. Y., where they con- tinued to make their home until coming to Leba- non township, Wayne Co., Penn., when Mrs. Tracy was seven years old. Their children were: John (now deceased) ; Sarah Jane; Hannah L., wife of George E. Miller, of Mt. Pleasant; Ruth A., wife of H. C. Gaylord, of Aldenville, Wayne county ; and Benjamin C. (deceased). The father, who was born in 1800, died November 27, 1869; the mother had passed away some years before.

To Mr. and Mrs. Tracy were born three chil- dren : Eugene, born June 18, 1856, resides in Ore- gon township, Wayne county ; Ida M., born August 16, 1858, is with her parents; and Carrie S., born September 17, 1863, died June 3, 1889. Mr. Tracy is a careful business man of known reliability, who has made the best use of his opportunities, and has secured a comfortable competence. Originally he was a Democrat in politics, but of late years has given his support to the men and measures of the Phohibition party, as he is a strong temperance man. He has many warm friends throughout the county, and commands the respect of all with whom he comes in contact.

THEODORE SCHOCH, founder of the Stroudsburg Jeffersonian, was without doubt en- titled to the distinction of having seen the longest continuous service of any editor in the United States. On July 14, 1840, he founded his paper, as a five-column quarto, and except for the addition of a column a few years ago it has changed but little in appearance. Its mission has been con- spicuously announced through all those years in bold German text at the head of the first page, and now as at first the paper continues to be "Devoted to Politics, Literature, Agriculture, Science, Moral- ity and General Intelligence." Mr. Schoch at his death was "eighty-five years young", hale, hearty and jolly, for time brought him wisdom without leaving many traces of its flight. His memory covered an interesting period in the world's history, and from the time he entered upon editorial work he chronicled the events of a progressive era, and helped to mold popular opinion upon the most im- portant issues ever brought before a people. In a retrospect recently published he remarked that slav- ery was a burning question when he entered the field as a champion of freedom, and referred to the coming of steel railways, the telegraph, telephone, electric motor, and a thousand and one other prac- tical applications of the arts and sciences. He spoke of the finding of petroleum, the discovery of gold and silver in the West, and then quaintly observed : "In the nature of things, in a brief period we will

have passed off the stage of action, and have joined the vast majority that have gone before, when we hope to see greater improvements and more won- derful discoveries than we have heard of here. We ·do not presume to say that we have always struck the happy medium in the discharge of our journalistic or social duties. We ask simply the charity due from erring creatures to each other. In the mean- time we will gird our loins and endeavor to serve out our full term with becoming charity and good- will to all.

Mr. Schoch was born October 30, 1814, at Mooresburg, Plainfield township, Northampton Co., Penn., and as he was reared to farm work his early ambitions turned toward agriculture. His own ac- count of that period is so graphic that we quote from a conversation with a reporter for the New York Daily Sun, who recently interviewed him :

"I sometimes think it was seeing stars that shied me into an editorial career. I started out to be a farmer. This was up in Pike county, Penn., in 1819, when I was five years old. I lived with George W. Nyce on the Milford road. One day word came that a relative of Nyce's wife was dead at Shawnee. Shawnee is just above the Delaware Water Gap. The funeral was to be held the next day. To get there in time the Nyces had to start very early the next morning. I got up at one o'clock to go to the field after the horses. This was the morning of the 6th of November, 1819, and I saw a sight ! stars were falling, as I thought then, as everybody thought. The air was thick with shooting stars, the weirdest light that ever shown fitfully on the earth, now brighter, now fainter, as the shooting stars les- sened or increased in numbers. The celestial py- rotechnics filled me with awe, as you may well im- agine. I can't express what my feelings were. But I had to get the horses. I went out into the lot. It lay between the road and the Delaware river. There was plenty of light, but the horses were no- where to be seen. I searched every nook and cor- ner by the light of the falling stars. I had a vague idea that the last day had come, and that probably the horses had anticipated it and fled to Jersey. But, last day or no last day, those horses had to be found ; for if it was the last day, by delivering those horses at the barn my duty would have to be done to the very end of time; if it wasn't the last day, that relative of Nyce's wife had to be buried, and the Nyce folks could not get to the funeral without those horses. So I hunted on for the missing ani- mals. The stars continued shooting, leaving bril- liant trails of fire. They shot horizontally, diag- onally, perpendicularly and zig-zag. I wondered why none of them fell into the river or the road. No sound accompanied the startling display. In fact, it seemed to deepen the awesome midnight silence. At last, down near the river, huddled be- neath an overhanging bank surrounded by thick trees-the only dark place to be found-I came upon the horses. Their terror was pitiful. I soothed them, and by and by succeeded in getting them

Theodore Schock.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

to come with me. But a hard time I had to lead them across the field and out of it to the barn. They gradually became used to the unwonted dis- turbance on the way. I found the family in a state of trepidation when I went in. No one declared that he believed the end had come, but every one looked it. However, Mr. Nyce and his wife drove to Shawnee, notwithstandng the most startling fiery phenomenon that ever showed any one the way, I guess, since the pillar of fire warned the children of Israel that they had better keep in the middle of the road, for those stars kept on shooting until daylight and perhaps longer, being invisible after dawn. This was the famous and historic flight of meteors of November, 1819, that you read about nowadays. George W. Nyce was a good man, but he got it into his head, as did many other dwellers in that part of Pike county, that the shower of stars meant that he wasn't quite good enough. He concluded the best way to show that he understood the warn- ing was to build a church. So he went to work, and others joined in, and before the year was gone they had erected the Dutch Reformed church at Pitts.

Bushkill and hired a preacher-good Dominic The church is standing there yet, a pious creation of the shooting stars of '19. Well, that exeraordinary display made an impression on me, too. I don't say that it set me to thinking that folks in this bailiwick needed more light, but it seems to me now that maybe it did. Anyhow, the year after I left Farmer Nyce, went to Easton-I was born near Easton-and became an apprentice in Josiah P. Hetrick's Whig and Journal office. By the time 1840 came round I guess I must have thought that I was ready to turn on that light, for I had the nerve to come here and edit the Jeffersonian, and I have been here ever since."

The Jeffersonian was started as a Whig organ, in a county (Monroe) where there were five Demo- crats to one Whig, and in a congressional district where the Democrats outvoted the Whigs almost ten to one. This was the famous Tenth Legion of Pennsylvania. With the exception of one at Easton, Northampton county, there was not a Whig newspaper in the district, which included all the country from Bucks county on the south to Susquehanna county on the north, and was made up of the present counties of Northampton, Carbon, Monroe, Pike and Wayne. Stroudsburg had a pop- ulation of 345. Rail fences bordered the main street of the village. There were no mail routes in the county except one up the Delaware valley from Easton. The rock-ribbed old Jacksonian Democ- racy of the county looked upon a Whig as one mis- guided and inimical to the country's good. Soon after Editor Schoch began publishing the Jefferson- ian, a leading Democrat of an adjoining township made his acquaintance, liked him, and actually sub- scribed for his paper. This Democrat had long been justice of the peace for his township. One day a constituent of his was in his office and picked up a newspaper that lay on the table. Looking at

it, he dropped it as if it had been a coal of fire. It was the Jeffersonian. "Shades of Jackson, Squire," he exclaimed, "Do you take that paper?"

The Squire had to admit the fact, and it would have beaten him for justice of the peace at the next election if he hadn't been shrewd enough to show cause for taking the Whig organ. "To be sure I take Schoch's paper," he exclaimed. "If I didn't take it I wouldn't know how he argues for the Whigs. Now I know, and I can combat him. By combating him I can show him the error of his ways. When he sees the error of his ways he'll stop printing a Whig paper. That's why I take the Jeffersonian." The Squire saved himself by this ex- planation, but somehow he did not succeed in show- ing Editor Schoch the error of his ways. The au- dacious Whig newspaper kept right on in that Dem- ocratic stronghold. The second Harrison campaign occurred in 1840. The largest Whig vote ever cast in Monroe county was given for Harrison. It was 343, which was the number of subscribers on the Jeffersonian's books, and the majority Harrison had in Pennsylvania. "So we saved the State for Harrison, sure enough," said veteran Editor Schoch. When the Whig party ceased to exist the paper became a radical and uncompromising advocate of the principles of the Republican party in a hotbed of State Rights Democracy. Editor Schoch lived to see himself on the Bench as associate judge of Monroe county, where 8,000 Democratic majority has been no uncommon thing. He lived to see and help bring about a result in the political affairs of this same old-time Democratic stronghold which must have made the bones of the dead and gone war-horses of the county's Democracy turn and rat- tle in their graves-a Republican majority in the board of county commissioners. Even more sur- prising, he lived to see the old-time Tenth Legion congressional district, historic for its steadfast 10,- 000 Democratic majority, return a Republican as its representative-the incumbent. "If I should live to be a hundred," said Editor Schoch, "I couldn't have more glory to think of than this."

Editor Schoch started out with an old-fashioned Ramage press. In 1847 the editor of the Belvidere Apollo, at Belvidere, N. J., wanted a bigger press than the one his paper was printed on-Peter Smith hand press, No. 176. Editor Schoch went down to Belvidere, purchased the press, and carried it to Stroudsburg over the mountains. He set it up in his office and it has been there ever since, and until his death there were few editions of the paper of which Editor Schoch himself did not pull off at least a portion on that press. He was undoubtedly the last to use a Ramage press in printing a news- paper. One might scour the country from ocean to ocean to-day and not find another Smith press in use. There have been scores of improvements made in hand presses since the Smith came into vogue, but Editor Schoch scorned them all. "The old Smith has stood by me," said the veteran but a few months ago, patting fondly the lever of the press

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that he has pulled so many thousands of times, "and I'll stand by it to the last." There is metal type in the Jeffersonian office that has been there since the paper was started, and it is doing service to-day as it did nearly threescore years ago. Editor Schoch never used a patent outside or any plate matter in getting out his paper, which never missed an issue. There are few country papers in the land that can make that boast. The veteran editor set type on every issue of his paper. "But my eyes don't seem to be quite as good as they used to be," he said a short time ago, "and I'm thinking that maybe its about time to give them a litle rest.".

The subscribers to the Jeffersonian in the out- lying townships for years had to get their papers by the hand of neighbors who made occasional trips to Stroudsburg, or by having them left at the nearest mill or backwoods store or tavern. Those who lived along or near the road up the valley were more fortunate, for the stage drivers- who must have been Whigs-carried their papers and left them in fence corners, hollow stumps, and other receptacles at convenient points agreed upon. One of the first to subscribe and pay for the paper was Miss Eliza A. Dusenberry, and a short time ago Miss Dusenberry, now of Newton, N. J., paid her fifty-seventh successive annual subscription to the Jeffersonian. To have been so long on the subscrip- tion list of one newspaper is in itself a somewhat extraordinary experience. To have paid the first subscription and every one of the succeeding fifty- nine subscriptions to the same person as editor and proprietor of the paper is one still more unusual. Speaking of this, Mr. Schoch said, "Yes, sir, Miss Dusenberry has been taking the Jeffersonian from its first number, and here she is, eighty-five years old, and well, hearty and happy. I could count you off a hundred or more people in this county who never took the Jeffersonian. And where are they ? Dead, every one of 'em."

Mr. Schoch was married May 24, 1842, to Miss Sarah Burke, born May 1, 1822. She died November 1, 1849, and in 1850 he married Miss Jane Hammon. The latter's death occurred Feb- ruary 28, 1851, and in January, 1855, he married Miss Sarah E. Pelton, born January 1, 1837. He has had eleven children, three by the first marriage, one by the second, and seven by the third. (I) Edward, born March 24, 1843, married Miss Mary Snovel, and they have had five children, William, Blanche, Maud, Flossie, and Edgar. (2) Susan, born August 9, 1844, married (first) John Snovel, by whom she had one child, Sallie, and ( second) Thom- as H. McConnell, by whom she also has one child, George. (3) Charles B., born August 30, 1846, mar- ried Miss Tillie Flight, and they have two children, Theodore and Maggie. (4) James, the only child of the second marriage, was born February 14, 1851, and married Miss Blandena Walter, by whom he has one child, Aida. (5) Jessie, born October 7, 1855, married Joseph Reuss, and has one son, Theo- dore J. (6) William, the eldest son of the third

union, was born March 5, 1857, and he and his wife, Ellen Rinehart, have had three children, Lay- ton M., Chauncey E., and Harry. (7) Mary, born November 3, 1858, married William H. Harms, and has four children, Harry, Helen, Lewis, and Roy S. (8) Miss Helen P. was born February 18, 1860. (9) Eugene, born July 10, 1862, died a few weeks afterward. (10) Theodore, Jr., was born No- vember 3, 1864. (II) Nettie, born May 30, 1870, married James McConnell, and has one son, Thomas.

The veteran editor himself passed away January 21, 1900, leaving "a world made better by his life." During his residence in Stroudsburg he served thrice as chief burgess, thrice as a town councilman, thrice as a school director, one term each as overseer of the poor, assessor, tax collector, and auditor, and a few months as constable. He also served the public of the town as postmaster under Presidents Lincoln and Grant. As may be judged, he was one of the town's most progressive citi- zens-always agitating improvements of every nature and design. Mr. Schoch was possessed of many excellent qualities, and was universally es- teemed by all who enjoyed his acquaintance.

WARREN K. RIDGWAY, as a wide-awake, energetic and progressive business man, has done much to promote the commercial activity, advance the general welfare and secure the material ad- vancement of Pike county. He has been interested in several enterprises, but at present gives the greater part of his attention to the blue-stone busi- ness in Westfall township.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 1, Part 60

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