Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2, Part 49

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1098

USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 49
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 49
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 49
USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2 > Part 49

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J. MILTON SHICK, treasurer of Monroe county, is one of the ablest and most popular officials now connected with the administration of affairs in that seetion. While his early education was limited to the country schools of his time, he has gained throughi personal observation and study a wide and accurate knowledge of public business, and his care- ful attention to technical details Icaves nothing to be desired. His efficient work has received the ap- proval of all classes of people, and his honesty and uprightness are unquestioned, while his kindliness and courtesy transform his acquaintances into warm friends.

Mr. Shick comes of a good old pioncer family, his grandfather, John Shick, having been a resident of Monroe county for many years previous to his death, which occurred in his seventy-ninth year. This worthy pioneer married a Miss Marsh, who also lived to an advanced age, and they had two sons, Samuel and Peter, and two daughters, Lydia Mervinc and Sallie Kresge. the latter still living at this writing.

The late Samuel Shick, our subject's father. was born in 1800, in Plainfield township, Northamp- ton county, and made his home in Pocono township. Monroe county, where he died in 1890. He owned a large farm and was a prominent citizen of the locality, taking an active part in political work as a stanch Democrat. Ile was the first tax collector

in his township, and he served at times in other local offices. In religious faith he was a Lutheran. He married Miss Elizabeth Edinger, who was born in 1807, the daughter of Henry Edinger, and died in 1883. Our subject was the youngest in a family of eleven children : Henry resides in Bradford county, Penn .; Amos settled in Oregon; Frank re- sides in Nicholson, Wyoming Co., Penn .; Lydia married George Jennings, of Scranton, Penn. ; Sam- ucl resides in Philadelphia; George is deceased ; Mary married William Werkeiser and resides in Nicholson ; Carrie, deceased, was the wife of Will- iam Dickson; Sarah married Joshua Werkheiscr, of Pocono township, Monroe county, and Stewart is a farmer of Clearfield county, Pennsylvania.

Our subject was born November 4, 1856, in Monroe county, and in his youth attended the dis- trict schools of l'ocono township. He learned the earpenter's trade, which he followed for some years, but becoming disabled he engaged in farming, hav- ing at first a farm of sixty acres, which he sold in the spring of 1898, wlien he purchased his present property, consisting of 146 acres of choice land in Stroud township, Monroe county, where he and his family now reside. Of late ycars his time has been largely occupied with official work of various kinds. He has held different township offices, serving as tax collector, school director, treasurer of the school board nine years, and assessor five years, and he re- signed the latter position to take liis present office of county treasurer, to which he was elected in 1896. He assumed the duties of the office on Jan- uary 1, 1897, and in November following he re- moved his family to Stroudsburg. He has always been a strong supporter of the Democratic party, and his devotion is appreciated by his fellow workers in that organization. Hc and his family are pront- inent socially, and are identified with the Reformed Church of Tannersville, Monroe county. Ilis wife, who was formerly Miss Lowrie E. Sleiker, was born September 30. 1864, in Pocono township. Monroe county, a daughter of George A. Sleiker. now de- ceased, and his wife Lucy, who were residents of Monroe county. Seven children have brightened their home: Mary E .. Myrtie E .. Lotie E., Ettie E .. Grover L., Norman M. and Florence K.

CHARLES A. BEEIN, an energetic and pros- perous general fariner and carpenter of Dreher township. Wayne county, residing on a part of the old Beehn homestead. was born on that place Octo- ber 29. 1838, a son of John and Angeline ( Belling ) Bechn. the former a native of Baden. Germany, the latter of Northampton county, Pennsylvania.

Ilis paternal grandparents were Charles and Magdelina ( Fisher ) Beehn, of Baden. In 1818 the grandfather started for the United States, and is supposed to have died of vellow fever near New Orleans. In 1828 his wife and her three sons crossed the Atlantic and first located at Easton. Penn .. where they spent two years. At the end of that time they came to Sterling ( now Dreher town-

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ship). Wayne county, with a colony that pur- chased a tract of 2,000 acres of land, and when this property was divided our subject's grandmother re- ceived 100 acres, which is his present homestead. ller children were: John, the father of our subject ; and Charles M. and Adam, who both died in Dreher township.

In his native land John Bechn had learned the wheelwright's trade, but after coming with the fam- ily to Wayne county he gave his attention principally to agricultural pursuits, and continued to success- fully operate the old homestead farm until his death, which occurred in March, 1887. He was born in 1812, and on reaching man's estate was married, in Nazareth, Penn., to Angeline Belling, who was born in 1815. Her parents were Godfrey and Catherine ( Brooner ) Belling, who spent their entire lives in Northampton county, Penn., and reared a family of four children, the others being August and Christian, both deceased; and Sylvester, a re- tired citizen of Bethlehem, Penn. MIrs. Beehn died in March, 1855. and like her husband was buried in the Moravian Church cemetery, both being mem- bers of that congregation. He was one of the most prominent and influential citizens of his community, and held many local offices of honor and trust.

The subject of this sketch is the eldest in a family of ten children: Frances died in infancy ; Amelia lives with our subject; Adelaide is the wife of Philip Eck, a farmer of Dreher township; An- gelica is the wife of Reuben Sieg, a blacksmith of Newfoundland; Henry A., a member of the 5Ist P. V. I. during the Civil war, married Anna Kauf- man, and died in 1873, from an accident near a saw- mill, a log rolling on him; John W. lives with our subject : Edward and Lewis both died when young ; and Caroline is the wife of William Graser, a farmer of Greene township, Pike Co., Pennsylvania.

Charles A. Beehin has always lived on the old home farm, and early became familiar with agri- cultural pursuits, but at the age of nineteen years he began learning the wheelwright's trade, serving a two-years' apprenticeship with Christian Lange. During the Civil war he was drafted and joined Company C, 52nd P. V. I., under Capt. Walter S. Chatham. He participated in no battles, was never wounded, and was stationed for a time at Morris Island ; he was promoted to sergeant. When hostil- ities ceased he was discharged July 28, 1865, and returned home. As he could not obtain work at his trade, he turned his attention to farming and carpen- tering, and has since carried on operations along those lines with marked success.

On September 5. 1876, in Dreher township. Mr. Bechu married his brother's widow, Mrs. Anna ( Kaufman ) Beehn, by whom he has three children : Emma. who is teaching school, is married to Frank D. Waltz, a merchant at Newfoundland: Caroline and Catherine are both at home. By her former marriage. Mrs. Beelin had one son. William J., a car- penter of Dreher township, who married Edith Rohr- backer. The mother of this son was born in Mon-

roe county, Penn., in February, 1849, a daughter of William Kaufman, and died in September, 1891. being laid to rest in the Moravian burying ground.

Religiously, Mr. Beehn is a member of the Moravian Church; fraternally he affiliates with Wallenpaupack Lodge No. 478, I. O. O. F., and with the G. A. R .; politically he is a Republican. For ten years he efficiently served as school di- rector. was census enumerator in 1890, and has filled the offices of assessor and collector of his township to the entire satisfaction of all concerned.

JACOB NYCE (deceased) ranked among the stalwart sons of Pennsylvania, whose life spanne.1 the greater part of the century now closing, and who in his long career typified the strength, courage and progress of an advancing people. He possessed that enduring and saving trait of character that gave to each element of life its due proportion. He was not blinded by the glitter or pomp of office and position. but recognized intrinsic merit and worth. Trained by both precept and example by a father of rare benevolence and discernment, he acquired in his carly youth those inestimable views of right living which crowned and enriched his after life.

Mr. Nyce was fifth in the line of descent from the ancestor who more than two hundred years ago left parents and friends at Crefeld, Germany, to found in an unknown distant land a new home. It was in 1683 that Hans de Neus ( or Nuyse) migrat- ed to America with one or more brothers and other colonists, and settled at Germantown, near Philadel- phia. On March 26, 1699. Hans de Nuyse pur- chased fifty-two acres of land from Mary Doubly. for a consideration of fifty pounds. He was a man of thrift. industry and business capacity, for on Sep- tember 4, 1704, he also purchased from Mathias Von Bebler, for seventy pounds, seventy acres of land. at Germantown. Penn., which became his homestead. He also bought from John Budd and Humphrey Marrey, October 26, 1720, 725 acres of land in Fred- erick township, Montgomery Co., Penn. Hans and Jeninke de Neuse. September 20, 1724, sold 200 acres of the tract to their son John de Nyce. Hans. the father. died at his homestead in Germantown in 1736.

John de Nyce moved to the tract of land in Montgomery county which he purchased from his father. He died there in May, 1743. and was buried in the family burial plot on this land, which is now known as Bertolets burying ground. To him and his wife Mary were born eight children, five sons and three daughters, as follows: John. George. Joel. Anna Maria, Susanna, Aesse. Zachariah and Will- ian1.

William, youngest son of John and Mary de Nyce, was the grandfather of our subject. He was born 1738, and died at Harmony. Sussex Co., N. J .. July 13. 1805. from the effects of a fall from a cherry tree. He was buried at St. James Lutheran Church. near Phillipsburg. Warren Co .. N. J. Hi- first wife's name was Dorothy. On April 29, 1779, he

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" ole his first purchase of land in Lehman township, I'he Co., Pennsylvania.

John Nyce, the father of our subject, purchased a large tract of land in Lehman township, Pike coun- :, and there lived through life. He was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church and a great Bible .tudent. He was a practical Christian, a man not- od for his kindly and benevolent character, incul- cating the spirit of love among his fellow men and the members of his family, and in his own upright and friendly conduct giving expression and illustra- tion of the high human aims to which he gave men- tal and moral allegiance. Nor did he neglect the material things of life, for he accumulated by his labor and business capacity what in his time and location was almost a fortune. At his death he left to each of his children a good farm or its equivalent. Hle married Lena Westbrook, who bore him eight children, as follows : John, who married Maria Van Campen ; Mary, who married Moses W. Cool- bangh ; William, who married Margaret Westbrook; Catherine, who married Dr. John Morrison : James ; George, who married Elizabeth Place: Lydia, who married Alfred Wells, and Jacob, the youngest and the subject of this sketch. John Nyce, the father, died in 1839. His wife survived him twenty years.

Jacob Nyce was born at Egypt Mills, Pike county, May 2, 1813. He was educated in the com- mon schools of the neighborhood, and like his fore- fathers devoted his life to the cultivation of the soil, becoming one of the substantial and reliable farmers of Pike county, one whose name was the synonym of good faith. fair dealing, uprightness of character and abundant success in his time-honored calling. His mind was keen and active, well fitted to assume and conduct larger interests than those of the farm alone. He became one of the most prominent busi- ness men of Lehman township. He owned both a grist and saw mill, and thus assisted in develop- ing the material resources of the county. He em- barked in mercantile life and for a few years con- ducted a general store at Egypt Mills. In brief, he was one of those rare men of general ability who be- come the natural leaders of the community in which they live, and by their energy and intelligence give direction and character to its lite. Mr. Nyce was the first postmaster at Egypt Mills, and held that position until his death, which occurred April 16, 1880. He was a Democrat in political faith and not a politician in the strict sense of that term, prefer- ring the freedom and opportunities of private life as the proper field of his energies and ambition. He held many of the local offices, but aspired to noth- ing beyond. He was keen-minded and kept him- self well informed upon current events and matters of general interest.

Mr. Nyce was married. November 13. 1849. to Delinda Peters, daughter of George and Margaret ( Miller) Peters, the former of whom was born in Cherry Valley. Monroe county, May 26, 1703. He became a prosperous farmer in Middle Smithfield township, and his fine farm is now owned by his son

George W. He was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and in politics was a Democrat. He died July 14, 18So. His wife, Margaret ( Miller ), was born July 25, 1799, in Middle Smithfield township, Monroe county, and died September 14, 1877. To George and Margaret Peters were born the follow- ing children: Henry, John, Daniel, Jacob, Philip, William, Washington, Delinda, Sarah, Margaret, Jane and Susan. Delinda, the wife of our subject, was born in Middle Smithfield township, Monroe county, October 18, 1827.

To our subject and wife were born six children, as follows: Ellen, now Mrs. Guillot, of Bushkill, who has two sons-Clinton and Norman ; Margaret ; Mary J., wife of Judge Klaer, of Milford : James E., who married Grace H. Whitaker, and has two chil- dren-Elizabeth and Dorothy ( they reside on the old homestead at Egypt Mills ) : Harry P., who married Deborah Schoonover, and has seven children-Rob- ert J .. Frank W., Mary, J. Roy, Bessie E., Margaret D., Kathryn C. and Eva, now Mrs. J. C. Bull, resid- ing near Milford. Harry P. Nyce now owns a half interest in the New Method Steam Laundry Co., lo- cated at Nos. 127-129 Catharine street, Philadelphia. being treasurer of the same. Mrs. Jacob Nyce, the widow of our subject, resides at Stroudsburg with her daughter and grandson.

ASA K. KIMBLE, one of the enterprising and representative business men of Wayne county, car- rying on operations in Dyberiy, belongs to a prom- inent and honored family of northeastern Pennsyl- vania, whose identification with her history dates from an early period in the development of this sec- tion of the State. His great-grandfather, Ephraim Kimble, was one of the very first settlers of Paupac, Pike county, Penn., where he extensively engaged in both farming and lumbering. His son. Asa Kim- ble (our subject's grandfather ), was born there, and as a lumberman engaged in business on Middle creek, Pike county. for some time. Subsequently he removed to Dyberry township. Wayne county, locating near the present site of the .Wayne County Fair Grounds, and at this place followed farming, lumbering and hotel-keeping with good success. He married Abigail P'ellett, and they became the parents of the following children : Nancy was born August 18, 1815; Ephraim B .. born August 31. 1817, died September 18. 1880: Olive W., born August 20, 1819, died March 7, 1820: George W., born March 2. 1821. died September 8. 1894: John P .. born July 19, 1824. died December 31. 1886; Isaac R., born January 2, 1827. is living in Lebanon township. Wayne county : William was born June 15. 1832. and Martin K., born May 24, 1835. is proprietor of his father's old hotel in Dyberry township.

Ephraim B. Kimlde, the father of our subject. was born in Dyberry township. attended the com- mon schools of that locality, and learned the black- smith's trade during his youth. Being an ambitious young man. he opened a shop of his own near his birthplace, but later removed his business to the 1

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hamlet of Dyberry. This place was then a flourish- ing little settlement, as much lumbering was carried on in the vicinity, and seeing promise of profitable business, Mr. Kimble shortly afterward opened a general store and also a hotel. This hotel is well known throughout the county, and many a wayfarer has reason to be grateful to its genial proprietor. He served as postmaster at Dyberry for many years, and in addition to his other business interests lie was an extensive lumberman, owning and operating saw- mills in different parts of the county. After a few years spent in Dyberry borough he gave up black- sinithing, but continued his other enterprises until his death, which took place September 18, 1880. Besides being an excellent business man, he was a practical agriculturist, and had personal charge of his farm in Dyberry township.

On December 6, 1848, Ephraim B. Kimble was united in marriage with Miss Amelia Schoonover, a daughter of Elijah and Rachel ( Bishop) Schoon- over. Her father died in 1826, aged fifty-five years, her mother November 16, 1879, aged eighty-three years and six months. Born of their union were Maria, wife of Frederick Jacoby ; Thomas, a resi- dent of Lake township, Wayne county; Amelia, mother of our subjeet; Lueinda, wife of Reuben Packingham ; John ; George, and Elijah. The two last named and Thomas are still living. Mrs. Kim- ble's grandparents were Thomas and Margaret Schoonover, who were descended from original Pennsylvania-Dutch families : the former served un- der Gen. Washington in the Revolutionary war, and shortly after the close of that struggle located near the present site of Indian Orehard, Wayne county, where he took up a large traet of land and erected a gristmill, operating it for many years. Our sub- ject is the youngest of three children. the others being Sallie Maria, who was born May 18, 1850, and is now the wife of James Ketchum. and Isaac K., who was born August 1, 1853. and died December 30, 1887.

Asa K. Kimble was born December 5. 1859, in Dyberry township, where he attended the common schools, while his business education was obtained in a practical manner by assisting his father. At his father's death. although but twenty years of age, he took charge of the estate. and now owns and con- ducts the hotel, store and farm. besides serving as postmaster of Dyberry. His success has been the result of honest, persistent effort in the line of hon- orable and manly dealing. His aims have always been to attain the best. and he has carried forward to successful completion whatever he has undertaken.

On December 5, 1883. Mr. Kimble was united in marriage with Miss Ella O. Brooks, who was born July 28, 1850. a daughter of Major and Eliza ( Beth- ick) Brooks. Her grandfather, Homer Brooks, came from Connecticut to Wayne county in an early day and located in Dyberry. His children were: Virgil. still a resident of Dyberry township: Hor- tensa, widow of Mathew Watt: Lucy ( deceased ). wife of Byron Bunnell, of Orange county, N. Y. :

Ezra, of Dyberry township ; Phoebe ( deceased ). wife of Rockwell Bunnell, of Prompton, Wayne county; Major, the father of Mrs. Kimble; William Drinker. who went west and has not been heard from for some time, and ITorace, a resident of New Milford. Susquehanna Co., Penn. To Major Brooks and wife were born the following children: Mary Josephine, wife of Ezra Bennett, of Dyberry ; Ed- win, who died in Chicago, Ill., in' 1890; Frank, Charles and Howard, all residents of Chicago; Ella O., wife of our subject, and Edith L., born April 28, 1868. The father died April 7, 1876, but the mother is still living. She was born in England, March 14, 1826, and came to America when sixteen years of age.

Mr. and Mrs. Kimble have two children : Beat- riee L., born February 8, 1886, and Harold Frank- lin, born January 24, 1898. Politically, Mr. Kimble is not strictly partisan, but at national elections sup- ports the Democratic candidates. He has served as school director, overseer of the poor, supervisor and postmaster with credit to himself, and to the entire satisfaction of the general public. Socially he be- longs to the Order of Heptasophs. As a public- spirited citizen he is thoroughly interested in what- ever tends to promote the moral, intellectual and material welfare of the community, and his name is inseparably connected with the history of Dyberry township.

ISAAC S. CASE. The man who rises in the ·world is more highly regarded than he who inherits and holds material wealth, and the best inheritance is a good name and sterling principles. Isaac S. Case, the subject of this sketch and a prominent bust- ness man of Tobyhanna Mills, is a son of Samuel Case, who was a man of strong convictions and a power in the moral and mental atmosphere of Mon- roe county in his day. He dared to do openly for the cause of right that which others predicted must result in failure and he won his victory. The an- eestry of our subject for several generations back. as far as lineage can be traced. was one inured to struggle, but guided by right living.

Jacob Case, the great-grandfather, was a life- long farmer of German extraction, who lived in Hunterdon county, N. J. He lived in easy cir- cumstances, accumulating considerable property, but at his death this land descended to the eldest son under the old English common law, which ruled in the Colony of New Jersey before the Revolutionary war. Jacob Case had six sons and possibly sev- eral daughters, of whom nothing is known. Mar- tin Case, the youngest son. and the grandfather of our subject, was by occupation a farmer. He was twice married. and by the one wife left two sons. Isaac and Sammel, and by the other wife, one daughter. Mary.

Samuel Case, the father of our subject. was born in 1803. Ile followed harness making in New Jersey, and in 1837 moved to Stroudsburg. Monror Co., Penn., where he followed butchering till 1847.

1. A base

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and then removed to Luzerne county. There he kept a temperance hotel till 1853, when he moved to Tobyhanna, and kept hotel there until his death in 1880. He was a man of strong religions anid temperance convictions, and thought his temperance hotel was the only one of the kind in that part of the county, yet the plucky proprietor made it a succcess. Ile was an active and prominent mem- ber of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his lios- telry was often alluded to as a preacher's tavern. But besides his sturdy principles Samuel Case pos- sessed other admirable traits. He was liberal, enter- prising and benevolent, and evinced those happy qualities of geniality and good cheer which espe- eially befit "mine host." In politics he was a Democrat, voting for Andrew Jackson. He mar- ried Euphemia McMannus, who bore him six chil- dren : Isaac S .; Sarah, who died in 1853 aged nine- teen years ; Mary, who married Charles Hebard, of Pequaming, Mich., and has four children; Will- ian, who married Miss Lucia Allen, and lives a retired life at Tobyhanna ; and two daughters who died young. Samuel, the father, died in 1880. aged seventy-seven years; the mother passed away in 1873.

Isaac S. Case, our subject, was born in Hunter- don county, N. J., November 1, 1832. He received his education in the schools of Stroudsburg, but his school days ended when he was fourteen years old. and as the eldest son in his father's family he be- came in his youth an active assistant in his busi- ness. Arriving at the age of twenty-one years, and having acquired a fair knowledge of men and of affairs he secured employment as the agent for II. S. Wells & Co., who had secured the contract for constructing a twenty-five mile section of the D. L. & W. railroad. As agent of these contractors he purchased for them hay and straw along the line of the road they were building. Mr. Case re- mained with them until 1855, gaining a valuable business experience. and this he applied in the man- agement of the general store which he at once opened at Tobyhanna, and which he continued to operate successfully until 1863. In the latter year he was offiered a position with the Tobyhanna & Lehigh Lumber Co .. owned by the Hon. William E. Dodge & Sons, of New York City. He developed a high degree of executive ability, and in the spring of 1865 he took active charge of the business as treas- urer and general manager, and continued to conduct the affairs of the company until he resigned and retired in January, 1808. During that period of a third of a century the company cut over four hun- dred million feet of lumber, besides doing an in- mense business in tan bark and other material.

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 2, Part 49

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1098

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1098