Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3, Part 33

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1000

USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 33
USA > Pennsylvania > Wayne County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 33
USA > Pennsylvania > Susquehanna County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 33
USA > Pennsylvania > Monroe County > Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3 > Part 33

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J. H. BECKER. To the student of human nature there is nothing of greater interest than to examine into the life of a self-made man and analyze the principles he has followed, the methods he has pursued : to know what means he has employed for advancement and to study the plans which have given him prominence, enabling him to pass on the highway of life many who had a more advanta- geous start. In the history of Mr. Becker, of Salem township. Wayne county, there is deep food for thought, and it one so desires he may profit by the obvious lessons therein contained.

Mr. Becker's parents, Henry and Catharine (Shaffer) Becker, spent their entire lives in Scho- harie county, N. Y. Their children were Maria. who married Freegitt Martin, of North Blenheim. N. Y., and died at the age of eighty years; Ann. who resided in Binghamton, N. Y .. died in 1891 : David, who died in Delhi. N. Y .. January 4, 1894: Frederick, a resident of Rondout. N. Y .: Rebecca. deceased wife of Charles J. E. Martin, of Granville. Bradford Co., Penn. : J. H., of this sketch ; Lana. widow of William Shaw, of Delli, N. Y. : Julia. wife of B. R. Johnson, of Binghamton. N. Y. ; and Eugenie, wife of Benjamin Miles, who died at U'tica. N. Y., January 9. 1900.

J. H. Becker was born in North Blenheim. Schoharie Co .. N. Y .. January 21. 1828, and at the age of twenty years went to Andes, Delaware Co .. N. Y., where he learned the blacksmith's trade, fol- lowing same for six years. In 1850 he came to Ledgedale, Wayne Co .. Penn .. and was made over- seer for a tannery company, where he was employed until 1804, having the entire confidence and respect of the company, whose interests he most faithfully served. He then purchased the property, consist- ing of 638 9-10 acres of land. a gristmill. store

building. dwelling houses, etc., the tannery building having burned a short time before he bought the place. He is now successfully carrying on oper ;- tions here, and is justly regarded as one of the most enterprising, progressive and reliable business men of Wayne county. In politics he is a stanch Repub- lican, and as a citizen he ever stands ready to dis- charge every duty devolving upon him. Few men are better known throughout the community, or are more honored for their sterling worth.

In Paupac, Pike Co., Penn., September 28. 1852, Mr. Becker was married, by Rev. Cooper, oi the Methodist Episcopal Church, to Miss Esther . 1. Davis, who was born April 19. 1835. Her father, Philip Davis, was a native of Stockport, N. Y .. a son of Gabriel and Mary (Acres) Davis, and when a young man came to Wayne county, Penn. He married Delilah Sutton, also a native of the Empire State, and a daughter of Nathaniel Sutton, and the children born of this union were as follows: Eliza- beth, widow of Ephraim Bidwell, and a resident of Salem township, Wayne county; Gabriel, who died in the war of the Rebellion : Matilda. deceased wife of Benjamin Beech, of Salem township: Esther .A .. the wife of our subject : Ruth, wife of S. Sheridan. of Paupac, Pike Co., Penn., and Alice, wife of John Pellet, of Gainesville, Florida.

To Mr. and Mrs. Becker has been born a fam- ily of eight children: Julia, born July 24. 1853. died at the age of three years; Alice, born August 20. 1856, is the wife of Alfred Roseberry, of South Dakota : Catherine. born September 29. 1858. is the wife of G. F. Rollison, of Scranton. Penn. : Delilah, born May 1, 1860, is the wife of A. L. Finley, of Arlington, Penn. ; Grace, born April 2. 1863. is the wife of J. M. Cooke, of Mckean coun- iv, Penn. ; Henry, born May 1, 1865. is employed by the Delaware & Hudson Co., at Carbondale, Penn. : Arthur, born September 10, 1868, is at home with his father : and Mary E., born December 14, 1873. is the wife of J. M. Fields, of Olean, New York.

BENJAMIN S. VAN INWEGEN ( deceased) was a prominent and well-to-do farmer of Westfa !: township. Pike county, where he died in September. 1888. honored and respected by all who knew him. He was born in Orange county, N. Y .. September 24. 1843. a son of Solomon and Charity (Vau Inwegen ) Van Inwegen. in whose family were only two children, the cther being John M .. who mar- ried Lizzie Damon and removed to Boston. Mass .. since which time nothing has been heard from him.

Hermanos Van Inwegen. the maternal great. great-grandfather of our subject, was the founder of the family in America. His name was given in con- nection with his marriage in the old Dutch records of Kingston Church (Kingston, N. Y.) as Hero- mandus Barentsen. Hle was born in Nymwegen. Province of Gelderland, Ilolland, and was married at Kingston, N. Y .. January 19. 1701. to Jannetje Cobes. The surname Barentsen indicates that the father of Hermannus or Heromandus was Barent. the

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Van Nymwegen being added to denote the place of his nativity. In course of time his descendants dropped the "N." and for over a century the name lias been spelled Van Inwegen. His only son, Ger- ardus, born in the present town of Deerpark, Orange Co., N. Y., married, in 1731, Jannetje De- witt. Their children were Hermanus, Jacob, Cor- nelius, Jacob (2), Janneke, Grietje and Tjaade. Ilis youngest son, Benjamin Van Inwegen, was married, October 21, 1810, to Miss Charity Cole, and after her death wedded Phoebe Van Auken. By the first marriage he had three sons: Lewis, who married Priscilla Van Etten; George. who married Julia Seward : and Eli, who married Maria Bull. The children of the second union were Charity, mother of our subject : Joseph: Samuel Y .: Solonion V .; Anna M., a resident of Mata- moras, Pike county : Hannah, wife of W. W. Cort- right, of the same place; Andrew J .; and Mar- garet, wife of Luke S. Rosencrance, of Port Jervis.

John and Elizabeth (Van Fleet ) Van Inwegen, our subject's paternal grandparents, were both of Holland descent and died in Orange county, N. Y. They had a family of six children, namely : Maria, Sally, Senetha, Jacobus. Martin, and Solomon, the father of our subject.

Benjamin S. Van Inwegen early became fa- miliar with all the duties which fall to the lot of the agriculturist, and throughout life engaged in farm- ing with good success. In 1856 he removed to the present home of the family in Westfall township. Pike county, comprising 160 acres of valuable land, 100 acres of which is timberland. Mr. Van Inwe- gen was an enterprising and progressive man, thoroughly up-to-date in every respect, and was a liberal supporter of all measures which he be- lieved calculated to promote the moral. educational or material welfare of his township or county. He was a well-informed man, of literary tastes, and was president of the school board at the time of the erection of the school house at Matamoras. He also filled the offices of assessor and collector of his township, and his public and private life were alike above reproach. In politics he was a Demo- crat, and he always kept well posted on the leading questions and issues of the day.

. In Orange county, N. Y., one mile from Port Jervis, Mr. Van Inwegen was married, in March, 1868, to Miss Cynthia Westfall, and to them were born five children. Louis S., a prominent and en- ergetic young man, now operates the old home farm. The others are all deceased: Jolin at the age of one year : Mae at the age of twenty-one : Simon at the age of eight months : and Benjamin R. when Young.

Mrs. Van Inwegen is a native of Orange coun- ty. N. Y., where her parents, Simon and Margaret (V'an Etten) Westfall. spent their entire lives as farming people. The father, who was a man of prominence and held several minor offices, died in ISSI, aged seventy-two years. his wife in 1887,

aged seventy-eight, and both were buried in Laurel Grove cemetery, Port Jervis, N. Y. Their children were as follows: Benjamin, deceased, married Sarah Schwartz; Catherine died unmarried ; John \. married Poceia Ellis, and is a farmer of Barton, N. Y .; Ellen is the wife of Jacob Westbrook, a farmer of Sussex county, N. J .: Cynthia is now Mrs. Van Inwegen : Levi is single, and resides on the old homestead in Orange county; Josephine is the wife of W. H. Nearpass. editor of the Gasette Publishing Company, of Port Jervis, N. Y .; and Margaret is the wife of J. S: Murray, telegraph operator at Port Jervis. Mrs. Van Inwegen's paternal grandparents were Benjamin and Cynthia ( Gaman) Westfall.

JOHN McFARLAND, a retired contractor, who was for many years one of the leading carpen- ters and builders of this section of the State, 110w makes his home in Jefferson township. Lackawanna Co., Penn., about 300 feet from the Wayne county line. He is a native of the latter county, born July 15, 1828. at Hawley, which at that time was called Paupac Eddy, the only child of Daniel and Eliza- beth ( Atkinson) McFarland, the former a native of Maine, the latter of Hawley, Penn. His mother died August' 30, 1828, at the early age of twenty years. The father, who was a lumberinan by occu- pation, came to Wayne county about 1826, and located at the present site of Hawley, where he operated a sawmill. He was twice married. his second tinion being with Catherine Ammerman, by whom he had four children : Theressa, who died unmarried ; Milton, who was married three times, and resides in Scranton, Penn. : Maria, who is also a resident of Scranton : and Frank, foreman in the car shops at that place. The father died in 1872, aged sixty-six years. His father, Thomas McFar- land, a native of Scotland, came to America at an early day, and died in Maine.

As his mother died during his infancy, John McFarland was reared by his maternal grandfather. Joseph Atkinson, at Hawley, and with him re- mained until he had attained the age of twenty years, during which time he attended school and en- gaged in lumbering and rafting on the river. The following six years were devoted to lumbering at Promised Land, Pike Co., Penn., and he then locat- ed in the Paupac settlement of the same county, where for three years he operated a sawmill which he rented from a Mr. Kimble. He worked for his father-in-law in Salem township. Wayne county, for two years, and spent fourteen years at No. 17. on the old Gravity railroad. For two years he en- gaged in carpentering for the Pennsylvania Coal Co. at Dunmore, Penn., was similarly employed at No. 12 for the same length of time, and in 1878 removed to his present elegant home. To contract- ing and building he continued to devote his ener- gries until he laid aside business cares. He is one of the honored and highly-respected citizens of the community, and he has been called upon to fill a

War

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

number of local offices. During the Civil war he was drafted, but sent a substitute. Politically he is an ardent Republican, and socially he has been a Master Mason since 1861, and also belongs to the Chapter, R. A. M., in Honesdale.

At Salem Corners, July 4, 1850, Mr. MeFar- land was united in marriage with Miss Nancy Will- iams, who was born August 31, 1831, and died February 10, 1857. Four children were born of this union : Daniel W., born April 24, 1851, died November 5, 1852; Elizabeth, born May 15, 1852, . died February 21, 1853: Alice, born January 7, 1854, is now the wife of E. G. Stevens, a merchant of Scranton, Penn .; and Fanny, born September. 25, 1855, died January 11, 1856.

Mr. McFarland was again married, November 3, 1858, in Salem township, Wayne county, his sec- ond union being with Miss Sarahett Mitchell, who was born on the old Mitchell homestead in that township November 10, 1834. The following chil- dren blessed this union: Daniel D., born May 2, 1860, married Elsie Barry, and is engaged in car- pentering in Scranton, Penn ; Fred, born March 15, 1862, died February 16, 1865; May, born Novem- ber 1, 1864, died November 23, 1882; Freddie, born October 7, 1867, died December 3, 1868; Harry, born March 10, 1869, died April 29, 1870; John F., born July 6, 1872, married Miss Ella Philips, of Hawley, and is a resident of Lake township, Wayne county; and Coe, born October 5, 1874, married Miss Jessie Mitchell, of Kingman, Kans., and now resides with his parents.

John P. Mitchell, Mrs. McFarland's father, was born in Luzerne county, Penn., July 2. 1809, a son of Michael and Lucy ( Munson) Mitchell, natives of Connecticut who came to Wayne county, Penn., in 1814, and located in Salem township. His grandfather, Michael Mitchell, Sr., was born in England, and on his emigration to America located in Connecticut. During the Revolutionary war he was taken prisoner by the British, and starved to death in a barn. Michael Mitchell, Jr., who was a farmer and lumberman, died January 26, 1855, aged eighty years, his wife February 3, 1867, aged ninety- one years and seven months.

John P. Mitchell also followed the occupations of farming and lumbering quite extensively, operat- ing sawmills for many years, and was supposed to have been very wealthy, but when the estate was 'settled up after his death very little remained. He was a very polished gentleman and quite promi- nent both in social and business life, enjoying the respect and estecm of all who knew him. He held membership in the Methodist Episcopal Church. was identified with the Republican party, and was honored with a number of township offices.

In Sterling township, Wayne county, Mr. Mit- chell was married, February 13. 1831. to Miss Elizabeth Long, who was born in Philadelphia. December 31. 1811. a daughter of Jacob and Bar- bara Long, of Pennsylvania. By this union Mr. Mitchell had the following children : Lucy A., born

August 26, 1832, married Hugh Lancaster, who engaged in farming and conducted a stick factory in Sterling, Wayne county, and she died Septem- ber 18, 1892; Sarahett, born November 10, 1834. is the wife of John McFarland, of this sketch ; Angeline, born March 20, 1837, is the wife of San- ford Williams, a carpenter of Hamilton, Wayne county ; Eugene B., born June 27, 1839, is unmar- ried and resides in Seranton, Penn .; Salmon P., born March 29, 1841, married first Miranda Davis and after her death Jerusha Waite, and is engaged in carpentering 'in Olyphant, Penn. The mother of these children died May 9, 1841, and was laid to rest in the Hollisterville cemetery.

On April 11, 1842, Mr. Mitchell was again married, his second union being with Miss Frances Williams, who died August 8, 1862, at the age of forty-one years and nine months. Seven children were born to them, namely: Mary E., born De- cember 23, 1843, married Dr. H. B. Stevens, and both are now deceased ; George, born July 24, 1845, is unmarried, and is now serving as postmaster of Hollisterville : Uriah W., born August 30, 1849, married Emma Kootzer, and is a sawyer of Ricketts, Penn .; Naney, born June 29. 1852, died January 27, 1857; Charles D., born September 7, 1856, married Nellie Turner, and is a farmer and lumberman, residing upon the old homestead in Sa- lem township; Ilewett, born April. 2, 1860, mar- ried Anna Walters, and is a merchant of Forest City, Penn. ; Washington, born June 12, 1862, died July 31, 1862.

On September 8, 1863, Mr. Mitchell married Mrs. Luey A. Englert, who died September 18, 1892, aged seventy-one years, seven months and eighteen days. He died March 5, 1896, honored and respected by all who knew him, and both were buried in the Hollisterville cemetery.

PROF. FRANKLIN KÖHLER, principal of the Polytechnic Institute, at Gilberts, Penn., is one of the bright young men of whom Monroe county is proud. As an educator he ranks among the best of the State, as a citizen he is progressive and most highly respected. Though young in years, he has accumulated a large fund of practical knowledge and wisdom, and in his chosen occupation as teach- er he is giving to the public the benefit of a finished education.

Six generations back the original ancestor of the Kohler family came to America and settled in Bethlehem, Penn. The family increased in members and became prominent in the affairs of Bethlehem, gradually spreading to other counties.

Charles Köhler, the father of our subject, was born in Allen township, Northampton Co., Penn .. Angust 27. 1827, and remained on his father's farm until eighteen years of age, when he began an ap- prenticeship as shoemaker with Solomon Crock. lle worked at his trade with Mr. Crock until his marriage. April 8, 1848, to Miss Anna Elizabeth Werkheiser, who was born May 8, 1828, daughter

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4. Köhler,

PRINCIPAL OF POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

. i Charles Werkheiser, of Plainfield township, Northampton Co., Penn. Their marriage was blessed with the following children: James, born April 15, 1849; Diana, December 26, 1850 (died 1898) ; Louisa, August 16, 1852; Peter, May 8, 1854; Harrison, July 13, 1856: John, January 6, 1859; Sarah, January 3, 1861 ; Eliza Jane, August 26, 1863 (died 1877) ; Emma Augusta, September 3. 1865 (died 1877) ; Charles. July 19. 1867; George, August 3, 1869 (died 1875) ; and Franklin ( subject of this sketchi), December 26, 1871.

In the autumn of 1849 Charles Kohler moved to Brodheadsville. Here he followed his trade, and also cleared a tract of new land, which he had pur- chased. In 1862 he bought a farm in Ross town- ship, Monroe county, and the same year took pos- session. He has since devoted much of his time to farming. In physique he is robust, and his healthi has always been excellent. He has held various offices in the township, including those of con- stable and tax collector, has always been a promoter of education, and possesses some rare historical lore. Ile has also devoted much of his time to Biblical study.

Franklin Köhler, the youngest son, our sub- ject, remained on the home farm, assisting in the farm work and attending the public schools, until the age of fifteen years. He then attended one term at the Polytechnic Institute. For four years he taught school in winter and attended the insti- tute in summer, and at the early age of nineteen he was elected Principal of the Institute. a fine tribute to his scholarship and to his ability as a teacher. Two years later he was elected principal of the Hudsondale Schools, Carbon county, Penn., and after a successful career of three years there re- turned, in 1801, to the principalship of the Poly- +technic Institute. the affairs of which he has since very ably conducted.

Prof. Köhler was married, September 29, 1893. at Gilberts. Penn., to Miss Ida M. Beer, a native of Chestnut Hill township, Monroe county, daughter of Philip and Elizabeth (Green) Beer, grand- daughter of Solomon and Elizabeth ( Shook) Beer, and great-granddaughter of Isaac Beer, one of the earliest settlers of Carbon county, and by occupa- tion a cooper and manufacturer of shingles. Solo- mon Beer, the latter's son, was born in 1814, and engaged in farming and the manufacture of shingles in Carbon county. He died in 1890. His wife, Eliz- abeth (Shook), died in 1849. aged thirty-five years, and was buried at Jerusalem Church, Car- bon county. The children of Solomon and Eliza- beth Beer were as follows: Mary A .. who married William Mover, and is now deceased; Joel, who married Catherine Kiber. and is now deceased : Philip, the father of Mrs. Köhler ; Linfer, who mar- ried Julia Ann Smith: Peter, who married E. Moyer ; Christiana, who married Simon Reimmer, of Perrysville, Penn .: Jacob. who married Amelia Jones, and resides at Kresgeville : Susannah, who died young : Hiram, a resident of Lehigh county ; 66

and Elizabeth, wife of James Moyer, of Perrysville, Pennsylvania.

Philip Beer was born in Carbon county, Penn., December 26, 1836. At the age of nine years he was put out among the farmers, and at the age of fourteen he began to work in the woods. Three years later he began a two-years' apprenticeship as a blacksmith, with James Seigenfuse, of Millport, Penn. He worked at liis trade for six months at Cherryville, Penn., for three years at Little Gap, and for eighteen months at Pine Swamp. The country in the spring of 1861 was calling for volun- teers to suppress the Rebellion, and the sturdy young blacksmith enlisted in the First Rifle Company, P. \. I .. under Capt. Dennis McGee. His career was thrilling and glorious. The company in 1862 be- came Company F, 190th P. V. I. At the battle of South Mountain, September 14, 1862, Mr. Beer was shot in the left forearm. The bone was shat- tered, and for fourteen months he lay in the hospital at Fort Schuyler, N. Y. He rejoined his company in front of Petersburg, and was there wounded through the left shoulder, being again laid up for four months. Joining his regiment at City Point, he remained in the service until the close of the war. During the last winter with his company he was stricken with blindness, an affliction from which he still suffers. He was discharged at Ogden Heights, and mustered out at Harrisburg, Penn. Mr. Beer is a member of the Reformed Church, and in politics he is a Republican. He married Elizabeth Green, at Whitehaven, Penn., and they became the parents of two children: Ida M., the wife of our subject ; and Ada MI., who died young. Mr. Beer has been engaged in general farming at Pleasant Valley, Monroe county. He is a member of Sciota Post, G. A. R., and a prominent citizen of Monroe county.

Two children have been born to Prof. Kchler and wife: Raymond A. and LeRoy J. The family are members of the Reformed Church, and in poli- tics Prof. Köhler is a Democrat. He is a member of the P. O. S. of A., and is highly interested in educational matters. He is self-made, and his car- eer at Polytechnic Institute has been eminently successful. In 1897 Mr. Köhler very successfully passed the examination of the State Board for a Practical Teacher's State Certificate, at the Key- stone State Normal School, Kutztown. Pennsyl- Vania.

POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE was founded at Gil- berts ( sometimes called Pleasant Valley ), Monroe Co., Penn., in the spring of the year 1886. In point of sublime and enchanting surroundings. healthful- ness, general good morality, and quietness for pur- pose of study, its location is equalled by few insti- tutions in this State, and surpassed by none ; and although it does not possess all the superior ad- vantages, it is easily reached from all directions by stage and telephone.

The Institution has created a widespread influ- ence in the line of education ; it has set to thinking

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

and studying both young and old. so that all are striving to develop in the arts that embellish life, thus making a sojourn in their midst profitable and delightful. But the school rests its claim mainly on the superior internal advantages it presents, such as extensive campus, excellent furniture, and thorough training on limited means. The Course of Study is especially adapted; (1) to teachers who desire to become thoroughly fitted and equipped in the science and arts of teaching ; (2) to young men and women who desire to prepare for actual business vocations ; and (3) to those desiring to prepare for college. A constant effort is earnestly made to de- velop a good moral and Christian character, which may safely be regarded as the most important and essential qualification for success in any sphere of labor. During the first few years, many students from our surrounding towns and cities have been attending this Institution: some of them have at- tended it during three consecutive years, and have again made application to enter the spring and summer terms. By their testimonials of the Insti- tution we can readily foresee the advantages this Institution presents over those situated in large cities and towns, offering similar courses.

The Academic Course is as follows:

Junior Year .- Reading, Theory of Penmanship. Orthography, English Grammar, Composition, Drawing, Arithmetic, Methods of Teaching, Morals and Manners, Political Geography, Book-keeping Vocal Music, Algebra (begun ), Physical Geog- raphy, Latin (begun).

Middle Year .- Elocution, Etymology, English Grammar, Rhetoric, Physical Geography, Algebra (completed ). Civics, Latin Grammar and Reader (completed ). Cæsar, Natural Philosophy ( optional). Geometry (begun ), Drawing, Physical Culture, Natural History, Pedagogics, Botany (optional ).

Senior Year .- Elocution, Rhetoric (complet- ed), Logic, General History, Geometry (complet- ed ), Botany, Virgil's ÆE:eid, Cicero's Orations (five), Elements of Chemistry, Anabasis, German, Literature, Psychology. Geology, Mythology.

Course in English Literature .- In addition to the prescribed branches for the different academic years, a course in English Literature is necessary for entrance in college or for completing the acadamic course. The following books were read during 1898-99: "The Sir Roger de Coverly Papers," in the "Spectator :" Goldsmith's "Vicar of Wakefield:" Coleridge's "Ancient Mariner ;" Carlyle's "Essay on Burns:" Lowell's "Vision of Sir Launfal ;" Haw- thorne's "House of the Seven Gables:" Shakes- peare's "Macbeth :" Tennyson's "The Princess ;" Burke's "Speech on Conciliation with America :" Longfellow's "Evangeline."

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Commemorative biographical record of northeastern Pennsylvania, including the counties of Susquehanna, Wayne, Pike and Monroe, Pt. 3, Part 33

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1000

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1000