USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Vol. III > Part 47
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Henry B. Primer,
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Robert E. Pattison was inaugurated as Gov- ernor of Pennsylvania, Mr. Plumer was ap- pointed aide-de-camp. During the first ad- ministration of President Cleveland he was appointed Naval Officer of the Port of Phil- adelphia. At the time he received this ap- pointment he moved to Philadelphia and made his home in Germantown. As naval officer he proved a faithful and competent official, conducting the business of the office to the entire satisfaction of the Treasury Department in Washington, as well as to those who transacted business with the Port of Philadelphia.
Mr. Plumer was a delightful host, and was a most effective conversationalist, hav- ing accumulated a rich store of information and having kept in close touch with the events of the day and with prominent men of all professions and callings. He was a liberal giver to charity, and took a great interest in young men in whom he recog- nized ambition and ability. He united with an unusual professional expertness a charm of manner, a buoyant optimism and a capac- ity for enduring friendship that will surely keep his memory green in the hearts of all who knew him best.
Mr. Plumer married, November 4, 1866, Marilla P., daughter of William and Phy- lanca (Tracy) Davenport, of Erie, Penn- sylvania (see Davenport line). By this marriage Mr. Plumer gained the life com- panionship of a charming and congenial woman, one fitted in all ways to be his help- mate. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Plumer : I. Henry Adams Plumer, born December II, 1867; married Edith Rankin, daughter of David Rankin, of Allegheny. He was educated in Berkley School, New York City, and in the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University. 2. Fanny Galbraith Plumer ; married, in June, 1898, John Dex- ter McIlhenny; issue: John Dexter Mc- Ilhenny Jr., born in April, 1899; Frances Plumer McIlhenny, died aged three years; Bernice M. McIlhenny ; Henry Plumer Mc- Ilhenny. 3. Elvira Gilmore Plumer. 4.
Margaret Plumer, married Carl Augustus Zeigler, of Philadelphia; issue: Marilla Davenport Zeigler, Margaret Plumer Zeig- ler. 5. Davenport Plumer, born October 12, 1879. He was educated in the Penn Char- ter School and then studied abroad. He was graduated from the Law School of Pennsylvania University in 1902, and began the practice of his profession with Owen J. Roberts. Subsequently he was independ- ently engaged in law pursuits. He married, January 25, 1905, Carolyn Eugenia Heber- ton, daughter of Rev. Edward Paysay and Caroline (Vogdes) Heberton ; issue : Daven- port, Jr., born November 18, 1906; Caro- line Heberton Plumer.
In the prime of life and in the full ma- turity of all his powers, this gifted and lov- able man was removed from the scene of his activities. On December 10, 1903, he passed away, leaving to those who knew him the inspiration of a noble memory. Honorable in purpose, fearless in conduct, he stood for many years as one of the most eminent and valued sons of Pennsylvania, and one of the brightest ornaments of her bar. Actuated both in public and private life by the highest motives and the loftiest principles, he irradiated the ever-widening circle of his influence with the brightness of spirit that expressed the pure gold of character.
The story of the life of Henry Baldwin Plumer is a story of honor. As lawyer and citizen he served ably and faithfully his day and generation. His record enriches the legal annals of his State and adds new lustre to an ancient namc.
(The Davenport Line).
Davenport township is in Chester county. England, about twenty-five miles from the ancient city of Chester. There the Daven- port family had its origin, and there its de- scent in uninterrupted male line goes back to the time of the Norman conquest. The heraldic bearings of the family are: Arms : Argent, a chevron sable between three cross-
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crosslets fitchee of the second. Crest: On a wreath a felon's head couped at the neck proper, haltered or. Motto: Audaces for- tuna juvat.
Ormus de Dauneporte, born in 1086, as- sumed the local name of the township in which he lived. His son, Richard de Dauneporte, was born in 1136; he was chief forester about 1166; he married, about 1176, Amabilia Venables, daughter of Gil- bert Venables, Baron of Kinderton. Thomas de Davenporte, son of Richard and Ama- bilia (Venables) de Dauneporte, was living before 1189. Richard de Davenporte, son of Thomas de Davenporte, was living be- tween 1209 and 1226. Vivian de Daven- porte, son of Richard de Davenporte, re- ceived by charter the grand sergeancy of the forests of Leek and Macclesfield be- tween 1209 and 1226. He married Beatrix de Hulme, daughter of Bertrand de Hulme. Roger de Davenport, son of Vivian and Beatrix (de Hulme) de Davenporte, held a sergeancy in the Hundred of Macclesfield in 1288. He died in 1291. He married Mary Salemon, daughter of Robert Sale- mon, of Wythington. Sir Thomas Daven- port, second son of Roger and Mary (Sale- mon) de Davenport, died in 1320. He mar- ried (first) Agnes de Macclesfield, daugh- ter of Thomas de Macclesfield, by whom he had issue. Thomas Davenport, son of the preceding, was the ancestor of the Daven- ports of Wheltrough. His widow, Eliza- beth, was living in 1399. Sir John Daven- port, son of the preceding, was a justice of Lancastershire in 1384. He married Eliza- beth Legh, daughter and co-heiress of Peter Legh, of Betcherton. Thomas Davenport, second son of John and Elizabeth (Legh) Davenport, was the ancestor of the Daven- ports of Henbury. He married Margaret Venables, daughter of Hugh Venables, and she survived him. Hugh Davenport, son of Thomas and Margaret (Venables) Davenport, died in 1418. He married (first) Ellen Massey, daughter of William Massey, and she was the mother of his issue.
Thomas Davenport, son of Hugh and Ellen (Massey) Davenport, married Margery Mainwaring, daughter of Randle Mainwar- ing, of Corincham. Richard Davenport, fourth son of Thomas and Margery ( Main- waring) Davenport, removed to the county of Northampton, and afterward settled in Coventry, about 1510. He married a Ven- ables. Edward Davenport, eldest son of the preceding, was a prominent citizen of Coventry. He was chamberlain of the city in 1534, sheriff in 1540, and mayor in 1550. He married a daughter of John Harford, alderman of Coventry. Henry Davenport, eldest son of the preceding, was sheriff of Coventry in 1602 and succeeded his younger brother, Christopher Davenport, as mayor of the city in 1613. He married (first) Winifred Barnabit, daughter of Richard Barnabit, and she was the mother of his children.
John Davenport, fifth son of Henry and Winifred (Barnabit) Davenport, was born in Coventry, Warwickshire, England, in 1597, being baptized April 9, of that year. His early education was acquired as a stu- dent in the Free Grammar School of Coven- try and then he studied in Oxford Univer- sity for three years. He began preaching as a private chaplain in Hilton Chapel, near Durham, in November, 1615, and continued there until 1619. In the latter year he be- came curate of St. Lawrence Jewry, Lon- don, Cheapside, where he remained five years, at the end of which time he became vicar of St. Stephen's, Coleman street. Sub- jected to the persecution of Archbishop Laud, he resigned from St. Stephen's in 1633 and went to Holland, where he preach- ed to the Presbyterian church for several years, returning to London near the close of 1636, or the beginning of 1637. Early interested in the Massachusetts Colony, he came to America with Rev. Theophilus Eaton on the ship "Hector," landing in Bos- ton in June, 1637. With Eaton and other Puritans, he went to Quinnipiac, or New Haven, in April, 1638. He was pastor of
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出典5
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
the First Church of New Haven, and helped found the Hopkins Grammar School in New Haven, which ultimately became Yale Col- lege. In 1668 he removed to Boston and became pastor of the First Church of that city, being installed in December of that year. He died March 15, 1670, in the sev- enty-third year of his age. He married, in England, Elizabeth Woolley. She died Sep- tember 15, 1676, aged seventy-three years, and was buried in the King's Chapel burial grounds, Boston.
John Davenport, only son of John and Elizabeth (Woolley) Davenport, was born in 1635, probably in London. When his parents came to America in 1637, he was left in London in the care of friends of the family, but was brought to the New Haven Colony in 1639. He was a freeman of New Haven in 1657, and in 1668 removed to Boston, where he was a freeman in 1669. He was register of probate from January, 1675, to August, 1676, and after that was engaged in mercantile pursuits. He died March 21, 1677. He married Abigail Pier- son, daughter of the Rev. Abraham Pierson, of Branford, Connecticut. She died in New Haven, July 20, 1718.
John Davenport, son of John and Abigail (Pierson) Davenport, was born in Boston, February 22, 1668. Graduated from Har- vard College in 1687, he began preaching in 1690, and became a pastor of the church of Stamford, Connecticut, in 1694, where he remained until the end of his life. He died in Stamford, February 5, 1731. He mar- ried, April 18, 1695, Martha (Gould) Sel- leck. She died December 1, 1712, and he married (second) Elizabeth (Morris) Malt- by, who died January 11, 1758.
Deodate Davenport, son of John and Martha (Gould-Selleck) Davenport, was born in Stamford, October 23, 1706. He married, in 1730, Lydia Woodward, daugh- ter of the Rev. John Woodward. He died December 3, 1761.
Samuel Davenport, son of Deodate and Lydia (Woodward) Davenport, was born
in East Haven, Connecticut, in 1740, and died July 9, 1810. He married, in 1766, Mary Street, who died December 21, 1803, aged sixty-six years.
Roswell Davenport, son of Samuel and Mary (Strcet) Davenport, was born in East Haven, April 28, 1768. He removed to Erie, Pennsylvania, and died there in 1852. He married, in 1793, Esther Heminway, who died in 1839.
William Davenport, son of Roswell and Esther (Heminway) Davenport, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, November 28, 1796, and died June 17, 1865. He married, October 16, 1823, Phylanca Tracy.
Marilla P. Davenport, youngest child of William and Phylanca (Tracy) Davenport, was born June 12, 1842. She married, No- vember 4, 1866, Henry Baldwin Plumer, above.
HUNSICKER, James F.,
Prominent Merchant, Financier.
James Franklin Hunsicker is a notable and representative scion of a family, whose American ancestry dates back a full two hundred years. He was born at Switzer, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, on the 7th of November, 1852, second child of Owen and Sarah Hunsicker, who were descended re- spectively from Daniel Hunsicker and Jacob Bittner. Four other children rounded out the family group in Mr. Hunsicker's pa- ternal home: Henry W. Hunsicker, the first born, married Ida A. Grim, and became the father of five children: Walter O .; Hessa G .; Jessic ; Rhoda, and George. Francis P. Hunsicker married Ellen J. Clauser, and has three children: Katie, wife of Joseph Knaus; Florence C., wife of Clinton Berk ; and Mamie, wife of J. Hiram Schwartz,
Mary Alice Hunsicker was the only girl in the enlarging circle of boys. She became the wife of George Koch, and the mother of five children : Harry, husband of Carrie E Miller ; Lula, wife of Ambrose Kunkel; Mazie, Sallie, and Sadie. Owen S. Hun-
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
sicker married Nellie White, and has three children: Harry, husband of Maggie Ott ; Frederick, husband of Florence Albright ; and Esther. Owen S., the youngest brother of James, the first and so far the only one of the circle to depart this life, died March 12, 19II.
Three distinct periods mark the carcer of James F. Hunsicker-a time of preparation in the beautiful country region of Lehigh county, a time of struggle in various sec- tions, and a time of success in the thriving city of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He spent his early life in his native rural community, where hard toil and frugal ways of living toughened his physical fibre and engendered lifelong habits of industry and thrift. He became deeply imbued with high moral ideals in the religious atmosphere that per- vaded the humble home, and through the nurture of the church. He acquired an ele- mentary education in the public schools at Pleasant Corner and at Schnecksville. His scholastic career was cut short by the exi- gencies of life, but he took with him from school into the struggle of existence a mind, naturally alert, that had become imbued with a thirst of knowledge and with a love of books. In after years these traits of char- acter proved a means of supplying that edu- cational equipment which a lack of oppor- tunity had denied him in his youth. At the age of thirteen, the first period of his life ended. Christian parents, a humble home and rural life, with all its physical and moral benefits, had been the formative ele- ments during these plastic years of prepara- tion. Then came the period of struggle, which figures so prominently in the lives of American men of affairs who have achieved success. For a few years the young coun- try lad, intrepid but inexperienced, drifted on the broad ocean of life without having a definite goal. He was testing his powers and finding his natural bent. During this interval various transient occupations held his interest in Catasauqua, Philadelphia, and Lehigh county, among others the survey of
the Ironton & Steinsville railroad, under the direction of Colonel S. D. Lehr, C. E. Afterwards he continued to accumulate val- uable experience and to develop his native business sagacity in diverse subordinate positions, as an employee in the general store of his uncle, Joseph Kressley, in Allen- town; in the company store of the Allen- town Iron Company ; and finally in the dry goods establishment of A. A. Huber. Thus within the brief space of five years, at the age of eighteen, the subject of this sketch had found himself.
From field and farın, and from desultory occupations, he had followed the bent of his natural endowments, which led him into the commercial arena as his proper sphere. And then began the third period of his career which bears the superscription "Suc- cess" written there, not by the hand of capricious fortune but by dint of unremit- ting toil and untarnished integrity. That final period dates from the year 1870, when James F. Hunsicker formed a partnership with his brother, Henry W., and founded a general store under the firm name of Hun- sicker Brothers, at Seventh and Chew streets, Allentown, Pennsylvania. Two years later, when their uncle, Elias Bittner, joined the partnership, that name was changed to Bittner & Hunsicker Brothers. Another change occurred in 1880, when Frank D. Bittner, a son of Elias Bittner, also became one of the partners. The firm traded under the name of Bittner, Hunsicker & Company until 1886, when their growing volume of business necessitated a radical change. In that year the original partner- ship was dissolved. Henry W. Hunsicker took the retail dry goods department, while James F. Hunsicker, together with Elias and Frank D. Bittner, decided to devote themselves exclusively to the wholesale branch of the business.
This new venture, trading under the name of Bittner, Hunsicker & Company, was a success from the very beginning. Soon it outgrew its modest cradle on Hamilton
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
street, and became domiciled in a three- story building on North Seventh street. In December, 1902, fire destroyed this struc- ture completely, with all its contents. But even that disaster did not cripple, much less destroy, this flourishing enterprise. A new building rose out of the ashes of the old- larger and better than its predecessor. That handsome five-story structure stands to-day as one of the solid pillars of the commercial prestige of the city of Allentown. It har- bors a volume of merchandise second to none outside of metropolitan centers of trade, and it employs a large force of resi- dent and traveling salesmen, whose loyalty and efficiency are matched by their em- ployers' fairness and generosity. Thus Mr. Hunsicker has risen step by step from the humble station allotted to him by the acci- dent of birth to a commanding position in the economic life of his city and State. And under providence his steady advance- ment and solid achievement were the result of his own initiative, energy, sagacity and integrity. In the best sense of the word he is a self-made man.
But his commercial and financial success, commanding though it is, is only the minor part of his attainments. Greater even than the successful wholesale merchant is the citizen, the churchman and the husband and father. Through all the years of his busy life Mr. Hunsicker never suffered the four walls of his business to bound his horizon. His interest and cooperation went fourth in many directions, and he became an in- portant constructive force in the higher life of his community. The bestowal upon him of numerous honors and offices marks the appreciation of his townsmen, and their public recognition of his sterling worth as a man of character and ability. He has served at various times as a director of the Allentown National Bank, and as a member and director of the Board of Control of the public schools of Allentown, Pennsylvania. He is a member of the board of directors of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of
Allentown ; a charter member of the Cham- ber of Commerce of Allentown, serving as vice-president and as a member of the exec- utive committee since its organization ; and a charter member of the National Whole- sale Dry Goods Association of the United States. He is also a charter member of the Allentown Hospital Association, to the promotion of whose interests he has given lavishly of his time and substance. Ile was a member of the building committee which planned and erected the magnificent hospital that has healed and helped thousands of suf- ferers since its completion. He held the position of vice-president of the hospital association for many years, until recently, at the death of the Hon. Edward Harvey, he succeeded that accomplished gentleman in the office of president. Besides holding these numerous honorary offices, he also be- came identified with the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Royal Arcanum, and the Golden Eagles.
But. outside of his business interests Mr. Hunsicker is seen at his best in the sphere of the church and in the domestic circle. He is the spiritual heir as well as the lineal ciescendant of God-fearing Swiss and Dutch ancestors who came to this country to find freedom for their faith. He has inherited from them his sane and sincere faith in the Christian religion and his unwavering loyalty to the Reformed church. Salem Re- formed Church in Allentown, the largest congregation of the Reformed church in the United States, regards Mr. Hunsicker affec- tionately as its leading member, and the whole religious community looks upon him as a typical and representative layman of the modern church, in whom creed and deed are happily blended in a full-orbed Chris- tian manhood. He is a charter member of Salem Reformed Church. At various times he has served this congregation as deacon. elder and trustee. Ile has represented it as lay delegate at the higher judicatories of the Reformed denomination, and he has been its president for the last twenty-five years.
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But his most efficient religious service has been rendered in his connection with the Sunday school of Salem Reformed Church, whose superintendent he has been for more than twenty years. This remarkable organ- ization, numbering over two thousand active members, both adults and children, owes its vigorous life and its continuous prosperity largely to the personal leadership of its de- voted superintendent. Through it Mr. Hun- sicker has been one of the influential factors in the moulding of the moral and religious life of multitudes of men and women in all the walks of life. The Reformed church has recognized his talents and his devotion to the cause of religion, and it has honored him by electing him a member of the board of trustees of Bethany Orphans' Home at Homelsdorf, Pennsylvania, and also of the board of trustees of the Theological Semi- nary of the Reformed Church at Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
In his domestic relations Mr. Hunsicker has been singularly happy. He was married to Mary Hannah Schrader, on December 26, 1872, and his wife became his true help- mate. She is a daughter of Charles S. Schrader and Judith, née Tritch. There were four other children in this family: Sarah P. Schrader, the widow of J. George Snyder, who had two children: Minnie and Helen, both of whom have departed this life. William Schrader married Angeline Gackenbach, and had four children : Thomas, who married Isabella Troxell ; Laura, who died in her infancy; William, and Alice, the wife of Robert Hall. Jonas Schrader married Sophia Hilbert, and had two children: Ada, and Lena, who died at the age of four. Horatio Schrader mar- ried Catharine Acker, and has one child: Edwin.
The union of James F. Hunsicker and Mary Hannah Schrader has been blessed with three sons who are an honor to their parents and a credit to their native city. All of them have enjoyed the advantages of a higher education, and they are duplicating
the enviable and honorable record of their father in their various vocations. George W. Hunsicker was born September 27, 1873. He married Eleanor Patterson, having lost his first wife, Minnie Keck, by death, and has four children : Josephine, Hannah, Vir- ginia, and Sylvia. He is a graduate of Le- high University, and a member of the firm trading as Dietrich Motor Car Company. Charles O. Hunsicker was born August 18, 1878. He married Lillian L. Henninger, and has three children: Mary Elisabeth ; Anna Henninger, who died in her infancy ; and Robert Franklin. He is a lawyer by profession, a graduate of Mercersburg Academy, of Franklin and Marshall Col- lege, and of the law department of the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania. In 1909 he was elected mayor of the city of Allentown on the Republican ticket, being the youngest incumbent who has held that high office. Herbert J. Hunsicker was born February 7, 1880. He married Ruth Robbins, and has three children: Marion, James F., and Henry R. He is a graduate of Drexel In- stitute, and holds a position in the office of the firm Bittner, Hunsicker & Company.
The burden of his years rests lightly on the shoulders of Mr. Hunsicker. In the Indian summer of his life he continues his work with unabated vigor, and carries the zest of youth into his manifold interests. Surrounded by his estimable wife, and his sons, his beautiful home forms an attrac- tive spot in the city of Allentown, where peace and joy reign supreme, and where gracious hospitality is dispensed with heart and hand. Here he finds the richest reward of his earnest, honest, industrious life in the affection of his family, the esteem of his friends, and the respect of his fellowmen.
ETTINGER, George T.,
Educator, Author, Lecturer.
For the past one hundred and fifty years the Ettinger family has been well known in the business, the musical and the educational
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ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
life of Lehigh county. Mathews & Hunger- ford's "History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon" mentions among the early set- tlers of Weissenberg township Gottlieb Ettinger, a hatter, who had a son named Jacob. Later we find Jacob also a hatter and prosperous farmer and the ancestor of the subject of this sketch. The founder of the Allentown branch of the family was Major Amos Ettinger, the son of a hatmaker, born in Lynn township, Lehigh county, March 23, 1817. His mother's maiden name was Smith. When still a very young man he came to Allentown, where he learned the trade of a coppersmith, in the establishment of Solomon Gildner, and later he started in the same business for himself at the south- east corner of Hamilton and Eighth streets. Still later he enlarged the fields of his busi- ness by buying out his brother-in-law, Na- than Laudenschlager, who was engaged in the stove and tinware trade. For a long time his store was at 738 Hamilton street, until, his business requiring greater and better accommodations, he purchased the property at 732 Hamilton street, and erected one of the largest and best appointed build- ings in the city. At that time his store room was the largest in Allentown. He prospered, and for many years the phrase "Ettinger's Stove Store" was almost a household ex- pression in Lehigh county. Tall and digni- fied in appearance, Amos Ettinger was one of the most genial of men, with an unusual fund of wit and humor. Many are the witticisms and practical jokes that he had to father. In this respect his reputation in his native country was proportionately as great as that of Abraham Lincoln in the United States. For many years he was the leader of the Allentown Band, the first organization of the sort started in Allen- town. Of this musical organization Henry's "History of the Lehigh Valley," published in 1860, says: "Although the greater part of the time is devoted by the citizens of Allentown to their various business pursuits
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