USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Volume I > Part 10
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He married, May 20, 1846, Julia Watts, daughter of Robert Coleman Hall, of Muncy Farms, Lycoming county, Penn- sylvania, by his wife Sarah, daughter of David Watts, of Carlisle, Cumberland
county, Pennsylvania, a distinguished member of the bar in both Cumberland and Northumberland counties. Children of John Penn and Julia Watts (Hall) Brock: 1. Ella, born August, 1840, in Philadelphia ; married, February 10, 1872, Dr. Wharton Sinkler, deceased, of 1606 Walnut street, Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, son of Charles Sinkler, of Eutaw, South Carolina, later of Philadelphia, and his wife, Emily Wharton, of an eminent Philadelphia family. 2. Arthur, see for- ward. 3. Charles Hall, born May 12, 1852, died February 18, 1911. 4. Horace, born April 15, 1854; married Deborah Norris Coleman. 5. John William, born November 23, 1855; married Mary Lou- ise Tyler. 6. Julia Watts Hall, born May 20, 1858; married Dr. Robert W. John- son. 7. Colonel Robert Coleman Hall, see forward. 8. Hubert, born March 28, 1863, died November, 1896, unmarried.
Arthur Brock, eldest son of John Penn and Julia Watts (Hall) Brock, was born in Philadelphia, November 8, 1850. He was educated at the private schools of Dr. Lyons and Dr. Faires in Philadelphia and at the Philadelphia Polytechnic School. On May 29, 1879, he married Sarah, daughter of Hon. George Daw- son Coleman by his wife, Deborah (Brown) Coleman, and in connection with his younger brother, Horace Brock, who had married Deborah Norris, an- other daughter of George Dawson Cole- man, succeeded his father-in-law in the management of the North Lebanon Fur- naces, erected by Mr. Coleman in 1846-47. The Brock Brothers relinquished the management of the furnaces at the death of the Widow Coleman in 1894, but Mr. Brock continued to hold large interests in iron and steel industries. He was chairman of the Board of Managers of the American Iron & Steel Manufactur- ing Company and connected with many financial and industrial enterprises. He was trustee of the Penn Mutual Life In-
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surance Company, director of the Fidelity Trust Company of Philadelphia, director of the First National Bank of Lebanon. He was a member of Union League, the Corinthian Yacht Club, the Protestant Episcopal Church and of other social and political organizations. He died Decem- ber 23, 1909. He married Sarah Cole- man, daughter of George Dawson and Deborah (Brown) Coleman, who sur- vives him, a resident of Philadelphia at No. 2101 Spruce street. Children: Julia Watts Hall, Fanny, Sarah Coleman, Ella, Elizabeth Norris.
George Dawson Coleman, son of James and Harriet (Dawson) Coleman, was born in Elizabeth Farms, Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, January 13, 1825, died in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Septem- ber 9, 1878. He received his primary and preparatory education in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and under private tutors in Philadelphia ; entered the college of New Jersey at Princeton, and later the college department of the University of Pennsyl- vania, where he received the degree of A. M. in 1843. He was a member of the Philomathean Society at the University. In 1846, in connection with his brother Robert, he began the erection of the Leb- anon Furnaces, one mile northwest of Lebanon, and there first successfully used anthracite coal in connection with hot blast in the manufacture of iron in Feb- ruary, 1847. In 1857 Robert Coleman withdrew, and the business was continued by George Dawson Coleman until his death, in 1878, when he was succeeded in his management by his sons-in-law, Arthur and Horace Brock, and they in turn, after the death of the widow in 1894, by B. Dawson and Edward R. Cole- man who operated the furnaces until 1901, when they were purchased by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. George Dawson Coleman was one of the most successful and progressive iron masters of Pennsylvania. He was well and favor-
ably known throughout the State as a public-spirited, enterprising citizen and patriot.
. During the Civil War he raised and equipped at his own expense the Ninety- third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, following their career in the field with peculiar interest, and assisting the wid- ows and orphans of those who fell in the defense of the Union. He also devoted large sums to charity. He was an active member of the Sanitary Commission, and frequently superintended personally the delivery of stores on the battlefield. He was a member of the General Assembly of Pennsylvania 1863-64, and of the State Senate 1867-69. He was a member of the State Board of Public Charities from its organization in 1869 to his death, and many years president of the First Na- tional Bank of Lebanon.
He took a deep interest in the religious welfare of those in his employ, building and supporting churches at both Eliza- beth and Lebanon Furnaces. Several years prior to his death he presented to St. Peter's Church of Philadelphia his grandfather's house at the corner of Front and Pine streets, and added a large contribution for arranging it for mission work. His whole life was an example of generosity and kindness of heart rarely equalled-no man in the community was more universally loved and respected.
George Dawson Coleman married, Jan- uary 13, 1852, Deborah Brown, born August 15, 1832, daughter of William Brown, of Philadelphia, and his wife, Deborah (Norris) Brown. Six of their thirteen children died in their minority ; those who reached adult years are Deb- orah Norris, who became the wife of Horace Brock; Sarah, wife of Arthur Brock; Fanny; Harriet Dawson; B. Dawson and Edward R. Coleman, later proprietors of the Lebanon Furnaces; Anne Caroline.
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BROCK, Robert Coleman Hall, Lawyer, Financier, Scientist.
Colonel Robert Coleman Hall Brock, son of John Penn and Julia Watts (Hall) Brock, was born in Philadelphia, January 26, 1861. His early education was ac- quired at Dr. Faires' School in Phila- delphia, and at St. Paul's School, Con- cord, New Hampshire, under Dr. Henry A. Coit. He subsequently entered Worcester College, Oxford University, England, but was called home before re- ceiving his final degree by reason of the fatal illness of his father, who died soon after his arrival.
He entered the law offices of Hon. George M. Dallas as a student at law, and later was admitted to the Phila- delphia bar. As a lawyer he took no active part in the courts, giving his at- tention more particularly to matters per- taining to the law of estates and corpora- tions, and the large financial enterprises in which he and his brothers were in- terested. In 1888 he became a member of the firm of W. H. Newbold, Son & Company, bankers, remaining in that firm until 1894, when he retired and traveled in Europe for several months to regain his impaired health.
Inheriting from his father an ample estate, he was able to gratify his tastes for literary and scientific pursuits, and on his return from his European tour he became one of the most active and enthusiastic workers in the field of science. He had been a member of the Franklin Institute since 1889, his well- trained mind and active, almost restless, energy contributing greatly to the effi- ciency and usefulness of that institution. He was elected a member of the board of managers in 1901, and filled that posi- tion at the time of his decease. He was a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania from 1883; a member of the Philotechnic Society, and its presi-
dent from 1886 to 1889; a member of the American Philosophical Society since 1898; of the Archaeological Society of Pennsylvania from 1901, president 1903- 1905, and vice-president at the time of his decease; made a member of the Philobiblion Society, 1903; became a stockholder of the Academy of Fine Arts, September 1, 1901, and a director in 1904; became a member of the Numismatic So- ciety, February 2, 1882; was a director of the Epileptic Hospital at Oakbourne, Philadelphia. He rarely missed the meetings of the managing boards of the institutions with which he was con- nected, was exceedingly useful in these organizations, and always ready by coun- sel, personal effort and liberal pecuniary contributions to alleviate want and suf- fering. He became a member of the Rittenhouse Club in 1890; the University Club in 1897; the Philadelphia Club in 1898; the Union League, October 18, 1905; and was a member of the Corinth- ian Yacht Club of Philadelphia, and the New York Yacht Club, being an expert master of the details of managing craft of all kinds. He was also an enthusiastic automobilist, making many extensive and interesting tours. He became a member of the Pennsylvania Society, Sons of the Revolution, May 4, 1901. He was also a member of the Art Club of New York several. years prior to his death. In 1904 he was elected colonel of the Second Reg- iment, National Guard of Pennsylvania, and held that rank until his death.
Colonel Brock died at Wynnewood, August 9, 1906, of a somewhat lingering illness, he having been unable to ac- company his regiment to the annual en- campment at Gettysburg for that year. At the meeting of the board of managers of the Franklin Institute, held September 9, 1906, a committee was appointed to draft a suitable memorial to their de- ceased colleague, and their report was entered in the Journal of the Institute
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Forman B. Matcher
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for December, 1906. After giving a sketch of the useful and active life of Colonel Brock, the memorial concludes with the following well-merited tribute to his worth: "Ilis courtesy and gentle- ness of manner were as remarkable as his extreme modesty and kindness of heart. He embodied the best type of a useful citizen-one whose brains and hands were always at the service of his fellows for worthy objects-and of the American gentleman, exemplifying in his own conduct how a large fortune could be worthily enjoyed and at the same time used for noble purposes."
Colonel Brock married, April 23, 1884, Alice, daughter of Henry C. and Mary (Klett) Gibson, who survives him, and resides at 1612 Walnut street, Phila- delphia, Pennsylvania. Their issue is as follows: Alice Gibson, born June 23, 1885; Henry Gibson, born November 23, 1886; Robert Coleman Hall, Jr., born June 25, 1890, died November 22, 1900.
MITCHELL, Ehrman Burkman, Lawyer, Public Official.
Ehrman Burkman Mitchell, of Harris- burg, Pennsylvania, who has for more than a quarter of a century occupied a foremost place among the attorneys practicing at the Dauphin county bar, belongs to a family which for at least two generations has been represented in the legal profession of the State of Penn- sylvania.
William, son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Zearing) Mitchell, and father of Ehrman Burkman Mitchell, of Harrisburg, was born in that city, September 17, 1814. He received his early education in Dick- inson College preparatory school, and took a partial course in Dickinson Col- lege, where he studied civil engineering. He was for two terms prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas and clerk of the Quarter Sessions of Dauphin
county. He married, March 15, 1849, Angelia, daughter of Christian and Mary F. Ehrman, and the following children were born to them: Mary Augusta, who became the wife of Rev. S. Hubbard Hoover; William Sullivan; Ehrman Burkman, mentioned below; and Samuel Morton.
Ehrman Burkman, son of William and Angelia (Ehrman) Mitchell, was born April 11, 1854, in Harrisburg, Pennsyl- vania, and received his early education in the public schools of his native city, afterward entering Dickinson College, whence he graduated in 1874 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, subsequently receiving the master's degree. After completing his legal studies he was ad- mitted in 1875 to the Dauphin county bar, and immediately began practice in Harrisburg. He has since been ad- mitted to practice in the State and United States Supreme courts. In 1879 Mr. Mitchell was elected prothonotary for a term of three years, and so satisfactorily did he discharge the duties of the office that in 1882 he was reelected for an- other three years. In addition to per- forming the duties of prothonotary of the Court of Common Pleas, Mr. Mitchell also served as clerk of the Quarter Ses- sions Court. After the expiration of his second term he spent six months in Europe, and on his return resumed the practice of his profession, in which he has ever since been actively engaged.
Mr. Mitchell is a member of the board of directors of the Harrisburg Light and Power Company, the Harrisburg Steam Heat and Power Company, and the Commonwealth Trust Company. He is a trustee of the Harrisburg Library As- sociation, and the Harrisburg Academy, and a member of the board of managers of the Harrisburg Hospital.
Mr. Mitchell is also largely interested in farming, having acquired a thousand acres of land around his country home,
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Beaufort Lodge, a few miles north of Harrisburg.
In politics Mr. Mitchell is a Republi- can, and takes an active interest in the affairs of the organization. He is a mem- ber of the State and County Bar Asso- ciations. His fraternal and social affilia- tions are with the Masonic order and the Harrisburg Country Club. He is a member and trustee of Grace Methodist Episcopal Church.
Mr. Mitchell married, in 1892, Regina, daughter of William Calder, of Harris- burg, Pennsylvania, and two children were born to them: Ehrman Burkman, junior; and Mary Calder. Mrs. Mitchell died in 1904.
BIDDLE, Edward W., Lawyer, Jurist.
Former Judge Edward W. Biddle, of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is a descendant of William Biddle, who in 1681 settled in the Province of West Jersey and be- came a large landowner, Biddle Island, lying in the Delaware river and com- prising two hundred and seventy-eight acres, being one of his acquisitions. Colonel Frederick Watts, Judge Biddle's great-grandfather on the maternal side, was a prominent citizen and soldier of Pennsylvania during the Revolution, and a member of the Supreme Executive Council from October 20, 1787, until the abolition of that body by the constitu- tion of 1790.
Edward W., son of Edward M. and Juliana (Watts) Biddle, was born May 3, 1852, in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and received his preparatory education in the public schools of his native borough, afterward entering Dickinson College, where he was graduated in 1870, the youngest member of his class. For sev- eral months thereafter he engaged in civil engineering, and later read law in the office of his cousin, William M. Pen-
rose. In 1873 he was admitted to the bar and entered upon what has been, beyond doubt, an exceptionally success- ful career. In 1877 and again in 1883 he was unanimously nominated for the office of District Attorney of Cumberland county and, although not elected, ran much ahead of his ticket in both in- stances. In the fall of 1894 he was elected for a term of ten years President Judge of Cumberland county, and at the end of his term retired from professional work.
As a public-spirited citizen, Judge Biddle has always taken a deep interest in municipal affairs, and in 1890 was one of the organizers of the Carlisle Land and Improvement Company, a body which purchased a large tract of land in the outlying districts and became a potent factor in the development of the borough. He is a director in the Fidelity and Deposit Company of Maryland, and was formerly connected with various other corporations from which he with- drew on his elevation to the bench.
All that Judge Biddle has written for publication is distinguished by a style remarkable for strength and clearness, and he enjoys a high reputation as a forcible and convincing speaker. The public address which he delivered in 1902 on "The Three Signers of the Declara- tion of Independence Who Were Mem- bers of the Cumberland County Bar," at- tracted widespread interest. He is presi- dent of the J. Herman Bosler Memorial Library, president of the board of trustees of Dickinson College, president of Todd Hospital, and vice-president of the Ham- ilton Library Association. He attends the Presbyterian church.
On February 2, 1882, he married Ger- trude D., daughter of J. Herman and Mary J. (Kirk) Bosler, and they have been the parents of two sons: Herman Bosler, born April 14, 1883, died February 17, 1908; and Edward MacFunn, born
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May 29, 1886, graduate of Yale in the class of 1906, also of the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania in the class of 1909.
In 1900 Judge and Mrs. Biddle were appointed by Governor Stone commis- sioners from Pennsylvania to the Paris Exposition of that year, an appointment which they accepted, visiting the Ex- position in their official capacity.
Both on the bench and at the bar Judge Biddle's learning and ability have been amply demonstrated, and his in- fluence and example, as a lawyer and a judge, no less than as a broad-minded man, have made for the elevation of pro- fessional standards and the cultivation of the spirit of good citizenship.
BRINTON, Caleb S., Educator, Lawyer.
Caleb S. Brinton, postmaster of Car- lisle, Pennsylvania, and one of the prom- inent attorneys now practicing at the Cumberland county bar, belongs on his father's side to one of the oldest families of Southern Pennsylvania, his maternal ancestors having also been pioneer set- tlers.
There seems no reason to doubt, al- though absolute proof has not yet been furnished, that Caleb S. Brinton is a descendant of William Brinton, who in 1684 landed at Newcastle, on the Dela- ware, coming, it is said, from Birming- ham, England. Instead of remaining in the settlement he pushed into the wilder- ness and made a home for himself on the Indian trail, twelve miles back from the river, where during the first winter of his stay he would have starved had not the Indians supplied him with game. The public records show that he subse- quently acquired a large amount of land in that vicinity, and was quite prominent as a citizen and a member of the Society of Friends. He had a son William, who
was the father of four sons, from whom sprang the many Brintons now scattered over Chester, Lancaster, and Cumberland counties. Ever since their arrival in this country the Brintons have been known as a family remarkable for intellect, and distinguished by a spirit of progress, pos- sessing the courage of their convictions. The name of Caleb has come down through many generations, having been one of the distinctive marks of the lineage for more than two centuries and a quarter.
Caleb Brinton, grandfather of Caleb S. Brinton, was born in Chester county, Pennsylvania, and resided for a time in Dauphin county, near Harrisburg. In 1854 he came to East Pennsboro, Cum- berland county, and there for a period of ten years resided upon a farm owned by the late Richard J. Haldeman, just south from West Fairview. He married Lydia Alleman, and of their eight children, Martin, the eldest, is mentioned below.
Martin, son of Caleb and Lydia (Alle- man) Brinton, was born February 22, 1832, in Dauphin county, near Harris- burg, and received his education in the country district schools. His youth and young manhood were spent upon the farm, and at the time of his marriage he moved to the lower end of Hampden township, where he lived until 1868. In that year he purchased the estate which had been long known as the Bowman farm, situated on the south side of the Conedoguinet creek, in East Pennsboro. This land, of which he is still the owner, he cultivated continuously for thirty-four years. In 1892 he retired from agricul- tural labor and has since lived in Camp Hill borough.
He married, in 1862, Nancy, daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Stoner) Dietz, and granddaughter of George Dietz. Daniel Dietz was a native of York county, he and his father having been born on the same farm. In 1837 Daniel Dietz pur ..
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chased a farm in East Pennsboro town- ship which he made his home during the remainder of his life. His death oc- curred January 10, 1860, and his widow, who, like himself, was a native of York county, passed away August 31, 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Brinton became the par- ents of the following children: Caleb S., mentioned below; John, a clerk in the Census Bureau, Washington, D. C .; George, in the service of the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company, at Harrisburg ; Martin, in the insurance and real estate business, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ; Anna, married Charles L. Bowman, of Camp Hill; and Christian, draughtsman with a manufacturing company in Chicago.
Caleb S., son of Martin and Nancy (Dietz) Brinton, was born August 20, 1868, on the farm in East Pennsboro township, and attended the district school known as Brinton's School. He made rapid progress and in 1884 entered the Cumberland Valley State Normal School, graduating a year later from that institu- tion. He then taught for two years in the public schools of Cumberland county, and afterward for three years was prin- cipal of the Second Ward schools of Altoona. In 1886, in a competitive ex- amination, he won an appointment to the West Point Military Academy, but was forced to resign by reason of defective eyesight. He then prepared for college, graduating from Dickinson Seminary, and entered Bethany College, completing the course to the end of the junior year, when he was compelled to withdraw on account of his health. Subsequently he was elected to the chair of English litera- ture and history in the Normal School at Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, a position which he retained for three years. In 1893 he entered the Dickinson School of Law, graduating in 1895, when he was admitted to the Cumberland county bar.
He immediately entered upon the prac- tice of his profession at Carlisle, and shortly after was admitted to practice in the Supreme and Superior Courts of the State. He has since been engaged in a lucrative and steadily increasing law business.
In politics Mr. Brinton is a Republi- can, being actively interested in the af- fairs of his party. In 1895 he was elected chairman of the Republican county com- mittee, and the campaign which followed resulted in the election of the entire Re- publican ticket, in a Democratic strong- hold. The following year Mr. Brinton was nominated for the legislature, but, through a split in his party and an in- dependent candidacy, was defeated by a very small majority. Though assidu- ously applying himself to the duties of his profession, Mr. Brinton is one of the active Republicans of the county. In 1903 he was appointed postmaster at Carlisle, and was re-appointed by Presi- dent Taft.
Possessing the characteristics of a true gentleman, Mr. Brinton, through- out his public career, has ever exercised uniform courtesy and absolute fairness toward his opponents, and has many warm friends, irrespective of party dis- tinctions.
Mr. Brinton married, July 10, 1896, Jean Elizabeth, daughter of John W. and Frances (Wagner) Gardiner, of Harris- burg. Mr. and Mrs. Brinton have a beau- tiful home on South Hanover street, and are members of St. John's Protes- tant Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Brinton holds the office of vestryman, and in the work of which he is deeply interested.
Both in law and in the sphere of poli- tics, Mr. Brinton has already accom- plished much, but his great ability and natural powers of leadership more than justify the belief that the future has large things in store for him.
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CAMPBELL, Edmond Ernest, Educator, College President.
Dr. Edmond Ernest Campbell, presi- dent of Irving Female College, Me- chanicsburg, Pennsylvania, comes of scholarly lineage. He is a direct de- scendant of Rev. John Campbell, D. D., who was distinguished during the early days of the settlement of the Cumberland Valley as the inspirer of religious en- thusiasm and the honored and beloved rector of the first Protestant Episcopal churches at Carlisle and York.
The Rev. John Francis Campbell, D. D., father of Dr. Edmond Ernest Camp- bell, was born February 17, 1811, and was a son of Richard Cutler and Barbara Campbell, a native of Maryland. John Francis Campbell was for many years prominent in the Lutheran ministry throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. In 1867 he was elected to the Lutheran church at Strasburg, Virginia. He married Martha Catherine Gatewood, a native of Newtown, Virginia, and the following children were born to them: Lucy W., wife of Albert Ash, of Front Royal, Virginia; Rev. W. G., of Wood- stock, Virginia; R. L., on the homestead at Capon Road, Virginia; J. F., of Or- leans Cross Roads, West Virginia ; Martha Evelyn, of Strasburg, Virginia; Edmond Ernest, mentioned below; Emma Virginia, and Annie E., both de- ceased; and James H., a merchant at Tacoma Park, District of Columbia. Dr. John Francis Campbell died January 3, 1892. The mental and moral qualities which he transmitted to his children have in large measure contributed to their suc- cess in life. The death of Mrs. Campbell occurred February 17, 1904.
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