USA > Pennsylvania > Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography : illustrated, Volume I > Part 38
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Outside his private practice, Dr. Hart- zell has rendered important medical ser- vice to his city, county and State. From the organization of Allentown Hospital until his resignation in 1902, he served as its chief of staff; from 1894 to 1901 he was a member of the board of trustees of the South Eastern District of the State Hospital for the Insane at Norris- town; was surgeon for the Lehigh Val- ley and Philadelphia Traction Company ; member of the Allentown Board of Health ; and prominently connected with the American Medical, Pennsylvania State Medical and Lehigh County Medi- cal societies. He also gained that more
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difficult prize, the high regard and es- and prosperity will continue. As the teem of his brethren of his profession. head of so important an institution, Dr. Hartzell attains State and national im- portance in a line of activity certainly unthought of by the lad of eighteen struggling with the, perhaps, refractory scholars of a country public school. The lesson taught by his success is an important one, and hackneyed as the term "a self-made man" may be, it is so absolutely true in Dr. Hartzell's case as to be an inspiration to every young man who reads these lines or studies his career from orphan boy to bank presi- dent. He was elected president of the Penn- sylvania State Medical Society in 1904; in 1901, president of Jefferson Medical Alumni Association; and in 1905 de- clined an urgent call to become resident chief of the male department of the State Hospital for the Insane at Norris- town. He has also secured high rank among medical writers; he has contrib- uted valuable articles to the medical journals, and is the author of "A Chart of Nervous Diseases" that has won high praise from recognized authorities. This resume of the doctor's career justifies the high position on the medieal ladder of "success" universally accorded him.
In the world of finance he has reached a point equally elevated. In May, 1905, he was elected a director of the Citizens' Deposit and Trust Company of Allen- town. His grasp of banking problems and knowledge of financial methods quickly won recognition from the board, and on January 1, 1910, on the retirement of Lewis D Krause from the presidency, he was elected to succeed him in that important office. The Citizens' Deposit and Trust Company was opened for business October 12, 1905. As a matter of permanent record that will interest the statistician of the distant future, the name of the first depositor in each de- partment is here given. The first man to make a deposit and open an account in the active banking department was Joseph F. Gehringer ; the first one to ask for a savings book for the purpose of opening an account with the Savings De- partment, was Ray F., son of Herman Kline of No. 316 North Ninth street, and the first to make a deposit in that depart- ment was Panl C., son of Oscar L. Fogel- man. The bank has been a successful one from its organization, and under the wise guidance of President Hartzell and his capable board its days of usefulness
To turn to another phase of this versatile man is to again pen a record of prominence. In political faith a Demo- crat, he rendered valuable service on the city school board. He has always taken an active part in county politics, serving as treasurer of the county committee, and in 1888 was the Democratic nominee for mayor, but was defeated at the polls in a strongly Republican city by less than two hundred and fifty votes, an evidence of his popularity even at that early pe- riod of his life in Allentown. He has also won the highest expressions of con- fidence from his brethren of the Masonic order. He is a Master Mason of Green- leaf Lodge, No. 561, Free and Accepted Masons; past high priest of Allentown Chapter, No. 203, Royal Arch Masons (of which he is also trustee) ; past thrice il- lustrious master of Allentown Council, No. 23, Royal and Select Masters; past eminent commander of Allentown Com- mandery, No. 20, Knights Templar; and is a thirty-second degree Mason of the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. He be- longs to other fraternal orders, including the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. In religious affiliation he is a mem- ber and for many years has been an eld- er of St. John's Reformed Church of the United States.
This record of a successful life in one
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of the great professions, in finance and charged the duties of United States in community life, is not intended as a eulogy, but as an appreciation of the life work of an honorable man, who, not seeking honor, but in simply doing his duty, has reached the topmost rounds of life's ladder of sueeess. Thus his life is considered a benefit to humanity ; he would be the last to admit it, but, despite his self-effacement, his hosts of friends unanimously testify to his worth as a man, his skill as a physician, and his unimpeachable integrity as a business man.
ACHESON, Marcus W.,
Lawyer, Jurist.
The history of the legal profession in Pittsburgh is the history of a force not less potent than that of its factories and furnaces. Of this group none left a stronger impress than did the late Mar- cus W. Acheson, Presiding Judge of the United States Circut Court. of Appeals. He was never in politics and his entire career was at the bar and on the bench.
District Judge until January 23, 1891, when he was appointed by President Ilar- rison to be United States Circuit Judge, to succeed Judge William McKennan, for the Third Federal Judicial Circuit, com- posed of the States of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. At that time he was the sole circuit judge of the circuit, holding court in Pittsburgh, Erie, Seran- ton, Williamsport, Philadelphia, Trenton and Wilmington. Upon the organization of the United States Circuit Court of Appeals, in 1891, he became and until his death continued Presiding Judge of that court for the Third Circuit, the ses- sions of which are held in Philadelphia. He continued also until his death to per- form the duties of Circuit Judge, but there being two additional Circuit Judges for the Third District, his presence as Circuit Judge was only required at Pitts- burgh as a general rule.
Judge Acheson married, June 9, 1859, Sophie Duff, daughter of Dr. William C. and Eliza (Reynolds) Reiter of Pitts- burgh.
Marcus W. Acheson, son of David and Judge Acheson died June 21, 1906, with no argued case undecided. One could ask for future generations nothing better than that the law continue to be admin- istered by judges as fearless, able and just as was he. Mary (Wilson) Acheson, was born in Washington, Pennsylvania, June 7, 1828. He was graduated from Washington Col- lege (now Washington and Jefferson College) in 1846. Having read law with his brother, Alexander W. Acheson, he was admitted to the bar of Washing- CRAIG, John B., ton county, Pennsylvania, in 1852. He removed to Pittsburgh, and on June 18, Educator, School Official. 1852, was admitted to the bar of Alle- Professor John Bradford Craig, now serving in his ninth term as Superinten- dent of Schools, at Beaver, Pennsylvania, has gained much distinction as an edu- cator in this section of the State, and, during his long connection with the schools of this locality, has succeeded in greatly raising the intellectual standard and promoting the efficiency of the sys- tem as a preparation for the responsible gheny county. In 1860 he and George P. Hamilton joined in the practice of law, and the firm of Hamilton & Acheson continued until Mr. Hamilton's with- drawal on account of ill health, some years later. On January 7, 1880, Mr. Acheson was appointed by President Hayes to be the Judge of the Distriet Court of the United States for the West- ern District of Pennsylvania. He dis- duties of life. Indeed, the constant aim
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Very Truly Ifou's , AL. IV. Acheson .
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and general character of Professor Craig's life-work are summed up in the famous dietum of Sidney Smith: "The real object of education is to give chil- dren resources that will endure as long as life endures; habits that time will ameliorate, not destroy ; occupation that will render sickness tolerable, solitude pleasant, age venerable, life more digni- fied and useful. and death less terrible."
The founder of the Craig family in America was John Craig, great-grand- father of the subject of this review. He was born and reared at Craigshire, Scot- land, whence he immigrated to America in the colonial epoch of our national his- tory, settling in Clearfield county, Penn- sylvania, where he engaged in agrieul- tural operations. He was a gallant and faithful soldier in the war of the Revolu- tion and, while he did not participate ac- tively in public affairs in his home eom- munity, he was ever alert and enthusias- tically in sympathy with all measures forwarded for progress and improve- ment. His son John was the first of the family to settle in Beaver county, whith- er he came about 1812, locating on a farm in Greene township. The latter's son, James, father of Professor Craig, was born and reared in Beaver county, and during the greater part of his active career was a farmer and extensive sheep grower. He was a Republican in poli- tics and served in a number of township offices, and as justice of the peace for a number of years. He died March 14, 1902, and is buried in Greene township, Beaver county. His widow, whose maiden name was Margaret Kennedy, still survives and now maintains her home at Beaver She is a devout mem- ber of the United Presbyterian church and is a woman of most pleasing person- ality.
The second in order of birth in a family of two children, Professor John B. Craig was born in Greene township, Beaver
county, Pennsylvania, August 26, 1877. His boyhood and youth were passed on the old homestead farm, in the work and management of which he early began to assist his father, and his preliminary ed- ucational training was obtained in the neighboring district schools. Subse- quently he attended the Indiana State Normal School, at Indiana, Pennsyl- vania, and was graduated therein as a member of the class of 1896. He then entered Geneva College, at Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and in that excellent in- stitution was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1900. Immedi- ately after completing his collegiate course he was elected principal of the West Bridgewater, Pennsylvania, public schools and he was incumbent of that po- sition for one year, at the expiration of which, in 1901, he was made principal of the Beaver high school. Two years later, in 1903, he was elected superinten- dent of the Beaver public schools, a po- sition he still retains in 1912. In the summer of 1905 he completed his post- graduate work in the University of Chicago, and the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy was conferred on him by the great Midway institution.
Through Professor Craig's untiring ef- forts the high school at Beaver has come to be one of the first rank in the State, and the graded schools have likewise benefited by his careful supervision. The public schools at Beaver now boast a kindergarten department; manual training and domestic science are like- wise taught. School gardens were made a distinct feature of the public school system in 1910. Professor Craig, in con- nection with his lifework, is a valued and appreciative member of the Pennsylvania School Masters' Club of Pittsburgh, the Publie School Superintendents' Associa- tion of the Beaver Valley, and the Penn- sylvania Educational Association ; he has figured prominently on the programs of
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the various meetings of the above or- ganizations. Too much concerning the keen interest manifested in the advance- ment of educational progress in Pennsyl- vania, by Professor Craig, cannot be said. His undivided attention is devoted to im- proving and systematizing school work so that it may be less tedious to the modern student. His course has received the approval of the most progressive citizens of Beaver, and he has enlisted the co-operation of his teachers to such an extent that great harmony prevails and the concerted action is attended with excellent results.
July 11, 1906, Professor Craig was united in marriage to Miss Catherine Carver, a daughter of Calvin and Caro- line (Beatty) Carver, and great-great- granddaughter of Governor John Carver, of Massachusetts. Mrs. Craig's great- grandfather was a soldier in the War for Independence. Professor and Mrs. Craig are the parents of two sons, John and James.
In politics Professor Craig is an un- compromising supporter of the principles and policies promulgated by the Repub- lican party, and in religious matters he and his wife are zealous members of the United Presbyterian church. He is rul- ing elder in the church and for ten years was superintendent of the Sunday school. He is a great advocate of good, healthy athletics and is specially interested in football, having been captain of the varsity team while in Geneva College. He is vice-president of the Fort McIn- tosh Rifle Club at Beaver, and as a citi- zen, he is accorded the unalloyed confi- dence and esteem of all with whom he has come in contact.
MOLTER, Oliver,
Soldier, Business Man, Public Official.
The United States ranks today as the foremost nation of the modern civilized and Daniel, the latter of whom died from
world. It has served as the melting pot of the best characteristics of all other na- tions and the outcome is a fine, sterling American citizenship, consisting of strong and able-bodied men, loyal and public- spirited in civic life, honorable in busi- ness, and alert and enthusiastically in sympathy with every measure tending to further the material welfare of the entire country. The great Empire of Germany has contributed its fair quota to the up- building of this great nation, and among its representatives in this country are to be found successful men in every walk of life, from the professions to the prosper- ous business man. Oliver Molter, whose name forms the caption for this review, is the son of German parents, and he is most successfully engaged in the livery and retail coal business at New Brighton, Pennsylvania.
October 15, 1841, at Beaver, in the county of the same name, Pennsylvania, occurred the birth of Oliver Molter, who is a son of Jonas C. and Fannie (Camp) Molter, both of whom were born and reared in Germany, whence they came to America as young people. Mr. and Mrs. Molter were married in this State and settled in Beaver county, where he de- voted his attention to the manufacturing of brick in the summertime and to coal mining in the winter. He was a Repub- lican in politics, and participated actively in all matters projected for the good of the general welfare. At the time of the inception of the Civil War, Mr. Molter gave evidence of his intrinsic loyalty to the country of his adoption by enlisting for service in the Sixty-third Pennsyl- vania Volunteer Infantry. In one of the engagements in which he participated he was wounded by a shell, and thereafter he served on the invalid corps until the close of hostilities. He had five sons, who likewise served in the Federal army, namely : Henry, Peter, Christian, Oliver
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Molter returned to Beaver county, and in 1871 he was elected justice of the peace at West Bridgewater, serving in that capacity with the utmost efficiency for a number of years. He was summoned to the life eternal in March, 1884; his cher- ished and devoted wife passed away in 1881.
Oliver Molter was reared to the age of eleven years at Beaver, whence the fam- ily removed to North Sewickley in 1852. In the latter place the father was em- ployed in opening mines for Mr. O. H. P. Green until 1857, when removal was made to West Bridgewater, where the father and sons enlisted for service in the Union army. To the public schools of Beaver county Oliver Molter is indebted for his early educational discipline, subsequently he was a student in the Beaver Academy for a number of years. August 31, 1864, he enlisted as a soldier in Company B, Fifth Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and he saw hard and active service until the close of the war He was mustered out June 30, 1865, after a career as a faith- ful and gallant soldier. From 1865 until 1876 he was interested in coal mines, and was a mining operator in Rochester township and the borough of New Brigh- ton, Beaver county. In 1876 he engaged in the livery and retail coal business at. New Brighton, where he has since re- sided, and where he has gained prestige as a brilliant business man and a highly honored citizen. His sons are associated with him in his business enterprises.
In his political convictions Mr. Molter is a stalwart Republican, and he has been the efficient incumbent of a number of borough offices. He was a member of Mr. Molter retains an abiding interest in his old comrades-in-arms, and signifies the same by membership in Edward M. Stanton Post, No. 208, Grand Army of the Republie, in which he has filled all the Town Council at New Brighton for seven years, and has served on the School Board in Rochester township. In 1893 he was elected sheriff of Beaver county, taking the oath of office Janu- the official chairs and in which he is now
the effects of wounds received in battle. ary 1, 1894, and serving in that capacity After the close of the war Jonas C. for one term, at the end of which he be- came deputy sheriff under his successor for one term. In 1901 he was elected sergeant-at-arms of the State Senate, and he served as such during the session of 1901-2. He was always a warm per- sonal friend of the late Senator Quay.
Mr. Molter has been a member of the board of directors in the Beaver County Trust Company since the organization of that concern, and he is likewise a direc- tor in the Home Protective Savings & Loan Association at New Brighton, hav- ing served as such since its organization, about 1895. He has money invested in a number of other important business enterprises, and is the owner of a great deal of valuable real estate in Beaver county.
October 9, 1859, Mr. Molter was united in marriage to Miss Margaret Brown, a daughter of Thomas P. Brown, of Beav- er county. This union was prolific of four children, as follows: Nora, now the wife of Edward A. Lindsay, of New Brigh- ton; Ida, twin to Nora, married Dr. D. C. Laburge, of New Brighton; Frank, married Miss Edith Smith and lives at No. 4000 South 14th street ; William, de- ceased. Mrs. Molter passed to eternal rest April 6, 1871, and subsequently Mr. Molter marrid Miss Ada Laney, a daugh- ter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Grannis) Laney. To the second union the follow- ing children have been born: James, de- ceased; Grace, now the wife of Harry Lockhart, of New Brighton; Byrd, now Mrs. Harvey A. Merriman, of New Brighton; Herbert, who is single and re- mains at home; Ralph, married Miss Eva Tower and resides in New Brighton.
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quartermaster. He has on several oc- casions been a delegate to State and Na- tional Encampments and is prominent in Grand Army circles. Fraternally, he is affiliated with the time-honored Ma- sonic order, the Senior Order of United American Mechanics, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Pythias, and is financier of the Ancient Order of United Workmen, having been through all the chairs of this organization. In his religious faith he is a devout member of the Methodist Epis- copal church, of which his wife is like- wise a member. Mr. and Mrs. Molter are prominent and popular factors in the so- cial life at New Brighton, and it may be said concerning them that the number of their personal friends is coincident with that of their acquaintances.
MATCHAM, Charles Arthur, Civil Engineer, Manufacturer.
In chronicling the lives and achieve- ments of prominent Pennsylvanians, men of character and standing in the various communities, it is noteworthy to recall the magnificent achievements of some of the transplanted sons of other soils. Of those who in a comparatively short time not only become typical Americans but also closely affiliated with the indus- trial and commercial developments of this great State and country, Charles Arthur Matcham, deceased, of Allen- town, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, is a notable example.
the Royal Academy of South Kensington, London, England. From 1877 to 1880 he worked as a mechanical draftsman in London. In 1880 he entered the employ of the International Bell Telephone Com- pany of New York, as electrical en- gineer. He remained in that position un- til 1881, during which time he designed and laid out construction work for tele- phone exchanges in Charleroi, Belgium, and in Riga, St. Petersburg, Warsaw, Moscow and Odessa, Russia, into which country he introduced the telephone, and personally supervised the electric wiring in the Czar's royal palace. He begat renown as a telephone pioneer on the continent.
In the fall of 1881, Mr. Mateham came to the United States and settled in Chi- cago, Illinois, where he entered the em- ploy of the Chicago Telephone Company, and was engaged in the designing and building of its exchanges. Later he re- moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he rebuilt the telephone exchange. In 1884 he came east to Allentown, Pennsylvania, and for several years managed the ex- change there for the Pennsylvania Tele- phone Company. Mr. Matcham served in that capacity until 1890, when he as- sociated himself with the cement busi- ness, and in that field of endeavor he made for himself a lasting name in the history of the cement industry in the Le- high Valley and throughout the country. He first engaged in the business of ce- ment manufacture, associated with Mr. Thomas D. Whitaker (a brother-in-law), in the Whitaker Cement Company, at Whitaker, New Jersey, now called Alpha, New Jersey. He was general superinten- dent of the plant until 1893, when it was sold to the Alpha Cement Company, Mr. Matcham being retained as general man- ager, which position he held until 1897. In that year, in connection with Colonel H. C. Trexler, E. M. Young, George
Mr. Matcham was born at Torquay, Devonshire, England, on January 15, 1862. He was educated in the schools of Hambledon and Brighton, England. In 1875 Mr. Matcham went to London, and, while employed during the day, attended the evening classes of an engineering school. At the public examinations he won first prize and honorable mention for mechanical drawing and designing at Ormrod, and others, he organized the Le-
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Charles. A. Matchaw
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high Portland Cement Company, which and three children: Dorothy Margaret, built several cement plants, and was (now Mrs. George Chapman) ; Catherine manager of its works until December, Elizabeth, and Charles Ormrod. He also 1906. Mr. Matcham erected the mills of left four brothers and four sisters. One brother, Frank Matcham, is a prominent architect in the metropolis of London, England. the Allentown Portland Cement Com- pany, Evansville, Berks county, and was vice-president and general manager of the company. In 1906 Mr. Matcham as- Mr. Matcham was a Republican in pol- itics, and a member of Grace Episco- pal Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania. sisted in the organization of the Fuller Engineering Company, of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and became its president, a position which he retained until 1910, MCCAULEY, E. S. H., M.D., when his remarkable career was cut short by ill health, compelling him to give up Physician and Surgeon. the active pursuits of business.
Mr. Matcham was a member of sev- eral societies having for their object the dissemination of knowledge concerning civil engineering and allied sciences. He belonged to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the American Society for Testing Materials, the National Geographical Society, the Manufacturers' Club of Philadelphia, the Livingston Club of Allentown; and the Lehigh Country Club, of Allentown, Pennsylvania; the Pomfret Club, of Easton, Pennsylvania ; and the Egypt Mills Club, Monroe county, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Matcham was married to Miss Margaret Ormrod, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Ormrod, of Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Mr. Ormrod's sketch ap- pears on another page of this Encyclo- pedia).
Mr. Matcham passed away on Septem- ber 22, 1911, at his own home, No. 1727 Hamilton street, Allentown, Pennsyl- vania, in his fiftieth year, with a long list of credits as a man who had achieved marked success through energy, ability, and good judgment, and exhibited some genius as an inventor. He won the ap- preciation of his colleagues and distin- guished associates, and was honored as a master builder.
Man's greatest prize on earth is physi- cal health and vigor ; nothing deteriorates mental activity so quickly as prolonged sickness, hence the broad field for hu- man helpfulness afforded in the medical profession. The successful doctor re- quires something more than mere tech- nieal training, he must be a man of broad human sympathy and genial kindliness, capable of inspiring hope and faith in the heart of his patient. Such a man is he whose name initiates this article.
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