Genealogical and biographical annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 2, Part 102

Author: Floyd, J.L., & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, J. L. Floyd & Co.
Number of Pages: 1024

USA > Pennsylvania > Northumberland County > Genealogical and biographical annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 2 > Part 102

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The emigrant ancestor of the Boyer family was

Johann Heinrich Bover was born in 1714, in the Pfalz, Germany, and died May 2. 1814, in the one hundredth year of his age. In 1943 he was mar- ried to Magdalena Kirchner, and among his chil- dren-six sons and one daughter-were Philip and Heinrich.

Philip Boyer, born Dec. 14, 1754, died July 31, 1832. His wife, Christiana. who was born in 1:54, also died in 1832, and both were buried in the old graveyard at Amityville. Philip Bover made a will the year before his death, while a resident of Amity township, and in it he mentions the following children : Michael ; Jacob, who had a son Philip ; John : Peter ; Mary, married to George Koch ; and Daniel, born in 1192, who died in 1825.

Peter Boyer, son of Philip, was born in Amity township, Berks county, and in 1831 came to Northumberland county with his wife and family, which then consisted of twelve children, the young- est two. having been born in Lower Mahanoy township, where they settled. His 1:0-acre farm in that township is now owned by one Frank

where he owned a valuable farm and mill property for which he paid $12,000, and he died in that county about 1850-51, at the age of sixty-five years. He is buried at Hoffman's Church, in Lvkens township. Dauphin county. Though a stonemason by trade. he was engaged principally in farming, in which he was very successful and prosperous. He was a strong man, noted for his courageous disposition, and was known locally as "Wammas" Boyer. His wife. Catharine Herb. also of Berks county, lived to the age of eighty- four. They were the parents of fourteen children. as follows : Benjamin, Sally, Elias, Isaac, Rachel. Mary. Hettie. Gabriel. Abraham. Catharine, Josiah and Benneville (twins), John and Leah. the two last named born in Northumberland county.

John Boyer, probably an uncle of Peter Boyer. above, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war ..

Abraham Bover, son of Peter, was born in Amity township. Berks county, and came with the family to Lower Mahanoy township, where he passed the

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remainder of his active and successful life with ployment to four men. He is one of the enter- the exception of the years he was at Millerstown, prising young business men of the borough and has high standing aniong his associates and all with whom he has dealings. Perry County. Like the Boyers generally, he was noted for his industry and thrift, and he became one of the most extensive farmers in Lower Ma- On Dec, 21, 1905, Mr. Boyer married Josephine Drumm, daughter of John Drumm, and they have three children, Helen C., Mary A. and Elias D. Ile and his family are members of the Re- formed Church, and fraternally he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America. hanoy township, owning about five hundred acres of land. He died in Lower Mahanoy township. Abraham Boyer married Catharine Anderson, daughter of Jolin Anderson, and to them were born six children, namely : S. Pierce: Amelia, who married Henry Kieffer, of Danphin county, Pa .; John, deceased: Elias D .: Hannah, married to John Lahr, of Pillow. Pa .: and Peter. of Pillow.

JACOB S. ROHRBACHI, of Shamokin town- ship, at present engaged at the carpenter's trade, was born April 4, 1850, in Locust township. Columbia Co., Pa., son of David Rohrbach and grandson of Jacob Rohrbach.

Elias D. Bover, son of Abraham, was born April 19, 185%, in Lower Mahanoy township, and was there reared to farming. in which he has continued to be interested up to the present time. After The Rohrbach family is an old one in Pennsyl- vania. of German origin, being descended from John George Rohrbach, who emigrated to Amer- ica about the middle of the eighteenth century: He settled in Eastern Pennsylvania. in Berks county, in the territory now embraced in District township, and the family is now quite mmerous in the eastern end of that county. . The ancestral He was twice married, and by his first union had a son Lawrence, who had five sons, Daniel. George ( who had eight children ), Christopher (or Stophel, living in Stone Valley. in Lower Mahanov. for five years, he moved in 1882 to Upper Augusta township, where he has since made his home. He is extensively engaged in general farming. own- ing a number of farms-two in Upper Angusta township, one of 168 acres and one of seventeen acres ; and three in Lower Augusta township, of sixty-one acres, cighty-nine acres and 105 acres, homestead is still owned by one of his descendants. respectively. As a Inmber dealer he has interests all over the county, employing from six to twenty men in this line, as business demands. Mr. Boyer has also engaged in contracting, having put who had eleven children), Jacob and Henry. By up about forty houses in the borough of Sunbury, his second wife, . Christiana Moser, he had five where he has invested heavily in real estate. The children, George, John, Simon, Eva and Chris- farm in Upper AAngusta township upon which he tiana. Those of the name now living in Berks makes his home is an attractive and valuable prop- county are descendants of Lawrence and John : erty, with a valuable farm stock and well equipped

Simon is said to have moved to Catawissa. Colum- throughout. A good manager, and possessing ex- bia county: George to have gone West: Eva mar- cellent judgment in business matters. Mr. Boyer ried Jacob Finkbohner, who after her death mar- ried her sister Christiana. has been very successful, and by his own efforts has accumulated considerable property.

In 1848 Mr. Boyer married Catharine Peifer. daughter of Isaac and Eve ( Yerger) Peifer, who to his business affairs and was a successful and influential man of his day in the section of Penn-

lived in Jackson township. and nine children have been born to them : William, now of Fisher's Ferry, sylvania referred to. where he lived and died. Pa. : John, who died in infancy: Hannah, married For many years he conducted a charcoal furnace to Gordon Neidig, of Lower Augusta township. this county: Abraham C .: Eve, who died in in- fancy : Amelia M .. who died in infancy ; Edward C .: Katie: and Emma V. Mr. Boyer and his family attend the Following Run Union Church, of which he is a Reformed and his wife a Lutheran member. In political conviction he is a Demo- erat.

Abraham C. Boyer received a public school edn- cation. In September. 1906, he came to Sunbury and established his present business, having a factory on the corner of Woodlawn avenue and Gas Alley for the manufacture of buggies, car- riages and wagons. and facilities for all kinds of repairing, of which he makes a specialty. He also acts as agent for Swab's wagons. Mr. Bover has gained a lucrative patronage, and gives em-

The ancestor of a number of the name now living in Northumberland county devoted himself

in conjunction with farming. He had no aspira- tions toward public honors and took no part in anything ontside of his private interests. He married Catharine Fenstermacher,/ and to them was born a large family. Their son George, born in 1808 in Columbia county, Pa., was the father of the late Lloyd T. and William H. Rohrbach. both prominent citizens of Sunbury.

David Rohrbach, son of Jacob Rohrbach and father of Jacob S. Rohrbach, was born in Oley. Berks Co., Pa., and moved with his parents to Columbia county. He followed farming. owning 100 acres along the Roaring creck, where he spent the rest of his days, dying in 1867, at the age of forty-six years. His wife, Sarah (Shinman), died in Catawissa and is buried there. They had chil- dren as follows: Jacob S .: Jane. Mrs. William

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Beckendorf; Albert, living in Sunbury; Sarah, personal property, abandoned his landed estate Mrs. William Witengruver, living in Oklahoma; and sailed for America. The vessel on which he Clara S., Mrs. Lafountan, living in Seranton, Pa .; sailed was overtaken by a French privateer and Reuben, who died in Shamokin; William, living at Newport News; and Annie, who died young. the passengers robbed of all their valuables. so that he landed at Philadelphia penniless. His wife, Margaret (Bieser), and eldest daughter were with him. Unable to obtain employment, he drifted to Shaefferstown, Lebanon Co., Pa., and subsequently lived at different points in Penn- sylvania, eventually locating in Lykens Valley, near Berrysburg, in Dauphin county, Pa., where Mr. Muench engaged in school teaching. He died at Lykeus Valley in 1833, and his wife passed away in 1834, both reaching the age of sixty-four years. Their family consisted of seven children : Juliana, born in Germany, who married Jacob Wolf: William Henry; Charles F .; Susan, Mrs. Jacob Reigle; Jacob D .: Daniel A .. of Har- risburg : and Margaret, Mrs. Peter Miller.

Jacob S. Rohrbach learned the trade of car- penter with Christ Hartley, at Roaring Creek, Columbia county, and followed it for four years at that time. He then became a fireman on the railroad, where he eventually became an engineer, on the Catawissa line, continuing in this work about four years. Locating in Snydertown, North- umberland county, he was employed at his trade four years, at the end of which time he located upon the farm in Shamokin township which he still owns, the old Muench homestead. a valuable tract of 170 acres. For the next twenty-two years he was engaged in farming, from which he retired a few years ago to resume his trade, at which he is now engaged. His farm is fertile and pro- ductive land, and he has rented it since he took up carpentry again. Mr. Rohrbach has been suc- cessful in the management of his own affairs to such an extent that he has been called upon to assist in the administration of public matters, and he has served his township two years as treasurer and ten years as school director. He is a Demo- crat in politics.

On Dec. 23, 1875, Mr. Rohrbach married Mary E. Muench, who was born Oct. 13, 1856, daughter of Jacob E. Muench and granddaughter of William H. Muench. She died July 12. 1904. and is

William Henry Muench, eldest son of Charles E. Muench, was born Feb. 10, 1799, at Shaeffers- town, Lebanon Co., Pa., and as he was born a cripple his parents gave him as good an education as possible, their lack of means making it neces- sary to limit him to instruction in English and German. In 1819 Rev. J. P. Shindel proposed that he come to the Shamokin valley to teach those branches, and he located at Reed's station, where he taught for twenty-four years, at the same place. He became widely acquainted and was an carly friend of Gen. Simon Cameron. He served as county commissioner and held all the township

buried at St. Jacob's (Reed's) Church. Two chil- offices, and was appointed justice of the peace for dren were born to this union: (1) Edward M., Shamokin township by Governor Schultze, which

born Nov. 28, 1883, who learned the telegrapher's position he filled thirty years, during which time he married eighty-nine couples, becoming known as the "marrying squire." Shamokin township at art and has been station agent at Paxinos since 1908 ; he married Susan B. Persing and they have had three children, Virginia Estella (died in in- one time had a much wider area than at present. fancy), Clyde Edward (died in infancy), and including what are now Shamokin, Ralpho. Zerbe, Emanuel P. (2) Mary M. is at home. The Coal, Mount Carmel and Cameron townships, so family are members of the Lutheran Church.

that he became well known over a large territory, and being an expert and elegant penman. an accomplishment none too common in those days. he was often called upon to make out deeds and mortgages, transacting a large amount of buši- ness of that kind. He died Sept. 8, 1885. aged eighty-six wars, and his wife Elizabeth ( Reed). daughter of Jacob Reed, whom he married in 1820, died in 1866, aged sixty-six. They are buried at St. Jacob's (Reed's) Church. William H. Muench was an elder and leading supporter

The emigrant ancestor of the Muench family was Charles E. Muench, a descendant of a French noble family of the name of Beauvoir. ITe prob- ably crossed the French line into Germany prior to the French Revolution. and took the name of his patrimonial estate. "Munchhofen." He was born Jan. 7, 1769, at Mellenheim, on the Rhine, and was educated at Heidelberg, where he spent fourteen years preparing for the ministry. learn- ing five different languages. He inherited a large fortune and a landed estate. Marshal Jourdan, of the German Reformed CImrch. He had two under orders of the French Directory (then the rul- children, Margaret and Jacob E. ing power in France), invaded that section, and Jacob E. Muench, son of William Henry Charles E. Muench, in defense of his country, Muench, was born at the old homestead Sept. 20 or 29, 1823, and died in 1900. During his young manhood he taught in the township schools for a number of years. but his principal occupation was raised a company of dragoons. In an engagement with the French his left arm was so terribly in- jured that it became partly useless. His portion of Germany being overrun, and in the possession farming, which he carried on extensively. In of the French troops, he gathered together his his early life he was prominently connected with

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the State militia, of which he was a member fourteen years. He was appointed first lieutenant by Governor Johnston, and was subsequently

Peter A. Rishel, son of Washington, was born in 1842 in Montour county, and still resides there, elected major, and in 1853 was appointed brig- at White Hall, in Anthony township. He has adier-general by. Governor Bigler. He was a Republican and active in politics, serving several terms as auditor of his township, from 1843 to 1815 as auditor of Northumberland county, and for many years as school director, being secretary of the township school board for eighteen con- secutive years: The public schools always had a warm friend in this public-spirited citizen. In 1886 he was elected justice of the peace. He was a member of the German Reformed Church, and served as elder five years. followed farming all his life, and has a tract of 100 aeres. In his earlier years he learned the trade of carpenter, at which he also worked for some years. Hle married Margaret Roberts, daughter of David and Fannie Roberts. of Mon- tour county, and a family of seven children was born to their union: William C., who married Blanche Dewalt and has four children ; Dorence R., station agent at Ottawa, Pa., who married Jennie Evert and has one child. Ruth : Essie M .. wife of Samuel Campbell; Leroy L., who lives in Hollidaysburg, Pa .: John G., of Jerseytown, Pa. : Josialı R. : and George. Mr. Rishel and his family are Methodists in religion : he is a Republican on political questions.

On Dec. 3, 1854, Mr. Muench married Lavina Scholl, who was born in 1825 at Fleetwood. Berks Co., Pa., and met her husband at the home of Conrad Yost, who lived in Shamokin township, this county, while on a visit. Mrs. Muench died Sept. 1, 1862, aged thirty-seven years, the mother of three children: Mary E., deceased, who was the wife of Jacob S. Rohrbach ; William F .. who died aged seventeen years; and Emma E .. who married Reuben F. Martz, of Shamokin town- ship, and died Jan. ? , 1902, aged forty-two years. On Nov. 28, 1878, Mr. Muench married (second) Hattie S. Cooper, daughter of John Cooper, of Upper. Augusta township. She is now living at Snydertown, Pennsylvania.

JOSIAH R. RISHEL, station agent at Tur- butville and merchant at that place, is an enter- prising young business man of his community and in the several years of his residence there has become one of its respected citizens. He was born Sept. 29, 1883, at Danville, Montour Co., Pa., son of Peter A. Rishiel, and is a descendant of Michael Rishel, the ancestor of this branch of stations along the line. He has been agent there the family now represented in Montour, Columbia and Northumberland counties.

Michael Rishel was born in Bucks county, Pa., and about 1790 came with his family to Columbia (now .Montour) county, settling not far from Danville. He had a number of sons, among whom was Solomon.

Solomon Rishel, son of Michael, lived in Montour county, where he died in 1872.

Washington Rishel, son of Solomon, lived in Montour county, on the road leading from Dan- ville to Bloomsburg. He died about 1894. at the age of about seventy-five, and is buried at Dan- ville. He owned a farm of about one hundred aeres, and followed farming. His children were : H. Clarenee: Charles, who lives in Montour county ; Edward, who lives at Danville: Arthur, who lives in Union county, Pa. : Peter A. : Sarah, who married Alfred Thompson and lives at Ben- ton, Pa. : and Lizzie, wife of Michael Leighow.

This family were Lutherans in religions faith.

Josialı R. Rishel received his education in the public schools of his native township. Until he reached the age of seventeen he spent his summers in work upon the farm. At that time he went to learn telegraphy at Ottawa, Montour county, and in March, 1902, he was stationed at Jerseytown. on the Susquehanna. Bloomsburg & Berwick (formerly the Central Pennsylvania & Western-) road, between Watsontown and Berwick. After two years at that location he was transferred to Berwick and clerked in the office there two years, at the end of which time he went to Detroit. where he worked for the Grand Trunk Railroad Company three months. Leaving there he worked for the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Com- pany the next three months, after which he re- turned to Pennsylvania, taking his present position as station agent of the Susquehanna, Bloomsburg & Berwick road at Turbutville, one of the main

continuously since 1905. Mr. Rishel has found excellent business opportunities in his present location, and he has been specially interested as a coal merchant, having a well equipped vard. with a capacity of about five thousand tons, and . handling some fifty carloads of coal annually. The vard is enclosed and under roof. Mr. Rishel has also established a profitable trade as a dealer in grain, hay and fruit. his transactions in all these lines increasing steadily under the application of first-class business methods and attention to the wants of his customers.

Mr. Rishel is well known in the local fraternal bodies, being a member of Watsontown Lodge, No. 401, F. & A. M., of the T. O. O. F. (Warrior Run Lodge. No. 645, at Turbutville). B. P. O. E. Lodge No. 913, of Milton. Pa .. and of the Modern Woodmen's and Maccabees' organizations at Tur- butville. In religion he is inelined toward the Methodist Church.

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AUGUST C. HERR. of Shamokin, inside fore- tion, and is serving as vice president of the Union man at the Cameron colliery, has held that respon- Company. sible position since 1899. and he has been identi- fied with the local coal field since 18:3. He is one of the best known miners in the region.

Mr. Herr was born May 5. 1855, at a place about three minutes' walk from Lehe, near Bremen, Germany, son of Louis and Sophia ( Willis) Herr. and grandson of Nicholas Herr, who was a miner in Germany, where he lived and died. Louis Herr passed all his life in Germany, dying in 1866. at the age of forty-five years. His children were: Johanna (who lives in Germany ), Louis, Charles and August C.

August C. Herr attended school in Germany until he reached the age of thirteen years. He then went to sea on a vessel of the North German Lloyd line, remaining with the company until 1820. He was in England when the war between Germany and France was declared. and from that country he took passage for America, landing at Hoboken. N. J., having secured leave of ab- sence from the sffip on which he was employed. with the understanding that he would go back as soon as the ship returned. However. he did not do so, going to St. Marys. Elk Co., Pa., where he found work in the soft coal mines, remaining there until his removal to Shamokin. North- umberland Co., Pa .. in March. 1873. Here he first obtained work at the Luke Fidler colliery. as miner, for a period of about three months. after which he became a miner at the Cameron col- liery. Fifteen years of faithful service brought him promotion to the position of assistant foreman, and he served as such five years. thus ronnding ont a terin of twenty-six years in the employ of the Mineral Railroad & Mining Company. In 1893 he became inside foreman at the Luke Fidler colliery, but after six years in that position he returned to the Cameron colliery, in 1899, as inside foreman, and there he has since been en- gaged. Some idea of the extent of his respon- sibilities may be gained from the mere statement that he has eight hundred men under his direc- tion. Mr. Herr is a man of substantial worth and keen intelligence, a good judge of men and their capabilities and a trustworthy person whose valne in his present incumbency has been proved in long years of service.

Mr. Herr is widely known in the fraternities. being a member of Shamokin Lodge, No. 664, 1. O. O. F., of which he is a past grand, and of the Encampment: of the F. O. E .: of Shamo- kin Lodge. No. 255. F. & A. M .. of which he is a past master: of Shamokin Chapter, No. 264. R. A. M. ; of Shamokin Commandery, No. 77. K. T .: and of Rajah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S .. George S. Leonard, son of John. was born Feb. 14, 1845, in Liverpool, Perry Co., Pa., where he of Reading. He is a director of the Home Union and of the Citizens Building and Loan Associa- lived until he was thirteen years old, meantime

In 1825 Mr. Herr married Minerva Hilbrand, whose parents were lost at sea on the voyage from the old country to the United States. Chil- dren as follows have been born to this union : Charles Augustus, born Aug. 10, 1815, who mar- ried Mary E. Kerstetter and lives in Shamokin ; Minnie, born April 19, 1817, who died when five days old : Clara Wilhelmina, born April 21, 18:9, who is the wife of Harvey C. Kerstetter: Ludwig (., born June 16, 1880, who married Lillian Llew- ellyn : William, born Oct. 26, 1882, who married Clara. Miller : Ida, born Dec. 21, 1884, who died Sept. 5, 1908: Franklin Monroe, born July 30. 1882: John Alfred, born Sept. 15, 1889 ; Edward Benjamin, born March 22, 1892 ; and Annie, born Oct. 8, 1893.

C. E. RAUP, formerly of Milton, North- umberland county, is now located at Galt. Ontario, as manager of the Canadian branch of Samuel J. Shimer & Sons, of Milton, Pennsylvania.

WALTER J. LEONARD, of Sunbury. engaged as yardmaster with the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, is a native of that place, born Feb. 21. 1826. son of George S. Leonard. The Leonard family is of German origin, his great-grandfather, George Leonard, having been born in Germany, whence he came to America over a century ago. ITe located at what is now the borough of North- umberland. in Northumberland county. Pa., later going to Liverpool, Perry county, this state. where he died at the age of eighty-seven years. He is buried there. . He was a land owner, and at one' time conducted a hotel at Northumberland borough. He served as a soldier during the war of 1812. His children were: Lewis, who died at Liverpool : John; Susan, who married David Deckert and lived at Mount Patrick, Perry Co .. Pa. : and Polly, Mrs. Slear.

John Leonard. son of George, was the grand- father of Walter J. Leonard, of Sunbury. He was born in Northumberland borough, and died Nov. 22. 1894, at Shamokin Dam. Snyder county. at the age of seventy-six years. ITe is buried there. In his earlier manhood Mr. Leonard was a merchant at Centerville. Snyder county, for several years, and he was engaged as a pilot on the Susquehanna river for sime time. He mar- ried Sarah Sampsel, a native of Centerville, Sny- der county, and their children were: George S. : Thomas M., who lives in Shamokin, Northi- umberland county; and Alice, wife of Newton Hartman, living at Shamokin Dam.

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attending the public schools. Removing three work train at Millersburg, and after serving as miles above Liverpool, he was employed for the flagman and fireman in turn became engineer, next seven years tending locks upon the Pennsyl- vania canal, except for the time he was in service in the Union army. In June, 1863, he enlisted from Harrisburg, becoming a member of Company I, 20Stlı Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, 9th Corps, and was out about two years, his command being attached to the Army of the Potomac. He was never wounded. In 1866 he located at being engaged in that capacity for thirty years before his death. He was yard engineer at DY. Mr. Day was well known among railroad men, was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, of the Pennsylvania Re- lief Fund Association and of the Veteran's As- sociation. He held membership in the First United Evangelical Church at Sunbury, and in Shamokin Dam. Snyder county, where he con- polities was a stanch Republican.

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Genealogical and biographical annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 2, Part 102

Author: Floyd, J.L., & Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, J. L. Floyd & Co. Number of Pages: 1024

Author: Floyd, J.L., & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, J. L. Floyd & Co.
Number of Pages: 1024