Genealogical and biographical annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 2, Part 49

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 49

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Lorenz has been active in public affairs. his death he lived at Hanover, Pa. He died Nov. In 1902 he was elected to represent the First ward' 19, 1903, and is buried at Bear's meetinghouse. on the school board, and has since given very effi- He was a Lutheran in religious faith. He married Lucy Ann Myers, daughter of Conrad Myers, of Codorus township, at what is called Seven Val- leys. Mrs. Becker is now living at Hanover, York county. Two children were born to her and her husband : Annie M. (wife of Levi Bowman) and H. M. cient service, in 1907 and 1908 serving as presi- dent of the board. In politics he is a Republican. Socially he belongs to the Cresco Club. He is also a member of the Madeira Mamore Associa- tion, which is made up of men connected with the building of railroads in Brazil, South Amer- ica ; annual banquets are held in Philadelphia.

On June 25, 1884, Mr. Lorenz was married to Clara Beury, daughter of Christian and Nancy (Lawton) Beury, of Shamokin. To this union . were born four children : Helen B., born Aug. 30, 1885; Nancy L., born July 17, 1887, who married J. H. Cooper, of Sunbury, Pa. ; and Charles Chris- tian and Frederiek Victor, twins, born Oct. 22, 1889, both of whom died within two years after birth.

Mr. Lorenz and his family are communicants of the Episcopal Church, in which he filled the office of vestryman. In 1898-1899, accompanied by his family, he made a trip to Europe, visiting Ger- many and France. In 1903 they made a second trip, visiting England, Ireland, Germany and Aus- tria, and in 1910 a third, visiting England, Hol- land, Germany and Switzerland. Mr. Lorenz has won a high place in the estimation of the people of his adopted town, where he is an enterprising, public-spirited citizen.

H. M. BECKER, M. D., has throughout his practice made a specialty of diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, in which line he has a reputation that extends all over the State of Pennsylvania and. a patronage which takes him over a wide territory. He has made his home at Sunbury, Northumberland county, since 1899.

Dr. Becker is the only son of George F. Becker and grandson of Curtis A. Becker, a native of New Baltimore, York Co., Pa., who died there about 1889, at the age of seventy-three years. He is buried at Bear's meetinghouse, though he was a Lutheran in religious connection. He was a wheelwright and blacksmith of the old-fashioned type of tradesinan, being able to make every part of a wagon as well as build the wagon itself. His wife was Mary Fisher, and their children were: On Nov. 23, 1904, Dr. Becker married Maud bury. Elias, George F., John, Simon (living at New O. Keefer, daughter of John S. Kcefer, of Sun- Baltimore, Pa.) and Mrs. Shue. The danghter lives with her husband in Adams county, Penn- sylvania.

George F. Becker was born May 29, 1835, at New Baltimore. Pa., where he continued to make his home until 1892. Like his father he was a carriage builder, and he made the first buggies

H. M. Becker was born May 3, 1873, at New Baltimore, and received his early education in the schools of New Baltimore, . later becoming a stu- dent at the Cumberland Valley State normal school, from which he was graduated in 1892. From 1892 to 1894 he continued his studies at Gettysburg College, after which he took a course in the medieal department of the University of Pennsylvania. Graduating in 1898, he took a post-graduate course at the Polyclinic hospital, in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat, subse- quently, in 1903, taking a similar course in the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and in the New York Polyclinic Hospital and Post Graduate School of Medicine. On Dec. 20, 1899, he settled at Sunbury, where he has since practiced, though his work is by no means confined to that borough or section. He is now engaged in dispensary work at the Wills Eye hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Becker has numerous professional associations and has been active in medical organizations. He is a member of the Sunbury Medical Club, organ- ized for sociability as well as study; a member of the Northumberland County Medical Society, of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society, of the American Medical Association, of the American Ophthalmological Society, and of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity of Gettysburg College. He is a past president of his county medical society and has been district censor since 1904. He is a Ma- son, holding membership in Maclay Lodge, No. 632, F. & A. M., of Sunbury, and in the Temple Club. Dr. Becker is a member of the surgical staff of the Mary M. Packer hospital at Sunbury, having charge of all the eye and ear work at that institution. He is medical examiner for various life insurance companies and insurance fraterni- ties.

COL. WILLIAM CLAPHAM, who built Fort Augusta, and was the first officer in charge there. was commissioned captain and lieutenant-colonel March 29, 1756, and commanded the 3d Battalion, known as the Augusta regiment. The erection of

712

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

a fort at Shamokin (now Sunbury) had been The temporary defenses he constructed were ap- urged repeatedly by friendly Indians. It was prob- proved by the governor in another communication. ably first suggested by Andrew Montour and Mon- The work progressed but slowly, as there was but one team of draft horses to be had, but neverthe- less it went steadily forward, for on Aug. 14th he Wrote: "We have the walls of the fort now above half finished aud our other works in such situation that we can make a very good defense against any body of French and Indians that shall seat them- selves before us without cannon." The Colonel evidently was in favor of strengthening the fort, for in one letter he speaks of strengthening "this post by doubling the fort with another case of logs and filling up the intermediate space with earth in order to render it cannon-proof, which I think ought to be done"; and again: "This post, which is in my opinion of the utmost consequence to the Province, is already defensible against all the power of musketry, but as it is, from the na- ture of its situation, exposed to a more formidable descent from the West Branch, it ought, I think, to be rendered still stronger." On Sept. ? 3d he sent a plan (probably the original of which that in the British Museum is a copy) of the completed fort to Governor Denny with the information that its construction had required "little better than the space of six weeks." This referred only to the works originally projected, probably constructed from the plans furnished by the governor without any special engineering supervision. On Oct. 17, 1756, E. Meyer, an engineer in the Provincial ser- vice, and James Young, the commissary general, arrived at Harris's Ferry, thence proceeding to Fort Augusta with Captain Lloyd. Improvements were apparently made at Mr. Meyer's suggestion, judging by a later report of the Colonel, who con- tinues to refer to the lack of tools and con- veniences as hampering the work. ocatootha at Harris's Ferry on Nov. 1, 1755, and at once received the favorable consideration of the governor, who intended to build it that winter. On Jan. 17, 1756, it was again brought to the notice of the governor at a conference at Carlisle. The Indians said the fort would be "a place of refuge in times of distress for us with our wives and children to fly to for our safety." Con- struction would probably have commenced at once if the weather had permitted. The Indians were impatient at the delay, and at other conferences, held Feb. 22d and April 10th, urgently requested the governor to keep his promise. The location was inaccessible, except by water, and opposition from the enenty was not improbable. The ap- propriations made by the Provincial Assembly were dispensed under the supervision of a board of com- missioners, who were not in cordial sympathy with the governor's plans, and it was not until April, 1756, that their consent to this project was obtained. The consent of the commissioners was coupled with a request that four hundred troops should be raised for the expedition, and the 3d Battalion was accordingly recruited. It rendez- voused at Fort Hunter and marched on the east side of the Susquehanna as far as Fort Halifax, stopping en route at McKee's store (opposite the mouth of Sherman's creek), whence on June 5th Colonel Clapham marched with five companies and eighteen batteaux and canoes loaded, arriving the - next afternoon at Fort Halifax. The progress of the expedition was attended with many diffi- culties. Considerable difficulty was experienced in ascending the Juniata rapids : many of the bat- teaux grounded, "though laden with no more than four barrels of pork and a few light things." It was the governor's idea to use canoes only in the transportation service. the batteaux being substi- tuted at the suggestion of John Harris. While the transportation of the stores up the river was in progress the main body of the troops was employed in erecting Fort Halifax. This was not included . originally in the plan of the expedition, but was undertaken by Colonel Clapham in the exercise of his discretionary powers. Continuing the march about five miles above Fort Halifax, the troops proceeded thence along the west bank of the river to a point opposite Sunbury, where they crossed in batteaux.

They were in constant danger of attacks by the French and Indians. Fort Granville was taken and burned July 30, 1756, and an attack upon Fort Augusta was deemed highly probable. The fleet of batteaux ascended and descended the river under a strong guard, the killing of more than one white person having shown this to be necessary. A friendly Indian chief bringing news of the ap- proach of a large force of French and Indians, dis- patches were at once transmitted to Colonel Clap- ham, who was then at Harris's Ferry, and he im- mediately returned to Fort Augusta, determined to defend it to the last extremity. The garrison was reinforced, and additional works were con- rant offensive measures. Accordingly, a detail was sent out to advance on the Indian town of Chingleclamouse (situated on the West Branch at the present site of Clearfield) and destroy it if occupied. otherwise to leave no trace of the visit. It was found to be deserted.

In a letter to Colonel Clapham dated June 12, structed which so strengthened the post as to war- 1756, the governor submits him two plans of forts, allowing him to use his own judgment in choosing the kind of fort best suited to the place and con- ditions, as well as to select the site, except that it had to be on the east side of the Susquehanna : and he was instructed to put up a breastwork at once, so that his men could carry on the work in safety. Life at the post was not only rendered hazardous

718

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

by constant danger of attack, but the lack of pro- priesthood, and he remained in that institution for visions and difficulty of transporting them made about five years, taking the philosophical and the- the situation doubly hard. Ammunition was low at. a most critical period ; food supplies were in- sufficient and uncertain; and inadequate finances made the payment of the men for their services so irregular that it was hard for the commander to keep them loyal. Nor was this feeling confined to the ranks. The "extremely parsimonious policy of the commissioners * * caused general dissatisfaction among the officers," who com- plained that they had not received the pay prom- ised and asked permission to resign. This disaf- fection prevailed among the officers of the entire regiment, Colonel Clapham upholding them in their demands. On Sept. 23, 1756, he wrote Gov- ernor Denny stating that four months' pay was due the regiment, and as many of the soldiers had families to support he had to lend the greater part of his own salary to them to keep them from de- serting or returning home when their terms of enlistment expired. At length, "tired with the discouragements perpetually given to the service by the commissioners and with their particular treatment of him," he resigned his commission, and was succeeded in command of the Augusta regiment by Maj. James Burd, the officer next in rank, who arrived at Fort Angusta, Dec. 8, 1756. At that time there were 280 men "doing duty" and nine officers "for duty." * ological courses, and leaving within our months of the time required to complete the work. The cessation of his studies was due to the fact that because of his youth he could not be ordained a priest for two years, he being two years under the age fixed by the church for ordination. This cir- cumstance rendered it advisable for him to remain in France and await the time when he might enter the priesthood there. In 1861, in response to an invitation from Bishop Wood of Philadelphia, he came to the United States, priests at that period being comparatively few as compared with the ex- tensive fields in which the work of the church was being energetically prosecuted. After spending two weeks in Paris he sailed for this country, and after a brief stay in New York City joined Bishop Wood in Philadelphia, in May. He entered the Seminary of St. Charles Borromeo, in Philadel- phia. He was then twenty-two years of age, too young to be ordained unless by special dispensa- tion, the age of ordination to the priesthood being twenty-four years. In order that his services might be utilized and he might immediately enter upon the duties he had chosen for his life work, a dispensation was granted by Bishop Wood, who or- dained and admitted him to the priesthood Feb. 25, 1863. He was first installed as an assistant at St. Patrick's Church, Philadelphia. Two months later he was appointed assistant chaplain for the hospitals in the Quaker City, an honor which was bestowed upon him because of his special fitness for the work and his knowledge of Latin, French, German, Italian and English.

RIGHT REV. JOHN JOSEPH KOCH, D. D., V. G., the beloved pastor of St. Edward's Roman Catholic Church, the oldest religious organization in Shamokin, and the first to build a church in the town, has long been identified with everything affecting the spiritual and moral advancement of the people with whom he has been so closely asso- ciated for forty-five years. As citizen no less than in his priestly capacity Father Koch holds the reverence and admiration of the people of Sha- mokin to an unusual degree. His sterling worth as a man, his high ideals of duty and responsi- bility, his broad Christian spirit, and his achieve- ments in a long career of devotion, have won him a foremost place among the most influential people of the borough. A life of such wide usefulness falls to the lot of few men.

Father Koch's abilities as a priest quickly dem- onstrated themselves and he was transferred to this section to take charge of important territory. He located in Milton, Northumberland county, in No- vember, 1863, assuming the charge of the church there, St. Joseph's, and also of the churches and missions in five counties, including one at Cas- cade, Lycoming county, where there was an Irish settlement numbering seventy families, and where he built a church ; a German congregation at Dan- ville, St. Hubert's, where he built the church ; at Trevorton, where he took up and zealously pushed to completion a church which was unfinished when the priest died who formerly had been in charge of the congregation (he paid off the debt there) : the churches at Sunbury and Lewisburg : and the mis- sions at Herndon. Ralston and Trout Run. His mission extended from Ralston. Lycoming county, to Georgetown, Northumberland county, and in- elnded five churches and fifteen stations. For three years our subject made his headquarters

Father Koch was born Feb. 5, 1840, in Lor- raine, France, part of the Province of Alsace-Lor- raine which was ceded by France to Germany in 1871 after the war which ended in the triumph- ant march of the Germans to Paris, and his parents, John and Elizabeth ( Francois) Koch, were also natives of that Province. At the age of eight and a half years he entered the University of Pont- a-Mousson near Nancy, Lorraine, from which he at Milton, vigorously performing the multitude of was graduated Ang. 5, 1857, at the early age of duties incumbent upon him as the shepherd of so many flocks of the faithful in the adjacent country. seventeen years. He then entered the' Seminary at Nancy, having determined to study for the Under his pastorate the debts of St. Joseph's were

719

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

paid, the building repaired, and other substantial that the people might comfortably be accommo- improvements carried out. In August, 1866, Sha- dated and that none might be deprived of the mokin was organized into a parish, with Trevorton, Locust Gap and Mount Carmel as missions. Fa- ther Koch was appointed the first pastor, and re- moved to Shamokin Sept. 2, 1866, in obedience to orders transferring him to the larger sphere of usefulness and placing upon him the important re- sponsibility of enlarging and perfecting the or- ganization in behalf of his church in the coal re- gion of Northumberland county. He took control the second Sunday in September and was the first resident pastor of St. Edward's Church in Sha- mokin. privilege, which they so greatly desired, of attend- ing services. In the spring of 1869 a parochial residence was erected on a lot adjoining the church, at an expenditure of $8,500. Constantly the at- tendance upon the church increased and within a short period of time the congregation had grown so large that a new place of worship was an im- perative necessity. Ground was broken in the sum- mer of 1812, foundations were put in, and Sept. 14th Father Koeh laid the first stone in the wall of the church which is to-day the pride of the Cath- olics at Shamokin. The corner stone was laid with A brief review of the history of St. Edward's Church is necessary to a clear and satisfactory un- derstanding of the conditions which existed when Father Koch assumed charge of the church and the remarkable energy he displayed in the ac- impressive ceremonies May 23, 1873, by Bishop O'Hara of Scranton. A contract had been let for the entire stone work. but the contractor abandoned the work, an act which would utterly have dis- couraged a less energetic, less persevering man complishment of remarkable achievements in the than our subject. Determined that there should years which he has devoted to the church and the Catholics of Shamokin and vicinity. Many Cath- olics were employed in the construction of the Dan- ville & Pottsville railroad, and as early as 1838 Catholie services were held in Shamokin by the priests of Pottsville and Minersville. A half acre of land in the west end of the village was secured for a church and cemetery and in 1839 sufficient money had been raised to erect a frame edifice. 20 by 32 feet in dimensions, unplastered and very plain, on the southwest corner of the site. The leaders in this enterprise were Patrick Reilly, master mechanic in the railroad shops, and Mat- thew Brannigan, and the small church was built by Stephen Bittenbender. It was dedieated as St. Edward's Church, Oct. 11. 1840, by Bishop Ken- rick of Philadelphia. These early Catholics of the . little village of Shamokin were administered to by priests of Pottsville, Minersville, Danville and Mil- ton, and occasionally by a missionary, and thus their faith was kept fittingly before them and they rejoiced in their worship, though in a most hum- ble and scantily furnished church. Rev. Michael Sheridan, pastor of St. Joseph's Church, Danville. had charge of the congregation from 1854 to Oc- tober, 1852, when he was succeeded by Rev. Ed- ward Murray, who served as pastor for nearly nine years, giving way to Father Koeh in September, 1866.

Upon taking control of the Shamokin parish Father Koch immediately set out to infuse new life into the congregation and to build up the church. He soon bought the site upon which the present handsome edifice stands, for $3,400. The old frame building was demolished, giving way to a considerably larger edifice, which was opened on Thanksgiving Day, 1866. So rapidly did the con- gregation of St. Edward's increase under the able guidance of Father Koch that in the spring of 1867 it was necessary to further enlarge the church

be no unnecessary delay, Father Koch for the time acted as his own contractor, and hiring masons su- perintended the construction of the walls until they were ready for the roof, at the same time keeping up with his many pastoral duties. In Deeember, 1873, the roof was on, the tower was built and walks had been laid about the structure. On Christmas morning the first mass was celebrated in the basement of the new church, in which the services were held until June 6, 1880, when the finished church was dedieated. The edifiee is of white cut standstone, quarried from the mountain- side about a mile from Shamokin: its interior is 64 feet wide and 125 feet long, and the tower is 207 feet high. The completion of the building was delayed by the lack of funds, but Father Koeh hopefully and energetically kept at work and fi- nally was enabled to see the church finished in rea- sonable time. In November, 1876, a chime of four large bells was hung in the tower, weighing, with the fittings, 8,500 pounds. The frescoing in the interior was done in four months, under the direc- tion of a well known Philadelphia artist. Over the main' altar are paintings representing the Crucifixion, St. Patrick, and the patron of the church, St. Edward, the figures being life-size. In the center of the ceiling a beautiful fresco twenty-two feet in diameter portrays the "Resur- reetion of Christ" and is surrounded by figures of the four Evangelists, and around the walls are paintings of the twelve Apostles. Especially no- ticcable are two beautiful pieces of statuary stand- ing on either side of the altar, one representing "Christ meeting His Mother on His Way to Cal- vary," and the other "The Descent from the Cross," both of which were imported from France by Fa- ther Koch. The building is lighted with electrie- ity (St. Edward's was the first church in the world to be lighted with electricity) and heated by steam, and has a seating capacity of over one ..

720

. NORTHUMBERLAND COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

thousand, and as many as fourteen hundred per- papers of Sunbury, started in 1820 by Samuel J. sons have gathered within its walls.

Especial attention has been paid to educational facilities by Father Koch since he assumed charge of St. Edward's Church. In 1874 he organized a parochial school, using the old church as a school building, and opened it in September of that year. . was town clerk of the borough of Sunbury at an The school was for the first year of its existence in early date. His death occurred at his home near Paxinos. He married Julia Haas, daughter of Peter Haas, and their children were: John J. W .; Rosina, who married Jeremiah Bloom; and Fran- cis P., who died young and is buried in a small burying ground in Cumru township, Berks county. charge of lay teachers. In 1875 the school was placed under the supervision of four Sisters of Charity from Mount St. Vincent. New York, and in 1877 a convent was erected for them. Subse- quently a lot was purchased opposite the church and the present brick school was built, being com- . pleted in 1883-84. The school is now conducted by fourteen Sisters of Charity and has over seven hundred pupils.

The congregation of St. Edward's now numbers about four thousand souls, and of these over 2,650 are communicants. Its Sunday school is very large and the rector takes great pride in it.

For twenty-three years Father Koch has been vicar general of the Diocese of Harrisburg. On the death of Bishop McGovern, in 1898, he was ap- pointed administrator of the diocese.

St. Joseph's congregation at Locust Gap wor- shipped in the school building until 1870, when Father Koch erected a church costing $7,800, which was finished and dedicated Aug. 27, 1871. In 1872 he purchased four acres of land adjoining the village of Springfield for a cemetery, which was consecrated, and has since been used by the Catholics of this portion of the county.

JOHN J. W. SCHWARTZ, late of Shamokin, former . treasurer of Northumberland county, and for many years one of the most prominent and popular citizens of his borough, was born near Paxinos, in Shamokin township, this county, July 21, 1841, son of Francis Peter Schwartz. His great-grandfather was a native of Saxony, emi- grating in his youth to the New World, and serv- ing throughout the Revolution in the Continental army. In 1803 he located at Reading, Pennsyl- vania.

John Schwartz, grandfather of John J. W., settled at Sunbury, where he died and is buried. His children were: Maj. John; Francis Peter ; Anna, inarried to Jacob Seitzinger: Mary, mar- ried to John Ruch; and Elizabeth, married to Fred Haas.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Genealogical and biographical annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 2, Part 49

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