Genealogical and biographical annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 2, Part 77

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 77

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Fietta ( Snyder) Rothermel, and she died April 9, 1910, aged forty years. seven months, four days. She was a highly respected woman, and her funeral was largely attended, many neighbors and friends showing their sympathy for the be- reaved family. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born children as follows: Clements, Maud, Min- nie and Beulan (who died in 1908, aged six months). Mr. Brown and his family are Reformed members of the Salem Church, and he has served

JOHN F. BROWN, son of John and - Catharine

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of Upper Mahancy township, where he was born at Mount Pleasant, Schuylkill county, where he Dec. 13, 1845. He has passed all his life on his owned the hotel for a number of years. He sold father's homestead, working for his father until out the business about two years before his death, past his majority. After his father's death the and thereafter followed butchering. He died sud- property, consisting of sixty-five acres, came into denly, at the age of forty-three years. To him and his wife Rebecca (Hartlein) were born seven sons, only two of whom survive: Francis (who is in the wholesale flour business at Shamokin, l'a.) and John W.

his possession. One part of the house is very old, having been built probably more than a hundred years ago, and the rest of the buildings on the place were erected by John Brown, father of the present owner. Mr. Brown has been particularly interested in public school matters in his town- ship, and his services on the school board cover almost twenty years; he is still a member of that body. Politically he is a Democrat.

In May, 1873, Mr. Brown married Elmira Dietz, daughter of Jonas Dietz, whose father, Mi- chael Dietz (1806-1882), came to this section from Berks county. She died in Angust, 1874, at the early age of twenty-two years, the mother of one son, William Franklin, who now lives near Uniontown, Pa. Mrs. Brown was a member of the Reformed congregation at the Salem Church. for three years. For the next two and a half On Oct. 17, 1875, Mr. Brown married (second) Enna Elizabeth Kichl, daughter of George and Mary (Stahr) Kiehl, of Upper Mahanoy town- ship, but now of Ashland, Pa., and by this union there have been twelve children: Jane E., mar- ried to Wilson Reitz; Charles V., who married Sarah Mattern; John Preston, who married Sal- lie Trautman; Katie S., who died aged seventeen years, seven months, eighteen days; Sadie E., mar- ried to Charles Wiest; Farietta ; Froene Mabel, married to J. Allen Reed; Samuel W. ; one daugh- ter that died in infancy; Clarence O .; Lulu May, and Rosa Alverta. Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their family belong to the Reformed congregation of the Salem Union Church, at Rough and Ready, to which his parents also belonged. He has been an active member for inany years, having served as deacon, for many years as trustee, and since 1903 as elder.

JOHN W. HECK, merchant and justice of the peace at Marion Heights, this county, which forms' part of the borough of Keiser, has been one of the leading and most active citizens of that bor- ongh since its organization, and his influence has been felt in many of the most progressive move- ments in this section. Ile has been in business there in various lines ever since he settled in the place, and has held a number of the local offices, giving the same intelligent service in public affairs as he does in the conduct of his private interests.

Mr. Heck is of German descent, his grandfa- ther, Samtiel Heck, having come from his native Germany when a young man and settled in Mary- land, in which State he passed the remainder of his life. He followed the milling business.

John W. Heck, son of John W. and Rebecca (Hartlein) Heck, was born in 1859 at Mount Pleasant, Schuylkill Co., Pa. He was brought to Northumberland county when six years old, and grew up in Shamokin township, where he at- tended the public schools until he reached the age of fourteen years. We then went to the Freeburg Academy, in Snyder county, for three terms, after which he began work. Locating at Reed's sta- tion he was employed in the manufacture of smok- ing tobacco for some time, and then located at Paxinos, where he followed the butcher business years he was with the Reading. Company, after which he taught school at Paxinos for two terms. Then for three years he was superintendent of the Paxinos store, for Mrs. Littlehail, spending the next three years with George W. Minthin, whom he bought out. He continued in the business as pro- prietor for two and a half years, when he sold out, in 1897 making a trip to Alaska, prospect- ing. He was eleven months and fourteen days on this interesting journey. Upon his return he located at Freeburg for a year and a half, remoy- ing thence to Ashland, Schuylkill county, where he became manager of the "Ashland House." While there he was granted a license, in 1899, at Marion Heights, being the first in the place to obtain a license as hotel-keeper, but he continued for a time at Ashland, being there from 1898 to November, 1899. He has since been a resident of Marion Heights. In 1901 he built a fine three- 'storied hotel in the eastern part of the town and conducted same until May, 1902, at which time he sold to Lewis Zuschin. He has since been en- gaged in the mercantile business, carrying a large general stock, besides flour and feed, and in 1904 built the fine store and dwelling, 36 hy 4S feet in dimensions, which he has since ocenpied.

There has been no more publie-spirited citizen in Keiser than Mr. Heck. He was the leader in the movement which resulted in the formation of the borough of Keiser, in 1905, and in February, 1906, he was elected the first justice of the peace, which office he is still filling. The first chief bur- gess was Joseph Lucas. Mr. Ileck has also served as. clerk of the council and as secretary of the school board. He is a Democrat in political con- viction, and though the borough could boast but

John W. Heck, son of Samuel, was born in eleven Democrats in the fall of 1906, at a normal Maryland, and coming to Pennsylvania located election, there were seventy-six votes cast for a

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Democrat who was a good loeal man, the influence Catholic Church of Shamokin, and fraternally be- of citizens like Mr. Heek being apparent on such longs to the Knights of Columbus. occasions. He was formerly a member of the I. O. O. F., the K. G .. E. and the P. O. S. of A. WILLIAM S. KAHLER, who has been a

In 1879 Mr. Heek married Clara Menges, farmer in Upper Mahanoy township since 1876, daughter of George W. Menges, of Freeburg, Pa., and to them have been born seven children, four

belongs to a family which has been located in Jun- iata county, Pa., since his grandfather, Philip of whom survive: George, Leroy (married to Re- Kahler, came to this country from Germany, about becca Hoover, and living in Philadelphia), Mary E. and Maude F. The family are Lutherans in .religious connection.

1852. He landed at Castle Garden, New York, and thence proceeded at once to Juniata county, settling in the woods in a region then sparsely populated and unimproved. He had to clear the land before he eould commence its eultivation,

JOHN J. CAMPTON, funeral director and embalmer, of Shamokin, has been engaged in that erected the first buildings on the tract, and was line of business in the borough for a period of thirty years, since 1880. He is located at No. 410 Webster street, and has facilities for the eonveni- ent handling of the excellent trade he has estab- lished.

a pioneer in every sense of the word. He took up 250 acres, but sold some of it, and became a prosperous farmer, his industry and well direeted energy bringing him a good living. He and his wife were buried at Leininger's Church in the Lutheran. Mr. and Mrs. Philip Kahler had chil- dren as follows : Margaretha married Henry Ford; Barbara married Barney Fogel, who was of Ger- man extraetion ; William and George both became farmers in Greenwood township, Juniata county, where the daughters also lived, their husbands be- ing farmers there.

Mr. Campton was born in 1852 in Trevorton, locality where they settled. In religion he was a Northumberland county, son of James and An- nie (Buggey) Campton, natives of Ireland. The father came to this eountry from County Tipper- ary when a young man, with his wife and small family, and they made their first settlement in Schuylkill county, later moving to Trevorton, where Mr. Campton followed mining. He was killed while at work in the mines, in 1852, at Donaldson; he is buried at Minersville, Sehuyl- Germany, and was about fourteen years old when kill eounty. Mrs. Campton died at Shamokin. They had a large family, namely : Mary A., Jo- passed the rest of his life in Greenwood township, anna, Ellen, Margaret, Catherine. Sarah, Eliza- Juniata Co., Pa., dying there in October, 1890, beth and John J.

George Kahler, son of Philip, was a native of he eame with his parents to this country. He at the age of sixty-two years. He owned a farm of 130 aeres, and was an enterprising agricul- ers of his neighborhood. He was a Democrat, and

John J. Campton began attending sehool at Trevorton. He was eight years old when he came turist, becoming one of the most successful farm- to Shamokin, where he has since lived, and on commeneing work learned the cabinetmaker's served his township many years in the office of trade, at which he was engaged until he went in- supervisor. He and his family were of the Luth- to the undertaking business, in 1880. He is well fitted for his business, both by training and by experience, and has his full share of the local pat- ronage.

eran faith, and were members of Leininger's Church, where he is buried. To his first mar- riage, with Amelia Snyder, daughter of Jonas Snyder, were born the following children : Cath- Mr. Campton married Minie L. Cobb, daugh- ter of Gaurdner Cobb, late of Shamokin, and they have had children as follows: Normand, born Nov. 22, 1883, who died when four years old; James, born Jan. 6, 1885, who died when fourteen months old ; Gilbert, born April 2, 1886; Eva, born Aug. arine married William Feltman : Louisa married Amos Howerter : Philip died in infancy: William S. is mentioned below: Susanna married Jaeob Mitterling. For his second wife Mr. Kahler mar- ried Lydia Hallman, and they had two children: Edward, now a resident of Schuylkill county, 28, 1887; John, born Nov. 2, 1888 .; Gordner, Pa. : and George H., of Jackson township, North- born Feb. 7, 1890, who died in infaney: Arthur. umberland Co., Pennsylvania.

George, born March 2, 1894, who died when four- Greenwood township, Juniata Co., Pa., and be- born Aug. 8, 1891: Edward, born Feb. 28, 1893;

teen months old : Joseph, born April 21, 1895, who died when fourteen months old: William, born April 15, 1896, who died when ten months old; Harry, born April 2, 1897; Anna, born Nov. 5, 189 -; Margaret, born Nov. 4. 1901: Laura, born July 3, 1902; Charles, born April 22, 1906; and he had come to Upper Mahanoy township. North- two sons that died in infancy unnamed.

Mr. Campton is a member of St. Edward's

William S. Kahler was born Aug. 9, 1856, in gan his education in the subscription schools of the home district, later attending the public schools. In his twenty-third year he commenced to learn the carpenter's trade, which he followed for nine years. Meantime, in the fall of 1876, Cumberland county, and at once located on the farm which has since been his home. After giving most

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of his attention to farming for several years he was married to a Spiece, and another to a DeTurk. purehased a steam threshing outfit, the second One of the Warys is buried at Mahanoy, one at to be put into operation in the locality, and for Herb's Church. The tradition that the emigrant nineteen years. did threshing. He has also sawed ancestor was a Hessian soldier may be correct, considerable timber, and sinee 1894 has operated as no Howerter appears among the immigrants a cider press, inaking large quantities of cider. to this country recorded in the Pennsylvania Ar- Besides his home farm he owns a place of forty- chives. seven acres lying along the road between Leck

Johan Adam Howerter, one of the sons of .

Kill and Line Mountain, formerly the Elias How- Adam Howerter who accompanied him to North-

umberland county, was born Aug. 24, 1769. and died Feb. 14, 1847. His wife, Catharine (Diehl). as is shown by the fact that he has been honored born Nov. 29, 1772, died May 18, 1851. They had no .children. They are buried at Howerters

erter homestead. Mr. Kahler is regarded by all his. associates as a man of ability and intelligence, with official recognition in the various phases of the life of the community with which he has been Church.

Johan Peter Howerter, the other son of Adam

identified. He is a Demoerat in politics, has been school director of the township and is at present Howerter who came with his father to Northum- supervisor; has been deacon of St. James (How- berland county, was born Nov. 4, 1772, and owned erters) Church, where he and his family worship; a 130-acre farm near Howerters Church, in Up- and is a past grand of Eureka Lodge, No. 260, per Mahanoy township, where he died May 6, I. O. O. F., of Leck Kill, in which he has passed 1862. This place is now owned by George Paul. all the chairs. He was one of the prominent members of Hower- In 1880 Mr. Kahler married Mary Howerter, ters Church, in which he held various official po- only daughter of Elias and Caroline (Leffler) sitions, and he was one of the building masters when the first church was erected. That edifice stood until replaced by the present building, in 1893, which his grandson, Amos Howerter, helped to build. His family are also buried there. He Howerter, and they are the parents of two chil- dren : Katie married Francis M. Paul, of Shamo- kin, Pa., and has one ehild, Verna; Francis. H., who is an engineer, married Eliza Paul, dangh- ter of William Paul, and they have one son, Clar- married Elizabeth Diehl. who was born Aug. 27. enee W.

1778, daughter of Johannes Diehl, and sister of his brother's wife Catharine. Mrs. Howerter died July 6, 1860, the mother of children as follows: Solomon : Peter : Daniel : Abraham ; Elizabeth, Mrs. Peter Zerfink : Catharine, Mrs. Peter Stoudt ; and Polly, Mrs. Daniel Bloomn.

HOWERTER. Adam Howerter, the first known ancestor of a family numerously represent- ed in Berks and Northumberland counties, Pa., was born Sept. 2, 1742, and died in what is now Upper Mahanoy township, Northumberland Co.,

Solomon 'Howerter, son of Johan Peter How- Pa., near Howerters Church, Dec. 6, 1819. The erter, was born on the homestead Feb. 1, 1805, · inscription on his tombstone says "born in Chester and was a lifelong fariner in Upper Mahanoy county," but family tradition has it that he was township, living on a 120-acre farm on the south one of the Hessian soldiers brought here. by the side of Line Mountain, not far from Howerters English government during the Revolutionary war, after which he settled in Chester county, Pa. Abont 1786 he located in Longswamp township, Berks eounty, where in 1790 the Federal Census Report records him as the head of a family of

Church. It was located on the road crossing Line Mountain to Shamokin. There he died June 25. 1878, and his wife, Mary ( Hepler), born Feb. ? , 1808, died June 14, 1876. They are buried at. Howerters Church. They were the parents of ten three sons and four daughters. The eldest son, children: Elias. who died June 30, 1907. aged seventy-nine years, three months, six days, lived that time had no children. He is said to have re- in Upper Mahanoy, and his only child was Mary, mained in Berks eounty, but Adam and his other Henry, was already married in that year, but at four daugliters, came to the Mahantango Valley, now the wife of William S. Kaller, of that town- children, sons Johan Adam and Johan Peter and ship: Catharine married Godfried Schreffler : Benneville lives in Juniata county, Pa. : Charles settling in that district now embraced in Upper is a resident of Crawford county, Ill. : Jared lives Mahanoy township, where the father took up a in Shamokin. Pa. : Judith married Jacob Conrad. large tract of land, some of which he cleared, and they live in Shamokin ; Luzena and Augustus erecting the first set of buildings thereon. He died young: Amos is mentioned below: Aaron and his wife Catharine, who according to the (deceased) lived in Girardville, Pennsylvania. tombstone inseription was born in Europe Dec.

Anos Howerter, son of Solomon, was born Oct. 23, 1748, and died April 23, 1819, are buried at 2. 1844, in Upper Mahanoy township, and was Howerters Church. They were Lutherans in reli- there reared. When twenty-one he began to learn gion, as are their descendants. Three of their the carpenter's trade, which he followed for six- daughters married brothers named Wary, another teen years in Upper Mahanoy and at the coal min-

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ing towns, building a number of houses and barns and doing work at the breakers; he employed as many as four men. In the spring of 1879 he be- gan farmning at his- present place in Upper Ma- hanoy, having a sixty-eight-acre farm on the road leading across Line Mountain to Shamokin, be- sides which he owns twenty-five acres of moun- tain land. He built the house on liis home prop- erty several years before he began farming there, and all the buildings are of his construction and the first to be built upon that land. He put up the others when he settled down to farming there. Mr. Howerter has been a useful citizen. has served his township three years as school director, and has been an active member of the Lutheran con- gregation of Howerters Union Church, to which his family also belong. He has served as deacon and trustee, is at present an elder, and was build- ing master when the present church edifice was erected. In politics he is a Democrat.

On Jan. 29, 1874, Mr. Howerter married Loui- sa Kahler, daughter of George Kahler, who lived in Juniata county, Pa., and they have had chil- dren as follows: William I., who lives on a tract of fifty-four acres formerly owned by his ances- tor's brother, Johan Adam Howerter, the latter's property, however, being much larger in extent ; George Monroe: Catherine N., who married Wil- son Wagner and lives in Shamokin; Emma L .; Mary E .; Edward A .; Amelia M., and Freeman Amos.

George Monroe Howerter, son of Amos, was born Jan. 14. 1878, on his father's farm and ob- tained his education in the common schools of the locality. He worked for his father until he was past twenty-one, and in the fall of 1905 began farming on his present placc, which contains · thirty-eight acres, near the Schuylkill county line, and upon which he has made a number of im- provements since it came into his possession, in- cluding the summer house which he built in 1909. This property was first owned by George Geist, later by Daniel Geist, who built the dwelling, then by William Geist, who built the barn in 1879, and subsequently by Daniel Klock, whom Mr. Howerter succeeded. Mr. Howerter sells his pro- duee in Shamokin, and he is a good business man as well as a thrifty farmer.

On May 31, 1902, he married Amanda Rebuck, daughter of John and Saralı ( Rebuck ) Rebuck, and granddaughter of Elias and Mary ( Reitz) Rebuck and ot (maternally ) Conrad and Lucy (Shott) Rebuck. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Howerter : Mary Florence, George William and Emma Sylvia. Mr. and Mrs. How- erter are Lutheran members of St. Jacob's ( How -. erters) Church in Upper Mahanoy township. Po- and had children : and two whose names are not litically he is a Democrat.

ADAM'S OR ADAM. There are numerous rep- resentatives of the Adam or Adams family in Northumberland county. Its history in America goes back to the first half of the eighteenthi century, when Anthony Adam, a potter by trade, emigrated to tliesc shores. He sailed from Rot- terdam on the snow "Molly," commanded by Capt. John Cranchi, which vessel arrived at Philadelphia, and the passengers, having taken the oath of allegiance to the Englishi sovereign, were qual- ified to land Oct. 26, 1:41. Anthony Adam's age is entered on the passenger list as twenty-five years, and one account says he was born in the Father- land, another that he was a French Huguenot. On Feb. 7, 1748, he received from the proprietaries of the Province of Pennsylvania a warrant for a tract of 136 acres, 146 perches of land in Albany township, then a part of Philadelphia county. This land was surveyed for him by the surveyor general of the Province, June 6, 1752. It is probable that he settled in Albany township imme- diately after his arrival in the New World, as he was a settler there in 1752, and he witnessed and participated in the trying times of the French and Indian wars. His farm is now in the pos- session of Nathan Weisner, of Round Top, Albany township, Berks county. On Feb. 7, 1748, he also received a warrant for a tract of 135 acres, 47 perches "above Maxatawny," and in 1761 he sold 140 acres of his land in Albany township to John Reinhard. He was administrator of the estate of Albrecht Stimmnel, of Albany township, in 1766. being the chief creditor. His administra- tion account was audited and approved in De- cember, 1:68. The date of death of Anthony (or Andoni, as he wrote his name) Adam, of Albany township, is not known. Neither do we know the name of his wife, but it is known that he had sons : Abraham, Anthony and Bernhard, who moved to Schuylkill county, Pa. : and Peter.

Bernhard Adam, son of Andoni, was a pio- neer in Northumberland county, settling in Wash- ington township on the farmi now owned by a descendant, Adam Cornelius Adams, and ten- anted by the latter's son, Clements I. Adams. It has been in the family for five generations. Bernhard Adam followed farming. He and his wife clung to the Reformed faith, and they are buried at the Himmel Church. They had cight children: John, who had sons Gabriel and Abrahamı; Nicholas, who lived at Springville, in Schuylkill county (his wife's maiden name was Hoffa ) : Catharine : Absalom, who had sons Nich- olas and Abraham, the latter of whom lived at Hoofland, in Jordan township : Bernhard. the next in the line we are tracing: Charles, who married known.

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Bernhard Adam, son of Bernhard, was born May 14, 1793, in Berks county, Pa., and coming to what is now Washington township, North- umberland county, married Salome Ferster (or Furster), who was born June 3, 1796, and died Nov. 19, 1846. He died Aug. 25, 1864, and they are buried at the Himmel Church, where they worshipped, being members of the Reformed congregation. Bernhard Adam served that church officially many years, as deacon, elder and trustee. He was a farmer by occupation, owning the home- stead of his father, a tract of 139 acres, now owned by Adam Cornelius Adams. On that property he built a barn which was destroyed by lightning in the nineties. He took great delight in hunt- ing, and shot a deer in the district where many of his descendants now live. A bear was also one of his hunting trophies, and he bore an ex- cellent reputation as a marksman.

The. following children were born to Bernhard and Salome Adam : Polly married Jonathan Heim and they went West; Isaac never married; a daughter who married Daniel Klock went West, settling in Illinois; Sarah married John Held and moved out to Illinois; Bernhard is men- tioned later; Lena married James Troutman ; David, born April 1, 1837, died in Washington township July 16, 188?, and is buried at Him- . mel's Church, as is also his wife, Harriet Byerly, born July 19, 1844, died Oct. 20, 1890; Hannah married Philip Graser and moved West.

Bernhard Adam, son of Bernhard and Salome Adam, was the third of the name to own the homestead farm. He was born Nov. 5, 1827, in Washington (then Jackson) township, and died . on his home farm in that township, Oct. 17, 1905. A lifelong farmer, he prospered in his work to the extent that he acquired three farms, the one of 150 acres on which he lived, another of 120 acres and a third of 148 acres. He was an active member of the Reformed congregation at Himmel's Church, attending services regularly and holding all the church offices. His wife, Matilda (Zerfing), daughter of Jacob Zerfing (whose wife was a Klock), was born March 25, 1832, and died Sept. 3, 1899. They were the parents of sixteen children, namely : Sallie mar- ried Erisman Adam; Andrew is mentioned below : James Washington, born in 1853, died in 1891, unmarried ; Clinton died young; Mary married John Tyson and they live at Shamokin. this county; Lafayette married Catharine Starr; Joseph died small ; Adam Cornelius is mentioned below ; Turrell died when young: Monroe married Emma Fegley; Cassie, twin of Monroe, mar- ried . Henry Crissinger, and is deceased; Samuel lives in Dauphin county : Jemima died young : Richard lives at Gratztown, Pa .: Miranda inar- ried Francis Schlegel; Jacob died out West.

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Genealogical and biographical annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, Vol. 2, Part 77

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