USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 109
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 109
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three children, namely: Leonard, Thomas and John.
8. Winifred, deceased.
9. Catherine.
EVAN D. JONES. One of the oldest, active engineers in the service of the Scranton Coal Company is Evan D. Jones, of Scranton. His father, Evan Jones, emigrated from England to the United States in 1866. His wife was Mary Protheroe. In his native country Mr. Jones was a contractor, and for some time after coming to the United States followed that occupation. Sub- sequently he was in the service of the Scranton Coal Company. He and his wife were the par- ents of the following children: George, Alfred, Edward, Evan D., mentioned at length hereafter ; and Edith. The mother of these children died in England. The father of the family, who has at- tained to the venerable age of ninety years, is to- day in the enjoyment of excellent health.
Evan D. Jones, son of Evan and Mary (Pro- theroe) Jones, was born December 16, 1848, in England, and was educated in his native country, attending the common schools. He turned his attention to locomotive engineering, which he practiced until 1871, when he emigrated to the United States, arriving on April 14, of that year. He went direct to Scranton, where he was en- gaged as engineer by the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company. He remained in their service until September 16, 1877, when he entered upon the duties of his present position with the Scran- ton Coal Company. In all the twenty-seven years during which Mr. Jones has held this responsible office he has never met with an accident. He is highly appreciated by the company for his long and faithful service. He is the owner of three well built houses, which were erected under his personal supervision, and in one of which he makes his home. He belongs to the I. O. O. F. He is a devoted member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he serves on the official board.
Mr. Jones married in 1865, Mary A. Jones, and among the eight children born to them are the following: Alfred, Archibald, George W., and Walter.
JACOB GROMLICH. No one abler or more energetic in his chosen calling than Jacob Gromlich, of Dunmore, can be found in all Lack- awanna county. The family to which Mr. Grom- lich belongs is of German origin, but has been for several generations resident in Pennsylvania.
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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.
John Gromlich was born in Bucks county. Pennsylvania, and in early life was a boatman, but subsequently engaged in the lumber business which he followed for his remaining years. He was a member of the firm of Washburn, Norman & Company, lumber manufacturers. He built the first mill beyond Moscow, called Gromlich's and Staples' mill, and owned about eleven hundred acres of timber land which he cleared of the lum- ber with which it was covered. He enjoyed the reputation of a thoroughgoing and upright busi- ness man. He married Sarah Smith, also a na- tive of Bucks county, and they were the parents of twelve children, all of whom are living: John and Jerry (twins) ; Jacob, mentioned at length hereafter: Alice, Susie, Mary, Annie, Mahlon, David, George, Gertie, and Sadie. Mrs. Grom- lich, the mother of these children, died June 7, 1902, deeply lamented by her family and friends. Mr. Gromlich, who has now retired from active life, resides at Maplewood, Pennsylvania.
Jacob Gromlich, son of John and Sarah (Smith) Gromlich, was born June 11, 1862, in Hamburg. Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and re- ceived his education in the common schools of Wayne county, whither his parents moved in 1866. In 1884 he entered the service of the Penn- sylvania Coal Company, and worked on the old Gravity railroad. At the end of a year he was made track hand, and after working in that ca- pacity for three years became a fireman on the same road, which position he held for two years. He was then engaged for four years in running cars, and at the end of that time was given charge of Gipsey Grove and No. 1. colliery and warehouses. These he superintended for six years, and in 1900 was promoted to his present position of outside foreman of No. 5 colliery, sit- uated at Dunmore. This shaft was sunk in 1882. and the breaker built in the following year. The shaft is three hundred feet deep with four veins of coal, and in this mine there are three hundred men employed. In and around the breaker there are eighty-six hands constantly at work, over whom Mr. Gromlich exercises the most humane control, with equal consideration for the rights of employers and employed. Previous to 1894 Mr. Gromlich lived on a farm which in that year he sold, and then became a resident of Dunmore. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Mr. Gromlich married. May 20, 1880, Carrie, daughter of Henry Masters, and they are the parents of the following children: William. Sadie, who is the wife of Floyd Munson and has
one child, Raymond Munson ; Florence, Kenneth, Mabel, Erma, Laura, and Carrie Gromlich.
NEWTON A. WALLACE. A worthy type of the prosperous and popular dairy farmer of Lackawanna county is presented in Newton A. Wallace, of Clark's Summit. Mr. Wallace comes of old Pennsylvania stock, his ancestors on both sides having been for a century residents of the Keystone state. William Wallace was born Jan- uary 3, 1794, in Dutchess county, New York. He was a farmer and also followed the shoemaker's trade. His wife was Miriam Ferris, and they were the parents of the following children : Mary E., John, George, Minerva, Irene, William W., mentioned hereafter ; Elmira, Zipron F., and Rebecca J.
William W. Wallace, son of William and Miriam (Ferris) Wallace, was born in Clifford, Pennsylvania, and married Elizabeth Cobb, a na- tive of the same place. Their children were: Sarah A., Ida E., Newton A., mentioned here- after ; and Wallen E.
Newton A. Wallace, son of William W. and Elizabeth (Cobb) Wallace, was born in 1868, in Greenfield township, where he received his edu- cation. When his school days were over he turned his attention to agricultural pursuits, his fitness for which was soon demonstrated by the success which from the beginning of his career has attended him. He is the owner of a fine dairy farm where he conducts a flourishing busi- ness. Mr. Wallace married in 1891, Clara Knapp, and they have two children: Iva, born in February, 1893; and Robert, born in July, 1896.
Mrs. Wallace is the great-granddaughter of Zephaniah and Mary (Fellows) Knapp, natives of England, who emigrated to the United States and settled in New York state, where their son William G. was born. The latter, about 1800, moved to Pennsylvania and made his home in Abington township, where he purchased a large farm. This he maintained in a high state of cultivation, becoming one of the leading farmers of the township. He married Sally Coolbaugh, also a native of New York state, and their chil- dren were: Ruia, Niles H., mentioned at length hereafter : and Margaret. Mr. Knapp was a use- ful and influential citizen, possessing the fullest confidence of his townsmen.
Niles H. Knapp, son of William G. and Sally (Coolbaugh) Knapp, was born in 1838. in South Abington township. He was a practical farmer and his land was always well cultivated and pro-
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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.
duced the best crops. He married Anna M. Harrington, a descendant of Andrew Harring- ton, who came from England prior to the Revo- lutionary war, and settled in Connecticut. His children were: Phineas, born in January, 1769; Jesse, born in 1700; Kezia, born in 1772; Abel, born in 1776; Sarah, born in 1782; Sina, born in 1784; and Kezia (second), born in 1794. Anna M. (Harrington) Knapp died in June, 1901.
Abel Harrington, probably a brother of An- drew Harrington, was twice married. His first wife was Isabelle - - , and his second Cather- ine - By his second marriage he was the father of the following children : Phoebe, Lloyd, James, Ezekiel, and Hezekiah. The last-named was the first of the family to emigrate from Con- necticut to Pennsylvania. He married Sarah Burton and the following children were born to them : Anna, who became the wife of Niles H. Knapp, as mentioned above; Nancy, Mary, Julia, Harriet, George, and Henry. Mr. and Mrs. Knapp were the parents of one daughter, Clara, born in 1868, in South Abington township, and became the wife of Newton A. Wallace, as men- tioned above. Mr. Knapp died March 5, 1904, at the age of sixty-six. He was a man whose sterling qualities commanded the respect of all.
WILLIAM H. SWALLOW. One of the well-known farmers of South Abington township is William H. Swallow, of Clark's Green. Mr. Swallow belongs to a family of Huguenot origin which was planted in England by ancestors who were forced to flee from the religious persecution to which they were subjected in their native France. Subsequently the family migrated to America.
Joseph Swallow was born in New Jersey. whence, as a young man, he moved to Pennsyl- vania and settled in what was then Luzerne county, making his home at Inkerman, where he purchased one hundred acres of land. This land was afterward sold to the Pennsylvania Coal Company. Mr. Swallow married Mary Cooper, and they were the parents of the following chil- dren: George, Benjamin, Daniel, mentioned at length hereafter : Miner, Elizabeth, Phoebe, Mary Ann, and James. Of this number all are now deceased with the exception of Elizabeth and Mary Ann. Mr. Swallow, the father of the family, died in 1860 at an advanced age.
Daniel Swallow, son of Joseph and Mary (Cooper) Swallow, was born July 13, 1813, in Luzerne county, and in 1854 moved to South Abington ' township, where he purchased one hundred acres of land upon which he lived dur-
ing the remainder of his life. He was an ener- getic and prosperous farmer. His wife was Mary Knapp and the following children were born to them: William H., mentioned at length hereinafter ; Minerva O., who became the wife of Freeman Leach; Welding M., who is now the owner of the homestead; Clarissa ; and Daniel W .; both of whom are deceased. The death of Mr. Swallow, who was a man universally re- spected for his sterling worth of character, oc- curred in 1877. His widow is still living.
William H. Swallow, son of Daniel and Mary (Knapp) Swallow, was born in 1842, in Pitts- ton township, and was still a boy when his par- ents moved to South Abington township, of which he has since been a continuous resident. All his life has been devoted to agricultural pur- suits, and success has uniformly crowned his labors. He has lived on his present farm for the last fourteen years, the fine condition of the estate testifying to the industry and ability of the owner. Mr. Swallow takes a lively interest in all that concerns the well-being of the community in which he resides, and his good qualities as a citizen are highly appreciated by his neighbors, who elected him for four years to the office of supervisor. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. Politically he is a Republican, and his church connections are with the Methodist Episcopal de- nomination.
Mr. Swallow married in 1881, Mrs. Elizabeth (Hopper) Deacon, and they have one son, Dan- iel W., who is a student at State College. Centre county, Pennsylvania. The Reverend Silas C. Swallow, who was one of the presidential candi- dates at the recent election, is cousin to Mr. Swallow, being the son of his father's brother George, mentioned above.
WILLIAM J. APPLEMAN. One of the leading men of the borough of Throop is Wil- liam J. Appleman. His father, Martin V. Ap- pleman, was born in Belvidere, New Jersey, and for nearly thirty years was connected with the Carter axe works. He married Frances C., daughter of James P. Whitley, who was born in England, and in the early fifties emigrated to the United States. He was a contract miner and subsequently became a general contractor, and was a thorough business man. His wife was Sarah P. Easby, a native of Clark's Summit, and a descendant of early settlers in the Lackawanna Valley, in every part of which the family is rep- resented by worthy and loyal citizens. Mr. and Mrs. Whitley were the parents of the following children: Frances C., mentioned above as the
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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.
wife of Martin V. Appleman ; Alonzo, Angeline, Harriet, and Augusta, deceased. Mr. and Mrs. years have been residents of the Lackawanna valley.
Appleman were the parents of one son, William J., mentioned at length hereafter. They are still living in the enjoyment of the fruits of well- spent lives.
William J. Appleman, son of Martin V. and Frances C. (Whitley) Appleman, was born No- vember 14, 1865, in Providence, Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, and received his education in the common schools of his native town. For twenty-three years he has been connected in one capacity or another with the Pancoast Coal Com- pany and the Price Coal Company. In 1886 he became paymaster for the former, and in Decem- ber, 1900, when its interest was bought out by the latter, retained his position. He has always taken an active part in public affairs, and has been honored by his fellow-citizens with various marks of their appreciation. For six years he has served in the council as president of that body, and is now treasurer of the borough of Throop. From 1882 to 1900 he held the office of notary public. In 1901 he was appointed postmaster of Throop, and this office he still retains. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Encampment and the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Appleman married, in 1886, Kate, daughter of John and Jemima Davis, and they had one child, Kate D., who was born Decem- ber 29, 1897. The death of Mrs. Appleman oc- curred January 6, 1898.
WILLIAM J. BROAD, station agent for the Delaware & Hudson Company, at Jessup, Pennsylvania, is one of the unassuming yet cour- ageous citizens of his borough. For sixteen years Mr. Broad has seen the trains come and go on the road, and he is the second permanent agent to hold that office since the road was opened. He is a native of Fairbury, Illinois, the date of his birth being August 9, 1868. The family are of English extraction, and settled in New York state at an early date in the history of the country.
Jesse Broad (grandfather) was a native of Massachusetts. His wife, Anna (Canfield) Broad, was a daughter of a Mr. Canfield, who participated as a soldier in the Revolutionary war and was present at the surrender of Gen- eral Cornwallis. Jay D. Broad (father) and Matilda (Barns) Broad (mother) are natives of New York state. They were the parents of two children, but William J. is the only sur- vivor. Both Mr. and Mrs. Broad are living at
the present time (1904), and for the past fifteen
William J. Broad was reared and educated at Wells Bridge, New York. In 1887 he be- came night operator for the Delaware & Hud- son Company, and in 1888 was removed to Peckville, where he has remained a faithful and trusted employee ever since. Previous to 1899 it was no unusual thing for Mr. Broad to find his station broken open on his return to his of- fice in the morning. This was not only a source of annoyance, but a loss as well, for whatever change was left in the depot was stolen. After his patience became exhausted, he placed a bur- glar alarm in the office and connected it with his house about a mile distant. This alarm aroused him one night, and hastily repairing to his office, accompanied by other men, caught five burglars in the office. They surrounded the depot and demanded a surrender, but instead they received a volley from well loaded but poor- ly aimed pistols. After a number of shots were exchanged, three burglars were injured. Mr. Broad bringing one down with his gun, but the others escaped in the darkness. Mr. Broad shot him in the right shoulder and made a dangerous wound, but he recovered and served five years for his unlawful act. This episode put a stop to the burglaries in. the office of the Delaware & Hudson Company .. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Independ- ent Order of Red Men, and chief of the Peck- ville fire department since 1898, the duties of which he performs in a manner both pleasing and acceptable to all who have an interest in it.
December 24, 1892, Mr. Broad was united in marriage to May L. Taylor, who was born in Peckville, Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, in 1869. a daughter of the late Daniel P. and Lydia Taylor. The union of Mr. and Mrs. Broad has been blessed with one child, Winfield T., born in 1894.
Daniel P. Taylor, father of Mrs. Broad, was born in Greenfield, Lackawanna county, Penn- sylvania, April 13, 1829, a son of Stephen and Phoebe (Gladden) Taylor, who were the par- ents of four children, two of whom are living, namely: Mrs. Oakly and Miss Lydia Taylor. Daniel P. Taylor was reared on a farın up to his sixteenth year. At the age of seventeen he en- tered the employ of the Delaware & Hudson Company as driver on No. 2 curve on the grav- ity road. He was subsequently transferred to the Blakely train, running between Archbald and Carbondale, and this position he filled for
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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.
three years. He was next placed at the head of No. I plane at Archbald; after three years he was transferred to the carpenters' gang un- der Mr. H. L. Corwin, and helped in the survey between Archbald and Olyphant. He also worked with the machinists' gang, putting in the stationery engines. In 1859 he was appointed engineer at plane E, which was located at Peckville, to which place he moved from Arch- bald. In 1869, at his own request, he was trans- ferred to the carpenters' gang, but on account (. failing health was put in charge of Archbald crossing in the year 1895. Mr. Taylor was a member of Hiram Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, for over forty years, and for thirty- one years was a member of the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows. In 1852 Mr. Taylor mar- ried Miss Lydia Heirlihy, of Scott township, Lackawanna county, and their children were: Frank L., deceased ; William H., Ella E., Henry, and Mary L., aforementioned as the wife of William J. Broad. Mr. Taylor died in 1901, his wife in 1903.
JOHN E. WILLIAMS has held the posi- tion of outside foreman of one of the seven col- lieries belonging to the Temple Iron Company since 1899, for which office of trust and respon- sibility he is eminently qualified both by expe- rience and his expert workmanship. This col- liery is situated in the borough of Blakely, but is under the management of the Lackawanna Coal Company. This shaft was sunk in 1881, is two hundred feet deep, and was in operation in 1882. It gives employment to about seven hundred hands, two hundred of whom are un- der the supervision of Mr. Williams.
Thomas Williams, father of John E. Will- iams, emigrated to this country from South Wales in 1862. He was a blacksmith by trade, which line of work he followed during his en- tire active career, and by industry and thrift he was enabled to provide a home for his family wherein they enjoyed all the necessaries of life and some of its comforts. His religious views coincided with those of the Baptist Church, in which he held membership, and his political al- legiance was given to the Republican party. In 1864, two years subsequent to his arrival in the United States, Mr. Williams sent for his wife- Ann (Davis) Williams-and children, who were anxiously awaiting the summons in their home in South Wales. Thirteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Williams, seven of whom at- tained years of maturity and are now living : Mrs. Elizabeth Reid, Mrs. Mary Smith, Mrs.
Susanna Ely, Mrs. Elvira McLane, Mrs. Emma Bowman, Thomas, a blacksmith by trade; and John E., mentioned hereafter.
John E. Williams was born in South Wales in 1854, and when ten years of age was brought to this country by his mother to meet his fath- er, who had established a home for them in the borough of Blakely. He attended the public school adjacent to his home and there by close application to his studies acquired a practical education. Like other boys who have been brought up in sight of a breaker, he entered it as the initiatory step in mining. Having de- cided to follow in the footsteps of his father in business life, he learned the trade of blacksmith, at which he worked for several years, and then added to it the machinist trade, which he fol- lowed for seventeen years, and this practical knowledge made his services indispensable to the company. He has been actively identified with the present company for twenty-two years in the various capacities of blacksmith, ma- chinist and foreman. With the exception of five years spent in blacksmithing in the state of Ma- ryland, his home has been in the Lackawanna valley. He has served on the Blakely borough school board 'for a period of six years with. credit to himself and his fellow-citizens. Po- litically he adheres to the principles of Repub- licanism, and fraternally he affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
In 1877 Mr. Williams married Emma Thomas, . daughter of John and Margaret Thomas, also natives of Wales, the former named having been the first hoss employed by the Elkhill Coal and Iron Company in 1861. Eight chil- dren were the issue of this marriage, three of whom are living, as follows: Mrs. Margaret Lewis, Mrs. Jennie Guard, and Thomas Will- iams.
A. D. HAINES, store keeper for the Lack- awanna Coal Company, whose breaker is situ- ated at Blakely borough, and an active and pub- lic-spirited citizen whose private and public life has been marked by the display of those char- acteristics which are so essential to good citi- zenship, is a native son of the state in which he now resides, having been born in Moscow, Lackawanna county, in 1869, a son of John M. and Susan J. (Dolph) Haines, the latter named having been a daughter of Alfred Dolph, one of the old settlers of the valley, whose history will be found elsewhere in this work.
John M. Haines (father) was born at Beaver Meadows, Pennsylvania, and in that vi-
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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.
cinity was reared and obtained a good English education. For several years he conducted an extensive contracting business, during which time he furnished the Delaware & Hudson Com- pany with props for mining purposes. He was a staunch adherent of the Republican party, and a loyal and worthy citizen of this great nation. During the troublesome times of the Civil war he offered his services to the United States gov- ernment and took an active part in that terrific conflict. He was a member of Company B, Eleventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer In- fantry, with which he served three years and three months. For good behavior and merito- rious conduct on the field of battle he was pro- . moted to the rank of sergeant, in which capacity he was serving at the time of his honorable dis- charge. He participated in many battles and engagements, the principal ones having been : Antietam, where he was severely wounded in the left arm; Cold Harbor, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness. During his term of service he con- tracted a disease which clung to him all his life, and was finally the means of his death in the year 1880. His wife, Susan J. (Dolph) Haines, bore him two children: Mrs. Lizzie A. Barnett and A. D. Haines.
A. D. Haines and his sister Lizzie A. were sent to the Soldiers' Orphans' Home, where they received an education and were discharged therefrom when they reached their sixteenth year, A. D. having been an inmate there for seven years, dudring which time he availed him- self of all the facilities of the institution, which course qualified him for his present life of use- fulness and activity. In 1885 he entered the employ of the Lackawanna Coal Company, spending the first three years in the breaker, after which he was transferred to the company store of general merchandise, where he re- mained for seventeen years and fulfilled the du- ties with entire satisfaction to the company. In 1901 he was placed in charge of all the mine supplies, which is a most responsible position, but Mr. Haines has proved himself fully com- petent to cope with every emergency that arises. He is a worthy member of the Independent Or- der of Odd Fellows, Colfax Encampment of the same order, the Knights of Pythias, and the Modern Woodmen of America. He is a Re- publican, elected burgess 1901 and served to 1904, and was auditor of Blakely borough three years prior.
November 26, 1890, occurred the marriage of A. D. Haines and Irene Jones, daughter of Owen and Catherine Jones, of Wales. Mr.
Jones was a resident of Olyphant at his death. Two children were the issue of this happy union : Alfred, who died at two years of age; and Jen- nie, born in 1897.
JOHN K. BERKHEISER. Probably no citizen of Olyphant, Pennsylvania, is more thor- oughly identified with the mining interests of the place than is John K. Berkheiser. His fath- er, William J. Berkheiser, a native of Schuyl- kill county, Pennsylvania, was engaged in mining on a small scale. He married Mary Klinger, born in the same county, and ten chil- dren were born to them, eight of whom grew to maturity. Of the latter number six are now living: John K., mentioned at length herein- after ; Kate, Maria, Sarah, Elizabeth, and Frank, who is a resident of Plymouth.
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