Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 51

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin, 1837-1917; Hand, Alfred, 1835-; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1026

USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 51
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 51

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).

JOHN J. BOLAND. One of those ener- getic and sagacious business men whose presence in any community imparts a healthy impetus to the current of financial affairs is John J. Boland, of Dunmore. He belongs to a family of Irish origin, which for more than half a century has been resident in the Key- stone state.

Michael Boland was born in Ireland, and in 1848 embarked with his parents and brothers and sisters for the United States. During the voyage the father of the family died and was buried at sea. The mother reached the new country and lived with her children to the

great age of ninety-five years. Michael first settled in Carbondale, but in 1849 moved to Dunmore, where he remained. He was em- ployed on the Pennsylvania gravity road and worked in the mines of the same company both as boy and man, filling the various subor- dinate positions until he reached that of miner. In 1884 he and his son Michael F. engaged successfully in general mercantile business. Mr. Boland was a loyal citizen, taking an ac- tive interest in community affairs, and was several times chosen by his neighbors to serve as councilman. He married Julia Connell, al- so a native of Ireland, who emigrated from her old home to this country the same year as that in which her husband came to seek his fortune in the New World. Until 1855 she remained in New York, and in that year moved to Dun- more. In February, 1856, she married MIr. Boland, and there were born to them seven children : Timothy E., Mary A., Michael F., Patrick, John J., mentioned hereafter: Annie, and one who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Boland were widely known and as widely re- spected and loved.

John J. Boland, son of Michael and Julia (Connell) Boland, was born January 23, 1864, in Dunmore, where he attended the common schools. In 1884 he engaged in business as a butcher, in which he prospered for thirteen years. In 1896 he organized the Dunmore Lumber Company, and in 1899 sold his inter- est therein. He then entered the service of C. P. Matthews & Son, by whom he was em- ployed until 1903. On February II of that year the Dunmore Coal Company was organ- ized, composed of seven stockholders. The mine belongs to the Sibley tract and has one opening, a slope one hundred a fifty feet long and seventy-five feet deep, which was opened about 1860, by a Mr. Kenkins. Mr. Boland was secretary and manager and under his watchful and experienced eye the affairs of the company was maintained in a flourishing con- dition. He sold his interest in the fall of 1905. and is now stockholder and manager of the Carbon Coal Mining Company. He is a mem- ber of the Knights of Columbus, the Emerald Order of L. and B. Society, and the Catholic Mutual Beneficial Association. His religious relations are with the Roman Catholic church. Mr. Boland married in 1887 Agnes Healey, of Dunmore, and they have nine children : Eugene, Joseph, Leonard. John, Stanley, Agnes, Margaret, Alice, and Richard.

ENGD BY CHA

HALL NEW YORK

Char W. Potter

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

CHARLES W. POTTER. Among those citizens of Lackawanna county, in his time Luzerne county, whose names have for many years belonged to the past, but the effect of whose example and influence is still felt in the community, was Charles W. Potter, of Dun- more. He belonged to a New England family which was one of the first to settle in the Lack- awanna Valley and had a large share in pro- moting the civilization and prosperity of that region.

Elisha Potter (father), a native of Connec- ticut, came with his family to what was then the wilds of Pennsylvania, making the journey on horseback. He settled at what is now Providence, where he had several large tracts of land, of the real value of which he could at first form no idea, inasmuch as they proved to be the great anthracite coal field. His counsel was much sought, and his influence was large- ly felt in his day. He was the first justice of the peace in that portion of the Lackawanna Valley. He was a man who possessed the es- teem of all, irrespective of political differences, for while affiliating with the Democrats he was never partisan, and was noted no less for the liberality and kindliness of his disposition than for the sound judgment and strict adher- ence to principles which caused him to be uni- versally respected. He married Sallie Case, who was also a native of Connecticut, a woman of refinement, intelligence and of great nobil- ity of character. She was a pious member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Their chil- dren were: Mary, Eliza, Jane, who became the wife of Caleb Bloom; Fanny, Endora, Charles W., mentioned hereafter; Joseph, William, and Chester, all of whom are now deceased.

Charles W. Potter, son of Elisha and Sallie (Case) Potter, was born May 26, 1815, in Blakely township, Pennsylvania. He received his education in the common schools of Prov- idence, and on reaching manhood went to Mar- tin's Creek, Northampton county, Pennsyl- vania, where he was employed as clerk by a Mr. McCoy. He subsequently moved to Exe- ter township, where he had charge of a store for a Mr. Porter. After a brief stay there he returned to Blakely township and for a short time engaged in agricultural pursuits. In 1847 he took up his abode in Dunmore, where he entered into business as a merchant. He was. the owner of land which included much of the area of the present borough, and also possessed

a large tract of valuable coal land, which had lie lived to a more mature age he would have developed to a larger extent and therefore would have realized much greater returns therefrom. Through the ownership of this valuable property, no less than by means of the success which attended him in his mer- cantile business, he became one of the wealthy men of the Lackawanna Valley, and at his. early demise left an extensive estate, which was the direct result of business ability, acu- men and farsightedness.

He took an active part in community af- fairs and was elected justice of the peace, an office which he filled with honor and distinc- tion, becoming virtually a peace maker. He showed great mercy toward all who were in trouble, especially the poor, and had great compassion upon the wrongdoer, especially that class who were brought before him on charges of having imbibed too freely. He was a member of the Masonic fraternity. Al- though an attendant and a strong supporter of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the scope of his benevolence was not bounded by denomi- national limitations but was extended to all charitable institutions. He was extremely generous and kindhearted to the poor, fre- quently having as many as eight or ten home- less persons under his own roof, and he was known to take off his coat in the street and give it to some poor person who was suffering from the cold. In this way he followed the example of his Divine Master, who taught the people that "it was inore blessed to give than to re- ceive." His charity was rarely misplaced, as he was a great student of human nature. In his community he was held in peculiar honor, and was universally beloved and esteemed by all who were brought in contact with him.

Mr. Potter married in 1836, while residing at Martin's Creek, Sarah A. Eakin, daughter of Samuel and Sallie Eakin, and of their six children three grew to maturity, as follows: Elizabeth, who in 1862 became the wife of Robert P. Savage, and their children were: Bonnie, wife of B. E. Harris, of Concord, North Carolina, and mother of two children : B. E., Jr., and Elizabeth Potter; Maud, wife of Erasmus D. Ames, of Dunmore, and mother of one child, Charles S., and Charles P., who married Lizzie Finnerty, and has one dangh- ter, Elizabeth. 2. Kate, deceased, who was the wife of William H. Stanton, a machinist by trade, who resided for the greater part of

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

his life in Dunmore, but whose death occurred in the city of. Philadelphia. Their children were as follows: Mollie, deceased ; Fannie, wife of Tyler Connelly, and they reside in Green Ridge; William B., a graduate of the medical department of the University of Penn- sylvania, and is now (1905) associated with the H. C. Frick Tuberculosis Institute, in Philadelphia, where he is a specialist on tuber- culosis; and Grace, wife of Lawrence Boyn- ton, and they reside in Binghamton, New York. 3. Frances, wife of Albert Wagner, of Dunmore. Charles W. Potter died in 1857, .at the comparatively early age of forty-two years. His loss was felt to be well-nigh irre- parable alike to his family, his friends, and the community in which he had been so largely and beneficently influential. Mrs. Potter, a woman beloved and respected by all who knew her, survived her husband many years, pass- ing away in September, 1894.

RALPH HARWOOD. A list of the enter- prising business men of Lackawanna county would be incomplete without the name of Ralph Harwood, of Dunmore. He is the son of Wil- liam and Jane (McCarty) Harwood, both natives of England, where their son Ralph was born in 1860.

Mr. Harwood was educated in his native · country, where he remained until 1881, when he ·emigrated to Canada. After living there three years he came in 1884 to the United States, and settled in Pennsylvania, making his home in Dun- .more, where he has since remained. In 1890 he built the house in which he has since resided, and which he has improved as occasion de- manded. In 1893 he embarked in his present business, not with the intention of making it financially profitable, but for his own benefit and gratification. He soon became convinced, how- ever, from demands made upon him that the en- terprise might be made something more than a mere pleasure. He then enlarged the scale of his business, and became at once a regular florist, making a specialty of carnations and violets. Not only does Mr. Harwood raise plants and flowers, but he also cultivates and disposes of vegetables of various kinds for domestic trade and con- sumption. He is an experienced landscape gar- · dener, pays particular attention to that department of his business, and his patronage is increasing year by year. In politics he is an ardent Den-

ocrat. He and his family are members of the Roman Catholic Church.

Mr. Harwood married, February 8, 1888, Mary Ann, born in Ireland, September 20, 1865, daughter of Michael and Winnie Burke, the former a leading merchant tailor of Dunmore. Mr. and Mrs. Harwood have been the parents of eight children, five of whom are now living : Liz- zie, who was born in 1890; Ralph, who was born in 1895; Beatrice, who was born in 1897; Wal- ter, who was born in 1899; and Albert, who was born in 1902.

EVAN G. WATKINS. Among those busi- ness men of Lackawanna county who although not yet in middle life are indicated as those to whom the county must look for the future main- tenance of its commercial prosperity must be numbered Evan G. Watkins, of Taylor. To say that Mr. Watkins comes of Welsh parentage is only another way of saying that he belongs to an element increasingly powerful in Pennsylva- nia.

Griffith Watkins was born in Wales, and from boyhood was trained to the calling of a miner. About 1870 he came to the United States and set- tled in the coal region of Pennsylvania, where he followed his chosen occupation during the re- mainder of his life. He was a loyal citizen of his adopted country, and was honored by his neigh- bors with several important borough offices. His wife was Priscilla Davis, also a native of Wales, and they were the parents of three sons: David, who is deceased ; Evan G., mentioneed at length hereinafter ; and William G. The death of Mr. Watkins, which occurred February 2, 1892, was mourned as that of a useful man and a good cit- izen. At the time of his death he held the office of borough treasurer.

Evan G. Watkins, son of Griffith and Priscilla (Davis) Watkins, was born in 1874, at Plymouth, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, and was educated in the schools of Moosic and Taylor, having been ten years of age when his parents moved to the latter place. Previous to 1900 he engaged in various pursuits, and in that year became junior member of the firm of Taylor, Tubbs & Company, contractors and builders. The firm was organ- ized in 1886 by John F. Taylor and P. J. Mul- herin. After a time Mr. Mulherin withdrew, and Mr. Taylor conducted the business alone until 1889, at which time he took as a partner his nephew, George Taylor, and also admitted J. F. Tubbs. In 1900 George Taylor withdrew his in-

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

terests, and Mr. Watkins and his brother William G. became members of the firm, which conducts a flourishing business, not only as contractors and builders, but as dealers in builders' supplies, of which they always carry a full line of the best quality and first material.

Mr. Watkins is active as a citizen, taking a keen and practical interest in all community af- fairs, and the confidence with which he is re- garded by his townsmen is attested by the fact that they have chosen him to fill various offices of trust. During six years he was borough audi- tor and has served four terms as a member of the school board, during which time he held the office of treasurer. He is now president of the board. These various offices he has filled with credit to himself and satisfaction to his fellow-citizens. As may be supposed, the many demands upon Mr. Watkins' time and thoughts leave him little op- portunity for social recreation, but he neverthe- less finds time to maintain his membership in the Modern Woodmen of America and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.

JOHN W. BUSCH. In the foremost rank of the manufacturers of Lackawanna county stands John W. Busch, of Taylor. Mr. Busch is a representative of that German element which forms so large a portion of the population of the Keystone state, and which in various depart- ments of industry has contributed so materially to its prosperity.

Jacob Busch was born in Germany, and in 1846 emigrated to the United States and sought a home in Pennsylvania. During the first year of his residence in this country lie lived succes- sively in Honesdale, Wilkes-Barre and Duryea. In 1853 he moved to Pittston, and subsequently resided for a time at Ransom, where he was the proprietor of a well-regulated hotel for a num- ber of years. In 1874 he moved to Taylor, where he established himself as a carpet manufacturer, having been a practical weaver in his own coun- try. He was a man who never failed to improve every opportunity, and the business founded by him prospered almost beyond his expectations. During his residence in Taylor he caused to be erected a fine brick double house which is now the property of his sons, and he also acquired sev- eral other pieces of property. While in Pittston he took a leading part in the building of St. Mary's Roman Catholic church, of which he was a member.

Mr. Busch married, in 1853, Catherine Wen- gel, also a native of Germany, who came to this

country in 1850. They were married in Pitts- ton, and became the parents of four children : Kate, who is now the wife of Martin Schachal ; Jacob, John W., mentioned at length hereinafter ; and Nicholas. Mrs. Busch died in 1884, having lived to see all her children reach maturity. In 1895 occurred the death of the father of the fam- ily, a man sincerely respected by all who knew him.

John W. Busch, son of Jacob and Catherine (Wengel) Busch, was born in 1861, in Pittston, Pennsylvania, and received in the schools of Scranton a liberal education, acquiring command of the English and German languages in both of which he converses fluently. He and his brother Nicholas conduct the carpet manufac- tory established by their father, a large share of whose executive ability has descended to his sons. The firm has an undisputed reputation for man- ufacturing the best carpet of its kind now in the market, and an equally assured celebrity for hon- esty and fair dealing. Mr. Busch conscientiously discharges all the obligations of citizenship, and both he and his brother are among the most val- ued esidents of Taylor.

BYRON J. HALL. The Hall family is one of the oldest and most respected in the borough of Glenburn. Their origin takes us back to the Emerald Isle, whose green hills are ever fresh in the memory of her sons. They emigrated from Loch Neigh, near Gillgallen. The founder of the family settled in Connecticut, where they became distinguished for their patoriotism and loyalty to their adopted country.

The first of this distinguished family to mi- grate to Pennsylvania was Jonathan Hall. who settled at Glenburn in the year 1802. He built a frame house, two stories high, in 1804. and prior to the inauguration of the present school system Mr. Hall offered his house for educa- tional purposes, the same being accepted and used for some time. He was the owner of six hundred acres of land, was a man of high social standing and of refined tastes. He gave to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Company the right of way when that road was built as a con- sideration for a permanent depot. His wife, Eu- nice (Capwell) Hall, a native of Rhode Island, bore him thirteen children, all of whom were born in Glenburn and became useful and loyal citizens. Their names were as follows: Jabez G., Shel- don, Susan, Jeremiah, Lephe, Carey, William C., John, Jerusha, Emily, Mary A., and two who died in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Hall were mem-

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bers of the Baptist Church (Old School), and their deaths occurred in the same year, 1865.

Jabez G. Hall, eldest son of Jonathan and Eu- nice (Capwell) Hall, was born in a log house in 1803. He obtained a practical education which prepared him for the activities of life, became a prominent citizen and practical farmer, and in addition to the tilling of the soil owned and oper- ated a saw mill. also manufactured timber to some extent. He also became a school teacher, serving for fourteen years. He was the owner of eighty acres of land, whereon he resided in a com- fortable and conimodious house. Like his father, he was an Old School Baptist and a Democrat. He was united in marriage, April 11, 1830, to Laura Callender, of Blakely, Pennsylvania, who bore him the following named children : Louise, Judson, deceased ; Samuel, deceased ; Myron and Byron J. (twins) ; George, deceased ; William, Jenette, Stephen, deccased ; Hubert, and Hard- ing, deceased. Of this number seven sons served in the Union army during the Civil war, namely : Samuel, Myron, Byron, George, William, Ste- phen and Hubert. This speaks well for the pa- triotism of the parents as well as the sons. Mr. Hall died in January, 1891 ; his wife, who was born in 1807, passed away August 10, 1888.

William C. Hall, fifth son of Jonathan and Eunice (Capwell) Hall, was born in 1820, and died in 1892. He owned one hundred acres of land, and was considered a practical farmer. He donated land for the first public school building in Glenburn, and was influential in securing a charter for the borough, serving in the capacity of its first burgess. In 1859 he married Emily Chamberlain, who was a teacher in a private school, and four children were the issne of this union, three of whom are living, namely: Lephe A., an accomplished teacher ; Mrs. E. E. Shor- maker, of Chicago; and Jessie, a music teacher in Montana.

Byron J. Hall, son of Jabez G. and Laura (Callender) Hall, was born in Glenburn, Penn- sylvania, in 1837. Here he was reared, educated and spent his useful but uneventful life. He has attended principally to agricultural pursuits, which have been highly remunerative. Fifteen years of his life was spent in the meat business. during which time he supplied the Scranton market, carrying his meat to that city. During the Civil war he was a member of Company F. Thirteenth Volunteer Infantry of Pennsylvania, but after a short term of service was honorably discharged. He inherited a spirit of patriotism from his ancestors, two of whom-Samuel Hall

and Samuel Callender-were soldiers in the Rev- olutionary army under General Washington. The esteem in which he is held by his fellow-citizens is evidenced by the fact that he was elected chief burgess of the borough of Glenburn in 1896, was a member of the council and served for years on the school board. He is a member of the Bap- tist Church, and also of the George Fell Post, of Waverly.

In 1865 Mr. Hall married Miss Catherine E. Kirkman, and the issue of this union was four children : Hershel, who is secretary of the Scran- ton Lace Curtain Manufacturing Company ; he married Ruie Shedd. Edward, assistant comp- troller in the International Correspondence School of Scranton. Thomas, an accountant in the First National Bank of Scranton ; he mar- ried Edna Sax. Robert B., a clerk in the Inter- national Correspondence School of Scranton.

THOMAS J. WILLIAMS, senior member of The Williams Manufacturing Company of Clarks Summit, formerly the Clarks Summit Novelty Works, one of the leading and useful in- dustries of that section of the state, is a native of Scotland, the year of his birth being 1854.

William Williams, father of Thomas J. Will- iams, left his native land, Scotland, in October, 1864, for the new world and upon his arrival here located in Pittston, Pennsylvania, where he fol- lowed contract mining, which proved most profit- able and successful owing to the fact of his be- ing an expert in the business. In his native land he married Jane Cairns, who was also born there, and they were the parents of nine children, five of whom emigrated to this country with their pa- rents, namely : William, Jr. deceased ; John C., de- ceased, who was mine foreman for the Delaware and Hudson Company, in whose employ he lost his life: Thomas J., mentioned at length here- after : James ; and Jane, who died on the voyage across the Atlantic ocean.

The educational advantages enjoyed by Thomas J. Williams were obtained in the schools of Scotland, and in October, 1864, at the age of ten years, he accompanied his parents to the United States. He first applied himself to the wood working trade, and later entered the sash, door and blind factory of J. E. Patterson, where he thoroughly mastered all the details of the bus- iness, becoming a skillful and expert mechanic. In 1881 he moved to Scranton, where he followed the same line of business, and five years later he engaged in business for himself on the South Side, continuing the same up to 1890, in which

AUGUST WAHLERS

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

year he went to Winchester, Virginia, where he remained three years. In 1893 he returned to Scranton, remaining a resident of that city until 1904, and on April Ist of that year he and his sons purchased and took possession of the plant which was formerly known as the Clarks Sum- mit Novelty Works. They manufacture crates, mouldings, turning and scroll sawing, and in ad- dition to this Mr. Williams is the patentee of a detachable and adjustable table leg, which proves to be a serviceable article and which should be found in every well furnished and well regulated household. This he also manufactures and puts on the market, and it is to be found in most of the leading furniture houses throughout the country. The success which has attended his efforts has been the direct result of thrift, energy and de- termination. During his residence in Scranton Mr. Williams was a member of the Thirteenth Regiment, in which he held the commission of second lieutenant for a number of years. He is a member and vestryman of St. David's Episcopal Church, and his fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Malta.

In 1879 Mr. Williams was united in mar- riage to Jessie Fear, who bore him four sons and one daughter, namely : Ernest W., Stella, Thomas J., Jr., Archibald and John C. The sons are all engaged in business with their father. Mrs. Williams, who was a faithful wife and devoted mother, passed away December 22, 1897. In 1899 Mr. Williams married Annie Ainsworth, no issue.

AUGUST WAHLERS. It is doubtful if Lackawanna county has a more justly popular citizen than August Wahlers, of Dunmore. Mr. Wahlers is of German parentage, and a type of one of our most valuable classes of foreign-born, naturalized citizens.

Herman Wahlers was born in Germany, where he received a liberal education. In 1865 he emigrated with his family to the United States and in the fall of 1866 removed to Dunmore, where he died. There he became a schoolmas- ter, and was as long as he lived one of the most respected residents of the city. He was a di- rector of the German and New Schiller Building and Loan Associations up to the time of his death. He married Maria Bloethe, also a native of Germany, and they were the parents of five children, three of whom are living: August, mentioned at length hereinafter; Herman, who lives in New Haven, Connecticut ; and Christo-

pher, who is a resident of St. Louis, Missouri. The death of Mr. Wahlers, the father, occurred in 1901, and was felt to be a loss to the entire community.

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Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 51

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin, 1837-1917; Hand, Alfred, 1835-; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921; Lewis Publishing Company Publication date: 1906 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 1026

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin, 1837-1917; Hand, Alfred, 1835-; Jordan, John W. (John Woolf), 1840-1921; Lewis Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 1026