USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 52
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna Valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume II > Part 52
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Angust Wahlers, son of Herman and Maria ( Bloethe) Wahlers, was born January 1, 1847, in Germany. He was liberally educated and also received instruction in music, which talent he subsequently cultivated and brought into prac- tice. He came with his parents to the United States, landing December 23, 1865, and upon settling in Scranton applied himself to the ac- quisition of the English language. He learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for a number of years. He learned the carpenter's. trade, which he followed for a number of years. He was a large contractor and builder and erected many of the substantial buildings which adorn the city of Scranton and Dunmore to-day. In 1877 he moved to Dunmore, where there are now several important structures of his erection. In 1882 he retired from business and opened the Harmony Hotel and Gardens, which speedily be- came one of the most popular and respectable fam- ily resorts of Dunmore. The property covers an area of one hundred and fifty by two hundred feet. Mr. Wahlers has been for eight years a director in the German Building Association, and, since 1900, has been agent for the Springfield Insurance Company. For four years he was a director in the New Schiller Association. As was inevitable in the case of a man of his popularity he has been frequently elected to office. He is a Democrat in politics. In 1886 he served a term as councilman, and in 1899 was elected treasurer of Dunmore borough, in which office he has succeeded himself to the present time, serving his sixth term, and which he still holds. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Lackawanna Lodge of Scranton, the Golden Eagles of Scranton, and the Scranton Lieder Kranz, being a member of the latter for twenty- six years. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, in which he served as secretary for ten years and as organist for twenty-five years.
Mr. Wahlers married, February 4, 1869, Sit- sanna Hostombe, also a native of Germany, and of the five children born to them three are now living : Frederick, who is an instructor in music, also plays piano in orchestra. Augustus C., pro- prietor of the Harmony Hotel and Garden on Grove street ; he is also a musician, playing the violin, trombone, and serves as baritone in bands and orchestras. He married Minnie Wahlers, and their children are: Henry, Alma, and Au -.
2-17
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gust. Matilda, the wife of Adolph Pittack, who is conducting a fine hotel. Frederick and Augus- tus C., are members of Bauer's Band and Or- chestra, the celebrated and popular band of Scran- ton for twenty-five years.
CHARLES H. SEARS. The Sears Grist Mill, of which C. H. Sears is proprietor, is one of the conspicuous and useful industries of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. It was built by M. A. Colvin in 1880, sold to W. V. Good in 1894, and in 1898 purchased by C. H. Sears, who en- larged and improved it wonderfully. It was formerly twenty-six by forty-six feet in dimen- sions, but is now twenty-six by one hundred and six feet, with an annex of twenty-four by twenty- six feet, also a boiler house. Under the former management it was conducting a business of six- teen thousand dollars annually, but under the present management it has increased to a cash business of seventy-five thousand dollars. He manufactures and handles all kinds of stock food and makes the finest quality of buckwheat in the market. Mr. Sears is a thorough believer in the idea that nothing succeeds like success, and during his business career has carried out those principles.
Mr. Sears was born in Clinton township, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, in 1850, a son of Justus and Elizabeth (Davis) Sears. Justus Sears was also a native of Wayne county, and his wife was a native of Wales. Justus Sears was a farmer and speculator, and a man of considerable intelligence and influence, standing high in the community in which he resided. His family con- sisted of five children, three of whom attained years of maturity, namely: Lydia, Ellen (Mrs. Kimball) and Charles H., mentioned at length hereinafter. Eleanor S. Kimball, daughter of Mrs. Ellen Kimball, is a lady of rare and high talent, a noted elocutionist and impersonator, whose ability is recognized and acknowledged by the most enlightened critics at home and abroad.
After completing his education in the common schools of his native township, Charles H. Sears taught school four years, after which he served an apprenticeship at the trade of carpenter. His first four years as journeyman was in the employ of the Delaware and Hudson Company, and later he became connected with the Delaware, Lacka- wanna and Western Company, in whose service he remained eighteen years as trainman. On May 4. 1881, lie lost a leg, his foot catching in a frog, and upon his recovery from the effects of this accident took up telegraphy. The company sta-
tioned him at Clarks Summit, where he remained for sixteen years, and in 1898 at the expiration of this period of time he retired from his position as agent to engage in his present business. In 190I he purchased the Chinchilla Mill, which he operates to advantage, his son Grover being in charge of the same. Mr. Sears adheres to the tenets of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his political affiliations are with the Democratic party.
In 1875 Mr. Sears married Mary E. Bartron, of Wayne county, Pennsylvania. Five children were the issue of this marriage, two of whom are living at the present time ( 1904) : David D., manager of the Dixon Theatre, Scranton, and Grover, manager of the Chinchilla Mill. The family occupy a high social position, and their home is noted for hospitality and kindly feeling.
THOMAS E. SCHILLING, of Clarks Sum- mit, Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, where he has resided for twelve years, or since 1892, and has proven to its residents that he is well qualified to pursue the wagon making business to a practi- cal and successful issue, is a man of intelligence, firmness of character and high principle, and therefore exerts a good influence in his commun- ity and is potent in its public life. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1868, one of a family of twelve children born to Joseph and Su- san (Huthmaker) Schilling, four of whom are living at the present time ( 1904), namely : Dollie, Jacob, Katie and Thomas E. Joseph Schilling (father) was born in Germany, from whence he came to this country when only thirteen years of age. He was a contractor and builder of some prominence, following his trade in the city of Wilkes-Barre, where he resided up to the time of his decease, 1876. His widow is still living ( 1904) : she is a native of Ransom township, Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania.
Thomas E. Schilling was reared in his native city, Wilkes-Barre, and was indebted to the public school system for his educational advantages. He served an apprenticeship at the trade of black- smith under the competent supervision of Ira Davis, and after thoroughly mastering all the de- tails secured employment as a journeyman with Simpson & Company, of Archibald, with whom he remained for a number of years. In 1892 he moved to Clarks Summit and in a small way established a wagon making business, which has since grown to its present extensive proportions. He pur- chased a piece of ground which consists of one hundred by one hundred and seventy feet,
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whereon he erected a shop, two stories high, twenty-four by seventy-five feet in dimensions, with an annex for machinery sixteen by seventy- five feet. He uses a gasoline engine of twelve horse power which runs his machinery, this be- ing of the best and latest improved style, and his force of men are competent to turn out the best vehicles propelled by horse power.
The respect and esteem in which Mr. Schill- ing is held by his fellow-citizens is evidenced by the fact that he was chosen to serve in the ca- pacity of poor director of South Abington town- ship, being the incumbent at the present time. He is a member of Waverly Lodge, No. 301, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is master (1904) ; a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Clarks Green ; and a member of the Knights of Malta.
In 1898 Mr. Schilling was united in marriage to Elizabeth Hunter, daughter of Samuel and Susan Hunter, and they are the parents of one : son, Lester H., born May 20, 1901.
GEORGE K. DRAKE. Among the worthy representatives of the old pioneer stock of the Lackawanna Valley none is more sincerely or more justly respected than George K. Drake, of Old Forge. The grandfather of Mr. Drake, 'Charles Drake, Senior, was a resident of Schooley's Mountain, Morris county, New Jer- sey, many years prior to the Revolutionary war. Charles Drake, Jr., son of Charles Drake, Sr., was born February 14, 1786, at Schooley's Mountain, Morris county, New Jersey, and in 1808 went to Pennsylvania and settled in Lack- awanna county. He became the possessor of several pieces of land, the first one which he pur- chased consisting of forty acres. Twenty of these, together with all right to the mineral be- neath, are now the property of his son, George K. Drake. This land, which was purchased in 1816, has ever since been continuously in the pos- session of the Drake family. Mr. Drake owned in all about seven hundred acres, four hundred of which were the joint property of himself and Samuel Hoyt. Mr. Drake witnessed the growth and upbuilding of the county. At the time when he took up his residence in Old Forge there were but six families living between that place and Hyde Park, and in that extent of country there were only three openings of coal. In 1833 Mr. Drake opened a tavern in the house afterward occupied by his son Ebenezer, and for many years this was the principal stopping-place between Car-
bondale and Wilkes-Barre. Mr. Drake also con- ducted a tannery and cultivated two farms. In politics he was identified with the Whigs until the organization of the Republican party, with which he immediately associated himself. His religious affiliations were with the Presbyterian Church.
Mr. Drake married. October 3, 1812, Millie, born April 20, 1794, in what is now Lackawanna county, daughter of Joseph and Margaret (Dick- son) Knapp. The former, who was a member of a Massachusetts family, took up land in this county about 1790, and was one of the first settlers at Old Forge, where he cleared a tract of unimproved land. He and his brother Zep- haniah were soldiers in the Revolutionary army. Mr. and Mrs. Drake were the parents of two sons : Ebenezer, and George K., mentioned at length hereinafter. The death of Mr. Drake oc- curred March 22, 1873, and that of his widow February 23, 1875. They left behind them the memory of good and useful lives.
George K. Drake, son of Charles and Millie (Knapp) Drake, was born in 1830, in the tavern in Old Forge of which his father was the proprie- tor. He received his education in the schools of his birthplace, and learned the tanner's and cur- rier's trade under the instruction of his father. This calling he followed for a number of years, and was recognized as one of the leading busi- ness men of Old Forge. Although never taking an active part in public affairs Mr. Drake has al- ways been a good citizen, interested in all that pertains to the welfare of the community, and ever ready to lend his aid and influence to any enter- prise which commended itself to his best judg- ment as having a tendency to improve in any way the condition of his neighbors.
Mr. Drake married in 1855, Sarah, a native of Taylor and daughter of John and Catherine (Ward) Atherton. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Drake: William, deceased ; George, and Caroline. George Drake married Martha Shoemaker, and they have three children : Estella S., Charles B., and Caroline C. Caroline Drake became the wife of T. J. Stewart, of Waverly, New York, and is the mother of one daughter, Sarah E. George Drake and T. J. Stewart, his brother-in-law, are leading mer- chants in Old Forge under the firm name of Drake & Stewart. Mr. Drake has filled the office of borough treasurer, and his partner, Mr. Stewart, has served as a member of the council. Their store is of large proportions and is stocked with the best product of farm and factory.
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.
F. M. YOUNG, of Clarks Summit, Penn- sylvania, the leading merchant of that thrifty village, is a self-made man in the truest sense of the term. He has hewn out for himself by hon- orable and conscientious dealings a prominent place in business circles as well as in the confidence of his extensive and rapidly increasing patronage. He was born in Gardner, Ulster county, New York, March 14, 1859, a son of Nicholas and Harriet ( McEwen ) Young.
Nicholas Young ( father) was born in Ger- many, in 1830, and at the age of fourteen years emigrated to the United States, locating in Ulster county, New York, where he tarried a few years. He was a tanner by trade, which occupation he followed up to the time of his retirement from active pursuits. In 1871 he removed to Shultz- ville, Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania, where he resided up to his decease. His wife, Harriet (McEwen) Young, a native of Ulster county, New York, bore him four children, namely : Jennie ( Mrs. Beemer), matron of Hillside Home ; Jessie (Mrs. Jerome Morrow), Hattie (Mrs. Beemer ), of Port Clinton, Ohio; and F. M. The father of these children died March 15, 1898, and the mother November 10, 1900.
F. M. Young resided in his native town, Gardner, New York, until his twelfth year, at- tending the common schools thereof, when he ac- companied his parents to Shultzville, Pennsyl- vania. He served an apprenticeship at the trade of tanner, which he followed up to the year 1892. For a number of years he held the position of foreman, and later was promoted to that of super- intendent, in which capacity he served up to the time of engaging in his present business, in 1892. His store is well furnished with the best and most perfect goods obtainable, which come direct from the producer, and his storeroom is also well stocked with everything requisite for a thoroughly first-class general store. During the period of his proprietorship he has made a host of friends and gained hundreds of customers throughout the adjacent territory. He served as postmaster of the village under President Cleveland's adminis- tration, and for four years held the office of school director of the township. He believes in the principles of the Democratic party, whose plat- form he has supported since attaining his ma- jority. He holds membership in the Maccabees, Knights of Malta, Waverly Lodge, No. 301, Free and Accepted Masons, Factoryville Chapter, and Couer De Lion Commandery, No. 17.
In 1879 Mr. Young was united in marriage to
Martha, daughter of Whitney and Lydia (Cap- well) Reonard. Their children are: Helen, Ed- ward, Ethel, and Clarence.
JOHN B. SHIPPEY, of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania, one of the most extensive lumber manufacturers and dealers in this section of the state, also actively and prominently identified with other successful enterprises, from which he derives a goodly income, is a son of John T. and Susan W. (Hawk) Shippey, and grandson of Charles and Hannah (Allen) Shippey.
Charles Shippey (grandfather ) was born in Vermont, 1793, died February, 1872, at Waverly, Lackawanna county, Pennsylvania. He was one of a family of five sons : Charles, Ferdinand and Stephen served in the War of 1812; Biather, the eldest, not being in good health was unable to serve ; and Dewey, the youngest, was too young to be enrolled. Charles Shippey was a carpenter by trade and also an experienced millwright, and by following these occupations was enabled to provide a comfortable home for his family. He purchased one hundred acres of land in Blakely township, and not being aware that his land was. rich in anthracite coal traded it for land west of the mountain. His wife, whose maiden name was Hannah Allen, bore him a family of eleven children, four of whom are living, as follows : John T., Charles, James and Mrs. Polly Hall. Hannah (Allen) Shippey was born in Green county, New York, in 1793, died in Tunkhannock township, 1849. She was a niece of Colonel Ethan Allen, of Revolutionary fame.
John T. Shippey ( father) was born in Blakely township, and was killed July 22, 1905, while. superintending the work of his men in the woods ; he was hit on the head with a tree, living but a very short time after the accident. His active career has been devoted to the lumber business, which he conducted on an extensive scale, and from which he was enabled to amass a competence for his declining years. He was a man of consid- erable influence in his township, and all measures. for the public welfare received his cordial support. He was united in marriage to Susan W. Hawk, who was born in Kingston township, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, March 20, 1837. Six children were the issue of this union, namely : Jolın B., Frank A., Frederic E., deceased ; Dora M., Harry R., and Harvey E., deceased. Mrs. Shippey is now ( 1905) living at the borough of Waverly, Lackawanna county.
John B. Shippey was born in Tunkhannock,
John @ Moffat
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Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, 1860. His pre- liminary education was obtained in the public schools, and this was supplemented by a course of study at Waverly Academy, Waverly, and Keystone Academy, Factoryville. In 1893 he moved to Lackawanna county, where he has since resided. Throughout his active career he has been engaged in the manufacture and sale of lumber and plaster, and in the operation of a saw mill in Newtown township. At Clarks Summit he owns and operates a planing mill, lumber yard, and a plant for the manufacture of wall plaster, which is the best product in its line found on the market, and which business he established in 1901. Thus, indirectly, he has been instrumental in the building up of his town, the interests of which receive from him a hearty support. Mr. Shippey adheres to the tenets of the Baptist Church, and to the principles of the Democratic party. He was a candidate for the office of prothonotary for Wyoming county, but was de- feated at the polls by a small majority. Mr. Ship- pey is a member of the Free and Accepted Ma- sons, affiliating with Waverly Lodge, No. 301 ; Factoryville Chapter, No. 204, and Coeur De Lion Commandery, No. 17. He is also a member of the Improved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Shippey was married June 15, 1892, to Ethel J. Quick, daughter of Davis and Ellen Quick. No issue.
JOHN G. MOFFAT, one of the well known and highly respected citizens of Dunmore, Penn- sylvania, where he has resided for thirty-four years, is a native of Scotland, a country in which honest and sturdy men are reared, men who make noble and loyal citizens of whatever country they adopt as their own. His birth occurred in Dum- frieshire, January 21, 1835. His parents were William and Agnes ( Gilchrist) Moffat, of Nan- lock Head, Scotland, whose family consisted of seven children, two of whom are living: John G., and Marian, also a resident of Dunmore.
At an early age, after completing a common school education, John G. Moffat turned his at- tention to lead mining. After working in the mines for a number of years, he was transferred to the smelting house, and subsequently to the refining department, where the lead was separted from the silver, there being always a large per- centage of silver in lead, this being done by a system of crystalizing, and he followed this re- fining process up to 1870. Dumfrieshire, the town in which he was born, reared, worked and resided, was one of the richest in Great Britain.
In 1870 Mr. Moffat, with his family, emigrated to the United States, locating in Dunmore, Penn- sylvania, where he became an employee of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, serving in the ca- pacity of miner. In 1876 he was promoted to mine foreman, which position he held for fifteen years. His services were highly prized by the company and his retirement a matter of deep regret, as he was one of their most experienced and trustworthy men. In 1892 he entered into a copartnership with T. J. Williamson under the firm name of Moffat & Williamson, dealers in dry goods, boots and shoes, and after conducting the same for four years retired in favor of his son, John Moffat. He became the owner of several lots upon which he erected houses, and these he subsequently sold to his sons-in-law. He still re- tains and owns a beautiful home on Elm street. During the early years of his life Mr. Moffat was a member of the Presbyterian Church, in which body he held the office of elder and trustee, but later in life, for good and sufficient reasons, changed his church relation by becoming a mem- ber of the Baptist Church, in which body he is deacon. It has been his aim to live according to the principle of the Golden Rule, and therefore he enjoys the confidence of the people among whom he lives.
In 1856 Mr. Moffat married Martha G. John- ston, also a native of Scotland, and to this union were born ten children, seven of whom were born in Scotland, namely : Isabelle, Agnes, Mary, William, Elizabeth, Thomas, deceased ; and John. The children born in Dunmore are as follows : James, Martha G., and Marian. Isabelle is the wife of the Rev. John R. Davis, D. D., pastor of a Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia. Agnes is the wife of W. W. Mills. Mary is the wife of J. WV. Reid. Elizabeth is the wife of Thomas J. Williamson. Martha G. is the wife of the Rev. A. B. O'Neil, of the Baptist Church. While Mr. Moffat is a loyal citizen of the United States of America, yet there is a longing on his part to see his native highlands again and breathe their pure and invigorating atmosphere. He has made three visits to Scotland since coming to America in 1870, on one of which he took his wife. His last trip was made in the fall of 1904.
PETER F. REILLY. Among the progress- ive men of Lackawanna county, Peter F. Reilly, of Dunmore, occupies a conspicuous place. Mr. Reilly is of Irish parentage. His father. Thomas Reilly, was born in County Mayo, Ireland, whence he emigrated to the United States. He settled in
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Dunmore, where he worked at his occupation, being a capable and experienced miner. His wife was Mary Moran, a native of County Sligo, Ireland, and of the nine children born to them five are now living: John, Peter F., mentioned at length hereinafter; Patrick J., Jane, who is the wife of James Canley, and Margaret. Mr. Reilly, who was a truly worthy man, lost his life by an accident in the mines, September 3, 1885. His widow is still living and resides in Dun- more.
Peter F. Reilly, son of Thomas and Mary (Moran) Reilly, was born October 3, 1865, in Dunmore, where he had all the advantages of an education in the common schools. His ex- perience as a miner began in a breaker of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, where he worked for some time. He followed the various branches of mining, rising step by step until he became a coal operator, and is now a mine owner. He is treasurer and general manager of the Dun- more Coal Company, and one of the directors of the Northern Anthracite Coal Company. He is one of the most deservedly popular men in the borough and has been chosen to fill various offices of trust. He is now serving his second term as tax collector. He is president of the Y. M. T. L. and B. Society. He is secretary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and affiliates with the Improved Order of Red Men and the Knights of Columbus.
Mr. Reilly married, in 1891, Bridget E., daughter of James and Bridget Quinn, and the following children have been born to them : Ruth, Mary, Florence, James, Thomas, Mabel, de- ceased ; Peter, deceased ; Alice, deceased ; and Eulalia. Like her husband, Mrs. Reilly is a na- tive of Dunmore.
DAN. POWELL. There is perhaps no one in Lackawanna county who in every respect pre- sents a more perfect type of the good citizen than does Dan. Powell, who for more than a quarter of a century has been identified with the best interests of Dunmore. By birth and an- cestry Mr. Powell is a Welshman, as no one who has ever had the pleasure of meeting him could for a moment doubt, all his characteristics, physical, mental and moral, being strongly ex- pressive of his nationality.
John Powell was born in 1813, in Caermar- thenshire, Wales, and was by occupation a miner. In 1863 he visited the United States, and in 1865 came again, this time with the intention of re- maining. He found employment in the mines of
Lackawanna county and made his home at Dun- more, and in 1867 was joined by his family. He- participated actively in politics, at one time hold- ing the office of street commissioner. His wife: was Elizabeth Williams, also a native of Wales, and they were the parents of eleven children, of whom four sons and two daughters came to this country : Reese, John, Anthony, Dan, men- tioned at length hereinafter; Maria, who became- the wife of David E. Jones, and Eliza, who mar- ried Richard Weber. Mrs. Powell, the estima- ble mother of these children, died at Dunmore, January 15, 1883, and the death of her husband occurred at the same place in 1895. He was a worthy and much respected citizen.
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