Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 94

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 988

USA > Pennsylvania > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 94
USA > Wyoming > Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I > Part 94

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Richard Palmer was united in marriage Au- gust 9, 1854, to Margaret Watkins, daughter of John and Mary (Williams) Watkins, and the following named children were born to them: I. Jane, who died in infancy: 2. Mary Ann, born in 1856, married Thomas Reed, and they have the following children : Matthew, fireman on the Pennsylvania & Reading Railroad; William, a bookkeeper of Philadelphia, who married a Miss Moyer, of Hazleton, Pennsylvania : Essie. died at the age of twenty-one ; John, freight agent of the Pennsylvania & Reading Railroad at Shen- andoah, Pennsylvania : and Leroy, employed by the Reading Coal Company. The family reside at William Penn, Schuylkill county. Pennsylvnia, 3. Mary Jane, born in 1858. died in infancy. 4. Martha, born in June, 1862. married Philip Boyer, of. No. 22 Washington street, Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania. 5. May Jane, died in infan- cy. 6. William, mentioned hereinafter. 7. Sallie. born in 1866, is a graduate of Bloomsburg Nor- mal School, and considered one of the best school teachers in the Wyoming Valley. 8. Jane, born in 1868. 9. Ida, born October 1. 1872. IO. Cora, born October, 1874. died in infancy.

William Palmer, sixth child and only son of Richard and Margaret (Watkins) Palmer, was born in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, June 26, 1864. At the age of eleven years he entered the employ of the William Penn Coal Company, and continued with them about twelve years, dur- ing which time he was promoted to telegraph operator, and later to bookkeeper. He then re- moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he be-

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came chief clerk of the Carlisle Manufacturing Company. After some time Mr. Palmer severed his connection with this firm to take the position of assistant superintendent of the Brooklyn, Bath & West End Railroad, of Brooklyn, New York, John P. Heindell being general superintendent. Later he was associated with the American Car and Equipment Company of New York, where he remained till 1892 when he became traveling representative of the American Tile Works, of Boston, Massachusetts. He continued with this concern until 1899, when he resigned to become sales agent for S. F. Bowser & Company, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, remaining there one and a half years. Mr. Palmer then became traveling representative for the Benedick & Burnham Brass & Copper Company, of Waterbury, Connecticut, one of the constituent companies of the Ameri- can Brass Company. He was an industrious, energetic salesman, controlled almost the entire trade in his territory, and held that position till his death. Mr. Palmer was a member of Aurora Grata Lodge, No. 756, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, Constellation Chapter, No. 209, Royal Arch Masons, and Clinton Commandery, Knight Templars, all of Brooklyn, New York. In 1902 Mr. Palmer was demitted to Evanston Lodges, of Evanston, Illinois. He was married in 1888 to Kate E. Maize, of Philadelphia, and their children were: Richard, born 1890, and Howard born 1894.

December 30, 1903, William Palmer and his family lost their lives in the Iroquois Theatre dis- aster in Chicago, Illinois. Of the hundreds of sad deaths which occurred in that accident, none were more lamentable than those of Mr. Palmer and his family, They had a large circle of friends who heard the sad news with the deepest regret. This was a severe blow to his family and particu- larly to his aged father and mother. The only son of ten children born, and the only grandson to carry the Palmer name. William Palmer was rapidly making his mark, and bidding fair to become a potent factor in the business world. His oldest son, although only thirteen years of age, was member of the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, and popular with all his young friends. They were a family to be proud of, and in an hour all perished by the awful engulfing flames. Sad indeed beyond description was this awful event.

JOHN K. TORBERT, for many years ac- tively identified with business interests in the city of Wilkes-Barre, is a native of Pennsylvania, born in White Haven, Luzerne county, Septem-

ber 20, 1841, and is a representative of an old and honored family of that region. His parents were Washington and Elizabeth (Keiser) Tor- bert. The father was born in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, August 15, 1808, and was edu- cated in the common schools of that county. He located permanently in White Haven, Luzerne county, beginning in the employ of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He subsequent- ly went into business for himself, was a contrac- tor and millright by trade, contracted to saw large amounts of lumber, and also had charge of a planing mill at White Haven. He was a Meth- odist in religion, and a staunch Republican in politics. December 20, 1834, he married Eliza- beth Keiser, who was born February 9, 1815, and died February 22, 1888, long surviving her hus- band, who died April 24, 1869. Their children were: I. Sarah Jane, born March 31, 1836. in White Haven, now deceased ; she was the first child born in that town. 2. George Washington, born December 21, 1837. He was educated at White Haven and Wyoming Seminary, then took a position with a large lumber concern on the. headwaters of the Lehigh, and rapidly gained promotion, serving as clerk, then timekeeper, and later superintendent and general manager. On May 7, 1864, he enlisted and was made corporal of Company H. One Hundred and Eighty-sev- enth Pennsylvania Regiment. In the awful car- nage before Petersburg, June 18, 1864, a little. over a month after his enlistment, he was mortally- wounded and died in hospital in Philadelphia, Au- gust II, only nine weeks from the day of his en- listment. He married Clara Scott, of Golds- boro, and they had Jennie, who married Frank Blakeslee, of Blakeslee, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Tor- bert died some years after her husband. 3. Olive Ann, born May 9, 1839, married J. C. Downing, of Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. 4. John Keiser- See forward. 5. Mary Elizabeth born July I, 1843, married Jacob Peters, of Allentown, Pennsylvania. 6. Frances Mendenhall, born No- vember II, 1845, married Captain James Bow- man : See sketch in this work. 7. Charlotte Re- becca, born January 25, 1848, married William Stark, of Tunkhannock. 8. Hannah Adelia, born December 21, 1849, married a Mr. Montelius, of Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania. 9. Margaret Sta- ples, born March 22, 1852, married Fred. Hein- bach, of White Haven. 10. Eleanor Currans, born December 12, 1856, married Edward Burns, of Catasaqua. II. Isabel Fowler, born Novem- ber 16, 1859, married John Shelmer, of Wilkes- Barre.

John Keiser Torbert, fourth child and second'

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son of Washington and Elizabeth (Keiser) Tor- bert, was educated in the common schools in his native village, Columbus Academy, and Wyom- ing Seminary. He was just preparing to enter upon an active career when, at the age of nine- teen, the civil war broke out, and his fervent patriotism moved him to devote his services to his country, and he served with courage and fidelity during the entire struggle. He enlisted under the first three year call of President Lincoln, June 13, 1861, for a term of three years, and was mustered into the service of the United States at Camp Wayne, near West Chester, Pennsylvania, on the 26th of the same month, as a private in Captain LeGrand B. Speese's Company F, Thirty-sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, known as the Seventh Regiment Penn- sylvania Reserves, Colonel Elisha B. Harvey com- manding. The regiment was soon well drilled, and on July 21, fully armed and equipped, it went into camp at Meridian Hill, where it re- mained until August 2, when it marched to Tennallytown then the rendezvous for the Penn- sylvania Reserves. While here the muskets were exchanged for the Springfield rifle, and particular attention was given to skirmish drill and target practice. The regiment was assigned to the Sec- ond Brigade, Third Division, First Corps, Army of the Potomac, serving under General McDow- ell, Hooker, and Reynolds. In March, 1864, the First Corps was discontinued, and the regiment was transferred to the Fifth Corps, same army, under Generals Porter, Butterfield, Meade, and Warren. The divisions to which the regiment was attached was better known as the famous Pennsylvania Reserve Division, and during its service participated in the following historic. en- gagements : Great Falls, Drainesville, the Seven Days Fight, including Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mills, White Oak Swamp, Glendale, and Malvern Hill ; the second Bull Run (or Manassas), South Moutain, Antietam, Fredericksburg, the Wilder- ness, and a number of minor engagements and skirmishes. At the Wilderness almost the entire regiment was captured, which terminated its ac- tive career. At Gaines' Mills, June 27, 1862, John K. Torbert was wounded in the right forearm, captured, and was imprisoned at Castle Thunder, Richmond, Virginia, and for twenty- eight days, when he was paroled and re- joined his regiment at Fredericksburg. He was again captured at the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, a little more than a month before his term of service would have expired, and was confined in the hor- rible prison pens at Andersonville, Georgia, and

Florence, South Carolina, and was finally paroled February 24, 1865, and taken to a parole camp at Annapolis, Maryland, then to a Baltimore hos- pital, became dangerously ill, was at once taken home by his family physician on a furlough and restored to comparatively good health within a year. He participated in the engagements at Great Falls, Drainesville, Mechanicsville, Gaines' Mills, Fredericksburg, and the Wilderness, at all times rendering faithful and meritorious service, and received an honorable discharge at Phila- delphia, May 8, 1865, a month after the end of the war and the disbandment of the rebel armies and about eleventh months after his term of ser- vice had expired. The foregoing excellent mili- tary record is condensed from a work published in Washington, D. C., by the Interstate Publish- ing Company. While confined to a chronological statement of service and without the amplification which would serve to make a thrilling narrative of a military service, the reader who is at all fam- iliar with even the general history of the civil war period, cannot but discern from the space of time covered and the names of the historic en- gagements in which Mr. Torbert participated. that his career was conspicuously gallant and hon- orable. In such a record of patriotic service he leaves to his children a priceless legacy-one which will grow brighter as the years pass by, and it is the inspiration from such examples that will serve to give to the country in succeeding days of need the service of men who will acquit themselves the better for what was done by the heroes of the civil war period.

After leaving the army Mr. Torbert went to Alexandria, Virginia, where he engaged in the produce business, but after a year, impaired health due to the miseries of prison life obliged him to abandon his enterprise, and he returned to White Haven, Pennsylvania, where he established a produce,' fruit and variety business which he conducted with success for a period of sixteen years. For twelve years of this time he occupied the position of postmaster, and discharged his duties with the same scrupulous fidelity as char- acterized him during his army service. In 1881, he entered the wholesale grocery business in Wilkes-Barre, as a member of the firm of Welles, Torbert and Company, and continued with the same for two years, when he sold his interest to his partner, J. C. Welles, and went to Interlaken, Seneca county, New York. He there engaged in a wholesale produce business, shipping his pro- ducts to the coal fields of Pennsylvania. In 1888 he removed his family from White Haven to In- terlaken. In 1896 he transferred his business

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there to his son George, and removed with his family to Wilkes-Barre, giving his attention to marketing the fruit and produce from the Seneca county establishment. During his entire busi- ness career he has been known for his active en- terprises, and sterling integrity of character.

Mr. Torbert is prominent in Grand Army cir- cles and in other military organizations. He was a charter member of D. J. Taylor Post No. 113, G. A. R. Department of Pennsylvania, in which for several terms he held the positions of quarter- master, adjutant, chaplain and commander, and is now connected with Conyngham Post No. 97, of Wilkes-Barre. He is also a member of the Prisoners of War Association, and of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Historical and Benevolent Society, incorporated in 1901. under the laws of the Dis- trict of Columbia. He is a Republican in poli- tics, and he and his wife are members of the Central Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilkes- Barre. Mr. Torbert married, first, September 24, 1868, Miss J. Augusta Benscoter, at Town Line, Luzerne county, daughter of Warren Benscoter. She died October 20, 1876, having borne to her husband two children, George C. and Guy Leon Torbert. Mr. Torbert married, at White Haven, July 26, 1881, Miss Anna M. Pursell, daughter of Thomas and Anna (Tranger) Pursell.

I. George C., eldest son of John K. Torbert, born at White Haven, September 15, 1869, was educated in the common schools of White Haven, Wilkes-Barre, and graduated at Wyoming Semi- nary, in the Commercial College. He is now in charge of the business established by his father at Interlaken. He is a Republican in politics, a Methodist in religion, and a member of the Ma- sonic brotherhood. At Interlaken, June 30, 1891, he married Myra Covert, daughter of Enoch and Mary Covert. To George C. and Myra (Covert) Torbert were born two children : Hazel A., April 25, 1895 ; and John Guy, May 21. 1898.

2. Guy Leon, youngest son of John K. Tor- bert, born September 5, 1874, was educated in the public schools of White Haven, Ithaca, New York, and at Wyoming Seminary, Kingston, Pennsylvania. He was a young man of splendid business abilities, and commanded a large and im- portant trade as traveling salesman for the firm of James Bowman and Son, of Wilkes-Barre. He was of sterling moral worth, and an exemplary Christian, took a deep and intelligent interest in religious work, and was a recognized leader of the young. He was a member of the First Meth- odist Episcopal Church, president of the Epworth League connected therewith, and one of the most active members of the Young Men's Christian As-

sociation. His instincts and tastes were lofty, he was unusually well informed; and he possessed oratorical powers of a high order, and was a graceful and persuasive speaker before the var- ious bodies in which he held membership. He passed to his eternal reward February 9, 1896, at the early age of twenty-one years, when just fairly entered upon a career unusually promising of honor and usefulness, to the deep sorrow not alone of his own kinsfolk, but of a large circle of admiring friends who held him in genuine affec- tion for his nobility of character and for the large usefulness of which his virtues and abilities gave promise.

WILLIAM HENRY GEIDNER, of Wilkes-Barre, was born in Allentown, Penn- sylvania, March 27, 1848. a son of Charles Louis and Mary Ann (Gudkunst) Geidner, and grandson of Timothy and Elizabeth (Kemerer) Geidner.

Timothy Geidner (grandfather) was born November 7, 1793, in Upper Milford, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, a son of Ludwig Geid- ner, of same locality. He followed the occu- pation of farming, in which he was very suc- cessful, and succeeded in clearing a large tract of land in the neighborhood of his birthplace. His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Kemerer, a native of Salisbury township, Pennsylvania, bore him children : Samuel, Charles, Thomas, William, James, John, Mary and Eliza.

Charles Louis Geidner (father) was born in Salisbury township, Pennsylvania, Feb- ruary 22, 1822. He was educated in the com- mon ' schools, and at an early age served an apprenticeship at the trade of cigar maker. For a period of twelve years he served as weigh-master in the Lehigh Crane Iron Com- pany, at Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, and from that year up to the time of his death, July I, 1874, aged fifty-two years, was employed at his trade. He married Mary Ann Gud- kunst, and they were the parents of eleven children : James, born November, 1838, in . Allentown, married Susanna Christman. of Long Swamp township, Berks county, Penn- sylvania, who died about 1898; Evan Charles, born in Allentown, October, 1840, died Sep- tember 25, 1871; Catherine Amanda, born May 7, 1846, in Allentown, became the wife of John Nagle, of Lehigh county, Pennsyl- vania, now deceased: Mrs .. Nagle resides in Allentown: William Henry, born March 27, 1848, mentioned hereinafter ; Elizabeth, born

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1850, died 1854; Daniel, born 1852, died in infancy; Louisa Matilda, born in Allentown, 1855, died 1900: she was the wife of Levan Troxall, who was born in Whitehall, Lehigh county; Emma Jane, born 1858, became the wife of James Wieand, of Allentown, in which city they reside; Anna Sybella, born in Al- lentown, 1860, became the wife of Lewis Schoedler, of Hamburg, Berks county, Penn- sylvania ; they reside in Allentown; Ellen. born 1862, died 1889; she was the wife of Charles Tuttle, of Allentown, Pennsylvania.

William Henry Geidner was educated in the common and high schools of Allentown, and at the age of fifteen went to work for the Lehigh Register to learn the trade of printer. He remained there one year, and then accom- panied his parents upon their removal into the country, remaining with them two years, at the expiration of which time he returned to the same office and was employed there up to 1868, when he accepted a position with the Gazette of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, remaining there until July 1, 1874. the day of his father's death. July 7, 1874, he entered the employ of the Hazard Manufacturing Company, at Wilkes-Barre, as a wire drawer in the drawing department, working at that until 1882, when he was appointed assistant to W. H. Reichard, superintendent of the wire drawing department of this company. (A personal sketch of W. H. Reichard, with a full history of this business, will be found elsewhere in this work). Mr. Geidner has been in the employ of this company ever since, a period of thirty-one years, which fact at- tests to his faithful and conscientious per- formance of duties assigned to him. He is a staunch Republican in politics, aiding to the best of his ability the interests of that party. He is a member of Nesquehoning Lodge, No. 193, K. P., of Mauch Chunk, passed all the chairs, and was recording secretary three years and financial secretary for a similar pe- riod of time. He is also a member of Camp No. 118, Patriotic Order Sons of America, of Wilkes-Barre, in which he has passed all the chairs.

Mr. Geidner married, September 26, 1871, Katherine Reichard (See Reichard Family), and four children are the issue: Marv Re- becca, born July 8, 1872, wife of Elmer J. Op- linger, of Wilkes-Barre; Hattie Elmira, born October 3, 1873, wife of Harry F. Miller, of "Wilkes-Barre, and mother of three children :

Wayne, Marion and Dorothy Miller; Morris Reichard, born January 24, 1879, began his education in the common and high schools of Wilkes-Barre, then took up the study of dent- istry and entered the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, from which he was graduated in 1903. He at once began practice in the office of Dr. Saunders, in Scranton, Pennsyl- vania, where he remained one year, after which he opened an office in that city, and has been very successful in the conduct of the same; Louise Emily, born March 5, 1887, re- sides at home. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Wilkes- Barre, Pennsylvania.

REUBEN B. CUTLER, deceased. Reu- ben B. Cutler, who died April 1, 1905, was the organizer and director of the People's Savings Bank of Pittston, Pennsylvania, and one of that city's oldest merchants, best-known and most highly repected citizens. He traced his ancestry back to some of the oldest of the New England families.

(I) Reuben Cutler, father of Reuben B. Cutler, was a resident of Wilkes-Barre, Penn- sylvania, and was prominently identified with many public improvements in that section of Pennsylvania. When the Pennsylvania Coal Company was building its gravity railroad Mr. Cutler had charge of a construction gang in connection with that undertaking.

(II) Reuben B. Cutler, son of Reuben Cutler (I), was born in Whitney's Point, New York, March II, 1824. His education was commenced in Whitney's Point, New York, and completed in Wilkes-Barre, where he re- moved with his parents in his boyhood days. He lived in Wilkes-Barre until he had at- tained his majority, when he went to Hones- dale, Pennsylvania, where he learned the trade of cabinet-making. Having mastered this trade, Mr. Cutler, in 1848, traveled from Honesdale to Carbondale by the old gravity railroad, and from this point proceeded by stage to Pittston. His permanent residence in Pittston dated from this time. He formed a business partnership with Abram Haas, who had been his dearest friend in Honesdale, and they opened a cabinet shop on Kennedy street, in a little building on the lower side of the lot now occupied by William Drury's double house, under the firm name of Haas & Cutler. Later they bought a lot with a fifty-foot front- age on the easterly side of North Main street

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THE WYOMING AND LACKAWANNA VALLEYS.

for nine hundred dollars, and erected a two- story building for use as a store and a dwell- ing. It was the first building in this section of North Main street, with the exception of the Johnson cottage, which is now in the rear of the McElhenny drug store. The building erected by Haas & Cutler is directly opposite the Gazette office, and is now owned (1906) by A. B. Brown and occupied by W. E. Sharp as a market. In 1850-I the Cutler brick resi- dence was erected on the lot adjoining this building. The business of Mr. Cutler grad- ually changed from that of cabinet-maker, when he made furniture with his own hands, which he sold to that of a dealer in furniture. which business he conducted for many years, and in connection with which he later en- gaged in the undertaking business. For these latter ventures he had erected, on the west side of Main street, directly opposite his resi- dence, a three-story brick building. About 1887 Mr. Cutler sold out his stock of furni- ture and disposed of his interest in the undet- taking business to his son, Charles H. Cutler. Then he entered into a partnership with his son-in-law, E. T. Phinney, and opened a dry goods store in the building in which he had previously conducted his furniture business. Although Mr. Cutler was by this time well advanced in years, he was able to attend to his business with the greatest regularity until within a week before his death. He was a very successful. enterprising business man, and was fortunate in being able to amass a considerable fortune, all of which he left to his widow. He was public spirited and ever ready to lend his assistance to anv measure that held promise for the welfare of the com- munity. He served one term on the Pitts- ton borough school board, having been appointed by the court at a time when it was found nec- essary to remove the old board. His asso- ciates on the board were: Thomas Maloney, Thomas Mangan. Jacob W. Evans, Patrick Battle and William Law. He was one of the organizers of the People's Savings Bank of Pittston, and a director for many years. Through his entire life he was an active mem- ber of the Baptist Church. and was one of the organizers of the First Baptist Church of Pittston, and of which he was for many years an officer, and superintendent of the Sunday school for about forty years. until failing health obliged him to resign this position. His earnest religious spirit was shown in his every

day life, as instanced by the fact that during the time of his apprenticeship in Honesdale,. when he was receiving but twenty-five dollars and his board as compensation for a year's labor, he contributed his entire salary to the- Baptist Church. He always attributed his success in life to this fact, that he gave his first year's wages to the service of the Master. Mr. Cutler was a man whose charm of man- ner few could resist : he had many friends, among the poor as well as the rich, the lowly as well as those high in position. All with whom he came in contact, socially as well as in business circles, appreciated his genial. kindly nature and sterling worth. Mr. Cut- ler's health became impaired about four years previous to his death, and in 1903 he had the misfortune to sprain one of his legs, which still further undermined his health. A con- gestive chill with which he was attacked about a week before his demise rapidly devel- oped into pneumonia, which ended fatally April 1, 1905.

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Genealogical and family history of the Wyoming and Lackawanna valleys, Pennsylvania, Volume I, Part 94

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin Publication date: 1906 Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company Number of Pages: 988

Author: Hayden, Horace Edwin
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: New York, Chicago, The Lewis publishing company
Number of Pages: 988