USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. I > Part 14
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"His arguments were in strong, direct, vigor- ous Anglo-Saxon, often powerful, always impres- sive. His fine voice was under complete control, and his speech sometimes, upon great occasions, reached the very highest points of spoken elo- quence ; but he put on no purple patches, unless he was swelling with some mighty theme. Il- lustrations he chiefly drew, and with great effect, from the historical books of the Old Testament, and the parables of the New. His mind had the enlarged cultivation which comes from much travel at home and abroad, and his manners were those of stately courtesy.
" 'Thus he bore, without abuse, The grand old name of gentleman.'
"His was not an eventful life; his deeds will not be written in the memorials of history, but no ruler who ever founded empires, no states- man who ever raised the weary hope of fallen nations, no conquering captain who ever drew a sword, could leave behind to those who loved him, the memory of a name more stainless."
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GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
Mr. Fox preserved his mental and physical vigor unimpaired and to the last. On November 22, 1899, he finished the trial of an important case which had consumed much time, and it is worthy of note that some months afterwards the judgment he secured on this occasion was sus- tained by the supreme court in Rickert vs. Steph- ens et al., 133 Pa. St. 538. At the adjournment of court he was engaged in another cause. Three hours later, seated with his wife in a social gath- ering in the Presbyterian church, he fell dead from a stroke of apoplexy. The event was a great shock to the community, and evoked sorrow and sympathy from all classes. The funeral services were attended by a large and deeply affected concourse, and the members of the bar of the counties of Northampton, Bucks and Lehigh, each to itself, held memorial meetings and gave expression to their sentiments of affection and admiration.of the greatest one of all their num- ber.
Mr. Fox was a pillar of the church within whose walls he died-the Brainerd Presbyterian church-and he was for more than a quarter of a century the superintendent of its Sunday school. His personal character was unsullied. Besides the church societies with which he was connected, he was president of the Easton Relief Association. His private unostentatious deeds of kindness were legion, and it was said of him by one in his household, "I do not think anybody ever came to him in distress and trouble but that he did some- thing to help them." He was a power in the community in the advancement of material as well as moral agencies, and was long a member of the city council and of the school board. In politics he was a Democrat, steadfast and earnest, yet tolerant towards those who held to antagonistic principles.
Mr. Fox was married, June 5, 1849, to Miss Mary C. Wilson, daughter of James Wilson, of Easton. She died November 27, 1871, and on January 16, 1878, Mr. Fox was married to Miss Elizabeth F. Randolph, a daughter of Hon. James F. Randolph, who survives him. Six children were born to him by his first marriage, as follows :
I. Emily, who became the wife of John L. Wilson, and is deceased.
2. John, who graduated from Lafayette Col- lege in the class of 1872. He studied theology at Princeton, was ordained in the Presbyterian ministry, and had pastorates in Baltimore, Pitts- burg and Brooklyn, and is now secretary of the American Bible Society. He married Miss Mar- garet B. Kinkead, of Lexington, Kentucky, and to them was born a daughter, Pearce K. Fox.
3. Eliza, who became the wife of Dr. Joseph P. Nevin, to whom she bore two children Mary W. and Joseph P. Nevin. After the death of Dr. Nevin she married William B. Marx, and to. them was born a child, Edward Fox Marx.
4. Edward J., Jr., who graduated from La- fayette College in the class of 1878. He was. admitted to the bar in 1880, after some years. study under his father, and the two were asso- ciated in practice until the death of the senior Fox. After practicing alone for a time, Edward J. Fox, Jr., in 1897 formed a partnership, which yet exists, with his brother James W., under the. firm name of E. J. & J. W. Fox. The firm make a specialty of corporation law, and conduct a large and important business. Mr. Fox was one of the organizers of the Easton Trust Company, and is a director in the Warren Foundry & Machine Company, the Easton Gas and Electric Company, and the Lehigh & New England Railroad Com- pany and is a counsel for these and other cor- porations. He is a trustee of Lafayette College.
He was married, in 1888, to Miss Cora L. Marsh, a daughter of William W. Marsh, of Schooley's Mountain, New Jersey, and a grand- daughter of the late Governor Andrew H. Reeder, of Easton. Mr. and Mrs. Fox were the parents of three children : Dorothy, who died at the age of three years, Louis Rodman, and Edward J., Jr.
5. Anna Wilson.
6. James W., a graduate of Lafayette College, class of 1888. He studied law with his father and brother, and was admitted to the bar in 1891. He is engaged in practice with his brother, and he was district attorney from 1895 to 1898. He married Miss Leila B. Reeder, a daughter of
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the late Judge Howard J. Reeder, and of this marriage was born two sons Harold Armitage Fox, and James Reeder Fox.
HERBERT M. HAGERMAN, a leading at- torney of the Northampton county bar, and a resident of Bangor, is a member of one of the old and prominent families of America, the progeni- tor of which left his native country, Holland, in the year 1630 to seek his fortune in the newly discovered regions of North America. His name was Adrian Hegerman, and he located in New Amsterdam, which was named in honor of his na- tive city-Amsterdam, of Holland, and which is now Manhattan island, the most populous dis- trict on the western hemisphere. The family became a very wealthy and distinguished one of New York, and many of its representatives may be found filling positions of prominence and dis- tinction in connection with the professions in the great metropolis of America. Branches of the family have now become widely scattered. One branch was established in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, in 1812, by Frank Hager- man, who settled on the banks of the Delaware, and by Joseph Hagerman who purchased a farm in Slateford, near the Delaware watergap. They were both farmers, and became prosperous men of their day. Joseph Hagerman was the grand- father of him whose name introduces this record. He married Miss Susan LeBar, a lady of French Huguenot extraction, and to them were born a number of children, some of whom became prom- inent in society and business circles.
In the maternal line Mr. Hagerman also comes of Holland ancestry, the Aten family hav- ing been established in America by emigrants from the land of the dikes in 1638. Their de- scendants were worthy people, and, like the Hagerman family, the Aten family was well rep- resented in the Revolutionary war by those who joined the patriot army and fought for the in- dependence of the colonies. Richard Auter, for so the name was originally spelled, was a captain under Washington, and his company was organ- ized in Sussex county, New Jersey. His son, Derrick Aten, conducted a hotel and also oper-
ated a ferry at a place now called Hartzell's Ferry. His family numbered the following : Mary, John, William, Derrick, Susan, Mathias, Thomas, Sylvester and Peter. The sons of this family became farmers and mechanics, and proved to be worthy citizens of the common- wealth.
Frank Hagerman, the father of our subject, was born in Slateford, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, in 1823. In early life he learned the carriagemaker's trade, and in company with his brother Coursin established a carriage manu- factory and repair shop in Mount Bethel, North- ampton county, where for a number of years he continued in business, a liberal patronage being accorded him. He had the reputation of turning out the best handwork in the country, and made as many as one hundred and fifty carriages an- nually. When the western factories began to place upon the market the machine-made car- riages, he could not compete with them and in consequence closed his factory. For a number of years thereafter he was engaged in merchan- dising, and for a considerable period he was con- nected with the lumber business, his operations in that line being quite extensive. He was recog- nized as one of the leading, influential and prom- inent men of the county, not alone because of the extent of his business operations, but also by reason of his personal worth. He was honored with many important positions of public trust, and his fidelity to every obligation stood as an unquestioned fact in his career. For seven years he was a member of the board of prison in- spectors, and for six years of that time served as its president. He was vice-president of the Pen Argyle Bank from the time of its or- ganization until his death, and was also a direc- tor of the Stroudsburg National Bank until his demise. For many years he was the president of the Delaware and Portland Bridge Company, and remained one of its heavy stockholders until his life's labors were ended. He was also a director of the Monroe county Agricultural Association, and his business interests, though extensive, were never so onerous but what he could find time to faithfully perform his duties of citizenship and
.
H.M. Hagerman
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co-operate in many measures for the general wel- fare and the permanent benefit of the community in which he made his home. Of the Masonic fraternity he was an exemplary representative, and at all times commanded the respect of his brethren of the fraternity and of all with whom he come in contact in any of life's relations. He was three times married, his first union being with Catherine Rundero, while for his second wife he chose Catherine Richard, by whom he had one son, Joseph R., born November 5, 1852. He next wedded Mary, the daughter of Derrick and Sarah (Ribble) Aten, and they also became the parents of a son, Herbert M. The father passed away March 2, 1896.
In the common schools Herbert M. Hager- man began his education, which was continued in the State Norman School in Millersville, Penn- sylvania. He next attended Stern's Classical and Mathematical School of Easton, and subsequently matriculated in Lafayette College, in which he was graduated in the class of 1880. His choice of a life work fell upon the legal profession, and he began his preparation for the bar as a stu- dent in the office of R. E. James, of Easton, who directed his reading for two years. Oc- tober 22, 1882, he was admitted to the North- ampton county bar, and, locating in Easton, there engaged in practice for ten years. In 1892 he went to Tacoma, Washington, where he engaged in practice for four years, and then returned to his native county. In 1898 he located in Bangor, where he has gained a large clientele, connecting him with important legal interests.
Mr. Hagerman has been honored with the following offices which he has filled with credit and distinction ; Solicitor of the borough of Ban- gor since 1899, and also of the borough of East Bangor since that date: solicitor for Portland since 1898 ; and was solicitor of Windgap for two years. He is general solicitor for the Bangor & East Bangor Street Railway Company, and fills the same office with the East Bangor, Fortland & Delaware River Railway Company. For two years he was solicitor for the Lehigh & New England Railroad Company.
April 5, 1889, Mr. Hagerman was united in marriage to Miss Kate Durling, the accomplished daughter of the Hon. Andrew J. Durling, of Le- hightown, Carbon county, Pennsylvania. So- cially he is connected with Portland Lodge, No. 3II, F. and A. M .; Bangor Chapter, No. 274, R. A. M .; and Caldwell Consistory of Bloomsburg, being a thirty-second degree Mason. He is recognized as one of the leading members of the bar in the northern part of his native county, and the character of his business is a criterion of the high opinion which the people entertain con- cerning his legal ability.
HENRY ARTHUR ROEHNER was born in Warehouse Point, Connecticut, the eldest son of William H. and Lamira Barnes Roehner. From his boyhood he showed unusual talent for music and it became his profession.
His father was of German and French blood, having been born in Berlin, Germany, the son of a German father and a French mother, the latter being a descendant of the French Huguenots. Under the laws of Germany he was compelled to learn a trade and took up that of dyeing silk, but after completing his appren- ticeship he devoted his entire time to art, becom- ing quite a successful artist, especially as a por- trait painter. He died in 1875. On the maternal side Mr. Roehner comes from good old New England stock. His great-grandfather, Benja- min Barnes, was a soldier in the War of the Revolution, having served in the second regiment, Connecticut Line, in 1780, and in 1781 in General Waterbury's Connecticut brigade, which joined Washington while he was encamped at Phillips- burg. He is a descendant in the sixth genera- tion from Thomas Goodsell, who came from England to Branford, Connecticut, in 1678, having graduated from Trinity College, Oxford, in 1675. His grandson and Mr. Roehner's great- great-grandfather, Daniel Goodsell, fought in the war of the Revolution. The old Goodsell homestead in East Haven, built some two hun- dred years ago, is still standing, but has lately been remodelled.
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The early life of Professor Roehner was spent in his native place, where he attended the common and high schools, and his musical edu- cation was acquired at Hartford, Connecticut, and New York City. He is master of his chosen profession, and is accredited to be one of the most successful instructors in instrumental and vocal music in Easton. He removed to this place in 1874 to preside at the organ of Christ Lutheran church, which position he held for thirteen years. He also played the organ in the First Presbyterian church for five years, and in St. John's Lutheran church for the same length of time. For a short time he was organ- ist in St. Paul's church, and held a similar posi- tion at Doylestown, Pennsylvania, for two years. In the meantime, he had also engaged in teaching both instrumental and vocal music with such good success that his pupils had become so numerous, as to necessitate his giving up his position as organist, and for the past two years he has given exclusive attention to his increasing classes on the piano and voice culture. He possesses remarkable talent in these lines, and is especially fitted by education and natural ability for the profession which he has chosen as a life work.
Mr. Roehner was married in March, 1879, to Miss Jennie Fulmer, a daughter of Henry Fulmer, and during their long residence in Easton they have made many friends here.
J. B. OVERHOLT, a member of the firm which operates the Bushkill Mills, on Bushkill creek, in Forks township, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, is a native of Bucks county this state.
He was born in the year 1867, and was there reared and educated, fitting himself for a life of future usefulness by his mastery of the branches of learning taught in the public schools. After putting aside his text books he learned the miller's trade, beginning in this line in 1884. After the completion of his apprenticeship in 1891, he removed to Northampton county, where for five years he was engaged in the operation of the Newlins Mill. In 1896 he joined his present
partner in the purchase of the Bushkill Mill, where they have since carried on a profitable business. This mill is one of the old landmarks on the Bushkill, and has been in constant use as a grist and flour mill for over eighty-five years. It was first owned by John Orndt and Jacob Seip, who were its proprietors in 1823. In the same year, however, it was deeded to Jacob Miller, and Thomas Seip owned it in 1835. Later it passed into the hands of Samuel Hiler and his wife, who sold it to Samuel Yohey in 1839. It was later owned by Jacob Reader, and in 1868 it was purchased by Jacob Walter, in which year fire largely destroyed the plant, but it was soon rebuilt and operations were resumed. In 1896 this mill became the property of Milton Florey, B. F. Miller and J. B. Overholt, who operated it continuously until 1900, in which year Mr. Miller bought out Mr. Florey's interest, and it is now owned and controlled by Mr. Miller and J. B. Overholt. Mr. Overholt is a practical miller, and is in full control of the mill, which has a capacity of seventy-five barrels of flour per day, and also of eight tons of feed per day. It is supplied with a fifty horse power engine, and in the conduct of the enterprise Mr. Over- holt and his partner are meeting with good suc- cess, for the quality of flour made is of a very high grade, and in consequence finds a ready sale on the market. Mr. Overholt is a progressive- man with a large capacity for business which he uses to good advantage. Already he has attained an enviable position in industrial circles in North- ampton county and his labors have been so directed as to win him desirable success that enables him to enjoy the comforts of life and to supply his family with many of the things which go to make life worth the living. Socially he is. connected with St. Peter's Commandery, No. 80, Knights of Malta, of Tatamy, Pennsylvania.
In 1890 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Overholt and Miss Mary E. Harr, a daughter of Daniel and Ann Harr. Their union has been blessed with six children, four of whom are yet living, namely : Daniel G., Warren H., Howard M. and Ella. Mrs. Overholt was born in Bucks. county, Pennsylvania, in 1866, and has been a.
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faithful helpmate to her husband since they started out on life's journey together thirteen years ago.
ABRAHAM S. KNECHT, an old and hon- ored citizen of Easton, Pennsylvania, whose career as an educator, lawyer, man of affairs and public official has extended over a period of more than half a century, derives his lineage from a family of the famed German Palatinate, whose people were lovers of liberty and jealous of their personal and political rights from as remote a time as the eleventh century.
The ancestor of the Knecht family in America was John George Knecht (I), paternal grandfa- ther of Abraham S. Knecht. He was born in der Pfalsz am Rhine, Germany, on the banks of the river of that name, May 5, 1740. In his young manhood he came to Bethlehem, Pennsyl- vania, whence he removed a distance of four miles to Lower Saucon township, on the road leading from Shimersville to Easton. Several years thereafter he moved to Williams township, where he purchased a tract of land of nearly two hun- dred acres and a grist mill known for more than a century as Knecht's Mill. He was respected in his neighborhood as a man of industry and integrity. He married, Febraury I, 1775, in Williams township, Anna Maria Moritz, who was born September 29, 1752, at Fraunfels, near Welzler, Germany. The maiden name of her mother was Pfeffer, and her grandfather Pfeffer was the original owner of the Knecht Mill. The wife of John G. Knecht died on his farm about a half-mile below Knecht's Mill, February 19, 1813, aged sixty years, four months and twenty days, her husband surviving her until February 21, 1823, when he died, aged eighty-two years, nine months and sixteen days, and his remains were laid by her side in the Raubsville cemetery, on a commanding situation overlooking the Delaware river. They were the parents of three sons, George, John, and Jacob.
George Knecht, eldest son of John G. and Anna (Moritz) Knecht, was born in 1777, in Williams township, where he died February I, 1862, aged eighty-four years. He married Cath-
arine Best, and to them was born one child, Su- sannah, born February 8, 1809, who became the wife of David Bachman, of Durham, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, to whom she bore three sons and two daughters: I. Dianna, now the widow of Dr. Peter F. Arndt, who died at Easton, Pennsylvania, leaving one son, Dr. Oliver Arndt, residing on South Third street in that city. 2. Levina, now the widow of Peter Lerch, who died in Williams township, without issue. 3. Reuben Knecht Bachman, born in Williams township, now a resident of Durham, Bucks county, Penn- sylvania. He is a merchant and manufacturer by occupation, and represented his district in congress for one term. He was twice married : his first wife was a daughter of Aaron Bachman, late of Freemansburg, Pennsylvania; to them were born four children, two living ; she died July 5, 1883; his present wife was also a daughter of Aaron Bachman. 4. Hiram K. Bachman, born in Williams township, who owns and resides upon the farm which belonged to his great-grand- father, and then to his grandfather, George Knecht. He married Emma P. Shimer, a daugh- ter of Charles Shimer, and to them were born two daughters and one son. 5. George Wash- ington Bachman. He was twice married; his first wife was a daughter of William Strader, late of Washington, Warren county, New Jersey, and his second wife was Fanny Janney Simpson. of Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He is in business with his brother, Reuben K. Bachman. David Bachman died at the Knecht homestead, August 9, 1879, outliving his wife, who died March 22, 1872.
John Knecht, second son of John G. and Anna M. (Moritz) Knecht, was born July 1, 1778, on the Knecht homestead, where he died August 17. 1814, his remains rest in the Raubsville cemetery. He superintended his father's grist mill, part of his farm, and ivas engaged in the manufacturing of plows. He married Mrs. Sarah Ruth, nee Stahler, and to them were born two sons, Jacob and John Knecht. Jacob died when he was about eighteen years of age. John, late of Shimersville, Northampton county, married Eliza Riegel, only daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Leidy)
6
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
Riegel; her father resided at Riegelsville, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and her mother was born in Lower Saucon township. The children born of this marriage are: I. Arabella K., born in 1847, who became the wife of Dr. John J. Det- willer, of Easton, Pennsylvania. 2. Sarah, late wife of Dr. R. H. Shepard, born in 1849; she is deceased. 3. Emily J., born in 1853, who be- came the wife of Dr. Edward J. Freeman of Freemansburg, Pennsylvania. 4. Howard R. Knecht, born September 4, 1855, who is engaged extensively in buying grain and manufacturing flour and in other business at Shimersville, Penn- sylvania, at his father's homestead; he married Laurent, a daughter of Dr. B. C. Walter, of Farmersville, Pennsylvania, and a sister of Dr. R. D. Walter, of Easton, Pennsylvania. 5. Anna NI., twin sister to Howard. The parents of this family died respectively, he on February 22, 1891, she on July 4, 1891. Of their children, Ben- jamin died in infancy, and John, born in 1844, died in 1865.
Jacob Knecht, third son of John G. and Anna ( Moritz) Knecht, was born April 8, 1786, on the family homestead, where he made his home dur- ing nearly all his life, following the calling of his ancestors. He married, August 9, 1812, Anna Maria Shimer, born near Reddington, about five miles from Easton, May 26, 1787. She was a daughter of Peter Seip Shimer, and her grand- mother (Seip) was born at what has been known for more than a century as Seip's Tavern, near Easton. Jacob Knecht died June 14, 1861, at the age of seventy-five years, two months and fourteen days, after an illness with pneumonia for about a week. His remains were interred in 'St. John's Lutheran cemetery, about a mile from the old Knecht homestead. Rev. Mr. Brendle of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, pronounced the funeral eulogy, having for his text 2 Timothy, 4 ch. 7 and 8 verses. His widow, Anna Maria Knecht, died June 2, 1864, after a week's illness with lumbago, aged seventy-seven years and seven days, also at the family homestead, and her re- mains were laid to rest beside those of her hus- band. She was a woman of exemplary christian character. The funeral oration was pronounced
by the Rev. Philip Photteicher, of Easton, Penn- sylvania. Text 13 ch. Luke, 46 v.
To Jacob and Anna (Shimer) Knecht were born, all on the Knecht homestead, eight children, named as follows :
I. Susanna, who died May 12, 1815, when six- teen months old.
2. Elizabeth, born April 12, 1815, who died near Bradnor, Ohio, January 17, 1892, she was married, on the family homestead, April 8, 1836, to Isaac Stover, of Flatland, Bucks county, Penn- sylvania, a cousin of Abraham Stout, M. D., of Bethlehem, whose father was a brother of Mr. Stover's mother. He was reared a Mennonite, but after his marriage united with the Lutheran church. Of this marriage were born eight chil- dren, of whom three died young and were buried in St. John's church cemetery near the Knecht homestead. The others were: I. Anna Maria, born April, 1837, died 1889, at Bradner, Ohio. 2. William Henry, physician, Tiffin, Ohio, who married. 3. Fredericka Amelia, who married Charles McDaniel, late of Tiffin, Ohio, now of Los Angeles, California; they are the parents of one child ; she is now deceased. 4. Catharine, who married Stackhouse, of Bradner, Ohio. 5. Emma, who married, first, Cyrus Stover, a son of Stout Stover, who was a brother of Isaac Stover. Cyrus and Emma Stover were double cousins, their fathers being brothers, their mothers sisters. Cyrus and Emma Stover left one child, Mary Elizabeth, now a young woman. Emma Stover, married, second, a Mr. Benton, of Bradner, Ohio, ; one son was born of this marriage. 6. Harvey, who died in February, 1904, on his mother's homestead, near Bradner, Ohio; he left a widow and several chil- dren.
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