USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. I > Part 20
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Joseph (1) married Anna Maria Romig, who was born in Northampton (now Lehigh) county, Pennsylvania. Their son Isaac (2) was born in Berks county, September 14, 1763. He was a millwright for many years, and his business called him to various portions of the state. He finally settled upon a farm about two miles above Naza- reth, at Millgrove, and followed agricultural pur- suits, at the same time giving much of his atten- tion to his trade. He was married in Schoharie county, New York, to Anna Maria Hochstresser, who was born April 19, 1771, and they died, re- spectively, November 6, 1833, and December 2, 1831. They were both members of the Dutch Reformed church, and they reared their children in that faith. Their children were: I. Joshua, born December 24, 1791 ; 2. Paul, born June 24, 1793, who was a drummer during the war with Great Britain in 1812; 3. Joseph, died in infancy ; 4. Samuel, born March 31, 1797: 5. Elizabeth Catherine, born July 6, 1801, died in 1867; 6. Anna Maria, born in 1805, died in 1818; 7. Sol- omon, born in April, 1811, died in 1867.
George and Maria L. (Siegfried) Fehr were the parents of four children : Oliver L., Henry P., Levin A., and Samuel; the last named died in infancy. The mother passed away in 1849, and Mr. Fehr afterward married Christina Myers, by whom he had four children : Amanda, wife of William H. Hall; Granville F., Catherine L., wife of Henry Klein; and David C. George Fehr, Jr., died December 29, 1888, and his second wife in March, 1899.
Oliver L. Fehr in early life attended the pub- lic schools of his native township, and also the Nazareth parochial school and the Freeland Sem- inary. When twelve years of age he began to learn the trade of a lock filer, which he followed until he was twenty years old, when he began teaching school. For three terms he was a teacher at Millgrove, for one term in Lower Nazareth township, and in 1865 he accepted a position as teacher in Nazareth Hall, where he remained for two years. He then entered the store of William Beitel, at Nazareth, as a clerk, and occupied that position until he was elected Commissioners' Clerk of Northampton county in 1868, being the first clerk chosen after the po- sition was made an elective office. He was re- elected in 1871 and again in 1874, thus extending his official life to the long period of nine years. He was afterward chosen to settle up the affairs of the Saucon Savings Bank at Hellertown, which had failed.
Since 1879 Mr. Fehr has been a representa- tive of the journalistic interests of the city of Easton and of the county. On the first of July, of that year, in company with J. P. Correll, they became publishers of the Easton Weekly Argus, and the Northampton Correspondent, a German newspaper. In September, 1879, they began the publication of a daily edition of the Argus. July I, 1882, Mr. Correll withdrew from the firm, and Mr. Fehr has since continued the publication of both the daily and weekly editions of that paper. In May, 1903, Mr. Fehr discontinued the publi- cation of the Northampton Correspondent, which that year reached its one hundred and second year. It was notable as being the oldest weekly
J. Whit Hood
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newspaper in the state outside of Philadelphia, having been founded by Christian J. Hutter, in 1800.
The Argus, under the sagacious management of Mr. Fehr, who early developed journalistic ability of a high order, is an advocate of Demo- cratic principles, and wields a potent influence throughout the Lehigh Valley. It is at the same time a splendid exponent of local interests, and affords its support to every measure conducing to the general progress and public improvement along material, intellectual, social and moral lines, reflecting in all these directions the high ideals which its publisher has taken for his guidance and inspiration. In a personal way he has actively co-operated to the same ends, and has occupied various important positions in which his services have been of marked advantage to the community. He has served as school director, as town clerk and treasurer of Nazareth borough. He has also taken an active part in promoting the industrial development of the city and county, serving as a director in the Nazareth Canning Company, and in the Northampton County Building and Loan Association, and as vice-president of the Northampton County Agricultural Society. Fra- ternally, he is connected with Dallas Lodge, No. 396, A. F. and A. M., and religiously with St. John's Lutheran church, of Easton, in which he is an elder.
Mr. Fehr was married, in March, 1866, to Miss Christiana Louisa Seyfried, a daughter of James and Anna Seyfried, of Bushkill township. Of this union have been born three children- Anna M., who is the wife of Fred J. Ackembach, and they are the parents of three children, Harry O., Louisa D., and Thomas ; Dagmar E., who is the wife of J. Morris Kiefer ; and Carrie L., who is the youngest of the family, and resides with her parents.
JAMES WHITFIELD WOOD, of the Tip- pett & Wood Company, of Easton, was born in Deckertown, New Jersey, January 17, 1845. From the establishment of the family in America by Timothy Wood in 1700 down to the present, the representatives of the name have been active
in promoting the development and substantial upbuilding of the various localities in which they have lived, and have promoted the educational, social and moral statuts of their respective states.
Timothy Wood came from Yorkshire, Eng- land, to the new world, and joined his brother, Jonas, then living at Huntington, Long Island. In 1727 he was killed by the Indians, his body being found pierced with seven poisoned arrows. He left three sons, Timothy, Daniel and Andrew. The first two removed to Orange county, New York, in the spring of 1728, Timothy settling in Goshen, while Daniel took up his abode near Florida. The third son, Andrew, afterward re- moved to New England.
Daniel Wood, the lineal ancestor of James W. Wood, purchased what is called the Wood farm, for which he gave a dollar per acre. It came into his possession in 1733, and remained the prop- erty of his descendants for one hundred and twelve years. By his first marriage he had two sons and three daughters: John, Jonas, Mary, Elizabeth, and Deborah. By his second mar- riage he had two sons, Daniel and Andrew Wood. Daniel Wood became a physician, and served as a surgeon in the American army during the Rev- olutionary war, making a splendid record because of his untiring devotion to the needs of the sol- diers. His son John founded the city of Quincy, Illinois, and afterward became governor of that state. Andrew Wood, son of Daniel Wood (I), and brother of Daniel Wood (2), continued to reside upon the old homestead farm. He married his cousin, Elizabeth Wood, a daughter of John Wood, of Longford, Ireland, and their children were Jesse, Elizabeth Totten, Andrew, who be- came a Methodist minister of Ohio; and James.
James Wood, son of Andrew and Elizabeth Wood, was born near Florida, New York, April 18, 1778, and was reared upon the old homestead. where he continued to reside for many years. In: addition to farming he also followed cabinet -- making and carpentering. There is still in ex- istence a high clock frame which was given by him as a wedding gift to his wife, which is now in possession of our subject, in Easton,
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Pennsylvania. He purchased the old family homestead, giving twenty-five dollars per acre for the property for which his great-grandfather had paid one dollar per acre. On the 9th of March, 1799, he wedded Mary Armstrong, who is descended successively from William Arm- strong (2), William Armstrong ( I), and Francis Armstrong. The last named sailed from Ulster county, Ireland, August 6, 1728, and landed in New York on the 10th of December of that year. He was an unswerving follower of the Presbyterian doctrine, and served as trustee of his church. He became one of the earliest members of the Presbyterian church of Florida, and his character is in- dicated from the following item copied from the original writing which was signed by Rev. J. Elmer, pastor of the Presbyterian church, Sep- tember II, 1758. It read, "Mr. Francis Armstrong, elder of the Presbyterian con- gregation in Florida, has in every article fulfilled his obligation to me as a min- ister on account of my support while I lived in the congregation, and much more than ever for his proportion, for which I do forever acquit him from all subscriptions made to me, and heartily and earnestly recommend him as an ex- ample for others if they would follow a preached gospel." Francis Armstrong was not only just and prompt in meeting all money obligations, but also displayed many sterling traits of character which made him a man honored and respected by those who knew him. To James and Mary (Armstrong) Wood were born the following named : Daniel T., Sarah, William, Julia, Jane, Keturah, James, Mary, Thomas, and Emily. Of this family Daniel T. Wood was for about thirty years pastor of the Presbyterian church in Mid- dletown, New York. William was an elder in the Presbyterian church at Galesburg, Illinois, and Jane was for many years engaged in mission- ary and pastoral work as the assistant of the Rev. Thomas K. Beecher, of Elmira, New York.
James Washington Wood, father of James Whitfield Wood, was born near Florida, New York, on Monday, October 15, 1813, and re- mained upon the home farm until nearly nineteen
years of age. At a revival service held in Florida during the fall of 1831 he became interested in the doctrine there preached, and made a public confession of his faith on the Ist of January, 1832, by uniting with the Presbyterian church of Florida, New York. His educational privileges were somewhat limited, but he possessed a strong, discriminating mind, and used his advantages in the best possible way. Determining to devote his life to the ministry, he began preparation in the spring of 1832 by entering upon a course of study under the direction of his brother, Rev. Daniel T. Wood, of Middletown. The sudden change from outdoor life, however, to the sedentary habits of the student, brought on a severe illness, and it was necessary to take him back to his home in Florida, New York. But he was destined for a life of great usefulness, and recovering from his illness, he entered Goshen Academy, then under the direction of Mr. Starl, in the fall of 1832. In November, 1833, he went over the once famous Newburg and Easton stage line to Easton, Pennsylvania, and on the IIth of December, 1833, was matri- culated in Lafayette College. In that institution he won high rank as a student, and while engaged in the mastery of a course of study there he sup- plied his temporary needs by working as a cabi- net-maker and carpenter. He also engaged in teaching to some extent, and was contributor to various newspapers and magazines. His great persistency of purpose, laudable ambition and strong determination enabled him to carry on his work until he was graduated on the 20th of Sep- tember, 1837. In recognition of his high scholar- ship he was awarded the Latin and English saluta- tory address on commencement day. He next en- tered the Union Theological Seminary in New York city, and also accepted such work as would bring him in the funds necessary for his support. During one year he was for three months a teacher of the classics in Middletown, and this effort in behalf of higher education resulted in the estab- lishment of the academy at that place.
During the meeting of the Presbytery of Hud- son, at Amity, Orange county, New York, on the IIth of September, 1839, Mr. Wood was ex-
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amined and licensed by the Presbytery to enter upon the holy office as a minister of the church. He had in the meantime formed the acquaintance of Miss Elizabeth Caroline Able, and about the same time he entered upon his ministerial work he was married to this lady at Easton, Pennsylvania, October 9, 1839, by the Rev. Daniel T. Wood, of Middletown, New York, assisted by Rev. Dr. Gray, of Easton. Mrs. Wood was the daughter of Jacob Able, and a granddaughter of Jacob Able, Sr., who in his childhood days was brought from Germany to America in 1750. Mrs. Wood was a lady of superior education and culture. She possessed a most retentive memory and a mind of great compass. In early life she became a most earnest worker in the Sunday-school, and was also a recognized leader in the Easton so- ciety. At the age of eighteen years she united with the Presbyterian church in Easton under the pastorate of Dr. Gray, and through her life as a minister's wife she manifested the most thorough appreciation of the needs of the chruch and the work which her husband was doing, and ever gave to him her loyal sympathy and support. She was greatly interested in char- itable and benevolent work, and lost no opportun- ity to befriend the poor and needy, or to extend sympathy to the suffering. Yet she preferred the duties of her home, including those of wife and mother, to that of the presidency of the sewing circle or other societies of the church. She was, however, a most able assistant to her husband, her own labors rounding out his efforts in behalf of his denomination.
James Washington Wood was ordained and installed as pastor of the Presbyterian church at Deckertown, December 29, 1839, by the Pres- bytery of Rockaway, New York, and there re- mained until September, 1845, when he resigned and began work for the American Board of Christian Foreign Missions in New York. While a representative of that society he preached for the mission at Chester, New York, and unex -. pectedly received a call to become pastor there. This invitation was accepted, and on the Ist of November, 1845, he began work in Chester, where he remained for seventeen years, during
which time the membership of the church was more than doubled, reaching the number of four hundred. It was also during this pastorate that a large and beautiful house of worship was erected at a cost of about ten thousand dollars, and the church advanced equally in spiritual strength. When at length his labors there were heavy upon him and he felt the need of relaxation, he resigned the pastorate at Chester on the Ist of October, 1862, and removed to Easton. On the 18th of the same month he sailed for Europe and the Holy Land, visiting many points of modern as well as historic interest in the old world. In the fall of 1863 he returned to Amer- ica, and on the 23d of April, 1865, he accepted a call from the Presbyterian church in Allentown, Pennsylvania, being installed as its pastor by the Presbytery of Philadelphia on the 25th of Oc- tober, 1865. He continued to reside in Allentown until his death, which occurred there very sud- denly on May 5, 1884. Both he and his wife were laid to rest in the Able family plat in the beauti- ful cemetery at Easton, Pennsylvania.
Rev. Mr. Wood was a man of attractive ap- pearance, of medium size and dark hair, and a man who was ever sympathetic and of broad ยท humanitarian principles. He was a man of scholarly attainments, who throughout his entire life continued his acquaintance with the classics and with the German and French languages and was able to write fluently in both as well an in the English tongue. On the 2d of July, 1879, his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Divinity, and at the exercises held at Lafayette College he responded in an oration delivered in the Latin tongue. His writings upon secular as well as religious subjects which ap- peared in the newspapers and general publications displayed great breadth of thought, deep re- search and unbiased judgment. He was fre- quently called upon to deliver addresses on popu- lar occasions, and he perhaps was never at his best more than when in the company of the young. He continued young at heart, and re- joiced in their happiness and pleasures. He was a brilliant conversationalist, and could adapt himself to the various conditions of all around
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him, and also had the faculty of placing his as- sociates at once at ease. The poor, the needy and the distressed looked to him for sympathy, aid and encouragement, and were never disap- pointed. He was a popular man not only because of his strong mentality, but because of his deep sincerity and abiding interest in his fellow men and their welfare. To his ministerial work he devoted his time with consecrated zeal, placing the cause of the Master ever first in his life and thoughts. While he denounced wrong in strong terms, and never swerved from the path of what he believed his Christian duty, he nevertheless, had broad sympathy for the feelings of his fel- low men, and extended to them every aid in his power that he might assist them in overcoming temptation and trials. He looked at life not from the standpoint of a theologian, but as a Chris- tian, and regarded religion as a preparation for life's daily duties. He believed that the teach- ings of Christ instructed men how to work, and how to play as well as how to pray. He thought that one's religious faith should influence their political support, their social relations and their business careers, and he championed his views with all the intensity of a strong nature, and with all the honesty and persistency of one who holds a steadfast purpose and lives up to it. No one was ever in doubt as to his position upon any question on which his opinion was stated, yet his counsel and advice were always prompted by affection and earnestness, and it was this which won for him the love of many people. He held friendship inviolable and followed the wisdom of the poet who pronounced the admonition :
"A friend thou hast, and his adoption tried, Grapple him to thy heart with hooks of steel."
The children of Rev. James Washington and Elizabeth Caroline (Able) Wood were Jacob Winslow Wood, of Allentown, Pennsylvania ; James Whitfield, of Easton; Mrs. Elizabeth Able Harrison, of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Dan- iel Burton Wood, of Spokane, Missouri.
James Whitfield Wood was educated in La- fayette College, being a graduate of the class of
1866. He entered upon his business career in connection with the Tribune, of Chicago, Illinois, and in 1869 he returned to Easton, where, in con- nection with Henry L. Bunstein, now the pastor of the Presbyterian church at Milford, Delaware, he purchased the Easton Free Press, which they conducted until 1871. In that year they dis- posed of their paper and plant, and Mr. Wood has since been identified with industrial and man- ufacturing interests. He became connected with the Delaware Rolling Mills at Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and in 1873 formed a partnership with Jacob Tippett under the firm name of Tippett & Wood, establishing the boiler works at Easton. This partnership was maintained until the death of Mr. Tippett on the 26th of October, 1886, when the business was incorporated under the old firm name. Mr. Wood at that time became president of the company, in which capacity he served until 1903. The company takes contracts for iron work, such as water towers, pig iron furnaces, and cement plants, and the business has become an important industrial concern of Easton, the sales of the house having reached a large annual figure.
Mr. Wood has also extended his operations into other fields of labor, being a man of resource- ful business ability. He has been the president of the board of trade of Easton since its organi- zation ; is the treasurer of the Stewart Silk Com- pany of Easton; the president of the Henderson Water Company, of Henderson, North Carolina, and also of the Henderson Light and Power Company ; and is a director of the Easton Free Press Publishing Company. He has contributed to the development of his city along lines of ma- terial improvement and moral progress, as well as through private business interests. He was a member of the city council at the time of the in- stallation of the first brick paving and sewer con- struction in Easton. In politics he is a stanch ad- vocate of Republican principles, and he is a trus- tee of the Brainard Presbyterian church, and su- perintendent of the Williamsport mission school.
He was married, September 18, 1872, to Miss Emily Drake, a daughter of John Drake, of Easton, and to this marriage have been born three
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children : Margaret, who died at the age of five years; Raymond, and Emily, who died at the age of seven years. The son pursued his early education in Easton, was graduated in Lafayette College with the class of 1901, and afterward spent two years in Berlin, Germany, and Paris, France, studying music and also the German language. He is a thoroughly educated musi- cian, and a violinist of high standing in the pro- fession. He is now connected with business in- terests as secretary of the Tippett & Wood Com- pany.
CHESTER SNYDER, whose energy and enterprise have been felt as a promoting power in a number of the leading enterprises of Easton, is a descendant of a prominent German family, the ancestry being traced back to Henry Snyder, who came to America at an early epoch in the seventeenth century. He settled in Easton to- gether with a large number of representatives of the German Reformed denomination. Soon after- ward he began learning the saddler's trade, and later he entered upon an independent business career, establishing his shop on the site where the old Lafayette College was started on Canal street, in South Easton. The building which he occu- pied is still standing, and is used for hotel pur- poses. Tiring of this occupation, however, he purchased a farm of one hundred and fifty acres in the immediate neighborhood of his home, and engaged in the production of vegetables and in dairy farming, selling his products on the local markets. He was married in early manhood, and became the father of three sons and four daugh- ters. He and all of his family were members of the Old Reformed church, and his political sup- port was given to the Democracy.
Charles Kayle Snyder, the grandfather of Chester Snyder, was born in Easton, Pennsylva- nia, December 26, 1799, and died August 23, 1836. He was educated in the public schools, and entered upon his business career in con- nection with the grocery trade, which he followed until his death, becoming proprietor of a large wholesale and retail establishment in Easton. He, too, was a Democrat in political faith and his
religious connection was with the Reformed church. He was married October 8, 1824, to Sophia Shick, who was of Scotch descent, her parents settling in the vicinity of the Blue Moun- tains on coming from Scotland to the new world. Her father there carried on shoemaking. Mrs. Snyder passed away September 6, 1847. She had become the mother of six children: John Henry, born August 17, 1825; Jane, born June 10, 1827 ; Rachel, born January 17, 1829; Sarah, born January 1, 1831; Mary, born February 14, 1835 ; and Daniel, father of Chester Snyder. All married in early life, and three are now deceased. Of this family John Henry is still actively en- gaged in business, following his trade of carpen- tering and cabinet-making. He acquired his early education in the public schools, and then learned the pursuit which he has made his life work. He has been married twice and is the fa- ther of a large family.
Daniel W. Snyder was a pupil in the public schools in his early boyhood days, and after put- ting aside his text books entered upon an ap- prenticeship in order to learn the confectioner's business. He was for many years considered the leading confectioner of his part of the state. He established an enterprise of his own, and con- ducted it with constantly growing success until about 1897, when he retired from business life. Prior to his removal to Easton he had been located in Shousburg, and there continued until 1856, when he took up his abode in Easton. In manner he is quiet and unassuming, preferring the pleas- ures of home life and the association of his family to political preferment or prominence in connec- tion with public affairs. He feels, however, that public-spirited interest which every true Ameri- can citizen should have in the welfare of the country. His support is given to the Republican party, and he is a member of the Lutheran church. In 1858 he married Mary C. Kryder, a daughter of Waaron Kryder, of Easton, who was a prom- inent contractor and mason. Mrs. Snyder was a member of a family of seven children, and her mother died in 1878, while her father passed away in 1889. Unto Daniel W. Snyder and his wife have been born two children, the daughter
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being Jennie, who was born February 1, 1862, and is now the wife of Edward Hart Chidsey, who is now living retired in Easton. They have four children : John Russell, Edward Hart, Henry R. and Joseph, all of whom are attending school.
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