USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. I > Part 31
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Hon. David D. Wagener, son of Judge Daniel and Eve (Opp) Wagener, was born in Easton, October II, 1792. He spent his boyhood days in the acquirement of a good education, and in as- sisting his father in his mercantile and milling business. In 1816 he was elected captain of the Easton Union Guard, a newly organized military company of which he continued in command until its dissolution in 1829. In that capacity he vis- ited Philadelphia in 1824, with his company of one hundred and thirty-five men, and assisted in
the ceremonies held in connection with the recep- tion of General Lafayette. He took deep interest in political affairs and became a prominent repre- sentative and distinguished leader of the Democ- racy in Pennsylvania, nor was his influence con- fined to the state. In 1828 he was elected a member of the Pennsylvania assembly, and aided materially in shaping the policy of the common- wealth during that early period of the nineteenth century. He continued a member of the house in 1829-30-31, and then retired from that office in order to accept higher political preferment, hav- ing been chosen to represent his district in con- gress. He was elected in 1832 after a close and exciting contest, his opponent being the well known and popular Peter Ihrie. His congres- sional record was in harmony with that which he had made as a private citizen and as a public official, characterized by the utmost fidelity to duty, and by marked capability in the discharge of the tasks which devolved upon him in the council chambers of the nation. He was re- elected, and continued to serve until 1840, when he retired from active public life, both because he felt in need of rest, and because he wished to devote more attention to his private business in- terests. On the 4th of May, 1852, he was unani- mously elected president of the Easton Bank to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Col- onel Thomas McKeen, and continued at the head of that institution until his death, inaugurating in its government a safe conservative policy which made it one of the strong financial institutions of his part of the state. He largely donated the ground upon which the court house of Easton now stands, and he gave active and helpful co- operation to many movements for general pro- gress and improvement.
On the 20th of September, 1821, Hon. David Wagener was married to Miss Mary Knauss, who was spoken of as "a woman of great personal beauty and piety." She died February 13, 1833, and Mr. Wagener ever remained true to her memory, living a widower for twenty-seven years, and passing away October 21, 1860, in the sixty- ninth year of his age. He was an intimate friend and trusted counselor of James Buchanan
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and of General Jackson, and he left the impress of his individuality upon state and national af- fairs. The "Easton Argus" of October 4, 1860, published the following estimate of his character and life work :
"He was not only a good man, but a useful man. He was a kind and faithful friend, a safe counselor, an indulgent and affectionate father, and an upright man in all relations of life. To the poor he was kind and liberal, and many a penni- less beginner as he started on his voyage to fight the battle of life has been cheered on by the kind assistance of and good counsel of David D. Wag- ener. The possessor of an ample fortune, he was ever plain and simple in his habits, familiar and sociable in his intercourse with his fellowmen, yet dignified in his bearing. He was a strictly up- right man, and scorned to do a dishonorable act in public or private life. He was constitutionally an honest man, and his word was as good as his bond. Few men have left behind them a brighter record or a more illustrious example than the Hon. David D. Wagener."
Hon. David and Mary (Knauss) Wagener had five children, two sons and three daughters, including Susan Burk Wagener, who was born April 15, 1827, and on the 30th of November, 1850, gave her hand in marriage to Jacob Breck- enridge Clemens.
Captain Maurice Clemens supplemented his early education acquired in the common schools by attendance at the Cheltenham Military Acad- emy between the years 1880 and 1884. He then entered Lafayette College, of which he was a member of the class of 1888. He has largely devoted his life to music and as a choral leader has gained more than local reputation. He has rendered military service to his state as a mem- ber of the National Guard, and in 1898 he en- listed with his regiment for service in the Span- ish-American war, but the command was ac- cepted only for the National Guard service. On the 7th of February, 1902, he was elected captain of Company I of the Thirteenth Pennsylvania Regiment of the National Guard. His political allegiance is given to the Democracy, and his re- ligious faith is that of the Episcopal church. He is identified with a number of political and social
organizations, including the Jacksonian Demo- cratic Club of Easton, the Country Club of North- ampton county, the Markham and University Clubs of Philadelphia and the Pomfret Club of Easton.
GEORGE FOLKENSON, a retired citizen of Easton, Pennsylvania, whose ancestors on both the paternal and maternal side were prom- inent residents of Forks township, and actively associated with the agricultural and political in- terests of Northampton county, was born in that portion of Forks township, which now consti- tutes Palmer township, in October, 1843, a son of John and Catherine (Fraunfetter) Folkenson.
John Folkenson ( father) was also a native of Forks township, Northampton county, Pennsyl- vania. In early life he learned the trade of wheel- wright and devoted his attention to that occu- pation for several years, but subsequently became a carpenter and engaged in that line of industry for the remainder of his active career. He was honorable and conscientious in all business trans- actions, and therefore enjoyed the full confidence and respect of his fellow citizens. For a number of years he creditably and efficiently filled the of- fices of constable and assessor in Forks township. He was united in marriage to Catherine Fraun- fetter, daughter of Jacob Fraunfetter, who was a native of Forks township and owned and operated an extensive farm in that locality. Twelve chil- dren were the issue of this union, five of whom are living at the present time ( 1903)-George, Lewis, James, Susanna, and Sophia. Mr. Folk- enson was a prominent member of the Lutheran church, and his wife held membership in the Dutch Reformed church.
George Folkenson, eldest surviving son of John and Catherine Folkenson, was reared to manhood in his native township and acquired a practical education in its public schools. During the early years of his life he followed the custom of most boys reared in the country, that of work- ing on a farm. Later his tastes and inclinations led him to apply his mind to the trade of car- penter, and being industrious and possessing a keen perceptive mind he soon mastered all the
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details of the business and became an expert me- chanic. This occupation, which he followed up to the year 1893, proved both successful and re- munerative, and therefore he was enabled to retire from business and enjoy the ease and comfort which is a fitting sequel to a well spent life of ceaseless activity and toil. Mr. Folkenson has been a resident of Easton, Pennsylvania, since 1860, and during this long period of time has al- ways evinced an active interest in all measures that pertained to its welfare and upbuilding.
Mr. Folkenson was united in marriage to Mary J. Hester, born April 4, 1846, a daughter of Daniel and Catherine Hester, and one child has been born to them, Emma, now the wife of John Leibert, who is serving in the capacity of time-keeper at the Lehigh Valley Depot. Mrs. Folkenson died in 1899. The family have been active members of the German Reformed church of Easton, Pennsylvania, for many years.
HENRY L. ODENWELDER. The found- ers of the Odenwelder family, who have been noted for uprightness of character and loy- alty of citizenship, were John and - Oden- welder, brothers, who were born in Northampton county, Pennsylvania, in the early part of the eighteenth century, their parents being of Ger- man origin. They became good and loyal citizens of this commonwealth, and were prominent fac- tors in all enterprises that conduced to the wel- fare and upbuilding of their community.
Phillip Odenwelder (grandfather), son of the above-mentioned John Odenwelder, purchased a farm of two hundred acres of rich and arable land upon which is located the Forrest House, a well known land mark in Northampton county, and this estate, which was situated on the north side of the Lehigh river, was finally named Oden- weldertown in his honor. He was one of the wealthy and influential men of the community, a large landowner, and at the time of his decease bequeathed to each of his ten children a large farm. His wife, whose maiden name was Koch, was highly esteemed for her upright and Chris- tian character. He was the progenitor of the Odenwelder family in Palmer township. John
Odenwelder, a cousin of Phillip Odenwelder, purchased a tract of two hundred acres of choice farming land on the south side of the Lehigh river, on which he resided for many years.
Jacob A. Odenwelder ( father), son of Phillip Odenwelder, was born in Odenweldertown in 1810, received the educational advantages af- forded by the schools of that day, and became a worthy citizen whose influence for good was manifestly felt in the community. He was a man of enterprise, and was far in advance of his day in the line of improvements. In 1855 he built the Forrest House, and when it was com- pleted he rented it to George Bellis, and later to George Fisher, and in 1859 took possession of the hotel and from that date until 1865 success- fully conducted this enterprise, which was one of the best known and leading hotels of the county. The building is forty by fifty feet square, has a capacity of entertaining forty guests, and with all the out-buildings cover an area of three and a half acres. Mr. Odenwelder married Mary Grad- wahl, who was born in 1814, and the following named children were born to them: Robert, Sa- billa, Henry L., Tilghman, and Ascher J. Jacob A. Odenwelder, father of these children, died at his home in Palmer township in 1884 ; he was sur- vived by his wife, Mary Odenwelder, whose death occurred in 1887. The Gradwahl family were among the prominent residents of the com- munity, were the owners of about four hundred acres of good farming land, and the male mem- bers of the family were loyal and worthy citizens.
Henry .L. Odenwelder, son of Jacob A. and Mary Odenwelder, was born in Palmer township, February 5, 1842. He obtained an excellent Eng- lish education in the schools of the neighborhood, and at the early age of twenty-two years became the proprietor of the above mentioned Forrest House, which he conducted to the entire satis- faction of the public for twenty-five years. Dur- ing this long period of time Mr. Odenwelder fully demonstrated the fact to the traveling public and his numerous patrons, that no man was bet- ter qualified to cater to the wants of a fastidious guest than he. In 1891 he retired from his su- perintendency of the hotel, and entered upon a re-
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tired life. He was a stockholder in the South Side Land and Improvement Company, and every enterprise that promoted the interests of the city of Easton and the welfare of its citizens found in Mr. Odenwelder a ready and willing champion. He took a deep interest in municipal affairs and served his township in the capacity of auditor and justice of the peace, being the incum- bent of the latter named office for many years. He died November 21, 1903.
On December 14, 1864, occurred the marriage of Henry L. Odenwelder and Emeline Breinig, of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, and the issue of this union was one child, Emma C. Oden- welder, born March 6, 1869. She married John H. Neumeyer, and has a son, John Henry, born April 12, 1898.
SAMUEL S. EALER, a representative busi- ness man of Easton, Pennsylvania, who is con- ducting a successful meat and poultry business in his fine and commodious establishment which ex- tends from 1213 to 1217 Washington street, one of the best business localities in the city, was born in Kintnersville, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1875. His parents are Malchor and Angeline (Bachman) Ealer, whose family consisted of four children. Malchor Ealer was a butcher and farmer by occupation, but is now re- tired from business pursuits ; he resides in Easton, Pennsylvania, with his son Samuel S. Ealer, and is fully enjoying a life of ease and comfort.
Th educational advantages enjoyed by Sam- uel S. Ealer were obtained in the schools of Kint- nersville, and until he attained the age of seven- teen years he assisted with the work on the farm and country butchering. He then accepted a clerk- ship in a general store at Readington, Pennsyl- vania, where he remained for two years, and at the expiration of this period of time he located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. After a short resi- dence in that city his health became seriously impaired, and he was compelled to abandon his position, after which he returned to the butcher- ing business, and his health and strength rapidly returned to their full vigor. He engaged in this line of industry in various localities with a num-
ber of firms for the sole purpose of gaining a thorough and comprehensive knowledge of a business which he had decided to make his voca- tion in life. For three years he was in the employ of the celebrated firm of Swift & Co., of Chicago, Illinois, and during that time he acquired an ex- tensive and valuable experience which has proved of great benefit to him in his career. In 1900 he located in Easton and purchased a piece of prop- erty whereon he erected a commodious building, and the following year he established his present business. He deals in meat, fruits, vegetables, poultry, pigeons, fish, oysters and clams in their season, and has an extensive poultry yard where he keeps and cares for his live stock, killing them to fill his orders. In connection with his business in Easton, Mr. Ealer owns a farm of one hundred and ten acres of valuable land in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, situated on the Delaware river, where he grows vegetables and fuits, and raises the best beef and mutton for his Easton market. His trade is both wholesale and retail. His es- tablishment is equipped with all the modern im- provements for convenience and dispatch, there- fore he enjoys a large and select patronage and retains the complete confidence of his numerous customers. He is a prominent member of the Royal Arcanum.
On May 21, 1898, was celebrated the marriage of Mr. Ealer and Nora Kiser, a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania. Four children were born to them, three of whom are living at the present time (1904), Edith, Mabel, and Stella Ealer.
THOMAS J. KOCH, of Easton, Pennsyl- vania, is one of the selfmade men who are the bone and sinew of our commercial life. Begin- ning as a poor boy, he has built up a prosperous business and established an attractive home.
David Koch, father of Thomas, was one of the early boatmen on the canal. His wife was Mary, daughter of Joseph Deibard, a farmer of Northampton county. Joseph Deibard's wife bore the family name of Dreisbach, and she be- came the mother of six children. David and Mary (Deibard) Koch were the parents of three sons, William, Joseph, Thomas J., of whom one
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is now deceased, and one daughter, Flora, also dead. David died in 1857, and his wife in 1898.
Thomas J., son of David and Mary (Deibard) Koch, was born in Northampton county, Decem- ber 23, 1855. He was reared in the county of his birth, and educated in the common school. In early life he followed the canal, as many another poor boy has done who has afterward gained a competence. He spent some time in the service of the railroad, and then turned his attention to the mercantile business. He is now engaged in the grocery line, and has his full share of the custom of his townspeople.
In August, 1883, he married Edna E., daugh- ter of William and Catherine Bachman. Mrs. Koch was born in Palmer township, July 6, 1863. Her grandfather was John Bachman, who mar- ried Sarah Ruser, and reared a family of five children, whose descendants are among the best citizens of the Lehigh Valley. One son, Ray- mond Stanley Koch, has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Koch. They are members of the Memorial church, in which Mr. Koch has held the office of deacon for the past three years.
JOSIAH STEINER. The Steiner family in Pennsylvania first appear as German emigrants in the early history of the Lehigh Valley. They settled in Northampton county, and in the new environment have been transformed, in their chil- dren, into healthful and loyal citizens of the republic.
The first ancestor of whom there is record is John Steiner, father of Josiah Steiner, and all that is known concerning him is that he was born in Bucks county, of German parents. He was a shoemaker, and with him the trade became a fine art. He held to this vocation all his life, and was a sturdy and self-respecting member of society. His wife was Jane Yoekins, and to the couple were born eight children, of whom five were liv- ing in 1903.
Josiah, one of the children of John and Jane (Yoekins) Steiner, was born in Bucks county, in 1827: In 1843 he came to Easton, where he has since made his home. He never learned a trade, but he is by nature a mechanic, capable of turn-
ing his hand to any complex piece of mechanism. He built his own commodious and comfortable home in Easton, in 1886. For twenty years he was night foreman in the Lehigh Valley Railroad shops, but in 1893 he gave up this work as too arduous for his years, though he is still hale and vigorous. Unable to throw off the habits of an active and useful life, he occupies himself in as- sisting his son in the shop which was later added to his original building. In his shop all kinds of small repair work is skillfully and practically executed.
Mr. Steiner married Mary E. Scott, a distant relative of General Winfield Scott. She was born in Easton, in 1833, and died there at the age of sixty years. Mr. and Mrs. Steiner were faith- ful members of the Evangelical church. Seven children were born of this union, two of whom are living, Henry W. and Isbin.
Henry W., son of Josiah and Mary E. (Scott) Steiner, was born in Easton, was reared and educated there, and has lived there all his life with the exception of two years spent in Allen- town. From his father and grandfather he in- herited mechanical aptitude that led him to adopt the trade of a mechanist, which he learned in Easton. He is a master mechanic, and thor- oughly equipped for all kinds of first class work. He has a most unusual grasp of mechanical prin- ciples, and has devoted much time to invention. He has secured letters patent on a gravity win- dow blind hinge, which is extensively in use. He has also invented a blind fastener, and has pat- ented and put upon the market a wire lawn rake, as well as a spool-holder and thread-cutter. These articles are all in use to-day, and attest the me- chanical genius of one of Easton's most worthy sons.
Henry W. Steiner married Emma A., daugh- ter of Jonathan Gross. No children have been born of this marriage.
THOMAS CALLAHAN, a respected and worthy citizen of Easton, Pennsylvania, who, for thirty-five years has been an efficient and trusted employee of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, serving during that long period of time
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in various capacities, was born October 16, 1844, in Easton, Northampton county, Pennsyl- vania, on what is known as Gallows Hill. This section of the city, on which the Roman Catholic church is now located, derived its name from the number of public executions which took place there during the early period of its history.
Patrick Callahan, father of Thomas Calla- han, was born in Westmeath, Ireland, in 1802. He was reared to manhood in his native country, received the education afforded by the schools of that day and in 1829 emigrated to the United States and settled in Easton, Pennsylvania. He was united in marriage to Unity McCarty, and they were the parents of four children-John; Rose, deceased; Elizabeth ; and Thomas Calla- han. John Callahan, the eldest son, was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, in 1837, enlisted in the United States service when Fort Sumter was fired upon, and was the second man to sign the roll in Company C, First Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Captain W. H. Armstrong, commanding. After three months service he was honorably discharged, and then was instru- mental in the reorganization of Company E, Forty-seventh Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, in which he served in the capacity of sergeant. After serving his time with this regi- ment, he enlisted in Company B, Eighty-sixth Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which formed a part of the Army of the Potomac, and participated in many of the engagements in Virginia. In 1868 he enlisted in the United States navy and was assigned to duty on the frigate "Franklin," which was the flagship in the east, and after the term of his enlistment expired he was discharged with the rank of purser's yeo- man. He then returned to his home in Easton, Pennsylvania, but in 1874 again enlisted in the United States navy on the monitor "Canonicus", which was assigned to the Pacific squadron. He again returned to his native city, but after a few years residence there became an inmate of the Soldiers' Home in Dayton, Ohio.
Thomas Callahan, son of Patrick and Unity Callahan, attended the common schools of Eas- ton, Pennsylvania, where he obtained a practical
education which prepared him for a life of use- fulness and energy. After the death of his father, which occurred in 1854, he was employed by Mr. Rinicks on the rope walk. In 1861 he enlisted in Company E, Forty-seventh Regiment, Pennsyl- vania Volunteer Infantry, for three years. The regiment was assigned to the Department of the South, which was commanded by General David D. Hunter, and participated in the battle of Pocotaligo, South Carolina, and in the Red River expedition from start to finish. Mr. Callahan was never sick, wounded or imprisoned during his service. For his meritorious conduct on the field of battle he was promoted to the rank of corporal, and as such was honorably discharged from the service of the United States government in 1864. He then re-enlisted for the term of one year in the same regiment and company, which was assigned to duty in the Shenandoah Valley, under the command of General Sheridan, and here the fighting was fierce and severe. The regiment was then sent to South Carolina to per- form prison guard duty, and in 1866 it was mustered out, being the last Pennsylvania regi- ment to be released from the service of the United States.
Upon his return to civil life, Mr. Callahan was employed for a short period of time by the Keystone Bridge Company, and in 1868 entered the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Com- pany, with whom he has been continuously con- nected up to the present time (1903), a period of thirty-five years. He first served as a switch- man, from that position was promoted to yard clerk, then to drill brakeman, then to regular road brakeman, and then to his present position of conductor, which was assigned to him in 1886. He was a passenger conductor on special excur- sion trains for a length of time, then on a regu- lar train running between Easton and Jersey City, but at the present time he is employed on a train running between Easton and Mauch Chunk. During his many years of faithful and conscientious performance of duty and adherence to the interests of the railroad company, Mr. Cal- lahan has never met with any accident or mis- fortune. The record of his career from boyhood
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up is one that any man might be proud of, and is well worthy of emulation. Mr. Callahan is an honored member of the Royal Arcanum.
In 1868 Mr. Callahan married May A. Har- vey, daughter of Peter and Jane Harvey, and granddaughter of James Barnes, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, who was a soldier in the war of 1812. Mrs. Callahan was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, November 9th, 1849. Two children were born of this union-Ann E., wife of D. S. Sheimer, and Edward T., employed as a passenger brakeman of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. Peter Harvey, father of Mrs. Callahan, was a native of Lower Saucon township, was a bricklayer and contractor by occupation, and an expert mechanic, as was proven by the fact that he was chosen to build many of the large furnaces in the county. His wife, Jane (Barnes) Harvey, was a native of Phillipsburg, New Jersey, and bore him eight children, five of whom are living at the present time. Two of their sons, James and Harry, are engaged as clerks in the freight office of the Le- high Valley Railroad Company.
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