USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. I > Part 49
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Mr. Schropp has been active and influential along many lines contributing to the improvement of the city, and is now connected with the Mora- vian Historical Society, the Pennsylvania German Society, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and the American Institute of Mining Engineers. He is an active member of the Moravian congre- gation in Bethlehem, is serving as one of its trus- tees, and was a director of the school board. He is also a member of the advisory board of the provin- cial elders' conference, and the vice president of the board governing the young ladies seminary. He has always taken an active part in Grand Army affairs. He joined Y. K. Taylor Post, No. 182, on January 29, 1886, and was electetd com- mander in 1877, and re-electetd in each of the four following years. He served for one year on the staff of the department commander, and in 1892 was an aide on the staff of General Palmer, at the national encampment in Washington City.
Abraham Sebastian Schropp was married on the 19th of April, 1864, to Caroline Angelica Guetter, who was born March 13, 1842. Their children, all born in Bethlehem, were three in number : I. Elizabeth Burnett, born November 12, 1865, who was married, February 8, 1887, to George Hildreth Worrall, who died December 24, 1887 ; 2. Mary Helen, born August 25, 1868, was married, January 13, 1892, to Thomas Smith Leaser, who died November 10, 1903 ; three chil- dren were born to them : Thomas S., Jr., born July 27, 1893 ; John, born January 14, 1895 ; and Ruth
Schropp, born August 16, 1897, died December 21, 1898. 3. Ruth Caroline, born September 8, 1871, was married, October 30, 1894, in Bethle- hem, to Rev. Arthur D. Thaeler, of Winston, North Carolina, and to them were born three chil- dren : Louise S., born in Winston, North Carolina, December 12, 1895; Abraham Schropp, born in the same place, November 19, 1898; and Arthur D., born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1902.
REUBEN KEMMERER. One of the highly cultivated and therefore productive farms of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, located in Bethlehem township, is the property of Reuben Kemmerer, a native of that section of the state, his birth having occurred February 5, 1846. He is a son of Enoch and Julia M. (Arner) Kem- merer. Enoch was a son of John and Susanna Kemmerer, and John was a son of John Nicholas Kemmerer.
John Kemmerer (grandfather) was a farmer by occupation, and continued in this line of indus- try throughout the active years of his life. He took an active part in the Revolutionary war, and also in the war of 1812, displaying the utmost courage and heroism on the field of battle, was a consistent member of the Reformed church, and in politics, was an ardent Republican. He mar- ried Susanna Dreisbach, and they reared a fam- ily of children, among whom was a son, Enoch Kemmerer.
Enoch Kemmerer (father) followed the quiet but useful calling of agriculture, conducting ex- tensive general operations on a farm of one hun- dred and forty acres located in Lower Nazareth township. Although his time was fully occupied with business interests he was not unmindful of his duties as a citizen, and for two terms he was chosen by his fellow townsmen to fill the office of supervisor. He was united in marirage to Julia M. Arner, daughter of Nicholas and Susan (King) Arner, and eight children were born of this union-I. Maria, who became the wife of Peter Engler and one child was born to them, Lloyd Engler, whose first wife, Annie (Mussle- man) Engler, bore him two children, and whose
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second wife, - (Koch) Engler, bore him one child. 2. James, married Julia N. Schnabel, and their family consisted of two children, both of whom are now deceased. 3. John Edward, mar- ried Harriet Engler, and their three children are as follows : Claude, unmarried ; Miranda, became the wife of Samuel Fenicle, and they are the parents of two children ; Elsie, became the wife of Frank Heller. After the death of his first wife, John E. Kemmerer married Emma Braerman, and their family consists of the following named chil- dren-Sadie, Russel, Myrtie, Velma and Nama. 4. Amelius F., married Leana Odenwelder, and they are the parents of nine children : Harvey, married, and has children : Estella, became the wife of Albert Eisel, and their children are: Miriam and Eisel ; Minnie, married, and her fam- ily consists of seven children; Stanley, married Sadie Moser, and they are the parents of one child; Flossie, married Frank Wagner; Victor, unmarried ; William, unmarried ; Laura, unmar- ricd ; and Harry, unmarried. 5. Ellen, became the wife of Ephraim W. Moyer, and two children were the issue of this union: Harvey, married Mary Knecht, and one child has been born to them-Mayne Knecht ; Minerva, became the wife of George Barron, and they have one child, Min- nie. 6. Reuben, mentioned at length in the follow- ing paragraph. 7. Alfred was married three times ; his first wife, Louisa (Walter) Kemmerer, bore him two children-Elmer and Oscar ; his second wife, Lydia (Walter) Kemmerer, bore him no children ; his third wife, Henrietta (Titus) Kem- merer, bore him three children-Asher, Annette, and Charles. 8. Elijah Israel, married Celia Walter and their family consists of the following named children-Esta, became the wife of Fran- cis Schaffer, and two sons have been born to them ; Clarence, married Daisy Huber, and they are the parents of three children; Nora, became the wife of Vincent Bright, and one child has been born of this union ; Celesta, married John Schortz ; Arthur, unmarried ; Beulah, unmarried ; and Lot- tié, unmarried.
Reuben Kemmerer, sixth child in order of birth born to Enoch and Julia M. Kemmerer, re- ceived his early education in the public schools of
his native township, and later attended two terms in the high school at Easton, Pennsylvania. He then accepted a position as clerk in the general store owned and conducted by John Lerch, but after two years service in this capacity his health became impaired and he was obliged to resign. Upon recovering his usual health and strength he devoted his attention to teaching school, and filled that responsible position with credit and efficiency for three terms, after which he rented a small farm and began trucking for the city mar- kets. This occupation proved so lucrative that he continued it for six years, and at the expiration of this period of time he established a dairy busi- ness which he conducted in addition to his former line of trade. He purchased a small tract of land consisting of ten acres, later added thirty-two acres more to his estate and, in 1899, by means of industry and thrift he was enabled to purchase a ninety-seven-acre farm, formerly the property of Joseph Emery, and since that date has operated both farms, which are devoted to the production of large quantities of stock, grain of all kinds and vegetables. Mr. Kemmerer has never taken a very active part in local politics, preferring to de- vote his entire time to the management of his property, but he was prevailed upon to accept one term as tax collector. In national politics Mr. Kemmerer follows in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, casting his vote for the candi- dates of the Republican party, but in local poli- tics he votes for the man who in his estimation is best qualified for office.
Mr. Kemmerer was united in marriage to Mary M. Emery, daughter of Joseph and Anna Melinda (Derhammer). Emery. . Their children are-I. Laura, wife of Ulysses Clauss ; 2. Jennie S., wife of Vancela Clauss and they are the parents of one child, Elva Clauss ; 3. Ursella, wife of William Yeakle and their family consists of two children-Laura and Russel ; 4. Joseph, mar- ried Lizzie Rosenberger and their children are- Edith, Warren Dewey, Stanley and Nevin Paul; 5. Carrie, wife of Charles Garr : 6. Annie M., un- married. Joseph Emery, father of Mrs. Kem- merer, was the son of Samuel and Annie (Lau- bach) Emery, and his wife, Anna Melinda, was
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
the daughter of Michael and - - (Eckert) Derhammer. Mr. and Mrs. Emery were the pa- rents of four children-Mary M., wife of Reuben Kemmerer ; Joseph D., married Agnes Stahr and they are the parents of cne child, now deceased ; Susan, wife of Jacob M. Barch and their ten chil- dren are as follows-Harry, Annie, wife of James Long ; Walter, unmarried; Florence, unmarried ; others deceased. Stephen S. Emery married Annie Lawall, and two children were the issue of this union, one of whom is deceased and the other is John D. Emery, who married Alice - and they are the parents of one child.
CHARLES S. HESS, prominent as a dairy- man and agriculturist in Bethlehem township, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, comes of the strong and virile German stock that has figured so largely in the development of the commonwealth.
His grandfather was Jacob Hess, a farmer of the county, who possessed in marked degree the musical ability for which the Germans as a race are famous. He was organist for fifty years in the Lower Saucon Reformed church. He married a woman named Lerch, and one of the children born was a son Thomas, whose descendants are traced in this article.
Thomas Hess was a farmer, and was ac- counted one of the successful men of the town- ship. His farm was one of the largest thereabout, and he was always fortunate in his enterprises. He had an abiding interest in the public welfare, and felt particularly the need of an adequate popu- lar education. He did good service for many years as a member of the local school board. He was a man of strong principles and sanguine tempera- ment, altogether a sane and forceful personality. He and his family were all members of the Re- formed church, and he was a liberal patron of all good works. He was a believer in the principles of the Democratic party, and supported that party in local and national politics. He died in 1902, being survived by his wife.
Thomas Hess married Catherine Kern, a daughter of Peter Kern and his wife, whose fam- ily name was Ott. Thomas and Catherine (Kern) Hess had a family of seven children, as
follows : 1. Jacob Peter, who married Emma Seip and has two children-Carrie C. and Thomas J. ; 2. Charles, who is elsewhere spoken of ; 3. Sarah, who is unmarried ; 4. James, who married Cath- erine Smith, and has one child, James Monroe ; 5. Harvey, who married Cora Hess, and has one child, Claude ; 6. Alice, who became the wife of Herbert Seager, and is the mother of one child, Joseph ; 7. Frank, deceased, who married Lizzie Brown and had two children, Truman and Clarence.
Charles S. Hess, second child and second son of Thomas and Catherine (Kern) Hess, was born in Bethlehem township and received his education in the public schools there. He grew up in the life of the farm, and early showed an aptitude for its various activities, having an especial liking for all domestic animals. He made farming his occu- paticn, with dairying the principal line of work. After a few experimental years of work with his father, he rented the old Hess homestead and car- ried on an independent business. Later on he bought a farm property of John Brown, and con- ducted a dairy there, until 1891. In that year he bought of David Keim, his father-in-law, the farm of seventy-eight acres which is now occu- pies. Under his skilful management it supports a dairy herd of about thirty-two cows. His stock is carefully selected, and he is considered one of the best breeders and judges of cattle in that sec- tion. He maintains the interest of a good citizen in township affairs, and has held his share of the local offices. He is especially interested in school matters, and has been one of the school directors. He is a member of the Reformed church, and be- longs to Lehigh Council, Royal Arcanum. He votes with the Democratic party.
He married Amanda Oscilla, daughter of David and Arminda (Lerch) Keim. David was the son of Jacob and Christian Anne Keim, and his wife was a daughter of William Lerch. Mrs. Hess was one of a family of nine children, as fol- lows: I. Camilla and 2. Mary Jane, died in in- fancy ; 3. Alfred L., married Emeline Whitsel, and has two children ; 4. Emma C., married Ed- ward Brinker, and is the mother of eight chil- dren ; 5. Amanda Oscilla, who married Charles
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S. Hess : 6. Ellen Louise, who became the wife of Oliver Stuber, and is the mother of one child ; 7. Wilson B., who married Kate Moser and has two children; 8. Cora, who died in infancy : 9. Annie, who married Francis Bond and has two children. Charles S. and Amanda Oscilla (Keim) Hess, are the parents of five children,- Preston, Robert, Helen, Stanley and Emily.
MORRIS A. BORHEK, a teller in the Le- high National Bank of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was born October 9, 1842, and is a son of James T. and Marietta Carlctte ( Brunner) Borhek. The family of which he is a representative was founded in America by John Andreas Borhek, who was a weaver of Gottingen, Prussia, and came to the new world with a band of Moravians during the Revolutionary war. He was married at Bethlehem, to his wife, Anna Maria (Fishcell) Borhek, who was born in 1743, and died in 1807, while John Andreas Borhek, who was born in 1728, died May 14, 1791.
Christian Frederick Borhek, son of John An- dreas and Anna Maria Borhek, was born in Beth- iehem, and married Anna Catherine Kindig, who was born May 4, 1780 ; she was a daughter of An- drew Kindig, of Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and died August 14, 1808. By his first wife Chris- tian Frederick Borhek had two children : Clemen- tine S., born in 1806, and James T., born in 1808. By his second wife, Mary Luckenbach, he had the following children: Frederick R., who married Harriet Hunsicker, and had children : Helen, who was born January 10, 1810, and became the wife of August Belling, and the mother of a large fam- ily; Emily Amelia, who was born January 8, 1813, and became the wife of Frederick Hoffman, by whom she had a son, Frederick ; and Lindora, the wife of Abraham Grosh, by whom she had one daughter, Mary L.
James T. Borhek, the eldest son of Christian Frederick Borhek, was born January 6, 1808, at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he was reared and educated, attending a Moravian school. At an early age he was apprenticed to Christian Luckenbach, with whom he learned the trade of a locksmith and tinsmith. On attaining his ma-
jority he went to Philadelphia to learn the trade of a coppersmith, and upon his return to Bethlehem he gave his attention to the manufacture of hats, buying the business of C. A. Luckenbach. At that time this was the only industry of this kind in eastern Pennsylvania, and in his establishment silk hats were first manufactured in America out- side of Philadelphia. In 1848 he again changed his occupation, becoming a lumber and coal mer- chant, and establishing the firm of Borhek & Knauss. After the death of his partner he car- ried on the business alone for a number of years, and then sold out in 1860 to his son and Mr. Miksch, who in connection with the lumber and coal trade conducted a general merchandising establishment. This, however, was destroyed in the great freshet in 1862.
For a number of years James T. Borhek filled the office of justice of the peace, and also served for two terms as school director. While filling the former position he was largely instrumental on various occasions in keeping litigation out of the courts, inducing contestants to settle their differences without recourse to the law, and whether in or out of office his advice and his judgments were ever strictly impartial, and his rulings extremely free from personal prejudice or bias. He became a charter member of Keystone Lodge, I. O. O. F., and he was the secretary of the Bethlehem Gas Company from its organiza- tion until his death, which occurred July 24, 1888.
James T. Borhek was married, July 5, 1830, to Marietta Charlotte Brunner, and to them were born seven children : Albert and Robert, who died in childhood; Ashton ; Morris A., born October 9, 1842; Louisa Catherine, who was born Febru- ary 14, 1840, and died in childhood ; James T., born October 16, 1844; and Henry G., who was born March 13, 1848, and died October 18, 1889. Of this family Morris A. Borhek married Emma Stadiger, and to them was born a son, Herman S., whose birth occurred April 15, 1869, and who married Addie Thayer. James T. Borhek, Jr., married Otillia Clauder, a daughter of the Rev. H. G. and Charlotte (Ruede) Clauder. She was born on Staten Island, New York, October 15, 1846, and was educated in the Moravian Seminary
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
at Bethlehem. Their children are Henry Theo- dore, born January 1, 1877; Emily Louisa, who was born April 10, 1882, and died in early child- hood ; Edgar Ashton, born January 10, 1884.
Morris A. Borhek was educated in the Mora- vian day school at Bethlehem, and at the Nisky Hill Seminary, under the instruction of Profes- sor Van Kirk. On leaving school he served an apprenticeship under H. B. Luckenbach at the tin- smith trade. On the breaking out of the Civil war, however, he enlisted in the militia, and later in the Emergency Men as a member of the Twen- ty-fourth Infantry, with which he served for three months. After his military experience he engaged in the banking business, and has since been connected with financial interests in Bethle- hem, being at the present time the teller in the Lehigh National Bank. More than a third of a century's experience has gained him broad knowl- edge of the business, and made his efforts of much value in the successful conduct of the institution with which he is associated.
Mr. Borhek was united in marriage to Miss Emma Stadiger, a daughter of Herman and So- phia (Shelly) Stadiger. Her paternal grand- parents were John Frederick and Susan Eliza- beth (Bagge) Stadiger. Her father was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, January 19, 1810, and pursued his education at Nazareth Hall. For many years during his business. career he con- ducted a hotel at Friedensville, Pennsylvania, and his death occurred in 1866. Mr. Borhek and his wife have had one child, Herman S., who was born April 15, 1869, and married Addie Thayer.
PRESTON H. KRATZER, one of the enter- prising young business men of Catasauqua, Le- high county, Pennsylvania, who has gained an enviable reputation for the utmost integrity and conscientiousness in all transactions, was born April 20, 1874, in Hanover township, which is adjacent to the borough of Catasauqua.
Reuben Kratzer, grandfather of Preston H. Kratzer, was a native of Hanover township, Le- high county, born in 1811. He married Sarah Fenstermacher, who was born in 1816, a daugh- ter of Johannes and Rosanna Fenstermacher, and
their family consisted of four children, namely : Mrs. Levina Frey, Mrs. Laura Keim, deceased ; Mrs. Matilda Jones, and Franklin Kratzer.
Franklin Kratzer, father of Preston H. Krat- zer, was born in the borough of Catasauqua, Le- high county, in 1850. He attended the common schools in the neighborhood of his home, and the education therein acquired prepared him for the activities of life. He learned the trade of carpenter, and is now in the employ of his son, Preston H. Kratzer, who is the proprietor and operator of a fine and flourishing planing mill. Mr. Kratzer has been a resident of Catasauqua for twenty-eight consecutive years, and during this long period of time he has won and retained the respect of a large circle of friends and busi- ness associates. Mr. Kratzer married Alice Bush, who was born in Moore township, North- ampton county, in 1848, and the surviving mem- bers of their family are as follows: Preston H., mentioned at length in the following paragraph ; Emma, Minnie, Mabel and Elmira.
Preston H. Kratzer was reared in the borough of Catasauqua, Pennsylvania, and during his boyhood he was a student in its common schools. He served an apprenticeship at the trade of car- penter, becoming a practical and expert work- man, thoroughly familiar with all the various branches of that important occupation, and is therefore well qualified to conduct the extensive planing mill of which he is the proprietor and operator, and which he built in 1903. The build- ing is thirty-two by one hundred feet, and is equipped with the most modern machinery, in- cluding a gasoline engine of twenty-five horse power. He gives constant employment to twen- ty-five skilled mechanics, and the product of the plant, which consists of doors, sash, blinds, frames, and all kinds of mouldings and builders material, is the best work of its kind in the Le- high Valley. He is an active and public-spirited citizen, and takes a keen interest in the commer- cial, political and social circles of the commun- ity in which he resides.
In 1896 Mr. Kratzer married Sadie E. Laub, who was born in Hanover township, Lehigh county, in 1876, a daughter of Oliver and Seniah
Preston HStrazer -
(
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GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
Laub, granddaughter of William and Catherine Laub, and a descendant of an old and honored family in the Lehigh Valley. William Laub (grandfather) died at the age of sixty years, and he and his wife, Catherine (Switzer) Laub, were the parents of six children, namely: Oliver, Owem, Leander, Lovina, Emma, deceased ; and Lucinda, deceased. Oliver Laub (father) was a practical engineer during the early years of his life, but is now engaged in agricultural pursuits. Three children were born to Mr. Laub and his wife Seniah, namely : Lizzie, William, and Sadie E., aforementioned as the wife of Preston H. Kratzer.
The family of Mr. and Mrs. Kratzer consists of two children, William P., and Estelle M. Krat- zer. Mr. and Mrs. Kratzer are members of St. Paul's church, and Mr. Kratzer affiliates with the Democratic party.
1
CHARLES H. BEITEL, Professor of Music in the town of Nazareth, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, is a lineal descendant of Heinrich Beitel, a noted missionary, who was born at Gross Neundorf, Upper Silesia, Germany, Janu- ary 18, 1711. Owing to religious persecution the latter fled from his native town in the year 1735 to Hernnhut, Saxony, where the following year he joined the church of the United Brethren. He was one of the earliest members of the Church of Pilgrims which met for worship in the Castle of Ronneburg, in Wetteravia, a district of Hesse Darmstadt. He was also instrumental in the founding of the Wetteravian Colony of Mora- vians at Harrnhaag, and resided there as a Single Brother until 1739, when he received a call to Surinam, South America. This mission station, to which he took his newly wedded wife, was amongst the Arawack Indians of Berbice, then a province of Surinam, but now forming a part of British Guiana. The name of the station was Pilgerhut, and it was located on the Waronye river, near its junction with the river Berbice, one hundred miles from the coast.
In 1745 Heinrich Beitel and his wife sent their eldest son, Johann Renatus, to the North Amer- ican colony with a Moravian brother ; the follow-
ing five years the parents spent in Europe, and during this time Heinrich Beitel visited all the Moravian congregations in Germany and Hol- land. In 1749 he took up his residence at Zeist, where he remained until he received his second call to South America, in 1751, when he and his wife returned to Pilgerhut, leaving the follow- ing named children in Europe to be educated -- Anna Magdalena, Anna Rosina, George, and Johann Heinrich. In 1755 Mr. Beitel and his wife set sail for New York with their younger children, Christian Frederick and David, for the purpose of placing them in American church schools, and the following year, when they. re- turned to South America, they found the mission at Pilgerhut battling with a virulent fever which carried away about half the white population. In consequence of this deadly plague the once flourishing mission of Pilgerhut was after some years reduced to a mere handful of people. The blacks of Berbice, taking advantage of the cir- cumstances, rose in insurrection against the gov- ernment in 1763, overrunning the country and ravishing all the settlements, including Pilgerhut, which was destroyed by fire that year.
The general belief was that the "Arawack Grammar and Dictionary" which the lamented Professor Schumann compiled with such untir- ing industry, was lost at this time, but it is very gratifying to know that Heinrich Beitel was wrong in having supposed that the ashes of these two valuable works mingled with those of Fil- gerhut, or that by getting into the hands of law- less people were forever lost to the world. The fact is that, unknown to the missionary, they were placed in the Herrnhut Library, and after many years the worm-eaten manuscripts were copied at the instance of a Leipsic philologist who after- wards returned them to the library. The author- ities at Herrnhut were not aware of this fact until 1885, three years after an edition of the work had appeared in Paris, France. The mission- aries and a few of the remaining Indians retreated into the woods and effected their escape to Dem- arara, where the Beitel family set sail for Europe, in July, 1763. Heinrich Beitel departed this life at Herrnhut, December 4, 1763.
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