USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. I > Part 81
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John Fritz became connected with this busi- ness in 1838, when the entire country produced but two hundred and fifty thousand tons of iron. In 1901 the product was nearly sixteen millions,
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and in 1903 nearly nineteen millions. He has been identified with every change and improve- ment which has produced this most marvelous and unparalleled increase in production and in the development of the great iron industry of the country. Of his work as an ironmaster Charles M. Schwab, at a dinner in 1891 at Delmonico's in New York, given by Mr. Arthur Keen, of England, said: "After the smoke of the battle has cleared away and the history of the steel in- dustry in this country comes to be written, there is one name that will shine brighter than that of any president of any corporation, and that name is John Fritz." Mr. Fritz has received many other public tokens of appreciation for his work, including a Master of Arts degree from Co- lumbia College in 1898. He was made an hon- orary member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, was chosen to the presidency of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, to the presidency of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and was appointed judge of Group I of the Centennial Ex- hibition of 1876. In 1893 he was awarded the Bessemer gold medal by the unanimous vote of the president and council of the Iron and Steel Institute of England, and was unanimously elected an honorary member in that society the same year, the only other honorary members be- ing the Prince of Wales, now King of England, the King of Belgium, Professor Richard Acker- man, of Stockholm, Sweden, and the Hon. Abram S. Hewitt, of New York.
The eightieth anniversary of the birth of Mr. Fritz was celebrated on Friday, October 31, 1902, by a dinner given in his honor at the Waldorf- Astoria Hotel in New York. The banquet also signalized the successful founding of the John Fritz gold medal for achievements in the indus- trial sciences by the four national engineering societies of this country. Four hundred men, all interested directly or indirectly in the steel and iron industry, gathered in the great banqueting hall of the largest hotel in America to do honor to the oldest steel master in the country, and celebrate his birthday.
R. J. HONGEN, well known as a represen- tative of industrial interests at Weissport, being the president of the Diamond Prospecting and Drilling Company, is numbered among the native sons of Allentown, Pennsylvania. His paternal great-grandfather was the progenitor of the fam- ily in America. He was a man of sterling worth and was a native of Germany. The grandfather, Peter Hongen, was a carpet weaver by trade, and reared a family of six children : John, William, Solomon, Mary, Susan and Amanda. Among this number the third son was Solomon Hongen, who was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, in 1831 and died in 1873. He followed farming as a life work, and became well known as a leading agriculturist and enterprising business man of his community. He held membership in the Evangelical church and lived in consistent harmony with its teachings. He married Kath- erine Wentz, whose birth occurred in Northamp- ton county, Pennsylvania, in 1833, and who passed away in 1887. In their family were eight children : William, deceased ; Charles ; Ella, who has also passed away ; R. J .; D. S .; Mary ; Kath- erine, deceased ; and Lena.
R. J. Hongen was born in Allentown August 12, 1861, but spent the greater part of his youth in Berlinsville, Northampton county, to which place his father had removed with the family dur- ing the early boyhood days of the sons. In the public schools he acquired his education, and after putting aside his text books he learned the blacksmith's trade, but on account of failing health brought on by the confinement of the shop . he was obliged to abandon that pursuit in 1889 and, wishing to engage in outdoor labor, began the work of prospecting and drilling. He drills for prospectors in search of oil and coal, and also drills artesian wells. This business has not only taken him throughout the Lehigh valley and ad- jacent counties, but the various states beyond the borders of Pennsylvania. His plant consists of four well-drilling and two diamond machines, and his machinery is operated by steam power. The entire outfit involved a cost of ten thousand dol- lars, and the business is now carried on under
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the name of the Diamond Prospecting and Drill- ing Company. Mr. Hongen has followed this pursuit for fifteen years, during which time he has drilled to a depth of over ten hundred feet. He is a leading representative of this industry, and his patronage has been so extensive as to bring to him a substantial financial return. In 1883 he removed to Weissport, locating where he now resides. He has erected some fine buildings in which his machinery is kept, and he also built a very pleasant residence which he occupies, and which stands upon a natural building site occupy- ing a splendid view of the surrounding country. In community affairs Mr. Hongen has taken an active interest, and for three years from 1894 until 1897 he served as deputy sheriff of Carbon county, and he was also a member of the town- ship school board and acted as its treasurer for six years.
On the 13th of September, 1884, Mr. Hongen was united in marriage to Miss Kate J. Waalck, a daughter of Jonah and Eliza Waalck. Her birth occurred in Franklin township, May 16, 1863, and by her marriage she has become the mother of eight children, namely : Bessie M., born July 26, 1885, has passed away ; Webster J., born November 12, 1887; Annie E., born December 13, 1889; Mamie C., born June 14, 1892 ; Ella A., born July 3, 1894; Leach A., born October 24, 1896, now deceased; Horace G. R., born July 16, 1899; and Lola C., born March 5, 1902.
LEWIS PHILIP CLEWELL, deceased, late pastor of the Moravian church in South Beth- lehem, Pennsylvania, was born in Schoenck, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1843.
The founder of the family in America was George Craft Clavell (for so the name was then spelled), who with his brother Franz and their widowed mother, came to America in the autumn of 1737 from Durlach, Baden, where they were born,-Franz in 1720 and George in 1726. They were the sons of Francois and Louisa Clavell (nee Frache), who after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes fled from Dauphin, France. They went first to Geneva, Switzerland, and after-
ward to Auerbach, in Baden, where the father died in 1730. In their flight they left all behind and came to this country in straitened financial circumstances. They had only sufficient money to pay their mother's passage, and the boys came as redemptioners. On reaching America they were bound out in order to pay their passage, and thus served until they became of age, when they opened adjoining farms in Plainfield (now Bush- kill) township, Northampton county, each be- coming the possessor of three hundred and twenty acres of land. They were also among the found- ers of a Moravian congregation at Schoenck, in Northampton county, Pennsylvania. The two brothers married sisters-the daughters of John Kichlein, who was their mother's second hus- band, and who occupied a farm adjoining the sec- tion upon which Franz and George Clavell lo- cated. Franz married Salome, the older daugh- ter, and George wedded Anna Maria, the younger daughter. The latter was born at Auerbach, Durlach, Baden, in August, 1726. Her parents emigrated to this country some time in the decade between 1730 and 1740, and after the death of the mother John Kichlein wedded Mrs. Louisa Clavell.
Franz Clavell had nine daughters and four sons, as follows : Maria Magdalena, born June 13, 1745; Elizabeth, November 18, 1746; Catharine, October 19, 1748; John, April 21, 1750; Anna Maria, born June 24, 1752; Francis, Jr., July 22, 1754; Rosina, September 29, 1757; Nathaniel, born October 23, 1759, and died in infancy; E. Salome, born February 2, 1761 ; Christina, Sep- tember 21, 1762; Nathaniel, January 25, 1765; Julian, March 16, 1768; and Anna Dorathea, September 28, 1769.
George Clavell had nine sons and three daugh- ters, as follows: Jacob, born October 2, 1751 ; Elizabeth, March 16, 1753 ; John, September 12, 1754; Daniel, February 14, 1756; George, Jr., March 1I, 1758; Joseph, August 3, 1760 ; Abra- ham, born January 9, 1762, and died in infancy ; Franz, born March 30, 1763 ; Catharine, Decem- ber 3, 1765; Salome, May 3, 1767; Christian, November 2, 1770; and Abraham, July II, 1776. George Clewell, Jr., married Johanna Knauss,
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and his children were: John Philip; William; Salome, wife of Peter Steiner; Elizabeth, wife of Joseph Miksch; Lisetta, wife of Philip Den- inger; and two sons that died in Schoenck in infancy.
J. Philip Clewell, father of Rev. Lewis P. Clewell, was born at Schoenck, March 23, 1793. He was educated at Nazareth Hall, became a locksmith, and followed his trade throughout his business career. He was a member of the Mora- vian congregation at Schoenck, and lived and died in that town. In politics he was an ardent Re- publican, but he never desired or sought public office. He married Anna Maria Roth, who was born at Filetown, near Nazareth, Pennsylvania, in October, 1800. She was a daughter of David Roth, and a granddaughter of John Roth, the In- dian missionary. Unto J. Philip Clewell and his wife were born the following named, Jacob Lewis, who died in 1841; Rev. Theophilus G. Clewell, of South Park, Ohio; Alexander D., who died in Sumner county, Kansas; Lewis P .; Clarissa, the wife of Alfred Snyder, of Loyal Oak, Summit county, Ohio ; Louisa, who became the wife of Henry Weidlonger and died in New York; Caroline, now the wife of Henry Weidlonger and a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; Clara, the wife of Frank Stout, of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania ; and Emma, the wife of Henry Krause, of Bethlehem.
Lewis Philip Clewell was educated in the parochial schools at Nazareth and in the Mora- vian Theological Seminary at Bethlehem, Penn- sylvania. He engaged in teaching for two years in the Military School of Nazareth Hall, and in 1865 was ordained a deacon in the Moravian church and later a presbyter. He did pioneer work in the northwest for eight years, and later served as pastor of the Moravian congregation at Graceham, Maryland, for seven years. He spent two years in pastoral work at Lebanon, Pennsylvania, eight years at Emaus, Pennsyl- vania, and four years at Utica, New York, and for a decade he was located at South Bethlehem, Pensylvania, as pastor of the Moravian church there.
Rev. Clewell was married May 16, 1867, to
Sarah M. Blickensderfer, a daughter of Isaac Blickensderfer, of Gnadenhutten, Ohio. Mary E. Clewell, the eldest child of Rev. Lewis P. and Sarah M. Clewell, was born in Harmony, Iowa, September 12, 1869, was educated in the pa- rochial school and seminary, in Kutztown Nor- mal School, and is now a teacher in the Moravian parochial school at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Robert E. Clewell, born in Harmony, Poweshiek county, Iowa, January 30, 1870, was educated in the Moravian Theological Seminary of Bethle- hem, Pennsylvania, was ordained to the minis- try in 1892, and has served as pastor of the church in Ohio and Minnesota, while during the last six years he has been located at Hopedale, Newfoundland postoffice, Pennsylvania. He mar- ried Mamie Gille, of Detour, Florida. Annie Louisa, born in Harmony, Iowa, November 14, 1872, was educated in the public schools of Le- banon and Emaus, Pennsylvania, and is now at home.
EDWARD GOUGH came to Allentown from Manchester, Staffordshire, England, when about twenty-five years of age, and immediately began business for himself in the manufacture of brass castings, thus establishing one of the productive industries of the borough. In early life he had attended the public schools of his native country, and he afterward served an apprenticeship to learn the trade of brass casting. When his term of service was completed he worked as a journey- man until he had accumulated enough money with which to come to America. Crossing the At- lantic he made his way direct to Allentown and in company with a Mr. Robinson began the manu- facture of brass castings, in which they soon se- cured a liberal patronage which brought a very gratifying income. The partnership was con- tinued for a year, after which Mr. Gough pur- chased Mr. Robinson's interest and carried on the business alone with excellent success until 1896. In that year he retired from the field of manufacture and afterward gave his supervision only to his invested interests, having in the mean- time purchased considerable property.
In early life Mr. Gough married Miss Amelia
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Willis. No children were born to them. In 1880 Mr. Gough sent to Manchester, Staffordshire, England, for his wife's sister, Mrs. Sophia Dun- ton, to come to America and make her home with them. She had been left a widow and had six children. She had married Abraham Dunton, and upon his death Mr. Gough and his wife per- suaded her to come to America, so with four of her children she crossed the Atlantic to the United States. After the death of her sister she became the wife of Mr. Gough, in 1896. His death oc- curred September 8, 1899. He was a member of the Episcopal church and of the Masonic fra- ternity, and was a respected and worthy resident of Allentown who by the exercise of untiring in- dustry and capable management had in his busi- ness career attained a high degree of success.
Mrs. Gough's children are as follows : David, who married Kate Mercer and has one child, Florence; George, who married Bernice Latrobe, by whom he has one child, Edward; Fannie, the wife of George Webster; Joseph, who married Louisa Boyer, and has five children-Joseph, Lydia, Bernice, Sophia and David; Abraham, who married Ida Prentice ; and Lydia, the wife of Joseph Learch.
ELI A. A. ANDREAS, a retired farmer of Macungie, is a descendant of an old family who settled in Macungie township, Lehigh county, at an early epoch in colonial history, and since that time representatives of the name have proved themselves true and loyal citizens of their adopted land. The great-grandfather, Christian Andreas, was a native of Germany, born in the year 1744. He was a miller by trade and became the owner of three grist mills, one in Upper Macungie and two in Upper Milford. These mills he afterward sold, and invested his capital in three hundred and thirty acres of valuable farming land, which sub- sequent to his death was divided between his two sons, Christian and Jacob, and is now the prop- erty of Jacob Andreas, who in 1904 is eighty-nine years of age.
Christian Andreas, the founder of the family in America, married a Miss Hahn, and they reared a family of six daughters and two sons,
previously mentioned. One of these sons, John Jacob Andreas, was the grandfather of Eli A. A. Andreas. He followed farming, and he and his family were members of the Lutheran church. He married a Miss Mohr, and they had six chil- dren who reached years of maturity, and all born in Upper Milford township, Lehigh county, namely : David, Jonathan, Gideon Jacob, Nathan, Polly and Lydia.
Jonathan Andreas, the second of the family, was born in Lower Macungie, Lehigh county, in 1810, became a well known farmer and in his agricultural work was both practical and success- ful. He was united in marriage to Miss Lovina Fetterman, whose birth occurred in Upper Mil- ford, Lehigh county, in 1827. He passed away in 1886, and his wife died in 1883. They were strong adherents of the Lutheran faith, and took an active part in the work of the church in which they held membership. Their family numbered three sons-Hiram and Eli A. A., twins; and Harry.
Eli A. A. Andreas was born in Lower Macun- gie township, November 13, 1851, and was there reared, spending his boyhood days upon the home farm. He pursued his education in the common schools of the township, and when not engaged with the duties of the schoolroom gave his at- tention to farm work, and throughout his active business career was identified with agricultural interests. He now owns one hundred and thirty- four acres of good farming land in one tract, and sixty acres which constitutes a second farm. He has long been accounted one of the progressive agriculturists of his township, keeping in touch with modern improvement and in the advance- ment which is continually being made in farming methods.
Mr. Andreas has likewise figured in public office, holding the position of auditor, and has proved a helpful factor in community interests tending to promote the material welfare and sub- stantial upbuilding and the educational and in- tellectual progress of his locality. He has ad- hered to the religious faith of his ancestors, hold- ing membership in the Lutheran church, in which he has held the office of deacon.
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In November, 1873, Mr. Andreas was united in marriage to Miss Ella Wickert, a daughter of Henry and Susan Wickert. She was born in Lower Macungie, May 8, 1854, and they have one son, Robert J., who was born November 8, 1879. He married Miss Minnie Botz, and is now pro- prietor of a music store in Allentown, Pennsyl- vania. Mr. Andreas removed from his farm to Macungie in 1896, and he and his wife are living there in the enjoyment of comforts which have come to him through his continued activity and capable management of his business affairs in former years.
HON. EDWARD HARVEY, distinguished throughout at least eastern Pennsylvania for his legal learning and natural talents, was born in Doylestown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, Janu- ary 17, 1844. He was the only son of Dr. George T. Harvey, a leading physician of Doylestown, and Mary Kinsey Harvey, nee LaRue, both of whom were representatives of the oldest families of Bucks county.
Mr. Harvey in his early boyhood days was a pupil in the public schools of his native place. Afterward he attended a private school conducted by the Rev. S. A. Andrews, D. D. Later he at- tended the high school of Lawrenceville, New Jersey, near Princeton, and in 1860 he entered Princeton College, where he remained until the end of the junior year. Upon the determination, however, to make the practice of the law his life work, he abandoned his collegiate course and be- came a student-at-law in the office of Hon. George Lear, then the leading member of the Bucks county bar, and subsequently attorney-general of Pennsylvania. In the fall of 1865 he was ad- mitted to practice in the courts of his native county. In November of the same year he visited Allentown, Pennsylvania, and on the 8th day of that month, on motion of Hon. S. A. Bridges, he became a member of the Lehigh county bar.
On the Ist day of January, 1866, Mr. Harvey took up his residence at Allentown, where he has since resided. He began his practice in the office of Hon. S. A. Bridges, and soon demonstrated his ability to cope with the intricate problems of
jurisprudence. It was soon evident that he pre- pared his cases with masterly skill and precision, and that in their presentation before court and jury he was forceful and logical. He thus soon acquired a lucrative practice which has been in- creased with advancing years. His practice fre- quently calls him to adjoining counties and into the federal courts, as well as to the argument of cases in the supreme court of Pennsylvania. He is especially well qualified for the successful per- formance of the duties of his profession, possess- ing an analytical mind, a keen insight in the vital issues involved in a subject, a pleasing presence, and superior gifts of oratory in presenting mat- ters at issue forcibly and eloquently. A con- temporary biographer has said: "In a compara- tively brief period he attained to the leading po- sition at the Lehigh county bar and has since held that place."
Mr. Harvey's study of the political questions and issues has led him through conviction to give an unfaltering and earnest support to the prin- ciples of the Democratic party. Political prefer- ment has had no attraction for him, however, and he has been inclined to devote his energies to his professional duties. Notwithstanding this he has given to his party and state the loyal support of a patriotic citizen. In 1873 he was chosen a member of the constitutional convention, repre- senting the senatorial district comprising Lehigh and Carbon counties. In that body he served as a member of the committee on corporations, and took an active part in framing the organic law of the state. On June 14, 1878, he was appointed president judge of the thirty-first judicial dis- trict of Pennsylvania to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Hon. A. B. Longaker. The ap- pointment coming to him from a Republican gov- ernor, General John F. Hartranft, was a com- pliment to his professional knowledge and per- sonal worth. He filled the office until the first Monday in January, 1879, the close of the unex- pired term. His career on the bench was in keep- ing with his brilliant record as a practitioner. His decisions were strictly fair and impartial, and clearly indicated a comprehensive knowledge of the law. Only six of the cases were ever ap-
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pealed, and in each of these his decision was sustained.
After his retirement from the bench Judge Harvey resumed the active practice of the law, and a large clientage is indicative of the con- fidence reposed in his professional ability by the public. In 1878 he was solicited to become the nominee upon an independent ticket for president judge of Lehigh county, but declined the honor, and in 1879 he also declined to accept an inde- pendent candidacy for judge of the court of com- mon pleas of Berks county. In 1882 he was waited upon by a committee of the judicial con- ferees of Dauphin and Lebanon counties who wished to obtain his permission to use his name in connection with the Democratic nomination, but this he also declined. In the fall of 1903 he, however, accepted the Democratic nomination for president judge of Lehigh county, but was de- feated by Frank M. Trexler. On April 9, 1884, he was chosen by the Democratic state conven- tion to represent the tenth congressional dis- trict in the Democratic national convention held in Chicago in July of that year.
In March, 1878, when the First National Bank of Allentown was compelled to suspend through the unexpected failure of William H. Blumer & Company, bankers, Mr. Harvey was chosen its president. As the bank was in liquidation its assets needed careful handling to insure payment of the debts, and the duties of its president were responsible and delicate. The discharge of these duties called for masterly legal ability and finan- cial skill. In his successful and satisfactory con- duct of the bank's affairs he may be said to have scored one of the notable triumphs of his pro- fessional life.
At one time he was president of the Naza- reth Portland Cement Company. He is now a director of the Second National Bank of Al- lentown, and president of the Allentown Hospital Association. His services as an orator have been sought on many popular occasions, and probably the most notable occasion of this kind was his de- livery of the memorial address in Allentown upon President Mckinley.
Judge Harvey possesses one of the finest law
libraries in eastern Pennsylvania. He also has an extensive private library of miscellaneous books. He is perfectly familiar with literature of every description, and his retentive memory and power of applying what he has read to mat- ters in hand serve him admirably in presenting vividly and pleasingly any subject he may dis- cuss. His advancement depends entirely on in- dividual merit, and his standing and reputation as a lawyer and thinker have been won through earnest and honest labor.
ADAM BRINKER, a representative business man of South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, prom- inent in control of industrial and mercantile inter- ests, was born in Williams township, Northamp- ton county, Pennsylvania, February 3, 1846, a son of Jacob and Susanna (Wilhelm) Brinker, grandson of John George and Elizabeth (Schmidt) Brinker, and great-grandson of Ul- rich and Apollonia (Beyer) Brinker.
Ulrich Brinker (great-grandfather) was born in Baden, Germany, and he was a member of the Reformed church. His wife, Apollonia ( Beyer) Brinker, was a member of the Lutheran church. Their family consisted of five children, as fol- lows: John George, Adam, John, Jacob and An- drew. John George Brinker (grandfather) was born in Lower Saucon, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, January 7, 1777. He was a farmer by occupation, conducting his operations in Forks township, Northampton county, where he was the owner of three hundred and twenty-six acres of valuable land. On March 14, 1802, he mar- ried Elizabeth Schmidt, who was born in Bethle- hem, Northampton county, January 25, 1779, a daughter of Michael and Catherine (Rumfeld) Schmidt, and their children were as follows: John, born in 1803; George, 1805; Mary, 1807; Jacob, mentioned further below; David, 1811; Elizabeth, 1813 ; Daniel, 1815 ; and Andrew, 1818. All of these children are now deceased with the exception of the youngest.
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