USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. I > Part 86
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During his many years of proprietorship Mr. Roberts has added to and increased the depart- ments of the store, all of which are equipped with a full line of articles which will meet the require- ments of his numerous customers, and in conse- quence his trade has steadily increased both in volume and importance. Mr. Roberts has always evinced a keen interest in township affairs, hav- ing served for three years as president of the town council, treasurer of the borough, and for ten years was the president of the school board. His political affiliations are with the Democratic party, and being a firm believer in secret socie- ties and the fraternal benefits to be gained by alliance with them, he holds membership in the following named societies: Huldah Lodge, No. 364, Knights of Pythias: Star Castle, No. 108, Knights of the Golden Eagle; Camp, No. 429, Patriotic Order of Sons of America; Teedyus- cong Tribe, No. 117, Improved Order of Red Men; Freemansburg Camp, No. 6988, Modern Woodmen of America ; and Amethyst Council, No. 846, Royal Arcanum.
Mr. Roberts married Lizzie Howe, daughter of George Howe, a representative citizen of Free- mansburg, Pennsylvania. The following named children were born of this union: Edith ; Rebe, died in infancy; Sadie; Josie, died in infancy ; William Evans, Jr., died in infancy ; Howard; and George Dewey. Mr. Roberts and his family hold membership in the Lutheran church, and in the community he is highly respected for his many sterling qualities of character.
ALONZO P. BLAKSLEE, general manager of the Switchback Railroad Company, who has thus been connected with the transit interests of the Lehigh Valley since 1898, a period of seven years, was born in Mauch Chunk, March 13, 1847, and continues his residence in his native city. The family is of Scotch antecedents, and their connection with the Keystone State dates from early in the eighteenth century.
Zopher Blakslee, grandfather of Alonzo P. Blakslee, was a native of Vermont, but the greater portion of his life was spent in Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. He was provided withi
excellent educational advantages for that day, at- tending some of the best schools in the neighbor- hood. He chose agriculture as a means of liveli- hood, and was identified with farming interests in the state of Pennsylvania throughout his active career. He married Abigail Taylor, who bore him ten children, among whom was James I. Blakslee.
James I. Blakslee, father of Alonzo P. Blaks- lee, was born in Susquehanna county, Pennsyl- vania, February 10, 1815, where his youth until eighteen was spent upon the homestead farm amid the varied employments of a farmer's son, alternating with periods at the neighboring coun- try school. About 1833 he removed to a Mauch Chunk with his brother-in-law, Asa Packer, and devoted the first two years to the occupation of a boatman on the Lehigh Canal. The four years following were spent as clerk in a country store, after which (in 1839) he engaged in the mining and shipping of coal in Schuylkill county. In 1844 he returned to Mauch Chunk and from that date until the beginning of the construction of the Lehigh Valley Railroad in 1851 was engaged in the preparation and shipping of coal from the Nesquehoning mines, worked by Messrs. Mapes, Packer & Harlan, under contract with the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He also super- intended the building of what is known as the "Stone Row," and "Packer's Corner," a build- ing occupied by Judge Packer previous to the erection of the mansion where he subsequently resided, and where his death occurred.
Mr. Blakslee assisted in the construction of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and was conductor of the first coal train that ran over the road, sub- sequently acting as conductor for eight years on a passenger train on the same road. In the spring of 1863 he was appointed superintendent of the Mahanoy Division of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and in 1871 was elected president of the Montrose Railroad, extending from Tunkhannock, Wyom- ing county, to Montrose, Susquehanna county, the construction of which he personally superin- tended. In 1878 he was elected a director of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and for a number of years was a member of the executive committee
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of its board of directors. During the greater part of his life he was identified with important business enterprises, but these, however, did not absorb his attention so completely as to make him indifferent to the prosperity of the com- munity in which he resided. As a trustee of Le- high University he exerted a powerful influence in favor of education. In 1851 he was elected to the responsible position of treasurer of Car- bon county, the duties of which he performed with, credit to himself and with satisfaction to his fellow citizens. He was a trustee of the es- tate of the late Asa Packer, having been ap- pointed to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of H. E. Packer. He was a member of St. Mark's Protestant Episcopal church, was appointed a vestryman in 1846, and was also a member of the standing committee of the diocese. He was a Democrat in politics. In April, 1838, Mr. Blaks- lee married Caroline Ashley, now deceased, daughter of Charles Ashley, of Grant county, Wisconsin, and formerly of Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Blakslee died in 1901. Their children were Eugene H., Alonzo P., Asa P., Charles A. and one who died in childhood.
Alonzo P. Blakslee, when but six years of age, entered the public schools of Mauch Chunk, afterward became a pupil in the schools of Beth- lehem, and subsequently was a student in the mili- tary academy at Eagleswood, New Jersey. There he remained until 1866, completing his education, and then entered the service of the Lehigh and Mahanoy Railroad (afterward consolidated with the Lehigh Valley Railroad) with which he re- mained until 1898 as superintendent of the coal branch. He then resigned that position to become general manager of the famous Switchback Rail- road, and is now serving in that capacity. He has thoroughly acquainted himself with the de- tails of railroad operation, and has so controlled the affairs of the company that he has made its business profitable to those whom he represents as well as to himself. His political allegiance is given to the Democratic party, and while he is a stanch advocate of its principles he has always refused to hold office. A Mason of high standing,
his life is in exemplary accord with the teachings of the craft. He attends the Episcopal church.
In November, 1869, Mr. Blakslee was united in marriage to Elizabeth C. Bond, a daughter of Frederick Bond. Their children are: James I., who married Henrietta Bunting; Alexander M., and Anna K., both of whom are at home.
ASA PACKER BLAKSLEE, of Mauch Chunk, and prominently connected with the pub- lic, business and social interests of the city, is a native of the place, born November 13, 1854, a son of James I. and Caroline (Ashley ) Blakslee, a grandson of Zopher and Abigail (Taylor) Blakslee, and a descendant of a Scotch ancestry. A detailed account of the early members of the family is found in the preceding sketch of Alonzo P. Blakslee.
Asa P. Blakslee attended the public schools of Mauch Chunk, and pursued a course of civil engineering. After putting aside his text-books he became a civil engineer in connection with the corps employed by the Montrose Railroad Com- pany. From 1873 until 1898 he was connected with the Montrose Railway Company, and served successively as general freight and passenger agent, general superintendent, and as secretary and treasurer of the company. He afterward en- tered the passenger service of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and ultimately was trans- ferred to the freight department, preceding his appointment to the position of general car agent. He acted in the last named position until 1892, when he entered the real estate department of the corporation, with which he was connected until 1898. He then resigned and accepted the posi- tion of general superintendent of the Switchback Railroad Company, and is now serving in that capacity. His business relations also identified him with the. Mauch Chunk Water Company and the Mauch Chunk Gas Company, and he is a director in both these corporations.
Mr. Blakslee is influential in political circles as a supporter of the Democratic party. For seven years he has been a councilman of Mauch Chunk, and at the present time is president of
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the board. As an official he is practical, progres- sive and public-spirited, and his efforts have re- sulted in substantial benefit to the community he represents. Since 1879 he has been a member of the Marion Hose Company No. I, and has served as chief engineer and president of the organiza- tion. He belongs to Carbon Lodge, No. 242, Free and Accepted Masons ; to Lilly Chapter, No. 181, Royal Arch Masons; and to Packer Com- mandery, No. 23, K. T. He also holds member- ship with the Knights of Fythias, Royal Ar- canum, and the Mohegan Club. He is one of the active workers in St. Mark's Episcopal church, and has served as treasurer and vestry- men for many years.
In 1880 Mr. Blakslee was married to Miss Louise F. Sayre, a daughter of Francis R. Sayre, a retired citizen of Mauch Chunk. Two chil- dren were the issue of this marriage: Louisa F., who resides with her parents, and Harriet, de- ceased.
ORRIN SERFASS, a prominent citizen and representative member of the legal profession in Easton, Pennsylvania, was born in the city where he now resides, September 9, 1862, a son of Aaron and Maria Margaret Serfass, the former being successfully .engaged in mercantile pur- suits in Easton for many years ; his parents were of German ancestry.
His early education was in the common schools of Easton ; he graduated from the Easton high school in 1878, when he was awarded the valuable honor of a free scholarship in Lafayette College for attaining the highest scholarship grade in his class. He entered Lafayette College in September, 1878, pursued the classical course, and graduated with honor in the class of 1882. While at college he identified himself with the Delta Tau Delta college fraternity; he is also a member of the Honorary Society of Phi Beta Kappa.
After his graduation at Lafayette, he at once commenced the study of law at Easton, and in connection with it took the course of study in the law department of Columbia College, New York city, in 1883 and 1884. He was admitted to the
bar of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, on July 5, 1885, when he commenced the practice of law at Easton, and is still engaged in it.
Although attentive to his professional duties, Mr. Serfass is not unmindful of his obligations as a citizen, and takes a keen interest in all ques- tions that affect the welfare of the community in which he resides. In 1889 he was chosen chair- man of the Republican county committee, in which capacity he served for six consecutive years ; he has been a member of the Easton Board of School Controllers; was county solicitor for Northampton county for a term of three years ; in 1891 he was elected a delegate from North- ampton county to the proposed constitutional con- vention of Pennsylvania. In March, 1903, he was appointed by President Roosevelt as postmaster of Easton, which position he still occupies.
In January, 1903, Mr. Serfass organized the Free Press Publishing Company, which pub- lishes the Easton Free Press, a daily and semi- weekly newspaper of large circulation and is the leading Republican newspaper in Northampton county.
Mr. Serfass was united in marriage at Easton, in 1895, to Elizabeth Huntington Allis, daughter of Elisha Allis, a prominent lawyer of Easton, and Sarah Bye (Packer) Allis, the latter named being a daughter of William F. Packer, of Will- iamsport, Pennsylvania, who was a Pennsylvania. journalist, state senator, and from 1858 to 1861 was governor of the state.
Mr. Serfass has four children : Elizabeth Huntington, born June 10, 1896; William Allis, born October 30, 1897; Marie Margaret, born August 26, 1899; and Sarah Packer, born July 2, 1902.
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GEORGE SAMUEL MAUSER. The death of George Samuel Mauser, of Bath, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, removed from the com- munity one of its strongest characters and most worthy citizens. He was of German blood, and though he developed in high degree that adapta- bility that characterizes the American born of foreign parents he retained the strong fibre of his pioneer ancestry. His success as a business.
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man enabled him to spend the latter years of life apart from the competitions and distractions of the industrial world, and to turn his mind to mat- ters of public welfare and the benevolences of private life.
His father, George Adam Mauser, was born in Wittenburg, Germany, July 19, 1798, a son of John and Rosina (Kubler) Mauser. In 1815, George Adam Mauser came to America, the voy- age lasting for three months, and upon his arrival here he at once went to Pennsylvania, where he cleared land in Northampton county, settled there and spent the remainder of his life in Palmer township. He was an energetic and upright farmer and did well for his family, to whom he was anxious to give the advantages of the new world. He was a member of the Lutheran church, belonging to the society at Forks town- ship, and in politics he was a Republican. His wife was Anna Maria Werner, and three children were born to the couple, namely : Susan, the wife of John Lawall; Jacob B., of Treichler's; and George S., whose name appears at the head of this article. George A. Mauser died in August, 1883, and his wife died in November, 1876.
George S. Mauser, youngest child and second son of George A. and Anna Maria (Werner) Mauser, was born in Palmer township, North- ampton county, August 26, 1839. He grew up on his father's farm, attended the district school, afterward learning the trade of locksmith. He followed agricultural pursuits until twenty-eight years of age, when he went to Lehigh county and engaged as a shipping clerk for John Schall & Co., at Laury's Station. For four years he was employed in that capacity in the gristmilling business, after which he went to Ironton, Penn- sylvania, and became one of the partners and principal manager of the Lehigh Grain, Coal and Lumber Company, continuing his connection with the enterprise for three years. He entered into partnership with his brother, Jacob B. Mauser, in the gristmilling business at Treich- ler's but afterward disposed of his share to the concern now known as the Mauser Milling Com- pany. In 1875 Mr. Mauser removed to Bath and entered upon the main occupation of his life
as a dealer in grain, lumber and coal. For the first few years of the fourteen which he spent in this business, John K. Schall was his partner, but subsequently he became sole proprietor, and through investments was connected with various other industrial enterprises, among which was the firm of Odenwelder, Mauser & Co., and the Bath Knitting Works, with which he was connected until May, 1894, when he sold out his interest. He was identified with the Republican party, was a member of the Lutheran church, and through the exercise of good business qualities and steady application to duty amassed a comfortable fortune.
Mr. Mauser was married in 1863 to Sarah Ackerman, who was born in Ackermanville, Northampton county, in 1840, a daughter of the late Isaac Ackerman, who was a son of Adam and Eve (Werner) Ackerman. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Mauser, one of whom Anna A., is deceased. The surviving members of the family are: Clara Maria, born July 22, 1864, on the old Mauser homestead in Palmer town- ship, was married December 12, 1883, to Allen H. Cressman, who was born in Saucon, October 23, 1858, and succeeded to the lumber, grain and coal business of his father-in-law in Bath. Frank B., born September 4, 1869, married Kate Kern- ard, and they have one son, Guy Edmond Mauser. Margaret E., born April 12, 1875, became the wife of Lewis D. Kneidler, a professional vocal musician of Philadelphia, who was born Decem- ber 21, 1875. George S. Mauser, father of these children, died at his home in Bath, June 19, 1902.
JOHN H. GRIFFITH, M. D., a general medical practitioner of Phillipsburg, Warren county, New Jersey, is graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, re- ceiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine there- from in 1870.
GEORGE ITTERLY, merchant and post- master at Lafona, Northampton county, Penn- sylvania, was born in Plainfield township in 1878. He is of German stock, Americanized through four generations of residence in this country. The-
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family has been known in Northampton county almost from the beginning of settlement there, and its representatives in this generation were born to the advantages of a well-known, up- right and highly respected ancestry.
The great-grandfather of George Itterly was the earliest of his forefathers in this country, coming from Germany and settling in Plainfield township, where he became a prosperous farmer and the father of a numerous family. One of his sons was William, grandfather of George Itterly, born in Plainfield township. He was a carpenter by trade, and was the owner of a small farm which he cultivated in the intervals of his other work. His five children, all born in Plain- field township, were as follows: Josiah, Jacob, Franklin, Mary A., and Sarah.
Josiah Itterly, father of George Itterly, was born in 1843. He was educated in the local schools and turned to farming as an occupation, in which he was highly successful. He is the ·owner of a farm of one hundred acres of highly cultivated land, and in his work as an agri- culturist has found scope for a full measure of intelligent effort. He is a man who holds the re- spect of his neighbors, and both he and his wife are members of the Lutheran Evangelical church, in which body Mr. Itterly is a class leader and treasurer of the church funds. In 1869 Josiah Itterly married Emma Leibert, daughter of Jacob Leibert, and ten children were born to them, namely: Aaron, James, George, Irwin, Calvin, Sarah, Elizabeth, deceased; Helen, Annie, and Bertha Itterly. The Leibert family is an old one in the township, John Leibert, maternal great- grandfather of George Itterly, having been widely known in his occupation of miller. His sons- George Jacob, Jackson and James-were all en- gaged in the milling business, although James, now deceased, subsequently entered the ministry.
George Itterly, third child and third son of Josiah and Emma (Leibert) Itterly, gained his elementary education in the common schools of the neighborhood, showing unusual aptitude as a student. He continued his studies at the Nor- mal School at Stroudsburg, and was graduated from that institution in 1900 with an honorable
record. He was for a short time a teacher, but in 1902 opened the store at Lafona which he now conducts, and he has displayed an energy and a promptitude in seizing opportunities that insures him future success. He was appointed to the position of postmaster of the town in the same year. He is a member of the Patriotic Order of Sons of America, and is active and prominent in the work thereof.
Mr. Itterly was united in marriage to Sally Young, who was born in Bethlehem township, daughter of Robert and Ella Young, in 1899. One child was the issue of this union, Esther, born in February, 1900.
JOHN B. MORROW, proprietor of the Cet- ronia Hotel, is a man whose character and per- sonal attributes are such as to win the confidence and friendship of all with whom he is brought in contact, and from his successful career may be gleaned many lessons worthy of emulation by the young. He was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, December 26, 1860, a son of James B. and Cath- arine (Balliet) Morrow, who were the parents of two other sons, as follows: James, of Easton ; and William, who died in infancy. James B. Morrow (father) emigrated to this country from the north of Ireland in young manhood, settled in the Lehigh Valley, and was a furnace man by occupation. He enlisted in the service of his adopted country in 1862, during the Civil war, and fell in battle. His wife, Catharine (Balliet) Morrow, is a daughter of Joseph Balliet, of Eas- ton, Pennsylvania.
John B. Morrow was deprived by death of a father's care when only two and a half years of age, but was tenderly reared by his mother, with whom he remained until he was thirty-three years old. He enjoyed the educational advan- tages afforded by the common schools of Easton, and when eighteen years of age entered the em- ploy of the New Jersey Central Railroad, re- maining nearly twelve years and serving in the capacity of fireman, brakeman, and in other posi- tions of trust and responsibility. In 1889 he ac- cepted a position as brakeman with the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and at the expiration of one
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year was promoted to that of conductor, the du- ties of which he capably and efficiently filled for three years, losing his position during the strike of 1893. He then engaged in the hotel business in Easton and for a period of six years was the proprietor of the Spring Grove Hotel, a well known hostelry. He then purchased the hotel at Cetronia, which he is conducting at the present time ( 1905), and under his excellent management it has become one of the leading road houses in South Whitehall township, noted for its home- like atmosphere, for the attention paid to the wishes and desires of regular patrons or trans- ient guests, and for the perfection of its cuisine.
Mr. Morrow is an all-around athlete, ready with the gloves, and is admitted to be one of the crack shots of the county. His love and admira- tion for a good horse and dog prompt him to be in constant possession of some of the best speci- mens to be found throughout the county. He is a member of the Railroad Trainmen's Associa- tion; of Manatoba Lodge, No. 125, Improved Order of Red Men, of Easton, in which he has passed all chairs ; of Lodge No. 984, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, of Easton, in which he has passed all chairs; the Fraternal Order of Elks; Erie Lodge, No. 110, of Allen- town; Fraternal Order of Eagles; and for a number of years was an enthusiastic member of the Easton Base Ball League. He enjoys an ex- tended acquaintance throughout this section, and his popularity among all classes is unquestioned.
In 1892 Mr. Morrow was married to Miss Ella Heffelfinger, who was born January 5, 1873, a daughter of John Heffelfinger, of North- ampton county, Pennsylvania. Their children are: Mary Martha, born April 28, 1893; and Frances V., born April 13, 1895.
HON. JEREMIAH S. HESS, a prominent and successful business man, senior partner in the firm of Jeremiah S. Hess & Brother, also one of the leading representatives of the Demo- cratic party in eastern Pennsylvania, was born in Hellertown, December 3, 1843, a son of the Rev. Samuel and Lucetta (Klein) Hess : grandson of George Hess, who was the father of six sons and
two daughters, and who followed milling in Iron Hill, Northampton county, for many years ; and great-grandson of Nicholas Hess, who was a native of Zweibrucken, Germany, and who set- tled in Springfield, Bucks county, in 1723, and there devoted himself to agriculture. Samuel Hess (father) had for his instructor the cele- brated Rev. J. C. Becker, D. D., and he was or- dained as a minister of the German Reformed church at York about 1828. He was born De- cember 25, 1804, and died November 24, 1875. His wife, whose maiden name was Lucetta Kleim, bore him two children, Jeremiah S. and Milton J., and her death occurred December 15, 1893.
Jeremiah S. Hess received his preparatory education at Niskey Hill Academy of Bethlehem, and Allentown Seminary. In 1859 he entered Franklin and Marshall College in the sophomore year, there pursued a classical course, was gradu- ated in 1862, and three years later received the master's degree. From 1862 to 1864 he was the principal teacher in Allentown Seminary, and in the latter year became a student in the theological seminary at Mercersburg, Pennsylvania, where he continued for a year. The following two years he pursued advanced studies at the universities of Berlin, Bonn and Tubingen. In 1867 he returned to the United States, but shortly afterward, on account of impaired health, it became evident that he would have to relinquish the career he had planned for himself and devote his attention to more active pursuits, which was a grievous dis- appointment and trial to him. Accordingly, in the same year, he engaged in the lumber busi- ness, and subsequently formed the firm of Jere- miah S. Hess & Brother, dealers in coal and humber, also operators of a planing-mill, which gave employment to twenty hands. He fre- quently had overtures to take the chair of ancient languages and others in Heidelberg College of Tiffin, Ohio, and Franklin and Marshall College of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
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