USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. II > Part 14
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
In 1880 Henry H. Dent was united in mar- riage to Miss Jessie Roder, of New Jersey, and they have two children : Harry C. and Walter R. Dent.
SAMUEL B. LEWIS, of Allentown, has throughout his business career been connected with the iron interests of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the Lehigh Valley acknowledges its indebtedness to other members of the family for labors resulting in its material progress and busi- ness upbuilding.
The Lewis family is of Scotch-Irish ancestry, and was established in Pennsylvania when this
country was a part of the colonial possessions of Great Britain. Samuel Lewis, his grandfather, was a man of patriotic spirit and love of liberty, and at the time of the Revolutionary war, being then a resident of Chester county, furnished iron which was used in making cannon for the conti- nental troops. He married Elizabeth Long, and to them were born seven children : Betsey, Sam- uel, William, John, Jane, Anna and Margaret. Of this family Samuel Lewis (second) was the only one that married. Like his father, he be- came an active factor in the business develop- ment of Pennsylvania, being one of the pioneer coal shippers of Schuylkill county. He did a large business in that line, and later became a factor in the development of the iron industry, building the furnace of the Allentown Iron Com- pany in 1846. He assumed the management of the plant, and was at the head of the concern for a number of years. Samuel Lewis (second) was united in marriage to Elizabeth Balliet, and to them were born eleven children: I. Samuel, the eldest, is the subject of this review. 2. Eliza- beth became the wife of Oliver T. Ritter, and had one child, Templeton C., who married Frances . Ihrie, by whom he has a daughter, Frances. 3. Mary became the wife of H. C. Longnecker, who was a colonel in the Mexican and Civil wars, and was also congressman from this district, and a lawyer by profession ; his chil- dren were Elizabeth and Reginald, the latter married Cora Hittle, by whom he has two chil- dren, Gladys and Mary. 4. William, deceased. 5. Martha, living in Allentown. 6. Joseph B., mar- ried Eleanor Schmucker. 7. John S., wedded Mary F. Lawson, and has one child, Hattie. 8. Sarah, a resident of Allentown. 9. Lawrence, went to the west and was there married. 10. James B. II. Ella, wife of Dr. Henry C. Long- necker, dentist, and has one son, Dr. Parke D. Longnecker, a practicing dentist of Philadelphia.
Samuel B. Lewis, the eldest son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Balliet) Lewis, was reared and educated in Allentown, and in early life became familiar with the iron industry as assistant to his father, whom he succeeded as manager of the furnace of the Allentown Iron Compnay.
H. H. Went.
77
GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
Throughout his business career he has been con- nected with the development of the iron fields of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, controlling im- portant industrial interests. He comes of a fam- ily noted for patriotism and loyalty in citizenship, successive generations giving their support to the Federal, Whig and Republican parties. He is a stanch advocate of the last named, putting forth strong effort to promote its growth and secure its success.
In 1858 Samuel Lewis was married to Miss Mary A. Rosensteel, a native of Allentown, and their children are two in number. Hon. Fred E. Lewis, the only son, is a leading lawyer and busi- ness man of Allentown, and is also mayor. He married Julia Hammersley; and their children are Samuel and Anna. Elizabeth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Lewis, is the wife of Thomas Simcoe, and their children are Mary, Carroll. Roberta, and Fred.
HARVEY HAAS FARR, connected with inercantile and manufacturing interests in Allen- town, was born in the city which is yet his home, his parents being Jacob Lemur and Elizabeth (Haas) Farr. His maternal grandfather, Na- than Haas married Miss Butz. To Jacob and Elizabeth Farr were born three children: Wil- liam H., who died at the age of twenty-one years ; Harvey, and Jacob.
Harvey H. Farr acquired his early education in the public schools of Allentown, and then en- tered the academy at East Hampden, Massa- chusetts, but before the time of his graduation was obliged to return home to assist his father in business. His elder brother William, who had been his father's assistant, died, and thus he was needed at home. In 1860 Jacob Farr had es- tablished a shoe store, and his son Harvey upon his return in 1883 entered the store, where he remained as a salesman until 1888. In that year his father died, and he joined his brother and Nathan Haas in the firm of Farr, Haas & Com- pany. They succeeded to the business, and the partnership was maintained until 1900, when it was dissolved by mutual consent, and then Jacob Farr and Edgar Wenner became partners in the
.
firm, taking the name of Farr Brothers & Com- pany. This they yet conduct, and have developed an enterprise of large and profitable proportions. In 1898 Harvey H. Farr organized the Lehigh Valley Shoe Company, for the manufacture of boys and children's shoes of all grades. The out- put at the present time is about one thousand pairs of shoes per day, and the demand made by jobbers for their manufactured stock is so great that they have to purchase nearly all of the goods which they carry in their own store. There is nothing in the line of ladies', men's and children's shoes than cannot be found in their establishment, and their store is a very extensive enterprise, their sales having reached a large annual figure.
Harvey H. Farr gives his support to the Re- publican party, but has never been an aspirant for political honors, preferring to devote his en- tire time and attention to his business interests. He belongs to the Reformed church, to the Ma- sonic fraternity and became one of the charter members of the Lodge, No. 130, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, at Allentown:
WILLIAM F. HECKER is well known as a successtul and enterprising merchant of Allentownti where he has been engaged in business for more than a third of a century. Moreover, he is a representative of one of the oldest families of the state, tracing his ancestry back to Rev. John Egidius Hecker, who in 1751 came to Pennsyl- vania from Herburn, Nassau, Germany. He was a minister of the German Reformed church, and settled in Northampton county, where he preached the gospel for a number of years. He married and had a family of seven children, three sons and four daughters-Adam, Yost, Jonas, Mrs. Peter Troxell. Mrs. Adam Troxell, Mrs. Bartholomew, and Mrs. Kock. Of these, Adam married, and his children were Jacob, Jolin, Henry, Mrs. Landenslager, Mrs. Reigley, and Kate.
Yost Hecker, the second son of the emigrant. married, and his children were Adam, Paul, John, Egidius, Jacob, Mrs. Woodring, Mrs. Kreiling, Mrs. Butz, and Mary.' There is no re- cord of the daughters' children, but four of the
.C
78
HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
sons reared families. Adam Hecker had five children : William, Joseph, Mrs. Catherine Beit- ler, Mrs. Eliza Gilbert, and Mary. Paul Hecker had two children, Anna and Owen. John Hecker had four children : Edward Egidius, John Franklin, Orville, and Philemon. Jacob Hecker had a large family of nine children: Caroline, Benjamin, Mary, Elmina, Sarah, Willoughby, Henry H., Albert, and Edward.
Jonas Hecker, the son of the emigrant, and the grandfather of William F. Hecker, had eight children : Daniel, William, Joseph, Jeremiah, Charles, Peter, Polly, and Julia. The family history gives the following record of the sons' families : Daniel had eight children: Joseph, Franklin, Stephen, Daniel, Charles, Levi, Me- linda, and Polly. William had two sons, Robert W., and James. Jeremiah had two sons, Wash- ington, and Wayne.
Peter Hecker, son of Jonas Hecker, had three children, of whom William F. Hecker is the sec- ond. The eldest, Lewis P. Hecker, married El- mina Lentz, and their daughter is Mary Magda- lene, wife of Charles H. Schlesman, by whom she has a son, Carlton Hecker. Jane A. is the widow of Alfret Delong, and their children are Rev. Preston A. Delong, who married Miss Seidley ; Winifred P. and Clara A. Delong.
William F. Hecker was born in North White- hall, Pennsylvania, and in early life attended the public schools. His father was a carpenter and builder, and he learned the trade, which he fol- lowed until 1862, when he responded to his coun- try's call for aid, enlisting in the One Hundred and Seventy-Sixth Regiment of Pennsylvania Vol- unteers, of which he became a second lieutenant. He was with the army for about a year, and was located most of the time at Hilton Head, South Carolina. He then received an honorable dis- charge and returned to the north. Following his marriage, which occurred in 1864, Mr. Hecker went to Heidelberg, where he established a gen- eral store which he conducted for three years, when, having an opportunity to sell advantag- eously, he disposed of his business there, and in 1868 came to Allentown, where he has since been a representative of mercantile interests. He first
opened a millinery and fancy goods store, to- gether with a sewing machine department, but in 1892 disposed of the first named department, and has since dealt exclusively in sewing ma- chines. In 1884 he purchased the business block in which he is now located, and in the conduct of his business has gained gratifying success.
In 1864 William F. Hecker was married to Miss Elmina Diebert, a daughter of Daniel and Anna (Krause) Diebert, in whose family were four children : Messina, the wife of David Huff, and the mother of nine children: Mrs. Hecker ; Amelia, who married William Metzger, and has five children ; and Elias, who married Leah Wehr, and has one child. To Mr. and Mrs. Hecker were born three children : Isola, the wife of J. Y. Schelly, by whom she has five children-Harold H., Hannah Isola, Arthur James, William F., and Dorothy ; Annie E., the wife of H. O. Ritter, by whom she has a daughter, Ketherine; and Julia Helen, wife of Ralph Rhoda. Mr. Hecker and his family attend the Reformed church. He is a Republican in his political views, and for four years served on the school board, but has never been an aspirant for office, preferring to devote his time and energies to his business affairs.
ALFRED JOHN YOST, M. D., a physician and surgeon of Allentown, was born in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, August 13, 1870, and is of Danish descent, the ancestry of the family being traced back to Joseph Yost, his great- grandfather, who was a native of Denmark and became a resident of the United States in the early part of the nineteenth century. The early educational privileges of his son, John Yost, were limited, but by the exercise of his inherent talents he won a place among the substantial residents of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. Not only was he successful in business affairs, but he also became quite prominent and influenial in public life in his locality, serving in various of- ficial positions, including that of county com- missioner. He devoted his attention largely to farming, but his last years were spent in active retirement from labor, and he died in 1873, at the age of seventy-six years. His wife bore the
79
GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
maiden name of Maria Van Steuben, and be- longed to a well known and influential family of Lehigh county. Their marriage was blessed with four sons and five daughters, including Dr. Mar- tin Lewis Yost, the father of Dr. Alfred J. Yost.
Dr. Martin L. Yost became a student in the public schools, and his love of learning prompted him to devote all of his leisure hours to the ac- quirement of knowledge, and in this way he be- came prepared for entrance upon a professional career. He was graduated in the Bellevue Medi- cal College of New York in 1864, but previous to that time he gained a practical knowledge of the science of medicine, and had ministered to his neighbors as a member of the medical fraternity. Soon after his graduation he located in Salisbury township, near Allen- town, and he remained an active member of the profession up to a few years ago, always keeping thoroughly informed concerning the advancement made by the medical fraternity. Not only did he practice his profession in that city, but also became a director of the Second Na- tional Bank of Allentown. He has been for a number of years the owner of one of the best farms of the locality, comprising one hundred and fifty acres of very valuable land, splendidly im- proved with all modern equipments.
Dr. Martin L. Yost was twice married. In November, 1862, he married Amanda Gable, a native of Lower Milford township, Lehigh coun- ty, and a daughter of Willoughby and Eliza (Wieder) Gable. They became the parents of seven children, five of whom, as well as the mother, met an accidental death. The others are Dr. Alfred J. Yost, and his sister, Helen. The father for his second wife chose Julia Heiman, a daughter of Solomon and Rachel (Ulmer) Heiman. Her father was a resident of Alsace, Germany, and spent his entire life in that country. Unto the second marriage of Dr. M. L. Yost was born a daughter, Rachel, who graduated from the College for Women.
Alfred J. Yost acquired his early education in the public schools of his native town, and after- ward attended Muhlenberg College, in which he was graduated with the class of 1890. He then
entered the University of Pennsylvania, and com- pleted a course in that institution with the class of 1893, having been a student in the medical department. Immediately afterward he went to Salisbury township, where he opened an office and engaged in the practice of medicine and surg- ery until November of that year, when he was married and removed to Allentown. He has since engaged in active practice in the latter place and his business ability, comprehensive under- standing of the principles of the medical science, and his care and precision in his surgical work, have gained for him a large practice. In 1893 he was nominated for coroner, and on the expira- tion of his first term, three years later, was re- elected to the same office. When six years had passed he refused to accept another nomination-
Dr. Yost is quite prominent in fraternal or- ganizations in his county, belonging to Lehigh Lodge, No. 83, I. O. O. F., of which he is a past grand; to the Elks Lodge, No. 130; to Greenleaf Lodge, No. 561, F. & A. M .; to Rajah Temple of the Mystic Shrine, and the Knights of the Golden Eagle. His political faith is that of the Demo- cratic party, and his religious belief is in harmony with the Lutheran doctrine.
Dr. Yost was married in 1893 to Miss Adelina Lovina Ruhe, a daughter of Werner K. and Mary Jane (Frederic) Ruhe. Her paternal grandparents were Augustus L. and Adelaide (Knauss) Ruhe, and her maternal parents were Nathan and Lo- vina (Kiechel) Frederic. Mrs. Yost has one brother, Mark Ruhe, but no sisters. To Dr. Yost and his wife have been born five children- Martin Lewis, Ethel, Isabel, Mary, and Ruth, the two last named being deceased.
SIMEON BRUCE CHASE, an attorney at Pen Argyl, is a descendant of an old and distin- guished family of Pennsylvania. His birth oc- curred at Great Bend, this state, May 13, 1878, his parents being Nicholas D. and Alice (Wal- lace) Chase. The father was also born in Great Bend, while the mother was a native of Spring- field, Indiana. Nicholas D. Chase was for a number of years a member of the Susquehanna county bar, but in 1880 removed to Easton and
80
HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
became a member of the Northampton county bar. In the trial of cases he showed marked ability and a thorough understanding of the principles of jurisprudence, being thus enabled to command a large clientage. A stanch advocate of Repub- lican principles, he served as chairman of the county convention on more than one accasion. His death occurred January 19, 1902, when he was about forty-nine years of age. His family numbers three living children: Simeon B., Ed- win B., born in 1884; and Clyde W., born in 1889.
Simeon B. Chase spent the days of his boy- hood in Easton, Pennsylvania, and his early edu- cational privileges were supplemented by a course of study in the Easton high school, from which he was graduated in June, 1896. He then entered Lafayette College, in which he was graduated with the class of 1900. He studied law under the direction of his grandfather, Simeon B. Chase, who is now a practicing attorney of Hallstead, Pennsylvania, and in April, 1900, he was admitted to the bar in Susquehanna county, this state. Mr. Chase entered upon the practice of his profession in Hallstead, and in the meantime became the editor of the Hallstead Herald," now being pub- lished under the name of the "County Herald." He served in that capacity during the years of 1897-98. During the Spanish-American war he was enrolled as company clerk in Company G, of the Thirteenth Regiment of Pennsylvania Volun- teers, and served from the 10th of May, 1898, un- til the IIth of March, 1899. He then again as- sumed control of the "Herald" and continued this connection with journalistic interests until his admission to the Susquehanna bar in 1900. At the same time he was also a member of the staff of several papers in various portions of the state. In 1902 he became a member of the Northampton county bar, and is now practicing at Pen Argyl. He is a promising young attorney, and has al- ready secured a clientage that would be creditable to an older practitioner. His thorough prepara- tion for his profession and his natural ability all combine to make him one of the leading young members of the Profession in the Lehigh Valley.
Mr. Chase was married October 10, 1900, to Miss Grace R. Waterman, who was born in Hick- ory Grove, Great Bend township, Susquehanna county, Pennsylvania, a daughter of Edwin R. Waterman. They have two children, Simeon B., born February 2, 1902, and Edwin R., born June 10, 1903. Mr. Chase is a member of Great Bend Lodge, No. 338, F. & A. M.
CHARLES C. KAISER, treasurer of the Dent Hardware Company, and a wide-awake, progressive business man, is of German birth. He was born in 1851, and is a son of George C. C. and Elizabeth (Brown) Kaiser. His father was a manufacturer in Germany, and in 1854 emigrated with his family to America.
Charles C. Kaiser is the only child born in the fatherland that is now living. He was reared in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he acquired his early education, later supplementing it by a course of study in Baltimore, Maryland. Enter- ing upon his business career, he was employed in a clerical capacity until his twentieth year. Sub- sequently he took charge of a dry-goods store in a western state, and in 1888 came to Allentown, where he was employed as foreman of the Allen- town Hardware Company. In 1894 he became interested in the organization of the Dent Hard- ware Company, and was chosen its treasurer. This has since been his business connection, and he has contributed his full share to the success, growth and prosperity of the business.
Mr. Kaiser has attained high rank in Mas- onry, being connected with the Consistory as a thirty-second degree Mason. He is also a mem- ber of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. the Knights of the Golden Eagle, and the Knights of Malta. In 1884 he was married to Miss Sarah P. Newman.
J. WINSLOW WOOD, a manufacturer of Allentown, is a representative of a family of Eng- lish origin that has had important bearing upon the substantial development of the Lehigh Val- ley. He is a descendant of Timothy Wood, a native of Yorkshire, England, who came to Amer-
Chas Ce Kaise
81
GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
ica in 1700, and joined his brother, Jonas, who was then living at Huntington, Long Island. In 1727 Timothy Wood was killed by the Indians and seven poisoned arrows were found in his body. He left three sons, Timothy, Daniel and Andrew. The two older removed to Orange county, New York, in the spring of 1728, Tim- othy settling in Goshen, and Daniel near Florida. · Andrew, the youngest son, removed to New Eng- land.
It was Daniel Wood who became the next in the line of direct descent to J. Winslow Wood. He bought what is called the Wood farm in 1733, paying one dollar per acre for it, and through one hundred and twelve years it remained in posses- sion of his descendants. He was twice married, and by the first union had five children, John, Jonas, Mary, Elizabeth and Deborah. The chil- dren of his second marriage were Daniel and Andrew. The former became a physician and served as a surgeon in the Continental army dur- ing the war of the Revolution, making a most ex- cellent record because of his scientific skill and his patriotism. His son, John Wood, was the founder of the city of Quincy, Illinois, and be- came governor of that state. His brother, An- drew Wood, continued upon the old homestead, and married his cousin Elizabeth Wood, a daugh- ter of John Wood, who came from Longford, Ire- land, thus uniting two branches of the family. Their children were Jesse; Mrs. Elizabeth Tot- ten ; Andrew, who became a Methodist minister of Ohio ; and James.
Jaines Wood, son of Andrew and Elizabeth Wood, was born April 17, 1778, upon the old home property, and in connection with farming followed cabinet-making and carpentering. A high clock frame which he made as a wedding gift for his bride is now owned by one of his de- scendants in Easton, Pennsylvania. He pur- chased the old home farm, paying twenty-five dollars per acre for the property for which his great-grandfather had given a dollar per acre. He was married March 9, 1799, to Mary Arm- strong, daughter of William Armstrong, grand- daughter of William Armstrong, Sr., and great-
granddaughter of Francis Armstrong. The last named sailed from Ulster county, Ireland, Au- gust 6, 1728, and landed in New York on Decem- ber roth following. He was a man of unfaltering integrity and honesty of purpose, and a devoted member of the Presbyterian church, one of the carliest members of the church of his denomina- tion in Florida, New York, and acting as its chor- ister for many years. The following description was given of him by Rev. J. E. Elmer, pastor of the church, September 11, 1758, and is copied from the original manuscript. "Mr. Francis Armstrong, elder of the Presbyterian con- gregation in Florida, has in every article fulfilled his obligation to me as minister on the account of my support while I lived in the congregation, and much more than ever was his proportion, for which I do forever acquit him from all subscriptions made to me, and heartily and earnestly recommend him as an ex- ample for others if they would follow a preached gospel."
To James and Mary (Armstrong) Wood were born the following named children : Daniel T., Sarah, William, Julia, Jane, Keturah, James, Mary, Thomas and Emily. Of this family Daniel T. was for twenty-nine years pastor of the Pres- byterian church in Middletown, New York, while William was an elder in the Presbyterian church at Galesburg, Illinois, and Jane was for many years engaged in missionary and pastorate work as the assistant of the Rev. Thomas K. Beecher. of Elmira, New York.
James Washington Wood, father of J. Win- slow Wood, was born near Florida, New York, October 15, 1813, and remained on the old home farm until almost nineteen years of age. At a revival service held in Florida during the fall of 1831, he became interested in the cause of Chris- tianity, and made public profession of his faith by uniting with the church, January 31, 1832. He chose the work of the ministry as a life call- ing, and in the spring of 1832 began a course of study under the direction of his brother, the Rev. Daniel T. Wood, of Middletown, New York. The sudden change from an active outdoor life
6×
82
HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
to the sedentary habits of the student brought on a severe illness, which made it necessary for him to return to his home in Florida. In the fall of 1832, however, he entered Goshen Academy, then under the charge of Mr. Stark. and in November, 1833, traveling by way of the Newburg and Eas- ton stage line, he reached Easton, Pennsylvania, on the IIth of December. He was enrolled as a student in Lafayette College, in which he won high rank. He provided for his own support by working as a cabinet-maker and carpenter, and by teaching and by writing for the newspapers and magazines, and while thus busily occupied with various means of support he also gained high rank in scholarship, and was graduated Septem- ber 20, 1837. The records show that he was awarded the Latin and English salutatory on commencement day. He continued his prepara- tion for the ministry in the Union Theological Seminary in New York city, where he also fol- lowed employment that would provide for his ex- penses while he continued his studies. During three months of one year he conducted a class in the classics in Middletown, and this pioneer effort for higher education resulted in the estab- lishment of the academy at that place.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.