USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. II > Part 28
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GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
Mr. Blakslee was a member, attended the funeral in a body and conducted the services at the cemetery.
CHARLES A. MATCHAM, who has found in close application, executive ability and a close study of the signs of the times in the commercial world, the secret of power leading to advance- ment in trade circles in America, stands today as the manager of the leading cement manufactur- ing enterprise of the United States-the Lehigh Portland Cement Company, of Allentown, and the output of the house has reached such man- moth proportions as to render the business a most profitable one.
Mr. Matcham has been a representative of business interests in the Lehigh Valley since 1890, previous to which time he was identified with the telephone service of this country from the time of his arrival in America from England. His birth occurred in Torquay, Devonshire, England, January 15, 1862. He is the third son of Charles and Elizabeth Matcham, who were born in the same country. The father was a brewer, follow- ing that pursuit throughout his business career. His religious faith was that of the Episcopalian church, and in his political views he was a Re- publican.
Charles A. Matcham was educated in the schools of Hambledon and Brighton, England. After becoming actively engaged in the en- gineering business in London, England, in 1875, he also became a member of a night class of an engineering school, and at the public examinations won first prize and received honorable mention .for mechanical drawing and designing at the Royal Academy, of South Kensington, England. In 1879 he entered the employ of the American Bell Telephone Company, that had recently ob- tained concessions for establishing telephone ex- changes in different countries in Europe. He built exchanges and laid out the work in Antwerp, Brussels and Charleroi, in Belgium, and also in Riga and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Thinking that with the experience he thus ob- tained he would have better opportunities for ad-
vancement in America, Mr. Matcham came to the United States in the fall of 1881, and made his way direct to Chicago, Illinois, where he became connected with the Chicago Telephone Company, for whom he built exchanges. Later he went to Memphis, Tennessee, to rebuild the telephone exchange there, and in 1884 he came to the east, becoming connected with the Pennsylvania Tele- phone Company. This association was main- tained until 1890, he acting in the capacity of chief engineer and superintendent. In 1890, as- sociated with his brother-in-law, Thomas D. Whitaker, he established a Portland cement plant near Phillipsburg, Pennsylvania, the busi- ness being conducted under the name of the Whitaker Cement Company. Mr. Matcham placed the works in operation and continued as general superintendent until 1893, when the plant was sold to the Alpha Portland Cement Company, with which Mr. Matcham continued as general superintendent until 1897. In that year, in connection with Colonel Harry C. Trex- ler, of Allentown, he organized the Lehigh Port- land Cement Company, of which he has since been the manager. In the seven years which have since elapsed he has built and operated six different mills, with an output of four million barrels of cement yearly, this being one of the largest companies in the United States, and the success of the business is directly attributable to the executive ability, enterprise and practical skill of the manager.
Mr. Matcham is a member of several societies having for their object the dissemination of knowledge concerning civil engineering and allied sciences. He belongs to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American In- stitute of Mining Engineers, the American So- ciety for Testing Materials, the National Geogra- phic Society, and is also a member of the Liv- ingston Club of Allentown and the Pomfret Club of Easton. His study of the political situation in the United States has led him to give his support to the Republican party. His religious faith is indicated by his membership in Grace Episcopalian church of Allentown.
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Mr. Matcham was married at Emaus, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, to Miss Margaret Orm- rod, a daughter of George and Permilla Ormrod. They have three children: Dorothy Margaret, who was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, De- cember 5, 1889, and is a student in the Brad- ford Academy of Bradford, Massachusetts ; Catherine Elizabeth, who was born in Phillips- burg, New Jersey, July 12, 1896, and is attend- ing the public schools ; and Charles Ormrod, born in Allentown in 1903.
REUBEN PETER STECKEL, a retired hardware merchant of Allentown, although still financially interested in the business of M. S. Young & Company, was born in South White- hall township, Lehigh county, and is the youngest son in a family of four children born unto Peter and Esther (Burkhalter) Steckel. His paternal grandfather was John Steckel, and his maternal grandfather Henry Burkhalter. The latter mar- ried a Miss Beiry. The children of Feter and Esther Steckel were as follows: Robert married Hannah Frederick, and had one child, Robert Peter Steckel, who married Rebecca Heninger and had one child, Esther. Amanda became the wife of Peter Moore, and had two children, Sarah, who married Julius Benkhardt and had three children ; and Anne, wife of Lewis Die- fenderfer, and has four children, Reuben P. and Anna B. are the younger members of the family.
In early life Reuben P. Steckel attended the public schools, and assisted his father in the work of the home farm. Later he enjoyed the priv- ilege of attending the Allentown Academy, and on completing his education entered the hard- ware store of Barber & Young in order to learn the business. His adaptability for mercantile life was soon manifest. He continued to act as a salesman until 1860, when he was given an inter- est in the business, and since that time he has been a partner in the firm of M. S. Young & Company, now controlling an extensive hardware trade, the store being one of the largest in the Lehigh valley. Mr. Steckel continued in the active management for many years, and his wise business judgment proved a valued factor in the
control of the enterprise, but in recent years he has lived retired, although he retains a financial interest in the business. For two years he was a director in the Lehigh Valley Trust Company.
In 1862, when the mergency call was issued to protect the state against the invasion of the southern army, Mr. Steckel enlisted in the Fifth Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia, and went to Hagerstown, Maryland, where the command was stationed at the time the battle of Antietam oc- curred, awaiting the call into action if needed. After the close of that engagement they were sent back to Pennsylvania, having been absent from home for twelve days. Mr. Steckel has long been a stanch Republican, and in matters of citizenship is public-spirited and progressive. He and his family are members of the Reformed church.
He married A. Maria Deifenderfer, a daugh- ter of Owen and Pauline (Frederick) Diefend- erfer, and they have one child, Anna Esther Steckel.
THOMAS FRANKLIN BUTZ, a prominent resident of Allentown, was born in Whitehall township, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, July 25, 1826. His paternal grandparents were Abra- ham and Esther (Eggner) Butz, in whose fam- ily was Thomas Butz. The latter married Mary Elizabeth Beil, a daughter of Henry and Han- nah Beil. Unto Thomas and Elizabeth Butz, were born three children. John Peter, the eldest, married Diana Sterner, and has five children. Eliza Anna is the wife of Daniel Troxell.
Thomas Franklin Butz, the third member of the family, was a student in the public schools of his native county in his boyhood days, and assisted his father upon the old homestead until he had become familiar with farm work in every department. Subsequently, he purchased a farm of one hundred and forty acres in Whitehall township, which he operated continuously until 1887, when he took up his abode in the leading residence district of Allentown. He has since been identified with many of the more important business enterprises of that city, and was the president of the Allentown Paving and Con-
1 ELEVEN
FEckEL
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GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
struction Company for three years. Whatever he has undertaken he has carried forward to successful completion, and his sound judgment and active co-operation have proved valuable factors in the successful control of different busi- ness interests. He was for one year the treas- urer of the Agricultural Society, and since 1888 has served continuously as a member of the board of trustees of the Allentown College for Women. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he and his family are members of the Reformed church.
Mr. Butz has been three times married. He first wedded Diana Ott, and they had two chil- dren : Thomas J., who married Josephine Schreiber, and Anna Nantana, now deceased. His second wife was Mary Ann Heinly, and their children are five in number: I. Savannah Elizabeth, who married Edwin C. Kramlich, and has the following children: Jennie, wife of Joshua Jones; Franklin, who married Lillian Hyer, and has two children; Howard, who wedded Lucy Boyer; John, who married Lillie Peters; Mary, deceased; Harry and Helen, at home. 2. Ida L., who died in early life. 3. Sinserella F., who died in childhood. 4. Benja- min T., who also died in childhood. 5. Reuben A., who married Adda Kline, and their children are: Reuben, Mary, Eleanora, Adda, Ellen, An- nie and Thomas. The third wife of Mr. Butz was the widow of William C. Lichtenwaner, and by her first marriage had six children. She bore the maiden name of Amelia C. Fogle, and was a daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Trexler) Fogle. His paternal grandparents were John and Rosena (Schmidt) Fogle, and her maternal grandpa- rents were Jonathan Trexler and his wife, who was a Miss Harlocher. The children of Mrs. Butz by her first marriage are as follows : Wallace ; Ellis Reuben, de- ceased; John Benjamin, who married Mattie Riela, and has three children: Mary Irene, Margery and John B. Nora Amelia, who is the wife of E. C. Shimer, and has three children: Bessie Adelaide, Francis and Kathleen ; Irene, who married Louis Anewalt, 11 ×
and has two children : Harold and Paul; Fred- eric H., who married Jennie Sieple, and has two children : Norton Lewis and Lillian.
FRANCIS P. HUNSICKER, a leading mer- chant of Allentown, Pennsylvania, whose phenomenal success in his business enterprises represents the results of arduous and unremitting toil and is justly merited by his energy, per- severance and capability, was born in Deiberts- ville, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, July 4, 1855, a son of Owen and Sarah (Bittner) Hunsicker.
Owen Hunsicker (father), a son of David Hunsicker and his wife, whose maiden name was Miss Peters, was united in marriage to Sarah Bittner, a daughter of Jacob Bittner, and five children were the issue of this union: I. Henry W., who married Ida A. Grim, and their chil- dren are: Walter O., Hessa G., George, Rhoda. 2. James Franklin, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere in this work, who married Mary Schrader, and are the parents of three children : George W., who married Minnie Keck; Charles O., and Herbert J., who married Ruth Robbins and has one child, Marion. 3. Francis P., men- tioned hereinafter. 4. Alice, who became the wife of George Koch, and they are the parents of five children: Harry, who married, and has two children : George H., and J. Walter ; Lula, who became the wife of Frank Kunkle, and one child has been born to them; Mazie; Sallie, and Sadie. 5. Owen S., who married Ella White, and their children are Harry, Frank, and Esther. Owen Hunsicker, father of these children, was a general merchant in the town of Diebertsville, and throughout his active career retained the confidence and regard of his numerous custom- ers and business associates.
When Francis P. Hunsicker was six months old his parents moved to Pleasant Corner, Penn- sylvania, on a farm, and here the boy grew up and attended his first school in the town. In 1863 his father died, and Francis P. was put on a farm with his uncle, Joseph Kressly, with whom he lived until he was thirteen years of age. Like the majority of boys reared on a farm he at-
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tended school during the winter months, and as- sisted with the labor of the farm during the sum- mer months. The knowledge gained at the dis- trict school was supplemented by attendance at Weaversville Academy in Northampton county. In 1869 he came to Allentown, Pennsylvania, and entered the store of his brothers, Hunsicker Brothers, who conducted an extensive trade in dry goods and groceries. In 1871 he entered the employ of Ruhe Brothers to learn the trade of cigar making, and after spending about three years in perfecting himself in this field of activity he established a small retail cigar store on Ham- ilton street, between Eighth and Ninth streets. About the year 1880 he added a wholesale de- partment, selling tobacco and cigars, and since then his business has increased so rapidly that it is now the largest in this section of the state. His place of business is located at 727 Hamilton street.
Mr. Hunsicker has served as a member of the board of control in Allentown, his incumbency of office being noted for the utmost efficiency. He holds membership in the following named organizations : The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; the Knights of the Golden Eagle, in which he has held all the chairs of the local lodge, also in the Grand Lodge of the state; the Knights of Friendship; the Patriotic Sons of America ; the Royal Arcanum; the Woodmen of America; and the Allentown Liederkranz, a German organization. His political support is given to the Republican party, and his religious faith is indicated by his membership in the Re- formed church.
Mr. Hunsicker was united in marriage to Ella J. Clauser, daughter of John and Regina (Oberhauser) Clauser, in whose family were five children, namely : Joseph, who married Miss E. Heberly; Albert, who married Elizabeth Hagenbach, and they are the parents of one child, Cora, wife of Luther Fritz; Harry, de- ceased ; Ella ; and Katie, wife of Peter Fenster- maker, by whom she has one child, Mamie. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hunsicker : Kate, who became the wife of Joseph Knauss;
Mamie, and Florence. The business and private life of Francis P. Hunsicker, who is a repre- sentative of one of the best families in Allen- town, are alike above reproach, and his honorable, upright career has gained him the confidence and good wishes of all with whom he is brought in contact.
CONSTANTINE JACOB ERDMAN, an attorney-at-law of Allentown, has figured promi- nently in public affairs in that city not only as a representative of his profession but also in political circles. He is well fitted for leadership, and in molding public thought and feeling has labored for the substantial advancement and progress of his community.
He is a son of Enos Erdman, and his boy- hood days were devoted to the mastery of the branches of learning taught in the public schools and in a private school at Quakertown. Subse- quently he attended a classical school conducted by Dr. Horne, and he completed his education in the Pennsylvania College at Gettysburg, from which he was graduated in 1865 with first honors, at the age of seventeen years. His professional training was received in the law office of Bobert E. Wright, Sr., who acted as his preceptor, and in 1867 he was admitted to the Lehigh county bar. He then formed a partnership with John Oliver, of Easton, and this was continued until the death of Mr. Oliver. Mr. Erdman then practiced alone until 1892, since which time he has maintained partnership relations with Thomas F. Diefender- fer. The clientage accorded him has made him a well known figure in the district and state courts, and has called forth strong talent in the handling of important litigated interests. Mr. Erdman is also identified with many of the in- dustries of Allentown, being the president of the Allentown and Coopersburg Turnpike Company and also of the Allen Insurance Company, in ad- dition to active connection with other enterprises contributing to the business development of the city. For many years he was also the president of the Coplay Cement Company.
In politics a Democrat, Mr. Erdman was
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elected and served as district attorney for three years, and for two terms has been chosen to con- gress, representing Lehigh and Berks counties. He was one of the trustees of Muhlenberg Col- lege and a member of the Livingston Club, a leading social organization of the city. He and his family hold membership in the Lutheran church.
Mr. Erdman was married in 1875 to Miss Mary Schall, a daughter of J. Rupp and Rosie Ann ( Fogle) Schall. Her father, one of the oldest merchants of Allentown, was a son of David and Mary (Rupp) Schall, and Mrs. Erd- man's mother was a daughter of Benjamin and Nancy (Trexler ) Fogle. Mr. Schall was lo- cated at Lowries, Pennsylvania, where for many years he conducted a general store and after- ward operated a large mill. He afterward ex- tended the fields of his labors to embrace the lumber, coal and grain trades. He was a promi- nent Democrat and belonged to the Reformed church. Unto Mr. and Mrs. J. Rupp Schall were born six children, two of whom died in early childhood. Four are still living: Mary is the wife of C. J. Erdman ; Rosina A. is the wife of Tilghman H. Diehl, and they have four chil- dren-Edward S., who married Mary Snyder and has one son Henry, John F., who married Lillie Troxell and has one child Francis, Sam- uel L., who married Jennie Knauss and has a daughter Catherine, and Caroline; Charles D. married Minnie Nonnenmacher, and they have two children ; Harry B., the youngest, married Jennie Blank, a daughter of E. H. and Eliza (George) Blank.
Mr. and Mrs. Erdman became the parents of two children, Max and Mary Constance. The former married Miss Clara Biery, and the latter is at home. Max Erdman is one of the rising young lawyers of Allentown. In early life he attended the public schools of his native city and was under the instruction of a private tutor prior to matriculating in Muhlenberg College, in which he was graduated with honors in the class of 1894. The following year his father was elected to congress, and Max Erdman acted as
his private secretary in Washington. While there he also attended the Georgetown Univer- sity and completed his education in that institu- tion. Later he returned to Allentown and was admitted to the bar in 1899, and then established an office for the general practice of law, in which he is meeting with very creditable success.
JOHN LATHROP RAMSAY. Within the limits of the city of Allentown, or indeed of Le- high county, Pennsylvania, no more worthy rep- representative of honest and industrious manhood can be found than John L. Ramsay, whose his- tory has for many years been intimately asso- ciated with the community in which he resides. He is the oldest of three children born to Frank A. and Julia (Lathrop) Ramsay, the names of the others being as follows : Marilla Mabel, who became the wife of Cornelius Deemer, and their child is Phillip; and Almira, who became the wife of Carl Neuffer, and their family consists of two children-Pauline Louise and Julia. Frank A .. Ramsay ( father) is the son of John and Mabel D. (Cortwright) Ramsay, and his wife, Julia (Lathrop) Ramsay, is the daughter of Salmon and Marilla (Mott) Lathrop.
John L. Ramsay is a native of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania. He attended school in Luzeren county, and on leaving the public school entered the office of one of the leading lawyers of the city of Allentown, after which he removed to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and secured a posi- tion with the Bethlehem Steel Company to learn the trade of machinist. He followed that line of business for eight years, and at the expiration of that time gave it up in order to accept a position with the New York Life Insurance Company, with which corporation he remained for six years. He then secured employment with the Equitable Life Insurance Company and after being in their employ for a short period of time was appointed manager of the eastern part of Pennsylvania, and in 1896 opened an office in the city of Allentown for this portion of the state, at the present time (1904) having more than one hundred men employed in the various lo-
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calities. His efforts have been attended with a well-merited degree of prosperity and success, which is the direct result of unremitting diligence, keen foresight and unquestioned fairness in all his transactions. His time is too fully occupied with business affairs to take any active interest in local politics, but in national affairs he casts his vote for the candidates of the Republican party.
Mr. Ramsay married Ella G. Line, daughter of Jesse and Mary L. (Pretz) Line, the former named having been a member of the firm of Blumer, Line & Co., and a son of Joseph and Elizabeth ( Moritz) Line, while the latter named was a daughter of Golfrey and Mary Emma (Eckart) Pretz. The Line family were early settlers in Salisbury, William Line residing in the eastern end of the township in 1781 ; he died about the year 1792, and was survived by three sons and three daughters. One of the sons, Joseph by name, settled near his father's place and died there, leaving two sons-Jesse M. and Levi-and five daughters. The following named children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Ramsay : Dorothy, Pauline, Mary, Julia, John, Emily, Lathrop, and Richard Ramsay. Mr. Ramsay and the members of his family are attendants of the Episcopal church of Allentown, Pennsylvania.
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SOLOMON BOYER. The progenitor of the American branch of the Boyer family was Frederick Beyer, or Boyer, who emigrated from the Palatinate to America about the year 1733 and settled on the banks of the Lehigh river, a short distance from what is now Rockdale. Here he located several hundred acres of land, mostly covered with timber and underbrush, and re- quiring hard labor to bring it to a state of culti- vation. While working in his meadow he was waylaid and shot by an Indian, who afterward scalped him in the presence of his son, Frederick Boyer. Mr. Boyer was a member of the Re- formed church, and no doubt his object in leav- ing his own country was that he might worship God according to the dictates of his conscience.
His son Frederick, after attaining manhood. became the possessor of the homestead, upon
which he resided during his entire lifetime. He married Margaret Hanky, who bore him four sons and three daughters. One of his sons, John by name, born December 26, 1781, became the owner of a farm about three miles north of his native home, on which he resided for several years. Subsequent to the year 1802, when he married Elizabeth Reber, he disposed of this farm and purchased land nearer to the home of his parents, where he spent the greater part of his life, being a farmer and dealer in cattle. After the Lehigh Canal was completed he was also en- gaged in running boats from Mauch Chunk to Philadelphia. After the death of his wife he resided with his son, Solomon Boyer, at Rock- dale, with whom he removed to Allentown in the spring of 1871, residing there until his death which occurred February 20, 1874. His remains were interred in the cemetery attached to the Union church in North Whitehall.
Solomon Boyer, son of John and Elizabeth Boyer, was born October 29, 1816, in Heidel- berg township. During his boyhood he attended school at the Union Church, which required a daily walk of four miles. His first business experience was gained as a boatman on the Le- high and Delaware Canals, to which pursuit he- devoted his energies for six successive seasons,. after which he devoted his attention to agricul- tural pursuits. In 1842 he purchased the hotel and store at Unionville, and after successfully managing both for a period of two years he again resumed the labors of the farm. In the same year he erected a hotel and store at Rockdale Sta- tion, North Whitehall township, where he served in the capacity of landlord, merchant and post- master. In 1857 he purchased the East Penn Furnace, which he disposed of after an owner- ship of six years, and for many years he was the owner and operator of various iron ore beds. In October, 1869, Mr. Boyer, his son John, and his son-in-law John H. Beck, started with several hundred hands for Texas, where he graded five miles of the Memphis, El Paso & Pacific Rail- road, after which he removed to Arksansas and graded eight miles of the Little Rock & Fort
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Smith Railroad. After a successful business life of many years duration he disposed of his prop- erty at Rockdale Station and retired to a life of ease and comfort, taking up his residence in Allentown, where he was the owner of a com- modious and comfortable home, and in which city he devoted considerable time to the buying and selling of real estate. He was one of the directors of the Allentown National Bank, and also served in a similar capacity for the Carbon Manufacturing Company. He was a strict ad- herent to the principles of the Democratic party, but never sought or held public office. He was an active and consistent member of the German Reformed church, in which he held the offices of elder and treasurer, and during the period of its erection he was prominent as a member of the building committee.
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