USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. II > Part 39
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On January 1, 1877, Mr. Luckenbach became an active factor in business circles in Mauch Chunk by establishing a stationery, wall paper and paint store, at No. 61 Broadway, in con- nection with his painting business. Since that time he has been connected with mercantile in- terests, and become well known in connection with public affairs of the moment. For three years he served as a member of the city council, and he has been the secretary of the Upper Mauchi Chunk Water Company since its organization in 1872. He likewise belongs to the board of trade. In 1899 he was appointed postmaster by Presi- dent Mckinley, and assumed charge of the office on April Ist, of that year. He had three com- missions from President McKinley, and two from President Roosevelt, the last named being dated March II, 1903, and appointing him to the office for four years. He is a thorough-going
business man, and a public-spirited progressive citizen.
Edwin F. Luckenbach was married in 1865 to Miss Mary A. DeRemer, a daughter of Peter and Mary M. (Quick) DeRemer. They have four children : Albert H., born June 5, 1866, mar- ried Lizzie Osborne; Hattie L., born September 8, 1868, is the wife of A. W. Hooke and has a daughter, Mary ; William F., born June 29, 1874, is at home; Charles E., born March 26, 1878, married Catherine Phillips, and has one child, Edwin Lukenbach.
HOWARD R. KNECHT is the proprietor of the flouring mills at Freemansburg, Pennsyl- vania, which have long been in operation as the property of the Knecht family. This is one of the oldest families of Lower Saucon township, Northampton county, and its representa- tives have been leading factors in public affairs as well as in business circles. Its genealogical history appears on other pages of this work.
In the eighteenth century the ancestors of Howard R. Knecht resided in the Palatinate in Germany. The ancestor of the Knecht family in America was John George Knecht, who was born in der Pfalsz am Rhine, on the banks of the river of that name, May 5, 1740. In his young man- hood he came to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, mak- ing the journey from Rotterdam in a sailing vessel "G. Allen," of which James Cragie was the mas- ter, accompanied by fifty-nine of his neighbors and relatives. Subsequently, he removed a dis- tance of four miles to Lower Saucon township, on the road from Shimersville to Easton. He re- moved again to Williams township, where he purchased what was known for more than a hundred years afterward as Knecht's Mill, to- gether with a tract of nearly two hundred acres. He was a man of industry and integrity, and was highly respected in the neighborhood. He married, February 1, 1775, in Williams town- ship, Anna Maria Moritz, who was born Sep- tember 29, 1752, at Fraunfels, near Welzler, Germany. The maiden name of her mother was Pfeffer, and her grandfather Pfeffer was the-
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original owner of the Knecht Mill. The wife of John G. Knecht died on his farm about a half mile from Knecht's Mill, February 19, 1813, aged sixty years, four months and twenty days, and her husband survived her, without again marry- ing, until February 21, 1823, when he died, aged eighty-two years, nine months and sixteen days, and his remains were laid by her side in the Raubsville Cemetery, on a commanding situa- tion overlooking the Delaware river. They were the parents of three children, all sons, namely : George, John, and Jacob.
John Knecht, second son of John G. and Anna M. (Moritz) Knecht, was born July I, 1778, on the Knecht homestead, where he died August 17, 1814, and his remains rest in the Raubsville Cemetery. He was a miller and plow manufacturer. He married Sarah Ruth Stahler, who was born September 10, 1782, and died Oc- tober 5, 1827, and to them were born two sons, Jacob and John. Jacob, named for his paternal uncle, died when he was about eighteen years of age.
John Knecht, second son of John and Sarah Ruth (Stahler) Knecht, was born in Williams township, August 5, 1814. He was only twelve years of age when left an orphan, and he went to live with his uncle, Aaron Knecht, in Williams township, thus spending his boyhcod days upon a farm. He acquired his education in a private school held in the Spring House, two and a half miles below Easton, near the Black Horse Tav- ern, on the Delaware. At the age of eighteen he became an apprentice to a carpenter, John Seiple, and followed the trade in various sections of Pennsylvania until he attained his majority. In 1836 he went to North Carolina, where he en- gaged in railroad construction work between Ral- eigh and Weldon, but in 1839 he again came to Northampton county. About two years later he began operating the old grist mill at Shimersville, which was built by Nathan Irish in 1735. It was to that mill that the farmers in an early day brought their grist to be ground. This is shown by the fact that in 1743 the Moravians of Beth- lehem petitioned the court to open a road from that place to the Saucon mill, which was done.
Mr. Irish, several years later, sold the mill and land to George Cruikshank, of Philadelphia. After his death his son-in-law, John Currie, a lawyer of Reading, retired from the practice of law and removed to the Cruikshank lands, now Shimersville, occupying the old stone house on the hill in which the late John Knecht resided. He subsequently sold the entire property to Jacob Shimer, who in 1816 erected the present mill close by the old one. His son, Isaac B. Shimer, operated it until 1832, when it was again sold, this time to Samuel Leidy. In 1836 Benjamin Riegel purchased the property, and in the year 1842 it passed into the possession of the late John Knecht, Mr. Riegel's son-in-law. Mr. Knecht operated the mill until 1890, improving it considerably during the time, and then turned it over to his son Howard, who now conducts it .. This is one of the leading industries of the county.
Mr. Knecht, however, did not confine his at- tention and business effort entirely to one line. He was a man of resourceful ability, and his co- operation and wise counsel proved important factors in the successful control of various inter- ests. He was for several years a director of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and gave great assistance to Asa Packer, the founder of the road. That Mr. Knecht possessed keen in- sight and business sagacity is shown by the fact that, realizing the value of the railroad to the Lehigh Valley as a means for transportation, and that it would prove of direct benefit in other lines of business, he became instrumental in establish- ing an iron foundry, and in the organization of what has become the great Bethlehem Iron Com- pany, acting as one of its directors from the date of the organization, 1859, until his demise. He was one of the first directors, and an original in- corporator of the new Bethlehem Steel Com- pany. In 1872 he organized the Northampton Iron Company, of which he was elected president, and a large furnace was built near Freemansburg, which was later operated by the Bethlehem Iron Company, now unmantled. He was also a di- rector in the Easton National Bank, held many offices of trust, frequently serving as executor
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and administrator of estates, and acting as guar- dian for many children. While prospering in his undertakings, Mr. Knecht also realized his duty to his fellow men, and gave freely and generously of his means for the assistance of the poor and needy. He was a member of the Reformed church, and in his life exemplified his Christian faith. In politics he was a staunch Democrat, but the honors and emoluments of office had no attraction for him.
Mr. Knecht married, February 2, 1841, Miss Eliza E. Riegel, a daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Leidy) Riegel, in whose home in Shimersville the marriage was performed by the Rev. Mr. Becker. They became the parents of seven children, four of whom are yet living : Arabella, the wife of Dr. J. J. Detwiller, of Easton; Emily, the wife of Dr. E. J. Freeman, of Freemansburg ; Annie, and Howard R. Those who have passed away were : Sallie, wife of Dr. R. H. Shephard, of Phillipsburg, New Jersey ; Kohn, who died at the age of twenty years ; and Benjamin, whose death occurred in infancy. The father of these children died February 22, 1891, just twenty days after his golden wedding anniversary was celebrated, and his wife died July 4, 1891.
Howard R. Knecht, son of John and Eliza E. (Riegel) Knecht, was born in Shimersville, Pennsylvania, September 4, 1856. His early ed- ucation was acquired in the public schools, and was supplemented by study in Nazareth Hall, from which he was graduated in 1876. Early in his business career he became identified with his father as owner and operator of a mill, being admitted to a partnership on attaining his ma- jority. In 1885 the mill was transformed into a roller mill, and storehouses for flour and grain were erected. In 1890 he became the practical owner and manager of the mill, and by the terms of his father's will he inherited the stone grist- mill, the stone dwelling, the tenant houses and vast tracts of land. He has since been actively connected with the milling interests of the com- munity, and has also given considerable atten- tion to the supervision of his property and in- vestments. He is a director of the Easton Na-
tional Bank, and a busiess man of marked enter- prise, capability and keen discernment. Although he entered upon a business already established, he has displayed executive power in enlarging and controlling this in a successful manner, and now annually ships an extensive product to various Pennsylvania cities and to the state of New Jersey. He gives to the business his per- sonal supervision, and it has become an industry of importance and magnitude in Northampton county. He has also followed in his father's political footsteps, for his study of the issues and. questions of the day since attaining his ma- jority has led him to endorse Democratic prin- ciples. He is deeply interested in matters per- taining to municipal development and educa- tional advancement, is a trustee of the Allen- town College for Women, and a consistent mem -- ber of the Reformed church of Freemansburg.
Mr. Knecht was married September 21, 1882, to Miss Laurenti Walter, daughter of Dr. B. C. Walter, .of Farmersville, and they became the parents of four children, two of whom died in infancy. The others are: Florence Anna, born September 29, 1883; and John Walter, born February 8, 1885.
WILLIAM H. WHITEHEAD, JR., chief burgess of Weissport, was born in Franklin town- ship, Carbon county, Pennsylvania, on the 18th of June, 1873. The family is of English lineage, and was established in Pennsylvania during the period of early development in this state. His father, William H. Whitehead, was born at Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, and for many years was connected with the Lehigh Coal Navigation Company, but is now partially living a retired life. He married Miss Julia Ash, a native of Franklin township, Carbon county, Pennsylvania.
William H. Whitehead, Jr., was reared in his parents' home. Following the acquirement of a knowledge of the branches of learning taught in the common schools of Franklin township,. Carbon county, he pursued a course of study. in a business college, and was thus equipped for. the practical and responsible duties of life. He entered upon his business career, however, in
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1891, as a messenger boy in the employ of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company. The adapta- bility and fidelity which he at once displayed won him promotion from time to time, and he has made his services indispensable to the company through his faithfulness. To-day he is the chief accountant in the engineering department lo- cated at South Bethlehem, and has the entire confidence and good will of the corporation. He has had no other business connection than that with the railroad company, and this fact is cer- tainly indicative of the place which he holds in the regard of those whom he represents.
In 1894 Mr. Whitehead was united in mar- riage to Miss Evalyn Romig, who was born in Franklin township, Carbon county and is a daughter of Ephraim and Mary A. Romig. They now have one child, Mae A. In 1900 Mr. and Mrs. Whitehead established their home in Weiss- port, and in 1903 he was called to the highest office that his fellow citizens could confer upon him, being elected to the position of chief bur- gess for a term of three years. His course in this office has given entire satisfaction to those whom he represents, his administration being practical and progressive. He is a member of Lehighton Lodge, No. 621, F. and A. M., and also belongs to the Order of Independent Ameri- cans, and in that fraternity has filled the position of state councilor. He is a young man of en- terprise and strong purpose, and has already at- tained in business, political and social circles in his community a prominent position.
LUTHER THOMAS, a dairyman of Wash- ington township, Northampton county, is de- scended from either English or Welsh ancestors, it being not positively known from which portion of Great Britain came the progenitor of the fam- ily in America. His great-grandfather was a soldier in the Continental army during the Revo- lutionary war and did valiant service for the es- tablishment of independence in the new world. He married a Miss Ike, and to them were born born three sons, Henry, William and James, and other children who died in early life.
James Thomas, the grandfather, was united in marriage to Jenetta Oliver and removed to Upper Mount Bethel township, Northampton county. He worked as a laborer and his wife followed weaving. She was a very industrious woman, and often the burden of the care of the family devolved upon her. There were nine children, five of whom are living : Henry, Casper I., James, Kate J., and Mary.
Henry Thomas, the father, was born in Hack- ettstown, New Jersey, January 7, 1815, and is (in 1903) the oldest resident of Washington township. He was only a year old when his parents came to Northampton county, settling in Upper Mount Bethel township. In his youth he learned the stone-mason's trade, which he fol- lowed for a half century, being accounted one of the best representatives of that line of indus- try in his section of the state. In many of the fine buildings of the district are to be seen monu -: ments to his handiwork. The first realty which he ever owned consisted of a house and lot pur- chased in 1847, and in 1854 he bought his pres- ent farm in Washington township, Northampton county, upon which he has since resided. He married Christianna Smith, on March 28, 1840, and they are still traveling life's journey together. Mrs. Thomas was born in Washington town- ship, December 30, 1822, and for more than sixty-three years they have been man and wife, sharing with each other the joys and sorrows, the adversity and prosperity, which checker the careers of all. Mr. Thomas is a Democrat in his political views and a Lutheran in his re- ligious faith. They now have twenty-one living grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Luther Thomas was born in Washington township, Northampton county, December 5, 1858, his birthplace being the old family home- stead, upon which the days of his childhood and youth were passed. He pursued a common school- education and learned the mason's trade, which he followed for nine years. He then began farm- ing on his own account and was a successful agriculturist for some time, while since 1893 he has been engaged in the dairy business, purchas-
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ing in that year his present milk route in Ban- gor. He owns and cultivates eighty acres of well improved land, and he has eight head of fine cows which he keeps for milk purposes. His patrons in Bangor are many and his business is therefore a prosperous one. Socially, Mr. Thomas is connected with the Knights of the Golden Eagle and the Knights of Malta. In politics, he is a Democrat, and for six years has held the office of school director in Washington township. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church, in which Mr. Thomas is serving as a steward.
In 1885 he was married to Miss Alice Groner, who was born in Washington township, North- ampton county, and represents a family that re- moved to this section of the state from Bucks county, Pennsylvania, her parents being Levi and Catherine A. (Mann) Groner. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas now have two children : Walter, born December 30, 1886; and Ada M., born July 9, 1898.
COLONEL SAMUEL DANIEL LEHR oc- cupies a position of prestige in the public regard in Allentown, having long been recognized as one of the most forceful factors in community interests. Few men are more prominent or more widely known in this enterprising city, for he has been an important factor in business, politi- cal and military circles. He is public-spirited and thoroughly interested in whatever tends to advance the welfare of his city, and his connection with its affairs has proven of far-reaching and beneficial effect.
Colonel Lehr was born in Allentown, May 30, 1838. His paternal grandparents were Peter and Margaret (Volk) Lehr, and, according to the early records in the possession of Colonel Lehr, Mrs. Margaret Volk Lehr was born in 1771 and was the daughter of Johann Valentine and Eva Maria (Kadels) Volk. Her paternal grand- father was Johannes Volk, and her maternal grandfather was Johann Phillip Kadels. Johann Valentine Volk and Eva Maria Kadels were mar- ried in Reichelshein, Bavaria, on the IIth of May,
1764. It was their daughter Margaret who be- came the wife of Peter Lehr and the mother of Joseph Lehr, whose fourth surviving child is Colonel Samuel Daniel Lehr.
Joseph Lehr was united in marriage to Louise Newhard, and had a family of nine children, five of whom have reached years of maturity and have reared families of their own. Charles married Eliza Paul, and had two children: Grace, who is married, and a son that died when about twenty- one years of age. Christianna became the wife of Ephraim Roth and has a family. Horace married Mary Knappenberger, and has two chil- dren : W. C. Lehr, and Sally, the latter now de- ceased. Samuel Daniel is the fourth of the fam- ily. Henry M. married Susan Wetstein, and they have two children, William and John.
In early life Colonel Lehr attended the public schools, but when still very young entered upon his business career to provide not only for his own support but also in order to assist his par- ents. He was first employed in a brick yard which was conducted by Dr. Jesse Samuels, who had invented a machine for the manufacture of brick. Colonel Lehr remained there for one season, after which he became connected in 1853 with the engineer corps of the Allentown & Au- burn Railroad. When four years had passed he severed his connection with the railroad company, but in the meantime made a careful study of en- gineering and the methods of construction. He entered the service of G. A. Aschbach, who was then city engineer, filling a position in his de- partment until the 7th of November, 1862, when he enlisted for service in the Civil war, and be- came captain of Company B, One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Regiment of Pennsylvania In- fantry.
This enlistment was for nine months, and Captain Lehr was mustered in at Phladelphia, November 7, 1862. There were seven companies (including Company B) from Lehigh county, and three from Monroe county. A regimental organization was affected November II. 1862, with the following field and staff officers: Am- brose A. Lechler, colonel: George Pilkington,
Pehr
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lieutenant-colonel ; W. M. Schoonover, major. Soon after the regiment was organized it was sent to Suffolk, Virginia, where it was thoroughly drilled and instructed in military tactics and dis- cipline. When General Foster's expediton was organized for the reenforcement of the army op- erating against the defenses of Charleston, South Carolina, the One Hundred and Seventy-sixth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, having been assigned to a provisional brigade of the Eight- eenth Army Corps under General Foster, accom- panied the expedition, proceeding to Newberne, North Carolina, whence it embarked January 27, 1863, arriving at Hilton Head, South Carolina, February 5. The regiment served from this time in the Department of the South, performing pro- vost duty, and engaged in important and valu- able service upon the fortifications during the siege of Charleston. Upon the expiraton of its term of service the command returned north, and was transferred to Philadelphia to be mustered out, on the 17th and 18th of August, 1863. Dur- ing his term of service Captain Lehr was always to be found at his post of duty, at all times ac- tively engaged in directing the operations and movements of his command. Participating in all of the service of his regiment as outlined here- in, and achieving a proud record as an efficient officer and gallant soldier, he was honorably dis- charged with his company at Philadelphia, Au- gust 18, 1863, by reason of the expiration of his term of enlistment.
Colonel Lehr then returned to Allentown and again entered the service of Mr. Aschbach, who was still acting as city engineer, continuing in that position until September, 1864, when he was commissioned by Governor Curtin as recruiting agent for Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, to serve as such in West Virgina from September, 1864, until further orders were received. The appoint- ment was authorized by a special act of congress which empowered governors in the several states in the Union to appoint recruiting agents to serve in the states declared to be in rebellion. The ob- ject of this service was to fill the quotas of the several subdivisions of the various states of the Union. This plan, however, proved to be a fail-
ure, owing to the interference of the command- ing officers of the various departments by re- stricting a limit to territory in which the agents were to operate. Consequently, the attempt to do recruiting work in this manner was abandoned and the agents were discharged.
Again Mr. Lehr returned to Allentown and entered the service of G. A. Aschbach, with whom he continued in civil engineering work until 1868. In that year, in company with Richard R. Emery, he became Mr. Aschbach's successor in his pri- vate business interests, and the new firm estab- lished themselves as civil engineers of Allentown. This relation was maintained until the death of Mr. Emery, April 25, 1872, after which Colonel Lehr continued alone. In the meantime, how- ever, he had been appointed by the city council in 1869 to the position of civil engineer, and he filled that office for twenty consecutive years, when he was succeeded by L.'S. Jacoby. After the election of Colonel Lehr, his partner, Mr. Emery, had carried on the private business of the firm until his death, when MIr. Lehr put aside his private interests as a civil engineer, devoting his entire time and attention to the duties of the office of city engineer until his retirement from official service. He then opened an office for the private practice of his profession, and was again alone in the business until 1894, when he admitted J. Howard Martz to a partnership, under the firm style of Lehr & Martz. Later on A. W. Leh, an architect, became a member of the firm and the business title was Lehr, Leh & Martz, civil engineers and architects, until 1897, when the association was discontinued. Colonel Lehr was then again alone in the practice of his pro- fession until July 22, 1901, when Henry F. Bas- com became his partner, and the firm of Lehr & Bascom has since continued in active practice. He is without a superior in his profession in this part of the state, and his patronage is now ex- tensive and important. He is also the president of the Pennsylvania Loan and Building Associa- tion, having been at the head of this corporation since its inception.
Colonel Lehr's term of office as civil engineer of Allentown was longer than that of any other
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incumbent in the position in the history of the city, yet the public was not satisfied with his dis- continuance of official service, and in 1890 he was chosen by popular suffrage to the position of mayor, and served for three years, from 1890 un- til 1893. He then retired, as he thought, from active life, but in 1897 he was chosen councilman for a two years' term, and was again elected in 1899, so that he filled the position until 1901. He is one of the four surviving mayors of Allentown. He retired from the office of councilman as he has from the other public positions which he has filled, with the entire confidence and good will of the public, his course having ever been marked by the utmost loyalty to the trust reposed in him, and the most absolute fidelity to the tasks which have devolved upon him.
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