USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. II > Part 41
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From this document it appears that Griffith Jones died in July or August, 1720. His widlow did not long survive him. Her will dated De- cember 25, 1720, was proved April 7, 1721, so that her death must have occurred between these two dates. By this will she divides her estate into four parts, one of which she gives to her "friend" and executor Griffith Jones, "for his trouble" in settling her estate, and the remaining three parts to her children, Ann, John and Mary
Jones. Concerning this "friend" Griffith Jones, we have no information. There is a tradition that John Jones had a brother Griffith, and it is not impossible that he may have been a son by a former marriage, who for some reason or other had been omitted from his father's will.
The Morris boys were not greatly enriched by their mother's legacies. Israel and Daniel were to receive her "two flax heckles, Israel to have the best, when they come to the age of twen- ty, Israel to pay his brother John Morris twenty shillings." From all this we see that John Jones was at the time of the death of his parents be- tween six and seven years of age. Where he spent his childhood and early youth cannot be cer- tainly ascertained, but subsequent events render is probable that he found a home with relatives in the Welsh settlement at Upper Merion, which was formerly known as "Over Schuylkill." This may account for the erroneous family tradition that he was born at the latter place. His oppor- tunities of acquiring an education must have been limited, but he learned to write a beautiful hand and to express himself in good English. He also learned the trade of a blacksmith, and is said to have been an excellent workman, though in his later years he devoted himself almost exclusively to agricultural pursuits. At an early age John Jones was married to Eleanor Godfrey, of Treddyffrin township. Chester county.
Thomas Godfrey, according to the traditions related by his daughter, was descended from a highly respectable family in the county of Kent, in England. She always insisted that the family name had once been something else, but that at some remote period the younger members of the family had assumed the father's Christian name as a surname. This story always appeared to be more than doubtful until was found in Burke's "Commoners" the statement that the Godfreys are said to be descended from Godfrey le Fauconer, lord of the Manor of Hurst, in the reign of Henry II, which renders it not im- possible that a portion of the family assumed as a surname the hereditary official title of Fauconer,
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or Falconer, while others were more modestly satisfied to be called Godfrey.
Thomas Godfrey was married in England to his wife Jane, whose maiden name is no longer remembered. Two other couples were married at the same time, all having been three times announced in church "to be married to go to the new world." The date it is impossible to fix with exactness, but it must have occurred about 1704 or 1705. A few months later the youthful pair sailed for America. The voyage was tem- pestuous ; they were driven to the West Indies, and eight months are said to have elapsed be- fore they reached their destination. Their first child was born at sea, and was named Seaborn, but died before the end of the voyage.
In America the Godfreys grew prosperous and wealthy. Besides the daughter born at sea they had eight children, of whom Eleanor was the third. Thomas Godfrey died in 1756. His wife lived to a great age and died in 1771. In her will she bequeathed "five pounds to the vestry of the church at Radnor, two pounds to St. Peter's church at Great Valley, and two pounds to the minister who shall officiate at her funeral."
John Jones and his wife Eleanor began house- keeping at New Providence, Montgomery coun- ty, probably on the land inherited fom his father. Here, according to the Bethlehem church records, their eldest son Levi was born, on the 24th of August, 1737, and their second son Jesse on the 28th of February, 1740; both were baptized by the Rev. Mr. Currie, the rector of Radnor. Others of their children-Jonathan, Peter and Thomas-were also born at this place, but the date of their birth has not been entered on the records.
The decade of years extending from 1740 to 1750 is the most interesting in the religious history of Pennsylvania. The preaching of Whit- field in 1740, the visit of Zinzendorf in 1741, and the arrival of Muhlenberg in 1743 and of Schlat- ter in 1746, with the subsequent organization of the Reformed Synod in 1746 and the Lutheran Ministerium in the following year-all these are the events which may justly be regarded as im-
portant epochs in the history of our religious denominations. The Moravian itinerants, tak- ing advantage of the general interest in religion, traversed the country and gathered many in their fold. One of their best friends was Henry Antes. On his farm in June, 1745, the Brethren estab- lished a boarding school for boys which was con- tinued with various fortunes until September, 1750, when it was finally discontinued. Among their first pupils was Levi Jones, the son of John, and during the succeeding years we find on the records of the school entries the admission of his younger brothers.
Under these circumstances it is easy to see how the Jones family became Moravian. In 1749 they were induced to remove to Bethlehem, probably settling on the land which John Jones subsequently purchased. Here they built a mas- sive stone house which stood until 1835, when it was taken down by one of the descendants, and a modern mansion erected on its substantial foundations. The old home is described as hav- ing been an edifice of a very superior order. Hidden away behind the wainscoating there were curious closets, and in the cellar was a receptacle for valuables known only to the initiated, which could only be discovered by removing a stone in the wall. The blacksmith shop erected by John Jones was torn down about twenty years ago. Here he did a great deal of work for the Indians during the time the Moravian Indian converts occupied the village of Nain, in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The book in which all these transactions were recorded with scrupulous exactness was in existence, but was destroyed by some one who did not appreciate its value.
Three children-John, Sarah and Joseph- were born in Bethlehem township, so that the whole number was now eight, or, as in after years Joseph jones used to puzzle his auditors by saying: "there were seven brothers and each of us had a sister." Joseph Jones, the youngest of the children, was born on the 22d of April, 1755.
The Jones house was a place of considerable importance during the Indian wars. Again and
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again it was crowded with refugees fleeing from the frontier. On the 7th of July, 1757, an Indian boy, the son of the old chief Tattamy, was recklessly shot by a white boy at Craig's settlement while on his way to Easton with a party of friendly Indians. Dangerously wounded, the Indian boy was brought to the Jones house to be nursed, while his companions encamped around the house, breathing threats of the direst vengeance in case of the death of the young chieftain. It was a matter of the greatest im- portance that his life should, if possible, be saved, and Dr. Bodo Otto was engaged at the expense of the government to give him his undivided at- tention. For more than a month young Tattamy lingered between life and death. The Indians could wait no longer so they hurried to their hunting grounds, greatly to the relief of the family which had entertained them. Three days afterward the young chief died, and was buried in the graveyard on the opposite side of the river. Several Indians of minor consideration who died about this time were buried on the hill behind the barn, in a small enclosure which has entirely dis- appeared.
John Jones soon became a man of wealth and consideration In 1752 he was appointed by act of assembly one of the commissioners to secure a piece of land to build a court house and prison for Northampton county at Easton, "to accommo- date the public service, and for the ease and convenience of the inhabitants." He did not long remain a member of the Moravian brother- hood. Shortly after the purchase of his farm he voluntarily withdrew, and for a long time wor- shipped with the Lutheran church. The reason of this change it would now be hard to determine. There is, however, a probable tradition that it was occasioned by his refusal to dispose of his property to the Society, which was desirous of extending its possessions in his direction. It is pleasant to know that he renewed his ties shortly before his death, which occurred on the 2d of June, 1781. He was buried in the graveyard at Bethlehem.
The children of John Jones were scattered
far and wide. Long before his death Joseph alone was left at the parental homestead. Jonathan lingered until 1767, when he removed to Rowan county, North Carolina; Peter made his home in Northumberland, Pennsylvania; Levi was col- lector of excise for Northampton county before the Revolution; John went to New Orleans, Louisiana, and was married there. Desirous of visiting his aged parents, he engaged passage for his bride on a ship, and then, from motives of economy, started to make the journey alone by land. His wife reached Bethlehem safely, but John never arrived, and was supposed to have been murdered on the way. No wonder that his mother often mournfully inquired "Where, oh where is John?"
According to the will of John Jones, a formid- able document of ten folio pages, recorded at Easton, his son Joseph, "in consideration of his most dutiful behavior to his parents," was made the sole heir of his father's landed estate, in- cluding farms in Saucon and Williams townships, and comprising nearly eight hundred acres of ex- cellent land. He had, however, to pay out a con- siderable number of legacies, and in those days land was cheap and money dear."
Eleanor Jones survived her husband more than twenty-one years. She remained to the last in full possession of all her faculties, and was regarded with the most profound respect and affection. Her name is a favorite in the family, and even now there are many of her descendants who are called Eleanor.
Joseph Jones was married in 1775 to Han- nah Horn, of Upper Merion, whose brother had previously married Sarah Jones. We need not say that the first years of their married life fell in troubled times. In 1777, when their oldest child Eleanor was an infant, Joseph Jones was required by the authorities to take a wagonload of flour to camp for the relief of the army. He left home in good spirits, expecting to return in a few days; but when the flour was out they loaded him with candles, and he was compelled to follow the army for many months. One day during his absence a company of French sol-
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diers came to the house, and by signs demanded food and lodging. They were it is supposed, a part of the suite of General Lafayette, who had been wounded at the battle of Brandywine, and was at this time under surgical treatment in Bethlehem. These French soldiers were polite and respectful, but it is not surprising that Mrs. Jones was afraid of them. At night she crept into a closet hidden by the wainscoating, in deadly fear lest her hiding place should be discovered by the crying of her child. One night she heard a noise in the garden, and looking out of the win- dow, saw that a party of Tories were engaged in stealing a row of hives full of honey. Without a moments hesitation she called "Messieurs," at the top of her voice, and in a few moments the soldiers came running down stairs. Unable to make herself understood, she pointed to the win- dow, when they raised their muskets and fired a volley through the panes. Next morning the hives were found scattered along the garden walk, stained with blood, but whether any one of the thieves was seriously wounded was never dis- covered.
Joseph and Hannah Jones had seven chil- dren : Eleanor married David Lerch, of Sussex county, New Jersey ; John married Sybilla Beil ; Mary died unmarried; Sarah married William Hagy ; Elizabeth married Samuel Heller ; Joseph married Mary Butz; Hannah married John King. All of these left numerous descendants.
In June, 1805, Hannah Jones died, and for more than five years her husband remained a widower. In 1809 he built a fine stone house a few rods west of the old homestead. It is still standing and continues in the possession of the Jones family. In September, 1810, Joseph Jones was married a second time, to Mrs. Maria Nitschman, a widow. She was a sister of Bishop Van Vleck, father of the late bishop William Henry Van Vleck, of the Moravian church. By this marriage he had no children. Though never in public life, Mr. Jones was a man of great in- fluence. He had read much, and was widely . known as an excellent surveyor. He died on the 17th of December, 1824, in the seventieth year
of his age. It would be an arduous task to enum- erate the different descendants of these different families, but it will suffice to take up only the line from which the present family at the old home- stead descended.
John Jones, by his marriage to Sybilla Beil, had five children: I. Joseph Beil Jones, born March 30, 1801. 2. Lydia Jones, who married Solomon Jarrett; 3. Mary Ann Jones, who mar- ried Christian Long; 4. Elizabeth Jones, who married George Haus ; 5. John Jones, who died in infancy. Of this generation the writer has been unable to gain much information. They lived between the Revolution and our late Civil war.
Joseph B. Jones was married on October 17, 1822, to Sarah Schweitzer, which family history the writer presumes is also included in this vol- ume. By this marriage they had two children : John S. Jones, who married Hannah Morey ; and Sarah E. Jones, who married John Lerch, the founder of the now well known firm of the Lerch & Rice Company of Bethlehem. Mrs. Lerch at this writing is the only one of the de- scendants of this generation still living. Sarah, wife of Joseph B. Jones, died October 1, 1834, and he remained a widower for two years, when he married Eliza Keck, daughter of George and Elizabeth Keck, on May 18, 1836. By this mar- riage they had one child, Oliver Keck Jones. Jo- seph Jones followed the occupation of farming for many years at the old homestead. Wheat was the main crop and Philadelphia the nearest market, so it can be easily seen that, as railroads had not been built, the marketing of the products was a very difficult one and occupied considerable time. He was an earnest worker in the Lutheran church at Saucon and afterwards at Freemans- burg, being an elder in the church, and also super- intendent of the Sunday school for many years. He remained in good health and active until his death, which occurred at the ripe old age of eighty-seven years. His wife Eliza died one year before.
Oliver K. Jones was married on February 3, 1863, to Clara Oberly, daughter of John S. and Catherine Oberly of this county. (The genealogy
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of the Oberly family will be found elsewhere in this work.) By this marriage they had two chil- dren : Harry Oberly, born November 20, 1865, and Charlie Aaron, born November 16, 1869.
After the marriage of Oliver, Joseph Jones retired from the farm and moved into the house built by his father a few rods from the old home- stead, which he occupied until his death. His son Oliver took up the work of the farm and con- tinued at the same for over twenty-five years. His wife Clara died on February 13, 1895. For three years he remained a widower, at which time he married Mrs. Anna Hoff. on June 7, 1898. Mrs. Hoff was the daughter of William S. Gardner, of Bloomsbury, New Jersey. Mr. Jones died March 21, 1899. and his wife Anna survived him but a short time, she dying on June 6, 1900. By this second marriage they had no children.
Harry O. Jones, the oldest son, was married June 2, 1892, to Minnie I., daughter of Peter S. and Lavinia Bachman. By this marriage they have three children : Lloyd Bachman, born May 18, 1893; Lovinia Clara, born December 17, 1895 ; and Caroline Harriet, born December 17, 1899. He is at present living at Pittsburg. Charlie A. Jones lives at the old homestead, and is not married.
NOTE .- The early genealogical history con- tained in the foregoing is taken from an article by the Rev. G. J. Dubbs, of Philadelphia.
THE ARBOGAST & BASTIAN COM- PANY, Pork Packers, Allentown. Among the many industrial enterprises for which the Lehigh Valley is particularly noted, none is of greater importance or contributes more materially to the growth and welfare of the city in which it is located than the pork packing plant of the Arbo- gast & Bastian Company, which might well be termed "the Union Stock Yards of Allentown."
This mammoth business had its beginning in 1887 under Wilson Arbogast and Morris C. Bas- tian, who built a two story brick building of modest proportions at No. 25 Hamilton street, together with a stable accommodating two horses,
and set to work to establish a trade and supply the local demand for provisions and lard. Their building was used as a smoke-house, and the plan upon which the business was conducted consisted simply of smoking and selling to the trade meats which were purchased ready cured in the west. Their "fresh smoked" hams, bacon, etc., were very much welcomed, as previous to this the dealers had been able to supply their customers only with provisions smoked in the large cities. These goods naturally had to pass through much handling before reaching the consumer, and were therefore generally more unsatisfactory than oth- erwise. Strict attention to business and courteous treatment of their customers, combined with a line of goods for which there was a steadily in- creasing demand, soon gave them a secure founda- tion, and the firm of Arbogast & Bastian at once became a recognized and welcome addition to Allentown's long array of enterprising business concerns.
Apart from increasing the capacity of their smoke-house from time to time, no radical de- parture was made from this line of operating the business for a number of years. However, it had long since become apparent to the members of the firm that a decided improvement could be effected by the addition of a hog slaughtering department, as this would enable them to offer fresh pork and sausages and so command a larger trade among the butchers, as well as mak- ing it possible to cure at least a portion of their hams and bacons. Consequently, in 1890, a small slaughter house and sausage room were con- structed, and the first "single-deck car" of hogs killed and worked up. The products of this de- partment met with instant favor, and from a weekly slaughtering of 150 hogs at the start the . number gradually rose to the present weekly capacity of 1500. Every butcher in the large territory reached by the firm's representatives has learned to appreciate the advantage of being able to secure almost any amount of pork, loins and shoulders at practically a moment's notice, ivhile both grocers and butchers alike consider their line of fresh sausages, "Pure Home Ren-
Wilson Arbogast.
Malta E Bastian
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GENEALOGICAL AND PERSONAL MEMOIRS.
dered Lard" and "Old Dutch" hams and bacon as staple and indispensable articles of trade.
Eventually, and inevitably, it might be said, came the dressed beef department. Command- ing, as the firm now did, a large trade among the butchers, they needed only dressed beef, lamb and mutton to complete a full line. After finally deciding to add this department, and in order to become fully conversant with the business before investing in it too deeply, western beef was handled for a few months, connections having been formed with several of the largest slaughter- ers of beef in the west. This experiment proved to the full satisfaction of the firm; first, that a large field was open for them in this line; and second, that if they would hope for a desirable mesure of success in the handling of beef they must enable themselves to offer only "Home Dressed Beef." With characteristic enterprise they at once set to work to build an abattoir for slaughtering, and cold-storage rooms for chilling the beef, erecting at the same time an ice-plant which was operated in connection with all their large refrigerators and storage rooms. The fa- vor which was at once accorded their "Home Dressed Refrigerated Beef, Lamb and Mutton" placed this venture on a permanent footing, and it is now one of the most active departments of the business, the sales having increased until at present they are handling 150 head of cattle weekly, together with a like number of lambs and sheep.
The various departments which were added to the business from time to time, combined with the gradual spreading of the business into new territories and the steady increase of trade throughout the whole of the territory already established by the firm, which is the best of all indications of a healthy commercial development, explains the secret of the rapid growth of this enterprise, the annual sales of which now amount to over a million dollars. The capacity of the plant was being taxed to its utmost, and the necessity for adding increased refrigerating and manufacturing facilities was most imperative. Consequently, a large property adjoining their grounds was purchased and the construction of
a power-house commenced. This will contain in addition to the present ice-machine of twenty- five tons capacity, another machine having a ca- pacity of fifty tons, together with the large boilers and dynamos which generate the light for the plant, and engines for the operating of the sau- sage machines, etc. Other improvements are also under process of consideratoin.
For the purpose of making these large im- provements so that the business already estab- lished could be handled with greater ease and economy, a company under the management of the members of the old firm was formed on July I, 1902. It is therefore under their experienced guidance that the business is carried on, and all additions to the company's capital necessitated by the building of these several improvements will be advised by them. The trade of the Ar- bogast & Bastian Company has spread over the whole of eastern Pennsylvania, and wherever their products are known and used their name is synonymous with those attributes which are in the world of business only accorded to those who merit them, viz: "The highest quality, com- bined with the fairest price and unquestioned re- liability."
Wilson Arbogast, president of the Arbogast & Bastian Company, and its founder, was born in Freeburg, Snyder county, Pennsylvania, a son of Jonathan and Catherine (Bussler) Arbo- gast, the father being a son of John Arbogast, and the mother a daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Bottarf) Bussler. Their children were: I. Wil- liam, unmarried. 2. Jonathan B., who married Julia Ann Reigle, and their children are Mary, Alice, Catherine, and Maggie. 3. Wilson, men- tioned at length hereinafter. 4. Henry, who married Emma Kantz, and who are the parents of three children, and reside in the west. 5. John, who married Amanda Kantz, who also reside in the west, and are the parents of three children. 6. Gustavus, who married Lydia Hendricks, and their children are William, Mary Catherine, Les- ter, and Elwood. 7. Mary, who became the wife of Elmer Seichrist, and who are the parents of one child, Roy.
Wilson Arbogast enjoyed excellent educa-
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
tional advantages, making his beginning in the ardent Republican in politics. He married Miss public schools, pursuing advanced branches in Sadie Hartner, and they have one child, a daugh- ter Emily. 2. Elsie B., now the wife of F. Ell- wood J. Foust ; no issue. 3. Gustavus, who died at the age of fourteen years. 4. Mary Catherine. 5. Arthur. a preparatory academy, and then attending the Kutztown Normal School, in which he gradu- ated. For seven years following he served as a school teacher and with such success as to prom- ise a brilliant future as an educator had he per- sisted in that calling. In 1876 he removed to Martin's Creek, where he established a general store, which he conducted successfully until 1882, when he disposed of his stock of goods. The following three years he carried on a provision business in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. In 1887, in company with Morris C. Bastian, he formed the firm of Arbogast & Bastian, which was the foundation of the present Arbogast & Bastian Company. The success which attended his ef- fort bespeaks his high business capability, tireless industry and indomitable resolution. He not only created a great business but he also created the trade for it. During his entire career he has maintained a spotless character, and stands among the first in the estimation of his business associ- ates and the community. In religion he is a Lutheran, and in politics a Republican. He has borne a full share in the promotion of public in- terests, and has served acceptably as a member of the city council and the board of education. His fraternal relations are with the Masonic brother- hood.
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