USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. II > Part 43
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On November II, 1899, Mr. Muffley was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Mains, a native of England, who was born May 20, 1878, and came to Brooklyn, New York, in early life. They arc the parents of two children: Mildred E., born August 19, 1900, and Edith F., born February 4, 1902.
CAPTAIN HIRAM MYERS, a veteran of the Civil war, is now living a retired life in Ban- gor, Pennsylvania. His birth occurred in New York city on the 18th of June, 1835, a son of John and Margaret (Bulsink) Myers, of Rockland county, New York. The father was an extensive and successful lumberman of the Empire state, and was the inventor of a circular or buzz saw, now used so extensively in the manufacture of lumber. In his family were six children : Anna, William, Hiram, John, Araminta and Mary. Of this number William served as a member of an Illinois Regiment during the Civil war, and is now deceased.
Captain Myers was reared and educated in New York City, and during his early manhood was connected with the lumber trade. At the outbreak of the Civil war his patriotic spirit was aroused and his interest therein deepened until on the 17th of October, 1862, he offered his services and became a member of Company F, One Hundred and Seventieth Regiment of New York Volunteers, to serve for three years or dur- ing the war. This was the second regiment of Corcoran's Irish Legion, and was mustered into service at Camp Scott on the 7th of October. Nine days later the command proceeded south- ward and was assigned to Corcoran's Brigade and Casey's Division, serving in defense of Washing- ton, D. C. With his regiment Captain Myers participated in the battles of Deserted House, Union Mills, Suffolk, Eden Road, Providence Church Road, Black Water, Carrsville, Windsor, Bristow Station, Centerville, Spottsylvania, Lan- dron House, North Anna, Totopotomy, Cold Harbor, Weldon Railroad, Deep Bottom, Straw- berry Plains, Ream's Station, Boydtown Plank Road, Hatcher's Run, White Oak Bridge, High Bridge, the siege and capture of Petersburg, Farmville, and Appomattox, where General Lee surrendered. In 1863 Mr. Myers was promoted to the rank of sergeant, and on the 16th of June, 1864, he led his command on the first assault on Petersburg. There he was wounded in the left wrist and shoulder, and because of his gallantry and meritorious conduct was promoted by brevet to the rank of captain. On account of his in- juries he was sent to the hospital, from which he was discharged on the 12th of December, 1864, by reason of a surgeon's certificate of disability.
After his return to civil life Captain Myers was employed by the government for a number of years in the treasury department in New York city, but in 1893 he resigned his position cn ac- count of failing health, and removed to Bangor, Pennsylvania, where he purchased a comfort- able home for himself and family. He soon won the confidence and respect of his fellow citizens, who have demonstrated their trust in him by elect- ing him a member of the borough council. Cap-
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tain Myers is one of the oldest representatives of the Grand Army in the United States, and has been active and influential in organizing many posts. He was one of the men selected to guard the body of General Grant as it lay in state in New York and to accompany it to its last resting place at Riverside. His portrait appears as one of the Guard of Honor in the history of the U. S. Grant Post, No. 327, G. A. R., of Brook- lyn, of which he is a member.
Captain Myers was married July 3, 1859, to Miss Emma Gasque, and to them were born four children : Anna E., Sarah F., Charles M. and Hiram. Mrs. Myers died on the 30th of May, 1871, and for his second wife Captain Myers chose Ellen Priestly, of New York, whom he wedded July 21, 1873. To this marriage were born four children: William E., Walter C., A. P. and L. M., but with the exception of the second named all are now deceased.
HENRY S. ACKERMAN. No family is more widely or favorably known in Upper Mount Bethel than the one of which Henry S. Ackerman is a representative. Its members have been prom- inent in the settlement and development of the northern portion of Northampton county, con- tributing to its substantial improvement with the building of mills, clearing of land and operation of farms. They have ever been faithful and law abiding citizens, and their worth to the com- munity is therefore acknowledged. The family is of German origin, and was established in the Lehigh Valley at a very early period in the col- onization of this part of Pennsylvania. The first of the name in America settled in Bucks county, and the first to locate in Northampton county was John Ackerman, who established his home at what is now called Ackermansville. In that lo- cality he purchased six hundred acres of land, which at his death was divided among his six sons, each one receiving one hundred acres of land which in turn they improved in the best possible manner. These sons were: George, John, Jacob, David, Henry and Abraham.
Of this number Henry Ackerman was the grandfather of him whose name introduces this
record. He was a farmer by occupation, owning and operating one hundred acres of land which he received as his inheritance. He married Miss Mary Mufly, and they became the parents of fourteen children, namely : Joseph, John, George, Jacob, Charles, Henry, Samuel, Isaac, Eli, Sarah, Margaret, Lydia, Susan and David. Henry Ackerman lived to be seventy-seven years of age.
Samuel Ackerman, the father of Henry S. Ackerman, was a shoemaker by trade, and in connection with that pursuit he followed the oc- cupation of farming, owning and cultivating six- ty-five acres of land. He was a member of the Lutheran church, in which he held other posi- tions. He died March 7, 1904. He married Miss Hannah Strauss, who was born in 1825, and died on the 24th of January, 1899. They were the parents of nine children: Maria, Henry, Abra- ham, Harvey, William, Harriet, Lydia, Eli and Jacob.
Henry S. Ackerman was born in what is now Washington township, Northampton county, in 1846. The days of his childhood and youth were there passed, and his education was ac- quired in the public schools. He early became familiar with the duties and labors of farm life and chose that as a life vocation. He now owns about fifty acres of the original Ackerman tract, and in addition to his agricultural pursuits is connected with banking interests, being one of the directors of the Pen Argyl National Bank.
On the 25th of September, 1871, Henry S. Ackerman was united in marriage to Miss Mary E. Shook, who was born in Washington town- ship, in 1850, and they became the parents of two children : Annie, born March 12, 1881, was mar- ried December 25, 1900, to Amos F. Ackerman, and to this marriage was born a daughter, Mary H., whose birth occurred January 31, 1902. Floyd Ackerman was born October 15, 1886. The family are members of the Lutheran church, in which Mr. Ackerman has held the positions of deacon and trustee. He is a man of considerable influence in his neighborhood, and is held in high esteem by all because of his earnest and zealous support of everything that tends for the good of the township and county and is in har-
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mony with progress, improvement, justice and truth. A part of the home now occupied by Mr. Ackerman and family was built by a brother of his grandfather, although various improvements have been put upon it at different times since that date.
C. E. BECK, M. D., one of the progressive physicians of Portland, Pennsylvania, is de- scended from an old family of worth and loyalty in the Lehigh valley, its members being greatly respected for the active and helpful part which they have taken in promoting the moral, progress and substantial upbuilding of this portion of the state.
Lewis Beck, great-grandfather of Dr. Beck, was a reliable and enterprising man, who resided in Upper Mount Bethel township. George Beck, the grandfather, was born in that township, near Stone Church, and married Elizabeth Rosely, who was a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and they became the parents of the following named children : Jacob, Philip, George E., Henry, Ephraim, Sarah A., Margaret, Catherine and Pauline. Of these Sarah A. and Pauline are the only ones now living. George E. and Mary Beck, the parents of Dr. Beck, were both born near Stone Church in Upper Mount Bethel township. The former was a successful educator who en- gaged in teaching for about thirty years. His capability to impart clearly and readily to others the knowledge he had acquired made his service in demand in the school districts in which his methods were once tried. He was recognized as a useful member of society, and was honored by all who knew him. He died in 1899, and is sur- vived by his widow. Their children are: Mrs. Edith M. Kline, C. E., of this review ; Clarence, a practicing attorney ; Nellie M., and the Rev. Willis Beck, a minister of the Lutheran church.
Dr. Beck was born at Stone Church, North- ampton county, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1867, and received liberal educational training in the home school, after which he matriculated in the State Normal School of Westchester, Penn- sylvania. As a preparation for his profession he pursued a course of study in the Medico Chir-
urgical College of Philadelphia, and is numbered among its alumni with the class of 1893. How- ever, prior to taking up the study of medicine, he engaged in teaching school for three years with excellent success. Following his gradua- tion in Philadelphia he located in Butler, Penn- sylvania, in 1893, and there remained in the practice of medicine for a year. In 1894 he re- moved to Portland, where he has since been lo- cated, and he now enjoys the entire confidence of his patrons and the general public because he- has demonstrated his ability to cope with the intricate problems that continually face the physician in his efforts to alleviate human suffer- ing. He belongs to the Northampton, the Le- high Valley and the Pennsylvania State Medical Societies.
Fraternally, Dr. Beck is a Mason, and in 1894 he was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason in Portland Lodge, No. 311, F. and A. M., with which he is now a past master. He also- belongs to Monroe Chapter, No. 281, R. A. MI., of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, and is a member of Mount Bethel Lodge, No. 732, I. O. O. F., and Tatmy Lodge, No. 370, K. of P. In politi- cal views he is a Republican.
Dr. Beck was married June 9, 1897, to Miss. Mary Jane Brands, a daughter of L. H. and C. C. Brands.
ROBERT KELLOW, who is now living re- tired in Pen Argyl, was one of the pioneers in the development of the slate industry in Penn- sylvania, and he belongs to that class of repre- sentative American citizens who while promoting- individual success have also advanced the gen- eral welfare through their industrial and com- mercial activity. He was born in Cornwall, England, on the 25th of March, 1836.
His educational privileges were very limited,. for at the early age of twelve years he began earning his own living in the slate belt of Corn- wall. He was thus employed in his native coun- try until he attained his majority, when he re- solved to seek a home and fortune in America, having heard favorable reports concerning the- opportunities of the new world. In 1857 he-
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crossed the Atlantic and since that time has been a resident of Pen Argyl. Mr. Kellow was first employed by Joseph Kellow and Jacob Feather- man in what was then the Eureka quarry. For a year he remained in their service, and then en- tered the employ of Michael Delp. As years passed his industry and economy brought to him capital sufficient to enable him to purchase Mr. Delp's quarry, which is now known as the United States quarry. He became its owner in 1878 and operated it under the firm name of Jory & Company, continuing the development of the quarry until 1884, when the firm sold out to Con- rad Miller, who wished to utilize the ground for railroad and other purposes. Mr. Kellow was the practical quarryman of the firm and super- intended the working of the quarry as the men took the slate from the hole. Since disposing of his interests in the slate business, Mr. Kellow has lived a retired life.
When he began operations in Pen Argyl there were only nine houses in the town and a population of seventy-five inhabitants, but two quarries were in operation, these owned by the firms of Kellow & Featherman and of M. Delp & Sons. All of the slate was hauled by team to Stroudsburg. Easton and intermediate points. As the years passed there was great development in the slate industry, and Mr. Kellow of this review, conducted his business along progressive lines and thereby won very gratifying success. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, with which he has long been identified.
ABRAHAM S. ACKERMAN was born Au- gust 5. 1848, in Washington township, North- ampton county, and is the third in order of birth in the family of Samuel and Hannah (Strauss) Ackerman. The family is of German origin and was established in the Lehigh Valley at a very early period in the colonization of this part of Pennsylvania. The first of the name in America settled in Bucks county, and the first to locate in Northampton county was John Ackerman, who established his home at what is now called Ackermansville. In that locality he purchased six hundred acres of land, which at his death was
divided among his six sons, each receiving one hundred acres of land which in turn they im- proved in the best possible manner. These sons. were: George, John, Jacob, David, Henry and Abraham.
Of this number Henry Ackerman was the grandfather of him whose name introduces this record. He was a farmer by occupation, owning and operating one hundred acres of land which he received as his inheritance. He married Miss Mary Mufly, and they became the parents of fourteen children, namely : Joseph, John, George, Jacob, Charles, Henry, Samuel, Isaac, Eli, Sarah, Margaret, Lydia, Susan and David.
Samuel Ackerman, the father of Abraham S. Ackerman, was a shoe-maker by trade, and in connection with that pursuit he followed the oc- cupation of farming, owning and cultivating six- ty-five acres of land. He was a member of the Lutheran church, in which he held some posi- tions. He married Miss Hannah Strauss, who was born in 1825, and died on the 24th of Janu- ary, 1899. Samuel Ackerman, however, reached the advanced age of eighty years, and died March 7, 1904. They were the parents of nine children : Maria, Henry, Abraham, Harvey, William, Har- riet, Lydia, Eli and Jacob.
Abraham S. Ackerman was reared and edu- cated in his native township, and with the ex- ception of a few years devoted to railroad service in the west he has always given his time and at- tention to agricultural pursuits. He gives his political support to the Republican party as have the other representatives of the family. He is now numbered among the well-to-do farmers of Washington township, where he owns ninety-one- acres of land that he has placed under a high state of cultivation, and to which he has added many substantial and modern improvements.
Mr. Ackerman was twice married, first wed- ding Miss Sarah J. Reimel, a daughter of Henry and Maria (Schock) Reimel. Their marriage,. celebrated in 1868, was blessed with six chil- dren, three of whom are living : William, Eli and Charles. The first named married Clara Coon, and to them were born two children, of whom one is living-Clarence. Mrs. Sarah J. Acker-
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man died in 1891. For his second wife Mr. Ackerman chose Rebecca Albert, the wedding taking place in 1894. Her grandparents were Jacob and Catherine (Miller) Albert, in whose family were thirteen children : Samuel, William, Adam, Valentine, Michael, Joseph, Lydia, Sarah A., Eve, Margaret A., Mary, Susan and Eliza- beth. Of these Margaret A., Susan and Mary are living. Jacob Albert followed farming in Upper Mount Bethel, owning and cultivating about one hundred acres of land. He was a mem- ber of the Lutheran church. Jacob Albert, the fa- ther of Mrs. Ackerman, was born in Upper Mount Bethel, in 1815, and also became an agriculturist. He was the owner of the farm upon which his daughter Mrs. Ackerman now resides. He held the office of constable and of school director, and was influential in his home neighborhood. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Lavina Hahn, was born in Plainfield township, Northampton county, in 1823, and their children were: Frank, Joel, Amos, Thomas J., deceased; Joseph, Cath- erine A., Rebecca, and Sarah M. Mr. and Mrs. Ackerman hold membership in the Lutheran church, of which he is a trustee and treasurer.
ERASTUS A. SPEER, a member of the firm of Fitzgerald, Speer & Company, dealers in lum- ber and builders' supplies, in Pen Argyl, Penn- sylvania, was born in Upper Mount Bethel town- ship, Northampton county, July 28, 1867, his parents being Lewis and Sarah (Ott) Speer. He is a descendant of John and Barbara (Sebold) Speer, both of whom were natives of Germany and crossed the Atlantic on the same vessel. They were married on this side of the Atlantic and made their way to Pennsylvania, choosing Upper Mount Bethel, Northampton county, as the place of their residence. John Speer was a weaver by trade, and followed that vocation throughout his entire life. Both he and his wife were worthy people, who commanded the respect of all who knew them, and both died at Mount Bethel at an advanced age. Their family numbered ten chil- dren, seven of whom are yet living, and three of the number are residents of the Lehigh Valley, namely : Christian, Lewis and Mrs. Hannah
Weaver. Lewis Speer, father of Erastus A. Speer, was born in Upper Mount Bethel, in 1832, and is still living, but his wife, who was born in Lower Mount Bethel, in 1835, departed this life September 8, 1903.
Erastus A. Speer was reared and educated in his native township and in Bangor, Pennsyl- vania. Entering upon his business career he became connected with the lumber trade, which he has successfully followed to the present time. He was employed by others until he reached the age of twenty-three years. In 1890 he became a member of the firm of Fitzgerald, Speer & Com- pany, dealers in lumber and builders' supplies in Pen Argyl. He has charge of the office work, and his systematic methods and capability have enabled him to so manage this department of the business that it has contributed in large measure to the success which has attended the firm. He is recognized as a progressive young business man, in touch with modern thought and im- provements.
Mr. Speer is a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle, of the Royal Arcanum and the Modern Woodmen of America. He holds the office of the president of the board of health of Pen Argyl, and is now the president of the Young Men's Christian Association of this place. He is also serving as superintendent of the Sun- day-school, which is conducted in connection with the Presbyterian church of Pen Argyl, of which he and his wife are worthy and devoted members.
Mr. Speer was united in marriage December 24, 1887, to Miss Minnie Warman, who was born in Bath, Pennsylvania, December 25, 1867, and is a daughter of William and Margaret Warman, who for about a half century have been residents of Bath. To Mr. and Mrs. Speer has been born a daughter, Blanche, whose birth occurred Decem- ber 30, 1893.
JOSEPH H. SHOOK, M. D., a physician and surgeon of Portland, Pennsylvania, traces his ancestry back to Holland. Since the found- ing of the family in America a number of its representatives have become prominent and influ-
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ential in connection with the progress and ad- vancement of their localities. George Shook, the great-grandfather, who was an enterprising agri- culturist of Plainfield township, Northampton county, had a family of several children, includ- ing Daniel Shook, the grandfather, whose birth occurred in Plainfield township, but who after- ward became a resident of Washington township, where he carried on agricultural pursuits throughout the residue of his days. He wedded Mary Reimer, and to them were born six chil- dren : William, Ervin, George, Reuben, Sarah and Elmira, all of whom were born in Wash- ington township.
Reuben Shook, father of Dr. Shook, was born July 2, 1850, and turning his attention to agri- cultural pursuits was connected with farm work throughout his business career, but is now living retired in Bangor, Pennsylvania. He is a man of upright character and honorable principles, and he enjoys the entire confidence and good will of his fellow men. On several different occa- sions he has been selected to positions of public trust and responsibility. He married Miss Ema- line Miller, whose ancestors were active in dc- fense of the colonial interest in the war of the Revolution. To Reuben and Emaline M. Shook two children were born, the daughter being Mrs. Mary Steckel, whose husband is the leading jew- eler of Bangor, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Shook was born in Washington township, Northampton county, on the 30th of January, 1874. His early training and education were ac- quired in Bangor, Pennsylvania, and in 1895 he entered Jefferson Medical College of Philadel- phia, completing the regular course there with the class of 1898. He then entered upon his pro- fessional career in Effort, Monroe county, Penn- sylvania, where for five years he practiced suc- cessfully. He then removed to Portland, where he now resides and he has the good will of the general public as well as a large practice in the line of his profession. He is a member of the Theophilus Medical Society of Philadelphia, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Lu- theran church at the village of Stone Church.
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DANIEL KUEHNER, who for forty-two years has been a resident of the village of Weath- erly, was born in Carbon county, Pennsylvania, April 18, 1843. In tracing the ancestral his- tory we find that the Kuehners are of Holland ex- traction and that Elias Kuehner, the great-grand- father, was a Lutheran missionary who resided in Northampton county. Patriotism and indus- try have been numbered among the salient char- acteristics of his descendants, and they have thus been valued citizens of the community. Daniel Kuehner, the grandfather, made his home in Heidelberg, Lehigh county, and was a success- ful school teacher and noted singer. He married Rosena Kline. Their children were: John, Feter, Jacob, Daniel, Anna, Susanna, Katie, and an- other daughter. Daniel Kuehner, Jr., the father of Daniel Kuehner, whose name introduces this review, was born in Lehigh county, became a farmer by occupation, and in his undertakings met with a merited and gratifying degree of pros- perity. He seems to have inherited his father's musical talent, and his powers in that direction made him a valued addition to musical circles in this part of the state. For many years he was the leading bass singer in St. John's Lutheran church at Jerusalem, Pennsylvania. He married Miss Julia Lorah, who was born in Schuylkill county, Pennsylvania, and they became the pa- rents of fifteen children, all of whom reached years of maturity, while thirteen are now living, namely : Thomas, Levi, Augustus, Daniel, Sam- uel, Kate, Mary, Rosena, Lucetta, Julia, Sarah, Alice and Leanda. Those deceased are Edwin J. and Martha.
Daniel Kuehner, whose nameintroduces this review, spent his boyhood days in Carbon county, and is indebted to the public-school system for the educational privileges which he enjoyed and which prepared him for life's practical duties. In 1862, when nineteen years of age, he entered the employ of the Beaver Meadow Company, becom- ing at that time a resident of Weatherly. His position was that of brakesman on the railroad, and he was afterward promoted to fireman. In 1871 he was given charge of a stationary engine.
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which he operated until 1898, at which time the shops were moved to Packerton, Pennsylvania. When the business of the Beaver Meadow Com- pany became merged into that of the Lehigh Val- ley Company, he continued with the latter just as though no change had been effected. Since 1898 he has been night watchman in the company's shops at Weatherly.
Mr. Kuehner made a creditable military record during the Civil war. In 1863 he became a member of the regiment commanded by Colonel Robert Klotz, and with his troops defended the state from the invasion of the enemy. He was honorably discharged without taking part in any active service, and in 1863 re-enlisted under Cap- tain S. Harleman and Colonel Albright. Again he was in no active service, and at the expiration of his term was honorably discharged. On the Ist of February, 1864, however, he once more enlisted and this time became a private in Com- pany G of the Eighty-first Regiment of Penn- sylvania Volunteers, and with that command he took part in a number of very hotly contested battles. In the engagement at Spottsylvania on the 12th of May, 1864, he was wounded and was then sent to Fredericksburg, afterward to Belle Plaine, and later to Lincoln Hospital in Washing- ton, D. C. As soon as possible, however, he again went to the front, joining his regiment in front of Petersburg, Virginia, in August of that year. He saw active service from that time until the close of the war, and on the 9th of June, 1865, received an honorable discharge. Upon his re- turn to civil life he once more entered the employ of the Lehigh Valley Company, with which he has since been connected, and his fidelity to duty and reliability are manifested by his unbroken service with that corporation.
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