USA > Pennsylvania > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Vol. II > Part 44
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On December 26, 1863, Mr. Kuehner was united in marriage to Miss Lucy A. Koch, a daughter of Enos and Christiana Koch, of Penn Forest township, Carbon county, Pennsylvania. Their family numbers seven children: Sarah, who became the wife of Elmer E. Seitz, a mer- chant at Bowmanstown, Pennsylvania ; their chil- dren are: Charles, John and Howard Seitz. Lewis A., who married Freda Weiss, and their
children are: Lewis, Ruth and Ethel Kuehner ; they reside in St. Louis. Lucetta, who became the wife of Thomas Drumbor, a teacher; they are the parents of one son, Lewis Drumbor. Frank O., a machinist, who married Katie Kline; they have one child, Mary Kuehner, and reside at Washington, D. C. Lilly M., who became the wife of Butler Mendsen, of Easton, Pennsylvania, a machinist ; they have one son, Harold Mendsen. Anna L., who became the wife of Harry Horn, of Easton, Pennsylvania, a draughtsman and ma- chinist ; they have three children : Ruth, Miriam and Lucetta Horn. William D., a musician (teacher) ; he was educated at Cornell Univer- sity, later studied music, and is now ( 1904) teaching music at Middleport, Ohio. Mr. Kuehner and his wife are members of the Pres- byterian church.
SAMUEL DATESMAN, who is now living a retired life in Mount Bethel, comes of a fam- ily that dates its arrival in the Lehigh Valley back to a very early period in the annals of this sec- tion of the state. He is of German extraction, and early representatives of the name removed from Berks county, Pennsylvania, to Northam- ton county ; John and Margaret Datesman, the grandparents of Samuel Datesman, being resi- dents of the latter portion of the Lehigh Valley. They settled in Upper Mount Bethel township, where Mr. Datesman purchased a farm and built the house now occupied by the widow of William Jacoby. His children were: Jacob, John, Philip, Samuel, Susan and Magdalene.
Jacob Datesman, father of Samuel Datesman, was born in Upper Mount Bethel township, Northampton county, July 22, 1803. He was a prosperous farmer and good citizen. He died in 18 -. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Margaret Illick, was born in 1803, and died in 1894, at a very advanced age. They were the parents of thirteen children, namely : Reuben and Wilson, twins, born October 25, 1825; Susan, 1827; Maria, 1829; Jessie, 1831; Samuel, 1833; John, 1835; Jeremiah, 1836; Philip, 1838; Jacob, Jr., 1840; Maggie A., 1842; Matilda, 1844; and Lorenzo, 1848.
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Samuel Datesman was born in Upper Mount Bethel township, and spent his boyhood days on the old home place, attending the district schools of his township. After thoroughly mas- tering the branches of learning therein taught he successfully passed an examination, whereby he was granted a teacher's certificate. He was en- gaged in teaching school for thirty-two years, and was accounted one of the most competent in- structors of his locality in his day. He was elected county auditor in 1887 and served until 1890. . After an interval of three years he was again elected, and continued as the incumbent from 1893 until 1896. He was agent for the Pruden- tial Life Insurance Company for ten years, from 1891 until 1902, and in community affairs has been prominent and influential, having been called upon to fill most of the township offices, in which he has proven a capable and trustworthy public servant. Socially he is a member of Mount Bethel Lodge, No. 732, I. O. O. F., of which he has been the secretary for fifteen years. He has been a member of the Independent Order of Red Men from the organization of the lodge at Mount Bethel, and has 'acted as its secretary for twelve years.
Mr. Datesman was married April 8, 1854, to Miss Catherine Frutchey, a daughter of Peter W. and Mary Frutchey, and they have five chil- dren : M. Ellen, Laura A., Mrs. Daniel Horton, Herbert F., now deceased; Edwin L. and George E.
JOSEPH D. SHIMER, a prominent farmer of Mount Bethel township, is of the oldest blood in the Lehigh Valley, counting among his an- cestors several families of influence in the days before the Revolution. He has well sustained the line of which he was born, and has reared a family of sons who will continue it worthily.
His grandfather was Jacob Shimer, a farmer of Bethlehem township, who was established on an unusually large farm, and was a man of con- sequence. The family name of his wife was Bial, and she was the daughter of a man who gained prominence during the Revolutionary war by preaching to the soldiers. The children of
Jacob Shimer were John, Joseph, Elizabeth, Jacob, Edward, Samuel, and Abraham. The sons were all farmers, and all prospered in their calling.
Joseph, second child and second son of Jacob Shimer, was born near Bethlehem, May 2, 1795. He was a farmer, and through his wife he be- came one of the largest land-holders of the sec- tion. He was an excellent manager and a farmer of intelligence, as well as a man of high personal standards. He and his wife were members and liberal supporters of the Lutheran church, in which he held offices of responsibility and trust. In 1817 he married Catherine, youngest daugh. ter of Abraham and Susanna Hubler, who was born July 25, 1800. Her family came to Lower Mount Bethel in 1792. Abraham Hubler was wealthy, a shrewd business man, and influential in his community. As a marriage portion he gave his daughter four hundred and fifty-four acres of land, on which they resided after their marriage, besides a dower of money. Later he added to the original gift of land enough to make nine hundred acres. Joseph Shimer died August 13, 1878, and his wife died March 5, 1868. To this couple were born the following children : Jacob, January 18, 1819; Abraham, August 25, 1820; Edward, September 1I, 1822; Elizabeth, October 30, 1824; Susanna, February 5, 1827 ; Mary, August 18, 1829; Sarah, March 15, 1832; Hubler, March 19, 1834; Joseph D., October 12, 1845, who was mentioned at the beginning of this article.
Joseph D., youngest child and fifth son of Joseph and Catherine (Hubler) Shimer, was born October 12, 1845, in Lower Mt. Bethel, where he was reared and educated. He has been a farmer all his life, and is now living in the house where he was born, which was built eighty-four years ago. Like his father, he has a strong sense of the dignity and independence of a farmer's life, and of the advantages and com- pensations of country living. He is always to be found on the side of the best forces in the community, and comes to the practical support of every worthy cause.
He was married November 1, 1865, to Isa-
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
bella R., daughter of Jacob and Mary Carhart, who was born May 2, 1846, near Washington, New Jersey. The children born to the couple are as follows : Howard C., December 16, 1867, an attorney, who is practicing law in Baltimore ; Charles B., September 26, 1870, who is a lawyer of Covington, Kentucky; Herbert D., May 19, 1875, is a Lutheran minister, located at New Kingston, near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania ; Frank- lin G., September 16, 1883, who is now a student at Easton.
WILLIAM H. OYER, cashier of the Na- tional Bank of Portland, Pennsylvania, repre- sents an old and well known family of the Le- high Valley, in which its members have been useful and loyal citizens for many years. The family is of German lineage, and the history of earlier generations may be found in connection with the sketch of Andrew Eyer on another page of this volume. Joseph Oyer, grandfather, was a resident of Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania. He was a wheelwright by trade, possessing excellent mechanical ability, and followed his chosen pur- suit for a number of years. His children are three in number, William J., Alfred and Caroline.
Alfred Oyer, father of William H. Oyer, was born in Upper Mount Bethel township, and in early manhood located in Mount Bethel, where he followed the wheelwright's trade for a num- ber of years. He eventually, however, abandoned that pursuit and turned his attention to the manu- facture of cigars at the same place. He fol- lowed that pursuit successfully for a long period, but has now passed away. He married Miss Sarah Younkins, a native of Bucks county, Penn- sylvania, and they were the parents of eight children : William H., Frank A., Harvey, George, Harry, Kate, Lizzie and Sadie. With the ex- ception of William H. all are residents of Easton, and the sons are connected with mercantile in- terests there.
William H. Oyer was born in Upper Mount Bethel township, January 1, 1858, and was there reared and educated, attending the common schools of his district. His early life was spent
in the manufacture of cigars, which he followed successfully for five years, when he accepted a position as salesman in the general store of Gruver & Raesly, of Mount Bethel. Subse- quently, he entered the employ of J. S. Jackson, of Pen Argyl, having general charge of an ex- tensive store there for several years. His ex- perience in mercantile affairs covered two de- cades, and in both establishments with which he was connected the business grew under his skill- ful management, honorable dealing and capable conduct. On the 23d of March, 1903, the Port- land National Bank was incorporated with a capi- tal stock of fifty thousand dollars with John I. Miller as president, R. J. Gruver as vice presi- dent and William H. Oyer as cashier. He was chosen to that position by a unanimous vote of the board of directors, and is filling the position in a most capable manner and in a way very satisfactory to the stockholders. He had two years experience as teller of the Pen Argyl Na- tional Bank previous to accepting his present position of trust and responsibility. The di- rectors of the institution are J. I. Johnson, H. E. Weidman, Joshua Bray, W. O. William, James Weidman, Charles J. Quig, J. C. Kitchen, P. R. Johnson, and George Mutton.
Mr. Oyer is a member of Pen Argyl Lodge, No. 594, F. and A. M., and Mount Bethel Lodge, No. 732, I. O. O. F.
In 1883 Mr. Oyer was united in marriage to Maggie Hess, a daughter of Philip and Charlotte Hess, and a native of Upper Mount Bethel town- ship. They now have four interesting children : Floyd, Russell, Grace and Myrtie Oyer.
DANIEL HORTON. The name of Daniel Horton is familiar to every resident of John- sonville, Northampton county, as that of an up- right business man and worthy citizen. He is a son of Joseph Horton, a native of New Jersey, where the name is well known, as it is also on Long Island, where the Horton family was founded by Barnabas Horton, who came from England about the year 1640.
Daniel Horton, son of Joseph Horton, was
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born May 6, 1849, near Belvidere, Warren county, New Jersey. His mother died in giving him birth, and his father soon after married again, and moved to the west. The child was thus left, at a very tender age, dependent upon the kind- ness of others than his parents. He was brought up on a farm, where he was required to assist in the duties of the place, and thus early ac- quired a knowledge of agricultural labor. His education was obtained by close application to books, and by habits of intelligent observation, and it is needless to say that his boyhood was not without its struggles and privations. He learned thes cabinetmaker's trade in Belvidere, where he lived and worked at the bench until July 29, 1873, when he moved to Johnsonville, which has since been his home. Here he was employed for one year by John Wolf, undertaker, and as the sequel shows made the best use of his time and opportunities. When at the end of a year Mr. Wolf decided to move to Bangor, he sold his place and goodwill to Daniel Horton. Thus, in 1874, Mr. Horton became established in his present place of business, where he began his career on a very small capital, but by indus- try, perseverance and integrity has succeeded be- yond his most sanguine expectations. While others have come and gone he has remained, so that he is now the oldest business man in the village, although yet very far indeed from be- ing the oldest man. During these thirty years he has improved his buildings, and greatly ex- tended his trade and influence. As a citizen Mr. Horton is deservedly respected, and has been honored by his townsmen with various offices of trust and responsibility, among them those of tax collector and member of the school board. The former position he held for one term, and the latter for two years. He is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men.
Mr. Horton married, in 1874, Mary C., daughter of Philip Gross, and they were the parents of two children : Charles J., who is de- ceased ; and William A. Mrs. Horton died Oc- tober 12. 1888, and on June 27, 1889, Mr. Hor- ton married Laura A., widow of Samuel Nace.
Mount Bethel is the native place of Mr. Hor- ton's first wife, who was a woman of most estim- able qualities, as well as of his present com- panion, who is the center of a numerous circle of friends. By the second marriage there are no children. During his long residence in John- sonville, Mr. Horton has gained not only a grati- tying degree of financial prosperity but also a large place in the confidence of his extended patronage, and the sincere regard of a host of friends. He is respected by the entire com- munity as a conscientious business man, and a self-made man in the truest sense of the term, a typical representative of a class which has given to the country at different epochs of her history many of her most useful and honored citizens.
HARRISON SHANNON, a worthy and in- fluential citizen of Upper Mount Bethel town- ship, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, culti- vates the productive farm that was the ances- tral home of his wife, a member of the La Barre family. The name of LaBarre is connected with the establishment of the slate industry of Penn- sylvania, and Mr. Shannon himself opened the first slate quarry in Bangor on the property of his brother-in-law, Philip LaBarre. One of the pioneer log cabins, built by Mrs. Shannon's fore- fathers, is still standing and is preserved as an interesting relic of the olden time.
The grandfather of Harrison Shannon was "Lanty" Shannon, who figured as a soldier in Washington's army during the Revolution. He was a striking character, and did valiant service for the cause of independence and the establish- ment of the colonial government. After the war he settled in Forks township, Northampton county, where he died at a very old age. He was widely known, and his services as an auctioneer were in great demand, auctioneering being his regular vocation. He married and reared a fam- ily of five children, namely, Charles, David, Jack- son, John, and Elizabeth.
Charles, the oldest child of this family, was born in Forks township, in 1808. He become a cabinet-maker, and was a first-class mechanic.
17 X
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
He moved to Richmond about 1853, and later on he went to Upper Mount Bethel, where he died in 1883, at the age of seventy-five years. His wife, who was Lena Gruver, was born in Mount Bethel, in 1810, and died in 1884. Ten children were born to the couple, namely : Hiram, Harri- son, Joseph, William, Charles, Mary, Susan, de- ceased ; Caroline deceased; Amanda, and Alice.
Harrison, second child and second son of Charles and Lena (Gruver) Shannon, was born on an island in the Delaware river, north of Easton, in Forks township, January 4, 1836. He received a common school education in his na- tive township, and early in life learned the car- penter's trade, which he followed for thirty years. During a part of this time he was in partnership with his brother, and the firm as contractors and builders did much business in Northampton county, especially in and around Bangor. Mr. Shannon has been energetic and thoroughly responsible in all his business rela- tions, and is valued as a citizen for his high per- sonal standards and his fidelity to public duty. The family are members of the Lutheran church, in which Mr. Shannon has been deacon. He moved to Upper Mount Bethel with his father in 1853, and for forty years has lived on the family homestead of his wife, where his own children have been reared.
It was in 1856 that he married Mary, a daugh- ter of Conrad and Hannah LaBarre. Three chil- dren were born of the marriage: Emma A., Stewart, and Maggie. Emma married Edward Pencil; Stewart, who is now a merchant and postmaster at Cresco, Pennsylvania, married Elizabeth Miller and they have one daughter named Mary. Maggie became the wife of Enoch Bartow. (For a history of the LaBarre family, see sketch of Phillip LaBarre, elsewhere in this work.)
WILLIAM REIMER, a young and enter- prising merchant of Johnsonville, Northampton county, belongs to a family which has been for several generations resident in that vicinity. His great-grandfather, Peter Reimer, who was de- scended, as the family name indicates, from Ger-
man ancestors, was a farmer in comfortable cir- cumstances, owning about one hundred acres of land. He served in the American army during the war of 1812, and was subsequently pensioned. He married Susan Frutchey, and they were the parents of the following children : William, men- tioned at length hereinafter; Christian, Jacob, Catherine, Sarah, Mary, and Margaret.
William Reimer, son of Peter and Susan (Frutchey) Reimer, was born in 1823, in John- sonville, and was all his life engaged in agricul- tural labors, being the possessor of about eighty acres of good farming land. He married Cath- erine Duts, and their children were: Amandus, mentioned at length hereinafter; Peter, Jacob, who is deceased; Matilda, John, Josephine, Frank, and Harvey. Mrs. Reimer, the mother of this family, was born in Plainfield township, where she died. Her husband passed away in 1895, at the age of seventy-two.
Amandus Reimer, son of William and Cath- erine (Duts) Reimer, was born in 1853, at John- sonville, where he was a farmer in the summer, and during the winter followed the cooper's trade. He was also engaged in hauling slate from the quarries to the various railroad stations, those being the days before the slate belt had estab- lished railroad facilities. By dint of his untiring efforts along these different lines of endeavor Mr. Reimer, in the course of time, became a pros- perous man, and the possessor of valuable prop- erty. He married Eliza J. Reimel, and they were the parents of three sons : William, mentioned at length hereinafter : Clarence, and Herbert. After the death of his wife Mr. Reimer married Emily, widow of a Mr. Yusley. By this second marriage there were no children. Mr. Reimer has re- cently given further proof of his enterprising spirit by purchasing the Keystone Hotel, in Eas- ton, whither he has removed.
William Reimer, son of Amandus and Eliza J. (Reimel) Reimer, was born August 15, 1876, at Johnsonville, the birthplace of his ancestors. Here he received a good common school educa- tion, and acquired a knowledge and experi- ence which have admirably fitted him for his present position and business. For several years
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he served as clerk in the grocery business, and also in general stores, gaining, during this period a thorough acquaintance with mercantile life and methods. At length, when conscious of being fully equipped for the enterprise, he en- gaged in business for himself, opening his pres- ent store in 1898. He has always on hand a fine assortment of choice goods, which he receives direct from the factories. His establishment, in its appointments and management, is unexcep- tionable, and is regarded with great and growing favor by its large and constantly increasing circle of patrons. Although Mr. Reimer, by reason of the absorbing nature of his duties as a business man, is unable to take an active part in public affairs, he is warmly interested in all matters per- taining to the welfare of the community in which he resides, and is never neglectful of his obliga- tions as a citizen. He is a member of the I. O. O. F.
Mr. Reimer married, in April, 1901, Grace R., daughter of John F. Stier, of Johnsonville. Mr. and Mrs. Reimer are the parents of a daugh- ter who is named Helen.
WILLIAM F. LOBB, is a well known and popular merchant of Pen Argyl, and one of the native sons of this city, his birth having here occurred on the 20th of August, 1865. His pa- rents were William and Mary A. (Prout) Lobb, both of whom were natives of England.
Ere William and Mary A. (Prout) Lobb crossed the Atlantic to the new world, two chil- dren were born to them: John P., and Mary A., but the latter is now deceased. It was in the year 1855 that the father sailed with his family for America, taking up his abode at Chapmans, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in business in connection with the slate industry for three years. He then removed to Pen Argyl, where he became superintendent of the old Pennsyl- vania quarry, serving in that capacity for several years. In 1866 he removed to Plainfield town- ship, where he took charge of the old Pennsyl- vania quarry, but after a few years he returned to Pen Argyl, where he and his family reside. He was engaged in the operation of the Flicksville
quarry, called the True Blue quarry, and was as- sociated in its development until 1888, at which time he became the lessee of the Albion quarry, which he operated up to the time of his death on the 12th of June, 1901. Several children were added to the family, six in number, namely : Mar- wood and Marcinia, twins; Thomas, William F., James, Anna and Jennie. During the time Mr. Lobb was engaged in the operation of various quarries, his sons as they became old enough as- sisted him in the work. In 1886 he opened the store of which William F. Lobb now has charge and in which he is a partner with his five brothers.
William F. Lobb was reared and educated in Plainfield township, pursuing his studies in the common schools. In early life he followed agri- cultural pursuits, and subsequently became con- nected with his father in business. Since his father's death he has had charge of the store in connection with his brother James, while John P., Marwood and Marcinia Lobb, the other brothers, operate the Albion quarry, and Thomas, another brother, has charge of a new quarry at Danielsville, Pennsylvania, which is his own property and is operated under the name of the Dexter Slate Company. The Lobb Brothers em- ploy about one hundred and twenty men in the Albion quarry. They are all experienced in the slate business, and have largely increased the out- put of their industry since assuming its man- agement. Men of good business ability, keen dis- cernment and of enterprise, they are so conduct- ing their affairs as to win creditable and gratify- ing profit. All take an active part in matters pertaining to the general welfare and progress of their community, and John P. and Marwcod Lobb are members of the Masonic fraternity. The father was also a worthy adherent of the craft, and was raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason at a time when his son William F. Lobb occupied a chair in "the east." In matters of cit- izenship he was patriotic and progressive, and he served his town as chief burgess, proving a capable and loyal citizen. William F. Lobb served his town as councilman from 1889 until 1892 inclusively, and in the latter year was elected city treasurer. He is a member of Pen Argyl
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HISTORIC HOMES AND INSTITUTIONS.
Lodge, No. 594, F. and A. M., in which he has occupied the position of master, being the second one to hold that office in his local lodge. He is now the senior warden. In the control of busi- ness interests of magnitude he has shown marked ability, and has followed lines of business that commend him to the confidence, support and patronage of the general public.
In 1888 William F. Lobb was united in mar- riage to Miss Ida Roof, of Scranton, Pennsyl- vania, and to them have been born three children : Roy T., Fred F. and Ruth.
JUDGE ALBERT GALLATIN BROD- HEAD, of Mauch Chunk, Pennsylvania, was during a long and peculiarly active career one of the most conspicuous and interesting figures in the commercial, industrial and political life of the Lehigh Valley. His character was accurately and feelingly summarized by his intimate personal friend, Colonel Alexander K. McClure, editor of the Philadelphia Times, in a tribute to the de- ceased from the pen of that distinguished jour- nalist :
"A lifelong and positive Democrat amid the mutations of party control and policy, he won his triumph and administered the trusts imposed with keen regard to the public good. Identified as he has been with the industrial development of Carbon county since the first period of its incep- tion, his name is inseparately linked with the institutions under whose auspices growth and progress were alone possible. Judge Brodhead was an active useful citizen, the measure of whose labors and sacrifices were not alone within the bounds of local ties, but included in a large degree the state and its important interests. A natural- born leader of men, careful and watchful of the rights of others, and a model of business integrity, Judge Brodhead was universally loved and es- teemed in the town where he passed almost a half century of his career among a people who sought his services and gave unreservedly their confidences."
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