Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 215

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846; J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1018

USA > Pennsylvania > Berks County > Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I > Part 215

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

After the Revolution, he moved up the Schuylkill Val- ley beyond the Blue Mountains, in Brunswick township, then still part of Berks county, and there he died in Sep- tember, 1793, possessed of a very large estate. He had eight sons; Frederick, Jacob, Henry, John, William, Isaac, Benjamin and Lewis; and two daughters, Elizabeth (m. to William Mears), and Sarah (m. to Samuel Webb).

FRANK L. KREPS is a plumber at Reading, Pa., whose establishment is situated at No. 40 North Sixth street. He was born April 30, 1865, at Salem, Ohio, son of Henry and Mary (O'Brien) Kreps.

in 1876, aged about thirty-eight years. His trade was that ' of machinist, and he was for many years known as a skilled mechanic and successful business man. Henry Kreps was married to Mary O'Brien, who died at Norris- town, Pa., in August, 1896, aged fifty-two years, and to them there were born these children: William, engaged in the manufacture of silk at Paterson, N. J .; Frank L .; Charles, in the plumbing business at Fort Washington, Pa .; Elwood, a carpenter of Chester, Pa .; Ida, wife of Wil- liam Schoffner, of Norristown, Pa .; and Katie, m. to Frank Bechtel, of near Coatesville, Chester Co., Penn- sylvania. Mrs. Mary (O'Brien) Kreps was a daughter of George O'Brien, a native of a suburb of New York City. He was a machinist and stationary engineer. His chil- dren were: Sallie, Elizabeth, Mary and John (who lo- cated at Chester, Pa., and died in the early seventies).

780

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

and learned legal adviser, a man of keen wit and eloquent speech, and he used his gifts for the benefit of his fellow- men as much as his own interests. He was solicited to be- come judge, but declined. To an unusual degree he held the confidence of his clients and of the public, for he was known as a man who gave the best that was in him to his work and his patrons, and he was ever ready to espouse a cause for the right, his poorer clients receiving the same consideration that he gave to those of means. He was a member of St. John's Reformed Church and a liberal con- tributor to the Widows' Home and to other charitable institutions. In political sentiment he was a Republican, and he wielded a strong influence in his party, though he had no political aspirations himself. During the Civil war he entered the Union service, organizing and becoming the first Captain of Company A, 93d Regt. P. V. I., and served in the Virginia campaign.

On April 3, 1846, Mr. Derr married Caroline Hilde- brand, born March 22, 1826, daughter of Benjamin and Elizabeth (Brubaker) Hildebrand, of Lancaster county, and two children were born of this union: Francis, who died young, and Cyrus G.

Cyrus G. Derr received his literary education in the public schools of Lebanon, and his legal preparation in the law department of the University of Pennsylvania. Though only a boy during the Civil war he enlisted, in 1863, in Company E, 26th Regiment, Emergency Troops, and was taken prisoner in a skirmish with Jenkins' Confed- erate Cavalry, near Gettysburg, a few days before the famous battle. He was later paroled. The next year, during the invasion in which Chambersburg was burned, he enlisted for one hundred days, serving in Company G, of an independent organization, commanded by Lieut .- Col. Charles Stewart; this company was largely made up of students from the Pennsylvania Agricultural College in Centre county. As a precaution in case he was again cap- tured, Mr. Derr's second enlistment was made under the name "Calvin" Derr, as he was uncertain whether a Con- federate court-martial would construe the parole of the preceding year as he did, limited to the period of his first term of service.

Mr. Derr was admitted to the Bar in August, 1869, and after practising a year with his father located in Reading. Though he met with success at once his father induced him to return to Lebanon after a year, but he was so well impressed with the possibilities Reading offered him that he settled there permanently in 1872, since which time he has been in continuous practice. During his earlier years he gave much time to literary work, but of late his legal responsibilities have been so heavy as to preclude almost all other work, his large clientele including a num- ber of important corporations, among them the Pennsyl- vania Railroad Company and the Pennsylvania Trust Com- pany. Like his father, he is a Republican in politics, but without official' ambitions.

Mr. Derr was one of the founders and proprietors of the old Reading Review, an independent publication, which during the few years of its existence became noted for its fearlessness and aggressive policy. He was a regular contributor to its columns. He was a member and pro- moter of the Reading Lyceum and Reading Literary Society, and delivered lectures in Reading and other places upon Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice," Scott's "Lay of the Last Minstrel" and the "Oratory of St. Paul." His literary attainments are noteworthy.

On Nov. 30, 1870, Mr. Derr married Mary Virginia Weidman, daughter of Gen. John Weidman and sister of the late Maj. Grant Weidman, of Lebanon. Mr. and Mrs. Derr have one child, Caroline Roberts, now the wife of John M. Archer, of Reading.

HIESTER H. MUHLENBERG, M. D., was born at Reading, Jan. 15, 1812, son of the distinguished Rev. Henry Augustus Muhlenberg, pastor of the Trinity Lu- theran Church of Reading, afterward member of Con- gress and Ambassador to Austria, and at the time of his death the candidate of the Democratic party for

Governor of Pennsylvania. His mother was Rebecca Hiester, daughter of Gov. Joseph Hiester.

Mr. Muhlenberg gained his preliminary education under the instruction of Rev. John F. Grier, in the Reading Academy. In 1826 he entered the sophomore class of Dickinson College, Carlisle, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1829. Having chosen medi- cine as his profession, he began study in the office of Dr. Thomas Harris, a physician of excellent reputation in Philadelphia. He attended the medical lectures at the University of Pennsylvania during the winter of 1831 and 1832, and was graduated from that institution with the class of 1832. Dr. Muhlenberg began practice in his na- tive city and continued it for eight years: During this period and for some years following he took an active interest in politics, and until the breaking out of the Civil war he remained a firm and consistent Democrat. During the Civil war he twice enlisted in the Pennsylvania State Volunteers-once before the battle at Antietam, and again after the battle of Gettysburg.

During the panic of 1837 the affairs of the Farmers Bank of Reading became very much involved, and the complete ruin of the bank seemed close at hand. The integrity, capacity and financial ability of Dr. Muhlen- berg were so well known that he was placed temporarily in charge of the bank in order to restore its affairs to a sound and healthy condition. His management of its affairs was so successful that he was induced to give up his intention of resuming his practice of medicine and urged to accept the position of cashier of the Farmers Bank in March, 1842. From that time until his death he was annually re-elected, serving continuously in that position for a period of forty-four years. The high standing and character of the cashier preserved the bank from embarrassment during the panic of 1857, the financial troubles incident to the Civil war and the finan- cial crisis of 1873. During all these periods of financial depression the Farmers Bank of Reading always main- tained the highest reputation for great financial strength and for the soundest business management. The suc- cess and reputation of the bank in all these years was mainly due to the ability and high character of its cash- ier.

Dr. Muhlenberg was for ten years a member of coun- cils of the borough of Reading, and a member of the first councils after the city incorporation in 1850. Prior to the Civil war he took great interest and active part in the volunteer military organizations of his own coun- ty. He entered a noted company, called the Washington Grays, as a private, and afterward became lieutenant. During the Catholic riots of 1844, in Philadelphia, as lieutenant of the Washington Grays he formed part of the force sent to that city to assist in quelling the riot.

. Dr Muhlenberg was one of the original trustees of the Charles Evans Cemetery Company, and for many years was the president of that corporation. He was a director and president of the Reading Water Company. He was always a public spirited and enterprising citizen, and his generosity was well-known. He favored and assisted the development of his native city by every proper means within his power.

Dr. Muhlenberg was twice married, first to Amelia Hanold, and second to Catherine S. Hunter, both of . Reading, Pa. By the second marriage he had seven children. He became a member of the Lutheran Church in 1830, and was a member of the vestry of Trinity Church for many years. He died May 5, 1886, survived by seven children, six of whom are still living.

HENRY A. MUHLENBERG 2d was born at Read- ing, July 21, 1823, son of Henry Augustus and Rebecca (Hiester) Muhlenberg, the latter the daughter of Gov. Joseph Hiester. He gained his preliminary education un- der the direction of his father, and at the age of four- teen years entered Jefferson College, at Canonsburg, Pa., where he remained one year, after which he became a member of the sophomore class at Dickinson College, at Carlisle, graduating from that institution in 1841. He

781

BIOGRAPHICAL

was a close student, especially of the classics and history. expressed at the time of its passage. He was an earnest From 1841 to 1844 he was engaged in the study of the opponent of slavery, and considered it "a curse to that law with Hon. J. Pringle Jones. He entered public life almost immediately. During his father's candidacy for Governor, in 1844, he displayed marked ability as his private secretary, and conducted all his father's corre- spondence during the canvass. In 1846, when the Mexi- can war broke out, he raised a company of volunteers in Reading, and personally tendered their services to the Governor, but the complement of Pennsylvania having already been filled the offer was declined. In the county convention of 1846, he and his brother Hiester, the presi- dent of that body, were mainly instrumental in causing the adoption of a resolution approving of the principles of the tariff of 1842, and demanding that, as it was passed by Democratic votes, it should receive a fair considera- tion from a Democratic Congress. He also delivered a speech in the same body on the Oregon question, in which he strongly favored the claims of the United States to all that district of country lying south of the parallel of 54 degrees 40 minutes. In 1847 and 1848 he was occu- pied in writing a "Life of General Peter Muhlenberg," of Revolutionary fame, which was published early in 1849, by Cary & Hart, Philadelphia, and was well re- ceived. It was dedicated to Jared Sparks, as a slight recognition of his services in elucidating our Revolu- tionary history.

In the fall of 1849 Mr. Muhlenberg was elected to the State Senate from Berks county, and served three years, 1850-52. He there acquired a reputation for integrity, eloquence and business ability. Shortly after taking his seat he delivered a speech on the supplement to the act incorporating the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Com- pany, which greatly influenced the Senate in its decision to pass the measure. During the second part of his Sena- torial career he was the Democratic candidate for Speak- er, though the youngest member of that House, his com- petitor on the Whig side being Hon. John H. Walker, of Erie (the president of the Constitutional Convention of 1872-73). The Senate then contained sixteen Whigs, sixteen Democrats and one native American, and a ma- jority of all who voted was required to elect. On the eighth- ballot, and on the third day, when it was evident that no choice could be made, unless the Whig candidate should vote for himself, the Democratic candidate, to- gether with Messrs. Packer and Guernsey, also Demo- crats, out of political courtesy, abstained from voting. Throughout the whole contest the two candidates re- spectively voted for Thomas Carson and William F. Pack- er. As chairman of a select committee to which was re- ferred that portion of Governor Johnston's message for 1851 treating of the care and preservation of the State archives, Mr. Muhlenberg reported a bill, which be- came a law, for the publication, at the expense of the State, of the records of the proprietary government and of all papers relating to the Revolutionary war down to 1783. He was greatly instrumental in securing the pas- sage of an act making an appropriation to continue the geological survey of the State, conducted by Professor Rogers. He favored also the building of new railroads to develop the resources of the Commonwealth, thoughi he was opposed to the State granting any direct aid to these objects. During the whole of his Senatorial term he was, in the words of Hon. C. R. Buckalew, "The bul- wark of the treasury against the assaults of outside in- terested parties." He was outspoken in defense of a tariff of such amount and so levied as to protect the great manufacturing interests of the country. He also thought that as iron was an indispensable requisite for any nation, to provide against the contingency of war, and to render the United States independent of any other country, a high, though not a prohibitory duty, should be imposed on that article.

In the Senate and in the county conventions, he, in connection with Judge Strong and other distinguished Democrats, demanded a modification of the tariff of 1846, in favor of the iron interest, in accordance with the views of Hon. Robert J. Walker, the author of that tariff-views

community on which it was inflicted; no one could dis- like it more than he did, nor did he ever wish to be thought the friend and advocate of the institution." In his devotion, however, to the Union, and in his desire to do away with all canses which might inflame one sec- tion of the country against the other, looking upon the compromise measures of 1850 as a solemn compact be- tween the North and South, he thought those measures and the laws resulting from them should be executed fully, honestly and completely. His devotion to the Union was one of the cardinal principles of his political faith. The words used by his father in Congress, at the time of Clay's compromise act of 1833, might be placed in his mouth also,-"The Union is the first and greatest of our national blessings, and to preserve it, nothing can or ought to be too precious. I go for the Union, the whole Union and nothing but the Union. It must be preserved, peaceably, if we can, forcibly if we must." No one who knew him intimately can doubt for a moment that had he lived until the crisis he would have been foremost in the van of those Democrats who, in the hour of great- .est danger, rushed to the rescue of their. government and of their Union. At such a time he would not have been behind his brother Hiester, or his uncle, Dr. F. A. Muhlenberg, of Lancaster, in forming that party which, in their opinion, held the true Democratic doctrine, in that it advocated the greatest good to the greatest masses.

In July, 1852, Mr. Muhlenberg was nominated by ac- clamation the Democratic candidate for Congress in Berks county, and was elected the following October by a large majority. He left Reading late in November, 1853, for Washington, and was present at the opening of the XXXIVth Congress, but he appeared in that body only one day. He was stricken down by illness, and though everything was done for him that was possible, and it was believed at one time that he was materially im- proved, a relapse occurred and he died Jan. 9, 1854, of hemorrhage and congestion of the lungs. His remains were laid to rest in the Charles Evans cemetery at Read- ing.

He was a warm and true friend; no act of kindness was ever forgotten by him, and nothing within the limits of possibility was deemed too difficult when done in the cause of a friend. His fearlessness in all departments of life was one of the most marked traits of his charac- ter; he never shunned bearing the responsibility of any of his actions", he did what he considered his duty, no matter what the consequences might be. Above all, throughout all of his public life he was a man of un- swerving integrity and unblemished honor; he would do nothing, however great the inducements to the contrary, which could lower himself in his own esteem or in that of others. His standard was a very high one, and when he believed himself to be right no power on earth could divert him from the path which honor, good faith, good feeling and his own judgment pointed out. He possessed an ample fortune, from which he was ever ready to con- tribute to all objects, whether charitable, religious, politi- cal or literary, which deserved his support.

As a citizen of Reading, Mr. Muhlenberg was fore- most in advancing, by pen, tongue and purse, all projects which could benefit or increase the prosperity of his na- tive place. Had he lived, he would have written his name on the historical records of his country, and would have impressed his character on her legislation; cut off untimely in the flower of his youth, and in the very ma- turity of his powers, his loss was a great calamity to the Commonwealth.

Mr. Muhlenberg married, in November, 1847, his cous- in, Annie H., daughter of the late Dr. F. A. Muhlenberg, of Lancaster, Pa. He had one child, Henry A. Muhlen- berg 3d, who died in 1906.

FREDERICK W. NICOLLS, son of Gustavus A. Nic- olls, was born in Reading, Feb. 7, 1870. He was educated by Edward Carroll, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin,

782

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

who for many years conducted a successful preparatory school in Reading. He entered Harvard University in 1888, where he devoted himself principally to history and literature, and was also an editor of the "Harvard Ad- vocate," one of the oldest college publications in the coun- try. He was also greatly interested in the game of chess and held the championship of the college for the four years of his residence there. He graduated in 1892 with a magna cum laude degree. After graduation he returned to Reading, and began to study law in the office of his half-brother, Henry A. Muhlenberg, being admitted to the Bar of Berks county in November, 1895. While pur- suing his legal studies he wrote a series of six lectures on the "Puritan Revolution in England," which lectures were delivered in Reading under the auspices of the "Universi- ty Extension Society," and were received with favor by the public and by the press. After his admission to the Bar, and while building up his practice, he continued to study the theory of the law with some assiduity, and though never attending a law school, he covered the greater part of the work taught in the three years course at Harvard, and also familiarized himself with other text- books and authorities. In 1900 he was elected Solicitor of the Reading School District, held the office for a year, and was subsequently elected for a term of two years. For a number of years he was the principal lawyer of the Taxpayers' League, an organization formed for the pro- tection of the public against municipal corruption and con- ducted a number of important public cases in this capacity. In March, 1908, he formed a law partnership with William Rick, then mayor-elect of the city, and has since then been engaged in conducting the law practice of this firm, which is rapidly increasing in size and importance. Owing to the official duties of his partner, Mr. Nicolls handles almost all the court work of the firm, and is acquiring an experience which in addition to his thorough- ness and studious habits, makes him regarded as one of the most promising of the younger members of the Bar. In 1898 he was married to Minnie R. Taylor, by whom he has had four children, Gustavus A., Sarah T., Freder- ick W. and Anne H.

ANNE H. NICOLLS is a woman who deserves men- tion, even in a work whose principal object is an account of the lives of men. She was the daughter of Dr. Fred- erick A. Muhlenberg, a well known physician of Lancaster, a granddaughter of Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, founder of the Lutheran Church in America, and thus a member of that distinguished Muhlenberg family, prominently con- nected with the early history of the nation, the state, and the country. She was married in early life to her cousin Henry A. Muhlenberg 2d, who died while a member of the 34th Congress. Mrs. Muhlenberg was studious and cul- tivated, and as her second husband, G. A. Nicolls, was a man of thought, of information and of intellectual tastes, her associations, in connection with her natural quicknes's of perception and adaptability, made her a woman of understanding and liberal attainments.

poor with clothing, a directress of the "Home for Widows and Single Women," and connected as a contributor with many other local charities. For almost thirty years she lived in a large brown-stone house at the northwest corner of Fourth and Walnut streets, and though for many years her health did not permit her to take active exercise, her face and figure were a familiar sight at the corner where she resided. She died January 14th, 1906, survived by two sons, Henry A. Muhlenberg 3d, and Frederick W. Nicolls.

GARRETT B. STEVENS, lawyer of Reading, is the head of a family of lawyers, as all his sons are practising attorneys. He was senior member of the former law firm of Stevens & Stevens, though not connected by the ties of consanguinity with his partner, W. Kerper Stevens, with whom he was associated from 1894, but who is now serving as Judge by appointment.

Benjamin Stevens, father of Garrett B. Stevens, was a farmer, and his father, Abraham Stevens, was a mer- chant. The first of the family in America came from Holland and held title to lands in Bucks county previous to the advent of the Pennis in Pennsylvania. Benjamin Stevens married Elizabeth Barcalow, daughter of Garrett Barcalow, of Bucks county, and seven children were born of this union : Hogeland Stevens, at one time deputy sher- iff of Bucks county, who died in 1898; Abraham, a farm- er and store-keeper in Indiana; James Vansant, a mer- chant of St. Paul, Minn .; Maria, wife of Isaac Bennet, a farmer and contractor of Ivyland, Bucks county; Dr. Elwood, of Fox Chase, Philadelphia; B. Frank, formerly of Hill & Stevens, contracting carpenters of Oak Lane, Philadelphia; and Garrett B. The father of this family died in 1895, aged eighty-seven years, and the mother in 1898, in her eighty-eighth year.

Garrett B. Stevens is eminent among the members of his profession in Reading, both for his attainments and his success. He married, Nov. 9, 1876, Kate M. Zeller, daugh- ter of John Zeller, deceased, of Reading, and five children were born to this union: Garrett, now of Cleveland, Ohio; Wallace, a graduate of Harvard and of the New York Law School, who after spending a year in the law office of Peckham, Warner & Strong was admitted in June, 1904, to practise law in the courts of New York; John B., a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, admitted to the Berks county Bar in 1902 and now associated with his father forming the firm of G. B. & J. B. Stevens; Elizabeth and Katharine.

Garrett Stevens 'was born in Reading, Dec. 19, 1877. He was graduated from the Reading high school in 1895, from Andover in 1896, from Yale in 1897, and from Dick- inson Law school in 1898. He then registered as a law student in the office of Stevens & Stevens, and was ad- mitted to practice Dec. 20, 1899. On Sept. 4, 1901, Mr. Stevens m. Sarah S. Stayman, daughter of Joseph B. and Mary Stayman, of Carlisle, and the one son born to this union is Garrett Barcalow, named after his grand- father. Fraternally Mr. Stevens is a Mason. He is con- nected with the Presbyterian Church, and in politics is a Democrat. In 1902 he was a candidate for the Democrat- ic nomination for the Legislature from Reading, and . re- ceived a very handsome support.

Mrs. Nicolls was a woman of wide acquaintance and of strong character. In her youth she was remarkably beautiful, and even in later years retained a charm of manner and appearance which endeared her to a large circle of friends, and with her capacity and strength of character made her influence strongly felt in the com- munity. She was a natural leader, not only on account of her birth and associations, but also by her abilities, her John B. Stevens, son of Garrett B., was born Dec. 9, pleasing address, and her high character, and until the . 1880, in the city of Reading, and there received his early day of her death she kept up her social relations and de-

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Historical and biographical annals of Berks County, Pennsylvania, embracing a concise history of the county and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families, Volume I, Part 215

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846; J.H. Beers & Co Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1018

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846; J.H. Beers & Co
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago : J. H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1018