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 53
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Richmond L. Jones, president; Charles H. Hun- ter, secretary and treasurer.
Number of volumes in library, July 1, 1909, 27,000. Books loaned during 1908, 125,658. Bor- rowers registered, 18,553. This shows the suc- cessful management of the library.
JUSTICES OF THE PEACE
Under the Act of 1783 Reading became entitled to elect two justices of the peace as a separate dis- trict. In 1803, the County Commissioners divided the county into fifteen districts. They made Read- ing the First District, and under the Act of April 4, 1803, it was entitled to four incumbents. In 1840, Reading was divided into two wards for just- ices, with Penn street as the dividing line.
The names of the following officials and time of appointment were secured from the records at Har- risburg :
Valentine Eckert 1784
Henry Christ
1784
John Otto 1785
James Diemer
1788
Peter Nagle
Aug. 3, 1791
James May (did not act)
Ang. 31. 1791
John Christ
Oct. 3, 1799
Peter Frailey
Matthias Richards
Henry Hahn April 1, 1806
Frederick Heller .Jan. 1, 1807
Jacob Miller
Nov. 13, 1811
John M. Hyneman
Sept. 3, 1813
Christopher Scherrer
Sept. 17, 1813
John Addams
May 13, 1816
William Schoener
March 24, 1818
John Frantz
March 24, 1818
Frederick Fritz
June 28, 1821
John Spayd
. June 28, 1821
Matthias Richards Nov. 8, 1823
Edward B. Hubley . Dec. 3, 1823
Joseph Tyson Dec. 8. 1823
Dec. 8. 1823
Peter Aurand
Dec. 12. 1823
Henry Betz
Dec. 12. 1823
Matthias Richards
April 4. 1827
Jonathan D. Hiester
. June 5, 1827
Peter Nagle. Jr.
. Aug. 1, 1828
Jacob Sallade
March 5, 1830
David Rightmyer
July 25, 1831
Lloyd Wharton
Oct. 19, 1831
Lewis Rees April 3, 1832
Thomas Morris
. Jan. 4, 1836
Jacob Fritz
.Feb. 12, 1838
Henry Tothers . Sept. 22, 1838
Henry Bowman March 26, 1839
North Ward
Wm. Schoener
April 14. 1840
Henry Betz April 14, 1840
William Betz
April 13, 1841
William Schoener April 15, 1845
William Betz
April 14, 1846
South Ward
Charles Troxell April 14. 1840
William A. Wells April 14, 1840
Marks B. Eckert April 12. 1842
David Medary April 9, 1844
Matthias Mengel
April 15, 1845
Curtis Lewis
Dec. 13. 1823
John Miller
229
READING
ALDERMEN
In 1847 the city was divided into two districts for aldermen, that portion north of Penn street com- prising the Northern District, and that portion south, the Southern; and each district was given two aldermen with a term of five years. An addi- tional alderman was given to the Northern District by a special Act of Assembly, passed Jan. 31, 1873, by reason of its extent and large population. In 1874 the new charter gave each of the nine wards an alderman. Two wards were erected in 1876; two in 1885; two in 1892; and one in 1894; and thence the electors of those wards also elected an alderman.
FROM 1847-75 Northern District
Name Term
William Betz 1847-51
William Schoener 1847-51
Frank B. Miller 1851-65
William B. Schoener
1851-75
Washington Richards 1865-73
Lewis Kremp 1873-75
Israel C. Becker 1874-75
Southern District
David Medary
1847-55
Matthias Mengel
1847-60; 1868-73
George Printz
1855-75
John Quimby
1860-63
Peter Cleaver
1863-68
Ezekiel Jones
1873-75
UNDER CHARTER OF 1874 First Ward
Name
Term
Enos Morris 1875-78
John B. Maxton
1878-84
John W. Ringler
1884-89
George W. Mannerback
1889-94
Charles E. Stout
1894-1902
Charles E. Stout (Jr.)
1902-13
Second Ward
Joseph R. Pawling 1875-80
Christian M. Deem
1880-85
George W. Ritner 1885-90
Henry H. Wentzel
1890-95; 1897-1902
George H. McFatridge 1895-97
John Undheim
1902-12
Third Ward
Ezekiel Jones 1875-83
John Hipple
.1883-88
Frederick H. Printz
1888-93
Monroe S. Eby 1893-98
Howard Koch
1898-1913
Fourth Ward
Matthias Mengel 1875-85
Edmund Sheetz
1885-95
Llewellyn S. Levan
1895-97
William. H. Houck
1897-1902
Milton C. Kreider
1902-12
Fifth Ward
Daniel Potteiger 1875-86
C. A. Griesemer
1886-97
Lyman H. Wilson 1897-98
C. W. Yarnell 1898-1913
Sixth Ward
Jonathan L. Reber
1875-77
George M. Ermentrout 1877-93
Francis C. Clemson
1893-1903; 1908-09*
John A. Hiester
1903-08
Seventh Ward
William B. Schoener 1875-81
Israel C. Becker 1875-78
John G. L. Brownwell 1881-1901
George M. Miller
1901-11
Eighth Ward
Lewis Kremp 1875-78
William L. Graul 1878-83
John Denhart
1883-90
Henry O. Schrader
1890-95
Albert H. Fegley
1895-1900
Eugene I. Sandt 1900-08
William H. Thornburg 1908-09
Clarence C. Dumn
1909-14
Ninth Ward
Isaac R. Fisher 1875-90
Edward C. Kirschman .1890-1905
George L. Mast 1905-10
Tenth Ward
Henry H. Holl 1876-94
John A. Merkel 1894-1909
Herman Hermann
1909-14
Eleventh Ward
Israel M. Bertolet 1876-80
David Rink
1880-81
George H. Long
1881-90
George Kreamer 1890-91
William F. Weber
1891-1912
Twelfth Ward
John K. Howden 1886-96
Henry S. Yocum 1896-1901
Henry L. Wickel
1901-11
Thirteenth Ward
Peter T. Phillippi 1886-92
Daniel C. Boyer 1892-1902
Jacob H. Scheifele 1902-07
George W. Millmore
1907-12
Fourteenth Ward
Edwin P. Van Reed. 1893-1903
Joseph E. Bruce 1903-13
Fifteenth Ward
George M. Ermentrout 1893-94
William T. Snyder 1894-1914
Sixteenth Ward
George W. Brown
1895-1902
N. Robert Tomlinson 1902-07
George B. Clouser .1907-12
CONSTABLES
Two constables were elected annually for the city from 1847 to 1875. The new charter of 1874 required the election of one constable for each ward for three years. Since 1875 constables for the city have been elected accordingly.
FROM 1847-75
Name Term
Peter J. H. Griesemer .1847-51
Reuben Goodhart .1847-51; 1860-72
William B. Yahn 1848-50; 1854-55
Christian Snyder 1850-54; 1860-62
William Keen 1851-54; 1857-60
William Y. Lyon 1854-55
Jeremiah Griesemer
1855-56
William Fasig
1855-57
John W. Lash
1856-60
* Resigned May, 1909, and Irvin H. Tobias appointed.
230
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Joseph Deysher .1862-63
Benj. F. Ermentrout 1862-63
Wood M. Schwartz 1863-65; 1866-73
James Sheidy 1863-65; 1867-68
John H. Printz 1865-66
John Guiles 1865-66
Charles Frederick 1866-67
W. W. Diehl
1868-74
W. L. Graul
1873-75
Alfred W. Glase
1874-75
UNDER CHARTER OF 1874
First Ward
Name
Term
George Harner .1875-81
George Mannerback 1881-87
William C. Graul
1887-90
Lewis M. Rhoads 1890-1905
Harry M. Ould 1905-11
Second Ward
Zacharias Oswald 1875-78
Michael McGrann 1878-82
John Ehrgood 1882-85
Henry Witman 1885-89
George McFatridge
.1889-96
Jacob S. Wentzel
1896-99
George M. Gehret
1899-1905
Francis W. Ganter
1905-11
Third Ward
Aaron Roland 1875-78
William P. Graul 1878-81
Richard b. Adams
1881-84
Benneville Ehrgood
1884-90
Samuel Shirey
.1890-93
Charles H. Derr
1893-99
Charles H. Dietrich 1899-1905
William Miles
1905-11
Fourth Ward
Alfred W. Glase 1875-89
Henry A. Maurer 1890-93
William Y. Lyon
1893-96;1902
Milton C. Kreider
1896-1902
Jacob Royal
. 1903-05
Franklin E. Kreider
1905-11
Fifth Ward
Thomas Shunk 1875-77
Joseph Heifer
1877-83
Lyman H. Wilson .1883-87
Charles H. Fisher
.1887-96
Charles M. Deem 1896-99
John F. Feger 1899-1905
William F. Stehman 1905-11
Sixth Ward
Lewis Neuland 1875-78
Augustus Lessig
.1878-80
John M. Sharp
1880-1899
Harry J. Focht 1899-1908 Heber F. Buckwalter 1908-11
Seventh Ward
Wood M. Schwartz 1875-78
Raymond B. Lewis
1878-80
Henry W. Lash 1880-83
Leslie Strubell
1883-1911
Eighth Ward
William L. Graul 1875-78
John Denhard
1878-83
Lawrence P. Ressler
.1883-87
George B. Wagner
1887-1908
Seneor A. Phillippi
1908-11
Ninth Ward
George Kreamer 1875-87
George Miller 1887-96
Harry T. Beck 1896-1905
John J. Sparely
1905-11
Tenth Ward
Michael Doyle 1876-79
James Malson 1879-82
Henry C. W. Matz 1882-87
John H. Bobst 1887-88
Jacob Matz 1888-89
George H. Goodwin 1889-90; 1893-96
Augustus Luebka 1890-93
Harry Wise 1896-1902
George J. Brown
1902-11
Eleventh Ward
Jacob F. Hollenbacher 1876-79
Amos A. Bechtold 1879-86
Jacob B. Reifsnyder 1893-1905
J. Edward Reifsnyder 1905.
George S. Straub
1905-11
Twelfth Ward
Samuel James 1886-87
Augustus Buchter 1887-90.
Tohn Borrell
1890-1911
Thirteenth Ward
Samuel Bechtold 1886-94
Oscar Detwiler
1894-96
Isaiah J. Beck 1896-99; 1902-11
Franklin E. Kreider
1899-1902
Fourteenth Ward
John Gottshall 1893-99
William W. Hinkle 1899-1902-
Frederick J. Fegley
1902-11
Fifteenth Ward
Edward O'Connor
1893-1902
John F. Fisher
1902-11.
Sixteenth Ward
Samuel Focht 1895-96
Irwin S. Close 1896-99.
Robert Graul 1899-1907
Howard Brown 1907-08
John W. Smith
1908-11
SCHOOL CONTROLLERS
From the beginning of the school system in 1834 to 1854, the several wards of Reading were separ- ate organizations for carrying on school affairs; but there were so many inconveniences in the system that in the latter year another was provided by law, by which the boroughs and cities in Pennsylvania were constituted single school districts. Reading having then been a city, the school controllers of the five wards held a joint meeting, May 16, 1854, and effected an organization by electing John Banks as president, John S. Richards as secretary, and Samuel Frees as treasurer.
The first school board, after this organization,. was composed of the following controllers :
Northwest Ward Southeast Ward
J. S. Richards
John Banks
W. H. Strickland
Ezekiel Jones
Ephraim Armstrong
Isaac Brenholtz George Printz
William Ermentrout
Ivens Benson
Frederick Printz
Charles Fritz
George W. Graul
READING
Northeast Ward
Southwest Ward
George Foos
Samuel Frees
A. G. Green
William B. Hertzel
James Van Horn
David McKnight
Benjamin M. Hoag
Spruce Ward
Amos Hooker
Evan B. McCord
A. S. Whitman
John Miles
Jacob H. Deysher
Thomas Barnet
On April 26, 1864, the charter of Reading was revised, and in this revision the consolidation of the five wards into one school district was pre- served. Each ward became entitled to four con- trollers; with a term of four years; and two of them were to be elected alternately every two years. The voters at the biennial elections after 1865 were to vote for one person, and the two persons hav- ing the largest number of votes were to be declared elected. This provision was made to preserve the political equipoise of the board. The first control- lers were elected in February, 1865, and the school affairs of Reading have been carried on ever since under the Act of 1864. The board was authorized to assess and collect taxes for school purposes.
A revision of the city charter was again made by the general Act of 1874, including a provision for school affairs, but it was not accepted by Read- ing. Therefore, the school affairs of Reading are carried on separately from the city affairs.
The names of the controllers of the several wards are given in the following statement, from 1873 to the present time-the names for the years from 1865 until 1873 not having been obtainable, because the reports are missing :
First Ward
Name
Term
Jesse G. Hawley
. 1873-75
John B. Maxton
1873-75
Solomon Sprecher
1873-77
Henry J. Fink
1873-77; 1883-87
William B. Albright
1875-79
James E. Yoder
1875-79
H. A. Corbit
1877-79
* A. J. Darlington
1877-79
J. Henry Hoffmaster
1879-81
Matthan Harbster
1879-81
Albert D. Boas
1879-81
Josiah H. Hiltebeitel
1879-83
Joseph R. Robison
1881-83
Jesse Orr
1881-93
William S. Humbert
1881-85
John H. Obold
1887-1910
William J. Bobst
1891-99
George B. Albright
1885-89
Frank W. Eben
1886-87
William D. Wolfinger
1887-91
Charles J. Hoff
1900-05
John H. Rothermel
1905-06
John M. Adams
1889-97
Frank K. Flood
1891-95
Harry W. Orr
1893-98
John E. Harbster
1893-97
George E. Tyson 1895-1910
William A. Barber 1897-1905
George F. Hagenman
1897-1907
Henry T. Melcher
1898-1910
John F. Moers
1873-75
Frank G. Wilson
1905-10
Jeremiah G. Hagenman
1907-10
George W. Phelps
1873-79
Daniel Shaaber 1873-79
Redmond McManus 1873-74
Henry C. Hain
1873-77; 1879-83; 1887-91
Samuel Holl
1874-77
James J. Driscoll
1875-82
A. J. Fink
1877-85
1877-81
Griffith W. Jones
1881-89
John Morris
1882-1907
John P. Miller
1883-87
Ellis L. Castor
1885-93
Edward A. Howell
1889-97.
Edward H. Kreamer
1891-95
Henry A. Harner
1893-1901
Elmer A. German
1895-1903
Frank Kissinger
1897-1905
Peter Schlarb, Jr
1901-10
George W. Ubil
1903-07
Edward C. Price
1905-10
Henry E. Keeler
1907-10
Edward S. High
1907-10
Third Ward
Henry Johnston 1873-75
William G. McGowan
1873-75
E. J. Ranch
1873-74
John Wise 1873-77
1874-76
James M. Lyons
1875-79
Levi H. Liess
1875-79
Charles Scull
1876-77
John G. Mohn
1877-89
Henry D. Schoedler
1877-79
Frank Schaeffer
1879-81
Joshua Clouser
1879-83
Jacob Holl
1879-87
William Kerper
1881-89
James R. Kenney
1883-87
William High
1887-91
Alfred Snavely
1887-91
Chester B. Jennings
1889-1901
B. Frank Ruth
1889-1901; 1903-10
Fred H. Witman
1891-95.
Thomas G. Printz
1891-99
Henry W. Schick
1895-1910
Oscar B. Wetherhold
1899-1903
William B. Harper 1901-04
John W. Morrison 1901-07
Ira G. Shoemaker
1904-10
John G. Rhoads
1907-10
Fourth Ward
Jeremiah Hagenman 1873-83
William M. Rightmyer
1873-77
Charles McKnight
1873-79
Harrison Maltzberger
1873-83; 1889-93
William H. Kelley
1877-81
Levi Quier 1879-89
Jefferson M. Keller 1881-1900
Henry G. Young
1883-87
Henry D. High
1883-91
Isaac W. Hull
1883-86
Edward W. James Walter A. Rigg
1899-1907
Franklin Heifer 1887-93
Henry H. Herman
1907-08
Thomas H. Morgan
1908-10
Henry S. Fichthorn
1909-10
William S. Dickinson
1909-10
Fifth Ward
James Mulligan 1873-79
Samuel Frees 1873-81
231
Second Ward
1873-75
Henry W. Moyer
C. W. Shultz Samuel L. Young J. Bowman Jacob Mast Daniel Zacharias
Peter N. Snyder
1893-1908
Henry H. Holl
232
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Henry D. Schoedler
1875-76
A. T. C. Keffer 1873-81
Wellington Van Reed
1876-1910
Henry S. Eckert 1873-89
Ephraim Armstrong
1879-81
Henry W. Burkey 1874-75
John F. Orth
1879-82
Harrison Shultz 1875-79
S. E. Ancona 1877-83; 1887-95
James M. Lyons 1879-86
Jacob H. Goodman
1881-89
Peter W. Nagle
18 83-87
John B. Goodhart
1889-93
Peter A. Fritch
1889-93
Frederic P. Heller
.1890-95
John R. Miller
.1893-97
John C. Wollison
1893-97
Harry F. Hahn
1895-1903; 1904-10
Alvin N. Boyer
1897-1904
James R. Mercer
1895-99
Charles S. Prizer
1895-99
Cyrus Wertz
1897-1901
Abram Herr
1899-1910
Seymour T. Schmehl
1899-1910
J. Wilmer Fisher
1901-08
Eugene Rhein 1901-08
Thomas K. Leidy
1909-10
George E. Dillon
1909-10
Alexander Jacobs 1873-75
Daniel P. Shenfelder 1873-77; 1879-83
Lewis Briner
1873-77
Wharton Morris
1875-79
John McKnight
1875-83
John M. Sharp
1877-81
Jacob Snell
1877-81; 1883-91
George W. Boas
1881-87
Jones O. Thomas
1881-89
Stephen M. Meredith
1883-84
Joseph S. Riegel
1884-91
1877-81
Daniel E. Schroeder
1887-93
Daniel Beidler
1889-93
John S. Thompson
1891-95
W'alter Prutzman
1891-99
Charles N. Seitzinger
1893-1901
William Hutchinson
.1893-97
John G. Beck
1895-1902
Charles H. Frederick
1897-1901; 1903-05
Daniel P. Kramer
1899-1903
John A. Britton
1901-03
Charles O. Ream
1901-06
1892-95
Jonathan S. Ebling
1893-97
Elias H. Frantz
1895-1904
George Scheirer
1899-1910
William H. Luppold
1900-04
John M. Smith
1904-10
Robert Strasser
1904-05
William Bauknecht
1905-09
Peter Eyrich
1905-10
Robert B. Machemer
1909-10
Tenth Ward
Fidel Weber
1876-78
Samuel B. Ruth
1876-77
John A. Neidert
1876-79
George W. Johns
1876-80
James Vanstavoren
1877-78
Wellington Boyer.
1879-83
Hiram M. Trout
1878-82
John H. Maltzberger
1889-1901
J. Harvey Tyson
1890-94
J. Edward Wanner
1894-1910
Ellsworth A. Leinbach
.1895-99
Howard Keppelman 1897-1906
Harry T. Shick 1899-1903
Reuben H. Spangler
1901-10
Charles H. R. Leinbach
1903-06
James F. Mohn 1907-10
J. Newton Rhoads
1907-10
Eighth Ward
Nicholas Heckman
1873-77
Mahlon K. Taylor
1873-74
Daniel W. Levan
1895-99
William Geiger 1873-76
Levi H. Liess 1873-74
Jacob Bissikumer 1873-77
William Beardsworth 1873-76
David Rhein 1874-76
Edwin Ziegler 1876-81
Nathan Rohrbach 1876-79
J. William Landis 1876-81
Joseph T. Smith
1879-83
Abram Herr
1881-83
Hermann C. Rees
1881-91
John B. Snyder
1881-89
August H. Bartels
1883-87
William Weis
1883-92
Augustus M. High
1887-91
Henry S. Bard
1889-93
Harrv A. Heckman
1891-1900
Eli D. Emerich
1891-99
John H. Riegel 1902-10
Jacob Diener
1903-07
William Prutzman
1905-10
Harry P. Yost
1907-10
Edward S. Wertz
1907-10
Seventh Ward
Edwin Shalter
1873-79
Daniel Ermentrout
1873-77
Joseph T. Valentine
1873-77
J. Howard Jacobs
1873-75; 1877-85; 1887-91
Charles A. Saylor
1875-83
Daniel D. Lerch
1877-89
W. Benton Stoltz
1879-82
Frank C. Smink
1882-86
J. C. A. Hoffeditz.
1883-87; 1891-95
Henry B. Hendel
1885-89
William M. Goodman
1886-90
Stephen M. Meredith
.1889-97
John D. Witman
1878-82
Charles Y. Levan
1880-82
James D. Long 1882-84
Herman Hermann
1882-86
Edward W. De Haven
1882-90
Isaac J. Hale
Richard Mohn 1883-88
1884-92
Michael A. Buckley
1886-98; 1900-04
Luther Seiders
1888-96
Joseph A. Byers
James E. Howe 1890-92
1892-94
Benjamin F. Sheeder
1892-95
William H. Longacre
1894-99
William H. Wilhelm
1881-89
Charles A. Z. Griesemer
1881-89
Edgar W. Alexander
1882-83; 1887-90
Christian W. Geissler
.1883-87
Adam W. Schwartz
1886-87
George Foos
1887-95
Eugene I. Sandt
1889-93
Hiester M. Nagle
1889-93
Thaddeus A. Hoyer
1893-97
Edwin B. Gettis
1893-1901
Lloyd M. Nunnemacher 1897-1905
George Y. Yocum
1903-06
Emanuel Loeb
1905-10
John B. Krebs 1907-10
Howard F. Hawk
1909-10
Sixth Ward
George W. Bushong 1873-75
Ninth Il'ard
Ferdinand Goetz
John M. Becker
Benjamin F. Hunsicker 1897-1905
READING
233
Henry H. Weitzel
1896-1900
Charles F. Brissel
1898-1910
Huysinga Bouchat 1906-10
John J. Phillipson
1899-1904
William L. Moser
1899-1900
Edward Taenzer
1900-02
Walter D. Fichthorn
1902-10
Joseph L. Gehris
1904-10
Albert F. East
1904-10
Eleventh Ward
W. H. Chapman 1876-78
Griffith W. Jones
1876-77
John F. Bellemere 1876-78
Samuel M. Guss
1876-78
Frederick Setley
1877-78
James Mendenhall
1878-80
William H. Kelley
1878-80
John G. Kalbach
1878-82
Alfred S. Jones
1878-82
Frank Menges
1880-86
Henry H. Hartman
1880-84
Walter B. Koch
1903-05
Henry M. Obold
1905-09
John M. Frame
1905-09
C. Clarence Long 1906-10
James A. Kalbach 1909-10
Frank H. Doremus
1909-10
Fifteenth Ward
George W. Wagner 1893-99
David K. Kaufman 1893-99
Charles H. Kiesling 1893-1910
Howard E. Ahrens 1893-1904
Ezra Schmehl 1899-1910
James M. Smith 1899-1910
Robert L. Wilson 1904-09
W. Irvin Renninger
1909-10
Sixteenth Ward
Daniel F. Printz 1895-1901
John B. Houp 1895-1900
Samuel H. Fulmer
.1895-99
S. E. Ancona 1895-99
Andrew J. Fink, Jr.
1899-1904
Frederick C. Printz
1899-1907
John H. Giles
1900-10
N. Robert Tomlinson
1901-04
John E. Clouser 1904-10
David C. Lotz 1904-10
Nevin M. Davis*
1907-09
The following persons have been officers of the board from 1865 to the present time :
PRESIDENTS
Name Term
J. K. McCurdy 1865-67
John S. Richards
1867-72
Henry S. Eckert 1872-88
J. Howard Jacobs 1888-90
S. E. Ancona 1890-93
E. A. Howell 1893-97
George W. Wagner 1897-98
J. Edward Wahner 1898-99; 1905-10
B. F. Hunsicker 1899-1905
SECRETARIES
Name
Lewis Briner 1865-67
John L. Barnes 1867-70
Charles Scull 1870-72
Thomas Severn 1872-73
William M. Rightmyer 1873-77
A. J. Darlington
1877
Harrison Shultz
1877-79
William W. Britton
1899-1900
Charles H. Ramsay
.1900-04
William R. Eaches
1902-06
Fourteenth Ward
Henry S. Keffer 1893-95
William W. Fetter
1893-99
Daniel E. Schroeder . 1893-97
William P. Keim 1893-97
Samuel J. Waid 1895-1910
B. Frank Fink 1897-99
George R. Hoover 1897-1901
Morris Arnold
1899-1903
John E. Harbster
1899-1901
Frank Bendel
1901-03
Charles S. Shalters
1901-03
James F. Mohn
1903-07
Joseph E. Hess
1903-05
Henry M. Spuhler
1882-83
Jeremiah Seiders
1882-86
Daniel Dillon
1883-84
Adam Filbert
1884-94
Henry H. Jackson
1884-86
Isaac M. Bechtel
1886-89
Calvin S. Gerhard
1886-88
Peres S. Fisher
1886-94
Thomas G. Harper
1888-95
James A. Fisher
1889-98
Alfred Gunkel
1894-1900
Milton J. Miller
.1894-98
Charles R. Haman
1895-96
Charles A. Hawk
1896-1910
Urias A. Fisher
1898-1904
Howard G. Becker
1898-1910
Charles P. Saylor
. 1900-01
Harry M. Laucks
. 1901-10
George C. Straub
1904-08
Thomas M. Richardson
1908-10
Twelfth Ward
Henry H. Jackson 1886-88
George W. Reisinger 1886-91
Franklin Menges 1886-98
Jeremiah Seiders 1886-94
George W. Ketner . 1888-92
Henry Stine
1891-92
William R. Kirn
1892-96
Jenkin Hill
1892-96
Harry S. Levan
1894-1910
John T. Seiders 1896-1910
Daniel K. Biehl
1896-1904
Albert G. Bauman 1898-1902
Thomas A. Shoemaker
. 1902-10
Eph. S. Brownmiller
1904-10
Thirteenth Ward
George C. Suender 1886-90
William B. High 1886-87
Franklin S. Shimer
1886-88
Henry Seibert
1886-88
William A. Mengel
1887-90
H. Bouchat
1888-95
Abr. Whitman 1888-1908
Frederick W. Cranston .1890-92
Llewellyn Gehret
1890-94
Albert J. Frezeman
1892-94
Albert S. Ibach
.1894-98
Reuben G. Shalters
1894-98
Wesley B. Marcks
1895-98
Evan C. Wentzel
1898-99
Hiram M. Trout
1898-1902
George J. Trievel
1898-1910
James M. Lyon .1879-92
Francis Roland, Jr. 1892-1910
* Died April 11, 1909, and Bohlke Luersson appointed successor.
Harry C. Wanner
1908-10
David J. Moyer
1908-10
George W. Millmore 1904-08
Term
234
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
TREASURERS
Name
Term
James Bell
1865-66
Matthias Mengel
1866-68
Peter Jones
1868-69
William Ermentrout
1869-77
Levi H. Liess
1877-80
Ephraim Armstrong
1880-92
James M. Lyons
1892-94
Albert R. Hoover
1894-1900
John B. Renninger
1900-10
CITY SUPERINTENDENTS
In 1867 the school directors of cities containing a population exceeding 10,000 were authorized to elect a city superintendent of the common schools for the term of three years. The directors of Reading elected the first superintendent in 1867, Thence, till now, the superintendents have been :
Name
Term
John L. Barnes
1867-69
Thomas Severn
1869-78
Robert K. Buehrle
1878-80
David B. Brunner
1880-81
Samuel A. Baer
. 1881-84;
1889-96
Joseph T. Valentine
1884-85
Thomas M. Balliet
1885-88
Z. X. Snyder
.1888-89
Ebenezer Mackey
1896-1902
Charles S. Foos
1902-10
MEAT AND MILK INSPECTOR
A new office was established by councils on Feb. 4, 1909, for the inspection of meat and milk, and the mayor selected as the first appointee Dr. George R. Fetherolf, a resident veterinary surgeon for ten years and a graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College. His legal authority extends throughout the city and into the surrounding district for twenty miles for the purpose of inspecting all butcher-shops and dairy farms which furnish meat or milk to consumers in Reading.
CENSUS
The first correct enumeration of the population of Reading was made by the national government in 1790; and subsequently every ten years. The numbers at the several periods whilst Reading was a borough were as follows :
1790
.2,235
1820
4,332
1800
2,386
1830
. 5,856
1810
.3,462
1840
8,410
CENSUS ENUMERATION-1850-1900
Ward
1850
1860 |
1870
1880 :[
1890
1900
1 st
2,962
4,019|
2,83+
3,044|
3,694
3,993
2d
3,774
4,189
5,530
5,553
5,947
6,656
3d
3,165
4,905
3,732
4.455|
4,665
4,717
4th
3,204
5,760
2,611
2,836
2,758
2,621
5th
2,638|
4,289
3,205
3,399
3,467
3,423
6th
2,763
3,762
5,977
8,011
Money at interest
380,853
5,049,482
13,434,847
Country Districts
1856
1885
1908
Taxables
13,480
20,879|
31,337
Property assessed
$19,691,136 $40,806,570|$40,545.192
Money at interest
2,020.575
8.741,821
8,977,902
12th
4,110
6,617
13th
3,600
6,811
14th
4.005
15th
3,874
16th
4,911
15,743| 23,162 33,930
43,278| 58,661| 78.962
SEXES OF POPULATION .- The population of Read- ing by sexes was as follows :
Male
Female
1830
2,785
2,846
1840
4,098
4,837
1850
7,760
7,983
1860
11,183
11,979
1870
16,525
17.405
1880
21,099
22,179
1890
29,126
29,535
1900
39,128
39,833
POPULATION NORTH AND SOUTH OF PENN STREET .- By the following table it appears that the major part of the population of Reading was south of Penn street from 1840 to 1880; and by averaging the increase from 1880 to 1890, it is evident that the major part had shifted north of Penn street in the year 1882.
1840
1850
1860
1870
1880
1890
1900
South
4,991
9,901
13,113|
17,912
22,111|
26,687
31,080
North
3,419
5.842
10,049
16,018
21,167
31,974|
47,881
1,572
4,059
3,064
1,894
944
COLORED POPULATION .- The colored population at Reading since 1830, by the United States census enumeration, has been as follows: 1830-192; 1840 -221; 1850-357; 1860-285; 1870-311; 1880- 350; 1890 -- 390; 1900-534.
Gets Enumeration .- In 1847, J. Lawrence Getz, publisher of the Reading Gasette and Democrat, made an enumeration of the population at Read- ing, with the following result; Males, 6,641; fe- males, 6,403; total, 13,044; houses, 2,138; families, 2,398. There were then nearly twice as many per- sons south of Penn street as there were north.
Levan Enumeration .- In 1877, Edgar M. Levan, an attorney at Reading, published a directory of the city. While registering the names of the in- habitants, he collected interesting facts, showing the number and sex of the population, stores, dwellings, etc., with the following result :
Males over 21 years, 9,765; under 21 years, 9,- 787 ; females over 21 years, 10.784; under 21 years, 9,773 ; total. 10,109 ; stores, 1,044; dwellings, 8.186; manufactories, 117. Number of persons to each inhabited dwelling, 5.19.
COMPARATIVE STATISTICS .- The following statis- tics are submitted to show the relative growth of Reading as compared with the country districts of Berks county at three different periods.
Reading
1856
1885
1908
Taxables
4.094
13,279|
35,414
Property assessed
$4,011,763 $23,780,222|$52,724,600
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