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 66
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Wellington S. Krick Amos Kurtz
L. W. Spires
Benjamin F. Coller
Milton Kachel
Herman G. Sowa
Lemon Conrad
Jacob A. Lesher
Pierce Killian S. B. Klopp
Frank J. Klopp Charles W. Lorah
John T. Strunk
Harry Lausch
David L. Stoner
William Eyrich Frank H. Eshelman John D. Erb Daniel J. Erb
Evan Mover
Jacob S. Tothero
John H. Evans
Bentley Moore
F. P. Matz Estate Charles G. Moser David Matz Henry V. Mohn
Elmer F. Trostel
John Y. Matz Louisa Matz Jacob H. Matz Mary H. Mohn
William H. Mohn Katie Matz
William W. Miller Harry O. Moyer William A. Matz
J. Calvin Weiss Peter White
John Fisher
Chester A. Martin
Harry R. Mahlschnee Charles Matz James W. Messner
Tenants
Matilda B. Zellers
Ida R. Miller
Walter H. Lantz
S. H. Miller Estate James N. Miller
Jacob Schadle
Pierce B. Hatt
295
BOROUGHS
Joseph W. Oberholtzer Benjamin Putt Thomas Putt Harry Putt Charles Putt Daniel Pleam
Isaac Schaeffer
Charles J. Strause Edward Sweitzer John A. Spears
Berton Schonour Pearson Schaeffer Morris S. Schaeffer Zenas W. Schonour
Claude W.' Palm
Richard H. Porter
Franklin E. Phillips
Herbert V. Ruth
William H. Rollman Harry Reber
Aldus K. Royer
Fred J. Thurrow
B. F. S. White
Samuel A. Richard John Rupp
Thomas White
Charles F. Wieder
Frank Wieder
Thomas Wieder
William S. Willis
Daniel I. Wentzel
John G. Wentzel
Harry Rhime
Evan J. Wentzel
Charles W. Wentzel
Harry W. Wertz
John W. Wertz
John Wertz, Sr.
John Weiss
Jeremiah F. Wanner
Milton Wanner
Francis Savage
William H. Watt
Alvin J. Savage
James Wieder
Adolph Schwetzke
John White
Harry C. Schaeffer
Elmer E. Yoder
Howard D. Sitler
Charles Yoh
Levi H. Snyder
Property-holders 225 .230
Tenants
Total valuation $421,765
BUSINESS IN BOROUGH .- The borough contained in April, 1909, the following :
Stores
8
Hotel 1
Flower Houses 3 Machine Shop
.1
Cigar Factories 2 Veterinarians
2
Churches 3
Shoemaker Shops
3
Hat Factory 1 Cemeteries
3
Grist-mill 1
'Race Course
1
Butcher Shops 3
Barbers
.3
Blacksmith Shops 3
Drug Store
1
Wheelwright Shop .1 School Building .1
2
INDUSTRIES
Grist-Mill .- A grist-mill was established along the Lancaster road, near the Wyomissing creek, many years ago. It was converted into a plan- ing-mill by John Waren, and then destroyed by fire. Jacob Shadel became the owner of the prem- ises, including the water right, and he restored the building as a grist-mill.
Flower-Houses .- Howard M. Shilling established a hothouse for the raising of all kinds of flowers in 1880, and he has carried on the plant until now, excepting whilst enlisted in the Spanish War, when his wife attended to the business. He en- until now. larged his plant and has now 17,000 feet under glass.
Luke Deeds started in 1905 and after carrying on the plant a year died, when his wife, Aaron Stein and A. J. Fink incorporated the business. They have seven houses.
Cigars .- Charles M. Yetter started manufactur- ing cigars at Mohnsville in 1889. After carrying on the business eight years he located at Shilling- ton, where he erected a large three-story brick factory, and has carried on the business quite ex- tensively since then, employing from eighty to ninety hands, manufacturing about 100,000 cigars weekly. The business was incorporated in 1905.
The members of the Cumru Cornet Band start- ed manufacturing cigars at Shillington about 1890, and after carrying on the business several years the Kramer Brothers of Lancaster county (who were engaged in the leaf tobacco business) be- came their successors and have since carried on the business, employing from eight to ten hands.
Howard Gettis and Irvin Bright have been en- gaged separately for some years manufacturing cigars in a limited way.
Planing Mill .- David Becker established a small planing-mill at Edison in 1898 and has since done various kinds of planing-mill work by himself.
Bakery .- Charles Strauss began a bakery busi- ness in 1901 and has since carried on an increas- ing business with several hands to assist him.
Scenic Painter .- Dyson Bradley and Clinton Shilling erected a large frame building in 1897 on the premises of George W. Shilling for the purpose of painting theatrical scenery and have since carried on the business successfully. Mr. Shilling has also shown considerable skill as a car- toonist on political and other subjects.
Hosiery .- Martin Fritz began the manufactur- ing of hosiery at Shillington in 1901 and has since carried on the business sucessfully, making men's half-hose, employing fifty hands.
Telephone .- The Ephrata Telephone Company established a telephone exchange at Shillington in 1908.
CHURCHES .- Members of the Reformed and Lu- theran denominations associated together in 1874 and erected a brick church, but after remaining together three years, occupying the building alter- nately, the Lutherans withdrew. The Reformed congregation, under the name of Immanuel, have continued there until the present time. The edifice was rebuilt in 1908. Rev. W. J. Kershner has been the pastor since 1886.
Grace Lutheran congregation erected a brick church in 1902 and have kept up the organization
Members of the United Evangelical faith, under the name of St. Luke's, erected a fine sandstone there.
Harry A. Beyler started in 1898 and has five church in 1904 and have since been worshipping houses in use.
Howard C. Remp
Edwin C. Rollman
John Reiner .
Emlein K. Royer
Wesley Rollman
Elbina Sweitzer
Albert C. Savage
Francis S. Wolf
Hiester Rhime
Martin L. Steffy Irvin Savage John G. Stutzman
Oliver Titton
Charles Ritzman Wallace Reddig
Mary Rollman Warren Reifsnyder
Augusta C. Rohland
John R. Schnabel
William M. Zellers
Tinsmith Shop 1 Doctors
296
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
CEMETERIES .- Three cemeteries have been es- the county authorities in 1825, and has been main- tablished along the southern border of Shilling- tained since then at the public expense.
ton: The Fairview, in 1876, for members of the MILLER MONUMENT .- In the center of the street Protestant denominations in the vicinity; Mt. Si- leading to Mohnton, near the southerly line of nai, in 1897, for the Reformed Jews at Reading who had maintained a small cemetery along South the borough, a unique monument was erected in 1900 by the grandchildren of Christian Miller, who street for upward of fifty years; and the Russian had for many years owned the farming land in and other Orthodox Jews several years afterward, having secured the land from Jacob Lash.
ed a fine two-story brick building in 1901, and upon the erection of the borough it became the property of Shillington.
that vicinity, and when he died his remains were interred in a private burying-ground on GRADED SCHOOL .- The Cumru school board erect- the farm adjoining the public road. It is a large dark granite stone about six feet high and is surrounded by a stone wall inclosing a lot about twenty feet square. The inscription on the stone reads thus: "In Memory of Christian Mil-
POORHOUSE .- The Poorhouse of the county ad- joins the borough. It was established there by ler, Family and Friends."
CHAPTER XII -TOWNSHIPS
The Schuylkill river divides the county of Berks section embraces about 130,000 acres, and the lower into two nearly equal divisions of territory, the about 116,000 acres.
eastern containing about 280,000 acres and the western about 246,000 acres, together 526,000 acres, or 822 square miles.
tended eastwardly from the Great Bend of the river, along the upper boundary lines of Muhlen- berg, Ruscombmanor, Rockland, District and Here- ford townships, to Lehigh county. The southern section embraces about 133,000 acres, and the north- ern about 147,000 acres. Each section was iden- tified from the earliest settlements by conspicuous streams of water, the southern section having come to be generally known by the name of Manatazeny, and the northern section by Ontelaunce. Both these words are of Indian origin. The Indians having first possessed the entire territory, their names naturally became attached to it. These streams extend northwardly through the respective sections and drain the greater part of the territory.
The western division can be similarly divided, for a natural boundary line divides it also into two sections. It extends from the outlet of the Tulpe- hocken at the Schuylkill river along the northern and western boundary lines of Spring township to Lancaster county, and is formed by the creek named and its first tributary, the Cacoosing. The upper section was called Tulpehocken by the first settlers, a word also of Indian origin. This creek extends westwardly and northwardly, then again westwardly and drains the section almost entirely. And the lower section was called Schuylkill, from its connection with a large district of territory in Chester county which was known by this name. This latter section has two prominent creeks which are known by Indian names, Wyomissing and Allegheny, but neither of them was large enough to give identity to the entire section. The upper
ERECTION OF TOWNSHIPS .- The townships estab- lished in the county number altogether forty-three. In the descriptions of the respective Sections in this chapter they have been arranged to show the origi-
FOUR SECTIONS .- The eastern division can be divided into two sections by an irregular line ex- nal townships at the erection of the county and the time when settled and established; and the ad- ditional townships established since 1752, and from which districts they were taken. This arrangement has been adopted for convenience of reference, as well as to avoid much repetition in description.
The names of the first taxpayers have been given in Chapter I, relating to the erection of the county ; but the names of the taxpayers of the townships subsequently established, before 1800, have also been included in this Chapter, in connection with the Section where situated.
DEVELOPMENT .- When the county was erected in 1752, there were twenty-three townships-eighteen regularly established and five commonly recognized ; and one town, Reading, the only place where a considerable number of dwellings had collected. Prominent highways extended from Reading through the several sections to the extreme limits of the county in eight different directions, to enable the taxpayers to visit the county-seat conveniently for the transaction of business relating to their own personal affairs and to affairs con- nected with the government of the county. As time advanced, decade after decade, intersecting highways were laid out; new townships and bor- oughs organized ; post-offices established ; newspa- pers issued ; turnpikes, canals and railroads con- structed ; manufactures of all kinds encouraged : and numerous schools and churches erected. Now, after the lapse of one hundred and fifty-seven years, there are sixty-one political divisions, comprising one city, seventeen boroughs and forty-three town- ships, with a population of about 175,000, and a total valuation of property exceeding $100,000,000.
297
TOWNSHIPS
And fifty towns are scattered throughout the coun- at Reading. Before 1890, the extensions of the sys- ty, each of whose population exceeds one hun- tem into the rural districts for ten and twenty dred.
miles were not encouraged because of the cost and
GOVERNMENT .- The townships are under the gen- impracticability of running them; but by that time eral government of the county. For local affairs, the feasibility of introducing electricity became they have a government of their own, the more apparent and then the extensions began to
elected officers being two justices of the peace, a constable, six school directors, an assessor, three ing as mentioned.
and schools, and without these there would be no necessity for its existence. Being so simple, it is not seen or felt until the payment of taxes for road and school purposes is demanded. The taxpayers thus take a direct interest in their local government and are closely connected with it. But the higher the government advances, as into a borough, city, county, State, or nation, the farther they become removed from it, and their connection is necessarily only by representation. It is apparent that the township is the beginning of our system of free government, just as the nation is the end of it. The aggregation of townships compose our county ; of counties our State; and of States our nation.
RAILWAY AND TELEGRAPH .- Besides the public thoroughfares for teams, the county is also well supplied with prominent railways which run gener- ally parallel with them; the Philadelphia & Reading, and the Pennsylvania Schuylkill Valley, along either side of the river Schuylkill, from the southern ex- tremity to the northern; the Lebanon Valley to the west, the East Penn to the northeast, the Schuylkill and Lehigh to the north, the Reading & Columbia to the southwest, and the Wilmington & Northern to the south-all of these five from Reading; and the Colebrookdale, to the north, from Pottstown to Barto, through the eastern portion. The eight railroads cover a .total length of one hundred and fifty miles.
The street-car lines were confined to Reading from 1874 to 1890. Then electricity was introduced phia and other places.
for propelling the cars, and trolley lines began
RELIGION AND EDUCATION .- The religious senti- to extend from Reading into the surrounding coun- ment of the people has remained about the same. try ; first, southeast to Exeter township, and south- At a number of places throughout the county, fine west to Mohnsville (now Mohnton) ; then west new churches or chapels were erected, reflecting to Womelsdorf, and east to Boyertown, and north the earnest spirit of the several denominations, to Temple; and then the line to Mohnsville was and the two most prominent denominations, extended to Adamstown and Lancaster; the line Lutheran and Reformed, have been particularly ac- to Temple, to Kutztown and Allentown; and the tive and successful. As to the common school system, line to Exeter, to Birdsboro; thus reaching out in fine, graded schools were established, but the ten- every direction, excepting to the north to Ham- dency has been to lessen the number of buildings in some of the townships on account of the decrease burg and to the northwest to Bernville and Mil- lersburg, and covering a total distance of seventy- of population; and where certain children became five miles in the county.
too far removed from school-houses in consequence local directors made provision for conveying them to and from school, if not able to get there by
The introduction of electricity as the motive of the abandonment of some of the buildings, the power was the direct cause of these extensions. Horses were the motive power for sixteen years from the time that street railways were introduced themselves.
reach out in the several directions from Read-
supervisors of roads, and three auditors. Their government is government in the simplest form and it is practically the unit of government. It is thoroughly democratic. There are only two And just as connections were made for travel by railways, communication was opened to all parts of the county by telegraph and telephone, the former having started in 1848 and the latter in purposes which it serves, the maintenance of roads 1879. Through these channels, the energy of steam and electricity is displayed in a wonderful manner ; and when we come to compare the methods and customs of the first settlers in respect to transpor- tation and communication with the facilities and conveniences which we now have, we cannot help but be amazed at our social progress as a com- munity. But another feature of this social progress, equally surprising, is the fact that so few per- sons were actually engaged in devising and creat- ing the agencies by which this progress was ac- complished.
The roads and railroads, and also the telegraph and telephone, have been referred to more fully in Chapter II.
INDUSTRIAL SITUATION .- In respect to the farm- ing operations, there has been a gradual diminution in the past twenty years, and the condition of the farmers has been generally more or less depressed. All the numerous furnaces and forges, with a few notable exceptions, have been abandoned. The num- ber of grist-mills in all the sections has been greatly reduced, and most of them have been converted into chopping-mills, if not altogether discontinued. In many places, creameries have been substituted ; and where heretofore great quantities of flour were ground from wheat and rye raised in the vicinity, now great quantities of fine butter are being manu- factured and shipped to large centers of population ; or many thousands of gallons of milk are delivered at railroad stations and forwarded to Philadel-
298
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
TOWNS .- In the county there are one hundred and three towns and villages, and the names of the greater number have been given after individuals. They are distributed in the several sections as fol- lows :
Manatawny .42 Tulpehocken 18
Ontelaunee .. 27 Schuylkill 16
Their names are given in connection with the sections. The figures opposite the names indicate the number of dwellings, and the population can be estimated by multiplying these figures by four. The figures adjoining the names indicate the year when the town was started. Fifty of the towns have over one hundred inhabitants.
STATISTICS .- Statistics relating to population, property, taxables, voters, etc., of the several town- ships will be found in the tables which embrace the entire county, in Chapter IX, Census.
MERCANTILE LICENSES .- The mercantile ap- praiser reported the number of licensed retail busi- ness places in the several townships of the county for the year 1909 as follows :
Washington
7
In Boroughs 49
Windsor
1 In City of Reading. .174
191
Total 414
P. O. S. OF A. CAMPS .- The Patriotic Order Sons of America has established camps at the fol- lowing places in the county, outside of the city and the boroughs :
No. Place
Members Assets
68
Hyde Park
316
$ 9,172
69 Mt. Aetna
77
4,369
Wernersville
186
7,818
107
128
Grimville
35
915
Shartlesville
161
8,075
Maxatawny
55
1,193
165
Leesport
242
8,150
Amityville
71
5,275
Millersburg
130
6,592
Lime Kiln
262
12,653
St. Lawrence
249
28,319
Stouchsburg
206
8,277
240
Douglassville
60
2,015
250
Blandon
88
7,196
278
Virginville
95
2,998
Albany
24
Marion 16
Alsace
4
Maxatawny
27
Alsace, Lower
14
Muhlenberg 32
Amity
29
Oley
37
Bern
18
Ontelaunee
13
399
Bagenstose
56
1,471
Bern, Upper
18
Penn
17
427
Molltown
36
762
Bethel
27
Perry
24
470
Siesholtzville
52
1,504
Brecknock
10
Pike
16
480
Pleasantville
117
2,441
Caernarvon
19
Richmond
17
502
Gibraltar
146
6,965
Centre
24
Robeson
28
597
Rehrersburg
52
1,905
664
Strausstown
96
1,568
679
Morgantown
71
1,046
District.
8
Spring
45
Douglass
.15
Tilden
9
Earl
2
Tulpehocken
28
Exeter
34
Tulpehocken, Upper
15
.3,835
113,398
Heidelberg
20
Washington
32
Heidelberg, Lower
40
Windsor
6
Heidelberg, North
8
Hereford
25
894
Jefferson
9
Boroughs
491
Longswamp
31
Reading
1,546
Maiden-creek
32
Total
2,931
LIQUOR LICENSES IN TOWNSHIPS FOR 1909
Albany
4
Jefferson
2
Alsace
3
Longswamp
9
Alsace, Lower Amity
5
Maxatawny
10
Bern
4 Marion
3
Bern, Upper
2 Muhlenberg
9
Brecknock
1 Oley
4
Bethel
7
Ontelaunee
5
Caernarvon
2
Penn
4
Cumru
9
Perry
3
Centre
2
Pike
3
Colebrookdale
2
Rockland
2
District
2
Richmond
7
Settled
Erected
Alsace
1735
1744
Amity
1701
1719
Colebrookdale
1720
1741
Douglass
1720
1736
Heidelberg
4
Tulpehocken
7 Exeter.
1718
1741
Heidelberg, North
1
Tulpehocken, Upper
3 Hereford
1732
1753
Heidelberg, Lower
10 Union
1 Oley
1712
1740
Hereford
4
P O. S. of A. Halls .- Camps in the county which own their respective halls where the meetings are held :
Bechtelsville
Lenhartsville
Oley Line
Shartlesville
St. Lawrence
Gibraltar
Hyde Park
MANATAWNY SECTION
The Manatawny Section comprises fifteen town- ships, and the time of their settlement and erection is set forth in the following table.
ORIGINAL
Douglass
3
Robeson
6
Earl
2
Ruscombmanor
3
Exeter
11 Spring
7
Greenwich
4
Tilden
2
Ruscombmanor
1749
1752
282
Sinking Spring
198
9,750 821
375
Robesonia
115
3,508
Geigertown
79
2,563
Colebrookdale
15
Rockland
14
Cumru
33
Ruscombmanor
13
3,419
$148,152
Greenwich
26
Union
16
Boroughs
.2,115
81,454
Total
.9,369
343,004
7
Maiden-creek
4
347
Henningsville
65
133
141
213
214
221
230
237
99
Temple 110
831
388
Reading
299
TOWNSHIPS
ADDITIONAL
Taken from
Erected
Rockland
Oley
1758
District
Oley
1759
Earl
Oley
1781
Pike
Oley
1812
Washington
Colebrookdale
and Hereford
1839
Muhlenberg
Alsace
1851
Alsace, Lower
Alsace
1888
DERIVATION OF NAMES .- The derivation of the names was as follows :
Alsace, from the name of the principality in Ger- vicinity.
many whence the first settlers had emigrated on account of long continued religious intolerance and persecution.
Amity, from the friendliness of the Indians with the Swedes, the first settlers who had been in- duced to locate here by the persuasion of William Penn.
Colebrookdale, from a district of territory in Eng- land, called Colebrook, whence some of the first settlers had emigrated. They were Englishmen, familiar with the manufacture of iron, and the early discovery of iron ore in this region led to the taking up of grants of land here and to its settlement and improvement by them. The first iron furnace was established here about 1717 along the Ironstone creek, a tributary of the Manatawny (the locality being now within the southern por- tion of Boyertown) ; and the first forge was estab- lished several miles to the southwest along the Manatawny at the same time, the selection of the place having been made on account of the strong flow of water for power to carry on the process of forging.
DANIEL BOONE'S BIRTHPLACE
Douglass, from a distinguished name in the an- nals of Scotland, and supposed to have been sug- gested to the court at Philadelphia by the petition- ers.
Exeter, from the name of a district in England, whence the first settlers emigrated. They were in- fluential Friends, named Boone, Ellis, Hughes, Lincoln and Webb:
Hereford, from the name of a district also in England. The first settlers were almost entirely
German, but the name was doubtless suggested by English ironmasters who were interested in the territory.
Oley, commonly supposed to have originated from an Indian word, Olink, meaning a hollow, the prin- cipal portion of land being rich and productive, al- most surrounded by hills; but it may have been taken from Oleye, the name of a community in Waremme, a province in Belgium, and some of the early settlers may have emigrated from that
Ruscombmanor, from the name of a district, Rus- comb, in Wales. The Penns, in 1739, had directed 10,000 acres in this vicinity to be set apart for their use, and this having been done, the land was called "Manor of Ruscomb."
Early Home of Lincoling.
Rockland, from the character of the land, many large rocks having been found here; which are still standing like great monuments. undisturbed. They are very hard granite, and therefore capable of resisting the "tooth of time."
District, from the locality of the land as lying between Oley and Colebrookdale, by way of de- scription.
Earl, from a title of nobility. For a number of years before 1781, District was called "East Dis- trict," and Earl "West District," designated by the county commissioners to facilitate the assessment of real property.
Pike, from the name of a species of fish which abounded in the local streams before 1812.
Washington, from the name of General George Washington, out of respect to the memory of the first President of the United States.
Muhlenberg, from the name of the family which owned a large area of land in the proposed town- ship at the time of its erection.
Alsace, Lower, from the locality, as distinguish- able from the remaining or upper portion of the original township.
BOROUGHS .- The following boroughs have been established in this section :
Boyertown, in 1851.
Bechtelsville, in 1890. Mt. Penn, in 1902.
300
HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
Waterworks and electric lighting have been sup- plied at the first and last; but pumps and springs and oil lamps are still used at the second.
TOWNS .- The following towns are situated in this section :
Name
Houses
Name
Houses
Amityville1 (1782)
16
Lorane4 (1838) 20
Bally2 (1860)
85
Monocacy Station (1870)
12
Barto (1869)
19
Morysville (1850)
35
Baumstown (1796)
60
New Berlinville (1835) S7
20
Douglassville (1829)
99
Oley Line (1870)
7 20
Dryville (1852)
12
Pikeville (1834)
Engelsville (1850) 45
Pleasantville (1850) 14
Eshbach (1858) 15
Pricetown (1780)
$3
Friedensburg (1831) 145
Schultzville (1833)
7
Frush Valley (1858)
32
Shanesville (1867)
16
Gablesville (1850)
12
Siesholtzville (1849)
5
Glendale (1871)
30
St. Lawrence (1856)
80
Greshville (1853)
5
Stonetown
10 14
Huff's Church (1874)
15
Stony Creek Mills (1864)
45
Hyde Park (1876) .130
Temple (1857)
126
Jacksonwald (1870)
8
Treichlersville (1830)
10 17
Junction3 (1870)
15
Tuckerton (1842)
Little Oley (1871)
30
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