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 73

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 73

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he soon established himself as a lawyer. In 1767, he at Birdsboro, and also the Hopewell Furnace on Six-

represented Berks county in the Provincial Assembly, and he was annually re-elected until 1775, and again elected in 1778. In 1774 and 1775, he officiated as speaker, having previously been placed upon the most important com- mittees, and having taken an active part in all the current business.

When the citizens of Reading held a public meeting on July 2, 1774, to take initiatory steps in behalf of the Revolution, they selected him to preside over their delib- erations, and the resolutions adopted by them were doubt- less drafted by him. His patriotic utterances won their admiration, and they unanimously gave him a vote of thanks and appreciation of his efforts in the cause of the rights and liberties of America. On the same day, while presiding at this meeting, the Assembly of Penn- sylvania was in session and elected eight delegates as representatives to the First Continental Congress, and among them was Edward Biddle of Reading. He was again elected as one of the delegates to the new Congress, which was held in May, 1775; and he was elected the third time. The first two terms extended from Sept. 5, 1774, to Dec. 12, 1776, and the last from 1778 to 1779. The public records in the county offices, especially in the prothonotary's office, disclose a large and lucrative practice by him as an attorney-at-law, and this extended from 1760 to the time of his decease in 1779. It seems to have been as much as, if not more than, that of all the other attorneys taken together.

He died Sept. 5, 1779, at Baltimore, Md., whither he had gone for medical treatment. He married Elizabeth Ross, daughter of Rev. George Ross, of New Castle, Del., by whom he had two daughters, Catharine (m. George Lux, Esq., of Baltimore) ; and Abigail (m. Capt. Peter Scull of Reading). We conclude this article with Mr. Biddle's autograph.

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MARK BIRD, distinguished ironmaster and patriot of Berks county, was a son of William Bird, one of the most prominent iron men of Berks county from 1740 to 1762, whose works were situated near the month of Hay creek, in Union township. He was born at that place in Jan- uary, 1739, and learned to carry on the iron business. After his father's death in 1762, he took charge of the estate, and by partition proceedings in the Orphans' court came to own the properties, which consisted of 3,000 acres of land, three forges, a grist mill, and a saw mill. About that time he laid out a town there and named it Birds- boro. By the time the Revolution broke out, he had enlarged his possessions very much, and come to be one of the richest and most enterprising men in this section of the State. The recorder's office shows that he also owned at different times various properties at Reading.

In the popular demonstrations at Reading for the Revolution, he took an active part. At the meeting Dec. 5, 1774, he was selected as one of the committee on Obser- vation, recommended by Congress, and Jan. 2, 1775, he was chosen one of the delegates to the Provincial Conference, and placed on the committee of Correspondnce. He was also prominently identified with the military move- ments, having in 1775 and 1776 served as lieutenant- colonel of the 2d Battalion of the county militia, which was formed out of companies in the vicinity of Birds- boro. In August, 1776, as a colonel, he fitted ont 300 men of his battalion with uniform, tents, and provisions at his own expense. They were in service at, or near, South Amboy in the fall of 1776, and may have constituted a part of the "Flying Camp." In 1775 and 1776 he offici- ated as one of the judges of the County courts. In 1785 his landed possessions in Berks county included eight thousand acres, upon which were the extensive iron works

penny creek, which he had erected about 1765. And it is said that he owned large property interests in New Jersey and Maryland. About 1788, he removed to North Carolina, where he died some years afterward. He mar- ried Mary Ross, daughter of Rev. George Ross. He was a brother-in-law of Edward Biddle; and also of George Ross, of Lancaster, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. His own signature is herewith reproduced.

Mark Birel det

GABRIEL HIESTER (son of Hon. Gabriel Hiester, a prominent representative man of Berks county) was born in Bern township Jan. 5, 1779. He was given a good English and German education, and his youth was spent on his father's farm. His father having taken an active and successful part in local politics, he naturally exhib- ited the same spirit at an early age. By appointment from the Governor, he was prothonotary of the county from 1809 to 1817; clerk of the Quarter Sessions from 1809 to 1812, and 1814 to 1817; and associate judge from 1819 to 1823. During the War of 1812-15 he served as brigade-major in the campaign at Washington and Balti- more. He served as a Presidential elector in 1817 and in 1821, casting his ballot upon both occasions for James Monroe. Governor Shulze appointed him surveyor-gen- eral of the State in 1824, when he removed to Harris- burg, and he officiated in that position for six years. While at Harrisburg he became interested in the iron bus- iness, and he erected the first rolling-mill in that vicinity, continuing actively engaged in it till his decease there in 1834. He married Mary Otto (daughter of Dr. John Otto, of Reading), and she died in 1853. They had the following children : Louisa, Harriet (m. C. B. Bioren), Augustus O., Gabriel and Catharine.

JOSEPH HIESTER, Governor of Pennsylvania, was born in Bern township, Berks county, Nov. 18, 1752. His father, John Hiester, emigrated to this country in 1732, from the village of Elsoff, in the province of West- phalia, Germany. Some years afterward, he settled in Bern township, where he was married to Mary Barbara Epler, a daughter of one of the first settlers in that section of the county. He and his two brothers, Joseph and Daniel (who had emigrated in 1738), took up large tracts of land comprising several thousand acres, which ex- tended from the Bern church to the Tulpehocken creek. He died in 1757, aged fifty years. His wife was born in 1732; and she died in 1809.

Joseph Hiester grew to manhood on a farm. In the intervals of farm labor, he attended the school which was conducted at the Bern church, and there he acquired the rudiments of an English and German education. The homestead was situated about a mile north from the

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church. He removed to Reading before he was of age, Mary Hiester, who had married Rev. Henry A. Muhlen- and entered the general store of Adam Witman. While berg), and the children of Elizabeth Hiester (who married Levi Pauling), Joseph, Henry, Elizabeth (married Thomas Ross), James, Rebecca, Ellen and Mary. Governor Hies- ter's autograph is shown herewith. there he became acquainted with Witman's daughter, Eliz- abeth, and he was married to her in 1771. He continued with his father-in-law till the breaking out of the Rev- olution; then he raised a company of eighty men in July, 1776, which became a part of the "Flying Camp," and par- Jos: Hiester ticipated in the battle of Long Island. He was taken prisoner in the engagement, and he and the other prisoners endured many hardships for several months before they were exchanged. He then remained at home only a short time, sufficient to regain his health and strength, when

he again joined the army, near Philadelphia, returning Berks county under the amended Constitution of Pennsyl-

in time to participate in the battle of Germantown. He continued in active service till the close of the war. Upon his return from the Revolution, he entered into part- nership with his father-in-law, and some years afterward became sole proprietor of the store. He conducted his business operations very successfully for a number of years. Public affairs also received much of his attention, not only relating to political government, but also to the development of Reading and the county by internal im- provements. He served in the General Assembly from 1787 to 1790, being there when that body ratified the Constitution of the United States. He was one of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of Pennsylvania in 1789, and assisted in framing the Constitution of 1790. He was the first State Senator from Berks county from 1790 to 1794. In 1797 he was elected to represent the county in Congress, and he was continued as the repre- sentative from 1797 to 1807. After an intermission of eight years, which he devoted entirely to business at Reading, he was again sent to Congress in 1815, and re- elected twice. While holding this office he was prom- inently identified with the political affairs of Pennsylvania, so much so that in 1817 he became the nominee of the Federal party for Governor, though not elected then. The party selected him in 1820 as the most available can- didate, and he was elected. This was a great victory for him, but especially for his party, inasmuch as he was the the first successful candidate which the Federalists had placed in the field against the Democrats.

The administration of Governor Hiester was charac- terized by great activity in promoting the growth of the Commonwealth, especially through internal improvements. He suggested that the sessions of the Legislature might be shortened without detriment to the public good, that pub- lic improvements could be made advantageously and do- mestic manufactures encouraged with success, and that there existed an imperative duty to introduce and support a liberal system of education connected with general relig- ious instruction. While he occupied the gubernatorial chair, the State capital was removed from Lancaster to Harris- burg. The building was begun in 1819 and finished in 1821, and the General Assembly convened in it for the first time on Jan. 3, 1822. The capital had been at Lancaster since 1799, and previously at Philadelphia. Upon the expiration of his term as governor he lived in retirement at Reading. His residence was situated on the northern side of Penn street (No. 437) midway between Fourth and Fifth streets. He owned a number of farms in Alsace (now Muhlenberg), Cumru and Bern townships, tracts of woodland on Mount Penn (altogether numbering nearly two thousand acres), seven prominent business stands and dwellings in Reading, and also out-lots. He occupied and farmed the out-lots for his own use-a custom then carried on by the more prominent inhabitants, in order to supply their fami- lies with vegetables-and kept horses and cows.

Governor Hiester was a man of commanding presence and pleasing address. He was about six feet tall and weighed about 200 pounds. He was a member of the Reformed Church. His wife died in 1825, aged seventy- five years. He died in 1832, aged seventy-nine years. His surviving children and grandchildren were: a son, John S. Hiester; two daughters, Catharine (widow of Hon. John Spayd), and Rebecca (married to Rev. Henry A. Muhlen- berg) ; a granddaughter, Mary E. Muhlenberg (daughter of

JOHN PRINGLE JONES, first President Judge of vania, from 1851 to 1861, was born near Newtown, Bucks county, in 1812. His father died when he was young. His mother was of an English family in Philadelphia. His ed- ucation was acquired at the Partridge Military Academy in Middletown, Conn., at the University of Pennsylvania, and the College of New Jersey at Princeton, from which last he was graduated in 1831. He studied law in the office of Charles Chauncey, Esq., and was admitted to the Philadel- phia Bar in 1834. While in Berks county, in 1835, he de- termined to locate at Reading. In 1839 he was appointed deputy attorney general of Berks county and served in that office until 1847. During this time he was associated in the practice of law with Robert M. Barr, Esq., who in 1845, was appointed reporter of the decisions of the Supreme Court. At the expiration of the official term of the Hon. John Banks in 1847, he was appointed to fill this position. By an Act of the Legislature, passed in 1849, Berks county was erected into a separate judicial district, of which David F. Gordon, Esq., was appointed president judge, and Judge Jones continued to preside in Lehigh and Northampton counties until 1851.

In 1849, Mr. Barr, the State reporter, died and Judge Jones completed two of the State Reports, known as the "Jones reports." In 1851 he was elected president judge of Berks county for ten years. After the expiration of his term he devoted himself to literary pursuits and to the management of the Charles Evans Cemetery Company, of which he was elected president.

In 1867, Judge Maynard (of the 3rd Judicial District, then composed of Lehigh and Northampton counties), died, and Judge Jones was appointed his successor for the un- expired term. This was the last official position he occu- pied. In 1872, he sailed for Europe, accompanied by his wife, and traveled through France, Italy, Germany and a part of Russia. He was taken sick and died in London on March 16, 1874. His remains were brought to Reading and buried in the Charles Evans Cemetery. He married (first) in 1840, Annie Hiester, daughter of Dr. Isaac Hiester, of Reading. After her death, he married, in 1851, Catharine E. Hiester, daughter of John S. Hiester.

GEN. WILLIAM H. KEIM was born at Reading June 13, 1813, eldest son of Benneville Keim (president of the Farmers Bank for a number of years, Mayor of Reading for three terms, and enterprising business man of the county), and his wife, Mary High (daughter of Gen. Wil- liam High, wealthy farmer at "Poplar Neck," of Cumru township, and prominent in the military affairs of the county).

At the age of twelve years William H. Keim entered the Military Academy at Mount Airy, near Philadelphia, then one of the foremost educational institutions in the United States, and was graduated with honor in 1829. Upon returning home, he entered the store of his father, one of the largest general hardware stores in Reading, and continued actively engaged in this pursuit for nearly thirty years. The greater part of the time he was a proprietor of a large store, in co-partnership with his brother, John H. Keim. Besides the store business, he encouraged en- terprises generally for the development of Reading. His early military training gave him a natural taste for mili- tary affairs and he found much gratification in the volun- teer service of the State militia. Before the age of seven- teen years he was an orderly sergeant of the "Washington Grays," and in 1837 he became captain (succeeding his

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cousin, Capt. Daniel M. Keim). He was promoted rapidly till 1842 when he was elected major-general of the 5th Di- vision of Pennsylvania Volunteers, composed of Berks, Lebanon, Dauphin and Schuylkill counties. In that year he took a prominent part in the military encampment held at Reading, which was an eventful occasion in the history of military affairs in Berks county. In 1844, during the religious riot at Philadelphia, he was ordered to assist in quelling the disturbances. His services in organizing the local militia and in bringing them under proper discipline were both untiring and successful, and they were placed in the front rank of the volunteer soldiers of the State. In 1848 he was elected to the office of Mayor of Reading for one term, becoming the second Mayor of the city. Several years afterward, he took great, if not the principal, interest in establishing at Reading the Pennsylvania Mili- tary Institute, for the purpose of enabling young men to obtain education in military matters. In November, 1858, he was elected to Congress to fill the vacancy till March following, caused by the resignation of Hon. J. Glancy Jones-being the first and only Republican elected to represent Berks county in Congress. In 1859, he was elected Surveyor-General of the State for the term of three years, at that time holding the office of Major-Gen- eral of militia, and while at Harrisburg, in 1860, he sug- gested to Governor Curtin that the Commonwealth should be put in a condition of defense, inasmuch as the signs of political discontent over the election of Lincoln indicated civil strife; and he recommended in that behalf a general encampment of the militia of the State. Governor Curtin accepted this timely suggestion, and an encampment was held at York in September, 1860, with General Keim as the chief in command. In January following, upon visiting his home at Reading, he called upon Capt. James McKnight (who commanded the Ringgold Light Artillery, a company of volunteers in his brigade), and asked him to keep his company in readiness so as to be able to respond promptly to any order that might be given. Through this notice, the Ringgold Light Artillery came to be the first com- pany that responded to the President's call for troops in the Civil war and reported for duty at Harrisburg in April, 1861. General Keim offered his service when the crisis arose, and Governor Curtin appointed him to a command of the State troops under the first requisition of the President. After the campaign on the upper Po- tomac, he received from the President the appointment of Brigadier General of National troops. Resigning the office of Surveyor-General, he obeyed the order to join the Army of the Potomac. At the battle of Williamsburg, one of the most severe contests of the war, he distinguished himself. Although too sick to be on duty, he could not be prevented from leaving the hospital, and having mounted his horse he led his brigade on the field. His coolness, judgment and great bravery during the action were conspicuous. Though under fire nearly the whole time, he was perfectly calm. A bomb fell almost under his horse. Every one about him turned pale with fear. The explosion covered him with mud. After the battle, General McClellan called on him, complimented him for the great service which he had rendered, and ordered him to the post of honor in advance of the army. But the excite- ment incident to this battle aggravated his illness, and he was obliged to ask for a furlough. This was granted and he returned to Harrisburg, where his family had taken up a temporary residence. Unfortunately his health was too far gone, and he died May 18, 1862, in the very prime of life and usefulness, aged forty-eight years. The news of his death produced a profound sensation of regret throughout the Army of the Potomac. General McClellan was deeply affected by the loss of this faithful commander, and he, on May 26th following. issued gen- eral orders announcing his death and complimenting his faithful, patriotic services to his country, and these were read to every regiment in the army. His remains were brought to Reading, and buried with military honors in the Charles Evans cemetery.

JACOB RUSH, the first President Judge of Berks coun- ty, was born near Philadelphia in 1746, and was a brother of the celebrated artist and physician, Dr. Benjamin Rush. He received an excellent preparatory education and then entered the College of New Jersey, at Princeton, from which he was graduated in 1765. Immediately after the State Constitution of 1790 was adopted, he was appointed to preside over the Courts of the Third Judicial District, which included the county of Berks. He afterward be- came president judge of the First District (of which Phila- delphia formed a part), and held that position for many years until the time of his death. He was a patriot of the Revolution, and in its darkest days stood firm to its principles. While president judge of the county he re- sided in Reading, on the west side of South Fifth street, between Cherry and Franklin streets. He died at Phila- delphia Jan. 5, 1820.

GEN. GEORGE MAY KEIM was actively engaged in the financial, industrial, political, military and social life of Reading for upward of thirty years, dying suddenly in 1861, while co-operating in the organization of troops at Reading for service in the Civil war. He was born at Reading, March 23, 1805, and was a member of a family which has been settled in Berks county for over two cen- turies, being a lineal descendant of John Keim, who emigrated to America in the latter part of the seventeenth century, and was one of the first settlers in Oley township, this county. He took up land before 1718, and located in the upper section of the township, near what is now the village of Lobachsville, carrying on farming there until his death in 1732. In religion he was a Friend, a follower of Pastorius.

Nicholas Keim, son of John, was one of the earliest successful merchants of Reading. He was born in Oley township April 2, 1719, and engaged in farming until 1755, when he moved with his wife and only son to Read- ing, where he opened a general hardware store and also engaged in grain dealing, etc. In 1769 he purchased from Mark Bird the Weiser store stand, familiarly known as the "Old White Store," on Penn street, near Fifth, where he continued to do business successfully for a number of years. During that time he was one of the principal mer- chants of the place, and he had extensive transactions with the leading merchants of Philadelphia and Germantown, many prominent names appearing on his receipt books. In about 1785 he transferred the business to his only son, John, and retired from active life. He died Aug. 3. 1802, after a lingering illness. Mr. Keim was a progressive man, not only in the conduct of his own affairs, but also in the promotion of every cause affecting the development of the community in which he lived. He married Barbara Sny- der, and they had one son, John. They lived in a large two-story stone dwelling located on the Northwest corner of Penn and Ninth streets.

John Keim continued in his father's footsteps as a suc- cessful merchant, but surpassed him greatly in the accum- ulation of property. He was born in Oley township July 6, 1749, and was six years old when the family removed to Reading, in whose development and commercial life he was destined to play so prominent a part. In the fall of 1777 he marched with the battalion of Lieut .- Col. Nicholas Lotz to reinforce the army under Washington, and was honorably discharged in 1782, after five years' service. After his return from the war he joined his father in the conduct of the general hardware store, of which he hecame sole proprietor in 1785, as previously related. About the year 1800. he took into partnership his two sons, Daniel and George, under the firm name of Keim & Sons, and they carried on the business for a number of years. Meantime John Keim was acquiring new and varied interests, and became prominently identified in different ways with the life of his adopted city. In 1787-90 he served a term as county commissioner. and he was also burgess for a time. He became a large property owner. and in the improvement of his own holdings saw the value of internal improvements in the city, of which he was an enthusiastic advocate. He built a num-

Eng hu E & Withoms & Bro NY

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ber of dwelling-houses and put up the first three-story brick building in Reading, and he was accounted one of the wealthy men of Berks county in his day. In 1806 he leased to Charles Evans, Esq., the three-story brick building on South Fifth street which afterward became the property of Mr. Evans, who resided there for many years. Mr. Keim was prominently identified with the first steps taken toward the building of the Penn street bridge, lending all his influence to the project. He was a man highly respected and well thought of, for though strict in business and of the highest integrity he was never stern or unreasonable in his transactions. In an obituary notice which appeared in the Berks and Schuyl- kill Journal it was said: "He had resided in this borough for sixty-four years, during which time he amassed a large fortune, which never caused a widow's tear nor an orphan's execration What he has left behind . him was justly his own. As a creditor he was ever lenient and his numerous tenantry can testify to his goodness as a landlord." He died Feb. 10, 1819, in his seventieth year, and was laid to rest in the Episcopal burial ground. On Oct. 15, 1771, John Keim married Susanna de Benne- ville, through whom General Keim is of French-Hugue- not extraction, she having been a daughter of Dr. George de Benneville. They had four children: Daniel de B., born Sept. 8, 1772, who died in 1833; George de B., who is mentioned further on; Benneville, born at Reading, Nov. 30, 1790, who died there Oct. 30, 1872; and Esther de B.

DR. GEORGE DE BENNEVILLE was one of the early prac- · titioners of medicine in Oley township, where he was located before 1750. He was born in London July 26, 1703, a descendant of George de Benneville, a Frenchman of Normandy, born in the city of Rouen. The Doctor's father, who bore the same name, was a "French refugee, who, being persecuted for his religion, retired with his family and connections into England upon invitation of His Majesty King William, who took a tender care of them and employed them at his court." After a varied career, in his thirty-eighth year (1741), with the aid of Queen Anne, of England, Dr. de Benneville came to Philadelphia. He was in failing health at the time of his arrival, but the changed environment was to bring renewed strength. Benneville was met at the wharf by Christopher Sauer, the printer of the oldest Bible in this country, who did not know him but was led to meet him by the influence of a dream. He took the stranger home with him and there Benneville met Jean Bertolet, of Oley, Berks county, where a colony of Huguenots had settled. The Bertolets had located there as early as 1726. Bertolet persuaded the Doctor to settle near hin in the forest, and in 1745 he married Esther de Bertolet, daughter of Jean. While in Oley he taught school, prac- tised medicine and preached the gospel, becoming the founder of the Universalist Church in America. He held the first meetings in the home which he had built (on the farm at one time owned by Daniel Knabb) near the "Oley line," for teaching the doctrines and beliefs of that religious denomination. The walls of this historic old de Benneville house in Oley township are still stand- ing, although it was erected in 1745. He was there until 1755, when he moved to Branchtown, on the old York road, Philadelphia county, where he acquired an ex- tensive medical practice. He died there in 1793, aged ninety years, and his wife died in 1795, aged seventy-five years.

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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 73

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