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 95
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(VI) Daniel W. Weidner, brother of Gideon, was born Oct. 12, 1844. When seventeen years old he commenced erica; and he is an active member, stock holder and vice to learn shoemaking, and has ever since followed that president of the Eagles Mountain Home Association. He trade, having his shop and home at No. 231 South Tenth street, Reading. He is active in religious work and identi- fied with independent church activities as a member of the Gospel Tabernacle in Reading. In 1866 Mr. Weidner m. Sallie Price, by whom he has two children: Harry J., a shoemaker of Reading; and Annie, m. to Jeremiah Auge, also belongs to Washington Fire Company No. 2, of which he was trustee for six terms. He is likewise connected with a number of social clubs. In his religious faith he is a member of the First Reformed Church. He is well read, progressive and intelligent, and has hosts of warm friends. He is a great comfort to his venerable mother, of Reading. with whom he resides at No. 253 South Tenth street, Reading.
WEIDNER. The ancestor of the Weidner family in Berks county was (I) Adam Weidner, who settled in Oley township prior to 1744, in which year he bought a con- siderable tract of land from Benjamin Lee, a part of which, located in the vicinity of Pleasantville, is now the property of Philip D. Hoch. He had three sons, (II) Tychicus, Lazarus and David, whom, tradition says, were born in Wurtemberg, Germany. They, too, came to Penn- sylvania, and Tychicus Weidner, who is also called "Dietrich" Weidner, and his brother Lazarus had settled in Oley township before 1744. In 1759 "Dehecus" Weidner paid a federal tax of 17 pounds in Oley. He died in 1798, the year in which his will was probated. He was a large land owner, and at his death left a large estate, which he divided equitably among his children, who were eleven in number and named as follows: Jacob, John, Hannah, Catharine, Esther, Susanna, Mary, Peter, Jonathan, Chris- tian and Daniel. The eldest daughter, Hannah, was never married. She was bequested with a house, so much flax every year, and the walnut wash props.
In 1788 (II) Tychicus Weidner sold a tract of land located in Amity township, this county, to his eldest son, Jacob, and to the same son he sold another tract, of 200 acres, situated in Oley township (being a part of a tract of 404 acres), in the year 1791.
(III) Jacob Weidner, eldest son of Tychicus, was first married to Elizabeth Price, and they became the parents of the following children: Peter, who settled at the Falls of the Schuylkill; Daniel, who died aged twenty years; David; Jacob. m. to Hannah Yoder (they had Benneville and Mary) ; Hannah, m. to Daniel Brown, of Pricetown, Berks county (she lived to the great age of ninety-eight years) ; a daughter m. to David Yoder, moving with him to New York State; and William.
(IV) William Weidner, son of Jacob, married Susanna Yoder. They were farming people and lived in Oley township. Their nine children were: Jacob; Daniel, who moved to Northumberland county, Pa., and later settled in Ohio; William, m. to Catharine Beam; Reuben, m. to Mary Beam; George, m. to Theresa Berndt; Rachel, m. to William Dilaplain; Amanda, m. to Reuben Dry; Leah, m. to Israel Keim (they settled in the vicinity of Milton, Pa.); and Polly, m. to David Weidner.
(V) Jacob Weidner, eldest son of William, was born in Oley, and during his earlier manhood followed farming, also conducting a wheelwright shop above Pleasantville until 1855, when he moved to Reading. There he was a car builder for Johnston & Shaaber. He married Mary Ann Weidner, a daughter of David Weidner, of Friedensburg, Pa., and they had the following named children : Augustus, who died young; Jacob, who died young; James, who was killed in battle in the Civil war; Gideon; Daniel W .; Malinda.
(VII) James L. Weidner, son of Gideon, was born in Reading Aug. 8, 1865, and still makes his home in that city. He is, engaged as a brick maker during the warm
(V) Reuben Weidner (son of William, son of Jacob, son of Tychicus) was born in 1832 and died in 1889. He m. Mary Beam, and had a family of five children : Annie m. Alvin Levan; Elias m. Amanda Cleaver; Helen m. Chester B. Cleaver; William m. Hannah George; Amanda m. Charles Holt.
After the death of (III) Jacob Weidner (eldest son of Tychicus) his widow Elizabeth, nee Price, remarried, her second husband being Peter Weidner, a younger brother of .her first. Peter Weidner was born in 1774 and died in 1838, in his sixty-fifth year. His widow survived a number of years, dying July 4, 1857, in the eighty-eighth year of her age. He was a farmer, and owned a large tract of land in Pike township, this county. To Peter and Elizabeth Weidner were born two children, viz .: John P. and Mary. The daughter, who was the youngest, m. Daniel Weidner, and they settled at Milton, Pa., where they both died.
(IV) John P. Weidner (son of Peter, son of Tychicus) was born in Pike township, Berks county, April 13, 1812, and died March 7, 1885, in his seventy-third year. He was a weaver and farmer by occupation. By his wife, Eliza- beth Reppert, he had a family of ten children, namely : William R., Jonathan, Sarah, John R., Eliza, Kate, Leanda, Caroline, Mary and Peter.
(V) William R. Weidner, son of John P., was born in Pike township, Nov. 27, 1837, and is a farmer by occupa- tion. He has lived successively in Oley, Ruscombmanor, Alsace and Exeter townships, having made his home continuously on one farm in Exeter from 1881 to the present time. In 1884 he married Emma Himmelreich, by whom he had these children: Seth, Amanda, Emma, Wil- liam, Katie, John and Daniel (twins) and Thomas.
(V) John R. Weidner, brother of William R., was born in Pike township, Oct. 12, 1842, and lived upon the farm in that township until 1866, in which year he moved to Read- ing, where he has lived ever since. He is a boss carpenter, and has for many years been engaged in the building and contracting business. In 1867 he was married to Hattie Brown, by whom he had one child, Clara, and in 1880 he was married to Elva F. Weber. Nine children have been born to the second union, namely: Nora, Howard, Flor- . ence, Bessie, Almeretta, John, Benjamin, Minerva and Edgar.
(III) Jonathan Weidner, one of the sons of Tychicus, of Oley, was born there in 1766, and died in 1838, in his seventy-third year. He lived on a farm near Pricetown, in Ruscombmanor township. He m. Bevvy Gambler, and their family consisted of three children: Abraham, who lived in Alsace township, m. Katie Beck, and they had two daughters, Bevvy and Amelia; Bevvy m. John Focht; Jon- athan was born in 1805 and died in 1861.
(IV) Jonathan Weidner, son of Jonathan, was born in 1805, and died in 1861. He had a family of three children : Augustus, who is mentioned presently; Maberry, of Allen- town, Pa .; and Sarah, m. to Elias Becker.
(V) Augustus Weidner, eldest son of Jonathan, was
(VI) Gideon Weidner was born in 1842, son of Jacob, was a shoemaker in Reading all his life, and he died born Aug. 14, 1838, is a huckster and farmer by calling, in 1906. His wife was Esther Graul, and to them were born two children : James L. and Annie, the latter the wife of Samuel Kridler, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. and lives near Pricetown. He m. Maria Diehl, and they have had children as follows: Katie m. Harry Fritz; Hannah m Howard Hartman; Olivia (deceased) m. Oscar Bush; Anna M. m. Howard Homan; Edwin m. Nora Ballard; Augustus m. Lizzie Kern; Irwin m. Louisa Everhart; John died in childhood.
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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
(II) Lazarus Weidner, son of Adam the emigrant an- collector.
Like all his family he belonged to St. John's cestor, settled in Oley township, where he and his brother Lutheran Church at Boyertown, and he at various times Tychicus owned adjoining estates. These lands were sep- arated by a lane which has since become a public road. In 1759 Lazarus Weidner paid a federal tax of 18 pounds.
His will was probated in 1802, the executors being his son Jacob and his sons-in-law George Yoder and Jacob Preiss. An item of the will was to the effect that Eliza- beth, a daughter of John Lobach, was to have 15 pounds in money. The following children were mentioned in the will : Abraham; Catharine Seisholtz; Elizabeth m. Jacob Preiss; Mary m. George Yoder; Jacob; Daniel; Isaac; David, and John.
(III) Jacob Weidner, son of Lazarus, obtained the homestead in Oley, and he is buried there in a private cem- etery on the farm. His wife, Veronica, died in 1865. They had three children: Catharine, born March 29, 1823, m. Isaac Reiff; Caroline m. Jacob Keim; John m. Sarah Ang- stadt, and they had two children, Samuel and George. The son, John, came into possession of his father's home- stead, which he cultivated.
Samuel Weidner (who had a brother Benjamin) was a farmer in Pike township, where he died in 1876. His wife was Catharine Gauger, and they had the following chil- dren : William G. came into possession of the homestead; Samuel G. m. Hannah Yoder; John G. obtained part of the homestead; Catharine m. Thomas Weidner; Rachel m. Samuel G. Ruppert; Sarah m. (first) Henry Adam and (second) Henry Miller; Anna m. David Fry; Caroline m. Israel Leinbach. Both of the parents died at South Beth- lehem, Pa., in December, 1906, at about the same time, and they were buried the same day in one grave.
PANNEBECKER-PENNYPACKER. Few . families have contributed to the State of Pennsylvania as many men of sound judgment, wisdom and unselfish partiotism as that founded in America by Hendrick Pannebecker, who was born on or about March 21, 1674. He came to Amer- ica from Flomborn, a village on the River Rhine, near Worms. There is a reference to him in an account book of Pastorious, on the 3d of 1st month, 1702. About 1699 he married Eve Umstat, daughter of Hans Peter Umstat, of Germantown. They had eight children: Martha, 1706- 1761; Adolph, 1708-1789; Peter, 1710-1770; John, 1713-1784 ( was prominent in the early days of the Revolution) ; Jacob, 1715-1752; Henry, 1717-1792 ; Barbara; and one oth- er daughter who married a Keyser.
Peter Paninebecker, son of the emigrant Hendrick, mar- ried Elizabeth Keyser, and they became the parents of a son William.
William Pennebecker, son of Peter and Elizabeth, was horn Aug. 26, 1740, and he married Mary Hause. They had a son Jesse.
Jesse Pennebecker, son of William and Mary, was born Feb. 1, 1783. He was a farmer near Keely's Church, Schwenkville, and is buried in the cemetery there. He married ( first) Salome Berkey, and among their children were: Jesse B., born in 1820; Amos; and two daughters. His second wife was a Livengood, and to this marriage were born: Aloses and Elias.
Jesse B. Pannepacker, son of Jesse, was born at Schwenkville, Montgomery Co., Pa .. Sept. 23, 1820; he died at his home in Colebrookdale township, Berks county, April 23, 1885, and his remains rest at Fairview cemetery, Boyertown. He was a blacksmith by trade, and for ten years worked in his shop at Eshbach. He then spent eight years in farming at the same place, after which he located in Colebrookdale township, where he had a farm of thirty-eight acres, and this he cultivated from that time on until his retirement. He added twenty- eight acres to his original tract. His industry and good management brought him success, and about eleven years before he died he was able to retire and to pass his last years in the enjoyment of the competency he had earned. As a public-spirited citizen, he was in the front rank. His political principles were those of the Republican party, and he ably filled the offices of school director and tax
held all the offices in the gift of the Church. He is buried in the family lot in Fairview cemetery. He married (first) Mary Bechtel, born Oct. 23, 1821, daughter of Gehart (or Gerhart) Bechtel and wife (whose maiden name was Erd- man). Both Gehart Bechtel and wife are buried in the Mennonite graveyard at Bally. Mrs. Mary (Bechtel) Pannepacker died Feb. 11, 1878. The only child born to Jesse B. and Mary ( Bechtel) Pannepacker was Amos B. Jesse B. Pannepacker married (second) Esther Krause (1819-1905.)
AMOS B. PANNEPACKER, son of Jesse B., was born at Esh- bach Corner, in Washington township, Berks county, Oct. 26, 1843. He attended the old pay school held in a spring- house at Eshbach, on the John Reidenauer farm. The teachers were a Mr. Siegenfuse and Mr. John Trollinger. Later he attended a public school. He gave his services to his parents on the home farm until he attained his majority, and continued working for his father after that time until he was twenty-eight. After his marriage he began farming for himself in Colebrookdale township, two miles from Boyertown, on one of his father's farms. This continued to be his home until 1882, when he rented the farm of seventy-five acres. The farm on which he now lives he purchased in 1894. It consists of 110 acres of fertile land, and is improved with substantial buildings, part of which Mr. Pannepacker himself erected. He is one of the heavy taxpayers of the township. Besides his farm he is interested in the Clayton Creamery, and is president of the Clayton Creamery Association. This Creamery averages about five thousand pounds of milk daily the year round. He is also interested in the Boyer- town Candy Company, and in a number of different enter- prises.
Mr. Pannepacker has been active in local matters as a strong Republican, and for two years he served the town- ship as supervisor. He was township committeeman for a number of years and was delegate to a number of county conventions. He is a member of Christ Lutheran Church, at Niantic, which he has served as deacon and elder, and at the present time is serving as trustee. His wife belongs to the New Mennonite Church at Bally.
On Dec. 24, 1870, Mr. Pannepacker married Annie Clemmer, daughter of John and Susan ( Bauer) Clemmer, of Washington township. To this union was born a daugh- ter, Annie, who is now the wife of Ulysses C. Moyer, the farmer on Mr. Pannepacker's farm. They have had two children : Amos H., who died aged two and one-half years; and Rosa.
On Oct. 4, 1877, the anniversary of the battle of German- town, was held a re-union of the descendants of Hendrick Pannebecker. The site selected was the camp ground oc- cupied by Washington and the Revolutionary army at "Pennypacker's Mills," on the Perkiomen creek. The program on that occasion included an oration by Samuel W. Pennypacker, since Governor of the Commonwealth; a hymn, written by Isaac R. Pennypacker, and adapted to Mennonite music, commemorative of Leonard Keyser, a Mennonite martyr, who was one of the forefathers of the family, to be sung to illustrate the first epoch; the ballad of Washington at Pennypacker's Mills, written by Theodore Winthrop in his novel "Edwin Brothertoft" to be read or sung as an illustration of the Revolutionary epoch ; and "Gen. Pennypacker's March," by Pierre Latour, to be played for the present epoch.
The story of Leonard Keyser as given by Van Braght is as follows: "In the year 1527 was the learned and good Leonard Keyser taken and condemned to be burned. As he neared the fire, bound in a cart, he broke off a flower that grew in the field and said to the judges, for they rode along with him, 'If ye can burn this little flower and me, then have ye judged aright; if not, take heed and re- pent.' Thrice the great fagots were heaped around him at the stake and kindled. Nevertheless when they had burned away, his body was found unmarked save that his hair was singed and his nails were a little brown. Like-
397
BIOGRAPHICAL
wise the little flower yet lay in his hand unchanged. There- Gable. upon, the sheriffs cut his body into pieces and cast them into the Inn. But a judge was so moved thereat that he yielded up his office, and one of the sheriffs became a Mennonite brother and ever thereafter lived a pious life."
HYMN.
When Leonard Keyser heard the cries Of grief for martyred dead,
And saw the place of sacrifice Whereto his pathway led, He pleaded not, with useless prayer To scorning bigots near,
But plucked a flower that bloomed so fair It made the waste more drear.
One flower that had escaped the breath That swept the withered land; God's symbol of a life from death He held it in his hand. "If ye have power," he spake, "this hour With all the fires ye light
To burn my body, or this flower, Then have ye done aright."
His eyes upraised saw not the glare Of torch on hooting crowd. But far above the fagots' flare A rift within the cloud- A promise sent from God on high That hate should surely fail;
No wealth could then His power defy Nor in the end prevail.
We seek not, Lord, to know the spell That wrought Thy will divine, We know Thou doest all things well; The miracle was Thine To cause the bonds to fall, to take From death all trace of pain And mark of fire, and then to make The flower to bloom again.
The fagots' blaze like noontide hours Gave vigor to truth's germ, And tears but seemed the summer showers To make its root more firm. Upon the Inn's dark ebbing tide The martyr's corse was thrown, A witness of his creed he died, A faith his children own.
Upon those waves the good ships bore Truth's fruitage to the sea Whose surges broke upon this shore Of peace and liberty. And Thou, O, God! whose hallowed hand Upheld the troubled sea Whereon our sires sailed to this land, We life our prayers to Thee-
To ask that for these kinsfolk here Thou wilt extend Thy care As when Thou mad'st the rift appear Above the fagots' flare ; We thank Thee for Thy blessings given To all this gathered throng, And sing Thy praises unto Heaven In one triumphant song.
.
REV. ZENAS H. GABLE, a prominent clergyman of the Lutheran Church, who came to Reading Aug. 17, 1873, having accepted a call to six different congregations, is one of the most highly esteemed and beloved ministers of his denomination in this section of the State. The Rev. Mr. Gable was born Aug. 13, 1842, in Northampton county, Pa., son of Daniel and Elizabeth (Livingood) Gable, and grandson of Jacob and Elizabeth (Freese)
The Gable family originated in Germany, and its founder in America was Peter Gable, who with his wife Christiana came to Bucks county in 1702.
The children of Jacob and Elizabeth (Freese) Gable were : Daniel, Mary, Sophia, Aaron, Tobias and Lucy A. Jacob Gable died March 8, 1842, aged sixty-three years, and his wife Feb. 24, 1856, aged seventy-eight years.
Daniel Gable was born in Bucks county, Pa., Sept. 18, 1805, and was a farmer and carpenter, which occupations he followed all of his active period, dying Aug. 26, 1886, aged eighty-one years. His wife passed away July 1, 1897, when eighty-seven years old. Their children were: Edwin, Charles and James, deceased; Sally A .; Thomas M., and Zenas H.
Zenas H. Gable was educated in the common schools and at Gettysburg ( Pa.) College, from which he was graduated in 1865, subsequently attending the Mt. Airy Seminary, and graduating in Theology in 1868. He was ordained June 10, 1868, his first charge being at Scenery Hill, where he was located from 1868 to 1873. He came to Reading Aug. 17, 1873, and took charge of the following congre- gations, which he has faithfully served to the present time : St. John's, Gibraltar ; St. Mark's, of Birdsboro; St. James, of Geigertown; Allegheny, of Alleghenyville; Wyomissing, of Gouglersville; and Robeson, of Plowville. New churches have been built in each of his parishes during his pastorate. He also organized a congregation at Shilling- ton and a church was built in 1876. He celebrated his quarto-centennial in 1898, in each of his churches. The Rev. Mr. Gable is a man whose earnestness and piety have made him a power in the community. Not only is he a clear and convincing preacher and spiritual teacher, but he is also an able administrator, as the material prosperity of his congregations shows.
Rev. Mr. Gable was married Dec. 24, 1868, to Thusnelda, daughter of Rev. Jacob Vogelbach, of Philadelphia, and six children blessed this union, as follows: Matilda E .; Rev. Charles Jacob; Sue A .; Rev. Luther D .; Edmund J., a druggist; and Dr. Frank J., who attended Jef- ferson Medical College, of Philadelphia, graduating in the class of 1906. Mrs. Gable died April 2, 1903. In political matters Rev .. Mr. Gable is independent, voting rather for the man than the party.
DENGLER. In the year 1737 Jacob Dengler emigrated to America, coming from Germany, probably from Witten- berg. His brother Andreas, who soon followed, died in America unmarried. Jacob Dengler settled near Amity- ville, and there built a forge and manufactured various iron implements. His remains are buried at the Swamp church.
Henry Dengler, the progenitor of the Denglers in Oley township, was a grandson of Jacob, and was born Oct. 3, 1792, in Amity township. He married Sarah Guldin, a lineal descendant of the Rev. Samuel Guldin, who emi- grated to this conutry in 1710, and was the first Reformed minister in Pennsylvania. Henry Dengler moved from Amity to Friedensburg, now Oley, in 1829, and embarked in a mercantile business, in which he continued until near the close of 'his life. He was very active in public affairs, and took a deep interest in church matters, being one of the chief promoters of the building of the First Reformed church in 1830, donating the land and contributing liberally otherwise. For many years he served as an officer of the Reformed Church. His death occurred March 19, 1860, when he was sixty-seven years, five months and sixteen days old. His wife Sarah died Oct. 30, 1883, aged seventy- six years, seven months and twenty-five days. Their chil- dren were: Henry; John G .; James G .; Harriet m. John C. Nipe, and lives in Philadelphia; George lives in Clarion county; Washington, who enlisted at the age of eighteen, served for two years in the Civil war, was captured July 24, 1863, and was kept a prisoner in Richmond until March 23, 1864, when he was taken to Andersonville, Ga., and there he died of starvation May 6, 1864; Jacob died in February, 1905, aged seventy-one years, leaving a family as follows, Mrs. Charles Leithauser, Elmer, Howard, Mrs. Reily, William, and Mrs. Worths A. Dries, all living.
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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA
The Rev. James G. Dengler has been in the ministry of ham Bieber, of Reading; Harvey, an enterprising life the Reformed Church since June, 1874. He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College at Lancaster, and of the Theological Seminary located there. For nearly a quarter of a century he served one charge in Sellersville, Bucks Co., Pa. Dr. Dengler has been a frequent contributor to various publications, both religious and secular, and is a scholarly man of marked attainments and as a religious leader he has few equals in devoted piety and earnestness of both life and teachings.
JOHN G. DENGLER, the revered veteran school teacher of Berks county, is a resident of Friedensburg, Oley township, where he was born Oct. 29, 1837. His education was ob- tained in the Oley Academy under Prof. Jacob H. Major, and the Freeland Seminary under Prof. Hunsicker. He was licensed to teach in public schools under the first county superintendent of Berks county, Rev. William A. Good, in 1857, and taught the first term in Oley township, at School-house No. 1. Prof. Dengler has since been teaching every consecutive school term (except during his army service), and also has conducted select schools each spring term. He has instructed thousands of boys and girls of Berks county, forming their characters through his excellent example, as he shaped their minds with his wise precepts, and he is held in highest respect by the entire county. He is now teaching the grandchildren of his first pupils. Prof. Dengler possesses a kind and benevolent disposition which is shown in his intelligent face, and he is loved for his many excellent traits and his lofty ideals of life. During the many years that he has labored in Berks county he has witnessed many changes, especially in the public school system. His first salary was twenty-four dollars a month, of twenty-two days. Not only has he instructed the children placed under him the text of their books, but he has given them the benefit of his wide ex- perience, his varied reading and exhaustive studies, and has never failed to hold up the highest possible stand- ards before their young eyes.
On April 18, 1861, Mr. Dengler was filled with patriotism and enlisted in Company C. 7th Pa. V. I., at Harrisburg, and was in active service at Martinsburg, Va. His first enlistment was for but three months, but on Oct. 30, 1861, he re-enlisted at Reading, Capt. James McKnight command- ing, for three years, in Battery M, U. S. A., and saw some very hard service, passing through the entire Peninsular campaign, and participating in the battles of the Wilder- ness. When he was mustered out Oct. 30, 1864, at Staten Island, N. Y., he was in the Sixth Army Corps.
Having thus devoted over three years of his life to his country, Prof. Dengler came back to Reading, where he arrived after midnight on Oct. 31, 1864, but so anxious was he to see his dear ones that he walked to Friedensburg, a distance of ten miles. The following day he engaged to teach the school he had left three and one-half years be- fore at the call of duty, and he accepted the position at the earnest solicitation of his friends, who were anxious to secure his distinguished services. Prof. Dengler has also been active in church work ever since young manhood, and is a member of Friedens Reformed Church, of which he has been deacon, elder and trustee. He is a trustce of the Friedens cemetery company : a trustee of the Oley Academy that was founded in 1857, and has held this office. since 1875. Since his youth Prof. Dengler has been a teacher in the Sunday-school, and is very efficient. He is a member of Minnehaha Lodge No. 154, K. of P., at Oley. also O. U. A. M. Council, No. 23, of the same place. In addition to all his other duties Prof. Dengler is the correspondent of all the Reading daily papers at Friedens- burg.
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