USA > Pennsylvania > Bedford County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 35
USA > Pennsylvania > Somerset County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 35
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67
JOHN J. GUMBERT.
John J. Gumbert, one of the most prosperous farmers in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, who has done much to cultivate the soil in that district and enhance its value, being the owner of a number of farms, is of German birth and descent.
(I) John Peter Gumbert, grandfather of John J. Gumbert, was a native of Germany, and spent all his life there. He served with credit in the German army. He and his wife were Lutherans. His old German Bible, printed in 1781, is still in the possession of his grandson, John J. He married Anne Elizabeth Bruck, and among their children were two sons who came to America: John Jacob, of whom later; and John, who settled in Ohio.
(II) John Jacob Gumbert, son of John Peter (1) and Anne Elizabeth (Bruck) Gumbert, was born near Wesler, Germany, August 17, 1800. He received a good common school education, and learned the trade of shoemaking. He entered the German army, where he served three years in the artillery and was hon- rably discharged. He came to the United States with his brother John, landing in New York, July 31, 1836, and finally settled in Brothers Valley township, Somerset county, Penn- sylvania. During the civil war he was a staunch Unionist. In politics he was a Whig and a Republican, and cast his first vote for William Henry Harrison. He died June 9, 1880. Both he and his wife were members of the Lutheran church. He mar- ried, April 27, 1826, Mary Catherine Bruck, born near Wesler, Germany, August 19, 1806, died September 15, 1882. Their children were: John J., of whom later; Catherine, born in Ger- many, March 10, 1834; Peter, born in Brothers Valley, Febru- ary 24, 1837, is a farmer; Jacob, died in childhood; Henry, Jan- uary 20, 1846, in Brothers Valley, is postmaster at Pine Hill, and a merchant.
323
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
(III) John J. Gumbert, eldest son and child of Jacob (2) and Mary Catherine (Bruck) Gumbert, was born near Wesler, Germany, November 20, 1830. He received a good education in the public schools of Brothers Valley, for the establishment of which his father had voted. He attended school when he could even after coming of age. Until he had attained his majority he gave all his earnings to his father, and then without a dollar he could call his own, he elected to start out in the world for himself. By dint of energy, hard work and economy, he suc- ceeded in getting forward in the world, and in 1868 he bought of Jonathan Coben his present farm for six thousand dollars, half of which he was able to pay in cash. He has since that time resided on this farm, which consists of one hundred acres, an orchard of several hundred trees, and a sugar camp of five hundred vessels. It is well stocked with an excellent grade of horses and cattle. Coal underlies the entire farm and Mr. Gumbert has retained all rights in this. He is also the owner of a farm of one hundred and twenty-six acres in Hayes Mills ; another of one hundred and seventeen acres in Greenville town- ship; and several small truck farms. Mr. Gumbert is a Repub- lican, and has served one term as constable, but has never accepted public office since that time. He and his family are members of the Lutheran church, of which he is a deacon. He has amassed a comfortable fortune, and this is owing to his systematic business methods and progressive ideas. He has never had a lawsuit, and is highly respected by all in the com- munity. Owing to two severe falls, his health has become great- ly impaired, yet he is always calm and cheerful, and ready to give a helping hand to those in need of it. He is a great reader and keeps well abreast of the times.
Mr. Gumbert married, June 9, 1867, Margret Bear, born in Brothers Valley, January 23, 1835, daughter of William and Sally (Deal) Bear; the former born March 31, 1813, died Feb- ruary 30, 1877, and the latter born September 11, 1816, died April, 1903; they were married October 6, 1833. William Bear was a blacksmith and lumber dealer, and in addition was one of the wealthiest and most prosperous farmers in Greenville township; his children were: Eliza, Samuel, Margret, Fran- cis, Isaiah, Edwin, Sarah, Harriet, Daniel, and Jacob. Mar- gret, wife of John J. Gumbert, died April 4, 1904, after an ill- ness of but four days. She is buried in the Pine, Hill cemetery, where a beautiful monument marks her last resting place. She was an expert spinner and weaver, making all the carpets and linens for her home with her own hands. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Gumbert were: Sarah C., born November 8, 1872, received a good education in the public schools and became greatly interested in church work. She is a member of the
324
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
Willing Workers Society. She married, February 26, 1902, Frank C. Lichty, son of Conrad and Sarah Lichty. They are both members of the Lutheran church, of which he is a deacon, and make their home with Mr. Gumbert, whose assistant and mainstay Mr. Lichty is in all farming operations. Anne C., born October 21, 1876, died April 25, 1902. She received an edu- cation similar to that of her sister, joining in the same religious work, and the same society. Her health was always delicate.
CORNELIUS JUDY.
Cornelius Judy, of Althouse, is a grandson of Cornelius Judy, who was a farmer and one of the early settlers of Broth- ers Valley township. He was the father of four sons and three daughters. Solomon, Matthias, Youst, and Jonathan, of whom later; Rose, wife of David Hoover; Phoebe, wife of William Hoover; and Polly, wife of Joseph Hoover.
Jonathan Judy, son of Cornelius Judy, was born in Broth- ers Valley township, and from early youth was engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. He owned his farm and in connection with it operated a sawmill, making from the trees of that region farm and house lumber. He was a Republican and a member of the German Baptist church. Mr. Judy married Eva Christ- ner, and their children were: Jacob, carpenter and farmer of Garrett, Pennsylvania; Jerome, merchant of Garrett, married Barbara Burkholder; William, farmer of Brothers Valley township, married Lena Brown; John, farmer of Thayer coun- ty, Nebraska, married Eliza Swana; Cornelius, of whom later; Polly, wife of Jonathan Schrock, of Black township; Malinda, wife of Herman Vogel, farmer of Brothers Valley township; and Caroline, deceased. Both Mr. and Mrs. Judy lived to the age of seventy-five, the former dying in 1899, and the latter in 1902. She was a member of the same church as her husband.
Cornelius Judy, son of Jonathan and Eva (Christner) Judy, was born January 5, 1846, on the homestead, near Alt- house, and received his education in the common schools. He engaged in farm work for his father and others until his mar- riage, after which he was a tenant farmer for three years in another part of the township. He then returned to the home- stead and for another three years cultivated the land on shares. At the end of that time he purchased the property and resided thereon until 1904, when he built his present home in Althouse, still, however, cultivating the farm. The estate consists of one hundred and forty-six acres and is underlaid with coal, which is leased to the Somerset Coal Company and worked on a roy- alty. Mr. Judy is a Democrat. He and his wife are members of the German Baptist church.
Mr. Judy married, September 18, 1873, Henrietta Hoff-
325
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
man, born February, 1851, and they are the parents of the fol- lowing children : 1. Alice M., born August 24, 1875, wife of William A. Merrill, coal operator and merchant of Garrett, has five children. 2. Henry Wilson, born October 20, 1877, assists his father on the farm, he married Leacia Poorbaugh. 3. Ber- tha Della, born February 12, 1880, wife of John Ray, has one child, Harry, and lives on the homestead. 4. Elias, born March 27, 1884, works in the mines and lives at home. All these chil- dren were educated in the public schools of the township.
JOHN LENTZ.
John Lentz, of Berlin, is a grandson of Charles Lentz, who was born in Baden, Germany, and in early life emigrated to the United States. He was a weaver by trade and in politics a Whig. His wife was a native of Somerset county.
Jacob Lentz, son of Charles Lentz, was born in 1810, in the southern part of Somerset county, and was a farmer and cooper. He was first a Whig and later a Republican, and served several years as constable of Elk Lick township. He and his wife were members of the German Baptist church. Mr. Lentz married, in 1833, Sarah, born in 1815, near Meyersdale, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Pivets) Schrock, and their children were: Cyrus J., blacksmith and farmer of Waterloo, Iowa; Caroline (Mrs. Wolford, of Oklahoma) ; Joseph, black- smith, died at the age of fifty-nine; Elizabeth, wife of Edward D. Spangler, of Morrill, Brown county, Kansas; John, of whom later; Phelon J., of Grundy Centre, Grundy county, Iowa; Sarah, wife of William Brown, both deceased; Edmund, died at the age of forty-five unmarried; Amanda, wife of Urias Folk, both deceased; Mary E., wife of Norman Ringler, farmer of Elk Lick township; Eliza, wife of Rufus Ward, miner of Meyers- dale; Milton, died in childhood.
John Lentz, son of Jacob and Sarah (Schrock) Lentz, was born May 7, 1841, in Elk Lick township, and obtained his edu- cation in the subscription public schools, his attendance being limited to about three months annually, by reason of the fact that he was his father's assistant in the shop and on the farm. He remained with his father until the age of twenty-one, when he enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Thirty-third Reg- iment, Pennsylvania Volunteers. This regiment was present at the battles of Antietam, South Mountain and Sharpsburg, but was held in reserve. In the battle of Fredericksburg, however, it took an active part, and Mr. Lentz was paralyzed by the bursting of a shell. He was taken to the hospital, but failed to regain his health and was honorably discharged. In 1864 he married and for four years thereafter worked a farm on shares. Ile then began fanning for himself, and for thirty-five years was
326
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
a tenant farmer in the township. During that period he lived on and worked but four farms, all being the very best in the township. He finally decided to own his farm and purchased one, but the death of his wife changed his plans and he turned it over to his son-in-law, Edward Bauermaster. He is now living in the township and visits among his children. He has served as school director and auditor, and is a Republican and a member of the German Baptist church.
Mr. Lentz married, February 15, 1864, Anne, born May 10, 1847, daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Hochstetler, the for- mer a farmer. Mrs. Lentz was educated in the common school. Mr. and Mrs. Lentz were the parents of the following children, all of whom received a common school education and are well settled in life: Missouri G., born July 6, 1864, wife of Edward Bauermaster, whose sketch appears on another page of this work; Mary E., June 11, 1865, wife of L. A. Maust, Baltimore & Ohio station agent at Garrett, Pennsylvania, has the follow- ing children: Artie, John, Bessie, Annie, Hazel, Tyranus and Margaret; Edith Susan, May 26, 1867, died in childhood; Mil- ton K., November 22, 1868, unmarried; Sallie B., May 20, 1871, wife of B. F. Suder, farmer of Brother's Valley township, has one child, Anna G .; Carrie D., March 4, 1875, wife of Clarence Hay, farmer of Brother's Valley township, has two children, Marion and Sallie; Lloyd E., March 10, 1878, was Baltimore & Ohio station agent at Rockwood, died March 29, 1905; Anna L., July 19, 1880. The mother of this family died June 20, 1902.
JOHN W. MENGES.
John W. Menges, of Berlin, is a great-grandson of Adam Menges, who was born in Germany and emigrated to the United States. His son, also Adam Menges, was born April 4, 1808, and married Elizabeth Burkhardt, born October 6, 1806. The marriage took place March 30, 1828, and their children were: Joshua, Jeremiah, of whom later; William II., Julia Ann, Har- riet, Mary M., and Cordilla. Of these only two are still living: William H., traveling salesman for the Homer Shoe Company, married Susan Bittner, and resides in Berlin; and Harriet, a widow, living in Missouri. Adam Menges, the father of the fam- ily, who was by trade a millwright, died in 1854. His widow married George Bridagum, July 9, 1857, and died July 4, 1893.
Jeremiah Menges, son of Adam and Elizabeth (Burkhardt) Menges, was born June 26, 1831, was educated in the public schools and for two years was a teacher. He was for the greater part of his later life engaged in business as a teamster. He was a Republican and a Lutheran, his wife being a member of the same church. Mr. Menges married, in 1857, in Allegheny town- ship, Rebecca Fair, born April 17, 1837, and educated in the
327
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
public schools. Mr. and Mrs. Menges were the parents of the following children: John W., of whom later; Laura J., born August 12, 1859, died in childhood; Thomas A., born April 7, 1861, married Lizzie Coleman, lives in Berlin; Charles H., born September 18, 1862, lives in Hyndman, Pennsylvania, married Rebecca Beale. The mother of the family died November 1, 1863, and Mr. Menges subsequently married Mary Mundell. His death occurred .June 24, 1870, and his widow married and moved to Iowa, where she still resides.
John W. Menges, son of Jeremiah and Rebecca (Fair) Menges, was born April 30, 1858, in Allegheny township, and received a good public school education. In his youth he worked at farming, and at the age of eighteen learned the shoe- maker's trade, which he followed until his marriage, five years later. For a time he lived in Berlin, where he was employed as an expressman at the Baltimore & Ohio railroad station, and in 1884 moved to his present farm, which he purchased in 1900. The estate consists of one hundred and thirty-one acres, adjoin- ing Berlin, and is nearly all under cultivation. It is fully stocked with well bred horses and cattle and has a sugar camp of three hundred and seventy-five vessels. The improvements are good and complete. The farm is underlaid by coal, which has been sold to the Niver Coal Company. For three years Mr. Menges has served as school director. He belongs to Camp No. 7170, Modern Woodmen of America, and has held several offices in that body. In politics he was until recently a Repub- lican, but now votes with the Prohibitionists. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church of Berlin, which he has served as deacon and elder, being also connected with the Sun- day school.
Mr. Menges married, November 9, 1882, Ellen C. Miller, and their children are: Harry E., born August 30, 1883, graduated from the Berlin high school and is now taking a business course in the International Correspondence School of Scranton; he lives at home and assists his father; Merle J., born October 22, 1887; graduated from Berlin high school and is employed as time clerk at the Westinghouse Electric Works at East Pitts- burg; Nellie C., born December 10, 1889, attending Berlin schools; Mary E., born November 27, 1891, died in 1895. Mrs. Menges belongs to a family of German origin. She is the daugh- ter of Jonathan A. Miller, who was a farmer of Berlin, a Repub- lican and a member of the Progressive Brethren church. He held several township offices. He married, in 1846, Caroline Walker. and they were the parents of a son and a daughter: William J., farmer near Berlin, married Samantha Fritz, has five children; and Ellen C., born February 25, 1861, educated in the Berlin schools, wife of John W. Menges. Mr. Miller died
328
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
August 25, 1900, and his widow, who is a member of the Luth- eran church, makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Menges, and is in good health at the advanced age of eighty-two.
JEREMIAH J. REIMAN.
Jeremiah J. Reiman, of Shanksville, is a representative of a family which was founded in this country by Gottlieb Reiman, who was born in 1747, in Germany, and early in life emigrated to Pennsylvania and settled in Berks county. In 1773 he came to Somerset county and took up his abode on what is known as the Snyder farm, in Stony Creek township. He was a tailor by trade, but lived mainly by hunting, selling the skins of the animals which he shot and with which the region abounded. Gottlieb Reiman was the father of the following children : John, George, of whom later; Charles, Mary (Mrs. Switzer), and Eliz- abeth (Mrs. Swank). The founder of the family died in 1804.
George Reiman, son of Gottlieb Reiman, was born in 1768, and after his marriage removed to Shade township and kept .house under the branches of a large oak tree until a log cabin was built for a home. He cleared eight acres the first year and the entire farm within a short period. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran church. George Reiman and his wife were the parents of the following children: Mary, deceased; John, deceased; Henry, Elizabeth, Susannah, deceased; George, deceased ; Samuel, Joseph, Jacob, of whom later; Sarah, and Lydia. George Reiman died in 1834, and his wife in 1855.
Jacob Reiman, son of George Reiman, was born July 1, 1813, and like his ancestors followed agricultural pursuits. He was first identified with the Whigs and later with the Repub- licans. and was a member of the German Baptist church. Mr. Reiman married, November 4, 1838, Elizabeth, born in Novem- ber, 1817, in Elk Lick township, daughter of Christian and Susan Fike, and their children were: Samuel F., clergyman, married Rebecca Schrock, died February 17, 1897; John F., re- tired farmer of Stony Creek township, married Sarah Schrock; Tobias, died in youth; Moses, died in childhood; Elizabeth, also died in childhood; Susan, wife of Jacob M. Knepper, farmer of Stony Creek township; Jeremiah J., of whom later. Mrs. Reiman, who was a member of the German Baptist church, died in 1889, and the death of Mr. Reiman occurred in 1891.
Jeremiah J. Reiman, son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Fike) Reiman, was born June 26, 1854, on the homestead, and was educated in the common and normal schools of the county. At the age of seventeen he began teaching in the township schools, in which he remained an instructor for three years, and until his marriage he worked on his father's farm. In 1880 he bought the home farm, which he still owns and
329
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
on which he lives. The estate consists of two hundred and fifty acres of good land, and is well stocked with pure blooded Oxford Down sheep and Ohio Improved Chester swine. The horses and cattle are well bred, and Mr. Reiman is an extensive buyer and feeder of stock. The farm produces an abundance of fruit and has a sugar camp of six hundred vessels. The land is underlaid with coal and the improvements are large and substantial. The house is a handsome brick structure, erected in 1861, but since remodelled with the addition of various mod- ern features. It is surrounded by well kept lawns and trees. The barn and outbuildings were erected at a later period by the present owner.
Mr. Reiman was for many years one of the directors of the Union Association and Farmers' Fire Insurance Com- pany of Somerset county, and is now director in the Economy Telephone Company and the First National Bank of Berlin, having held this office in the last-named institution since its organization. He has served as school director and is a Re- publican in politics. He is a deacon in the German Baptist church and a teacher in the Sunday school.
Mr. Reiman married, February 22, 1877, Rebecca Schrock, and the children of the marriage are: Ada M., born April 23, 1878, wife of Clinton K. Shober, farmer of Somerset town- ship, has one child, Ralph; Annie J., born April 12, 1881, wife of Morris S. Maust, farmer of Elk Lick township, has one child, Clarence; Milton M., born January 22, 1888, educated in common and normal schools, lives with his parents and is now in his second year of teaching in the Stony Creek schools; Clarence, born July 29, 1892, attending school. Mrs. Reiman is a daughter of Jacob and Catharine Schrock, the former a farmer of Stony Creek township and a Republican. He and his wife were members of the German Baptist church. Their daughter, Rebecca, was born April 6, 1853, received a com- mon school education, became the wife of Jeremiah J. Reiman and is a member of the German Baptist church. Mr. Schrock died September 26, 1887, aged seventy-four years, and his widow passed away December 3, 1891.
PETER S. HAY.
Peter S. Hay, of Berlin, is a representative of a family which was founded in Somerset county by Simon Hay, who came hither from Germany in 1763. Among the children born to himself and his wife, Anna May, was a son, Peter S. Hay, who married Elizabeth Walker, by whom he became the father of the following children: David, Michael, Philip, of whom later; Mary, Susanna, Elizabeth, Catharine, Peter, Valentine, and Caroline.
330
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
Philip Hay, son of Peter S. and Elizabeth (Walker) Hay, was born April 3, 1820, and married, February 5, 1846, Anna Olinger, born August 29, 1824. Their children were: William P., Hiram P., S. Sylvester, Peter S., of whom later; Melinda, Clara A., P. Ephraim, Sarah, Luke, Ellen, deceased; and Mark, deceased. The mother of these children died October 27, 1868, and the death of Mr. Hay occurred August 15, 1902.
Peter S. Hay, son of Philip and Anna (Olinger) Hay, was born February 12, 1857, on the homestead in Brothers Valley township, where he obtained his education in the common schools. At an early age he began working on the farm, where he remained until his marriage. In 1881 he bought the Jacob Countryman farm, on which he has since resided. The prop- erty consists of two hundred and thirteen acres of good farm land, with some timber, and is well stocked with fine horses and blooded Durhams. In addition to the stock raised Mr. Hay buys and feeds for the market. There are good orchards of fruit trees of many kinds, and about sixty acres of the farm are underlaid by the coal veins of the region, the interest in which is retained by Mr. Hay, the veins underlying the re- maining acres having been sold before he purchased the farm. Coal for the local market is being mined on the estate. The improvements are modern, and the residence, which is delight- fully situated, was built by Mr. Hay in 1885. He is a Demo- crat. A member of Mount Zion Reformed church, which he serves as deacon.
Mr. Hay married, September 16, 1880, Clara E. Walker, who is a member of the Lutheran church, but attends Mount Zion with her husband. They have no children. Mrs. Hay is a daughter of Silas and Eliza Walker, the former a retired farmer of Summit township. He and his wife are the parents of the following children: Wilson E., farmer of Summit town- ship, married Clara A. Hay; Clara E., born February 7, 1862, educated. in the public schools, wife of Peter S. Hay; Edward, deceased; Minerva, wife of Emmanuel Berkley, farmer of Sum- mit township; Charles W., lawyer of Summit, married Susan Schrock; Robert, farmer of Summit township, married Mar- garetta Kimmel.
NICHOLAS FLAMM.
Nicholas Flamm, of Berlin, is a son of Valentine Flamm, who was by trade a shoemaker and owned a farm which he cultivated in connection with his trade. He was a Republican and a member of the Lutheran church. He married Nancy, daughter of Benjamin Zerfoss, and their children were: Nicho- las, of whom later; Jacob, served during the Civil war in Com- pany H, Fifty-second Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and
331
BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
died in 1870; Matilda, wife of John Sarver, farmer of Alle- gheny township. There were also two who died in infancy and a daughter who died at the age of fourteen. Mr. Flamm died at the comparatively early age of forty-five, and his widow survived until 1888, when she expired at the age of eighty-six. She was a member of the Lutheran church.
Nicholas Flamm, son of Valentine and Nancy (Zerfoss) Flamm, was born December 1, 1838, in Somerset township, and received his education in the schools of Stony Creek township. He early began farming, which calling he has since continu- ously followed, with the exception of eighteen months spent at the carpenter's trade. On June 17, 1863, he enlisted in Com- pany H, First Regiment, Provost Battalion, Pennsylvania Vol- unteers, for a term of six months, receiving his discharge Janu- ary 8, 1864. He re-enlisted in Company H, Fifty-second Regi- ment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, September 26, 1864, and served until the close of the war, being honorably discharged June 8, 1865. In 1892 Mr. Flamm purchased his present farm in Stony Creek township. It is a fine tract of two hundred acres, well situated for all purposes and fully stocked with good horses and cattle. Fruit of all kinds is raised in abundance. The improvements are modern and the residence is a tasteful dwell- ing, erected in 1892, the barn having been built in 1894. Mr. Flamm was formerly much engaged in stock buying and feed- ing, but now confines himself to raising. He belongs to Cum- mins Post, No. 210, G. A. R., of Somerset, and has always voted with the Republicans. He is a member of the Lutheran church.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.