USA > Pennsylvania > Bedford County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 4
USA > Pennsylvania > Somerset County > History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, with genealogical and personal history > Part 4
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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
Q.a. Berkley.
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of a quicksilver mine near the Geyser hot spring, eighteen miles distant from Cloverdale. He married a daughter of Dr. William Markell of the same place-Sarah Markell, by whom he had three children : Markell C., Lucy S. and Helen. Reuben E. Baer (V), born April 2, 1867, graduated in the common schools of Somerset, Pennsylvania, and entered the printing office of the Herald and Whig, and after mastering his trade there went to Tyrone, Pennsylvania, and afterwards to Johns- town, Pennsylvania, where he worked at his trade until the great flood of 1889, after which he went to California, where he worked for his brother. Later he purchased his brother's newspaper, which some years later he sold and purchased the Enterprise at Healdsburg, California. He married Helen Mar- kell, daughter of Dr. William Markell, of Cloverdale, Califor- nia, by whom he had three children-Christina, Elizabeth and Herman Ludwig. Hermanus Ludwig Baer (V) was born Octo- ber 4, 1874. After attending and graduating from the common schools of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, he entered a drug store for a term of three years, after which he attended Borden- town College for one year and then entered the Jefferson School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia and graduated therefrom. The next two years he operated a drug store. Having con- cluded to become a physician, he went to Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia and graduated. He then married Miss Mabel Mckinley, daughter of Abner Mckinley and wife. He then moved to New York city and engaged in the practice of medicine. He has recently been appointed a lecturer in Anat- omy in the Post-Graduate Medical College and Hospital of New York city.
JOHN ALBERT BERKEY.
John Albert Berkey, of Somerset, Pennsylvania, commis- sioner of banking and attorney at law, is a representative of an old family which was planted in the state more than a century ago, locating in Berks county, whence his ancestors of three generations ago removed to Somerset county. The fam- ily is large and widely dispersed, and numbers among its mem- bers many of the most prosperous and highly respected people of Somerset county and elsewhere.
Mr. Berkey was born in Jefferson township, Somerset county, January 31, 1861, son of Chauncey H. and Elizabeth Berkey. He was reared upon the paternal farm, and began his education in the public schools. finishing in the South- western State Normal school at California, Washington county. Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1884. Prior to this, and at the early age of seventeen years, his educational preparation was so sufficient that he engaged in teaching, per- forming his duties most creditably in schools in the counties
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of Fayette and Westmoreland, as well as in his native Somer- set, and closing his career in the educational field as principal of the Somerset borough schools. He would have undoubt- edly made further advancement as an instructor, but he had a predilection for the law, and entered upon a course of legal reading under the able instruction of Coffroth & Ruppel, and was admitted to the bar in 1889. He soon gathered about him a large and influential clientele, and now enjoys an extensive and remunerative practice.
He early entered upon public duties, being appointed by the director of the United States census to the collation and tabulation of the recorded indebtedness in Bedford, Blair, Cambria, and Somerset counties for the federal census of 1890. In 1892 he was elected district attorney of Somerset county, and brought to the place qualifications of a high order, and most praiseworthy industry and perseverance. Firm in his advocacy of Republican principles, he early found recogni- tion as a party leader, and in 1899 was elected to the chair- manship of the county committee, in which capacity he ren- dered service of such value that he has since been continued as a member of the state committee. In 1902 he was cordially endorsed by the Republicans of Somerset county for the nomi- nation of member of congress from the Twenty-third congres- sional district. The contest was warm and long protracted, and was only terminated by his withdrawal in favor of his warm friend and former fellow-student, Hon. Allen F. Cooper, who was accordingly made the nominee. On July 27, 1905, Governor Pennypacker appointed him to the highly important position of commissioner of banking, in which capacity he is now acting. A warm friend of education, Mr. Berkey has been for years a member of the board of trustees of the South- western State Normal school at California, Pennsylvania-the institution in which he made his preparation for his active career. He is an active member of various benevolent and fraternal bodies-Berlin Lodge, No. 481, I. O. O. F., the Knights of the Golden Eagle, No. 181, of Somerset, the Knights of Maccabees of the World, the Royal Arcanum, the Modern Woodmen, the Junior Order of American Mechanics, and the Patrons of Husbandry. In addition to his law practice and his official duties, he is largely interested in agricultural af- fairs, giving intelligent oversight to the conduct of several highly cultivated farms in Somerset county.
Mr. Berkey married, April 3, 1887, Miss Anna M. Barron, daughter of John C. and Catherine (Gonder) Barron, old and respected citizens of Somerset county, which has been their ancestral home for more than a hundred years past. Of this marriage was born three children-Mabel Ammons, Sue Eliz-
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abeth and May Jane Berkey. Mr. Berkey is a communicant of the Lutheran church, and his wife and children are mem- bers of the United Brethren church.
CHARLES WILLARD WALKER.
Charles W. Walker, one of the younger, but successful practitioners at the bar of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, was born November 5, 1867, in Summit township, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, son of Silas and Eliza (Walker) Walker.
(I) Jacob Walker was a member of the early generation of the Walkers in this country. He was born in Frederick county, Maryland, about 1740, and immigrated to Bedford county (now Somerset county), Pennsylvania, in 1774. He settled in and resided in Brothers Valley township until his death in 1778, when he was killed by being thrown against a tree while riding a horse. He descended from the Walkers, who were early settlers in Maryland. He married and reared a family, but the name of his wife is not now known.
(II) Philip Walker, son of Jacob Walker (1), resided in what is now Summit township his entire life.
(III) Peter P. H. Walker, son of Philip Walker (2), was a farmer in Summit township, where he died in 1882, aged eighty years. He married Sarah Will, daughter of Daniel Will and wife, and among the children born to them was a son, Silas.
(IV) Silas Walker, son of Peter P. H. (3), and Sarah (Will) Walker, was born in Brothers Valley township, Som- erset county, Pennsylvania, September 27, 1837. He has al- ways been an agriculturist. In religious belief a Lutheran, and politically a Democrat. He obtained a good common education. He married Eliza Walker, daughter of Jacob P. and Elizabeth (Brougher) Walker, who died in 1896, aged eighty-eight years. Mrs. Elizabeth Walker was born in Summit township, January 25, 1841, and is a member of the Lutheran church. Her father, Jacob P. Walker, died in 1891, aged ninety-one years; he came from the same ancestry as Jacob, the above named original settler. John Brougher came from eastern Pennsylvania about 1790, and it is known was of German descent. To Mr. and Mrs. Silas Walker were born six children: Wilson, Charles Willard, Robert B., Edward M. (deceased), Minerva, wife of Emmanuel Berkeley, Clara, wife of Peter S. Hay, all of Som- erset county, Pennsylvania.
(V) Charles Willard Walker, son of Silas (4) and Eliza- beth (Walker) Walker, was born in Summit township, Somer- set county, Pennsylvania, November 6, 1867: and educated at the common schools of his native county, and Pennsylvania Col-
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lege at Gettysburg, graduating therefrom in June, 1891, with the degree of A. B. Three years later he received the degree of A. M. from his Alma Mater. During his college life he was an active member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. He was ad- mitted to the bar September 29, 1893, and became a partner with A. L. G. Hay, which continued until April 1, 1897. Mr. Walker is a supporter of the Democratic ticket, and is a mem- ber of the Lutheran church at Somerset, Pennsylvania. He belongs to Somerset Lodge, No. 358, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, and was master of the lodge from December, 1898, to December, 1899.
October 6, 1897, he married, at Somerset borough, Miss Susan C. Schrock, daughter of William M. and Mary E. Schrock. Her father was a captain in the Civil war, in the Union army (see sketch). This Schrock family came from Switzerland and the name was originally spelled Schrack, but finally corrupted to Schrock. The Schrock family was ban- ished from Switzerland during a political disturbance, prop- erty confiscated, and they fled to Holland, but later came to America, between 1760 and 1763. Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Walker are the parents of one child, Willard Walker, born October 16, 1898, in Somerset borough.
HENRY S. KIMMELL.
Henry S. Kimmell, a practicing physician of Somerset, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, was there born June 20, 1857, the son of the late Dr. Edmund and Emma J. (Schell) Kim- mell, and is of excellent German ancestry.
(I) Philip Kimmell, a native of Germany, came to Amer- ica in the Colonial period. When a young man he took up land in New Market, Frederick county, Maryland, which he cleared and improved, and on which he built a homestead, where he passed the remainder of his days.
(II) John Kimmell, son of Philip Kimmell (1), decided upon a medical career, and received his medical education in York, Pennsylvania, and afterwards located as a practitioner in Berlin, Somerset county. Studious, energetic and ambitious, he met with eminent success, and was for many years consid- ered the leading physician in the county. He married Eliza- beth Uhrick, and they became the parents of nine children.
(III) Jacob Kimmell, second son of John (2) and Eliza- beth (Uhrick) Kimmell, was born in Berlin, Somerset county, and during his entire active life was conspicuously identified with its higher interests. A well educated, intelligent man, he was far ahead of his day in ability and ideas, and had the cour- age of his convictions in all matters. He followed the trade of a tinner for many years, and was also successfully engaged in
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mercantile pursuits for forty years. He served most satisfac- torily as a justice of the peace, and for three years as registrar, recorder of deeds and clerk of the Orphans' court of Somerset county, having been appointed to the latter offices by Governor Rittner. He married Margaret, daughter of John Skoles, of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, and of the seven children born to them but three survive, John O., Charles A. and Theodora.
(IV) John O. Kimmell, son of Jacob (3) and Margaret (Skoles) Kimmell, is an honored and leading member of the Somerset bar, and a much respected citizen. He possesses sound judgment, and has creditably filled various offices of trust and responsibility. He married Mary, daughter of John Parker, of Somerset, and of the nine children born of this union four are still living, namely: William A., Parker Y., Emily, married Hon. George F. Baer, of Reading, Pennsylva-' nia, and Margaret.
(IV) Edmund M. Kimmell, son of Jacob (3) and Mar- garet (Skoles) Kimmell, was born and reared in Berlin, Som- erset county, Pennsylvania. He commenced the study of medi- cine with his grandfather, Dr. John Kimmell, and later en- tered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, receiv- ing his degree in 1850. After practicing his profession a year in Berlin and an equal length of time in Salisbury, Somerset county, Dr. Kimmell settled in Somerset. He devoted his en- tire time and strength to his profession, built up an extensive and lucrative practice, and won a place of prominence both as a physician and a's a citizen. He was a stanch Republican in his political affiliations, and an active member of the Chris- tian church. He married Emma J. Schell, daughter of Henry Schell, of Schellsburg, Pennsylvania, and they had a family of eleven children, of whom the following named are the sur- viving members: Ella, wife of James N. Keffer, of Somerset, who is the mother of four children-Emily, Clark, Edmund and Jonas M. Keffer. Clara, married Ed. B. Coffroth, and they have five children-Helen, Henry, Frank, Ross and Mary. Henry S., of whom later. Frank M., married Mabel Meserve, and they have one child, Schell. Louise M., married Lewis W. Fogg, and they have five children-Edmund, Lewis, Dana, Lucy, Dorothy. William, who is attending Medico-Chirurgical college at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Edmund Kimmell, the father of the above named children, died while yet in the prime of life, at the age of forty-six years; his wife passed away at the age of fifty-six years.
(V) Henry S. Kimmell acquired his early education in the common schools of Somerset county, and later attended the State Normal school at Millersville for one term. He subse- quently prepared himself for the medical profession by taking
Vol. III 3
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a thorough course of study at the Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, from which celebrated institution he was grad- uated in 1880, just thirty years after the graduation of his father. Until the death of his father he was associated with him in practice, and since that event has continued in practice alone. Dr. Kimmell is a master of his profession, and well worthy of the eminent esteem in which he is held, both profes- sionally and socially. He has been county home and county jail physician for the past fourteen years, and is now chief medical examiner for various organizations and for many in- surance companies. For the past eight years he served on the United States pension examining board. He is a Repub- lican in politics, and for twelve years has served acceptably as school director. Fraternally he holds membership in the Somerset County Medical Association, of which he was once president; the Pennsylvania State Medical Association, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Surgeons' Association, F. and A. M., Somerset Lodge No. 358; I. O. O. F., Somerset Lodge No. 438, in which he has passed all the chairs; and an active mem- ber of the Royal Arcanum.
October 26, 1880, Dr. Kimmell was united in marriage to Miss Sarah S. Schrock, a daughter of Major E. M. Schrock, a veteran of the civil war, and a well-known resident of Seattle, Washington. Four children have been born to them, namely: Clara, Edna, Margaret and Emily. Dr. Kimmell and his wife are active members of the Christian church.
SCHELL FAMILY.
In every community there are always rare family names bearing with them more prominence than others by reason of the fact that among its members there have been men and women, too, whose activities have touched almost every avenue of trade, every circle of society and all great strides toward development of the locations in which their lot has been cast. This is true in a large measure with the Schell family, to which belongs Paul Ankeny Schell, or Somerset, whose line in gen- ealogy is :
(I) Michael Schell, born in 1675, and his wife, Veronica, left the Palatinate, Germany, and settled in Upper Hanover township, then Philadelphia, now Montgomery county, Penn- sylvania, about 1732. He died in 1770, and his will was pro- bated February 19, 1770. At the time of making his will, he declared himself to be of advanced age, twice married and no children by his second wife, Magdalina. He was possessed of considerable property and confirmed the deed of gift for one hundred and forty acres of land in Upper Hanover township
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to his youngest son, John. His children were: Jacob, Michael, Jr., Mary, Julia and John.
(II) John Schell was born, presumably in the Palatinate, January 22, 1729, and died May 2, 1777. He married Veronica Maurer, daughter of Jacob and Sophia Maurer, in 1753. Her father was a wealthy and influential yeoman. 7 died early in manhood, leaving an issue but no will. He was John Schell a man of much local prominence, a representative merchant and a member of the Reformed church. The inventory filed May 10, 1782, of his estate valued it at "1261 pounds and 16 shillings," for his real estate and personal property at "1404 pounds, 19 shillings." His children were: John, Jacob, a musician of Colonel Proctor's regiment of artillery; Abraham, Anna, Maria, Veronica and Susannah.
(III) John Schell, eldest son of John (2) and Veronica Schell, born on the old homestead, near East Greenville, Mont- gomery county, Pennsylvania, November 30, 1754, died March 30, 1825. He married Elizabeth Hillegass, originally Hill de Gaze, born October 17, 1763. She was the daughter of George Peter Hillegass and granddaughter of John Frederick Hille- gass, and first cousin of Michael Hillegass, the first to hold the office of United States treasurer. Like his father before him, John Schell was a merchant. Both he and his wife had a handsome property. They were devout members of the Re- formed church. As had been the case with his forefathers, he, too, was possessed with the desire to become a large land owner and in the latter years of the eighteenth century-1798 or 1799 -- he purchased fifteen hundred acres of land at a cost of ten thousand pounds sterling. The land was located in that portion of Bedford now known as Shaw, near Cabin Creek settlement. Here, in 1808, he laid out the town of Schells- burg. In 1807 he gave the Lutheran and Reformed congre- gations six acres for church and school purposes, and later each a town lot. He was a prime mover in the building of the Bedford and Stoystown pike. His daughter's husband, Michael Reed, was chief engineer. The children of John and Elizabeth (Hillegass) Schell were: John, Peter, Abraham, Jacob, George, Michael, Elizabeth, Henry, Joseph, Catharine, Maria and Eve.
(IV) Henry Schell, seventh child of John (3) and Eliza- beth (Hillegass) Schell, was born March 22, 1797, on his father's farm at Schellsburg, Pennsylvania. When not in school, Henry was engaged in a woollen factory and grist mill. He learned to make cloth. He was a man of great independence, of spirited purpose. He married, January, 1820, Maria Louisa Schneider, daughter of Jacob and Susan (Hyple) Schneider, and who with his brother Adam settled in Somerset county,
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Pennsylvania. Before the marriage of Henry Schell, he bought from his father for seven thousand dollars the farm on which the woolen mill stood. To him seems to be the honor of first breaking away from the old time customs of treating harvest hands to liquor. With a firmness only found in such charac- ters, he would not yield, but gave them higher wages than the other farmers. To Henry Schell and his wife were born ten children: John Jacob, Henry Ferdinand, Amanda Mary, An- drew Jackson, Alexander Joseph, Charles Sander, Emily Julia, Maria Louisa, Young Hanson, William Harrison.
In 1852, Henry Schell, wife, and sons, Jacob and Henry, became identified with a religious movement known as the "Disciples of Christ," and owing to church prejudices and feeling, Mr. Schell sold his home farm and mill for thirteen thousand dollars, and removed from Bedford to Somerset county, where the church of his new choice had already made much progress. At the borough of Somerset he erected a large brick building-store and dwelling-on the corner where now stands the Hotel Vanear. Here he conducted a large general store. Later the building was converted into a hotel, but was finally destroyed in the great fire of 1872. Mr. Schell gave the Disciple church the lot on which stands their church edifice. Two other large houses he built in Somerset were lost by the 1872 conflagration. At the time of Henry Schell's death, April 29, 1857, he left behind him a large estate in houses and lands, which fell to dutiful children. Of them were:
(V) John Jacob Schell, son of Henry Schell (4), born in 1820, was educated at Franklin College, Pennsylvania, and be- came a merchant and banker. He married Rose Bonnette, daughter of Isaac and Eleanor (Parker) Ankeny, by whom were born seven children, only one of whom, Paul Ankeny Schell, a merchant, now resides in Somerset.
John Jacob Schell was one of the best known and for many years one of the leading men of the county. He served as prothonotary. He was a member of the banking firms of Reed & Schell of Bedford, and M. and Samen & Co., of Somerset, in both of which he suffered heavy financial reverses. He was one of the first citizens of the county to realize the ultimate development of our lumber and mineral resources, and in- vested largely in unproductive lands. Had he been able to weather the various financial panics following the Civil war or retained control of his interests, he would have been pos- sessed of great wealth by reason of his heavy holdings in tim- ber and coal lands. He was an elder in the Disciple church and gave liberally to extend the cause of same during his life- time. He died January 21, 1900, at Somerset, Pennsylvania.
The children of John J. and Rose Bonnette (Ankeny)
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Schell follow: Ida, married Samuel L. Wilson, resides in Mo- line, Illinois; Elenor, married Dr. R. W. Clark, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Annie, married J. N. Lewis, of Bayonne, New Jersey; Myra, deceased, married R. B. Reid, who resides in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; Alexander, deceased, married Ella Gardener, resided in Uniontown, Pennsylvania; Edith, mar- ried George A. Shephardson, of St. Louis, Missouri; Paul Ankeny (of whom later), married Mary Sullivan Endsley, re- sides in Somerset, Pennsylvania.
Isaac Ankeny was a son of Peter Ankeny, who located in Somerset county in 1773, and on whose land that part of Som- erset, from Main street to South street, was laid out. "Edge- wood," just west of Somerset, was his home and known as the "Mansion." "Ankeny Square" and "Union School" lots are donations made by him for church and school purposes. Isaac Ankeny was born at the "Mansion," September 5, 1792. He held a number of prominent positions and was an active spirit in the early development of this section of Pennsylvania. Dur- ing his time he was the heaviest land proprietor in Somerset. In 1820 he married Eleanor Parker, who was born near Schells- burg, Bedford county, Pennsylvania, in 1789. Both died and are buried at Somerset, Pennsylvania. His residence was at Rose, Somerset, Pennsylvania. His children were: William, Minneapolis, Minnesota ; John, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Thomas, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Calvin, Minneapolis, Minne- sota; Eleanor, Somerset, Pennsylvania; Valeria, Somerset, Pennsylvania; Almire, Wheeling, West Virginia; Martha, Kansas City, Kansas.
(V) Henry Ferdinand Schell, son of Henry Schell (4), born in Bedford county, Pennsylvania, September 14, 1822, was a merchant, banker and lawyer. He served as county prothonotary and was an active church worker. He received his education at Windom Academy, Ohio, and Bethany Col- lege, West Virginia. He married Rose Ankeny Stewart. Henry F. Schell and wife were the parents of four children: Theo- dore, died in childhood; Mary Alberta, married M. M. Coch- ran, Esquire, of Uniontown, Pennsylvania; Susan, married John F. Nichol; Henry Stewart, married Elizabeth D. Layman. (V) Amanda Mary Schell, deceased, daughter of Henry Schell (4), married (first) Benjamin Fisher, who died, and for her second companion married Joseph Stutzman, who did much in the way of education for Somerset county.
(V) Andrew Jackson Schell, son of Henry Schell (4), was a merchant, and married Sarah Pyle. He was called "Jack," and he was superintendent of mails en route to Cali- fornia during gold excitement days.
(V) Charles Sander Schell, son of Henry Schell (4),
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married Lottie Wells (first), and after her death married Ema- line Sabine. He was a merchant and real estate man in Bea- trice, Nebraska.
(V) Emily Julia Schell. deceased, daughter of Henry Schell (4), married Dr. Edmund Kimmel, of Berlin, Pennsyl- vania, who removed to. Somerset and ranked high in the skill of his profession.
(V) Maria Louise Schell, daughter of Henry Schell (4), married Francis Miller, a train despatcher for many years in Maryland.
(V) . William Harrison Schell, son of Henry Schell (4), became a minister. He was educated at Bethany College, West Virginia. He married Clara Craft. Served with honor in the Civil war.
(VI) Paul Ankeny Schell, son of John Jacob (5) and Rose Ankeny Schell, was born July 6, 1865. He is the only male de- scendant of the old Ankeny-Schell families now living in Som- erset. He was educated in the public schools of Somerset, Pennsylvania, and at the early age of fifteen started to learn the trade of tinsmith, later taking up plumbing and steam- fitting, of which trades he is a practical master. Some of the largest public and private buildings in this section and ad- joining states, including the fine new court house of Somerset county, have had the plumbing and heating systems installed by his firm. From a very small beginning Mr. Schell's busi- ness has grown rapidly. In 1903 the Schell Hardware Com- pany was organized and incorporated and now has stores in Somerset, Connellsville and Uniontown, Pennsylvania, of which corporation Mr. Schell has been president since its organiza- tion. In polities Mr. Schell is a Republican, and in church con- nection is a member of the Christian church. He is also a member of the Masonic fraternity, advanced to Knight Templarship; also belongs to Odd Fellows.
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