History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 161

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418

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Burn, James.

Bender, Christian.

969

TOWNSHIPS OF COUNTY.

Joseph L. Bailey and Comley B. Shoemaker, under the firm-name of Joseph L. Bailey & Co. This firm have made a specialty of the best qualities of cold blast charcoal boiler-plate for locomotive and marine work. In 1881 they purchased a property at Manatawny Station, on the Colebrookdale Railroad, and erected a steam-power rolling-mill with a capacity of four thousand tons, which was set in operation in May, 1882. In the beginning of the year 1882 the firm-name was changed to Bailey & Shoemaker. Forty men are employed at the latter works.

The old Pine Iron-Works have fallen into disuse and are practically abandoned. The water-power is devoted to the operation of the Bailey grist-mill, a four-story structure of mountain stone, which has a good capacity.

A large covered frame county bridge was constructed across the Manatawny at this point in 1855.

INDUSTRIES .- The manufacturing interests of the township are limited to the water-powers found on two streams, of which the Manatawny is fully given over to the interests of the Pine Iron-Works." On the Ironstone Creek, the upper power was first improved by a man named Bechtel, who had a saw-mill there. This is now the site of Wren's Woolen-Mills, which had its beginning about forty years ago as a small fulling-mill, putup by Amos Brower. The first building now forms the upper part of the factory. John C. Castle enlarged the building some twenty years later. At present it is sixty by one hundred and thirty feet, and part of it is three stories high. It is supplied with one jack and three hundred and thirty- six spindles, one set of cards, one hard waste pricker, one teazel and wire gig and four Comp- ton looms, thus enabling the manufacture of all kinds of woolen goods. At present a specialty is made of miners' gray flannels. The water-power is supplemented by a ten horse-power engine. Eleven operatives are employed. Since 1883 the mills have been carried on by William Preston & Co. For a number of years the property has belonged to Major James Wren.

Colebrookdale Iron- Works has the site of the

old George Gresh mill and where later Jonas Weaver had an oil and saw-mill. W. W. Weaver became the owner of the property about fifty-five years ago and put up a tilt-hammer, to which a foundry was added. Wood-burning stoves were cast there, which obtained a wide reputation. Mill fixtures and ordinary castings were also manufactured. Later a wrought iron coffee-mill was also manufactured and sold ex- tensively. Wash-kettles and sad-irons. were added, as other products. These latter articles still constitute some of the chief articles of manufacture .. Wagon-boxes, thimble-skeins and pipe-boxes are also made at the works. In 1867, W. W. Weaver was succeeded by the present proprietors, Brendlinger & Co. The work is under the management of John Sabold, as superintendent. They enlarged the estab- lishment and in 1871 added a thirty-five horse- power engine. This industry at present em- braces half a dozen large buildings and affords employment to sixty men. The property in- cludes thirty acres of land and a number of tenement houses. A store was formerly kept in connection with the works.

Near the little Oley post-office Jacob Albright had a small tannery which was discontinued when the owner removed to Earl township, many years ago. In the same locality Henry Gresh had a saw-mill and an oil-mill. Feed was also ground there. The oil and chopping- mills have been discontinued. The saw-mill is operated by Z. F. Gresh.

The Gilbert mill occupied the next site and Henry and George Gilbert were succeeded by Adam Miller. Fred. Neiman was the next proprietor. The latter remodeled the mill in 1880, and supplied new machinery. It has a good power. Since 1884 H. Y. Livengood has been the owner.

A short distance lower down the stream was the old Nagle mill, which was improved by David Fritz, who built the present stone mill about twenty years ago. It is now operated by his son, Eli, and carried on as a custom-mill. The Samuel Wagner custom and merchant-mill is at the next power. It is a stone building and was erected about forty years ago by Ma- thias Livengood. Near the mouth of the Iron-

970

HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

stone is an old mill, operated many years in the early part of the century by Jacob Keely, and which had a wide patronage. The old building still stands. It was supplied with new machinery by Jacob Livengood. A clover- mill was carried on for a time by Mr. Liven- good. The grist-mill is owned by William Livengood, who carries on the same successful- ly.

NO CHURCH IN TOWNSHIP .- The township has no house of worship or organized religious body within its bounds. There is a small pub- lic cemetery in the vicinity of "Little Oley." It is commonly called " Fritz's Grave-Yard." There have been interred in it many of the pioneer residents of this township, including the Eppenheimers, Keelys, Beckers, Brunners, Greshes, Macks and Reifsnyders. The town- ship is well supplied with schools.

VILLAGES.

Though this township has a large popula- tion for its area, the nature of the country and its relation to other localities have prevented the founding of villages of any size. The old- est distinctive business place is-

GRESHVILLE, a village situated in the upper part of the township, on the western slope of "Furnace" Hill. Large deposits of lime- stone are in that locality, which are easily quarried and readily converted into lime. This employment gave occupation to a large number of men yearsago, which caused the place to become known as " Limestone." In 1853 a post-office was established with the name of Greshville, in compliment to Adam Gresh, a prominent busi- ness man in the early part of the century, and since that time the place has been so known. Adam Gresh had a store, tavern and distillery, which caused his place to be widely known and also the centre of quite an active business. In 1824 the Keely family had a public-house, George Miller and David Gresh were also early in trade, and Peter Ludwig is remembered as a pioneer merchant. The last merchant there was Jacob Reiff, who discontinued business in 1885. The public-house, first kept by Adam Gresh, was continued by his family after his death. The landlord for the past fifteen years

has been Mahlon H. Maurer, who is also the postmaster. The latter has also been engaged in the manufacture of lime. Other persons who have been engaged in this business are the Greshes, Charles Hagy, Henry B. Keely and Samuel Leaver. The total product of lime was very large. Near this place is Colebrook- dale Station.

LITTLE OLEY .- A short distance from the latter place are the buildings occupied by the workmen of the " Colebrookdale Iron-Works" and other scattering houses, the whole forming the hamlet of Little Oley. About forty-five years ago a public-house was here opened by Solomon L. Engle, which has had many keep- ers, among them being Aaron Maurer, John Wise and Ephraim Yorgey. In 1885 the tav- ern was rebuilt by William W. Turner, and it has been kept by him since. In 1865 U. F. Gresh opened a store, in which he has since car- ried on the business of a general country store, and served as postmaster of the Little Oley post-office, established in 1871. Southwest from this place is a fertile stretch of country which resembles Oley, and, being less in area, it was called "Little Oley."

GLENDALE .- Several miles below is Mana- tawny Station, at the mouth of the Ironstone Creek. The Pine Iron-Works post-office is located there, which was established in 1871, with Joseph Bailey as postmaster, and having at present A. L. Burns as deputy. The locality is known as " Glendale."

It comprises the new Pine Iron-Works, a well-appointed industrial establishment, mills, a tavern, store, neat school-house and about forty other buildings. The tavern situated on the Ironstone was long kept by the Hatfields, who opened it about 1851. Ephraim Swavely is the present keeper. At the old iron-works the elder Bailey supplied some goods, but no reg- ular store was opened until 1879, when Philip S. Baker engaged in merchandising. He dis- posed of his business in 1886 to J. R. Mowday & Son. The school-house is a long building with two rooms, and stands on a spacious lot somewhat removed from the street. It was erected in 1883. A select summer school is there maintained under the title of the "Glen-

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TOWNSHIPS OF COUNTY.

dale Seminary," of which D. M. B. Wann is the principal.

ing and is now one of the most reliable surveyors. He made his first survey December 22, 1842, of a West of Manatawny Station is the country store of Samuel Yorgey, which has been carried on the past twelve years. William Focht and Elias Fritz were also licensed to retail goods, but have not been carrying full lines of mer- chandise. tract in Montgomery County, Pa., upon which site the villageof Buchananville is built. Hefol- lowed the profession of teaching, in connection with surveying and conveyancing, for a period of sixteen years. In 1856 he purchased from Henry McKenty the fine farm upon which he BIOGRAPHICAL. now resides. He was elected justice of the peace DAVID B. MAUGER, of Douglassville, was born of his native township in 1850, succeeding his in Douglass township August 12, 1822. He uncle, Jacob Livengood, and received his com-

D. B. Manger

obtained his education in the common schools of his native township. Being possessed of con- siderable ambition, he applied himself to reading and study, and at the age of eighteen years he opened a subscription school in the " Gross- town" school-house, in Pottsgrove township, Montgomery County. In the fall of 1842 he took charge of an academy at Douglassville, and continued in that position seven years, dur- ing which time he took up the study of survey-

mission from Governor William F. Johnston April 9, 1850, and has held the same office ever since, with much credit and confidence. In October, 1851, he was married to Mary Amanda, daughter of Daniel Lorah, by whom he had one daughter and three sons living. His daughter Sallie was a graduate from Allentown Female College, in 1876, taking the first honors of her class. His three sons attended the Keystone State Normal School. Daniel Lorah, the eldest, is

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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

now agent at Franklin Street Station, Reading, on the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad. His second son, David Franklin, is now (1886) a student in the senior class at Franklin and Mar- shall College. His third son, Henry Snyder, is a student at the College of Pharmacy in Philadel- phia. Since 1851 Mr. Mauger has been largely engaged in the settlement of estates. He lias been secretary of the Douglassville and Yellow House Turnpike Company since its organization in 1867; was elected one of the directors of the Schuylkill Bridge Company, at Douglassville, in 1866, and in 1867 became the successor to Henry McKenty as secretary and treasurer of said company, occupying this position until July, 1880, when he sold his stock and ceased to be a member. He was elected one of the board of managers of the Perkiomen and Reading Turn- pike road, and also became its secretary June, 1872, which office he still holds. He has been a school director for a number of terms, and always secretary of the board. He has been an elder in the Reformed Church at Pottstown since 1857 ; was elected by Goshenhoppen Clas- sis a delegate to the first meeting of the triennial session of the General Synod of the Reformed Church, held at Pittsburgh, Pa., in November, 1863, and represented said Classis as a delegate to the Synods, almost annually, ever since, and has been treasurer of Classis since 1870. He became a member of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, and at the meeting of Subor- dinate Granges, held in Reading in September, 1873, for the purpose of organizing a State Grange, was elected its first Master, and in Jan- uary, 1875, he was re-elected at the annual meeting of Subordinate Granges, held for that purpose at Williamsport, Pa. At the annual meeting held at Meadville, Crawford County, Pa., his services were again solicited, but he declined, and was succeeded by Victor E. Pio- lette, of Bradford County, Pa. During 'Squire Mauger's mastership he represented the Penn- sylvania State Grange, P. of H., held at St. Louis, Mo., in January, 1874, also at the an- nual session held at Charleston, S. C., in 1875, the session held in Louisville, Ky., in Novem- ber, 1875, and the annual session held in Chi- cago in November, 1876.

In January, 1886, he was elected a director and manager of the Boyertown Mutual Fire Insurance Company.

His ancestry dates back, as far as can be as- certained, to his grandfather, Henry Mauger, and his wife, who emigrated to this county from Germany in or about the year 1762, being but twelve years old, and settled on the farm of which he afterwards became the owner. He was married to Mary Balser ; they had born unto them six sons, viz. : John, Henry, Frederick, Jacob and David (the latter the father of the subject of this biography) and William and one daughter, Elizabeth. All were married, raised families, and lived from seventy-eight to eighty- four years respectively. William, the last one, died about one year ago, aged eighty-four years. David Mauger, Sr., father of the subject of this sketch, was born February 12, 1797, in Doug- lass township, Berks County, on the "Mauger Farm," becoming the owner thereof in fee-sim- ple March 24, 1826, purchasing the same from his father, the aforesaid Henry Mauger. The farm comprises one hundred and sixty-eight acres of the finest and best arable land, beauti- fully located near two railroads, Schuylkill River and canal. Its buildings, although old, are kept in excellent repair, and look neat and tidy, showing skillful and proper management and attention by its owner.

Sarah Mauger, the mother of " D. B.," as he is frequently called, was born April 20, 1802, on the farm of her father, George Bechtel, in Potts- grove township, Montgomery County. John George Bechtel, the father of the Bechtel family in this country, emigrated in the year 1740, and was the great-great-grandfather of D. B. Mau- ger.

EXETER TOWNSHIP.

ERECTION OF TOWNSHIP .- In the erection of Oley township by the establishment of the boundary lines, in 1741, over fifty families (who had settled to the southwest) were ex- cluded. A petition was therefore presented to court, at Philadelphia, on September 7, 1741, setting forth that they had been left out, and

973

TOWNSHIPS OF COUNTY.

praying that the " south part of Oley " should be erected into a township. The petitioners were

James Boone.

Peter Huyett.

Benjamin Boone.

Peter Higo.

John Boone.

Ezekiel Mathias.

John Hughes.

Roger Rogers.

William Hughes.

Joseph Brown.

Francis Yarnall.

Jacob Vetter.

Peter Yarnall.

Ellis Hughes.

Michael Waren.

Squire Boone.

The court ordered the district to be exam- ined, according to the draft presented, to ascer- tain whether or not it interfered with any other township, and the surveyor-general, Wil- liam Parsons, certified that the lines did not interfere ; whereupon, on December 7, 1741, the tract of land inclosed was erected into a township by the name of " Exeter," within the following bounds : "Beginning by the river Schuylkill at the upper end of Burgeon Bird's land; thence N. 33 E., 87 perches ; S. 57 E., 70 ps. ; N. 33 E., 1154 ps. ; and N. 70 E., 400 ps. to a road commonly called Hans Snyder's road; thence along said road to Amity township line, a distance of 1208 ps .; thence S. 20 W., 1160 ps. to Schuylkill River, and thence up the river 1760 ps. to the beginning." The lines inclosed about 13,500 acres. The survey of the lines on the draft, presented with the petition was made by George Boone, Esq.

EARLY LAND GRANTS .- In August, 1682, Penn granted to John Millington, of Shrews- bury, England, a baker, five hundred acres, to be located in Pennsylvania. Millington's in- terest became vested in Ralph Asheton, of Philadelphia, and, in November, 1730, Asheton granted two hundred and fifty acres, adjoining the Swedes' tract, to Squire Boone, of Philadel- phia County, father of the famous Kentucky pioneer, Colonel Daniel Boone.

The "London Company " (consisting of Tobias Collet, Daniel Quair and Henry Gold- ney) took np a tract of one thousand acres on the east side of the river ; the warrant was is- sued October 18, 1716. Penn, in 1699, had granted to this company sixty thousand acres in Pennsylvania. The one thousand acres were taken in part thereof, and on November 9, 1717, the patent was issued. In February,

1718, the company granted their right to An- drew Robeson, then of Roxbury township, in Philadelphia County. This tract became vested in Mordecai Lincoln, the elder, in May, 1730, and he devised it to his two sons, Mordecai1 and Thomas, and a posthumous son, who was named Abraham. The latter became promi- nent in the political history of Berks County.

George Boone, Esq., took up a tract of four hundred acres in this district, along the Monoc- acy Creek, in 1718.

The Levan family have occupied a prominent position in this township for one hundred and fifty years, having, during this time, owned a large area of farming land where the members of that family are now located. They gave much encouragement to the Schwartzwald Church by liberal contributions.

The Ritter and Herbein families have also been prominent for many years.

PIONEER OF KENTUCKY .- Daniel Boone, the famous Kentucky pioneer, was born in this township on October 22, 1733, on a farm

1 Careful inquiry within the last five years has fully de- veloped the Lincoln genealogy. Mordecai Lincoln, the President's great-great-grandfather, was a resident in the Quaker settlement at Oley, in Berks County, Pa., before 1735, and died and was buried there. He came from Massachusetts originally, and lived for a time in New Jersey. About May, 1736, he died, and about 1750, at the same time when the Boones and the Hanks set off from the same neighborhood for the South, his son John re- moved with his family to the Shenandoah Valley, Rock- ingham County, Va. From there his son, Abraham, re- moved into Kentucky, in 1782, and was killed by the In- dians, leaving three sons, of whom Thomas, the youngest, was the father of the President.

Nancy Hank, the wife of Thomas Lincoln, and the mother of the President, was a descendant, probably the granddaughter, of that John Hank who left Berks County, also, about 1750, and settled ultimately in Virginia, in Rockingham County. She is said to have been in her youth a woman of beauty. She was by nature refined, and of more than ordinary intellect. Her friends spoke of her as being a person of marked and decided character. She was unusually intelligent, reading all the books she could obtain. She taught her husband, as well as her son Abraham, to read and write. She was a woman of deep religious feeling, of the most exemplary character, and most tenderly and affectionately devoted to her family. She could not only kill the wild game of the woods, but she could also dress it, and make of the skins clothes for her family, and prepare the flesh for food .- Arnold's " Life of Abraham Lincoln."

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HISTORY OF BERKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

which is about one mile north of Baumstown. His father, Squire Boone, then owned and occupied the farm, having bought it in Nov- ember, 1730. The dwelling in which he was born is still standing, though much enlarged and improved. He and his father and family left the township in 1750 and migrated to North Carolina ; and thence, some years after- ward (1769), he led a party into the unknown regions of Western Virginia, " beyond the

BIRTHPLACE OF DANIEL BOONE.

mountains," where he distinguished himself by his boldness, his experiences with the Indians, his narrow escapes and his successful career as a pioneer. His life in that early period of our great country has made him the most conspic- uous person in the first steps of our civilization westward of the Allegheny Mountains. He died at Charette village, in Missouri, on Sep tember 26, 1820, aged eighty-six years, eleven months, four days. 1

TAXABLES OF 1759. - The following list comprises the names of the taxables of the town- ship in 1759. Total amount of tax then levied was £76 2s. 6d. Peter Huet was the collector :

John F. Watson made the first published statement that Daniel Boone was born in Berks County. This was in a paper read by him before the Pennsylvania Histori- cal Society, at Philadelphia, on May 17, 1858. Dr. Peter G. Bertolet has made the same statement in his manu- script of "Oley and Vicinity " deposited with the Histori- cal Society mentioned (written in 1860). Colonel Nicho- las Jones, of Reading, publishes a very interesting and conclusive letter on this subject in the Reading Times and Dispatch on October 28, 1879. The author published an article to the same effect in the Historical Register, issued at Harrisburg, September, 1884.

€

Martin Alstadt.

John Aurandt 7

Deter Kerby 8

Mordecai Lincoln 10

Thomas Lincoln

Paul Leffel 1

Isasc Levan 33

Isaac Brubaker

John Bishop.

Christopher Boyer

John Bower

Paul Bridercum

James Boone,

Peter Matis 17

William Maugridge 15

Val. Messersmith 20

George Messersmith

Ulrick Moone,

Jacob Bower 16

Philip Near 2

Peter Null

Adamı Bolich 2

Frederick Nackel

Henry Oder.

Robert Patterson

Stephen Crider 2

Frederick Celler.

· Francie Ritter 24

Peter Rine 7

Jacob Rawn 15

William Russel 2

Michael Sister 7

John Suck 10

Peter Smith. 6

Godfred Grin

Adam Gearrit

George Garrit

Christopher Sheath

Jacob Huet.

Widow Sheffer

George Hart.

Henry Slye.

Daniel Hart

Henry Stu cker 1

Jacob Hisler. 5

Henry Thompson 6

Leonard High

John Thompson, 8

John Hughes .. 27

Jacob Willear 13

Samuel Hughes 10

Martin Waltz. 2

Edward Hughes, 6

John Webb 20

Nicholas Herner.

Joseph Webb 2

Rudolph Heckler 22

Frederick Wallick 6

Henry Herner. 8

Christian Weeke 10

William Henton. 2

John Wainwright. 3

Peter Hint. 10

Adam Young. 12

George Hinton 10

Jacob Yoder 12

Henry Kerson.

Jacob Young.

Single Men.

Adam Barnet.

John Modling.

John Beacley.

William Patterson.

John Boone.

Nathan Pugh.

Engle Boyer.

George Rutter.

John Collier.

Philip Statler.

Frederick Herner.

Frederick Wallick.

Francis Kerston.

Abraham Lincoln.

William Kerby

George Albright 1

Joseph Boone 16

Joseph Brown. 4

Godfried Baker. 1

Michael Ludwig 18

Lenhart Lebo, 10

Abraham Levan 15

Philip Louderlock 4

Henry Leace, 2

William Boone 15

Benjamin Boone 16

Peter Beacley 6

Jacob Beacley 16

Henry Boyer

Henry Caknate 2

Conrad Cealler 3

Thomas Payne 9

Daniel Conrad

Jonathan Price 3

Paul Durst

Robert Dickey

Morris Ellis, 12

Christopher Frederick. 4

Peter Fisher

John Fullwiler 10

Jacob Scharer 8

Peter Snider 14

James Webb.

INDUSTRIES .- The water-power of Antietam Creek, for the first half-dozen miles in its course through the township, was formerly well improved, and a few important industries still remain. Near the Alsace line is the old Hill mill, now operated by John Wanner, which has produced flour for half a century. A short distance below John Breiner had a stone paper-mill. He then lived in the upper part of the building. Afterward the building was used to bore rifles. No manufacturing is

975

TOWNSHIPS OF COUNTY.

done at present at the place. Immediately be- low, Philip Moyer had a tilt-hammer, to which was added a forge by Solomon Seidel and both were carried on a number of years. Gottlieb Moyer was the last owner. The power has been entirely vacated. Benjamin Custer had a fulling-mill at the power below, also carding and making coarse cloths. A saw-mill was operated at the same place, but the power has long since been idle. The paper-mill of Abra- ham Keller was operated by the power below this point, and, after a time, it was made to work the machinery of a carding-mill for Jacob Brumbach. When owned by William Brum- bach it was burned down and rebuilt, when it was converted into an oil-mill. Afterward it was used as a hat-factory by the Hendels and John Yerger. It has stood idle the past few years. The site below was also occupied by an oil-mill, belonging to Jacob and Adam Breiner, and becoming the property of Adam Johnson, a small foundry was established, which was oper- ated by him some time. In 1854 Jacob Gries- emer converted it into a grist-mill, and a saw- mill was added, and steam-power was afterward supplied. The mills are now operated by James Griesemer. Below the place where the Oley pike crosses the creek, Daniel Guldin had a carding-mill, the power of which was after- ward used to operate a hat-factory for Abraham Stauffer ; but no work has been done the past few years, the building being unoccupied. Close by a large glue-factory was established in 1878 by Joseph and Daniel Levan, which is still successfully operated by them. The Philip Housin mill was on the creek at the next lower power. Becoming the property of William Brumbach, it was converted into a woolen- factory, and as such operated until it was burned down some twenty years ago, when the present "St. Lawrence Woolen-Mills" were erected by Albert J. Brumbach, the present proprietor. It is a large two-story stone build- ing, supplied with superior improved machinery for making all kinds of woolen fabrics and yarns. The motive-power is water and steam and thirty operatives are employed. The name " St. Lawrence " arose from a grade of goods manufactured there. This property has been

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History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 161

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846 Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards Number of Pages: 1418

Author: Montgomery, Morton L. (Morton Luther), b. 1846
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts, Peck & Richards
Number of Pages: 1418