History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 71

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

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tion on the following day, and passed resolu- tions highly complimentary to him. His body was buried in the Episcopal burying-ground, and subsequently removed to Charles Evans' Cemetery.

JACOB KNABB .- Michael Knabb was born at Pfeldersheim, in Pfalz, a Rhenish province of Bavaria (which formerly belonged to France, and was restored to Bavaria in 1813), on the 17th day of April, 1717. He emigrated to this country, as near as can be ascer- tained, about the year 1737, in company with his two brothers, John and Peter, and settled in Oley township, on the farm now occupied by Samnel B. Knabb, near the line of Exeter township. The old house was destroyed by fire in the winter of 1816-17, and the pres- ent house erected in the summer of the same year. A family grave-yard near the dwelling contains the remains of the three brothers and a number of their descendants. These are the only persons of this name who are known to have at any time emigrated from Europe to America. John died single, in the forty-eighth year of his age. Peter died in the seventy- fourth year of his age, and his descendants are now very numerous, most of them residing in Berks County.

Michael Knabb was married to Eve Magda- lena Seltzer, only child of Jacob and Elizabeth Seltzer, of Heidelberg township, on the 11th day of March, 1755. He died June 17, 1778, in the sixty-second year of his age, and was buried in the family grave-yard in Oley town- ship. Eight children survived him,-Nicholas, Peter, Jacob, Daniel, Susan, Sarah, Catharine and Mary.

Jacob Knabb, the third son of Michael Knabb, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Oley township in 1771. In 1800 he was married to Hannah Yoder, a daughter of Daniel Yoder, who was a son of John Yoder, of Oley township. The Yoder family in this county descended from John (Hansel) Yoder, a Huguenot, who emigrated with his brother, Yost Yoder, from Switzerland in the early part of the eighteenth century on account of religious persecution, proceeding first to England and thence to Pennsylvania, where they were

amongst the early settlers of Oley township. Johu settled on a tract adjoining Pleasantville about 1720, and their descendants in the direct line have continued till now, a period covering one hundred and sixty years. He had married in Switzerland and brought his wife with him. They had six children, amongst them John Yoder, who was the grandfather of Hannah Yoder. John Yoder was married to a daughter of Martin Schenkel, and had two sons, Daniel and Jacob. Jacob migrated from Oley to Ohio at au early period and was the first person who went down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in a flat-boat. Daniel remained in Oley and was married to Margaret Oyster and had eight chil- dren,-Hannah, Daniel, Martin, Catharine, Mary, John, Margaret and David. Catharine, married to William Willman, lived to reach the surprising age of ninety-nine years.

Jacob Knabb, soon after his marriage with Hannah Yoder, moved to Union township and there carried on farming successfully. He died in February, 1825, leaving to survive him six children,-Daniel, George, Jacob, Margaret, Catharine and Hannah. His wife died previ- onsly, in August, 1824.

Jacob Knabb, the youngest of the sons named and the subject of this biographical sketch, was born in Union township on August 21, 1817. His parents died when he was only seven years old, and until his eleventh year he was sent to the pay schools which the township afforded, having lived during this time with an elder sister. He then apprenticed himself to the busi- ness of printing under George Getz, in the office of the Berks and Schuylkill Journal, and continued there till Mr. Getz transferred the newspaper and printing establishment to David F. Gordon, Esq., which terminated his appren- ticeship. Being desirous of extending his edu- cation, he then took a course of study for a year at the Lititz School, and subsequently another year at Lafayette College, and afterwards till 1840 he was engaged at printing, part of the time at Reading and the remainder at Harris- burg. Whilst at the latter place he was in the office of the Harrisburg Telegraph, at which the printing for the State was theu done. The Colonial Records were being printed at this

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establishment and he held the position of fore- man for a time.

In 1840 Mr. Knabb, with J. Lawrence Getz as co-partner, began the publication of an Eng- lish weekly newspaper at Reading which they entitled Reading Gazette. He was interested in the publication of this paper till 1843, when he sold his share in the enterprise and removed to Harrisburg, where, in 1844, he began a cam- paign paper entitled the Clay Bugle, and pub-

with himself and conducted the newspaper under the firm-name of J. Knabb & Co. In 1869 his firm purchased the Reading Daily Times and several years afterward the Evening Dispatch, consolidating the two under the title Reading Times and Dispatch. They have published these two papers-daily and weekly-till now, with increasing success. In 1881 he erected the fine, commodious and substantial four-story brick building which the firm is occupying in

Jacole Knall

lished it during the Clay and Polk Presidential campaign, giving it a popularity and success equal to any other Whig paper issued in the State.

In January, 1845, Mr. Knabb became the editor of the Berks and Schuylkill Journal, a well-established Whig paper at Reading, and some years after its proprietor. He has coutin- ued its regular and successful publication from that time till now, a period covering forty-one years. In 1866 he associated two co-partners

conducting their business of publication and printing. He has occupied this locality without change for over thirty years.

Mr. Knabb, upon attaining his majority, be- came a Whig in politics. From that time till now he has been prominently identified with the Whig and the Republican parties, acting for some years as chairman of the County Republi- can Committee. In 1860 he was a delegate to the Chicago Convention, from the Berks Dis- trict, which nominated Abraham Lincoln for

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president. In the matters of protection to home industry, of general education through the com- mon-school system and of local and internal improvements he has been a firm believer, giving them through the Journal and the Times un- qualified recognition and encouragement. The " Reading Library " has received his active assistance for many years, being now, and hav- ing been for some time, one of its managers. Its collection of books was in his old printing establishment, No. 11 N. Sixth Street, from the time when they were removed from the " Reading Academy " building till they were placed in its present building-Library Hall. He was a fearless advocate for upholding the government in its great efforts to sustain the Union during the terrible convulsions of civil strife. In this period, under the administration of President Lincoln, he held the office of post- master of Reading ; and in 1876 he was the Presidential elector from this Congressional dis- trict to the college which cast its ballot for Hayes, President, and Wheeler, Vice-President. His prominence in local politics won for him the recognition of the national and State admin- istrations in the distribution of political patron- age during the twenty-five years that the Re- publican party was in power. The leaders of the party were his associates, including such prominent men as John S. Richards, Levi B. Smith, William M. Baird, Jacob Hoffman, Dr. Diller Luther, Dr. Edward Wallace, G. A. Nicolls, Isaac Eckert, Edward Brooke, A. F. Boas, Alexander P. Tutton and Henry S. Kupp. These were men distinguished for large intelli- gence, experience and influence. Such were, indeed, necessary in an agitated condition of the community during the Civil War; but they were equal to the occasion of preserving its equanimity and of directing its thoughts and feelings towards subserving the public wel- fare.

In 1878 Mr. Knabb, with Mr. William H. Levan, of Schuylkill Haven, as a traveling companion, made an extended tour through Great Britain, France, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, visiting all the places of importance in these several old and historic countries. In the course of his travels he forwarded numerous

interesting letters, which were published in the Times and Journal. They were highly appre- ciated by the community for their clear and sententious style and their valuable information, and the general interest in them grew to such an extent that he was invited to issue them in book- form, but he modestly declined to gratify this desire of many friends.

In 1856 he published the first "Directory of Reading." This volume is rare and valuable, after the lapse of thirty years. It affords abun- dant evidence of his enterprise in behalf of serving the public. It contains a large collec- tion of valuable information relating to Reading of that period, including a complete list of the taxable inhabitants of the several wards of the borough for the year 1806.

Mr. Knabb was married in 1846 to Ellen C., daughter of Machiavel Andrews, a lady highly esteemed for her many excellent qualities, a devoted member of Christ Episcopal Church and to the poor people of Reading a great friend, who was ever solicitous for their relief and welfare. During the Civil War she was par- ticularly active in kindly assistance to the sick soldiers in our local hospital, and in matters pertaining to the Sanitary Fair at Philadelphia, having had charge of one of the departments. She died in 1875, leaving a devoted husband and many sincere friends to mourn her depar- ture. In 1879 he was married to Ellen M., a daughter of Mr. James Jameson, a very success- ful merchant and now the oldest surviving bus- iness man in Reading.

In religious belief, Mr. Knabb is an Episco- palian. He became a member of this church at Reading in 1848, being now one of the oldest surviving members. He is at present, and has been for some years, a vestryman of the church. In character, manner and deportment he is un- assuming and straightforward ; and in his busi- ness and social relations he enjoys the confidence and esteem of the entire community.

JACOB K. STERRETT was born in Union township, Berks County, May 1, 1827. His father, David Sterrett, was a native of Cumber- land County, Pennsylvania, and died in Berks County, in 1833, having previously to his lo- cation here traveled extensively throughout

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the United States, and compiled a dictionary of the Chippewa language.

When thirteen years of age he entered the printing-office of Knabb & Getz, (who then published the Reading Gazette) as an appren- tice, to learn the trade of a printer, and con- tinued in this office till 1845, when he entered the office of the Berks and Schuylkill Journal. After being in this office twenty years he be- came one of the proprietors of the Journal. He continued his business connection with the firm of J. Knabb and Co., publishers of the Journal and Times, till December, 1881, when, on account of ill health, he transferred his in- terest to his son William. He died November 2, 1884. He was a superior printer and an enterprising journalist. During his connection with the Journal and Times he contributed occasionally articles of rare interest. He was particularly fond of local reminiscences, and by the aid of a strong memory and a facile pen, he published a series of historical sketches, which related to the early times of Reading. He was a great reader and became familiar with the standard literature of his time. He was par- tial to the works of Moore, Poe, Irving and Cooper. His nature was of a most genial kind, which won him many friends. Though positive in his actions, he created no enmities.

In the early history of the St. Matthew's Lutheran Church he was one of its vestry- men; and when the Reading Musical Society was in its active existence, previous to 1860, he was a prominent member.

He always resided here in Berks County. For several months about the beginning of the year 1853 he was in South Carolina, engaged as a journeyman printer ou the legislative pro- ceedings of that state.

Mr. Sterrett was an active Republican and took an earnest part in the management of the Republican party in Berks County. He fre- quently represented his district in local conven- tions, and his party here in State and national conventions-having been a delegate to the National Republican Convention which as- sembled at Cincinnati and nominated Hayes. He acted as a jury commissioner of the county for the years 1881 and 1882. During the

Civil War he enlisted twice,-first in Captain Bickley's company, which served in the emer- gency of 1862, and then, in 1863, in Captain Rhoads' company, Forty-second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia. Before the Civil War he took an active part in the mili- tary affairs of the county for some years, hav- ing been a member of the Ringgold Light Ar- tillery, commanded by Captain James Mc- Knight.

Mr. Sterrett was married to Anna M. Arnold, (a daughter of John Arnold, of Reading) in 1855, and had three surviving children,- William, Henry and Ellen.

THOMAS C. ZIMMERMAN, publisher, editor and translator, was born at Lebanon, Pa., on the 23d of January, 1838, and was educated in the common schools of that place. At thirteen years of age he was apprenticed to the printing business in the office of the Lebanon Courier. After the expiration of his apprenticeship he was employed for a short time in the office of the Philadelphia Inquirer, but soon thereafter, January 8, 1856, removed to Reading, where he entered the office of the Berks and Schuylkill Journal as a journeyman printer. He remained here until the fall of 1859, when he went to Columbia, S. C., where he worked on the State laws in the printing establishment of Dr. Robert Gibbs, who subsequently became surgeon- general of the Confederate army. On his way thither, while passing through Virginia, Mr. Zimmerman witnessed the great excitement incident to the John Brown insurrection. While on his way to Richmond he was grossly insulted by a number of Southern soldiers who were on the train, their indignation having been excited by seeing a copy of the New York Tribune in his hands, and which he had been quietly read- ing. During his stay in Columbia, for having expressed sympathy for a poor fellow who had been tarred and feathered for mere opinion sake he, too, was threatened with a like indignity. It was at this time, it should be remembered, that the preliminary legislation looking towards disunion was being formulated. Secession was discussed at all hours of the day and night. Rumors of slave insurrections were rife, pro- clamations summoning the citizens to arms were

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issued and the people were terrified as never before. Northern men were eyed with suspi- cion, and their movements were closely watched. Postal communication with the North was tem- porarily suspended. The Confederate gray cloth, which was afterwards worn so extensively during the war, was being manufactured for the' first time in that city. Peace commissioners were appointed to represent the Southern States at Washington in the interest of general har- mony, and for the uninterrupted preservation of slavery. Soldiers were drilling almost nightly throughout the city. John Brown was burnt in effigy on the streets of Columbia in the pres- ence of the multitude. The excitement was in- tense, and foreshadowed the approaching storm. Even the condemnation of a great wrong like the tarring and feathering of a poor wretch, whose only offense consisted in a justification, among his fellow-workmen, of the John Brown raid, was construed into an evidence of avowed hos- tility to the interests of the South, and indignities of one kind or another were swiftly visited upon such offenders. A single example will illustrate this : One day, while Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Thomas Scott (the latter long a resident of Columbia, and foreman of the State printing- office) were on their way to dinner together, Mr. Scott, addressing Mr. Zimmerman, was over- heard, while passing the guard-house, in a mild denunciation of the tarring and feathering ont- rage which had just been committed. A half- hour had scarce elapsed ere a notice was served by the mayor on Mr. Scott to "leave the town within .forty-eight hours, or take the conse- quences." It is needless to add that he left, Mr. Zimmerman remaining, however, for a short time, but under the added suspicion which such association and presumed sympathy with so grave an offender carried with it towards him in the eyes of Southern people.

In March, 1860, Mr. Zimmerman returned to Reading, and re-entered the office of the Berks and Schuylkill Journal. In May of that year Mr. Jacob Knabb, proprietor of the Journal, was appointed postmaster of Reading. Upon taking possession of the office Mr. Zim- merman became his chief clerk, continuing in this position until the close of Postmaster

Knabb's term, July, 1865. He again returned to the Journal office, and in January following he was admitted as a partner and became asso- ciate editor. From that time till now he has been identified with the publishing firm of J. Knabb & Co. In 1869 the firm became the proprietors of the Reading Daily Times, and in 1871 of the Evening Dispatch, when these two papers were consolidated into the Times and Dispatch. He has been the editor of this daily newspaper ever since.

During the Civil War in 1863, he enlisted in Captain D. G. Rhoads's company, Forty-second Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia.

In the course of his journalistic experience he has visited numerous points of public interest throughout the country. His published letters descriptive of these visits in the Times and Journal were widely copied. One of these- his description of the Luray Caverns in Vir- ginia-was published in pamphlet form, illus- trated, by the proprietors of the Hotel and Cave Company, who printed upwards of sixty thou- sand copies for general circulation. A repre- sentative of the Smithonian Institution prepared about the same time a scientific report of his investigations of this great natural and geological curiosity-the two having been distributed simultaneously by the proprietors of the caverns. Mr. Zimmerman's letter having been reproduced in some of the Richmond papers and other Southern journals, he shortly afterwards re- ceived an invitation to write up the undeveloped resources of Alabanza.

Mr. Zimmerman's Pennsylvania German ex- traction naturally interested him in the capa- bilities of the vernacular, and so, several years ago, he began the translation of poems from the English classics into that dialect. His first attempt, Moore's "'Twas the Night before Christmas," was received with marked favor by the press of the State. Congratulatory letters from prominent men came in from all sides, among them from the late Professor Haldeman (the eminent philologist of the University of Pennsylvania), Hon. Simon Cameron, Governor Hartranft, P. F. Rothermel (painter of the " Battle of Gettysburg"), Pro- fessor Porter (Lafayette College), Professor

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Horne (of Muhlenberg College), and H. L. Fisher, Esq., of York. Other translations from " Barry Cornwall," Tom Hood, Oliver Gold- smith, Heine, the Greek Anthology, etc., fol- lowed. Some of these have been selected and are introduced in this history in the chapter on " Language, Manners and Customs."

During the past year Mr. Zimmerman has made translations from the German classics into the English. These have been received with even greater favor than the translations into the Pennsylvania German. Among the commendations received by him were letters from B. P. Shillaber (" Mrs. Partington "), S. L. Clemens ("Mark Twain") and Dr. Frank Cowan. In all these translations, whether from the English into the Penn- sylvania German, from the Scottish into the same dialect, or from the German into the English, Mr. Zimmerman has shown remark- able aptitude and skill. He not only invariably preserves the exact measure of the original poems, but the rhythmical beat of each syllable with remarkable fidelity. Rarely, indeed, does he resort to the transposition of the author's lines as an easier method of translation, as may be seen in his published efforts in the files of the Times and Journal, where they appear every Saturday in parallel columns. The range of his selections i's extended, and comprehends many of the best lyric productions of the most noted authors. His library of German poetical works, among them twenty-seven volumes from an ad- mirer, resident in Berlin, Germany, is the gift of friends in attestation of the appreciation of the excellence of his efforts at translation.

Mr. Zimmerman has had many tempting offers to relinquish his journalistic work, but in all cases these were declined. A brother editor's opinion of him will serve to show the estimate in which his extraordinary journalistic abilities are held :

arts, as many of his articles attest. He is one of the ablest writers in the old commonwealth. Many of his articles show alike the eye of the artist and the hand of the litterateur." One of Reading's foremost pulpit orators once said, in a published article concerning Mr. Zimmerman's management of the Times: " In his 'History of American Literature,' Professor Nichols says of Edgar A. Poe's poems, 'in their pureness, sim- plicity and sweetness they stand forth from the confusion of their author's life like white nuns in a corrupt and contentious city.' So the editorial conduct of the Reading Times stands forth in this city," etc.

Mr. Zimmerman was married to Tamsie T. Kauffman, of Reading, on June 11, 1867.

Mr. Zimmerman is an ardent lover of nature, and evidently believes, with a distinguished writer and fellow-pedestrian, that " the shining angels second and accompany the man who goes afoot, while all the dark spirits are ever looking out for a chance to ride."

CHRONICLE OF THE TIMES .- This news- paper was instituted by Samuel Myers and Douglass W. Hyde with the title-Chronicle of the Times and Berks and Schuylkill Ad- vertiser. It was an English weekly paper, on a sheet twenty-one by twenty-eight inches, with six columns on each page. The first number was issued on May 9, 1822. In 1823 the latter half of the title was dropped ; with the be- ginning of its tenth year the title was changed to The Reading Chronicle. Robert Johnston had become the proprietor several years pre- viously,-possibly as early as 1826,-there being no file for reference, and therefore I cannot state the time with exactness. On September 27, 1831, Jesse James became the proprietor and editor, issuing his first number of the paper on the 4th of October following. In politics it had been previously devoted to the principles of the Democratic party ; but with the ownership and direction in Mr. James it became, Demo- cratic-Republican. It was conducted in a spirited and successful manner by Mr. James till March 5, 1833, when it was purchased by one of its founders, Douglass W. Hyde, who restored the original title. In November, 1835,

· " Mr. Zimmerman is a writer of force and ability. His writings are pure, easy and grace- ful in diction. He is witty and humorous when occasion demands. In controversy he is gentle- manly at all times, and in argument he is fair and generous to his opponents. He has a genuine taste for literature, poetry and the fine | Lloyd Wharton, Esq., an attorney at Reading,

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became the owner. Mr. Wharton not being able to conduct its publication in connection with his law practice, placed it under the editorial management of William F. Eiseley, a practical printer of Reading. It was issued successfully till the close of the Presidential campaign of 1836, when Mr. Wharton sus- pended its publication and sold the printing establishment, with all its material, to Samuel Myers, who was then publishing the Berks County Press at Reading.

DER READINGER POST-BOTE (The Reading Courier) was a German weekly. It was begun by Charles A. Bruckman on August 3, 1816, in opposition to the Readinger Adler. He con- tinned its publication for ten years with ability and success.

CHARLES A. BRUCKMAN was the son of Carl A. Bruckman, a Saxon, and was born in Amsterdam, in the year 1792, whilst his father was on the way emigrating to this country. He learned the trade of printer under his father at Reading. In 1816 he started a Federal Ger- man newspaper, and conducted its publication for ten years. He was an earnest advocate for the election of Hon. Joseph Hiester for Governor. Subsequently he was a supporter of General Jackson for President. He died in 1828.

JACKSON DEMOCRAT .- About the time the Post-Bote was discontinued, Charles J. Jack in- stituted an English weekly, called the Jackson Democrat. This was during the fall of 1826. But it had a short existence-surviving only several months.

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History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 71

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