History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 95

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

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elected associate judge of the courts of Berks County in 1856, re-elected in 1861 and served two full terms with great acceptance to the people. Judge Schall was married to Catharine Endy. Their children are George Schall, now warden of Montgomery County Prison ; Amelia, married to Colonel William Trexler ; John W. Schall, recorder of deeds of Montgomery County for eight years and Colonel of the Eighty-seventh Regiment of Pennsylvania Volunteers during the war, and married to Mary Hoover; William A. Schall, captain of Company H, Sixty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, and married to Mary B. High ; D). Horace Schall, a justice of the peace in Washington township and lieutenant Company H, Forty-second Regiment Pennsylvania Volun- teers, married to Mary Fogel; Alfred A. Schall, married to Emma Mohr ; Hannah V., Emeline K, and Mary L. Schall. He died January 22, 1877, aged nearly seventy-six years. He was a man of enterprise and public spirit and exerted a high and wide social and political influence in the county.

GEORGE D. STITZEL .- The ancestor of the Stitzel family in Berks County was John Stitzel, who was born at Stuttgart, in Würtemburg, Ger- many, and as a young man, emigrated to this country, landing September 14, 1753, at Philadelphia. His passage was made on a sailing-vessel, “ Eden- berg," from Rotterdam, James Russel, captain. From Philadelphia he proceeded immediately to Oley township, in Berks County, where he was hired out to service for several years to pay the cost of his passage over the sea. Upon obtain- ing his freedom from this service he was mar- ried to a young woman, whose family name was Ludwig and who was a farmer's daughter, residing near by in the same township. By in- dustry and economy in the pursuit of farming he subsequently became the owner of a small farm situated in the upper section of the township, near the " Oley Furnace." He died ou this farm, and left to survive him five sons and a daughter, namely : Jacob, Adam, Ludwig, George and John, and Cevilla, who some years afterwards died unmarried.

George Stitzel, the fourth of the sons named, was born on the homestead in Oley township. When a young man he was regularly apprenticed to the

trade of a blacksmith, his brothers having likewise been apprenticed to trades. This was done in pur- suance of a custom that then prevailed, notwith- standing the common vocation of farming-for all young men were expected to learn a mechanical trade of some kind. He was married to Sarah Hoch (High), of Oley, and in 1783 they together settled in Richmond township, where he purchased and carried on successfully for a number of years a farm of one hundred and ninety acres. In that early period, about the year 1800, grain was sold at low prices and had to be transported to Phila- delphia in wagons to find a market. His wife having died shortly after settling in Richmond township, he married a second wife, named Elizabeth Hoch (High), a distant relative of his first wife, the daughter of Rudolph Hoch, a farmer of the same township. He left four children,- John, Henry, Magdalena (married to Gideon High) and George.

Henry Stitzel, the second of the sons last named, was born in Richmond township, on the homestead, in 1787. He was married to Catharine Deisher, daughter of Abraham Deisher, who was a farmer in Maiden-creek township, and whose father was one of the earliest settlers in that section of the county. Shortly after his marriage he moved to Washington County, Md., near Hagerstown, where he remained a number of years engaged extensively in farming operations. Whilst there he owned a number of slaves, according to a custom of all farmers in that State; but being conscientiously opposed to slavery, he eventually exchanged his farm and slaves for a large farm in Franklin County, Pa., whither he then removed. He carried on the latter plantation successfully for some time, but being persuaded to return to Berks County, he sold the premises and took possession of the homestead. Here he carried on farming till his death, in 1833. Upon his return he interested himself in the cause of education. He established a school upon his farm, and induced a teacher named John P. Daniels, a resident of the Trappe, to come to Berks County and carry on teaching. This was the first English teacher in Richmond township. English teaching was continued till 1833. The term was through the winter. His wife died in Maryland in 1820. He afterward married Esther Hill, a widow and a sister of his

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first wife. At his death, in 1833, he left six children,-Abaline, married to George W. Wily ; Tysher ; Hannah M., married to David Neff; Mary A., married to Dr. James M. Mathews ; George D. and John D.

George Deisher Stitzel, the second son of Henry Stitzel, and the subject of this biographical sketch, was born in Washington County, Md., on March 5, 1822. When his father returned to Berks County he was yet a boy. He attended the English

as captain of the " Monroe Troop." He served this position for a full term of seven years, not missing a single day in the performance of his duties at the frequent military exercises of the company. These were conducted at different places in the upper eastern section of the county and also in Lehigh County, selected by a vote of the company.

In 1845, in his twenty-third year, he was elected | justice of the peace of Richmond township, and

Geo. D. Sfizet

school taught by teacher Daniels, till it was dis- continued, in 1833; and afterward, for several years, during the winter season, was a pupil in the Friends' school, in Maiden-creek township, an in- stitution which was recognized for its excellence under the direction of the Friends. Upon leaving school he directed his attention to farming. Before attaining his majority he became interested in the militia system, which was then in its most active state, and in 1842 he was elected and commissioned

after serving the term of five years he was re- elected for a second term ; then residing in Maiden- creek township, to which he had then removed. In connection with this local office he carried on surveying and conveyancing. In 1856, a year after his second term as a justice of peace had ex- pired, he was nominated associate judge of the county upon the Democratic ticket and elected for the term of five years and re-elected in 1861 for a second term. During the latter term the Civil

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War broke out. In the excitement and commotion that ensued he was instrumental, with other prominent officials and influential citizens, in creating a proper spirit in the Democratic County (which was opposed to the Republican administra- tion), towards encouraging the prosecution of the war for the Union. The influence of such men in the time of a crisis in our affairs such as the war from 1861 to 1865 is most powerful.

Judge Stitzel moved to Reading in 1858 to ac commodate the wishes of the bar and the require- ments of his office, his associate on the bench, Hon. David Schall, being a resident of Washington township, at Dale Forge, in the iron business. Whilst residing in Maiden-creek township he in- terested himself in the construction of the East Pennsylvania Railroad. He was one of the pro- jectors of this road, and a charter member who proceeded to Harrisburg and obtained its charter ; and upon the organization of the company he was selected as one of the first board of directors, a position which he has held ever since, a period covering nearly thirty years. In 1869 this rail- road was leased to the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company. He then formed a business connection with the latter company, which has been continued till date, acting as its real estate agent and supervising particularly all its farm properties. In this position he has been very successful in the adjustment of land damages, a position requiring the exercise of rare judgment and thorough ob- servation of men and things.

In 1870 he united with several prominent husi- ness men of Reading in forming a local mutual fire insurance company, which was then successfully organized and chartered under the name of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Reading, Pa. He was elected the first president, and he has been re-elected annually to this position. No assessment has been made as yet during the six- teen years of its existence, notwithstanding many buildings were burned on which insurance was carried in this company, and the losses were satis- fied. This is evidence of most admirable manage- ment. He is now (1886), a director of the First National Bank of Reading.

In 1866, Judge Stitzel became a member of the Reading Relief Society, and from that time till now, a period covering twenty years, he has been

actively interested in its management, whereby the poor people of this community have been afforded much relief annually during the winter season. He acted for a time as secretary of the society, and in 1870 he succeeded Lewis Briner in the presi- dency, which office he has held annually. During this time, in 1874, the society erected a fine two- story brick building in which to hold its meetings and carry on its noble work of charity. Its erec- tion is attributable principally to his encourage- ment and energy. He is one of the three members of the local Board of Public Charities, appointed to investigate and report upon the condition of our prison and poor-house. In 1874 he was elected as a trustee of the Charles Evans Cemetery Company, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of the Hon. J. Pringle Jones, since which time he has taken an active part in its management.

Having been born and reared on a farm, and being practically interested in farming operations, first as the owner of three large and flourishing farms in this county (including the Stitzel home- stead, in Richmond township), and as the superin- tendent of all the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad Company farms, it was natural for him to become thoroughly interested in a society for the successful consideration and direction of farming operations. The Berks County Agricultural Society has received his encouragement for many years. At the last annual meeting he was elected president of the society for the year 1886 ; and he has been prominently connected with the Fruit- growers' Association of Pennsylvania since 1873, having served as president during the last five years, till 1886, when he declined re-election.

The various positions filled by Judge Stitzel indicate a man of superior ability and of thorough integrity, and the people have not been slow in recognizing and appreciating these qualities. He has not only filled public positions, but also numerous private positions of trust and responsi- bility, having acted as executor, administrator and trustee in the settlement of nearly a hundred estates, which involved the distribution of not less than two millions of dollars. His recognized ability and integrity in this respect was so highly appreciated by the Hon. Warren J. Woodward that he was appointed executor of his large estate, comprising property of various kinds, with un-

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limited discretionary power for its adjustment in effecting distribution, as in the last will directed. He was married to Amanda, daughter of George Weidenhamer, Maiden Creek township, by whom he had two daughters, both of whom are deceased.

CHARLES KESSLER was born at Reading in the year 1805, and died of apoplexy December 26, 1871. Few men were better known to the citi- zens of Berks County than he. When a youth he entered the office of the Reading Adler, when that paper was published by his father, Charles

which, by patient labor and research, he accumu- lated a valuable collection of insects. He also took a great interest in agriculture, was one of the originators of the Berks County Agricul- tural and Horticultural Society and for many years the president of it. He was a successful fruit-grower, and many choice varieties of apples, peaches, pears and grapes were introduced into this county through his personal efforts. He was a leader in the Democratic party for many years, and a man of undoubted ability and integrity.

DAVID KUTZ.

Kessler, and his uncle, Hon. John Ritter. Soon after attaining his majority he was promoted to the position of translator and associate editor of the paper. Much of the influence and popularity afterwards obtained by that journal was due to his untiring energy. He became part owner of the Adler in 1852, sole proprietor a few years later and continued so until 1864. In 1866 he was elected associate judge of the courts of Berks County, served in that office until 1871, his term of service expiring only a few weeks before his death. Judge Kessler spent much of his leisure time in the study of the sciences, and was es- pecially devoted to the study of entomology, in

DAVID Kurz was born in 1798, in Maxatawny township, Berks County. He was brought up in agricultural pursuits and resided all his life at the family homestead, adjoining Kutztown (which place was named after his ancestors), one of the best cultivated and most productive farms in the county. He was a true type of the Pennsylvania German character. In him was combined in an eminent degree all the qualities of industry, fru- gality, sturdy independence and inflexible honesty, which distinguish that valuable class of citizens. He had a general acquaintance throughout the county. His sterling integrity and sound judg- ment commanded the confidence of the citizens of

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Berks County in the highest degree. He mani- fested a deep interest in public affairs, and he was always active in political matters. He labored earnestly to strengthen the organization and pro- mote the welfare of the Democratic party, the principles of which he was a firm advocate. Am- bition never tempted him to take office merely for the sake of office. He accepted only such local positions as afforded him the opportunity to serve his fellow-citizens, and such services he performed with recognized fidelity. He figured prominently at numerous County Conventions. He officiated as county commissioner in 1838-39-40 and subse- quently as one of the Board of Prison Inspectors by appointment from the Court of Quarter Sessions for fifteen years, from 1853 to 1868, having served as president of that body for a time. In the fall of 1866 he was elected associate judge of Berks County for the term of five years, and whilst serving in that capacity he died, on the 20th of July, 1870, in his seventy-third year. In private as in public life Judge Kutz was distinguished for his high moral character.

HENRY RHOADS was born in Amity township, Berks County, June 2, 1802. He came to Read- ing when a young man, and after serving a number of years as clerk in the prothonotary's office he began the study of the law in the office of Samuel Baird, Esq. He was admitted to the bar April 3, 1832. In 1836 he was appointed clerk of the Or- phans' Court by Governor Ritner and served from 1836 to 1838. He officiated as postmaster at Read- ing during President Taylor's administration, and served as associate judge of the county of Berks from August 3, 1870, to December 4, 1871, hav- ing been appointed by Governor Geary to fill the unexpired term of Hon. David Kutz, deceased. He was one of the first school directors of Reading under the common-school system. He acted as superintendent of Christ's Episcopal Sunday- school from 1833 to 1838 and served as member of the vestry for many years. He was an Old- Line Whig, and upon the organization of the Republican party was one of its staunchest ad- herents. He was a partner, in 1838, with John S. Richards, Esq., in the publication of the Berks and Schuylkill Journal. While at the bar he for a time enjoyed the largest Orphans' Court practice in Berks County. He died February 15, 1881,

aged nearly eighty years. His father, Daniel Rhoads, was register of wills of Berks County from 1818 to 1820 and 1824 to 1829. He mar- ried Sarah, daughter of Charles Bushar, of Read- ing, by whom he had six children,-Charles B. (deceased), John H., George B., Louisa B., Charles B. and Daniel P. George B. Rhoads, the third son, was captain in the Union army, and was killed at Petersburg, Va.

GEORGE W. BRUCKMAN was born in Reading, and has resided in this place all of his life. His father, Carl A. Bruckman, emigrated from Amsterdam, Holland, located in Reading early in life, learned the printer's trade, and for a time published a German newspaper known as Read- inger Postbote. He received his education in the schools of Reading, then served an apprenticeship to the plasterer's trade and followed that business for ten years Then he became clerk to the county com- missioners and served in that position for ten years. He acted as deputy prothonotary for three years, from 1851 to 1854, under Dr. Charles H. Hunter; served as city treasurer during the years 1857-58, and officiated as teller in Bushong's Bank for a time. In 1871 he was elected associate judge of the county of Berks and served one full term of five years. He was one of the last two associate judges in the county, the office having been ahol- ished . by the Constitution of 1873, during his term of service. He is living in retirement at Reading.

DANIEL BUSKIRK is a descendant from ancestors who emigrated from Holland, his grandfather hav- ing been Marmaduke Van Buskirk, a soldier of the Revolution, who resided in New York. He had three sons,-John, Jacob and Joseph. Jacob Van Buskirk was born on the 4th of July, 1783, in New York City, and removed to Colebrookdale township, Berks County, where he engaged in agricultural pursuits. He married Catherine, daughter of Sebastian Koch, a soldier of the Rev- olution and a resident of the same township. Their children are John, Daniel, Mary (mar- ried to Peter Heffner), Catherine (married to Joseph Scheidt) and Jacob, all of whom are still living.

Daniel Buskirk was born on the 13th of Janu- ary, 1816, in Colebrookdale township. He re- moved to Pricetown at an early age, where he spent

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the greater part of his youth. His advantages and he still holds that office by re-election. This repeated re-election evinces the high respect and confidence of his fellow-citizens. He has ever been a firm adherent to the principles of the Democratic party. During the past forty years he has exerted a high and beneficial influence in his section of the county. He has frequently acted as a fiduci- ary in the settlement of estates, performing the duties of executor, trustee and administrator with of education were limited, but he took advantage of those at command. He then learned the trade of a moulder at the Oley Furnace and was engaged in that occupation for seven years in Berks and Northampton Counties and in Warren County, N. J. Upon returning to Pricetown he was elected, in 1841, to the office of justice of the peace in Ruscomb-manor township, when he abandoned his trade and directed his entire attention to the | marked satisfaction and success. He is a member

Daniel BuskinAl

duties of his office until 1855, having been twice re-elected. He then received the nomination for and was elected to the office of register of wills of Berks County. On the expiration of his term of three years he was again elected a justice of the peace, and he continued to hold this office by re- election till 1871, when he was elevated to associ- ate judge of the county. He filled this honorable position very creditably for a term of five years. During his term of service the office was abolished by the Constitution of 1873. In 1877 he was again chosen justice of the peace of the township

and was for a time an elder and a trustee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church at Pricetown.

Judge Buskirk was also actively and success- fully engaged in farming operations for many years. Having retired from this pursuit his sev- eral farms in the township are carried on by his sons. Judge Buskirk was married in 1838 to Re- becca S., daughter of Jacob S. Keller, of Ruscomb- manor township. His children are William, Daniel (now deceased), Hiram, Ephraim, Jacob (now deceased), James and Rebecca (now de- ceased). His wife died August 28th, 1882.

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ATTORNEYS-AT-LAW.

JAMES READ was born in Philadelphia and came to Reading at an early period in his history and, by appointment from the Provincial Gov- ernor, filled the county offices of prothonotary, recorder, register, clerk of Orphans' Court and clerk of the Court of Quarter Sessions continuously from the time of the organization of Berks County, in 1752, till 1776. He was one of the first attor- neys admitted to the bar at Reading, and also practiced his profession whilst filling the offices named. The official records are in his own hand- writing and indicate that he was a man of careful habits. He officiated as one of the justices of the county courts under the Provincial Government, and served as a member of the Supreme Executive Council for two terms, from 1779 to 1782 and from 1788 to 1791. Under the constitution of 1776 he was elected in 1783 as a Censor to repre- sent Berks County in the Council of Censors who were " to inquire whether the Constitution was preserved inviolate in every part." The numer- ous positions filled by him indicate that he was a man of recognized ability.

JAMES BIDDLE was one of the first attorneys of the Berks County bar and began practicing imme- diately after the erection of the county and the or- ganization of the courts in 1752. He was a de- scendant of William Biddle, who accompanied William Penn to America. For a time he held the office of Deputy Prothonotary and Deputy Judge of the Court of Admiralty for the district of Pennsylvania. After the adoption of the State Constitution of 1790, he was appointed to the office of President Judge of the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, the duties of which he discharged with signal ability and integrity, until his death in 1797. He was the father of Marks John Biddle.

EDWARD BIDDLE .- One of the earliest attorneys at Reading. (See sketch in chapter on “ Revolu- tion").

JAMES WHITEHEAD, JR., was one of the earliest lawyers at Reading. In 1766 he drew the peti- tion which was addressed to the Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, praying for the estab- lishment of Reading into a market town. This was signed by many prominent citizens and the charter was granted at the time requested.

COLLINSON READ, one of the first lawyers of the

Berks County bar, who attained prominence for legal learning, died in Reading March 1, 1815, aged sixty-three years. He was admitted to the bar August 13, 1772, and soon thereafter became one of the leaders of his profession in this section of the State. He had an extensive knowledge of the Latin, Greek, French and German languages, and was well versed in general literature. He was possessed of great tenderness of heart, gentleness of manners and cheerfulness of disposition, and was one of the pioneer lawyers, well known for his integrity and ability. These excellent qualities won for him many friends and patrons among the early settlers of Berks County.

DANIEL C. CLYMER was born in Philadelphia, April 6, 1748, and having lost his father at an early age, he was brought up and educated by his uncle, Gen. Daniel Roberdeau, who became a dis- tinguished officer in the Revolutionary army. He was sent to Princeton College and graduated in 1766; and upon returning to Philadelphia he there studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1768.

When the Revolution broke out he enlisted as an Associator ; joined the company of Captain John Little in the Second Battalion of Phila- delphia Militia, and was elected First Lieutenant. In June, 1775, he was appointed by Congress one of the signers of Bills of Credit for $2,000,000; and again in March, 1776, for $4,000,000. In April, 1776, he was appointed to the command of the Rifle Battalion of Philadelphia, having been commissioned on April 8, 1776, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. In July, 1776, he was one of the delegates from Philadelphia to the Convention of Association, which assembled at Lancaster, for the purpose of electing a Brigadier-General. He acted as secretary, and his uncle, Daniel Rober- deau, was elected. In 1777 he served as a Com- missioner of Claims in the Treasury Department of the United Colonies. During the closing years of the Revolution he removed to Reading and practiced his profession in Berks and the adjoin- ing counties. He was admitted to the bar at Reading, May 4, 1776, doubtless at that time for special business. About the time of his removal to Reading, in 1782, he was married to Mary Weidner, a daughter of Peter and Susan Weid- ner, of Berks County. His wife died in 1802, aged

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History of Berks county in Pennsylvania, Part 95

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