USA > Pennsylvania > Cambria County > History of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Volume III > Part 46
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Jacob Shank, grandfather of Jacob Shank, was a farmer by occupa- tion and the proprietor of considerable land in Indiana county, Pennsyl- vania. He married Jemima -, and had children: 1. Lewis, mar- ried Anna Lehman. 2. William, see forward. 3. Charles. 4. George. 5. Jacob. 6. Mary, married Jacob Wissinger.
William Shank, second son and child of Jacob and Jemima Shank, was born in Adams township, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, about 1807, died about 1860. He was engaged in farming operations all his life, and acquired a tract of land of fifty acres, which he cleared of timber and cul- tivated very successfully. He was a member of the Lutheran church, and an earnest worker in that denomination. He married Sarah Wissinger and had children: 1. John, married Rachel Costlow. 2. Barbara, married Daniel Stull. 3. Esther, married Frederick Emigh. 4. Lewis, married Laura Stull. 5. Jacob. see forward. 6. Samuel, married Su- san Miller. 7. Sarah, married Adam J. Fulmer. S. Rachel, died in early youth.
Jacob Shank, third son and fifth child of William and Sarah (Wis- singer) Shank, was born in Adams township, Cambria county, Pennsyl- vania, July 19, 1838. His early years were spent on the farm of his father. and he acquired a fairly good education for those days in the pub- lic schools of the district. He was very young when his father died, but as he had assisted him in the management of the farm, he had a good practical working knowledge of farm work, and soon had all matters un- der complete control, and the farm in a continued state of fine cultiva- tion. By his excellent management he was enabled to add neighboring parcels of land, and the size of the original farm was considerably in- creased. In addition to general farming he also engaged in stock rais- ing, and this proved an additional and valuable source of income, so that,
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Astor Lenox and Tilden Fourdidins, 1909
William H. Loenne
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in 1900, Mr. Shank had amassed a comfortable fortune and felt that he might retire from active business life. He accordingly purchased prop- erty in Dale borough, where he now (1906) resides, and has a commo- dious and elegant dwelling. In polities he is a Democrat, and while he re- sided in Adams township filled the offices of supervisor, school director, also tax collector. He enlisted in the Fifty-sixth Pennsylvania Volun- teers in 1865, serving four months. He sold the coal rights in his land very advantageously in 1898.
He married, September 27, 1860, Mary A. Stull, born in Cambria county, May 31, 1839, daughter of Martin and Martha (Speicher) Stull, and they have had children : 1. Levina, married George M. Hersch- berger. 2. Izora, married W. H. Bantly, of Johnstown, and has two children : Milton and Nellie. 3. Abner F., married Sarah Keiper, and has one son, Harry. 4. Dr. Orlando J., a physician in Windber, Somer- set county, Pennsylvania. 5. Minnie, married J. W. Miller and has two children: Newton and Homer. 6. Sadie E., married John Trotter, of Johnstown.
WILLIAM F. GOENNER. The death of William F. Goenner, which occurred at his late home in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, January 4, 1896, removed from that city one of its representative citizens and re- liable, successful business men, who demonstrated the truth of the saying that success is not the result of genius, but the outcome of a clear judg- ment and experience. His career was marked by the strictest integrity, faithfulness to every trust reposed in him and he was known as a capable man, a pleasant social companion and a devoted husband and father.
Jacob and Caroline (Eger) Goenner, parents of William F. Goen- ner, were natives of Germany, from whence they came to the United States, locating at Number Five on the old Portage canal, Cambria coun- ty, Pennsylvania. Later he removed to Geistown and was there foreman of a cooper shop which controlled a considerable business. From there he removed to East Conemaugh, thence to Gallitzin, and later to Sum- mitt, where he purchased a brewery in company with a Mr. Schwader, and this they operated successfully for a number of years. In 1870 he took up his residence in Cambria City and there purchased the Gugssrager Brewery, which he operated until the flood of 1889, when the same was swept away. When he commenced the brewing business in Cambria City the motive power was a tread mill operated by one horse, a small concern, but by energy and perseverance the business increased in volume and im- portance until it became one of the leading enterprises of its kind in that section of the county. On July 10, following the disastrous flood of 1889, Jacob Goenner died, and his widow took charge of the business, settled up the estate, and in Angust, 1890, William F. Goenner, her son, and John L. Stibich, a son-in-law, took charge of the business and conducted the same under the name of the Goenner Company. In 1892 they increased the capacity of the plant and made it one of the model breweries of the county, spending many thousands of dollars in improvements. Jacob Goenner was a member of Cambria City Mennechor Society, and the German Lutheran church, in which he took an active interest. His widow, Caroline (Eger) Goenner died, aged forty-seven years. She was sur- vived by two children: Catherine, wife of John L. Stibich, and William F., now deceased.
William F. Goenner was born in Gallitzin, Cambria county, Penn- sylvania, September 17. 1860. He acquired a practical education in the schools of his native city, and at the age of fifteen went to Johnstown
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and was associated with his father as assistant until the death of his father, when, in partnership with his brother-in-law, he assumed control of the business, as previously stated. He was one of the original stock- holders of the Telephone Company of Johnstown, was a member of Men- nechor Society, German Beneficial Society, and St. Mary's Catholic church.
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Mr. Goenner married, May 29, 1887, Elizabeth Frank, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Yeagle) Frank, natives of Hesse Darmstadt, Ger- many, but who were married after their emigration to the United States. Mr. Frank was the proprietor of a hotel on Washington street, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, which was swept away during the disastrous flood of 1889, they losing their lives as well as a number of their children, as will be seen later. Mr. Frank was a member of Harmonie Singing Society, Cam- bria City Mennechor Society, Ancient Order of Red Men, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and German Lutheran church. He and his wife were the parents of eight children: Carl, died in infancy. Conrad, died m infancy. Mary, wife of Henry Keene, of Johnstown. John, died March 5, 1905 ; he was a mill hand prior to the flood and later engaged in the hotel business. August, drowned May 31, 1889, body never recov- ered. Elizabeth, widow of William F. Goenner. Catharine, drowned May 31, 1889, body recovered. Emma, drowned May 31, 1889, body re- covered. Lena, drowned May 31, 1889, body never recovered. Laura, drowned May 31, 1889, hody recovered. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Goenner, as follows: Jacob J., born May 26, 1888, a graduate from Rowe College. Laura M., born April 11, 1892. William F., Jr., born May 25, 1894. Mrs. Goenner is a member of the German Lutheran church. She resides at No. 438 Washington street, Johnstown, and being a woman of business ability conducts the interests of her late husband in the brewery business.
EDWARD H. McCUTE, a well known retired business man of Cam- bria county, Pennsylvania, who now resides in Walnut Grove, a suburb of Johnstown, in that county, traces his ancestry to Ireland, and has in- herited many of the admirable traits which characterize the natives of that country.
Timothy McCne, grandfather of Edward HI. MeCue, was a native of Ireland, and emigrated to this country with his wife in the early part of the nineteenth century. He married, in Ireland, Catherine and they had children: Edward, see forward. Susan, married Wash- ington Sissler. Mary, married John Koplin. Elizabeth, married Joseph Sides. Michael, married Mary Montooth. Hannah, married George Stoner. Biddy, died in childhood. All of these are now (1906) deceased with the exception of Michael, who resides in Jackson county, Iowa.
Edward MeCue, eldest child of Timothy and Catherine MeQue, was born in Cornwall, Lebanon county, Pennsylvania, October 31, 1817. He was a charcoal burner by occupation, and carried on an extensive busi- ness throughout the state of Pennsylvania and in Harford county, Mary- land, from the age of seventeen years until his death, which occurred March. 1883. He was highly respected and esteemed by all who knew him. He married Leah Nagle, and they had children: Sarah. married William Redman. Timothy, died in childhood. Hannah, married Sam- uel Wambangh. Edward H., see forward. Catherine, married Edward Snodgrass. Mary, married Lewis Weiser. Susan, died in childhood. Ella, married Joseph Boyd. Coleman, employed as superintendent by the Ferro Concrete Company. Lydia, married David Boyd.
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Edward H. McQue, second son and fourth child of Edward and Leah ( Nagle) MeQue, was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, Oc- tober 5, 1850. His early years were spent in his native county, where he obtained a limited education in the public schools of the district, and this be has supplemented by keen observation and enterprise, so that he may truly be called a self-made man. He resided with his parents until he had attained the age of nineteen years, assisting his father in the char- coal burning business. He was then apprenticed to learn the black- smith's trade, serving for three years with his uncle, John Koplin, and upon the completion of his apprenticeship set out to work as a journey- man. He worked here and there until 1873, when he found what prom- ised to be a more permanent position in the vicinity of Johnstown, with Jacob Sproll, with whom he later removed to Grumlingtown. At the ex- piration of six months he decided to establish himself in a business of his own, and accordingly opened a blacksmith's shop in Salex, a small village not far from Johnstown. Here he soon acquired an excellent cus- tom trade, and remained in that location for some years, subsequently re- moving to the old reservoir, where, at the end of three years, he sold ont and entered the employ of Senator J. C. Stineman, by whom he was em- ployed for the long period of eighteen years and five months. His next undertaking was to establish himself in Sharon, Pennsylvania, where he followed his occupation for two years, and then retired from this line of business. He located in Walnut Grove, a very pleasant suburb of Johns- town, where he purchased a commodious and comfortable residence. in which he lives with his wife and only son. Although retired from active business life, he still occasionally undertakes special commissions. This was the case when he recently worked for the Ferro Concrete Company as a blacksmith, forging the hooklike ends of the steel rods used by this company in the construction of the steel reinforced concrete buildings. Mr. MeCue has earned an enviable reputation for probity and reliability in the course of his long and active business career.
Mr. MeQue married. December 23, 1879, Henrietta Beisel, born in Adams township, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, April 16, 1857, daugh- ter of Isaac and Mary ( Reichard) Beisel, and they have one child, Ira C., a promising young dentist of Johnstown. He was born December 6, 1880, and obtained a good education in the public schools of Adams town- ship, and at the Central Pennsylvania College, in New Berlin, Pennsyl- vania. Later he took a three years' course in the Pittsburg Dental Col- lege, from which he was graduated with honor. Upon his return to Johnstown he worked for a time as assistant to Dr. Matthews, and then established himself in private practice, with elaborately equipped offices at No. 540 Main street, in the Bantly Building, where he is meeting with unqualified success, and has a large and constantly increasing practice.
CYRUS L. WISSINGER, a well known building contractor of Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, who has been prominently identified with all matters of public importance for many years, is a de- scendant of a family which took an active part in the war of the revolu- tion, and which came originally from Germany.
Ludwig Wissinger, great-grandfather of Cyrus L. Wissinger, and the pioneer ancestor of the Wissinger family in America. emigrated to this country from Germany some time prior to the American Revolution. He settled in what is now (1906) known as Griffith Settlement, one and one- half miles southeast of Johnstown. He had served with distinction throughout the war of independence, and was honored by the government,
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in recognition of his valuable services, with a grant of land of three hun- dred acres. The country at that time was practically a wilderness, and Mr. Wissinger cleared it of timber, commenced its cultivation and soon had a productive and comfortable farm. He subsequently sold the entire tract for the very moderate sum of three hundred dollars, which at that time was considered a very fair valuation of the land. At his death his remains were interred near what is now Moxham. He married and raised a family, among whom were: 1. John. see forward. 2. Lewis, who lived to the remarkable age of one hundred and three years. and died in Conemaugh. 3. George W., at one time constable of Stony Creek town- ship. 4. Daniel, who was a farmer and who married a Miss Gonghnour. 5. Esther, married to Jacob Snyder. 6. Isaac, lived near Scalp Level. ". Samuel. lived in Westmoreland county. 8. David, lived near Plumb Creek, Indiana county.
John Wissinger, eldest child of Ludwig Wissinger, was born in Cambria county, Pennsylvania, about 1:85. He was a farmer by occu- pation and owned considerable land in what was at that time Richland township, and is now called Adams township. He won great renown as a hunter and for his fine marksmanship in general. He married Eve Stine- man. and had children: 1. Jacob. married Mary Shank. 2. John S .. see forward. 3. George, married Lydia Bevers. 4. Daniel, married Peggy Miller. 5. Sarah, married William Shank. 6. Barbara, married Samnel Livingston. 1. Catherine. married Samuel Noon. S. Eliza- beth. married Joshua Shank. 9. Esther, married John Hay. 10. Eve, married Daniel Boyles.
John S. Wissinger, second son and child of John and Eve (Stine- man) Wissinger, was born in Richland township. Cambria county. Penn- sylvania, April. 1821. He was a farmer by occupation. and in 1856 pur- chased a farm of ninety-five acres near Salix, Adams township. Cambria county. On this land he passed the greater part of his life, and is now residing with his son, Isaiah J. Wissinger. in Lovett. In politics he was always a stanch Democrat, and was a man of influence in his former township, holding the offices of school director and supervisor. He mar- ried Lydia Stull, daughter of Jacob Stull. Jr., and they had children : 1. Delilah. died in childhood. ?. Cyrus L .. see forward. 3. Lorenzo. mar- ried Mary Costlow. and has children : Ella and Cora. 4. Isaiah J .. married Hannah Kuepper, and has children: John Vernon and Stanley. Cyrus L. Wissinger, second child and eldest son of John S. and Lydia (Stull) Wissinger, was born on the farm of his father. near Salix, Cam- bria county. Pennsylvania. 1857. Until he had attained the age of twenty years he spent his life on the paternal farm. and attended the public schools of the district. in the meantime assisting his father in his spare time. He then came to Johnstown. Cambria county. Pennsylvania. and was apprenticed to learn the carpenter's trade. with MeCreery & Long. Upon the completion of his apprenticeship he found employment with David Teeter in a planing mill in Rosedale. At the end of two years he returned to Johnstown, and engaged in the contracting business, asso- ciating himself in partnership with Samuel Strayer. This partnership was subsequently dissolved, and Mr. Wissinger continued the business alone on an extensive scale. contracting for and building about two hun- dred and sixty houses in Johnstown and the adjoining boroughs. He as- sociated himself in partnership with Albert Heinze. in 1901, and since that time they have erected more than seventy buildings, some of which are among the finest dwellings in the city. notably those of Daniel Cauf- field. at Moxham, and Professor J. M. Berkey. superintendent of city
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schools. Though a Democrat in a strong Republican community, Mr. Wissinger has repeatedly been elected to hold public office, and he has invariably done so to the entire satisfaction of even his opponents. He has served as school director, councilman, assessor and judge of elections. The office of assessor he held for six years, and he was elected councilman and judge of elections in 1904. He is a consistent member of the United Evangelical church of Dale and an earnest worker in its interests. He has been a trustee of the institution for fifteen years. has held the office of superintendent of the Sunday school, and is at present class leader of said congregation. In the fall of the present year he was sent as a dele- gate to the annual conference held in Du Bois, Pennsylvania; at this conference was elected a delegate to the general conference held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Mr. Wissinger is a man whose integrity, reliability and progressiveness have often been cited as an example of what a good citi- zen should be, and he is highly esteemed throughout the city.
He married, May 20, 1880, Barbara Gramling, daughter of George and Sarah Catherine (Paul) Gramling. of Dale, and they have had two children: 1. Elmer F., who is in the employ of his father in the con- tracting business ; he married Sadie Rose, daughter of John D. and Effie J. Rose, of Johnstown. ?. Lydia P., who died in childhood.
EDWARD E. LEVERGOOD, alderman of the Fourth ward in Johns- town, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, and prominently identified with the public affairs of the town for a number of years, is a member of a family which for some generations has furnished valuable, self-respecting citizens to the country.
Jacob Levergood, grandfather of Edward E. Levergood, married Jane Hayes, and they had children: 1. Peter HI., of whom later. 2. Martin Luther, married Elizabeth Parke. 3. William. married Mollie Trant. 4. Jacob C .. married Sarah Dull. 5. Susan. married Dr. William Caldwell. 6. Agnes, married John Parke. 7. Mary, married George Fochler. S. Lucy, unmarried. 9. Emma, married Virgil C. Elder.
Peter H. Levergood, eldest child of Jacob and Jane ( Hayes) Lever- good, was born June 27 .. 1836, died October 12, 1889. He was a tanner by occupation, and in 1854 went to the gold fields of California with a party of men from Johnstown. Upon his return he became actively interested in the public affairs of the town, and held the position of city weighmaster for ten years. He married Annie Veil, born March 29, 1846, daughter of Henry Veil, her father was a tanner and also an extensive traveler who had settled at Scalp Level, Cambria county, Pennsylvania. The children of Peter H. and Annie (Veil) Levergood are: 1. Laura, married Edward Young. 2. Charles H., married Cora Haves. 3. Edward E., of whom later. 4. Maude. married James M. Pugh. 5. Ella, married Herman P. Andersen.
Edward E. Levergood, second son and third child of Peter H. and Annie (Veil) Levergood, was born in Johnstown, Cambria county, Penn- sylvania, April 25, 1873. He attended the public schools of his native town, where he acquired an excellent education. He succeeded his father as weighmaster of the city and held this position for two years, then acted as bookkeeper for the Electric Light Company for six months, and finally accepted a postion with Alderman John T. Harris, with whom he remained for four years. He associated himself with John T. Harris in 1895 in the real estate business, and this continued until 1898, when he was elected alderman of the Fourth ward, and has served in that capacity for the past eight years. his predecessor having held office twenty
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years. He is a man of enterprise, business foresight, and great executive ability, and since his accession to office has made many improvements in the political situation of his ward. He is a member of the Lutheran church and of the following organizations: Johnstown Lodge, No. 125, Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks; Mineral Lodge, No. 89, Knights of Pythias ; Lodge No. 245, Ancient Order of United Workmen ; also Johns- town Conclave No. 140, I. O. H.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STULL, one of the best known rcal es- tate men of Dale borough, the suburb of Johnstown, was born on a farm in Richland township, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, 1850, son of Rer. William H. and Margaret (Varner) Stull, both of whom are now de- ceased. Mrs. Stull having died November, 1902.
The Stulls are of German descent. Jacob Stull, great-grandfather of Benjamin F. Stull, emigrated from Germany in the last years of the eighteenth century. His son, Jacob Stull, Jr., was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania, and settled in Cambria county, where he purchased a farm and reared a large family of sons and daughters. Politically he was a strong believer in the principles of Democracy, and in his religious faith a member of the Evangelical church. He married Elizabeth Paul, by whom he had eleven children: 1. Barbara, married John Paul. 2. Mary, became the wife of Rev. Louis Dunmire. 3. Elizabeth Oster. 4. Catherine, married Henry Dunmire. 5. John F., residing at Salex. 6, Jacob R., who served thirty-two years as justice of the peace in Richland township, Cambria county; also one term as county commissioner. 7. Susan. 8. Rev. William H., see forward. 9. Daniel. 10. Lydia, mar- ried John S. Wissinger. 11. Leah, married Lewis Shank. These are all deceased, except John F. Stull.
Rev. William II. Stull, father of Benjamin F. Stull, was born Au- gust, 1825, died October 5, 1875. He was a man of a fair education, and self-made in the true sense of the term. He entered the ministry of the Evangelical church, in 1856, and was in the Bedford circuit two years; Indiana circuit two years; Preston, West Virginia, two years; Fairview, one year and Somerset two years. Early in life he was an ardent Whig and later supported the Republican party and was a hearty supporter of the Union cause during the Civil war. He also took much interest in ed- ncational matters, especially the public school system. He married Mar- garet Varner, a woman of Scotch extraction, the daughter of George Varner and wife. Their six children were as follows: 1. Sarah Jane, died in 1863. 2. Benjamin F., see forward. 3. Christianna, deceased, was wife of Alexander Story. 4. Martha Elizabeth, married William G. MeKec. 5. Lorenzo Dow. 6. Amanda, married Herbert Benner, of Atlantic City.
B. F. Stull, of this notice, was reared on the farm and attended the common schools of his township and Dayton Union Academy. He fol- lowed teaching school, several terms in the public schools, winters, while he devoted his summer months to farming and carpentering. He also attended the county normal at Stovestown, where he first made the acquaintance of the woman who later became his wife. He resided in Conemaugh six years and then moved to Johnstown where he lived four years and removed to Bethel, Somerset county, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the mercantile business, remaining there until 1887, when he suffered much loss by a flood which devastated that section. From that point he came to Dale borough. where he resumed his mercantile trade,
THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY Aster, Lenox ale Tiden Fourd t'ons. 1909
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opening a general store on Bedford street. Each year he added to his stock of goods and increased his patronage until he became the possessor of a fine establishment and enjoyed a large, paying trade. This store was located where Dr. Zimmerman now carries on his drug business. Mr. Stull made specialties of groceries and dry goods, together with boots and shoes. His stock, however was of the general variety line of goods. He continued in this business until 1898, when he had a good opportunity to sell to W. R. Lohr. Since that date Mr. Stull has been successfully engaged in the real estate business. He now owns thirteen good prop- erties in the borough and in Johnstown in which he has twenty-four tenants.
Mr. Stull has always been a stanch Republican; he was one of the first councilmen of his borough and served two years as auditor of his borough and one term as clerk of the council. He has been active in school matters and served as director several terms. He is a member of the Protective Home Circle, No. 138, and Moxham Lodge, No. 1044, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member and the secretary of the Dale Building and Loan Association, of Dale, Pennsylvania. He is a member and one of the trustees of the United Evangelical church. He is of that stirring type of men who give stability and reputation to the community in which they reside. With but little means he em- barked in business, but abundant success has finally crowned his efforts. He is thoroughly energetic, honest and possessed of a rare good business judgment.
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