USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania; also containing a separate account of the several boroughs and townships in the county, with biographical sketches, 2nd ed > Part 40
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In 1893 Mr. Twining was appointed as cashier of the First National Bank, serving as such until the ex-
Edgar Farming
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
piration of its charter, in 1902, when the Mauch Chunk National Bank was organized, and he became its cash- ier, in which capacity he served during the remainder of his life. The duties and exactions of his vocation left him little opportunity for other employments or pursuits, although he was elected to the office of county treasurer as the nominee of the Republican party in 1871. He was an executor and trustee of the estates of the late Gen. William Lilly and Edward B. Leisen- ring, both of whom left large fortunes.
Mr. Twining never married. For years he made his home at the Mansion House, and during the last eigh- teen years of his life he lived at the American Hotel. He was one of Mauch Chunk's best known and most respected citizens. His death, on June 5, 1912, was caused by a paralytic stroke.
Van Dyke, Burton, a native of Weatherly who has achieved success in the field of mechanics, is a son of William Van Dyke, a veteran of the Civil War, and his wife Emily, who was a daughter of Nathaniel Zoll. Born at Weatherly on July 27, 1871, he was educated in the schools of that borough. At the age of sixteen he began life as a boilermaker's apprentice in the shops of the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Weatherly, subse- quently fitting himself as a machinist. Having com- pleted his trade, he worked in many locomotive shops in various parts of the country. He also served in the capacity of chief engineer in some of the large hotels of Palm Beach, Miami, and other winter resorts of Florida.
In 1900 Mr. Van Dyke accepted the position of mas- ter mechanic for the Spanish-American Iron Company at Daiquiri, Cuba. He has since become the superin- tendent of motive power for this company, having en- tire charge of all its rolling stock, machinery and min-
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ing equipment. This is the largest mining company of Cuba, being owned and controlled by the Pennsylvania Steel Company. Its output is shipped to Sparrows Point, Md., and to Steelton, Pa.
Mr. Van Dyke is prominent in Masonic circles. He was united in marriage to Alverna L., daughter of David Holman, of Weatherly, on November 29, 1911. They have established their home in Cuba.
Van Dyke, Warren R., resident secretary of the Democratic state committee at Harrisburg, and until recently a prominent figure in Carbon county, was born at Weatherly, April 23, 1877. He is a son of William and Emily (Zoll) Van Dyke, long-time residents of Weatherly, where the father was formerly employed as a locomotive engineer.
Mr. Van Dyke is a product of the Weatherly high school, early learning the trade of a printer in the office of the Herald, of which paper he was the asso- ciate editor for a period of about ten years. Relin- quishing his newspaper duties, he embarked in the real estate and general insurance business, which he suc- cessfully followed at Weatherly.
In 1905 he was elected as the nominee of the Demo- cratic party to the office of recorder of deeds of Car- bon county. At the expiration of his term, he was chosen as chief clerk to the county commissioners, in which capacity he served until the spring of 1911. He was then prevailed upon to accept the appointment which he is now holding, taking up his residence at Harrisburg.
Mr. Van Dyke was one of Weatherly's most progres- sive and public-spirited citizens, being always found in the van of every forward movement. He served as a member of town council and of the school board, while being a director of the Anthracite Building and Loan
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Association, and of the board of trade of the borough. As a member of the Methodist church he was particu- larly active in the religious life of the town, also serv- ing as the superintendent of the Sunday school con- nected with this organization.
Mr. Van Dyke was united in marriage to Mattie, daughter of J. W. Hunter, of Weatherly, on February 28, 1900. They have two children, Clare and Louise Van Dyke. Philip died in infancy.
Waaser, J. E., M.D., one of Carbon county's most prominent physicians, and formerly a director of the Middle Coal Field Poor District, is a son of John and Anna (Goas) Waaser, natives of Germany, who came to the United States in 1852, settling near Orwigsburg, Schuylkill county. After a few years they removed to Schuylkill Haven, where Mr. Waaser was employed at his trade as a cooper.
John E. Waaser was born at Schuylkill Haven, Oc- tober 24, 1869. He attended the public schools of that town until his twelfth year, when he came to Hazleton to live with his sister, who is the wife of Doctor Wil- liam G. Dietz. Graduating from the Hazleton high school with the class of 1886, Mr. Waaser accepted a clerkship in the store of J. C. Haydon & Company, at Jeanesville, Luzerne county, remaining there for two years. Later he worked with a corps of civil engineers under the direction of L. O. Emmerich, Esq., of Hazle- ton. In 1889 he entered Hahnemann Medical College, of Philadelphia, being graduated four years subse- quent to that time with high honors. After serving for a year as resident surgeon at the Hahnemann Hospital, Doctor Waaser located in East Mauch Chunk, and began the practice of his profession there. He enjoys a large practice and was successful from the start.
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Doctor Waaser has served as a school director of East Mauch Chunk for two terms, and was elected to the office of poor director for the term of three years in 1906. He was one of the organizers of the Citizens' National Bank, of East Mauch Chunk, being now a di- rector of that institution. He is prominent in Masonic circles, while being a member of several other frater- nal societies.
On September 14, 1904, Dr. Waaser was married to Mrs. Rebecca Morris Heraty, of Philadelphia. They have two children, Anna and John. Doctor Waaser is a member and vestryman of the Episcopal church. and lives in a beautiful residence on Center street.
Walker, James, a member of the board of county commissioners, was born near Coleraine, Ireland, May 7, 1849. He is the son of Joseph and Ellen (McClary) Walker, both natives of Ireland. The family emigrated to America in 1849, settling at Mauch Chunk, when James was but a few months old.
The father spent the remainder of his life with the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He died in 1867.
James was but ten years old when he began life as a slate picker at the old coal chutes, one of the pictur- esque landmarks of Mauch Chunk in days gone by. Later he drove mules about the same operations, after which he entered the employ of the Lehigh and Susque- hanna Railroad as a brakeman. He was the first brake- man to go through the Hauto tunnel. After three years he became a conductor, continuing in the employ of the Central Railroad of New Jersey, which gained control of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, until 1909.
Mr. Walker was elected to the office of county com- missioner in the fall of 1911 as the candidate of the Republican party, being reelected in 1915.
James Wacker
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
He was married on December 26, 1878, to Anna Jane, daughter of Christopher McCuen, of Philadelphia. Of the four children that were born of this union, William J. Walker, a machinist, of Mauch Chunk, alone sur- vives.
Mr. Walker has served as a councilman of Mauch Chunk, and is a charter member of Diligent Fire Com- pany, No. 3. He is also a charter member of division No. 153, Order of Railway Conductors, and of Com- mandery No. 179, Knights of Malta, being also a mem- ber of the Royal Arcanum.
He is an adherent of the Presbyterian Church, and was one of the founders of the Carbon County Histori- cal Society.
Warner, Edwin F., a leading Weatherly business man, and formerly a member of the board of county commissioners, was born in Tannersville, Monroe county, Pa., on January 11, 1857. His paternal grand- father, George Warner, was a native of Northampton county, the year of his birth being 1790. He was a cooper by trade, and he also served as a surgeon in the war of 1812.
Peter Warner, the father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Pocono township, Monroe county, Pa., on Christmas Day, 1835. Early in life he learned the carpenter trade, later becoming a cabinet maker, as well, and following the dual pursuits for a number of years. Subsequently he gained success as a contractor and builder, finally opening an undertaking establish- ment, which he conducted for many years. He is yet numbered among the substantial citizens of Tanners- ville, where he served as a justice of the peace for nearly two generations. His wife, before her marriage, was Lavina Sittler, and was born in Lehigh county in 1832. They had four children: Edwin F., Emma S.,
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the wife of William H. Werkheiser, of Chester, W. Va., Elmer and Sarah, who married Woodward Kresge, of Monroe county.
Edwin F. Warner was educated in the public schools, learning the cabinet maker's trade and the undertaking business from his father. In 1881 he located in Weath- erly, founding the furniture and undertaking establish- ment of which he is still the head, and which he has conducted with uniform success. In this connection it may be said that he is a graduate of Clark's School of Embalming, together with several other institutions of a like nature.
Mr. Warner has been prominently identified with the various interests and phases of the life of Weatherly since taking up his residence in the town. He was one of the organizers of the Weatherly Foundry and Ma- chine Company and of the First National Bank of Weatherly, still serving as a director of both institu- tions. He is also the president of the Anthracite Build- ing and Loan Association, one of the model institutions of its kind in Pennsylvania. For ten successive years he served as a member of town council, being for a time the president of that body. He is now the chief of the fire department of the borough.
In 1908 he was elected to the office of county com- missioner as the candidate of the Democratic party, receiving the almost unanimous support of the voters in his own community and the surrounding districts. Packer township honored him by recording every vote cast in his favor. It was largely due to his influence as a commissioner that the road across the Broad Moun- tain, connecting Hudsondale with Mauch Chunk, which had been abandoned, was rebuilt.
Mr. Warner is connected with many fraternal organ- izations. He is a member of Hazle Lodge, No. 327, F.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
and A. M .; Lilly Chapter, No. 177, R. A. M., of Mauch Chunk, and Hazleton Commandery, No. 73, K. T .; he also belongs to the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias, Knights of the Golden Eagle, the Improved Order of Red Men, and the Patriotic Order of Sons of America.
In 1882 he was married to Carrie, daughter of George Wass, of Tannersville. They are the parents of the following children: H. Fred, Peter G. C., Mayme, Carrie, Nettie and George Charles.
Harvey Fred Warner was born at Weatherly on August 17, 1883. After completing the high school course in his native town he attended the Hazleton Business College, from which he was graduated in 1900. For several years he was a clerk in the office of the master machinist of the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Weatherly, after which he served as a teller in the national bank of the town. He is now the chief clerk of the Weatherly Foundry and Machine Company. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and of the Patri- otic Order of Sons of America.
Peter G. C. Warner was born at Weatherly on May 4, 1885. Completing his studies at the high school in 1902, he went to Eckles School of Embalming, at Phil- adelphia, being graduated the same year. Since then he has assisted his father in the conduct of his busi- ness. Like his brother, he is identified with the Free and Accepted Masons and the Patriotic Order of Sons of America.
Mayme, Nettie and Carrie are graduates of the high school at Weatherly, and the two first named also have diplomas from the East Stroudsburg State Normal School. They are now teachers in the public schools.
George Charles is at present a member of the middle class of the Weatherly high school.
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Mr. Warner and his family are members of the Re- formed church.
Warner, Hon. Elmer, a prominent individual factor in the business, industrial and financial affairs of Weath- erly, was born at Tannersville, Monroe county, Pa., on April 30, 1861. The family of which he is a mem- ber has resided in eastern Pennsylvania since the early days of the Republic. His grandfather, George War- ner, was a veteran of the second war with England, while his maternal lineage connects him with Burk- hart Moser, a pioneer settler in the Panther Creek Valley, and formerly the owner of much of the valuable coal land now held by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He is the son of Peter and Lavina (Sittler) Warner, both of whom still reside at Tannersville.
After leaving school he assisted his father, who was interested in various enterprises, for a time. Subse- quently he opened a general store on his own account, conducting the same for a period of about five years. Coming to Weatherly in 1891, he purchased in bank- ruptcy proceedings the store of David Kintz, soon com- manding a liberal patronage. The expansion of the business demanding more commodious quarters, Mr. Warner built a large addition to his store in 1903, the completion and opening of which marked a new era in the business life of the town. This establishment is now the equal of many department stores in the minor cities of the state. Its stock is complete and up-to-date, while every effort is made to satisfy the wants of the public a fair and reasonable prices.
Upon the removal of the shops of the Lehigh Valley Railroad from Weatherly, in 1899, Mr. Warner was one of the leaders of a small group of men who vir- tually saved the town from being obliterated. With characteristic enterprise and resourcefulness he lent
Gertrude Stull Warner
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
himself to the organization and establishment of the Weatherly Foundry and Machine Company, which is now the principal industry of the borough. He is the chief individual stockholder and general manager of this company. Mr. Warner was also one of the or- ganizers of the First National Bank of Weatherly, of which he has been the president since its beginning. He was the postmaster of Tannersville from 1885 to 1889, and was the president of the board of education of Weatherly when the Schwab school building was erected, having also served as the chief burgess of the borough.
Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and he is a member of the Reformed church.
Mr. Warner has been thrice married. On September 22, 1887, he wedded Hattie, a daughter of David Learn. Her ancestors lived in what is now Monroe county during Colonial times, and they figured conspicuously in the Indian affairs of that region. The name was earlier spelled, "Learner." Two children were born of this marriage, Floyd T., who is now in charge of his father's store, and Hattie L. The wife and mother departed this life on April 12, 1890, and on May 2, 1892, Mr. Warner married Martha A. Kresge. Four children, Stanley, Ruth, Grace and Jennie, were the fruits of this union. Being again left a widower, Mr. Warner, on November 29, 1906, was joined in wedlock to Gertrude, daughter of Abraham and Della Stull, of Hazleton. Her father was formerly associated with the firm of Dodge, Meigs and Dodge, early lumbermen in the vicinity of Lehigh Tannery. Later he was in the service of the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Hazleton. Mrs. Warner is a descendant of Ira Mandeville, a pi- oneer settler of the Wyoming Valley. Mr. Warner was
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chosen to represent his district in the senate of Penn- sylvania in the fall of 1914.
Wilhelm, Captain William H., one of Carbon coun- ty's most intrepid soldiers, who sacrificed his life to his country during the insurrection in the Philippine Is- lands, was born at Mauch Chunk, June 9, 1867, the son of James H. and Martha M. (Weaver) Wilhelm. He was descended from pioneer German and Huguenot settlers in Pennsylvania. Among these were: Rev. John Bechtel, one of the fathers of the Reformed church in America, who located at Germantown, Phil- adelphia, in 1726, and who is a prominent figure in the ecclesiastical history and literature of that community ; George Weaver, a private soldier of the provincial forces in the Indian wars of 1756-57; and Cornelius and Jacob Weygant, father and son, the former active in the deliberations of the Northampton county Com- mittee of Observation and Inspection, and of its Stand- ing Committee of Correspondence, 1776-77, and the latter a captain of militia of the same county, who was frequently in active service during the Revolutionary War.
His father, J. H. Wilhelm, was for many years the paymaster of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, and was one of its most popular officials. He is spend- ing the evening of his life in retirement at his home in Mauch Chunk.
William Herman Wilhelm acquired his early educa- tion in the public schools of his native town, laying the foundation for a course of higher study at Ulrich's Preparatory School, Bethlehem, Pa. He entered Le- high University and was a member of the class of 1883. In June, 1884, he was, after a competitive examination, appointed by Congressman Storm to a cadetship in the United States Military Academy at West Point. Here
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CAPT. WILLIAM H. WILHELM.
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he ranked among the first in discipline, and in several of his studies. After the first year, and to the end of his course, he was an officer in the battalion of cadets, chosen from those who have been most studious and soldier-like in the performance of their duties, and most exemplary in their general deportment. His genial nature and noble personal attributes combined to make him a general favorite among his classmates. He was graduated in June, 1888, and was commis- sioned second lieutenant in the Tenth Infantry, joining his company at Fort Crawford, Colorado, in the fall of that year. During the ten succeeding years he was successively stationed at many of the army posts throughout the West. For a time Captain Wilhelm was in command of the troops sent to Oklahoma to main- tain peace and order when that territory was thrown open to settlement.
In 1890 he was placed in command of a company of Indian scouts in the service of the government at Fort Reno. A year later he was given charge of the govern- ment schools for the Indians at Fort Lewis, Colorado, where he remained for a short period. He was pro- moted to the rank of first lieutenant in 1895.
Upon the breaking out of the war with Spain, being eager to go to the front, he was appointed an aide-de- camp to Brigadier General Snyder, United States Vol- unteers, under whom he served with the army of occu- pation in Cuba. Being appointed to a captaincy in 1899, he was ordered to the Philippines, where a stub- born revolt against the authority of the United States was in progress. Within a few days after his arrival at Manila, he was already under fire, participating in the hard fighting about the Zapote river. At the battle of San Mateo, where General Lawton lost his life, Cap- tain Wilhelm displayed conspicuous bravery, winning
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a recommendation from his superior officers, Major Parker and General Young, for the brevet of major. For his cool and soldierly conduct in this engagement he was also recommended for a medal of honor.
From July until November, 1900, he was in command of a body of troops charged with the perilous duty of preserving the peace in the most lawless district of Manila, in which position he acquitted himself with signal ability. On June 10, 1901, after two years of strenuous campaigning in the islands, he was mortally wounded at Lipa, Batangas Province, while engaging a force of insurgents outnumbering his own five to one. His death occurred two days later.
Governor General Taft, with the Civil Commission, and a large number of officers and civilians, attended the funeral services held in Manila. His untimely but heroic death elicited many warm tributes to his worth as a man and a soldier from those with whom he had come in contact in the various grades of the service.
On July 30th, the remains of Captain Wilhelm were laid to rest with military honors at his home in Mauch Chunk, all business being suspended in the town, while virtually the whole population joined in doing honor to his memory.
A battery at Fort Flagler, Washington, now bears his name, which is also perpetuated by a suitable me- morial in the Hall of Fame at West Point.
Xander, John A., active in industrial and borough affairs in Lehighton, was born in East Penn township, February 24, 1878. He is descended from English an- cestors, and the family name was originally Alexander. The Xanders were among the early settlers of Georgia, whence some of them came to Pennsylvania.
Peter Xander, the grandfather of John, came to East Penn township, where he was a farmer, from Berks
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county. John is the son of Charles W. and Catharine (Graver) Xander, both natives of Carbon county. The family removed to Lehighton when he was three years old. Graduating from the borough high school with the class of 1896, he subsequently attended the Allentown Business College and the West Chester State Normal School. After teaching school for a term, he was a bookkeeper in Allentown for two years. For thirteen years he was with the Lehigh Stove Manufacturing Company, of Lehighton, of which he became the secre- tary. He was also connected with the accounting de- partment of the New Jersey Zinc Company at Palmer- ton for some years.
In 1915 Mr. Xander formed a partnership with I. Zimmerman, under the name of the Lehighton Knitting Company, of which he is the active head. The sole pro- duct of the plant, which is located near Sixth and Coal streets, is underwear.
Mr. Xander has served as a member of the Lehighton school board and of town council. He was one of the organizers of the English Lutheran church of the town. He is a Republican.
Mr. Xander was married in 1914 to Ella, daughter of Howard Shipe and his wife, Julia, of Allentown. Their children are: Catherine Julia and John Arthur.
Young, Dr. James H., a Lansford physician and sur- geon, was born at Dunmore, Pa., on November 20, 1876. He is the son of James and Lottie (Harrington) Young, the former born in Scotland, and the latter a native of New Jersey. The father was a mine super- intendent at Dunmore, and at one time held the office of treasurer of Lackawanna county.
James H. Young received his early education in the School of the Lackawanna, a private institution at Scranton. 6 Later he attended Lafayette College.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Choosing the medical profession, he entered the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania in 1897, being graduated with the class of 1901.
After spending a year in his professional capacity at the Moses Taylor Hospital at Scranton, he came to Lansford, in 1903, as the assistant of Dr. E. H. Kistler. During the following year he did post-graduate work at the Polyclinic Hospital and at Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia.
Returning to Lansford in 1905, he re-entered the service of Dr. Kistler, to whose daughter, Mary, he was married on October 9, 1907. A year later he succeeded his father-in-law as the physician and surgeon of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, which arduous and responsible position he is now filling. The com- pany's department for giving first aid to the injured is under his direction. He is also the surgeon of the Eastern Pennsylvania Railways Company at Lans- ford.
Dr. Young is a specialist in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. He is a member of the Carbon County Medical Society, the Pennsylvania State Medical Asso- ciation, the American Medical Society, and the Medical Club of Philadelphia. He is also a member of the Masonic order.
Zern, Hon. Jacob Gilbert, is a native of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, but nearly the whole of his ma- ture life has been spent in Carbon county, having long since achieved prominence as a physician, and as a man of public affairs.
He was born February 24, 1845, being a descendant, in the fifth generation of Adam Zern, who emigrated to Montgomery county from Germany in Colonial times. His great-great-grandfather, Martin Sensen- derfer, and his great-grandfather, Christian Specht,
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
were soldiers in the Revolutionary War. His grand- father, Abraham Zern, was a soldier in the war of 1812. His father, the Reverend Jacob Zern, was for a quarter of a century a well-known minister of the Evangelical Association in the eastern part of Penn- sylvania. Dr. Zern's mother was Sophia Gilbert, also a native of Montgomery county. His earlier years were spent in farming pursuits, and he attended the public schools of his locality until he became eighteen years of age. He then became a student at Millersville State Normal School, after which he served for a time as a teacher in the schools of Lancaster county. At the age of nineteen he enlisted as a soldier in Company C, One Hundred and Ninety-fifth Regiment, Pennsyl- vania Volunteers, serving until the termination of hos- tilities.
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