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 > Part 29
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42
422
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
of Pennsylvania militia. In 1789 he removed to Towa- mensing township, but a few years previous to his death, which occurred in 1832, at the advanced age of ninety-two years, he lived with his daughter, Mrs. Kreamer, at Allentown. His remains were interred in Fairview Cemetery, Allentown. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Dorothy Breinig, bore him six children : Charles, Thomas, Eliza, Mary, Harriet, and William Craig.
Thomas Craig, second son of Thomas and Dorothy Craig, was born at Stemlersville, Towamensing town- ship, Carbon county, in 1796. He attended the com- mon schools of the neighborhood, which in that early day were limited to the elementary branches, Wolfe's Academy, and a school in the Irish Settlement for a few months. About 1822 he accompanied his father to Lehigh Gap, Carbon county, where he was the proprie- tor of an hotel in the management of which he achieved a large degree of financial success, and subsequently turned his attention to agricultural pursuits and the lumber business, in both of which enterprises he was successful. He, too, was prominent in public affairs, and in 1828 became captain of what was known as the Troop of Horse in the Pennsylvania militia. Mr. Craig was married twice. His first wife was a Miss Kuntz, who bore him two sons, Thomas and Samuel. His second wife was Catherine Hagenbach, daughter of John Hagenbach, then proprietor of an hotel at Lehighton. Their children were: Thomas, deceased, who represented his district for four years in the house of representatives, and three years in the senate; John, mentioned at length hereinafter; Eliza, who became the wife of General Charles Heckman, an officer in the Mexican and Civil wars, and a resident of German- town; Hon. Allen, for many years a leading attorney at
423
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Mauch Chunk, and the incumbent of the office of dis- trict judge; William, a resident of Nebraska; Robert, a graduate of West Point Military Academy, and an officer of the regular army. Thomas, the father of these children, died in 1858; his wife, Catherine (Hag- enbach) Craig, died in 1871.
Colonel John Craig, second son of Thomas and Cath- erine (Hagenbach) Craig, was born in Lehigh Gap, Carbon county, October 23, 1831. In boyhood he at- tended the schools of the district, and in 1850 went to Easton, where his education was completed at a pri- ate school conducted by Rev. John Vanderveer. He then became connected with his father in the lumber business, and after the death of the latter, in 1858, devoted some time to the settlement of the estate; he also continued the management of the business. In 1857, at the age of twenty-six, he was elected captain of a cavalry company, which position he held up to the time of the Civil War. He was one of the first vol- unteers in the defense of the government, enlisting April 22, 1861, for three months' service, and was com- missioned captain of Company I, Sixth Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry, which took part in the military operations in Virginia and Maryland. On August 30, 1861, he re-enlisted, and was commissioned captain of Company N, Twenty-eighth Regiment Pennsylvania Infantry, which was afterwards merged into Company C, One Hundred and Forty-seventh Regiment. Among the battles in which he participated were those of An- tietam, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Moun- tain, Missionary Ridge, Ringgold, Chattanooga, and the various engagements from Atlanta to the sea under General Sherman, including the battle of Peach Tree Creek. Enlisting as a captain, he was promoted suc- cessively to the rank of major, lieutenant-colonel, and
424
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
colonel. He participated in the grand review in Wash- ington, D. C., and July 15, 1865, was honorably dis- charged from the service of the United States govern- ment in whose behalf he labored long and faithfully during the darkest days of its history.
Resuming the life of a civilian, Colonel Craig formed a partnership with his brother in the general mercan- tile business under the style of J. and W. Craig, at Lehigh Gap, and this business relationship continued until 1882, when W. Craig withdrew his interest, after which Colonel Craig became sole proprietor. In addition to the management of this extensive enter- prise, he was also a dealer in coal, lumber and ferti- lizers. In 1866-67 he contracted for and built four and a half miles of the Lehigh and Susquehanna Railroad, which was in course of construction at that time. In 1880 he became president of the Carbon Metallic Paint Company, while he was a director of the First National Bank of Slatington from the date of its organization, in 1875, until his death. He was a shrewd and capable business man, and all his transactions were character- ized by fairness, integrity and justice, which was the secret of the success he attained during his career as a business man. He always took a keen interest in every measure calculated to promote the general well being of the people of his native state and of the coun- try at large, being especially interested along educa- tional lines. He was particularly well versed in the early history of Carbon county and of the whole Lehigh Valley. He was for five years a school director, served for a number of years as postmaster of Lehigh Gap, and from 1884 to 1886 represented his district in the lower house of the state legislature. He affiliated him- self with the Democratic party on attaining his major- ity, and always supported its candidates and the meas-
THI
TILDIN FUCKING.
Craig.
nomas
425
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
ures it championed. He belonged to the Loyal Legion, Pennsylvania Commandery, at Philadelphia; and Chapman Post, No. 61, Grand Army of the Republic, at Mauch Chunk.
In the fall of 1866 Colonel Craig was united in mar- riage to Emma Insley, daughter of Philip and Hen- rietta Insley, residents of the Irish Settlement, near Bath, Northampton county, Pennsylvania. The fol- lowing children were the issue of this union: Thomas, Charles, P. Insley, H. Tyndale, Henrietta, wife of T. Griffin; Mary, Allen D., and John D., deceased.
The body of Colonel Craig lies buried in the old Towamensing Cemetery near Palmerton.
Craig, Hon. Thomas B., one of the members of the board of commissioners of Carbon county, is the eldest son of the late Colonel John Craig and his wife, Emma (Insley) Craig. He was born at Lehigh Gap, Carbon county, on April 6, 1867, and received his early educa- tion in the public schools of Lower Towamensing town- ship and in those of the borough of Slatington, Lehigh county. Later he attended Wyoming Seminary, at Kingston, Pa.
He began his business career in 1885, when, at the age of eighteen years, he entered the mercantile estab- lishment of his father at Lehigh Gap. Under his in- struction he also became a surveyor, and has surveyed much of the land in the locality in which he lives.
Colonel Craig becoming ill in the year 1900, Thomas assumed active control of his extensive business inter- ests. In 1908 the father died, and the conduct of the estate was turned over to Thomas and his brother, H. Tyndale Craig, who continue the business under the style of John Craig & Company, being dealers in gen- eral merchandise, coal, flour and feed.
426
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Mr. Craig has inherited much of the public spirit dis- played by his ancestors, and has for years been promi- nent in the councils of the Democracy of Carbon coun- ty. He served as secretary of the school board of Lower Towamensing township for six years, and was Democratic county chairman for four years. In 1898 he was elected to membership in the state legislature, serving his constituents with intelligence and fidelity. He was chosen as a county commissioner in 1911, and has on several occasions represented the Democracy of his native county in the state conventions of the party and at the congressional conferences of the district.
Mr. Craig was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of Palmerton, of which he is the vice- president and one of the board of directors. He is a member of the Masonic order, belongs to the Odd Fel- lows and to the Sons of Veterans, while being the pres- ident of Palmerton's newly organized fire department.
In September, 1889, Mr. Craig was married to Lil- lie J. Kreamer, youngest daughter of Dr. J. C. Kreamer, of Millport, Carbon county.
Davies, George M., for many years prominently connected with the mining industry of the Lehigh coal region, and one of the most public spirited citizens of Lansford, was born in South Wales, January 1, 1848. His parents were Stephen and Sarah (Edwardes) Davies. During his early teens he came to America, locating at Harleigh, Luzerne county, Pa. He began life as a slate picker, later becoming a contract miner. For some years he lived in Hazleton, and at various times employed a large number of men in the oper- ations of that region.
In 1883 Mr. Davies came to Lansford, where he achieved his greatest successes, and in the develop- ment and upbuilding of which place he has played a
GM Davis
UBI C LIBRARY
OS, LINUX AND TITEN FOUNDATIONE.
427
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
leading part. For nearly twenty-one years he worked the Spring Tunnel mine, the oldest anthracite under- ground operation in the country, for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company. He also operated a number of other colleries for the same company during the twenty-seven years that he followed mining in the Panther Creek Valley.
Aside from this, Mr. Davies has been a man of many interests and activities. He was one of the organizers of the Panther Valley Electric Light, Heat and Power Company, of which he has been president for the past twelve years, and was a prime mover in the establish- ment of the First National Bank of Lansford, being still a director of this institution. He also assisted in the organization of the American Fire Company and the Panther Valley Building and Loan Association.
Mr. Davies has figured prominently in the councils of the Republican party since becoming a citizen of the county. He is familiarly referred to as the "Little Napoleon" of Carbon county politics, which sobriquet was conferred upon him for his aggressive disposition and his combative abilities.
While living in Hazle township, Luzerne county, he was chosen as assessor, being the first Republican elected to that office in the history of the township. During his incumbency as chairman of the Carbon county Republican committee, most of the county of- fices were turned over by the Democrats to the Repub- licans.
In 1890 he was the nominee of his party for congress in what was then the Eighth District. Although de- feated, he reduced the usual Democratic majority of eleven thousand to six thousand. He was also an un- successful candidate for the office of associate judge of the county. In 1892 he was elected burgess of Lans-
428
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
ford, serving for several terms. He has also served as president of town council and the school board of the borough, besides filling a number of other offices.
He is a trustee of the Ashland State Hospital and of the East Stroudsburg State Normal School, while being a member of the state commission on mine caves, to which he was appointed by Governor Tener.
An incident which occurred during the Spanish- American War serves to illustrate Mr. Davies' pa- triotic spirit and his well known liberality. As a re- sult of official red tape and confusion in the War Department, the Fourth Pennsylvania Regiment found itself without the means of procuring rations on the eve of its departure from Mt. Gretna for the seat of war.
In this emergency, Mr. Davies, who was a visitor at Mt. Gretna, generously volunteered to feed the entire regiment at his own expense.
This incident is related by Captain Baird H. Halber- stadt, of Pottsville.
In 1870 Mr. Davies was married to Mary J. Hill, of Harleigh, Luzerne county. They have eight surviving children.
Fraternally he is connected with the Odd Fellows, and is prominent in Masonic circles. He is a member of the Episcopal church.
Davies, Isaac M., mine inspector of the Seventeenth Anthracite District of Pennsylvania, comprising the county of Carbon and a portion of Schuylkill, is the son of Stephen and Sarah (Edwardes) Davies. His father was an iron refiner of Glamorganshire, Wales.
Born at Cwymavon, South Wales, in 1854, Isaac M. Davies crossed the Atlantic to New York at the age of sixteen as a cabin boy on board the Nova Scotia bark Kate, Captain E. J. Murphy commanding.
429
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Being then in quest of adventure, rather than in search of a permanent home, he sailed for South Amer- ica, having spent some time at Harleigh, Luzerne county, Pa., where his brother, George M. Davies, was located, and at other points in the coal fields. After leading the free life of a plainsman in Uruguay and the Argentine Republic for a period of nearly two years, he returned to his home in Wales, where he worked in the coal mines.
Coming to America for a second time, he was accom- panied by his brother, William H. Davies, who is now the division superintendent of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company at Hazleton, Pa. At the age of twenty-five, Mr. Davies went to Australia, where he was engaged as a miner of both gold and coal for nearly a dozen years. Returning to the United States in 1890, after making a complete circle of the globe, he located perm- anently at Lansford, Pa., where he still lives.
He became a mine foreman for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and in 1907 attained to the posi- tion which he now holds, being re-elected without op- position in 1911. Mr. Davies is the first resident of Carbon county yet elected to this office. He was one of the organizers of the corps giving first aid to the in- jured in the mines about Lansford, and was one of the original trustees of the Panther Creek Valley Hospital. situated at Coal Dale, Schuylkill county.
Mr. Davies is a member of the various Masonic bod- ies, while being connected with the St. David's society;, of Lansford, and the Episcopal church. 1
He was married on April 4, 1882, to Sarah, daugh- ter of William Davies, in New South Wales, Australia. She is a native of Blaenavon, South Wales. Five of their eight children, George B., Minnie M., Stephen H., Stella G., and William W., were born in Australia.
430
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
David R., Isaac E., and Marion were born at Lansford. Minnie is the wife of John Corville, of Wilmington, Del., and Stella is married to Luke Yocum, living at Loag, near Reading, Pa.
Derrick, John D., a dealer in sawed lumber and mine timber, at Weatherly, owner of the Lehigh Valley Facing Mill, of Jeanesville, Luzerne county, and oper- ating several farms in the Laurytown Valley, is a na- tive of Shoemakersville, Berks county, Pa., where he was born on November 23, 1846. He is the son of John K. Derrick, while his mother bore the maiden name of Mary Schlear. They were the parents of thir- teen children.
In 1857 the family removed from Berks county to Tumbling Run, Schuylkill county, where the subject of this sketch grew to maturity on his father's farm. He learned the trade of a blacksmith, which his father had also followed, but after a time became a dealer in cattle.
In 1872 he established himself at Hanto, Mauch Chunk township, Carbon county, forming a partner- ship with his brother-in-law, R. E. Miller, Sr., and en- gaging in the lumber business. He lived here for sev- enteen years, later residing for eleven years at Nesque- honing, and four at Hudsondale. While living at the last named place, Mr. Derrick purchased the interest of his partner and has since conducted the business on his own account with uniform success.
For the past seven years he has lived at Weatherly. While lumbering has been Mr. Derrick's principal vo- cation, he has also shown a fondness for agricultural pursuits, in which his early training, coupled with sturdy common sense and executive ability have com- bined to give him a place among the leading farmers of this portion of the county.
THE M YPA PUBLIC LIBRARY
ISTOR, LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.
-
All Drewsback
431
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
In 1894 he opened the Lehigh Valley Facing Mill at Hazleton, recently transferring the plant to Jeanes- ville. He was formerly interested in a similar enter- prise at Hauto.
Mr. Derrick was married in 1869 to Hannah J. Mil- ler, daughter of Eli T. Miller, of Schuylkill county. Their married life has been a happy one.
Dreisbach, J. M., a foremost representative of the financial interests of Mauch Chunk, and for years prominently identified with the political affairs of the county, was born at Lockport, Northampton county, on January 4, 1847, the son of Solomon and Mary (Mummey) Dreisbach.
The pioneer of his family in America was John Jost Dreisbach, who was born in Germany in the year 1721. He sailed for this country from Cowes, England, Sep- tember 20, 1743, on board the ship Lydia, of which James Abercrombie, of Rotterdam, was master. His death occurred on October 17, 1794.
The paternal grandfather, Michael Dreisbach, was born April 1, 1779, and died October 15, 1868. By oc- cupation he was a wheelright, and engaged in farming. His wife bore the maiden name of Susanna Shaffer.
Solomon Dreisbach was a native of Lehigh township, Northampton county, the year of his birth being 1822. He departed this life Aug. 14, 1880. He was trained for a mercantile career, but early in life became a boat- builder, also conducting a boatman's stable and store. Removing to East Mauch Chunk in 1850, he built the Centre House, the first hotel in that town. His wife was born near Berlinsville, Pa., November 9, 1828, being a daughter of Jacob and Sarah (Master) Mum- mey. Six children were born to them: James M., Joseph B., Franklin A., Ellen I., Mary H., the wife of Rev. William C. Shaffer, and Emma J., who married Harry Laurish.
432
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
James Monroe Dreisbach was but three years of age when his parents removed to East Mauch Chunk. He acquired his early training in the public schools of that borough, later pursuing a business course at Philadel- phia.
In 1863 he began life as a clerk in the service of the Hazleton Coal Company at Penn Haven, which was then an important coal-shipping point. Here he formed an acquaintance with General William Lilly, who was at that time in charge of the company's af- fairs at Penn Haven, and a warm friendship sprang up between the two which was only terminated by the death of the elder in 1893.
In 1865 Mr. Driesbach became the shipper for Sharpe, Weiss & Company, and for Coxe Brothers and Company, miners and shippers of anthracite coal. Shipments were made over the Lehigh Canal from Mauch Chunk.
Entering the Second National Bank of Mauch Chunk in the spring of 1867 as a bookkeeper, he was subse- quently promoted to the position of teller. In 1880 he was elected cashier of the bank, while from 1897 until 1901 he served as its vice-president. In the latter year he became president of the institution, serving in that capacity until December 31, 1902, when the charter of the Second National Bank expired by limitation.
Mr. Dreisbach was an active participant in the or- ganization of the Mauch Chunk Trust Company, which began business on January 1, 1903, the only institution of its kind in the county. He was chosen its president, still occupying that position. The new institution was to a certain degree an experiment, but under his guid- ance it has steadily grown stronger and more prosper- ous.
433
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Since his boyhood Mr. Dreisbach's life has been characterized by sustained activity and usefulness. He was the receiver appointed to take charge of the af- fairs of the Miners' Bank of Lansford, which failed in 1883, and succeeded in paynig its creditors seventy- five per cent. of the amount of their claims, notwith- standing that it was at first thought there would be but little left to divide among the depositors of the wrecked institution.
Mr. Driesbach is a director of the East Broad Gap Railroad and Coal Company, of G. B. Markle & Co., and other corporations. He is the acting executor of the estate of his former friend, General Lilly, the wealthy coal operator, and was similarly connected with a number of other estates.
He has been a close student of political and economic problems, always manifesting a lively interest in pub- lic affairs. Politics with him has been an avocation rather than a vocation. He was, however, appointed as the first postmaster of East Mauch Chunk, having been largely instrumental in the establishment of that postoffice in 1870. He early became identified with the policies and principles of the Republican party, be- coming one of its most influential leaders in the county. Repeatedly serving as the chairman of the county com- mittee, he was also frequently sent as a representative to the state conventions of the party.
In 1896 he was a member of the National convention which nominated Mckinley for the Presidency at St. Louis, while four years later he was again a delegate to the convention which renominated him at Philadel- phia.
He took an active part in securing the legislation constituting Carbon county as a separate judicial dis- trict, in 1901, at which time he also successfully advo-
434
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
cated the separate establishment of the offices of pro- thonotary and clerk of courts, and of register of wills and recorder of deeds.
Mr. Dreisbach is a past master of the Masonic lodge of Mauch Chunk, while being a past grand of the In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows of that town.
He was united in marriage to Emma Wertz, of Cherryville, Northampton county, on November 11, 1869. Their only son, George Dreisbach, is secretary and treasurer of the Mauch Chunk Trust Company.
Druckenmiller, Stanley F., a physician and surgeon, of Lansford, is the son of Wilson K. and Mary (Grim) Druckenmiller, of Weatherly. His father is a native of New Tripoli, Lehigh county, Pa.
Stanley was born at Weatherly on September 12, 1884. He graduated from the high school of that place with the class of 1901, after which he pursued a gen- eral course at the Hazleton Business College. Going to South Bethlehem, Pa., he did clerical work for the Bethlehem Steel Company and the Lehigh Valley Rail- road for four years.
In 1906 he entered the Medico-Chirurgical College of Philadelphia, from which institution he was gradu- ated in 1910. In August, 1911, after having served for a year as interne at St. Luke's Hospital, South Beth- lehem, he opened an office at Lansford, where he is rapidly building up a good practise. He has already established a reputation for skill and ability in his pro- fession.
Drumheller, Wallace, a representative of the busi- ness and industrial interests of Lansford, and a mem- ber of the board of county commissioners, was born at Summit Hill on April 1, 1860. He is the son of Nathan and Elizabeth (Heister) Drumheller. His grandfather, George Drumheller, was the first blacksmith employed
Palace Drunkeller
T ONE.
435
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
by the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, while his father was for years the master machinist of the same corporation at Lansford.
Wallace Drumheller was educated in the common schools and at the Bloomsburg State Normal School. Learning the trade of a machinist under the direction of his father, he later became the foreman of the shop where he served his apprenticeship. In 1891, upon the death of his father, he was appointed as superintend- ent of the various shops of the Lehigh Coal and Navi- gation Company, situated in Lansford. He continued in this position until 1908.
In 1906, in association with Charles K. Walton, Mr. Drumheller established the Lansford Shirt Factory, which now employs about one hundred operatives. Formerly he also conducted a large hardware, heating and plumbing establishment, which, in 1909, he turned over to his sons, Nathan and George.
He has been the manager of the Panther Valley Elec- tric Light, Heat and Power Company since its incep- tion, and is a director of the First National Bank of Lansford. For about fifteen years he was a member of the town council of Lansford, of which he was the president.
As the candidate of the Republican party, Mr. Drum- heller was elected to membership on the board of coun- ty commissioners, in 1911. He was married in 1883 to Johanna, daughter of John Griffiths, of Lansford.
Eadie, J. G., Weatherly's oldest merchant, and one of the most prominent citizens of that borough, is a son of Robert Eadie, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in the year 1805. On the twenty-first of October of that year, Admiral Lord Nelson, commanding the Eng- lish fleet of the Mediterranean, defeated the combined fleets of France and Spain, off the coast of Cape Tra-
436
HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
falgar, in one of the greatest sea fights of history, and the grandfather of the subject of this sketch fought on the victorious side in that engagement.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.