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 39
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Seidle, Ira E., junior member of the law firm of Balliet and Seidle, of Lehighton, is the son of Hon. Charles H. and Kate A (Nothstein) Seidle. He was born at Normal, Mahoning township, the home of his maternal ancestors since Revolutionary times, on De- cember 11, 1869.
Graduating from the Lehighton high school with the class of 1884, he entered Palatinate College in 1886; a year later he entered Muhlenberg, which has since hon- ored him with the degree of A. M., graduating from that institution in 1890.
In 1891 he went to Yale, where he completed his gen- eral education, and received the degree of B.A. He began his legal studies at the Yale law school, finish- ing his course at the law school of the University of
ASTOR, LEWIX AND TILDEN IOLAJATIONS.
Rofendel.
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Pennsylvania in 1895, and receiving the degree of L.L.B. During this year he became a member of the Philadelphia bar, and was later admitted to practise before the Superior and Supreme courts of Pennsyl- vania.
Prior to this he had taught school for two terms and had served as principal of the Normal Institute for a year. After practising his profession in Philadelphia for a time he formed a partnership with his brother-in- law, N. M. Balliet, succeeding to the legal practise of the late Senator W. M. Rapsher at Lehighton. The firm also maintains an office at Palmerton. In addition to his other affairs, Mr. Seidle is the manager and treasurer of the Lehighton Brick Company, and is the secretary of the Lehigh Valley Building and Loan Association, of which he is a director. He is also a di- rector of the Carbon County Industrial Society, under the auspices of which the county fair is annually held at Lehighton, having served as the secretary of the association.
For some time he held the position of postmaster at Normal and was borough solicitor of Lehighton for one year. Mr. Seidle is a member of the Masonic fraternity at Lehighton, being also identified with Lilly Chapter, R. A. M., and Packer Commandery, K. T. of Mauch Chunk. He is a past officer of all these bodies. His political allegiance is given to the Demo- cratic party, and he attends the Lutheran church.
On October 2, 1900, he was married to Elizabeth M., daughter of Jesse L. and Amanda (Heberling) Gabel, of Lehighton. Their only child, Louisa A. Seidle, was born on December 24, 1902.
Sendel, Robert O., chief burgess of Weatherly, and one of the prominent young business men of that town, was born there on February 22, 1880.
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His father, J. C. Sendel, was a native of Mahoning township. Educated at Palatinate College and at the Allentown Business College, he taught school for sev- eral years.
In 1874, he removed to Weatherly, near which place he engaged in farming for a time. In 1887 he pur- chased the hardware business of J. F. Kressley, be- coming also a dealer in coal, lumber, farming imple- ments, and engaging in general contracting. Being possessed of first rate business ability, he prospered from the start, later opening a branch store at Lehigh- ton, in association with Peter Rouse.
He was one of the promoters of Weatherly's large silk throwing mill, and was one of the organizers of the Weatherly Foundry and Machine Company, and of the First National Bank of Weatherly, in both of which he was a director. He was also influential in the establishment of the fire department of the town, of which he was for a time the chief, besides filling many other positions of trust and responsibility.
In 1890 he was elected by the Republican party to the office of county commissioner. It was during his in- cumbency that the present court house of the county was erected.
Mr. Sendel was married in 1877 to Vesta, daughter of Simon and Harriet Blose, of Bowmanstown. Six children were born to them: Robert O., Ario, Hattie, Carrie, Austin and Kenneth. The father died on De- cember 6, 1902, aged fifty years.
R. O. Sendel graduated from the Weatherly high school with the class of 1896, beginning his business career as a clerk in his father's store in his native town.
During four years he filled a similar position in the store at Lehighton. Upon the death of his father, he returned to Weatherly to assume the management of
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C.G. Setzer
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his estate. Among the first things claiming his atten- tion was the construction of the passenger station of the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Mauch Chunk, the con- tract for which had been awarded to his father just be- fore his demise. This is one of the finest stations on the entire road.
At the age of twenty-two he was elected as a director of the First National Bank of Weatherly, being then one of the youngest bank directors in the United States.
Mr. Sendel was chosen to fill the office of chief bur- gess in 1909, as the candidate of the Republican party.
In 1911, he purchased the interest of the other heirs in the estate of his father, being now the sole owner of the business, which he conducts in all its details, as be- fore.
On October 2, 1907, he was married to Mattie, daugh- ter of Peter Heim, of Lehighton. They have two chil- dren : Margaret M. and Robert Charles.
Mr. Sendel is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and attends the Reformed church.
Setzer, Chester G., district attorney of Carbon coun- ty, prominent in fraternal society circles and as a worker in the cause of popular education, is the son of ex-sheriff Milton Setzer and his wife Hannah.
He was born November 17, 1880, one year prior to the removal of the family of his father from Monroe county to Franklin township, where he grew to matur- ity and where he still resides. His early education was acquired in the public schools of this district and in those of Mauch Chunk, graduating from the high school of the last named place with the class of 1899.
After serving three terms as a school teacher he en- tered Dickinson Law School, from which he graduated in June, 1905. He was admitted to practice in the supreme court of Pennsylvania during the same month,
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while he became a member of the bar of Carbon county in October, 1905.
Opening an office in Weissport, he has successfully practised his profession there since. He was elected to the office of district attorney, as the candidate of the Republican party, in 1911, by a large majority.
Mr. Setzer has been a member of the school board of Franklin Independent District for a number of years. acting as its secretary. He is also secretary of the School Directors' Association of Carbon County, while he has served as a delegate to the meetings of the State Association of School Directors on several occa- sions.
He is a member of the Eagles, P. O. S. of A., O. of I. A., and of the Junior Mechanics; he was also state president of the Pennsylvania Deutsch Gesellschaft in 1907.
Setzer, Milton, an ex-sheriff of Carbon county, and influential in the councils of the Republican party, is one of the descendants of Michael Setzer, who emi- grated to America from Germany, September 26, 1753. He settled in Hamilton township, Monroe county, and he and his two sons served in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.
The father of Milton Setzer was William Setzer, a great-grandson of Michael Setzer, who was born in Monroe county in 1836. He was married to Sarah B. Woodling, and the issue of their union was eight chil- dren. William Setzer was a stone mason by trade, and while being a staunch Republican he filled various of- fices of trust and honor in a district that was strongly Democratic.
During the Civil War he served with distinction as a member of the famous Eighty-first Regiment, Penn- sylvania Volunteers, and was wounded at the battles
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of Spottsylvania and the Wilderness. He died, De- cember 25, 1896.
Milton Setzer was born March 2, 1857, in Jackson township, Monroe county, where the days of his youth were spent. Coming to Carbon county in 1881, he was employed successively as a boatman on the Lehigh Canal and as a brakeman on the Lehigh Valley Rail- road. He served as constable and as tax collector for Franklin township for a period of seven years.
In 1894, at the age of 37, Mr. Setzer was elected to the office of sheriff of Carbon county, and at the ex- piration of his term, in association with John Rehrig, for a time conducted the Mansion House at Mauch Chunk. This partnership being dissolved, Mr. Setzer continued the same enterprise with J. A. Bonnell as his partner, under the firm name of Setzer & Bonnell.
Until recently he was the proprietor of the Franklin House, situated in East Weissport, Franklin township.
Mr. Setzer was married to Hannah Miller, a daugh- ter of Jacob and Elizabeth Miller, of Jackson township, Monroe township. Their children are: Chester Gar- field, Ada Irene, Arlington, William and Sarah Alice, who is the wife of Webster J. Hongen, of Allentown. Arlington and William follow the machinist's trade and live in Tamaqua, while Ada remains at home. Chester is a member of the Carbon county bar.
Fraternally Mr. Setzer is allied with the Sons of Veterans, Eagles, Order of Independent Americans and the Junior Mechanics.
Shive, Burdwell W., a Palmerton justice of the peace, and a veteran of the Spanish-American War, is descended from pioneer settlers of Carbon county.
His paternal grandfather, Ephraim Shive, was born in Mahoning township. He was married to Sallie Strohl, whose ancestors were among the very first to
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brave the dangers and hardships of the wilderness lying north of the Blue Ridge.
Hazard was the place of nativity of his mother's father, William Bowman. He was married to Cath- arine Behler, whose forefathers were early residents of Lower Towamensing township.
Burdwell W., the son of James Wilson and Mary A. (Bowman) Shive, was born at Lehigh Gap on Janu- ary 2, 1877. Leaving school at the age of fifteen, he served first as a clerk in a general store at Bowmans- town, and later at Lansford.
At the breaking out of the Spanish war, he enlisted in Company B, Eight Regiment, Pennsylvania Volun- teer Infantry, and was stationed at various posts throughout the South. But the war closed before he saw any active service. Returning to Lansford, he con- ducted a bakery in association with Harry Mohn, under the firm name of Mohn and Shive, for about a year. He then came to Palmerton, opening a tonsorial estab- lishment, which he still conducts. He is also a dealer in real estate and fire insurance. In 1907 he was elect- ed to the office of justice of the peace for Lower Towa- mensing township.
On October 17, 1904, Mr. Shive was married to Agnes M., daughter of A. O. Steffan and his wife Emma, of South Bethlehem. Their only child is B. Hoyt Shive.
Mr. Shive is active and well-known in secret society circles.
Sitler, Daniel W., a well-known member of the bar of Carbon county, and a resident of Mauch Chunk, was born in Mahoning township, January 28, 1867, a son of Charles and Priscilla (Snyder) Sitler.
The father was a farmer of much native ability, and was well-read; having missed the privileges of a liberal education, however, he was willing to make sacrifices in order to make them possible to his children.
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Three of his daughters became teachers; two grad- uated from normal schools, while one of the number, Ida Sitler, is a product of the University of Michigan.
After some preparation at the Normal Institute, situated near his home, Daniel taught district school for four years. Entering Williams College, Massa- chusetts, in the fall of 1887, he graduated with the class of 1891. Subsequently he was engaged as an in- structor of mathematics in a private school in Phila- delphia for a year.
In the summer of 1892 he began the study of law in the office of Hon. James S. Biery, of Allentown, being admitted to practise in the courts of Lehigh county in 1895. During the following year he became a member of the bar of Carbon county, locating at Lansford, and being the first attorney to open an office in that town. During his residence at Lansford he served as the so- licitor of the borough.
In 1898 he was nominated by the Republican party for the office of district attorney, and upon his election he removed to Mauch Chunk.
As the prosecuting officer of the county, he was painstaking and efficient, serving a single term. Since then he has been engaged in the general practise of the law.
Mr. Sitler has been admitted to practice in the high- er courts of the state, and in the district court of the United States. He has established a reputation as a careful, conscientious lawyer, always mindful of the interests of his clients, while living up to the best tra- ditions of his profession.
In 1897 he was married to Amanda, daughter of Nathan and Sarah Balliet, of Mahoning township. Their three children are: Helen, Mary and Charles Everett.
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Shull, Brinton M., supervisory principal of the schools of Lehighton, is a native of Perry county, where he was born January 17, 1873. He is the son of David and Lea (Yohe) Shull, being one of a family of ten children. He spent his early life on his father's farm, attended the public schools and graduated from Marysville high school with the class of 1889.
In 1892 he graduated from the Shippensburg State Normal School, later taking a post graduate course at the West Chester State Normal School, a course in the Harrisburg School of Commerce and in Milton Univer- sity, Baltimore.
Prof. Shull began his career as a teacher in a dis- trict school of his native county ; he taught one year in a village high school in Dauphin county, and then in the high school of his home township. He came to Lehigh- ton in 1898, being first employed as a grammar school teacher, and serving successively as principal of the First Ward building, assistant principal, and then principal of the high school. In 1908 he was appointed to the newly created office of supervisory principal of all the schools of the borough.
While being abreast of the times along lines of the best thought in his chosen field of endeavor, and while striving intelligently and systematically for the im- provement and upbuilding of the schools under his supervision, Prof. Shull is opposed to fads and non- essentials in educational work.
He was married, November 28, 1907, to Carrie E., daughter of Reuben Fenstermacher and his wife La- vina, of Lehighton.
Fraternally Mr. Shull is connected with the Patriotic Order Sons of America, Knights of Malta, Odd Fel- lows and Free and Accepted Masons. He is a mem- ber of the United Evangelical church.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Smith, Alfred F., cashier of the Citizens' National Bank of Lehighton, was born in East Penn township, Carbon county, on December 29, 1872.
His father, Owen Smith, was a native of Lehigh county, where he remained until his sixteenth year, when he came to East Penn township, where he fol- lowed the vocation of a farmer. He was married to Sallinda Andreas, who was of English descent, and who bore him seven sons, all of whom grew to ma- turity. During the eighties the family removed to Mahoning township, where the mother died in 1897, being in her sixtieth year. The father died in 1909, in the seventy-third year of his age.
Alfred F. Smith acquired his early training in the public schools, later attending the Kutztown State Normal School, and taking a course in the American Business College at Allentown. He taught school for three years in Mahoning township, and for a time served as a clerk in a general store in Lehighton.
For two years he was a bookkeeper in the employ of H. A. Buchman, of East Mauch Chunk. In 1898 Mr. Smith accepted a position as bookkeeper and general manager for O. J. Saeger, a wholesale dealer in fruit and produce at Lehighton. Following this he served as a traveling salesman for a wholesale grocery firm, of Bethlehem, Pa.
Early in 1909 he entered the Citizens' National Bank of Lehighton, as a teller, succeeding A. S. Beisel as cashier of that institution on July 1, 1910.
Mr. Smith wedded Lillie McLean, daughter of Rob- ert McLean, of Mahoning township, on May 21, 1896. Their children are: Ralph A. and Russel R. O. Smith.
Mr. Smith is an adherent of the Reformed church, while being a supporter of the principles espoused by the Republican party.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
Smith, Hon. Jacob W., a druggist, of Upper Mauch Chunk, and representing Carbon county in the state legislature, was born at Lititz, Lancaster county, Pa., September 12, 1860. He attended the district schools, and was later a student at the Lititz Academy, having also been privately tutored by Prof. Christian Myers at Lincoln, Lancaster county.
For a short time he worked on a farm, after which he learned the trade of a blacksmith. In 1884 he came to Mauch Chunk, entering the office of Doctor Freder- ick G. Ibachs, for whom he later conducted a pharmacy. He purchased this business from Doctor Ibachs in 1891, and has conducted it continuously since that time. He also has charge of the sub-station of the Mauch Chunk postoffice, located in the Second Ward. Mr. Smith has been a member of the school board of the borough for fifteen years, and is a member of the fire department, having been vice-president of the Fire- men's Relief Association for several years.
He is active in fraternal society circles, and was one of the organizers of Wahnetah Castle, Knights of the Golden Eagle, and of Hospitaller Commandery, No. 79, Knights of Malta, of which he is a past grand com- mander. He is also a member of the Patriotic Order Sons of America. Mr. Smith is a member of the Evan- gelical church, while his wife, who was Carrie Weyhen- meyer, daughter of the late Joseph Weyhenmeyer, of Mauch Chunk, whom he married in 1891, is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Mr. Smith is a supporter of the Democratic party. He was elected to the legislature in 1912.
Smith, Marshall L. Born in Chester county, Pa., in 1839, and not coming to this immediate section of the state until middle life, M. L. Smith, who was the son of Charles and Margaret Smith, is nevertheless enti-
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M. L. SMITH.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
tled to a secure place in the list of those who left the impress of their personalities upon the life and activ- ities of Carbon county. He sprang from Colonial stock, and received his early education in the public schools of his native county.
While still quite young he engaged in the milling business for a short time. Later he read law in the of- fice of Charles Pennypacker, subsequently chief bur- gess of West Chester, and a cousin of ex-Governor Samuel W. Pennypacker, of Pennsylvania. Forsaking the law for a business career, he opened a real estate and insurance office in West Chester.
In 1876 Mr. Smith engaged in the manufacture of paint ore in Chester county, removing his plant two years later to Lehigh Gap, and later to Slatington, at which places he conducted his business for ten years. For a number of years he was also interested in a coal washery at Buck Mountain.
In 1887 Mr. Smith came to Hudsondale, situated in Packer township, obtaining a lease on the grounds and buildings formerly occupied by the machine shop and foundry of S. W. Hudson. Here Mr. Smith made the greatest business success of his career, manufacturing paint ore or ochre, on quite an extensive scale. The mill where the grinding is done has been operated day and night almost continuously for nearly a quarter of a century, furnishing employment to quite a number of workers. The product is shipped principally to a sin- gle firm, the George W. Blabon Company, of Philadel- phia.
About ten years after coming to Hudsondale, Mr. Smith acquired through purchase the property where the mill stands and the farm adjoining. He then be- came an enthusiastic farmer, and the results of his agricultural operations were such as to justify the
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
pride that he manifested in this phase of his business. About this time Mr. Smith also acquired a residence in Weatherly, where he soon became a dominant fac- tor in municipal politics. He was five times elected to the office of burgess, and proved himself to be perhaps the most progressive and fearless executive that Weatherly had until then. The borough building and the electric light plant were both erected during his administrations, while many other improvements of a public nature, championed by him, were made through- out the town. He believed in the strict enforcement of
the borough ordinances and treated all classes of citi- zens impartially and alike. He was a man of positive convictions and of masterful personality, nature hav- ing endowed him with strong combative qualities, while he had cultivated a ready wit and a nimble tongue. He delighted to debate on political questions, giving an opponent no quarter, and maintaining his own position against any odds. He was a life-long Republican.
Beneath a somewhat brusque exterior he carried a heart as tender and as loyal as a woman's, being al- ways ready to give comfort and help of a more prac- tical nature to those who were in distress or in any way in need of assistance. He was constitutionally an optimist, allowing no misfortune to long overwhelm or cloud his spirit.
Mr. Smith was united in marriage to Mary Eliza- beth Reazor, a daughter of John and Jane Reazor, of Norristown, in 1860. Six sons and two daughters were born to them: Charles W., Ida May, Talbot S., Allen H., William M., Cora, Thomas E., John M.
Mr. Smith died of pulmonary trouble at his home in Hudsondale after a prolonged illness on February 20, 1909, being aged nearly 70 years. His remains repose in Union Cemetery at Weatherly. All of his children
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excepting Talbot preceded him in death. His widow, patient and kindly to the last, departed this life on July 8, 1912.
Mr. Smith was a member of the Presbyterian church, and was connected with the Masonic fraternity at Hazleton.
Smith, Talbot Sidwell, son of Marshall L. and Eliza- beth (Reazor) Smith, was born in Chester county, Pa., on January 22, 1868. Educated in the public schools, he at an early age entered the establishment of his fa- ther, who conducted an ochre mill, successively located at Lehigh Gap, Slatington, and at Hudsondale.
For a time he was a superintendent for the firm of Smith and Weaver, operating a coal washery at Buck Mountain. In 1887, upon the establishment of the Hud- sondale Ochre Works by his father, he removed to Weatherly, taking part in the conduct of the business. About ten years later he took up his residence in Hud- sondale, becoming the superintendent of the plant, and so continuing until his death.
While engaged in his duties one day, he was caught in the machinery of the mill, sustaining injuries from which he never fully recovered.
Mr. Smith was the assistant chief of Weatherly's first fire company. He was one of the leaders in the movement which resulted in the erection of the chapel of the Bethany Union Sunday school, of Hudsondale, of which he was a loyal member. He was also a mem- ber of the Lutheran church at Weatherly.
At the age of eighteen he was united in marriage to Emma, daughter of John and Elizabeth Link, of Sla- tington, Lehigh county. The following children were born to them: Hattie, wife of Samuel O. Gerhard; Cora, who married Brice Brenckman ; Gertrude, Dama, Florence, Marshall, Helen, George and Talbot.
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HISTORY OF CARBON COUNTY.
As a citizen, Mr. Smith was public spirited and progressive. At the time of his death, which occurred on February 14, 1910, he was a member of the board of supervisors of Packer township.
Smitham, James, one of the best equipped of the younger members of the bar of Carbon county, is the son of Thomas and Anna (Meese) Smitham, being of English descent.
His father is living retired at Nesquehoning, Pa., where he has resided for the last fifty years.
James was born at that place on March 12, 1872, gaining his preliminary training in the common schools and attending Millersville State Normal School, where he graduated in 1891. He then pursued a course in the Eastman Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y., after which he taught school for two years at Nesquehoning. Subsequently he enrolled as a student at Dickinson College, preparatory to entering Princeton University, graduating in the classical course from the latter in- stitution in 1897.
Choosing to follow a legal career, he studied law at Harvard and in the offices of Bertollette and Barber at Mauch Chunk, being admitted to the bar in 1900, and successfully practising his profession since that time. In 1906 he was appointed referee in bankruptcy for Carbon county, which position he still holds.
Mr. Smitham was married to Anna S. Pierce, of Williamsport, Pa., on June 18, 1904. They have two children, Thomas and Mary, the family residing at Mauch Chunk.
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