History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 103

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158

USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I > Part 103

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).

V. W. Weaver, Mrs. V. W. Weaver.

Mary M. Harley. John Lee.

Martin Lee.

Thomas Lee.

Mary Lee. Elizabeth A. McLaugh- lin.

Thomas E. McLaughlin. Robert McCracken.

Isabella McCracken. Elizabeth Lewis.

Lizzie A. Lewis.

Reese Lewis.

Mary Ann Loughridge.

Susanna James. Mary E. Barndt.

564

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Lydia Keiser. George Dobbins.

William Williams. William Blair.

Rebecca Dobbins.

Charles Welty.

On the following Sabbath, April 9, 1871, the church was formally dedicated to the worship of God. Rev. Charles Lindsley, of New Rochelle, N. Y., preached the sermon. Revs. Earle and Little also took part in the service. A pleasant feature of the occasion and worthy of recogni- tion was the announcement made by the pastor, Rev. Walker, that the bell was the gift of Sam- uel Thomas; the communion service the gift of Mrs. David Thomas, and that pecuniary aid had been secured from the Thomas Iron Company, to the amount of $1,000, through which timely liberality the church was dedicated free of debt. At the regular semi-annual meeting of the Le- high Presbytery, held at White Haven, April 18-20, 1871, the church was entered upon the roll of the presbytery, and placed under the care of Rev. Walker as stated supply, who served the congregation until Sept. 13, 1877. Among the others who served the congregation as pastors were Revs. E. A. Nelson, David R. Griffith, Prof. Stephen G. Barnes and Frederick F. Kolb, the last named serving the congregation from April 18, 1888, until the time of his death Jan- uary 31, 1902, a period of 13 years. Mr. Kolb had previously served as missionary among the miners of Carbon and Luzerne counties, and at the time of his death had labored for a period of 42 years in the Master's cause. Since the death of Rev. Kolb, the church has been without a regular pastor, for which the principal cause is the fact that the church is situated in a center where the Reformed and Lutheran Churches are in the ascendency, and on the other hand the un- certainties of the iron industries, causing a com- plete shut-down of the furnaces on several oc- casions, and thus compelling the employees to seek employment elsewhere, which has been in- strumental in reducing the church-membership to 46, with services only every two weeks. There is a Sunday-school connected with the congrega- tion, of which the total membership, including officers and teachers is 146. The superintendent is Robert Mckeever.

SCHOOLS.

The advantages offered through the public school system has been enjoyed for many years in this community. The first school-house in this section and now within the limits of the borough, was a stone structure which stood along the public road leading from Alburtis to

Hensingersville, a short distance beyond Lock- ridge, situated near the home now occupied by Jonathan Bard. When this school-house was built it is hard to determine but from what I have been able to gather it must have already been built about 80 years ago. For many years this school was used by the young of the com- munity who sought the educational advantages which it afforded. Some of the teachers who taught here were: John Karsten, Nathan Her- zog, James Christman, a Mr. Bleiler, and Con- stantine Schoemacher.

Later a schoolhouse was built further in the town, on the site of the paint mill property. This one was also a stone structure and was built some time during the 50's. This school-house continued to be used until the year 1870, when it was regarded as being located too closely to the railway and it was therefore abandoned. Some of the teachers who taught here were: Jacob Lichty, and Willoughby Guth. The branches taught in this school were: Geography, Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. In the year 1870, a brick schoolhouse was erected on Sec- ond Street, on the site of the present Alburtis Shirt Mills. This building was used only a few years. The town was enjoying an unparalleled era of prosperity, and rapidly growing, the schoolhouse soon became too small. It was there- fore abandoned and another location was sought and a schoolhouse erected. Those teaching in this school were the following: James Gernerd, and Tilghman Brobst.

In the year 1874 a two-story brick building with four rooms was erected for the accomoda- tion of the schools. It was built on the site of the present building, which is the building erect- ed at that time. This building has been used for school purposes up to the present. The schools are divided as follows: Primary, second- ary, grammar, high school. The supervising principal is F. D. Stauffer, teaching the High School; the grammar is taught by Warren Knerr; the secondary is taught by Clara Mohr, the primary by Rosa Keller. The school term is 8 months. The following are some of the teachers who have taught here: P. B. Nuss, James Gernerd, John Keiser, George Kline, S. J. Kern, Samuel Bordner, Rev. J. F. Keller, J. Calvin Schuger, Mrs. Richard Kramlich, Ralph Butz, and others.

The school board in 1914 was composed of Dr. E. H. Mohr, Tilden Kuhns, O. J. Kneedler, Robert Schradler and John Bieber. In 1914, A. K. Snyder was Burgess, and D. F. Keller and R. F. Butz, Justices of the Peace.

CHAPTER XXIV.

BOROUGH OF CATASAUQUA. WILLIAM H. GLACE, EsQ.

Original Title .- The borough of Catasauqua is situated on a part of 10,000 acres which Wil- liam Penn, the Proprietary of Pennsylvania, de- vised to his daughter Letitia, who afterward married William Aubrey, of London, England, and in 1731 they granted and conveyed this land to John Page. Some months afterward, Page secured a warrant to take up 2,723 acres of the 10,000 acres, and in pursuance of this war- rant the tract was surveyed and set apart for him. The patent from the Proprietaries to Page erected the tract into a Manor, by the name of "Chawton."

Among the names of the early settlers and purchasers of this tract are the following: Thomas Armstrong, Robert Gibson, Robert Clendennin, Joseph Wright, John Elliott, An- drew Mann, Robert Gregg, and Nathaniel Tay- lor, all Irish names, showing that the town is situated within the bounds of the original Irish settlement.

The Armstrong tract contained 330 acres.

The Robert Gibson tract contained 19312 acres and included the Paul Faust farm. Part of this land is now owned by the Lackawanna Land Co.

That portion of the original tract on which the greater part of the town was first built ap- pears to have passed into the possession of An- drew Hower and Marks John Biddle, of Phil- adelphia, who secured possession of 190 acres at a sheriff's sale in 1795. Frederick Biery made his purchase from Biddle in 1795. Biddle also sold some portions of his land to Abraham Zieg- ler, who sold to Biery and Kurtz.

Hower retained a small amount of the land situated at Third and Walnut streets until 1823, when he sold it to John Peter.

Nathaniel Taylor resided on the Lehigh River, north of the town, at "Dry-Run." In his will at Easton, he mentions the spring on the Lehigh, south of Dry-Run. This tract was purchased in 1787 by Christian Swartz of Longswamp town- ship, Berks county.

Irish Settlement .- Rev. Leslie Irwin stated in a letter to David Thomas (in which he re- quested the privilege of preaching in the old church of the Irish Settlement), that, according

to the original grant to the Irish settlers, it ex- tended from Siegfried's to Koehler's at the locks, one mile below Catasauqua, and this was con- firmed by Rev. Mr. Clyde in his history of this settlement, and extended in the form of a trap- ezoid beyond Bath.

A peculiarity of these people was an innate dis- position to argue, for some of them were edu- cated, and, while the - Pennsylvania Germans delved and dug, they themselves would not toil hard, but would discuss the possibilities of the French and English War in Canada, and the prospect of a war with the mother country. They established a small academy on the Monocacy creek which was the fore-runner of Lafayette College at Easton. When the Revolution came, they responded patriotically, and their pastor, Rev. John Rosburgh, organized a company and fell at the battle of Trenton. Their disinclina- tion to manual labor caused them to sell their farms when good prices could be obtained, and in almost every case a Pennsylvania German was the purchaser, so that by the year 1800 not an Irish owner of land was left along the Le- high river, nor within two or three miles of it.

This disposition asserted itself for years after- ward, and now there are only a few descendants living in the settlement. As they sold their farms they went to Central Pennsylvania and the West, where land was cheaper.

Another important factor was their inter-mar- riage amongst themselves (very few marrying out of the colony) and the sterility of the fami- lies was a natural consequence.

Early Residents .- Prior to the establish- ment of the iron-works, this locality, known as Biery's Port, was settled in about the same de- gree as the surrounding country. There were only four families owning the ground on which the

town was originally incorporated, the Bierys, Fausts, Peters, and Breischs, and of these, one family, the Fausts, resided beyond the pres- ent borough limits. The Deilys lived in the old stone house, south of the creek, which was built in 1768; and Mr. Kurtz, west of town, on a farm.

The Bierys (Frederick and Henry) had come to the locality in 1801 when they bought the

565

566

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

stone mill, afterward owned by Mauser & Cress- man, who then rebuilt it and have since carried on the business. Henry Biery soon removed to New York; but Frederick remained and exert- ed his energy in making many improvements in the neighborhood, and carried on the mill until his decease in 1845. He also carried on what was known as Biery's Ferry, and in 1824 built a chain bridge. (See Bridges.) He built a stone tavern (still standing and occupied as a private house) in 1826, and a stone building of the same material in 1835 (also standing) ; and a stone house in 1830, now occupied by Frank Mauser. Thus a little cluster of buildings was in existence at the east end of Biery's Bridge. His sons were Daniel, Jonas, Solomon, David, and William; his daughters were the wives of Nicholas Snyder, Samuel Koehler, and Jacob Buehler. Solomon inherited his father's energy, and was during his whole life an active charac- ter. He carried on a tavern for many years. Jonas was engaged in the lumber trade.

John Peter lived at what is now the corner of Bridge and Front streets. He moved to this location in 1823 from Heidelberg (where he was born in 1799), and bought his small farm of Andrew Hower, at first occupying a house which had been built by John Yundt, and afterward erected a stone dwelling. He followed weaving for nine years, and was one of the first lock- tenders for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. In 1851 he moved away and died at Al- lentown.

The Faust family had been long settled just north of the borough boundary. The first rep- resentative of the family here was John Philip Faust. Jonas, his son, after his death, about 1831, received his lands, and, dying two years later, the farm was accepted at its appraised value of $50 per acre by his son Paul, who lived upon it until his death, in November, 1883. A portion of his land was divided and sold in town lots.

Henry Breisch, a stone-mason, lived where Dr. Daniel Yoder now lives, and owned IO acres of land surrounding his home. At the time the town was laid out, a road extended up the hill from the Faust farm-house, past Breisch's home, and onward to the Howertown Road. The land on the gentle slope, where are now the best residences of Catasauqua, was in part tilled and in part rough pasture land, in many places over- grown with brush and trees. Among the first settlers after the establishment of the iron-works were the Williams family, the Fullers, James Lackey, Joshua Hunt, Joseph Laubach, Peter Laux, Charles G. Schneller, and Nathan Fegley.

David Williams, father of Thomas (who was

killed on the railroad in 1872), David (superin- tendent of the Union Foundry), John (cashier of the Crane Iron Co.), and Oliver (president of the Catasauqua Manufacturing Co.), came here in 1840 from Wales, and took a contract for moulding with the Crane Iron Co. He died in 1845.

Nathan Fegley came here soon after Mr. Lackey, and opened a store. Afterward he kept a temperance hotel, and in addition to his mer- cantile business opened the first lumber and coal- yard in Catasauqua. He left in 1854, and his store passed into the possession of Weaver, Mick- ley & Co., a firm which was composed of Val- entine Weaver, Edwin Mickley, Samuel Thomas and John Thomas.

In 1847, Joseph Laubach came here from Al- len township, adjoining Hanover, and open- ed a store near Biery's Bridge. In 1848 he bought the property, where, two years later, he started the Eagle House, which was the next hotel after that carried on by the Bierys.

The Catasauqua House was built by Jesse Knauss about the same time; the American House by Solomon Biery in 1856; and the Penn- sylvania House about 1857.

Charles G. Schneller started in business in a small way on Second street and Mulberry alley in 1848. In 1854 he moved to Front street, where he sold stoves and hardware for 30 years. He was a native of Bethlehem, and came to Catasauqua from Bucks county.

Other early merchants were Getz & Gilbert, who established themselves in 1854; Peter Lau- bach, who opened a store shortly afterward; and Joseph and J. W. Swartz, who began in 1856.

Morgan Emanuel, a native of Wales, was another early resident, who did much towards the development of the town. He died April II, 1884, aged nearly 80 years.

Indian Relics .- Very few relics of the past have been found in the vicinity of Catasauqua. When the Lehigh Valley Railroad was construct- ed, an Indian skull was found on the bluff below the station, surrounded by boards, pipe and other relics.

Opposite the mouth of Coplay creek, when the canal was dug, many arrow-heads of flint were found, showing that the Indians had made these arrow-heads where the spring flowed into the Lehigh river.

Joseph Miller (who lived in the old stone house on the road to Hokendauqua, above the cemetery gates), said in 1866 that he heard his grandfather say that there was an Indian bury- ing ground on the lowlands and while standing on the hills on the opposite side of the river, peering through the heavy under-brush and ever-

567

BOROUGH OF CATASAUQUA.

greens, he saw at different times parties of In- dians bury their dead at that place.

An Indian grave-yard is alleged to have been on the Taylor premises near the colonial man- sion where the present corn-crib and pig-sty are situated. It was about 60 feet wide by 150 feet long, and upwards of one hundred graves were there marked by small flat stones. In this vicin- ity numerous flint and stone relics were found which are included in the collection of Dr. Charles Milson.

Incorporation .- Application was made to the Court of Quarter Sessions of Lehigh County on April 3, 1851, for the incorporation of Catasauqua into a borough. The decree of the Court was made Feb. 1, 1853, which pro- vided as follows :

"That the village of Catasauqua, and the ter- ritory in and around the same as comprised with-

River Lehigh, thence up the said River Lehigh, the several courses and distances thereof at low water mark to the place of beginning, be and the same is hereby declared a body corporate in law, under and subject to the provisions, require- ments, and enactments of the Act of Assembly, entitled, 'An Act regulating boroughs,' approved April 3, 1851, to be known and designated in law and otherwise as the borough of Catasauqua, and shall constitute a separate Election and School District, subject to all the laws now in force regulating such districts. The election for borough officers is hereby directed to be held on the third Friday of March annually, at the public house now in the occupancy of Charles Nolf, until removed therefrom according to law."

While the town was being incorporated, there were many signs of activity and immediately

CATASAUQUA IN 1852.

in the following boundaries, to wit: Beginning at a point in the River Lehigh at low water mark, thence through land of Paul Faust, on the line dividing the said county of Lehigh from the county of Northampton, to the public road lead- ing from bridge to Howertown, thence down the said road in the middle thereof, to a stone corner between lands of George Breinig and Henry Kurtz, thence on the line between the said lands of the said Breinig and Kurtz to Catasauqua creek, thence down said creek the several courses and distances thereof to its junction with the

afterward the town council proceeded energet- ically with grading the streets and smoothing off the rough places preparatory to paving. New buildings were going up, among them the three- story brick hotel of Solomon Biery, fronting on two streets near the old stand; the hotel, store, and dwelling of William Gross on the opposite corner, he having secured a license at the last court; and a bridge over the Lehigh river on the site of the old chain bridge. The Crane Iron Co. works were in full blast with five furnace stacks in constant operation.

568

HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

First Officials .- Election officers were ap- pointed who were directed to conduct the elec- tion which was to be opened only to citizens legally entitled to vote who resided within the territory mentioned in the decree. The first of- ficials elected were the following: Chief Burg- ess, David Thomas; Town Council, Jesse Knauss, William Biery, Joshua Hunt, Jr., Jos- eph Laubach, John Clark; Street Commission- ers, Morgan Emanuel, Jonas Biery; High Con- stable, Charles Siegley; Auditor, John Williams ; Judge, Isaac E. Chandler ; Inspectors, David G. Jones, Augustus H. Gilbert; Assessor, Levi Haas; School Directors, James Ginder, Owen Rice, Charles Nolf, Charles G. Schneller, George W. Klotz, James Wilson; Justice of the Peace, John Hudders; Constable, Joseph Lazarus.

Name .- Catasauqua is a compound word meaning "dry-ground" in the dialect of the Len- ni-Lenape tribe of Indians who first inhabited this section of country.

Catasauqua means the earth is thirsty; and Gattoshacki, wants rain, which indicated in their language that the vegetation hereabout suffered for want of rain. The creek, which empties into the Lehigh river at the south end of the borough, was therefore called by this name. On some of the earlier maps of the land hereabouts it was called Catasauqua, and on others, Mill-creek, be- cause a mill had been erected along its head- waters by Thomas Wilson in 1735. In one deed of 1763, it was written Callisuka; in others, Caladaqua.

The Irish settlers recognized this parched condition of the ground and absence of vegeta- tion between the river and Shoenersville, and therefore avoided the locality. This peculiarity still prevails.

Hanover Township .- Hanover township was established Aug. 15, 1798, out of the south- ern section of Allen township, and was a part of Northampton county until the erection of Le- high county in 1812, and the county line, as then established, extended from a point on the east bank of the Lehigh river, opposite the out- let of Coplay creek, almost at right angles with the river, along the northerly line of Hanover township, and included the western half of the township; and the site of the village of Biery's Port occupied the northwest corner of it. Doubt- less its location led the active persons, interested in the erection of the new county, to establish the line so as to include the village, in order to give its inhabitants and property-holders convenient communication with the county-seat at Allen- town.

First Taxables .- The population increased

rapidly from the founding of the town, and in 1853 the following persons owned property here:

George Andrew, tailor Aaron Koch

John Albright Owen Kuntz, blacksmith

Nathan Andreas Jesse Knauss, liveryman

William Biery, carpenter Widow Kreider

Solomon Biery

John Koons, blacksmith Anthony Knapp, mason

John Boyer William Kratzer

Hugh Brattor, laborer Reuben Kratzer

Jonas Biery

Henry Kurtz

Daniel Biery

Samuel Koehler

Jacob Beil

James Kerr

Aaron Bast, carpenter A. Kromer.

John Brobst

Joseph Lichtenwallner

William Bayard

James Lackey, merchant

Charles Becker, minister Widow Leibert

Washburn Bough, boat-Joseph Laubach, inn-keep- builder er

Lewis Bough S. H. Laciar, tinsmith

Lucinda Beers John Laubach

Stephen Beers

Laciar & Co., merchants

David Beidelman, weaver Jonas Lilly

Christian Bough

Amos Buchmier, tailor

tor

John Clark Widow McAllister

Samuel Colver

John McIntyre

William Cramsey

Peter Morey

Jacob Christ

Jacob Miller

Noah Davis

William Miller, merchant

Daniel Davis

William Minnich

Reuben Dilgard

John Machette

George Deily William McLelland (3d)

Jacob Deily, wheelwright William Neighley, carpen-

Ferd. Eberhard, contrac- ter

tor

James Nevens

Morgan Emanuel

David Neighley

Samuel Evans

Frederick W. Nagle

John Evans

Samuel L. Nevens

Philip Fenstermacher

Samuel Old

Paul Faust Reuben Patterson, shoe-

James W. Fuller, contrac- maker tor Jacob Ruthman, mason

Nathan Frederick, inn- William Romig

keeper

Charles W. Rau, saddler

Thomas Frederick, mer-John Roth chant

Jacob F. Fogel

Samuel Romich Patrick Roney

Reuben Fenstermacher Jacob Leem, shoemaker

Henry Fenstermacher Simon Sterner, machinist

Nathan Fegley

Jonathan Snyder

George Foehler

Charles G. Schneller,

Owen Frederick, cabinet- mason maker

Charles Sigley

William Fegley, carpen-William Stillwagon ter

Augustus Gilbert

Henry Goetz

James Ginder, boat-build-Solomon Swab er

William Gross, merchant Peter Sheckler

and inn-keeper

George Snyder

Peter Hinely

Levi Haas

Henry Hock, saddler

John Hock

Joshua Hunt

David Thomas, Jr.

John Thomas

John James

Samuel Thomas

David D. Jones

Samuel Still

Owen Swartz

James Snyder

Joseph Troxell, shoe- maker

David A. Tombler

David Thomas

William Jones

Maria Troxell

Robert McIntyre, contrac-

Charles Deiler

William McLelland

Nicholas Snyder

Joseph Brown, tailor

569

BOROUGH OF CATASAUQUA.

Widow Wyman John Wilson

David Williams Henry Yundt

E. P. Weiss, merchant

Enoch Yundt Enos Weaver

Among the tenants at this time were Moses E. Albright and William Steckel, merchants; Henry Bush and Charles Nolf, innkeepers; Benjamin Bush, miller; William Tice, carpen- ter; Cornelius Earle, minister; and Franklin Martin, physician.

In consequence of necessary grading, heavy excavations in streets, and the building of a lock-up, the debt of the borough at the end of the first fiscal year amounted to $3,200; and land damages for the opening of streets, interest, and further grading, increased the debt on the Ist of April, 1855, to $4,000. On the Ist of April, 1863, it was $5,000, and from that time forward for a number of years the receipts were not sufficient to pay the interest and current ex- penses, which caused an annual deficit. The ex- pense of building the town hall and purchasing fire apparatus, etc., amounted to $22,000; and there being an average annual deficit of $700, the debt in April, 1874, was found to be $36,- 609. The tax-levy had never amounted to more than $3,300 prior to 1874, but in that year the triennial assessment showed a valuation of more than double the previous assessments, and thus met a long-felt want, increasing the tax-levy so as to pay current expenses.

Borough Extended .- The borough was ex- tended in 1895 by annexing a part of Hanover township which lay to the north and east, and was described in the proceedings as follows:

"Beginning at a point in the center of the Catasauqua creek which is in the present bound- ary line of the borough; thence along said line north 88 degrees and 42 minutes west 192 feet, more or less, to a stone, and south 59 degrees and 28 minutes west 1,084 feet and 6 inches to an iron pipe in the center of Howertown Road; thence along said line and the center of said Howertown Road north 50 degrees and 13 min- utes west 464 feet and 4 inches to an iron pipe in the centre of said Howertown Road, said iron pipe being also in the line dividing Lehigh county and Northampton county; thence along said county line north 70 degrees and 12 minutes east 1,412 feet, more or less, to a point in the said Catasauqua creek; and thence down said creek, the several courses and distances thereof to the place of beginning."

Wards Established .- The petition of 49 cit- izens of the borough was presented to the court on April 11, 1876, praying for a division of the borough into two wards for the purpose of facilitating elections and of securing a fair rep-

resentation for each section in the Council and School Board. The court appointed Eli J. Saeger, F. J. Newhard, and W. B. Powell as commissioners, who viewed and considered the premises, and recommended a division of the borough into two wards as prayed for. The court confirmed their report, and on Jan. 19, 1877, filed a decree, dividing the borough into two wards, named respectively First ward and Second ward, and giving the boundaries of each.

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.

History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 103

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society Publication date: 1914 Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 1158

Author: Roberts, Charles Rhoads; Stoudt, John Baer, 1878- joint comp; Krick, Thomas H., 1868- joint comp; Dietrich, William Joseph, 1875- joint comp; Lehigh County Historical Society
Publication date: 1914
Publisher: Allentown, Pa. : Lehigh Valley Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 1158