History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 108

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 108

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Startling Noise .- While the prospecting Welshman and his son stood there, a loud noise from the vicinity of the hamlet startled them. Little Samuel, while in the great city of Lon- don, had provided for such a supposed emergency by purchasing a gun, but, alas, at that moment

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of apparent peril, he recalled that it was among the family effects somewhere in a canal-boat on the Morris Canal, slowly moving towards this point and not just then available. After dis- covering the cause of this explosion, they decided to venture forward and soon reached the bridge which they found to be constructed of chains, fastened at the ends to heavy stone piers. They each paid a big copper penny to the toll gatherer (Daniel Tombler, ancestor of the Tombler fam- ily of this community), and, proceeding farther across the canal bridge, reached the hamlet which consisted of a grist-mill, saw-mill, fulling-mill, and several dwelling houses, and beyond there was a woods to the right as far as the eye could see.

The middle stone building (which is still standing) was the hotel of the place, and Fred- erick Biery, the village nabob, sat there on a bench. Mr. Thomas entered into a colloquy with him and he soon learned where the pro- posed furnace was to be erected. Hardly had he gotten this information, when, suddenly, that ter- rifying report again broke the prevailing quiet of the village, and turning around quickly the agitated pedestrians in wonderment learned that it was caused by an upright saw in yonder mill, ripping into slabs, by means of water-power, a large log on the skids. Thence they walked to the site of the proposed new enterprise, and after inspecting the place they returned afoot, late in the afternoon, to their hotel at Allentown, ( Hab- eracker's, now the Hamilton). A house was then rented for Mr. Thomas and his family (the site now of the Prince Furniture Co.) and there they made their home until the two-story frame dwelling north of Biery's Port was completed for them by the Crane Iron Co.

Difficulties Surmounted .- It was late in the "Thirties" that the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. (which owned the great anthracite coal fields near Mauch Chunk) realized that they had no adequate market for their products. Loco- motives were few in number and largely wood- burning. The entire number of stationary en- gines running in eastern Pennsylvania probably did not exceed twenty-five. A few spasmodic attempts had been made to smelt iron ore with the use of anthracite coal, but the success was in different. It was therefore decided by the Le- high Company that they would make a market for their coal by smelting the abundant iron ores not far from the line of their canal and to ac- complish this they organized the Crane Iron Co. with a capital of $100,000 (a sum more dif- ficult to raise then than twenty times that amount would be to-day) ; and under the superintend-

ency of Thomas they came to erect their first anthracite furnace at Catasauqua.

One can hardly appreciate the difficulties that daily beset the manager; ores and fuels of un- known and varying constituents; no experienced help; no foundries or machine shops worthy of the name within reach; and weakly constructed blowing-engines which were continually break- ing down; hot-blast ovens of the crudest type, capable of heating only 500 to 600 degrees. These were but a part of this manufacturer's dif- ficulties. After their pig-iron had reached mar- ket, it met customers who had no faith in it and often it could only be sold with a guarantee of faultless casting.

With the opening of the Lehigh Valley R. R. in 1855, a new impetus was given to the iron in- dustry. Prior to that time, the furnaces were obliged to depend upon the canal for coal and for shipments of iron; and it was about this time that Thomas built the first of those minimum hot-pressure blowing-engines which afterward be- came the common type and allowed the use of the New Jersey rich magnetic ores.

Founder of Town .- Mr. Thomas was prom- inently identified with the management and suc- cess of the Crane Iron Works for many years. He became the promoter of the large iron works at Hokendauqua, which were named after him. He was interested in other enterprises here and elsewhere. He took much interest in the polit- ical, financial, religious, and charitable affairs of the town, and therefore came to be commonly recognized as its founder. He was particularly concerned in the establishment and success of the First Presbyterian Church of Catasauqua and he encouraged temperance and thrift amongst the numerous workingmen under him.

Mr. Thomas was married to Elizabeth Hop- kins, daughter of John Hopkins, of Wales, and they had five children: Jane, Gwenny (married to Joshua Hunt), Samuel, John, and David. He died June 20, 1882, in the 88th year of his age. His remains were deposited in the large Thomas vault in Fairview cemetery.

FREDERICK BIERY first introduced the custom of entertaining at funerals in this section of the country. It was at the time of the burial of a member of his own family. The interment was made at the church in Shoenersville, and there the announcement was first publicly made from the pulpit by the minister that the mourners and friends were invited to return to the home of Mr. Biery for the refreshment of man and beast. There the guests were arranged in rows in the yard, and servants appeared, some with bottles of whiskey and glasses, and others with lunch

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consisting of bread, meat, pie, cake, and coffee ; and hostlers provided fodder for the horses. Thus a custom was introduced which prevailed here- abouts for many years. It became a necessity be- cause the country was sparsely populated. Some of the relatives and friends were obliged to start early and travel far if they wished to attend a funeral.

He owned a large tract of land here and the site for the Crane Iron Co. furnace was pur- chased from him. He had five sons, Daniel, Jonas, Solomon, David and William, and three daughters, Mrs. Nicholas Snyder, Mrs. Samuel Koehler, and Mrs. Jacob Buehler. Three fine and attractive cut stone two-story dwelling- houses erected in 1826, 1830, and 1835 along the main road in the village near the bridge which carried his name for nearly seventy years, are still standing in a remarkable state of pres- ervation. He died in 1845.

His son Solomon carried on the tavern for many years; and he served as post-master of the Catasauqua office from 1855 to 1861. In later years he was interested in the car-building firm of Frederick & Co., at Fullerton. Jonas lived in the farm house (now the residence of August Hohl on Race street and Railroad alley), and was engaged as a farmer. He owned and sold all the land upon which East Catasauqua came to be established. The quarry along the Cata- sauqua creek, where the Crane Iron Co. ob- tained all their lime-stone for the furnaces for years, netted him more than $40,000 on a roy- alty of three cents a ton. A large part of the land along Second street, and also along Wood street, was sold by him into lots for buildings, though quite a number had previously been sold by his father. Daniel resided on his farm near Weaversville, now owned by Peter Laubach, and there he died; David resided on his farm near Mickley's, and there he died; and William, the youngest son, died at home at a comparatively early age.

GEORGE BREINIG, while a young man, at- tended the academy at the "Irish Settlement" and on his way to and fro he passed the farm which was irrigated by the Catasauqua creek and became noted for its fertility. Upon reaching manhood he purchased this farm of 245 acres 76 perches from the estate of Peter Beisel, deceased, in 1831, and moved upon it in 1832. It is still owned by some of his descendants.

JAMES W. FULLER figures very prominently as a contemporary of David Thomas. His father, Chauncey Dorrance Fuller, came to Biery's Port from the "Plains," above Wilkes-Barre, soon after the construction of the Lehigh Canal was started, and he was employed by the company

for a number of years. Subsequently he served as one of the Justices of the Peace of the borough for ten years, from 1855 to 1865.

The son, in his early years at Biery's Port, ran boats on the canal, and afterward conducted the store at the bridge. From 1852 to 1856 he was specially employed by David Thomas, for the Crane Iron Co., to secure from the Legisla- ture of Pennsylvania a charter for a railroad to extend from Catasauqua to Fogelsville and Red Lion (near Mertztown in Berks county), for the purpose of enabling the Company and also the Thomas Iron Co., to bring iron ore from the westerly and southerly portions of the county to their large works at a reduced expense, and also to discontinue damaging the public roads with their numerous heavy teams which had come to be a source of complaint by the tax-payers. His efforts developed intense opposition which result- ed in public meetings at Allentown to denounce the attempts of the "Black Republicans" towards securing such a charter, because, as alleged, it would finally destroy the fine farms in the beau- tiful and productive valley of the Jordan. His skill and perseverance brought success. In the Spring of 1856, the railroad was commenced, and within a year the ore teams were no longer seen on the public roads, tearing up the road- way and making it well-nigh impassable as had theretofore been the case.

During the Civil War, Mr. Fuller became prominently identified with the political and mil- itary affairs of Pennsylvania, and his influence with the Republican administration then was generally recognized.

He was married to Clarissa Miller and his children, who lived to mature years, were Orange, James W. Jr., Abbott, Clinton H., and Clara (married to Ogden E. Frederick). Two of them survive, Abbott, who resides at Phila- delphia, and Mrs. Frederick, at Catasauqua. He established the Fairview Cemetery in 1858, and upon his decease in 1872 he was buried there.

SAMUEL GLACE was born at Reamstown, in Lancaster county, Pa., on Oct. 12, 1805. He went from Conyngham, in Luzerne county, to Mauch Chunk, in the Lehigh Valley, in 1826, where he entered the employ of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. In 1830 he took up his res- idence at Biery's Port upon receiving the appoint- ment of division superintendent of the canal from the "Slate Dam" at Laury's to the "Allentown Dam," and he filled this position for ten years. Then he became the mining agent of the Crane Iron Co., which he served for many years. He was the first person to produce hydraulic cement in the Lehigh Valley at Lehigh Gap, his son William having prepared a paper on the subject

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for the Historical Society of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia. He was married to Isabella Swartz, of Allen township, and they had two children, William H. Glace (Attorney-at-law), and Amanda E. (married to Dr. Daniel Yoder), both of whom reside at Catasauqua. He died January 3, 1892, at the remarkable age of 86 years.

JOHN GEORGE KURTZ, the grandfather of the late Henry Kurtz, at Catasauqua, settled in Hanover township along the Catasauqua creek, in 1760, and established a homestead when the surrounding country was a wilderness. The land extended thence to Shoenersville and was gen- erally known as "Drylands," because no water was obtainable there during the summer months, and the cattle had to be driven to the Lehigh river where the creek had its outlet. It is said that after he had erected a cabin he went to Europe to fetch his family, but upon his return with them he found the cabin in ruins, having been destroyed by the Indians.

In 1839, the plantation was divided between two of his grandchildren, Henry (who took the western portion), and George (who took the eastern). Their descendants here have become numerous. For many years these grandsons re- fused to sell their land for building lots, which caused the town to develop towards Bethlehem, and the improved section came to be called East Catasauqua.

JAMES LACKEY was a native of Reading. He came here at an early day in the history of the town and carried on the canal-store (where George B. F. Deily resides) when Thomas came . here. He occupied this store several years, then he leased an acre of ground north of the furnace between the canal and river and erected a store and dwelling which he carried on until about 1850. By this time, the business of the Crane Iron Co. had increased so much that they were obliged to extend their plant to the north; so they purchased the property and Lackey located on Front street, south of Mulberry, where he erected another store and dwelling. He conduct- ed a general store business there until 1857, when he was elected prothonotary of Lehigh county and he removed to Allentown. This locality on Front street then became the site of the National Bank of Catasauqua, and is now occupied by the Imperial Hotel.

Mr. Lackey served as prothonotary from 1857 to 1863, and as deputy for many years afterward. He died in Allentown at an advanced age.

JOHN LEIBERT lived near "Rohn's," now in- cluded in the Third ward. He was a boss-car- penter for the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co. for a time; then, upon receiving a similar ap-

pointment from the Crane Iron Co., he located at Biery's Port. He died about 1845. His widow survived him upwards of 50 years. His son Owen became prominent as superintendent of the Bethlehem Steel Co. The only descend- ants living here are a daughter Jane, and a granddaughter Emma (wife of James Morrow, Esq).

The day Leibert moved to Biery's Port (then Craneville), he was asked where he was going. He answered rather ironically-"Oh, to Crane- ville, and now I suppose my daughters will marry Irishmen." The late James Nevins was his son-in-law.

ROBERT MCINTYRE came here with his teams from Mauch Chunk, where he had finished a contract soon after Mr. Thomas arrived, and he did considerable work in digging the race for the water which turned the large water-wheel in the furnace. Soon afterward he purchased the farm adjoining Fairview Cemetery and there mined iron-ore which was washed where the Lehigh Valley R. R. depot is situated. The race for the washery is now used to run the turbine wheel which raises the water for the locomotives of the Lehigh Valley R. R. and Catasauqua and Fogelsville R. R. He also purchased the farm on the road to Bethlehem, now owned by the Oberly Estate. He owned real estate in town, now known as the Eagle Hotel and the Lehigh National Bank. He built several sections of the Catasauqua and Fogelsville R. R. His prin- cipal work, which gave him much fame, was the construction of the Aqueduct through which the water was conveyed from the Upper Potomac river to Washington, D. C. In 1864 he sold his property here and removed to his farm near Quincy, Ill., where he died at an advanced age.

JOHN PETER resided between Schneller's block and the Lehigh canal. He moved here in 1823 and bought his farm from Andrew Hower, heirs of John Philip Faust and others. His first home was built by John Yundt. He afterward erected a stone dwelling which is now the stable of F. W. Wint & Co. He followed weaving for nine years. Upon the completion of the canal he became a lock-tender.

In 1851, he sold the remainder of his farm (not heretofore sold into lots), to David Thomas, and moved to Bethlehem. In contrast with many of the first inhabitants who opposed Thomas in his projects, he could always be re- lied upon to support him.

JONATHAN SNYDER was a native of Shoeners- ville. He had a fair education with a fine handwriting. In 1839 he became the lock ten- der opposite the furnace of the Crane Iron Co. Afterwards he occupied the toll-house at the

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Biery Bridge. He collected all the tolls in this section of the canal. When the town was erect- ed into a borough he served as assessor for some years. Of his immediate family, the only sur- vivors are his grandchildren, the Williams fam- ily, who reside at Second and Bridge streets.

THOMAS LETTER .- The following interesting letter was sent by David Thomas to a friend in Wales six months after he had settled here and it is submitted to show the situation of affairs at Catasauqua and vicinity in 1839:

CRANE IRON WORKS, Dec. 11th, 1839.

Mr. David Bowen, Aberdare, South Wales, England.

MY DEAR FRIEND :- I have taken my pen in hand to write you a few lines from this wide western hemisphere. I am in perfect health and good spir- its and all my family are the same who join me in hoping this brief letter will find you and your family also enjoying good health and happiness. I suffered much on the voyage and after I came here from sickness, which you no doubt have heard; but my health and strength have now recovered amaz- ingly, and I am now flattered by those who knew me before that I look better than I did some years ago.

We have been treated herc with much kindness. My employers have done everything in their power for my comfort; they have built me a very good house, with garden and every convenience that one could wish, and I have reason to believe they are satisfied with me. I have under my care about 100 men with proper foremen to look after every department; I give the orders and pay them.

We live in a very fertile country where every sort of grain, vegetable and fruit is very abun- dantly grown. The climate is very healthy; and the weather has been hitherto very good. The people are hospitable and kind, chiefly from German origin. There is much of that language spoken here, which I am learning very fast. The chil- dren can talk it better than I can.

Places of worship and schools are numerous. Many denominations are supported by voluntary contributions; the schools by a tax, every State appropriating so many thousand dollars for the use of schools. There is one built in my neigh- borhood where every one can educate his chil- dren for almost nothing, to any branch of science or literature.

The government is Democratic, and chiefly in the hands of the most numerable part of the com- munity, which in my opinion is the worst part of their policy, and the most likely to injure the permanent progress of America. Your radicals, with riotous chartists, I think would have enough of universal suffrage only for them to witness the abuse of that suffrage as applied here. I have seen with regret the riotous affair of the chartists at Newport, and I am afraid from the appearance of the English newspapers that you are going to have more of it.

The population of this district is not very thin. It is peopled as thickly as Carmarthenshire. The towns are six to ten miles from one another and some of them have from 3,000 to 12,000 people. Phil- adelphia is 54 miles and New York is 93 miles, to either of which places we can go from here in one day. Traveling here is very expeditious, as

there are canals and railroads in every direction. The town nearest to us is Allentown which is three miles from our works.

The natural resources of this country are num- erous. All sorts of minerals are very abundant ; provisions are . very cheap, in fact, everything for the use of man is very moderate except woolen cloths, which are about double of those bought in England. Calico and cotton prints are as cheap here as you can get them there, and cotton goods of every sort are very cheap.

I do not think the cattle in this country are as good as in the old country ; but horses are equally as good, if not better generally. Pigs are very cheap and abundant. Pork is very cheap, selling in the market at 9 shillings, I pence per cwt., and the best bacon fed upon Indian corn (which is very plentiful here) for 12 shillings, 6 pence per cwt. of your currency ; best flour is $5.50 per barrel or 550 half pence of your currency, weighing 196 pounds. I had a barrel last week which makes bread pretty nearly as white as this sheet of paper I am writ- ing upon; good black tea I shilling 6 pence to 7 shillings 6 pence per pound; coffee, best, 15 shil- lings 1/2 pence, but very good for 4 shillings 1/2 pence per pound; loaf sugar is 7 pence, if good season, 61/2 pence; burnt sugar for 312 pence to 5 pence per pound of your currency; and indeed everything in that way is very cheap.

The people here only eat three meals a day ; breakfast at 6 in the morning, dinner at 12, and supper or tea at 6 in the evening. They have plenty of meat on the table for each meal whatever house you go into. All classes eat very much alike and about the same times.

Poverty is rarely known here except among the intemperate or idle. Old people, widows, and orph- ans are very well taken care of. The law of the land is very lenient to the actual poor, but very much otherwise to imposters. I have only seen three people begging, two of them Irish and one a German.

Since the time I left, is there any fresh duty? They do not know what duty is here, only on goods imported. The farmers in this country are usually free-holders. There is not one farmer out of a hundred but what lives on his own land, and they are generally very wealthy. Manufacturers are in- creasing very fast here; they are short of hands and capital, both increasing very fast. We have had some very bad times this autumn in the money market, but it is improving again very fast.

In about three weeks from this time our furnace will have fire in it. We are going to build another in the spring.

John Thomas is here and he is a good boy, very strong and industrious. He sends his best regards to his mother.

Please address your letter to David Thomas, Crane Iron Works, near Allentown, Lehigh Co., Pa. I am, my dear old friend,

Your sincere old friend,

DAVID THOMAS.

CHARACTER OF EMPLOYEES .- The men em- ployed at the furnaces were mostly Irishmen. There were some Welshmen and Germans, but as a rule they were employed round about the furnaces. Catholics and Protestants were em- ployed in equal numbers so far as possible. This prevented combinations and strikes among them

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and preserved the peace of the hamlet. The gov- ernment of the village in its early days was fra- ternal, that is, that part connected with the fur- naces.

The temperance movement was strong. There was a division called the "George Crane Divi- sion" for adults, and the "Crystal Fount Section" for boys. The meeting place was in a hall where the Crane Iron Co. stables are now. Every one was expected to join the movement and if not, he had to give a reason why. The result was one of great influence. The adults were led to save their money so that many of them, upon leaving with their families, purchased farms in the vicinity of Quincy, Ill., and their descend- ants are among the substantial citizens of that section.

A peculiarity of this growing hamlet before 1853 was its seclusiveness from the neighboring towns and villages. It was mostly inhabited by foreigners who naturally brought the habits and customs of their own country with them, and had a rather quiet, contented life without news- papers to excite or distract their minds, or loco- motives and heavy trains of cars to break the stillness of the country air. The Sabbath day was honored by them and the "Old Church" in the woods was generally filled by attentive lis- teners. The community was made up of young and middle aged men, and possessed many promis- ing boys and girls who had time and opportunities to develop knowledge, as well as health and strength, in this region by the side of the Lehigh river. Employment in the growing iron works was steady and the men employed remained the same from year to year.

OCCUPATIONS .- The occupations and persons employed in them at Catasauqua appear in the following lists :

Doctors .- The earliest medical practitioners at Catasauqua were the following, (the year after the name indicating the time of starting) :

William Romig Moulton Hornbeck

F. W. Quigg (1868)

F. B. Morris

Henry H. Riegel 1868)

Daniel Yoder (1858) Charles Keim (1876)

The present practitioners :

H. H. Riegel and son, Alfred J. Becker William James Hornbeck

Charles E. Milson

Charles J. Keim and son, Harry John Schneller

Dentists .- Two dentists are in active practice : tice :

J. Edward Rehrig Wesley Willoughby

Druggists .- The early druggists of the bor- ough were Joseph Stofflet, William A. Hassler, John Black, and Uriah E. Brunner, 1852-56.

Jacob S. Lawall succeeded Brunner in 1856. In 1857 he located at No. 409 Front street and carried on a general business, including paints, varnishes, etc., until his death in 1889, when he was succeeded by his sons, Charles E. and Ed- gar J., who have continued the business until now at the same place.

William Heckenberger started in 1874 at No. 145 Front street, and carried on the business until his death in January, 1914. The store is continued by his widow for their son who is pur- suing a course of study in pharmacy.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 108

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