History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 154

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 154

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Where the chapel now stands, David Paff car- ried on a wheel-wright shop from 1858 to 1868; different parties were there then for short per- riods; and William De Long continued the busi- ness from 1878 to 1888.

The saddler business was conducted by Wil- liam Gernert from 1846 to 1874; Henry Sheir- er from 1850 to 64; and Victor Gangwar has been here since 1908, having been previously for some years at Neffsville.

A blacksmith shop was carried on by Josiah Semmel from 1858 to 1878; by Charles P. Stopp from 1878 to 1908 and his son, Charles, from 1908 to 1911; and since 1911 by Allen Mus- selman.

Daniel Schneck carried on the manufacture of building brick from 1850 for nearly twenty years, and during this time supplied the brick in the erection of a number of buildings at Schnecks- ville. His yard and kiln were situated along the road a short distance west of the village.

When the post office was established in the village, a stage route was started from this point to Allentown by way of Siegersville, Guthsville, and the Guth mines for delivering mail and packages and carrying passengers. The fare one way was forty cents. It was carried on until 1902 when the A. and S. trolley line was put

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NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP.

in operation and the "Star" postal route was discontinued. The drivers were Moses Schneck, Stephen Smith, Henry Druckenmiller and Thos. F. Good.

It was extended to Saegersville for a time.

The practicing physicians have been: Samuel Wilson, from 1858 to 1862; Wilson P. Kistler, 1862 to 1877; Francis O. Ritter, 1877 to 1887; Irwin F. Huff, 1887 to 1902; and Franklin J. Holben since 1902.

Henry D. Gross, of Schnecksville, has filled the office of Justice of the Peace continuously in this district since 1882, acting also as a land- surveyor and scrivener; and his uncle, Peter Gross, also filled this office from 1862 to 1877.

lic school. At the rear of the building, extend- ing to the end of the lot, there is a burying ground with twelve marked graves and three unmarked. A small marble obelisk, six feet high, marks the burial place of William Henry, an active and influential member of the small con- gregation, who was born in 1820 and died in 1900, aged 80 years (a veteran of the Civil War, who resided and died at Ormrod).

S. S. Chapel .- In 1886 a fine, one-story brick chapel was erected in the village for Sunday school purposes; in dimensions 45 by 55 feet, one-story, with a frame steeple, 50 feet high, in- cluding a bell. The most active spirit in secur- ing its erection was Henry D. Gross, Esq., and

HOUSE ON A. J. KOCH FARM, BUILT BY DANIEL GROSS.

Eugene W. Schlauch has acted as an under- taker with his residence at Schnecksville, since 1890. His business extends within a radius of ten miles, and in this time he has directed 1,400 funerals. The previous undertaker here for 40 years was Jonas Acker.

EVANGELICAL CHURCH .- The Evangelical denomination established a one-story frame church at Schnecksville in 1871, 30 feet front and 42 feet deep. The names of the building committee are inscribed on the corner stone: E. DeLong, Sam- uel Schneck, and Joel Gross: It is situated on the main street, between the chapel and the pub-

he was the superintendent until 1910. Prof. James P. Deibert succeeded him from 1910 to 19II, and since then the Professor's son, Arthur, has filled the position in a successful manner.

'Squire Gross had served the Sunday school at its meetings in the public school building pre- viously to 1874. His uncle, Peter Gross, Esq., had been at the head of this religious movement from the beginning in 1847 until 1868; his father, Joel Gross, from 1868 to 1871; and Reuben Scheirer from 1871 to 1874.

PUMPS .- There are five pumps at Schnecks- ville: Eagle Hotel (discontinued), Gross Hotel,

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

Blacksmith-shop, and Druckenmiller (Sell), each 60 feet deep, in use for many years the one at Gross' Hotel upwards of 70 years; and Hol- lenbach, 300 feet deep, (artesian well drilled in 1912). A water right at the Smith shop pump has been granted to a number of properties. All the other properties have cisterns where rain- water is collected for domestic uses.

PROMINENT MEN .- Among the more promi- nent men who were brought up at Schnecksville and located elsewhere may be mentioned :

Joseph P. Gross, William C. Gross (deceased) and Thomas F. Gross, attorneys at law at Phil- adelphia, the first named having compiled in 1882 a standard work on the Pennsylvania laws relating to "Landlords and Tenants."

Dr. Francis O. Ritter, Cashier Merchants' National Bank at Allentown.

John F. Semmel, banker at Lehighton.

Richard Hess, large real estate agent and deal- er at Kansas City, Mo.

Philip C. Croll, minister, at Beardstown, Ill. Peter A. Gross, deceased, distinguished artist at Paris, France, some of whose paintings are owned by his cousin, A. N. Lindenmuth, photog- rapher at Allentown. He presented one of his appreciated subjects (a large canvass) to the Al- lentown Public Library in 1911.

RARE CURIOSITIES .- Henry D. Gross, Esq., is the possessor of a rare silver, open-face watch, two and one-half inches in diameter, supposed to be 150 years old. It was first owned by an early rich settler of Washington township, Henry Barr, whose name is inscribed in script on the inside of the case (the given name Henry being written in very small characters in a slant- ing direction in the forward part of the writ- ten B). Upon his death it descended to his son, Reuben, and then to his daughter, Eliza, and in the settlement of Eliza's estate it was pre- sented to Mr. Gross twenty years ago. He also highly appreciates in his possession, in a perfect state of preservation, a $10 bank-note of The Northampton Bank printed in the German lan- guage, made payable to C. Pretz or order, and dated at Allentown, Lehigh county, Pa., Sept. 26, 1839, signed by John Eckert, president, and John Rice cashier. At the top corners appear fine vignettes of Herschel and Haydn; at the bottom corners, Göthe and Klopstock.

SIEGERSVILLE is situated in the southwestern section of the township at the intersection of two prominent highways on the township line, and near the A. & S. trolley line, seven miles from Allentown. A two-story stone building was erected by John Sieger soon after he settled here in 1750, on the southwest corner of the cross-roads, and this is still a prominent land-

mark of the county. He started a hotel here and carried on the business for many years; and through his enterprise a settlement came to be formed in the vicinity of this point which took the name of Siegersville after him. In 1810 the house was rebuilt of stone and enlarged by his son, Samuel, and Samuel was succeeded by his brothers, Michael Sieger, and Elias Sieger. Later proprietors were Nathan Weiler and his son, Syl- vester. In 1911 it was repaired and the ex- terior cemented. J. W. Hendricks conducts a stove and tin-ware store in the front part; Wil- liam Deibert occupies two rooms on the first floor of the rear part as a residence, using one room as a cobbler-shop; and a family occupies the remaining rooms of the rear.

The present two-story, brick hotel stand was established on the northwest corner in 1855 by Samuel Sieger, who carried on the business for some time; and it was continued in the family name until 1903 with the following as among the later proprietors: Charles Derr, Daniel Mat- tes, and Franklin L. Schlauch (1875-1903). Then Victor B. Schwartz became the owner and he has since conducted the modernized stand in a successful manner.

The first general store was started in the old two-story stone building on the southeast corner, which was erected before 1800, and car- ried on there by Elias Sieger for many years; then a two-story brick building was erected in 1842 on the northeast corner for store purposes. Some of the later merchants were Kern Bros., David Ruch, and Franklin Guth for fifteen years till 1884, when A. Victor Diefenderfer be- came the purchaser and he has continued the business until now.

A post office was established here in 1833 by the name of Siegersville, but this was changed to Orefield about 1840 to prevent confusion with Saegersville. The postmasters until 1884 were Elias Sieger, Aaron Eisenhard, George Roth, and Franklin Guth. Since 1884, the store-keeper, William Diefenderfer, has filled the position.

A rural free delivery route, about 25 miles long, was started from Siegersville in 1906, with about 130 patrons. The carriers till now have been Wayne Gackenbach, Samuel Koch, and John A. Everett.

Eli Metzger started a blacksmith shop west of the hotel about 1850 and he carried it on for upwards of thirty years; and he was succeeded by Allen Musselman. Walter Heller has been there since 191I.

In 1913 the village contained 45 dwellings, 50 families, and a population of 200. In 1880 there were 30 dwellings, and 160 inhabitants.

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NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP.

Amandes Sieger, of the village, was a rep- resentative in the State legislature from 1881 to 1885.

The practicing physicians in the village have been : Josiah Kern (1858-1900), A. J. Erdman, and Henry Litzenberger; none since 1910.

Extensive mining operations were carried on at the village by different members of the Sieger family for sixty years, beginning with Samuei in 1840, and followed by John, Lewis, and Amandes, and they supplied immense quantities of ore to the Bethlehem Iron Co. To facilitate its shipment, the Siegersville Branch of the Iron- ton R. R. was extended to the mines, and to those at Orefield.

drunk and many demonstrative speeches deliv- ered.

KERNSVILLE is a small village, one mile west of Siegersville on the Jordan, near the township line. It was named after Peter Kern who es- tablished a superior stone grist-mill there in 1806. This mill has been operated by different owners until now. A store was started by Owen Kern, and carried on by him, Edward Guth, Peter Lerch (1875-1908), and Edward Kern (since 1908). A post office was here for some years but had been discontinued some years be- fore the introduction of the rural free delivery. It contains eight dwelling houses.

RUCHSVILLE is a village situated at the intersec-

SIEGER HOMESTEAD, AT SIEGERSVILLE.

John Sieger established a tannery at the village and carried it on a number of years.

Fourth of July .- Before the Civil War, it was common for the people of this township, as else- where, to assembly occasionally on the "Fourth of July," and show in a public manner with more or less enthusiasm their appreciation of the natal day of the United States. One of these great occasions at Siegersville is recalled, the National Holiday of the year 1817. Gen. Henry Mertz was president of the meeting; John Sieger, Esq., vice-president; and the Rifle Company of Cap- tain Keller enlivened the proceedings by military evolutions. George S. Eisenhard read the Dec- laration of Independence, and many toasts were

tion of two prominent public roads, and before the construction of the Lehigh Valley R. R. was one of the busiest towns in the county. The land was owned by John Saeger and he erected a hotel about 1800. He was succeeded by John Troxell and Laurence Troxell and later by Gen- eral Peter Ruch, an active and prominent militia officer, who secured the holding of the battalion muster-days and military parades at his place which naturally led the community for many miles around about to name it after him. Many horse races were held on the road leading to Egypt from the hotel to the General's residence which was exactly one mile, and much enthusiastic dem- onstration was witnessed on these occasions after

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

the militia had imbibed apple brandy freely and frequently. The General was succeeded by his son, Thomas, and then by Eli Steckel, who were captains of some distinction and kept up the prominence and reputation of the hotel. In 1858 Owen Schadt became the owner and he improved the great cross-roads by erecting a large, double, three-story brick hotel which he conducted in a successful manner for many years. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, Henry George. Shortly after 1858 Schadt also put up a brick store building, brick barn and several frame dwellings. The store was conducted by John Schantz and David Moyer, Erdman and Ruch, Lewis B. and Edmund Erdman, Edmund Erdman alone, and latterly by men named Dief- enderfer, Moyer, Eck and Schiffert.

A post office was established in 1844, and the postmasters were generally the storekeepers.

ORMROD was started in 1898 along the rail- road near Ironton by opening cement and lime- stone quarries, which caused the erection of dwell- ing houses and "shanties" for the accommoda- tion of the working people, and these increased gradually in numbers, until 1913 there were 25 of the former and 100 of the latter, with a popu- lation of 500, mostly foreigners.

Preston C. Weaver erected a three-story frame hotel building and he has conducted it until now. There are two small grocery stores in the village.

Three large cement mills have been established at this place along the railroad.

IRONTON is a village which was formed in the midst of the hematite iron-ore mines and took its name from this mineral which was mined there in great quantities since 1835, as appears in this volume treated in the chapter under the head of "Iron Mines." In 1860, the land was laid off into building lots by Tinsley Jeter, of Beth- lehem which were rapidly bought and improved by the miners, and the improvement was so rapid that the village is said to have sprung up in a year.

Abraham Scheirer was an early settler here and in 1778 erected a dwelling house. This was converted into a hotel in 1858 by Abraham Lucas and he carried on the business there for many years to accommodate the miners and laborers. A second hotel was established in 1860 by Hor- ace Balliet, in connection with a store, and he carried it on for upwards of thirty years.

A post office was established here in 1860: The postmasters have been: Horace Balliet, 1 860-86; William H. Balliet, 1886-1901 ; Sam- uel J. Balliet, 1901-14.

Abraham Lucas erected a hotel, called "Iron- ton," in 1859 and carried it on ten years. His successors were Augustus Ebert, William Schadt,

George Kennel, and Joseph Kocher. It was de- stroyed by fire in 1879 and not rebuilt.

The Pennsylvania Hotel was erected by Hor- ace Balliet in 1880 and conducted by him, in- cluding a general store, until his death in 1886, and by his estate until 1902. Benjamin Balliet carried on the hotel for a year, Nathaniel Kuhns for two years; then it became the property of William Long in 1905, and he has carried it on since.

A second general store was started in 1902 by two brothers, A. P. and W. H. Balliet, and a nephew, Samuel J. Balliet, who traded as Bal- liet Brothers & Co., until 1910. William H. Balliet died then, but his third interest was re- tained by the widow, and the business has con- tinued under the same name. They also deal in coal, flour, and feed.

In 1913 it contained 48 dwellings and a pop- ulation of 185; store, hotel, school, saddlery, and blacksmith shop. In 1884 it had 49 dwellings and 277 population.

A Catholic chapel had an existence here for a number of years until about 1885, when it was sold and subsequently torn down. It was sup- plied with services by priests from Catasauqua.

The extensive mining operations here led to the construction of a railroad to this place from Coplay in 1860; and a branch was extended from a point nearby to the mines at Siegersville and Orefield.

Schall & Co. carried on a coal and lumber- yard along the railroad for a number of years. They were succeeded by Fogel and Straub.

The ore mines east of the road were re-opened and operated by Hartzell & Gottshall from 1895 to 1911; and those west of the road re-opened in 1901 and operated until now, employing at first about 50 hands, and now about 25.

BALLIETSVILLE is recognized as the oldest vil- lage in the township and lies in the central part of the district. It came to be located on land of Paulus Balliet after whom it took its name. He settled here in 1749 and erected a log dwelling- house which he soon afterward converted into a tavern for the accommodation of the traveling public. The old records of the county court show that a license was granted to him on June 22, 1756, and again in June, 1759. The place was known as "Whitehall Inn," and its inviting sign on the inn-post was the picture of a "foam- ing bowl." It was a popular stopping place for travelers on the way to Mauch Chunk for nearly a hundred years. It was a post station during this time, and when the stage coaches ran to and fro on this route the horses were changed here. It stood until 1840 when the main portion of the building was torn down by Stephen Balliet,

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NORTH WHITEHALL TOWNSHIP.

Jr., and a brick structure erected in its place ; and the rear part was removed in 1884. The fol- lowing landlords conducted business here until 1913, when the license was not renewed :

Paulus Balliet John Schmidt

Stephen Balliet Edwin Deibert

Paul Balliet

Sylvester Woodring

Dr. Jesse Hallman

Harry Peter

John Schantz

Joseph Masenheimer

Joel Lentz

Elmer Hassler

David Kline John L. Roth

Charles Leinberger

Clinton Frantz, 1909-13

A general store was carried on in connection with the hotel. Before the Revolution it was a station where the Indians received their supplies from the State. The store keeper was Benja- min F. Ritter from 1863 till 1910, when he died, since then his son, Irwin, has done the business for the estate.

A post office was established here at a very early period, and on account of its central loca- lity it was the only one in the township for many years. The name was Whitehall, but it was afterward changed to North Whitehall. Benja- min F. Ritter was the postmaster from 1863 to 1910 when he died; his son, Irwin, has filled the position since.

The polling-place for this vicinity was at Hersch's Tavern three miles to the west of the Whitehall Inn, until 1840, when it was trans- ferred to Ballietsville, and there it has been held until now.

A tannery was carried on for over an hundred years. It was established by Nicholas and John Saeger, grandsons of Nicholas Saeger, who had emigrated from Bavaria and settled in Whitehall in 1733; and they carried it on until about 1810. They were succeeded by Peter Graff and his son, Stephen, who conducted the business in a success- ful manner until 1863; then Edwin Kuhns be- came the owner and he operated the plant until 1893 when it was discontinued. The buildings are still standing in a dilapidated condition ; also the firm, square brick chimney, 65 feet high.

Asa Neumoyer carried on a creamery and cider press from 1893 to 1903 with steam power supplied from the tannery engine.

UNIONVILLE is situated in the northern part of the township, a short distance east of the Union Church, from which it took its name. Jacob Snyder erected a dwelling there in 1815, which was sold to John Ringer; and in 1821 Ringer secured a license for a hotel which he carried on for ten years until he died. Then Peter Butz purchased the property and continued the busi- ness until 1847 when he was succeeded by David K. Wotring, and Wotring was the proprietor for forty years, after whom his daughter, Jennie, became the owner and she has leased it to differ-

ent parties till now. A store was carried on in the building from the time of its erection until 1900.

Besides the hotel, the village has five dwell- ings. A practicing physician is located there, Dr. H. P. Mickley.

It is located at the upper terminus of the direct highway to Allentown by way of Balliets- ville, Ironton, and Ruchsville, the distance being ten miles.

NEFFSVILLE .- A village nearby was called Neffsville, after securing a post office by this name. Abraham Neff was engaged in the manu- facture of carriages for many years until 1881. In 1840 he laid off the land into building lots. In 1855 he received a license to keep a hotel, and he was succeeded by his sons, Edward and Peter: afterward by Nathan Eck and Lewis Bittner; and since 1890 by O. G. Moser.

A general store was started in 1855 by Andreas & Cole; they were succeeded by Andreas & Kern; and since 1888, Willoughby B. Kern has conducted the business, having then acquired the property, including the hotel building.

Abraham Neff was the first postmaster and he filled the office until his death in 1881. He was succeeded by Frank Schlosser who served until 1888; then W. B. Kern became the postmaster and since then he has filled the position.

Franklin Schlosser has been engaged continu- ously since 1871 in the marble business, supplying grave-stones and monuments. S. Walter Snyder has assisted him since 1882; and he has been a public auctioneer since 1890.

In 1884, three brothers, P. W., E. J., and C. N. Frantz embarked in the business of manu- facturing carriages, light spring wagons, and sleighs at this place, and they have continued on the same premises, in a large two-story frame building until the present time.

While Neff was engaged in this business be- fore the Civil War, a man named Beers entered the village as a spirited competitor, and erected a large, four-story brick building on the north- west corner of the cross-roads and there carried on the business for about ten years. The factory building is still standing, but when it was sold, it was converted into a dwelling-house after re- moving the fourth story.

A tannery was carried on east of the village by Benjamin Semmel and his two sons, Reuben and Francis, for some years until his death in 1875, when the sons continued it as partners for five years; then Francis became the sole owner and he conducted the business until 1905 when it was abandoned.

Stephen Miller established a brick-making plant half a mile east of the village and carried

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

on the business for a number of years. Some of the dwellings there, including the old Neff car- riage factory were constructed of the bricks made there.

Shortly after the opening of the trolley line through Neffsville in 1900, O. G. Moser estab- lished a fine park of three acres near the village to accommodate picnics, dancing parties, and fam- ily re-unions, and since then it has become a popular resort.

In 1913, the village contained 30 dwellings and 120 inhabitants.

Erastus D. Rhoads, a retired school teacher and church organist is living with his son-in-law, Francis Semmel, at the advanced age of 82 years. He taught public school from 1846 to 1892, and was the organist and choir-leader at the Union church for thirty-five years.

Jonathan Wright followed the business of undertaker at Neffsville from 1870 to 1893; since then no one has followed it here.

The aged men at or near Neffsville in 1913 were: David Kuntz, 95 years; Joel DeLong, 82 years; Erastus D. Rhoads, 82 years; Jonathan Clauser, 81 years; John Sheidy, 80 years.

RISING SUN is a small village about two miles northeast of Neffsville which was started by Elias M. Kuntz in 1860 by establishing at a cross-roads a store and hotel, which he carried on successfully until 1900 (excepting two years when occupied by his son, Ellsworth) ; then he sold the premises to Harvey Rabert, who has since conducted the business. Besides the hotel, the village has two dwellings. A blacksmith shop was carried on there for many years by David Kuntz (a brother of Elias).

LAURY's is a small settlement along the Lehigh river, at the eastern terminus of a prominent highway which extends from Unionville, through the upper section of the township, along the winding course of Rock creek. It was first known as Slate Dam, because at this point in the river the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Co., had in 1830 erected a large dam on a bed of slate, but in 1832 David Laury (forty years afterward an Associate Judge of Lehigh county) estab- lished a hotel here and he conducted it in a most successful manner for forty years. In this time it became a favorite resort for boarders in the summer season, and the place was named after the popular landlord. He was succeeded by his son-in-law, George F. Kimball; and after- ward by C. D. Strauss, Sames & Minnich, and Jacob S. Sames.

The store business at this point has been car- ried on by Lewis D. Ritter, Herman Karlinske, Benjamin Sheirer, and Thomas F. Weitknecht (the last named since 1892).

In 1853, a post office was established here and Mr. Laury filled the office of postmaster con- tinuously (excepting the year 1864) until his decease in 1883. He was succeeded by his son, Alexander, who has served the position for thirty years until the present time.

In 1855, upon the construction of the Lehigh Valley R. R. along the west bank of the river, a station was located at this prominent point and Mr. Laury was selected as the Company's agent, and he filled this position also in a satisfactory manner until his death, when he was succeeded by his son who was his assistant during the en- tire period; and the son has since served the company in a most faithful manner, making al- together a continuous service with the Lehigh Valley R. R. of nearly sixty years.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. I, Part 154

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