History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II, Part 118

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: 948

USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II > Part 118

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John M. Hoover was born in Northampton county, Pa., in 1814. About 1840 he moved to Ohio, and in 1859 he settled in Hanson town- ship, Hillsdale county, Michigan. There he died past eighty years of age. He was married in 1839 by Rev. Joshua Yeager, to Elizabeth, a daughter of George Fatzinger, who lived in Hanover township, now Lehigh county, Pa.

They had an only son, Franklin, whose sketch follows.

FRANKLIN HOOVER, of Hillsdale, Michigan, was born December 10, 1846 in the state of Ohio. He was reared to the pursuit of an agri- culturist in Michigan, and he has followed farm- ing for a number of years. On December 15, 1863, he enlisted in the 27th Michigan Volun- teers Infantry, which belonged to the Ninth Army Corps until in the spring of 1864 the regi- ment was transferred to the Army of the Po- tomac and it remained with General Grant until to the end of the war. At the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, Mr. Hoover re- ceived a flesh wound in the hand. On June 17, he returned to his regiment and when a fort was blown up in front of Petersburg, Va., on July 30, he was hit on the right arm by a piece of a shell which disabled him for two weeks. On August 9th, he was at City Point, Va., when boats on the James river were blown up and he was knocked off from a freight car that disabled him so that he was sent to a hospital again but he was, enabled to participate in the battle of Weldon Rail Road on August 21, 1864; was captured with two commissioned officers and thirty-seven privates and sent to Libby Prison ; was paroled about two and one-half months later, and returned to his regiment in Decem- ber, 1864; was promoted to sergeant and served as such until he was mustered out of service on July 26, 1865, at the end of the war.

He was married to July Hart, whose people came from the state of Vermont. They had these children: Emma and Nora, both deceased ; William; Gertrude; Alfred; Lizzie; Grace; Fern, and Robert R.

HUDDERS FAMILY.

Nathaniel Hudders, a native of Chester coun- ty, was born in the year 1772 and died in 1866, aged 94 years, and is buried at New London. He was a Presbyterian. He was a farmer and had a 180-acre farm. His children were: Na- thaniel, John, James, Elizabeth (m. John White- craft), Jane (m. Thomas Sloan) ; Ann (m. John McCormick) and Sarah died unmarried.

John Hudders was born in 1807, and died at Philadelphia in 1862. He was an architect and builder, and erected many churches, stores and public buildings. His wife, Eleanor Baker, was of Quaker descent. She was born in 1809 and died in 1845 at Philadelphia where she is also buried. Their children follow: Amelia (m. Emery Hess, of Philadelphia) ; John (died when a young man), and Horace.

Horace Hudders, the book-keeper and cashier of the Allentown Rolling Mill, was born at

Eng by E & Williams & Bro. MY

Walter . Huber

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.

Philadelphia in 1847. At the age of fourteen years he became a clerk and when twenty, a book- keeper. In 1875 he was transferred to Allen- town and continued to work for the rolling mill company, for whom he had been working in Philadelphia since the year 1870. He and family are Presbyterians and he has served the First Presbyterian church, Allentown, as a trustee. He married in 1869 Rebecca Hindman, a daugh- ter of John and Elizabeth (Best) Hindman. Their children are: Luther B., H. Russel and Carroll H.

LUTHER B. HUDDERS, the secretary of the M. H. Strauss Co., Allentown, was born at Philadelphia, March 9, 1874. He came to Al- lentown with his parents in 1875 and in 1894 he entered the employ of John E. Lentz as a clerk and continued to serve him until in 1898. Afterwards he was employed by G. W. Eckert, wholesale grain dealer, and there he was em- ployed until in Feb., 1908, after which he be- came an assistant to Martin H. Strauss and in March, 1909, he was made one of the incorpo- rators of the Martin H. Strauss Company, whole- sale grocers.

He is a member of the Presbyterian Church and the Barger Lodge, No. 333, F. & A. M. In 1903 he was married to Isabelle J. Strauss, a daughter of Thomas Strauss. They have a son, William S. Hudders.

HUNT FAMILY.

Joseph Hunt was born in New Jersey. He died in 1859 at the Delaware Water Gap, in Pennsylvania, at an advanced age. He owned a small farm. Mary Adams, his wife, died about 1886, aged eighty-six years. She is buried at Newark, N. J. Their children were: Reu- ben (who lived and died at Newark) ; Amandes (of Newark) ; William ; Mrs. Susan Cole; Ren- hennah; Mrs. Julia Cole; and Mrs. Amanda Manaid.

William A. Hunt was born at the Delaware Water Gap on June 18, 1833, and he died at Slatington on August 27, 1889, where he is buried on Fairview cemetery. He was a slater by trade, but during the Civil War he was en- listed as a Union soldier. In their religious faith they were Methodists.

Carolina Hausman, his wife, was a daughter of John Hausman. She was born Sept. 26, 1826, and died August 4, 1894. Their chil- dren were: James, John (of Ohio) ; Benjamin (died in infancy) ; Lewis (died at Slatington) ; Renhennah (married Aaron Leibenguth and moved to Indiana) ; Lucy (married Arch. Les- tcr) ; and Ida (who became the wife of Samuel

Berkemeyer, and now lives at Indianapolis, In- diana).

JAMES R. HUNT was born at Slatington, De- cember 16, 1854. He came to Heidelberg when nine years of age; and worked upon a farm until he became eighteen when he learned the shoemaking trade, which he followed for five years. In 1881 he embarked as a tenant farm- er. In 1904 he purchased his 47-acre farm in Heidelberg, and since then has developed the tract along scientific lines. He is an extensive trucker and raises much fruit, which he mar- kets at Slatington. His farm was the Daniel Rader homestead. An old log house is still standing there which was erected long before the year 1800.

He was enlisted as a member of Co. H, 4th Reg. N. G. P., of Slatington, for nine years, serving as a corporal for three years and as orderly sergeant for four years. He was elected on the Republican ticket as township auditor and served for six years.

Mr. Hunt and family have been active in church and Sunday-school work for many years. For twelve years he sang in the church choir. When a young man he sang in the choir at Slat-{ ington. In the Sunday-school he served all the offices. They are Lutherans, and members of the Heidelberg church.

He was married in 1876 to Senia Schuler, a daughter of Henry and Lucy (Sell) Schuler. They had eight children: Mary, Lizzie, and Minnie, who died within ten days of diphtheria ; Walter (deceased) ; Cora (m. Elias Zellner) ; Carrie ; Alice, and Albert.

HUNSICKER FAMILY.

Johannes Hunsicker was of Swiss descent .* He settled south of the Heidelberg church, near Saegersville, in Heidelberg township, now Lehigh county, Pa. The date of his emigration is uncertain, but it is probable that he emigrated in 1748. (Pennsylvania Archives.) The earli- est records of him in Heidelberg township are of 1757, at the building of the second Heidel- berg church, in which he took an active part. He paid tax in 1785, and died late in 1800. His will is of record in the court house at Easton, Pa. It was made Nov. 23, 1780, and probated Dec. 17, 1800. It is recorded in Will Book 4, page 38. The witnesses to it were George Bloss, Jacob Peter, and George Horn. Items of the will follow :

"I. Jacob and Casper Hunsicker were made trustee for Dewalt Hunsicker, the oldest son, who

*Mr. W. E. Hunsicker, of Steelton, Pa., who made ex- haustive research into the family genealogy, found a Swiss reference to the name "Hunziker," dated A. D. 1475.

VOL. II-38

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

had gone to Carolina." It stipulated if he (De- walt) had not returned within fifteen years after his "Erbschaft," was due, he should not receive any.

2. Jacob Hunsicker shall have 250 acres of land situate in Heidelberg township.

3. Casper Hunsicker shall have 200 acres of land situated in Heidelberg township.

4. Henry Hunsicker shall have 200 acres of land adjoining lands of George Bloss, Jacob Peter, and others.

.5. Joseph Hunsicker shall have 240 acres of land, partly located at the Blue mountains.

6. Peter Hunsicker shall have 200 acres of land, situated in Heidelberg township.

7. John Hunsicker shall have 200 acres of land, partly located at the Blue mountain.

The names of the children as given in the will follow: Dewalt; Jacob; John; Casper ; Joseph ; Peter; Henry; Maria Susanna, and Magdalena. The last named bore her mother's name. The daughters were married to William Peter and Henry Rex, but we have no records as to which is which.

The federal census of 1790 records the fol- lowing as heads of families in Heidelberg town- ship, now Lehigh county.

Casper, Henry, John, and Joseph Hunsicker. Casper had four sons and two daughters.

Henry had three sons and one daughter.

John had four sons and no daughters.

Joseph had one son and one daughter.

Jacob Hunsicker died in 1796. Among his children were: John, born in 1776; Jacob and Peter.

John Hunsicker was born Oct. 25, 1755, died July 22, 1836, aged 80 years, 8 months, and 28 days. He was married to Catharine Ohl, born in 1757, died 1823. Their children were: John; Henry, married to Susanna Kistler ; and Molly, who married a Hoffman.

Casper Hunsicker, son of the ancestor, was married to Susanna Best. Their children fol- low: Stephen; Casper ; Joseph; Daniel ; Peter ; and Maricha, married to Joseph Schneck.

Joseph Hunsicker, son of the ancestor, was twice married, first to Maria Barbara Ohl, and, second, to Krum. Children: Margaret ; Jonas; Daniel, Christian; John; Rufina; Eliza- beth ; Catharine; Polly, who married a Kunkel ; Reuben ; Henry, who located in Carbon county, Pa .; and Joseph.

Peter Hunsicker, son of the ancestor, had an only son, Peter, born in 1793,. and died in 1883. The latter had Reuben, Paul, and Jos- eph.

Henry Hunsicker, son of the ancestor, was .

married in 1786, to Maria Barbara Hoff. They had three sons and six daughters.

JAMES F. HUNSICKER.

James Franklin Hunsicker is a notable and representative scion of a family, whose American ancestry dates back a full two hundred years.

He was born at Switzer, in Lehigh county, Pa., on the 7th of November, 1852, as the second child of Owen and Sarah Hunsicker, who were descended, respectively, from Daniel Hunsicker, and Jacob Bittner. Four other children rounded out the family group in Mr. Hunsicker's pa- ternal home: Henry W. Hunsicker, the first- born, married Ida A. Grim, and became the father of five children: Walter O .; Hessa G .; Jessie; Rhoda; and George. Francis P. Hun- sicker married Ellen J. Clauser, and has three children: Katie, the wife of Joseph Knauss ; Florence C., the wife of Clinton Beck; and Mamie, the wife of J. Hiram Schwartz.

Mary Alice Hunsicker was the only girl in the enlarging circle of boys. She became the wife of George Koch, and the mother of five children: Harry, the husband of Carrie E. Mil- ler ; Lula, the wife of Ambrose Kunkel ; Mazie; Sallie; and Sadie. Owen S. Hunsicker married Nellie White, and has three children: Harry, the husband of Maggie Ott; Frederick, the husband of Florence Albright; and Esther. Owen S., the youngest brother of James, was the first, and so far the only one of the circle to depart this life. He died March 12, 1911.

Three distinct periods mark the career of James F. Hunsicker-a time of preparation in the beautiful country region of Lehigh county, a time of struggle in various sections, and a time of success in the thriving city of Allentown, Pa. He spent his early life in his native rural com- munity, where hard toil and frugal ways of liv- ing toughened his physical fibre and engendered life-long habits of industry and thrift. He be- came deeply imbued with high moral ideals in the religious atmosphere that pervaded the hum- ble home, and through the nurture of the church. He acquired an elementary education in the pub- lic schools at Pleasant Corner, and at Schnecks- ville. His scholastic career was cut short by the exigencies of life, but he took with him from school into the struggle of existence a mind, naturally alert, that had become imbued with a thirst of knowledge and with a love of books. In after years these traits of character proved a means of supplying that educational equipment which a lack of opportunity had denied him in his youth. At the age of thirteen, the first period of his life ended. Christian parents, a humble home, and rural life, with all its physical

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francese Semischen

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and moral benefits, had been the formative ele- ments during these plastic years of preparation.

Then came the period of struggle, which fig- ures so prominently in the lives of American men of affairs who have achieved success. For a few years the young country lad, intrepid but inex- perienced, drifted on the broad ocean of life without having a definite goal. He was testing his powers and finding his natural bent. Dur- ing this interval various transient occupations held his interest, in Catasauqua, Philadelphia, and Lehigh county, among others the survey of the Ironton and Steinsville Railroad, under the direction of Colonel S. D. Lehr, C. E. After- wards he continued to accumulate valuable ex- perience, and to develop his native business sagacity in diverse subordinate positions, as an employee in the general store of his uncle, Jos- eph Kressley, in Allentown; in the company store of the Allentown Iron Company; and, fi- nally, in the dry-goods establishment of A. A. Huber. Thus, within the brief space of five years, at the age of eighteen, the subject of this sketch had found himself.

From field and farm, and from desultory oc- cupations, he had followed the bent of his natural endowments, which led him into the commercial arena as his proper sphere. And then began the third period of his career which bears the super- scription "Success," written there, not by the hand of capricious fortune, but by dint of un- remitting toil and untarnished integrity.

That final period dates from the year 1870, when James F. Hunsicker formed a partnership with his brother, Henry W., and founded a gen- eral store under the firm-name of Hunsicker Brothers, at Seventh and Chew streets, Allen- town, Pa. Two years later, when their uncle, Elias Bittner, joined the partnership, that name was changed to Bittner and Hunsicker Bros. Another change occurred in 1880, when Frank D. Bittner, a son of Elias Bittner, also became one of the partners. The firm traded under the name of Bittner, Hunsicker, and Company, until 1886, when their growing volume of busi- ness necessitated a radical change. In that year the original partnership was dissolved. Henry W. Hunsicker took the retail dry-goods depart- ment, while James F. Hunsicker, together with Elias and Frank D. Bittner, decided to devote themselves exclusively to the wholesale branch of the business.

This new venture, trading under the name of Bittner, Hunicker & Co., was a success from the very beginning. Soon it outgrew its modest cradle, on Hamilton street, and became domiciled in a three-story building, on North Seventh street. In December, 1902, fire destroyed this

structure completely, with all its contents. But even that disaster did not cripple, much less de- stroy, this flourishing enterprise. A new build- ing, larger, and better than its predecessor, rose out of the ashes of the old. That handsome five- story structure, stands to-day as one of the solid pillars of the commercial prestige of the city of Allentown. It harbors a volume of merchandise second to none outside of metropolitan centers of trade, and it employs a large force of resident and traveling salesmen, whose loyalty and efficiency are matched by their employers' fairness and generosity.

Thus Mr. Hunsicker has risen step by step, from the humble station allotted to him by the accident of birth, to a commanding position in the economic life of his city and state. And, under Providence, his steady advancement and solid achievements were the result of his own initiative, energy, sagacity, and integrity. In the best sense of the word, he is a self-made man.

But his commercial and financial success, com- manding though it is, is only the minor part of his attainments. Greater, even, than the suc- cessful wholesale merchant is the citizen, the churchman, and the husband and father. Through all the years of his busy life, Mr. Hun- sicker never suffered the four walls of his busi- ness to bound his horizon. His interest and co- operation went forth in many directions, and he became an important constructive force in the higher life of his community. The bestowal upon him of numerous honors and offices marks the appreciation of his townsmen, and their public recognition of his sterling worth as a man of character and ability. He has served, at various times, as a director of the Allentown National Bank, and as a member and director of the Board of Control of the public schools of Allentown, Pa. He is a member of the board of directors of the Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Allentown ; a charter member of the chamber of commerce, of Allentown, serving as vice-president and as a member of the executive committee since its organization; and a charter member of the National Wholesale Dry Goods Association of the United States. He is also a charter member of the Allentown Hospital Association, to the pro- motion of whose interests he has given lavishly of his time and substance. He was a member of the building committee which planned and erected the magnificent hospital that has healed and helped thousands of sufferers since its com- pletion. He held the position of vice-president of the hospital association for many years, until, recently, at the death of the Hon. Edward Har- vey, he succeeded that accomplished gentleman in the office of president. Besides holding these

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

numerous honorary offices, he also became identi- fied with the Masons, the Odd Fellows, the Royal Arcanum, and the Golden Eagles.

But, outside of his business interests, Mr. Hun- sicker is seen at his best in the sphere of the Church and in the domestic circle. He is the spiritual heir, as well as the lineal descendant of God-fearing Swiss and Dutch ancestors, who came to this country to find freedom for their faith. He has inherited from them his sane and sincere faith in the Christian religion and his un- wavering loyalty to the Reformed Church. Sal- em Reformed church in Allentown, the largest congregation of the Reformed Church in the United States, regards Mr. Hunsicker affection- ately, as its leading member, and the whole religious community looks upon him as a typical and representative layman of the modern church, in whom creed and deed are happily blended in a full-orbed Christian manhood. He is a char- ter member of Salem Reformed church. At various times he has served this congregation as deacon, elder, and trustee. He has represented it, as lay delegate, at the higher judicatories of the Reformed denomination, and he has been its president for the last twenty-five years. But his most efficient religious service has been rendered in his connection with the Sunday school of Salem Reformed church, whose superintendent he has been for more than twenty years. This re- markable organization, numbering over 2,000 active members, both adults and children, owes its vigorous life and its continuous prosperity largely to the personal leadership of its devoted superintendent. Through it Mr. Hunsicker has been one of the influential factors in the mould- ing of the moral and religious life of multitudes of men and women in all the walks of life. The Reformed Church has recognized his talents and his devotion to the cause of religion, and it has honored him by electing him a member of the board of trustees of Bethany Orphans' Home, at Womelsdorf, Pa., and also of the board of trus- tees of the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church, at Lancaster, Pa.

In his domestic relations Mr. Hunsicker has been singularly happy. He was married to Mary Hannah Schrader on the 26th of December, 1872, and his wife became his true helpmate. She is a daughter of Charles S. Schrader and Judith, nee Fritch. There were four other chil- dren in this family: Sarah P. Schrader, the widow of J. George Snyder, who had two chil- dren: Minnie and Helen, both of whom have departed this life. William Schrader married Angeline Gackenbach, and had four children: Thomas, who married Isabella Troxell; Laura, who died in her infancy; William; and Alice,

the wife of Robert Hall. Jonas Schrader mar- ried Sophia Hilbert, and had two children: Ada; and Lena, who died at the age of four. Horatio Schrader married Catharine Acker, and has one child : Edwin.

The union of James F. Hunsicker and Mary Hannah Schrader has been blessed with three sons, who are an honor to their parents and a credit to their native city. All of them have en- joyed the advantages of a higher education, and they are duplicating the enviable and honorable record of their father in their various vocations. George W. Hunsicker was born on the 27th of September, 1873. He married Eleanor Patter- son, having lost his first wife, Minnie Keck, by death, and has four children: Josephine; Han- nah; Virginia; and Sylvia. He is a graduate of Lehigh University, and a member of the firm trading as Dietrich Motor Car Co. Charles O. Hunsicker was born on the 18th of August, 1878. He married Lillian L. Henninger, and has three children: Mary Elisabeth; Anna Hen- ninger, who died in her infancy; and Robert Franklin. He is a lawyer by profession, a grad- uate of Mercersburg Academy, of Franklin and Marshall College, and of the law department of the University of Pennsylvania. In 1909 he was elected mayor of the City of Allentown on the Republican ticket, being the youngest incumbent who has held that high office. Herbert J. Hun- sicker was born on the 7th of February, 1880. He married Ruth Robbins, and has three chil- dren: Marion; James F .; and Henry R. He is a graduate of Drexel Institute, and holds a position in the office of the firm Bittner, Hunsick- er & Co.

The burden of his years rests lightly on the shoulders of Mr. Hunsicker. In the Indian sum- mer of his life he continues his work with un- abated vigor, and carries the zest of youth into his manifold interests. Surrounded by his es- timable wife, and by his sons, his beautiful home forms an attractive spot in the city of Allen- town, where peace and joy reign supreme, and where gracious hospitality is dispensed with heart and hand. Here he finds the richest re- ward of his earnest, honest, industrious life in the affection of his family, the esteem of his friends, and the respect of his fellow-men.

FRANCIS P. HUNSICKER, son of Owen and grandson of Daniel, is the senior member of the firm of Hunsicker & Co., wholesale and retail cigar and tobacco dealers at Allentown. He is a native of Heidelberg township was born July 4, 1855. He was educated in the public schools and in the Weaversville Academy in Northamp- ton county. In 1870 he came to Allentown where he learned the cigar making trade which

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he followed until 1876, at which time he en- gaged in the tobacco business where the Hersh hardware store is now located. In 1878 he moved to 731 Hamilton street, and continued en- larging his business that Hunsicker & Co., are now the largest tobacco dealers in Lehigh county. The firm employs twelve people. The concern erected Hunsicker Building at 17-19 North Seventh street, and No. 18 on North Church street. It is a modern office building, eleven stories high and one-half square in depth. Mr. Hunsicker and family are members of Salem Reformed church. He is an elder of the church since 1905. He is prominently identified with the following secret societies, viz: Livingstone Castle, No. 258, K. G. E. He is a Past Grand Chief of the Supreme Castle of the Nation, also served all the state offices and the offices of the subordinate castle of which he is a member. He was the Grand Chief of Pennsylvania in 1899 and the Grand Chief of the Supreme Castle in 1902 ; St. Alban Commandery, No. 46, Knights of Malta; Camp 406, P. O. S. of A .; Franklin Chamber No. 9, O. K. of F., Golden Chain Vet- eran Temple No. 90, L. K. G. E., the Royal Ar- canum, and Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Hunsicker has always taken an interest in the schools and in the educational affairs of the city. In 1896 he was elected to the board of control and represented the Third ward continually in this body until 1911 when the new school code effected a change. Mr. Hunsicker was elected by the city as one of its nine controllers. In 1876 he was married to Ella J. Clauser, daugh- ter of the late John and Regina (Oberholtzer) Clauser, of Allentown. They have three daugh- ters, viz: Kate, the wife of Joseph Knauss, who is associated with Hunsicker & Co .; Mame, is married to J. Hiram Schwartz, whose sketch is mentioned elsewhere in this volume; Florence is wedded to Clinton Beck, the bookkeeper for Hun- sicker & Co.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II, Part 118

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: 948

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: 948