History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II, Part 125

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 125

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VICTOR S. KEMMERER was born in Salisbury township, Sept. 19, 1868, and was educated in the local schools and Muhlenberg College. He was first employed on a farm with his father and from 1891 to 1909 he ran the farm in shares. From 1909 to 1911, he conducted the Allentown Duck Farm, and now deals in poultry at Seventh and Union streets. He is also engaged in real estate operations with his son and George F. Ehrich. Mr. Kemmerer married Anna Maria, daughter of Henry and Mary (Gilbert) Fahring- er. They are members of the Western Salisbury Lutheran congregation, where Mr. Kemmerer has been deacon and elder and in which township he served for five years as a school director. They have one son, Morris H., who received his educa- tion in the city schools, high school and American Commercial School and is now engaged in the real estate business. He married Myra Hawk and has a son, Solomon J.

George Kemmerer, son of Henry, was born Nov. 24, 1767, and died Feb. 4, 1851. He mar- ried Maria Susanna Steininger, who was born Nov. 8, 1774, and died June 11, 1857. They had nine children: John; Nathan; Charles, born Dec. 7, 1796; George; Elias; Benjamin ; Mrs. John Ritter; Elemina, married Abner Mohry; and Lydia, born April 17, 1804, married Conrad Seem.

George Kemmerer, son of George, was born in Lower Macungie, July 16, 1798, and died at Emaus in 1882. He married Pauline Walter and had children : Moses; Henry W .; Susanna, wife of Edward Knerr; Charles, m. Elvina Danner ; and William, m. Catharine Lauer.

Nathan Kemmerer, son of George Kemmerer,

married and had two sons: Eugene, and Oliver.

Eugene Kemmerer, son of Nathan, was born in Lower Milford township and reared upon the farm. He was educated in the public schools and at Perkiomen Seminary. Upon attaining man- hood he conducted the Eagle Hotel for five years, then settled upon a farm of 106 acres at Limeport, Pa. He was county auditor for three years and councilman for six years at Emaus. He is a member of the Emaus Lutheran church.

Eugene Kemmerer married (first) Sallie Jar- rett, daughter of John and Sallie (Hoffman) Jarrett. He married (second) Jennie Harwick, daughter of L. M. and Catharine Harwick. Is- sue: John Kemmerer.

Henry W. Kemmerer was born at the old homestead in 1829. He farmed this for seven years, when he retired. He resided at 1131 Tur- ner street, Allentown, for 18 years, to the time of his death, March 24, 1903. He was a director of the Second National Bank, and a member of Trinity U. E. church, where he had been a trus- tee. He served as a judge of election several years as a Republican. He married, June 2, 1853, Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Cath- arine (Fretz) Strawn, and had four children : Louisa, deceased ; Alfred M .; Henry, deceased ; and Milton R., m. Victoria Hensinger, of Emaus.

ALFRED M. KEMMERER was born in Lower Macungie, July 23, 1856. He attended the pub- lic schools until 18 years of age, and in 1874 entered the Millersville Normal School and after- wards attended the Keystone State Normal School at Kutztown. He assisted on his father's farm and after his marriage farmed the former George Neumeyer farm for 24 years. In 1904 he re- moved to Allentown, where he resides at 1525 Turner street. He is a Republican in politics ; a member of Emaus Lodge, No. 73, I. O. O. F .; and of Trinity U. E. church, which he served as trustee. He married, May 4, 1878, Sarah J., daughter of Peter and Eliza (Burkhalter) Marks, and has one daughter, Leida I., m. N. S. Biery, and has one son, N. Donald Kemmerer Biery.

Catharine, daughter of Henry, was born Oct. 16, 1771, and died March 5, 1832. She married Hartman Reinhard.

Henry Kemmerer was born Oct. 23, 1774, and died Dec. 27, 1856. His wife, Magdalena, was born Sept. 1, 1780, and died April 16, 1845. They had eight children: John, born March 7, 1803; Anna Maria, born June 5, 1805; Magda- lena, born Oct. 12, 1807; Lydia, born April 17, 1810; Henry, born April 5, 1812; Samuel, born March 12, 1816; Leah, born March 23, 1819; and Elizabeth, born Oct. 30, 1821. John mar- ried Christiana Kuhns. Henry lived on the

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.

Emaus road and died May 6, 1830. Samuel died in Allentown in 1879. Two of the daughters married men named Snyder and Lerch.

George Adam Kemmerer was born June 8, 1777, and died March 2, 1849. He settled in Whitehall township, where he married Susanna Troxell, and had five children. His son, George, had children : James J., born 1848, died 1902, who had one son, George C .; Reuben, died in 1900, at the home of his son, George, at Wilkes- Barre; Mrs. William Stem, of Northampton ; Mrs. Edward Butz, of Hokendauqua; and Mrs. Fred. Lerch, of Elizabethport, N. J.

Martin Kemmerer was born Nov. 15, 1780, and died March 17, 1854. He removed from Salisbury to Upper Milford in 1821, where he died. He married Maria Dorothea Walter, who was born Jan. 16, 1782, and died June 30, 1841. They are buried at Zionsville Lutheran church. They had seven children : Maria, born Dec. 23, 1804, died Aug. 13, 1880, m. Adam Lauden- slager ; Philip, born March 20, 1807, removed to Ohio; Henry, born Sept. 5, 1810, who was killed on his way to settle in Iowa in 1854; David, born Oct. 24, 1813, who settled in Ohio; Solomon, born Oct. 14, 1815, died Jan. 7, 1864, in Upper Milford; Martin; Daniel, born July 20, 1820, died Aug. 19, 1886, in Upper Milford.

Martin Kemmerer, son of Martin, was born in Salisbury, Dec. 28, 1818. After farming some years, he was in business in Ohio. In 1842 he purchased the homestead farm which he cultivated for 24 years and engaged in mining and lumber- ing. In 1867 he removed to Allentown and handled real estate. He was a director of the Second National bank and a member of St. Mi- chael's Lutheran church. He married Sarah, daughter of J. W. Bruner and had children: William, deceased ; Mary A., m. Jacob M. Back- enstoe; Sarah A., m. Philip B. Kemmerer ; and Leah, m. Thomas Leidy. He married a second time, and had a son, Martin, now a clerk in and director of the Second National bank.

Anna Mary, daughter of Henry, was born Oct. 28, 1782, and married John Bortz.

Rosina, daughter of Henry, was born Sept. 4, 1785, and married a Mr. Ritter.

Frederick Kemmerer, second son of Frederick, the emigrant, operated a saw-mill in Upper Mil- ford for some years. He served in the Revolu- tionary War and died in Allentown in December, 1843, and was buried with military honors by the Harrison Guards and Lehigh Artillerists. Fred- erick and Magdalena Kemmerer had 12 children: John; Christian, b. Sept. 23, 1781 ; Anna Maria, born Feb. 14, 1783; Magdalena, b. March 5, 1786; John J., b. Nov. 11, 1787; Rosina, b. Oct. 16, 1789; Frederick, b. June 9, 1791 ; John

George, b. March 10, 1793 ; Jonas and Elizabeth, b. Aug. 30, 1795; Lydia, b. Aug. 27, 1798, m. Peter Kline; and Henry, b. May 28, 1801.

John Kemmerer, his eldest son, was born July 14, 1780, and died Aug. 29, 1863. He married Christina Smith and had seven children: Anthony ; Jacob, Nancy, Salome, Lydia, Hannah, and Reu- ben.

Reuben Kemmerer was born near Emaus in 1821 and was a shoemaker by occupation. From 1862 to 1866 he was a contractor in ore mines. He was a member of the Lutheran Church, but later became a member of the Evangelical Church, and was a Democrat in politics. He died at Emaus in 1881. Mr. Kemmerer. married Eliza- beth, daughter of Henry and Susanna Derr, of Hereford township, Berks county. She was born in 1822 and had brothers and sisters: Henry, William, Mrs. Jonas Minner, Mrs. John Wag- ner, Mrs. Sally Stoudt, and Annie.

Reuben and Elizabeth Kemmerer had three children: Maria, wife of Charles De Long, of Upper Milford; Henry D .; and Sarah, wife of William Wendling, of Upper Milford. Reuben Kemmerer married, second, Tillie Morrison, and had one child, Ida Tillie, widow of Marcus Rit- ter, of Philadelphia.

HENRY D. KEMMERER, son of Reuben, was born at Emaus, Feb. 4, 1846. He attended the Kemmerer school, near Emaus, and worked in the ore mines from the age of 14 to 17, when he enlisted in Co. K, 4Ist Penna., on July 1, 1863, for three months, and at the expiration of his en- listment re-enlisted in Co. B, 8th Penna. Cavalry, and served until August, 1865. He participated in the battles of Petersburg, Five Forks, Appa- mattox Court House, and others. After the war he was employed as a brakeman on the L. V. R. R., and for one year on the C. B. & Q. R. R., in Illinois. He then was employed in the Michi- gan lumber camps for one year and for a time as a carpenter in Chicago, after which he re- turned to Emaus and was employed in ore mines for two years, and in the Emaus furnace for two years. He then removed to Allentown and worked in the Allentown furnace for ten years, after which he became a teamster. He is a mem- ber of the Evangelical Church, and a Republican in politics. He married, April 6, 1877, Sophia, daughter of Conrad and Elizabeth (Smith) Bornemann, of Catasauqua. Mrs. Kemmerer was born in Germany and came to America with her father, then a widower, at the age of fourteen. They had four children : Margaret, who died July 25, 1913, the wife of P. J. Foulke; Anna M., wife of Wm. H. Held; Howard J., died aged 22 years ; and Tillie D., died aged 15 years.

Jacob Kemmerer, son of Frederick, the emi-

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

grant, early removed to Heidelberg township, where he died about 1825. He was a famous hunter and shot a large number of deer. He acted as captain of a squad of men who went to Gnadenhütten to bury those who had been killed by Indians. He had a son, John, born Feb. 2, 1771.

George Kemmerer, son of Frederick, the emi- grant, was born Dec. 1, 1752, and died Oct. 13, 1838. He kept the tavern between Macungie and Shimersville, long known as Foster's. He mar- ried Magdalena Reinhard, who was born Sept. 17, 1767, and died Jan. 11, 1838. They had eight children: Elizabeth, born July 11, 1793; John, born Nov. 8, 1794, died Oct. 14, 1806; Henry, born March 8, 1796, died Nov. 15, 1872 ; Maria, born Aug. 20, 1799; Magdalena, born Dec. 7, 1800; Susanna, born Nov. 20, 1802; Lydia, born April 19, 1805, died Sept. 24, 1879, m. Laurence Kline; and Jacob, born Sept. 30, 1806. Thomas K. Seislove, of Allentown, was a grandson.

John Kemmerer was born near Easton, in Forks township, and by trade was a miller. He came to Allentown, and engaged in the confec- tionery business on Hamilton street. In politics he was a Republican, and was a member of the Reformed Church. At his death he was interred in the old Allentown cemetery. He married Sarah Young.

TILGHMAN DAVID KEMMERER, son of John, was born Dec. 5, 1835, in Forks township, North- ampton county, and was educated in the public schools of his native place and the Allentown Academy. He then settled in Allentown, and learned cigar making and conducted a cigar store on Hamilton street.

Later he sold his business and entered the em- ploy of Ruhe Brothers, packing cigars, where he remained durin ~ his life. He died Nov. 3, 1895. He was a member of St. Johns Reformed church, and in politics, a Republican.

He was married, Feb. 10, 1858, by Rev. C. F. Walden, at Bethlehem, to Emma M. Knauss, born July 2, 1841, daughter of Alexander and Mary (Ludwig) Knauss.

Issue: Edwin B., born Nov. 25, 1858; Charles Henry, born July 15, 1860; Mary C., born Jan. 17, 1862; John Alexander, born June 17, 1864; William Rufus, born March 13, 1866; Tilgh- man David, born Feb. 1, 1868; and Harry H., born Nov. 11, 1876.

Edwin B. married Ella J. Moyer, daughter of Henry Moyer.

Mary C., married, Jan. 17, 1882, John Sel- lers, son of John Sellers.

John A., married Laura Kern. Issue: Ida.

William R., married Maggie George. Issue : Florence, and Harold.

Henry H., married Lottie Bellesfield. Issue : George, and Emma.

Mrs. Emma M. Kemmerer is a lady of culture and refinement, a life-long member of the Re- formed Church, and resides at 101 South Eighth street, Allentown. Mrs. Kemmerer was reared by her grandmother Ludwig, her mother dying soon after her birth.

John Kemmerer, son of George, born Jan. 30, 1800, died Feb. 10, 1871 ; married Louisa Har- lacher. She was born March 15, 1803, and died April 6, 1891. They had seven children: Eph- raim, Francis, Daniel, Theopilus, Reuben, Emma, and Edmund Kemmerer.

Francis Kemmerer, born Jan. 30, 1833, died March 9, 1907, son of John Kemmerer, married Amanda Reinhard. Issue: Sylvester, and Mar- cus J. Kemmerer.

SYLVESTER GEORGE KEMMERER was born Feb. 16, 1857, in Salisbury township. He was reared on the farm and received a common school education, attending the Ritter school house. After working on the farm for his father a number of years, he purchased it and is now engaged in general farming and trucking. Mr. Kemmerer and family are members of Western Salisbury church. In politics he is a Republican.

In 1891 he was married to Miss Ellen J. Stephens, by Rev. Myron Rath, of Allentown. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Mary (Kehm) Stephens, of Lower Macungie. They had seven children: Annie and Miles, at home ; Minnie, d. aged 14; Martha, d. young; John, at home; Florence, d. young; and one other, died young.

MARCUS J. KEMMERER, son of Francis and Amanda (Reinhard) Kemmerer, was born May 27, 1864, in Salisbury township, and educated in the public schools and Keystone State Normal School. He taught school in Salisbury township for three years, then settled on the Kemmerer homestead, which has been in the family over 100 years. He remained there until 1908, when he removed to Emaus. He is a member of the Lutheran Church which he has served as a deacon, trustee and elder, has been Sunday school superin- tendent for 20 years, and a school director for six years. Marcus J. Kemmerer married Serena, daughter of Owen and Catherine Laudenslager. Issue: E. Marcus, married Hattie Mory, daugh- ter of John and Ida Mory. Issue: Clarence H. Kemmerer.

KERN FAMILY.

Nicholas Kern, the ancestor of the Kern fam- ily, sailed from Rotterdam, Holland, on the ship

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL. .

"Adventurer," and arrived at Philadelphia on Oct. 2, 1727. The first mention of him in Le- high region is on Sept. 23, 1734, when he and wife were sponsors to the child of Peter Troxell, baptized by Rev. John Philip Boehm. He prob- ably lived in Wihtehall township sometime be- fore securing title to land. The first warrant for which he applied was dated Dec. 3, 1735, for 150 acres; the second, Feb. 24, 1737, for 100 acres; and the third on Oct. 28, 1737, for 50 acres. The first and third warrant for 200 acres were surveyed Nov. 7, 1737, described as situated on a branch of the Lehigh creek, in Bucks county, beginning at a marked elm tree by vacant land, south 20 degrees, west 142 perches, north 70 degrees, west 239 perches ; then by land of Caspar Wistar, north 20 de- grees, west 63 perches, and by vacant land north 20 degrees, west 79 perches; thence by vacant land south 70 degrees, west 239 perches to the place of beginning; containing 200 acres and 16 perches.

The warrant dated Feb. 24, 1737, was for 100 acres beginning at a small white oak; thence by vacant land south 20 degrees west, 136 perches to a post, a corner of Leonard Steininger's land ; thence by the same north 70 degrees west, 160 perches to the corner of Jacob Weaver's land ; thence by the same north 20 degrees east, 106 perches by vacant land south 70 degrees east, 160 perches to the place of beginning.

On Feb. 27, 1739, Nicholas Kern and wife, Maria Margaret, sold these tracts to Lawrence Guth.

The names of Nicholas Kern and his wife appeared as sponsors in the Egypt Reformed church records in 1736, 1739, 1740 and 1741. On Dec. 13, 1744, Cornelia Kern, daughter of Nicholas Kern, was a sponsor to the child of John Nicholas Schneider. June 14, 1741, Nich- olas Kern and his wife Margaret, were spon- sors to John Nicholas, son of John Senders, and Nov. 29, 1741, to John Nicholas, son of Ulrich Sensinger.

Lorentz Kern, son of Nicholas, was born March 5, 1741, and baptized May 7, 1741, at the Jordan Lutheran church. His sponsirs were Lorentz Guth and wife, Salome. On Nov. 24, 1737, he secured a warrant for 300 acres, and on March 15, 1738, one for 200 acres of land situated along the Lehigh river, described as the west branch of the Delaware. Gottfried Knauss in 1739, secured 200 acres adjoining Kern on the south.

After 1741, we find no mention of Nicholas Kern in Whitehall, and it is probable that at that early date he removed to his 500-acre tract and began to cultivate the land. He was naturalized

April 10, 1742. At this time several of his sons were nearing manhood and with their assistance, at an early date, he erected a grist mill and a saw mill on his land, which he mentions in his will. He died in the early part of 1749 and his will was probated May II, 1749. This will was one of the first will recorded by an inhabitant of this section and is recorded at Philadelphia in Book I, page 120. It reads as follows :

"In the Name of the Holy Trinity, Amen. I, Nicholas Kern, being afflicted by the Lord's Providence with Sickness and weakness of Body, which makes me doubtfull about my recovery, but being by God's Mercy of Sound Mind, I first of all recommend my soul into the hands of my dear Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and have de- clared this to be my last Will and Testament in the presence of the under-written Witnesses in manner as follows, vizt; first, it is my will and order that my wife Maria Margaretha after my decease shall hold our Plantation, Grist Mill and Saw Mill, all our cattle and implements, together with all the moveable or Household furniture until the youngest of our children, vizt; Lorentz Kern, will be of age; that is, my said wife Maria Margaretha shall, until the time above limited, have full power to manage and act with all and every of our aforesaid goods or estate of what denomination soever, for the best of herself and the children, according to Justice, and as it ought to be done and at the time our said young- est son will be of age then all our Estate above mentioned, to be justly divided according to our law of Pennsylvania, that is to say, one just and equal third part of all our Estate unto my wife Maria Margaretha and the remainder two-thirds parts unto my eight children, vizt; Henry, Fred- erick, Cornelia, William, Nicholas, John, George and Lorentz Kern share and share alike, and as my daughter Maria Barbara, now living in Phil- adelphia, never did contribute and assist us in the least about that which I and the rest of my family earned by hard labour, but on the con- trary has spent the time she lived in this county for her own advantage, nevertheless, notwith- standing to withdraw my affection as a father from her or to exclude her totally from her por- tion, I therefore bequeath unto her 10 pounds, our lawful Pennsylvania current money, which shall be paid unto her at the time of the repara- tion to be made amongst my remaining children, moreover, I give and bequeath unto my last mentioned daughter Maria Barbara, one cow, which shall be given and delivered unto her the next spring. Moreover, I ordain and state my wife Maria Margaretha and Jacob Farber to be guardians of my children and executors of all my estate to the end that they have direction of

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

my children under age for their instruction and education in the Christian Religion, as also that nothing may be wrong, administration be lost. but rather increased of what I left behind me and to the end, that all which is above mentioned may be firmly and unchangeably kept and fol- lowed, I do confirm these presents with my own hand writing and seal and is attested by the under written witnesses:

Done in Bucks County, Near Lehigh, December ye 28th, 1748.

(s) Nicholas Kern.

· J. Ch. Seybert Jacob Heffelfinger Jacob Farber John Nicholas Sneider

Translated September 18, 1749, by Joseph Crell.

Salford, the 11th day of May, 1749,

There personally appeared Jacob Farber and John Nicholas Schneider, two of the witnesses to the within written will, and on their oath respectively declare they saw and heard Nicholas, the testator within mentioned, sign, seal, publish and declare the same will to be his last will and testament, and that at the time thereof he was of sound mind, memory and understanding to the best of their knowledge. Cosam. Jacob Reiff, by authority for William Plumstead, Recorder General, May 11, 1749. Proved. Letters testa- mentary granted to Maria Margaret Kern, Jacob Farber, the other executor having renounced ex- ecutorship."

Margaret, widow of Nicholas, was still living in 1770, and on Jan. 4, 1770, with Henry, Fred- erick, William, Nicholas, George and Lorentz Kerns, and Martin Singling and wife, Cornelia, released to John Kern for 200 pounds part of a tract of 226 acres of land, and to William Kern, a tract of 140 acres of land for 300 pounds.

Of the children of Nicholas Kern, as it was customary to name the children in order of their age in wills, we assume that Henry was the eld- est.

He was taxed in Heidelberg township four pounds in 1762, and in 1763, when his brother William was tax collector, his name is marked Poor, o.

His name appears in the 1770 release. He may have moved to Maxatawny, as a Henry Kern lived there in 1768.

Frederick Kern, second son, was born in 1719, and died Jan. 27, 1790, aged 71 years. He was buried by Rev. Blumer. He and his wife Cath- arine had a son Frederick, baptized Oct. 6, 1765, and a son John, born May 21, 1772. Frederick Kern was taxed 10 pounds in 1762; three pounds in 1763; one pound for 200 acres in 1764, and

in 1768 was taxed on 60 acres of cultivated and 200 of uncultivated land.

Maria Barbara Kern, daughter of Nicholas Kern, lived at Philadelphia.

Cornelia Kern married Martin Singling. In 1762 they lived in Lehigh township.

William Kern was born in 1725, and died August 18, 1800. He is buried at Unionville. He was twice married. In 1762 he was taxed 20 pounds, in 1763 he was tax collector and taxed 24 pounds, of which 14 pounds was abated. In 1764 he was taxed 6 pounds on 260 acres and in 1782, 2 pounds, 8 shillings on 40 acres of cultivated and 200 acres of uncultivated land, a grist mill, three horses and three cows. His son, William, Jr., was born Jan. 16, 1751, and died Jan. 21, 1841, of old age, aged 89 years. William Kern and his wife, Maria Salome, had sons: Nicholas, born Oct. 2, 1773; John, born Nov. 2, 1777; George William, born May 15, 1772, and Elizabeth Catharine, born Oct. 3, 1775.

Nicholas Kern, son of Nicholas, with his wife Eva, was sponsor to John Nicholas, son of Wil- liam Kern, in 1773. In 1762, Nicholas Kern was taxed 16 pounds in Towamensing township; in 1767, 20 pounds; in 1774, he was taxed 2 pounds, 4 shillings, as a farmer, on 200 acres; in 1786, he was taxed on 225 acres of land and grist mill. Nicholas Kern, Jr., was assessed in 1785 for a grist mill and 75 acres of land. . He was a lieutenant colonel in the Revolution. His son Nicholas, born in 1760, and died in 1829, was sheriff of the county.

John Kern, fifth son of Nicholas, the first, acquired 226 acres of his father's tract by re- lease in 1770. He was assessed in 1762, 13 pounds; 1763, four pounds; 1764, three pounds on 200 acres; in 1768, on thirty acres of culti- vated and 200 of uncultivated land, two horses and two cows. He and his wife, Annie Marga- ret, had the following children: Annie Cath- arine, born January 22, 1771 ; Susanna Marga- ret, born Feb. 28, 1773; George Kern, born June 6, 1774, married in 1802, Elizabeth Sensinger and had two sons: John George, born in 1807; and Conrad, born June 2, 1808; and Daniel, who moved to Indiana in 1839.

George Kern, sixth son of Nicholas, the first, was single in 1764. His name appeared in the tax list of 1785. Lorentz, youngest son of Nich- olas Kern, born in 1741, is mentioned in the Heidelberg tax list in 1762 and 1764 as a single man.

John George Kern, eldest son of George Kern and his wife, Elizabeth Sensinger, was born March 7, 1807; died April 6, 1861. He was buried at Frieden's Church cemetery. His farm

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Ang by E.G Williams & bra . AY

Thomas Kem

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.

covered 120 acres and is now the center of the slate region. He was a member of the old state militia and of the Frieden's Reformed church, in the building of which he took a prominent part. His wife was Margaret Wert, daughter of Christian Wert, born June 6, 1805. Their chil- dren were: Mary, who married John Kreitz; Elias; Thomas; Lucy, who died unmarried ; and Rufina, who married Jarret Farber.

Conrad Kern, the youngest son of George Kern, was born June 2, 1808, and married Polly Snyder, and had sons: Paul and John.

Daniel Kern, brother of George and son of John, removed to Indiana in 1839, and, had chil- dren : John, Lewis, Mrs. John Rex, Mrs. Smith, and Mrs. Mertz.

THOMAS KERN, late president of the National Bank of Slatington, lumber merchant and plan- ing mill operator, was born Oct. 26, 1839, near Emerald, Washington township. By hard labor and application, he acquired a good practical edu- cation and worked upon the farm until his ma- jority. In 1860, he began farming for himself and what is now the American Slate Farm, better known as the Washington Slate Company, and continued there until 1868. Through the death of his father in 1861 he obtained possession of the farm at the appraisement in 1863, at which time he entered into partnership with Henry Kuntz and John Bower, and opened up the American Slate quarry, No. 2. These three men operated this quarry about three years, when Mr. Kern sold his interest, and in 1865 opened up the American Slate quarry No. 1, which he operated until 1868, when he disposed of his interests to the American Slate Company, of Bethlehem.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II, Part 125

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