History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II, Part 27

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 27

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Susanna B. Bauman was born Oct. 27, 1768 and died March 28, 1842. She married Christo- pher Kern and had nine children.

John Dieter Bauman, eldest son of Henry and Catharine (Dreisbach) Bauman, was born about 1772. He was reared upon the farm and became a farmer and lumberman, while, like his father and grandfather, he spent much time in hunting and trapping. In 1796 he settled where Bow-

BISHOP THOMAS BOWMAN, D.D.

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.

manstown now stands, where he built a log dwelling. He also owned and operated a grist- mill on the west bank of the Lehigh below the chain bridge, the water power for which was cut off by the building of the canal.

In 1808 he built a large and substantial stone house and, obtaining a license, conducted it as a hotel until his decease. This hotel was on the line of the old turnpike leading from Berwick to Easton, and it was a stopping place for travellers on that highway. He was a commissioner of Carbon county for three years and an active, en- terprising, and leading man of his county. He was interested in giving his children a liberal education and all were sent to institutions of higher education. He died in 1853. He mar- ried, on May 17, 1796, Margaret Newhard, born Sept. 2, 1779, the daughter of Peter New- hard and his second wife, Catharine Miller. They had twelve children, all of whom married and attained mature years: Kate, who married Jonas Peter, of Heidelberg; Jacob; John; Su- sanna, who married Jonas Andreas, of East Penn township; Jonas; David; Sarah, who married Daniel Keiper, of Allentown; Peter ; Henry ; Re- becca; Dennis, and Josiah.

Jacob Bowman, the eldest son of John Dieter, was born March 28, 1799, in Towamensing township. He was reared upon the farm and received a liberal education as an equipment for a useful career. He became at first a merchant, conducting a general store for many years in the lower end of Lehigh Gap. He sold out in 1844 and removed to Lower Towamensing township, where he conducted a farm, grist-mill and gen- eral store. He was an enterprising man and was one of several who kept up a summer school for the benefit of their community. He was an old-line Whig, and later a Republican, and was a member, trustee, and class leader of the Evan- gelical Church. He died Oct. 17, 1877, and was interred at Snyder's church. He married, June 9, 1829, Elizabeth Weiss,, born Decc. 5, 1808, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Solt) Weiss, and grand-daughter of Col. Jacob Weiss, a revolutionary officer. Mrs. Bowman died in 1883. They had ten children, three who died in infancy, and Amelia, wife of Cornelius Sny- der ; Eliza, wife of John Seem; Sarah, wife of Judge Levi Wentz; Bishop Thomas Bowman, D.D .; James; Ellen, wife of Perry Wanna- macher ; and Wesley W. Bowman.

BIOGRAPHY OF BISHOP THOMAS BOWMAN, D.D.

By Rev. James L. Tonkin.

Bishop Thomas Bowman, D.D., son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Weiss) Bowman, was born in

Lehigh township, Northampton county, Pa., May 28, 1836. He was the fourth child and the first son born to the family. Very early in life he took a great liking to books, and realizing the value of an education, immediately set out to acquire that mental culture, so essential to a suc- cessful public career. Being a hard worker and an apt student, he soon finished the work in the common schools, and was sent to an academy at Easton, Pa., where he completed his course with honor both to himself and the parents who had placed so much confidence in him, and had so largely guided his principles, conduct, and habits.

Upon the completion of his course at school he entered the employ of his father, serving as a clerk, in a store at Aquashicola, Carbon county, Pa. After serving in this capacity for a few years, being diligent in his work and showing so many good business traits, at the early age of 20, he took complete control of his father's mer- cantile business, and continued it with success until he entered the ministry.

On April 26, 1856, he was married to Diana Young, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca (Wentz) Young, which union was blessed with one daughter, Tillie Louise. Mrs. Bowman came from a prominent Northampton county family. Her father was treasurer of Northamp- ton county in 1856.

Bishop Thomas Bowman was reared in a Christian home. His parents were devoted and faithful members of the Evangelical Association for many years. At the age of 18 he was sound- ly converted to God in a revival meeting held at Weissport, Pa., and about one week later was received into the church by the Rev. Christian Mayers, one of the pioneer preachers of the Evangelical Association. In his church activities, as well as in his business, he put himself into the work, and it was not long before the people dis- covered that he was possessed of extraordinary talent and ability and his rise in the church was almost phenomenal. He served as Sunday school superintendent and class leader for a number of years. In those days the preacher had large cir- cuits, and one evening the regular pastor failed to fill his appointment, the congregation insisted that Mr. Bowman should occupy the pulpit that evening. He reluctantly consented to preach. Afterward the people urged him to accept the call to the Christian ministry, which came to him so forcibly that he could not reject it. He had been engaged in a lucrative business, with bright pros- pects of making a fortune, and at the same time, had been offered an annual salary of several thou- sand dollars to represent a Philadelphia firm, he sacrificed all these business prospects and entered the ministry in the East Pennsylvania Confer-

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

ence of the Evangelical Association, at a salary of $100 a year, to work for the good of man and the glory of God. His recommendation for license to preach was secured by his pastor, the Rev. John Schell, and he was licensed to preach at the twentieth session of the East Pennsylvania Conference, held at Lancaster, Pa., April 9, 1859, and was stationed on Lehigh Circuit, in- cluding what is now known as Lehigh, Bucks, and Northampton counties. On this circuit there were about fifteen appointments, or preaching places, he traveled this circuit faithfully for one year, meeting with great success, hundreds of people were converted and added to the church during the year.

This was the beginning of the ministry and church activities of a man who became one of the great minds and historic centers in the annals of the Evangelical Association.

At the next annual session of conference he was stationed on Northampton Circuit, this cir- cuit embraced the territory between the Blue mountains and Easton, Pa., and between the Le- high and Delaware rivers. After two years of faithful service on this charge the membership was doubled. His next appointment was in the city of Allentown, where he served as pastor of the Linden Street church, and the Mingo Mis sion, now known as Emmanuel church, in the First ward. It was during his pastorate here that the Civil War broke out, and he took a firm stand against slavery and in favor of the federal government. In so doing he made some enemies but he also made hosts of friends. His sermons on the subject of slavery were pungent, and his church was crowded to the door almost an hour before the appointed time for preaching. On one occasion the church was too small to hold the vast crowd that had come to hear him. He came out of the church and using the steps in front of the church as a pulpit, thousands con- gregated on the street and listened to the sound logic and oratory of this man who denounced the detestable traffic in human beings. Several of his sermons, on this subject, were published in the Lehigh Patriot. To show the love and esteem in which he was held by the citizens of Allen- town, it was announced that a special offering would be received for him at an evening service, and notwithstanding the money stringency of the time there were contributed 117 one-dollar bills by persons who were not members of his church. Some wonderful revival meetings were held in the Linden Street church resulting in the conversion of many of the best people in the city, and during his pastorate the membership was trebled.

His next appointment was Reading, which

was then a mission, consisting of 35 members. This was an unusually hard field, but instead of being discouraged he went about his work in a cheerful and optimistic way and at the end of two years, he had completely renovated the church, increased the membership to 150 and the charge was changed from a mission to a station.

From Reading he was sent to Pine Grove, Schuylkill county, Pa., and served this appoint- ment for two years, after which he was sent to Philadelphia, where he met with extraordinary success. He conducted revival meetings which resulted in the conversion of a large number of people. The congregation did not have a church edifice of its own but rented a place for worship. During his pastorate he collected over $12,000 toward the erection of a new church. From Philadelphia he was sent to Schuylkill Haven.

It became evident that a man of his ability would not remain in the pastorate very long, and at the close of his first year's work at Schuyl- kill Haven, he was elected presiding elder and stationed on Pottsville District. During his first year on this district, at Hamburg, Pa., he conducted the most remarkable and most success- ful camp-meeting in the history of the church ; almost two hundred souls were converted and that many tents were pitched and occupied. At the end of the four-year term he was re-elected and stationed on the Easton District. He not only looked after the church interests on this district but started work in New Jersey and in New York City.

Because of his successful efforts as a minister and his administrative abilities the church called him to a higher sphere of usefulness. At the Gen- eral Conference held at Philadelphia, in October, 1875, he was elected to the Episcopacy, which he has served longer than any other man in the history of the church. During his incumbency he has presided at all of the conferences in the United States and Canada. He has made eight Episcopal visits to the European Conferences, which cover Germany, Switzerland, and Russia. In 1881 he was elected a delegate to the first Ecumenical Council of all the Protestant re- ligious bodies of the world, held in London, Eng- land. In 1892 he visited Japan and inspected the work of the church in that country. He has been a member of the General Board of Missions of his church uninterruptedly since 1871 ; he has been a member of the Board of Publication since 1872, and was president of the board for ten years; he has been a member of every General Conference of the church since 1867. He served very efficiently as president of Northwestern College, located at Naperville,

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Ill., for a number of years. He has been presi- dent of the board of trustees of that institution since 1888: he was principal of the Theological seminary located at Naperville, Ill., for 18 years and since 1908 has been principal emeritus. He was also elected chairman of the commissions ap- pointed by the Evangelical Association and the United Evangelical Church to form a basis of un- ion for the re-union of the two churches, and he has consistently labored for the accomplishment of this desired end.

Bishop Bowman possesses a strong personality, is of medium height, heavy set, has a full de- veloped chest, silvery hair, a kind face and an open countenance. His gracious and dignified bearing, his frankness of mind, and his well- balanced temperament, amidst the tempestuous experiences through which he has passed, are strong characteristics of this man. He has estab- lished principles and firm opinions, but he has a like respect for the claims of others. He is a leader among men, and his well-defined plans and purposes have made him a great central figure and personage in the history of the church in which he has been an active, and honored member for nearly three score years.

WESLEY W. BOWMAN, of Slatington, was born at Millport, Carbon county, April 7, 1849. At an early age he followed a clerical pursuit, and at the age of fifteen years he entered Dickin- son Seminary at Williamsport; from there he attended Freeland Seminary, finishing his educa- tion at the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute, Fort Edward, N. Y., at the age of 26 years he was elected as the cashier of the First National Bank, of Lehighton, organized in 1875.

He served the above responsible position until 1888, at which time he removed to Slatington to engage in the slate business with his father-in- law, Henry Kuntz. They operated the famous Franklin quarry, which is the original, largest, and best developed quarry in the entire slate re- gion. In addition they also operated a number of other successful quarries about Slatington, em- ploying large forces of men. They also operated three blackboard factories, which, for some years, were the largest in the community.

Mr. Bowman retired in 1905, and resides on Lower Main street, in Slatington. He and family have been active members of the St. Paul's Evangelical Association. Mr. Bowman having served it in all its offices.

On June 15, 1871, he was married by his brother, Bishop Thomas Bowman, to Zenia F. Kuntz, and their children are:

Prof. Charles B., who married to Lucretia Kuske, and resides at Naperville, Ill .; and Ray-

mond K., married to Miriam Breyfogel. They reside at Reading, Pa.

John, second son of John Dieter, lived at Par- ryville, and married Sarah Dinkey.

Jonas, the third son, lived at Mahanoy City, and married Catharine, daughter of John Kuntz.

David, the fourth son, lived at Mahanoy City, and married Susan, daughter of John Lentz, a hotel keeper of Mauch Chunk.

Peter Bowman, fifth son of John Dieter, and his twin brother, Henry, were born July 10, 1814, at the old homestead. He attended school every winter for three months and later learned the carpenter trade. He was elected the first treasurer of Carbon county in 1844, and in 1847 and 1848 represented Lehigh and Carbon coun- ties in the legislature. He became a contractor and builder of railroads, collieries, street rail- ways, and mine-slopes, and later a prospector and coal operator. He was also engaged in the mer- cantile business at Tamaqua in 1849. In 1862 he removed to Mahanoy City, where he died, Dec. 4, 1901. He married, Jan. 16, 1840, Polly, daughter of Conrad Romich, of Hanover town- ship, Luzerne county, who was born Oct. 3, 1820, and died May 6, 1866. Their children were: Isabelle, Milton, Mark D., Robert J., and Mary.

Isabelle Bowman married Daniel D. Dillman, a prominent lawyer of Schuylkill county. She was a musician and artist of ability, one of her oil paintings having been on exhibition at the New Orleans Exposition. Augusta A. Dillman, daughter of Daniel D. and Isabelle Dillman, graduated from the West Chester State Normal school and was for a number of years a teacher in the grammar grades of the schools of Mahanoy City. She is a Chatauqua graduate, class of '98, a member of Liberty Bell chapter, Daughters of the Revolution, of Philadelphia, and is historian of the Bowman and Dillman families. She mar- ried Thomas L. Thomas, a wholesale grocer of Mahanoy City, and has two children: Muriel Isabel and Vivian Mary Thomas.

Walter D. Dillman, son of Daniel, formerly with the Lehigh Valley Engineer Corps at Sayre, Buffalo, Rochester, and Mauch Chunk, and the Harbison-Walker Co., of Pittsburgh, is a civil and mining engineer at Altoona, Pa.

Milton M. Bowman ( 1843-1903), was an ac- tive, enterprising, citizen of Mahanoy City, at one time its mayor, and engaged in extensive coal operations with his father. Later he was em- ployed at the Duquesne Steel Works. He mar- ried Miss Emma Hoffman, of Reading.

Mark D. Bowman ( 1844-1902), was superin- tendent of several coal operations and had charge

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HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.

of the construction of various collieries. He was also surveyor for the boroughs of Mahanoy City and Shenandoah.

Robert J. Bowman ( 1849-1913), associated with his brother, Mark, in the engineering busi- ness and was mayor of Mahanoy City for a term.

Mary Bowman, daughter of Peter, married George F. Silliman, of Altoona, and has a daugh- ter, Dorothea.

Lynn E. Bowman, editor of the Lorain, Ohio, Times-Herald, is a grandson of Peter Bowman, and has children, Paul, Virginia, and Priscilla.

Henry, twin brother of Peter Bowman, lived at the old homestead. He was a carpenter, was interested in coal operations and became the in- ventor of metallic paint. He married Lavinia Peters, and died at the age of seventy-five years.

Rebecca Bowman, youngest daughter of John Dieter, was born Oct. 10, 1816, and died Jan. 24, 1903. She married James Dinkey, who was born Feb. 3, 1817, and died May 6, 1876. They resided at Easton.

Dennis Bauman, son of John Dieter and Mar- garet (Newhard) Bauman, was born April 10, 1819, at Bowmanstown, then a part of North- ampton county. He assisted his father at an early age, upon the farm, and received his educa- tional equipment as then afforded by the common school and later attended for two successive winters a boarding school in Bucks county. He then mastered the art of a surveyor, making this vocation his principal occupation for nine years, being appointed also as deputy surveyor of Car- bon county by Gov. Shunk. From 1849 he served six years as prothonotary and was then chosen as one of the associate judges of the county, serving for five years. About 1855 he be- came a member of the firm of Bauman Brothers & Co., which established and operated an anthra- cite blast furnace at Parryville, Pa. In 1857, the Carbon Iron Co. was organized and incorpo- rated. Mr. Bauman served as its president from 1857 to 1876, when the great financial panic forced the closing down of the industry, the Carbon Iron & Pipe Co. succeeding to the prop- erty. After this time Mr. Bauman attended to his private interests. He became connected with the Carbon Metallic Paint Co., and the First National Bank of Lehighton, and was a director for upwards of twenty-five years and for a time its vice-president. He was the first chief burgess of Parryville, when that town was created a borough, which position he held for several terms. He became a member of Mauch Chunk Lodge of I. O. O. F. in 1849. He has been an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and a loyal Sunday school supporter since

1858, and has filled many offices of honor and trust in these organizations. He is a grand old man, and is now, in his 96th year, living in retire- ment at Allentown.

Mr. Bauman married Mary, a daughter of Henry Kress, a farmer, who resided near Cherry- ville, Pa. They had five children, namely : George ; Elizabeth, married to James B. Deshler, Esq., of Allentown; James M .; Albert L .; and Robert H., who served as commissioner of Carbon county, and is now a retired citizen of Allen- town.

Josiah Bowman, the youngest son of John Dieter and Margaret (Newhard) Bowman, was born at Bowmans, May 4, 1826. His early oc- cupation was that of a farmer and contractor and he was also connected with the paint mills, for which he hauled merchandise. He was a member of the Lutheran Church, in which he served as deacon and elder, and was also poor director of Carbon county. He died in Septem- ber, 1900. His wife was Louisa, daughter of Ferdinand Berkemeyer. They had these chil- dren: Alvin H .; Penn; Henrietta, who married Lewis Balliet, and has a son, John; Margaret, who married Abel Boyer, of Slatington; and Lillie, who married Harry Aaron, deceased.

ALVIN H. BOWMAN, a stock and bond broker of Allentown, son of Josiah, was born at Bow- man's, Carbon county, Jan. 16, 1870. He re- ceived his early education in the public schools and later attended the Allentown Business Col- lege. He located in Allentown in 1888 and en- tered the employ of William H. Ainey; then oc- cupied a position as clerk for the Lehigh and Coplay Iron Co. for one year, and later located at Bethlehem, where he was employed as a silk weaver, continuing there until 1893, when he engaged in the retail provision business. The ensuing year he returned to Bowman's and was employed as a clerk in the general store of his brother, Penn, and in 1900 again located at Al- lentown and entered the employ of Pascoe and Crilly, for whom he secured the right of way for the trolley line from Mauch Chunk to Lehigh- ton. He again returned to his trade and in 1902 entered upon his present business with of- fices in the Allentown National Bank building.

He was granted a patent on "penny in the slot" chewing-gum machines, on Sept. 21, 1912, which were specially devised for vending chewing gum on trolley cars. In order to promote his interest in the machines, he organized and incorporated the National Automatic Sales Company under a New Jersey charter. Mr. Bowman is president, and E. W. Rick, secretary and treasurer, of the company. Mr. Bowman is a member of the F. O. E. and K. G. E. He married, in 1891, Sallie H., daugh-

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.

ter of Charles D. and Annie (Eddinger ) Deshler, of Allentown. They have no children.

Penn Bowman, son of Josiah, was born in Car- bon county, May 21, 1864. He was engaged in the general store business at Bowman's from 1889 to 1904, and later operated a planing mill and was a builder at Bowman's. In 1912, he removed to Allentown and became connected with the National Automatic Sales Company. He is a member of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Bowman married Miss Agnes M., daughter of Edward and Mary (Boyer) Boyer, of Aquashicola, Carbon county, Pa.

John Bowman was a farmer and lived in Sau- con township, Lehigh county. He was a member of the Lutheran church and was buried at "Blue" church. His wife was a Miss Geisinger, who also was buried at "Blue" church. Their children were: Jacob H., who died at Allentown and is buried on Union Cemetery; Charles, who lived at Bowman's Crossing, Salisbury township, died in 1912, at the age of 82 years, and is buried in South Allentown; and Mary, who married James Sutton and resides in South Bethlehem.

Jacob H. Bowman, son of John Bowman, was born in Saucon township, March 27, 1826, died at Allentown, November 3, 1868, and was buried in Union Cemetery. He was a miller by trade and became a soldier in the Civil War. He was in the commissary department and served three years in the 47th Regiment, Company G., Pennsylvania Volunteers. His wife was Lavinia Diehl, daugh- ter of John and Maria (Groman) Diehl. She was born August 27, 1826, and died June 5, 1893, and was buried in Union Cemetery. Their chil- dren were: John O., Esq., of Philadelphia ; Mary E., who married Charles W. Kline and resides in South Allentown; Josephine, who married Prof. C. F. Herman, deceased, and resides in Allen- town; Jacob H .; and William, of Philadelphia.

JACOB H. BOWMAN, of Allentown, dealer in cement and limestone properties, was born in Al- lentown, August 21, 1857. He learned the plumbing trade when sixteen years old and con- tinued at his trade in Allentown for ten years, and then engaged in real estate. In 1904 he be- came the organizer of the Allentown Portland Ce- ment Company at Evansville, Pa., where through the supervision and direction of Mr. Bowman, an industry was established, at a cost of $2,000,- 000. The firm employs 500 men. Mr. Bow- man served as director, secretary, and treasurer of the company.

Mr. Bowman is a member of William G. Hamilton Lodge, No. 500, F. & A. M., Phila .; T. B. Freeman Chapter, No. 243, R. A. M.,

Mary Commandery No. 36, K. T., and a mem- ber and director of Lulu Temple, Philadelphia, A. A. O. N. M. S.

He is a member of the Lutheran Church. In 1885 he married Emma T. Hartman, daughter of Joseph Hartman, of Allentown. They had two children, one son and one daughter, both de- ceased.

HORACE BOYD.

Horace Boyd the former general superintend- ent of the Thomas Iron Company was born at Catasauqua, August -31, 1862. He is a son of Alexander R. Boyd and grandson of Copeland Boyd, of Goshenhoppen, Montgomery county. Alexander R. Boyd was born in Goshenhoppen in the year 1826 and was engaged in the manu- facturing of paper at Bethlehem until after the great flood, when he accepted a clerkship with the Crane Iron Company and continued in their employ for a period of twenty-five years. After leaving the Crane Company he became the treas- urer for the Chestnut Hill Iron Company at Columbia, Lancaster county, Pa., in whose em- ploy he continued until 1880; when he removed from Columbia to Hellertown and was employed by the Thomas Iron Company as accountant, in which capacity he continued until the time of his death. His remains lie buried at Bethlehem. He was a member of the Presbyterian church. While residing at Catasauqua he served as bor- ough treasurer for a number of years. In pol- itics he was a staunch Republican. He was married to Mary Fuehrer, a daughter of Henry Fuehrer who survives him and resides at Easton. He had three children; Ellen, the wife of Ed- win Thomas; Horace; and Mary L., married to Edward H. Tait, of Easton.

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History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II, Part 27

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