USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > History of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical record of its families, Vol. II > Part 69
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155
Philip Fenstermacher, the youngest son of Mathias, was born Feb. 27, 1713, and was also a member of the Longswamp Reformed church. At an early date he acquired valuable land on which in later years iron ore was found in large quantities. Some of this land is still in possession of his descendants. In 1767 the pro- prietary return shows him to have been the own- er of 150 acres, and in 1779, 250 acres. He was also the owner of land in Lynn township, this county. He died June 15, 1790, and his will, dated July 1, 1789, was probated at the Berks court-house, on July 9, 1790. In the will provision was made for his wife, Elizabeth, and after her death for his eight sons and one daugh-
ter: (1) John and (2) Christian, who, with his wife, were the executors, were given his dwelling and plantation of 249 acres and 60 perches (3) Peter was given another planta- tion of 103 acres and 140 perches, whereon he then resided; (4) Jacob was given £300; (5) Abraham, £350; (6) Magdalena (wife of Christopher Eylert), £300; the remaining sons (7) Philip, (8) Michael, and (9) Daniel, were evidently provided for during the lifetime of their father. Paul Grosscup and John Borger were the witnesses to the will. Elizabeth Fen- stermacher, the widow of Philip, died Oct. I, 1791, aged 65 years and II months. They are both buried in the old graveyard adjoining the Longswamp church, of which they had for many years been faithful members.
William Fenstermacher, son of Jacob, was born Oct. 1I, 1740, and about the year 1770 settled in Heidelberg township, this county, where he became a man of prominence. During the early days of the Revolutionary War he was a member of Capt. Conrad Roeder's Fifth Com- pany of the Third Battalion of militia, and later served under the same captain in the fifth batta- lion. He operated a distillery in connection with his farm of 170 acres, and died Nov. 27, 1801, survived by his widow, Margareth Elizabeth, and five children : (1) Philip, b. Oct. 6, 1771; (2) George, b. Jan. 18, 1773; (3) William, b. March 22, 1775; (4) John; and (5) Eliza- beth, b. Oct. 25, 1787, wife of Gottfried Peter. Another daughter, Anna Catharina, born in Longswamp township in 1763, probably died young, as no mention is made of her. William Fenstermacher is buried in the old Heidelberg cemetery, and doubtless also his wife, although no trace can be found of her tombstone.
Christian Fenstermacher, another son of Jacob, was born in Longswamp, June 8, 1748. At an early age he settled in Allen township, Northampton county, where he owned a farm of 140 acres. His death occurred Jan. 25, 1829. His wife, Maria Barbara, born Dec. 4, 1757, was a daughter of John Hilbert, of Rockland township, Berks county. She died Dec. 20, 1826, and with her husband is buried at Schoenersville. Christian and Maria Barbara Fenstermacher were the parents of ten children: (1) Anna Magdalena, b. Oct. 18, 1776; (2) John, b. Dec. 4, 1778; (3) Philip, b. Nov. 20, 1783; (4) Maria Magdalena, b. Dec. 6, 1785; (5) Mi- chael, b. Aug. 4, 1793; (6) Elizabeth, b. April 18, 1795; (7) Maria, b. Feb. 18, 1798; (8) Henry, b. Feb. 16, 1800; (9) Regina, m. Ross and had four children: John, Hannah, Lea, and Charles; and (10) Joseph.
Joseph Fenstermacher, son of Jacob, was
345
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.
born about the year 1750 in Longswamp, where he also acquired land, being taxed for 100 acres in 1779, and for 150 acres in 1780. His will is on record at the Berks courthouse in Vol. 4, page 363. It was made Dec. 26, 1805, and probated Aug. 4, 1806. His wife, Anna Margaret, m. n. Hoak, was the executrix, and provision was made in the will for his son, Jo- hannes, to have the first right to the land at valuation, after her death. Her death evidently occurred prior to 1812, for on March 23d of that year the heirs of Joseph Fenstermacher gave a release deed for 180 acres to his son, Johannes. The following are the names of their eight chil- dren :
I. Johannes, b. Feb. 8, 1776.
2. Peter, b. Nov. 20, 1778.
3. Rebecca, b. March 6, 1781, (wife of John Rau).
4. Catharina, b. Oct. 13, 1782, (wife of George Kuhl).
5. Magdalena, b. Sept. 8, 1783, (wife of Jacob Leibensperger).
6. Elizabeth, b. May 24, 1788, (wife of Adam Keller ).
7. Jacob, b. Sept. 11, 1789.
8. Joseph.
Peter and Jacob are not mentioned in the will, nor were they parties to the release deed, prob- ably having died before their father.
Johannes Fenstermacher, son of Jacob, was doubtless the same as the Johannes who was the founder of a large branch of the family in Lehigh and Allen townships, Northampton county. In the former township he owned a farm of 100 acres. In the year 1782 he was en- rolled as a private in Captain John Dieter's Seventh Company of the Third Battalion of Militia. By trade he was a carpenter. He died in 1815, survived by his widow, Anna Maria, and ten children :
I. Johannes, b. Aug. 20, 1781.
2. Jacob, b. April 12, 1783.
3. Solomon.
4. George, b. July 7, 1787.
5. Joseph, b. Oct. 2, 1789.
6. Elizabeth, b. March 14, 1792, m. Conrad Dreisbach.
7. Jonathan, b. Jan. 23, 1794.
8. Isaac.
9. Mary Magdalena, b. May 9, 1799, m. John Peter Bachman.
IO. Catharina, b. Feb. 1802, m. Dr. Griffith J. Scholl.
Philip Fenstermacher, son of Philip, was born Feb. 10, 1746, and when quite a young man moved to Lowhill township, this county, where, on May 12, 1767, he secured a warrant
for sixty-seven acres of land. He later pur- chased other land in the same township, and also owned a grist-mill. His wife, Maria Eva, whom he married in 1767, was born May 27, 1746, a daughter of Abraham Knerr. Soon after their marriage they joined the Lowhill church, organized in 1769, in the record of which ap- pears the baptisms of most of their children. Philip Fenstermacher served as a private during the war of the Revolution, in 1778, in Capt. John Horner's Fourth Company of the Third Battalion, in 1780, in Capt. Andrew Dapper's Fourth Company of the Sixth Battalion, com- manded by Lieutenant Colonel Henry Geiger, and in 1782 in the same company and battalion commanded by Col. Henry Geiger. Philip Fen- stermacher's wife died Dec. 3, 1802, and on Feb. 27, 1804, he married again the widow, Elizabeth Hartman, who survived him. His death occur- red Dec. 20, 1807, his brother, Michael, and Andrew Knerr being the executors of his will which was probated Dec. 29, 1807. Philip and Maria Eva Fenstermacher were the parents of eleven children :
(1) Maria Eva, b. April 22, 1768, m. Peter George, and had two children: Christina and Magdalena.
(2) Philip, b. Nov. 7, 1769, d. Aug. 21, 1794. His wife, Margaretha Meyer, d. Jan. 19, 1795, aged 24 years, 9 months and 16 days, and they had three children: Maria Eva, Philip, and Anna Maria, who m. Daniel Acker.
(3) Jacob, b. March 18, 1774.
(4) Johannes, b. July 9, 1776.
(5) Magdalena, b. Feb. 1, 1779, m. Johannes Klotz.
(6) Maria Catharine, b. June 13, 1781, m. Christian Hantz.
(7) Susanna, b. April 21, 1783, m. Peter Rau and had two children: Peter and Maria.
(8) Anna Maria, b. Aug. 29, 1785.
(9) Catharina Barbara, b. Dec. 26, 1788, d. Sept. 4, 1794.
(10) Henry, b. Nov. 6, 1791, d. Dec. 12, 1791.
(II) Anna Elizabeth, wife of John George. Michael Fenstermacher, another son of Philip, Sr., was born July 2, 1749, and like others of his family left the parental roof in early manhood. He took up his residence in Lynn township, where, in October, 1773, he married Philippina Kerschner, b. Sept. 20, 1753. He built an oil mill, which was later changed into a grist-mill, on a creek near Lynnville, and also opened a store in his dwelling-house. It was formerly narrated of him that for many years his doors were without locks, bolts or bars. He was urged to fasten his doors and finally con-
346
HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
sented. The next week after he had bolted and barred his store it was broken into and some of his goods taken. Michael Fenstermacher took an active part in the struggle for independence. In 1780 and 1782 he was a sergeant in Capt. Adam Stahler's First Company of the Sixth Bat- talion of Militia, and in 1783 ensign in Capt. Samuel Everett's First Company of the First Battalion of Militia. He was a member of the Lynn township (Ebenezer) church. His death occurred Dec. 1, 1831, and that of his wife on March 22, 1837. Both are buried in the old graveyard adjoining the Ebenezer church. Mi- chael and Philippina Fenstermacher had seven sons and three daughters, as follows: (1) Jacob, b. April 14, 1775; (2) Philip; (3) Conrad; (4) Abraham, b. Feb. 2, 1781; (5) Johannes, b. Oct. 1, 1785; (6) Daniel, b. Feb. 25, 1790; (7) Peter, b. Feb. 3, 1795; (8) Anna Catha- rina, b. Dec. 13, 1783, m. Samuel Billman ; (9) Elizabeth, m. George Sendel; and (10) Barbara, m. Conrad Kerschner and had ten chil- dren : John, Elias, Gideon, Daniel, David, Ma- thias, Jeremiah, Salome, Catharine, and Abi- gail.
Jacob Fenstermacher, son of Philip, Sr., was born Nov. 19, 1751, and moved to Rockland township, Berks county, where he mar- ried Elizabeth Basters. The latter bore him five children: (1) Daniel, b. Dec. 7, 1777; (2) Magdalena, b. March 15, 1780; (3) Maria Charlotta, b. Oct. 22, 1788; (4) Henry, b. Jan. 1, 1792; and (5) George. His first wife, dy- ing on June 30, 1796, he married again, Maria Troutman, b. Oct. 22, 1767, and she bore him seven children: (6) Abraham, b. June 9, 1797; (7) Judith, b. June 20, 1798; (8) David, b. Dec. 6, 1799; (9) Reuben, b. Aug. 11, 1805; (10) Nathanael, b. Sept. 9, 1810; (II) James, b. Dec. 28, 1819; and (12) Susanna, b. June 15, 1822.
Jacob Fenstermacher owned a farm of 100 acres in his native township, whereon he also operated a saw-mill and hemp mill. His death occurred July 19, 1835, and that of his wife, Maria, on Aug. 21, 1850. They are both buried at De Long's church, Bowers.
Joseph Fenstermacher, son of Johannes and grandson of Jacob, was born Oct. 2, 1789, and died March 4, 1862. His wife, Maria Christina, m. n. Cole, was b. Feb. 1, 1783 and d. Nov. 4, 1879. Joseph Fenstermacher was a farmer near Stone Church, Northampton county, and was at one time supervisor in Allen township. He and his wife are both buried at Stone Church. They were the parents of five sons and six daughters: (1) Ephraim, a farmer of Lehigh township, (his wife was Julianna, nee Bachman.
and they had nine children: Aaron, b. Aug. 21, 1840; William, b. Sept. 16, 1843; James M., b. Feb. 23, 1851 ; Christianna C., b. Feb. 23, 1851 ; Maria, b. Jan. 3, 1846, m. Henry Heffelfinger ; Franklin S., b. Nov. 26, 1853; Sarah Louisa, b. Feb. 14, 1849; Tilghman E., b. Nov. 26, 1856; and Lucy Ann, b. July 27, 1859; (2) William, a farmer of Allen township, m. Harriet Lerch and had four children: Tilghman A., b. April 28, 1857; Sylvanus; William J .; and Ellen C., b. June 8, 1847, m. Milton Kuntz; (3) Cor- nelius; (4) Joseph William, b. Nov. 20, 1819; (5) Christianna, m. Charles Bachman; (6) Julianna, m. John Bachman; (7) Elizabeth, m. Edward Weiss; (8) Magdalena, m. Theophilus Miller ; and (9) Annie, m. Jonathan Beil.
Cornelius Fenstermacher, son of Joseph, was a farmer in Allen township, where he was born Jan. 14, (?) 1820, and died Nov. 22, 1898. He was a member of the Reformed wing of the Stone Church. His wife, Mary Susanna, m. n. Shive, was b. May 11, 1833, and d. March 3, 1884. Cornelius Fenstermacher raised produce on a thirteen-acre farm. His remains are buried at Stone Church. His children were: Lewis A., b. July 11, 1853, a farmer of Moore township; Harrison F .; and John J., of Hainesport, N. J.
Harrison F. Fenstermacher, of East Allentown was born on the homestead near Stone Church Oct. 23, 1860, and was reared upon the farm. At the age of twenty-one he learned the house painting and paper hanging trade, which he fol- lowed in Catasauqua three years. He then work- ed two years in a furniture factory at Sellers- ville, Pa., and following this worked at his trade at Lansdale, Pa., where he remained about three years. He then secured a position as timekeeper in the Lehigh Valley Railroad shops at Packer- ton, Pa., which he held for eleven years. Resign- ing this position he accepted another as pay-roll clerk with the Atlas Cement Company, and re- sided at Siegfried, where he remained about seven years. On Sept. 8, 1910, he settled in the Fourteenth ward, East Allentown, where he erected a residence at the corner of Third and Walnut streets. He is employed as an agent by the Prudential Insurance Company and is a mem- ber of the Reformed Church. On April 7, 1881, he married Lillian H. Fenner, daughter of Jo- siah and Elmira (Williams) Fenner, and they had three children : Bessie I., Lee S., and Elsie R., who deid June 21, 1910, aged 16 years. Mrs. Fenstermacher died July 29, 1905, aged 44 years and is buried at Stone Church. On May II, 1910, Mr. Fenstermacher married Ida M. Mos- ser, the widow of Levi Shollenberger, and by this union they have a son, Harry F.
Jonas Fenstermacher, another son of Johannes
347
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.
and grandson of Jacob, was born Jan. 23, 1794, and died Nov. 27, 1878. He followed farming as an occupation and owned a tract of land near Kreidersville. He married Regina Master, b. May 21, 1796, and died March 15, 1854. He and his wife are buried at Stone Church, of which they were Reformed members. They had seven children: (1) Manasses, b. Oct. 19, 1816; (2) Reuben, b. Nov. 13, 1817; (3) Lea, b. July 8, 1820; (4) James, b. Sept. 1, 1821 ; (5) Hen- ry; (6) Sarah M., b. June 14, 1835, died young ; and (7) Caroline, m. - Bachman.
Henry Fenstermacher, son of Jonas, was b. March 27, 1824 and d. April 16, 1899. He lived on the Fenstermacher farm, consisting of eighty acres of slate land at Slatedale, Pa. In politics he was a Democrat, and at one time was constable. His remains are buried at the Heidel- berg church. His wife, m. n. Sallie Ann Ger- man, was b. March 14, 1830, and they were the parents of 12 children: Elias Wilson; Manetta, m. William F. Peter; Jane, m. Edward T. Dilliard; Erasmus H., Caroline A., (d. young) ; Benjamin H. (d. young) ; Franklin (d. young) ; James L .; Edna, m. Frank Nester; Ellen, m. Oscar Reppert; Robert A .; and Alavesta, m. Ulysses E. Smith.
James L. Fenstermacher, son of Henry, a citi- zen of Emerald, Pa., was born on the homestead in Washington township, Nov. 12, 1860, and remained upon the farm until he was 21 years old. In 1881 he moved to Mauch Chunk where he was employed for a year as an engineer. In 1882 he came to Emerald, where for several years he engaged in the mercantile business. He then secured employment as foreman of the Slate Shaving Department with the National School Slate Company, where he continued for more than a quarter of a century. For three years Mr. Fenstermacher was a slate operator, giving em- ployment to a number of men. In 1904 he built his residence at Emerald, which is the most modern and handsome in the town. He is a member of the Evangelical Church, and served as class-leader and trustee. He is also a teacher in the Sunday school, of which he was for some years the superintendent, and is active in the religious welfare of the community. On Dec. 27, 1880 he married Alice Dorward, a daughter of Henry and Flora (Geiger) Dorward, and they had seven children : Henry E., William C., Clarence J., Urban V., Quinton O., Horace, and Allen H.
Jacob Fenstermacher, son of Philip, and grand- son of Philip, Sr., the immigrant, was born March 18, 1774, and died March 6, 1829. On April 19, 1796 he married Eva Elizabeth Seip, b. Feb. 28, 1778, and d. June 17, 1850. His
remains are buried at the Lowhill church, while hers repose in the old graveyard at Neffs. Jacob Fenstermacher and his wife, Eva Elizabeth, had six children, as follows: Jonathan, b. March 27, 1802; Charles, b. Feb. 24, 1805; Elias; Maria, b. Jan. 14, 1797 (Polly, as she was familiarly named, who m. Solomon Ziegler) ; Judith, m. Jonathan Klein; and Leah, m. Peter Troxell.
Elias Fenstermacher, another son of Jacob, was born in the year 1807, and was a native of Weisenberg township. He was a farmer until 1853 when he removed to Allentown, where he purchased the northwest corner of Tenth and Hamilton streets, and dealt extensively in grain and feed. Later, with his son, Levi, as a part- ner, they conducted a grocery store in connec- tion with the grain business. During the Civil War the price of wheat reached the high mark in the nation's history, and the farmers in bring- ing wheat to the Fenstermacher mart, or in passing and asking the price, when told $2.50 per bushel, would frequently remark "uscht," mean- ing "only," or "is that all." They expected the price of wheat to reach $3.00 per bushel.
Elias Fenstermacher was an able business man, and enjoyed a wide acquaintance. He dealt in groceries and bought and sold grain and salt by the boat loads, his place being the principle dis- pensary for the county of this staple article. He was a man of enterprise. He was an active spirit during the rebellion, and in politics an un- compromising Democrat. He was a supervisor of Allentown borough. His death occurred Aug. 24, 1875. He and his family were members of the Reformed Church. His wife, Esther Kuhns, died Aug. 8, 1892. Their children, who are now all deceased, were: Levi; Eliza A., the wife of Joseph Ruhe; and Phaon A.
Levi Fenstermacher, son of Elias, was born in the village of Heinimansville, in Weisenberg township, May 22, 1833. In 1853 he came to Allentown with his parents, and was associated with his father in the grain and mercantile busi- ness. He and his brother, Phaon, succeeded their father, and for a number of years they were wholesale produce dealers in Philadelphia and Allentown. They were also the first shippers of green groceries into Allentown, at the time when the inhabitants in the borough, were accustomed to use home-grown products of their gardens and fields.
Mr. Fenstermacher had imbibed the spirit of energy and enterprise possessed by his father, and like him was a successful business man and a Democrat in-politics. Early in life he was a leader of the church choir, and was one of the organizers of St. John's Reformed church, in which he held many offices.
348
HISTORY OF LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA.
His wife was Fianna Metzger, a daughter of Jacob and (Hoch) Metzger, the former at one time a hotel-keeper in Lehighton. Levi Fenstermacher died April 30, 1907, and his wife July 28, 1904. They had six children, namely : Seneca, d. aged three years; Laura, unmarried ; William J., deceased ; Edward E .; Hattie N., the wife of W. C. Lehr, of the firm of Shank- weiler & Lehr, clothing merchants; and Ella, un- married. All of these reside in Allentown, Pa.
Phaon A. Fenstermacher, son of Elias, was born in the village of Heinimansville, Jan. 27, 1836. In 1853 came with his parents to Allen- town, and after the death of his father, engaged in the grain business with his brother, Levi, and later in the wholesale produce business. He also possessed the traits of his father, and was a Jef- fersonian Democrat. He was united in marriage with Anna Maria, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Jarrett) Seider, b. Dec. 15, 1838.
Phaon A. Fenstermacher died Jan. 15, 1885, and his wife, Anna Maria, Jan. 13, 1901. They are buried in the Union cemetery at Allentown. Their children follow: Percival S .; Adella F., the wife of J. H. Shimer, of Stockertown, Pa .; Annie, the wife of Rev. C. L. Holloway, a Lu- theran minister, of Long Beach, Cal .; and Eve- line E., who is single and resides at Long Beach, Cal.
PERCIVAL S. FENSTERMACHER, son of Phaon, member of the state board of agriculture, chair- man of the Lehigh county farmers' institutes, noted scientific agriculturist, banker, and repre- sentative citizen, resides in Allentown, Pa. He was born at Dubuque, Iowa, July 9, 1857, and when less than two years old his parents removed to Lehigh county, Pa. The public schools of Allentown afforded Mr. Fenstermacher his early mental training, and later this was supplemented by a course in the Allentown Business College. For three years he kept the books for Fenster- macher Brothers, wholesale produce dealers, in Philadelphia, after which he became a clerk for four years with Milton J. Kreamer, in "the old corner store," Seventh and Hamilton streets, Allentown. He was bookkeeper for Ruhe Brothers, in Allentown. In 1882 he was married to Agnes Kern, daughter of Edwin and Eliza (Gross) Kern, of Kernsville, Pa. Mr. Fenster- macher was compelled, owing to failing health to seek outdoor employment, and moved upon the Seider's homestead, which belonged to his mother. This farm he cultivated along scientific lines for twenty years. It is situated in Upper Saucon township, which district Mr. Fenstermacher served with marked ability as school director and later justice of the peace, for nearly ten years, resigning the office in 1903, when he moved into
his residence at No. 214 North Eighth street, Allentown, Pa.
He still carries on extensively general scientific farming, and he was one of the pioneers to en- gage in commercial orcharding. He is the gen- eral manager of the Trexler orchards, consisting of 20,000 fruit trees, principally peaches and ap- ples, which produce the most perfect fruit grown in the entire state. This has won for him a national reputation as a pomologist and scientific agriculturist.
Mr. Fenstermacher was one of the organizers of the Merchants' National Bank, Allentown, and served as a director of that institution until the organization of the Allentown Trust Com- pany, in which movement he likewise participated and became a member of the board of directors, a position he still holds.
Politically his affiliations are with the Repub- lican party. At different times he has taken an active interest in party matters. He was delegate to various conventions, notably the famous Quay- Hastings contest for state chairman in 1896.
Mr. Fenstermacher and his family are mem- bers of the Lutheran church. He has been active in church and Sunday school work all his life- time. The following are the names of his chil- dren: Lloyd S., of Spirit Lake, Idaho; Vinnie H., the wife of Dr. Otto C. Reiche; Anna, de- ceased. She was a public school teacher in New Jersey; Robert P., is a salesman for the Lehigh Portland Cement Company ; Harry K., a state- road inspector of Pennsylvania; Adella A .; Evylin M .; Theodore R .; Alma C .; and Samuel S.
EDWARD E. FENSTERMACHER, son of Levi, pro- prietor of the Columbia hotel and restaurant, Tenth and Hamilton streets, Allentown, was born where he has always lived, and now owns, May 18, 1865. He was educated in the Allen- town high school. He became a partner with his father under the firm name of L. Fenstermacher & Co., commission merchants of green groceries, at 18-20-22 North Tenth street. They were in business about ten years. In 1894 Mr. Fenster- macher obtained a license for what is known as the Columbia hotel and restaurant. The hotel has twenty-eight rooms, and in the successful con- duct of his business he employs fifteen people.
On Jan. 17, 1900, Mr. Fenstermacher was united in marriage with Ella L. Wotring, daugh- ter of Edwin and Rosa (Guth) Wotring, who lives at the Sand Spring in North Whitehall township, and hails from a long-settled French Huguenot family, whose full early history ap- pears in this volume.
Mr. and Mrs. Fenstermacher have no chil- dren. They are members of the Reformed
.
349
GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL.
Church. Mr. Fenstermacher has membership in oli. His wife was Phoebe Ann Clauss, b. Dec. the following. lodges: B. P. O. E., No. 130; F. O. E., No. 110; and K. G. E., all of Allentown.
Charles, a third son of Jacob, and grandson of Philip Fenstermacher, was b. Feb. 24, 1805, and d. April 6, 1875. His wife, Maria, daugh- ter of Benjamin and Maria Kuhns Zimmerman, was b. Aug. 11, 1820, and d. March 19, 1909. Both are buried at the Unionville church. Of this union four children survived : Benjamin P .; Charles Henry; Amelia; and Maria, wife of Reuben Semmel.
Benjamin P. Fenstermacher was b. April 25, 1845, and d. at his home in Schnecksville on Dec. 24, 1910. His widow, who is still living, was Louisa, m. n. Semmel, and they had the follow- ing children: Charles; Katie L., wife of Rev. Thomas Bachman; Allen R., b. March 25, 1894, and d. Nov. 30, 1908; Howard; O iver J .; Robert A. ; Lillian; Annie; Daisy; and Edgar B., b. July 13, 1876, and d. April 7, 1905.
OLIVER J. FENSTERMACHER was born Oct. 4, 1879, in Schnecksville, and received his early education in the township schools. For a time he worked on his father's farm, and later en- tered the employ of Mr. Rex as a clerk. In 1899 he secured a position as clerk with E. E. Long & Co., at Egypt, and in 1909 became a partner in that firm. The business is now con- ducted under the firm name of O. J. Fenster- macher & Co. On July 3, 1904, he married Elsie V., daughter of Jeremiah and Mary (Marck) Grammes, and their union was blessed with two daughters: Alma G. and Anna M.
Mr. Fenstermacher is a member of the Re- formed Church at Unionville. Fraternally he is affiliated with Red Men Lodge No. 97, of Egypt; the order K. G. E., of Allentown; and Woodmen Lodge, No. 8576, of Cementon. Po- litically he is a Democrat.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.