History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 194

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1532

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LIEUT. JAMES STEWART ROBINSON was born March 10, 1835, in Salem township, Luzerne Co., Pa., and was educated in the common schools and Pine Grove Semi- nary in Centre county, Pa., and followed farming. On June 13, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Reserves (Thirty-Sixth Pennsylvania Volunteers) as private; promoted to sergeant July 26, 1861, to sergeant-major April 1, 1862, to second lieutenant March 1, 1863, to first lieutenant July 20, 1863, mustered out with company June 16, 1864. He was wounded in the battle at Charles City Cross Roads, June 30, 1862, also at Fredericksburg December 13, 1862, and was taken prisoner in the battle of the Wilderness, May 5, 1864. On the evening of July 30, 1864, less than two months after his arrival home, he went with a deputy provost-marshal to assist in arresting deserters and drafted men who failed to report, in Benton township, Columbia Co., Pa. (a locality strongly tainted with secession doctrines, a majority of the citizens having been led to believe that the Government had no business to interfere with their liberties by compelling them to take up arms against their wishes), and was shot and mortally wounded by one of a party of armed men whom they attempted to arrest, dying from the wounds Novem- ber 3, 1864. Immediately after the occurrence a body of U. S. soldiers was sent into the locality, and a number of arrests were made, principally of persons who had aided and abetted the actual participants in the affair, and taken to Fort Mifflin, where they were confined for some time; but by reason of the near close of the war, and upon recommendation of loyal citizens, they were released without trial. Those who were suspected of doing the shooting left the country at once, and others who had been evading the draft immediately reported to the proper authorities, to escape arrest. At this time it seemed impossible to fix the crime upon the guilty ones, so no arrests were made by the civil authorities, and the matter was dropped for the time. On March 16, 1891, nearly twenty-seven years after the shooting,

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Elias Young, of Jackson township, Columbia Co., Pa., was arrested for the crime and committed .to the jail in Luzerne county without bail. He was indicted for murder April 7, 1891, and arraigned for trial September 16, 1891. The trial lasted three days, and the defendant admitted having been one of the party of three who did the shooting, but denied that his gun was loaded with the kind of bullets that made the fatal wound. The jury, probably taking into consideration the long time elapsed between the crime and the arrest, also the age of the accused as well as the fact that he had been urged on and encouraged by the people of the neighborhood, brought in a verdict of "not guilty."

ISAAC ROBSON, miner, Duryea, was born in the County of Durham, England, and is a son of Thomas and Mary (Nixon) Robson, natives of the same place. They reared a family of seven children, of whom our subject is the eldest. He received his education in the free schools of his native city, and in the year 1844 began work in the mines. In 1864 he came to the United States, settling in Pittston, where he remained until 1882, when he bought a house in Duryea, and removed hither. Mr. Robson was united in marriage June 16, 1870, with Margaret, daughter of Thomas and Margaret Thomas, natives of Wales. Their union has been blessed with the following issue: Thomas, born March 15, 1871; Edward, born January 20, 1873; and Isaac, born June 17, 1875. In politics Mr. Robson is a Republican; he is a member of the I. O. O. F. and Sons of St. George.

F. V. ROCKAFELLOW, banker. The subject of this sketch was born near Somer- ville, Somerset Co., N. J., a son of Christopher and Mary (Vossler) Rockafellow. He was educated in his native county. In 1855 he came to Wilkes-Barre, and entered the employ of his uncle, C. B. Fisher, as clerk in his store, where he remained four years. He then entered the bank of Charles B. Drake, as cashier, with whom he remained two years. He subsequently formed a partnership with A. H. Emley, and they established a banking business which continued until 1869, when he established his present bank. Mr. Rockafellow is the oldest living banker in Wilkes-Barre. He married Miss Julia, daughter of Sylvanus Ayre, of Bound- brook, New Jersey, and by this marriage they are the parents of two children: Charles Frederick and Grace Ferdinand. In his political views Mr. Rockafellow is a Democrat. He has served in the city council, has filled the office of school director, was treasurer of the borough of Wilkes-Barre four years, and has been city treasurer since its incorporation. Mr. Rockafellow is one of Wilkes-Barre's leading and progressive citizens, and has always taken a deep interest in its public and social development.

RICHARD RODDA, manager of hotel and drug-store at Glen Lyon, is a native . of St. Clare, England, where he was born April 3, 1860. His parents were Ben- jamin and Mary (Grosworethey) Rodda, also natives of England. The father of our subject was a machinist, and died December 27, 1874, at the age of fifty-three years. Richard is one of a family of eleven children-seven brothers and four sisters-of whom only seven are now living, the names of those living being as follows: Thomas, Richard, Albert, Frederick, Malenda, Mary Grace and Eliza. The subject of this memoir is the second eldest living. He was educated at the common schools in England. Mr. Rodda was married, July 7, 1881, to Mary Gluyes, daughter of Oliver and Elizabeth (Andrews) Gluyes, natives of Cornwall, England; Oliver Gluyes died in Scranton in 1866. To Mr. and Mrs. Rodda were born five children, of whom two are dead; the survivors are Frederick C., Richard E. and Sidney W. The wife of our subject was born at Port Orem, New Jersey, June 5, 1855. Mr. Rodda has, for a great many years of his life, been mining and traveling on the road. He has been engaged for six years in his present situation, manager of S. M. Sutliff's hotel and drug-store, in Newport township. He is a member of the M. E. Church. He came to this country in 1875, and in 1876 joined the J. H. P. A., which is now the L. K. of America; he belongs to the Sons of St. George, Knights of Malta, also the I. O. R. M. ; in politics he is a Republican.

D. J. RODERICK, mine foreman, Stockton, was born in Cardiganshire, Wales,

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January 23, 1864, and is a son of Richard and Ellen (Jenkins) Roderick, natives of Wales, who emigrated to America in 1865, settling at Wilkes-Barre. The children, seven in number, of whom David J. is third, were educated in Wilkes-Barre. When the subject of this sketch was fifteen years old the family removed to York county, where they spent three years on a farm. They afterward removed to Plym- outh, where the father was engaged at contracting on rock work. During this time our subject acquired his knowledge of mining. Mr. Roderick remained nine years at Plymouth, and then went to Stockton, where he successfully worked rock con- tracts a year and a half. In 1891 he was appointed foreman at No. 5 Colliery, of Linderman, Skeer & Co., which position he still holds; he has 250 men under his charge, the output of coal being 600 tons per day. Mr. Roderick was united in marriage, in November, 1886, with Miss Frisswith, daughter of David P. and Rachel (Lloyd) Davis, of Plymouth. Two children have been born to this union, Richard and Ida. In politics Mr. Roderick is a stanch Republican; he is a member of the Mystic Chain and Knights of Pythias; the family attend the Presbyterian Church.

JAMES E. RODERICK, general superintendent for Linderman & Skeer, Stockton. Among the men who have had vast experience in the anthracite coal regions of Penn- sylvania, none are more prominent than the subject of this sketch. James E. Rod- erick was born January 14, 1841, in Cardiganshire, South Wales, and is a son of Edward and Eleanor (Edwards) Roderick, also natives of Wales. He was educated in the land of his birth, and in 1864 came to this country, settling at Pittston, where he engaged in mining for the Pennsylvania Coal Company, with whom he remained, however, but a short time; then went to Wilkes-Barre and engaged with the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, mining coal for them until February, 1866, when he was given the position of mine foreman at the Empire Shaft. In June, 1870, he accepted a position as general superintendent under A. J. Davis & Company, War- rior Run, with whom he remained until June, 1881, when he was appointed by the State to the position of mine inspector for the Fourth District of Pennsylvania; he served the term of five years, and at its expiration was re-appointed. At the end of three years of his second term, he resigned to accept a more lucrative position as general superintendent for Linderman & Skeer, which position he has held since May, 1889. He is in charge of six collieries, employing in all about 1,400 men, and mining 2,000 tons of coal daily. Mr. Roderick has been thrice married: first, to Miss Sarah Davis, of New York, by which union were born four children, namely: Nellie, Edward, James and John. After the death of this wife Mr. Roderick was married in Sep- tember, 1881, to Mrs. Mary Lloyd, who died in September, 1883, leaving no chil- dren. Mr. Roderick's third marriage was in October, 1885, with Mrs. Ulmer, of Hazleton. In 1879 Mr. Roderick was a candidate for county treasurer on the Labor- Greenback ticket, but at all other times he has been closely identified with the Republican party, and is at present an earnest worker in the ranks. He is a shrewd political worker, nevertheless one of those who believe that hard-fought political battles can be won without resort to unfair methods. With this principle for a foundation, Mr. Roderick has a very large following in this county, and his influence is of vast importance to the party which he represents.

REES D. RODERICK, general merchant, Wilkes Barre, was born in Carmarthen- shire, Wales, May 29, 1850, and is a son of Daniel and Ann (Lewis) Roderick. He was reared and educated in his native country, where he began his business life in . the lead mines. In 1870 he came to America and settled in Wilkes-Barre, where, with the exception of three years during which he lived at Scranton and Dunmore, he has since resided. He followed mining eight years, and for five years was a con- tractor in shaft sinking and tunnel driving, and since 1885 has been engaged in his present business. Mr. Roderick was married, October 30, 1869, to Hannah, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Williams) Thomas, of Wales, and has two children living: Daniel and Ariel. Mr. Roderick is a popular merchant; he is a member of the Welsh Presbyterian Church, and of the K. of P., and in politics is a Republican.

RICHARD RODERICK, contractor in shaft sinking and tunnel driving, Wilkes-Barre,

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was born in Cardiganshire, Wales, January 2, 1832, a son of Edward and Eleanor (Edwards) Roderick. He was reared and educated in Wales, where he worked in the lead mines from twelve years of age. He spent three years in the same capacity in Spain, and came to America in April, 1864. He settled in Wilkes-Barre and worked in the coal mines until 1875, being for three years inside foreman of the Stanton Mine No. 7, Lehigh and Wilkes-Barre Company. He has since been engaged in his present business. On April 12, 1854, Mr. Roderick married Miss Ellen, daughter of David and Ellen (Williams) Jenkins, of Wales, and by her had nine children, seven of whom grew to maturity: Ellen (Mrs. David R. Morgan), Edward, David J., Mary A. (Mrs. John E. Hughes), John, Richard and Lizzie. Mr. Roderick and his family are members of the Welsh Presbyterian Church, and he is a member of the I. O. O. F. In politics he is a Republican.

JOSEPH RODGERS, engineer at No. 2, Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, Plym- outh, was born January, 15, 1843, and is the youngest in the family of ten children born to John and Elizabeth (Casona) Rodgers, natives of England. In early life our subject learned engineering and followed it in his native country until 1863, when he came to America, locating at Houghton, Mich., where he worked six years as a miner in the copper mines. He then came to Pennsylvania, locating at Jeffer- son, York county, where he remained a short time in the mines, and coming thence to Plymouth, engaged in firing at No. 12, which he continued for two years. He then fired at No. 3, Delaware & Hudson Canal Company for one and one half years, afterward going to No. 2, same company, as pumpman, and remained there two years, then taking charge of the hoisting engines, which he ran for seven years. At the end of that time Mr. Rodgers took a position at No. 1, Delaware & Hudson, where he was engineer for about one year, and then he accepted a similar position at No. 2, where he has since been employed. Mr. Rodgers was married, July 23, 1874, to Miss Isabella, daughter of James and Ann (Hope) Kennedy, natives of Scot- land, to which union have been born four children: James A., Josiah H., Bessie and Harry. Mr. Rodgers is a Republican in politics, and a member of the For- esters. The family attend the Methodist Episcopal Church.

ISAAC M. ROGERS, farmer, P. O. Idetown, was born August 5, 1845, in Lehman township, where he was reared and educated. He is a son of David and Sarah M. (Newman) Rogers, the former born in Plymouth, the latter in Lehman township, on February 28, 1811, and June 7, 1821, respectively. David was a son of Joseph, who was a native of Connecticut, and who came to Plymouth soon after the Massacre; he was a mason by trade. He was married three times and reared twelve children, all of whom are now dead. He lived to be eighty-two years old. His son David, lived with B. Reynolds of Plymouth until he was twenty-one years of age, when he became a soldier and participated in the Indian war of 1832, being stationed at St. Anthony's Falls, Wis. He served three years and re-enlisted for three years more, serving his country with honor; he was wounded in the left hand, having part of it shot away. On his return in 1838, Mr. Rogers married Miss Sarah Newman, by whom he had three children, two of whom grew to maturity and one of whom is now living. He first located in Jackson township, but did not settle permanently until 1854, when he bought a farm in Lehman township, southwest of Harvey's Lake, consisting of forty acres of land, which he cleared and beautified. He died August 16, 1885. His son, Isaac M., the subject of this sketch, was nine years of age when he came hither with his father, and has remained on the same farm ever since, beautifying and embellishing it, year after year; at the same time adding acre after acre to the original forty until now it comprises seventy-five acres. He has built a neat little house and a commodious barn. Mr. Rogers is a thorough-going and practical farmer, energetic and thrifty. In 1862. at the age of seventeen years, prompted by that spirit of patriotism, latent in every true and loyal citizen, he became a member of Company G, One Hundred and Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania Militia, for nine months. After serving his time faithfully, he was honorably dis- charged and now enjoys a pension. His brother, Jacob Rogers, was a member of

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the same company and regiment, and after serving his time re-enlisted in Battery M, Heavy Artillery, serving to the close of the war. He was honorably discharged, but died from the effects of exposure six months afterward. On June 25, 1866, our subject married Eveline, daughter of Abijah Baird, and by her he has had twelve children, eleven of whom are living: William S., Enre J., Hester A., Mary E., Miranda D., James G., Dora R., Richard W., Apple I., Cahrles H. and George W. William S. is married to Miss Phoebe Garnett; Hester is married to George Garnett, her brother-in-law. Mrs. Rogers was born in Lehman township, January 15, 1845. Politically, Mr. Rogers is a Republican.

JOHN W. ROGERS, farmer, P. O. Meeker, was born in Huntington township, August 13, 1825, where he was reared and educated. He is a son of Jonah and Mary (Whitman) Rogers, both born in 1795, the former in Plymouth the latter in Columbia county. Jonah was a son of Jonah, who was born in Connecticut, and removed to the Valley before the Massacre. One day, when he was a boy of thir- teen summers, he and a man were making sugar at Nanticoke; the man was killed by Indians, while the boy was captured and taken in the direction of South Mount- ain; there were two other men, named Pike and Van Campen, captured by the same Indians, and they, through the cunning of the boy and the oversight of the Indians, contrived to convey a knife to Pike, who liberated himself and his com- panion, who slew the Indians. They then made their way back, Pike swimming streams with the boy on his back. After this lad Rogers reached his majority, he settled in Plymouth, where he resided until 1825, when he removed to Huntington township, locating on a farm of 100 acres, some of which was improved, and here he lived until his death, which occurred when he was at an advanced age. His family consisted of four children, all of whom are deceased. His son, Jonah, lived on the old place nineteen years, when he removed to Lehman township, where he died in 1859, at the age of sixty-five years. His life was uneventful. He was a hard-working, honest man. There were six children born to him, three of whom are now (1892) living, John W. being the fourth in the family. He always confined himself to farming, and has lived all his life in his present neighborhood. In 1849 he married Miss Susan Ann, daughter of Ezra and Sarah Ide, and eight children were born to them, six of whom are now living: Sarah L., Winfield S., Melville E., Franklin J., Edward B. and Emma, all married except the latter. In 1862 he entered the army, becoming a member of Company F, One Hundred and Forty- ninth P. V. I., for the term of three years. He served two years, and was then honorably discharged on account of disabilities. In 1850 he removed to his present residence, on a farm of one hundred acres. Mr. Rogers is a practical farmer, is a man of sound principles, and has served his term in various offices with credit. He has worked hard for his property, and has succeeded in accumulating sufficient for all needs, all by his own hands. On February 15, 1881, Mr. Rogers married, for his second wife, Mrs. Montgomery. Socially, he is a member of the I. O. O. F., politically, he is a Republican.

STEPHEN F. ROGERS, farmer, P. O. Outlet, was born in Huntington township, July 23, 1836. He is the son of Jonah and Mary (Whiteman) Rogers, the former of whom was born in Plymouth, the latter in Fishing Creek, Columbia county. Jonah was a son of Jonah, a native of Connecticut, who was taken captive by the Indians at the age of thirteen years. Subsequent to the Wyoming Massacre, after his capture, there were two others (Pike and Van Campen) taken prisoners with him, and by the carelessness of the Indians and the watchfulness of the captives, they succeeded in escaping, after slaying all the Indians but one. He afterward settled in Plymouth, where he lived most of his life. Some time before his death he removed to Huntington township, where he lived until his death, which occurred in 1834. His family numbered six children. Jonah, Jr., was thirty years of age when he removed with his father to Huntington; in 1844 he removed to Lehman, where he bought a farm of fifty acres. Here he died at a ripe old age. His family consisted of six children, all of whom grew to maturity; three are now (1892) living: Jack-

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son J., John W. and Stephen F. The latter is the youngest of the family, and was reared and educated in Lehman township. He always confined himself to agricult- ural pursuits, though in his early life he was extensively engaged in the lumber business. On November 20, 1856, he married Miss Sarah A., daughter of Robert and Lucy Major, by whom he has had three children: Henry M., now aged thirty- four; Emogene A., now aged thirty-one; and May L., now aged twenty-three. The two former are married. Henry M. married Miss Amelia Huff; Emogene A. married John R. Crispell. Mr. Rogers removed from Lehman to Lake township in 1860, and, after working six years in a sawmill, he bought his present place of fifty acres, some of which was under improvement. The effect of years of incessant toil are seen in his well-planned fields and commodious outbuildings, for he is a practical farmer in the full sense of the term. In 1864 he entered the army for the term of one year, serving in Company E, Two Hundred and Third P. V. I., serving to the close of the war, when he was honorably discharged. He, with his wife and daughter May, are members of the Baptist Church. Miss May is an accomplished yonng lady who has been educated at Dallas high school; from thence, to Wilkes- Barre. She is now attending the Wyoming Seminary; she has taught seven terms of school in her own and adjoining districts, where she has endeared herself to the pupils, and proved herself a proficient instructor, to the directors.

T. M. ROGERS, superintendent of Hollenback Cemetery, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Broome county, N. Y., July 14, 1816, a son of Alexander and Nancy (Menn) Rogers, the former born in Massachusetts March 13, 1776. They settled at Forty Fort, this county, prior to 1820, and later at what is now Laflin, also in this county, where they were offered sixty acres of land, at $1.00 per acre, with ten years to pay for it without interest. There they remained six years, and then removed to Sullivan county, Pa., where the father helped to build the Delaware & Hudson Canal; then removed to Honesdale, Wayne Co., Pa., where they passed the remain- der of their days. Our subject was reared in Pennsylvania, and his first business ventures were farming and lumbering in Wayne county; later he learned the boat,-builder's trade at Honesdale, Pa., an occupation he followed from 1852 to 1870 in Wilkes-Barre, in connection with carpenter work; from 1870 to 1873 he was superintendent of the Wilkes-Barre City Cemetery. Mr. Rogers married, August 9, 1835, Rosanna, daughter of Samuel and Lois (Lilley) Corey, of Wayne county, Pa., and by her had ten children, of whom five grew to maturity: Mary E. (Mrs John Fulton), Clementine L. (Mrs. Robert Nesbitt), Abi (Mrs. William A. St. John), Estella (Mrs. Hiram Montanye), and William. Mr. Rogers is a member of the M. E. Church, and in politics he is a Republican.

JOHN ROELAND, superintendent of the machine and preparation department of the enormous coal works of Coxe Bros. & Co., Drifton, is a native of New York City, born December 31, 1848. He is a son of Frederick and M. S. (Ficht) Roh- land, both natives of Germany, the former born in Bremen and the latter in Worms. The father emigrated to America at the age of eighteen years, and died in 1876 at the age of fifty-five. Our subject's mother now lives in Wayne county, Pa. John Rohland was educated in the public schools of New York City, and in Bryant & Stratton's Commercial College. At the early age of fourteen, he en- gaged in the lumber business on the Delaware, which he followed for a period of twenty years. In 1880 he entered the employ of Coxe Bros. & Co., as outside superintendent at Deringer, shortly after accepting his present position, in which he has since been engaged. Mr. Rohland was married May 22, 1870, to Miss Ruth M. Skimer, an accomplished young lady, of Wayne county, Pa. This happy union has been blessed with three children: Ida, Charles H. and William F. The fam- ily are members of the Lutheran Church, and in politics Mr. Rohland is a stanch Republican.

CALVIN D. ROHRBACH, hardware merchant, Freeland, is a native of Saegersville, Pa., and was born January 22, 1862, a son of A. G. and Rebecca (Wien) Rohrbach. When he was five years of age his parents removed from Pottstown, Montgomery

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county, to Butler township, this county, where he was reared and educated. At about the age of sixteen he began working around the mines, and filled several posi- tions, following mining until he was twenty-five years of age, when he entered the employ of H. C. Koons, as clerk, at which he continued two years. He then en- gaged in the hardware business at Freeland, and he now commands a large public patronage. Mr. Rohrbach was married, August 20, 1885, to Miss Maggie Betterby, of Butler Valley, and they have had four children, viz. : Thomas, Olive (deceased), Howard (deceased), and Bertha. Our subject is a member of the P. O. S. of A., and Jr. O. U. A. M .; in his political views he is decidedly a Democrat.

GEORGE ROHRIG, one of the oldest residents of Ashley, was born in Prussia, Ger- many, August 14, 1826, a son of Martin and Mary (Hermann) Rohrig. The father, who was a miner, reared a family of four children, of whom our subject is the sec- ond. Mr. Rohrig was a miner, fireman and assistant engineer in his native coun- try and emigrated in 1848, locating in Schuylkill county, Pa., where he followed mining for eighteen months. He then went to Eagle Harbor, Michigan, and worked in the copper mines two years, and in 1852 came to Ashley, working as stationary engineer until 1886, at which time he retired from active life. In 1854 Mr. Rohrig married Miss Ann, daughter of John Hart, of Scranton, Pa., and by her had four children, viz .: Martin, who died at the age of thirty-two; Margaret (Mrs. Edward Brown); George, tinsmith, St. Joseph, Mo .; and Catherine (Mrs. Charles G. Baur). Mrs. Rohrig died in 1864, and our subject afterward married Mrs. Susan Shidal, daugh- ter of Theodore and Catherine (Russhe) Deibel, natives of Germany, and widow of Martin Shidal, by whom she had two children, viz .: John, a shoemaker of Ashley, and Elizabeth (Mrs. George Henry). Of this union were born two children, viz. : Louisa and Frederick. Mr. Rohrig and wife are members of the German Lutheran Church, and he is a member of the I. O. O. F. and Encampment, and of the F. & A. M. In his political views he is a Republican.

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History of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, with biographical selections, Part 194

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.) Publication date: 1893 Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1532

Author: Bradsby, H. C. (Henry C.)
Publication date: 1893
Publisher: Chicago : S. B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1532