History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Part 142

Author: edited by John F. Meginness
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1650

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JOSEPH M. LOWE, farmer, was born on the farm where he now lives, in Loyal- sock township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, August 6, 1849, son of Joseph and

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HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY.

Rebecca (Huick) Lowe. He received his education in the common schools and has devoted his life to farming. He was married in 1886 to Olive, daughter of Myron Lamberson, and to this union have been born two children: Lodeska, and Annie. Mr. Lowe is a Republican in politics, and in 1884 was elected to the office of county commissioner. He was also once the candidate of his party for county audi- tor, but was defeated. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. He and family belong to the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he has been a class-leader. For fourteen years he was engaged in the dairy business, but is now giving his attention to the growing of small fruits.

JAMES C. LOWE, farmer, was born in Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, August 25, 1858, son of Joseph and Rebecca (Huick) Lowe. He was educated in the public schools, and was married in 1882 to Rebeeca A., daughter of Robert Y. Simpson, of Susquehanna township, who was for several years during the late war a lone Republican of Bastress township, in which he then resided, and manifested an ardent devotion to the principles of that party. To Mr. and Mrs. Lowe have been born four children: Archie F .; Mary A .; Earl, and E. Media. The two last named are deceased. Mr. Lowe is a Republican in politics, is exten- sively engaged in truck farming, and with his family belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church.

GEORGE F. LOWE, farmer, was born in Loyalsock township, March 26, 1861, son of Joseph and Rebecca (Huick) Lowe. He received his education in the public schools, and is engaged in farming and trucking. He was married in 1885 to Miss Martha Weikle, and to this union have been born four children: Ethel; Warren; Blanche, and Orville. Mr. Lowe is a Republican, and with his wife belongs to the Methodist Episcopal church.

JOSEPH STRIEBY was a native of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and came to Lycoming county with his father, Jacob Strieby, when he was about twelve years old. He located on a farm and always followed the occupation of farming. He married Margaret Follmer, and soon after that event they settled on the farm now owned by Charles King. He died in 1881, followed by his widow in 1882. He was one of the organizers of the Montoursville Lutheran church, of which he and family were prominent members. To their union were born four children: Aaron L .; Jacob P., M. D .; J. F., a lawyer of Williamsport, and Joseph W.

AARON L. STRIEBY, farmer, was born in Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, February 2, 1846, son of Joseph and Margaret (Follmer) Strieby. He was educated in the common schools and has devoted his life principally to farming. He operated a tannery on Loyalsock creek for about five years, and con- ducts a dairy in connection with his farm. He was married in 1870 to Miss Jo Ann, daughter of Samuel T. Sedam, and to this union have been born six children: Piatt; William J .; Maggie; Samuel S .; Bayard B., and Frances Helen. Mr. Strieby is a Democrat in politics, is school director, and has been secretary of the school board for the past two years. He and his family are members of the Montoursville Lu- theran church, of which he has been elder and deacon.

JOSEPH W. STRIEBY, farmer, was born in Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, March 2, 1855, son of Joseph and Margaret (Follmer) Strieby. He was educated in the township schools and the Montoursville Normal School, and has

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devoted his business life to farming. He was married in 1880 to Carrie, daughter of William Arnold, of Loyalsock township, and to this union has been born one child, Lulu Maude. He has lived on his present farm since 1861, and in connection with farming he conducts a dairy business, disposing of the product in Williamsport. He is an active Democrat, has served as assessor of the township and inspector of elections, and with his wife belongs to the Lutheran church at Montoursville, in which he holds the office of elder and superintendent of the Sunday school.

JOHN HARRIS was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and was a son of Peter Harris, one of the early settlers of this county. He married Abigail Ogden, of Columbia county, Pennsylvania, where he worked at the carpenter's trade and resided until about 1852, when he moved to Montoursville, and there died in 1887 at the age of seventy-five years. He belonged to the State militia, and was the father of twelve children, four of whom are living: Thomas O .; Lucy E., who married Wallace Dunlap; Charlotte, who married George Federhoff, and Theodore.

THOMAS OGDEN HARRIS, farmer, was born near Bloomsburg, Columbia county, Pennsylvania, October 15, 1840, son of John and Abigail (Ogden) Harris. He was educated in the public schools, and learned the trade of brick molder, which he followed for some time, but for the past twenty-seven years he has been engaged in farming. He was married in 1864 to Miss Emarene, daughter of Joseph Pass, and to them have been born eight children: Claude; Andrew G .; Letitia A .; Alice; Thomas Walter; Dewitt B .; Rachel, and Charles R. Mr. Harris purchased his present farm of ninety acres in 1888. In 1862 he enlisted in Company G, One Hun- dred and Thirty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, and was corporal of that company ; he saw service until May 21, 1863, and participated in the battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville. He is a Republican in politics, has served as supervisor of the township for two terms, and is a leading member of the Limestone Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is a trustee.

DAVID WHEELAND was born near Milton, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, and was of German extraction. He was principally brought up in Loyalsock town- ship, and devoted the most of his life to farming, becoming one of the most promi- nent farmers in the county. He possessed a limited education, but was a leader in everything that tended to build up the community in which he resided. He was a Whig in politics, and afterwards a Republican, and died in 1862. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Ann Slout, was a native of Hunterdon county, New Jersey, and died in 1870. They were both members of the Lutheran church of Montours- ville, and were the parents of five children, all of whom are dead except one son, William Wheelaud.

WILLIAM WHEELAND, farmer, was born in Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1836, son of David and Mary Ann (Slout) Wheeland. He received his primary education in the common schools, and afterwards took a two years' course at Dickinson Seminary, but was prevented from completing his educa- tion by having to assist his father on the farm. He was married in 1861 to Cather- ine J., daughter of John Glosser, and to this union have been born eleven children : Emma A., who was born January 22, 1863, and died September 20, 1890, the wife of Oliver Strunk; Mary Ellen, born July 2, 1865, who married Eugene Culver: Harry Emerson, born July 9, 1867; Annie A., born July 9, 1868, who married

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HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY.

William Fagles; Jennie W., born September 6, 1871; William A., who was born September 4, 1873, and died May 31, 1882; Carrie M., who was born December 9, 1875, and died February 26, 1876; Maggie B., who was born June 24, 1877; Stella Maude, born May 3, 1880, and two who died in infancy. Mr. Wheeland is a Republi- can, has served as school director for six years, has been secretary of the school board six years, and clerk of the election board. In 1890 he was census enumerator for Loyalsock township. He is one of the charter members of the West Branch Fire Insurance Company, was director for ten years, and is now its agent for Lycoming county. He is a member of the West Branch Grange, P. of H., and has served as overseer and steward of the same. Both he and wife belong to the Methodist Epis- copal church of Loyalsock township, of which he is steward and trustee. He united with the church in 1866.

HENRY MOSTELLER was born in Monroe county, Pennsylvania, in 1810, and was a son of William Mosteller, also a native of Monroe county, of German extraction, and was a farmer and weaver by trade. He was the second of fourteen children, and learned the weaver's trade in his native county by instruction of his father. In 1838, he came to Muncy Dam, where he lived with an uncle; he was married in 1837 to Mary Fogleman and with her settled at Quaker Hill, in Hepburn township, where he purchased and cleared a farm, also engaging extensively in the weaving business. He was recognized as one of the leading farmers of the township, was a Democrat iu politics, a member of the Lutheran church, and died in 1886, preceded by his wife in 1854. They reared a family of seven children, four of whom are living: William; Catherine, who married George Dangler; Hiram, and Hannah, who married Henry Loudenslager.

WILLIAM MOSTELLER, farmer, was born in a portion of Hepburn township, now included in Eldred, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, March 27, 1842, son of Henry and Mary (Fogleman) Mosteller. He was educated in the public schools and has devoted his business life to farming. He was married in 1864 to Almira C., daughter of Peter Palmer, and for about seven years thereafter they lived on his father's farm. In 1871 he purchased his present farm, and has resided thereon ever since. He is a Democrat in politics, has served as school director of the town- ship for two terms, and is the father of three children: Savilla, who married Ellis Loudenslager; Frank, and George. Mr. Mosteller and family are members of the Lutheran church of Montoursville, of which he is a trustee.

PETER MILLER was a farmer and an extensive distiller, and in 1867 he purchased the Spring Garden mills, which he rebuilt in 1873 and operated successfully up to the time of his death, February 9, 1876. He was born in Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, October 4, 1818, and was a son of William Miller, a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and one of the pioneer settlers of Loyalsock township. He married Lavina Follmer, and to them were born nine children, three of whom are living: Simon P .; William, who is a merchant and postmaster at Salladasburg, and Laura, who married Jacob C. Harman. Peter Miller was an active Democrat, served as school director, was an elder in the Lutheran church, and one of the upright and reliable citizens of the community in which he lived. His wife survives and is living on the old homestead.

SIMON P. MILLER, proprietor of the Spring Garden mills, was born on the farm

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

where he now lives, in Loyalsock township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, October 24, 1847, son of Peter and Lavina (Follmer) Miller. He attended the schools in his township, and the Williamsport Commercial College, afterward enter- ing the grist mill of his father and becoming a practical miller. Since coming into possession of this mill, in April, 1886, he has added the full roller process, and it has now a daily capacity of twenty-five barrels. He was married April 9, 1878, to Catherine, daughter of Charles Bucher, and has no children. Mr. Miller is an . active member of the Democratic party, has served as township auditor and school director, and with his wife belongs to the Lutheran church at Montoursville, of which he has served as elder.

CHRISTIAN SHIFFLER married Catherine Gilbert and they were both natives of Lebanon county, Pennsylvania. He was a blacksmith by trade and followed that occupation for many years; he was a Whig in politics, and he and wife were prom- inent members of the Lutheran church, of which he was an elder for many years. He died in 1843, followed by his widow in 1855, and they were both buried in a cemetery near Harrisburg. Their family consisted of twelve children, four of whom are living: Matthias; Catherine, who married Benjamin Brooks; Aaron G., and Levi.

AARON G. SHIFFLER, farmer, was born in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, No- vember 6, 1822, son of Christian and Catherine (Gilbert) Shiffler. He received his education in the common schools of that period, learned the carpenter's trade, and traveled for three years in the West following his trade. In the spring of 1854 he came to Lycoming county, and built the first railroad bridge for the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad Company across the West Branch of the Susquehanna. In 1855, he built the bridge on the North Branch at Northumberland, and in 1865 he rebuilt the one at Williamsport. He continued the bridge building business, and finally formed a partnership with J. L. Piper, which eventually developed into the Key- stone Bridge Company. This company built the great steel truss bridge at St. Louis, and have built five bridges across the Ohio river, one on the Mississippi, at Dubuque, and one at Kansas City across the Missouri river, also several other large bridges. Mr. Shiffler retired from the bridge business in 1882, and has since been engaged in farming. He furnished a substitute in the late rebellion, and is iden- tified with the Democratic party. He was married July 6, 1855, to Miss Eliza, daughter of Francis Edkin, of Monroe county, Pennsylvania, who died in 1863 leaving one child, George E. Mr. Shiffler was again married in 1867, to Joanna Edkin, a sister of his former wife; she died without issue. He was again married, to Susan, daughter of Daniel Weiss, of Monroe county, Pennsylvania, and to this union have been born six children: Grace; John; Susan; Mary; Helen, and Aaron G. Mr. Shiffler is a member of the Masonic fraternity. Mrs. Shiffler is a consist- ent member of St. Paul's Lutheran church of Williamsport.

GEORGE E. SHIFFLER, proprietor of the East Lawn farm, and breeder of thor- oughbred Jersey cattle, was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, July 17, 1869, son of A. G. and Elizabeth (Edkin) Shiffler. He received his education in Dickinson Seminary, Shortledge's Academy, Media, Pennsylvania, and Newell Institute, Pitts- burg. His business life has been devoted to farming, in which he has been quite successful. He was married in 1881 to Miss Madge, daughter of Robert Hawley,

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HISTORY OF LYCOMING COUNTY.

of Williamsport, and of this union three children survive: George; Elizabeth, and' Elsie. Mr. Shiffler is a Democrat in politics; his wife is a member of the Episcopal church.

MICHAEL MOYER was a native of Berks county, Pennsylvania, where he grew to manhood, and married Maria Hock, a native of Maryland. In 1844 they removed to Northumberland county, and about 1850 settled in Fairfield township, Lycom- ing county, where they engaged in farming. They were the parents of six children, as follows: Annie, wife of N. C. Johnson, of Barbour's Mills; Harriet, widow of Charles Boyer, of Iowa; Catharine, wife of William Arnold, of Loyal- sock township; Ellen, wife of Henry Tallman, of Fairfield township; Harry, of Loyalsock township, and Mary, wife of John Meckley, of Muncy Creek township. Mr. Moyer died in 1879; his widow survived him until October, 1891. They were. consistent members of the German Reformed church.

HARRY MOYER, county commissioner, was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, February 21, 1842, and is the only son of Michael and Maria Moyer. He was reared in Northumberland and Lycoming counties, and received a common school education. In 1864 he enlisted in Company I, Two Hundred and Seventh Penn- sylvania Volunteers, and served until the close of the war, as corporal of his com- pany. He participated in the battles of Petersburg and Fort Stedman, and after the war closed he returned to his home and resumed farming. Mr. Moyer was married, December 21, 1865, to Maggie, daughter of William Bellas, of Columbia county, and after his marriage he settled in Fairfield township. In 1870 he removed to his present farm in Loyalsock township, where he has since resided. In 1890 he- was elected on the Republican ticket to the office of county commissioner, which position he is now filling. He has two children: Cora E. and Mary E., twins. He- and wife are members of the Lutheran church.

JAMES BLAIR was a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and came to Lycoming county when a boy with his father, John Blair, who first settled in Armstrong town- ship, and subsequently on what is known as the Grier farm, where they lived for- over twenty years. James always followed farming, and after his marriage to. Rebecca W. Vananda, he settled on what is known as Bottle run, where he died in 1876. His wife was a native of southern Pennsylvania, and died in 1861. They were both members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and were the parents of four- children: Johu; Peter B .; William Levi, and Mary Jane, deceased, who married Henry S. Williamson.

PETER V. BLAIR, farmer, was born in Lycoming township, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, July 15, 1828, son of James and Rebecca W. (Vananda) Blair. He was reared in his native township and educated in the public schools, and has devoted his life to farming. He was married in 1856 to Miss Margaret Reighard, daughter of Henry Reighard, and to this union have been born seven children: James H., deceased; Henry, deceased; Oliver W., deceased; Alice, who married Samuel Eder; Clara; Gertrude, and Lottie. Mr. Blair is a Republican in politics, has served as supervisor for several terms, and as overseer of the poor and school director; he is a member of the United American Mechanics, and with his family belongs to the Evangelical church.

ABRAHAM SANDER, farmer, was born in Lycoming township, Lycoming county,

Joseph S. Adehalad

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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

Pennsylvania, April 24, 1855, son of Jacob M. and Sophia (Aderhold) Sander, resi- dents of Lycoming township. He received his education in the common schools and has always followed farming. He was married in 1877, to Miss Caroline, daughter of George Long, of Lewis township, and settled on his present farm in 1878. To their union have been born five children: George Michael; William Luther; John Frederick; Ella May, and Catherine Sophia. Mr. Sander is a Demo- crat in politics, and he and wife are members of the Lutheran church. He owns a fine farm of 175 acres, and is recognized as one of the representative farmers of his township.

THOMAS EVENDEN was born in Kent, England, September 16, 1823, son of John and Sarah (Chalklin) Evenden. He was reared in his native country, and educated in the public schools of Kent. He learned the occupation of a florist, and on March 19, 1849, he emigrated to America. He first located in New York and Brooklyn, where he was employed in gardening for about three and one-half years, returning then to England. In 1853 he returned to the United States, coming direct to Will- iamsport, where he engaged in gardening until 1858, when he established the pres- ent business, which is now conducted under the name of Evenden Brothers. He was married in England in 1853 to Mary Baldwin, who died July 8, 1879, leaving three children: George W .; William J., and Elizabeth, who married Richard Pain- ton. Mr. Evenden was again married, December 23, 1885, to Belinda Diller, of Hanover, Pennsylvania. Mr. Evenden is the oldest florist in the city; he is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Episcopal church.

GEORGE W. EVENDEN was born in Williamsport, August 22, 1855, and was edu- cated in the public schools and the Williamsport Commercial College. He was mar- ried, April 29, 1881, to Miss Annie, daughter of James Harding, and to them have been born three children: Mary Bell; Lulu, and Charles. He is a Republican, is a member of Ivy Lodge, No. 397, F. & A. M., and he and wife are members of the Episcopal church.

WILLIAM J. EVENDEN was born in South Williamsport, October 14, 1857, and was educated in the public schools. He learned the florist business with his father, in which he has always been engaged. In 1884 he and his brother, George W., formed the present firm of Evenden Brothers. He was married in 1884 to Martha Crossmore, of Williamsport, and to this union have been born four children: John O .; Madolene; Robert B., and Harry. Mr. Evenden is a Republican in politics.

CHRISTIAN KARN, proprietor of the Loyalsock Hotel, was born in Wurtem- berg, Germany, January 16, 1824. His father, Michael Karn, emigrated to America in 1836, and located in Muncy township, Lycoming county, Pennsyl- vania, where he followed farming and died in 1850. He married Elizabeth Bur- hast, who died in 1880, leaving five children: Christian; Catherine, who married John Bennett; John; Ann, and Julia, who married John Benning and lived in Loy- alsock township. Christian Karn, the eldest of these children, received his educa- tion in Germany, and learned the stone mason trade, which he followed until 1866, when he purchased property and erected a hotel, naming it the Loyalsock House, and has kept the same ever since. He was married in 1848 to Miss Rosa Collins, and to them have been born three children: John; Rosa, who married Charles Koons, and Anna, who died October 12, 1891. Mr. Karn is a Democrat in politics, and was overseer of the poor of Loyalsock township for a number of years.

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F. P. GSTALDER was born in St. Amarin, Haut Rhin, France, March 16, 1840, son of Francis P. and Mary Ann (Huber) Gstalder. His father was a commission mer- chant and accumulated a large property; he was a soldier at the age of sixteen years, and participated at the battle of Waterloo. His family consisted of twelve children, nine of whom grew to maturity. Our subject, F. P. Gstalder, was the youngest of the family and received his education in his native country. At the age of twenty-one years heentered the French army, saw active service for six years, and was promoted from private to sergeant. In May, 1867, he immigrated to New York City, where he worked at the house-painting trade for three months. Thence he came to Williamsport, where he worked at the painting and graining trade until 1886. In 1882 he purchased the Lafayette House, corner of Grove and East Third streets, and kept the same from 1885 to 1890; he then leased it and purchased his present farm of fifty acres in Loyalsock township, locating thereon in 1891. He has a fine vineyard, consisting of 6,500 vines, and proposes to make it the finest in the county. In 1866 he was married in France to Adele, daughter of John Peter and Julia Lintenberger, and to this union have been born eight children: Adele E .; Emile M., a painter and grainer by trade; Julia C .; F. P., lithographer; Emily E .; John E .; Paul A., and Ernest A. Mr. Gstalder is a Democrat in politics, and with his family belongs to the Catholic church of Williamsport.

WILLIAM MUIRHEID HOWELL, physician and surgeon, was born at Orangeville, Colum- bia county, Pennsylvania, in 1847, and was the fourth of a family of ten children. His father, Alfred Howell, was a native of Easton, Pennsylvania, and removed to Orangeville when a young man, where he married Phebe Harman, a native of that village. In 1865 they came to Williamsport, where they continued to live until the death of Mr. Howell, which occurred at the home of his son, Dr. Howell, May 26, 1886. Mrs. Phebe Howell is still living in Williamsport. The subject of this sketch received his education at the Orangeville Academy and took a business course at the Will- iamsport Commercial College in the early days of that institution, then in charge of Prof. J. F. Davis. He then read medicine with the late Dr. Samuel Pollock, and took his medical lectures at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York City, and graduated from that institution in the spring of 1869. After remaining with Dr. Pollock for about one year, he located at Cogan Station, in Hepburn township, at which place he has remained in active practice up to the present. At the time of his location at Cogan Station he had quite a juvenile appearance and the comments of the citizens of his neighborhood as well as of some of the profession in Williams- port that he was too boyish looking to succeed, were quite discouraging to him; but with an inborn determination to win success he soon built up a large and lucra- tive practice, his rides extending for many miles in all directions, and by common consent, he was soon accorded the prestige of commanding the largest country prac- tice within the knowledge of the profession hereabout. By his genial nature he has made scores of friends, and his skill as a physician has more than a local reputation. In December, 1871, he was married to Priscilla C. Weis, daughter of Charles and Barbara Weis of Trout Run. He is the father of two children, Fred ML., aged eighteen years, who after having completed his academical education at Chambers- burg is now about to enter Princeton College, and Stella M., aged twenty years, who was educated at Wilson College and is now residing at home. Dr. Howell belongs to

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History of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, Part 142

Author: edited by John F. Meginness Publication date: 1892 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk Number of Pages: 1650

Author: edited by John F. Meginness
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1650