History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 106

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1288

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CAPT. W. F. HARPST, one of the editors and proprietors of the Greenville Progress, was born in Half Moon Valley, Centre County, Penn., July 13, 1837. He is a son of Philip and Sarah Harpst, and a grandson of Daniel

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Harpst, a Revolutionary soldier, who was serving under Washington when Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown, Va. The parents of our sub- ject removed to Meadville, Penn., when he was two years old, and he there grew up and attended the common schools of the town. At the age of sixteen he became an apprentice in the printing office of the Spirit of the Age, of Meadville. In April, 1856, he left Meadville to try his fortunes in the West, and for over three years he worked at his trade in Wisconsin and Minnesota. In September, 1859, he went South, where he followed the occupation of a typo in Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi till April, 1860, when, finding that the political atmosphere in the South was getting rather warm for Union men, he returned to Meadville, and worked at his trade till August, 1862, when he enlisted as private in Company C, One Hundred and Fiftieth Pennsylvania Volunteers, for the nine months service. On arriving at Harrisburg it was found that the nine months quota was filled, and his command then enlisted for three years, and subsequently joined the army of the Potomac.

Capt. Harpst participated in all of the battles in which his regiment was engaged during its service except Chancellorsville, when he was sick in hospital. He was mustered out with his regiment June 23, 1865, with the rank of first ser- geant, and returned to Meadville. He there resumed the duties of his trade, and in September, 1865, came to Greenville, and began working in the Argus office. He continued in that office till November, 1870, when he formed a partnership with W. H. H. Dumars and Amos A. Yeakel, for the purpose of establishing a new paper, and on January 7, 1871, the first number of the Greenville Advance was issued by them. The following April Capt. Harpst sold his interest in the paper to J. C. Brown, Esq., but remained in the office as foreman and assistant local editor till January 1, 1879. On that date he became a compositor in the office of the Greenville Progress, in which capacity he served till May 2, 1881, when, in company with Frank C. Huling, he pur- chased the office from A. D. Gillespie, Esq., and thus became half owner of the paper. Capt. Harpst was reared a Whig, but cast his first vote for Doug- las in 1860, and has ever since been a stanch adherent of the Democratic party. In 1876 he joined Company K, Fifteenth Regiment National Guards of Pennsylvania; participated with his regiment in quelling the railroad riots the following year; was commissioned second lieutenant of his company February 18, 1878; first lieutenant, March 24, 1883, and captain, February 2, 1885, which position he has filled up to the present. Capt. Harpst was married at Greenville, Penn., October 30, 1867, to Miss Emma R., eldest daughter of Edward and Matilda Yeakel. Five children have been born of this marriage: Mary E. (deceased), Freddie M. (deceased), Sadie B., Matilda G. and Alice L.

DANIEL HASENPLUG, boot and shoe merchant, was born in West Salem Township, Mercer Co., Penn., December 6, 1843, and is a son of Jacob and Anna (Lichty) Hasenplug, natives of Union County, Penn., who settled in West Salem Township in the fall of 1834. Our subject was reared on the old homestead, and attended the common district schools of his neighborhood. He learned the shoemaker's trade, and began business in Pymatuning Township in 1865, where he remained until coming to Greenville in the spring of 1884. Hs spent some time in traveling through the West, and in January, 1887, opened his present boot and shoe store, where he has won and retained a fair share of the trade. Mr. Hasenplug served in the Fifty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers three months, and subsequently in the One Hundred and Ninety-ninth Pennsylvania Volunteers nearly a. year and a half, his regiment being at Appomattox. On the close of the-

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war Mr. Hasenplug returned to his home and settled down to peaceful avocations. He was married May 19, 1868, to Sarah J., daughter of John Mowry, of Delaware Township, of which union two daughters have been born: Lillie P. and Jennie M. The family belong to the Evangelical Association, and politically Mr. Hasenplug is a Republican.

THEODORE ETTING HEILMAN, contractor and builder, was born in Plum Creek Township, Armstrong Co., Penn., January 7, 1842, and is a son of George and Henrietta (Hengst) Heilman. The former was born in Armstrong County in 1814, and the latter in Germany in 1819. They were married in Armstrong County, where the father died October 9, 1849, and his widow is now living with her daughter near Fredonia, Mercer County. The great-grand- parents of our subject were Peter and Elizabeth Heilman, who emigrated from Germany, and died in Pennsylvania June 1, 1833, and January 10, 1832, respectively, each being in the eighty-third year of their age. The grand- parents of our subject, Daniel and Lydia (Yount) Heilman, were natives of Westmoreland County, Penn., born in 1782 and 1790, respectively. The former died December 26, 1832, and the latter June 24, 1868, both in Armstrong County, Penn. His paternal grandfather, Christian Hengst, was a native of Hanover, Germany, where he married a Miss Etting, and in the spring of 1832 immigrated to Baltimore, Md., and died near Cumberland, Penn., in 1833. His widow subsequently came to Mercer County, and died in 1871 aged eighty-six years. In 1850 Mrs. Heilman, with her two sons, Theo- dore and George, and one daughter, Lydia, now the wife of Angust Bye, of Fredonia, Penn., removed from Armstrong to Indiana County, Penn., where the family lived two years. They returned to Armstrong County, and in the fall of 1854 came to Mercer County and settled near Gillespie's Corners, in Pymatuning Township, where the mother lived eleven years. Theodore E. began learning the carpenter's trade at Gillespie's Corners, and followed that business until his removal to Greenville in the spring of 1866. Soon after locat- ing in Greenville he began as a contractor and architect builder. For the past twenty years he has been successfully engaged in that business, and through- out that period has been one of the leading contractors of this part of the county. Thiel College buildings, Thomas Gibson's residence, the Fell House, Vance Stewart's dwelling house and Dr. Martin's residence are among the many buildings that attest his skill as a builder. Mr. Heilman was married April 11, 1865, to Miss Loretta E., daughter of Dr. Augustus B. Bierdman, then a resident of Crawford County, Penn. Dr. Bierdman was born in Han- over, Germany, in 1810, immigrated to America in 1832 and died in Edinburg, Crawford Co., Penn., October 20, 1869. He first read medicine and then studied for the Lutheran ministry. Mrs. Heilman was born in Canton, Ohio, December 4, 1846, and is the mother of four children: Luther A. (who died in 1882, aged sixteen), Sadie, Gustavus A. and Adeline L. The family belong to the Lutheran Church. and Mr. Heilman is a member of the P. H. C., and one of the stanch Democrats of Mercer County.

GEORGE H. HEILMAN, carpenter and builder, was born in Plum Creek Town- ship, Armstrong Co., Penn., January 4, 1849, and is a son of George and Henrietta Heilman, previously spoken of. Our subject was reared in Mercer County, and attended the public schools of Pymatuning Township. In the spring of 1866 he came to Greenville and began learning the carpenter's trade with his brother, Theodore E. He remained with his brother until 1870, and then began contracting and building through the eastern part of the county, which he continued in that section for five years, when he returned to Greenville. He again commenced working for his brother, which continued till

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HISTORY OF MERCER COUNTY.

the spring of 1880, when he formed a partnership with A. Sahm, under the firm name of Heilman & Sahm. This lasted two years, when the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Heilman has since been one of the well-known con- tractors and builders of Greenville, having erected some of the best buildings in the town. He was married June 11, 1872, to Miss Julia A. Stillings, a native of Fairview Township, Mercer County. Two children have been born of this union: Hattie M. and Leona A. The family belong to the Lutheran Church, and Mr. Heilman is an unswerving Democrat.

JAMES A. HEILMAN, proprietor of planing-mill and lumber yard, is a native of Armstrong County, Penn., born September 26, 1850. His parents are Isaac and Hannah (Briney) Heilman, the former a native of Armstrong County, born upon the farm where he yet lives, and the latter of Greensburg, West- moreland Co., Penn. Our subject grew to manhood on the old homestead, and in 1870 came to Greenville, where he learned the carpenter's trade. In 1877 he began contracting and building, and in May, 1879, in partnership with his brother, Jackson B., and cousin, T. E. Heilman, purchased the McPherrin planing-mills and lumber yard. In 1880 T. E. Heilman sold his interest to his cousins, and the firm of Heilman Bros. came to be known as one of the largest and most successful institutions of the borough. Mr. Heilman was married August 6, 1879, to Miss Annie M. Schilpp, a native of Allegheny City. Three children have been born of this union: Bertha M. (deceased), Fred L. and Florence P. Mr. Heilman is a member of the I. O. O. F., K. of P. and P. H. C., and the family belong to the Lutheran Church. He is a Democrat in politics, and stanch in his adherence to Democratic principles. He has been councilman of the borough, and in 1887 was the choice of his party in this portion of the county for sheriff, losing the nomi- nation by only six votes.

JACKSON B. HEILMAN, who died in Greenville May 29, 1888, was the junior member of the firm of Heilman Bros. He was born in Armstrong County, Penn., March 13, 1856. In February, 1876, he came to Greenville, and learned the carpenter's trade with his brother, James A., and cousin, T. E. Heilman. He worked for the former until May, 1879, when, in company with his brother and cousin, the McPherrin planing-mill and lumber yard was purchased. His cousin retired from the firm in 1880, and Heilman Bros. conducted the busi- ness up to the death of our subject. He was married June 28, 1887, to Miss Carrie Miller, a native of Allegheny City, Penn. He was a member of the I. O. O. F., K. of P. and the P. H. C., and was a firm adherent of the Demo- cratic party. He belonged to the Lutheran Church from early boyhood, and remained a consistent member thereof up to his death. His frank, open-hearted manners endeared him to all with whom he came in contact, while his straight- forward, honest business principles stamped him as one of the leading young business men of the borough. He was a whole-souled, generous, kind and genial companion, and was highly respected by the best citizens of the community.

BENJAMIN HENLEIN, retired clothing merchant and farmer, was born in Wuertemberg, Germany, July 2, 1825, and is a son of Henle Henlein, of that place. He grew to manhood in Germany, and in July, 1847, immigrated to Franklin County, Penn., coming to Greenville in May, 1850, where his brother Morris was engaged in merchandising. He began clerking for his brother, and in 1855 obtained an interest in the business, then owned by his brothers, Manassa, of New Castle, and Morris. The latter died in 1857, and our subject continued the business with his brother Manassa. He too died in 1863, and Benjamin then became sole proprietor of the Greenville store. In

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1870 he sold his dry goods and grocery business, and continued the clothing alone. In February, 1885, he retired from business and engaged in farming, which he still follows. Mr. Henlein was married September 22, 1852, in Ger- many, to Miss Amelia Ullman, of that country. Nine children are the fruits of this union: Alfred F., an attorney at law of Greenville; Matilda, deceased, aged twenty; Allen, deceased; Frances, wife of Julius Weis, of Philadelphia; Morris, who died aged twelve; Gustav B., of the firm of Bacher, Benninghoff & Co .; Manassa, of New York; Ida and Louis. Mr. Henlein is a Democrat in politics, and a member of the Jewish faith. Coming to America comparatively penniless, by rigid industry, economy and close attention to his business, he has amassed a handsome fortune.

DR. FAYETTE HERRICK, dentist, was born in Ontario County, N. Y., August 6, 1834, and is a son of Eben A. and Malinda (Webb) Herrick, natives of New York State. When our subject was quite young his parents removed to Mich- igan, where his father died. His mother afterward returned to New York, whence she removed to Trumbull County, Ohio, where she now lives. Dr. Herrick is the eldest in a family of three sons, all of whom are living. He grew to manhood and received his education in the public schools of the Western Reserve, and in 1857 began the study of dentistry in Ashtabula County. In 1858 he commenced practice in that county, and in 1861 removed to Gustavus, Trumbull County, coming to Greenville in the fall of 1865, where he has since built up and enjoyed a large and successful practice. Dr.

Herrick was married August 18, 1855, to Miss Catherine M. Webb, of Ash- tabula County, Ohio, but a native of Ontario County, N. Y. Two children have been born of this union, Lenora B. and Fred A, The Doctor has always been a Republican in politics, has been councilman of the borough, and is a member of the Masonic fraternity. He belongs to the Lake Erie Dental Society, the Odontological Dental Society of Western Pennsylvania and the State Dental Society.

GEORGE W. HEWITT, jeweler, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, August 29, 1850, and is a son of George and Sarah Hewitt, the former a native of Con- necticut, and the latter of Trumbull County, Ohio. His father died in Trum- bull County in 1851, and in the spring of 1865 our subject removed with his mother to Greenville, where he learned the jeweler's trade. His mother resided in that borough until her death July 22, 1888. In the spring of 1869 Mr. Hewitt bought out the jewelry store of David Hum, and has since

conducted that business. He was married in 1868 to Miss Amanda, daughter of Simon Donner, one of the old retired business men of Greenville. Two children have been born of this marriage: Cora and Clem. Politically he is a Republican, and belongs to the I. O. O. F., K. of P., K. of H. and A. O. U. W.

ELIJAH W. HODGE, of the Hodge Manufacturing Company, was born in Gloucestershire, England, June 9, 1843. His parents, William and Amelia Hodge, are both residents of that shire. He learned the fuller's trade in a woolen factory in England, and worked at it there till coming to Greenville, Penn. In April, 1868, he and family immigrated to this borough, and for a short time he worked at his trade. The Greenville Woolen Mills closed the fol- lowing autumn, and he was compelled to go at coal mining. In October, 1869, he entered Hamblin's Foundry, where he spent nearly eight years working at molding. In 1876-77 he began operating during the evenings, and when short of work, a small brass foundry, a portion of his present plant. This gradually developed into the Hodge Brass and Iron Foundry and Machine Shops, since April, 1883, the Hodge Manufacturing Company. On the 2d of April, 1863, Mr. Hodge was married in England to Ann E. Howell, who bore him six chil-

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dren, four of whom are living: John H., Elizabeth A., Rose R. and Emma H. His wife died in Greenville, in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church, March 21, 1874, and on the 26th of the following November he was again married, to Angeline L. Scott, of which union five children have been born, four of whom survive: Thomas S., Garfield, Mary and Florence L. Mr. Hodge has always been a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and his wife a Presbyterian. Politically he is a Republican of strong prohibition pro- clivities. John H. Hodge, machinist, and eldest son of Elijah W. Hodge, was born in England May 23, 1864, and came to Greenville with his parents. He learned the trade of a machinist in his father's shops, and has since worked in the same establishment. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and a Republican of strong temperance views.

URIAH HOMER (originally spelled Hommer) was born in that borough August 20, 1823, and was a son of Joseph Hommer, a pioneer of West Salem Town- ship. Our subject followed stock dealing all his life, excepting three years spent at merchandising at West Middlesex. He was married in April, 1852, to Miss Mary J., daughter of Adam Wier, of Mercer County. She bore him four children, three of whom are living: Harry M., Drayton E. and Warren E., the two eldest being now the firm of Homer Bros., proprietors of meat market in Greenville. Mrs. Homer died August 7, 1874, in the faith of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Politically he is a Republican, and a member of one of the oldest families of the valley.

FRANK C. HULING, one of the editors and proprietors of the Greenville Progress, was born in Greenville, Penn., February 27, 1859, and is a son of Robert and Mary (Kidd) Huling. The former was born in Williamsport, Penn., and the latter in Mahoning County, Ohio. Robert Huling came to Greenville in 1839, where he afterward married Miss Mary Kidd, whose par- ents located near that borough when she was about eight years old. He was a tanner by trade, and ran a tan-yard on the west side from a short time after his arrival up to his death March 8, 1877. His widow now resides in Greenville, and is the mother of six children, five of whom are living. She is a member of the United Presbyterian Church. In early childhood our subject was adopted by his uncle, John Crowder, and lived with him till a short time prior to his death, in 1873. His early boyhood days were spent in Canada, New York City and Cleveland, Ohio, at which points his uncle was engaged in the lumber business. About 1871 Frank C. returned to Greenville, and received his education at the public schools and Thiel College. He learned the printer's trade in the Progress office, beginning in 1878. In May, 1881, he formed a partnership with W. F. Harpst. and purchased the Greenville Progress, and the firm of Harpst & Huling has since conducted that paper successfully. Politically Mr. Huling is a Democrat, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church.

JOHN J. HUTCHESON, boot and shoe merchant, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, January 3, 1833, and is a son of William and Anna (Battles) Hutche- son. The former was a native of Connecticut, of English descent, and his wife of Niles, Ohio, of French ancestry. William's parents removed from Connecticut to Bucks County, Penn., when he was a youth, and there died. In 1812 he came to Pittsburgh, where he joined the army that went to the defense of Erie in the war with England. After the War of 1812 he settled in Trumbull County, Ohio, where he was married to Miss Anna Battles, of that. county. They reared a family of five sons and four daughters: Mary (deceased wife of James Wilson), Elizabeth (wife of William Struble), Allen, Rebecca (wife of George Beggs), Warren (deceased), Lucinda (deceased wife of Perry

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English), John J., Asa and Clinton. In 1840 the family removed from Ohio to Perry Township, Mercer Co., Penn., where the parents resided until death. They were members of the Baptist Church, and patriotic supporters of the government throughout the period of civil strife. John J. was seven years old when his parents came to Mercer County, where he grew to manhood. In the spring of 1856 he went to California, and remained on the Pacific coast until the summer of 1861, when he returned to his home. He then went into the dry goods business in Cochranton, Crawford County, and continued mer- chandising at that point two years. The next two years he spent in the oil country, and in 1866 opened a shoe store in Greenville, which he conducted five years. In 1873 he formed a partnership with William Paden, in the dry goods business, in which he remained three years, when he sold out to his partner and purchased the boot and shoe stock of John Ramsey, and has since been engaged in that business. In 1878 Mr. Hutcheson erected his present store-room, which he has since occupied. He has been thrice married, his two deceased wives having been daughters of Peter Fritz, Esq., of Greenville. Four children were born of both marriages, all of whom are dead. His pres- ent wife was Miss Theressa Boies, and is the mother of one son, John. Polit- ically Mr. Hutcheson is a Republican, and a member of the Masonic and I. O. O. F. societies of Greenville.

SIMON KAMERER, dry goods merchant, was born three miles south of that borough, March 11, 1822. His father, Jacob Kamerer, was born in West- moreland County, Penn., September 26, 1788, and was married to Miss Mar- garet Highberger, a native of the same county. In 1812 they removed to Mercer County, and settled on the farm where Simon was born. It had a clearing and a small log cabin, the latter being utilized as a sheep pen. When he reached his purchase he drove out the occupants of the cabin, fixed it up and lived in it until such time as he could build a better one. The whole sur- rounding country was then a comparative wilderness, with a few settlers scattered through the forest at long intervals. Wild game was so abundant that Mr. Kamerer could at pleasure raise a window and, with his trusty rifle, kill a wild turkey for dinner as the flock strutted through his garden patch. Jacob and Margaret Kamerer reared a family of five sons and six daughters, viz. : Joseph and Daniel, both of whom died in this county; Hannah, wife of Gideon Falk, of Hancock County, Ohio; Samuel, a resident of Hancock Coun- ty, Ohio; Mary, widow of David Beil, of Greenville; Simon, of Greenville; Rebecca, deceased wife of Reuben Diefenderfer (deceased); Catherine, wife of Charles Diefenderfer,, of this county; Lydia, wife of Daniel R. Saul, of Greenville; Sarah, wife of George Fye, of Hempfield Township, and Levi, of Greenville. The whole family were brought up in the faith of the Reformed Church, in which belief the parents lived and died, the mother dying June 12, 1855, and the father August 6,1869. Jacob Kamerer was an ardent Democrat, and served under Col. Andrew Christy in the War of 1812. He accumulated considerable landed property, which, through the passing years, he divided among his children, but resided on the old homestead, which adjoined his first settlement, until his death, at the ripe old age of nearly eighty-two years. During his boyhood days Simon attended the primitive log school-house then standing on his father's farm, and remained with his parents till attaining his majority. He then began learning the tanner's trade in Isaac Greenewalt's tannery, near Greenville, and completed it in a yard opened by his father on the home farm. He operated this yard successfully for twenty-five years, when failing health compelled him to give up the business, and in 1868 he sold out and removed to Greenville. In 1870 he formed a partnership with

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his son-in-law, Aaron Wagner, under the firm name of Wagner & Kamerer, and began merchandising. This firm has since carried on that business. Mr. Kamerer was married May 11, 1845, to Miss Henrietta Saul, a native of Le- high County, Penn., whose parents settled about one mile south of Greenville in 1833. Of this union four children have been born: Margaret E., wife of Linus Dorwart, of Mercer County; Anna M., wife of Aaron Wagner, of Green- ville; Oliver D., grocer, and George F., druggist, both of the same borough. The whole family are Democrats in politics and adherents of the Reformed Church. Mr. Kamerer was one of the leading spirits in the erection of the Reformed Church of Greenville, and has always taken a deep interest in the growth of that society.

DAVID L. KAMERER, secretary of the Pymatuning Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and secretary and director of the Keystone Mutual Storm Insurance Company, was born in Delaware Township, Mercer Co., Penn., November 24, 1858. His grandfather, Samuel Kamerer, was a native of Westmoreland County, Penn., and settled in what is now Hempfield Township in 1812. He married Elizabeth Lininger, who was born in Maryland in 1790, thence re- moved to Westmoreland County, and to Mercer County in 1802. They reared eight children: David (deceased), Joseph, Benjamin (deceased), John, Esther (wife of Frank Cooper), Elizabeth, Leah and Mary (deceased). David, the father of our subject, was born in what is now Hempfield Township, January 7, 1819. He there grew up, and on the 6th of January, 1848, was married to Lea Bortz, a native of Westmoreland County, Penn., born February 16, 1821, and who came to Lackawannock Township with her parents, Jacob and Anna M. Bortz, in May, 1822. Mr. Kamerer lived on a part of the old home- stead until 1852, when he purchased and settled on the farm in Delaware Town- ship where he resided up to his death, October 9, 1888. They reared seven children: Levi T., Edward O., Mary Adaline, Samuel S., David L., Franklin W. and Tillman E. Politically the whole family are Republicans, and adherents of the Lutheran Church. David was secretary of the Pymatuning Mutual Fire Insurance Company twenty-seven years, and was one of the prosperous farmers of Delaware Township. He was captain of the Greenville company of militia for six years. Our subject here grew to maturity, and was educated in the public schools of Delaware Township, and from early boyhood was more or less connected with the Pymatuning Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of which his father was secretary. In February, 1885, he came to Greenville and began clerking, while at the same time conducting an agency for the Pymatuning Mutual Fire Insurance Company. In January, 1887, he suc- ceeded his father as secretary of this company, and has since filled that posi- tion. In 1888 he was the leading spirit in the organization of the Keystone Mutual Storm Insurance Company. Mr. Kamerer was married April 8, 1886, to Miss Sadie E. Adams, a native of Delaware Township. They are members of the Lutheran Church. He belongs to the Republican party, and is a mem- ber of the P. H. C.

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History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania : its past and present, Part 106

Author: Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk Number of Pages: 1288

Author:
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Brown, Runk
Number of Pages: 1288