USA > Pennsylvania > Northampton County > History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh, Volume II > Part 53
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CHARLES STEWART-The record of the life of Charles Stewart, for so many years a leading citizen of Easton, is that of a man who received from honored forebears unusual mental endowments, and who so directed his life that not only he but everyone with whom he was associated derived benefit and inspiration from his faithful stewardship, the qualities and capa- bilities bestowed upon him. Eighty-seven years was his span of life, Easton the scene of his labors, and his days were filled with carefully planned and fruitful activity. Forty years of his life were devoted to business enterprises successfully pursued, for more than sixty-three years he was a member of the official board of the Presbyterian church, for many years he was a leader in missionary work in the vicinity of Easton, and so on through all the rela- tions of life which have a vital and permanent valuc. Men came to know him in the many spheres to which his influence penetrated, and as the lofti- ness of his character was exemplified in his works, friendship and admiration followed acquaintance, emotions which deepened into reverence and love with the full revelation of the strength and beauty of his life.
The family of which Charles Stewart was a member is one old in the records of New Jersey, and he was a grandson of Thomas Stewart, of Stew- artsville, New Jersey, a judge of the Court of Errors and Appeals, and a man of wide influence in New Jersey in the early days of the State. This Thomas Stewart was a lieutenant in the Colonial army under General Washington, and during the winter of 1777-78 served with that general at Valley Forge. In this time of suffering and privation, Thomas Stewart won for his wife Rachael Dewees, danghter of Col. William Dewees, owner of a large part of the land on which the American army was encamped. The wedding cere- mony was performed in the manor house of the Dewees' at Valley Forge, with General Washington as a guest, the house standing to the present day, a splendid example of the architecture of that Colonial period. At the close of the war the young couple made their home at Stewartsville, New Jersey, Judge Stewart's political prominence coming subsequent to that time.
John Stewart, son of Judge Thomas and Rachael ( Dewees) Stewart, and father of Charles Stewart, was a graduate of the well known school conducted by the Rev. David Bishop, the Easton Academy, and for nearly twenty years was proprietor of the principal mercantile esablishment of Easton. He was one of the leading men of affairs of the locality at the time of his death, April 13, 1885, having held the presidency of the First National Bank of Easton from 1860 until his retirement in 1872. He was the prime mover in the organization of the Stewart Wire Works, in 1835, his associates in this enter- prise being Col. Thomas McKeen, Hon. Hopewell Hepburn, Charles Roden- bough, John Green and Jacob Able. For sixty years this company enjoyed prosperous continuance, the concern retiring from the wire manufacturing
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field in 1895. John Stewart married, in 1818, Elizabeth, daughter of Benjamin Green, and sister of Dr. Traill Green, the beloved physician and educator of Easton.
Charles Stewart, son of John and Elizabeth (Green) Stewart, was born in Easton. Pennsylvania, March 21, 1830, died there December 16, 1917. He attended the Easton public schools, and pursued college preparatory studies at the renowned academy of Dr. John Vandeerver. His progress in classical studies was so remarkable that, when he was a youth of fourteen years, Dr. Vandeerver made the statement that he was qualified for entrance into the junior year of any college in America. His father placed him in Miami Col- lege, Ohio, choosing this institution because it would then be possible for him to make his home with his sister and brother-in-law, Dr. James C. Moffat, and although he was prepared for advanced study the elder Stewart wished him to take the full four years' course. A compromise was effected by which he entered the sophomore year of the class of 1847, and from the first he enjoyed the highest standing in his class, maintaining that place until his graduation, his scholastic average for his entire course being 98.98 per cent., the highest ever attained by a student at the university.
He was honored by election to the chair of Greek in Miami University immediately after graduation, and he was also offered a professorship in an eastern university, declining both on the ground that he was too young to fill a place upon a college faculty. Returning to Easton, he was for two years Dr. Vandeerver's assistant in the teaching of Latin and Greek, at the same time studying medicine with Dr. Traill Green, his uncle. Enrolling in the University of Pennsylvania, he was graduated in medicine in 1853, begin- ning professional work in Easton. After a few months' practice he relin- quished his ambition for a medical career because of infirm health, and he became an employee of the Stewart Wire Works. He began in the capacity of clerk and thoroughly familiarized himself with all the details of the busi- ness, so that when his father retired he was competently fitted to assume the direction of the enterprise. His business career covered a period of four decades, and in addition to the management of the concern that bore the family name he held large interests in the Thomas Iron Company, Warren Foundry, and Lehigh Water Company, for many years holding positions upon the directorates of these corporations. He was an able executive, a wise and careful advisor, and throughout a business career of more than usual activity he adhered to those principles of honor and integrity that comprise the great lesson of his life.
Mr. Stewart was a man of deep religious convictions and rich personal religious experience, and his entire life is a record of devotion to the work of the church. For more than sixty-three years he was an elder of the Pres- byterian church, active in its home missionary work, and he was long the revered teacher of a Bible class of young women. One of the greatest relaxa- tions and enjoyments of Mr. Stewart's life was in delving deep into literature and the classics. He read Latin and Greek at sight, a heritage from his bril- liant college record, and his familiarity with the ancient and modern poets. historians and authors was intimate and exact. He was at home, he was an honored member, in any assembly of men of letters, and his great accom- plishments were recognized in the conferring of the honorary degree of LL.D by his alma mater. He was the author of numerous papers on varied subjects, literary and historical, and he was an authority on the history of his locality. Charles Stewart married, October 21, 1858, Anna E., daughter of Russell S. Chidsey, a prominent merchant of Easton, who survives him. Children : Russell C., president judge of the Northampton county courts; and John, deceased, of Columbus, Ohio.
CHARLES JOHN WAIDNER, V.S .- As a veterinarian, Dr. Waidner is widely known, having located in Hellertown immediately after his gradua-
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ation from New York College of Veterinary Surgeons, in 1889. He is not only widely known as a skilled professional man, but as a public-spirited citizen who, in whatever position placed, served with fidelity and zeal. He is a son of Louis and Catherine (Hellener) Waidner, the former having come from Wittemberg, Germany, locating at Bethlehem, and later at Allentown, Penn- sylvania, as a young man. He was a soldier in the Revolution of 1849, and was one of the many young Germans, among them Carl Sehurz, who came to America to escape political persecution.
Charles John Waidner was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, March 2, 1861, removed.to Saucon township, and there attended public and private schools. Upon starting out in life he became an employee of Dr. H. D. Heller, and for nine years continued in his service. This association begat in him an ambition to acquire a profession, and finally he became a student at the New York College of Veterinary Surgeons, whence he was graduated V.S., class of 1889. He at onee began practice in Hellertown and vicinity, and has sinee very satisfactorily practiced his profession, he being the only gradu- ate veterinarian in that borough. Dr. Waidner is a member of the Pennsyl- vania State Veterinary Medical Association, and of the Alumni Association of New York College of Veterinary Surgeons, now the veterinary department of the New York University. He has been frequently consulted and employed by the Pennsylvania Live Stock Board, and is the local representative of that board. Dr. Waidner has made a special study of tuberculosis among cattle, and is rated an authority on that discase. He has kept pace with every advance in veterinary science, and is an honor to his profession. He was active in the various war drives, and served as chairman of the Lower Saucon committee for the Salvation Army fund campaign. For twenty years he was a member of Hellertown Borough Council, serving some years as president of Couneil, having been in that offiee during the period the water works sys- tem was installed in the borough. He was a member of the Board of County Commissioners for three years, for two years was county prison inspector, and in all these positions he served his constitueney well. He is one of the influential Democrats of the county, and has served long on the local com- mittee, and recently re-elected a member of the advisory board. Dr. Waidner is a member of the Reformed Church, a past noble grand of Hellertown Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; member of the Patriotic Sons of America ; Bethlehem Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Jaek- sonian Democratic Association, and a past chief and charter member of Hellertown Castle No. 112, Knights of the Golden Eagles.
Dr. Waidner married, Mareh 7, 1890, Ida Schlotter, daughter of Daniel and Amanda (Ruth) Schlotter, of Upper Saucon township, Lehigh county. Dr. and Mrs. Waidner are the parents of three children : Edna Ruth, residing at home ; Kate Amanda, a stenographer ; John Louis, a soldier of the United States, serving in France with Company A, Fourteenth Machine Gun Bat- talion ; following the armistice, he joined the Fifth Division, United States Regular Army, at Camp Green, North Carolina, and again returned to Europe with the Army of Occupation. The family are members of the Reformed church.
Dr. Waidner is a great-grandson of Christian F. Hellener, who on his ninety-fifth birthday reeited to interested listeners some of his past history and thrilling experiences by land and by sea, and how he came to leave his native land to find a home in the United States. He was of prominent German family, the Von Helleners being of noble rank, and he was a remark- able man in many ways. He was a gifted artist, his water-color paintings, his coat-of-arms and genealogy being yet carefully preserved. He was born in Sindelfingen, Würtemberg, Germany, September 1, 1797, and died in Upper Saucon township, Lehigh county, in that part of Eastern Salisbury now em- braced in the borough of Fountain Hill, April 15, 1893, in his ninety-sixth
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year. His youth was spent in those stirring years when Napoleon's might was overturning thrones and dynasties in Europe. He recalled the burning of Moscow, and when he was fifteen years of age, George IV ascended the throne of England, Lord Byron died, and in the United States the second war with Great Britain was being fought; the first steamboat had been demon- strated, and the first railroad established. He was a finely educated man, and having decided artistic talent, he acquired some prominence as a sculptor, but finally he allowed this to drop into the background and he devoted him- self to the more plebian but also more profitable work of a marble cutter. In 1817 he, in company with a number of his school friends, visited Amster- dam, intending there to take ship for the United States. He had ample funds for the voyage, but a rascally agent, Jacob Baird, swindled him out of his money, but he sailed with the ship, nevertheless. There were seven hundred passengers on board, and from the beginning of the voyage they encountered severe storms. The ship was finally driven far out of her course, the captain died, and it was fifty-seven weeks before they made a safe port, one hundred and seventeen of the passengers then being alive. They were quarantined at a Portugese port for one hundred days, and while there, Chris- tian Hellener acquired the Portugese language. In 1819 he made another attempt to cross the Atlantic and reached New York. Soon afterward he crossed by coach to Philadelphia, where he learned the baker's trade. He worked in Philadelphia several years, then went up into Bucks county, hearing that Jacob Baird, his Amsterdam swindling agent, was living there. He found the man, but this was not the Jacob Baird he wanted. The country pleased Mr. Hellener, and journeying up the Saucon he came to Upper Sau- con township and there settled. He married his employer's daughter, Theresa Morey, the ceremony being performed by Rev. Zeller, the Reformed pastor of Allentown. In Upper Saucon, Christian F. Hellener wove carpets and bed- spreads, and later took up stone cutting, which he followed until 1852. He then moved to what is now Fountain Hill borough in East Salisbury, and bought a farm of thirty-two acres, which he cultivated in connection with his stone cutting until weight of years caused him to retire. Theresa ( Morey) Hellener, daughter of Goodhart and Maria Magdalena (Horlacher) Morey, died in 1857, aged fifty-two years, both she and her husband being buried in Friedensville Lutheran Church Cemetery. They were the parents of three children : Anna Maria Magdalena, died unmarried; Catherine, married Louis Waidner ; and J. Elias, married Mary Snyder, and lived in Fountain IFill. Louis and Catherine (Hellener) Waidner were the parents of three children : Dr. Charles John, whose career has been traced in this review ; Christian F., who moved to Sullivan county, Indiana ; and Mary, who never married.
JOHN INSLEY BLAIR LARNED, B.A., B.D .- The Rev. John Insley Blair Larned, dean of the Protestant Episcopal Pro-Cathedral Church of Nativity, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has had an experience somewhat like that of his father. Both were qualified in more than one profession. The father, an attorney of some prominence, forsook a growing law practice to devote his whole time to art studies, eventually becoming an art critic of national note, and the authoritative and well received works on medieval art; the son, a graduate engineer, forsook engineering practice to take up theological studies because his inclination drew him more naturally to Bible study and church work.
John Insley Blair Larned was born in the city of Chicago, Illinois, Octo- ber 5, 1883, the son of Walter Cranston and Emma Locke (Scribner) Larned, and grandson of Walter C. and Anne F. (Greene) Larned. The Larned fam- ily genealogy connects with distinguished Americans of Colonial days, includ- ing General Greene, of Revolutionary fame. Walter Cranston Larned, father of John I. B. Larned, died in June, 1913. He accomplished much during his life, rising to notable place among American art critics. Commencing pro-
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fessional life as an attorney in the city of Chicago, Walter Cranston Larned, during his years of law practice, succeeded well, both financially and profes- sionally. He was an able lawyer, a convincing and conscientious advocate, and was well regarded by his professional confreres and the judiciary. But his interest in triumphs in the practice of law was not as great as his interest in art, to which he devoted considerable time in research even while practic- ing successfully at law. Eventually he decided to devote his whole time to the study he preferred and gave up altogether his law practice. The latter part of his life was spent entirely in work relating to art. He became a well known lecturer and writer on art, and for many years was art critic of the Record-Herald, a Chicago newspaper. He undertook exhaustive research and became an authority on medieval art, three of his books, much quoted, being, "Churches and Castles of Medieval France," "Arnaud's Master Piece" and "Rembrandt, A Romance of Holland." These are valuable works of reference, and often referred to by students. His widow, Emma Locke (Scribner) Larned, who still lives in Chicago, comes of a family, members of which hold distinguished place among American publishers; her brothers, Charles and Arthur, are of the internationally well known New York firm of publishers, Charles Scribner's Sons. She is the mother of six children, as follows: I. Edwin Channing, died in infancy. 2. Elsie Blair, who died at the age of seventeen years. 3. Frances Greene, who is married to Frank W. Blatchford, and has four children, Ella Marian, Elsie Larned, Frank W. Jr., and Walter Larned. Her husband Dr. Blatchford, joined the United States army when this country became involved in the European War, and was assigned to a responsible post in France with the American Expedionary Forces, being attached to the headquarters of General Pershing, and becoming senior sur- geon of Field Hospital No. 41, with the military rank of major. 4. Walter Cranston, who owns a fruit cannery in Medford, Oregon, unmarried. 5. John Insley Blair, of further mention. 6. Edwin C., who was in business in Chicago, Illinois, was unmarried, and lived with his mother. He enlisted in the fall of 1918 with the Red Cross, and died of influenza at Bordeaux, France, October 1I, 1918, and was buried there with full military honors.
John Insley Blair Larned attended schools of the city of Chicago until he was seventeen years old. He received his collegiate preparation in Lake Forest Academy, and the Hill School, Pottstown, Pennsylvania, entering Harvard University in 1901. In 1905 he was graduated therefrom with the degree B.A. Soon thereafter he became a student at the leading technological college of the East, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and in due course, in 1908, became a graduate, gaining the engineering degree. He appar- rently then, or at some time earlier, decided to study for the ministry, for he does not appear to have practiced engineering at all after graduating. In the same year he entered the Union Theological Seminary, New York, at which institution he remained a student until 1910, when he went to Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, and enrolled as a theological student at the Cambridge Episcopal School of that place. In the following year he received the degree of B.D., soon after gaining which qualification he was ordained deacon by Bishop Greer, of New York, at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, and was priested in June, 1912 at the same place. As a curate he served at Clifton, Staten Island, New York, from 1911 to 1913, and in the latter year was appointed rector of St. John's Episcopal Church, at Globe, Arizona, where he remained until 1916, when he again came East, and to New York State, to take a like appointment at Kingston, New York. As rector of St. John's Church of that place, he labored earnestly and successfully until 1918, when he was called to the deanship of the Protestant Episcopal Pro- Cathedral Church of Nativity, Bethlchem, Pennsylvania. Since June, 1918, he has become an increasingly important factor in church circles of Bethle- hem, and by his broad yet definite views on religious observances and obliga-
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tions has gained the respect and co-operation of many residents who are not Episcopalians, but who recognize in his preachings and recommendations the true principles of Christianity. As may have been inferred by the variety and scope of his education, Dean Larned is a man of wide learning, and asso- ciation with him in church work soon emphasizes this. His interpretations indicate him to be a man whose opinions are not based on superficial knowl- edge, but upon comprehensive understanding of the conditions treated; and the interest he has manifested in the spiritual welfare, irrespective of creed, of the residents of Bethlehem, has drawn many to his church.
While in Arizona, Mr. Larned was for two years chaplain of the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and has, ever since he became a member of that society, been interested in fraternal work. Politi- cally he is a Republican. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Bethlehem; executive committee of the Federation of Churches; Northampton County Country Club, and is a devotee of outdoor sports, and is responsible for the installation of recreation rooms in the parish house of his church.
On June II, 1913, at Staten Island, New York, Mr. Larned married Frances E. V. Jenkins, daughter of William T. and Elizabeth (Croker) Jen- kins, of New York City. The parents of Mrs. Larned are both alive, her father, William T. Jenkins, M.D., was at one time prominently identified with the New York City administration, and for some years held the office of health officer of the Port of New York. Mrs. Larned's mother, Elizabeth (Croker) Jenkins, is a sister of the well known former Democratic leader of New York City, Richard Croker, whose participation in the civic affairs of that city was at one time so important to the administration. Mrs. Larned's brother, William C. Jenkins, was in the service of the Federal government' during the European War ; he served in civilian capacity as the senior aviation instructor at Mincola Camp, where so many of America's military aviators received their preparatory instruction in aviation before leaving for France. Mrs. Frances E. V. (Jenkins) Larned, who is a graduate of the Ann Brown School, of New York, has borne to her husband two children: Emma Eliza- beth, who was born on March 20, 1915; and Frances Virginia, born July 15, 1917.
WESLEY MAJOR HEIBERGER-This name is well known in Easton, the city of Mr. Heiberger's birth, and was worthily borne before him by his honored father, a business man of the city, but for a quarter of a century pre- ceding his death Phillipsburg, New Jersey, was his home. As one of Easton's prosperous retail merchants, Wesley M. Heiberger occupies a leading posi- tion, and as a citizen his public spirit and disinterested service in all public movements mark him for conspicuous notice. He comes from a Lehigh county family, his father coming to Easton after attaining manhood.
Adam Heiberger, father of Thomas, and grandfather of Wesley Major Heiberger, a farmer of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, was born in 1780 and died in 1853. He was a soldier of the War of 1812. He married Juda Deal, and they were the parents of Thomas Heiberger, who was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, in 1823, and died in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, October 5, 1907. In 1862 he came to Easton from Lehigh county and engaged in the tannery business, his tannery being located at the foot of Fourth street. Later on he engaged in the meat business and was successful as a merchant. He made his home in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, after leaving Easton, and there took a deep interest in public affairs, served on the school board and numerous public committees. The welfare of young people was a matter of deep interest to him and he was ever ready to counsel, advise and help them. He was an elder of the Phillipsburg Presbyterian Church and in that town for twenty-five years he went in and out among the people and never lost their love and respect. He was a Democrat in politics, very active and inter-
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ested in seeing the right men chosen to office. In 1852, Thomas Heiberger married Catherine J. Major, born August 3, 1826, died December 19, 1902, daughter of Edward F. and Ossce (Mericale) Major, both born in Warren county, New Jersey. Edward F. Major, a farmer, died in 1836, his wife died in 1857. Mr. and Mrs. Heiberger were the parents of two sons, Lorenzo F., a resident of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Wesley M., of whom further.
Wesley M. Heiberger was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, October 24. 1863. and was educated in the public schools of the city, completing the high school courses with the graduating class of 1880. He entered business life the same year, his first employers being Hapgood, Hay & Company, shoe dealers of Easton, both wholesale and retail. He liked his work and his firm was pleased with their salesman, consequently the association was a pleasant one, continuing until 1889, when the firm dissolved. The young man then transferred his services to another wholesale shoe house of Easton, and in the same capacity, traveling salesman, he served the C. M. Hapgood Shoe Com- pany, wholesale shoe dealers. He remained with the last-named company until 1897, in which year he started in business on his own account, being at that time a director of the C. M. Hapgood Company, having been a member of the board of directors during the entire time he was in their employ. Twenty-two years have elapsed since he opened his own shoe store at No. 243 Northampton street, and he has moved but once (next door) during that period, his present address being No. 239. He conducts a retail shoe store and has established a good business in staple lines and confines himself closely to the management thereof, having few outside business interests.
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