History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh, Volume III, Part 21

Author: Heller, William Jacob; American Historical Society, Inc
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Boston ; New York [etc.] : The American Historical Society
Number of Pages: 574


USA > Pennsylvania > Northampton County > History of Northampton County [Pennsylvania] and the grand valley of the Lehigh, Volume III > Part 21


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55


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2. Johanna Elisabeth, born May 15, 1731, died July 22, 1814; was mar- ried to John Adam Kochert; they resided in Lower Saucon township, and lie buried at Lower Saucon Church. No issue.


3. Peter, born 1734, died 1818; was a blacksmith by trade. He was mar- ried to Catharine Knepley. About 1750 he removed to Allen township, near Kriedersville, where he conducted a farm and smithy. His family consisted of two sons and three daughters. Adam; and Peter, who married a Miss Stedler, and removed to Columbia county. Adam, born January 20, 1763, died February 28, 1847, obtained the old homestead, where he resided until his death. In addition to farming he conducted a blacksmith shop. To him and his wife, Margaret (Newhart) Laubach, were born the following chil- dren : Peter and Joseph, see below. Susanna, born April, 1789, died August, 1826. Elizabeth, born March, 1793. Polly (Magdalena), born March 12, 1795, died May 6, 1854, aged fifty-nine years, one month, twenty-four days. She married Lorenz Schadt, born December 10, 1790, died October 4, 1855, had twelve children, and is buried at the Egypt Church, Lehigh county, Penn- sylvania. Adam, born March 19, 1797, died October 12, 1852, aged fifty-five years, six months and twenty-eight days; married (first), April 8, 1827, Susanna Snyder, born August 28, 1807, died January 18, 1838; he lived with her eight years and nine months; married (second), Abigail Oplinger, lived with her fifteen years, and is buried at Stone Church, Allen township. Cath- arine, born March, 1799, died April, 1844. Rebecca, born April, 1801, died September, 1828. Lydia, born July, 1803. John, born August 29, 1805, died March 9, 1882, aged seventy-six years, six months, ten days; married Cath- arine Lerch, born February 14, 1808, died December 22, 1883; buried at Howertown. William, born January 28, 1808, died October 25, 1859, aged fifty-one years, eight months, twenty-nine days; married Sarah Siegfried, born December 17, 1808, died June 23, 1858. He had twelve children, and is buried at Stone Church.


4. Christian Conrad, born November 24, 1737, died 1813. He married Catharine Houck, of Lower Saucon, cir. 1772. He removed to Allen township, near his brother Peter. Issue: Simon, Christian, Conrad, Adam, Catharine, Pamelia, Mary, Lillie, Susanna and Sally.


5. Frederick, born May 16, 1744, and died April 7, 1797. He married Catharine Bitting, a daughter of Henry Bitting, of Upper Milford township, Lehigh county. She was a granddaughter of Henry Bitting, of Freinsheim, in the Palatinate. Before setting out for the New World he received a cer- tificate from the church and civil authorities. It is dated April 24, 1723. The church-book in his native parish contains the entries of the following chil- dren : Martin ; Anna Sophia, born November 22, 1699; John Ludwig, 1702; Anna Katharine, March 9, 1704; Henrich, December 20, 1705; Anna Dorothea Elizabeth, March 7, 1708; Johan Peter, October 5, 1710; Justus, July 2, 1713; and Johanne Juliane, April 3, 1715. Henry Bitting was married to Katharine Reiss, and died December 3, 1747, leaving two daughters: Catharine, married to Frederick Laubach; and Magdalena, married to Adam Englebard; the widow of the latter married Jacob Schaeffer.


Mr. Laubach resided on the old homestead, and operated both the mills and the farm. Both Mr. and Mrs. Laubach lie buried in the Lower Saucon Cemetery. Five of their children reached majority : i. Rudolph, born April 13, 1773, died November 9, 1853; married Maria Huber. ii. Adam, mentioned later. iii. Margaret, born March 14, 1778; married Michael Lutz. iv. Fred- erick, born August 17, 1784, died May 17, 1851 ; married Catharine Jacoby. v. Susan E., born May 22, 1786, died October 8, 1868; married Jonas Ruch. 6. Rheinhart, born 1748, died 1785; was married to Margarethe Beidle- man. He conducted a farm about two miles southeast of Freemansburg. They had issue: i. John, born June 30, 1768, died May 9, 1840; married to Catharine Lerch. ii. Susan. iii. John George, born 1770, died 1851 ; married


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to Maria Bahl. iv. Leonard, born April 10, 1776, died November 1, 1855; married to Mary Thomas. v. Elisabeth. vi. Sarah, married to Daniel Weid- knecht.


Adam Laubach, born June II, 1775, died November 2, 1811, son of Fred- erick and Catharine (Bitting) Laubach, was married to Catharine Odenweller, born October 27, 1783, died April 21, 1867, a daughter of John and Elizabeth Odenweller, of Forks township. They resided in Lower Saucon township, and had the following children: i. John, of whom further. ii. Jacob, born March 12, 1806, died August 31, 1807. iii. Elizabeth, born April 24, 1808, died February 9, 1890. iv. Jesse, born July 28, 1810, died December 28, 1893; was married to Maria Eliza Walter, born September 3, 1813, died August 1, 1899, a daughter of George and Sarah (Schumacher) Walter, of Forks township; they had issue: Elizabeth, George, Samuel, John, Adam, Amandus, Josiah, Sarah Ann, Marietta, William F. and Lewis Irwin. The widow, in 1822, was married to William Miller, by whom she had one son, William.


John Laubach, son of Adam Laubach, born May 9, 1804, died December 16. 1867, was married to Anna Walter, born March 28, 1803, died January 28, 1884. They resided on a farm in Lower Nazareth township. Both were members of the Dryland congregation, where their remains lie buried. To them were born nine children: i. Adam, see below. ii. John, born May 16, 1830, died July 25, 1891 ; married to Matilda Johnson. iii. Barnett, born August 30, 1832; married to Matilda Wagner. iv. William, born May 26, 1835, died December 5, 1906; married to Sarah S. Knecht. v. Robert, born 1837, died 1842. vi. Diana Elizabeth, born December 18, 1839; married (first) to Amandus Hellick, and (second) to Amandus Buss. vii. Richard, born March 6, 1842; married to Matilda Fenner. viii. Reuben, born September I, 1844, died August 28, 1904; married to Sarah A. E. R. Kohler. ix. Mary Catherine. born November 20, 1846; married to John Henry Rohn.


Peter Laubach, son of Adam Laubach, grandson of Peter Laubach, and great-grandson of Christian Laubach, was born in Allen township, August 24, 1788. He resided on a farm near Howertown, and was a man of great activity. In addition to farming, he conducted a blacksmith shop, store, grist-mill, and engaged in contracting. He supplied large quantities of material used in the building of the Lehigh canal, including the lumber for the building of Schwartz's dam. The old Laubach's mill, which was assumed by Peter and Joseph Laubach, brothers, in 1822, remained in that ownership until 1857, when Peter Laubach died, and at the appraisement of his estate his son, Samuel Laubach, accepted the flour-mill, and he operated the mill until 1861, the year of his death, when his widow and four sons, Allen D., Edward H., Peter J., of the Northampton Brewing Company, and Samuel F., the coal merchant, assumed the management of the flour-mill, and became the Samuel Laubach Estate, of Laubachsville, Pennsylvania, now Northampton. In 1898 the estate of Samuel Laubach sold the mill and interests to the Mauser Mill Company, large and heavy shippers of flour. Peter Laubach is still remem- bered in his community for his firmness and kindness. He was a faithful member of the Howertown Reformed Congregation, and contributed liberally to its support ; and here his ashes and those of his good wife rest. It was at his house, April 30, 1833, that about sixteen of his neighbors gathered and that it was decided to erect a union church at Howertown. It is said that at that time the Laubachs owned forty per cent. of the land in Allen township. He died September 7. 1857, and his wife, Elisabeth (Neligh) Laubach, who was born December 30, 1789, died April 2, 1871. To him and his good wife were born the following children :


I. Joseph, born April 30, 1810. He was married to Phoebe Hess. He lived at Catasauqua, where he conducted a store and coal yard at Biery's Ford, and was postmaster for many years. He had issue: William, Frank and John.


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2. John, born June 13, 1812, died February 15, 1879; was married to Esther Biery, born April 19, 1813, died February 18, 1873. They lived on a farm near Howertown, and their remains lie buried at Howertown. They had children: Margaret; Stephen J .; Sarah, residing in Kansas, and son Owen, who died during the Civil War.


3. Peter, born November 14, 1817. He obtained the old homestead. He removed to Maryland, from whencc he returned later, and died soon therc- after. He married Amelia Becker, daughter of Rev. Dr. Jacob Becker, presi- dent of the Theological Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and who served the congregations in Kreidersville, Schoenersville, Norristown and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and they were the parents of the following children. i. Dr. Amandus J., served in a volunteer company during the Civil War, and died at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and was twice married, the first time to Minnie, a daughter of the late Hon. Samuel McHose, who was the first mayor of Allentown, and the second time to a daughter of Robert E. Wright, Sr. ; his son, Gen. Howard Laubach, graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1890, now resides in Washington, Distriet of Columbia, and has always been in the regular army. ii. Dr. George, who removed West and died. iii. Thomas, a merehant in Rochester, New York. iv. Malinda, married to George Baer, of Howertown. v. Peter. vi. Mary, Mrs. William Landis, of Bath, Pennsylvania.


4. Samuel, born in Allen township, January 10, 1821. He received his early training in the public schools, and as a young man was a clerk for his father in the mill. Upon his father's death he accepted the mill as a part of his inheritanee, and in partnership with his uncle, Hon. Joseph Laubach, continued until the time of his death, February 18, 1863. At the time of his death, though a comparatively young man, he was the most prominent man in the western part of Northampton county, and was given the complimentary nomination of the Republican party for the State Senate. He was one of the founders and the first directors of the Catasauqua National Bank. He served as deacon and elder in the Howertown Reformed Congregation, where his remains lie buried. He was married to Lucy Hess, a daughter of David Hess, born October 18, 1784, died March 22, 1832, of Allen township, whose remains lie buried at Stone Church. To him and his wife were born the fol- lowing children : Allen D .; Edward H .; Peter J .; Amanda E., married to Rev. John F. DeLong, D.D. ; and Samuel F.


5. Reuben, born October 1, 1823, died, unmarried, July 13, 1843.


6. Anna M., born November 28, 1825, died, unmarried, July 2, 1848.


7. Adam, see below.


8. Thomas, born December 13, 1830, was married to Amanda, a daughter of David Bleim, 1856. He pursued farming in Whitehall township, and later in Allen township, until 1886, when he removed to Bethlehem, where he died recently. They had issue : Clinton D., James F., Jane L., Mrs. A. P. Spengler, and Mary L., Mrs. H. O. Smith.


9. Levina, born December 13, 1832, died March 1, 1838.


IO. Eliza, married to Aaron Bachman, of Lower Saucon.


II. Sarah, married to Samuel Hess.


12. Magdalena, married to Edward Schreiber. (See Schreiber family.)


Joseph Laubach, son of Adam Laubach, was born April 30, 1810. He attended the local schools, and spent one vear at Easton Academy. In 1830 he entered into the employment of J. and M. Butz, millers and merchants at Easton. In 1839 he removed to Laubachsville, now Northampton, where he con- ducted a general store, coal and lumber yard, and grist-mill in partnership with his elder brother Peter. In 1840 he was clected county auditor and re-elected twice. During the years 1848-49 he served as State Representative, and in 1855 was elected State Senator, and in both capacities he served with honor and distinction. He was known particularly for his honesty and integ- rity. In 1861 he was elected associate judge of Northampton county and twiee


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re-elected. He was president of the Northampton Savings Bank until it was changed to a national bank, serving also in the latter institution in the same capacity for a period of one year, also the president of the Lehigh Valley Iron Works at Coplay, and for many years president of the board of trustees of the Allentown College for Women. In 1870 he removed to Bethlehem, where he was actively engaged in various pursuits until the time of his death, November, 1884. His remains lie buried at Howertown. To him and his wife, Eliza (Schwartz) Laubach, were born two daughters: Mrs. Dr. Horn- beck, and Mrs. Edward Klotz, son of Congressman Klotz, and a son James, who died in his fifteenth year.


Edward H. Laubach, son of Samuel Laubach, was born September I, 1852, at Laubachsville, now Northampton. He received his training in the pub- lic schools, Allentown Military Academy, Coopertown Seminary, and Frank- lin and Marshall College. After spending one and a half years at the latter institution, he returned home to manage his father's estate, which consisted of grist-mill, general store, coal and lumber yard, post-office and considerable real estate. Though young in years, he was very successful in its manage- ment, and was assisted by his brother Peter J. At the age of twenty-two he was elected school director. This was the only public office he served until 1890, when he was elected State Senator, was re-elected in 1894, and served until the close of the session of 1897, when, his seat, having been contested, he was removed. Soon after reaching his majority he was elected county committeeman of the Democratic party, which position he occupied for many years. He was frequently chosen delegate to county and State conventions, and for four terms served as county chairman. His long service in politics, his wide experience, sound judgment and diplomacy made him an almost ideal legislator. After his senatorial career he devoted himself entirely to business, being associated with his brothers in the Laubach Company, of which he is the secretary.


In 1876 he was married to Elisabeth Stewart, of Catasauqua. She died February 7, 1885. This union was blessed with three children: I. Samuel T., a graduate of Lehigh University ; employed as a mechanical engineer at Har- risburg, Pennsylvania; married to Mayme Wolfe, of Lewisburg; they have one son, Edward. 2. Mabel, a graduate of the Allentown College for Women ; married to Edward C. Nagel, a member of the Northampton county bar, and is the mother of three children: Elisabeth, Louise and James. 3. James Howard, a graduate of Lehigh University and West Point Military Academy ; is a lieutenant-colonel in the United States Army, was stationed in Italy, but has returned safely from this post; married to Edith Purcell, of Easton, and they are the parents of two children.


Adam Laubach, son of Peter and Elisabeth (Neligh) Laubach, was born November 9, 1827, in Allen township. In his youth he attended the public schools and as a young man he entered the office of his father's mill. In 1858 he established a general store, coal yard, lumber yard, and sand depot at Siegfried for upwards of forty years, and served as school director for a period of fifteen years. He was a faithful member of the Howertown Reformed Congregation, and for many years the treasurer of the union congregation. It is recorded of him that he was "kindhearted, philanthropic and public spirited." He died from the injuries received in a runaway at Siegfried Station, June 26, 1905.


Mr. Laubach was married (first) to Deborah Stofflet, on September 9, 1849. This union was blessed with three children: I. Alfred P., see below. 2. Thomas, who died in infancy. 3. Clara J., married to George H. Klep- pinger, wholesale grocer of Allentown, she the mother of four children : Bertha, married Rev. Paul Strodach, of Philadelphia; Emma, married Allen Van Nuyl, a wholesale grocer of Allentown; Miriam, married Allen Wesley Nagenbach, an attorney-at-law of Allentown; and Capt. Samuel Kleppinger,


Adam Saubach


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BIOGRAPHICAL


a graduate of Culver Military Academy of Culver, Indiana, who resides in a fine bungalow near Allentown ; he was a captain in the State Militia. Deborah Laubach died August 5, 1862, and was buried in Greenwood Cemetery, at the Hlowertown Church, being the first buried in the same. On February 22, 1804, he entered into wedlock with Caroline Laury, a daughter of the Hon. David Laury (q.v.), who survives her husband and who although in her eighty- seventh year, is of exceptionally clear mind and remembers and recalls many incidents in the development of the Lehigh Valley. To her were born three children : I. Elizabeth, married to the Rev. George P. Stem, pastor of the Egypt Reformed Church; she is a graduate of the Allentown College for Women, and is register of Liberty Bell Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution ; she is the mother of two children: i. Laury, a graduate of Lehigh University, is in the employ of the New Jersey Zinc Company at Palmerton, Pennsylvania ; during the war he was in the chemical warfare service, Wash- ington, District of Columbia ; he is married to Mamie Heffelfinger. ii. Caro- line, a senior at Hood College, Frederick, Maryland. 2. Samuel, deceased. 3. Minnie, who resides with her mother at the old homestead.


Alfred P. Laubach, son of Adam and Deborah (Stofflet) Laubach, was born December 19, 1854. He was educated in the public schools, Weavers- ville Academy, the Keystone State Normal School, and Lafayette College. He was associated with his father in the mercantile business at Siegfried, now Northampton, and later served as postmaster of Siegfried. In politics he is a Republican, and stands high in the council of the party. He served as county committeeman, and has been frequently chosen county and State delegate. In 1896 he was elected county treasurer, being the first Republican ever elected to that office in Northampton county. Upon the organization of the Cement National Bank of Siegfried in 1900, he was made a director, he served as vice- president from 1901 to 1903, as president from 1904 to 1910, and since has been its trusted cashier. Under his conservative policy and able leadership the bank has become an important factor not only of the financial life of Northampton, but in all the Lehigh Valley. By his encouraging thrift among the young people, by the courteous and fair treatment which the bank ever accords, and by the personal interest which is shown by the bank in the business and welfare of its patrons, the bank has won its way into the con- fidence of the people and has attracted large deposits. This bank in particu- lar contributed very largely to the success of the various Liberty Loan campaigns in Northampton during the World War.


Mr. Laubach is a member of the Howertown Reformed Congregation, in which he has served as deacon, elder and trustee, and is treasurer of the joint consistory. Upon the death of his father he succeeded him as secretary and treasurer of the Cemetery Association. He is very fond of children, and was one of the prime movers and chief patrons of the playground movement in Northampton. As a youth he accompanied his father to the battlefield of Gettysburg, and heard the immortal Abraham Lincoln deliver that famous Gettysburg address. Mr. Laubach is the treasurer of Chapman Lodge No. 637, Free and Accepted Masons. Though Mr. Laubach is approaching three- score and ten, he is very active, not only in the interests of the bank but in whatever pertains to the welfare, uplift and happiness of his fellow men.


In 1878 he was united in marriage with Emma R. Bleckley, a daughter of William and Rebecca (Harleman) Bleckley, of Bath, Pennsylvania. After sharing their joys and sorrows for forty years, she departed this life April 7, 1918. Their union was blessed with three children: I. Howard, who is en- gaged in the real estate and insurance business at Northampton, married to Stella Nace, and has two children, Catherine and Christine. 2. Irene, whose husband, the late Dr. Robert Follweiler, died January 26, 1913, leaving one son, Alfred David. 3. Helen, married to Dr. Mahlon G. Miller, who enjoys a large practice in Northampton, and they have one child, Harriet.


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LAURY FAMILY -- Mrs. Caroline (Laury) Laubach, wife of Adam Laubach, of Siegfried, Northampton county, Pennsylvania, traced descent to Michael Laury, who descended in direct line from the house of Maxwellton, an illustrious family of Dumfrieshire, Scotland. His birthplace was on the picturesque River Neth, which joins Solway Firth, about ten miles south of the city of Dumfries, and from there he went to Germany for political rea- sons, his safety being endangered. At Würtemberg he married a Miss Gott- shalk, and with his bride came to Pennsylvania, arriving in Philadelphia in 1756, their first child, Godfrey Laury, being born in Philadelphia, November 22, 1756, and there too their second son, John Laury, was born.


Sometime after the birth of the second son, Michael Laury, with his wife and two sons, settled on Falls Creek, Northampton county, Pennsylvania. When the call came for soldiers to battle for the cause of Independence, Michael Laury and his two sons, Godfrey and John, joined the Continental army, Michael, who was then sixty years of age, giving as a reason that he was "homesick" for his two sons. All three fought in the battle of Mon- mouth in 1777, and there Michael Laury was killed. He was buried in the cemetery at now Warrenville, Somerset county, New Jersey. His son God- frey was overcome by the heat on June 27, 1824, and died at Unionville Church before the arrival of his brother John, who was on his way to church at the time his brother was stricken. Godfrey Laury was buried at Union- ville Cemetery, his grave being decorated with a Daughters of American Revo- lution marker, placed there by Mrs. Caroline (Laury) Laubach, his great- granddaughter.


David Laury was born at North Whitehall township, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, June 1, 1805, and died at Laury Station, Pennsylvania, Septem- ber 27, 1883. He was educated in the German tongue, but his school privi- leges were limited, and later, feeling the need of advancing his knowledge, he devoted his evenings to study, and while working as an apprentice at the blacksmith's trade he would have his book nearby. In this way he became a well informed man, and had not only the knowledge of books but a knowledge of men. He worked at his trade and on the farm until 1832, then moved to Slate Dam on the Lehigh river, where he engaged in merchandising with the firm Rupp & Shifferstein. Later they dissolved partnership, Mr. Laury con- tinuing the business under his own name. He next built a large grist-mill, which proved a most profitable enterprise. At one time, in company with James Newhard, he assumed the agency for the Union Slate Company of Baltimore, and in 1884 with James M. Porter, Samuel Taylor, Thomas Craig and Robert McDowell he engaged in slate quarrying at Kerns Mill, now Slatington, Pennsylvania. He became locally prominent, and when the build- ing of the Lehigh railroad was first agitated he strongly supported the pro- ject, and helped to raise money for the first survey. When the road was finally located, he donated ground for the station at Slate Dam, and when the road was opened in 1855 he was appointed express, freight, ticket and station agent at Laury's Station, so named in his honor, Slate Dam passing away. Laury's Station, a village on the Lehigh river, nine miles from Allen- town, possessed advantages as a summer resort, and as Mr. Laury was the principal land owner he built a hotel, and in time the village became a well known resort. He was also the pioneer of Laury's Island, on the Lehigh, a very popular picnic resort. In 1870 he was elected president of the North Whitehall Building & Loan Association, and for nine years he gave personal attention to its affairs. He continued station agent at Laury's as long as he lived, and kept close supervision of all his business affairs. He was a man of keenly sagacious mind, honorable and upright, and very enterprising and energetic, knowing no such word as fail.


Nor was he simply a business man ; on the contrary, he was closely con- nected with matters political and wielded a strong influence. His interest in


Dabid Laury


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politics began in 1838 when, with seven other Democrats from Lehigh county, he attended a State Democratie convention at Harrisburg. That was known as the Young Men's Convention, and a result was the nomination and election of David R. Porter. In 1846 he was nominated for the Legislature from the distriet formed by Carbon and Lehigh counties, but was defeated. In 1850 he was again nominated by the Democracy and elected, serving four years. In 1856 he was a presidential elector, and cast his vote for James Buchanan at the meeting of the Electoral College at Harrisburg on December 3, of that year. In 1853 he had been appointed postmaster of Laury's Station, and aeted as such until 1861, when he was reappointed by President Lincoln, and sueeessively reappointed until his death, although an ardent Democrat and the administrations from President Lincoln continuously Republican. In 1865 he was elected justiee of the peace for North Whitehall township, and in 1867 he was appointed by the courts of Lehigh and Northampton counties to rep- resent the district in the Board of State Revenue Commissioners for adjusting the amount of taxation to be raised in the different sections of the State. In 1868 he was elected associate judge of the courts of Lehigh eounty for a term of five years, and at its expiration was re-elected for a similar term, serving with distinction and honor.




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