USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > History of Schuylkill County, Pa. with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 79
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 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104
Conrad Shepp, his grandfather, emigrated from Ger- many and settled in the township of Alsace,-afterward Muhlenburg, -- in that portion of it now included in the old firm name of D. Shepp & Co. During all of this city of Reading. He married there a Miss Klohs, and they had six children, a son and five daughters. Coming to this country without means, he worked at day wages until he had accumulated sufficient money to buy one ox, his employer becoming his security for a second one, and he drove the two to Philadelphia and thus laid the foundation for his subsequent successful career as a drover. He eventually purchased a farm of 100 acres, which under his management became one of the most productive in that region. Here he raised his family. He died in the year 1840. His wife died a number of years before him.
Daniel Shepp, Conrad's only son, and father of the subject of our sketch, was born February 16th, 1802. He was brought up a farmer and drover. After the death of his father he came into possession of the home farm. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Daniel Zachrias. . She was born September 30th, 1800. Their children were Susannah, Elizabeth, Samuel, Rebecca, Daniel and John. The daughters are now (1881) deceased; the sons are all living. Daniel Shepp, sen., died March 15th, 1880. His wife survives him and is living at the homestead,
Daniel Shepp, his son, passed his childhood at home, receiving his education in the district school of his native town, supplemented by six month's attendance at Union- ville Academy in Chester county. In February, 1851, in company with twenty others from Reading and vicinity, he started for California via Panama. He engaged in gold mining while there, and after an absence of seven- teen months, during which time he had saved over and above expenses $5,000, he reached home in August, 1852. November ist of that year he became book- keeper for W. H. Chiner & Co., at Mount Laurel fur- nace, where he remained sixteen months. In March, 1854, he came to Tamaqua, and, in company with A. W. Kauffman and Daniel Baum bnilt the stone flouring mill, known as the Tamaqua Steam Mills. Under the firm name of Daniel Shepp & Co. the business was carried on for two years. In 1856 Adam Aulthouse, his brother-in- law, purchased Kauffman & Baum's interest, and under
the mill was run in the name of Shepp & Stidfole. In 1867 Joseph B. Hursh purchased Stidfole's interest, since which time the business has been conducted under the period, except when Mr. Stidfole was a partner, Mr. Shepp has been the sole manager of the business. On the first day of March, 1869, in company with Conrad Graeber aad John Kempel, he purchased the lease of the Locust Gap colliery from John W. Draper, and he has retained his interest in the property to the present time. Both his milling and coal interests have been successful.
For twenty-four years Mr. Shepp has been a member of the town council of the borough of Tamaqua. This fact alone sufficiently attests the estimation in which he is held by the citizens of Tamaqua. During that time he has also been a member of the special police of the bor- ough. His efforts as an officer of the borough to ferret out and bring to trial the murderers of Benjamin F. Yost, his brother-in-law, made him especially obnoxious to the Molly Maguires, and he was "marked " for one of their victims. The subsequent arrest, trial, conviction and execution of many of the leaders of that organization un- doubtedly saved his life. The outlaws succeeded, how- ever, in burning his coal breaker, by which his company incurred a loss of $25,000.
In politics Mr. Shepp has been identified with the Democratic party. During the war of the Rebellion he was a war democrat, and voted for President Lincoln for a second term, on the principle suggested by the latter, that "it is not well to swap horses when crossing the stream."
He has been for many years a member of the German Reformed church, and is an active member and a liberal supporter of that church in Tamaqua. He is a member of the Masonic, Odd Fellows, and Knights of Pythias fraternities, and of Doubleday Post of the Grand Army of the Republic.
October 14th, 1857, Mr. Shepp married Mary Isabella, daughter of Joshua and Susanna Boyer. Mrs. Shepp was born in McKeansburg July 26th, 1839. They have had children as follows: Kate Olive, Mary Rebecca, William Henry, Annie Louisa, Edward Milo, Rosa Bella, Daniel Franklin, Bessie Fidellas and an infant; all are living except Kate Olive and Bessie.
George Lizzano
George Wiggan, born in London, May 21st, 1800, was married August 6th, 1826, at St. George's church, Han- over Square, to Susannah, daughter of Samuel Draper, Hertford, Herts, England. Five children were born to them, viz .: two sons and three daughters; the latter died in England and one son in Philadelphia; the remaining eldest son, George F. Wiggan, now resides in Germantown.
George Wiggan remembers seeing, when a child, the funeral of Lord Nelson; and was present when Sir Francis Burdett, escorted by the King's Life Guards, was taken to the Tower of London. Prior to leaving England he had visited nearly all the prisons and hospi- tals in London for benevolent purposes. He was locked up at one time in Newgate for two hours with a number of criminals, all double ironed. The Bible was chained to the desk. He was on a committee of St. Clement's parish to visit the homes of misery and wretchedness about Drury Lane and Wylde street, and assisted in re- lieving their temporal wants.
On the 19th of October, 1834, Mr. Wiggan, with his wife and his son (aged six years), set sail from London in the good ship " Samson," Captain Chadwick. They ar- rived at New York November 25th, 1834, and put up at
a boarding house near Pearl street. The first night the father had to sit up most of the time and keep the rats from devouring the child with a stick. The next year occurred the great fire which destroyed millions of these pests.
Having located his family in Philadelphia Mr. Wiggan went to Washington to deliver letters and documents to B. F. Butler, attorney-general of the United States, Gen- eral Jackson being President. He went by boat from Philadelphia to Baltimore, and thence by stage over a corduroy road, arriving at Washington at rI p.m. There was no room for him at any of the hotels, so he walked the street from the White House to the Capitol back and forth nearly all night. At daybreak he went for break- fast to a hotel, where he had been refused the night be- fore, and on talking with the landlord found that the latter had a brother in London who was a very intimate friend of Mrs. Wiggan. The landlord gave the traveler the best room in the house as long as he remained in Washington. After delivering his despatches Mr. Wig- gan was introduced to the President, General Jackson, who sat down with him by his hickory fire, and they had a long talk, Mr. Wiggan being promised that if he would stay a position should be found for him. He preferred
MRS. GEORGE WIGGAN.
Philadelphia however, and was engaged by Edward Bid- dle, then president of the Little Schuylkill Navigation Railroad and Coal Company, to attend to their coal yard on Spruce street; afterward he was appointed their shipping agent on the Pine street wharf.
Having united with the temperance society of Phila- delphia, he took an active part in promoting its cause. He was secretary for three of the societies, and treasurer for one, and was appointed one of the marshals of the first temperance parade in Philadelphia; Rev. S. Tyng, Rev. John Chambers, and Father Hunt were the orators of the day, and held forth at the Chinese museum in Ioth street. January 11th, 1840, Mr. Wiggan was ap- pointed a delegate to the first temperance convention, held at Harrisburgh. In 1836 the temperance people petitioned the council to have dippers chained to the pumps of Philadelphia for the use of the citizens, which was done. In 1838 Mr. Wiggan was introduced to John B. Gongh, who made his first appearance as an advocate of the temperance cause in a little church on 8th street, Philadelphia.
In March, 1840, Mr. Wiggan became the Little Schuyl- kill Company's agent at Port Clinton. He instituted the first Sabbath school there, and was elected and ordained | erected at Ashland.
an elder of the Presbyterian church for Tamaqua and Summit Hill churches, connected with the Presbytery of Luzerne. He has been commissioned by the Presbytery of Luzerne and the Presbytery of Lehigh eight times, to represent those Presbyteries in the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America, the sessions being held as follows: Baltimore, May, 1848; Charleston, S. C., 1852; Lexington, Ky., 1857: Roches- ter, N. Y., 1860; Cincinnati, O., 1867; New York City, 1869; Pittsburgh, Pa., November, 1869; Baltimore, 1873.
In 1847 he removed from Port Clinton to Tamaqua, and went into coal mining, establishing the firm of Wig- gan & Son. In 1854 he was elected chief burgess of the borough of Tamaqua. In 1856 he was the nominee of the Republican party for associate judge for the Court of Schuylkill county. He has been a director of the First National Bank since its organization in 1853. In 1866 he was appointed treasurer of the Tamaqua school district, and in 1873 treasurer of the Mahanoy City Water Company, both of which positions he now holds. For several years connected with Benjamin Bannan and others, he took an active part in furthering the erection of a miner's hospital for this county, which is now being
REILLY TOWNSHIP.
HIS township was so named in honor of Ber- nard Reilly, late one of the associate judges of this county. It was formed out of the southwestern part of Branch, and was laid out in 1856. It was surveyed by Samuel Fisher. Its present boundaries are: on the north Foster and Cass, on the east Branch, on the south Wayne and Washington, and on the west Frailey. From north to south it extends about four and a half miles, and from east to west about four miles, and contains about eighteen square miles. Through this township all the coal veins known in the Mine hill and Broad mountain extend. For agricultural purposes neither the soil nor the surface is generally well adapted. There are, however, some portions of the township where the ground is free from stones and otherwise tillable. No doubt the first settlers were attracted by the appearance of these spots, and locat- ed thereon and began clearing with the intention of farm- ing for a livelihood. Outside of the small patches used by the miners and workingmen as gardens, in and around the colliery villages, there is now within the limits of the township very little land under cultivation, the former clearings being abandoned, and some of them over- grown with scrubby pitch pines. The population of the township-in 1860 was 2,900; in 1870, 1,890; and in 1880, 1,452.
Jacob Fox, his wife, two sons and two daughters, were the first settlers of this township. They came from near Womelsdorf, Berks county, in 1790, and located about half a mile south of the site of Branch Dale. Their first improvement was the erection of a one-story log house. They cleared the Fox farm. The country west- ward from Fox's residence is called Fox valley.
George Werner, father of Christopher Werner, who died about 1850, was a Revolutionary soldier. Peter Starr served in the war of 1812.
At the time Jacob Fox settled here deer and other game were plenty, and meat could be easily obtained. Shingle timber was plenty, and flour and groceries were procured by "shaving out " a load of shingles, hauling them often as far as Reading, and exchanging them for such articles as were needed in the family. There was no mill within many miles, and the first settlers used to boil their wheat and eat it with milk. In 1803 Peter Starr, a young man, a tailor, and a former acquaintance of the family of Jacob Fox, joined them; and, in 1804, was married to Elizabeth, the eldest daughter, and com- menced house keeping in Fox's small log house. This
was the first marriage in the township. Starr settled not far from his father-in-law's house, and there erected a hewed log house, and in course of time cleared about forty acres of land. In 1804 his wife gave birth to a girl baby, who was named Elizabeth in honor of her mother. This was the first birth in the township. Starr raised a large family, of whom three sons and four daugh- ters are yet alive. Some time after the marriage of Starr to Elizabeth Fox, George Haeffer married Susan, the second daughter of Jacob Fox, and also commenced house-keeping in the log house of Jacob Fox, and in course of time also built a hewed log house, and cleared about twenty-five acres of land. These three families it may be said were the earliest settlers within the borders of this township. Many reminiscences and stories of attack by, and hair breadth escapes from, wounded deer, prowling wolves, wild cats and bears might be re- lated of grandfather Haeffer, and others.
It is said that in 1811 John Bretzius, with his family (consisting of his wife, a son and several daughters) and accompanied by some neighbors, came from Blue moun- tain valley in Wayne, with several loads of household goods and some boards, via Pine Grove and the mountain tavern to Fox valley, where at "Black Horse " they unloaded the goods under two large oak trees, made a tent or shelter of some linen cloth, laid down a floor of rough boards and had a regular old fashioned country dance the night of their arrival. Bretzius, with the as- sistance of some of his friends, built a one-and-a-half story log house, and for many years kept a tavern there, which was the first in the township. Mr. Bretzius was succeeded as "landlord " by Philip Cares; Cares by Daniel Tobias, who built the Black Horse Hotel, which he kept many years, and was succeeded by Beneville Witner, Abraham Evans, Thomas Evans and John Graves. At present the house is occupied as a dwelling.
About 1846 the first mail was carried through this township by L. M. Gager, who drove a stage between Pottsville and Tremont. In 1848 Swatara post-office was opened, with Daniel Tobias as postmaster.
VILLAGES AND TOWNS.
The beginning of the village of BRANCH DALE, Muddy Branch or Weaverstown, as it has been variously called, dates about 1836, with the opening of the mines by Martin Weaver. It is not a regularly laid out town; most of the houses first erected were mere log shanties. The village received its name from being located on the banks | of the extreme western tributary of the Schuylkill. The
343
VILLAGES IN REILLY TOWNSHIP-ROADS-MINES.
present limits of Branch Dale embrace the village formerly known as New Mines. In the latter place there are a number of good houses. The two places together have considerable population. In 1875 there was a Methodist church erected here.
SWATARA VILLAGE is about two miles west of Branch Dale on Swatara creek, a short distance south of Swatara Falls. A visit to these falls is never a matter for regret. The water here rushes over an almost perpendicular precipice eighty feet high, and when the stream is swol- len the roaring of the waters is heard a mile. Swatara village contains a Methodist church, built in 1868, a pub- lic school-house, a hotel, kept by Alexander Griffith, and a store, kept by Jonah Williams. It is a mining village and contains not half the population it did ten or fifteen years ago. A short distance west of Swatara is a small settlement known as Tuckerville. The post-office for Swatara is kept there. Mr. James Coffy is the post- master.
NEW TOWN is situated about three miles east of Tre- mont and about one mile southwest from Swatara. It is on the lands of George Patterson. The lots were sur- veyed by Allen Fisher. The original land grant of this town was by patent to Michael Kunkel bearing date 1703. It contains two hotels, a large double public school-house, two small stores, and several smaller shops. The hotels are kept by John Aller and Conrad Ossman. In con- nection with his hotel, Ossman keeps a small store. The first house built in this place was erected by John P. Bettinger and was intended for a store house. It is now the hotel of John Allen. Soon after the commencement of the town the two Zerbey brothers, Martin and Henry, erected a large three-story house for a hotel, which is at present occupied as a private dwelling.
PUBLIC ROADS.
The date of the first road located in and passing through this township is not known. The first road leading into Fox's valley connected with the Reading and Sunbury road at the house of Emanuel Jenkins late Keffer's tav- ern) and passed between Tremont and Donaldson, and through the township to Pottsville. This road was never surveyed. It was first used as a log and shingle road, and was extended as necessity required. The next road, known as the Pottsville road, from Pine Valley in Hegins township, extended over the Broad mountain at Sher- man's tavern, and passed through this township. It was never surveyed. Simply located by jury, with but little alteration, it is used as originally located, intersecting the Tremont road at Newtown. Another road was made from Tuckerville to Clauser's mill in Branch about
1841. It passes through Swatara, Branch Dale, and Muddy Branch.
COLLIERIES.
About 1836 at "Weaverstown " (now a part of Branch Dale), Martin Weaver opened the first colliery in this township. Like many of the past openings, his were on water level, and the producing facilities were not on as
Ezra Cockill was the builder, and Rev. Richard Kaines was the first preacher. The congregation num- bers about 50. The village of Branch Dale contains a post-office, one church, two public schools, three stores, large a scale as those of colleries worked at the present three hotels and several saloons and small shops. Scott & Crow are the leading merchants. Robert Wier keeps a hotel and store. In connection with a hotel Mr. Conly also keeps a store.
day. Mr. Weaver however operated his colliery for many years, employing a large number of men and boys, and shipping a great quantity of coal. The colliery is now abandoned and dismantled.
Some time after the opening of the Weaverstown col- liery the Forest Improvement Company opened a colliery about a mile west of it on the Otto tract, known as the "New Mines." John Spencer also opened and for some time operated a colliery here. It is said that the Spen- cers erected all, or nearly all, the stone houses belong- ing to these mines, and owing to the number of such houses the place was very frequently called "the stone houses." The colliery is at present known as the "Otto." These collieries were successively worked by different operators, one of whom was Thomas Shollenberger. Under his management the colliery became one of the largest and most productive in the county. It is owned and operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company, and from its producing capacity, and for the superior quality of its coal, is noted as one of the best in the county. Its combined steam power is about 700 horse-power, and when in full working order its shipments amount to about 1,250 tons per day. About 250 men and boys are employed inside, and 150 outside.
About 1850 the late Samuel Fisher or Howell Fisher opened and for some time afterward operated the Swa- tara colliery, about two miles west of the Otto. Later the colliery was successively operated by Messrs. Brown & White, Mr. Hewit and Major J. Claude White. It is at present operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Coal and Iron Company. Formerly this colliery pro- duced about 150 cars per day, and employed a large number of men and boys. Its present capacity is about 50 cars per day, and it employs about 100 men and boys inside and outside. About 1850 also John B. McCreary opened a small colliery at Swatara. This colliery was afterward worked by James Gilfillan, but, owing to the inferiority of its coal, it was abandoned.
About 1856 Allen Fisher opened a small colliery in Sharp Mountain, which is abandoned. There were sev- eral other small collieries opened at various times, but, not proving remunerative, they were soon abandoned.
SCHOOLS.
The first day school in this township was kept in a spring house on the farm of William Gebert, by Peter Haupt, a German. The German language only was taught. The only surviving pupils are a daughter of Mr. Gebert, married to J. S. Zerbey, and Jacob Zerbey, both residing in Ohio. The first public school was held in a
.
344
HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY.
small house belonging to Philip Cares, about seventy-five yards east of the Cross Keys hotel. This school was
house in the township was built about 1852, on the south side of the public road and about one hundred and fifty opened about 1841 or 1842. Among the successive yards west of the Black Horse Hotel. Philip Cook was teachers of this school may be mentioned James Love, Isaac Betz, Nathaniel Bressler, Henry S. Strong and Pe- ter O. Bressler. There are still a number surviving of the early attendants at this school. The first school-
the first teacher in this building, and during the term of 1852 Mr. Cook, assisted by Abraham H. Tobias, organ- ized the first Sunday school, Mr. Cook acting as superin- tendent.
RUSH TOWNSHIP.
HIS is one of the original nine townships of this county, and dates from 1811, when the county was separated from Berks. It area, when first organized, was much greater than at present; as from it have been taken, in whole or in part, Mahanoy, in 1849; Rahn, in 1860; Ryan, in 1868; and Klein, in 1873. The population in 1830 was 359; 1840, 370; 1850, 670; 1860, 1,076; 1870, 2,291; 1880, 1,522.
In this township the Little Schuylkill river has its source. The Indian name of the stream was Tamaqua, and the borough of Tamaqua perpetuates the name.
The pioneer settlers of Rush came from Berks county, and were all of German origin, and for many years they spoke only the German language. The oldest road in the township is the Tamaqua and Hazleton road; and along that road are some of the old- est clearings. Thomas Lindner came to Rush in 1800, and prior to 1811 built the house opposite the stone tav- ern on the old road. John Faust settled in the township n 1806, three miles southwest of Barnesville. Abram L. Boughner located near the same place in 1815. Jacob Neifert and Andrew Gottschall were early pioneers and cleared the first land in the neighborhood of Tamanend. John Feller at an early date located in the township and built the house where Charles Blew now lives, near Barnesville. These were the earliest settlers of whom we have any authentic information. The first attempts to develop the region were made by capitalists, who paid a certain part of the settlers' expenses, and after they be- gan to thrive sold them small farms; hence there was not that fixedness of habitation among the pioneers that we should expect under the homestead law. Gross & Wissimer erected a grist and two saw-mills, about 1812, near Mintzer's station, where Dupont & Weldy's upper powder mill now stands. The first tenant was William Major, and the mill was known as Major's mill. This was the first mill in the region.
HOMETOWN.
Of villages Hometown is the oldest, and tradition says that here was a favorite resort of the Indians. This
place was founded by Messrs. Duncan, of Philadelphia, in 1829. It was thought to possess superior advantages, as it is surrounded by good farming land, in the vicinity of abundant limestone. Jacob Faust kept the hotel, built by the proprietors, taking possession in 1831. Wil- liam Kaup settled there about 1830. The first licensed tavern was kept by John Kaup, where William Kaup now lives. Before the days of rapid transit by rail these tav- erns on the old road were places of considerable import- ance to teamsters and travelers; even now traces of their better days remain. Hometown remains a small hamlet.
BARNESVILLE.
This village owes its origin to the building of the Little Schuylkill Railroad, which was completed in 1854. Prior to the opening of this road quite a number of farms were cleared in the valley between Barnesville and Qua- kake Junction. The first hotel was built by Jacob Faust and opened in 1854. The first store was kept by David and Michael Bender. About 1860 Edward Yarnold had a store and steam saw-mill in the village. The place has never materially prospered, and contains at present a church, hotel, store, public school and the usual number of shops necessary for its two hundred inhabitants. Here lives Jacob H. Faust, the patriarch of the township considerably past three score and ten, yet hale and hearty
TAMANEND.
This name is of Indian derivation. There is a tradi- tion among the old residents that about the time of the Wyoming massacre a noted Indian chief, Taman by name, an ally of the British and tories, was foremost in the war upon the defenseless frontier. Afterward, when the avengers of the frontier butcheries made war upon the savages, Taman was brought to bay at Hawk's curve, near the site of the village. Here he was captured and immediately hanged; hence the name, Taman's end, or Tamanend. This village is at the junction of the Little Schuylkill and Catawissa Railroads. In 1870 the Cen- tral Railroad of New Jersey connected with the other roads at this point. The place was begun in 1853. A hotel, a store, a post-office and the necessary number of dwellings for the railway employes form the town.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.