History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Vol. II, Part 39

Author: Schalck, Adolf W.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: State Historical Association
Number of Pages: 700

USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Vol. II > Part 39

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pioneer mutual labor in the push It was he who built the new church, organized the parish, and set the mierin working in order The bounds of his parish were almost hnutless, there being no other Catholic church westward for a distance of forty miles. The now thriving towns of Shamokin, Mount Carmel, Ashland. MMahanoy City, Shenandoah, Girardville and others, where Catholi- cism Is now prosperous, were not then known. But the adventurous pioneers who had invaded the wilds, were to be found at all of these places and many others, and their spiritual advice and counsel in distress and misfortune came principally from the incessant labors of Father Fitzsimmons. He traveled over this wild and dangerous country, mostly on foot or on horseback, visiting the sick, consoling the dying and burying the dead, and no personal sacrifice seemed to great for him to make in the interest of humanity. Many pleas- ant reminiscences are left as an evidence that he always found amusement and pleasure in the most discouraging surroundings. and that he saw a silver lining in every cloud. He was succeeded in the rectorship. Ang. 15. 1848, by Rev. Father M. A. Malone, who continued at the head of the church for nearly thirty years, and this was the period of development in numerical and financial strength. Father Malone finished the interior of the church, built the tower, and placed the bell therein. He also built a handsome pastoral residence, a brick structure, two and one-half stories high. He received into the church by baptism an average of about three hundred persons annually during this period of great religious ac- tivity. His duties in the early days were very similar to those of the first pastor, and were equally as arduous and hazardous. It is recorded of him that he attended sick call- at a distance of forty miles from his home. He labored in the parish until the last and when the final summons came he was laid to rest in a vault in front of the church for whose welfare he had sarcificed so much of life's energy. In later years, his body was removed by his sister and placed in the sacristy. Rev. Father McGovern was the suc- cessor of Father Malone, but he was transferred to another field after a short term with St. Vincent de Paul's, and Rev. Father P. J. Eagan assumed the pastorate. But his field of usefulness was terminated here by death in Apr. 1879, after little more than six months' service. He was a young man of bright promise for fu- ture usefulness in the church and his untimely death was greatly deplored by a large circle of friends both in and out of the church. He was a native of Schuylkill county, born at Heckscherville, where his parents died. Rev. J. Scanlan came as the successor to Father Eagan, but he too was called from carth, in Feb., 1882. Rev. M. P. O'Brien served the church very acceptably until Feb., 1885. during which time he made many improvements on the church and its surroundings. He also collated and arranged the church records of baptisms, marriages, etc .. and had the same substantially bound for preservation. This service has been greatly appreciated by his successors, since the records of St. Vincent de Paul are frequently sought to establish matters of material interest to the

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inquirers. Rev. F. P. Beresford was the next pastor in order of succession, and served the church for ten years, being a most excellent pastor, careful and methodical, and ever alive to the interests of his church and people. During his pastorate a mission church was organized at Branchdale, and a handsome little church was erected, which, with furnishings complete, cost about $5,500, nearly all of which was contributed by the Catholics of Branch- dale. Father Beresford also inade material improvements on the church and parish property in Minersville. Rev. P. F. Fogerty and Rev. J. J. McAnany, in the order namned, succeeded to the pastorate of St. Vincent de Paul, the former remaining but a short time. He came from the rectorship of St. Jerome's church, at Tamaqua, and was an active, energetic and scholarly leader who greatly endeared himself to the people of the parish. Father McAnany was the immediate predecessor of the Rev. P. J. McMahon, in. whose name this sketch is written. Father McAnany was in poor health, and the onerous duties of the parish overtaxed his physical strength. He went south in the winter of 1900, and Father McMahon suc- ceeded to the rectorship at the same time. But he did not come here as a stranger. He had served about two years as assistant rector dur- ing the pastorate of Father Beresford, and was well and favorably remembered by many of the parish people. He is ably assisted in his pastoral work by Rev. Thomas J. Hurton, who is now serving under his first ministerial assignment. Father McMahon is a gen- tleman uniformly esteemed throughout a very large circle of ac- quaintances, and has especially endeared himself to the people of his church. He is genial and companionable, with a pleasant word and kindly smile for everybody. The parish as at present organized embraces a large scope of territory, including within its confines 430 families and 2,100 souls. To reach all of these, scattered over many miles of territory, involves untold labors and constant activ- ity. Two churches are sustained within the parish, in each of which two masses are said every Sunday. Father McMahon has been an active worker in the Ancient Order of Hibernians for a number of years, and has served the order both as county and state chaplain. The contemplated improvements at St. Vincent de Paul for the year 1907 embrace a new front extension to the church edifice and a new parish hall. Arrangements are made for the completion of this work, the net cost of which will be about $10,000.

Meck, Milton, is one of the representative business men and in- fluential citizens of Schuylkill Haven, is ex-president of the bor- ough council and is held in unequivocal esteem in the community which has been his home from the time of his nativity. He has various capitalistic interests in the county and is one of the in- terested principals in the knitting mill at Schuylkill Haven. He was born in the town which is now his home, Sept. 21, 1861, and is a son of Charles and Priscilla Meck, both native of Berks county, this state, where the former was born Jan. 16, 1831, and the latter March 14, 1829. The Meck family was early founded in the old Keystone state and one of the paternal great-grandfathers of the

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subject of this review was a lasal and valiant solcher in the war of 1812 Milton Meck was afforded the advantages of the public schools of Schuylkill Haven and has been identified with local business interests from the migration of his independent career to the present time. As a citizen he is alert, enterprising and pub- lie spirited, and his services have been called into requisition in positions of public trust. He served eight years as a member of the town council and for two years was president of the borough council. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party. and he and his wife are members of the Reformed church. . Apr. 20, 188, Mr. Meck was united in marriage to Miss Annie Agnes Frantz, daughter of William and Louisa ( Batdorf) Frantz. of Williamstown. Dauphin county, and of this union the six children, all of whom are living, are: Amy Ellen, Jennie Marie. Marion Arline, Ethel Louisa. Harold Leinbach, and Millard Millford.

Meck, Walter F .- One of the important industrial enterprises of the county is that conducted under the title of Meck & Co., at Schuylkill Haven. in the manufacturing of underwear of excellent grade, and of this concern the subject of this brief sketch is an interested principal, being actively identified with the work of the mills in an executive capacity. Mr. Meck was born at Meckville, Berks county, Pa .. Apr. 15. 1878, and is a son of Jacob R. and Esther ( Becker) Meck, both of whom likewise claim that county as the place of their nativity. The father was born in Bethel town- ship. May 4. 1850. The great-grandfather of the subject of this review was a patriot soldier in the war of 1812, as a member of a Pennsylvania regiment. Walter F. Meck, whose name introduces this paragraph, is indebted to the public schools of his native county for his preliminary educational discipline, which was sup- plemented by attendance in the schools of Schuylkill Haven and the State normal school at Millersville. After leaving school he maintained his home in Meckville until topo, and since then he has lived in Schuylkill Haven. Here he has become prominent as a young man of much business acumen and sterling character. commanding the esteem of all who know him. His political al- legiance is given to the Republican party, he holds membership in the Reformed church, and is affiliated with the Patriotic Order of the Sons of America. Nov. 11. 1003. Mr. Meck was united in marriage to Miss Uric Klahr, daughter of Jacob and Amelia (Zerbe) Klahr, of Schuylkill Haven, and of this union has been born one son-Charles Jacob.

Medlar, Lewis T., is a native of Schuylkill county and is one of the representative contractors and builders of Pottsville, where he has been engaged in this line of enterprise for more than thirty-five years. He was born at Drehersville. this county. Mar. 4. 1843. and is the son of Samuel B. and Susannah ( DeFrehn) Med- lar. the former of whom was born at Drehersville and the latter at Orwigsburg, this county, where the respective families were established in the pioneer epoch. The paternal grandfather, Christian Medlar, was of stanch Pennsylvania-Dutch stock

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and was one of the carly settlers of Brunswick township, this county, where he reclaimed and improved a good farm, upon which he continued to reside until his death. The maiden name of his wife was Catherine Bushey. The maternal grandfather of the sub- ject of this review was Daniel DeFfrehn, who was of French lineage and who was a pioneer carpenter and contractor of Schuylkill county. He maintained his home in Orwigsburg for many years and finally removed to Pottsville, where he passed the residue of his life. Samuel B. Medlar was reared and educated in this county and for many years he was a prosperous farmer of Brunswick township. He passed his declining years in Pottsville, where he lived retired until his death, which occurred June 4, 1891, at which time he was seventy-two years of age. He was a man of sterling integrity and was well and favorably known throughout his native county. His cherished and devoted wife passed away Aug. 2, 1887, aged sixty-two years. Following is a brief record concern- ing their children: John C. is a resident of Drehersville; Lewis T. is the immediate subject of this sketch ; Francis O. is deceased ; Daniel A. is a clergyman of the United Evangelical church ; Mary M. became the wife of Richard Rahn and is now deceased ; Cather- ine is the wife of Dr. Frank Ziegenfus; Samuel R. resides in Al- lentown, Pa .; William is a minister of the Congregational church ; and Sarah A., who was for many years a popular teacher in the public schools of Pottsville, is now practicing Osteopathy in this city. Lewis T. Medlar is indebted to the common schools of Drehersville for his early educational training, and as a youth he assisted in the work of the home farm. At the age of nineteen years he entered upon an apprenticeship at the carpenter's trade, serving three years and becoming a skilled workman. He was thereafter employed as a journeyman at his trade until 1871, when he engaged in business for himself as a contractor and builder. His attention has since been continuously given to this branch of industrial enterprise and he has done a large amount of important work in the county, especially in Pottsville. where are to be noted among the prominent buildings erected by him the Pottsville hos- pital and nurses' home, the public school building on the Miners- ville road, the Evangelical church, and the residences of IV. L. Sheafer, Walter S. Sheafer, A. W. Sheafer, Joseph Harris, Samuel Riley, J. M. Freck, George Smith, and James Focht, besides many others. Mr. Medlar is a citizen of stability and public spirit and is known as a reliable and upright business man, well meriting the high esteem in which he is uniformly held. He is a Republican in his political proclivities and he and his wife are zealous members of the United Evangelical church. May 19, 1866, Mr. Medlar was married to Miss Sybil Miller, daughter of Peter and Catherine (Seltzer) Miller. Her paternal grandfather, Andrew Miller, and her great-grandfather, Christian Miller, were numbered among the honored pioneers of this county, and the last named was a native of Germany. The maternal grandparents, Abraham and Catherine (Faust) Seltzer, were also well known early settlers of

the county. Concerning the children of Mr and Mrs Medllar it may be said that Emma 11, is the wife of William Warren Kessel: Joseph 1. Heber 11., and Harold 1. all remain residents of their native county ; and Catherine, the third in order of birth. hed in childhood.

Melley, Charles P., is one of the representative business men of the thriving borough of Coaldale, where he conducts a success full enterprise as a wholesale liquor dealer. Ile was born in the borough which is now his home and the date of his nativity was Oct. 7. 1873. lle is a son of James and Mary (Shovelin) Melley, both of whom were born and reared in county Donegal. Ireland. Their marriage was solemnized in Coaldale. Schuylkill county Pa., where the father took up his residence about 1867. lle forthwith identified himself with work in the mines and con- tinued to be concerned in this great industry during the remainder of his active business career. He and his wife still reside in Coal- dale and he is now living essentially retired, being well known and highly esteemed in the community which has so long repre- sented his home. Of the eleven children in the family only three are living-Frank, a resident of the state of Nevada ; Charles P .. the immediate subject of this review : and Annie, the wife of John F. 'MeElhenney, of Coaldale. Charles P. Melley early began to face the active responsibilities of life, since he was but seven years of age when he secured employment about the mines. His early educational training was gained in the public schools of Coaldale, and was limited in scope, owing to the exigencies of time and place. He continued to be identified with mining operations until 1906, since which year he has been established in the wholesale liquor trade in his native place. He is also a stockholder in the Panther Valley co-operative store in Coaldale, which was organ- izen in 1894, and he was president of the company for two years. . As a citizen he is loyal and public-spirited and he is a stanch sup- porter of the principles and policies for which the Democratic party stands sponsor. Ile is a communicant of St. Mary's Catholic church and is affiliated with the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

Mellon, Davis M., a justice of the peace at Pottsville and an United States claim attorney, was born in Schuylkill Haven, this county, Nov. 29. 1844. He is a son of Mark and Justina (Warner) Mellon. The family is of Scotch ancestry and the first member to settle in this country came from across the water about 1762. The father was born in Delaware, March 4. 1803. and spent most of his active life as a contracting bridge-builder. Ile was captain of the Schuylkill Grays in 1840 and for a number of years was state inspector of militia in the counties of Berks. Lebanon and Schuylkill. His death occurred on the forty-ninth anniver- sary of his birth, in 1852, and his wife, who was a native of Berks county, died in 1897, in her seventy-ninth year. They were the parents of five children, two of whom, the first and second born, died in infancy. Another, Henry Clay, a machinist by vocation. died in 1877. as a result of a surgical operation, and he left a widow

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and a son, Henry Clay, Jr., who now resides in Dixon, Ill. A daughter, Phoebe, is the wife of F. P. Shuman, an insurance agent of La Crosse, Wis. The subject of this sketch is the elder of the two survivors of the family. He attended the common schools of his native county until he was about sixteen years of age and then entered the office of the Pottsville Standard as a printer's devil. After he had been there about three months the Civil war broke out and he enlisted in the company which was being recruited in Pottsville, and which subsequently became Company H of the 96th Pennsylvania infantry. At the battle of South Mountain he received a severe wound, which kept him in hospital for some months. When he was partially recovered he was transferred to Company K of the 14th veteran reserve corps, and he served as company clerk until Oct. 4, 1864, when, by reason of expiration of his term of service, he was mustered out, and he then returned to his home in Tremont. He attended school for one term, and from 1865 to 1868 was engaged in teaching. He then entered the mercantile business as a clerk in the store of Aaron Eckel, of Tremont, this county, and of J. B. Price, of Ash- land. He subsequently became bookkeeper for George H. Hel- frich & Co. In 1871 he engaged in the sewing-machine business at Tremont, while he also maintained a branch office at Millers- burg, Dauphin county. For the past thirty years he has been a practicing attorney before all the various departments at our national capitol, giving especial attention to pension claims. He has filed nearly 3,000 claims before the pension department and has been unusually successful in securing favorable consideration. Mr. Mellon's residence in Pottsville dates from 1897, when he removed there from Tremont. In 1902 he was appointed justice of the peace, and he has been retained in the office at every elec- tion since that time by the votes of his appreciative fellow citi- zens. · While a resident of Tremont he served five years in a simi- lar position. On Christmas day, 1869, Mr. Mellon married Miss Annie M. Sherk, of Grantville, Dauphin county, a daughter of Amos B. and Lydia Sherk, both of whom were born

in Lebanon county, and who reared a family of four sons and four daughters. Two of the sons, Simon and Ed- ward, are wholesale grocers at Findlay, Ohio; John is engaged in contracting and building at Harrisburg; Galen is a conductor on an electric line in Harrisburg; Fannie is the widow of C. A. Bicksler ; Alice, now deceased, married Prof. W. N. Schman, prin- cipal of the Bridgeport, Pa., high school; Laura is the wife of William H. Middleton, an attorney of Harrisburg. The father was a merchant tailor by vocation. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Mellon has been blessed with five children, three of whom are living. Mabel Lillian, the firstborn, died at the age of four- teen months; Harry W., who is a druggist in Pottsville, married Miss Jessie Sneddon, of Shenandoah, and they have one child. Anna O .; Florence May is the wife of George W. Skelly, a loco- motive engineer, and is the mother of two daughters. Naomi

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and Caroline, Nam L Ives with her parents in Pottsville and is forewoman in a shirt factory . Wilham Gr died at the age of mine months. All the survivors are members of the English Lutheran church, to which the parents also belong, and ate graduates of the Fremont high school The mother and the daughters att actie workers in church circles Mr Mellon is past colonel of (1- comment No 10, of the Umon Veteran Legion of Pottsville, all other which he held for three consecutive years He is also passt commander of Williams Post. No. 130, Grand Army of the Ke public, at Tremont. In his pohtical relations Mr Mellon is a Republican and his elevation to public office has been as the call didate of that party. He is a trusted public servant, an estimable gentleman and a respected citizen

Merkel, George A., M. D., a rising young physician and surgeon of Minersville, was born in Frackville, this county, Jan. 30, 1882 He is a som of J. H. and Margaret E. (lewis) Merkel, the former of whom is a merchant of Minersville, where he has been in business for more than twenty years and where he has served as assessor. Of the seven children, three survive, of whom the doctor is the eldest. May is a stenographer employed in Mmersville, and Blanche is at home. The deceased members are Annie and Hairy. who died in infancy. Clara, who died in youth, and Nettie 1 ;. who passed away at the age of eighteen years. She was a most estimable lady of good Christian character and a devout worker ml church and Sunday school. The subject of this sketch received his preliminary education in the public schools of Minersville and graduated from the high school in the class of 1900. He entered the Hahnemann medical college of Philadelphia in the fall of non and in June, 1904, was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine and of Homeopathic medicine. He immediately began the practice of his profession in his home city and has been most eminently successful. He is a member of the Schuylkill County Homeopathic association, and is recognized as one of its most valuable members. The doctor is deputy coroner for his district of the county, is assistant medical examiner for the Prudential Life Insurance Company of Newark, N. J. also for the Metropoli tan Life Insurance Company of New York city. In May. 1xx). Dr. Merkel married Miss E. K. Balliet, a resident of Minersville. Both Dr. and Mrs. Merkel are members of the Methodist Episcopal church. The doctor is a young man of enterprise, stability and pleasing manner and his friends predict a brilliant future for him.

Merwine, Jeremiah M., a thrifty wholesale dealer in flour and feed whose place of business is in Ashland, was born in Barry township, Schuylkill county. Nov. 5. 1863. He is one of the three children born to Charles and Catherine (Klinger) Merwine, the others being Theodore and Elmer, the latter now deceased. The paternal grandfather. Charles Merwine, was an immigrant to the United States in the carly part of the nineteenth century, coming from Scotland. He located first in Philadelphia, where he engaged

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in the real-estate business for a number of years. In the carly '3os lie purchased a large tract of land in Barry township and re- moved there. He married Elizabeth Geist and of the thirteen children born to them twelve grew to maturity. These in the order of their birth were: Lewis; Maria, who married Daniel Snyder; Charles; Harriet, wife of John Weikel; Daniel; Eliza, now Mrs. Lewis Kimmel; Polly, the wife of Chester Fetterolf ; Dena, Mrs. William Openhaufer; Henry; Frank; Albert; and Ella, who married Benjamin Sweinhart. The son Charles was born in Barry township and when he grew to manhood earned a livelihood at the blacksmith trade, in which he was a skilled workman. Before the close of the Civil war, in which he par- ticipated as a member of the 17th Pennsylvania cavalry, he re- ceived a wound in the leg. From the effects of this injury he died, in 1868. After the father's demise the mother married again, Thomas P. Davie becoming her husband. This union was blessed with four children-Elizabeth, wife of John Kull; Isabella, who married Albert Gruver; John; and Catherine, wife of George Bowman. The mother departed this life in 1891. Jeremiah M. Merwine, the subject of this review, received his education in the common schools of this county. His residence in Ashland dates from 1880, when he began his active business career as a clerk in one of the mercantile establishments of the borough. He left that occupation to take charge of the livery business of D. K. Maurer, having supervision over four men and fifteen horses. In 1887 he engaged in his present business which he has been most successfully conducting ever since. In politics Mr. Merwine is a Republican, and as such he was for a term the representative of his ward in the borough council. His fraternal associations are with the Royal Arcanum, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Patriotic Order of the Sons of America. Both he and his wife are communicants of St. James Lutheran church. On June 25, 1885, Mr. Merwine was united in marriage to Miss Madia Runge, a daughter of William and Fredericka (Krapp) Runge. The children of this union are four in number -- Marie, Arthur W., Robert and Walter.

Messersmith, Abram Clarence, a prominent contractor and builder of Pottsville, was born in Liberty township, Montour county, Pa., Aug. 19, 1868, and is a son of William J. and Elizabeth (Hendrickson) Messersmith, both of whom are likewise natives of the old Keystone state of the Union : they now maintain their home (1907) in Washingtonville, Montour county. Abram Hen- drickson, maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in Pennsylvania and was a scion of one of its honored pioneer families. He was a prominent and influential farmer of Montour county at the time of his death. William J. Messersmith is a car- penter by trade and is still actively engaged in contracting and building, in addition to which he is engaged in the furniture and undertaking business at Washingtonville. Abram C. Messer- smith was reared to maturity in his native county, to whose pub-

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History of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, Vol. II, Part 39

Author: Schalck, Adolf W. Publication date: 1907 Publisher: State Historical Association Number of Pages: 700

Author: Schalck, Adolf W.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: State Historical Association
Number of Pages: 700