History of York County Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 177

Author: Prowell, George R.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1390

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BIOGRAPHICAL

apolis, Minn. He has been twice married, but has no children. (6) Aaron G. is a successful farmer in Washington township, York county, owning two farms, and also a lot in Hall. He has been married twice, by his first wife hay- ing four children, Lloyd, Portis, Anna D. and Susie Eva. (7) David F. has always lived in the vicinity of the old home. For twenty-nine years he taught school, and for almost twenty years has been a justice of the peace. He mar- ried Mary C. Hartman, and they have had children as follows: Bessie M .; Maud H .; Esther Helen; Mary Ada, who died aged eight years; and Luke Russel. (8) Jacob L. died in boyhood.

(IV) Adam H. Smith, second son of Peter J., was born in Washington township, York county, and was a millwright by trade. For four or five years he was a very successful school teacher, and afterward engaged in farm- ing, which he continued until the death of his wife, Mary J. Kunkle. He then sold out and moved to the city. His health failed, and he died in 1892. During the Civil war he served nine months as a private in Company E, 200tlı P. V. I. His children, who for a time all re- mained in York, were: Dora B., who married Samuel Smith; Clayton D .; Hattie M., who married Charles Brant, of York; Mary A., a successful teacher for several years at Spring Grove, Pa .; Harry W., an electrician in York; and Myrtle B., now deceased.

(V) Clayton D. Smith was brought to York at the age of twelve years by his father, where he was educated in the public schools. His first employment was as bookkeeper for the York Ice and Refrigerating Co., with which company he remained eighteen months, when he engaged with the City Laundry, where he filled various positions until 1899. In this year, in company with his present part- ner, L. D. Herman, Mr. Smith started in busi- ness in a small way, employing but three peo- ple, and having just such machinery as was absolutely necessary, and they have since in- creased their capacity and machinery until they now have a fully equipped, modern plant, and give employment to nineteen people. The business of the Star Laundry is not confined to York alone. In fact, about one-half of their business is from outside agencies in the State and in Maryland, and the firm stands high in the estimation of the people.

On March 17, 1898, Mr. Smith was mar- ried to Miss Minnie Eichelberger, born in

Monaghan township, daughter of Alfred and Mary (Mellinger) Eichelberger, of that town- ship. Mrs. Smith's grandparents were wor- shippers in the River Brethren Church, and her parents worshipped in the Church of God. All were farming people. Mrs. Smith's grand- father, Squire Eichelberger, was well-known in Monaghan township for many years. To Mr. and Mrs. Clayton D. Smith have been born three children: Edna Grace, Mary Pau- line and Clayton Dale, Jr.

Mr. Smith and his wife are members of the St. Paul's United Evangelical Church, in which he takes an active part, being a member of the building committee on the erection of the new edifice. He is superintendent of the Sunday-school, in which he has been active for some time past. He is a member of the Jr. O. U. A. M., No. 505, in which he has passed all the chairs, and is now one of the trustees; and the I. O. O. F., No. 47; the K. of M., No. 174; and the S. of V., No. 33. Mr. Smith and his family reside at No. 452 West King street, York.

FRANCIS S. ZINN,the popular alderman of the Sixth ward of York, is one of the most conspicuous figures in the political life of the city. He is a lineal descendant of Count Wall- enstein, whose very name was a synonym for victory in the armies of Ferdinand II, of Ger- many, during the Thirty Years' War, and who, according to his biographer, "was blunt,short and proud, and something mysterious about him that, with his magnificent gifts, bound men's hearts to him." Francis L. Zinn was born Oct. 26, 1847, in Hirschberg, Province of Silesia, Austria, son of George J. and Theresa (Herhesal) Zinn. The name was originally spelled Zürn.

Major George J. Zinn came of a military people and a proud race. He served with valor in the Austrian army, but when ill-timed coun- sels brought obscurity to the Austrians he de- parted for the United States. Soon after land- ing he settled in Hanover, York county, where he made a home for himself and family. His brother served in the Union army, commanding a brigade of New York troops and leading them at the battle of the Wilderness. When the smoke of that terrible conflict had cleared away General Zinn was numbered among the miss- ing. and was never afterward heard of.

Major Zinn was born in Wittenberg, Ger-

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

many, March 18, 1810, and in 1857 came to Hanover, York county. He was made super- intendent of Mount Olivet cemetery, holding that position until his death, in 1879, when he was laid to rest with the honors accorded Odd Fellows and members of the Grand Army of the Republic in the cemetery which he had so long cared for. Like all his family he was large of stature and noted for his strength. During the Civil war he served nine months in Com- pany F, 166th P. V. I. His wife, Theresa Herhesal, was a daughter of Henry Herhesal, of Austria. Five children blessed this home, all of them born at Hirschberg, Austria, namely : Mary K., wife of Henry Fleeschauer, of New York City; Fanny, wife of Ludwig Marerott, of Hanover, York county ; Rosa Theresa, wife of Joseph Every, of New York City ; John L., who succeeded his father as superintendent of Mount Olivet cemetery ; and Francis S., the al- derman of the Sixth ward.

Francis S. Zinn grew to manhood in Han- over, York county, and was educated at the Hanover Collegiate Institute. Becoming profi- cient in the German language, he taught it for some time in New York City. Returning to Hanover, he remained there until 1888, when he was made steward of the York County Alms- house, where he served three years with dis- tinguished ability. His first recognition of a political character was his election as assessor of Heidelberg township in 1866. Next he served as school director for nine years. After his term as steward at the Almshouse expired, he superintended the construction of the "Hob- leston Hotel," at Turnpike Station, on the Stewartstown railroad, and in 1894 was ap- pointed alderman of the Sixth ward of York, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of John Bentz. In 1895 he was elected to the office for a term of five years, again in 1900, and honored with a third election in February, 1905, enjoy- ing the distinction of being the only Democrat elected in the city at that time. He received a majority of seventeen, in a ward so strongly Republican that it gave Roosevelt a majority of 358 in November, 1904.

Mr. Zinn is an Odd Fellow. being a mem- ber of Hanover Encampment No. 327, also of the State and National Encampments. He is quite a musician, having been for years the di- rector of the Silver Band, of Hanover, and be- ing in charge of the Bee Hive Orchestra of Christ Lutheran Church, in which he has also

been elder for eight or more years, and is at present the secretary of the vestry.

Mr. Zinn has been twice married. His first wife, whom he married in March, 1868, was Belinda Parr, daughter of Jacob Parr. She died Feb. 5, 1882, in her thirty-second year, the mother of four children: Ida M. (wife of Edward Jacobs), Otto J., George W. and R. T. On Aug. 22, 1883, Mr. Zinn married Anne Mary Gebensleben, of Hanover, and to this union has come one daughter, Alberta Geor- gianna, who is living at home.

FRANCIS A. BARRETT, well-known in his section of York county as a good citizen, has been successfully engaged in farming for many years. He was born in Wooster, Ohio, Oct. 7, 1841.

Mr. Barrett's grandfather was born in Yorkshire, England, and came to this country in 1821, following the hotel business until his death. His son, our subject's father, was also born in Yorkshire, England, in 1809. Com- ing to America with his father in 1821, he set- tled at Wooster, Ohio, and took up the trade of carpenter, later becoming a merchant. In 1830 he married Maria, daughter of David and Mary Morris, of Pennsylvania, and he died at Wooster, Ohio, aged eighty-two years; his wife passed away at the age of sixty-eight years.

Francis A. Barrett worked on the home farm and assisted his father until old enough to commence for himself, when he engaged in the shoe business. In 1881 he gave it up and purchased a farm at Wellsville, Warrington township, and has continued agricultural pur- suits up to the present time. Mr. Barrett was twice married, his first wife being Emma H. Wells, of Wellsville, who died in 1898, leav- ing her husband three children: William Hunter, who is in the leather business in New York City; Ruth Dinsmore, a graduate of Dickinson College, class of 1902, who is at present teaching in the high school at Hazle- ton, Penn .; and Margaret Wells, who is at- tending the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Mr. Barrett's second marriage was to Clara A., daughter of William B. and Phoebe ( Frankel- berger) Ross, a descendant of the old Ross family of York county, founders of Rossville, Warrington township.

Mrs. Barrett was born on the old home- stead near Rossville on a tract of land com-

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BIOGRAPHICAL

prising between 300 and 400 acres, given to Alexander Ross by the Penns, and at the pres- ent time has in her possession the original deed or land warrant, which is written on parchment and bears Thomas Penn's signature, also King George's seal attached. The first Ross (of this branch) who came to America was William, who married Jean Nisbitt. Ten children blessed their union. Alexander, the eld- est, married Margaret Ewing, and they also had a family of ten children. William, the eldest, married Margaret Bigham, and they had five children, one of which was named William Bigham Ross, and became the father of Mrs. Barrett. William B. Ross was born in 1827. In 1851 he married Phoebe Frankelberger, of Lewisberry, York Co., Pa., and to them seven children were born, viz .: James Alexander, who is deceased; Charles Frankelberger, a justice of the peace of Warrington township; Margaret Ann; Mary Elizabeth; Florence J., deceased; Clara A., married to Francis A. Bar- rett ; and Alice Eliza, deceased.

The Ross family is one of the oldest and most respected families in Warrington town- ship and York county. William, son of Alex- ander, was twice a member of the Legislature and up to the time of his death, which occurred in 1861, he was a justice of the peace, really serving as counselor and court in many cases. The Rosses have always been noted for their honesty and integrity, always holding offices of trust in the township, and have been in truth among the makers of history. Four generations of them now lie buried in the War- rington Friends graveyard, it being the most desirable resting-place in the township. The first four generations held to the good old Scotch-Irish Presbyterian faith; the present generation are Methodists, there being no Pres- byterian church nearer than ten miles, and they decided they could worship with the Methodists better than to go that distance to the Presby- terian church. The older generations went regularly to Dillsburg to worship in the old Monaghan Church; they usually rode horse- back, leaving the Ross homestead early in the morning and taking lunch with them that they might remain for the afternoon service.

WINFIELD SCOTT HAMMOND, of Lewisberry, owner and controller of the Ham- mond Window Sash Spring, to the manu- facture of which the principal part of his busi-

ness career has been devoted, was born in Lewisberry Sept. II, 1847. He comes of a family which has long been honored in that vicinity, its members ranking among the most progressive and intelligent people of the com- munity.

The Hammonds are of Colonial stock, the first of this line to come to America having been William Hammond, son of Admiral Hammond, of the English navy. He sailed from Ipswich, England, in the ship "Francis," about 1634, and arriving in America joined the Boston Colony, settling at Watertown, Mass. The family was prominent in the mother country, and its members have sustained the prestige of the name on this side of the At- lantic. From William and his brother Thomas, who also emigrated to Massachusetts, most of the Hammonds in this country are descended, and many have become prominent in the in- dustrial and political history of the United States. They intermarried with the ancestors of President Garfield and General Sherman, who also settled in Watertown.

Jabez Hammond, the great-grandfather of Winfield Scott Hammond, settled in the town of Canterbury, Windham Co., Conn., about 1760. When the Revolution broke out he en- tered the Colonial service and participated in several of the decisive battles of that struggle.

Elisha Hammond, son of Jabez, was born in Connecticut Feb. 7, 1769. He received an excellent education in the schools of his native State, understood the higher mathematics and theoretical surveying and for a number of years was a successful teacher. In early man- hood he went to Marbletown, N. Y., where he taught school in 1791, and later he followed the profession at Owego, N. Y. Thence he went to the Wyoming settlement in Luzerne county, Pa., and from there came down the Susquehanna river on an "ark," about 1797 locating in Fairview township, York county, near Lewisberry. He brought with him many books on scientific and literary subjects, and before long was engaged to teach the youths of the intelligent Quaker settlement, where education was always encouraged. He was a man of high character and enjoyed good stand- ing wherever he went, and his endorsements of qualifications and success in his profession have come down to his descendants, who cherish them highly. Mr. Hammond was acquainted with I. M. Singer before he invented his

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

famous sewing machine, having met him in Pittsburg, and he examined the rough model and suggested some improvements, loaning Mr. Singer ten dollars to go ahead with the invention.

Elisha Hammond married Rebecca Frank- elberger, of a family prominent in the Red- land Valley, and they became the parents of ten children, namely: Hervey, Maria, Mary, David, William, Hannah, John, Thomas, Philip and Sarah. The father of this family died March 28, 1824, the mother surviving un- til Jan. 31, 1863; she reached the advanced age of eighty-two years.

Hervey Hammond was born Dec. 23, 1800, and grew to manhood in his native town, meanwhile receiving his education in the school of his father and that of Isaac Kirk, the distinguished surveyor. He inherited the love of learning from many generations of scholarly ancestors, and proved a ready pupil, attaining proficiency in the ordinary branches at an unusually early age, and with his father's advice and assistance delving into the higher studies. He soon determined to follow his father's profession. As early as 1825 he introduced the scientific study of English grammar in his neighborhood, and he was also of a distinctly mathematical turn of mind. This endowment he in time put to practical use in the invention of the now famous Ham- mond Window Sash Spring, which has con- tinued to grow steadily in popularity up to the present. It was patented in 1837, and the year following Mr. Hammond placed the springs in the windows of the White House, at Washington, receiving a recommendation for them from Henry Clay and other noted people. From that time his principal attention was devoted to their manufacture and sale, and although he had no easy task he made a complete success of the business. While en- gaged as a traveling salesman, wholesaling goods and merchandise, he began to introduce his springs, and thus built up the business which increased to such large proportions from very small beginnings. He had to create a market for his goods as well as to produce them, and as few such appliances were then in general use he had to educate his patrons first to a sense of their need for them. By 1840 the number of annual sales had reached 35,000, and Mr. Hammond lived to see his invention reach the profitable stage. He was a progressive man in every way, and being

deeply interested in the cause of education . was one of the early supporters of free schools, and became one of the first school directors under the new law. He took an active part always. in the work of the school board, and was present at the election of his friend and neighbor, Hon. Jacob Kirk, as first district superintendent of the schools of York county. He introduced many other improvements into the village of Lewisberry, and was ever known as one of its most intelligent citizens.

On Sept. 15, 1825, at Carlisle, Pa., Mr. Hammond married Katherine Ann Harman, who was born Aug. 31, 1807, in Warrington township, York county, daughter of Adam and Rachel (Diceman) Harman, members of the Methodist Church and intelligent, respected people. Mrs. Hammond, like her husband, was possessed of fine traits of mind and char- acter. She survived her husband, dying July 31, 1863, while he passed away Aug. 27, 1855. They were the parents of nine children, namely : Andrew, who is deceased; Benjamin, who died of cholera at Aurora, Ind., in 1849; Caroline E., deceased; Delilalı A., who lives in Mis- souri; Edward W., a botanist, and vice-presi- dent of the American Forestry Association for Oregon; Rebecca R., of Cantrall, Ill .; Mary, who is deceased; Winfield Scott; and Ida C., of Waynesburg, Greene Co., Pennsylvania.

Winfield Scott Hammond was born Sept. II, 1847, in Lewisberry. He followed the bent of the family generally in his taste for study and reading, improving the excellent oppor- tunities afforded at home and taking advantage of the encouragement he received from his parents in that line. He acquired his early education in the public schools and pursued the higher branches at home, making good use of the home library and other books to which he had access. He was only a boy when the Civil war broke out, but in the winter, early in 1865, he enlisted in Company I, 192d Penn- sylvania Volunteers, continuing in the service until the fall of the year. Soon after leaving the army he went to Missouri, spending about eighteen months in the southeastern section of that State, during which time he was en- gaged as compositor and local editor in a print- ing office, and was also employed in the United States land office, which was in charge of one of the proprietors of the paper. This was under what was known as the "carpet bag" regime, and Mr. Hammond became acquainted with many of the most important figures in the polit-

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BIOGRAPHICAL

ical life of that part of the country, and had an in the office of the commissioner of pensions at Washington, D. C.

opportunity to enter same himself. He was offered the clerkship of one of the southeastern counties of the State, but he was anxious to return home and get into business, and he refused.

Coming back to. Pennsylvania, Mr. Ham- mond engaged in the manufacture and sale of the window springs, and has ever since con- tinned in that line. Mr. Hammond has made a number of improvements on the original spring, has invented several new styles of springs, and has changed completely the process of manufacture, bringing his estab- lishment up to date in every particular. The springs are sold in large quantities to whole- sale dealers. He is a progressive man in every way, and has never lost his fondness for read- ing and observation of matters of general in- terest, so that he is not only known as one of the successful residents of Lewisberry, but also as one of that important class which supports intellectual and educational movements which promise to benefit the community in general . and those who take enjoyment in such matters in particular. He early developed a taste for painting, and he has made many interesting sketches of local places of interest, especially in the upper end of York county. He has served in local positions, having been a mem- ber of the school board, of which he was sec- retary, and he has twice been a delegate to the State Republican convention.

Mr. Hammond was united in marriage, in 1873, to Miss Jeannette Starr, daughter of Reuben T. and Elizabeth (Lloyd) Starr, of Lewisberry, and three children were born to them: (1) Edward, a clerk, holds a responsi- ble position in the postoffice department at Washington, D. C. (2) Grace K. is an artist, and has been engaged to make drawings (of flowers, plants and vegetables) for D. M. Ferry & Co., of Detroit, Mich., and the Johnson Seed House, of Philadelphia, and also for such high- class magazines as the Ladies' Home Journal and other publications; the art editor of Har- per's Magazine wrote her a request for draw- ings. On Aug. 23, 1902, she became the wife of William S. Nortenheim, a Philadelphia artist, who makes all kinds of drawings for books and magazines. He has recently pro- duced cover designs for the Saturday Evening Post and the Ladies' Home Journal. (3) Ben- nett, the youngest child of Mr. and Mrs. Ham- mond, born April 3, 1889, is now messenger

Mrs. Hammond is a member of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, but she is of Quaker ancestry, her forefathers having been Friends in Chester county, Pa., where the Taylor, Sharpless, Lloyd and Starr families are well known.

GEORGE ROBERT SEIFFERT, resid- ing at No. 923 South St. Bernard street, Phila- delphia, was born at Dover, York Co., Pa., Dec. 15, 1867. His father was Ambrose H. Seiffert, who was married to Mary Ann Daron, and both were also natives of York county. Mr. Seiffert was educated in the York public schools, graduating in 1886, and afterward went to Philadelphia to complete a course in stenography. He was subsequently employed as stenographer for some years with the Second Geological Survey of Pennsylvania and the Pullman Palace Car Company. In 1892 he decided to engage in a mercantile ca- reer, and established offices in Baltimore and Washington for the sale of typewriters, etc. Some years later he returned to Philadelphia, where he continued in the same line of busi- ness. In 1902 he became associated with the Acme Tea Company, Inc., of Philadelphia, in the capacity of office manager, and is still identified with that corporation.

Mr. Seiffert is a member of the Pennsyl- vania Historical, Pennsylvania-German, Penn- sylvania Genealogical, York County His- torical and other societies of a kindred char- acter, and is deeply interested in their work. He is at present compiling an extensive history and genealogy of the "Seiffert-Henise and Daron-Kern" families, representing the fam- ilies of the parents of Mr. Seiffert's parents.

Mr. Seiffert was married, on March 29, 1893, by Rev. A. S. Mowbray, to Miss Laura Burkley Everson, of Newport, Del., daughter of Alexander W. and Anna Belle (Flinn) Everson. They have two children: Mervin Francis, born June 7, 1894, and George Rob- ert, Jr., born August 12, 1906.

It is claimed that the first emigrant an- cestor of the Seifert family was Johann Sei- fert, of Wittenberg, Germany, who sailing from Bremen landed in this country in 1676. He eloped with a Miss Schwatzwalder, whose parents were very wealthy, and who were op- posed to the match by reason of the financial condition of her ardent young admirer. Deter-

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HISTORY OF YORK COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

mined to husband what little money they were able to get together in their hasty flight, they decided to work out their passage. Consequent- ly on arrival at New Amsterdam they were both sold by the captain of the vessel to a farmer in the northern part of New Jersey for £30 each. In return for this amount the farmer received their services for one year, and upon the expiration of their bondage the couple, be- ing free, were duly married. Having decided to locate in Pennsylvania, they crossed above Easton, and amid many hardships traveled over the northern section of the State, finally select- ing a home site in Perry county, near the junc- tion of the Juniata and Susquehanna rivers.

Information, at this writing, as to the names and number of their children, is too meager to be recorded here. It is known definitely, however, that a grandson of this couple, Adam Seyfert, was born in Perry county, June 13, 1722. During the Revolu- tion, owing to the Indians becoming very troublesome, Adam and his family were obliged to desert their home and temporarily moved eastward. Later they returned and lo- cated in York county, near Dover. Here Adam died Dec. 28, 1787, and was buried in the old graveyard at Strayer's church. His widow Anna Mary survived him, and accord- ing to his will they had but one child, Michael.

This son Michael (Dover township) and his wife Matelena had ten children, as follows : Michael (married Polly Leimbaugh), John (married a Lauer), Catharine (married Jo- seph Bower), George (married Mary -), John Adam, Philip, Barbara, Elizabeth, Mary and Susanna. Michael afterward separated from his wife. He married again and removed to Ohio, establishing a large mill near Ma- rietta. Some years later he was accidentally killed in his mill.

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History of York County Pennsylvania, Volume II, Part 177

Author: Prowell, George R. Publication date: 1907 Publisher: J. H. Beers Number of Pages: 1390

Author: Prowell, George R.
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: J. H. Beers
Number of Pages: 1390