History of York County, Pennsylvania : from the earliest period to the present time, divided into general, special, township and borough histories, with a biographical department appended, Part 192

Author: Gibson, John, Editor
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: F.A. Battey Publishing Co., Chicago
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Pennsylvania > York County > History of York County, Pennsylvania : from the earliest period to the present time, divided into general, special, township and borough histories, with a biographical department appended > Part 192

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NEWBERRY TOWNSHIP.

DANIEL W. WENGART, M. D., was born in Monroe Township, Cumberland Co., Penn., May 1, 1830. He was reared a farmer until the age of seventeen, when he entered the Mechanicsburg Institute, and a year later took up the study of medicine under Dr. Eckert, near Shippensburgh. He first engaged in practice three miles west of Mechanicshurg, but, owing to ill-health, relin- quished the profession until 1854, when he resumed at Mt. Pleasant, and in a short time established a remunerative business, which he held until his re- moval to Mechanicsburg to engage in the drug trade, in connection with practice. One year later he returned to Mt. Pleasant and resecured his old patronage, which he has also increased to a flatter- ing degree, having been remarkably successful in obstetrics and the treatment of typboid fever. He married, April 6, 1853, Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John Cooper, of New Kingston. To this union have been horn three children: Mary E., Septem- ber 26, 1857; John C., February 24, 1859; Daniel Webster, August 31, 1861.

JONATHAN WILLIAMS was born Decem- ber 7, 1821, and is a son of Jonathan Williams, Sr. He assisted his father on the home farm until his marriage, February 18, 1847, to Margaret, daughter of Elihu Park, of this township. In 1849 he settled on his present farm of 140 acres, all under cultivation, and erected his dwelling and barn. There were born to him ten children, of whom four are living: Elspy J., at home: Mary Elizabeth, wife of Amos Fortney: Elverda Frances, wife of David Brougher, and Maggie C. The parents are members of the Presbyterian Church at Dillsburg, having joined in 1860. Mr. Williams has served as school director, two terms; assessor, one year; as- sistant-assessor, three terms, and auditor, three years.

NEWBERRY TOWNSHIP.

CHARLES E. BAIR was born May 7, 1852, in Newberry Township, York Co., Penn., and is a son of Benjamin and Anna (Rudy) Bair, natives of Lehigh and York Counties, Penn., respectively, and of German descent. Charles E. is the eighth of a family of fifteen children. He is a cigar- maker by trade, and owns and controls a cigar factory near Newberrytown, Penn. Until his eighteenth year, he remained with his parents, and received a common school education. At the age of eleven years he began learning his trade, which he has since followed. In 1877 he opened a factory one mile from Newberrytown, but in 1883 removed to Newberrytown, where he is at present located, manufacturing about 400,000 cigars annually, and employing from six to ten men. In 1871 he was married to Ellen B. Beshore. They have had seven children: William, Fillmore, Annie, Harvey, Daniel, Vernon (deceased) and Ross. Mrs. Bair is a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Fink) Beshore, native of York County, Penn. She is a member of the Church of God. Mr. Bair started in life as a poor boy, and by his own industry and economy, has accumulated some property. He owns good property in town, and, eighteen acres of land. He is a Democrat, has been elected to various offices, and at present holds the office of justice of the peace of the township.

PROF. SAMUEL J. BAKER was born in Paradise Township, York Co., Penn., January 21, 1856. His parents were Samuel and Catha- rine (Jacobs) Baker, of the same township, and of

English descent. They had cleven children-three sons and eight daughters, of whom Samuel J. is the third one in the family. At an early age he assisted his father at shoe-making and attended the public schools. At the age of eighteen years he commenced studying brass band music at Big Mound, and became so proficient in a short time, that he became leader of a band at Big Mound, in 1875; and, since 1878, has given his whole attention to music and band teaching. He is also a teacher of classes on the organ and violin. In 1880 he re- moved to Goldsboro, where he has since made his home. He has instructed nine bands in York County and one in Lancaster County, and is at present teaching four bands: Independent Band (Goldsboro), Manchester Cornet Band, Strinestown Band and New Salem Band. He is also leader of Baker's Orchestra at Goldshoro, and arranges and composes music for bands, etc. December 23, 1880, he married Susan Ziegler, of Wellsville, York County. Penn. They have one child, Lottie May. Prof. Baker is a member of the Reformed Church, also of the S. of A.

ELIAS D. BRECKINRIDGE was born in Lan- caster County, Penn., April 22, 1834. His parents were William and Elizabeth (Duck) Breckinridge, natives of Chester and Lancaster Counties, Penn., and of Scotch-Irish and German descent, respec- tively. They were married in Lancaster County, Penn., and reared a family of three sons and five daughters, one infant deceased. Elias D. is the eldest son, and he remained on the farm until sixteen years of age, when he began learning the business of woolen manufacturing, which he followed for twenty-six years. In 1879 he was appointed store- keeper and gauger, and assigned to Reynold's dis- tillery, Ninth District, Penn., but was transferred at the end of a few months to Kauffman's dis- tillery, in the same district, where he remained a little over a year. In July, 1880, he took charge at Free's distillery, in York County, Penn., where he remained till June, 1882. In January, 1883, he came to Goldsboro, where he has since been keep- ing the Railroad Hotel. He was married, in Salis- bury Township, Lancaster Co., Penn., May 21, 1857, to Susanna Nixon, of the same county, and of Irish descent. They have had nine children: Florence E., Cora A., U. S. G., Charles S., Oscar L. (deceased), Eugene O., Imogene M., William Robert and Roscoe G. (deceased). Mr. Breckin- ridge is P. G. of the I. O. O. F., and also a member of the K. of P. He is a Republican.

AMBROSE BRINTON was born in November, 1851, in York County, Penn., and is the third of nine children born to John and Sarah (Sunday) Brinton, natives of York County, Penn., and of English descent. The father followed farming un- till his death in 1876. The mother is still residing at the old homestead. Ambrose received a common school education, and remained with his parents until his twenty-second year, when he began busi- ness for himself. He followed farming until the fall of 1883, when he came to Lewisberry, Penn., where he opened a first-class hotel. His brother, John, has since torn down the old structure, and erected a fine frame building, which is an ornament to the borough. The hotel has seventeen rooms, elegantly furnished, and Mr. Brinton is prepared to furnish first class accomodations to the traveling public. He was married, July 26, 1874, to Margaret Shank. They have had four children: Emma J., Herman (deceased), Samuel H. and Annie B. In polities he is a Democrat.

ABRAM COBLE was horn July 25,1843, in York County, Penn., and is the fifth of eight children of Peter and Mary (Christ) Coble, deceased, of York County, Penn., and of Dutch descent. The father was a shoe-maker by trade, but quitted that occu-

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pation and began farming, which he followed till his death. Abram Coble was brought up a farmer, and followed that occupation until the fall of 1861, when he enlisted in Company H, Eighty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for three years, and participated in the engagements of Mine Run, Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Winchester and numerous others. He was dis- charged as corporal at York in 1864. In the fall of 1865 he began learning the blacksmith's trade, and moved to York, Penn., where he worked nine years. Thence he went to Fairview Township, where he remained three years, and then located in Yocum- town, Penn., where he is now doing a good busi- ness. In 1867 he married Susan Hartman, daugh- ter of Cornelius and Mary A. (Danner) Hartmau, of German descent. By this union they have three children: John W., Mary A. and Carrie E. Mr. and Mrs. Coble are members of the United Brethren Church.

MARTIN S. CRULL was born in Newberry Township, York Co., Penn., July 6, 1841, and is the eldest of the two children born to John and Lydia (Shelley) Crull, natives of York County, Penn., and of English and German descent. The father followed farming until 1856, then engaged in the mercantile business until 1861, when he enlisted in the United States army for two years. The hard- ships and exposure undermined his health, which he never recovered. He died July 17, 1876. Mar- tin S. remained on the farm until he was seventeen years of age, when he assisted his father in the mercantile business until 1862, when he purchased his father's stock of goods and continued the busi- ness until 1876. He enlisted in the army; was mus- tered in Company B, Two Hundredth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, in the fall of 1864, and served till the close of the war in the Third Division, Ninth Corps. He took part in the battles of Spring Hill, Fort Steadman, Petersburg, was mus- tered out at Fort Ellsworth, Va., May 29, 1865, and discharged June 5, 1865. He was married to Mary Sipe in 1861. They have eight children: Henrietta, Grant, Clara J., Abraham S., Cecelia, Josephine, Daisy and Ada. In 1875 Mr. Crull removed to his present fine farm of 130 acres. For sixteen years he held the office of postmaster in Newberrytown.

DUGAN & FUNK, manufacturers and dealers in cigars, Goldsboro, Penn. This firm is composed of Ross W. Dugan and John C. Funk. of New- berry Township, York Co., Penn. They both learned the trade of cigar-making with Jesse Funk, father of one of the firm, and worked at it as journeymen for a number of years. They formed a partnership in 1878, and for some time did all the work themselves, but as the business increased they employed other labor until they had about eleven hands, manufacturing nearly half a million cigars in a year. In addition to their own cigars they handle and sell a great many made by other man- ufacturers. The senior member of the firm is a step-son of Jesse Funk, the father of the junior, under whom they learned their trade. They are both married. Mr. Dugan married Susan Berger, of Goldsboro, and has one child living, one having died. Mr. Funk married Lillie K. Reider, of Steel- ton, and has one child. Both gentlemen are mem- bers of the Church of God. Neither of them takes any active part in politics. Mr. Dugan is the only child of Levi and Catharine (Wolf) Dugan, natives of York County, Penn., of Irish and German de- scent, respectively. His father dying when he was but two years old, his mother was married to Jesse Funk, who had nine children.

WILLIAM EPPLEY was born February 3, 1852, in Newberry Township, York Co., Penn., and is the youngest of a family of three sons and three daughters of William and Sidney (Hays) Eppley,

natives of York County, and of English and Welsh descent, respectively. The father kept hotel in Newberrytown for thirty-five years, but a few years before his death retired from business. The grand- father, Mills Hays, was once associate judge of York County. William Eppley was brought up in the village of Newberrytown, where he received a good public school education. At the age of twenty- one he went to Harrisburg, Penn., where he engaged as salesman in a cigar store; remained about one year. He then returned to his native town and en- gaged in the hotel business and the manufacture of cigars, which he has since followed with great suc- cess. He manufactures about 200,000 cigars a year. He was married, October 7, 1875, to Maggie Bower, a daughter of Henry and Mary J. (Kister) Bower, of York County, Penn., and of Dutch and English descent, respectively. By this union they have two children: William B. and Maude B. Eppley.

DANIEL F. FISHEL was born in Manor Town- ship, Lancaster Co., Penn., October 13, 1838, and is a son of Henry and Mary (Frey) Fishel, of York and Lancaster Counties, Penn., and of German and English descent, respectively. Daniel F. is the eld- est son in a family of four sons and seven daugh- ters: two of the daughters died at the ages of six and seven; all the other children, with the excep- tion of Daniel F. and another, still reside in Lan- caster County with their father, their motlier being dead. One sister resides in Indiana. At the age of eighteen, Daniel F. began learning the painting trade at Washington Borough, Penn., and worked at it five years. In August, 1864, he engaged in the saw-mill business at Washington Borough, and has since followed it. For three years he was a partner of Mr. Stamen, of that place. In 1880 he removed to Goldsboro, York Co., Penn., and took charge of Isaac Frazer's saw-mill, as superintendent. In addi- tion to his duties as superintendent, he, in 1883, also took charge of a farm of 162 acres, which belonged to Mr. Frazer. In all, he has charge of thirteen men on the farm and in the mill. In the winter of 1862 he enlisted, at Harrisburg, Penn., in Company E, One Hundred and Seventy-eighth Regiment Penn- sylvania Volunteers, a nine months' regiment con- nected with the Army of the Potomac. He was in the engagements at Bottom Ridge and Baltimore Cross Roads, and a number of skirmishes. Return- ing to his native county, he was married, December 31, 1871, to Mary E. Stamen, a daughter of his late employer. They have six children : Eugenia, Joseph- ine, Mary, Stamen, Myra and Anna. Mr. Fishel is a member of the I. O. O. F. He was school di- rector of Washington Borough three terms, coun- cilman one term, and chief burgess one term.

ELI H. FREE was born in 1825, in York Co., Penn., and is the eldest of eleven children of Adam and Mary (Hake) Free, natives of York County, and of German descent, respectively, and both de- ceased. The father was a carpenter, but at the age of twenty-five years, began farming and running a distillery, which he followed until his death in 1854. Eli H. was brought up a farmer, received a good education, and taught school for two terms, when the free school system was first introduced. In 1847 he married Mary Krafft, who died in 1865, They had six children: Oliver, Mary, Emma, Amanda, Sarah and Ida. In 1863, when the rebels came to York, Penn., they passed his residence, then in Manchester Township, and took one of his hest horses. In the spring of 1863 he moved to York, Penn., and established a hotel, now known as the Pennsylvania House. He remained there six years, when he sold the hotel, and moved to his present farm, located in Newberry Township, which contains 112 acres of land in a high state of cultiva- tion, and finely situated. Mr. Free's second mar- riage was, in 1868, to Catherine Cassel. They have

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had three children: Clara E .. Louisa and Daniel H. (deceased). Mr. and Mrs. Free belong to the Lu- theran Church. He is a member of the I. O. R. M. Lodge :37, of York, Penn. In politics he is a Republican. He was a member of the school board in Manchester Township, and is a member of the board where he now resides. He served as justice of the peace in Manchester for five years, receiving his commission from Gov. William F. Johnson. He also enrolled Manchester Township in the fall of 1861, for the draft.

JACOB GARRETSON was born in 1826, in Warrington Township, York Co., Penn .; his par- ents were Israel and Ruth (Walker) Garretson, natives of York County, and of English descent. They had eight children, of whom Jacob is the eldest. His father was a son of Jacob Garretson, who was a son of William Garretson, one of the first settlers of Newberry Township, who left a farm, which was given by him to Jacob and by him to Israel, and by him given to the subject of this sketch. At his father's death subject was appointed 'administrator of his father's estate, and sold the old homestead, which had been in the family for over 100 years, and on which he had been reared. In 1877 he married Eliza Betz. In religion, the Garretsons have all been Friends, and in politics they had always been Whigs and Republicans. Mr. Garretson and family at present reside on the old Hoops property, in sight of the old homestead. He owns over 250 acres of choice land and is a prosperous farmer. Previous ancestry of Jacob Garretson were: Great-great-grandparents John and Content Garretson. John Garretson was born 1715, his children were William Garretson, born in 1738- 39; John, 1741; Ann. 1745; Samuel, 1750; Sarah, 1752; Content. 1754; Cornelius, 1756; Joseph, 1759. Great-grandfather, William Garretson, was born 1738-89; Lydia his wife was born 1744. Their chil- dren were William, born in 1762; Elizabeth, 1763; John, 1765; Jacob, 1767; Martha, 1769. Grand- father, Jacob Garretson, and Mary, his wife, were born in 1763; their children were Lydia, born in 1796; Israel, 1798; Jacob, 1800; Daniel, 1802; James 1809. Parents. Israel and Ruth (Walker) Garretson, and their children: Jacob Garretson, was born in 1826; Lydia, 1828; Ruthanna, 1833; Mary, 1836; Martha, 1839; Robert, 1842; and Marie, 1845. Jacob Garretson's wife's paternal ancestry: Great-great- grandfather Betz died at the age of one hundred and five years; he had six sons, who were all stone- masons, the grandfather of George Betz being one. The father of George Betz died about 1823; he was about fifty years of age. George had one brother, Michael, who died about 1832, aged about thirty years; he had four sisters, all dead except one. George Betz's mother was born February 1, 1775; died about December 9, 1844, aged seventy years. She was, before marriage, Elizabeth Sheaffer. George Betz was born 1812, died March 28, 1885, aged seventy-two years ten months and four days. Her maternal ancestry: Jacob Hummer, grand- father, born 1748, died, 1854, aged ninety-six years. Mrs. Jacob Hummer, horn 1773, and died February, 1811, aged thirty-eight years; her maiden name was Treimyer, a family of very high standing; she had a brother, Jacob. Jacob Hummer moved from New Holland, Lancaster County; he had a sister. Rachel, who reached ninety years of age; he had a son, John, born in 1794, died 1855, aged sixty-one years; he was a man of culture. Jacob Hummer had four sons and four daughters. Rebecca Hum- mer. wife of George Betz, was born in 1811, died in 1871, aged fifty-nine years eight months and two days.

DAVID H. GOOD was born September 21, 1839, in Dauphin County, Penn., and is the fifth son and seventh child of a family of nineteen children born

to Peter and Catharine (Zorger) Good, natives of York County, Penn. He was brought up a farmer and remained with his parents until his twenty- second year, when he enlisted in Company A, Second District of Columbia Volunteer Infantry, January 17, 1862, and participated in the battles of Antietam, Fort Washington and second Bull Run. At the expiration of his term of service, three years, he was discharged, January 18, 1865, when he came home and resumed farming, and after two years engaged in the mercantile business, which he has followed since. He began business at Eberly Mills. Cumberland Co., Penn., but came to his present place in 1870. In 1871 he was commissioned postmaster of Yocumtown. In 1868 he married Mrs. Carrie (King) Tate, widow of Martin Tate, and daughter of Henry and Susan (Raffensberger) King, of York County, and of English and German Maggie and descent. They have two children: Catherine. .

REV. WILLIAM JOHN GRISSINGER, resi- dent pastor of the Bethel Church of God at Golds- boro, York Co., Penn., was born in Huntingdon County, Penn., January 16, 1844, son of Samuel and Mary (McNeal) Grissinger, natives of York and Huntingdon Counties, and of German and Irish descent respectively. They had three sons and six daughters. William was the eldest of the family. He remained on his father's farm till he was fifteen years old, attending the public schools, and also for one term the Millersville Normal School. He ac- quired a thorough English education, and at thirty years of age began studying for the ministry. In October, 1876, he was licensed and ordained to preach, and at once went to Newport, Perry Co., Penn., where he preached two years. His subse- quent charges were Clearfield Mission at Clear- field, Penn., one year; Newville and Plainfield, Cumberland County, two years. He then returned to Newport and thence to Goldsboro, in October, 1882. Before studying for the ministry, he taught school for five terms. He was married at Mt. Carrol, Ill., in 1865, to Catharine Chitty, of Illinois. They have five children: Samuel C., Benjamin F., Clarence Rudolph, Carrie A., Juanita and Oliver L. Mr. Grissinger was brought up in the church of God, and became a member at the age of eighteen years. At present he has charge of four congrega- tions: Goldsboro. Newberrytown, Yocumtown and Smoketown. From 1869 to 1876 he was engaged in mercantile business at New Grenada, Penn. His great-grandfather, John Grissinger, who came from Germany, located near Lewisberry, where he died in 1853, aged nearly ninety-eight years. He had 382 descendants: 123 grandchildren, 242 great-grandchildren. 3 great-great-grandchildren and 14 children.

HERVEY HAMMOND. About the year 1634, William Hammond, son of Admiral Hammond, of the English navy, embarked in the ship Francis, from Ipswich, England, and immigrating to America, joined the Boston colony. and settled at Water- town, Mass. He descended from a prominent family of his native country, and from him and his brother, Thomas, also an immigrant to Massachusetts, most of the Hammonds in this country descended. Like many other people of the thrifty and intelligent classes of Englnad. these brothers determined to seek a new home in the Western world, where civil liberty and religious freedom would be honored and respect- ed. It was contemporaneous with this emigration, that the tyranny of Charles I. was greater than the liberty-loving people could endure, consequently most of the members of the Boston colony were generally enterprising and intelligent Puritan stock, and some of their descendants have become promi- nent and influential in the history of America. Among them were the ancestors of President Gar

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field and Gen. Shermau, who also settled in Water- town and intermarried with the Hammonds. Jabez (or Jason) Hammond, grandfather of the subject, located in Canterbury Township, Windham Co., Conn., about 1760; when the Revolutionary war opened, he entered the military service and partic- ipated in several hard-fought battles in that pro- longed struggle for American freedom. Elisha Hammond, his son, was born in Connecticut, Feb- ruary 7, 1769. He received an excellent education in the schools of his native State. He was ac- quainted with I. M. Singer before he invented the sewing machine; met him in Pittsburgh and examined his rough model, approved, suggested some im- provements and loaned him $10 to go ahead with his invention, but the money was never re- turned. Elisha afterward became a skillful and successful teacher; understood the higher mathe- matics and theoretical surveying. While yet a young man he removed to Marbletown, New York, and taught there in 1791, and later followed the same profession at Owego in the same State. His endorsements of qualifications and success in his work are still kept by his grandson as family relics. Leaving Owego, he entered the Wyoming Settlement in Luzerne County, Penn., and from thence came down the Susquehanna River on an ark, then a common craft for floating lumber and produce down the stream to market. He located in Fairview Township, in the vicinity of Lewis- berry, about 1797. He brought with him many books of science and literature, and soon afterward engaged to teach the youths of the intelligent Quaker settlement. He was a man of undoubted integrity. He married Rebecca Frankelberger, of a prominent family in the Redland Valley. They had ten children, viz .: Hervey, Maria, Mary, David, William, Hannah, John, Thomas, Philip and Sarah. Elisha Hammond died March 28, 1824, at the age of fifty-five years. He was highly respected in the village in which he lived. His widow survived hin until January 31, 1863, and died at the advanced age of eighty-two years. Hervey Hammond was born December 23, 1800; grew to manhood in his native town; attended his father's school and that of Isaac Kirk, the distinguished surveyor. The youth soon became the most active pupil of the school, and early in life followed the same profes- sion as his father. From his ancestors he inherited a thirst for study, and soon became proficient in the ordinary brauches of learning, and under his father's private instruction, pursued advanced studies. As early as 1825, he introduced the study of scientific English grammar in his neighborhood. The book used was Greenleaf's Practical Grammar. He was also of a mathematical turn of mind, which endowment he turned to practical account by his invention of the famous Hammond Window Sash Spring, which has since had an immense sale. It was patented in 1837, and during the following year he placed his springs in the windows of the White House at Washington; received a recommen- dation for them from the noted orator, Henry Clay, and from other distinguished persons. Mr. Ham- mond traveled extensively wholesaling goods and merchandise and introducing his window springs and appointing agents for the sale of them. In those times there were very few appliances for window sashes, in general use, and Mr. Hammond had to first teach the people the necessity of venti- lating their dwellings in order to create a market or demand for his springs. In the year 1840, the annual sales of springs numbered 85,000. He in- troduced many improvements into the village of Lewisberry; was a supporter of the cause of free education; became one of the first school directors under the new school law, and was an active director, present at the election of his friend

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History of York County, Pennsylvania : from the earliest period to the present time, divided into general, special, township and borough histories, with a biographical department appended, Part 192

Author: Gibson, John, Editor Publication date: 1886 Publisher: F.A. Battey Publishing Co., Chicago Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Gibson, John, Editor
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: F.A. Battey Publishing Co., Chicago
Number of Pages: 1104