USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a history, Volume II > Part 18
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The positions held by Dr. Corson and the honors received are here tabulated: Graduated in medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, 1828; elected junior member of the Philadelphia County Medical Society, 1828; founded and became a member of the Montgomery County Medi- cal Society, 1847 ; became a member of the Medical Society of the State of Pennsylvania, 1848; elected president of the Montgomery County Medi- cal Society, 1849; elected president of the Pennsylvania State Medical Society 1853; elected corresponding member of the Page Literary Society of Millersville, Pennsylvania, 1858; became a member of the American Medical Association, 1862; elected corresponding member of Meigs & Mason Academy of Medicine of Middleport, Ohio, 1873; elected associate member of Philadelphia Obstetrical Society, 1874; elected associate fellow of College of Physicians of Philadelphia, 1876 (this honor was greatly appreciated, as only residents of the city can become fellows, and there can be but thirty associate fellows in the United States, and only twenty abroad) ; elected life member of the Alumni Association, Uni- versity of Pennsylvania, 1879, vice-president, 1894; elected honorary member of Harrisburg Pathological Society, 1881 ; elected member of Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1884; appointed trustee of Insane Hospital at Harrisburg, by Governor Hartranft, 1877, reappointed by
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Governor Hartranft and Governor Hoyt, 1882; appointed by Board of Public Charity, official visitor to Montgomery Jail and Almshouse, and after many years' service was in 1884 appointed to the same office in the great Southeastern Hospital for the Insane in Norristown, but on account of advanced age declined to accept the new appointment and resigned the old; elected honorary member of National Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 1894.
The following testimonial from the Woman's Medical College of Philadelphia, dated January 26, 1881, signed by the chairman of the com- mittee, Frances Emily White, and transmitted to Dr. Corson under the signature of the dean, Rachel Bodley, was one of his most cherished possessions :
The faculty of the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, believing that the present useful and honorable position of women physicians is mainly due to the dis- interested, persistent, and energetic efforts of Dr. Hiram Corson, of Plymouth Meet- ing, desires to convey to Dr. Corson, with mutual congratulations, their hearty thanks and expressions of highest esteem.
Dr. Hiram and Ann Jones (Foulke) Corson were the parents of nine children, two of their sons adopting their father's profession: I. Dr. Edward Foulke, who was a surgeon in the United States navy during the Civil War, returning in broken health and dying at the age of thirty, June 22. 1864. 2. Joseph K., who was a surgeon in the United States army during the Civil War, then practiced with his father until 1867, when he enlisted in the United States Regular army, serving thirty years, until his retirement in 1897. He received the Congressional Medal of Honor, "for most distinguished gallantry in action near Bristoe Station, Virginia, October 14, 1863." He married Ada Carter, daughter of Judge William Carter, of Wyoming. 3. Caroline, who died July 25, 1865, in youthful womanhood. 4. Tacy Foulke, who married William L. Cresson, of Norristown, Pennsylvania. 5. Charles Follen, who was a successful lawyer of the Philadelphia bar until his death. He married (first) Mary Lukens, daughter of Lewis A. Lukens, of Conshohocken, who died after a short married life. Later he married Margaret Slemmer, of Norristown, Pennsylvania. 6. Susan Foulke, who married Jawood Lukens, of Consho- hocken, an iron manufacturer. 7. Bertha, who married James Yocom, of James Yocom & Son, of Philadelphia. 8. Frances Stockton, who married Richard H. Day, of Day Brothers, Philadelphia. 9. Mary Adamson, who remained at the home, "Maple Hill," with her parents.
The ancestry of Ann Jones (Foulke) Corson, the mother of these children, is traced to Edward Foulke, who came to Pennsylvania from the Parish of Llanderfel, Wales, in 1693. The ancestry back of Edward Foulke extends through sixteen generations to Colwyn ap Morrerddig, King of Gwynedd, and through twenty-four generations of another line to William the Conqueror. Edward Foulke married, in Wales, Eleanor, daughter of Hugh ap Cadwallader ap Rhys, of the Parish Skyter, Derbighshire. The descent from Edward and Eleanor Foulke to Ann Jones (Foulke) Corson is through their eldest child, Thomas, born in
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Wales, married, in 1706, Gwen Evans, daughter of David Evans, of Radnor, Pennsylvania ; their second child, William, born in 1708, married Hannah Jones, August 15, 1734; their fifth child, Amos, born in 1740, married in 1758, Hannah, daughter of Owen Jojes, of Wynnewood, Penn- sylvania ; their second child, Edward, born November 17, 1784, married, December 11, 1810, Tacy Jones; their eldest child (of twelve) Ann Jones Foulke, born September 15, 1811, married December 26, 1833, Dr. Hiram Corson (see Corson VI), and their nine children are of the twenty-first recorded generation of the Foulkes in Wales and America.
ALVIN C. ALDERFER-In 1896 George D. Alderfer was elected prothonotary of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, but before the con- stitutional time had arrived for him to assume the duties of that office he had passed away. He was at that time also a justice of the peace and in his latter office he was succeeded by his son, Alvin C. Alderfer, of Har- leysville, Pennsylvania, then engaged as a teacher in Telford township. The office Mr. Alderfer then assumed he has held during the more than quarter of a century which has since passed by and to it has added others, until he is one of the most influential men of his section of the county, eminent both in his citizenship and as a business man.
Alvin C. Alderfer, son of George D. and Mary (Clemens) Alderfer, was born in Lower Salford township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, November 9, 1869. He attended the public district school, then, for three spring terms, was entered as a student at Westchester Normal College. While that completed institutional courses, Mr. Alderfer has always been a student, and has gained that second and superior education which every successful man gives to himself. After acquiring a State of Pennsyl- vania permanent certificate, he began teaching in Lower Salford and continued a pedagogue for nine years, until his father's death in 1896. By self-study he acquired a knowledge of surveying, and since 1896 has been identified with the business interests of Harleysville, his home. Early in life he operated a creamery at Harleysville, and later was a clothing manufacturer, doing business in his own modern building, but in 1912 he disposed of this business. For several years he also conducted an electrical contracting business, which he sold to his son-in-law, Willis Moyer, in 1919.
As surveyor, to which were added the duties of a justice of the peace which were not inconsiderable, Mr. Alderfer became well known, and the opportunities which were presented him for business advancement were fully improved. The need for a national bank in Harleysville attracted his attention and, with others, an organization was effected in 1908, Alvin C. Alderfer being chosen president of the bank, an office he yet holds. He was also one of the organizers of the Harleysville Building and Loan Association, of which he is secretary, and is secretary-treasurer of The Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, which insures against loss by fire or theft. In 1896 he was first appointed justice of the peace, an office he has held continuously until the present 1922; in 1911 was
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made a member of the Montgomery county Board of Viewers, and in 1920 was appointed for the fourth time to that office. He was township auditor for one term, and formerly secretary of the Turnpike Association. Mr. Alderfer was one of the organizers of the trolley line system from Harleysville to Norristown, and is still a member of the official board. In political faith he is a Republican ; in religious faith a member of the New Mennonite Church.
Mr. Alderfer married, in Lower Salford township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, in 1890, Mary L. Alderfer, daughter of Levi S. and Sarah M. (Landis) Alderfer. To Mr. and Mrs. Alderfer five chil- dren have been born: Bertha May, born May 8, 1891, married Harry Clemens ; Sadie A., born December 22, 1895, married J. Warren Ziegler ; Mary Ellen, born December 10, 1897, married Willis Moyer; Alma A., born October 18, 1901 ; and Verna, born March 15, 1906. The family home is in Harleysville, Pennsylvania.
REV. HOWARD SAMUEL PAULES-The religious life of Lans- dale, Pennsylvania, has a worthy leader in the Rev. Howard Samuel Paules, who was called to this city in 1918. An orator, a faithful pastor, untiring in his efforts in all movements that purpose the betterment of the people and city, he has a place in the hearts of men and an influence that is becoming more and more effective. His father is Francis E. Paules, a slate miner, who married Emma Scheirer, and their son, How- ard S., of this review, was born at Slatedale, Lehigh county, Pennsyl- vania, February 16, 1884.
Mr. Paules' preliminary study was begun in the public schools of Northampton county, Pennsylvania, and was followed by a course in the East Stroudsburg Normal School, from which he was graduated in 1904. He attended Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania, and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1908, and in 1911 graduated from Mount Airy Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with the degree of Bachelor of Divinity.
His first appointment was to the Hillstown parish, Bucks county, where he spent seven and a half years. In December, 1918, he accepted the call of the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lansdale, and has been its beloved pastor for the last four years (1922).
At Bethel Farm, Wyoming county, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 1911, Mr. Paules was married to Martha A. Swartwood, daughter of William Henry and Adelinda (Decker) Swartwood, well known residents of that locality. Rev. and Mrs. Paules are the parents of three children : Floyd Amos, born September 29, 1914; Francis Samuel, born January 23, 1916, and Katherine Mary, born May 26, 1922.
DR. HENRY NATHANIEL SCHOLL-After thorough preparation and a year and a half of practical experience, Dr. Henry Nathaniel Scholl came to Kulpsville, Pennsylvania, in 1909, and since that time has been successfully engaged in general medical practice there. He has built up
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a large and important clientele, and is widely known as a skillful physi- cian and a progressive citizen, as well as a most highly esteemed friend and associate.
Dr. Scholl comes of an old Pennsylvania family, his grandparents being Jonathan and Sallie (Nyce) Scholl, who were the parents of nine children : I. Jesse, who married (first) Elizabeth Hartzell, and was the father of Sarah Ann, who married John Faust, of Norristown, Pennsyl- vania ; (second) Lavinia Hallman, and by this marriage became the father of: Ellamanda, who married Daniel Tyson, of Downington, Penn- sylvania ; Abraham, who resides in Harleysville ; and Katie, who married Jacob Sweet, of Norristown, Pennsylvania. 2. Henry Nathaniel, who married Hannah Frederick, they becoming the parents of Hannah, Sevilla, Priscilla, and Sallie, all deceased; and of Harvey L., who is a physician of Green Lane, Pennsylvania; and Henry Nathaniel (2), of whom further. 3. Jacob M., drowned at the age of twenty-two or twenty- three years at Swamp Creek, Sumneytown, Pennsylvania. 4. Deborah, married Samuel Weil, and they were the parents of: Peter and Henry. 5. Eliza, married Samuel Keller, and they were the parents of: Milton, John, Samuel, Lizzie, and Malinda Nyce. 6. Katie, married (first) Henry Hunsberger, and they were the parents of: Henry, Jr., Sarah, Mary, Amanda, and Richard, all deceased; and of Peter, of Lucon, Pennsyl- vania; Milton, of Quakertown, Pennsylvania; Lydia Ruth, of Souder- ton, Pennsylvania; Morris, of Skippack, Pennsylvania; and Oliver, of Quakertown. Katie (Scholl) Hunsberger married (second) Henry Keeler. No children were born to the second marriage. 7. Mary (twin with Sarah), married Charles Godschalk, and they were the parents of thirteen children : Charles, Jr., Romanus, Elias, Elmer, Ohler, Ella Hun- sicker, Mamie May, and George, all deceased, and Howard, of Reading, Pennsylvania; Morris, of Seattle, Washington; Frank, of Skippack; Sallie, of Adamstown, Pennsylvania; and Lavina Bowman, of Adams- town. 8. Sarah (twin with Mary), married Andrew Godschalk, and they were the parents of: Amanda, who married Samuel Harley, of Skip- pack, died August 10, 1922; Emma Jane, deceased ; and Edwin, of Norris- town, Pennsylvania. Sarah (Scholl) Godschalk died September 28, 1920, aged eighty-five years, two months, and sixteen days. 9. La Anna, mar- ried Fred Hildebrand, and they are the parents of two daughters: Katie, who married a Mr. Bossler, of Norristown, Pennsylvania ; and Sallie, who married a Mr. Krebs, of Philadelphia. Both Mr. and Mrs. Hildebrand are living with their daughter, Mrs. Krebs, at Philadelphia.
Henry Nathaniel (2) Scholl, son of Henry Nathaniel (1) and Hannah (Frederick) Scholl, was born in Green Lane, Pennsylvania, August 4, 1884. After attending the local schools he became a student in Perkio- men Seminary, and then, after completing a course in business college, entered Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1907 with the degree of M. D. He also took a special course at Ursinus College in biology and chemistry. Upon the completion of his medical course, he was engaged in practice in St. Agnes' Hospital in
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Philadelphia for a period of six months, and then went to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he was engaged in general practice for a year. At the end of that time, equipped with a year and a half of practical experi- ence in addition to a thorough previous preparation, he went to Kulps- ville, Pennsylvania, in 1909. There he has been engaged in general practice to the present time (1923). He early won the confidence of the public and rapidly built up a large and lucrative practice. Known throughout the locality as a skillful and faithful physician, he is univer- sally respected and is most highly esteemed by those who know him best.
During the World War he was commissioned a first lieutenant of the Medical Corps, Sixth Division, and from Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, was sent overseas to France, where he was a participant in major engage- ments, including the Argonne, where he was gassed, Chateau-Thierry, and others. Upon his return to this country he was a patient for nine months in a hospital in Rahway, New Jersey, and then discharged, in July, 1919, holding at that time the rank of captain.
Politically Dr. Scholl is a Republican, and he is well known in fra- ternal circles, being a member of Lansdale Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Lansdale Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Philadelphia Con- sistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; and Lu Lu Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Lansdale Lodge, Loyal Order of Moose, in which he has taken all three chairs, and of Kulpsville Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Knights of the Golden Eagle; and Patriotic Sons of America. His religious connection is with the Reformed church.
Dr. Scholl married, at Williamsport, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1909, Ada Undercofler, daughter of William and Mary (Candis) Undercofler, and they are the parents of two children : Henry, born May 9, 1910; and Harvey, born December 18, 1912.
GEORGE K. BRECHT-A successful attorney and counsellor-at- law, in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and also active in many of the various branches of public endeavor, Mr. Brecht is a man of broad influence in his native county, esteemed and honored by all. Mr. Brecht comes of a very prominent family in this county, interested also in various affairs in Philadelphia, and is a son of John E. and Sarah (Kriebel) Brecht. His father was a farmer by occupation, residing at the family homestead in Worcester township, Montgomery county. He was a director of the People's National Bank of Norristown for many years, was, in fact, one of its organizers, also one of the organizers of the Farmers' Creamery Association of Center Point, Worcester township, and was long a director of the Girard Avenue Market, of Philadelphia. He was a member of the Schwenkfelder church. The four children of John E. and Sarah (Kriebel) Brecht are as follows: Emma K., wife of the late John D. Weber; Samuel K., instructor in the Boys' High School of Philadelphia, who has charge of revising the genealogical records of the Schwenkfelders, is a
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member of the board of governors of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles, secre- tary of the General Conference of the Schwenkfelder church, and a mem- ber of its board of public education ; Kathryn K., wife of John A. Long- acre, of Norristown, secretary and manager of the American Equipment Company ; and George K., whose name heads this review.
George K. Brecht was born in Worcester township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, October 7, 1867. Following his elementary studies in the public schools, he covered the usual course at the West Chester State Normal School, from which he was graduated in the class of 1889. He then taught school during a period covering eight school terms, in Skippack, Worcester, Hatboro and Plymouth townships. Mr. Brecht's early ambition was, however, to enter the legal profession, and he accord- ingly began reading law in the offices of Childs & Evans, in 1895. Three years later he was admitted to the bar, and has since practiced continu- ously in Norristown, practicing independently during the entire time. He has attained a very high position in the profession in this county, has specialized in real estate and Orphans' Court work, but also accepts a considerable amount of corporation work, his success in all these lines placing him among the leaders of the Montgomery county bar, practic- ing in all courts, United States District and Circuit courts. He is a member of the County and State bar associations.
A Republican by political affiliation, he has never cared for political honors. In positions of trust in the world of finance he has served the people, having been for seven years secretary and trust officer of the Montgomery Trust Company, also having done much work in the title department of the Norristown Trust Company. He is a trustee of the Perkiomen School, of Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, is secretary of the His- torical Society of Montgomery county, and socially is identified with the Norristown Club. A member of the Schwenkfeldian Exiles, his religious affiliation is with the Schwenkfelder church, and he has been moderator of the Norristown church since its organization in the year 1904.
Mr. Brecht married, in Philadelphia, on October 7, 1902, at Philadel- phia, Rebecca Allabaugh Wood, daughter of William H. and Belle (Mor- gan) Wood. Mr. and Mrs. Brecht have three children: Elinor, Sarah W., and John Morgan. Mrs. Brecht is active along many lines of effort for the betterment of society ; is a member of the Board of Control of the House of Detention, and in the fall of 1921 was elected to the school board of Norristown. She is also a member of the Norristown Reading Circle, and holds membership in the Baptist church. The family home is at No. 539 George street, Norristown.
HORACE B. KRATZ-An American of long descent, Mr. Kratz traces his ancestry to John Valentine Kratz, the founder of the American branch of the Kratz family, who came to this country from Germany in 1727. Horace B. Kratz was born in Frederick township, October 19, 1866, son of Daniel K. and Hannah B. (Boorse) Kratz.
The Kratz family originated in Germany, where for over two hundred
Horace B. Straty
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years prior to the birth of John Valentine Kratz the family had been connected with the social and political life of Europe. John Valentine Kratz was born in Germany, in the year 1707, and was a son of John Philip Kratz, who was born in Germany, December 8, 1665, and died there in 1746. The prior ancestry of John Valentine Kratz, in his father's line, is recorded in various public documents and family papers belonging to the Kratz family in Germany.
John Valentine Kratz, the founder of the American line, came to this country in 1727, when he was barely twenty years of age. He took passage in the ship "Friendship," and such were the hazards of the voyage that he did not arrive at his destination until four months had elapsed, the interim having been spent on the high seas, where the small craft was often in great peril, being blown off her course and at times forced to battle against head winds and to bear the impact of terrific waves. After having often despaired of ever seeing land again, the passengers finally entered the harbor of Philadelphia on October 16, 1727. Young, well found, and ambitious, John Valentine Kratz was possessed of ample means for his new venture. His first thought was to secure the possession of a suitable tract of land upon which to build a home and to prepare for the conquest of fortune. Gifted with a rare instinct for land values and a knowledge of soils and drainage, that had come to him from the long line of country gentlemen who were his ances- tors, he selected an ideal piece of ground in Upper Salford township, con- sisting of one hundred and sixty-three acres of arable and timbered land, well watered and conveniently situated in regard to the main roads and the markets necessitated by the rapidly growing population and the con- stant tide of west bound travel. Erecting a substantial house, barns, and byres to shelter the fine livestock he had purchased for the needs of his estate, he set to work to cultivate his newly bought acres. Before long, as the title deeds of Montgomery county show, he purchased an addi- tional fifty-three acres. Here, on his Pennsylvanian homestead, sur- rounded by his family and friends, John Valentine Kratz lived a long, useful, and honorable life. He died in 1780, and it does not appear that he ever re-visited Germany, or ever again saw his father and his brothers and sisters in the Old World.
At his death, his oldest son, Valentine Kratz, representing the second generation of the family on American soil, came into possession of the estate. Very different in appearance from the bare tract of 1727, the place was now divided between beautiful patches of the virgin forest, gently rolling fields and pastures, and heavily fruited orchards. Valentine Kratz, the heir to this rich property, was born May 16, 1747. Continuing the tradition established by his father, he lived on his land in peace and security, his life unvexed by any cares other than those which beset the Colonies during the Revolution. An ardent patriot, he supported the cause of American Independence, and made many public and private donations to aid the soldiers of the Continental Army during the terrible winter when they were encamped at Valley Forge. He was privileged to
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see the dawn of freedom and the establishment of the Republic. He saw the war clouds gather again in 1812, but lived beyond that troubled period to the birth of the new era that preceded the Civil War. He died July 28, 1834, at the great age of eighty-seven, and his oldest son, Valen- tine Kratz, succeeded to the property.
The second Valentine Kratz was born February 5, 1783, and had thus attained the age of forty-nine when he came into possession of the Kratz estate. He, too, lived the life of a country gentleman, farming the land, laying up stores of wood against the winter, and sending an occasional drove of sheep and cattle to the market. He died October 29, 1865, at the age of eighty-two, leaving several sons, one of whom, Daniel K. Kratz, was the father of the present Horace B. Kratz.
Daniel K. Kratz, the representative of the fourth generation of the family in America, was born November 15, 1826, and spent his life as a practical farmer on the old Kratz homestead at Hendricks, Pennsylvania. He married Hannah B. Boorse, who was born April 2, 1834, and who died September 13, 1889. Daniel K. Kratz died January 30, 1885. Daniel K. Kratz and his wife, Hannah B. (Boorse) Kratz, had eleven children as follows: Amanda, who was born April 21, 1854, and died August 10, 1886, married John B. Wismer, who is now living with Horace B. Kratz ; Mary, who was born July 18, 1855, married Samuel Heistand, now living at Chapel, Berks county ; Hannah, named for her mother, who was born July 22, 1857, married Nathan C. Heistand, now living at Chapel, Berks county ; Henry B., who was born November 15, 1858, died in 1862, at the age of four; Franklin B., who was born September 8, 1860, married Maggie Heiner, dying January 22, 1901 ; Emma, who was born April 18, 1863, died in 1867, at the age of four ; Ellen, who was born October 26, 1864, died in 1869, at the age of five; Horace B., who is now the only active member of the family living in this part of the county, of whom further ; Daniel, named for his father, who was born September 8, 1868, died in 1888, at the age of twenty, while he was engaged in the study of medicine in Souderton, Pennsylvania, with Dr. H. R. Lou ; John B., who was born August 28, 1872, died December 3, 1894; and Jacob B., of Nor- ristown, Pennsylvania, who was born January 27, 1878, and who is Mr. Kratz's only surviving brother.
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