USA > Pennsylvania > Montgomery County > Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, a history, Volume III > Part 31
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FRANK B. WILSON-In securing the best men to carry on its varied manufactures Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, has drawn many of its leaders in business from other cities. Frank B. Wilson had made a reputation for himself in the rubber industries of Rhode Island long before the Lee Tire Corporation secured his services in their factories. He was successful from his arrival and is at the present time (1922) superintendent of production. His father, Orrin D. Wilson, is a native of Eastport, Connecticut; he was engaged in the rubber trade at Bristol, Rhode Island, until his death at the age of fifty-five. He was a veteran of the Civil War, serving the first three months with the Ist Regiment of Rhode Island, and all the rest of the war with the 11th Regiment, Connecticut. For the most part he was with the Army of the Potomac, but his regiment was transferred often and he was at the front in nearly all the major engagements, being severely wounded. His wife was Elizabeth D. Wilson, mother of Frank B. Wilson, who was born at Bristol, Rhode Island, August 17, 1868.
His education came from the grammar and high schools of his city, but he early began to support himself in the telephone business in Bris- tol, of which he was in charge before resigning. He left to go with the National India Rubber Company, of his native place, to become their purchasing agent. It was in 1916 that the Lee Tire Corporation per- suaded him to move to Conshohocken as their superintendent of stores, which position he held until 1919, when he was made the head of the production department. His ability, skill, and long experience have made him an exceedingly valuable man in the corporation. Mr. Wilson is a Republican in his politics and was a member of the Town Committee and State Central Committee of his party in Bristol, and was also town auditor and on the school commission. At one time he was in the First Naval Reserve Corps of Rhode Island with the rank of ensign, but resigned on coming to Conshohocken. Fraternally he affiliates with
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St. Alban Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Bristol, of which he is past master ; Hope Chapter, No. 6, Royal Arch Masons, of which he was past high priest ; and is past grand high priest of the Grand Chapter of Rhode Island. He is a communicant of Calvary Episcopal Church, of Conshohocken.
At Bristol, Rhode Island, on October 16, 1895, Mr. Wilson married Emeline Frances, daughter of James T. and Almy N. (Paige) Phillips, of Rhode Island. Mrs. Wilson is very prominent in the community life of Conshohocken, being the leader of the Red Cross Home Work during the World War, and is now (1922) head of the Civilian Relief Commis- sion. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson are the parents of two children: Orrin, born at Bristol, now deceased; and Claudia, born at Bristol, Rhode Island.
ADOLPH PRINCE-It is not often that a line of business is fol- lowed by successive generations of a family without a break for three centuries. That is the record of the Prince family, however, Adolph Prince and his son, Joseph L., who is giving up an active law practice to follow in the steps of his forefathers, completing a period of three hun- dred years in the meat business.
Adolph Prince was born in Hungary, August 7, 1870, and came to the United States in 1885. Settling in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, he established himself in the business which had for generations been that of his forefathers in the home land, the meat business. From the begin- ning his venture was successful and from its first modest beginning con- tinued to grow and prosper. As success came to him he thriftily saved, and with characteristic foresight and sagacity invested in real estate. These investments proved to be profitable ones and the business con- tinued to grow, both lines of activity furnishing capital for further investment, until at the present time Mr. Prince is the largest individual property owner in Pottstown. He has recently established a new meat shop which, in order that the three century family tradition may not be broken, will be placed in charge of the son, Joseph L., who will give up an active law practice. In addition to his original business and his real estate interests, Adolph Prince is a member of the board of directors of the Citizens' National Bank, and takes an active interest in the public welfare of the community in which he lives. He is energetic and progressive, giving his active support to all projects which seem to him to be wisely planned for the advancement of the best interests of the town, and willingly gives of his time and his energy as well as of his means. He is a member of the Empire Hook and Ladder Company, which he has done much to develop. Fraternally he is well known, being a past master of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he is a member of all the higher lodges; and of the Loyal Order of Moose, in both of which fraternal organizations he takes an active part. He is also a member of the Independent Order of B'rith Abraham; and of the Independent Order of B'rith Sholom, the local lodge of which is named for him. Mr. Prince was a delegate to the Chicago Convention which nominated Theodore Roosevelt for president.
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On December 29, 1891, Adolph Prince married Minnie Lukman, and they are the parents of eight children : 1. Joseph L., of whom further. 2. Robert, who is in business with his father. He enlisted for service in the World War and was sent overseas from Camp Oglethorpe, Georgia, with the Episcopal Hospital Replacement Unit. He remained there for six months and then returned and was discharged at Camp Merritt, Long Island, after eight months of service. 3. Matthew, who is in the paint business in Easton, Pennsylvania. He enlisted in Company A (the local company), IIIth Infantry, under Colonel Shannon, was trained at Camp Hancock, as part of the 79th Division, and ordered overseas. On the way over, however, because of an injured knee, he was ordered on the sick report, put off at Halifax, Nova Scotia, and returned to the hospital at Camp Dix, Wrightstown, New Jersey. He was discharged after the signing of the armistice, having been in service for twenty-two months. 4. Agnes. 5. Horace. 6. Albert. 7. Francis. 8. Hilary.
JOSEPH L. PRINCE, son of Adolph and Minnie (Lukman) Prince, was born at Pottstown, Pennsylvania, September 30, 1894. He received his early education in the public schools of his native town, graduating from the high school with the class of 1911, of which class he has been president since 1912. He then continued his studies at the Wharton School of Commerce and Finance, in Philadelphia, and upon the comple- tion of his course there he began his professional studies in the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, where he remained for two years. At the end of that time he entered the law school of Dickinson College, at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1916, president of his class. He was admitted to practice in all Pennsylvania courts, and in 1917 began practice in Pottstown and in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Mr. Prince is a vigorous, progressive young fellow, the type of young man of whom much may be expected. He takes an active interest in the affairs of the community and will in the years to come render valuable service, if one may judge by the record which he has already made. In giving up his practice to take up the business in which his father is engaged, he as the oldest son will preserve intact and carry forward the long three century record which has been unbroken thus far and is a matter of family pride and concern.
Politically Mr. Prince gives his support to the Republican party. He took an active part in the campaign which resulted in the nomination of Theodore Roosevelt in 1912 and was the first chairman of the reor- ganized Republican Club, of Pottstown. During the World War he was chairman of the Food Administration Committee for Pottstown. Fra- ternally he became a member of the Phi Epsilon Pi, Iota Chapter, while at college, and he is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, all branches; of the Loyal Order of Moose; Stichter Lodge, No. 254, Free and Accepted Masons; Royal Arch Chapter; Reading Consistory ; Rajah Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Krishna Grotto, Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm; and Spring City Forest, Tall Cedars of Lebanon. In addition to the various
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interests already mentioned Mr. Prince has given a considerable amount of time to the collection of old documents of early Pennsylvania history, of which he has an interesting and valuable collection, including a grant made by John Penn in 1700, the record of proceedings which provided for the organization of the first bank in Pottstown in 1836, which is now the National Bank of Pottstown. Deeply interested in the general field of history but especially in that of Pennsylvania, he is the author of a history of the Jewish people in Montgomery county, a work which he prepared for the benefit of the Young Men's Hebrew Association. He is solicitor for the Business Men's Association, and president of the Inter-Cities Association, which includes Pottstown, Royersford, Spring City, and Phoenixville.
On June 3, 1917, Joseph L. Prince married Tillie Freedman, of Har- risburg, Pennsylvania, and they are the parents of two children: Harold H., and Stanley.
JOSEPH CAVALIER-Of foreign birth, but a true citizen of his adopted country, Joseph Cavalier, of Ambler, has won the respect and faith of the citizens of that place by his straightforward life and his earnest efforts to be of service in its business and municipal activities. He is prominent in the business and financial life of Ambler, and has been honored with the gift of public office by his townspeople.
Born in Italy, March 19, 1882, the son of Benjamin and Litizia Cavalier, the latter of whom died July 16, 1917, he came to the United States when less than fifteen years of age. He has three sisters, Jenny, Caroline, and Filomena, and a brother, Jerry, in Italy, and another, Alphonse, who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Joseph Cavalier spent ten years in the public schools of Naples, Italy, and was prepared to enter the high school of Jersey City, New Jersey, upon his arrival in this land. After graduating from high school in 1898, he was employed in various ways, principally as a barber, and opened a shop of his own in Philadelphia, in 1902. However, he shortly moved to Ambler and established a bakery at No. 212 Chestnut street, where he now employs several men. He is a director of the Community Building and Loan Association, and a stockholder in the Wissahickon Building and Loan Association. He served as constable from 1917 to 1919, when he was elected to the town council for a term of four years, and is chairman of the Highway Commission. His fraternal connections are with Lodge No. 543, Sons of Italy, at Ambler, and the Foresters of America, at Philadelphia. He is a communicant of the Catholic church.
In Philadelphia, October 30, 1905, Joseph Cavalier married Angel- ina Celebre, daughter of Nicola and Pauline Celebre, both of whom are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Cavalier are the parents of four children : Rosa, born July 30, 1906; Daniel, born November 5, 1908; Joseph, born August 15, 1910; and Raymond, born November 6, 1919.
HERBERT A. PLANK-Formerly associated with the Bell Tele- phone Company for seventeen years, and now the owner and manager of a fine farm property at Collegeville, Mr. Plank is widely known in
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agricultural circles for the high quality of his wheat and the excellence of his dairy cattle. He was born at Norristown, Pennsylvania, June 10, 1880, son of George Edward and Lydia R. (Wager) Plank. His father was the proprietor of a farm at Linfield, and Mr. Plank thus grew up amid the sights and sounds of a busy agricultural property. He is the oldest of a family of five children, his brothers and sister being: Clar- ence L. Plank, who is employed in the United States post office in New York City, and is married; Edith L. Plank, who is a stenographer; Alvin C. Plank, an expert machinist ; and Leon, a farmer, unmarried.
Mr. Plank received his education in the public schools of Linfield, Pennsylvania, and completed his studies at an early age. Intensely ambitious, he decided to leave home and to make his own way in the world, at the age of fourteen. He had a good knowledge of farm work, to which he had always been accustomed, and he naturally, therefore, chose farming as an occupation. He had no difficulty in forming an advantageous connection, and spent the next nine years in the pursuit of agriculture, working on various farms, and acquiring a thorough understanding of farm conditions and all phases of farm activity, includ- ing the care of livestock and dairy cattle.
In 1905, however, he decided to seek a change of employment. After careful consideration, he accepted an offer from the Bell Telephone Company and entered their service as a lineman. He found this work very agreeable and interesting and the connection thus established lasted for the next seventeen years. In 1907 Mr. Plank was promoted to the position of construction foreman, and this position he held for a period of ten years. He then was transferred to the engineering depart- ment and spent five years in work in this department. At the end of this period in 1922, he decided to retire from the work of the telephone company, although he found it very interesting, and his services were deeply appreciated by the officials of the company, and to return to agri- culture. He resigned his position, therefore, to the regret of all his associates, and purchased a splendid farm of thirty-six acres at College- ville, where he now lives.
His early experiences as a farmer, and the inherited agricultural tra- dition of his family, insured his success, and from the very beginning his crops have prospered. He raises wheat for the market, and has in addition, a fine herd of dairy cattle. He maintains a milk route, serving many customers who have the utmost confidence in the purity and whole- someness of his milk, cream, and other dairy products. Although it is not long since he established his farm, Mr. Plank has already acquired a wide reputation in farming circles as a capable and progressive agri- culturist, and his opinions in regard to new methods of cultivation, drainage, fertilization, and kindred subjects, are received with respect in all ranks of the agricultural world.
In politics Mr. Plank is a Republican. He takes an active interest in such political matters as affect farm life and conditions, and is a great believer in better roads, improved transportation facilities, and every improvement calculated to make farm life more attractive to the youth
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of the present day, and to do away with the old time drudgery of life on isolated estates without ready means of intercommunication. His recreations are hunting and fishing.
In August, 1901, Mr. Plank married, in Lower Providence township, Lydia Gurtler, daughter of Daniel S. and Emma (Stearley) Gurtler. Mrs. Plank has no brothers or sisters. Her father is employed as a track foreman for the Reading Transit Company, and lives at Evansburg, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Plank's mother is also living. Mr. and Mrs. Plank have five children : Daniel, who is named for his mother's father, is now employed in farm work, having left high school after two years of study, in order to make agriculture his life occupation; May, who is a gradu- ate of high school, and entered the University of Pennsylvania for a course in nursing in the fall of 1922; Herbert, who is named for his father, began to work on a farm after his graduation from high school, now in the United States navy, enlisted January 23, 1923; Edith, who entered the high school in 1922 ; and Edward, who is a graduate of Henry K. Boyer's School, and will enter Collegeville High School in the fall of 1923.
WILLIAM MARIS HALL, M. D .- In the history of professional progress in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, the name of Dr. William Maris Hall is an honored one, his thirty-three years of practice in Con- shohocken being a record of which any man might well be proud. Dr. Hall was a son of Hibbard and Johanna (Pugh) Hall, and his father was a general merchant at Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Hall was born in Radnor township, Montgomery county, Penn- sylvania, April 27, 1860. His education was begun in the local schools, and as a young man he attended West Chester Normal School. Then, having early chosen medicine as his field of professional endeavor, he entered Jefferson Medical College, at Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in the class of 1883, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Within the year, Dr. Hall began practice in Conshohocken, in association with Dr. Reed, then a venerable and widely popular physician who retired three years later. Dr. Hall took over his practice and continued in the same office until his death, which occurred July 25, 1916. A thoughtful man of progressive spirit and broad sympathies, Dr. Hall won a place in the affections of the people, such as it is the privilege of few to gain. His death seemed a public calamity, and his name is now spoken with tender reverence. Dr. Hall was a director of the First National Bank of Consho- hocken, and was interested in all civic and business advance. A Repub- lican by political affiliation, he served for years on the school board, giv- ing much of his time and thought to the welfare of the rising generation, in charge of that body. He was a member of the American Medical Asso- ciation, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, and the Montgomery County Medical Society. A member of the Loyal Order of Moose, he was medi- cal examiner for that fraternity, and was medical examiner for the Metro- politan Life Insurance Company for a period of twenty years, receiving a medal. He was a member of the Episcopal church of Conshohocken.
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Dr. Hall married, in Conshohocken, July 15, 1892, Ida E. Gilbert, daughter of Daniel E. and Annie (Biddle) Gilbert. Their only child was a daughter, Edna Maris, who was born in Conshohocken, July 5, 1894, and is now the wife of George E. Slaughter, of Millington, Maryland. They have one child, Maris Hall Slaughter.
CLAYTON C. MOYER-One of the well known and successful men of Montgomery county is Clayton C. Moyer, dealer in coal, lime and cement, and proprietor of a prosperous little business in Souderton, Penn- sylvania, who previous to engaging in commercial pursuits was a teacher in Franconia township for a period of eight years.
Henry L. Moyer, father of Mr. Moyer, was a farmer and a carpenter of Montgomery county, whose death occurred August 15, 1920. He mar- ried Emma Clemmens, and they were the parents of seven children: Martha; Clayton C., the subject of this sketch; Calvin; Henry ; Mamie ; Eva; and Bessie.
Clayton C. Moyer was born in Montgomery county, April II, 1886, and received his early education in the public schools of his native dis- trict, later becoming a student in Souderton High School, and upon the completion of his high school course entered Millersville Normal School. For a period of eight years he was successfully engaged in teaching in various parts of Franconia township, but at the end of that time, in 1912, he purchased from J. G. Gerhart a general store, located in Earlington, Pennsylvania. The energy and ability which brought him success as a teacher found full scope in his new business enterprise and from the beginning he was successful. In October of the year in which he became proprietor of the store, he was appointed postmaster of Earlington, and from that time to 1921 he continued in the employ of the Federal Govern- ment in that capacity, conducting the post office in connection with his general store. He had a large and lucrative trade and was well known as an able and efficient business man. In addition to the management of his store and of the post office, Mr. Moyer, who gives his support to the Republican party, served as supervisor of roads. He also took an active part in the work of the Lutheran church, of which he is a member, and which he served as superintendent of the Sunday school and as secretary of the official board. Despite the success he had attained in the mercan- tile field, Mr. Moyer decided to widen his experience and embark upon an entirely different line of business endeavor, and accordingly, in May, 1923, after selling out his business in Earlington, he established himself at Souderton, Pennsylvania, as a dealer in coal, lime and cement. Already this business shows signs of the future development and prosperity which it will undoubtedly attain under the able management of Mr. Moyer, and the patronage is steadily increasing and promises to be even larger than that of his former business, which he watched and helped grow from a very small beginning into a prosperous concern.
Mr. Moyer married, at Telford, Pennsylvania, Emma M. Moyer,
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daughter of Richard S. and Clara A. (Schissler) Moyer, and they are the parents of one daughter, Carolyn, who was born at Earlington, Pennsyl- vania. The family residence is at Perkasie, Bucks county, Pennsylvania.
GEORGE M. CARL-The eldest of a family of six children, all of whom are living in Pennsylvania or the neighboring States of New York and New Jersey, Mr. Carl was born at Palm, Montgomery county, Penn- sylvania, February 13, 1864, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (Krause) Carl. Samuel Carl was born in Lower Milford township, Lehigh county, Penn- sylvania, in May, 1826, and died there at the great age of ninety years, October 15, 1916. He was a millwright and farmer, and served as road supervisor for many years. Mr. Carl's mother was born in 1839, and died August 8, 1916. Mr. Carl's brothers and sisters are: Alice, married Alfred Rodel, and is now a resident of East Greenville, Pennsylvania; Elizabeth, married Rev. William Frederick, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is now a resident of New York City; Amanda, married Charles Weinert, auditor for the Central Railroad of New Jersey, and is now a resident of Red Bank, New Jersey; James, who is a tele- graph operator at Vera Cruz, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania; and Anna, married John P. Geary, a cigar packer, and is now a resident of East Greenville, Pennsylvania.
George M. Carl was educated in the public schools of Montgomery county and at Perkiomen Seminary. When his school days were over, he turned to railroading and became a telegraph operator. His first posi- tion was at Bellemead as an operator on the Perkiomen division of the Pennsylvania & Reading railroad. He spent a year in the service of this road at Bellemead and Yardley, and in 1887 was appointed to fill the position of station agent at Hosensack. He remained at Hosensack from 1887 to 1890 and was then transferred to Schwenkville, where for the next twenty-five years he served both the railroad and the town to the best of his ability. When he retired in 1915 from the service of the road and thus terminated his twenty-nine years of continuous service, his employers were not slow to express their appreciation of his work. To his fellow-townsmen Mr. Carl's retirement brought general regret. He had spent so many years at the railroad station that it was difficult for Schwenkville to accommodate itself to the change. No one wished to deprive him of his well-earned rest, but in all classes of the community the wish was freely expressed that he might have continued in the old familiar place a few years longer.
Apart from his connection with the railroad. Mr. Carl carried on an independent business venture at Schwenkville, being the owner and pro- prietor of the Perkiomen Inn. He purchased the property in 1896, six years after his arrival to take charge of the railroad station. He made many improvements in and about the building, and conducted the place as a hotel from 1896 until 1920, when he disposed of the property and retired from active participation in business affairs.
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In political faith Mr. Carl is a Democrat. He has a record of several years in public office at Schwenkville, having been a member of the Board of Education for a period of five or six years, during one year of which he handled school funds as treasurer of the board. He also served a term as member of the Borough Council. A man of rare political discrimina- tion, Mr. Carl's advice is often sought by the men of his party in the State of Pennsylvania. Having been for so many years in close touch with the traveling public through his connection with the railroad and by reason of his business as the proprietor of a well known and popular hotel, Mr. Carl is better informed than most men concerning the political trend of the times, and his judgment, when he is asked for an opinion concerning public sentiment in regard to political issues, is usually correct.
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