USA > Pennsylvania > Carbon County > Portrait and biographical record of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, Pennsylvania. : Containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 102
USA > Pennsylvania > Lehigh County > Portrait and biographical record of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, Pennsylvania. : Containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 102
USA > Pennsylvania > Northampton County > Portrait and biographical record of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, Pennsylvania. : Containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, together with biographies and portraits of all the presidents of the United States > Part 102
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Walter E. Cox was born in Mauch Chunk in 1844, and attended the common schools of Bethle- hem. His education was further advanced in the Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N. Y., where he completed the civil engineering course. His first active employment was as engineer on the corps of the Lehigh Valley Railroad and its branches, about five years in all. In 1866 he became Superintend- ent of a coal company in Monocacy City, and for a few years afterward was a coal operator. In 1880 he became Linc Agent of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, the duties of which office he has effici- ently discharged for fifteen years. His entire time and attention are given to the extension of the business, and to the furthering of the best interests of the company, by whom he is held in great esteem.
A marriage was celebrated in Philadelphia, in 1869, by which Miss Georgiana Wetherill became the wife of Walter E. Cox. Mrs. Cox is a daugh- ter of Samuel and Sarah (Chattin) Wetherill, na- tives of Philadelphia, Pa., of which city her grand- father, John Price Wetherill, was one of the most
prominent citizens. The pleasant home of Mr. and Mrs. Cox is located on Seneca Street, South Bethlehem. Mrs. Cox is a native of Jersey City, and is a lady of culture and refinement. By her marriage with our subject she became the mother of five children, who are called respectively: W. Wetherill, William J., Sara M., Engenia M. and M. Edith. The parents are members of the Epis- copal Church, and occupy an enviable position in the best social circles of the place where they make their home.
P ETER G. MEYER, a representative farmer and well known citizen of Plainfield, is a native of Washington Township, North- ampton County, and was born October 2, 1833. He is of German descent, and the son of George and Susanna (Kessler) Meyer, natives of the same place. The Meyer family were among the early settlers of this county, and it is said that the great- grandfather of our subject was the founder of the Meyer family in Pennsylvania. He emigrated from Germany to the United States, making his home in Northampton County when there were but few white men in the state.
George Meyer, the father of our subject, who was born in Lower Saucon, and rcared in what is now known as Washington Township, was a wheel- wright by occupation. He departed this life No- vember 23, 1876, at the age of eighty-three years. Of his children four survive. Isaac now resides in Dane County, Wis .; Ann E. is the wife of Abram Cressman, of Bangor, this state; Peter, of Plainfield, and Thomas, of Washington Township, are farm- ers. At various times the father held different offices of the township, and was a highly respected and valucd member of the Lutheran Church.
Peter Meyer, the subject of this sketch, was rcared to manhood in Northampton County, and from his youth has always been engaged in agri- cultural pursuits. In his boyhood days he at- tended the district schools in the vicinity of his home when he could be spared from the duties on the farm, but the advantages offered the youth in those days were not so good as at the present, and
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therefore his education was limited. He studied and read a great deal in after years, and is practically self-made. Our subject is the possessor of one hundred and twenty-nine acres of fine farming land, all of which bears first-class improvements. A large and beautiful residence stands on the estate, with commodious barns and outbuildings, and a number of fine cattle and horses are also to be found on the place, the whole appearance of which shows him to be a progressive farmer.
Mr. Meyer and Miss Margaret Stocker were mar- ried February 26, 1860, and to them eight children have been born, namely: Ervin J., Mary S., Elmer, Andrew J., George A., Laura S., Agnes E. and Annie M. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer are valued mem- bers of the Lutheran Church, and give liberally of their means to the support of the samc. They are among the first in all good works, and ever ready to help the sick and needy. He is public-spirited and enterprising, and his prosperity and the posi- tion which he occupies are mainly duc to his own ef- forts and honesty. The community in which he lives has for a long time looked upon him as one of their leading citizens. He is highly respected and enjoys the confidence of the neighbors and a host of friends.
ACHARY TAYLOR, of Easton, is a mem- ber of the firm of Z. Taylor & Son, who carry on a large furniture and upholster- ing business and are the leading undertakers in the city. Mr. Taylor is a thorough master of the upholstering business, and lias given his attention to this work for over twenty years. It is now about ten years since he removed his office and storerooms to No. 524 Northampton Street, and the financial ability he has exercised has been rewarded with prosperity.
John Taylor, the paternal grandfather of our subject, came to the United States from England. He was a school teacher by profession and had fol- lowed that vocation prior to leaving his native land. His wife, a native of Germany, was in her girlhood Miss Mary Derr. Her parents, on com- ing from the Fatherland, where they had resided
near Heidelberg, were residents of Saucon Town- ship, Northampton County. Jacob, Alexander and George, the thrce eldest sons of John and Mary Taylor, went to Ohio in 1853. Their other children were Samuel, John, and Elizabeth, who be- came the wife of Emanuel Thume. The father of this family, who was a man of fine educational at- tainments, died when in his seventy-first year.
John, the father of Zachary Taylor, was born in Bethlehem Township, Northampton County. For about a quarter of a century he worked on a canal and became quite well-to-do. He was a Whig, and in religion was a member of the Reformed Church. His wife was before her marriage Mary Stametz. Their family numbered twelve children: Sabina, Mrs. Samuel Waltman; Mrs. Lucie Kidd; Malinda, Mrs. Jones; John, Salomi, Zachary, Mary, Emma; Elizabeth, whose death resulted from an accident in her eighth year; and Cornelius, Samuel Henry and Polly, all of whom died in infancy. The fa- ther died in 1874, aged sixty-eight years, while his wife, whose death occurred September 3, 1886, had attained the age of seventy-six years, eleven months and four days.
Our subject was born October 10, 1847, in Easton, and until he was about thirteen years old he pursued his studies in the public schools of South Easton. For the next seven years he worked as a tow boy on a canal. In 1862 he became a. clerk in a grocery at South Easton, but for two years prior to this had been employed in Steward's Iron Mill, of the same place. The youth next took up the trade of upholstering, and was the first to complete an apprenticeship at this business in Easton. In 1872 he formed a partnership with William Fulmer, under the firm name of Taylor & Fulmer, and thus they continued to do business until the spring of the following year, when Amos Davis was admitted as a partner. The new firm of Taylor, Fulmer & Co. operated only until the fall of 1873, when Mr. Fulmer withdrew and lo- cated on Fourth Street. The old firm name was then changed to Davis & Taylor, and the business continued until 1878 at No. 446 Northampton Street. Mr. Davis then withdrew from the part- nership and Mr. Taylor succeeded to the entire business, which he carried on alone for about two
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years. From 1880 until 1884 Mr. Davis was once more a member of the firm, their trade being mainly in general furniture and supplies. At the date last mentioned Mr. Davis once more sold out his interest, and Mr. Taylor was alone until 1893, when his son, H. B. Taylor, became interested with him. In 1887 the undertaking business was added to their furniture trade, and in this depart- ment they have been very successful as well as in the other branch. Our subject has been at vari- ous times connected with local industries and en- terprises, as a man of good business judgment, and he is well liked by all who know him.
December 14, 1869, Mr. Taylor was united in marriage withı Matilda, daughter of Jacob Hawk, of Warren County, N. J. Two children bless their union, Herbert B. and Sarah Edith. The family are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which Mr. Taylor is now acting as Steward.
Politically our subject uses his ballot in favor of the Republican party. Socially he is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, belonging to Dallas Lodge No. 96, F. & A. M., and Lehighton Lodge No. 244, I. O. O. F.
J AMES SMITH, of Easton, is one of the pro- gressive and capable citizens whom Ireland has contributed to the United States, and who, through energy and persevering effort, have materially aided in the upbuilding of this country and the development of its material re- sources. Since 1850 he lias made his home in Easton, and during the period of almost a half- century that has since elapsed, he has gained finan- cial prosperity, and at the same time has become known as one of the honorable, genial and public- spirited nien of the city.
Born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1829, the subject of this notice is the son of Patrick and Ann (Carpenter) Sinith, the former of whom was a farmer by occupation. He received in his native land such educational advantages as the common schools afforded, but the wide range of informa- tion lie has acquired is the result mainly of his un-
aided cxertions and self-culture. He was a young man of about twenty years when, in company with his mother, he took passage on a ship for America, and landing in New York, soon came to Easton. In boyhood lie had learned the trade of a stone- mason, which he has made his life work. For a number of years he has devoted especial attention to contract work, which he has carried on very ex- tensively, both in this and other states. He built bridges over the Susquehanna River at different places, and also the bridge over the Connecticut River, near Greenfield, Mass., and erected a num- ber of railroad bridges at different points. He had the contract for the masonry elevation of the tracks of the New York Central Railroad in Roch- ester, N. Y.
As a citizen, Mr. Smith is interested in all meas- ures pertaining to the welfare of Easton. He is a Democrat and is active in public affairs. In 1889 he was chosen a member of the Town Council of South Easton, in which capacity he officiated for one term. IIc has been a delegate to conventions, and served as an elector in the State Convention of 1880. He served in the Legislative Assembly of 1890. In religion he is a Catholic, and holds membership in the church at Easton. He is a Director in the Northampton National Bank, and Manager of the Northampton Fire Insurance Com- pany.
In the autumn of 1858 Mr. Smith married Miss Mary Sharon, and they have had a family of eight children, named as follows: Bernard, James, John, Thomas, Joseph, Ellen, Mary and Rose. Bernard and Rose are deceased.
EORGE R. ANDERSON, M. D., the lead- ing physician and surgeon of Portland, opened an office in this place in 1883, and has since conducted a general practice, gaining meanwhile a large clientage and establishing his fame as a skilled practitioner. He is still a young man, having been born October 3, 1857, and it is therefore safe to say that the future years will
37
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
bring him increased honors in his profession. A native of New Jersey, he was born in Milford, Hun- terdon County, to the union of Jacob R. and Jane (Fulkerson) Anderson. He was reared to manhood in his native county, gaining his ele- mentary education in the public schools of Mil- ford, and later attending for a time the academy at East Greenwich, R. I., as well as other schools. Through diligent use of his opportunities he ac- quired a breadthi of culture that has ever been one of his distinguishing characteristics.
Having resolved to adopt for his life work the noble calling of a physician, our subject in 1876 began a course of medical lectures in the Univer- sity of New York. After two courses there and two in Jefferson Medical College, he was grad- uated from the latter institution in 1882. In or- der to perfect himself in the science of therapeu- tics, and also for the purpose of giving especial attention to surgery, he went to Europe, where he spent a year in study. For a time he was in the celebrated St. Bartholomew's Hospital and Medical College, in London, England, and also attended hospital lectures in Paris, France.
Having by these splendid advan tages thoroughly equipped himself for his profession, Dr. Anderson returned to the United States, and in 1883 opened an office in Portland, where he has since conducted an increasing practice. His studies, coupled with his accurate judgment and sound common-sense, admirably fitted him for success in the profession. His superior ability is widely recognized, and by his noteworthy success in the treatment of diseases of every nature he has gained the confidence of the people of the city and county.
In addition to the management of his large practice Dr. Anderson is owner and proprietor of a drug store in Portland. He fills the position of Censor for the Medico-Chirurgical College in Phil- adelphia, and has held other posts of honor in the medical fraternity. On the 23d of May, 1894, he was united in marriage with Mrs. Mary E. Ger- net, of Easton, and they have established a pleas- ant home in Portland. The Doctor is a member of the Northampton County Medical Society, and is deeply interested in everything pertaining to professional matters, In politics, though not
aggressive, he is a firm supporter of Republican principles. In his social connections he is identi- fied with the Frce and Accepted Masons, holding membership with the lodge at Belvidere, N. J. The success which he has attained professionally is the result of his own efforts, unassisted by fortune or fortuitous circumstances, and proves the pos- session on his part of qualities of a superior order.
ONRAD MILLER, who was born in Ger- many, is one of the leading business men of Bangor, Northampton County, Pa., and few enterprises which have been started of late years in this region have not looked to him for support and been uniformly given aid and en- couragement.
Mr. Miller was born in one of the Hessian prov- inces of Germany, October 20, 1838, his parents being John and Mary (Ashburn) Miller. The fa- ther came to the United States in 1852, and set- tled in Baltimore, Md., where hic engaged in the mercantile business. In former ycars and in his native land he had followed farming, and at all times attended strictly to his business affairs. He died in Blairstown, N. J., and was buried in Balti- morc. In politics he was a Democrat, and frater- nally a member of the Odd Fellows society. A Lutheran in religious belief, he was kind and de- voted to his family and a man of upright life. Of his eight children, six of the number are living and residents of this county. Mary is the wife of John Hebner, of Baltimore; Henrietta is Mrs. Henry Hoffman, of Ackermanville, Pa .; John C. married Nellie Johnson, of Portland; Kate is the wife of John Applebye, of Bangor: Charles N. married Annie Brown, of Nazareth; and Elizabeth lives with her brother Conrad.
Our subject was educated in Germany, receiving instruction from private tutors to some extent. When he first came to the United States he worked for a brewer for $2 per month and board. For six years he was engaged in the mercantile business at
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Baltimore, and then for five years was in the Gov- ernment employ as Quartermaster in Washington during the Civil War. About 1872 he began his railroad contract work, being for two years clerk and walking boss of the Metropolitan branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad. He next took a contract on the Baltimore Short Line in Ohio, and afterward built twenty miles of the South Moun- tain Road, near Harrisburg, continuing his work on that line to Blairstown, N. J.
In 1876 Mr. Miller constructed the Blairstown Railroad to Delaware Station for J. I. Blair. In the spring of 1878 he built the Belvidere Water Works, and the same year constructed the Bangor & Portland Railway, a distance of eight miles, be- ing then elected its President and Manager. About this time he became interested in opening slate quarries at Bangor and Chapman Quarries. In 1880 he continued the construction of the Bangor & Portland Railroad from this point to Pen Argyl, and the following year the road was completed from the last-named station to Nazareth. In 1882 five miles of the Martin's Creek branch were built, and in 1884 lie constructed the Wind Gap branch, a distance of two and a-half miles. With J. I. Blair he invested to a large extent in slate quar- ries, and is now President of the Bangor Union Quarry, a Director in the North Bangor Company, President and Treasurer of the United States Siate Quarry of Pen Argyl, President and Treasurer of the Albion Slate Company of the same locality, Vice-President of the American Bangor Slate Com- pany, President of the Wind Gap Slate Company, and Receiver for Jackson Bros.' Slate Quarry, the Pen Argyl Valley Slate Quarry, the Excelsior Slate Quarry and the Diamond Slate Quarry. He is a stockholder in the First National Bank, is President of the Kansas City, Osceola & Southern Railroad in Missouri, and President of the Chicago, Iowa & Dakota Railroad, running from Chicago to Alden, Iowa.
August 31, 1869, Mr. Miller married Anna M., daughter of Andrew Werling, of Muncy, Pa. They have had a son and two daughters: John A., born September 1, 1872, and now a student at Lafay- ette College; Sarah Virginia, born March 25, 1884, and now at Blair Hall School; and Margaret Anna,
whose birth occurred June 27, 1886. In politics Mr. Miller is a Republican, and socially he is a member of Warren Lodge No. 51, of Baltimore, Md. He is a Presbyterian, and a member of Blairs- town Church of that denomination. He expects to move his family to his new residence in Naz- areth, Pa., in March, 1895.
D R. WILLIAM HERBST, of Trexlertown, a
physician and surgeon, is a native of
Berks County, Pa., and was born in 1833, being the son of Frederick and Catherine Herbst, the former a native of Saxony, Germany, and the latter of Berks County. Frederick Herbst, who had been a medical practitioner in Berks County for some forty years, was a graduate of Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. He was graduated in 1828, and attended that school either in the first or the second term after it opened.
Our subject was reared to man's estate in Berks County, where he attended the public schools. He afterward attended Williston Seminary, in East Hampton, Mass., and remained two years. At the age of eighteen he began reading medicine with his father in Berks County, and later took a three- years course at Jefferson Medical College, Philadel- phia, being graduated from there in 1855. After his graduation he located at Trexlertown, Pa., begin- ning practice in the spring of 1855, and he has re- mained in that town ever since. He has built up a successful business, his patients comprising some of the best people in the town. For thirteen years he was physician at the alms house, and for seven years he filled the chair of botany at the college, his lectures being usually given on Monday after- noons, and being very interesting, as he has made a specialty of botany and is recognized as among the standard authorities in Lehigh County in that line. He is a member of the Lehigh County Med- ical Society, in which he is now serving as Sec- retary.
Dr. Herbst married Miss Ellenora Schall, a na- tive of Trexlertown, and a daughter of David and
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
Mary (Rupp) Schall, who are both deceased. By the Doctor's union were born two children: Dr. H. H. Herbst, of Allentown, this state; and Caroline E., who is attending boarding-school at German- town, Pa.
A man of truly religious character, Dr. Herbst takes great pleasure in the active work of his church, the Lutheran. In politics he is a Demo- crat, and socially is a member of Lehigh Lodge No. 326, at Trexlertown, in which he has served as Master.
H ON. EDWARD H. LAUBACH. This rep- resentative citizen and influential resi- dent of Northampton is known in vari- ous walks of life as a prominent civilian, able legislator and successful business man. He has long been influential in the political and social life of this section of Pennsylvania, and has been a potent factor in advancing its commercial and ag- ricultural interests. At present he occupies the honored and responsible position of State Senator from the Eighteenth District, the duties of which lie discharges in such a manner as to reflect credit upon himself and promote the welfare of his con- stituents.
Born in September, 1852, the subject of this biography is a son of Samuel and Lucy (Hess) Laubach, natives of Northampton County. The father, now deceased, during his life engaged in merchant milling and did an extensive mercantile business. The mother, who is still living, makes her home with Edward H. Our subject represents the third generation of the family who have en- gaged in the milling business in Northampton County. The first representatives of the family in America were Christian and Reinhard Laubach, who left the Palatinate of Germany in July, 1738, embarking at Rotterdam on the ship "Queen Eliz- abeth," Alexander Hope master, and landing in Philadelphia September 16 of the same year. They settled in Lower Saucon Township, Northi- ampton County, on land owned by the Penn heirs. The family have since become numerous, and its members occupy a prominent place in the
political, business and professional circles of North- ampton and adjoining counties.
In the public schools Mr. Laubach laid the foun- dation of his education, and at the age of twelve years cntcred what is now Mulilenberg College in Allentown. After carrying on his studies there for two years he entered Franklin and Marshall College at Lancaster, where he conducted his stud- ies for two years. His father died when he was but eleven, and on attaining mature years, though his natural inclinations were toward a professional life, it was deeincd best that he take charge of the large estate left to the widow and children. Of the family five now survive, those beside Edward H. being Allen D., Peter J., Samuel, and Amanda, wife of Rev. . J. F. Delong, of Bethlehem.
After leaving college Mr. Laubach embarked in the mercantile and milling business, in which he has since been engaged. The mill was remodeled in 1886, at which time the latest improved roller system of machinery was introduced. The work is done entirely for the trade, specialties being made of the "Standard," "Royal" and "XX" brands.
In 1876 Hou. E. H. Laubach and Miss Elizabeth Stewart were united in marriage. The lady was born in Catasauqua, and is a daughter of the late James Stewart. Three children have blessed the union, Mabel S., Samuch T. and James H. In rc- ligious faith Mr. Laubach is a member of the Re- formed Church. With the exception of Director of Schools in his native township, he never held political office until elected in November, 1890, to the Senate. While not an office-seeker, he has given years of service to his party. He had just at- tained his majority when elected a member of the county committee of his political party, which płace he has held almost continuously since. He has been a member of the Democratic State Committee for many years, and often a delegate to state conventions, in which he has several times been Chairman of important committees. He has also been Chairman of the Democratic County Committee a number of times. His long experience as a politician has been of value to him in his legislative career, and he has been cn- abled to further the welfare of his district in many
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PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.
important ways. In the convention of June, 1894, he was re-nominated by his party almost unani- mnously, and was re-elected November 6 following, this being the first instance of a Senator's re-nom- ination and re-election from Northampton Coun- ty. To tlie duties of this important position he devotes himself assiduously, exercising painstaking diligence and diplomacy in everything tending to the progress of the people, and winning by his recognized ability a prominent position in the leg- islative body of which he is a member.
u RIAH S. LITZENBERG, Notary Public of Allentown, was born in Lehigh County April 22, 1847, and has passed his entire life in the place of his birth. He is a son of Rev. Reuben and Hannah (Ruder) Litzenberg. His fa- ther is a minister in the Evangelical Church, and is now living at No. 23 South Ninth Street. The wife and mother died in this city in 1884.
The subject of this sketch is the seventh in order of birth in the family of eight children, six sons and two daughters, four of whom are yet living. As his father was a minister and was called to va- rious places as pastor, the family lived in many different places, and the education of our subject was therefore acquired in various schools. At the age of fifteen he began clerking in a general store, and was thus employed for a short time, after which he learned the trade of a tinsmith in Cata- sauqua. When he had mastered the business he went to Lancaster, Pa., where he followed that pur- suit until 1864, when, at the age of eighteen, he entered his country's service.
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