Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 104

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY)
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1068

USA > Pennsylvania > Lackawanna County > Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties > Part 104
USA > Pennsylvania > Wyoming County > Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties > Part 104

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came acquainted with General Logan, and was ever afterward a great friend of that noted man. Since 1866 Mr. Letchworth has affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, joining Amity Lodge at Murphysboro, Ill., where he resided for about eighteen months, and he now holds membership in Dunmore Lodge No. 816, in which he has filled all the chairs. He also be- longs to the Encampment, I. O. O. F., the Order of Red Men (in which he is keeper of wampum), and the Patriotic Order Sons of America, in which he is a past officer. He is a member of the board of trade, of which he was at one time a director; has been secretary of the Funeral Di- rectors' Association of Scranton Poor District since its organization, and is also treasurer; for ten years was secretary of the Tri-County Funeral Directors' Association; is a member of the In- ternational Funeral Directors' Association, rep- resenting the state of Pennsylvania at the meet- ing in Detroit in 1894, which was the last year of its existence; and now belongs to the National Funeral Directors' Association. In 1881 he helped to organize the State Funeral Directors' Associa- tion of Pennsylvania, of which he has been presi- dent. He is a consistent and active member of the Presbyterian Church at Dunmore, and is one of the valued citizens of the place, with whose interests he has long been prominently identi- fied.

T HOMAS DERSHIMER has for almost half a century been connected with the history of Lackawanna County, and few have done more for its upbuilding. He has been a champion of every movement designed to pro- mote the general welfare, a supporter of every en- terprise for the public good, and has materially aided in the advancement of all social, industrial, educational and moral interests. In 1851 he lo- cated in Dunmore, and has since been identified with the business interests of the place.

In the township of Chestnut Hill, Northamp- ton County, Pa., Mr. Dershimer was born April 28, 1829, a son of John and Christiana (Siglin) Dershimer, also natives of that county, and the former of German descent. The father, who was

a farmer by occupation, removed to Luzerne County in 1830, locating five miles south of Wilkesbarre in Hanover Township, but six years later he removed to Exeter Township, where he purchased a farm, on which he died at the age of seventy-seven. His wife also departed this life in that township. In their family were ten chil- dren who grew to man and womanhood, of whom six are still living, our subject being the youngest. His brother John is a farmer of New- ton, Lackawanna County.

Mr. Dershimer, of this review, was reared in Luzerne County, attending its public schools dur- ing his boyhood, and completing his education in the Wyoming Seminary. In 1850 he went to Abington, one mile from Dalton, Pa., where he remained one winter, and in 1851 took up his resi- dence in Dunmore. For a time he was employed as clerk in the grocery store of Thomas Wood- bridge and Mr. Dean on Chestnut Street, but in 1852 formed a partnership with Mr. Woodbridge and engaged in the butcher business under the firm style of Woodbridge & Dershimer, running wagons in both Dunmore and Providence. This connection continued until 1872, and in the mean- time they had built a market on Chestnut Street. After the partnership was dissolved in 1872, Mr. Dershimer lived retired for a year or two and then engaged in the cattle business with Bell & Francois for some years, under the firm style of Dershimer & Co. They owned a large slaughter house, and carried on operations at Griffin's Cor- ner. Subsequently they took the agency for Swift's Chicago Dressed Beef Company, and still continue business under the name of Bell, Fran- cois & Co., having the finest establishment of the kind in the state, located on the corner of Pine Street and Wyoming Avenue. Besides his ex- tensive interests in the cattle and beef business, our subject is also a director of the Gouldsboro Ice Company. Through his own perseverance, energy, and well directed efforts, he has become one of the well-to-do and substantial citizens of Dunmore, and the success that he has achieved is certainly well deserved.

In Hollisterville, Pa., Mr. Dershimer married Miss Charlotte Curtis, of South Canaan, Pa., who died in Dunmore. To them were born two chil-

THOMAS W. KAY, M. D.

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dren, one still living, George W., a farmer of Lake Township, Wayne County, Pa. For his second wife he chose Miss Angeline Cross, a native of Sterling, Wayne County, and their marriage was solemnized in Salem, this state. They have an adopted son, Ralph Doran Dershimer. Her fath- er, Robert Cross, was born in Philadelphia, and was a son of Edward Cross, a native of Scotland, who on coming to America first located in Phila- delphia, but afterward removed to Sterling, Wayne County, where his death occurred. The son also died in that county, where for many years he had followed agricultural pursuits. He married Julia Robocker, who was born in Eliza- beth, N. J., and died in Sterling, Pa. Their only son, Theodore E., died in 1865. The daughters are Mrs. Dershimer, Mrs. Squires, of Rochester, and Mrs. Emma Van Camp, of Dunmore. Fra- ternally Mr. Dershimer affiliates with King Solo- mon Lodge, F. & A. M., of which he is a charter member. He belongs to the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is now serving as trustee, and has been a stalwart Republican in politics since the organization of the party.

T HOMAS W. KAY, M. D. To those who wish to make a success in professional or business life, the most thorough prepara- tion is absolutely necessary. Especially is this true of the medical profession. The day has gone by when a "quack" of great pretensions but no learning can successfully cope with the grow- ing demands of the science, which calls for the most careful training and study on the part of its followers. It may with justice be said of Dr. Kay that he has prepared himself conscientiously and earnestly for his profession, having spared neither time nor pains in the acquirement of knowledge. He has had the advantage of the best schools both of this country and abroad, and in 1883, 1888 and 1894 took post-graduate courses in Vienna, Berlin, Paris and London, thereby keeping in touch with the latest improve- ments in the science. For a time he was profes- sor in the medical college at Beyrout, Syria, and also surgeon to St. John's Hospital in the same place, where, in 1887, he performed the first

recorded successful operation of ovariotomy in Syria.

Born in Port Royal, Caroline County, Va., February 19, 1858, Dr. Kay is the son of Joseph W. and Julia (Baylor) Kay. The Kay family was originally Scotch-English, the name having been variously spelled Kay, Key, Kaye and Keye. That these are all of the same original stock is certain from the fact that their various coats of arms all contained the head of a griffin bearing a golden key in the mouth. These all undoubt- edly originated from Dr. Caius, the founder of Caius College, England. The first of the family to settle in America were James and Rev. Wil- liam Kay, who came from England between 1700 and 1720, settling in Virginia. William was rec- tor of a parish in Richmond County between 1740 and 1750, and James served as a vestryman in Strothers Church, King George County, until his death in 1768. His son, Richard, who was born in Essex County in 1752, lived on a planta- tion in the Old Dominion and served faithfully during the Revolutionary War as a member of Wedan's Brigade. His son, James, our subject's grandfather, was born in Essex County in 1781 and was a farmer by occupation, while his son, Joseph W., also a farmer, was a deacon in the Baptist Church, served as justice of the peace and county surveyor, and died when sixty-three.

The maternal grandfather of our subject, George D. Baylor, was born in Caroline County, Va. He was a descendant of John Baylor, a na- tive of County Devon, England, who emigrated to America, establishing his permanent home in Virginia. Next in line of descent was John, who was born in England in 1650 and died at Nor- folk, Va., in 1721. His son, John, who was born in Norfolk in 1705 and died at New Market, Va., in 1772, had a son, John (the fourth of that name) who was born in 1750 and died at Bowling Green, Va., in 1808. One of his brothers, George, was a colonel in the Revolution and received wounds at Tappan, N. J., from the effects of which he died on the Barbadoes Islands, whither he had gone for his health. The son of John (4th) was George D., our subject's grandfather, who graduated from the medical department of Jefferson College and practiced his profession in Caroline County,

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dying at Lockleys in 1848. The original Baylor estate was called Newmarket. Our subject's mother resides in Virginia, as also does her only daughter, Georgia, Mrs. S. M. Watts, of Essex County.

The subject of this sketch, who was the young- er of two children, was educated at his home in Caroline County until fourteen years of age, when he entered McCabe's University School at Petersburg, Va., where he fitted for college. In 1877 he entered the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Baltimore, from which he graduated in 1879, with the degree of M. D., and receiving the first prize, a gold medal. During this time he had taken a special course in physiology at the Johns Hopkins University, under Prof. H. New- ell Martin. In 1879 he took charge of the Wom- an's Hospital in Baltimore, remaining one year, after which he conducted a general practice in Columbia, Lancaster County, Pa., for three years. Thence he went to Asia, accepting the position of professor of materia medica and therapeutics in the Syrian Protestant College at Beyrout, and surgeon to St. John's Hospital in the same place. He remained there for five years and during that time made a three months' trip to America, be- ing called home by his father's death. In 1888 he resigned and took a hospital course in Dres- den and Berlin, also visited a number of points of interest on the continent, after which he came back to America. He did not at once begin prac- tice, but traveled about six months and then, se- lecting Scranton as his future location, opened an office on North Main Avenue.

In 1894 Dr. Kay went to Rome as a member of the Eleventh International Medical Congress, which he attended throughout the entire session. He also spent some time in hospitals in Paris and London, returning to Scranton after an absence of four months. He has his office at No. 206 Penn Avenue and carries on a general practice, but makes a specialty of gynecology. In addi- tion to his private practice, he is medical exam- iner for different insurance companies. In for- mer years he contributed frequently to medical journals, his articles receiving merited attention from the profession. He is a member of the Lan- caster County Medical Society, State and Ameri-

can Medical Associations, Lackawanna County Medical Society, the Eleventh International Medical Congress (before which he read a paper upon the treatment of the throat in diphtheria) and was a delegate to the Pan-American Medi- cal Congress, held in Mexico, having been ap- pointed by the American Medical Association.

In politics Dr. Kay is a stanch Republican. In religious belief he is identified with the Elm Park Methodist Episcopal Church. His resi- dence at No. 313 Madison Avenue is presided over by his wife, whom he married in Minneapo- lis, and who was formerly Miss Edna Fuller. She was born in Wayne County, Pa., was educated there and in the Woman's College of Baltimore, and is a lady of culture and refinement. The fam- ily of which she is a member originated in Hol- land, but has been represented in America for many generations. Her father, Rev. Moses De Witte Fuller, is a minister in the Methodist Epis- copal Church and is now living in Owego, N. Y.

C HARLES W. HALL. A native of the county in which he now resides and the son of a pioneer whose name was identi- fied with the history of this locality in early days, the subject of this sketch is the owner of a por- tion of his father's estate, which he and his broth- er, John, are cultivating. The place is situated in the borough of Waverly, formerly Abington Township, and contains all the improvements of a first-class farm, including substantial residence and several outbuildings, all adapted to their varied uses. He is an intelligent farmer and keeps abreast with the times in the improvements and progress made in his calling.

Jonathan Hall, our subject's grandfather, came to Pennsylvania from Connecticut about 1800, and settled on the old homestead in Abington Town- ship, now Glenburn borough, where he died in June, 1866. The father of our subject, Jeremiah, was a son of Jonathan and Eunice Hall, and was born near Glenburn, Lackawanna County, in 1810. Upon attaining manhood he began the task of cultivating and improving the home place, which he developed, greatly increasing its value by his methods of fertilization and cultivation. Here

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the remainder of his life was passed and here he died February 13, 1895, at the close of a useful and honorable existence, devoted to agricultural pursuits. He was a man of consistent Christian character, amiable yet determined in disposition, with fixed purposes when once convinced of the right. He trained his children in habits of in- dustry and usefulness, and prepared them for honorable positions in the world.

With such an example before him of unques- tioned morality and piety, our subject grew to manhood, imbibing the principles of conduct that would guide him through life. His boyhood years were passed on the farm near Glenburn, where he was born October 2, 1840. The years of boyhood and youth were spent uneventfully at home and in school. In connection with his brother he now owns and operates the home place, where his entire life has been passed. At Cochecton, N. Y., January 10, 1871, he was united in marriage with Augusta Tyler, who was born in Damascus, Wayne County, Pa., but spent her girlhood years principally in New York. They are the parents of one son, Wilson T., who is connected with a general store in Factoryville. The family are members of the Baptist Church and prominent in social circles in their neighbor- hood.

J AMES A. MELLON, chief of the draught- ing department of the Delaware, Lackawan- na & Western shops and a young man of exceptional ability in his chosen occupation, was born September 2, 1864, in the city of Scranton, where he has always made his home. His father, Edward Mellon, who came here from Paterson, N. J., about 1856, was for many years a machinist of this city, but is now living retired. A man of remarkable originality of ideas, he is an inventor of note and is the patentee of the Mellon safety tire, a driving wheel tire used throughout this en- tire country and in England. He is considered one of the finest machinists in this part of the state. A resident of this city since an early period in its settlement, he has made many improve- ments in the part of the town where he resides. In the midst of the versatile duties that have

crowded into his life, he has found time for the cultivation of athletic sports, of which he is a great admirer. He is a man of great power and endurance, is one of the best skaters in the city, and is also classed among the best checker play- ers in the state.

The mother of our subject, Mary Burchell, was born in Paterson, N. J., and still lives in Scranton, as do her surviving children, four in number: James A .; Martha, wife of State Senator M. E. McDonald; Fannie; and Frank, who is with Jer- myn & Duffy. Two daughters are deceased, Mrs. J. O. Conner and Mrs. A. F. Duffy. James A., the oldest of the surviving members of the family, was educated in the grammar and high schools of Scranton, and on leaving school began to learn the machinist's trade with the Dickson Manufacturing Company, being under John J. Devine in the locomotive department. For five years he continued as machinist and draughts- man, after which, in 1886, he accepted the posi- tion of mechanical draughtsman and chief of this department in the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western shops, where he has since remained. He designs all the new locomotives that are built here and also the repairs for old engines. Several of the locomotives he designed are now running on the road.

The residence of Mr. Mellon at No. 418 North Seventh Street, Scranton, is presided over by his wife, and is brightened by the presence of their three children, Evelyn, Edward and Martha. Mrs. Mellon was in maidenhood Agatha Brown and was born in Honesdale, Pa., from the schools of which city she is a graduate. Her father, Judge Michael Brown, was a prominent business man of Honesdale and at one time filled the office of judge of Wayne County. Fraternally Mr. Mel- lon is connected with the Young Men's Institute and the Heptasophs.

C LORENZ, Ph. G., proprietor of the drug store at No. 418 Lackawanna Avenue,

. Scranton, was born in the mountainous district of St. Audreasburg, Hanover, Germany, October 1, 1851, the son of August and Augusta (Klingsoehr) Lorenz, also natives of Hanover.

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His maternal and paternal grandfathers, F. Lor- enz and Carl Klingsoehr, were both mine super- intendents, and the same occupation was followed by his father, August Lorenz, until his death at sixty-four years. In 1885 Mrs. Lorenz came to America and has since resided in Scranton, being now about sixty-six years of age.

Of three children comprising the parental fam- ily two attained mature years, the subject of this sketch being the only son. His childhood years were passed in Zellerfeld and Clausthal, his edu- cation being obtained in the gymnasium of the latter place, where he completed the course. In 1870 he crossed the ocean to New York, and one year later began the study of pharmacy at the corner of Fifty-ninth Street and Third Avenue. Afterward he entered the New York College of Pharmacy, from which he graduated in 1875, with the degree of Ph. G. He remained in New York City, with the exception of a short time spent in Galveston, Tex., until 1880, when he returned to Europe, visiting the old home and also traveling through Switzerland and France. On his return to New York, he was just about to embark in business in that city when a friend wrote him that there was a good outlook in Scranton, and in- fluenced by the favorable report he came here in 1881. On the 5th of May he bought out Mr. Ludwig, of Ludwig & Zeller, and the firm of Zeller & Lorenz continued the business for a time, after which a change was made and the firm became Lorenz & Walther. On the death of the junior member, Mr. Lorenz purchased the entire business in 1885, and has since continued alone. He has a large business as registered pharmacist and has established a profitable trade among the people of this locality.

In 1892 Mr. Lorenz organized the Pentecost Lumber Company, of which he has since been president. This company owns five thousand and five hundred acres of land in Sullivan County, Pa., and large mills at Emmons, where they founded a town and established a postoffice. They manufacture large quantities of lumber and ship hemlock bark. As most of the members of the company reside near Carbondale, the headquar- ters are in that city. In addition to this and other enterprises, Mr. Lorenz formed a partnership

with Charles Koempel and under the title of Lor- enz & Koempel, engaged as druggists and phar- macists on the corner of Linden Street and Washington Avenue. He also started a store on the south side, as a member of the firm of Zeller & Lorenz, but later sold, and it is now owned by F. L. Terppe. Fraternally Mr. Lorenz is a life member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is identified with the Turn Verein. He married Miss Frieda Kracht, who was born in Germany, and in childhood came to Scranton, with her father, Otto Kracht, who resides in Quincy Avenue. Two children bless the union, Elsa and Otto.

H ON. JOSHUA S. MILLER. Since 1860 a resident of Elmhurst, Mr. Miller carried on a large business in lumbering before the forests were cut down and for years has been identified with the farming interests of Roaring Brook Township. Through his arduous and un- tiring efforts he has accumulated a competency, which enables him to enjoy every comfort in his advancing years. The most of his money is loaned on good real estate security, the interest of which forms no inconsiderable addition to his income. Both here and in Berks County, where he form- erly resided, he has taken an active part in local affairs and has served efficiently in township and district offices.

The parents of our subject, John and Hannah Miller, were born in Lehigh County, Pa., and from there removed to Berks County, where they continued to reside until death, the mother dying in middle life and the father when about sixty- eight. They had six children, namely: Charles, Hattie and John, who make their home in Berks County; Jonas and Joseph, deceased; and Joshua S., of this sketch. The last-named was born in Berks County, April 7, 1822, and grew .to manhood upon a farm, but did not, at that time, enter upon farming for his life work. He became interested with a brother in the mercan- tile business and this he carried on for twenty years, being for the same period postmaster at Monterey, which was made a postoffice through his efforts. On coming to Elmhurst he pur-

ALEXANDER CONNELL.

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chased land, some of which he devoted to general agricultural purposes, while the timbered portion was utilized for the lumbering business. While in Berks County he served for some time as jus- tice of the peace and has filled the same position at Elmhurst. In 1860 he was chosen to repre- sent his district in the legislature and his service in that responsible position gained for him the es- teem of his constituency. His support has always been given to the Democratic party and he is an admirer of Grover Cleveland, who for two terms represented that party as the nation's executive. By his marriage to Frederika Zangley, of Lehigh County, Mr. Miller has three children: Frances, wife of Fred Conn, of Dunmore; Emma and George W., who are with their parents.

A LEXANDER CONNELL, deceased, was the youngest of the three Connell broth- ers whose history is so intimately con- nected with that of Scranton and Lackawanna County, one having represented this district in congress. The reputation for strict integrity, cor- rect business principles and fidelity to all inter- ests entrusted to them, he shared in common with the others, and though he was called upon to lay down the cares of life while yet in his prime, he had already attained success. And not alone such success as many reach in a financial way, but that truer and greater success-a right per- ception and cheerful performance of his duties to his fellow men, himself being always held sec- ondary in importance.

A son of James and Susan (Melvin) Connell, our subject was born in Sidney, Nova Scotia, June 30, 1840. His two brothers were William and James, and with them he was taught sturdi- ness and independence, industry and persever- ance and other useful lessons, which too many have to reach only after long and painful expe- rience has been their teacher. The honored father died at the home of Alexander Connell in 1884 and the mother departed this life while living in Minooka.

From early years our subject was a resident of Pennsylvania, as he was brought hither when a mere child by his parents, who for a time dwelt

in Schuylkill County. As he grew to manhood it became evident that he possessed unusual busi- ness talent and his first venture was in connec- tion with his elder brothers at their mines. There he was employed as an engineer, but a better opportunity presenting itself he left there and devoted his attention to mercantile pursuits. With several firms he was manager and afterwards he became a partner in the wholesale grocery of Megargel & Connell, attending to the financial management. Until his death, which occurred January 6, 1883, he made his home in the neigh- boring town of Minooka, where he was a most honored citizen. He was a faithful supporter of the tenets of the Republican party and was a thor- oughly patriotic man. Belonging to both the Odd Fellows and Masonic societies, he was buried with their rites at Forest Hill. For years he was a member of Taylorville Lodge, I. O. O. F., and Hyde Park Lodge, F. & A. M.

March 6, 1867, Mr. Connell was married at the home of the bride's parents, in Minooka, to Miss Elizabeth Campbell. Her father, Robert, was a native of Scotland, and an early settler of Miners- ville and Minooka. To the last-mentioned town he removed in 1857 and is still living there. His business in his active years was that of mining, but he is now enjoying the fruits of his former toil. He is a veteran of the Civil War, as he served under the three months' call, and then enlisted in Company B, Forty-eighth Pennsylva- nia Infantry, and was on active duty from then until the close of the conflict, three years or more later. He rose from the ranks to be first sergeant, and when serving in a campaign with Burnside, received two wounds. Since the war he has been a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. His father, Robert Campbell, Sr., came to Amer- ica, and died in Minersville, Pa. The wife of Robert Campbell, Jr., bore the maiden name of Mary Billington, and was born in Newcastle, England. Their five living children are all resi- dents of the Lackawanna Valley.

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Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 104

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY) Publication date: 1897 Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1068

Author: Chapman Publishing Company (NY)
Publication date: 1897
Publisher: New York ; Chicago : Chapman Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1068