Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 116

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 116
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 116

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a director in the Weston Mill Company; direc- tor in the Moosic Powder Company; director in the Hudson River Ore & Iron Co., The Stowers Pork Packing & Provision Company, Providence Gas & Water Company, Wilson Lumber & Mill- ing Company and Scranton Lace Curtain Manu- facturing Company; president of the Riverton Mills Company, at Riverton, Va .; vice-president of the Empire Grain & Elevator Company; and treasurer of the Fall Brook & Newton Water Company.

In political views Mr. Weston is a Republican. For four years he was a member of the Guard and served as second lieutenant of Company H, Thirteenth Regiment, N. G. P., until he resigned. His home, in Wyoming Avenue, is presided over by his wife, formerly Grace Storrs, daughter of W. R. Storrs, general coal agent of the Dela- ware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad. She was born in Buffalo, N. Y., and received her edu- cation in Wells College, Aurora, N. Y., from which she graduated.

M ARTIN C. JUDGE is one of the active business men of the village of Taylor, where the principal part of his life has been passed, and where, as boy and man, he has gained a reputation for honesty, industry and en- ergy. The general store of M. C. Judge & Co. is stocked with a line of goods suited to meet the wants of the people and at prices so reasonable as to encourage general patronage. Through several years of clerkship, the proprietor gained a thorough insight into the business, and is, there- fore, able to carry it forward with efficiency.

The first five years of the life of Mr. Judge were spent in Minersville, Pa., where he was born October 21, 1861. From there he accom- panied the family to Centralia, Columbia Coun- ty, two years later went to Scranton, and at the age of nine was brought to Taylor, his present place of residence. His education has been ac- quired by experience rather than from text books, as his attendance at school was limited. When eleven years of age he began to work in the mines, where he continued for ten years. The work not being entirely congenial, he abandoned

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it and secured employment as a clerk with Thom- as E. Jones, of Taylor. Four years later when that gentleman sold out, he took a position with Woodworth, Mulherin & Co., with whom he re- mained for five years as a clerk. On the with- drawal of Mr. Woodworth, the firm became Mul- herin & Co., and continued as such for three years, when Messrs. Mulherin and Clark retired, and their interest was purchased by our subject, the firm of M. C. Judge & Co. being established, which has since carried on a profitable business.

Aside from his mercantile interests, Mr. Judge is connected with the lumbering business, in con- nection with other gentlemen, and holds impor- tant interests in North Carolina. He is also a stockholder in the Taylor Silk Manufacturing Company. Fraternally he is a member of the Order of Elks and the Young men's Insti- tute of Hyde Park. In religious belief he is a Catholic. He is a stanch supporter of Demo- cratic principles and upon that ticket, in 1896, was a candidate for the assembly, but was de- feated in common with members of that party in almost every part of the country. He is inter- ested in local matters and contributes to their progress.

M ICHAEL J. KELLEY, one of the ener- getic business men of Scranton and for- merly president of the board of school control, was born in this city September 3, 1853, and is a son of Thomas J. and Bridget (Hughes) Kelley. His father, a native of Ireland, came to Pennsylvania in boyhood and for some time lived in Honesdale, Wayne County, but in 1846 settled in Scranton, where he was employed by the Lackawanna and Western Iron & Coal Com- pany. In 1857 he went to Minnesota and for seven years cultivated a farm near St. Paul, but in 1864 returned to Scranton, and seven years afterward embarked in the grocery business in Phelps Street, continuing the same until his death in 1890, at the age of sixty-seven. His widow is still living in this city. He was a son of John Kel- ley, a farmer of Ireland, who brought his family to the United States, settled in Scranton and died here when eighty-four years old.

The family of Thomas J. Kelley consisted of three children who attained years of maturity, and of these two are living, our subject being the elder. He was reared in Scranton and St. Paul and received a fair education in the public schools. At the age of ten he began working around the Delaware and Hudson mines, later was employed with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Company in the Diamond mines, and was then apprenticed as a machinist in the shops, continuing five years with the company. He finally abandoned work as a machinist and took a position as salesman with Leonard Bros., hard- ware merchants, in whose interests he traveled through this valley for more than a year. After- ward he took charge of his father's grocery busi- ness, which he has since conducted in his own name.

In 1887, forming a partnership with M. J. Ruddy, under the firm name of Ruddy & Kelley, our subject built a bakery on the corner of Ca- pouse Avenue and Ash Street, where he began in the bakery business and the manufacture of cakes and crackers. After twenty months he sold out and built at Nos. 1031-33 Capouse Avenue, where he has since established a large trade in crackers, cakes, confectionery and ice cream. He has a large oven with a capacity for one hundred and fifty barrels of crackers per day. There is an elevator connecting with the second floor, where the confectionery is kept. As a caterer for parties and dinners his services are in demand, the quality of his service being first-class and in every way satisfactory. He ships goods through- out the east and north, and also to the south and west, and furnishes employment to fifty-five hands.

In Scranton Mr. Kelley married Miss Cather- ine Mahon, who was born in Carbondale, and they are the parents of three children that are living. In 1878 Mr. Kelley was elected a member of the board of school control and served for twelve successive years, being a member of dif- ferent committees and serving as president in 1882. In this capacity he was instrumental in placing the finances of the board upon a solid ba- sis and extending its usefulness. In 1890 he was appointed a member of the board of health by

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Mayor Fellows and is now its president. He was connected with the organization of the Artisans Building and Loan Association and is now one of its directors. Politically a Democrat, he has rendered service on the city and county com- mittees and is pronounced in his allegiance to party principles. In religious belief he is con- nected with St. Peter's Cathedral at Scranton.

J ARED M. KISTLER, vice-president of the Lackawanna Wheel Company at Scranton and for years a clerk in the coal sales depart- ment of the Delaware & Hudson Company, was born near Allentown, Lehigh County, Pa., Sep- tember 6, 1855. The family of which he is a member originated in Holland and was identified with the farming interests of this country in the early days of its settlement. His great-grand- father, David Kistler, a native of Lehigh County, was a soldier in the Revolution, and the grand- father, John, served in the War of 1812. The latter was a blacksmith and carriage manufac- turer at Lynnville, Lehigh County, and his old home, one mile from the village, is still stand- ing.

The father of our subject, Elias Kistler, was born in Lehigh County and there engaged in farming, contracting and ore mining. He was a member of the home guard and captain of a light horse cavalry, and in politics was a strong Republican. He and his family were identified with the Dutch Reformed Church. His death oc- curred October 21, 1895, when he was seventy- nine years of age. He married Kate, daughter of John Mohr, who was of direct New England and French extraction. She was born near Lynn- ville and received her education in a female sem- inary in Massachusetts. The great-grandfather Mohr accompanied Lafayette from France and served in the Revolution, afterward settling in Lehigh County. John Mohr was in the War of 1812, then the regular army, and afterward the Mexican War, returning to the regular army and remaining until he was discharged on ac- count of age. He was one hundred and three when he died. Mrs. Kate Kistler resides in Whitehall Township, Lehigh County.

Of nine children the subject of this sketch was fourth in order of birth. At the age of five years he was taken by his parents from the farm to Allentown, where he attended the public schools and Allentown Academy under Professor Greg- ory. In 1868 he entered Wyoming Seminary at Kingston and continued his studies there until the spring of 1871. The following year he came to Scranton and secured work as machinist in the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western shops, re- maining there until sickness caused the loss of the position. He was then employed in surveying for two years, after which he was with the city en- gineer. In 1877 he entered the sales department of the Delaware & Hudson Company, with whom he has since remained. In the organization of the Lackawanna Wheel Company he took a very active part and its establishment upon a sound financial basis was largely due to his efforts. The plant is located in Washington Avenue and a large business is being built up. Since the com- pany was organized in the summer of 1896 he has been vice-president and a director. The de- mands of his business are such that he can devote little attention to public affairs, but he keeps him- self posted concerning national questions and gives his vote to the Republican party.

W ILLIAM CONRAD, proprietor of the Yellow Gate Farm Dairy, is one of the representative business men of Scranton, having his central office at Monsey Avenue and Larch Street. He is a very enter- prising citizen, always alert to advance the best interests of the community. But a few years ago he started on a very small scale the business which has since grown to large proportions un- der his constant endeavor and direction. He is, in fact, one of the pioneers in creameries in this section and his success has undoubtedly stimu- lated others to undertake the same line of trade.

His paternal grandfather was a landholder and a man of sterling worth, honored and respected by all who knew him. He was a native of Saxe- Coburg, Germany, and in that country, also, was born our subject's father, Andrew Conrad, who engaged in farming extensively and also ran a

JOSEPH MADENSPACHER.

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mill there. In 1858 he came to the United States and upon his arrival in New York City he first was employed in merchandising, but soon began teaching vocal and instrumental music. Subse- quently removing to near Pottsville, he operated a farm in the vicinity and later we find him a ho- telkeeper in the village of Tumbling Run. But wherever he went his love for music was one of his chief joys and in every locality he founded classes or gave individual instruction on the piano and violin. He spent some time in Wilkesbarre and Pottsville and in 1866 became one of the citizens of Scranton. For twenty-five years he was actively engaged in his beloved work as a teacher of music, was the first director of Scran- ton Liederkranz, a position he held most ac- ceptably many years, and was also organist and leader of the choir in the Lutheran Church. For the past few years he has represented the Ger- mania Life Insurance Company. Fraternally he is connected with Schiller Lodge No. 345, F. & A. M. He has been twice married. His first wife died in Germany, leaving two children, one of whom has since passed away and the other resides in Philadelphia. His present wife was Catherine Miller, a native of Germany. Of the eight children born to them all but one are living.

Born May 6, 1860, near Pottsville, Schuylkill County, William Conrad is the eldest child of his father's second marriage. He was only six years old when he was brought to Scranton and here he received his education. When about fourteen he began working for his father on the home- stead and continued there until the spring of 1883, when he embarked in business for himself, having a milk supply depot and running one wagon. Later he located at the corner of Larch Street and Sanderson Avenue and by degrees built up a large and profitable trade. He has es- tablished two milk shipping depots, one at Chin- chilla and the other at Factoryville. At the cor- ner of Larch Street and Monsey Avenue he erect- ed a fine three-story and basement structure, 38x 80 feet in dimensions. The building is heated by steam and furnished with all modern appli- ances, a twenty-five horse power boiler, refrig- erators, etc. Here are manufactured by the most approved processes creamery butter, cottage

cheese and cream cheese, in addition to which the trade is supplied with a superior quality of bottled milk and cream. A telephone connects . the creamery with the office on Washington Ave- nue. In order to meet the demand two trucks, one carrying sixty cans of milk, and nine delivery wagons are used.

In 1889 Mr. Conrad married Miss Lydia, daughter of Frank B. Bates, the well known con- stable of this city. Mrs. Conrad was born in New York State and is the mother of a bright little lad, Andrew by name. The family attend the Presbyterian Church, of which Mr. Conrad is a member. Politically he affiliates with the Repub- lican party.

J OSEPH MADENSPACHER, foreman of the brewery of E. Robinson's Sons at Scran- ton, was born in Belgium March 18, 1851, and is the son of Joseph and Francisca (Pfeffe- lor) Madenspacher. His father, who was born in Baden, Germany, held the position of man- ager of iron ore mines in Belgium for fifteen years, but in 1861 returned to Baden and pur- chased a large farm, where he continued to make his home until he passed from earth at fifty-six years. His wife died August 26, 1870. At the time the family went back to Baden, our subject was a lad of ten years, and his education was ob- tained principally in the high schools of that city. At the age of seventeen, in 1868, he enlisted as a musician in the army and served for three years and two months in the Fourteenth Army Corps under General Weder. On the expiration of his term of service he went to Millhausen, Germany, where he spent two months.

June I, 1872, Mr. Madenspacher set sail for America on the steamer "Maine," and upon reaching New York secured employment in Lyon's brewery, where he remained one year and seven months. Going further west he worked in a brewery in Cincinnati, Ohio, for three months, then was foreman of a malt house in Sandusky for a year, and from there removed to Pittsburg, where he worked for a large concern for two and one-half years. On his return to New York he resumed work in Lyon's brewery, hold-

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ing the position of maltster one winter, and after- ward securing employment with Ellis & Betts, with whom he continued for eighteen months. For one winter he also worked in a cooper shop in New York. Afterward he worked for various concerns in the city, being foreman for Schmidt & Schwanenfluegal seven years. December 1, 1885, he came to Scranton and has since been foreman for E. Robinson's Sons, owners of the largest brewery here.

The marriage of Mr. Madenspacher, February 2, 1877, united him with Augusta Rapp, and they are the parents of seven children: Josephine, Joseph, Adolph, Otto, Henry, Bertha and Au- gusta. The family are identified with the Catholic Church. Politically Mr. Madenspacher is a Dem- ocrat, and fraternally he is identified with Schiller Lodge No. 345, F. & A. M., and Lodge No. 123, B. P. O. E., in Scranton.

R EUBEN NELSON LA BAR, secretary, treasurer and manager of the North End Lumber Company, Limited, of Scranton, was born near Wyoming, Luzerne County, and has spent his life thus far in this portion of Penn- sylvania. The family of which he is a member is mentioned in the sketch of his second cousin, John A. LaBar, of Scranton. He is a son of Rev. John LaBar, who was born in Pittston, grew to manhood in Luzerne County, and having pre- pared himself by careful study for the ministerial profession was ordained by bishops of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, after which he held pas- torates in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties. His last charge was at Fortyfort and upon its expiration he retired from the ministry and re- turned to Wyoming, where he has since made his home. As a minister of the Gospel he was, in his prime, an earnest and scholarly expounder of the truths of the Bible, and of the doctrines of the Methodist denomination. His faithful efforts in Christian work were followed by excellent re- sults. A man of positive convictions, he never hesitated to attack that which he believed to be an evil or which would work an injury to the cause of Christ. He can now look back over his past life with no regret for lost opportunities and

he can also look forward to the future with the Christian's hope.

The mother of our subject was Mary A. Rug- gles, a native of Buttonwood, Luzerne County, and member of a pioneer family of the state. Of her nine children five are living; one son, L. G., is a stock broker in Scranton; and another, W. S., is connected with the Lehigh Valley Railroad in Wilkesbarre. Reuben N., who is the youngest of the family, was educated in Wyoming Semi- nary at Kingston, completing the regular course there. January 4, 1888, he became bookkeeper for T. F. Leonard, wholesale hardware mer- chant, with whom he remained for three years, and later was with the Peck Lumber Company for two years. For a similar period he acted as representative of a wholesale lumber business here. In June, 1896, with William Chappell, he secured the incorporation of the North End Lum- ber Company, Limited, and to the management of this he has since devoted his attention. They own eight lots on North Main Avenue with a frontage of two hundred and eighty feet and con- taining shed and piling room, with building ma- terial of all kinds.

Fraternally Mr. LaBar is connected with Peter Williamson Lodge, F. & A. M., and in politics votes the Republican ticket at all elections. His residence at No. 419 Vine Street is presided over by his wife, an accomplished lady, who was educated at Bucknell University, Lewisburg. She was Miss Sadie C. Spencer and was born in Dunmore. Her father, A. D. Spencer, is a coal operator of Scranton.

T HE CARBONDALE LUMBER COM- PANY. The plant operated by this com- pany is owned by J. T. and R. W. Pethick and their brother-in-law, E. E. Bunnell, succes- sors to J. T. Pethick & Brother, who were for- merly the sole owners. Richard Pethick, father of J. T. and R. W., was born in Cornwall, Eng- land, January 1, 1836, and in boyhood received only common school advantages. At an early age he learned the carpenter's trade, which he fol- lowed in his native country until 1866, but in that year came to the United States, settling in Hones-

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dale, Pa. Though he had very limited means at first, through industry and perseverance he be- came well-to-do, and now is the possessor of a competency. He is still engaged as a builder and contractor in Honesdale. In religious belief he is an Episcopalian.

The grandfather of J. T. and R. W. Pethick was Nathaniel Pethick, a tanner by trade, and a lifelong resident of England, where he died at sixty-six years. His wife passed away when eighty-eight. They had four sons who came to America. William, who resides at Tyler Hill, Wayne County, and is a blacksmith by trade, at one time carried on a lumber business on the Delaware River; he is the father-in-law of F. L. Peck, superintendent of the Lackawanna Lum- ber Company, of Scranton. Another son, John, also a blacksmith by trade, resides at Cocheton, Pa., and Nathaniel, a carpenter, lives in Carbon- dale.

The mother of our subjects was Elizabeth Ford, a native of Cornwall, England, and now living in Honesdale. Her father, Thomas Ford, who was a wheelwright by trade, died when sixty-six years of age. She has only one relative, a first cousin, known to be living. Of her nine children, three died when young. Mary, who was born in Eng- land, married S. T. Ham, a harness maker by trade, but now engaged in government work in New York City. John T., who was born in Eng- land February II, 1859, was seven years of age when he crossed the ocean with his parents. He received a common-school education and at. the age of thirteen started out to make his own way in the world. For fifteen years he worked in a wheelbarrow and mattress factory in Honesdale, being for some time superintendent of the works. Afterward he went to Southfield, N. Y., and was superintendent of a large bedding concern owned by Frank A. Hall, of New York City, remaining there for three years.

In 1888 Mr. Pethick married Miss Lizzie, daughter of William and Alice Crago, of Carbon- dale. In the fall of 1891, in company with his father-in-law, he began in the lumber business in this city. On the death of his father-in-law, R. W. Pethick purchased his interest, and the firm became J. T. Pethick & Brother. Later this

firm was succeeded by the Carbondale Lumber Company, their brother-in-law, E. E. Bunnell, be- coming a member of the new company. They are pushing business men and have built up a large business, both in the wholesale and retail trade. John T. and his wife occupy the old Crago estate. He is a leading member of the Methodist Episcopal Church and an active worker in all public-spirited projects.

The junior member of the firm, R. W. Pethick, was born in Cornwall, England, January 3, 1861, and with his parents came to America in 1866. He received a common-school education and in boyhood started out to learn the glass blower's trade, which he followed for eighteen years. He was one of the original stockholders of the Scran- ton Glass Company, which after years of pros- perity met with reverses that proved a heavy fi- nancial loss for him. The affairs of the company are now being settled, and after paying all obli. gations there will be quite a sum to be distributed among the stockholders. In 1892 he became a member of the Carbondale Lumber Company, since which he has devoted his energies to in- creasing the importance and prosperity of the concern. In 1888 he married Anna, daughter of P. J. Coles, of Honesdale, and they have one child, R. Duane.

The three younger sisters of our subjects are Ada, wife of A. V. Seaman, of the mercantile firm of Seaman Brothers, of Carbondale; Mina, who married E. E. Bunnell, of Honesdale, member of the Carbondale Lumber Company; and Addie, the youngest member of the family, and now re- siding with her parents in Honesdale.

Edward E. Bunnell was born in Honesdale, Pa., August 18, 1862. His father, Henry, who was born in Bethany, Wayne County, Pa., Octo- ber 19, 1811, engaged in farming for some years, but on his location at Honesdale in 1845 he em- barked in the lumber business and also ran boats on the Delaware & Hudson Canal. Politically he was a Republican, but never held any public office. For many years he was a member of the Baptist Church, in which faith he died December 19, 1872. His brother, Rockwell, was a farmer at Prompton, Pa., on the Gravity Railroad, and died in 1893. A sister, Sarah, married Rev. Gil-

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bert Bailey, a Baptist minister, who preached in Chicago for many years, but finally went to Los Angeles, Cal., where he died, and where she is still living. Charles, another brother, was a farm- er at Montrose, Pa., and there died in 1880. Eunice married Brooks Lavoe, a farmer, at Beth- any, Pa., where both died, she in 1875, and he in 1880. Pike was engaged in farming near Hones- dale and died in 1864. John K., a farmer now living near Honesdale, married Annie Brons- comb. Jennie, who married J. E. Stockdale, re- moved to Illinois, and there died. David is a resident of Philadelphia.

David Bunnell, grandfather of Edward E., was born in the southern part of Pennsylvania and fol- lowed the blacksmith's trade until his death, which occurred near Honesdale. The mother of Edward E. bore the maiden name of Mary Bun- nell and was born in New Jersey. Her father, Gersham Bunnell, was also a native of that state and a farmer by occupation. She has a brother, Henry J., living in Waverly, N. Y., and a rela- tive, Jacob, who is editor of the "New Jersey Her- ald," at Newton, N. J. The family is distantly re- lated to the well known millionaire, John I. Blair, of whom Mrs. Bunnell was a warm friend.

Mary Bunnell was the third wife of Henry Bunnell. The children of the first marriage are David M., a millwright living at Honesdale; Cal- vin P., who lives in Seelyville; Mary E., wife of L. R. Bump, of Douglas, Butler County, Kan .; and Amanda C., who married John Bellamy, and lived in Damascus Township, Wayne County, until her death. Of the second marriage there were two sons born, namely: Judson W., a mer- chant of Scranton, and Irving W., a carpenter in Bradford, Pa. The third marriage resulted in the birth of the following-named sons: Edward E .; F. W., who is engaged in the lumber busi- ness in Honesdale; Harry H., a farmer of that city; Elery P., who is engaged in agricultural pursuits in Damascus Township, Wayne County.

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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 116

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