Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 131

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 131
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 131

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Father Shanley was then sent as assistant to Rev. P. T. Roche, pastor of the church of St. Thomas Acquinas, Archbald, and after the death

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of the latter in July, 1889, our subject had charge of the parish until the appointment of a new rector in January, 1890. In 1891 he was trans- ferred to Hawley, where he had temporary charge of St. Philomena's Church, remaining at that place two years and a half. In 1894 he was placed in charge of St. Leo's Church, Ashley, Pa., while Bishop Holan, the pastor, was on a six months' trip in the Holy Land.

On leaving that place Father Shanley came to Dickson City as pastor of the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle, where he has done effective work, clearing the debt on the property as well as advancing the spiritual welfare of the congre- gation, which now numbers between seven and eight hundred souls. Many years ago the church was started as a mission of the Holy Rosary Church, Providence, and the first house of wor- ship was erected in 1886 by Rev. T. F. Kernan, of Parsons. It was set apart as a distinct congrega- tion October 12, 1892, Rev. M. J. Conway be- coming the first pastor, and he was succeeded by Father Shanley on the 12th of July, 1894. In the parish there are established several societies, including Division No. 14, Ancient Order of Hi- bernians, a branch of the Young Men's Institute, Father Mathew Temperance Society and a Father Mathew Cadet Society.

W ILBUR F. CLEMENTS, of the firm of Gaige & Clements, of Moscow, was born in Salem, Pa., November 6, 1840, the son of Hiram and Sarah K. (Kunkel) Clem- ents. His early years were spent in attendance at the common schools of the neighborhood and in work at home. After completing the stud- ies of the neighborhood schools, he entered Kingston Academy and was also for a time a student in Lawrence Academy. When sixteen years of age he began to teach school and was thus employed for two terms. March 7, 1859, he came to Moscow and secured employment as a clerk in a general store, where he remained for five years, and then, February I, 1864, he formed a partnership with Henry L. Gaige in the busi- ness they have since owned and conducted.

September 13, 1864, Mr. Clements married a

daughter of H. H. Yeager, of Moscow. They have one son, Henry L., who recently graduated from Wesleyan University at Middletown, Conn., and is now taking a course in the New York Con- servatory of Music, cultivating the talent which he possesses in this art. In politics Mr. Clem- ents is a Prohibitionist and has been active in local matters, but has never accepted office. Fra- ternally he is a member of the Masonic Order, and was a charter member of Moscow Lodge No. 504, of which he was one of the first masters. In 1867 he united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has since been trustee and steward, and for twenty-four years superintendent of the Sunday-school.

W ILLIAM H. DAVIS. In modern times few occupations have received more thoughtful attention than has the cul- tivation of flowers. Rare plants have been intro- duced, new varieties have been developed and those already well known have been brought to a higher stage of perfection. Among the men who have made a success of the florist's business, may be mentioned the subject of this sketch, sen- ior member of the firm of Davis & Beagle, of Scranton. In the few years which he has devoted to the business, success has rewarded his efforts. He now owns the block, on Washburn Street and Fillmore Avenue, near the Washburn Street cemetery, where he has built seven large green- houses, containing plants of every variety. A specialty is made of roses, carnations, chrysan- themums and Easter plants. The buildings are heated by steam, furnished by a boiler of one hundred horse-power. The office of the firm is at No. 430 Spruce Street.

The subject of this sketch was born in Blooms- burg, Pa., January 27, 1871, and is a son of Jo- seph and Emma (Kearnes) Davis. His grand- father, James Davis, a soldier in the Mexican War, was in early life a farmer, but afterward located in Danville and secured employment in the iron works. The great-grandfather, who lived in Columbia County, was a hero of the Revolu- tion. Joseph Davis, who was born in Blooms- burg, was there engaged as a machinist and later

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as an ore miner. During the Civil War he twice enlisted in the Union army and served as a mem- ber of the cavalry. His death occurred in 1879; his wife passed away prior to his demise. Five of their children are living, two in Bloomsburg, two in Scranton, and one in South Lancaster, Mass.

Orphaned at eight years of age, our subject early began to make his own way in the world. In 1886 he was apprenticed to a florist, J. L. Dil- lon, of Bloomsburg, with whom he remained for six years. Beginning at the foundation of the business he became familiar with every depart- ment and acquired a thorough knowledge of the entire work, so that he was prepared to success- fully engage in business for himself. Coming to Scranton in 1892, soon afterward he formed a partnership with John W. Beagle and purchased a florist's business, which he has since enlarged in every department. In addition to the cultiva- tion of flowers, he carries a line of shrubs and trees and does considerable business as a nur- seryman. In decorative work his services are also in demand. Fraternally he is connected with the Knights of the Golden Eagle, Knights of Malta, Order of American Mechanics and holds a policy in the Mechanics' Life Insurance Com- pany. In political views he supports Republican principles.

G EORGE W. WILDER. At the outbreak of the Rebellion, when an appeal was made for volunteers to protect the Union, among those who enlisted was George W. Wild- er, of Scranton. His record as a soldier is one of which he may be justly proud. Though only eighteen years of age at the time of enlistment, he was as brave as any veteran, and his enthu- siasm in the cause was not weakened by the hard- ships of camp life, the tedium of long marches, or the perils of conflict with the enemy. After three years of faithful service, he was honorably dis- charged and mustered out as sergeant.

Born in Peterboro, Hillsboro County, N. H., May 14, 1843, the subject of this sketch is a son of James Wilder, a native of Dublin, N. H., and a farmer and carpenter. From Peterboro he re-

moved to Fitchburg, Mass., and thence came to Scranton, settling in Hyde Park in 1852 and re- moving to Providence the following year. He engaged in building the trestle work of bridges for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western road, and later for some fifteen years was a contractor for the moving of buildings. During the war he enlisted for service, but was rejected on account of his age. He died in this city in 1877. The family of which he was a member originated in England, and his grandfather was a participant in the battle of Bunker Hill and other conflicts of the Revolution.

Twice married, by his first union James Wilder had three sons. His second marriage was to Bet- sey B., daughter of Joseph Boyd, of Antrim, N. H. She died in 1893 at the age of eighty-nine, and of her eight children only two are living, George W. being the only one in Scranton and the only one who took part in the Civil War. He was a boy of nine years when his parents came to this city and for a number of years he attended the schools of Hyde Park and Provi- dence. At the age of seventeen he began car- pentry work under his brother, in the shops of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (then the Lackawanna & Bloomsburg). Later he was engaged in bridge work at Catawissa and Wil- liamsport.

In September, 1861, Mr. Wilder enlisted as a member of Company H, Fifty-second Pennsyl- vania Infantry, and was mustered into service at Harrisburg November 4. The winter was spent in Washington, after which he took part in the various battles of the Pennsylvania campaign un- der General MacClellan. Thence he was ordered south with his regiment and was stationed on Morris Island and in different places in that sec- tion for almost two years, meantime being under fire often and experiencing some narrow escapes. At the expiration of his term of service, he was mustered out at Harrisburg, November 4, 1864, with the rank of sergeant.

Returning to Providence, Mr. Wilder was em- ployed as a carpenter with the Delaware & Hud- son Company and assisted in building Leggett's Creek breaker. In 1866 he took charge of the carpenter work in this mine, and in 1883 was

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made outside superintendent of the colliery. Un- der his supervision there are one hundred and thirty hands, and he also has in charge the or- dering of all supplies for the mines. He was married in this city to Miss Mary Cowles, who was born in Honesdale, Pa. Fraternally he is past master of Hiram Lodge No. 261, F. & A. M., is a member of the Heptasophs, Lieut. Ezra S. Griffin Post No. 139, G. A. R., and the asso- ciation of the survivors of the Fifty-second Regi- ment. In religious belief he is a Presbyterian and politically affiliates with the Republican party.

D AN POWELL. It is said that biography yields to no other subject in point of in- terest and profit, and it is especially inter- esting to note the progress that has been made along various lines of business by those of for- eign birth who have sought homes in America, the readiness with which they adapt themselves to the different methods and customs of Amer- ica, recognize the advantages offered and utilize the opportunities which the New World affords. Mr. Powell, who has for thirty years been iden- tified with the interests of Dunmore, has made his own way in the world from an early age, and to- day is numbered among the most successful busi- ness men of the place.

He was born January 10, 1853, in Blaina, South Wales, a son of John and Elizabeth (Williams) Powell, also natives of the same county. His paternal grandfather, Anthony Powell, a farmer by occupation, was born in Caermarthenshire, Wales, and died in early life. John Powell was also born in Caermarthenshire, and by the death of his father was thrown upon his own resources when quite small. He became a practical miner of Monmouthshire, Wales, and twice came to America before locating permanently here, first before the birth of our subject, and again in 1863. In 1865 he came with the intention of soon send- ing for his family, and secured employment with the Roaring Brook Coal Company, but inside of nine months met with an accident, a roof falling upon him, thus disabling him for work for about thirteen weeks. In July, 1867, however, he was

joined by his family. He continued to work for different mining companies until finally he retired from active life, and died in Dunmore in April, 1895 at the age of eighty-two years. For one term he creditably served as street commissioner of that place. His wife was reared in Blaina, Wales, and died in Dunmore, January 15, 1883. Her father, Reese Williams, a native of South Wales, was supply agent for the Blaina Iron Works for many years. He survived his wife seven years and joined his children in America, dying in Hyde Park, at the age of eighty-two. To the parents of our subject were born eleven children, of whom four sons and two daughters came to the United States: Reese, who died in Dunmore; John, a resident of that place; An- thony, who had just gone back to Wales, where he was killed in a mine in October, 1895; Dan; Mrs. Maria Jones, of Jermyn, Pa .; and Mrs. Eliza Weber, of Dunmore. Mrs. Ann Harris still makes her home in South Wales.

Until twelve years of age, Dan Powell attended the schools of his native land, and for the follow- ing two years clerked in the grocery store of William Michael. With the family he then left Liverpool on the steamer "Malta," which reached the harbor of New York July 30, 1867, after a voyage of fourteen days. For two years he pur- sued his studies in the schools of this country, after which he was employed for three months in the planing shops of the Pennsylvania Coal Company, and later served for three years as clerk in the general store of Bryden & Co. In 1872 he accepted a similar position with Johnson, Baxter & Co., general merchants in Dunmore, the firm later being changed to Allen, Baxter & Co. After spending some time as clerk he was made a member of the company, which for three years successfully engaged in business under the style of Allen & Powell. On selling out, he pur- chased the establishment of McMillen & Co., which he carried on alone for three years, but in 1883 disposed of the business and became general manager of the general mercantile store of O. S. Johnson on Blakely Street, where he has since remained.

December 24, 1874, in Newton, N. J., Mr. Powell wedded Miss Sarah E. Space, a native of

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that place, and a daughter of Jackson Space, a farmer, who belonged to an old New Jersey fam- ily. Five children blessed this union: Grace E., Elsie C., Annie B., Bessie M. and Helen L. Mr. Powell is a charter member of King Solomon Lodge, F. & A. M., and has been a member of Dunmore Lodge No. 816, I. O. O. F., since 1874. He has twice represented the latter order in the grand lodge, was a member of the building com- mittee during the time of the erection of their building, and has served as trustee for many years. An ardent Republican, he has served as a delegate to the county conventions of his party, and in the spring of 1897, without his solicitation was unanimously nominated for the office of bur- gess of Dunmore. He accepted the nomination, believing that if elected he could further advance the interests of his adopted borough, as he is one of the most public-spirited and progressive citi- zens of the place. Since 1870 he has been a con- sistent and faithful member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Dunmore, of which he has been trustee for many years, and is now presi- dent of the board. For twelve years he has most effectively served as superintendent of the Sun- day-school, which under his control has grown to be one of the largest in Lackawanna County, numbering over four hundred members. He was chairman of the building committee and president of the board of trustees when the house of worship was erected, and to him great credit is due for its satisfactory completion. Upright and honorable in all the relations of life, he com- mands the confidence and respect of all with whom he comes in contact.

M ICHAEL F. GILROY, who through en- ergy and hard work has accumulated a competency and is now in charge of the blacksmith shop of the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company at Scranton, was born in Liberty, Sul- livan County, N. Y., August 15, 1856, and is a son of Michael and Mary (Dolphin) Gilroy. His father, who for some time was engaged in the tanning business in Liberty, removed in 1863 to Tanner's Falls, Wayne County, Pa., and thence came to Scranton in November of 1866. From

that time he was employed by the Dickson Manu- facturing Company until his death, which occur- red in January, 1887, at the age of seventy-two years, when he was in church one Sunday morn- ing. During the early part of the Civil War he served in the Union Army as a member of a New York state regiment. His wife passed away July 31, 1884.

The family of Michael and Mary Gilroy con- sisted of thirteen children, of whom five died in childhood and six are now living, Michael F. be- ing next to the youngest of the number. For three years he attended the public schools of Wayne County, but after coming to Scranton in 1866 he had few opportunities for gaining fur- ther education. For three summers he worked in a brick yard here for the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company, after which he was employed on a section of the Delaware, Lackawanna & West- ern Railroad, and then for fourteen months was in the machine shops of the Dickson Manufactur- ing Company. At the age of seventeen he was apprenticed to the blacksmith's trade in Lacka- wanna Avenue, on the present site of the Dela- ware & Hudson depot, and after three years there began to do journeyman work. For seven years he was with the Fairlawn Coal Company, in charge of their blacksmithing department, and afterward for two years was under foreman Bish- op, in the locomotive shops of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western. In May, 1887, he re- signed to accept a position with the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company, with which he has since remained under its change of name.

In this city Mr. Gilroy married Miss Mary Mul- len, daughter of Thomas Mullen, an old settler here, now deceased. They are the parents of six children, one of whom died at five years of age, a daughter, named Annie. The others are John, Maggie, Edward, Michael and Mary. In 1885-86 our subject served as tax collector. In 1895 he was nominated to represent the seventh ward in the common council, being the candidate of the Democratic party, endorsed by the Republicans. He was elected to serve a term of two years, and has since served as chairman of the light and wa- ter committee, and member of the auditing, judi- ciary, license, sewers and drains, and streets and

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bridges committees. He has frequently repre- sented his party, the Democratic, as delegate to local conventions and has served as a member of the city and county committees.

What Mr. Gilroy has acquired in the way of success and prosperity is the result of his un- wearied exertions. He has had his share of the "hard knocks" of life, but has never allowed him- self to become discouraged, even though the sur- roundings were unfavorable. During the last nine years he has averaged at least thirty days per month of hard work, and while connected with the Fairlawn Coal Company he worked from thirty to forty-four days every month. Night as well as day has been given to his labors, and he has made his own way in the world by the deter- mined and steady force of his character.

P ROF. THEODORE HEMBERGER, a celebrated violinist of Scranton, has done as much as any other man to elevate the standard of appreciation of fine classical mu- sic in this locality. He comes of a family thor- oughly imbued with musical genius and it is lit- tle wonder that he is an enthusiast in his sacred art. The Symphony Orchestra Society of this city, was founded by him and under his direction three or four concerts are given each year. There are some fifty or more members in this organiza- tion and the general public are greatly interested in their success, patronizing the concerts in which they participate, very liberally. The professor also is the leader of the Arion, a German society.

His grandfather, Franz Hemberger, a native of Baden, Germany, was a contractor and erected many public buildings. His wife, who before their marriage was Kathrina Anna Huber, was a pianist and musician of great talent. Their son, Jacob, father of our subject, studied music in Mannheim, and for years has been recognized as a leader in the musical circles of Baden. For twenty-eight years he has stood at the head of the Conservatory of Music there and as he was placed in charge of it soon after its organization its entire success may justly be given to him. He married Anna Huber, whose father, Frederick, was a large landed proprietor. Having purchased

the estate of an old noble family near the famed Mummelsea, in middle Baden, he there spent the remainder of his life. One of his sons, Joseph, a lieutenant in the revolution of 1848, fell, struck by a spent ball, at the bridge of Staufen, and was the only one killed at that time; John, oldest of Jacob Hemberger's ten children, inherited the lik- ing for music common to this family, but turned his especial attention to manufacturing and mer- chandising in Pforzheim. Another son, Fred- erick, is a distinguished 'cello player in Germany.

The birth of Theodore Hemberger occurred in Baden. From the age of seven years he prac- ticed on the violin, under his father's instruction. It was his mother's intention to make a lawyer of the boy, but his talent was evidently in a musi- cal direction. When he was but fourteen he en- tered Karlsruhe, to study with Prof. Ernst Spies and remained there until four years had passed. In the meantime he graduated from the gymnasi- um at Karlsruhe and pursued his musical studies under the well known composer, Vincennes Lach- ner, who taught him theory and composition. Desirous of attaining greater things than the or- dinary, he took up the difficult task of conducting an orchestra, his instructor being Felix Motte. At sixteen he became a substitute for the second concert-master of the royal orchestra in Karls- ruhe. Two years later he went to Berlin and during his four and a half years there took violin lessons from Joseph Joachim and composition under the tutelage of Bargiel.

In order to locate in this country Prof. Hem- berger was obliged to cancel an engagement as concert-master of an opera house in Weimar, Germany. He is acquainted with the leading violinists, composers and musicians of the world and has traveled extensively. Soon after his ar- rival here he opened an office at No. 415 Adams Avenue and gives lessons in theory and composi- tion, piano and violin. Two days of each week he spends in Kingston, Pa., where he is principal of the violin department of Wyoming Seminary. Many of his compositions have been published in Germany and a few in this land.

While thus taken up with his art he yet found time to consider other subjects of as great im- portance, for after meeting Miss Emma Conrad,

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daughter of our citizen, Andrew Conrad, he de- termined to win her for his wife. She is devoted to music, had the privilege of making it a study for seven years at the Conservatory of Stuttgart, Germany, and subsequently was for a year one of the first sopranos in an opera at Strausburg. Mr. and Mrs. Hemberger were united in marriage in Scranton, June 28, 1894. They have two sons.

C HARLES WAGNER. Scranton may well be proud of the amount of brains and energy possessed by her representative business men, for, taken as a whole, there are in the state none more energetic or more capable than they. One of this class is Mr. Wagner, who has spent his entire life here and is well known as a contracting painter. He is of German parent- age, his father, Peter Wagner, having been born in the city of Drahboch, Germany, where he was reared and married. About 1853 he started to America with his wife and little daughter, but the latter died during the voyage and was buried at sea. Coming to Scranton, he became an em- ploye of the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company and continued a resident of this city until his death in 1864. During the Civil War he took part as a member of a Pennsylvania regiment, but was discharged on account of physical disability and returned home, where he died a year after- ward. In religious belief he was a Lutheran, His wife reared the three sons and one daughter born of their marriage, of whom the daughter is now deceased. After Mr. Wagner died she be- came the wife of A. Wohlers and now resides in Dunmore.

The subject of this sketch was born in Peters- burg, Scranton, July 28, 1855, and received a district and high school education. When only eleven years of age he began to work, in order to assist his mother in supporting the family, his first situation being that of slate picker for the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company. After a few years with them, he was employed for three years as a machinist with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad, and was then apprenticed to the painter's trade under Alexander Hay, with whom he learned painting, decorating and sign

work. In 1888 he began as a contracting painter, and has been thus engaged since, having his shop at No. 337 North Washington Avenue, where he retails ready mixed paints. Among his con- tracts were those for the Congregational Church at Taylor, First Presbyterian Church in Scran- ton, Wyoming House, and numerous residences here and in adjoining villages and cities. In ad- dition he does a large amount of sign work.

In the Liederkranz, of which he is an active member, Mr. Wagner is serving as a trustee. He clings to the religious faith of his ancestors, be- ing a member of the German Lutheran Church. In Scranton he married Miss Adella Hay, who was born in Cologne, Germany, being a daugh- ter of his old preceptor, Alexander Hay. They are the parents of four children, Anna, Carl, Alex- ander and Adella.

S AMUEL SEWARD, foreman of the con- struction department of the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company, of Scranton, is one of the oldest employes of this large concern, hav- ing been with them for nearly thirty years. As a soldier and citizen, employe and business man and in all the many relations of life, he has al- ways acted in a most worthy, upright and con- scientious manner, striving to do his duty to- ward all with whom he comes in contact.

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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 131

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