Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 34

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 34
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 34

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For two years after the close of the war Mr. Jones held the position of night watchman at the Second National Bank. During this time he was a student in Gardner's Business College and graduated at the completion of the prescribed

course. In May, 1868, he was elected upon the Republican ticket as alderman of the fourth ward and was re-elected in 1873, serving until Decem- ber, 1876. In the fall of that year he was elected to represent his district in the legislature and served during the sessions of 1877 and 1878. In June of 1878, on his return from the assembly, he was appointed deputy city treasurer under Reese T. Evans, whom he succeeded in office by election in February, 1879, serving two terms of two years each from June, 1879. In 1886 he took a trip to California, where he spent three months, an interested observer of the wonderful changes that had been made there since his first visit.

As a Republican, Mr. Jones always took a deep interest in public affairs and his aid was always ready at the party call. On several different oc- casions he was chairman of the Republican coun- ty central committee, filling that position during the Blaine campaign, when Lackawanna County gave that famous statesman a majority of thirty- five hundred. He was treasurer of the county committee in 1894 and served as a delegate to state conventions. It was felt by the members of his party that he received a just recognition of his public services when, April 20, 1889, Pres- ident Harrison appointed him postmaster at Scranton, he being the first postmaster appointed under that administration. He assumed the du- ties of the office in May and continued until the change of administration, holding the position for four years and one month. Meantime he was busily engaged, not only in taking charge of the mail delivery service, but also in superintending the construction of the federal building now occupied by the postoffice, in the construction of which he was disbursing agent for the United States.

With many of the prominent business concerns of Scranton Mr. Jones held a close relation. He assisted in the organization of the Scranton & Pottsville Coal & Land Company, of which he was secretary; aided in organizing the Cambrian Mutual Fire Insurance Company in 1871 and was treasurer until his death; also held the posi- tion of secretary of the Schuylkill Anthracite Coal Royalty Company; assisted in organizing the Ronaldson Coal Land Company, of which he

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was treasurer; and, in addition to other interests, carried on a real estate business, having an office in the West Side Bank Building. He was one of the directors of the West Side Bank. While an alderman he was for two years associate judge of the mayor's court of Scranton. During the period of his service in the legislature Lacka- wanna was separated from Luzerne County, in June, 1878, after thirty-five years of apparently fruitless labor for that end. The passage of the bill was due to his energy, coupled with the efforts of his colleagues, James Kierstead and Maj. A. I. Ackerley.

In May, 1868, Mr. Jones married Miss Han- nah Edwards, who was born in Clifford, Susque- hanna County, and died in Scranton in Decem- ber, 1871. She had two children, Margaret and Jane, both of whom died in infancy. Her father, David Edwards, of Wales, was one of the earliest settlers of Clifford, and engaged in farming there, but for some years has lived retired in Hyde Park. In Plymouth, Pa., September 23, 1873, Mr. Jones married Miss Anna E. Williams. who was born in Pittston, a daughter of James Williams, formerly a merchant of Plymouth, now of Nanticoke. Their children are Edgar A., Helen E., Dorothy M. and Ethel H. The only other relative of Mr. Jones in this county is his nephew, David J. Davis, an attorney. Inter- ested in everything pertaining to Grand Army affairs, Mr. Jones attended many of the national encampments, including those at San Francisco, St. Louis, Boston, Pittsburg, Philadelphia and Baltimore, and was an aide on the national staff of General Warren, of Kansas City. He was a charter member and for several terms command- er of the Willie Jones Post No. 199, named in honor of his brother, and previous to this was commander and adjutant of the old James Robb . Post at Scranton; he was also connected with the Lieut. Ezra S. Griffin Post No. 139, in which he served as quartermaster and trustee. He was identified with the lodge of the Knights of Pyth- ias from its organization, and was the first past chancellor of Hyde Park Lodge No. 306.

When his life ended, October 25, 1896, it was felt that one of our best citizens had passed from among us. The words that close this memoir ex-

press the sentiment of all to whom he was per- sonally known:

"In the lialls of legislature in Harrisburg, in the city treasurer's office, in the postoffice, and in every position of trust, public and private, his rec- ord has been untarnished. This record is the most priceless gift he has left to posterity. His home was an ideal one in every sense. The kind husband, and affectionate father, and the stead- fast friend united in him. Mingled with the tears that affection and a loving remembrance will shed upon his grave will be found the silent tears of many an old soldier who found in him a friend, comrade, and a brother."

O SCAR E. HISTED, locomotive engin- eer on the Delaware & Hudson Rail- road and a resident of Carbondale since December of 1869, was born in Waymart, Pa., February 18, 1853, and is the next to the eldest son of Stephen and Adelia (Bunnell) Histed. His father, who was born near Honesdale, has always resided in this part of Pennsylvania, and for the past forty-three years has occupied the same house in Waymart. His tenure of employment with the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company covers a period of more than fifty years, and at this writing he is stationary engineer on the Grav- ity road. He is an energetic, hard-working man, faithful to liis employers and showing the utmost fidelity to their interest. Their appreciation of his merits is proved by his long service with them. His wife died in 1865.

The family of which our subject is a member consists, besides himself, of two sons and two daughters, namely: William, a conductor on the Delaware & Hudson road; Andrew, who was employed as a locomotive engineer, and was killed in an accident on the road; Sarah, wife of Boyd Case, a conductor; and Hortense, who married Thomas Cooper, employed on the Grav- ity road. In early boyhood our subject was the recipient of fair educational advantages. When sixteen years of age he came to Carbondale and began to work for the. Delaware & Hudson Ca- nal Company on the Gravity road. Since that tinte he has been continuously in the service of

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the company. As soon as the steam road was built he was transferred to the Scranton Divis- ion, and has since become known as a trustworthy and reliable engineer. Among his characteristics are thrift and energy, inherited from his German forefathers, and steadfast determination, the gift of his English ancestors.

Mrs. Histed was in maidenhood Mary Wyllie, her father, Andrew Wyllie, being a resident of Carbondale, and represented elsewhere in this volume. They and their children, Belle, Laura, Raymond and Marjorie, reside at No. 30 Belmont Street. Mr. Histed also owns the lot adjoining, and expects soon to build there a fine residence for his family. A Republican in political views, he has taken an active part in local matters in past years. He has served as chairman of the common council and has represented his ward in the select council, in botli positions devoting himself to the interests of the people. Identified with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, he has filled all the offices of the lodge to which he belongs. Fraternally he has filled all the of- fices of the subordinate lodge and is now past grand. Since 1882 he has belonged to the en- campment, and for some time has held the re- sponsible position of district deputy grand master for Lackawanna District No. I.

J OHN SCHEUER, Jr. The success of men in business depends upon character as well as knowledge, it being a self-evident propo- sition that honesty is the best policy. Business demands confidence, and where that is lacking business ends. As a representative of the class of enterprising, honest and capable business men, of whom Scranton has a very large number, mention belongs to John Scheuer, Jr., member of the firm of Scheuer Brothers, successors to John Scheuer, and proprietors of the Keystone Steam Bakery at Nos. 341-347 Brook Street. The firm, which consists of George, John, Jr., Henry and Philip C. Scheuer, is engaged in the manufacture of crackers, cakes, biscuits and bread, making a specialty of the Keystone crack- er and fancy cakes.

John Scheuer, Sr., .our subject's father, was

born in Bavaria, Germany, a son of Conrad Scheuer, who emigrated to America and engaged in merchant tailoring at Scranton. The former, who learned the trade of a linen weaver in his native land, participated in the Revolution of 1848, and shortly afterward came to Pennsyl- vania, walking, with five others, to Dunmore, then going to Pittston, and from there to Slo- cum's Hollow (now Scranton), where he was em- ployed by the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Com- pany. About 1860 he started in the milk busi- ness, having the first milk wagon in Scranton. During the Civil War he responded to a draft, but was rejected. Later he carried on a grocery in Willow, above Cedar, until 1874, when, with his sons, he started a bakery, continuing in that business until he retired, in 1891. He still resides in Scranton, being about sixty-nine years of age. His wife, whose maiden name was Petronella Hoffman, was born near Worms, Hesse-Darm- stadt, Germany, and died in May, 1895. Their children are George, John, Jr., Henry, Philip, Peter, who died December 31, 1890, and Kate.

In 1874 the bakery was started by Jolin Scheuer, Sr., and ten years later the manufacture of crackers was added. In 1889 the firm became Scheuer Brothers, and under that name the busi- ness has since been conducted. The building, which stands in Brook Street, between Cedar and Remington, is 80x100 feet in dimensions, two stories and basement, with a capacity of forty barrels of flour in ten hours. The basement is used for storage and shipping purposes, the first floor for baking and the second for packing. All modern improvements have been introduced, the doughs being mixed by machine and the plant operated by steam. The boiler and engine are of seventy-five horse power each. Shipments are made throughout the Lackawanna and Wyoming valleys, and three salesmen are employed to at- tend to the wants of customers. The firm own a farm of sixty-eight acres at West Mountain, where they have fourteen head of Jersey cows, producing from seventy-five to one hundred quarts of milk daily. The factory is the largest of the kind in this section, and the quality of the products is unexcelled.

The subject of this sketch was born in the

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eleventh ward of Scranton December 12, 1858. He attended school here until nearly fifteen years of age, when he began to work in the factory, gaining a knowledge of the bakery business. Afterward, for about six months, he studied book- keeping at night school under Prof. H. D. Wal- ker, and for eighteen months continued his stud- ies with a companion. Taking charge of the books of the company, he has kept them and acted as business manager ever since. In 1887 he was elected to represent the eleventh ward in the select council, and served for one year, when the new law caused him to retire. He aided in the organization of the old Germania Building & Loan Association, in which he was a director, and is vice-president and a director of the new Germania, also a director in the Citizens Build- ing & Loan Association, and formerly in the In- dustrial. In the organization of the axle works he was actively interested, and still retains his connection with that concern.

In Scranton Mr. Scheuer married Miss Anna M. Linn, daughter of William Linn, for years an employe of the Delaware, Lackawanna & West- ern. They are the parents of four children, Will- iam W., Anna, Dorothea and John C. The family residence, built by Mr. Scheuer, stands at No. 316 Elm Street, and he is the owner of other real es- tate here. In April, 1890, he aided in the organi- zation of the south side board of trade, to the presidency of which he succeeded on the resigna- tion of T. J. Moore; after serving for three years he declined re-election. Politically a Republican, he has been a member of city and county com- mittees and delegate to conventions. In relig- ion he is a member of the Hickory Street Presby- terian Church, and his wife is active in that de- nomination and in the work of the Young Women's Christian Association.

W ILLIAM WILLIAMS. In the latter part of the year 1871 the steamer "City of Brussels" set sail from England for America, loaded with human freight. The voy- age was a rough and dangerous one, but was suc- cessfully braved by the gallant ship, which, how- ever, soon afterward sank to rise no more.

Among the passengers who had left home and friends and native land to seek a new home among strangers was the subject of this sketch, then a man of thirty-one years. Behind him he left his wife and children, turning his face bravely toward the New World, where he hoped they might soon join him.

The early life of Mr. Williams had been one of hard work, of unceasing toil. Born in County Cornwall, England, December 28, 1840, his op- portunities in youth were very meager and at an early age he went to work for others, receiving two pence and his dinner per day. As the years went by, and he saw prosperity still far away in the distance, he determined to cross the Atlantic to the United States. He reached this country November 20, 1871, and the following day arrived in Lackawanna County, where he hoped to find employment. He got off the cars at Gravity No. 4 and found himself among strange people and very few of them, the county being yet sparsely settled. His first work was that of fireman at No. 5 Gravity road, near his present place of resi- dence, and in this capacity he was employed for eight years.

Meantime saving his earnings, at the expira- tion of the eight years, Mr. Williams opened a mercantile store in a building that he erected in Belmont Street, Carbondale. His wife, who had joined him, took charge of the store and later, on his removal to the city, he assisted there, also engaged in teaming. With his wife as an efficient helpmate, he continued to make and save money. In 1890 he removed to a farm, one and one-half miles from the city, where he owns two hundred and twenty-five acres, and in addition to this, he still owns the property in Carbondale, which he rents.

Politically Mr. Williams is a Prohibitionist in principle and upholds that party, usually voting the ticket. While in Carbondale his ability and merit were recognized and he was prevailed upon in 1887 to be a candidate for alderman of the fifth ward, running on the Prohibition ticket. He was elected to the office and served for four years, re- signing when he moved to his farm. In 1891 he was elected to serve as justice of the peace, which office he now holds, having been re-elected in

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the spring of 1896. Since the age of sixteen he has been identified with the Methodist Church and is one of the trustees of the church here. Active in Sunday-school work, for years he served as secretary and treasurer, but in the spring of 1896 resigned to give the work into younger hands.

In England, November 30, 1861, Mr. Williams married Miss Eliza Solomon, a native of that country and like himself an earnest member of the Methodist Church. Nine children were born of their marriage, but five are deceased, the sur- vivors being Louey Augusta Alberta, wife of Will- iam Cox, of Carbondale; Florence Annie Eliza- beth; Emily Gertrude Louisa, wife of Eugene Schaffer, of Waymart, Pa .; and William Walter Wesley, who is with his parents.

C HARLES L. BELL. Through many years of practical experience as a carpen- ter, Mr. Bell has gained a thorough knowledge of the trade and has established a rep- utation as a reliable business man. Since Febru- ary, 1865, his home has been in Jermyn, where, in order to assist him in his work as a contractor and builder, he operates a planing mill and keeps in his yards a supply of different kinds of lumber used in building. He has a sufficient number of contracts ahead to keep him busy, even in the dull times when every line of activity has suf- fered.

In Scott Township, this county, Charles L. Bell was born February 17, 1835, the eldest of five children born to the union of John S. and Ruth A. (Brown) Bell, residents of that township. His father, who was an honest, industrious man and a carpenter by trade, died at the age of fifty-two years. Of the children one died in infancy un- named; the others besides our subject are Lib- bie, who is the wife of Frank E. Steele, of Jer- myn; Bertha, Mrs. James Carey, also of this place; and Frank, who is in his brother's employ.

The first ten years of the life of our subject were spent in Scott Township, where he was a pupil in the common schools. Much of his edu- cation, however, was gained in the school of ex- perience, and by close observation and self-cul- ture. Under his father's supervision he gained a

knowledge of the carpenter's trade early in life and when fifteen he began to earn his livelihood by working at this occupation. Gradually he built up a good business among the people, who, noticing the care with which his work was done, placed the utmost confidence in his honesty and reliability. He chose as his wife Miss Retta Mil- ler, and they are the parents of seven children, named as follows: Grant L., Clyde, George, Ber- nard, Ethel, William and Dean.

For many years Mr. Bell voted the Republican ticket. However, the enormous amount of mon- ey spent in the liquor traffic and the number of lives ruined and hearts broken by the use of liquor convinced him that the great need of our nation to-day is prohibition of the sale of intoxi- cants. This caused him to adopt the principles of the Prohibition party and since 1894 he has voted that ticket and been one of its most earnest supporters. He believes that if the money wasted for whiskey could be applied to the dissemina- tion of the Gospel and to charitable purposes, our nation would soon become the glory of the world, the brightest star in earth's firmament. His ac- tions throughout life have been controlled by Christian principles. He has taken an active part in the work of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which he is trustee and treasurer, and also as- sistant superintendent of the Sunday-school. Fra- ternally he is connected with the blue lodge, chap- ter and commandery of the Masonic Order.

R EV. GEORGE EVERETT GUILD. The subject of this narrative, throughout his entire ministerial life, has held the pastor- ate of the Providence Presbyterian Church, and during this time a new house of worship and parsonage have been erected and the usefulness of the congregation in different fields of labor increased several-fold, until now the church ranks among the foremost in the Lackawanna presby- tery. His work has required patience and per- sistence, and through the exercise of these quali- ties he has attained commendable success. As a preacher, his sermons show painstaking thought, and his illustrations are always happy and to the point.

The Guild family is of English and Scotch de-

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scent, but had representatives in this country at a very early period in its settlement. The paternal great-grandfather of our subject was a partici- pant in the Revolution, and the grandfather, Ev- erett, served faithfully in the War of 1812. The latter, who was a native of Connecticut, took his family from that state to New York and became a pioneer of Delaware County, being the first har- nessmaker in Walton. Truman Guild, our sub- ject's father, was born in Milford, Conn., and held the rank of lieutenant in the anti-rent war. At its close he sold out the harness and saddlery business, in which, with two brothers, he had been engaged, and shortly afterward opened a drug store in Walton. This he has since carried on, his son, Edwin, being now associated in busi- ness with him. For years he has taken an influ- ential place in the workings of the Democratic party, but has steadily refused the nominations that at different times his party has offered him.

The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Keene and was born in Hones- dale, Wayne County, Pa. She is a lady of noble Christian character and for years has been a con- sistent member of the First Congregational Church of Walton. Her father, George Keene, was a member of an old Pennsylvania family and for years held a position in the employ of the Del- aware & Hudson Canal Company on the Gravity road. He took an active part in religious affairs and served as an elder in the Presbyterian Church at Prompton, Wayne County. His daughter, Mrs. Guild, was the mother of two sons and two daughters, namely: George E .; Mrs. Fannie Twaddell, a widow residing in Walton; Edwin, who is his father's partner in business; and Mrs. Hattie Tobey, of Walton.

A few months after graduating from Walton Academy, in the fall of 1872, George E. Guild entered Amherst College, from which he gradu- ated in 1876 with the degree of A. B. He had the honor of being one of six members of the senior class who received prizes for high rank in English literature and extemporaneous debate. In 1876 he entered the theological seminary of Yale College, where he remained one year. After- ward for two years he studied in the Union Theo- logical Seminary of New York City, and during

his senior year was assistant to Dr. Buddington, of Brooklyn. In February, 1879, he came to Scranton and supplied the pulpit of the Provi- dence Church until his graduation a few months later. His pastorate here commenced May I, 1879, and he was ordained and installed in the following October.

At the time of his arrival here, Rev. Mr. Guild found the congregation occupying an old-fash- ioned building in Oak Street, while the parsonage stood in West Market Street. In 1882 property was bought in North Main Avenue and a new parsonage erected, after which a house of worship was built, the latter being dedicated in 1886. The congregation was organized about fifty years ago and with one exception is the oldest in Scranton. Financially it has been prospered and now owns property worth $60,000, free from encumbrance. To achieve the highest good, various societies have been organized in the church, including mis- sionary bands for adults and children, Ladies' Aid Society, Young People's Society of Christian En- deavor and Junior Endeavor.

At Northampton, Mass., in April, 1879, Rev. Mr. Guild married Miss Mary Lyman Clark, who was born in that place and received a good edu- cation, graduating from Elmira College. She is a daughter of the late Anson Clark, who was for- merly connected with the Nanantuck silk mills. The family consists of three children, George Clark, Everett Burnham and Gertrude Elizabeth. Mr. Guild has been a delegate to the general as- sembly and the synod, has been honored with election as moderator of the Lackawanna pres- bytery, and is vice-president of the Home Mis- sionary Society for the evangelization of foreign- speaking people within the bounds of the presby- tery. For seven years he has been president of the association of Presbyterian ministers of Scran- ton and vicinity, and for two years he held the of- fice of president of the Alumni Association of Wal- ton Academy. In the position of president of the Scranton Christian Endeavor Union he has done tireless and effective work, and won the regard of the young people throughout the city. Public affairs demand and receive a share of his atten- tion, and he was a member of the north end board of trade during its existence. In 1894 he went

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abroad and spent three months in making a tour over the British Isles, France, Switzerland, Ger- many and The Netherlands, sailing from Antwerp to New York on the return voyage and reaching home after a most delightful and profitable trip.

J OHN S. COX, chemist for the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company, at Scranton, was born in Rockport, Carbon County, Pa., in 1854, and is of English descent. His father, John P., was a son of William Cox and was born in England, where he studied mining engineering. When a young man he came to America and at once proceeded to Susquehanna County, Pa., but later settled in Mauchchunk, Carbon County, where he was employed as mining engineer with the Buck Mountain Coal Company. Later he was civil engineer and superintendent of building for the northern division of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, and then became general superintend- ent of the Pennsylvania & New York Canal & Railroad Company, which position he held until his death, in December, 1870, at Towanda, at the age of about fifty-six.

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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 34

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