Portrait and biographical record of Wyoming and Lackawanna counties, Pennsylvania : containing portraits and biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens of the counties, Part 63

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 63
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 63

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T HOMAS B. HOWE. Doubtless among the residents of Scranton few possess the inventive ability which is one of Mr. Howe's principal traits. He was born in Sterling Township, Wayne County, Pa., July 14, 1849, and is of Puritan stock and English descent. His grandfather, Capt. Phineas Howe, a native of Massachusetts, in a very early day settled in Wayne County, where with his axe he felled trees and cleared an opening for a farm. During the Revolution he served as captain of a company. Abraham S., our subject's father, was born in Wayne County, where he spent his entire life, engaged as a farmer, butcher and general specu-

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lator. He was accidentally drowned one night in the canal at Hawley, when fifty-two years of age. His wife, Rebecca Bartree, was born in eastern Pennsylvania while the family were moving from Philadelphia to Wayne County and is still living near the old home place in Howes Valley. Her father, Thomas Bartree, was born in Ireland.

Of the five children comprising the family of Abraham S. and Rebecca Howe, three sons are living. Thomas B., the youngest of the number, was reared on the home farm and received his education in the district schools. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to the carpenter's trade in Moscow, Lackawanna County, where he remained from 1865 to 1868. The residence which he occupies is at No. 1725 Capouse Ave- nue, Scranton. He married Maria H. Copeland, daughter of William and Sophia (Rice) Copeland, natives respectively of England and Connecticut. Mrs. Howe was born in Turnersville and is the mother of two children, namely: Everett T. and Rena. For two years Mr. Howe was a member of the common council representing the thir- teenth ward, to which he was elected upon the Republican ticket. Fraternally he is a charter member of Green Ridge Lodge No. 597, F. & A. M., Lackawanna Chapter No. 185, R. A. M., Melita Commandery No. 68, K. T., and the Mys- tic Shrine at Wilkesbarre. His family are mem- bers of the Green Ridge Presbyterian Church, which he attends.

C HARLES H. BIESECKER. As a repre- sentative of the class of agriculturists who have done so much toward developing the resources of this region, mention should be made of Charles H. Biesecker, a leading farmer of Newton Township. He occupies a position among the intelligent and enterprising citizens of the county who, by their energetic and well directed labors, have been largely instrumental in promoting local interests. Upon his place he en- gages in mixed farming and also is successfully carrying on the dairy business, the two depart- ments of agriculture bringing him in substantial results.

The record of the Biesecker family appears in

the sketch of George, brother of Charles H., pre- sented on another page. The latter was born Oc- tober 3, 1850, near his present home at Bald Mount, and was reared on his father's farm, re- ceiving a fair education in the district schools of the neighborhood. Always a home loving boy, he had no desire to seek his fortune in another part of the world, but has been content to spend his life so far among the scenes associated with his childhood days. November 10, 1875, he was united in marriage with Miss Jennie Vandenburg, who was born in this county. Her parents, James and Mary (Kern) Vandenburg, were na- tives of New York, and became early settlers of Wyoming County, residing in Falls Township, where they died, he at the age of eighty-one and she when seventy-one.

There were born to the union of Mr. and Mrs. Biesecker seven children, Corenia, John, William, Grace, Nora and Carl, and one that died at the age of one year. The children are being educated in the best schools of the neighborhood and are being prepared for positions of honor and use- fulness in the world. After his marriage Mr. Biesecker settled where he now lives, and here in 1893 he erected a substantial residence, adapt- ed to the needs of the family. With the others, he is identified with the Presbyterian Church and a consistent supporter of its doctrines, proving by his life the sincerity of his belief. In former years he voted the Democratic ticket, but the menace to our government in the enormity of the liquor traffic has caused him to become a Pro- hibitionist. In local offices he has rendered ef- fective service and for ten years or more has served as treasurer of the township. Realizing that one of the most important features of the national life is the free school system, he takes a deep interest in educational matters and is an active worker on the school board.

E UGENE A. HEERMANS, M. D., of Scranton, is a member of one of the pioneer families of Lackawanna County, his paternal grandfather having been one of the early settlers in old Providence, while his mater- nal grandfather, Benjamin Slocum, was one of

WILLIAM MORRISON.

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the original settlers of Slocum's Hollow. His father, Edmond Heermans, was born in this county, and chose as his wife Miss Sarah M. Slo- cum, a native of Scranton. To their union there were born two children, but Eugene A. is the only one who lived to maturity.

The subject of this sketch was born in Scran- ton, in a house near the present site of the Lacka- wanna Iron & Steel blast furnace. He was edu- cated in the public schools, for some time attend- ing the high school of Hyde Park, and later graduated from Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. His boyhood years were passed principally in Scranton, though for some nine years he resided with his father near Waverly, N. Y. On completing his education he secured a position as bookkeeper, which he held for some time, but afterward engaged in the photographic business in Scranton for several years. In the meantime he chose the medical profession as his life work and entered upon its study with Dr. A. Davis, of Hyde Park. Further knowledge of the science was gained by attendance at the Bellevue Hospital Medical College in New York, from which he graduated in 1875, with the degree of M. D.

Returning to Scranton, Dr. Heermans opened an office on the west side and has since practiced here. In the spring of 1888 he went to Europe and traveled through the British Isles, after which, in the fall of the same year, he entered King William's University at Berlin, where he took a post-graduate course for one year. With his mind broadened by contact with the master minds of Europe and his medical knowledge en- larged by study under the most favorable circum- stances, he returned to Scranton in 1889, and has since devoted his attention to professional work, having his office at No. 949 Scranton Street. For some time he was a member of the medical staff of Lackawanna Hospital.

In political views Dr. Heermans adheres to the principles for which the Republican party stands. He is identified with the Lackawanna County Medical Society, and for several years served as its secretary. Fraternally, he is past officer of Hyde Park Lodge, F. & A. M .; also a member of Lackawanna Chapter, R. A. M .;

Coeur de Lion Commandery No. 17, K. T .; and Bloomsburg Consistory, thirty-second degree. In 1866 he married Miss Sarah C. Finch. They became the parents of two children, Lizzie May, who died in infancy, and Lizzie Adele, who keeps house for her father.

W ILLIAM MORRISON, ex-mayor of Carbondale and an undertaker and fur- niture dealer of the city, is the son of Bartholomew Morrison, a pioneer of this place and one of the most prominent among its early settlers. A native of County Sligo, Ireland, he emigrated to America and settled in Carbondale in 1832, from which time until his death he assist- ed in the development of the town. For many years he held the position of justice of the peace, and while he had never studied law, yet he pos- sessed broad legal knowledge and good judg- ment, and even the most successful lawyers were glad to receive his advice, particularly in intricate cases or knotty points of law. Perhaps no man had more influence among the early residents than he. Careful, honest and kind, he was never- theless a man upon whom no one could impose. He was positive in his views, which fact occa- sionally brought him the enmity of men of dif- ferent opinions. His death occurred when he was sixty-seven. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Honora Conlan and was born in Ireland, lived in Carbondale until her death, which oc- curred in August, 1891, having passed the ninety- eighth anniversary of her birth. She was a woman of strong mind and good heart, and re- tained her faculties to an advanced age.

The family of Bartholomew Morrison consist- ed of nine children, but only three are living: James C., of Carbondale; Michael, who is en- gaged in the livery business here; and William, who was born in this city March 7, 1843. The last named received a common-school education, but at an early age left school and began to work. He was employed at driving a team and such other labor as boys can do, after which he learned the blacksmith's trade, and this he followed for fourteen years. Interested in public affairs, he was brought into the political field, and for a

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time was influential in party councils. In 1874 he was elected mayor, and served the city faith- fully, but in the proper and thorough adminis- tration of the office he met with some opposition; however, he insisted on doing what he consid- ered for the best interests of the people, whether or not it was to the advantage of himself or his friends.

Later Mr. Morrison engaged in the ice busi- ness and established a plant, which he subse- quently sold and which is still conducted under the name he gave it, the Crystal Lake Ice Company. Its success he secured by hard work night and day for eighteen years. On selling out, he commenced his present business in 1876, and has since built up a large trade among the people here. While adhering to the doctrines of the Catholic Church, he respects all who have hon- est opinions, and is liberal, not bigoted, in his views. He is one of the charter members of the Catholic Knights of America. By hard work and close attention to business, he has gained financial success. It is his intention soon to erect a new building on the corner of Eighth and Main Streets, adjoining his present place of busi- ness; he owns the property, which offers a splen- did location for his growing business. In poli- tics he has always voted the Republican ticket, but no longer takes an active part in public af- fairs, preferring to give his attention to business matters.

In 1868 Mr. Morrison married Jane Quinn, who was born in Carbondale. They are the par- ents of four children, namely: Nora; William ' F., a physician in charge of St. Joseph's Hospital, Reading; Mary and Jane, who are at home.

R OSCOE B. SHERMAN. The career of this gentleman has been one of persever- ance and integrity and has been crowned with the success merited by those who steadily pursue their way through life. For some years he has been engaged in the general mercantile business at Waverly and is the proprietor of a store that enjoys the patronage of the people of this section. A man more than ordinarily pro- gressive and public-spirited, in point of general

information upon all subjects he stands second to no man of his locality, and invariably gives his support to the enterprises calculated to advance the interests of the people, socially, morally and financially.

The family of which Mr. Sherman is a mem- ber is one of the oldest in this locality. The first of the name to come here was his grandfather, Abner Sherman, a native of Rhode Island, who removed thence to New York and probably set- tled in Otsego County. After his marriage to Amy Scott, also from Rhode Island, and after the birth of two of their children, he came to Lackawanna County, about 1812, and settled in Abington Township, where he cleared a spot in the midst of the wilderness and built a log cabin for his family. As he became better fixed finan- cially, he was enabled to erect a more substantial house and add valuable improvements to his place. In politics he was an old-time Democrat, interested in the progress of public affairs. He died at Waverly.

The father of our subject, Nathan Sherman, was born in Cooperstown, N. Y., August 16, 1809, and was a child when the family came to this county. Here the remainder of his busy life was passed. In 1834 he married Elizabeth Stone, who died leaving two children, Helen and Hamilton. His second marriage, which took place in 1837, united him with Mary A. White, who was born in Sussex County, N. J., in 1813. Her father, James, was born in Sussex County and there spent his entire life, dying at the age of thirty- five years. He married Mercy Rose, daughter of Jacob Rose, a native of Sussex County; after the death of Mr. White, she married a second time, later came to Pennsylvania, and here died at the age of sixty-six years. Of the second marriage of Nathan Sherman, two children were born: Roscoe B., of this sketch, who was born in Abing- ton Township in 1849; and Ida F., who was also born on the old homestead.

As a representative of prominent farmers, Mr. Sherman was held in high regard by the people of Abington Township. The habits of industry and economy which necessity inculcated in his character at an early age assisted him in the ac- cumulation of a valuable property and did him

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good service throughout his life. He was re- spected by all who had dealings with him, and his character for honesty was high. His death, which occurred May 16, 1864, was deeply mourned by a host of old-time friends and asso- ciates.

The first vote of our subject was cast for Gen- eral Grant in 1868 and he has since supported Republican men and measures. For many years he has held the position of school director, in which office he has aided in the advancement of the schools of the place. He is gifted with prac- tical tenacity of purpose, and a clear and vigor- ous mind, and his judgment in business matters is keen and far-seeing.

F RANCIS J. DICKERT, who is engaged in carrying on a general store at No. 614 Locust Street, Scranton, has won a very enviable reputation as a straightforward and up- right business man. In many ways he has assist- ed our infant industries and manufacturing inter- ests and always casts his ballot for the men whom he considers best fitted to advance the people's welfare. At present he is the vice-president of the Schiller Building & Loan Association, of the Lackawanna Building & Loan Association, and a director of the Meadow Brook Building & Loan Association.

Mr. Dickert was born in Posen, Poland, No- vember 27, 1858, his parents being John and The- ofela (Kubicka) Dickert. The father was a mason and builder and took part in the revolution of 1848, being a corporal in the Prussian army. In 1869 he emigrated to America, where his family joined him two years later. For a time he worked at his trade and then entered the employ of the Lackawanna Iron & Steel Company. As the result of an injury he retired from active labor some years ago. He is still living in this place. His son, Stephen, is engaged in manufacturing soda in Scranton.

The only school advantages which ever fell to the lot of our subject were such as he obtained in his native land, his knowledge of English be- ing acquired by self-instruction. It had been planned by his good relatives that he should take

up medicine with an uncle, a physician in New York, but at the end of six months he came to Scranton. For six months he was a slate picker for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, then he tried cigar-making with the firm of Garney, Short & Co., and was one of their most reliable men during a period of eighteen years. About this time, his health failing, he was obliged to seek out-of-door work, and after much deliberat- ing decided to open a grocery at his present place of business, No. 614 Locust Street. This was in 1890 and soon he added general merchandise, making of the enterprise a distinct success. Es- pecially in the building and loan societies has he been prospered, and often he has collected as high as $1,000 a month.

The wedding of Mr. Dickert and Miss Minnie Oswald, of this city, was celebrated in 1882. She is of German descent and is a daughter of Joseph Oswald, a merchant tailor of Scranton. To Mr. and Mrs. Dickert have been born five children, viz .: Theresa, Martha, Rosa, Frank and Joseph.

The family attend St. Mary's Church. In na- tional affairs Mr. Dicker votes for the nominees of the Democratic party and has served on county and city committees. He is a stockholder in the Dime Deposit Bank, also in the Scranton axle works. He is past officer of Electric City Lodge No. 1541, Royal Arcanum, and represented it in the grand council.

I SAAC M. GREGORY. There is no inher- itance so rich as the records of the worthy lives of those who have parted from this world and have gone to receive the reward that awaits them beyond. We all have strivings after a high ideal, but an ideal alone is of little value if not reinforced by the example of those who, like ourselves, have human frailties, yet have overcome them and led lives of usefulness, integ- rity and uprightness. An example of such a life is given in the record of Isaac M. Gregory, who for twenty years prior to his death engaged in farming in Abington Township. Settling near the village of Abington in 1850, he there culti- vated a farm about six years, but later resided near Glenburn until his death in 1870. Frater-

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nally he was a Mason and in religious belief a Methodist.

The birth of our subject occurred at the home of his parents in North Main Avenue, Scranton. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Mar- tha Tuttle. was born in Kingston, Pa., and was a sister of Chester Tuttle. Her first husband, Hol- den Tripp, an uncle of Col. Ira Tripp, died at an early age, leaving two children; of these a daugh- ter attained years of maturity, married, and died in Wisconsin. After the death of her first hus- band, Mrs. Tripp became the wife of Aaron Greg- ory, who had removed to Pennsylvania from Westchester, N. Y. Afterward they settled upon a large farm above Providence, but later sold that property to Henry M. Fuller and bought in Wa- verly, where Mrs. Gregory died in 1885. Mr. Gregory returned to New York and passed away in Westchester. Their only son was the subject of this sketch.

The lady who for many years was the faithful helpmate of our subject bore the maiden name of Laura Brown and was born in Providence, the daughter of Benjamin and Lydia (Fellows) Brown, natives respectively of Canterbury, Conn., and England. Her father, who was a son of Ben- jamin Brown, Sr., a farmer and one of the earliest settlers of Providence, selected agriculture as his occupation, and cultivated a farm that is now the site of the Brisbin shaft. On that place his death occurred. The mother of Mrs. Gregory was a sister of Joseph Fellows, the founder of that fam- ily here, and reference to her ancestors is given in the sketch of John H. Fellows. When three years of age she was brought to America by her parents. In early womanhood she became the wife of Benjamin Brown, their union resulting in the birth of ten children, of whom four are living. Their eldest son, Aruna, took part in the Mexi- can War and died in Illinois. Another son, Ben- jamin A., now a resident of Scranton, enlisted in the Union army while in Kansas and was a brave soldier during the Rebellion. When her young- est children were quite small, Mrs. Lydia Brown was left a widow, with little means. She was, however, a woman of strong character, and man- aged to keep the family together, training her sons and daughters for lives of usefulness, and

reaping the reward of her self-sacrificing labors in their honorable careers. At the age of eighty- two she departed this life.

Mrs. Gregory, who is the youngest of the sur- viving members of the family, was reared in Scranton and attended the public schools of Hyde Park. At the age of sixteen she began teaching school in Abington Township and followed that occupation until her marriage, in Wilkesbarre, in 1850. After the death of her husband she pur- chased property at No. 424 North Main Avenue, Hyde Park, and here has since made her home. She is a lady of kindly disposition and broad in- formation concerning the early history of this locality, having treasured in her mind incidents narrated by her mother and other relatives con- cerning the early days of Scranton.

D ANIEL D. JONES. Since 1854 Mr. Jones has been a resident of Scranton, where he is at the head of an extensive furniture, undertaking and livery business, and connected with other important enterprises. After having been in business alone for years, in 1890 he took his son into partnership, the firm name being D. D. Jones & Son. At No. 1842 North Main Avenue they have a store building, 25x65, four stories in height, the entire floor space being devoted to their business. Their livery stable is a brick building, 40x80, of four floors, stocked with twenty-two horses, four hearses, and a full equipment of carriages and cabs. Every- thing has been provided that is necessary for the intelligent prosecution of the business, including the Morse elevator for freight and passenger ser- vice.

As the name indicates, Mr. Jones is of Welsh descent. His father, D. L., was born in Swansea, a seaport town of Wales, where the paternal grandfather was employed as a worker in iron and copper mines. The former, who was similar- ly engaged, emigrated to America, when young and unmarried, and settled in Carbondale about 1831, securing employment there as a miner. After his marriage he removed to Beaver Mead- ow, Schuylkill County, and thence to Ply- mouth, Luzerne County, where he assisted in

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opening some mines. During his residence there our subject was born, September 18, 1844. From there he went back to Schuylkill County, and in 1854 settled in Providence, where he helped in sinking and opening the Clark mines. Later he was employed by the Delaware & Hudson Com- pany until his death in 1879, aged sixty-seven. In religious belief he was identified with the In- dependent Congregational Church.

The mother of our subject was Mary L., daugh- ter of Griffith Gwynne, both natives of Wales, the latter being a coal miner in Carbondale for some years. Mrs. Mary L. Jones died in Scran- ton, having been the mother of six children, of whom four attained maturity, and three are liv- ing. David G. is engaged in the furniture and undertaking business in Olyphant, and Mrs. T. W. Williams resides in Glen Lyon. Daniel D., who is second in point of birth among the sur- viving members of the family, came to Scranton at the age of ten years and has since resided here. His public school advantages were exceedingly limited, as when eleven years of age he began to work in Clark's mines as a slate picker, and five years later he was apprenticed to the cabinet- maker's trade in Providence under J. Giesner. On completing his apprenticeship, he secured work with a Mr. Harrington in Wyoming Ave- nue.

In the fall of 1863 Mr. Jones enlisted in Bat- tery D, Second Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, and was mustered into the Union service at Phil- adelphia. From there he was ordered to Wash- ington, and in the spring of 1864 was sent to the front, taking part in the battle of Cold Harbor and the entire siege of Petersburg. In the march from there to Richmond, the battery was under almost continuous fire. After the surrender of Richmond, he remained in Virginia on guard duty during the period of reconstruction. He was mustered out at City Point in January, 1866, and honorably discharged in Philadelphia.

On his return to Scranton, Mr. Jones was em- ployed in the furniture business by George Davis for a year and was with his successors, Corwin & Son, for nine years. In 1876 he started in the furniture and undertaking business for himself, his first location being on the corner of West

Market Street and Wayne Avenue, after which he moved nearer Main Avenue. Then forming a partnership with D. W. Griffin, under the title of Jones & Griffin, he built his present store build- ing, but after a short time the connection was dissolved and Mr. Jones continued alone until taking his son into partnership. He owns his business and residence property and is interested in other real estate here and at Clarks Summit. Politically he is a Republican, and like all vet- erans is interested in Grand Army affairs, his membership being in Lieut. Ezra S. Griffin Post, No. 139. In Wilkesbarre he married Catherine Struble, who was born in New Jersey, and they are the parents of one living son, David L., his father's partner in business, two other children having died, Eddie and Gertrude.

W ILLIAM F. BRADY, M. D., who is successfully engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery at Scranton, was born at Gordon, Schuylkill County, in 1864, and is a son of Thomas and Bridget (Conway) Brady, both residents of this city. The father was for many years employed in the coal depart- ment of the Philadelphia and Reading Coal Com- pany, but is now living in retirement. Of his eight children, five sons and one daughter are living, the Doctor being the next to the young- est son. He was educated in the public schools of Gordon and Ashland, graduating from the high school of the latter place at the age of fif- teen. Later he took a supplementary course in LaSalle College, Philadelphia, entering the jun- ior class, and graduating in 1882 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He next took a course in Villenova Seminary, remaining one year, and while there determined to study medicine.

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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 63

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