USA > Pennsylvania > Prominent and progressive Pennsylvanians of the nineteenth century. Volume I > Part 31
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
PETER FREDERICK ROTHERMEL was born in Nescopeck, Lu- zerne County, July 18, 1817. He died August 15, 1895. His early boyhood was spent in the country, and his first desire to become an artist came upon him while watching the village sign painter. He took to pencils and brushes, and it was a proud day when he produced a highly-colored pictorial sign, which was deemed worthy of a place in front of his father's hotel. Rothermel, senior,
402
P.F. ROTHERMEL.
Thy G shrandt Eng. Co Ffyly
٢
403
PETER F. ROTHERMEL.
removed to Philadelphia and became host of the old Eagle Hotel, on Third Street. This house was then and long afterwards one of the leading hotels of the city. The future painter received a com- mon school education, and his father, who was disposed to take a practical view of life, put him to the study of land surveying. As he grew older, his strong love of art drew him so greatly from the pursuit for which his father had intended him, that the sturdy old gentleman found himself obliged to yield, and the youthful candidate for fame found himself, before his twenty-second year, free to change the surveyor's instruments for the painter's brush. He entered upon the study of art with enthusiasm. His studies began under John R. Smith, who gave him instruction in drawing, and were continued under Bass Otis, then a famous portrait painter. Mr. Rothermel quickly displayed an unusual ability, and was not long in making his name known as an artist. At the age of thirty he married Caroline Goodhart, a lady whose ances- tors had long dwelt in Philadelphia, and he settled down earnestly to work. As he gained in experience the young artist essayed elaborate figure painting, and his fine "Columbus Before the Queen " started the painter on the road to fame, while the "De Soto's Discovery of the Mississippi " placed him securely before the public. Just at this time Prescott's work on the "Conquest of Mexico" had appeared, and its thrilling incidents furnished the painter with the subject for his "Cortez Addressing His Troops Within Sight of the Valley of Mexico." Mr. Rothermel was closely identified with two important art movements in Philadel- phia-the growth of the Artists' Fund Society and of the schools of the Academy of the Fine Arts. The Artists' Fund Society, of which he was many years an active member, was incorporated in 1835. Its meetings did much to kindle enthusiasm among the artists, and almost every painter of distinction in Philadelphia was a member. Previous to his visit to Europe, in 1856, Mr. Rothermel was a Director of the Academy of the Fine Arts from 1847 to 1855.
His period of residence abroad extended over three years, two of which were spent in Rome, while he also found time to visit
404
PETER F. ROTHERMEL.
and study in the other large cities of Italy, and in those of Eng- land, France, Germany and Belgium. In 1859 he returned to Philadelphia, in which city and its vicinity he afterwards resided. While abroad Mr. Rothermel received warm recognition in France, Italy and Russia. For the Grand Duchess Helena, of Russia, he painted "The Virtuoso." The picture represents the old connois- seur, grave and intellectual looking, absorbed in his books. The picture is also interesting, from the fact that "The Virtuoso" is a portrait of the father of Mrs. Rothermel. While in Rome the picture, "St. Agnes" was painted for Count Kusheleff, and a " Rubens and Vandyke " for Prince Kotchabey. On his return to Philadelphia, in 1859, Mr. Rothermel painted a series of pic- tures illustrating events in the life of Paul. Of these the original study of the large picture, "Paul Before Agrippa," was presented to the Academy of the Fine Arts by James L. Claghorn in 1878; "Paul at Ephesus " was presented by Mrs. Matthew Baird in 1887; the Academy also owns the "Embarkation of Columbus at Palos," given by Joseph Dugan. "Shylock and Portia in the Judgment Scene " was sold to the Art Union of New York. Among his other noted pictures are "Hypatia," "The Christian Martyrs in the Colisseum" (a most magnificent effort); "Patrick Henry Before the Virginia House," "The Judgment of Solomon," "The Massacre of the Sicillian Vespers," etc. The famous picture of the " Battle of Gettysburg "-one of the largest canvasses in the achievements of American Art-was painted upon commission from the State Legislature of Pennsylvania, and no painting of modern times has been the centre of more admiring attention than this impressive realization in color of the most tremendous conflict of the Rebellion. Many of the faces in the picture are actual likenesses, and General Meade sat personally to the artist. Painter Rothermel died in his picturesque home, in Linford, Montgomery County, a summer residence which had been his home for the later years of his life.
P. F. ROTHERMEL, JR.
F those whose individual achievements have done so 0 8 much towards maintaining the high standard which has marked the Bar of Philadelphia, none is more conspicuous by reason of displayed talent, skill, learning, and actual achievements than he who bears the name of P. F. Rothermel, Jr. He is a son of the late P. F. Rothermel, the celebrated artist who is widely known as the painter of the "Battle of Gettysburg"-one of the most remark- able depictions of the soldier in battle that can be found in American art.
PETER FREDERICK ROTHERMEL, JR., is a native of Philadelphia, and was born September 27, 1850. With the exception of several years that were spent abroad, Mr. Rothermel has been a resident of the city his entire life. The family is a very old one and originally came to America from Holland. The first Rothermel settled in this State about the year 1703. In time his descend- ants found their way to the romantic Wyoming Valley, and from this part of the State the grandfather of the subject of our sketch -and the father of the painter-removed to Philadelphia and became the proprietor of the old Eagle Hotel, on Third Street below Arch, which in those days was the principal caravansary of the town. Artist Rothermel, after his marriage, made his home and established a studio in a residence on Sansom Street, between Seventh and Eighth. Here his son, Peter Frederick, was born. When Fred, as he is familiarly known, was quite a lad, his father went to Europe for the purpose of studying the best examples of historical painting, and he remained there about three years, being accompanied by his family. Young Rothermel had already been
405
406
P. F. ROTHERMEL, JR.
a pupil of the schools of Philadelphia and, while abroad, he received the advantages of tuition in France, Italy and Germany. On the return of the painter and his family to Philadelphia, young Rothermel entered the Central High School, taking the full clas- sical course of that institution. He was a particularly bright student, remarkable for his keen perception, logical reasoning powers, and aptitude in mastering the details of anything which interested him. He graduated in 1867, and the qualities which had made him distinguished as a student were so admirably adapted to the profession of the law that that career was the one chosen for him to best display and exercise his undoubted talent and ability. He entered the law office of James T. Mitchell, who since that time has served as Judge of the Common Pleas Court, No. 2, and is at present one of the members of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Mr. Rothermel applied himself assidu- ously to his studies, and in due time was admitted to practice. His career at the Bar and the name he has made for himself are too well known to need detailed recapitulation here. He was nat- urally gifted with a fluency of speech; his voice lent itself a forc- ible delivery; he was clear, concise and convincing as a reasoner and was quick and alert in cross-examination. These special equipments would certainly have placed him among the foremost criminal lawyers of the Bar; in fact, his skill in oratory and the deep sincerity and real feeling that he can infuse into an address would have been successful before any jury. But Mr. Rothermel's taste led him to choose the quieter field of civil practice, in which his success has been of unbroken continuity. He has been espec- ially noted for his intelligent management of important corpora- tion cases, in which his keen powers of analysis and his remarkable acquaintance with all the intricacies of technicalities have been of great value to his clients. He is to-day the counsel, adviser, and pleader for many of the largest corporations in the city and State, and his knowledge of mercantile law and customs has made him the confidential counsel of several of our leading mercantile houses. Among the most important of these is that of John Wanamaker, whom he has represented for a long number of years. Mr.
407
P. F. ROTHERMEL, JR.
Rothermel possesses real tact and diplomatic qualities of a high order, and while he is aggressive, bold and unrelenting in actual litigation, he has the happy faculty of adjusting complicated cases without resort to decision in the courts. His judgment is accurate and his foresight penetrating, and in this respect his services are simply invaluable to those who may utilize them. Few lawyers at the Bar of Philadelphia have achieved the prominence that has been secured by him; a prominence which was obtained almost immediately after he became a member of the Bar.
Since early manhood Mr. Rothermel has been an earnest and consistent Republican, and his powers of thought and his skill and force as an orator quickly brought him to the favorable notice of the political leaders. He gave great assistance in numerous campaigns, when he appeared upon the platform as a speaker; he contributed largely of his means towards the success of the organ- ization, and upon many occasions strong efforts have been made to induce him to accept some high office. All these offers he refused as being foreign to his professional duties and engage- ments. In 1884, however, his name was strongly urged for the office of City Solicitor, and while he had a large number of delegates ready to vote for him in the convention, he withdrew in favor of Charles F. Warwick, and in the campaign which followed he worked earnestly and assiduously for that gentleman's success. Mr. Roth- ermel is so highly esteemed by his fellow members of the Bar that his name has been frequently mentioned and urged as a can- didate for a judgeship, but he, himself, has never seconded the efforts of his friends in this direction. In 1881 he was married to Miss Bryant, and he divides his life between his extensive profes- sional labors and social duties. He has strong literary and artistic tastes, is a thorough student, and his mind is stored with compre- hensive information upon a large variety of subjects.
I .- 27.
PATRICK JOHN RYAN.
O biographical history of Pennsylvania would be complete without the story of the eminent career and useful life of Most Reverend Patrick John Ryan, D.D., Archbishop of Philadelphia. Not alone as a Prelate of his Church is this great Catholic doctor and orator known to Pennsylvanians, but as a learned and polished public man, a genial wit and a friend of all mankind. For forty years he has been in the front of religious work, and yet he has made many admiring friends both within and without the pale of his Church, winning the heart and appealing to the reason at one and the same time.
PATRICK JOHN RYAN, D.D., LL.D., Archbishop of Philadel- phia, was born near Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland, February 20, 1831. Until he was sixteen years of age he attended a private school in Dublin, and, in 1847, having early manifested a leaning towards the priesthood, he entered Carlow College, where he received his ecclesiastical training. In all his classes he took high honors, and in recognition was appointed Prefect of the lay house. At the age of twenty-one his seminary course was finished, and he was ordained Subdeacon. In 1852 he bade adieu to Ireland, sailed for America, and, arriving in St. Louis, was there made Professor of English Literature in the Carondolet Theological Seminary. When ordained Deacon he was granted the privilege of preaching in the Cathedral, and, in 1853, having complied with all the canons of the Church, was ordained a Priest on the feast of the Nativity of Our Lady, September 8th, and appointed Assist- ant Rector of the Cathedral. He was made Rector in 1856, remaining there until 1860, when he was placed in charge of the 408
409
PATRICK JOHN RYAN.
parish of the Annunciation, in the same city. During the Rebel- lion he acted as Chaplain in a military prison and hospital, doing some of the noblest work of his career. In 1866 he accompanied his Archbishop to the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore, where his sermon as a preacher of the Council was one of the most earnest and eloquent he has ever delivered. When, in 1867, he paid a visit to Rome, during the celebration of the Eighteenth Centenary of St. Peter's death, he was invited by the Pope to deliver the English course of Lenten Services in that city, a marked favor at the hands of His Holiness. Gradually his fame as a relig- ious student and an orator spread, and, by the special request of the General Assembly of Missouri, he was called upon to address the members of both houses in the Hall of Representatives at Jefferson City. The degree of Doctor of Laws has been conferred upon him by both the University of Pennsylvania and the University of New York. In 1872 Archbishop Ryan was named Coadjutor Bishop of St. Louis; in 1879 he was the preacher selected by Cardinal McCloskey for the dedication of the New York Cathedral; in 1883 he visited Rome to take part in the deliberations of the American Archbishops before the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. He preached in the Eternal City, and while there was, January 6, 1884, promoted to the dignity of Archbishop, with the title of Salamina, continuing, however, Coadjutor of St. Louis. He was transferred to Philadelphia on June 8, 1884, as Archbishop in succession to Most Reverend James F. Wood, D.D. He has preached many notable sermons since, having been the orator on many occasions when the dignity of the Church demanded his most splendid efforts. He was the orator chosen by Cardinal Gibbons when he received the Red Hat; and, in 1888, he again visited Rome, preaching, while there, the sermon at the laying of the corner-stone of the National Irish Church of St. Patrick. He also delivered the address to His Holiness, Leo XIII., presenting him with a copy of the Constitution of the United States, the gift of President Grover Cleveland to the Vatican.
Archbishop Ryan has delivered many notable lectures, including several in the Academy of Music, Philadelphia, which have created
410
PATRICK JOHN RYAN.
wide-spread and favorable comment. In charitable work his is always a willing hand; in the effort to uplift humanity his shoulder has ever been at the wheel; and the name of Archbishop Ryan is honored not only throughout Pennsylvania, but wherever the English tongue is spoken or the Latin of the Church is read, as that of a man whose mission on earth is both noble and unselfish. At the Cathedral in Philadelphia Archbishop Ryan preaches every second Sunday, and his voice is often heard at distinguished religious and secular gatherings. He seems to be peculiarly en- dowed with the happy gift of being able to address audiences composed of every class and creed, without ever creating antago- nism, while yet adhering strictly to the doctrines of the Church.
AE RAN. ~ ~
THEODORE C. SEARCH.
MERICAN enterprise owes much to Theodore C. Search, not only for the helpful influence of his example as a successful manufacturer, but also for what he has done to advance the interests of practical technical education in the processes of textile fabrication. In the textile department of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art he. has a monument more lasting than any achievements in manufacture or commerce might be.
THEODORE CORSON SEARCH was born in Bucks County, Penn- sylvania, on March 20, 1841, and he has a century and a half of sturdy Pennsylvania ancestry to look back upon with honest pride. His father was Jacob Miles Search, whose wife, Nancy Marple Corson, was a member of one of Bucks County's most honored families. Mr. Search spent his youth at his birthplace, and after a course at the State Normal School, in Lancaster County, he spent three years in the Chester Normal and High School-now Crozer Theological Seminary-at Upland, Pennsylvania, where he gained a solid and thorough education. Seven years of teaching while at school and afterwards fastened firmly in his mind elements of education which since have been invaluable in his broader edu- cational work. In 1868 Mr. Search abandoned teaching and entered the employ of Davis, Fiss & Banes, wool merchants in Philadel- phia. When the firm became Fiss, Banes, Erben & Company, and engaged in the manufacture of worsted yarns in 1872, he was admitted as the junior partner. In 1883 the firm was changed to Erben, Search & Company, and the yarn business was greatly extended by the construction of a magnificent new plant at Tacony.
4II
412
THEODORE C. SEARCH.
While planning the new mills Mr. Search traveled extensively in England and in Europe, studying minutely the best machinery and processes there in use, and he introduced in yarn manufac- ture in this country the best ideas that could be found in the mills of the world. Appreciating as a practical manufacturer the need for better trained and more skillful help, but failing at first to impress his fellow manufacturers with the importance of pro- viding adequate facilities for textile education, Mr. Search under- took alone the establishment of a school for this purpose. This was in 1883, and the start, which was made in a small room on Spring Garden Street, quickly demonstrated the success and importance of the undertaking. When Thomas Dolan and the late William Arrott learned that Mr. Search was carrying on the school alone they generously assumed equal shares in the expenses, and from this modest beginning the school developed steadily into an institution of widely recognized importance. Consolidation with other interests in artistic education produced the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art, which now occupies the large buildings at Broad and Pine streets, Philadelphia, the greatest institution in the United States for practical instruction in textile processes and the applied fine arts. Mr. Search now occupies the offices of Vice-President and Chairman of the Instruction Commit- tee. In recognition of what he had done to advance technical edu- cation Brown University, in 1895, conferred upon Mr. Search the honorary degree of Master of Arts. It was his mastery of detail and his skillful business management that marked Mr. Search as the right man to assume the direction of the John B. Stetson Company, when the founder of that great establishment sought retirement from business cares. In January, 1892, Mr. Search became Treasurer and Managing Director of the company, retain- ing for a time his interest in the firm of Erben, Search & Com- pany, but finally withdrawing from that connection in June, 1894. Mr. Search has been active in many organizations formed to pro- mote the interests of American manufacturers. When the National Association of Manufacturers was called upon suddenly to fill a vacant Presidency at its first annual convention, in Chicago, in
413
THEODORE C. SEARCH.
January, 1896, Mr. Search was the unanimous choice, and under his aggressive management the association took on life and vigor. Until his retirement from the wool and yarn business Mr. Search was an active member of the National Association of Wool Man- ufacturers and for many years one of its Vice-Presidents. In recognition of his services he was made an Honorary Member in 1896, a distinction which has been bestowed upon only three other men. He was President of the Philadelphia Textile Association, and has been an active participant in the affairs of its successor, the Manufacturers' Club, of which he has been a Director from its formation. In July, 1896, he was elected a Vice-President. In politics Mr. Search is a staunch Republican and an unwavering Protectionist. He is a member of the Home Market Club, of Boston ; the American Protective Tariff League, of New York, and the Union League, of Philadelphia. For more than fifteen years Mr. Search has been a Director of the Bank of North America, the oldest and one of the strongest Philadelphia banking institutions. He has been President of the Colonial Mutual Fire Insurance Company from its organization, in 1895, and he is Vice- President of the Sault Ste. Marie Pulp and Paper Company, in the development of which he has taken a very active part. In his Church connection Mr. Search has also taken a prominent place. He is President of the Board of Trustees of Memorial Baptist Church, Broad and Master streets, Philadelphia, and also a Trustee of the American Baptist Publication Society. Mr. Search married, in 1862, Anna L. White, daughter of Ephraim A. and Lydia White, of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Their one daugh- ter, Ida May, is the wife of George Howard Cliff, Principal of the Philadelphia Normal School for Girls.
ISAAC A. SHEPPARD.
EVENTY years of age, one of the most active busi- ness men in Philadelphia, and one who has a long record of excellent service behind him, Isaac A. Sheppard to-day represents individually that spirit of progress which animates the entire Common- wealth; and through his various good offices he is numbered as one of the most representative citizens of that great municipality.
ISAAC A. SHEPPARD was born in Back Neck, Cumberland County, New Jersey, July 11, 1827. His father, Ephraim Shep- pard, represented the fourth generation in descent from David and Eve Sheppard, who came from England and for some time lived at Shrewsbury, New Jersey, removing, in 1683, to Cumberland County. His mother, Mary Westcott Sheppard, was a member of the fifth generation in descent from Richard and Joana Westcott, who came to New Jersey from Connecticut in 1639. At the com- mon schools of the district, Isaac received the foundation of his education, and when eleven years old began work on the farm. When he was thirteen years of age his parents removed to Phila- delphia, where he had the privilege of attending the grammar school, illness of his father, however, making it necessary for him to leave after one term. Shortly after, his mother died; and this bereavement broke up the family. Isaac spent two or three years in various situations and then apprenticed himself to the trade of stove moulding in January, 1844. He mastered this; and meanwhile improved his education to a great extent. His proficiency in the details of his work was noticed by his employers, and for thirteen years he remained on the pay-roll of the firm, an honored and trusted employé. In 1831, being thoroughly convinced of the
414
A. S.Francie8 2L
Face A Sheppard
+
415
ISAAC A. SHEPPARD.
advantages to be derived from such institutions, he combined with others in establishing a saving and building association. In 1849 he built his first house, on Sixth Street, below Girard Avenue, into which he moved after his marriage, in the following year, and where he has resided ever since.
In 1860 Mr. Sheppard organized, in association with Jonathan S. Biddle, James C. Horn, William B. Walton and John Sheeler, the firm of Isaac A. Sheppard & Company, and, on a site at Seventh and Girard Avenue, established the Excelsior Stove Works, of Philadelphia. Six years later the Excelsior Stove Works, of Baltimore, was added, and Mr. Sheppard held the financial control and general management of both establishments. Mr. Sheppard was a born manager, and in spite of the bitterest opposition from older establishments, his firm persevered, and, at the end of three years of business, was established on a basis of permanent prosperity. In 1871, after the boom which followed the Civil War, Mr. Sheppard's company purchased a large piece of ground, of over two and a half acres, at Third and Berks streets, and erected a large manufactory thereon. In 1878 Mr. Sheeler died; in 1882 Mr. Biddle died, and, in February of the next year, Mr. Walton. Mr. Horn died in October, 1886; but the firm still retains its original name, being composed at present of Mr. Sheppard, the founder and senior member, Franklin L. Shep- pard and Howard R. Sheppard, his sons. The firm now employs about four hundred workmen and uses over six thousand tons of iron yearly, worked up principally into stoves, heaters and ranges. The business is one of the largest of the kind in the country.
Mr. Sheppard, for many years, has taken an active part in political and benevolent enterprises. In 1858 he was elected by the People's party to the State Legislature and was twice re-elected. During his term in the Legislature he was one of the most active in support of the Union, and played an important part in the legislative enactments bearing thereon. In 1867 he was elected by Philadelphia Councils to represent the city's interests in the Northern Liberties Gas Company, which office he still retains. In 1870 he took a leading part in organizing the National
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.