USA > Pennsylvania > Schuylkill County > Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania; genealogy-family history-biography; containing historical sketches of old families and of representative and prominent citizens, past and present, Volume I > Part 36
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Henry B. Hesser, father of Mrs. Zulich, was born at Orwigsburg, Pa., son of Frederick Hesser, who served in the Revolutionary war as a drummer boy. For some years he lived at Germantown, Pa., removing thence to Orwigsburg, Schuylkill county, where he died and is buried. He was a well known man in his day in various connections, being the second to hold the office of sheriff in Schuylkill county, and a musician of ability both vocally and instrumentally, being especially well known as a church singer. He and his wife Elizabeth were the parents of the following children : Frederick ; Rev. Charles, a Meth- odist minister ; John; Henry B .; Rebecca, Mrs. Frailey ; Catherine, Mrs. John Shoener ; Polly, Mrs. Harner ; and Sallie.
Henry B. Hesser spent practically all of his mature life in the employ of the Reading Railroad Company at Schuylkill Haven, attaining to a responsible position. His death occurred April 15, 1892, when he was seventy-five years old, and he is buried at Schuylkill Haven. By his marriage.to Margaret Shoe- maker, also a native of Orwigsburg, he had the following children: Elizabeth Sarah, now living at the old homestead in Schuylkill Haven ; Emma R., Mrs. Henry B. Zulich; Albert A., deceased; Charles Frederick, deceased; William Reiff, living at Reading, Pa .; and Henry Addas, deceased.
JOHN C. BITTLE and his sister, residents of Pottsville, are the only repre- sentatives of their line of this substantial old family established in Schuylkill county during the pioneer period.
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Christopher Bittle (or Bittel, as the name was then spelled), their first ancestor in America, came to this country from England Sept. 24, 1753, at which time he was only a boy, and first located at Quakertown, near Phila- delphia, Pa. Rupp's Thirty Thousand Names of Immigrants in Pennsylvania from 1727 to 1776 says (pages 308-309) that the ship "Neptune" (John Mason, master), from Rotterdam, last from Cowes, arrived at Philadelphia Sept. 24, 1753, and gives the name of Christoph Büttel among her passengers. For a time he was employed on a farm. Later he married a Miss Neiman, and settled at Pottstown, Pa., where he purchased a farm upon which he lived for a while. Selling out, he came to what is now Schuylkill county, locating on Summer mountain, about half a mile east of Schuylkill Haven, where he bought the farm later owned by the Henney and Reber families, situated in South Man- heim township. He sold that property and removed to North Manheim township, where he settled on a tract lying along the road leading from Schuylkill Haven to Cressona, later known as the old Bartolette farm. When he sold this he bought a farm property in what is now Norwegian township, near Minersville (in the same locality as the old Thomas Shollenberger tract), and it was there his death occurred. The place afterwards became known as the James farm. Besides farming, Christopher Bittle was engaged to a con- siderable extent in cutting timber, owning and operating an old-time sawmill, cutting his timber and floating it down the Schuylkill river. He supplied the lumber for the first houses built in what is now the city of Pottsville. He also sank a small shaft and obtained coal, he being one of the pioneers in this business. Christopher Bittle purchased a farm in Windsor township, Berks Co., Pa., April 1, 1797, and for this tract he paid £66, 13 shillings, 4 pence, gold or silver, lawful money. Mr. John C. Bittle and his sister, now of No. 1112 Mahantongo street, Pottsville, have this paper. Christopher Bittle's wife, who was born in Hanover, Germany, was a sister to the grandmother of ex-Governor John F. Hartranft, who served as governor of the State in 1873-78. They had the following children : John ; Jacob, who was a farmer in Long Run valley, near Schuylkill Haven, and died there; Henry, who was the owner of the well known Weissinger farm in North Manheim township, Schuylkill county ; Jona- than, who lived and died in Panther valley, Schuylkill county; Maria, Mrs. John Strauch : Molly, Mrs. John Pott ; Kate, Mrs. Weaver ; Elizabeth, Mrs. Weaver; Rebecca, who married Squire Jacob Reed ; Sarah, Mrs. Thomas Jennings ; and Eva, Mrs. Warner (she and her husband went by wagon to Ohio and were among the early settlers at Circleville, where they left descendants).
John Bittle, son of Christopher, was the grandfather of John C. Bittle. Born in Chester county, Pa., he came to Schuylkill county with his parents when only nine years old, and here spent the remainder of his life. In his young manhood he learned the trade of weaver, but never followed that business for any length of time, being engaged with his father in his sawmill and lumbering operations. They took the rafts which they made down the Schuylkill river to Reading, being obliged to make the return trip on foot. In 1831 John Bittle removed to Pottsville, where he had a tract of five acres at Yorkville, on what is now West End avenue. He was a large landowner in Schuylkill county and the surrounding region, his holdings including the ground on Mahantongo street, Pottsville, where the First Presbyterian church now stands, and in com- pany with his brother Henry he owned half of what is now known as German- town, near Pottsville; Henry owned what is now the Weissinger farm in that section. In 1838 John Bittle built the home now occupied by his grandchildren,
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at No. 1112 Mahantongo street, Pottsville. He died there April 4, 1876, and is buried in the old Presbyterian cemetery. His wife, Barbara (Alsbach), of Primrose, this county, a small place west of Minersville, was a daughter of Matthew Alsbach, who served under Washington during the Revolutionary war; he was the owner of all the valuable coal land at Primrose. To this union was born one son, Charles. Mr. Bittle married for his second wife Elizabeth Zimmerman.
Charles Bittle was born Aug. 19, 1817, upon the Bittle farm, and was thir- teen years old when his parents settled at Pottsville. He was one of the live business men of that borough for many years. He had a colliery on Sharp mountain, and dealt in coal, supplying a large trade at Pottsville. For a few years he was engaged in the manufacture of railroad spikes, but was principally interested in the coal and lumber business and had a long and prosperous career. He died Jan. 17, 1899, at the residence on Mahantongo street, and is buried in the Presbyterian cemetery. Mr. Bittle was not associated with public affairs in any capacity, but gave his support to the Republican party. He married Christiana Lord, daughter of Frederick and Molly (Bensinger) Lord, and she survived him only one week, dying Jan. 24, 1899. Of their three children, Emma, the youngest, died when two and a half years old. The survivors are John C. and Eliza, who occupy the comfortable old residence erected by their grandfather in 1838. The parents were members of the German Reformed Church.
John C. Bittle, only son of Charles Bittle, was born at Pottsville Nov. 25, 1841. He had the advantages of the public schools, and entered business life as his father's assistant in the coal and lumber trade, in which he continued suc- cessfully until his retirement in 1903. He has never married. Successful but unassuming, Mr. Bittle has been a typical member of this fine old family, associated with Schuylkill county for four generations, and he and his sister are the last surviving members of the branch of the family to which they belong.
DANIEL J. GENSEMER, present postmaster at Pine Grove, is an official whose abilities have been tested and not found wanting in various public responsibilities. Born in Pine Grove Dec. 26, 1861, he is a son of Daniel and Catherine (Loos) Gensemer, and a member of a family of German ancestry whose founders in America came here in the ship "Glasgow" from Rotterdam. They were of the company which came to America with Conrad Weiser, down the Susquehanna and into Berks county, settling the place then in Lancaster county which became known as Schaefferstown, near Lebanon. There George Gensemer, the great-grandfather of Daniel J. Gensemer, was born, and there he was engaged in the tanning business. During the Revolutionary war he enlisted under General Washington, became a non-commissioned officer, and was with Washington during the trying winter at Valley Forge, and at the crossing of the Delaware and battle of Trenton, N. J. He died in Lancaster county, and is buried at Robesonia, in the Eck Church cemetery.
Henry Gensemer, son of George, was a native of Blainsport, Lancaster Co., Pa., born Oct. 16, 1782, and died there in 1873. He is buried in the cemetery of what is known as the Swamp Church in West Cocalico township, that county. During his boyhood, in 1793, he made a trip over the Blue mountains into Schuylkill county with a party who were making a visit. Seeing some evidently hostile Indians on the top of the mountains the white people crawled into an old hollow log and waited for the savages to take their departure before
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proceeding. The incident is typical of the times and of the dangers which beset the pioneers who ventured to settle in this region. In his young manhood Henry Gensemer followed butchering for four years, and then for six years was engaged in droving. Then he learned the trade of tanner, serving his apprenticeship at Adamstown, Lancaster county, where he continued to work at that calling on his own account for a number of years, three of his sons, Daniel, John and Henry, succeeding him in the business. Meantime he was also interested in farming, acquiring the ownership of 250 acres in the same township, and giving considerable time and attention to the cultivation of his land. He was a Whig in political sentiment, in religion a member of the German Reformed Church. By his marriage to Elizabeth Fichtorn he had nine children: Levi, William, Henry, Daniel, John, George, Sallie, Catherine and Elizabeth.
Daniel Gensemer, son of Henry, was born Sept. 23, 1823, in what was then Cocalico township (now Blainsport), Lancaster Co., Pa., and learned the trade of tanner from his father. He also helped with the farm work at home, until 1849, when he and his brothers John and Henry joined interests under the name of D. Gensemer & Bros. and took over their father's tannery, which they carried on in partnership until Jan. 1, 1856, when Daniel Gensemer came to Pine Grove. Renting the tannery of Levi Miller, he continued in the same line, and in April of the year named John and Henry Gensemer followed him, the three brothers resuming operations under their old style and conducting the Miller tannery until 1859. Then Henry sold his share to the other two and the name became D. & J. Gensemer, until 1863. In that year the three brothers united in the purchase of the John A. Bechtel tannery at Pine Grove, and operated both plants until 1866, when Henry Miller was taken into the firm and the name changed to D. Gensemer & Co. In 1876 Mr. Miller with- drew and Henry Gensemer sold his interest to his brother Daniel, he and his brother John continuing the business until 1883, when George W. Gensemer, son of Daniel, became a partner. A few years later, in 1889. Harry L. Gen- semer, another son of Daniel, entered the business, with which the father remained until 1892. Then the two sons of Daniel took control as sole owners under the name of George W. and H. L. Gensemer. The business is still one of the most important at Pine Grove and is at present operated by the firm of Gensemer & Salen. In Daniel Gensemer's day the industry had developed to such proportions that the yearly output attained a value of one hundred thousand dollars, and as the executive head of the concern the principal credit for the growth is justly attributed to his enterprise. His active faculties also sought other outlets which contributed to promoting commercial conditions in this locality. He was one of the organizers of the First National Bank at Orwigsburg and one of its first directors; for twelve years treasurer of the Central Building & Loan and Savings Association ; and for eight years he held an interest in the Stanton colliery, at Mahanoy Plane.
Mr. Gensemer was more than a capable business man. He had definite ideas on municipal affairs, and showed a commendable desire to serve the community unselfishly in the several important borough offices to which he was chosen, as town councilman for a number of terms, chief burgess one term, and school director. Originally a Whig in political sentiment, casting his first vote for Henry Clay, he afterwards adhered to the principles of the Republican party. Mr. Gensemer lived to the age of seventy-nine years, dying in 1902. He was a member of the Evangelical Church and active in its work.
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On April 6, 1857, Mr. Gensemer married Catherine Loos, who was born June 23, 1837, in Lancaster county, Pa., daughter of Joseph (Jr.) and Barbara (Schmidt ) Loos, of that county, and of German extraction, being a descend- ant of John George Loos, who arrived in America Oct. 2, 1753, coming to Philadelphia from Rotterdam in the ship "Edinburgh." Proceeding to what was then part of Lancaster (now Berks) county, Pa., he became the owner of a farm which is still in the possession of the Loos heirs. Joseph Loos, father of Mrs. Catherine ( Loos) Gensemer, was born Nov. 20, 1810, in Lancaster county, where he passed all his life, engaged in farming, and died in 1898. His wife Barbara was the daughter of John Schmidt, who was born in 1762 in Lancaster county. Mrs. Catherine (Loos) Gensemer died at Pine Grove, Pa. Seven children, four sons and three daughters, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Gensemer: Lizzie A. is the wife of John J. Krimmel, who is in the bakery business at Pine Grove; George W. was engaged with his father and brothers in tanning at Pine Grove, being interested in two plants; Daniel J. is next in the family ; Sevilla K., deceased, was the wife of Dr. Clell Bowman, at one time president of Lafayette (Oregon) College, now dean of Albright College, Pennsylvania; Annie B. is married to Benjamin Duncan, of Salt Lake City, Utah; Harry L. was associated with his brother George in the tanning business at Pine Grove : Joseph L., a graduate of Pennsylvania College, 1892, and later a student at Madison College, in New Jersey, is now a minister of the Methodist Church, stationed at Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Daniel J. Gensemer had such early advantages as the schools of Pine Grove offered, and later entered the Lebanon County College. His first independent venture was in the lumber business at Goodspring, Pa., which he carried on from 1884 to 1906, as a contractor for the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company. Meantime he was also engaged in merchandising at Goodspring, Pa. Removing to Duncannon, Pa., he remained there a year, returning to Pine Grove. In 1911 he was appointed postmaster of the borough of Pine Grove, and has since filled that position, giving unqualified satisfaction in his discharge of the duties of the office. He came to the work with a compre- hensive knowledge of its requirements, having served as postmaster at Good- spring for seventeen years. He was elected to the town council at Pine Grove in 1888 and in all his public service has given his fellow citizens the benefit of his best thought and executive ability.
Mr. Gensemer has been particularly active in promoting the social and fra- ternal organizations of his choice. He is a prominent member of the P. O. S. of A., belonging to Washington Camp No. 49, and Commandery No. 22 (the latter of Tower City ), and he has not only passed the chairs in these bodies but also served as president of the Schuylkill district, 1897 to 1900, and as State vice president in 1902-03. He has also passed all the chairs in Lodge No. 148, I. O. O. F., and is a member and treasurer of the local encampment of that order ; is a member of the commandery of the Knights of the Mystic Chain at Suedberg ; of the Independent Americans at Pine Grove (at present serving as councilor) ; of the Improved Order of Red Men at Tremont; of Pine Grove Lodge, No. 409, F. & A. M., and of the Sons of the Revolution.
In February, 1883, Mr. Gensemer was married to Anna L. Stout, of Pine Grove, daughter of William H. and Matilda (Walters) Stout, the latter now deceased. Mr. Stout makes his home on a farm two miles east of Pine Grove and is widely acquainted among farmers throughout the State, giving lectures on agricultural topics all over Pennsylvania. Seven children, five sons and two
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daughters, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Gensemer: George B. is a minister of the United Evangelical denomination, stationed at Columbia, Pa .; Fred D. is a tanner by occupation; Paul B. is a resident of Boston, Mass .; S. Ruth, a trained nurse, is in the Presbyterian Hospital at Philadelphia; Norman W. is a student at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia ; Reba L. is at home ; Donald J. is a student and still at home. All the family belong to the United Evangelical Church.
REESE TASKER, late of Pottsville, who for ten years was general mining superintendent at that point for the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Com- pany, closed his career as one of the most conspicuous figures in the anthracite region. He began as a humble mine worker, and attained to position and repu- tation through sheer merit, winning recognition as one of the ablest mining experts in the country. Unspoiled by success and honors, his likeable person- ality and sterling character made him one of the most popular officials of the great concern whose interests at Pottsville were in his care, enjoying the friendly esteem of all the men with whom his duties brought him into contact. The same was true of his social relations. His eminent executive ability, supple- menting the most comprehensive familiarity with his business, made him so valuable from the practical standpoint that he was not only intrusted with great responsibilities but frequently consulted when competent advice was necessary.
Mr. Tasker was a Welshman and the son of a miner, born Sept. 29, 1846, at Glen Neath, Glamorganshire, South Wales. He spent the first eighteen years of his life in his native land. When but eight years old he began work in the mines and served an apprenticeship at anthracite mining under his father, later mining bituminous coal. When a youth of eighteen, in 1864, he came to America, first settling at Nanticoke (near Wilkes-Barre), Luzerne Co., Pa., where he worked a few years, part of the time as a contract miner. His next experience was in the soft coal mines in Kentucky, whence he returned to this section of Pennsylvania in 1875, from which time until his death he was in the employ of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company. He com- menced his service with this concern as a miner at Mahanoy City (in 1875) and won advancement steadily, having filled almost all the intermediate posi- tions when made general mining superintendent in 1905.
A self-made man more successful, in the best sense of the term, would be hard to find. His first promotion was to the position of fire boss at a colliery at Wiggan, Schuylkill county. Then he became inside foreman at the Boston Run colliery, in 1886, and was later in the same capacity at the Suffolk colliery, to which he was transferred about 1890, residing at Gilberton while employed there. From there he went to the St. Nicholas district, being at the latter when the now famous Maple Hill colliery was opened. It was developed under his immediate management, and its highly profitable exploitation has always been attributed to his foresight and ingenuity. On April 1, 1893, Mr. Tasker became superintendent of the St. Nicholas district, and on Dec. Ist of the same year was made superintendent of the Gilberton and Mahanoy district. On March I, 1897, he became superintendent of the Mahanoy City division, succeeding the late John Skeath, continuing in that capacity until assigned as assistant to John Vieth, with headquarters at Pottsville, Dec. 1, 1903. Mr. Vieth, the mining superintendent there, was in poor health, and when he retired Mr. Tasker was appointed his successor, taking the position of general mining superintendent on Jan. 1, 1905, and holding it until his death, May 31, 1915.
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Mr. Tasker's rise to one of the most responsible positions in his chosen calling was accomplished by the most painstaking attention to everything he undertook. Possessed of a mind of unusual keenness, his faculties of observa- tion coordinated well with the ability to apply what he knew to the task in hand, and in wide practical experience he acquired a facility in meeting emer- gencies which was of inestimable value. His work was always most intelli- gently performed, and he had a faculty for getting work through which could be depended upon. In times of trouble, fires, explosions, cave-ins, etc., he acted so promptly and effectively that he was looked to for aid whenever such emer- gencies arose.
Mr. Tasker suffered a paralytic stroke on March 22, 1915, and though he recovered somewhat he was not able to resume any of his duties, passing away at his home, No. 106 North George street, Pottsville, on May 31st following. The Pottsville Republican of June Ist paid a fitting tribute to his character : "In his passing one of the most kindly and considerate men has been called to the Great Beyond, followed by the blessing of a host of friends in all walks of life, for Mr. Tasker was a man who had risen from the ranks of labor and always maintained the same demeanor toward his fellow men. The genial, kindly man is gone, but his memory will live long after him. He was an inspiration to many younger men whose emulation was aroused by his noble example." He was buried in the Odd Fellows cemetery at Tamaqua, and the funeral services were conducted by Mahanoy City Lodge, No. 357, F. & A. M., in which he held membership. A special Philadelphia & Reading train from Pottsville was provided for the occasion. Mr. Tasker was a thirty- second-degree Mason, a past high priest of Mizpah Royal Arch Chapter, No. 252, of Mahanoy City ; a member of Ivanhoe Commandery, No. 31, K. T., also of Mahanoy City ; and of Rajah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., of Reading. He also belonged to General Grant Lodge, I. O. O. F., of Mahanoy City; the Royal Arcanum; the Pottsville Club; the Sphinx Club ; and St. David's Society of Philadelphia.
Mr. Tasker married Mary A. Thomas, who died in 1910 and is also buried in the Odd Fellows cemetery at Tamaqua. They are survived by the following children: Catharine, wife of Lee Jones, of St. Nicholas, Pa. ; Phoebe, unmar- ried, who kept house for her father; Oliver C., of Pottsville, an auditor for the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company; Thomas R., of Ashland, this county, a mining engineer, in the employ of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company ; Harrison, who is engaged as mechanical engineer by the Buck Run Coal Company, and lives at home ; and Taliesyn, a student at State College, Pennsylvania.
JUDGE NICHOLAS SEITZINGER, late of Tamaqua, was one of the leading spirits of his generation in that borough, where his name is held by many in respectful memory. Several of his children still reside there. It falls to the lot of few men to receive such generous assurances of the confidence of their fellow citizens as were shown to Judge Seitzinger, and he proved him- self worthy of the many honors which came to him, entirely unsolicited. A native of Berks county, Pa., he was born Oct. 29, 1813, son of Nicholas Seit- zinger, an honored early settler of this section of Schuylkill county.
The Seitzingers are one of the families descended from Hessian soldiers who remained in America following their services in the American Revolu- tionary war. Nicholas Seitzinger, the elder, was a German by birth. He came
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to this country as one of the Hessian soldiers hired by England, and thus took part in the Revolution, but his sympathies were with the Colonial cause, and after the war he did not return to the old country. For a time he lived in Berks county, Pa., removing thence to what is now Schuylkill county, where he took up 1,600 acres of land. The region was then a wilderness, but he set bravely about the task of making a home for himself and family, and it was he who established the town of Fountain Springs, near Ashland, which was really named in his honor. He is buried in the cemetery there. His family consisted of children as follows: Catherine, who married Samuel Scott and (second) Henry Fisher; George; Peter; Samuel; Harry; Nicholas; Edward,; John, and Jacob W. Jacob built the "Exchange Hotel" at Pottsville.
Judge Nicholas Seitzinger spent his boyhood in Berks and Schuylkill counties, and at an early date settled at Tamaqua, when the town was in its infancy. He engaged in the manufacture of screens and built up a profitable business, also acquiring much valuable local real estate, which is still in the possession of his children. His foresight made him a live influence in the advancement of the place, and he was elected to the position of school director, which he filled for many years. He was also one of the associate judges of Schuylkill county for five years, and was elected to the office of chief burgess of Tamaqua, but refused to serve. With a strong sense of moral obligation in everything he undertook, conscientious ideas regarding his duty to the community, unusual judgment and intelligence, he acquitted himself so satis- factorily in every trust that he might have remained continuously in the public service had he chosen. But he accepted office principally from a sense of responsibility, and when it was merely a question of personal compliment or power cared nothing for preferment. He was a Mason and an Odd Fellow, belonging to Pulaski Lodge, No. 216, F. & A. M., of Pottsville, and to the I. O. O. F. lodge there.
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