The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1, Part 21

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 908

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BIOGRAPHIICAL ENCYCLOPÆDIA.

on Sunday morning, reaching New York early on Monday, and purchasing the cargo of coffee, had it on the way to Philadelphia before the arrival of the stage with the com- peting merchant. In 1854 he left the location in Water street in the hands of his son, William C. Newell, who car- ried on, till his death, in 1865, the business of a wholesale tea-dealer in the store where his grandfather had traded. IIe himself removed to No. 109 South Front street, where he still continues to do business, though now in his eighty-second year. ' He is an active, vigorous old man, with his mental faculties unimpaired. He is believed to be the oldest grocer in the city, and has probably been in ac- tive business life longer than any other merchant who can be named. His health has always been good, which is at- tributable in great part no doubt to his strictly temperate and regular habits. IIe retains distinct recollections of his early contemporaries in business, most of whom have long since passed away. His reminiscences of Stephen Girard are especially vivid and interesting. He made the tour of Europe in the three sucessive years, 1870, 1871, 1872. The only public position he ever held was that of a Guardian of the Poor, the duties of which he discharged with his usual thoroughness and efficiency. He is a fine monument of the old school of Philadelphia merchants, active, up- right, and intelligent.

OOPER, REDMOND, Merchant, and Importer, was born Jannary Ist, 1818, at Mantua Creek, about four miles below Woodbury, New Jersey. He is of the seventh generation, in line, from English ancestors, William and Margaret Cooper, of Coleshill, parish of Amersham, Hertford county, England, who came to America in 1679. They were members of the Society of Friends. A certificate to visit and settle in the New World was granted them by their Meeting on December 5th, 1678. After arrival, for a short time, they resided in Burlington. In 1682, they removed to Pyne Point, now Cooper's Point, so-called from Willian Cooper, at one time the largest land-holder in New Jersey, owning two miles down the Delaware river, and two miles up Cooper's Creek, on the south side. Redmond is the son of David Cooper. He received a fair education in the schools at Haddonfield and Woodbury, and improved to the utmost what advantages were offered. On September 24th, 1834, he came to Philadelphia and obtained a posi- tion in the store of Isam Barton & Co., on Second street, at that time one of the largest retail stores, of dress goods, in the city. Desirous of further knowledge, he gave all his spare time to reading. After coming of age he remained with Barton & Co., in the capacity of clerk, until 1847, when, with a limited capital of about $700, he started in business on his own account, purchasing a part of the inte- rest held by his brother in the firm. In the year 1851 the

nature of the business was changed, the house confining it- self to shoe-stuffs, upholsterers' and carriage-manufacturers' goods, and a few years later dropping other branches in order to make a specialty of shoe-stuffs. On January Ist, 1867, the senior retired from active business, the firm then changing to Armstrong; Wilkins & Co. They are now the largest importers and jobbers of leather and general shoe goods in the United States, their sales amounting to from one to one and a quarter million of dollars per annum. The subject of this sketch is the senior partner of the firm, as well as its general financial manager. The extended operations in which it is constantly engaged, in supplying the markets of this country by importations from abroad, are under his care, and the excellent reputation which it sus. tains .in European markets, as well as in this country, is largely owing to the weight of his personal character. Prior to the consolidation of the city of Philadelphia, he resided in what was known as " Chestnut Ward," and in its affairs was always active and influential, identifying himself with the " Henry Clay Whig " party. His best efforts were ever exerted for the advancement of Philadelphia in growth and influence, every movement tending in that direction finding in him an earnest upholder and advocate. When the question of the city subscribing to the stock of the Pennsylvania Railroad arose, he was deeply interested, and well understood the importance of supporting the road. Ilis political influence was employed in behalf only of those pledged to its support, and by the aid of such men as he, the road was brought into successful operation. Some twenty-five years ago he removed from " Chestnut Ward," and since that date has taken' no part in politics except to vote for those whom he thought would best serve the in- terests of the community at large. November Ist, 1849, he was married to the daughter of Joseph Cowperthwait, for- merly cashier of the United States Bank.

HITE, HON. HARRY, Soldier, Lawyer, and Politician, was born January, 1834, in Indiana, Pennsylvania. His father was the able jurist, Thomas White, President Judge of the Tenth Judicial District of Pennsylvania. After a care- ful preliminary education at the Indiana Academy, he commenced his collegiate course at Princeton College, New Jersey, where he graduated with honor in 1853 Having pursued the usual course of reading in his father's office, he was admitted to the bar shortly after, and com- menced at once to take an active interest in the politics of his native county. The principles of the Whigs were those which most commended themselves to his mind, and he soon identified himself in the support of the measures which that party advocated. At that period the issues which the Whigs had advocated assuming new phases, the party adopted the general title of Republicans, and in this sense

HanyWhite 1

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPAEDIA.

he is recorded to have been the first chairman of the first distinctive Republican county committee of Indiana. In 1861, he responded to President Lincoln's call for troops at the first outburst of the rebellion, and was almost imme- diately elected major of the 67th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. Ile recruited his force to the standard, and did not leave it until elected to a seat in the State Senate in 1862. Without his solicitation Mr. Stanton, then Secre- tary of War, gave him leave of absence for the session of 1863. While attending to his duties at Harrisburg, he was appointed chairman of the Military Committee, in which capacity he was Governor Curtin's most able assis- tant. Returning to his command, after two months' active service, he was captured at the battle of Winchester, on the 17th of June, 1863, and sent to Libby Prison, Richmond, where he was confined until after the fall election of that year. As the State Senate was so equally balanced that it could not organize without him, he was kept under strict surveillance by the rebels. Time after time he risked his life in endeavors to escape, but was recaptured and sub- jected to consequent closer confinement. Nevertheless he succeeded in forwarding his resignation concealed in the back of a small testament, by a surgeon, who was being sent north. It was received, a new election ordered, and the deadlock in the Senate broken. After sixteen months of suffering in prison, he at last succeeded in making his escape from Charleston, South Carolina, was soon commissioned colonel, returned to his regiment, and served with distinc- tion to the end of the war, when he was created Brigadier- General of Volunteers. He then returned to his home, and amid the congratulations of his friends and constituents re- sumed the practice of the law. In 1865, he was again elected to the Senate of his native State, which testimony to his worth was repeated in 1868 and 1871. For years he has occupied the important post of chairman of the Com- mittee on the Judiciary, and has been speaker of the Senate. As chairman of the Committee on Constitutional Reform, he reported to the Senate the law under which the Consti- tutional Convention of Pennsylvania, of which he is a dis- tinguished member, elected by the people at large, is convened. In this important assembly his course has given universal satisfaction. Ile is chairman of the Committee on Legislation, and his report at an early day went through the Committee of the Whole, and was received with marked approval. He was nominated by the Republican State Convention for Congressman-at-large, but declined the honor, and was largely supported, in the same Conven- tion, for Governor, but gave way to General Hartranft, his senior. Twice he has declined nominations for Congress when he could certainly have been elected. Personally he is tall, with a frank and intellectual face. IIe is an elo- quent speaker, being gifted with a voice full and deep. Ile married early in life and has three children, two sons and a daughter. Of considerable culture and attractive man- ners, he is the centre of a large circle of friends.

OMRATH, FREDERICK K., Merchant, was born in the village of Frankford (now the Twen- ty-third Ward of the city of Philadelphia), Penn- sylvania, on April 19th, 1836. He is a son of the late George F. Womrath, a native of Hesse- cassel, Germany, who came to this country at a very early age. When Frederick was ten years old, he was sent to the celebrated Moravian school known as Nazareth Hall, Pennsylvania, where he remained two years. Thence he was placed at a seminary in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, where two years were likewise spent in more advanced studies. He completed his education by a third period of two years' attendance at the Academical Department of the University of Pennsylvania, which he left at the age of fif- teen, fully qualified to pass his examination as a matriculant of the Collegiate Department. As his future was to be de- voted to mercantile pursuits, it was deemed unnecessary to pursue the more advanced studies of the Department of Arts; and after a short vacation, in the month of August, 1851, he entered his father's store, at No. 13 North Fourth street, under whose care and instruction he acquired a com- plete knowledge of the fur business in all its various branches, his father having been a most successful manufacturer and merchant for very many years. Having served a period of eight years as a learner in all the phases of the craft, in con- nection with his brother, Andrew K., he was given an in- terest in the business (July, 1859), though the firm was still designated as "George F. Womrath." In March, 1864, the senior partner, his father, died, requiring a change in the style of the house. Having formed a co-partnership with his brother under the name of " A. K. & F. K. Wom- rath," the business was carried on at their new store, No. 417 Arch street, an immense establishment, filled throughout with the most costly and rarest skins. In September of the same year he married Anna Mary, second daughter of David G. Yuenghing, of Pottsville, Pennsylvania., The business of the firm prospered with each successive year, so much so as to demand increasing space; accordingly the establishment at No. 1212 Chestnut street was taken, and to it they removed in May, 1868. In May, 1871, his brother withdrew from the firm ; since which time he has continued the business alone, although still under the old firm name of A. K. & F. K. Womrath.

AY, ALEXANDER, Merchant, was born in York, Pennsylvania, in the year 1816. The family to which he belongs came originally from Germany, and settled on the banks of the Delaware, in 1742. He was educated at York, and in 1832, while only sixteen, worked as a mechanic and farmer. Al- though his early life was thus devoted to quiet pursuits, he had in him the elements which insure ultimate success in life. His habits were frugal, steady, and industrious, and

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.

he possessed great force and energy of character. By these qualities he worked his way through all the difficulties which usually beset the first steps in such careers, and owes his present success in life to his own persevering and steadfast efforts. While he has thus displayed such energy and force of will, he has never from boyhood departed from the course he then traced out for himself, and to which he has ever afterwards remained faithful. His greatest ambition was to lead a quiet and unostentatious life, and he has always declined every opportunity which would have made him depart from that aim. The consciousness of always having obeyed the dictates of duty, has been to him greater recompense than could be derived from ostentation and vanity.

OSS, HENRY PAWLING, Lawyer and Judge, was born on December 16th, 1836, in Doyles- town, Pennsylvania. He is the son of the Hon. Thomas Ross, of Doylestown, an eminent mem- ber of the bar, who represented his District in Congress, from 1848 to 1852; his grandfather was the Hon. John Ross, formerly President Judge upon the same bench which his grandson now occupies, and subsequently Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Having passed successfully through his preparatory studies in the schools of his native section, he himself entered the Freshman class at Princeton College, New Jersey, in 1853, and graduated, with high honors, from that institution, in 1857. His tastes prompt- ing his continuance in the traditional profession of his family, he pursued the study of the law in the office of his father, and was admitted to practice on December 16th, 1859. In a profession whose honors and emoluments, when rightly sought, are seldom sought in vain, he rapidly reached eminence. Ilis reputation as a lawyer, and the substantial grounds upon which it rested soon became familiar to all classes of his fellow-citizens, and, in 1862, he was elected District Attorney, and filled that office for three years. His devotion to his profession was not such, however, as to preclude him from the adoption and main- tenance of decided political opinions, and in 1864, and again in 1866, by the free choice of that party, he was the Democratic candidate for Congress, from the 5th Penn- sylvania District. On the 22d of June, 1865, he was married to Mary Clifton, daughter of Alfred Wharton, of Princeton, New Jersey. He was a Delegate to the Democratic National Conventions of 1864 and 1868. In 1869, he was elected additional Law Judge of the 7th Judicial District, of Pennsylvania, in which capacity he served until December, 1871, when he resigned in order to accept the position of President Judge, to which he had been elected at the general election of that year. This honorable post he still occupies. In all valuable move- ments for the improvement of the condition of his fellow-

men, he has always been earnest and active. In the cause of popular education he has ever been a laborious co- adjutor with kindred spirits of his section, and was one of the founders of the English and Classical Seminary, at Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Having been selected by his Alma Mater to deliver the oration before the literary societies of Princeton College, on June 24th, 1873, he presented to his delighted audience an admirable discourse upon The Duty of the American Scholar to become an active Agent in American Politics, which not only elicited the ccomiums of his cultured auditors, but called forth the highest praise from literary, scientific, and other journals. As a lawyer, the eloquence by which his forensic efforts were distinguished, rendered him a most popular advocate. As a judge, his acute knowledge of human nature, even temper, accurate legal acquirements, strong reasoning powers, and stern adherence to right, ever display, in the clearest light, the eminent qualities he possesses for the posi- tion he now occupies.

OSS, GEORGE, Lawyer, was born in Doyles- town, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, on the 24th of August, 1841. Ile is a son of Hon. Thomas Ross, the distinguished pleader, and a grandson of Hon. john Ross, late Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Ilis great-grandfather, Thomas Ross, was a noted preacher in the Society of Friends. After a thorough preparation in various first- class schools of his section, he entered the Freshman class, half advanced, at Princeton, New Jersey, in January, 1858, and graduated in 1861. Ile then read law with his brother, Hon. Henry P. Ross, and was admitted to prac- tice in the courts of Bucks county, on the 13th of June, 1864. He was married on the 28th of December, 1870, to Ellen L. Phipps, the daughter of George W. Phipps, of Northampton, Massachusetts. After serving in various conventions as a representative of the Democratic party, he was elected, on the Sth of October, 1872, a member of the Constitutional Convention, now (1873) sitting in Philadelphia, in which he has made his influence felt. Without entirely eschewing politics, he has confined him- self closely to the practice of his profession, and has well sustained the prestige of his family in the legal profession.

EATON, AUGUSTUS, Merchant, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, September 18th, 1815. His paternal and maternal ancestry were Eng. lish, who settled in the then colony of New. Hlaven, in the years 1630 and 1660 respectively. Ilis father, John Heaton, was a shipping mer- chant of New Haven, who, losing his vessels by capture during the war with Great Britain, left at his decease an

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Fredh Tiedemann

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.

embarrassed estate, but an honorable name, as the only legacy to his children ; they, therefore, were obliged at an early age to seek the means of support. He himself, after the death of his father, left his home to seek his fortune in Philadelphia, where, without a relative or friend from whom to seek encouragement or counsel, he took employ- ment in ( 12 of the first houses established in this city for the sale of American Hardware-a business at that time scarcely known, but which has since so rapidly developed that it is now one of the leading interests of the country, American Hardware, which in many kinds is unrivalled, being now exported to all parts of the world. On the Ist of January, 1841, he formed a co- partnership with the late A. II. Denckla, under the firm title of Heaton & Denckla, thus embarking in business on his own account. His partner retiring in 1863 was succeeded by his brothers, C. P. and C. R. Denckla, the name of the firm remaining unchanged. For over thirty years the house has conducted a most suc- cessful business, and maintained an unspotted reputation. Hle has been a member of the Union League from its origination, has held (without emolument ) various public offices of trust, and is a Director in some of the leading institutions in the city.

GREGG, JOSIIUA Z., Merchant, was born at Bel- mont, Ohio, November 5th, 1829. His parents, John S. and Mary Gregg, were natives of West Virginia, whence they had emigrated to Ohio, about 1820. His education was received at the Iligh School of his native town. On leaving school, he commenced mercantile life in his twenty-first year, by opening a dry goods store in Logan county, Ohio. There he remained during the ensuing ten years, having secured the cooperation of his brother, J. F. Gregg, at an carly date. The brothers owned several stores in different towns in Ohio, and finally became interested in a wholesale Philadelphia firm in the same line. From the outset they made it a rule to avoid purchasing on credit whenever possible, and nearly their entire trade was conducted on a cash basis. To this wise determination and their general sound judgment is to be attributed their exemption from the disasters which have overwhelmed so many other com- mercial houses. In 1863, they retired from the dry goods business, and embarked in the wool trade, under the title of Gregg Brothers, in Front street, Philadelphia. To this branch of business they brought the same judgment, tact, and promptness, which had already distinguished them, and the success that had marked their past career followed them in. their new undertaking. The few simple rules which Mr. Gregg adopted early in life as his guides will serve both to illustrate his character and to vindicate the true secret of his success. " Give close attention to your busi- mess ;" " Don't try to get rich rapidly ;" " A penny saved, is a penny gained ;" " Let your constant watchwords be

Perseverance and Economy." A close adherence to these rules could not fail to gain a merited success, and has now placed his house in the very first rank of merchants in the wool trade. Although taking no active part in politics, he is decided in his adhesion to the principles of the Re- publican party. In religious matters he is in full sympathy with the Society of Friends, of which he is a member. In January, 1865, he married Emma, daughter of Lewis C. Jungerich, a prominent banker in the City of Phila- delphia. In January, 1872, he lost the valuable assistance of his brother, J. F. Gregg, with whom he had been asso- ciated so many years, by his death in his thirty-second year, in London, England, whither he had gone in vain search of relief from a spinal affection, which had made the final three years of his life a martyrdom. Ilis upright character had secured him the respect and esteem of the mercantile world, and his unobtrusive usefulness in private life endeared him to a large circle of friends. There may be firms in Philadelphia to-day, possessed of larger capital, but it is doubtful whether any holds a more elevated posi- tion, or possesses higher credit in the mercantile community. This eminent position has been obtained by an unswerving adherence to the few simple rules with which they com- menced their mercantile carcer.

IEDEMANN, FREDERICK, Merchant, was born in Dixon, Illinois, January ISth, 1840. His father is the son of Professor Frederick Tiedemann, the great German Anatomist, and the grandson of Professor Dietrich Tiedemann. The latter was born at Bremenvorde, near Bremen, on the 3d of April, 1748, and educated at the University of Got- tingen, where he won the high esteem of Professor Heyne, who secured for him the position of Instructor of Latin and Greek in the Gymnasium Carolinum, at Cassel, in 1776; from whence he was transferred, in 1786, to Mar- burg, as Professor of Philosophy. He attracted many students to these institutions, for he excelled as an ex- positor of the different Philosophical systems. He him- self was a follower of Wolff and Loche and an opponent of Kant, and was famous for his researches into the History of Philosophy, Anthropology, The Origin of Languages, and similar subjects. Many of the results of his investigations appeared in book form, but the Spirit of Speculative Phi- losophy was his opus magnum. He died at Marburg, on the 24th of September, 1803. Dr. Heinrich Tiedemann, the father of our subject, returned to the " Fatherland " from the United States, in 1841, where his son attended school in Mannheim, Baden ; and subsequently at Schwet- zingen near Heidelberg, until 1849, when the Baden Revolution broke out, and his father was elected to the House of Representatives in Baden. F. Hecker, who was the leader of the Rebellion against the Grand Duke,

BIOGRAPHICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA.

was his uncle. Upon the suppression of the Rebellion, they were banished by the Grand Duke, and Dr. Tiede- mann, now a resident of Philadelphia, was condemned to death, and had to fly the country ; he arrived in the United States a second time, in September, 1849, and shortly after settled in Philadelphia, where he is now well-known. After they became residents of Philadelphia, Frederick, with his brothers and sisters, was sent to the Buttonwood Street School, on Buttonwood below Eleventh, to learn English. The period of his school life was brief, only extending into his fourteenth year, and on the 4th of July, 1854, he entered the bookstore of C. G. Henderson & Co., at Fifth and Arch streets, as an errand boy, receiving, of course, a very moderate compensation. In April, 1855, he entered the importing and commission house of Wesen- donck & Co., in Jayne's building, on Chestnut street below Third, where he remained until July, 1858, when he obtained the position of bookkeeper in the store of Ridge- way, Heussner & Co., 206 Chestnut street, importers of woollens. On April 14th, 1861, he enlisted for three months, as a private in the 19th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served with his regiment until July 31. They were mustered out on the 9th of August, and on the 20th of the same month, he was sworn in for three years, as a private of Company C. of the 40th, afterward the 75th, Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, under the command of Colonel Bohlen. He was soon promoted to be Quarter-Master Sergeant of the Regiment, and attended to all the details of furnishing it, the Quarter-Master, as was usually the case, entrusting the chief management of his department to his Sergeant. On the 12th of October, he received a commission as Second Lieutenant; in November, 1861, he joined his Regiment at Hunter's Chapel, near Washing- ton, District of Columbia, as acting Adjutant, and on the Ist of March, 1862, he was appointed as Adjutant, with the rank of First Lieutenant, his commission being dated November 20th, 1861. Resigning on the 2d of May following, on account of the violent death of two of his brothers, he remained at home but four weeks, and then accompanied General Carl Schurz as Aide-de-Camp, and participated in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Rappahan- nock, Sulphur Springs, Freeman's Ford-where he was nearly drowned, and General Bohlen was killed some five paces from him-Waterloo Bridge, Second Bull Run, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, Chancellors . ille, and Gettysburg. On the 4th of August, he resigned as Captain of Company G., 75th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and Assistant Adjutant- General of the Third Division of the 11th Army Corps, but General Meade declined to accept his resignation, as he thought it would be detrimental to the interests of the service. He got a leave of absence, after its expiration again sent in his resignation, and it was accepted, Septem- ber 15, 1863; he received high certificates from Generals Tyndale, Schurz, Schimmelferning, Sigel, Howard, Meade, Bohlen, and many others. He had enjoyed the nominal

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The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1, Part 21

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n Publication date: 1874 Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 908

Author: Robson, Charles. 4n; Galaxy Publishing Company. 4n
Publication date: 1874
Publisher: Philadelphia : Galaxy Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 908