USA > Pennsylvania > The Biographical encyclopedia of Pennsylvania of the nineteenth century. Pt. 1 > Part 56
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RIFFEN, JOHN, Engineer, Inventor, and Iron Master, was born in the township of Mamaro- neck, Westchester county, New York, in 1812. Ile is the son of John Griffen, a farmer of the same place. IIe is one of the fifth . generation, born in the same house, which is one of the oldest in the country. Ilis early education was derived from his mother, a school teacher, who: instructed him till the age of fourteen years, when he wassent to a Friends' school, at Nine Partners, in Dutchess county. On. com- pleting his education, he entered the' store'of an uncle, in New York, staying with him till he was twenty-one years old, when he engaged in business with another uncle. This occupation, however, being unsuited to his tastes, he travelled for some time in the West, and took a position as book-keeper, following that profession till the age of twenty-nine years, when, finding his health somewhat shaken, he came to Pennsylvania, and engaged as book- keeper at the iron works and nail manufactory of R. C. Nichols & Co., of Norristown. With them he remained three years, conducting the works during the latter portion of the time. He seemed now to have found his true sphere of action, as, while with that firm, the talent for en- gineering and mechanical pursuits, which subsequently made him so celebrated, found an opportunity for develop- ing itself. His first attempt in that direction was the erec- tion of the works of Moore Hooven, of the same place, which he was unexpectedly called upon to do. While so engaged, he conceived and successfully applied a novel method of economizing the cost of using steam power, by saving the waste steam lost under the old system, of nests of boilers, and thus enabling steam to compete with water power in point of economy, and consequently rendering it superior as a motor. He experienced much opposition in this matter ; his theory was almost universally condemned, and his employers had nearly decided not to make the trial; but he overcame all obstacles, and his principle finally remained triumphant. Though the idea had been previously suggested, he can fairly claim the merit of being [ engines will be introduced. The general plan and the
sioned to erect the works of Reeves, Abbott & Co., at Safe Harbor. The design of these works had already been fur- nished, and closely resembled that of the Phoenixville Iron Works; his duties were consequently chiefly of an execu- tive character, but served, nevertheless, to strikingly display his abilities. Ile remained with that firm till 1856, and, while with them, introduced the governor for controlling steam engines used in rolling iron, a great desideratum, but theretofore supposed impracticable ; and likewise ma- chinery to run the carriage transporting the rail from the rolls to the saws, instead of employing hand labor. His well-known invention for making wrought iron cannon was also made here. It consists in winding rods, spirally and in several layers, around a central piece, in which is the bore, and then welding them between rollers, thus virtually making a twist gun, possessing great power of resistance. Experiments were made with these guns, by Government, and one of 620 pounds (regulation weight, 988 pounds,) was tried, which only burst after 568 discharges. The charges and ammunition were gradually increased, the last three trials being with seven pounds of powder and thirteen balls, while the test for a bronze gun of the same calibre is two pounds of powder, one wad and one ball. Many hundreds of these guns, made by the Phoenixville Iron Company, and known as the Griffen gun, were used during the late war. Ile went . to Phoenixville in 1856, to take charge of the works there, and remained till 1862. His next invention was for rolling the large wrought iron beams, used in buildings, on the small rollers then in use. He obtained a patent for this in 1857, and put it into successful operation. Ilis process was a complete success, and has undergone no change whatever. Thousands of tons of these beams are now made annually, and for several years he rolled the largest beans rolled in the world, getting them up to 15 inches on rollers 1912 inches in diameter, while, by the old method, 9 inches was the maximum size obtained on larger rollers. He assigned all rights to this process, ex- cept that of employing it in any other mill with which he might be connected, to the Phoenix Iron Company. In 1862, he engaged to erect the Buffalo Union Iron Works, for a firm engaged in the general iron manufacture and also in making the wrought iron beams, he having con- ceded to them his reserved right in consideration of a royalty. These rolling mills, although built in 1862, are still considered among the best in the country. In 1867, he again accepted the position of mechanical and civil en- gineer, and, eighteen months later, returned to Phoenixville, where he was placed in charge of the works, as superin- tendent. He is now (1874) engaged in erecting a new and large works for the same company. It is intended to be equal to any in the world, and will cover 614 acres, and is to be used for the finishing of iron. It will be the first mill in the world in which compound high and low pressure
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arrangement of the machinery are his own. He was elected | years. He was the leading member of the Finance Com- Burgess in 1857, and served as School Director very effi- ciently. On accepting the latter office, he found the facili- ties afforded very insufficient and set to work to remedy the defects, and in a short time obtained the construction of the fine new school-houses now in use. Ile designed and superintended their construction and had the schools graded. Ile was unanimously elected a second time, being the first man in the borough to receive that honor. Ile is one of the stockholders and a director of the Phoenix Iron Company, and also a member of the firm of Clark Reeves & Co., being one-fifth owner. A fine draughtsman and designer, he has designed many of the finest residences in Phoenixville. He was married, in 1837, to Esther, daughter of Reuben Leggett, of New York, by whom he had five children, only one of whom is living. His first wife died in 1849, and in 1851 he was espoused to her sister, by whom he has had five children, four of whom are living. Ilis eldest son, Robert N., was in the United States navy, and lost his life, by yellow fever, in the service of his country.
UILENBERG, HIESTER II., M. D., Physician and Financier, was born in Reading, Pennsyl- vania, January 15th, 1812. His father was Henry A. Muhlenberg, whose biography appears else- where in this work, and his mother was a daughter of Governor Hiester of this State, whose life. also finds a record in these pages. Ilis primary education was received in his native city, under the Rev. John F. Grier, D. D., an eminent classical scholar. Subsequently, he en- tered and attended the Sophomore class, under the Rev. Dr. Neill, at Dickinson College, where he graduated in 1829. Hle then studied medicine, under Dr. Thomas Harris, a naval surgeon of high reputation, and graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1832. Thereupon he commeneed the practice of his profession in Reading, continuing the same for about eight years. After the panic of 1837 his remarkable financial ability was first brought into prominent notice, as he then took charge of the affairs of the Farmers' B.unik of Reading for the purpose of restoring them to a proper condition, expecting to resume his practice in the course of a year or two. This intention, however, was not carried out, as in March, 1842, he was elected cashier of the bank, a position he continues to hold. His capacity carried the bank successfully through the great panic of 1857, through the troubles incident to the Rebel- lion, and, finally, through the severe crisis of 1873. During all these monetary difficulties the institution has been able to maintain its ground and secure the entire confidence of the public. He served in the first councils which changed the borough of Reading to a city, and had been pre- viously a member of the Borough Councils for nine or ten |
mittee, and largely instrumental in reducing the municipal debts. These services established his well-deserved repu- tation as an able man of business and skilful financier. He entered the army, under the old volunteer system, as a pri- vate, but worked his way up from the ranks to be Lieuten- ant ; and during the riots of 1844 proceeded to Philadelphia from Reading with that rank, as a part of William II. Keim's command. In the late war, though somewhat ad- vanced in years, the same patriotic spirit impelled him to enter the emergency volunteers at the battle of Antietam, and subsequently to join the thirty days' re-enlistment dur- ing the excitement cansed by the battle of Gettysburg. Ile is one of the three surviving (ont of twelve) Trustees of the Charles Evas Cemetery Company, and was its President for many years. He served (about 1840) as Director and President of the Reading Water Company, and by his able management maintained the high character of that com- pany, as indeed he has always done of every institution to which he has given his services-invariably gratuitously, all his public positions, official or otherwise, having been honorary ones. Ile has been a member of the Vestry of the Lutheran Church since 1835, and in religious matters has displayed the same energy and talent as in enterprises, patriotic or otherwise, having for their object the benefit of the city or the welfare of the country at large. Since about 1860, he has been interested in the Leesport Iron Works, at Leesport, and with Mr. Eckert's Iron Works. Besides his other attainments, he is a good German scholar and a fair- French one. In short, he is possessed of superior and varied talents, while the good he has accomplished would furnish an exemplary record not merely for one life but for several. He has been married twice : first to Amelia Han- old, whose father was a citizen of Louisiana at the time of its purchase, and afterwards to Catharine S. Hunter, of Berks county, by whom he has seven children, all young.
RICK, SAMUEL REEVE, Architect and Civil Engineer, was born November Ist, 1809, in Woodstown, Salem county, New Jersey. He is of Quaker parentage; the son of Joseph (jr.) and Elizabeth (Smith) Brick, and the fifth in the line of descent from John Brick, who as early as 1690 settled at Cohansey, where he purchased extensive tracts of land. For it appears when Joseph Miller re-sur- veyed Samuel Demming's large tract of land on Gravelly Run or the southern branch of Stoe Creek (it being the boundary line between Salem and Cumberland counties at this time), Miller said he was assisted by John Brick and his two sons; and that the difficulty they had to contend with proved more chargeable than he expected it would be to the proprietor. John Brick soon afterwards pur-
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chased the whole tract. IIis son, Jolm Brick, jr., who was the first President Judge of Common Pleas of Cum- berland county, New Jersey, married, in 1729, Ann Nichol- son of Elsinboro' (who was born November 15th, 1707). They commenced life together at Cohansey, and had eight children. Previous to his death, he purchased a large quantity of land lying on the south side of Alloway's Creek; part of a neck of land, called " Beesley Neck," he devised to his second son, Joseph. John Brick, jr., died January 23d, 1758, and his widow some twenty years thereafter. Joseph Brick married, first, Rebecca Abbott of Elsinboro,' about 1758, and they resided together for a short time on his property on Alloway's Creek, when they removed to a farm in Elsinboro' which had been left to his wife by her father, Samuel Abbott. Their family consisted of two daughters, Anne and Hannah, and one son, Samuel. His first wife died November 16th, 1780, and he afterwards married Martha Reeve and removed to Cohansey Creek, where he resided until his death. By Martha Reeve he had two sons, Joseph John and Samuel Bricks the eldest son of Joseph married Ann Smart of Elsinboro'. Joseph' married Elizabeth, daughter of David Smith, a resident of Mannington. He was a native of .Egg Harbor, and re- moved from there to Salem county when he was at middle age. He was greatly respected for his uprightness and' quiet deportment among the people of the neighborhood in which he dwelt. Joseph and his wife had five .sons, among whom was Samuel Reeve. He received his primary education in Salem, and subsequently at the school'in Mannington. In accordance with the custom of those days, he was at the age of fourteen years regularly indentured as an apprentice, which was done at Philadelphia, to one Robert Evans, a member of the Society of Friends, to learn the business of bricklaying, and, as customary then, he be- came an inmate of Friend Evans' household. He re- mained with his preceptor and master until he attained his majority, and became a thorough master of the trade and calling which he had acquired. He then carried on the business as master for ten years, after which he commenced to study in the city of Philadelphia the principles of archi- tecture, and also of civil engineering. Having given his whole attention to these new and important subjects, and become thoroughly proficient in their various details, he commenced the practice of his new profession, which he still continues. He has paid particular attention to the construction of gas-works, and has superintended the erection of many of these important improvements in various and distant parts of the country, in British. America as ,well as in the United States. His labors in this direction may be understood and appreciated when it is stated that their fruits dot the streets of larger and smaller localities
Philadelphia Gas Works. His political life commenced as a faithful adherent to the doctrines of the Whig party as expounded by the statesman Henry Clay, and he was nomi- nated by that party and elected as one of the Commissioners of the (old) District of the Northern Liberties, Philadelphia county. Since the dissolution of that party he has given his adherence to Republican principles. He is a life-mem- ber of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. He was married March 23d, 1831, to Esther, daughter of James Gardiner, who was a prominent soldier of the War of the Revolution, and has had eight children, six of whom are now living. He is also Consulting Engineer of several works in the United States. His son Joseph is in the fifth generation of that name.
ORGAN, JOIIN, Builder, etc., was born in Radnor township, Pennsylvania, in the year 1786. He settled in Phoenixville when but a boy, and lived . to see it grow from a mere village to one of the most prosperous business centres in the State. By trade he was a carpenter, and by care, energy and thrift succeeded in amassing a handsome fortune. He built the first Brick house in Phoenixville, and was one of the originators and promoters of the Reading Railroad. In 1828, he. and the late Isaac Trimble, of West Bradford, were elected on the Democratic ticket to the State Legisla- ture, and, in 1839, he was again elected on the same ticket, with Joshua Hartshorne, Joel Swayne and Joseph Baily. IIe was President of the Phoenixville Bridge Company till the time of his death, having been a member of that asso- ciation for a long time. He died in 1872, universally re- gretted by his fellow-citizens and all those who knew him. In his business character he was upright and exact in all his transactions, quick and determined in his judgment, which usually proved correct, and in private life affable and courteous to all, extending his hand to the rich or the poor with equal cordiality.
ALER, LEVI B., Merchant, was born in Robeson township, Berks county, Pennsylvania, January 26th, 1828. He is the son of John and Elizabeth Kaler of the same place. His grandfather, Matthias, was a native of Germany and settled in Berks county. He was a Justice of the Peace, and performed the marriage ceremony in the county. He had a family of ten children, John being the only son. Levi B. was educated chiefly in the common schools of his native county, with some additional assistance from his pastor. He attended school during the winter, working on the farm in the summer. In 1847, he went to Phanixville,
. of the several States of the Union from Maine to Florida. He holds at present the position of President of the Rich- mond County Gas Light Company, at Stapleton, New York. He also served for three years as a Trustee of the at the age of nineteen, and engaged as salesman with Wil-
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liam Nyce in the dry-goods and grocery business, with whom he remained till 1855, with the exception of an ab- sence of three months passed in the West. In that year the proprietor retired from the business, which he, in con- nection with Nathan Wagoner, a fellow-clerk, purchased and carried on under the name of Kaler & Wagoner. This association lasted till 1873, when it was dissolved by the death of his partner, the utmost harmony having prevailed in the firm during the eighteen years of its continuance. The business under their management grew rapidly until it became one of the most prosperous in the county, the amount of sales in the wholesale and retail departments, at the time of the dissolution, being $80,000 a year. During his residence at Phoenixville he has occupied a prominent position among the citizens, and has filled many important offices of honor and trust in the community. In 1856, he was elected member of the School Board; was re-elected twice and served till 1862. During his term of service all the schools were graded and new houses built, he- being very active in the promotion of the same. He was also Treasurer of the Board for over three years. He was elected member of the Town Council, in 1872-'73, and was very influential in the successful building and completion of the new Water Works for the borough. He was one of the originators and first directors of the Phoenixville Bank, and one of the corporators of the Morris Cemetery, having acted as Secretary of the same from the date of the charter, in 1865. He is Treasurer and clerk of the Union Associa- tion of Baptist Churches and member of its Board of Trustees, and has been for seven years Superintendent of Sunday- schools. Is President of the Workingmen's Building and Loan Association, and since the death of his partner has been elected Treasurer of the Black Rock Bridge Com- pany. During the Rebellion he was Treasurer of the Board of Relief, to which he contributed with his usual liberality. He took a prominent part in the construction of the Masonic Hall ; was President of its Board of Mana- gers ; has served in all the positions in the lodge up to that of Knight Templar, and has filled for several years by re- election the position of trustee. He is a stockholder and . Director (1873) of the Pickering Valley Railroad, and a Director in the Pennsylvania Mutual Insurance Company of Chester county. His firm was the first to introduce gas into Phoenixville. He has also acted as executor and guar- dian for estates and children. IIe is an entirely self-made man. Ile went to Phoenixville with only $1.62 ; but now, through energy, industry and careful attention to business, is in the enjoyment of a handsome competence. He is one of the most active business men in the county, and is ever busy doing good for its own sake. IIe has always borne the highest character for morality and integrity, and his advice and example are of excellent service to the rising genera- tion. Ile was married, in September, 1860, to Anne Oliva Nyce (now deceased), by whom he has had four children, of whom the last, a daughter, only survives.
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ORRIS, REV. ROBERT DESHA, D. D., Clergy- man, was born in Washington, Mason county, Kentucky, August 22d, 1814. IIe is the eldest son of Colonel Joseph Morris, who removed from New Jersey to Kentucky in 1794. The Morris family-Maur-rwyce : literally, " warlike, power- ful"-trace their descent from a chieftain primogenitor in Wales in 933. In later times, they had important com- mands, and fought in the battles of the Parliament against Charles I .; but after the death of Cromwell they were ob- liged to flee from Monmouthshire to escape the vengeance of Charles II., and took refuge in the Island of Barbadoes. From this island his fourth grandfather, Lewis Morris, soon after sailed for New Jersey, and settled in that part now termed Monmouth county, where he was one of the Judges of the first Monmouth court. Another branch of the family, about the same time, settled at and gave the name to Morrisania, New York, and have become famous in the history of the country. His paternal grandfather was in the Revolutionary War, and having been taken prisoner was confined with many other patriots in the " Old Sugar House," in Liberty street, New York, where they endured untold' sufferings, pounded glass being sometimes mingled with their miserable food. Ilis maternal ancestors, the Deshas, fled' from La Rochelle on the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by, Louis XIV., in 1685, and came to New Rochelle, New York. They subsequently settled on the Delaware, above the Water Gap, where they lived many years. In' 1784, the Deshas and the Overfields emigrated to Kentucky. They were with the Kentons, Simon and John, in their stations, and shared in their struggles with frontier life and the merciless Indian. His mother being descended from the Huguenot stock, held tenaciously to the Reformed or Calvinistic faith. Her only son early im- bibed these tenets, to which he has steadfastly adhered. Having been prepared at Bracken Academy, Augusta, Kentucky, he entered Augusta College in the same place, and after a four-years' course graduated August 7th, 1834. He then went to the Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey, where he completed another four-years' course, Sep- tember 24th, 1838. During vacations he attended lectures at the Theological Department of Yale College, and tra- velled extensively over the country. He was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Philadelphia, in that city, April 18th, 1838. ITis first sermon was preached in the Presby- terian Church at Newtown, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, April 22d, 1838, and his second discourse was delivered on the afternoon of the same day in the old Ben Salem Presbyterian Church near the Philadelphia line. Having been called to. Newtown, in August following he was.or- dained and installed pastor of that church by the Second Presbytery of Philadelphia, October 23d, 1838, and sus- tained that relation for eighteen years. He removed thence to Oxford, Ohio, where he has been for over fourteen years President of Oxford Female College. He received the
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honorary degree of D. D. from Centre College, Kentucky, June, 1870. Ile was married, May 3d, 1842, to Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of Matthew L. Bevan, an eminent merchant and Christian gentleman of Philadelphia. The old Newtown Church was built before the Revolution, and had many historic associations. Washington's Headquarters were near by, and when the Hessians were captured over at Trenton almost in sight, many of them were lodged within the solid stone walls of the old church. A British officer, annoyed at the curious crowds, took a piece of char- coal and wrote on the wall opposite the pulpit :
In times of war, and not before, God and the soldier men adore ; When the war is o'er and all things righted, The Lord's forgot and the soldier slighted.
These memorics aided not a little to increase the zeal of the young pastor ; and the old church was renovated and enlarged, and continues to flourish. Besides diligent atten- tion to his pastoral duties, he was abundant in labors and in preaching and planting churches in other places. Several important churches in Bucks county owe their for- mation to his persistent efforts. . In general improvement, in temperance and educational movements, he was very active, having been President of the Pennsylvania State Temperance Convention at Harrisburg, in 1846. He served as Director in the common schools, and, established a su- perior Parochial School and Classical Academy, now in successful operation at Newtown. He was for years an energetic and laborious Trustee for Lafayette College, helping to raise her endowment and sending her many promising young men. In Ohio his educational efforts have continued with unabated interest. The Oxford Female College, over which he presides, has the well-deserved honor of being one of the best educational establishments in the country.
PENCER, JOHN, Journalist, was born in Hey- wood, Lancashire, England, March 15th, 1835. When but one year old his father died leaving a family of five young children to the care of their mother, whose strong will. and sterling merit enabled her to successfully raise and edu cate them. Her youngest son, when he had attained the age of fourteen years, was regularly indentured to learn the printing business in Oldham, and during seven years of his apprenticeship faithfully applied himself to the craft, so that on attaining his majority he was a thorough master of his art. Leaving Oldham he repaired to London, where he worked for a short time and then emigrated to the United States, arriving in New York in 1856, In that city he effected an engagement with John A. Gray, printer, Jacob street, with whom he remained for six-years. After spending some time in other offices in New York, he passed to Boston, Augusta, Maine, and thence to Philadelphia,
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