Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 90

Author: Swoope, Roland D. (Roland Davis), 1885-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1040

USA > Pennsylvania > Clearfield County > Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens > Part 90

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When Mr. Adamson came back to Penn- sylvania, he entered the employ of the McIn- tire Coal Company, in Lycoming county, this being in 1874, with which he continued until 1883, when he came to Peale, which place has been his home for twenty-eight years. For the past sixteen years he has been mine fore-

man for the Clearfield County Bituminous Coal Corporation, and for thirteen of these has been. foreman at Grass Flat. This long continuance with one company proves that Mr. Adamson is a reliable and experienced man. Personally he is highly thought of both by his employers and by the hundreds of workers who each year are under his super- vision.

Mr. Adamson was married in 1878. to Miss Helen Ramage, daughter of William Ramage, of Fifeshire, Scotland. Mrs. Adamson was born in Scotland but was married in America. Mr. and Mrs. Adamson have had three chil- dren, two sons and one daughter: Campbell, Elizabeth and James. None of these children survived infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Adamson are Presbyterians. He is a member of Moshan- non Lodge, No. 391, F. & A. M., at Philips- burg. and Peale Lodge of Odd Fellows. In politics Mr. Adamson is a Republican. In 1910 he made a second visit to his native land, remaining two months.

JAMES W. REESE, one of the represen- tative business men of Karthaus, Pa., who has been engaged in the meat business at this point since 1903, was born in Covington township, Clearfield county, Pa., February 22, 1875, and is a son of John and Mary (Lingle) Reese.

John Reese was born in Germany and was a young man when he came to the United States with his brothers and sisters, all of whom located at Baltimore, Md. From there he went first to Philadelphia and then came to Covington township, Clearfield county, and re- sided in that section until his death which oc- curred in 1899. His burial was at Frenchville. He married Mrs. Mary (Lingle) Smith, who was born in Germany and was young when

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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

her father, Joseph Lingle, came to the United States and settled at St. Mary's, Pa. She still resides in Covington township. Her first marriage was with William Smith and they had six children, as follows: John, Solomon, Joseph, William, George and Susan, the last named being the wife of Henry Sinclair. To John and Mary Reese the following children were born: Winslow, who lived at French- ville, died at the age of thirty-six years ; Anna, who is the wife of George Spangler, of Falls Creek; Margaret, who is the wife of Samuel Reiter, of Covington township; George, who lives in Covington township; and James Wal- ter.

James Walter Recse grew up and attended school in Covington township and occupied himself in various ways until he went into the meat business, in which he continued and has a fine trade. Mr. Reese was married June 27, 1906, to Miss Lena V. Haley, who was born at Snow Shoe, Center county, a daughter of Martin and Mary ( Kelly) Haley, the latter a native of Ireland and both are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Reese have three children : Mary Agnes, Margaret Isabel and Joseph Paul. In politics Mr. Reese is a Democrat and has filled local offices. He is identified with the Grange and the order of K. O. T. M., both at Karthaus. With his family he be- longs to the Roman Catholic church.

ROLAND E. DALE. a progressive farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Bradford town- ship, Clearfield county, Pa., has resided all his life on his present farm of 312 acres, and was born here in 1870, a son of Elitz and Jane (Hunter) Dale. His father was a native of Philipsburg, Pa., and when a child of four years came with his parents to this farm,

where he has spent the remainder of his life and is one of the prominent men of Bradford township. He taught in this township, and has held various township offices, serving as school director, and was road supervisor a number of years. Both parents are still living and reside on the home farm.

Roland E. Dale obtained his education in the local schools of Bradford township, and since leaving school has lived on the farm with his parents. Here he carries on general agri- culture, and has one of the finest wheat farms in Clearfield county. Mr. Dale has served a number of years as road supervisor. He is a member and trustec of the M. E. church.

GUST ADOLPH JOHNSON, a represen- tative business man of Winburne, Pa., a practical printer, a photographer and a man- ufacturer of soft drinks, was born November 24, 1864, at Wenersborg, in Sweden, and is a son of John Erickson (son of John) and Sophia Johnson (Erickson) or Johanson, ac- cording to the Swedish methods of naming.

The father of Mr. Johnson was born in Swe- den in 1818 and was a farmer in his own land prior to coming to America with his wife in 1887, his death occurring in Cooper township, Clearfield county, in 1897. His wife was born in Sweden in 1825 and died in 1903. They had thirteen children born to them and the sur- vivors are: Erick, who lives at Winburne; Matilda, who is the wife of Lars Danielson, of Lanse, Pa .; Carl, who resides at Sugar Grove, Warren county, Pa .; Emma, who is the wife of Andrew Leafgren, a grain dealer and mill owner at Winburne; and Gust Adolph. The first of the family to come to America was Mrs. Danielson, who located at McIntire, Lycoming county, Pa. Erick fol-

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lowed and still later Gust and Carl came also and all settled at McIntire, in 1882. In 1887 Gust A. Johnson returned to Sweden and in the following October came back to Pennsyl- vania, bringing with him his beloved parents and sister Emma.

When Mr. Johnson first reached the United States he found that there was no opening for him except at the hardest kind of labor, but he was strong, willing and industrious and from the latter part of 1882 until May, 1883, he worked on the construction of the Pine Creek Railroad, and then went to Landrus, in Tioga county, and secured employment in a shingle mill and saw-mill and later worked again at railroad construction, this time on the Beech Creek Railroad. In 1884 he went to New York City and from there to Boston and other points. While in New York he was of- fered a position in a grocery store but the wages promised were too small for him to con- sider the proposition. He then accepted a po- sition on a three-masted schooner running be- tween New York and Boston, in the capacity of an able bodied seaman. The duties re- quired of him in this capacity had not been previously explained to him and he very quickly came to the conclusion that life on the sea was not the carer for which Nature had intended him. He was so gratified to reach Boston in safety that he was even willing to demand no wages for the trip.

After this experience, which, as Mr. John- son relates it, is full of interest and humor, he found work in Boston and at East Long Meadow, Mass. In the fall of 1884 he came to Peale, Clearfield county, where coal mines had been opened and he secured employment and worked as a miner until the spring of 1885, when he went to the Allport mines, then

back to Peale and again to Allport and later worked in a slope mine at Munson. In 1886 he came to Winburne and built one of the first three houses, Peter A. Strand and Nels Olson (both of whom are now deceased), hav- ing built the others. The first mine was opened in December, 1886, by the Somerville Company, and he was one of the first half- dozen men employed then. He continued min- ing until 1888. Mr. Johnson then started a job printing office and also the manufacturing of rubber stamps, which he continues. From 1895 until 1902, Mr. Johnson was also in the milling business. In 1901 he traveled from one end of Sweden to the other, over every railroad, in the meanwhile collecting 3,500 pictures of all the interesting places, public buildings and scenery. This collection was prepared as stereoscopic views and was the largest collection of that class of views from Sweden. For the past five years he has been a manufacturer of soft drinks, which he wholesales in the surrounding towns. He has sustained two serious fire losses, one in July and another in December, 1910, when his plant at Philipsburg was burned. He has been a resident of Clearfield county for twenty-seven years and of Winburne for twenty-six of these. He was naturalized at Clearfield in 1888 and no native-born American can show better citizenship. He is interested vitally in all public questions and as a Republican ex- erts considerable political influence and has served as precinct chairman for his local party organization. He was reared in the Lutheran faith.

Mr. Johnson was married to Miss Anna Nelson, in 1891, at which time she was a res- ident of Chicago, Ill., her parents having died when she was a child. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson

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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

have five children: Walter, Ruth, Edith, liland, also deceased ; Rosanna, who is the wife Francis and Theodore.

CHRISTIAN MICHAEL HERTLEIN, one of the higlily esteemed residents of Karthaus township, Clearfield county, Pa., where he is cultivating an excellent property of 119 acres, was born in this township, June 13. 1840, a son of George Lawrence and Jo- hanna ( Eisleman) Hertlein.

George Lawrence Hertlein, who was a na- tive of Wurtemberg, Germany, came to Amer- ica in the early thirties, after having completed six years of service in the German army. For some time after settling in this country he fol- lowed his trade, which was that of a potter, but eventually he decided to take up farming. and settled on the farm on which Tennyson Hertlein now carries on operations in Kar- thaus township. Here he continued to re- side until his death, which occurred when he was seventy-four years of age, and he was buried in the cemetery at Keewaydin, where his widow, who survived him some years, was also laid to rest. Mr. Hertlein was a Demo- crat in politics and was called upon to fill many township offices. In the early days hie assisted in building the old Karthaus Furnace. George 1 .. Hertlein was married to 'Johanna Eisle- man, also a native of Germany who came to this country with her mother, after her father's death in the Fatherland. To. Mr. and Mrs. Hertlein there were born the following chil- dren : Martin, deceased, who lived in Clear- field county; Christian Michael; Lawrence Tennyson, who resides on the old home place ; August, who died at the age of fourteen years ; John, who died in infancy; Sophia, deceased, who was the wife of John Eberspecher : Han- nah, deceased, who was the wife of Ed I. Gil-

of James Hunter, of Delaware ; and Sarah and another child, who died in infancy. The chil- dren were reared in the faith of the Lutheran church, to which both parents belonged.

Christian Michael Hertlein was reared in Karthaus township, and attended the local schools. Later, after he was of age, he took a course in the seminary at Cassville, Hunt- ingdon county. Early in life Mr. Hertlein en- gaged in lumbering and farming. and event- ually purchased his present property, which then consisted of 103 acres, but did not locate on it until 1869, since which time he has added two pieces of land, of ten and six acres re- spectively, and he now has one of the highly cultivated, well kept and substantially pro- ductive farms of Clearfield county.

On November 19, 1867, Mr. Hertlein was united in marriage with Miss Annie Reiter, who was born March 20, 1847. at the present site of Keewaydin, a daughter of John Reiter. To this union there have been born the follow- ing children: an infant that died unnamed ; Edward Newton, living at Cherrydale, Kar- thaus township, who married Myrtle Wood- ling and has two children, Blake and Nor- man: Eva Sarah, deceased, who married Mil- ton Conaway, by whom she had a daughter, Rhea Eva, who has lived with her grandfather since she was thirteen days old: Blanche Ella, who resides at home; and John Lawrence, who is assisting his father in the duties of the home farm. The mother of the foregoing children died March 15, 1891, and was buried in the cemetery at Keewaydin. She was a kindly, Christian woman, and a loving and in- dulgent mother, and was beloved by all who knew her.

Mr. Hertlein is known as a man of the best

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character, as well as one of sound judgment and fair principles, and when his fellow citi- zens were casting about in search of someone to fill the office of justice of the peace, his name was suggested and he was elected to the position. He resigned from the office, how- ever, in order to give his time and attention to the duties of his farm. His politics are those of the Democratic party.

MATTHIAS SCHWER, who has been a resident of Peale, Pa., since 1884, is now in the employ of the A. F. Kelley store, the com- pany store of the Bituminous Coal Corpora- tion. Mr. Schwer was born June 21, 1842, in Somerset county, Pa., a son of John and Lydia (Lininger) Schwer.

John Schwer was born in Germany, and when about fifteen or sixteen years of age he came to America and located in Somerset county, residing there until 1855, at which time he removed to Jersey Shore, Lycoming county, and there carried on a jewelry business during the remainder of his active life. His death occurred while he was on a visit to Peale, in 1891. Mrs. Schwer was born in In- diana county, Pa., and her death occurred in 1883. Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Schwer, namely: Matthias: John, who was engaged in the hardware business and died in 1884 at Williamsport: Jemima, who was the wife of Charles A. Bubb, of Jersey Shore, and died in 1879· Caroline, who died single about 1892; William, who for the past thirty years has been engaged in the butcher- ing business at Jersey Shore; and Nancy, who is also a resident of that place. John Schwer was a Democrat in his political belief and a stanch member of the Presbyterian church.

Matthias Schwer, or Matt, as he is famil-

iarly known, attended the common schools of Cambria and Lycoming counties, and at the age of fifteen years gave up his studies to en- gage in the butchering business at Jersey Shore, continuing there from 1858 until 1880, at which time he removed to McIntire, Pa., and there continued in the same line of busi- ness until November, 1884. Just prior to this time the mines had been opened for operation at Peale, and believing this would furnish a larger and more lucrative field for him, he transferred his operations to this point. He was engaged in the butchering business until 1890, and since that time he has been con- nected with the store of the Bituminous Coal Corporation. Mr. Schwer is one of the most popular men in Peale, being of a sunny, opti- mistic disposition and having the ability to make friends and keep them. During the twenty years that he has been connected with the store here he has displayed much business ability, and he is known to be a man of strict integrity.

Mr. Schwer was married in 1869 to Miss Sarah McMurray, the daughter of Charles McMurray, and one son was born to that un- ion, McMurray M., a trimmer and finisher of Hackensack, N. J. The first wife of Mr. Schwer died in 1870, and Mr. Schwer mar- ried secondly Miss Julia Hillard, the daughter of Owen Hillard of Jersey Shore, by whom he has had the following children: Maud, who is the wife of William Lowell of Clymer ; Fred O., an electrical engineer of Clymer, who married Miss Annie Hyde; Jessie M., who married J. Morris Daily of Reynoldsville; John, who is a chauffeur of Hackensack, N. J .. and June, who is single and resides at home. The mother of these children died in 1905. Mr. Schwer is a member of the Knights of the

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HISTORY OF CLEARFIELD COUNTY

Golden Eagle of Peale, and is a Presbyterian it on. Benjamin Hartshorn was also a man in his religious belief. He is a Republican in political matters, and served for five years as justice of the peace of Cooper township.

BENJAMIN HARTSHORN, one of Pike township's representative and substantial citi- zens, residing two miles north of Curwens- ville, Clearfield county, Pa., where he owns 600 acres of valuable land, was born on this farm, November 28. 1833. He is a son of Jonathan and a grandson of Benjamin Harts- horn.

Grandfather Benjamin Hartshorn was born in Cecil county, Md. He came to Clearfield county, with his family when all this section included in Pike township, then Huntingdon county, was almost a wilderness. He was a squatter settler, laying claim to 500 acres of new land, the present farm being a part of that claim. He built his log cabin on what is now the McNaul farm, choosing his home near one of the finest springs in the county. It is re- lated that bears were frequent visitors to the neighborhood and after they had stolen the milk crocks that had been placed on poles near the spring, as was the early custom, Mr. Hartshorn built a bear trap and subsequently liad the satisfaction of filling up the larder with bear meat, the animal weighing 600 pounds. He was a very enterprising and re- sourceful man and although he died at the age of fifty-eight years he had accomplished more than many whose life extended much farther. He girdled the trees over about forty acres, killing them in this way, and later, with his ox-team, cleared up this land and put it under cultivation He also started a tannery, the first one east of Bellefonte, and after his death his son, William Haitshorn, continued to carry

of public importance and was one of the or- ganizers of Clearfield county. He had six children, namely: Margaret, who married An- drew Caldwell; Anna, who married Robert Ross; Jonathan; William, who married a Swan; Benjamin, who married; and Mary Ann, who married Manning Stephenson. With his wife this old pioneer of Pike town- ship rests in the McClure cemetery. They at- tended the Presbyterian church.

Jonathan Hartshorn, father of Benjamin Hartshorn, of Pike township, had few school advantages and by the time a school was es- tablished in the neighborhood of his father's farm, he and his older sisters were beyond school age. All were inured to pioneer hard- ships and as they never knew any of the lux- uries of life in their youth, did not miss them. Jonathan and his brother William assisted their father and sometimes it was necessary to travel a long distance even beyond Center county in order to obtain salt, a commodity necessary to the raising of their cattle as well as for domestic uses. What now costs but a few cents then was one of the extravagant purchases they were obliged to make. It is very probable that the youths on these trips carried with them an old flint-lock musket, still in the possession of the family as a relic. and, although it often missed fire, it sometimes killed a bear and on these occasions one-quar- ter of the carcass would be kept for home con- sumption and the rest sold at Curwensville. Jonathan Hartshorn was as industrious and successful as his father had been. He worked on his land during the summer seasons and during the winters was largely engaged in lumbering and was considered a very expert raftsman, frequently taking huge rafts down

JONATHAN HARTSHORN

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the river. With his brother William he bought a saw-mill and they also conducted the tannery established by their father and con- tinued until the death of Jonathan, after which the saw-mill was sold and the timber on this tract was also disposed of for $47,000. All the timber has been delivered and removed. Coal also was found on the land and it took a large amount of work before the stripping of the layer of coal was completed. At the time of his death, Jonathan Hartshown owned 500 acres of land.

Jonathan Hartshorn married Miss Rachel Leonard, who was born in Bradford town- ship, Clearfield county, Pa., in 1807, and died in 1894. She was a sister of Judge Leonard, who at one time was an associate judge of Clearfield county. Her parents were Abraham and Elizabeth Leonard. To Jonathan and Rachel Hartshorn ten children were born, as follows: Jane, who married Robert R. Nee- per, of Pike township; Benjamin: Margaret, who is the widow of Robert Wrigley, of Clear- field; Abraham, who died in infancy; Z. L., who is now deceased; Mary Ann, who died unmarried, April 10, 1908, and was buried in the Oak Hill cemetery, at Curwensville; Han- nah, who is deceased, was the wife of Martin Braughler, who lives in California: Joshua, who was living on the old homestead at the time of his death, married Nora Lawhead; Jonathan T., who married Josephine Holland, a native of Little Rock, Ark., has one son, Troy K., and they live at Pasadena, Calif .; and Lavinia, who died aged thirteen years. Both parents of the above family lived to the unusual age of ninety-three years and both were buried at Oak Hill cemetery. The father passed away first, his death occurring on Feb-

ruary 15, 1882. They were members of the Presbyterian church.

In his early years of manhood, Jonathan Hartshorn was a Whig but later became a Republican. He never accepted any public of- fice although he was always interested in cur- rent events and public affairs. He was, how- ever, persuaded to become the mail carrier away back in 1817, between Bellefonte and Kittanning, Pa. At that time it took six days to make the round trip, these journeys being two weeks apart. He often told his children about the dangers he encountered on these trips and also of the rapid increase in popula- tion as evidenced by his having to increase his carrying capacity by 1818 and still more later on. The old Indian trail went right through this farm and many Indians journeyed over it east and west. Mr. Hartshorn treated them well and he never had anything to complain of in the way they met him and his family, friendly relations always existing. He main- tained an open, hospitable home and his cheer- ful fireside often had guests beside it whose names were known far and wide. One of these was of his own kindred, General Ross Harts- horn, a son of his brother William, the former of whom was the only brigadier-general ap- pointed in Clearfield county among the officers who served in the Civil war.

Benjamin Hartshorn obtained his education in the district schools and has always lived on the land that came to him from his father and grandfather, and all of it practically belongs to him. About 100 acres have been cleared and are under cultivation, while the remain- der is in woodland, the timber being valuable and it is largely used as pasture ground. Mr. Hartshorn has no coal bank now open but

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there is an underlay of from four to five feet of fire clay that has never been developed. It would. seem that the grandfather of Mr. Hartshorn had more than ordinary foresight and good judgment when he made his selec- tion of virgin land. Mr. Hartshorn has lived a quiet, uneventful but busy life and is well known all over Clearfield county. He has never taken any active part in political mat- ters. He is a stockholder in the Rural Tele- phone Company of Pike township. Mr. Hartshorn has never married.

GEORGE DALE WOMER, the genial proprietor of the Avondale Park Hotel, which was the first public house erected at Win- burne, Pa., was born in Blair county, Pa., Jan- uary 3, 1868, and is a son of Emanuel and Ellen (Kennedy ) Womer.

Emanuel Womer was born in Blair county in 1838, a son of George Womer, of German descent. He was a forgeman and blacksmith, at which trade he worked for twenty-eight years. For thirty-nine years he has been a resident of Morrisdale, where he was one of the first settlers. In 1861 he enlisted for ser- vice in the Civil war and remained a soldier until its close, when he was honorably dis- charged in 1865, his whole period of service covering four years and three months. He has all modern comforts and appliances, in-

was fortunate enough to escape serious injury, although he participated in many battles. He is a valued member of the G. A. R. Post at Philipsburg, Pa. For three years he has lived retired, his home continuing to be at Morris- dale. He married Ellen Kennedy, daughter of Alexander Kennedy, an early settler in Blair county. She died in 1903, at the age of sixty-four years. They had the following children: Alexander, an engineer, living at

Philipsburg; George Dale; Charles, an engi- neer, who lives at Morrisdale; Agnes, who is the wife of William Hawkins, of Morrisdale; Myrtle, who died at the age of thirty-one years; Clark, who has charge of a shoe store at St. Mary's, for the firm of Hall & Kaul; Margaret, who died unmarried at the age of twenty-eight years; and Ellen, who lives with her father.

George Dale Womer was three years old when his parents came to Clearfield county and was reared and educated at Morrisdale. He conducted a butchering business as his first in- dependent enterprise and was then elected constable and served eight years as constable in Morris township, and proved a very effi- cient officer. He first embarked in the hotel business in 1899, at Grass Flats, where he re- mained for two and one-half years, then sold and bought the Morrisdale Hotel, which he conducted for six years. After selling that property he went to Wilkesbarre, where he went into a wholesale whiskey business, which he sold eighteen months later and on Novem- ber 1, 1909, bought the Avondale Park Hotel at Winburne, which he has conducted ever since. This hotel is beautifully situated in a park of pine, locust and hemlock trees. Mr. Womer had put it in the best of condition and cluding steam heat, hot and cold water and electric lights. He offers to his many satisfied patrons an excellent table, comfortable sleep- ing rooms and attentive service, all at a rea- sonable price.

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Twentieth century history of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, and representative citizens, Part 90

Author: Swoope, Roland D. (Roland Davis), 1885- Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co Number of Pages: 1040

Author: Swoope, Roland D. (Roland Davis), 1885-
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1040