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AUGUSTUS ELLSWORTH BACHERT, civil and mining engineer, whose technical
connections include membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers;
American Institute of Mining Engineers; Engineers' Society of Pennsylvania;
American Electrochemical Society, and who is also a member of the board of
examiners of the Eighteenth Bituminous District of Pennsylvania, is a man of
distinction in his profession - and since May, 1909, has been a resident of
Tyrone, Pa. He was born in Rush Township, Schuylkill County, Pa., not far
from Tamaqua, August 14, 1862, and is a son of William M. and Susannah
(Messerschmidt) Bachert.
     Mr. Bachert, together with many other men of achievement at the present
day, realizes the present and constantly increasing value of biography and to
the lack of this interest in the past, he, with others, has found difficulties
in tracing family relationships and ancestral data beyond a certain period.
Old family papers have been gathered by him and an organization formed for
the furthering of genealogical research into the origin of a widely
distributed family bearing the similar names of: Bacher, Bachert, Bauchert,
Baucher, and others of near orthography. He has found a mass of facts and
evidence leading very far back and while many connecting links are absent, it
is his hope that in his lifetime the obscurity of the past as to his family
beginnings may be cleared. To this end he has consulted many authorities and
quotations may be made from some of these. In Rupp's "Thirty Thousand
Immigrants in Pennsylvania" it is stated: "Francis Daniel Pastorius, born at
Sommerhausen, in Franconia, Germany, September 26, 1651, arrived at
Philadelphia in the ship America, Capt. Joseph Wasey, August 20, 1683, with
his family. He was accompanied by a few German emigrants" and among these
appears the name of Conrad Bacher, alias Rutter. Again, "October 16, 1727,
forty-six Palatines with their families, about two hundred persons, imported
in the ship Friendship, of Bristol, John Davies, Master, from Rotterdam, last
from Cowes, whence the ship sailed June 20th, had on board Nicholas Bogert."
"On September 5, 1730, forty-five Palatines with their families, one hundred
and thirty persons, imported in the ship Alexander and Ann, William Clymer,
Master, from Rotterdam, last from Cowes, had on board a Rudolph
Messerschmidt," the maiden name of the mother of Mr. Bachert being
Messerschmidt. Among numerous other references from the same authority, it is
found that on September 23, 1732, one Nicholas Bogerdt, was imported in the
ship Adventurer. Mr. Bachert deems is probable that this Nicholas Bogerdt was
the Nicholas Bachert, who, with Solomon and Jacob Bachert, were all taxables
at the time of the formation of Berks County, Pa., was his direct ancestor.
Other states than Pennsylvania, especially those of North Carolina and
Georgia, in which Palatines settled between 1709 and 1710, in the former
state and between 1734 and 1741, in the latter, a similarity of names is
discovered, and in fact, a study is necessary of names which, at first sight,
seem dissimilar, must be made in order to secure an authentic history. Old
documents prove that related branches of the family spelled the name -
Bachert, Baucher, Bauchert, Baugher, Bougher and Pughard, while present
correspondence is being carried on with M. Quentin Bauchard, Member of the
Municipal Council, Chateau de Villers-le-Sec, Aisne, France, regarding other
orthography and possible connecting family links.  The name is well known and
represented in France as Bauchart and Boucher, the latter being a corruption
from the ancient Celtic of Bouchonnier. The tracing of one's ancestry is a
laudable ambition and a fascinating study. This is especially so when as in
Mr. Bachert's case, no heroic deeds of forebears are required to establish
his own prominence or prove his usefulness in his own generation.
     William Miller Bachert, father of Augustus E. Bachert, was born in
Schuylkill County, Pa., in March, 1839. He was a son of William Bachert, a
grandson of Nicholas Bachert, and a great-grandson of Nicholas Bacher, who
served in the Revolutionary War. William Miller Bachert was a builder and
contractor and also was a manufacturer of powder and supplied this necessity
to the Government during the Civil War, after attempting to become a soldier,
his application being refused on account of his being below the required size.
He was a man of much importance and served two consecutive terms in the
General Assembly from 1889 until 1893, being elected on the Democratic
ticket. His death occurred in 1903. He married Susannah Messerschmidt, who
survives. Her father, who was born in Berks County, was taken to Schuylkill
County in boyhood. His father, Valentine Messerschmidt was with General
Washington's army at Valley Forge.
     To William M. and Susannah Bachert the following children were born:
Augustus Ellsworth; Mary, who is the wife of J. A. Zehner, a civil engineer,
residing at Wilkesbarre, Pa.; William Franklin, who is a carpenter foreman,
and resides at Summit Hill, Carbon County, Pa.; Hannah E., who married F. W.
Becker, a truck farmer in Schuylkill County; Norman J., who is a builder and
contractor, living at Newark, N. J.; Sadie, who married Alexander Forsythe, a
resident of New Rochelle, N. Y., who is train dispatcher for the N. Y., N. H.
& Hartford R. R.; Hosea, whose death followed that of his father, a widow and
son surviving him; Laura, who is the wife of William H. Meese, a train
dispatcher on the N. J. Central R. R.; Edgar E., who was a school teacher,
resides near Tamerend and has charge of the air brakes and pumps for the
Jersey City R. R., at that point.
     Augustus E. Bachert started to school when he was only four years of
age, early displaying that unusual alertness of mind that has been the means
in large degree of enabling its possessor to reach his present advanced place
in his profession while a comparatively young man. After a period spent in the
State Normal School at Millersville, he entered the Ohio Northern University
in 1882 and was graduated in civil engineering in the class of 1885. He lost
no time in looking about for some easy position; but within two weeks was
hard at work along the line in which his advancement has been continuous.
However, when only a boy, he had shown ability and a decided taste for
engineering and had surprised his associates with his enthusiasm and
accuracy. Thus, Mr. Bachert's engineering record, which is as follows, begins
long before he had won any technical diploma: 1874-5, at the age of twelve
years, began as chainman and on instrument work on property surveys in
Schuylkill, Carbon and Luzerne Counties, Pa.; 1876, made property surveys and
these settled disputed boundaries between Philadelphia & Read-R. [sic] R., H.
A. Weldy & Co., and others; 1876-1885, made property surveys while attending
college; 1885-6, chainman South Pennsylvania R. R., Div. III, under F. H.
Clement and Gaylord Thompson, and engaged upon property surveys; 1886-go,
assistant to Thomas S. McNair, Resident Engineer, Lehigh Valley R. R.,
location and construction on railroad, hydraulic and mining (anthracite coal)
engineering; 1890-95, resident engineer and land agent, East Broad Top R. R.,
Rockhill Iron & Coal Company, Broad Top. Improvement Company and Broad Top
Semi-Anthracite Coal Company; 1895-6, architecture and contracting, Hazelton,
MacAdoo, Pa.; 1896-1900, assistant engineer to Thomas S. McNair, chief
engineer, Cranberry Improvement Company, Union Improvement Company, Black
Creek Improvement Company, and Highland Coal Company, engaged upon railroad,
mining, hydraulic and municipal engineering; 1900-1904, division engineer and
division superintendent, H. C. Frick Coke Company, in charge of Leisenring
Division, consisting of Leisenring Nos. 1, 2, 3 and the Trotter, Adelaide,
Rist, Henry Clay, Davidson, Youngstown and Bitner mines and over 3,000 coke
ovens - Connellsville, Pa.; 1904-5, chief engineer Ellsworth Coal Company,
Ellsworth, Washington County, Pa.; 1905-09, general superintendent, Rockhill
Iron & Coal Company, Broad Top Improvement Company, and Broad Top
Semi-Anthracite Coal Company; 1907, January 1, appointed chief engineer, East
Top R. R., in addition to above duties; 1909, May 1, opened an engineering
office at Tyrone, Pa.; 1910, August, locating a forty-five mile connecting
steam railroad.
     In October, 1885, Mr. Bachert was married to Miss Ada E. Weaver, a
daughter of Charles F. and Catherine (Moyer) Weaver, of Delano, Schuylkill
County, and they have three children: Olive Amy, Mabel and Helen. Olive Amy
completed her musical education at Darlington Seminary. She is the wife of
Jesse E. Bell, of Weatherly, Carbon County, Pa. The second daughter adopted
the noble profession of a nurse, graduating from the Homeopathic Hospital at
Reading, Pa. She is now the wife of T. J. Hussion, who is foreman of the Big
Four Railroad shops at Urbana, Ill. The youngest daughter is a student in the
Tyrone High School.
     Mr. Bachert is a member of Hazle Lodge, No. 327, F.&A.M., (a life
member) Hazelton, Pa.; Standing Stone Chapter, No. 201, R.A.M., Huntingdon,
Pa.; Harrisburg Council, No. 7, R.&SM., Harrisburg; Huntingdon Commandery,
No. 65, K.T., Huntingdon, Pa.; Harrisburg Lodge of Perfection, No. 14,
Harrisburg; Harrisburg Council, Princes of Jerusalem, 16th degree; Harrisburg
Chapter, Rose Croix, 18th degree; Harrisburg Consistory, S.P.R.S., 32d degree,
Harrisburg; Iran Temple; A.A.O.N.M.S., Wilkesbarre; Correspondence Circle,
Quatuor Coronati, Lodge 2076, London, Eng; Correspondence Circle, Lodge of
Research, No. 2429, Leicester, Eng.; Huguenot Commandery, No. 405, A.&I.O.,
Knights of Malta, Robertsdale, Pa.; William McKinley Lodge, No. 13, I.O.O.F.,
Connellsville, Pa.; Delano Council., No. 958, Royal Arcanum, Delano,
Schuylkill County, Pa.; Tyrone Lodge, No 212, B.P.O.E., Tyrone; Schuylkill
County Historical Society, Pottsville, Pa.; Pennsylvania German Society, and
the National Geographic Society, Washington, D. C.