Montgomery County PA Archives Biographies.....Bliem, Franklin H. October 25, 1844 - 
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Source: Biographical Annals of Montgomery County Pennsylvania, T. S. Benham & Company and the Lewis Publishing Company, 1904
Author: Ellwood Roberts, Editor

FRANKLIN H. BLIEM, a descendant of an old family in Upper 
Pottsgrove township, was born October 25, 1844, on the farm 
in Upper Pottsgrove where he now lives.

Christian Bliem, the founder of the Bliem family in America, 
was born at New Manheim, Germany, December 25, 1711. He 
emigrated to America in the autumn of 1735, being one of the 
Huguenots who fled from Germany on account of religious 
persecution. He was married in his native country, and 
brought with him his wife and one child. For the first 
winter he made a dugout, and afterwards built a house of 
logs, using an oak stump, probably dressed, for a table. He 
bought 150 acres of land in Hanover township, then a part of 
Philadelphia, (now Montgomery) county, near Pottstown, where 
he lived about seventy-five years. During the first months 
of his residence in America, while he yet had no permanent 
home, his wife and child remained with her brother, a 
Bechtel, who owned and lived on a farm, a part of which now 
belongs to the Gue estate, and includes the Fegley farm (now 
owned by Furman Kepler), and the Mensch farm. The latter is 
now owned by the Ringing Rocks Electric Railway Company of 
Pottstown.

Christian Bliem loaned a neighbor $800 in gold and silver 
before the Revolutionary war, and it was repaid in 
Continental money, which, of course, became useless after 
the war. He begged his neighbor to give him some small 
payment to offset the $800, saying that he would even be 
satisfied with a cow. However, he never obtained his 
request, and lost all the money. He attended Philadelphia 
market, carrying his produce on a packhorse, and sometimes 
sold as much as ten dollars worth at a time. He grew 
wealthy, and purchased a farm for each of his sons, Daniel 
and Christian.

Christian Bliem and his wife had five children, four 
daughters and one son. One daughter married Jacob Hoch, of 
Chester county. Another daughter married Daniel Fretz, of 
Bucks county. A third married Jacob Oberholtzer, of Berks 
county, and the youngest daughter married a Strohm, who 
after living on the old homestead for a number of years, 
removed to Canada.

Christian Bliem's wife died young, and was buried in the 
Sprogle burying ground, east of Pottstown, and now included 
within the borough limits. Christian Bliem died March 9, 
1810, and was also buried in the Sprogle burying ground. 
This cemetery was donated by John Henry Sprogle, before the 
year 1700, and was to be used as a burying plot forever. The 
Bliem's have always been connected with it as trustees. The 
bodies of the Bliem ancestry have, however, all been removed 
to the cemetery adjoining the East Coventry Mennonite 
meeting house, the Sprogle ground having been surrounded by 
iron mills, and being very undesirable as a burying place. 
Sprogle, the donator, returned to Germany, but left two 
children buried there in 1714, and his wife Dorethea, buried 
in 1716.
 
Christian Bliem had one brother in this country and several 
sisters. The brother settled in Bucks county, and died 
young. He left two daughters and two sons, Daniel and 
Christian. They settled in Lancaster county and left 
families.

Christian Bliem, son of the immigrant, and great-grandfather 
of Franklin H. Bliem, was born February 25, 1746, and died 
February 20, 1816. He added 250 acres to his father's tract, 
thus making 400 acres in all. He and his father .each made 
wills which are registered in Norristown, and the deeds to 
the properties also appear on record there. He married in 
1768, Salome, eldest daughter of Jacob and Susanna 
Langenecker. She was born in January, 1746, and died in 
1811. Of the Langenecker family we know that they were 
French Huguenots, who were, according to history, the best 
people in France. They were present at the massacre of St. 
Bartholomew in 1572, and the persecution of the French 
Huguenots in 1678. Christian and Salome Bliem had seven 
children, as follows 1. Salome, born 1770, married Samuel 
Moyer, of Perkasie, Bucks county, and died 1812. 2. 
Christian L., born 1773, died 1831, married Magdalena Hoch, 
and removed to Northampton county. 3. Philip L., born 1775, 
died 1847; married a widow Cressman, and removed to Canada. 
4. Daniel L., born 1777, died 1844; married Nancy Latshaw, 
and removed to Northampton county. 5. Mary, born 1782, died 
1816; married Jacob Latshaw. 6. John L. (grandfather), born 
1784, died 1858; married Barbara Eshbach. 7. Jacob L., born 
1788, died r864; married Mollie Hockman. They remained on 
the old homestead until the death of his father, and then 
the estate was divided. Those who had left home had received 
their portion before leaving.

John Bliem (grandfather) was married in 1813. His wife died 
in 1845, at the age of fifty years. They left eleven 
children: 1. David E., born 1814, died 1815. 2. Jacob E., 
born 1816, married Mary High, died 1883. His wife died in 
1874, aged fifty-one years. 3. Mary E., born 1819, married 
William Stauffer, died 1885. 4. Elizabeth E., born 1821, 
married Jacob Bechtel, died 1887. He died in 1888. 5. 
Catharine E.,born 1824, married Jacob Bahr, died 1896. He 
died 1882. 6. John E., born 1826, married Elizabeth Poland, 
died 1901. She died 1879. 7. Isaac E., born 1826, married 
Carrie Arnold. 8. Rachel E., born 1830, married Israel Erb, 
and died in .1899. 9, Ellen E., born 1832, married John 
Still, and died in 1898 to George E., born 1834, married 
Harriet Stauffer. 11. Sarah E., born 1838, married William 
E. Brodbeck, and died 1888. He died in 1894.

Jacob E. Bliem, who died October 7, 1883, aged sixty-seven 
years, left seven children, as follows: 1, Franklin H., 
married Henrietta Snell. She died in 1900. 2. Katie H., 
married Joshua B. Lessig. She died in 1884. 3. David H., and 
Henry H. (twins), unmarried. 4. Jacob H., married Mary 
Hartenstine. 5. Isaac H., died unmarried in 1896. 6. Jacob 
E. Bliem's farm which is a part of the original tract owned 
by the Bliems, is now occupied by his son, Franklin H. 
Bliem. 7. Jacob L. Bliem, who married Molly Hockman in 1814, 
owned the original homestead. He died in 1864, aged 
seventy-six years and six months, and his widow died the 
following year, aged seventy-five years and seven months. 
His children: Anna, born 1815, married John Oberholtzer, 
died in 1.884. Christian, born 1817, married Mary Stauffer. 
He died in 1892, she in 1888. Jacob, born 1820, married 
Esther Bertolet. Susan, deceased born 1821, married Jesse 
Bechtel. John, born 1824, married Hariet Gilbert. He died in 
1898. Mary, born 1833, married Jacob L. Fritz.

The farm was transferred to Christian Bliem by his father 
about 1860, but since his death a portion of the farm has 
been sold at public sale, and thus first passed out of the 
Bliem family since 1735. The tract contains a hundred acres 
with a log house upon it which has stood over a hundred 
years, and, if not destroyed by fire, will probably stand 
another century.

Christian H. Bliem left two sons. William S., who married 
Salome Yost, they having one son Daniel and one daughter, 
Mary; and J. Stauffer Bliem, who married Emma Kinzer, the 
couple having no children. Christian H. Bliem died in July, 
1900. This account of the family has been brought down to 
the fifth and sixth generation in America. While none of 
them has ever ascended the ladder of fame or acquired a 
great fortune, they are worthy of honor because of the 
difficulties they surmounted and the hardships, trials and 
inconveniences which they suffered. Their devotion to their 
simple religious faith and the manner in which their work 
was done, leaving a name untarnished to their descendants, 
causes their memory to be revered and respected.
 
Franklin H. Bliem, subject of this sketch, resides upon the 
homestead which he owns, and on which he has made many 
improvements, and erected several buildings. It comprises 
one hundred acres, three hundred acres having been sold, as 
originally stated. Otherwise the homestead is the same as of 
old. He attended school until he was twenty-two years of 
age, being a student at a boarding school. He then engaged 
in the occupation of teaching in Upper Pottsgrove township 
for about ten years. He then engaged in farming, in which 
occupation he has been employed ever since.

Mrs. Bliem is the daughter of Conard and Elizabeth (Erb) 
Snell, of Lower Pottsgrove, where they are still living. Mr. 
and Mrs. Bliem were married November 20, 1873, in Boyertown. 
They have thirteen children, as follows: 1. Allen S., born 
November 8, 1874, resides in Pueblo, Colorado, where he is 
engaged in the iron business. 2. Harry S., born November 15, 
1876, is unmarried, and resides in Homestead, Pennsylvania, 
where he also is employed as an iron worker. 3. Mary Lizzie, 
born July 30, 1878. 4. Sallie S., born November 18, 1879. 
She is a trained nurse in the Pottstown Hospital. 5. Samuel 
S., born August 2, 1881, married Sallie Saylor, 1904. 6. 
Carrie S., born October 7, 1882, is a stenographer, and is 
employed in that capacity in Philadelphia. 7. Hattie, born 
October 13, 1884, resides with her parents. 8. Frank S., 
born December 8, 1885. 9. Bertha S., born April 27, 1887. 
10. Henrietta S., born September 29, 1888. 11. Katie S., 
born December 2, 1889. 12. Jacob Conard S., born April 30, 
1891. 13, Walter S., born October 22 1892.

Franklin H. Bliem is a Republican in politics, and has held 
the office of mercantile appraiser. He has been county 
committeeman for his district for ten years, and his name 
has frequently been mentioned in connection with the party 
nomination for assembly and other offices. He is a member of 
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, being connected with 
Manatawny Lodge, No. 214, of Pottstown. He is a member of 
the German Reformed church of Pottstown. The house in which 
he resides was built in 1819, and has ever since been the 
abiding place of the family in different generations. Mr. 
Bliem owns the property where the plant of the Pennsylvania 
Copper Mining Company is located. He leased the property to 
the company, twenty acres in all, on a royalty.They have 
sunk a shaft, and have been very successful in their 
operations.

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