ALBERT CRAWFORD is descended from one of the old colonial families of Montgomery county. He was born in Lower Providence township, January 27, 1826. He grew to manhood in the same neighborhood in which he now lives, and was educated in the common schools of the vicinity. He is the son of Joseph and Rebecca (Francis) Crawford.

Joseph Crawford (father) was the son of Joseph and Ann (Edwards) Crawford. Ann Edwards was the daughter of Revolutionary fame. The Edwards family were of Welsh descent.

The Crawfords were from Ireland originally, although they have been long domiciled in this country. Joseph Crawford served in the militia during the Revolutionary war, being with Washington when he crossed the Delaware to attack the Hessian troops at Trenton, and participating in other movements of that period. He was about eighteen years of age at the time of the action at Trenton.

At the end of the war he settled in Roxboro, where he married. In 1795 he purchased the farm on which Albert Crawford now resides. He lived on this farm the greater part of the time until his death which occurred in 1844. He was a lifelong member of the Presbyterian Church. He was a director in the Bank of Montgomery county, now the Montgomery National Bank. He was a practical and successful farmer.

Politically he was a Whig, but never aspired to public office. Major Edwards, the father of Mrs. Ann Crawford, was a resident of Montgomery county. About 1775, he sold a part of his farm to his son John, and farmed the remainder of it, dying about 1795.

The children of Joseph and Ann Crawford were: Joseph (father); Margaret, wife of Captain Abram Brower, and Alexander, who died unmarried. Joseph Crawford (father) was born and reared in Lower Providence township, and after reaching manhood he gave all his attention to farming the homestead. He died in early manhood, in 1830, being less than thirty years of age. He was a Whig in politics. His wife survived him many years, and educated the children. Later the widow married (second husband) Jacob Culp. She was the daughter of John Francis, a prominent farmer of the township, whose other children were: Ann (Mrs. George Highley); Deborah (Mrs. H. Loucks); Eliza (Mrs. Thomas Shepard); and Felix, who died when a young man. All were Presbyterians, and were buried at the Lower Providence Church. The children of Joseph and Rebecca Crawford were: Ann (Mrs. Joseph Rhoads); Albert, mentioned hereinafter; and Amanda (Mrs. Samuel F. Jarrett).

The children by the second marriage (Mrs. Crawford to Jacob Culp): Joseph, who died in 1903; and Emma (Mrs. Davis). Albert Crawford was born and reared on the homestead farm, which he inherited under his father's will. When he grew to manhood, he sold it to. his sister Ann, and took possession of the farm on which he now lives, which had been left him by his grandfather. He has been engaged in general farming, raising some stock, and attending Philadelphia markets. He also fattened cattle.

In addition to the home farm of one hundred and fourteen acres, Mr. Crawford owns a tract of forty acres on the Perkiomen, and several Norristown properties. He has been a successful farmer, and is a broad-minded, intelligent business man. He has been a Republican from the formation of the party, but has never aspired to office. He was reared in the Presbyterian faith, but is not a member of any church. He is a man of integrity and honor, widely known and highly respected.

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Mr. Crawford married, in 1855, Miss Adelaide Corson, born in Lower Providence, near Arcola Station, October 28, 1834. She is the daughter of Charles and Sarah (Egbert) Corson, of the well-known family of that name in Montgomery county. Charles Corson's father and grandfather were both named Joseph Corson. The Corsons were originally French Huguenots, whose ancestor settled on Long Island, and later in Bucks county, Pennsylvania. The brothers and sisters of Charles Corson were: Alan W., teacher, surveyor, and in general one of the most useful men of his day; Sarah, who married Thomas Read; Mary (Mrs. Charles Adamson); Joseph, Charles (father of Mrs. Crawford); George, a well-known resident of Plymouth Meeting; Dr. Hiram, who lived to a great age, and died in 1898; and William, a Norristown physician; all are long since deceased. The family has very remarkable traits, and few have equaled them in the history of Montgomery county in ability and usefulness. All, including Charles, were identified with the Society of Friends, and were active in the anti-slavery cause. Charles died in 1878. His wife was the daughter of Laurence and Sarah Egbert.

The children of Laurence and Sarah Egbert were: Thomas, George, David, Mary (Mrs. A. Corson); Sarah and Susan (twins), Susan being Mrs. James Rogers, and Sarah, the wife of Charles Corson.

The children of Charles and Sarah Corson were: Richard R., William, George, the well-known attorney, now deceased; John J., a leading real estate agent of Norristown: Laurence, who died at the age of forty years; Adelaide, wife of Mr. Crawford; Susan, (Mrs. Felix F. Highley, deceased); and Mary F., who died at the age of forty-nine years.

The children of Albert and Adelaide Crawford were: Joseph, a druggist, of Philadelphia, who married Mary Hayer, of Lancaster, in June, 1898, and they had three children, Sarah, who died in infancy; Anna H., and Joseph Crawford. J. Norman, who farms the homestead, who married Josephean Rittenhouse, and they have four children: Bessie F., Adelaide C., Albert N. and Harold R. Sarah C., wife of W. B. Henderson, who died in 1806, leaving two sons; and Mary, unmarried.

At the death of their daughter, Mrs. Henderson, Mr. and Mrs. Crawford took charge of her two children and are rearing them. They are Joseph C., born October 17, 1892, and Alan T., born November 7, 1894.

 

 

JOSEPH J. McGINLEY, long identified with the Times Publishing Company of Norristown, is one of the most active young business men of that borough. He is largely self-educated, having left school at all early age to make his way in the world. He is the son of Francis and Mary (Walters) McGinley and was born at Norristown, August 20, 1868.

Francis McGinley (father) is a native of Ireland, where he lived until he was fourteen years of age. He then came to America with relatives and resided for a short time at Frankford, Philadelphia. He then went to Norristown and learned the trade of shoemaker. After completing his apprenticeship in 1852, he worked as a journeyman for a number of years. He then began business as a shoe dealer on his own account, at 270 East Main street, where he still carries on the business, though now nearly seventy years of age.

Politically he is a Democrat and in religious faith a Catholic. He is highly esteemed as a man of honesty and integrity, who attends faithfully to every duty as a man and a citizen. In 1854 he married Mary Walters, daughter of Daniel Walters of Norristown, and the couple have ten children, as follows: Daniel, long engaged in the printing business in New York city; John, Frank and James, all deceased; Clara, who married Charles Dale of Norristown; Joseph J., the subject of this sketch; Annie and Bernard, who died young; Edward, a paper ruler by trade: and Mary, a stenographer. Mrs. McGinley is also a native of Ireland, and is slightly younger than her husband.

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Bernard McGinley (grandfather) was a native and lifelong resident of County Donegal, Ireland.

Joseph J. McGinley has been a lifelong resident of Norristown, where he attended the public schools a short time, and afterward St. Patrick's parochial school until he was thirteen years of age. He worked in a woolen mill for three years, then resumed study for a year in the parochial school, and afterward learned the carpenter trade, completing his apprenticeship in the planing mill of Guest, Grater & Company. He attended night schools, taking a course in bookkeeping at Schissler's School of Business He also solicited newspaper and other advertising and orders for periodicals for a time.

In 1892 he accepted a position as bookkeeper with the Times Publishing Company of Norristown, gradually working his way upward until he has become its secretary and general business manager. Industry, careful attention to business and persistence in what he undertakes, are his distinguishing qualities, and they have made his influence felt in the community in which he lives.

In politics Mr. McGinley is a Republican and he takes an active interest in the success of its candidates. He is clerk of the Bridgeport borough council. He is a member of the Catholic church as are the other members of his family. He is interested in everything pertaining to the public welfare.

Mr. McGinley married, in 1897, Hiss Bridget McHugo, daughter of Mrs. Margaret McHugo. The couple reside in Bridgeport. They have two children living: Alfred and Eleanor, and one deceased.

 

 

DR. HARRY O. DENGLER, the well-known veterinarian, located on West Main street, adjacent to the Hotel Hartranft, Norristown, comes from a Bucks county family, having been born in Quakertown, August 23, 1863. He is a son of William H. and Catharine Y. (Sterner) Dengler, both natives of eastern Pennsylvania. They had two sons and two daughters, of whom two are now living: James A., of Quakertown, and Dr. Harry O. Dengler, the subject of this sketch.

William H. Dengler (father) was a tinsmith by trade and resided at Quakertown, carrying on business there. He died in April, 1898, aged sixty-six years. His wife survived until April, 1901. Mrs. Dengler (mother) belonged to the Lutheran church, and her husband to the Reformed church.

Dr. Dengler grew to manhood in Quakertown, and received an elementary education in its public schools. On reaching manhood he engaged in the occupation of a teamster, but soon abandoned it for something more in harmony with his tastes.

In 1884, he entered upon studies preparatory to becoming a veterinary surgeon, Dr. C. J. Blank of Easton being his preceptor. In 1888 he graduated from Ontario Veterinary College, and began practicing his profession in Norristown, on May 3, 1888, and has practiced there continuously since. Dr. Dengler is recognized as one of the most successful practitioners in his line.

February 3, 1898, he married Miss Sarah McCoy, daughter of Robert McCoy. They have one son, Harry O., Jr. Mrs. Dengler belongs to the Episcopal church.

Dr. Dengler is a member of the following organizations: Charity Lodge, No. 190, Free and Accepted Masons; Norristown Chapter, No. 190, Royal Arch Masons; Hutchinson Commandery, No. 32, Knights Templars; and the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks.

Dr. Dengler is a Democrat in politics but has never been in any way an office-seeker. He has been in the fullest sense of the term the architect of his own fortune. Starting out in life for himself when a boy of twelve years, he earned the money with which he made his way through school and since that time has not been dependent upon anyone for pecuniary aid, but by his own industry, frugality, and good management has achieved success, and secured a generally recognized standing among the business and professional men of Norristown. He has an extensive and constantly increasing patronage, and his reputation extends beyond the borders of the county. Ontario Veterinary College, of which he is a graduate, is one of the largest and best

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veterinary colleges in the world, and to the instruction which he there received, are largely due the ability and thoroughness which Mr. Dengler has displayed in the practice of his profession. His neatly-arranged and well equipped office testifies to his qualities of order and care.

 

 

CHARLES RAMEY, who lives retired at No. 1002 DeKalb street, Norristown, was born in Upper Merion township, March 28, 1826. He is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Griffith) Ramey, both of whom were natives of Montgomery county. They had three sons and four daughters, of whom Charles Ramey is the only one now living.

Jacob Ramey (father) was a farmer and shoemaker in early manhood, and later a farmer on what is called Walnut Grove farm near Conshohocken. Soon after his marriage he was called out with his militia company, Captain Holgate commanding, to Marcus Hook, in the war of 1812. He came home with camp fever from which he recovered, but he died in 1828. After the war and until his death he was a farmer and a merchant, carrying on business in the "Bird-in-Hand" store, in the village now known as Gulf Mills, in partnership with his cousin, Daniel Altemus. He was thirty-seven years old at the time of his death. His wife survived until 1851, and was in her sixty-seventh year when she died. Both attended the Society of Friends Meeting.

Lawrence Ramey (grandfather) was a native of Wales and came to Pennsylvania when a small boy. He was a farmer and also a shoemaker. He died at the age of seventy-five years. His wife was Catharine Conrad. They had two sons and one daughter. Both were buried at Plymouth Meeting Friends burial-ground.

Charles Ramey's grandfather Griffith was a native of Montgomery county. He died in middle life leaving four daughters and one son.

Charles Ramey has lived all his life in Montgomery county, and the greater part of it in Norristown. He was reared on the farm and attended the district schools and the old Academy on DeKalb street, taught by Rev. Samuel Aaron, and still later Treemount Seminary, under the care of Rev. Samuel Aaron, a Baptist preacher, and a great temperance and abolition lecturer. In March 1850, he removed to Norristown, and engaged in the mercantile business on Main street, for thirty-three years. He retired in 1883.

On August 25, 1853, Mr. Ramey married Miss Ellen Wood, daughter of Timothy Wood. They had five children, two daughters and three soils: Ida W., Sallie M., William Howard, Charles Clifton and Horace. Ida died in 1876 at the age of nearly twenty-two years. Sallie M. married Frank L. Jones, of Norristown and they have two children, Charles Ramey and Helen Mary Jones. William Howard died June 9, 1885, in his twenty-eighth year. Charles Clifton married Irene Mitchell, and they had one child, Catharine, who died in infancy. Charles Clifton is employed by the Eastern Export Milling Company in New York, which owns twenty-eight mills. He was born Thanksgiving Day, 1862. Horace, who was born August 11, 1864, and had been engaged in the bookselling business in Norristown, died in 1882 when eighteen years of age.

Mrs. Ramey died August 31, 1892, aged sixty-seven years. She belonged originally to the old school Presbyterians, but was married by a Baptist minister and later united with the Episcopal church. Mr. Ramey's faith is that of the Friends. He has attended Quaker meetings since he was four years old. He belongs to Curtis Lodge, No. 239, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and also Norristown Encampment. He joined the Odd Fellows in May 1850, and the Encampment in 1861. He is the oldest member of Curtis Lodge and is a veteran of Philadelphia Lodge since 1901. He also belongs to the Montgomery County Historical Society.

Politically he was first a Whig and has been a Republican ever since the organization of the party in 1856, and an active worker. He served as school director from 1851 to 1854. He has at various times owned considerable property in Norristown and Bridgeport.

His wife came from Malden in Ulster county, New York, where she lived until sixteen years old, coming then to Pennsylvania. She had four brothers and one sister. Her father was a ship carpenter and built a great many boats on North river, as did his father before him. The family originally came from England. Her mother died when she was about eight years old.

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Charles Ramey is a man of kindly disposition, who at an age which is attained by few still retains an active interest in all that is going on in the world around him. Having all his life been accustomed to intelligent observation of men and things, he has accumulated a vast fund of information, and being a pleasing talker, he is rarely at a loss for listeners.

 

 

HARRY L. NASH, son of Joseph and Emily (Yeakle) Nash, was born October 30, 1866, near Fort Washington, in Upper Dublin township. When he was eight years old, his father sold the farm and purchased another on Church road, in Springfield township, which he owned for twenty-two years. The father died May 29, 1894.

Daniel Nash (grandfather) was born near Edge Hill, in Upper Dublin township, and grew to manhood there. He was a wealthy and influential man, being the owner of several farms. He married Maria Shaffer. (For further particulars of the Nash ancestry see the sketch of Joseph Y. Nash, brother of Harry L. Nash.)

Harry L. Nash married Barbara, daughter of Robert and Mary (Odenwelder) Blair, on November 25, 1894. She was born October 15, 1873, in Bath, Northampton county, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Blair was born October 4, 1848 in Bath, and grew to manhood there. His father, James Blair, was a native of Durham, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. His was a farmer. Robert Blair was reared on the farm, attended the public schools of the neighborhood and supplemented the education which he gained there with several terms in Nazareth Academy. At the close of his school days he stayed on the farm with his father until his marriage to Miss Odenwelder, when he rented the farm of his father-in-law, on which he remained until 1877, when he removed to Montgomery county, locating in Whitemarsh township, where he rented the William Jeanes farm, remaining on it fifteen years. He then sold out his farm stock and implements and entered the employ of Rev. J. D. Detrick, of North Wales, as foreman of his somewhat famous stock farm in Springfield township, and still remains there.

In politics Mr. Blair is a Democrat but has never sought or held office, or taken part very actively in political affairs. He is a member of St. Paul's Reformed church at Fort Washington. Mr. and Mrs. Blair had five children: Barbara B.; James R., born October 24, 1874; Harvey W., born February 14, 1876, and William O., born June 30, 1878, all residing in Flourtown; and Ruth J., who was born August 20, 1879, and married Perry Godshall and has one child, Mary B.

Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Nash have two children: Ruth B., born July 21, 1895, and Dorothy A., born January 12, 1897. Mr. Nash received a common school education, was reared on the farm, and commenced life on his own account by renting the home farm which his father had sold to the railroad company, continuing this occupation for four years. He then rented the farm of the late Charles A. Yeakle in Whitemarsh township, remaining on it five years.

In 1898 he bought from the Baker estate the farm on which he now lives and removed to it April 1, 1899. He is a Democrat in politics but not a politician. He is a member of St. Paul's Reformed church at Fort Washington. He is one of the best-known residents of Norriton township.

 

 

GEORGE W. PIFER, grocer, at the corner of Airy and Norris streets, Norristown, Pennsylvania, is prominent in matters connected with borough legislation. He was born in Norristown, November 3, 1857. He is the son of John and Mary (Cressman) Pifer, both natives of Pennsylvania, she of Montgomery county, and he of Catawissa. The couple had nine children, six sons and three daughters, of whom four are living, as follows: Ettie, wife of Dr. William Sweet, of Philadelphia: William H., George W. and Franklin E., all of Norristown.

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John Pifer (father) was employed at various occupations when a young man, coming to Norristown about the year 1854, and having lived there ever since. He is now in his eighty-second year.

His wife died January 1, 1902, aged seventy-six years. She was originally a Lutheran, but at her death was a Presbyterian, her religious faith being that also of her husband. He was a soldier in the war for the Union, serving in the army four years as a private. He was a member of the fatuous Sixth Army Corps, and participated in all its battles.

Samuel Cressman (maternal grandfather) was a native of Pennsylvania. His wife was Mary Heritage. They had three sons and two daughters.

George W. Pifer was reared in Norristown and attended the public schools. He is a molder by trade and followed that occupation for many years, until 1888, when he engaged in the grocery business at his present location, where he has continued ever since.

On September 6, 1881, he married Elvira L. Richard, daughter of Jacob H. and Mary A. (Jones) Richard. Mr. Pifer is a member of Charity Lodge, No. 190, Free and Accepted Masons, Norristown Chapter, No. 19O, Royal Arch Masons; Hutchinson Commandery, No. 32, Knights Templar; LuLu Temple, of Philadelphia: and of the Montgomery Lodge of Odd Fellows. He is also exalted ruler in the Elks fraternity. He is a member of Beaver Tribe No. 62. Improved Order of Red Men, and of Hancock Castle, Knights of the Golden Eagle.

Politically Mr. Pifer is a Republican. He represents the second ward in the borough council of Norristown and is serving his third term, having been its president for a time. He is also connected with other Norristown enterprises and organizations. He is president of the People's Building and Loan Association, and of the Retail Grocers' Association of Norristown and Bridgeport. He is also musical director of the Germania Band of Norristown.

Mrs. Pifer's parents were natives of Pennsylvania. They had seven children, four sons and three daughters, the other children being as follows: Sarah Lizzie, wife of Philip K. Kreibel of Norristown; Edward G.; Caroline C., wife of William I. Earl; Harry J., Diana R., and William J. Richard.

Jacob H. Richard, father of Mrs. Pifer, resides in Norristown, where he has lived for forty-eight years. His wife died in 1897, aged sixty-one years. both are members of the Reformed church, but were originally Lutherans. He was a soldier in the war for the Union. He enlisted at first in the three months service and then re-enlisted, serving altogether about a year. His father was James Richard, also native of Pennsylvania, born near Reading. The family are of Welsh descent. His wife was Elizabeth Hartline. The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Pifer was Isaac Jones, also a native of Pennsylvania and of Welsh descent. His wife was Catharine Reese.

George W. Pifer stands high in the community. He is pre-eminently a self-made man, having attained his present position in council and elsewhere entirely through his own exertions.

 

 

IRVIN C. WILLIAMS, attorney-at-law, a member of the bar of Philadelphia and also of Norristown, with an office in each place, is a resident of Royersford. He is a native of Montgomery county, having been born near Audubon, formerly Shannonville, six miles above this county seat, in Lower Providence township, December 2, 1866. He is a son of Jacob and Hannah (Cooke) Williams, both of whom are lifelong residents of the county. The couple have five children: Irvin C.; Charles C., of Upper Providence; Howard C., Nellie L., and Dr. Horace O. Williams, all of Lansdale.

Jacob Williams (father) has always followed the occupation of fanning, his home being in Upper Providence township, where he has lived most of his life. He and his wife are members of the Lutheran church. He was a soldier in the war for the Union, being a member of Company I, Twenty-seventh Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. He was a private, serving more than three years, and participating in the first battle of Bull Run, July 21, 1861; in the skirmishes around Washington, when it was menaced by the Confederate forces, and in a number of other battles.

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Later he was detailed for duty as one of the outside men in the hospital service.

Ezekial Williams (grandfather) was born in Montgomery county, where he lived most of his life. He was a farmer and a merchant, and was in military life, seeing service in quelling the Philadelphia riots in 1844. His wife was Deborah Spare. They had five children, four of whom are still living. His wife died at the age of ninety-six years.

Charles Cooke (maternal grandfather) is still living, at the age of ninety years. He was born in Lehigh county, and is of German descent. His wife was Eliza Zollers, who is deceased. They had six children, all now living. Charles Cooke is a stonemason by trade and did some contract work in his time, although long retired from active business.

Irvin C. Williams has been a resident of Montgomery county all his life except two years. To the age of fifteen years he lived on the farm, and attended the public schools regularly, acquiring thus the rudiments of an education. He then entered Washington Collegiate Institute at Trappe and afterwards the Phoenixville high school, being graduated in 1885.

After teaching school for two years, he attended Ursinus College at Collegeville, and was graduated from the institution in 1891. In the same year he entered the service of the United States government, serving in the war department at Washington for two years. During that time he took a course in law at Columbian University, under justices Harlan and Brewer, and was graduated from that institution in the spring of 1893.

He then entered the law department of the University of Pennsylvania and left it with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, in June, 1894. He was immediately admitted to the Philadelphia bar, and in the following year to the bar of Montgomery county at Norristown, beginning at once the practice of law in Philadelphia. He has an office in the Stephen Girard Building in Philadelphia, and one also in Norristown, where he is associated with John T. Wagner, under the firm name of Wagner & Williams.

On February 22, 1895. he was married to Miss Elizabeth Harley, daughter of John and Elizabeth (Landes) Harley. The couple have two children: Ruth and Paul.

Mr. Williams is a member of the Lutheran church. Mrs. Williams belongs to the German Baptist Brethren church. Politically he is a Republican, feeling much interest in the success of that party. He has frequently addressed public meetings at various points in the county, in advocacy of its candidates, its principles and its policy in national and state affairs. He is a pleasing speaker and an earnest and aggressive worker.

Mr. Williams has antiquarian tastes and is one of the most active members of the Montgomery County Historical Society, whose library he has been engaged in cataloguing in his spare moments during the past two or three years, succeeding admirably in this work. He has read several valuable papers on local historical subjects at its meetings, and has otherwise done much to promote the interests and the objects of the organization. He is a skilled botanist and mycologist and has spent much time and labor on the flora of Montgomery county and of the District of Columbia.

In April, 1903, he was selected by Governor Pennypacker for a position in the department of forestry at Harrisburg, where he fills the post of expert in the sciences relating to the work therein, and is also actively employed as general counsel for that department.

 

 

SAMUEL R. FISHER, photographer, whose place of business is at No. 49 East Main street, Norristown, was born in Tredyffrin township, Chester county, Pennsylvania, February 9, 1834. He is the son of Jacob and Ann (Ritter) Fisher, both of whom were natives of this state. They had three children: Hannah (deceased), Susan and Samuel R., both of Norristown.

Jacob Fisher (father) was a blacksmith and edge-tool maker. He learned his trade near Brick Meeting House, which is located in Pennsylvania close to the line of Maryland, and after residing for a few years in Tredyffrin township, removed to Montgomery county about 1835 and

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carried on his trades, which he followed continuously during his life, except about eight years spent at farming near the Gulf Mills, in Upper Merion. The last twenty years or more of his life he resided in Norristown, where he died in 1877, at an advanced age. His wife survived until 1897, at the age of eighty-seven years. She was an Episcopalian in religious faith. Her husband was not identified with any religious denomination.

The paternal grandfather of Samuel R. Fisher was a native of Germany, a brickmaker by trade, and lived in Philadelphia, where he lost his life in an accident in middle life. He had a large family.

His maternal grandfather was Samuel Bitter, a native of Pennsylvania. He was a farmer and fencemaker. His wife was Jane Ritter. They had several sons and daughters.

Samuel R. Fisher grew to manhood in Montgomery county and received his early education there, also attending Freemount Seminary, Norristown, when Rev. Samuel Aaron, a famous preacher, was its principal. He was reared on a farm, and learned the business of photographing, in Westchester, Penn., which occupation he has followed about forty years very successfully.

On March 17, 1866, he married Miss Sarah Ann Neiman, daughter of John and Catharine (Day) Neiman. Mrs. Fisher died in 1889. She was a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Trinity to which Mr. Fisher belongs, being an elder in it. Mr. Fisher is a Democrat although he takes no active interest in politics. Mr. Fisher resides at No. 365 East Main street, which was his father's home, and where his sister Susan lives with him.

Mr. Fisher owns a valuable business property on Main street, now occupied by Mr. Hyderman, the drygoods merchant, and other property of the kind. In 1895 he visited the Holy Land, and photographed many of the places of interest, his views being used by public speakers in steropticon lectures. He devotes much time to the manufacture of lantern slides. Mr. Fisher has also traveled extensively in the United States. He is an old resident of Norristown and one of its best-known citizens.

In connection with his occupation of photography, to which he is devoted above everything else, Mr. Fisher has acquired a taste for local history. He has photographed very successfully all the prominent places of interest on or near the Valley Forge campground, and other objects of historical interest in Montgomery and adjoining counties. He is a valued member of the Montgomery County Historical Society, and has presented it with many highly prized specimens of his work in photography.

In his younger days he was a member of several secret societies-the Knights of Malta, Knights of Pythias and Mystic Chain.

In 1862 he enlisted in the Pennsylvania Infantry, called the Emergency Regiment, and served some two months in defense of the state. In August 1903, he made a trip to California and the Yellowstone Park, bringing back many fine pictures of that country.

 

 

CHARLES W. RAMBO, dealer in dry goods and notions at 229 High street, Pottstown, was born at Hayesville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, May 15, 1849. He is the son of John W. and Elizabeth (Pine) Rambo.

John W. Rambo (father) was also a merchant most of his life. He was born in Pennsylvania and kept a store at Black Horse, better known as Moscow, Chester county, Pennsylvania. He remained there until 1847, when he removed to Hayesville and engaged in the hotel business for two years. Later he went to Kinzer's Station to keep a hotel and staved there for four years and afterwards conducted another hotel at Atglen for three years. He was employed as a clerk at Gap, Lancaster county, for a time and then spent a number of years at Atglen.

His next position was as a cleric in a hardware store at Coatesville, and from there he removed to Pottstown in 1874. He was in the hardware store of H. G. Culp & Company for three years and then spent sixteen years with William Wood & Company, manufacturers of cotton and woolen goods in Philadelphia.

At the end of that time he returned to Pottstown, where he has lived ever since. His wife was born in the state of New York, and died August 10, 1894, at the age of sixty-eight years and eleven months. She and her husband were members of the Baptist church. He was at one time a Republican, but of late years has become a Prohibitionist. John W. and Elizabeth (Pine) Rambo had eight children, four sons and four daughters, six of whom are now living: Charles W.; Catharine S.; Eleanor, widow of J. Warren Durnall; Anna, wife of N. C. Naylor; Margaret, wife of Henry J. Corbett; and Edgar M.

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John Rambo (grandfather) was born at Swedesford, on the Schuylkill, and was a miller and a farmer. His wife was Eleanor (Robinson) Rambo, and they had five sons and three daughters who grew to maturity. He was killed while walking on the railroad, when eighty-three years of age. His wife survived him for a short time and died aged seventy-eight years. They were Presbyterians. He was of Swedish origin, while his wife's ancestors were Irish.

Jonathan Pine (maternal grandfather) was born in New York state, where he was a farmer. His wife was Catharine (Wood) Pine, whose first husband was Mr. Hanmore. He had three sons and three daughters, and lived to advanced years.

Charles W. Rambo spent his early boyhood in Lancaster and Chester counties and attended the common schools of Chester county. At the age of sixteen he secured a position as clerk in a general store at Atglen, where he remained several years, afterward being employed at Coatesville in the same capacity.

In 1872 he removed to Pottstown and was employed as a clerk by L. and W. C. Beecher for five years, and by Howard Leopold in his drygoods store. February 1, 1887, he formed a partnership with E. K. Snell and at the end of one year E. K. Ellis bought out Mr. Snell's interest, the firm becoming Rambo & Ellis. Mr. Ellis died December 21, 1891, and in the following spring Mr. Rambo removed to his present location and has conducted the business sever since, employing at this time five clerks His store is finely appointed, and well stock at all times with seasonable and stylish goods.

April 26, 1877, Charles W. Rambo married Miss Elizabeth Moser, daughter of Charles and Catharine (Whitman) Moser. They had three children: Oscar Naylor, a stenographer in the office of the New York Mutual Life Insurance Company, Philadelphia; Karl Moser, a student in a business college at Pottstown; and John Ralph, who died at the age of seventeen months.

Mr. and Mrs. Rambo are members of the Baptist church, where he is a deacon, and of which he has been financial secretary since 1872. Politically he is a Prohibitionist. He resides at No. 122 Walnut street, where he owns a good home. Mr. Rambo is a self-made man, of quiet demeanor, and one of Pottstown's highly respected citizens.

 

 

I. N. BUCKWALTER, Vice-President and Superintendent of the Buckwalter Stove Works at Royersford, Pennsylvania, is a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he was born November 24, 1838.

Although reared to farm pursuits, young Buckwalter gained an insight into mechanical occupations by means of a saw-mill and machine shop to which he had access. He received his education at the ordinary schools of the vicinity in which he lived. He remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-two years of age. Then, about 1861, he went to California, did some prospecting, spending a year or more in mining and as much more time on a ranch, returning to his home in 1864, and again taking charge of the saw mill and machine shop. After two years he made a second trip west, going, however, no further than Illinois, where he was employed as a carpenter about a year, when he again returned to the mill and shop. A little later he went to Kansas, pre-empted one hundred and sixty acres of land, made improvements and did some farming on his new acquisition, remaining three years, at the end of which time he returned to his home. While he was west he built a house in Burlington, Kansas. In 1872 he went to Royersford, Pennsylvania, and was employed at the Francis Buckwalter Stove Works, continuing with that firm until 1883, when various firm changes ensued, ending in incorporation as the Buckwalter Stove Company, when I. N. Buckwalter became a partner. He was foreman of the mounting department, and so continued until 1899, when he was made superintendent. Joseph A. Buckwalter is president; I. N. Buckwalter, vice-president and superintendent; A. L. Buckwalter, assistant superintendent; Augustus Dotterer, secretary; T. D. Buckwalter, treasurer. The establishment has a large output of stoves and ranges, about fifteen thousand annually, and their products have a high reputation for excellence, not surpassed by any in the state or country. The number of employees is about one hundred and seventy-five, and the company have repositories for their goods where they are on sale in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago. The company is known all over the United States, and it has contributed very materially in the building up of Royersford.

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Mr. Buckwalter inherited mechanical genius from his ancestors, he being descended from a long line of mechanics and machinists. The present generation, including I. N. Buckwalter, have brought the name prominently before the public throughout the entire country. (See J. A. Buckwalter's sketch, in another part of this work for a more complete account of the Buckwalter Stove Works).

Isaac N. Buckwalter married, in 1875, Miss Irene F. Buckwalter, she being a daughter of Daniel R. and Hannah R. (Williams) Buckwalter, the mother being of Montgomery, and the father of Chester county. They were married at Phoenixville. He had a large farm which he later sold, and bought a small farm at Spring City. The latter part of his life he was employed with the Buckwalter Stove Company. Early in life he was a farmer. Daniel R. Buckwalter's parents were Daniel and Mary (Roudenbush) Buckwalter, both of whom were members of the Mennonite church. Their children: Mary Mrs. M. Schrack; Samuel, Sarah (Mrs. D. Yost); David; Barbara (Mrs. Zimmerman). Of these Daniel (father of Mrs. I. N. Buckwalter), was a Republican in politics and a member of the Lutheran church. He died several years ago, but his wife yet survives, at an advanced age, residing at Royersford. She was the daughter of Samuel and Maria (Richards) Williams. Their children: Hannah R. (mother), Charles, Samuel, Maria (Mrs. Sassaman); John, Eliza (Mrs. Walker); Emma (Mrs. C. Spare); Mary (unmarried). The parents were Friends.

The children of Daniel and Hannah Buckwalter: Samuel W., died in 1901; Clara (Mrs. E. Moore, who died leaving one daughter, Phoebe); Irene F., (wife of Isaac N. Buckwalter); Crawford A., deceased; Maria J. (Mrs. B. B. Brant); Anna (Mrs. William Melotte); Theodore, of Royersford.

Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Buckwalter have two children: Madge W. S., who was educated in the schools of Royersford and Shisler's Business College of Norristown; and Samuel Emmet, who is teller of the Royersford National Bank.

Isaac N. Buckwalter is the son of Abram and Rachel (Ortlip) Buckwalter, he of a Montgomery and she of a Chester county family. Mrs. Buckwalter (mother) was a daughter of Henry Ortlip, who operated the old Ortlip mill, a well-known structure in its day. For many years he kept the Black Horse hotel at Shannonville, now Audubon. He died on his farm near Norristown. His children: Henry, Andrew, Abram, Osmun, Samuel, died and left a son, who is also deceased; Rachel (mother of I. N. Buckwalter); Mary (Mrs. Osmond); Rebecca (Mrs. Minter); Eliza (Mrs. G. Eppehimer) ; Julia (Mrs. J. Teany).

Abram and Rachel Buckwalter's children Elias, died at the age of twenty-two years; David R., died at the age of seventeen years; Henry, one of the original Buckwalter firm, who started the stove works, who died in May, 1880, leaving a widow and seven children; B. F., died unmarried; J. A., president of the Buckwalter Stove Company; I. N., subject of this sketch; L. C., machinist of the Stove Company; four other children died when quite young. Both parents belonged to the Spiritualists. The father died at eighty years of age; the mother at ninety-three.

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Abram Buckwalter (father) was born near Trappe. The first of the family in America came from Holland to Pennsylvania. Abram married and located in Chester county. He was a millwright, and an excellent mechanic, owning and operating a saw mill and machine shop for many years, and thus educating his children to the exercise and cultivation of inventive genius which proved exceedingly valuable to them in after years. Abram Buckwalter was, a very active temperance worker. He started the pledge with his own name, and had over seven hundred names enrolled in an incredibly short space of time, showing what can be done by earnestness and enthusiasm. The original pledge or roll is still in the possession of the family, being kept as a memento of their father's work for the good of humanity.

Isaac N. Buckwalter is a worthy son of such a sire, as are all the others. He is public spirited and a thoroughgoing business man, exerting himself for the benefit of Royersford in every possible way. He, in common with the other members of the Company, has accomplished much in building up the town and advancing its prosperity.

Mr. Buckwalter built the large brick house in which he resides, and in 1896 altered and constructed what is now known as the Buckwalter Block. He is a Republican in politics, although in the past he affiliated with the Greenback party. He has served three years as a member of town council. He is an active member of the Royersford Fire Company; a stockholder in both banks, and is otherwise identified with the interests of the community in which he lives. He and Mrs. Buckwalter are both Spiritualists in religious faith.

 

 

JACOB R. TITLOW, a well known farmer in Norriton township, was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, February 8, 1855. In 1873 his father bought the farm now owned by Mitchell Harrison, and here Jacob grew to manhood. Mr. Titlow attended the public schools in Philadelphia until after his father removed from that city, after which he took a course in Pierce's Business College, graduating from that institution and receiving his diploma in the summer of 1873. He remained on the farm, assisting his father, until his marriage, in 1881.

For the next two years he was employed in the Wharton Switch Works, at Edge Hill, near Jenkintown, as machinist. He had never served an apprenticeship as a machinist but became a good workman by applying himself closely to his business for a short time. After these two years spent in working for other people he removed to the farm of his father-in-law near Jenkintown, living there three years. About this time his father was stricken with blindness, and feeling that it was his duty to be near him he returned to his home and was near his father until 1891. In the latter year his father died.

For a few years he was engaged as a dealer in real estate, buying property near Chestnut Hill. He also managed a plantation of one thousand acres in Accomac county Virginia. It was located between Broadwater bay and Machipenga river. During this time the family remained at their Pennsylvania home but Mr. Titlow passed many pleasant days with the Virginians, and holds their memory as a delightful experience.

In 1898 he sold his Virginia estate and soon afterward purchased the farm of forty-seven acres on which he now lives. This was known as the Pennock farm.

A year after removing to Norriton township, his barn and all it contained, including Alderney cows, fine Virginia horses and other stock, was entirely destroyed by fire. He at once rebuilt it on a much larger and better scale.

In politics Mr. Titlow is a Democrat and is active in local contests. While a resident of Philadelphia he was a delegate to city conventions on various occasions and also served at different times as judge and inspector of elections. Although a Democrat all his life he could not conscientiously support William J. Bryan and the Chicago platform of 1896 and he accordingly cast his ballot at the presidential election for Palmer, the straight Democratic nominee. In Montgomery county politics Mr. Titlow has represented his party in county conventions at different times and in February, 1903, he was elected supervisor of the eastern district of Norriton.

Hiram Titlow (father) was born in the old township of Bristol, in the twenty-second ward

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of Philadelphia, October 14, 1824, and lived there until, as mentioned above, he removed to Springfield township. He was a farmer, as was his father before him, the latter being also a drover. Hiram Titlow was a stanch Democrat of the Jacksonian type. He was an attendant, though not a member of the Presbyterian church. He married Sarah, daughter of Henry and Sarah Earnest, old residents of Springfield township. Their children are: Jacob R., supervisor of Norriton; Sarah E., who married J. Milton Brooke, represented elsewhere in this work: and Emma B. and Blanche, both unmarried, and residing in Germantown.

Jacob Titlow (grandfather) was born August 7, 1787, in Lower Milford township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He married, January 16, 1810, Catharine Rush. She was born August 29, 1784. After his marriage they removed to Bristol township and went on the farm inherited by his wife from her father, John Rush, a wealthy Philadelphian. Their children were: Susan, who married Henry Benner; Mary Ann, who died unmarried; Jacob J., who married Abigail Bullock: Daniel, who married Susan Revel; and Hiram, father of Jacob R. Titlow.

George Titlow (great-grandfather) was a native of France and was born close to the German frontier. He was a soldier and came with the French army to America to assist the colonists under General Washington in the Revolutionary war. He had married a German woman prior to his enlistment. The war over he sent to France for his wife and settled in Lower Milford, Bucks county, where he cleared a farm on which he spent the remainder of his days. Their children were: Jacob, Abraham, John, David, Joseph, Hannah, and another daughter who married a Mr. Knox.

Jacob R. Titlow married, March 15, 1881, Esther, daughter of John R. and Elizabeth (Pierson) Unruh. Mrs. Titlow was born at Milestown, in Philadelphia, September 14, 1856.

John R. Unruh (her father) was born in Germantown, February 1, 1819. His father was a farmer and owned the farm on which John R. was born. The Unruh family, as their name indicates, are of German origin but have been residents of Germantown and vicinity for a great many years. John R. grew to manhood on the home farm and became a farmer by actual experience. He was a director of the public schools. After his marriage to Miss Pierson he resided on farms as a tenant until 1884, when he purchased land at Jarrettown, located on the Limekiln pike, about thirteen miles from Philadelphia, where he resided until his death, in October, 1894. He was a Republican in politics though he never sought or held office. In religious faith he was a Methodist from the time he was nineteen years of age.

In 1867 he was licensed as a local preacher, his wife being also a member of that denomination. He was buried in Ivy Hill cemetery at Mount Airy. Their children were four, as follows: Emma L., unmarried, who resides with her sister at Hooverton; Esther and Adeliza (twins), who were born September 14, 1856, and Adeliza died in infancy; and John Wesley, who also died in infancy.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob R. Titlow have two children: J. Wilbur, born April 28, 1882; and Edith W., born W., born February 1, 1884.

 

 

WILLIAM TAGGART, a resident of Norristown, is the son of Assemblyman Austin L. Taggart. He was born in Whitemarsh township, on the Taggart farm, located near Fort Washington. The family removed to Upper Merion soon after his birth and Wm. Taggart was reared in that township. He received a public school education, and learned farming in the most practical way possible, by actual experience in the daily routine of farm life under the supervision of his father.

He married, April 4, 1894, Elizabeth McLean, daughter of the late John McLean. After his marriage he took up his residence in Norriton township and rented farms until 1896, when he purchased the James McIntyre farm, a short distance north of the Norristown Hospital for the Insane, and adjoining the farm belonging to that institution. He still owns the property. He operated this farm for about seven years, when he decided to remove to Norristown, for the benefit of his children in connection with their education. He removed from the farm, April 1, 1903, taking up his residence on Stanbridge street, Norristown. He is engaged in hauling and does a very extensive business, being the owner of a large number of horses, wagons, carts, doing contract and other work of this kind.

In politics Mr. Taggart is an active Republican, although he has never sought public position. His children: Margaret Sinclair, born June 11, 1895; Martha Lee, born October 18, 1897; Austin Lee, born October 13, 1898; Elizabeth McLean, born February 6, 1903.

Austin L. Taggart, the father, was twice married, his first wife being Sarah Rudy and his second wife Hannah Supplee. He was born November 21, 1836, in Tamaqua, Pennsylvania. He died in 1893 while serving his fourth term in the lower branch of the state legislature.

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EDGAR MATHEWS, burgess of Royersford, is prominently identified with the interests of the borough. He was born in Leeds, England, January 3o, 1862. His parents coming to this country when he was a child, he was reared and educated in Bucks county, Pennsylvania, receiving a common school training. Mr. Mathews is the son of Abram and Hannah (Chew) Mathews, both of England, who came to America in 1868, landing at New York and remaining there nearly a year, and then coming to Philadelphia.

Abram Mathews (father) was by trade a heater in a rolling mill. He found employment at Nicetown, remaining there about a year, and then buying a farm in Bucks county, near Sellersville, remained there until 1899, when he sold the farm and removed to Royersford, and has lived there since retired. Mr. Abram Mathews was formerly a Democrat, but is now a Republican.

In Bucks county he filled the offices of justice of the peace and auditor, but never aspired to higher political honors. He is a member of the Lutheran church, as is also his wife. He is a man above the average in height, and, being of a strong constitution, is a hard worker. He is social in his tastes and is excellent company; charitable to the needy and affectionate in disposition, but stern in discipline, although a kind father. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mathews are well preserved and hearty. They enjoy the fruits of a well spent life.

In his native country Mr. Abram Mathews followed his trade of heater and on coming to America had little difficulty in finding employment at remunerative wages. The work being hot and laborious, he decided to abandon that and buy a farm, which he did, and became a practical and successful farmer. Wherever he has lived he has commanded the respect and confidence of all with whom he came in contact. Mr. and Mrs. Abram Mathews' children: John, died at the age of forty-four years, leaving a widow but no children; Abraham (deceased), unmarried; George, a resident of Philadelphia; Harry, who lives at Easton, Maryland; Edgar, subject of this sketch; Annie, unmarried; Fred, who resides at Alexandria, Virginia; Walter, a resident of Boston, Massachusetts; Herbert, who lives in San Francisco, and is foreman of a stove foundry.

Edgar Mathews, when he was six years old, removed with his parents to the Bucks county farm, where he remained until he was about eighteen years of age, and was then apprenticed to learn stove-moulding at Quakertown. He learned the trade, and when his apprenticeship was completed worked at different places. In 1885 he went to Royersford and secured employment with the Oliver Keely & Company, stove manufacturers, holding this position for nearly three years. After a trip through the country he was engaged with the Grander Stove Works, at Royersford, where he has held a position ever since. He is a practical and competent moulder, having given that business all his attention. He is an intelligent, energetic and reliable business man, and is well and favorably known. Every position he has held, whether public or private, he has filled creditably to himself and with satisfaction to all.

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In 1888, at Trenton, New Jersey, Mr. Mathews married Miss Dora Hartman. She was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1868. Mrs. Mathews is a lady of intelligence and culture. She is the daughter of Albert and Mary (Eppehimer) Hartman. Her father was of German descent; her mother a native of Chester county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Hartman was a printer by trade and died early in life. Some time after the death of Mr. Hartman, his wife married Andrew Anderson, of Chester county; he also dying leaving no children. Mrs. Anderson makes her home with her daughter, Mrs. Mathews, her only child.

Mary Eppeheimer was the daughter of George and Eliza (Ortlip) Eppeheimer, both of Chester county. The father was a son of Ephraim Eppeheimer, also of Chester county. Mrs. Anderson is the fourth generation from Germany. Ephraim was a mechanic and a consistent member of the Lutheran church. His children were: George, father of Mrs. Hartman; Jonas; John; Mary, who died unmarried in old age.

George Eppeheimer was born in Pottstown in 1809. He was a tailor by trade, which occupation he followed for half a century. During his business life he resided many years at Parkerford, where he died in 1879 in his seventy-first year. He was widely known and highly respected. Politically he was a Whig and Republican.

His wife preceded him in death, passing away in 1875 aged fifty-eight years. She was the daughter of Henry Ortlip, of an old family of Chester county. Her father was a farmer and hotel-keeper and operated the old Ortlip Mill many years. He never aspired to political honors. Mr., Ortlip's children were: Rachel (Mrs. Buckwalter); Andrew; Henry; Eliza (Mrs. Eppeheimer); Mary; Julia (Mrs. J. D. Teany); Osman, served in the rebellion; Abram, also a veteran.

George Eppeheimer's children: Henry, of Spring City; William, killed by an explosion of a steamboat on the Delaware river; Mary (Mrs. A. Hartman); Frank and Howard, residents of Royersford; Addison, postmaster of Royersford. George Eppeheimer was a Lutheran and his wife a German Baptist.

Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Mathews' children are: Charles H., born July 10, 1891; Edgar, born October 21, 1893. Mrs. Mathews is a member of the Baptist church, and also of the Masonic Ladies Society. He belongs to the Improved Order of Red Men, and is treasurer of the Iron Moulders' Union. He is president of the Royersford Fire Company. Mr. Mathews is an earnest, active and influential Republican. He is recognized as a power in local and county politics. He served for five years in the town council of Royersford, being president of that body. In the spring of 1903, he was elected burgess. His name has frequently been mentioned in connection with the Republican nomination for sheriff of Montgomery county, and he was nominated for that office June 28, 1904. He is a member of the Elks at Pottstown, Pennsylvania.

 

 

JACOB S. JOHNSON, proprietor of the Weekly Advertiser, of Royersford, was born in Upper Providence township, December 12, 1863. He was reared on a farm until eleven years of age, and educated in the common schools. He is the son of Abram and Catherine (Warner) Johnson.

Abram Johnson (father) was the son of Jacob Johnson, also a farmer, and of German descent. Jacob Johnson's children were: Harry; Abram (father); Joseph; Thomas; Abner; and Elizabeth (Mrs. Cresinger). The parents, both deceased, were Mennonites in religious faith.

Abram Johnson was reared and yet resides near Trappe. He spent most of his life as a farmer, being also engaged in the stock business, being a drover and shipper of cattle, which he sold to the farmers of that vicinity. He is now retired from active business. Politically he is a Republican, and filled several minor offices, but never aspired to higher political honors. There have been no deaths as yet in his immediate family. Mrs. Johnson is a daughter of Mr. Warner, a highly respected citizen, whose children are Jacob, retired: Catherine (mother of Jacob S. Johnson). Abram Johnson's children are three, as follows: Annie (Mrs. J. Fronefield); Jennie (Mrs. C. U. Bean); and Jacob S. Johnson, the subject of this sketch.

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The last named was born and reared at Trappe. When eighteen he learned the printing trade with Ellwood S. Moser, of the Collegeville Independent, and later was employed in Norristown, in the same line, where he continued until 1890, when he established himself in Royersford at his present place of business.

Mr. Johnson's paper, the Weekly Advertiser, has been a success, he having given all his attention to it, and made it a popular advertising medium in that part of the country. He also does an extensive line of job printing for distant customers and those at home.

 

On July 11, 1890, he married Miss Carrie Beideman, born in 1867. She is the daughter of Henry and Louisa (Kline) Beideman, Henry being born in Chester county, and Louisa in Berks county, Pennsylvania. Her father is now and has been for many years chief of police in Royersford. Mr. Beideman is a Republican and is well known and highly respected by the community in which he lives. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Beideman are: Carrie, wife of Jacob S. Johnson; Mazie (Mrs. J. Crothers); Clayton, a glass-blower; Florence, Lottie and John. Mrs. Beideman and her children are members of the Reformed church.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob S. Johnson have one son, Lloyd, born on November 14, 1891. Mrs. Johnson is a member of the Reformed church. Mr. Johnson is a member of the Knights of the Golden Eagle, of the Junior Mechanics, and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is also a member of the Volunteer Fire Company of Royersford.

 

 

U. S. G. FINKBINER, the principal insurance, real estate and general business agent of Royersford, is descended from two of the old settled families of Chester county- the Finkbiners and the Brownbacks. He was born in that county on September 22, 1865. He was reared in Spring City until he was about seventeen years of age, attending school, educated in a common school and business course.

Mr. Finkbiner is the son of David and Margaret S. (Brownback) Finkbiner. David Finkbiner was the son of Jesse Finkbiner, whose wife was a Miss Rambo. Jesse Finkbiner was the son of Jacob Finkbiner, who was the founder of the family in this country. The Finkbiners are of German descent. Jesse Finkbiner was a merchant at Spring City, being one of the best known citizens of the place. He lived retired the latter part of his life. His children: David (father); Margaret (Mrs. L. Shingle); Mary (Mrs. D. S. Taylor). He and his family were members of the Lutheran church. Jesse was a Whig and, later, a Republican in politics. He was a justice of the peace for many years, and a prominent man in his community.

David Finkbiner was reared in Chester county, where in early life he followed the occupation of a miller. Later he became a merchant, and still later a brick manufacturer. The latter part of his life he was interested in a stove factory, being a member of the stove firm of Floyd Wells & Company at Royersford. He was a justice of the peace and transacted much business in the neighborhood in which he lived, being recognized as an influential member of the community. He was active in politics, being a leading Republican. He held several positions of importance, including membership in town council. In religious faith he was a Lutheran.

David Finkbiner died June 20, 1893. His wife survives him, being a resident of Philadelphia. She is the daughter of Edward Brownback, who was a brother of Garret Brownback's father, and a descendant of the first Garret Brownback, who came to America in 1683 and married Mary Papin, a granddaughter of William Rittenhouse, the ancestor of so many residents of Pennsylvania and adjacent states. He it was who established the first paper mill in America at Germantown, in 1690. Garret Brownback acquired a large tract of land in Chester county, and founded the Reformed church which still bears the name, Brownback's. The children of Edward Brownback were: Lucetta, married twice, her first husband being Setzler, and her second Garber; Uriah; Edward, Jr.; Stephen, died young; Mary R. (Mrs. Walton) and, by second marriage, the wife of Rev. Mr. Sampson; Edith (Mrs. Vanleer by first marriage, Mrs. Fright by second); Louis; Minnie, the wife of Rev. Mr. Swindells; Margaret S. (mother).

The children of David and Margaret Finkbiner: Ida (Mrs. Waitneight and by second marriage,

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Mrs. M. A. Kiser); U. S. G., subject of this sketch; Lillie C. (Mrs. W. Schlichter); Oliver B., of Spring City; Sadie E., unmarried; Edwin B., engaged in the coal business, in Clearfield county.

U. S. G. Finkbiner, after receiving a liberal education, accepted at seventeen years of age a position in the Union National Bank of Philadelphia, remaining there three years, and being employed in various capacities. At the organization of the Royersford National Bank in 1886, Mr. Finkbiner was elected cashier of that institution, which position he held until June 10, l901. He then purchased the business of David Springer, who died very suddenly, and has since been engaged in the real estate, insurance and kindred business. He is also a notary public. Mr. Finkbiner is doing a large business.

Mr. Finkbiner has been twice married; on September 26, 1889, to Miss Mary A. Schlichter, who was born July 24, 1868. She was the daughter of Ephraim and Susan (Lord) Schlichter, she of Maryland, and he of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. Both her parents are yet living, in Lower Providence township. The father is a blacksmith and farmer. Prior to her marriage, Mrs. Finkbiner was a school teacher for a number of years. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim Schlichter: Mary (Mrs. Finkbiner) and others.

The children of U. S. G. and Mary Finkbiner (first wife): David E., born July 14, 1890; Rachel M., born November 13, 1895; Charles S. C., born March 15, 1898. Mrs. Finkbiner died November 1, 1898.

Mr. Finkbiner married (second wife), February 19, 1901, Sarah E., widow of George Kehl, she having no children by the first marriage. Mrs. Finkbiner is the daughter of Aaron C. and Mrs. Freed, he the proprietor of the hotel at Royersford. Mr. and Mrs. Finkbiner have two children, Aaron C. F., born March 3, 1902, and Edwin Burdette, born December 11, 1903. In religion, Mr. and Mrs. Finkbiner are both members of the Lutheran church. He is a member of the Masonic order, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Knights of the Golden Eagle. Mr. Finkbiner is the superintendent of the Lutheran Sunday school and member of the church council and has been president of the Luther League of Montgomery county. He is secretary of the Home Water Company of Royersford, and of the Keystone Building and Loan Association of that place and one of the trustees of the free public library. In politics he is an active Republican, taking a deep interest in all public questions, local, state and national. He was one of the originators of the water company, as well as of other public improvements, and has always shown himself an enterprising, energetic and public-spirited citizen and businessman, doing all that is possible to promote the progress and prosperity of Royersford.

 

 

DANIEL J. SPRINGER was born at the family homestead near Royersford, October 17, 1859. He was reared on the farm, spending his youth partly in agricultural pursuits and partly in obtaining an education in the public schools of the vicinity. He also attended school a short time in Norristown. He was the son of Daniel E. and Mary A. (Schwenck) Springer, who lived in Montgomery county. He died in September 1895, and she February 14, 1903 She was a member of the Lutheran church; he was not attached to any religious denomination, but was a strictly moral and worthy man. He was the son of Daniel Springer, an early resident of Chester county. He was of German descent.

Daniel E. Springer was reared in Chester county, and when young drove mules on the Schuylkill canal. Later he learned the saddlery trade, and followed it some years, during which time he married. Later in life he engaged in farming in Montgomery county. He then went to Morgantown and established a mercantile business, pursuing it two years. He then returned to Montgomery county and engaged in farming for a few years, and then went into the timber business in Royersford, continuing for a number of years, after which he retired from active business. He was a builder and erected several fine blocks of houses in Royersford and owned considerable property; he also owned property in Spring City.

Politically he was a Republican and took an interest in all public questions. He served as burgess of Royersford two terms.

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He married Miss Mary A. Schwenck, a daughter of Daniel and Mary (Stettler) Schwenck, descendants of a well known Montgomery county family. Daniel Schwenck was born and reared in Frederick township, where he married, and removed to the farm near Royersford in 1831. He purchased the farm from John Winter, and remained there seventeen years, and in 1848 purchased a hotel property at Royersford; the building thereon erected has since been converted into the Philadelphia and Reading Railway station. He conducted the hotel and also engaged in the mercantile business. The hotel included the railway ticket office and post-office, and the store, also. The mail was distributed in the hotel and handed over the bar. Included in his purchase was seventeen acres of land on which he later erected a commodious stone residence, which was since constructed into a hotel, where he spent his remaining days and died in November, 1859.

 

Politically he was a Whig and Republican, but never aspired to political honors. He was a member of the Lutheran church. His widow died in 1863. She was the daughter of Henry Stettler. Mr. and Mrs. Schwenck's children are: Elizabeth (Mrs. R. Springer); Henry; William; Mary (Mrs. Daniel E. Springer); and Daniel, who died when very young.

The children of Daniel E. and Mary Springer Reuben, died and left six children; Daniel J. (subject of this sketch); David L., deceased, leaving a widow; Mary and Anna, died unmarried; Kate (Mrs. W. C. Williams); William, unmarried; Horace, died unmarried: Estella (Mrs. H. L. Neiman).

Daniel J. Springer remained with his parents, assisting his father in his business and on the farm until he reached manhood. After his father's death he went to Royersford and followed the trade of polisher for two years and more recently engaged in the livery business. Mr. Springer is a Republican in politics. He is a member of Royersford town council.

In April, 1903, he married Miss Sarah B. Daub, daughter of Harry and Myra Daub. Her father was a prominent farmer. He died at his homestead farm; his wife survives and resides with her daughter, Mrs. Springer. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Daub were: Samuel B., a veterinarian; Louis, a tinsmith, at Linfield; Benjamin, a telegrapher; Daniel; Sarah, wife of Mr. Springer; Myra (Mrs. J. B. Yerkes) a hatter residing in Philadelphia. The parents of Mrs. Springer were Lutherans.

 

 

HON. HENRY K. BOYER, ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives, ex-State Treasurer, and ex-Superintendent of the United States Mint at Philadelphia, was born at Evansburg, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, February 19, 1850.

The first ancestor of the Boyer family in America was of French Huguenot stock, and came to Pennsylvania during the colonial days. A large number of his descendants followed the trade of blacksmith, while others were farmers and mechanics. Jacob Boyer (great-grandfather) was a resident of Chester county, Pennsylvania. Henry Boyer (grandfather), a native of Montgomery county, followed the trade of a blacksmith during his active life, but spent his declining years with a son at Mont Clare, where he died. He was a Jeffersonian Democrat, but never aspired to political notoriety. He married Elizabeth Dull, whose Huguenot ancestors emigrated to this country in the earliest colonial times. Their children were: Manassah, a blacksmith by trade; Charles, and Ephraim D. Boyer.

The father of Mrs. Elizabeth (Dull) Boyer was a son of Christian Dull, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and was killed at the battle of German town. Mr. Dull (father)resided near Mont Clare, where he owned and managed a farm on scientific principles. It was known as the ornamental farm, was beautiful in many ways, and all of his attention was given to its cultivation. He resided on the same up to the time of his death. He was a member of the Lutheran church. He married Elizabeth Essick and the following named children were born: Mary, unmarried; Margaret, unmarried; Catharine, unmarried; Elizabeth (Mrs. Henry Boyer); Sarah (Mrs. F. Coates): Hannah (Mrs. Rev. John Davis), her husband being a Presbyterian minister; Theresa (Mrs. Samuel Custer); Charles, a stationery, and paper merchant in Philadelphia.

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Ephraim D. Hover (father) was born in Limerick township, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. He was reared on a farm, chose the trade of blacksmith, and after his marriage became the village blacksmith at Evansburg, where he had a comfortable home, and where he died. His wife, Rebecca (Kline) Boyer, a native of Montgomery county, and a descendant of a German ancestry, bore him two children Matilda (Mrs. J. Espenship), and Henry K., mentioned hereinafter Gabriel Kline, father of Mrs. Hover, was a prominent farmer and innkeeper at Trappe, on the Philadelphia and Reading turnpike, his place of business being a widely known and popular hostelry, where now stands a farm house. At this inn he entertained all comers, among them statesmen, clergymen, professional men, farmers on their way to market, teamsters, and others of the traveling public. It was at this house that the name of the town (now borough) of Trappe, originated. He married a Miss Croll, and their children were: Sarah (Mrs. J. Espenship); Sophia, died unmarried; Henry, a bachelor; Kitty (Mrs. Longstreth); and Rebecca, aforementioned as the wife of Ephraim D. Boyer. The Croll family are among the best known. residents of the upper section of Montgomery county. The name is variously spelled as follows: Krull, Crull, Croll, Kroll, Crall, and Krall.

Henry K. Boyer is a combination of French Huguenot and Pennsylvania German stock. He early developed qualities of leadership in politics which soon made him prominent in public life. He was educated in the public schools and in Freeland Seminary, now Ursinus College, at Collegeville, in the vicinity of which he was reared. At the age of sixteen he became teacher of a district school in the neighborhood of his hone, and later went to Philadelphia, where he became teacher of a classical academy in that city, and subsequently taught school in the Quaker settlement of Byberry.

He then accepted the position of principal of the grammar school at Kaighn's Point, Camden, New Jersey, he having been granted a grammar school teachers' certificate when only eighteen years of age. He remained in New Jersey until 1871, when he registered as a law student in the office of Benjamin Harris Brewster, late attorney-general of the United States under President Arthur. He was but twenty-three years of age when admitted to the Philadelphia bar in the fall of 1873. He confined his attention more especially to civil cases.

In the meantime Mr. Boyer had transferred his voting place from Montgomery county to the seventh ward of Philadelphia. His growing inclination for public affairs led him in the spring of 1882 to attend a meeting of Republicans, of which Edwin S. Stuart was chairman, preparatory to choosing delegates for the state convention which nominated General James A. Beaver for governor. He was announced as a candidate for delegate from the seventh ward, and secured a very complimentary vote, although not elected. He was a candidate for member of the state house of representatives in the fall of that year, and was elected by a handsome majority, which was largely increased in 1884 and again in 1886.

As a member of the legislature of Pennsylvania Mr. Hover at once took a very prominent position, having a large share in framing the revenue act of 1885. Other important legislation to the success of which he contributor included the board of health law, the Bullitt charter for Philadelphia, and the medical examiners' bill, all of which were vigorously advocated by him. He offered the amendment to the Bullitt bill that postponed the operation of the new charter until the termination of Mayor Smith's term.

At thirty-seven years of age Mr. Boyer was unanimously nominated in the Republican canons for speaker of the house of representatives at the session of 1887, and his election was made unanimous after the formality of the Democratic members voting for their two candidates had been completed. At the close of his term as speaker, members of both parties testified that his rulings had always been fair and just, that he had displayed rare knowledge and ability as a parliamentarian, and that even when the partisan spirit ran high and controversy was acrimonious, he wielded the gavel of the speaker with justice and impartiality to all. A compliment that had not been bestowed on anyone since the adoption of the new constitution of Pennsylvania in 1874 was given to Mr. Boyer in his re-election to the speakership in 1889, the caucus nomination again being unanimous.

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At the end of his second term as speaker he enjoyed a repetition of the compliments paid to him two years previously, not only by his party friends, but also by his political opponents. The Republican state convention that year nominated him unanimously for state treasurer, and though it was an off year in politics, with Mr. Boyer the only candidate on the state ticket, his majority at the polls was 60,926.

During his term as state treasurer Mr. Boyer became the author of the revenue act of 1891, a very important piece of financial legislation, through whose agency the state treasury has been constantly replenished without imposing any undue burden upon the farmers and other real estate owners of the commonwealth. This statute, which is the law of today, was passed without the aid of a conference committee. It made possible the appropriation yearly of $5,500,000 to the schools, and has ever since provided ample revenue.

Retiring from the office of state treasurer in May, 1892, Mr. Boyer was returned as a member of the house of representatives at Harrisburg in November of that year. When the legislature met he was made chairman of the ways and means committee, the leading house committee.

In Mr. Quay's contest for the state chairmanship against B. F. Gilkison, Mr. Boyer espoused the case of Senator Quay. He succeeded Frank Willing Leach at the head of the executive committee of the state organization, holding that position until Mr. Quay and his lieutenants agreed that the one man to be at the helm in the capitol during the legislative session of 1897 was the ex-speaker. Mr. Elkin was elected chairman of the state committee, and Mr. Boyer was again elected representative from the seventh ward of Philadelphia in the fall of 1896, and having carried the caucus unanimously was elected speaker of the house the following years in spite of the fight between Wanamaker and Quay, this making his third election to that place, an honor never before conferred upon any man.

In the house and senate caucus for the Republican nomination for United States senator, Mr. Boyer made the speech putting in nomination Hon. Bories Penrose, present senior senator. Other honors awaited Mr. Boyer. He was given the appointment of superintendent of the United States Mint at Philadelphia, and in order to accept this he resigned his membership in the legislature. He held the position during the construction of the new mint, which is equipped with all modern machinery, being the most complete money-making establishment in the world. When he manifested his desire to be released from the position it was no easy task to fill the place. He made three or four attempts to resign before he succeeded in having his resignation accepted by the President. He served four years in all, being relieved in 1902, since which time he has lived retired from the busy whirl of politics. His services were sought in every position which he has filled, his experience illustrating very fully the idea of the office seeking the man and not the man the office.

He has made several investments in real estate near his old home, purchasing the old Perkiomen Bridge Hotel and twenty-two acres of land. He has also bought farm lands from time to time, adding to his original holdings. He commenced with forty-one acres known as the Fry farm, having in his possession deeds continuously transferring the title from 1722 to the present time (1904). His farm now contains one hundred and sixty-seven acres. He has remodeled the farm buildings, adding to them a large barn with many modern conveniences, it being a model structure equipped with modern machinery for all purposes, operated by a gasoline engine. Everything about Mr. Boyer's property is up-to-date, his farm implements being of the most improved kind. He has built a model

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creamery equipped with all the modern requirements, and has given much attention to the improvement of his dairy stock, having a large herd of cows, a number of which are thoroughbred Guernsey’s. He has one of the best and most fertile farms in the state of Pennsylvania. He has planted many forest and other trees, and has left nothing undone that is needed to bring his farm up to the standard of perfection attainable in that direction. Quiet and unobtrusive in his manners, he has strong social inclinations, causing his company to be much sought after and enjoyed. In his school clays he was exceedingly apt in mathematics, and later he devoted himself to the study of literature and history. He displayed his knowledge of English literature in an address to the literary societies at the commencement at Ursinus College (his alma mater), in 1887. The faculty met immediately afterward and conferred upon him the degree of Master of Arts.

In 1871, shortly after attaining his majority, he was made a Mason in Trimble Lodge, No. 117, F. & A. M., Camden, New Jersey. He served in all the offices from junior deacon up, and thus became a past master by merit, and a member of the grand lodge of New Jersey. About the year 1880 he was demitted and became a member of Philates Lodge, No. 527, at Philadelphia. Mr. Boyer is fond of fishing, gunning and other out door sports.

 

 

GEORGE W. BOWMAN, banker, of Royersford, is a descendant of an old Pennsylvania family. He was born in Waterloo county, Province of Ontario, Canada, September 30, 1850. He was reared on a farm and educated in the common schools of the vicinity, in the Toronto Normal School, and in the scientific department of the University of Toronto. He taught public schools for fifteen years in Canada, and then received a call to the chair of natural science in Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pennsylvania, where he taught ten years, during which time he received the degree of A. B. from the Northwestern University, of Illinois, in 1887; that of Doctor of Philosophy, at Otterbein University, Ohio, in 1891.

In 1892 Mr. Bowman retired from teaching and removed to Royersford, and assisted in organizing the Home National Bank and the Industrial Savings Bank, which have been merged into the Royersford Trust Company, which he also assisted in organizing. Mr. Bowman has been cashier from the time of the organization of the institution. The officers have been mostly the same from the first, and the institution has been very successfully managed.

Mr. Bowman is the son of Noah and Lydia (Clemens) Bowman, both of Canada. Noah Bowman (father) is the son of Jonathan L. and Polly (Snyder) Bowman. The Snyders were of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and of German descent. The immigrant, Jacob Snyder, was born in the Palatinate, Germany, in 1727. He came to America when a mere lad and settled in Lancaster county, and married, when about twenty years of age, Maria Hershey. He was the father of fifteen children from whom sprang the Snyder family. His son, Jacob, was the great-grandfather of Mr. Bowman. This Jacob Snyder, the seventh child of the immigrant, married Mary, daughter of Christian and Mary Erb.

He was born in 1764 and went with a colony to Canada in 1806, being a leader in the Pennsylvania German settlement in that province. He died there in February 1853. He was a good financier and businessman and became possessed of large tracts of land. Each of his children was given a large farm, and many of the Snyders yet live there, being among the prominent families of that province of Canada.

The children of Jacob Snyder: Christian J.; Nancy (Mrs. Benjamin W. Bowman); Jacob Jr.; Polly (maternal grandmother, Mrs. Jonathan B. Bowman); Benjamin; John; Elizabeth, never married; Susana (Mrs. Jacob P. Shantz); Magdalena (Mrs. Levi L. Bechtel); Henry.

Jonathan B. Bowman (grandfather) was the son of Rev. Joseph Bowman, and Joseph was the son of Christian Bowman, and Christian was the eldest son of Wendell Bowman, who was born in Switzerland in 1681. When he was seventeen years of age he emigrated to Holland, whence, early in the seventeenth century, he came to America.

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He arrived in Philadelphia in the year 1709, being one of a number who settled on Pequa Creek, in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania. They purchased a large tract of land where Wendell Bowman had a deed for four hundred acres. He reared a family of seven sons and one daughter. His children were: Christian; Peter; John; Jacob; Michael; Benjamin; Joseph; and Magdalina. Joseph Bowman (great-grandfather) was born in Berks county in 1766. He married Mary Baer. He was a minister in the Mennonite church. In May 1816, he moved to Canada. Some of the members of his family have been members of the Canadian parliament. His children: Elizabeth (Mrs. C. Burkholder); Salvina (Mrs. Henry Weber); Jonathan (grandfather); Mary (Mrs. Joseph Snyder); Christian; Joseph; John; Samuel B.; Judith (Mrs. Jacob Bricker); Leah (Mrs. David Snyder); Wendell; Benjamin B. The family were mostly Mennonites in faith.

Jonathan Bowman was the first justice of the peace of Waterloo county, and received a token from the governor general of Canada, a fine silver snuff-box, lined with gold. He was a very useful man in his day, giving legal advice and writing legal papers. He was urged to become a candidate for parliament, but declined, preferring to remain in the walks of private life. His children: Mary (Mrs. Isaac Winger), her husband being a very wealthy merchant; Noah (father); John S., died in 1903, aged eighty-one years; Jacob S., yet living; Samuel S.; Saloma S. (Mrs. George H. Clements); Levi S., of Michigan; Joshua, a merchant; Menno S., of Riverside, California, and judge of the orphan court.

The children of Noah and Lydia Bowman George W.; Rachel (Mrs. Rev. John E. Lynn; Clemens D., who resides at the old homestead, and by profession a civil engineer, being often employed by the Ontario government; Byron C., a druggist at Dolgeville, New York.

Noah Bowman died at the Canadian homestead on May 4, 1886. He was born February 26, 1820. His wife survives and resides in Canada. She was the daughter of Abraham S. Clemens, who was born near Lederachsville, in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, March 7, 1790. Abraham Clemens and family removed to Canada in 1825, and located in the German settlement. He was a descendant of Gerhard Clemens, son of Jacob Clemens, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1709 and settled in Skippack township, Montgomery County Pennsylvania.

The children of Abraham Clemens: Abraham D.; Mary (Mrs. B. Bowman); Jacob; Amos; Susana (Mrs. Moses Bowman); Veronica, died young; Lydia A. (mother); and George H.

George Bowman married, in Canada, Miss E. Woodward, daughter of Milton and Roxilia (Smith) Woodward. Milton Smith was a farmer. He died at his home in Canada, in 1878. He stood high in his community. His children Aba Woodward, of the state of Washington; Lyman, a merchant residing in Canada; Asa, of Michigan; Horace, deceased; Lance, died unmarried; Harriet (Mrs. E. Smith); Elisheba (Mrs. George W. Bowman). The children of Mr. and Mrs. George W. Bowman are: Maurice W., born February 13, 1868, a druggist, and engaged in business in Germantown; Ida, born November 1, 1871, wife of Arthur E. Richards, a grocer of Royersford. Mrs. Bowman died September 30, 1877.

In February, 1879, Mr. Bowman married (second wife) Miss Mary Bowman, a distant relative, born in Canada in 1850. She is the daughter of Samuel S. and Levia (Shantz) Bowman, she of Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, and he of Canada. Samuel S. Bowman was a prominent farmer. He died in Canada in 1902.

Samuel S. Bowman's children: Mary (Mrs. George W. Bowman); Nelson, of Canada; Leander, resides at the homestead farm and is a member of the county council of Waterloo county, Canada; Joanna (Mrs. John B. Shantz), residing in Buffalo, New York.

The children of George W. and Mary Bowman: Evelyn N., born April 1, 1883; and a boy that died in infancy.

Mr. Bowman is a Republican in politics. He is president of the Royersford school board; treasurer of the borough. He and his family are Methodists in religious faith, he being superintendent of the Sunday-school. He is an influential and honored member of the community in which he lives, taking an active interest in public affairs, and being in every respect a model citizen.

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REV. ALLEN MYERS FRETZ, pastor of Zion Mennonite church, at Souderton, Pennsylvania, is a native of Tinicum township, Bucks county, Pennsylvania, and was born December 12, 1853. He is the son of Ely and Mary Meyers) Fretz.

Ely Fretz (father) was the oldest son of Christian and Mary (Leatherman) Fretz. He was born September 9, 1825, in Bedminster, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. His wife, Mary Meyers, born October 18, 1830, in Pipersville, Pennsylvania, was the daughter of William and Barbara (Schimmel) Meyers, who were members of the new school or General Conference Mennonites, whose church is at Deep Run, Mr. Meyers being one of the organizers of the church in 1849, and for many years its deacon. Ely Fretz is a prosperous farmer, and for many years a director of the Sellersville National Bank. He is a member of the new school Mennonite church at Deep Run, of which his son Allen is pastor. The couple have eight children.

Christian Fretz (grandfather) married Mary Leatherman. He was a prosperous farmer, and for many years a director of the Doylestown National Bank. He was the founder of Bedminsterville. In religious faith he was a Mennonite. He had four children.

Abraham (great-grandfather) married Magdalena Kratz, also of a very numerous Mennonite family, whose ancestor emigrated to America in 1727. Abraham Fretz was a farmer and a deacon in the Deep Run Mennonite church. He had ten children.

Christian Fretz (great-great-grandfather) married Barbara Oberholtzer. The couple were Mennonites. They had twelve children, and died at a good old age, honored and respected by all who knew them.

John Fretz (great-great-great-grandfather) and his brother Christian emigrated from near the city of Manheim, in the grand duchy of Baden, Germany, formerly known as the Palatinate, or Rhenish Prussia. Many Fretzes still live in the province of Alsace, on the opposite side of the Rhine, which was annexed to France in the year 1648, and again ceded to Germany after the Franco-Prussian war, in 1871. In more than two centuries the people of Alsace became French, although of German origin. John Fretz and his brother came to this country about 1715, possibly a few years earlier or later, as the exact date is not known. Driven from the fatherland on account of religious persecution, they were among the founders of the Mennonite church at Deep Run in 1746. John settled on the bank of the Tohickon creek, near the present Bedminsterville, Bucks county, Pennsylvania. He was one of the citizens who resided in Bedminster township at its organization in 1741.

The village of Bedminsterville was founded by his great-grandson, Christian Fretz. John Fretz was a farmer and weaver. Allen M. Fretz, the subject of this sketch, now owns the farm of Christian Fretz, his grandfather, on which he started building the village, while Allen's brother Mahlon owns part of the original farm of John Fretz. John Fretz, the immigrant, married Barbara, daughter of Hans Meyer, an ancestor of the numerous Meyer family in Montgomery county. He came to this country from Germany or Switzerland about the same time as the Fretz ancestors. Hans Meyer settled in Upper Salford township, Montgomery county, near the branch of the Perkiomen, about two miles east of Salfordville. The Meyers were Mennonites in their religious belief, and farmers by occupation. John and Barbara Fretz had five children, John, Jacob, Christian, Abraham and Elizabeth.

Rev. Allen Fretz was reared on the homestead at Bedminsterville, attending the public school at that place. For six months, from October, 1869, to April, 1870, he attended the Mennonite Seminary at Wadsworth, Ohio. He then attended one term at Excelsior Normal Institute at Carversville, Bucks county. He also attended one session at the West Chester State Normal School and taught school eleven terms, working during vacations on his father's farm.

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In 1883 the new school or General Conference Mennonite church at Deep Run called him to be its minister, and he was accordingly ordained by Elder Moses Gottschall, of Schwenksville, Montgomery county, on October 13, 1883, and formally installed as pastor of the church. On November 24, 1892, he was ordained by Elder William S. Gottschall, of Schwenksville, to the office of elder in full charge. He was elected pastor and elder in full charge of the Souderton church, on February 8, 1893, which position he still holds.

In politics Mr. Fretz is a Republican and Prohibitionist. He was nominated by the Republicans of Bucks county as a candidate for member of the lower house of the state legislature in 1882, but with the rest of the Republican ticket that year was defeated at the polls. He is opposed (as a Mennonite) to secret societies. He is a member and worker in the Christian Endeavor Society of the church of which he is the honored pastor. He is a member of the Pennsylvania organization of the National Christian Association, and was elected its president for 1904.

Rev. Mr. Fretz has been twice married. His first wife was Sallie, daughter of Abraham L. Leatherman, of Plumsteadville, Bucks county. She, with an infant child, died in March, 1882. His present wife is Anna, daughter of Jacob F. and Agnes (Wismer) Rittenhouse, of Campden, Ontario, Canada. The marriage was solemnized on March 5, 1884. Mrs. Fretz is a descendant of John Fretz, son of the immigrant, John Fretz.

He went to Canada in 1800, and was the first deacon of the Mennonite church in Canada. On the Rittenhouse side of her ancestry, Mrs. Fretz is descended from William Rittenhouse who came from Holland in 1683, and settled at Germantown, establishing the first paper mill in America on the bank of the Wissahickon, near that place, and was the first Mennonite minister in America, having been elected to that position in the Germantown church. The famous astronomer, David Rittenhouse, who observed the transit of Venus in 1769 from his farm in Norriton township, Montgomery county, was of the same family.

Mr. and Mrs. Fretz have six children as follows: Jacob Rittenhouse Fretz, born July 22, 1886, completed his studies at the Perkiomen Seminary, at Pennsburg ; Ely R. Fretz, born November 27, 1888; Viola R., born March 22, 1891; Allen R., born October 11, 1893; Agnes R., born August 18, 1896; Osmund Philemon, born March 22, 1899.