PETER S. BERGSTRESSER, county surveyor and teacher, was born in Lower Augusta township, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, November 2, 1836 son of Lot and Jemima (Snyder) Bergstresser. In 1848 his parents moved to Berrysburg, Dauphin county. Here he attended the Berrysburg Seminary; at the age of seventeen he commenced teaching at Reed's Station in Shamokin township, Northumberland county, and subsequently became a student and teacher at the West Chester Academy, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he remained two years, obtained a preparatory course, and fitted himself for Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, which institution he entered in 1858. In 1862 he was commissioned first lieutenant of Company I, One Hundred and Seventy- seventh Pennsylvania Volunteers, a nine months' regiment. After the expiration of his term of service, he taught one year, when he raised Company H, One Hundred and Ninety-second Pennsylvania Volunteers, and had command until the close of the war. In 1865 he re-entered Lafayette College and graduated in 1867. In 1868 he was elected to the legislature from Dauphin county, and in 1874 was appointed principal of the Lykens high school, where he remained seven years. In 1883 he received the appointment of principal of the Trevorton high school and superintendent of the township schools. In 1889 he was elected county surveyor, which position he now (1890) fills. Mr. Bergstresser is a member of Lincoln Post, G.A.R., of Shamokin, Trevorton Lodge, No. 528, I.O.O.F., and of Susquehanna Lodge, No. 364, F. & A.M., of Millersburg, Pennsylvania. He was married, November 3, 1868, to S. Jane, daughter of John D. Snyder, and by this union they are the parents of five living children: Una M.; Bertha S.; Alice O.; John L., and Roscoe K. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1227 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

SAMUEL A. BERGSTRESSER, hardware merchant, was born in Union county, Pennsylvania, December 26, 1816, son of John and Ann (Auchmuty) Bergstresser, of Scotch Presbyterian ancestry. His paternalgrandfather was Philip Bergstresser, a native of Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, a farmer by occupation, and a pioneer of Snyder county, where he died. His maternal grandparents were Samuel and Ann (McMahan) Auchmuty, who resided at Fisher's Ferry, Northumberland county, as early as 1772. Samuel Auchmuty was drafted in the war of the Revolution, in which he served four years, participating in the battles of Monmouth, Valley Forge, Long Island, Germantown, and elsewhere, under General Washington. He resided in this county until his death. John, father of our subject, was a millwright by trade. He settled at Fishers Ferry, this county, in 1817, and built a saw and grist mill, which he operated nine years. He then removed to Berrysburg, Dauphin county, and followed his trade in connection with farming up to his death in 1833. He was the father of ten children: Jacob; William; Mary, Mrs. Joseph Shipman; John; Lot; Phebe, Mrs. Jonathan Hoffman; Samuel A.; Hannah, Mrs. Daniel Rumbarger; Asa, and Julia, Mrs. A. B. Sprout, all deceased but Asa and Samuel A. The latter came to this county in 1817 with his parents, removed with them to Dauphin county in 1826, and returned to Northumberland county in 1834. He worked as a millwright until 1846; he then located at Elysburg, and embarked in the general merchandise business, which he successfully continued for twenty-three years. In 1870 he removed to Mt. Carmel and engaged in his present business; his son, Samuel B., has been associated with him since 1876. Mr. Bergstresser was married, June 9, 1846, to Elizabeth, daughter of John and Eleanor (De Witt) Case, of this county, by whom he had seven children, of whom two are living: James C., editor and proprietor of the Insurance World, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Samuel E. Mrs. Bergstresser died, April 27, 1869. January 16, 1872, he married Ann M., daughter of Dr. Joseph C. Robins, of Elysburg, Pennsylvania, who died, March 25,1873. Mr. Bergstresser is an elder in the Presbyterian church, of which he has been a member many years. In 1853 he represented Northumberland county in the legislature, and in 1860 he was a delegate to the national Republican convention at Chicago which nominated Abraham Lincoln for the presidency. Politically he has been a stanch Republican since the organization of the party. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1024 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

SAMUEL E. BERGSTRESSER is recognized as one of Mount Carmel's foremost and most progressive business men, being proprietor of a large hardware business and also being in the fire insurance business, representing several of the leading companies in the United States. He is a son of Samuel A. and Elizabeth (Case) Bergstresser. and was born in Elysburg, December 12, 1854. Our subject was educated in the common schools of Elysburg and in the academy at that place and also took a course in an Eastman National Business College, from which he graduated in the spring of 1873. He then worked as a clerk until the spring of 1875, and in August of that year he engaged in business with his father, the former having about five years previous removed to Mount Carmel and opened a hardware store. The business was unusually successful and our subject continued in it with his parent until 1882, when he branched out for himself, continuing the hardware line. He has since been actively engaged in that business and has made it one of the principal and largest mercantile interests of Mount Carmel. A handsome and substantial brick building on Oak street, 25x75 feet in dimensions and three stories high, is devoted entirely, to the very large and the constantly increasing business which, under Mr. Bergstresser's able management, has grown to be one of the most important and one of the largest concerns in Northumberland County. In addition to his original business our subject also is agent for nine of the leading and most representative fire insurance companies in the country, and he annually places many thousands of dollars of fire insurance, so satisfactorily and promptly does he adjust losses and so reliable are the companies he represents. Mr. Bergstresser was one of the organizers of and is now a director in the First National Bank of Mount Carmel; is a director in the Mount Carmel Water Company, of which he was an original member; was an organizer of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company, of which he is treasurer; a director of the Citizens' Building & Loan Association of Mount Carmel; also a director of the Mount Carmel Iron Works. Politically our subject long has been an ardent and an active Republican, although he never has cared to relax his attention to business sufficiently to accept office, so frequently as he might have done. He has served twelve years continuously on the board of school directors of Mount Carmel, taking especial interest in school work and doing much to advance the schools to their present high position among the schools of this state. Fraternally our subject is a prominent member of Mount Carmel Lodge, No. 378, F. & A. M.; Griscomb Chapter No. 219. R. A. M., and Prince of Peace Commandery No. 39, Knights Templar, of Ashland, Pa.; and a member of Washington Camp No. 231, P. O. S. of A., of Mount Carmel. On May 4, 1879, Mr. Bergstresser was united in marriage to Clara Keeler, daughter of Ralph Keeler of Northumberland County, and to them have been born seven children: Elizabeth E.; James L.; Florence Ethel; Clara B.; John Walter; Catharine K.; and Samuel A. The subject of this sketch, Samuel E. Bergstresser, comes of a family of pioneers in this state who lived useful and honorable lives in Eastern Pennsylvania, where they were among the earliest settlers. Samuel A. Bergstresser, the father of our subject, was born December 25, 1816, near Mifflinsburg, formerly in this county but now in Union County. He is a son of John and Ann (Auchmuty) Bergstresser. His paternal great-grandfather was John Jacob Bergstresser, a native of Germany, who came to this country in 1731 and settled in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Subsequently, with his three brothers, he removed to Union County, where they were among the earliest settlers. The paternal grandfather of Samuel A. Bergstresser, Philip Bergstresser, was a native of Montgomery County, this state, was a farmer by avocation, and died in Union County. The father of Mr. Bergstresser and the paternal grandfather of the subject of our sketch, John Bergstresser, was born in Union County, October 8, 1775, and resided in that county for a number of years. He removed to Dauphin County, Pa., where he died March 27, 1852. He was a millwright by trade and ran several saw and grist mills, building one at Fisher's Ferry in 1817, which he successfully operated for nine years. He served as captain of a company of American volunteers in the War of 1812. His wife. Ann Auchmuty, was a daughter of Samuel and Ann (McMahan) Auchmuty. Samuel Auchmuty was born near Selinsgrove, Pa., where he resided nearly all his life time. He served with the patriots in the War of the Revolution from 1776 to 1781. He was a private in Capt. Stephen Chambers' company of the 12th Regiment; was transferred to the 3d Regiment in July. 1778, and was discharged from the American Army January 25, 1781. John Bergstresser was the father of ten children, as follows: Jacob; William; Mary, wife of Joseph Shipman; John; Lot: Phebe, who became Mrs. Jonathan Hoffman; Samuel A., the father of our subject; Hannah, Mrs. Daniel Rumbarger; Asa; and Julia, Mrs. A. B. Sprout, all of whom are deceased excepting Samuel A. and Asa. Samuel A. Bergstresser, the esteemed father of the subject of this review, came to Northumberland County with his parents in 1817. He received some education in a subscription school, but, as his father died when he was quite young, he was obliged early in his youth to "paddle his own canoe." He learned the trade of millwright of his father and followed it for about twelve years in the vicinity of his home. In 1847 he took his modest savings and went to Elysburg, where he entered into business, opening a general store, which he conducted very successfully until 1870, a period of twenty-three years. He removed to Mount Carmel in 1870 and there engaged in general merchandising, soon possessing a large and very successful business. He continued as the active head of the business until 1873, when he practically retired, leaving the business in charge of his son, Samuel E., the subject of our sketch. In politics the father of our subject was originally a Whig, and naturally he was one of the organizers of the Republican party, with which he has been allied since its formation in 1856. In 1853-54 Mr. Bergstresser served as a member of the State Legislature for Northumberland County, and in 1860 he was a delegate in the Republican national convention at Chicago which nominated Lincoln for president. He has frequently served the borough as school director and councilman. He is an elder in the Presbyterian Church, of which he has been a member for over fifty years. He was one of the organizers of the First Presbyterian Church of Mount Carmel, which was organized July 10, 1887, being one of the first board of elders. He was a charter member of Elysburg Lodge No. 414, F. & A. M.; a member of Griscomb Chapter No. 219, R. A. M.; and Prince of Peace Commandery No. 39 of Ashland, Pa. The father of our subject has twice married. He first won as his bride Elizabeth Case, daughter of John Case of Montour County, Pa. To them were born seven children, four of whom died in infancy. These survived to youth: Ella, who died at the age of twenty-one years; James Calvin, who is the editor and proprietor of the Insurance World of Pittsburg; and Samuel E., the subject of this review. Mr. Bergstresser's second marriage was to Anna M. Robins, sister of Dr. Edwin S. Robins of Shamokin. To this marriage has been born one daughter, Annie, who died in her infancy. (Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY, 1899 , pg. 480 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JACOB F. BERLEW, who conducts a thriving business at No. 850 Susquehanna Avenue, in the Fifth ward of Sunbury, is a rising young merchant of that borough. He has had considerable experience in the line in which he is engaged, and has shown his ability to gain and hold trade by the most upright methods, being honest as well as enterprising. He was born in Sunbury Jan. 16, 1875, and is a member of the fourth generation of the Berlew family in Northumberland County. We give a brief account of the earlier generations, as far as recorded. Peter Berlew, great-grandfather of Jacob F. Berlew, was born in 1768 in New Jersey, and was one of the emigrants from that State who located in Lower Augusta Township, this county, some time after the Revolutionary war. He owned a tract of land in that Township on the north side of the Mahanoy mountains. He was a wood chopper and trapper, and so successful a hunter that he had a fence around his house made of the horns of deer he had killed. One day (about 1800) he shot eight deer in two hours on the spot where Trevorton is now located. He moved thither from Lower Augusta Township when Indians were still roving over the region, and lived at Trevorton until his death in the winter of 1855, at the ripe age of eighty-seven years. He is buried at the Methodist Church in Irish valley. According to tradition his wife was a Shipman and also from New Jersey. She died long before her husband, and is buried at the Mountain Presbyterian Church. They had a family of four children, namely: Ruth married Samuel Randall; Gilbert is mentioned below; David settled in Luzerne county, Pa., above Pittston; Polly married William Feaster, a brother of Phoebe Feaster, her brother Gilbert’s wife. Gilbert Berlew, son of Peter, was born Feb. 29, 1818, in Lower Augusta Township, and was seven years old when taken into the family of Squire Weiser, with whom he lived in Sunbury until he reached the age of twenty-one years. He had learned the trade of plasterer, which he followed at Trevorton, Shamokin and Ashland after he attained his majority until 1864, when he settled at Sunbury. He continued to live there until his death, in February, 1883, and is buried in the old cemetery on South Fourth Street, Sunbury. He was quite a prosperous plastering contractor, employing as many as ten men and doing a large business for that day. His wife, Phoebe (Feaster), was a daughter of Samuel Feaster, of Lower Augusta Township, and they were the parents of children, namely: Addison, Mary J., John, Angeline, Thomas, Norton, Elizabeth, Emanuel and Maria. Mr. Berlew and his family were Baptists. Thomas Berlew, son of Gilbert, was born Feb. 16, 1848, at Boyles Run, Northumberland County, and received a public school education at Trevorton, to which place his parents had removed when he was three years old At the age of seventeen he commenced to learn plastering from his father, and he has followed that trade all his life, being now the leading contractor in that line in Sunbury. He moved with his parents from Trevorton to Sunbury in 18864 and his work has been principally in and around the borough, though he has done considerable business in Shamokin. For a number of years he has had the most important contracts in his home place, having plastered the jail, the courthouse, the leading hotels, all the churches but two, and many other buildings. At times he has had as many as twenty men in his employ, but for a few years past he has been relinquishing heavy responsibilities. In 1869 Mr. Berlew married Catharine Felsinger, daughter of Michael and Charlotte (Knobel) Felsinger, of Sunbury, who came from Wurms, Germany, in 1851. Mr. and Mrs. Berlew have had four children: Lottie, now the wife of Charles Felton, of Sunbury; Jacob F.; John, of Philadelphia; and William, a merchant of Sunbury. Mr. Berlew and his family are members of the Baptist Church, in the work of which he has long been prominent, having served as trustee and librarian and, for thirty-five years, as member of the choir, having an excellent bass voice. Politically he is a Republican. Jacob F. Berlew received his education in the public schools of Sunbury, graduating from the high school in 1895. At an early age he began clerking for his father, and in 1892 became interested in the mercantile business on Market Street, where he was engaged for nine years. In 1903 he took a responsible position at Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Pa., with the large mercantile house of A. E. Troutman & Co., having charge of the dress goods and silks, and he remained with that concern until he entered the business on his own account in 1906, establishing himself at his present location in Sunbury. His store on Susquehanna Avenue has a frontage of 40 feet, and is 90 feet long. His stock is large and well assorted, and he gives employment to five clerks. Mr. Berlew’s enterprise and obliging traits have brought him an extensive custom, which he is striving to increase by the most commendable methods, and he has every prospect of a prosperous future. In addition to his mercantile business, he has the district agency for the Pullman motor car, 1911 models. He is a member of the Order of Moose, at Sunbury, and belongs to the Presbyterian Church. On Nov. 25, 1903, Mr. Berlew married Nellie Fox, daughter of Jacob Fox, of Greensburg, Pa., and they have had one daughter, Catharine. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 858 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JAMES H. BEST, a prosperous farmer and truck raiser of Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County, is a grandson of one of the pioneers of that Township and himself one of its intelligent and respected citizens. His son, Samuel D. Best, is established in business in the borough of Sunbury as a dealer in general merchandise. John Best, the first of this family of whom we have record, was born June 15, 1759, in New Jersey, probably in Hunterdon County, and was likely of Scotch descent. He had brothers James, William, Cornelius and Michael, and a half-brother, Daniel. On Nov. 2, 1784, he married Mary Haas, who was born May 10, 1767, in Germany, and it seems reasonable, though it is by no means certain, that both she and her husband were of foreign parentage. However, the emigration in either case or both May have taken place in an earlier generation. John and Mary (Haas) Best had children as follows: Mary, born June 6, 1788 (Mrs. Rush); John, April 3, 1791; James, April 23, 1794; Peter, May 13, 1797; WilliamMarch 27, 1800; Eleanor, Dec. 7, 1802 (Mrs. Bond); Jacob, April 11, 1804. This family gradually scattered, some settling in New York, others in Ohio, northern Indiana and southern Michigan. The parents both died in Pennsylvania, Mrs. Best April 24, 1822, Mr. Best in April, 1839. They are buried in the graveyard in Chillisquaque, Northumberland County. James Best son of John, born April 23, 1794, in Hunterdon County, N.J., was a pioneer in Chillisquaque Township, this County, where he settled in 1812 on a large farm now owned by one J. H. Work. He was a lifelong farmer. He died Sept. 17, 1847, and was first buried at Williamsport, his son John later interring his remains in Harmony cemetery at Milton, this County, where the Bests have a family plot. He was an Episcopalian in religious connection. His wife, Sarah (Kevitt), born June 26, 1790, was also a member of a New Jersey family, her father, Henry Kevitt having been born there Feb. 27, 1767; her mother, Catharine, was born Dec. 24, 1770. To James and Sarah (Kevitt) Best were born six children, as follows: Catharine Ann, born Oct. 10, 1817; John, Sept. 11, 1819; Mary E., Oct. 29, 1821; Henry K., Jan. 24, 1824; Jacob H., Oct. 8, 1826; Sarah Jane, Dec. 20, 1829 (who died in January, 1905, at the home of her nephew, James H. Best, in Chillisquaque Township). After the father’s death the mother of this family purchased a farm of seventy-six acres in Chillisquaque Township, which her son John conducted for her from 1851 until 1860. In 1855 she sold some of her land to the Sunbury & Erie Railway Company (now the Philadelphia & Erie Railway Company) for $525. She died in 1868, and is buried in the family plot in Harmony cemetery, at Milton. John Best son of James, born Sept. 11, 1819, at Riverside, Northumberland Co., Pa., moved thence with his parents to Lycoming County, this State, where the family settled on what was known as the Judge Grier farm. He received his early education in the common schools of that neighborhood and later attended a higher institution of learning at Williamsport, from which he was graduated. He acquired a very thorough literary training for that day. From early life he had been familiar with farm work, and he was thus engaged in Lycoming county until he came with his mother to Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County, in 1851, from which time until 1860 he cultivated the farm of seventy-six acres which she owned. He then removed to the Heburn property at Milton (now all embraced within the limits of that borough) and there lived until 1863, for the next eight years living upon a farm in Point Township, the place now owned by William Martz. In 1872 he removed thence to Paradise valley, in Turbut Township, where he died June 6, 1874. Mr. Best was a member of the school board in Point Township, and served as treasurer of that body. He was a Democrat in politics. On Feb. 2, 1854, Mr. Best married Caroline Hilgert, who was born May 25, 1829, daughter of Peter Hilgert and sister of the late Philip Hilgert, of Williamsport. The Hilgert family hold annual reunions, and in 1910 met at Milton. Mrs. Best died Jan. 20, 1896, and she and her husband rest side by side in the Best family plot at Milton. They were members of the Reformed Church. They were the parents of eight children, born as follows: James H. and Catharine M., twins, Dec. 8, 1855 (she died July 29, 1856) Mary Ellen, June 8, 1857; Martha Jane, June 9, 1859; John P., Dec. 8, 1860; Robert R.; Aug. 20, 1863; William W., Oct. 13,1865; Elmer E., Nov. 21, 1867. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 458 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JAMES H. BEST was born Dec. 8, 1855, on the farm in Chillisquaque Township where he now lives, and received his education in the common schools of the home district. As his health was poor his studies were interrupted considerably. He was reared to farm life, which he followed until the spring of 1877, when he went to Texas and found work with W. E. Mayes, in a mill, grinding corn and ginning cotton. He was thus employed until August, 1882, when he left because of failing health, and returning to Pennsylvania he again made his home in Chillisquaque Township, where he was engaged as an engineer in the F. A. Godcharles nail factory for several years. After following farming a few years he resumed his work as engineer in the nail factory, until April 1, 1910, when he returned to farming. He has the homestead which has been in the family since it was purchased by his grandmother, Mrs. Sarah Best, in 1851, and upon which she built the present brick house in 1852. It consists of seventy-six acres situated midway between Milton and Montandon, and Mr. Best has the land under profitable cultivation. He is an intelligent and public-spirited citizen, and has served some years as overseer of the poor in his Township. He is a Democrat in his political views. He and his family are Methodists in religious faith, and he is serving the church at present as trustee. On Dec. 24, 1877, Mr. Best married Mary C. DeBolt, daughter of Samuel W. and Caroline (Houser) DeBolt, of Lancaster County, Pa., and granddaughter of John and Sarah (McClauchlin) DeBolt, of Lancaster. To their union have been born six children, namely: Hedley, married to Mary E. Shuck and living in Philadelphia, where he is employed by the Shipe Lumber Company; Mabel C., wife of John Fetter and living in Lewisburg, Union Co., Pa. Martha J.; Samuel D.; Arthur N., a telegraph operator; and Merrill V. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 459 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

SAMUEL D. BEST, son of James H. and Mary C. (DeBolt) Best, was born April 29, 1887, in Chillisquaque Township, and there received his elementary education in the public schools. Later he attended the Sunbury Business College and the Milton Commercial College, taking a course in stenography at Sunbury, and subsequently became shipping clerk in a wholesale establishment in that borough. In 1906 he engaged in business there on his own account, first settling opposite his present location, at the corner of Fourth and Ragan Streets, where he erected his present store in 1908. He has a large building, well stocked, carrying a full line of general merchandise, and has built up a fine patronage by obliging service and fair dealing. His business has prospered from the start, and his standing among the younger business men of the borough has been won by enterprise and commendable methods, which have been well rewarded. On Aug. 8, 1906, Mr. Best married Bessie Blank, daughter of Daniel C. and Emma (Sensenbaugh) Blank; her father is now living retired in Sunbury. Mr. and Mrs. Best have had two children, D. Wardell and Elvira L. Mr. Best and his family worship at the Lutheran Church. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 459 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

HENRY S. BETTS, a successful and artistic photographer of Shamokin, Northumberland County, Pa., was born July 2, 1862, in Merthyr Tydvil, South Wales. He is a son of Alfred and Zilpah (Carr) Betts. Our subject was educated in England. He followed in the footsteps of his father, with whom he learned the fathers trade, photography. He also pursued his chosen vocation in several London photographic houses, after which he engaged in business in his native country. Coming to the United States in October, 1887, Mr. Betts engaged in his business in Mount Carmel, Northumberland County, where he prospered and remained until April, 1898, when he removed to Shamokin, his present home. Our subject, being of artistic temperament and having had valuable experience abroad, holds high rank as a photographer and is well known because of the excellence of his photographic work of all classes. Mr. Betts was happily married to Margaret Chambers of England. Their happiness has been crowned by the issue of four lovable children, Frank, Zilpah, Arthur and Ada. (Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY, 1899 , pg. 252 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

ELIAS BIEBER, farmer, was born in Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, September 1, 1835, son of John and Hannah (Shaeffer) Bieber, natives of Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, and Seneca county, New York, respectively. His father was a farmer, a Democrat in politics, and served as school director. He was a consistent member of the Lutheran church and died in October, 1863. His widow died in May, 1869. Ten children were born to their union, four of whom are living: Elias; Benjamin, of Chillisquaque township; Anna, a maiden lady, living in Lycoming county, and William, of Lycoming county. Our subject was reared and educated in his native county and his occupation has always been that of a farmer. December 24, 1868, he was married to Sarah F. Martin, daughter of Hugh Martin, of Montandon, by whom he has six children living: Howard L., of Lycoming county; Woods M.; Florence B.; William F.; Benjamin F., and Annie F. In 1859 he came to Northumberland county and located upon his present farm. He is a member of Chillisquaque Grange, P. of H. He is a Democrat in politics and is a member of the school board. He and his wife belong to the Lutheran church of Lewisburg. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1133 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)
ELIAS BIEBER, now living retired, owns one of the finest farms in West Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County, upon which he has made his home for over fifty years. He is a native of Lycoming County, Pa., born Sept. 1, 1835, in Wolf Township, son of John Bieber. In 1768 three brothers, Valentine, Jacob and Michael Bieber, came from Zweibrucken, not far from Frankfort, Germany, to America. Valentine who settled in 1783 in Lycoming County, Pa., had three son, Nicholas, Adam and John, of whom Nicholas was the grandfather of Russ Bieber. Nicholas Bieber was born in Berks County, Pa., and was a youth when he removed to Lycoming county. There he purchased a farm and spent the remainder of his life; and he is buried at the Valley Church near Muncy. To him and his wife, whose maiden name was Dimner, were born the following children: Valentine, who had twelve children; Antina, Mrs. Cotner; Hannah, whose first husband was named Arbot her second Good; Rachel, Mrs. Neufer; Elizabeth, Mrs. Frantz; and John. John Bieber, son of Nicholas, was born in 1791 upon the homestead place in Lycoming County, engaged in farming upon the old place, and there spent all his life, dying in October, 1863. He is buried near Muncy. He served as school director and tax collector, and was a well known man in his section, a Democrat in politics and a Lutheran in religious connection. He married Hannah Shaeffer, of Lycoming County, a native, however, of Seneca County, N.Y., and she survived him, dying in May, 1869. The following children were born to this couple: David, George, Reuben, John, Elizabeth (Mrs. George Opp), Elias, Benjamin (who lived in East Chillisquaque Township), Anna (who lived in Lycoming County, and died unmarried), Charles and William (living at Clarkstown, Lycoming county), all now deceased but Elias and William. Elias Bieber attended the old Clay school in his native district and from boyhood assisted his father with the farm work, which he continued to follow throughout his active years. In 1859 he bought the old Benjamin Troxel farm, a tract of 130 acres of valuable land in West Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland Co., Pa., on the road between Montandon and Pottsgrove. All the improvements on this place are his work, and the farm is now one of the most desirable properties in that section, where Mr. Bieber has long been regarded as a leading agriculturist. He is still in the enjoyment of good health, though he has relinquished arduous work, continuing, however, to make his home upon the farm. A number of years ago Mr. Bieber joined Chillisquaque Grange, P. of H. He has been particularly prominent in his Township in connection with school affairs, having served nine years as a member of the board, of which he has also been president. He was the first supervisor of his Township. Politically he is a Democrat, and the family are Lutherans, still belonging to the Lutheran church at Lewisburg. On Dec. 24, 1868, Mr. Bieber married Sarah F. Martin, daughter of Hugh and Hannah (Maurer) Martin of Montandon, and granddaughter of John Martin. They have had the following children: Howard L., a miller, located at Montgomery, Pa.; Woods M., a farmer in Northumberland County; Florence Bertha; William Ernst, at home; Charles, who died young; Annie E., wife of John Kerr, living at Sunbury; and Rev. Franklin B. H., a Lutheran minister now located at Center Hall, Center Co., Pa., who has five charges (he is a graduate of Bucknell University and Gettysburg College) ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 369 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

HENRY BILLMEYER, lumberman and farmer, of Milton, Northumberland County, has carried on operations in both lines on an extensive scale, and is one of the best known men of his section. He is a large land owner, and still oversees his agricultural work and does custom mill work, but does not undertake as large contracts as he handled in his younger years, though he has not by any means relinquished business activity. Mr. Billmeyer was born Oct. 17, 1842, on the old family homestead in Montour County, Pa. The family is of German origin, and his first ancestors in this country settled at Lewisburg, Union Co., Pa., where they were among the pioneers. Three brothers, Martin, George, and Andrew Billmeyer, moved thence to what is now Liberty Township, Montour County, where they took up land which is still owned by their posterity. Of these, Andrew was the great-grandfather of Henry Billmeyer.
Andrew Billmeyer, born in 1756, died upon his farm in Liberty Township Feb. 2, 1825, aged sixty-eight years, two months, ten days. His wife, Fanny Bruner, born in 1758, died Feb. 8, 1823, aged sixty-five years, five months, sixteen days, and they are interred in a private burial ground upon the homestead. Their children were: Andrew, Jr., George (born 1779, died 1853), Martin, Mrs. Mary Lesher, Mrs. Benjamin Knauss and Mrs. Kelly.
Martin Billmeyer, son of Andrew, was born in 1777 in Montour county and there passed his entire life, dying Dec. 6, 1855, aged seventy-eight years, three months, twenty-eight days. He was a farmer and distiller of rye, apples and peaches, and was a prosperous and well known man of his time. His wife, Margaret (Emerich), born in 1790, died March 4, 1870, aged eighty years, twenty days, and they too are buried in the family plot before mentioned. Their children were as follows: Jacob; Polly, who married John Hower; Catharine, who married Isaac Blue; John, who died unmarried; Daniel, born in 1817, died in 1884, who married Christian Cumings, born in 1822, died 1893 (they left no children); Peter, who married Hailey Roat; Sarah, who married John Gouger; Marlin, who married Maria Kramm; Fanny, who married Benjamin Gresh; Andrew J., born in 1831, died in 1906, who married Malinda Bowers; and Harriet who married Jackson Moss.
Jacob Billmeyer, son of Martin, was born upon the homestead, and died there May 30, 1881, aged seventy-two years, six months, seventeen days. He followed farming throughout his active years. He married Eliza Mower, who was born in 1813, and died Feb. 5, 1873, and they rest in the family burying ground on the old homestead. A family of seven children was born to them, namely: Hon. Alexander is mentioned below; Henry is mentioned below; Sarah married Martin Blue; Mary married Frank Umstead, of Washingtonville, Pa.; Margaret married David Springer, who is deceased, and she makes her home in Liberty Township; Howard married Kate Luekens and lives in Montour county; Daniel is living in Montour county.
Hon. Alexander Billmeyer, son of Jacob, is a prosperous lumberman and the owner of fourteen large farms, thirteen of which are situated in Montour county. On Nov. 4, 1902, he was elected Congressman from his district, the Sixteenth, and served two years. He married Angelin Blue, daughter of Daniel Blue, and they have had five children: Ella married Glenn Crawford; Alice married Thomas Vincent, of Danville, Pa.; Mary married Dr. H. A. Sweigert, of Lewistown, Pa.; Hiram married Nellie Jamson, of Danville; Florence married Gilbert G. Kulp, of Shamokin, Pa. Mr. Billmeyer is one of the most prominent men in central Pennsylvania. He is a director of the Danville National Bank and a trustee of the Danville Asylum.
Henry Billmeyer received his education in the pay schools conducted in the neighborhood of his, home during his early life, and at a tender age commenced to assist his father on the farm, learning the practical lessons of life with far more thoroughness than was considered necessary for literary training. When he was about twelve years old he often drove an old yoke of oxen (belonging to his father) for his father and grandfather, who lumbered at the old water sawmill. He was young, but did what his grandfather told him to do. When a large cow which they owned had twin calves, it was decided to raise them for an ox team. They were black, with white laces. The grandfather told Henry he would give him ten dollars to break them and the boy took the offer. When the grandfather took sick and made his will, he willed the twin oxen to Henry. This proved to be the main team used to get the logs into the mill, and also did most all the plowing work. His sisters, who also drove them, made muslin fly nets for them. Henry and his brother Alex lumbered with them until Henry was almost twenty-one years old, at which time he was drafted for the Union service for three years, or during the war. At that time the oxen were about twelve years old. To help raise money for a substitute—he had to hire a man not subject to draft or go himself—he sold them to his uncles in Juniata County, Jacob and George Mower, taking them over the mountain through Northumberland to Selinsgrove, and got seventy-five dollars, which was all the money he had. He rode them like horses. He had to report at Bloom to be examined, and was found fit for service. He and his brother Alexander then pledged two colts and a buggy which they had for two hundred dollars—and all the money they had was two hundred and seventy-five dollars. Meantime he had reached his majority. His brother advised him not to go into the army at once, so he hired a substitute, a man named George Smith, from Canada, for $625. He promised to come back if he lived, but that was the last Mr. Billmeyer ever saw of him. Mr. Billmeyer has always felt that this team of twin oxen which helped him in his early lumbering and farming operations, and then sold for enough to partly defray the expense of hiring a substitute for army service, contributed much to the beginning of his success. When he and his brother Alexander were young men they left the cornfield one day in 1863 to buy timber. Their capital was five dollars in gold, and they gave three dollars to Andrew Robbinson for a fine dog they wanted, paying the other two down on some timber. Such was the humble start from which these two well known business men built up their prosperous mill and lumber operations. Mr. Billmeyer would cut the timber and haul it to the mill in the daytime, and he and his brother would saw the logs with an up and down saw run by water power, doing this work at night by the light of pine knots. In time they leased a sawmill from Judge Moore and Mr. Snyder, of Danville, and located it on the Simington farm, in Montour County, and as they prospered they were able to buy it paying $3,000 for it. It was a thirty-horse power plant, and they turned out a large amount of work with it. After buying it they moved it to John Watson’s farm, near Washingtonville, Montour County, and the brothers divided the work, Henry Billmeyer attending to all the teaming and cutting of the timber and Alexander Billmeyer looking after the sawmill. They moved it still later to George Smith’s farm, Mr. Smith being an uncle of Mrs. Henry Billmeyer, and here the accommodations were at first so inadequate that they had to sleep in the sheds and stables until they could build suitable quarters. For about two years before dissolving partnership the brothers were located on a large tract which they had bought from James Lowery. When they divided their interests Henry Billmeyer took the old homestead of 111 acres in Liberty Township, his brother continuing the mill alone, still selling to the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, which took their mill output.
After the old homestead came into his possession Henry Billmeyer improved it greatly, putting up an entire set of new buildings, and he also continued milling, buying a plant and doing sawing for his brother. His mill was stationed first at Mooresburg, in Montour County, whence he shipped his product to Wooden & Jackson, of Berwick, Pa. Later it was on the Frederick farm in Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County, whence he moved it to his lower farm in Montour County, its present location. There he still continues to do custom work, and he looks carefully after his agricultural operations, which are extensive. His lower farm was an old McMahan farm, and when he first bought it contained 220 acres, to which he has since added; it has fine buildings. The soil is excellent and the place is valuable in every way. Mr. and Mrs. Billmeyer spend their summers there, making their home in Milton the rest of the year. He is one of the most progressive citizens of his section, and his undertakings have not only proved profitable to him but also a benefit to every locality in which he has had interests.
On Jan. 17, 1869, Mr. Billmeyer married Hannah Flora, who was born Dec. 30, 1851, daughter of James and Sarah A. (Smith) Flora, and they have had three children: Sarah A., wife of H. B. Montgomery, of Milton; Carrie Ellen, wife of John D. Swanger, of Milton; and James H., born Sept. 1, 1872, who is unmarried and assists his father in business.
James Flora, father of Mrs. Billmeyer, was born in Montour county. He followed farming for a number of years, and later engaged in the hotel business at Mausdale, that County, maintaining a high reputation for integrity and strict management. His wife, Sarah A. (Smith), was the daughter of John Smith, and they are buried in the Odd Fellows cemetery, at Danville, Pa. They were the parents of seven children: Jane E., Sallie, Mary C., William C., Hannah, Caroline and one that died young. The family are Lutherans in religions belief. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 482 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

IGNATIUS B. BINDER, a worthy citizen and retired merchant of Shamokin, Coal township, is of German-Bohemian descent. He is a son of Joseph and Agnes (Sterski) Binder and was born July 30, 1845, in Austria-Bohemia. His parents were natives of Bohemia. The father of our subject was born in 1820, immigrated to America in 1873 and located in Northampton County, where he purchased a large farm and engaged in agricultural pursuits. In this calling he met with much success, and after some years of careful work he finally died at Berlinville in 1884, at the age of sixty-four years. He and his good wife were parents of eleven children, three of whom died in the Old Country and the following grew to manhood and womanhood, besides our subject: Ferdinand, Anthony, Adolph, Albert, Philip, Mary, and Rudolph. Ferdinand, Anthony, Albert, Philip, and Rudolph are residents of Mauch Chunk, while Adolph lives in Berlinville and Mary is a nurse in St. Louis, Mo. Ignatius B. Binder received a good education in his native country, where he also learned the butcher's trade. He immigrated to America several years before his parents, locating in Bethlehem in 1867, where he followed butchering about one year. He then removed to Catasauqua, where he carried on the same business for about two years, returning to Bethlehem again for a short time. He sold out his business" to good advantage and spent some time traveling in the states and thus familiarizing himself with the scenery and customs of America. After spending three months in travel throughout the West he returned to the East and again embarked in business, following his trade quite successfully in Heidelberg, Lehigh County, Pa., then in Lehigh Gap, and finally located permanently in Shamokin in 1872. After being actively engaged in butchering for about twenty years he decided to discontinue the butcher business. In 1893 he engaged in general merchandising, at which he prospered for two years. Having accumulated a snug sum of money and having no family depending upon him, he retired from active business pursuits, and he and his amiable wife are spending their days in comfort and ease, in a way to suit their fancy. On July 10, 1870, Amelia Kautter became the wife of our subject. She is a daughter of Conrad Kautter of Stuttgart, Wurtemberg, Germany, and first saw the light of day February 4, 1845. Her sister, Paulina Slopey, widow of Edward Slopey, also resides in this country. Our subject and his worthy wife were denied a family of their own, but one of his brother's children was taken into their home and they reared and loved her as their own. This was Mary, now the wife of Wesley Berren of Shamokin. Mr. Binder is a faithful member of St. Edward's Roman Catholic Church and is deeplyinterested in all work pertaining to the church. (Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY, 1899 , pg. 573 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

BINGAMAN. The Bingaman family now numerous throughout Northumberland County descended from one John Bingaman, one of the “Hessian” soldiers (many of them came from Hessen Cassel, Germany) sent to this country in the pay of the British during the Revolutionary war, and one of those captured on Christmas nigh 1776, by Washington at Trenton. Many of those taken prisoner were held at Penn Common, Reading, Berks Co., Pa., until the close of the war, and John Bingaman was one of those who refused to leave this country, of which he became a loyal citizen. About 1790 he came to Northumberland County, where his first location was in the vicinity of Mahantango, in Lower Mahanoy Township, about where Levi Kauffman now lives. There he conducted a hotel on the banks of the Susquehanna river, and according to family tradition the Indians used to visit him and drink his applejack. He afterward settled farther north in the Township, on a large tract which is now the farm of Edwin Badman, and there he erected buildings and continued to make his home for many years. Some years before his death he retired and went to live with one of his sons, at whose home he died about 1843. He is buried at the western end of the old graveyard of Zion’s (Stone Valley) Church. As tradition has it that he was in his twenty-second year when he came to this country, in 1776, having been born in 1754, he was evidently about ninety at the time of his demise. He was a tall, robust man, of strong character and convictions, and lived a peaceful, industrious and useful life. His many descendants in Northumberland County have been numbered among the thrifty and successful farmers and business men of their respective communities. He married Anna Reed, born March 11, 1759, died Dec. 11, 1833, and they had six children: John; Adam; Nicholas; George; Eve, who married and moved West where she died, leaving one daughter; and Catharine, who married Peter Hain.
John Bingaman, son of John, born April 27, 1801, died May 10, 1882; his wife Susanna died Nov. 20, 1903, aged ninety-eight years, one month, ten days, and both are buried at Georgetown, this County, where they died. He owned part of the homestead farm, which was later owned by John Kiehl and was still later purchased by David Rain. His children were: Adam, John (better known as “Jack”), Sarah (married Enoch Raker), Mary (married William Wiest) and Eliza (Mrs. Sholl). “Jack” Bingaman had a son William who was known locally as “Haughel Bill,” and “Jack’s” brother Adam had a son William who was distinguished from his cousin of the same name by the cognomen of “Deuvel’s Bill.”
Adam Bingaman, son of John the emigrant, was born July 5, 1791, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and lived on and cultivated the farm in that Township lying adjacent to the property now occupied by his grandson William E. Bingaman. He died Jan. 28, 1856, on his home place. He owned another tract of 123 acres in the Stone Valley which had belonged to his father, and which is now owned by Edwin Badman. He was enterprising, and prospered in his farm work, and was also a popular auctioneer, crying most of the sales held in the neighborhood in his day; he was widely known in this connection. He married Hannah Schroyer, born Feb. 9, 1796, died Oct. 27, 1871, and they are buried at Zion’s (Stone Valley) Church, of which he was a Reformed member. Their children were: John, Jacob, Abraham, William, Alexander, and Catharine (married Elias Wiest). Elizabeth, wife of Jacob, born July 13, 1819, died Aug. 9, 1851. Rebecca, wife of William, born March 29, 1839, died July 30, 1866.
Nicholas Bingaman, son of John the emigrant, was born Nov. 28, 1798, in Lower Mahanoy Township. He made his home on the farm of 100 acres where Benjamin Bingaman now lives, and was a substantial and industrious man, engaging in huckstering as well as farming for many years; he made trips with produce to Tremont and Donaldson every week. At the time of his death he owned three farms. He was a leading member and supporter of Bingaman’s Evangelical Church, at the county line, which he served as class leader and exhorter, and was an upright and conscientious man in all the relations of life. He married Mary (Polly) Witmer, who was born Oct. 15, 1801, daughter of Christophel Witmer, and died Aug. 11, 1883, surviving her husband many years. He died June 10, 1860. They are buried at Bingaman’s Church. They had children as follows: Annie married John Diehl; Catharine married John, Underkoffler; John; Hannah, who died of smallpox, married Isaac Schaffer and they had one son, Benjamin; Sarah married George Bohner and went to live in Dakota; Mary married Philip Grim; William W. and Elias are mentioned below; Caroline married Cyrus Buffington; Henry died in Dakota. Sarah and her brothers Elias and William W. are now the only survivors of this large family.
George Bingaman, son of John the emigrant, lived for some years with his brother Nicholas in Lower Mahanoy Township, later moving out to Illinois, whither he made the trip in big covered wagons. He located near Polo. His wife was a daughter of Philip Zerbe, of Lower Mahanoy Township, and among their children were: John, who was a tall man; and who is said to have become very rich; Jacob, who came East to marry; Lovana; and George. Long after reaching maturity these sons came East to visit. John had no children.
Of the posterity of Adam Bingaman, son of John the emigrant, we give herewith the record of three lines, those of his sons John, Abraham and Alexander. John Bingaman was born in Lower Mahanoy Township in 1817, and was reared upon the farm. Early in life he became a boatman upon the Susquehanna canal, and in the winter drove teams to Pittsburg and Philadelphia, transporting farmers’ produce to market. Locating at Georgetown, this County, early in the forties, he engaged in the coal and lumber business, and in 1850 purchased what is now known as the “Bingaman House,” conducting same in connection with his other affairs. In 1875 he built the brick store where he was engaged in the mercantile business until his death, and he also had extensive agricultural interests. He was an ardent Republican in politics, but never took any part in public matters, his time being well occupied with his many private concerns. He was a member of the I.O.O.F. and in religion united with the Reformed Church. He died March 31, 1889. To his first marriage, with Louise Brosius, was born one son John, who lives in Virginia. By his second marriage, with Mary Wiest, who survived him, there were nine children, six of whom were living in 1890, namely: William O., Charles C., Mary (married Joseph Morgan), Harry W., Frederick W. and Lizzie.( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 86 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

CHARLES C. BINGAMAN, son of John and Mary (Wiest) Bingaman, was born March 28, 1863, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and attended school at Dalmatia, receiving a good education. He assisted his father in the management of his various business interests, store, hotel and farm, coal and lumber trade, etc., and, his father being the leading business man of Georgetown for years, he gained ample experience in that connection. He eventually engaged in the hotel business at Dalmatia (Georgetown) on his own account conducting the “Bingaman House” for fourteen years. He sold it to the present owner in about 1907. Meantime he had gone to Jersey Shore, Lycoming Co., Pa., where he conducted the “Crawford House” for about four years, in January, 1905, removing to Sunbury, where he accepted a position as traveling man. After two and a half years in that work he took the “Keystone Hotel” at Selinsgrove, this County, which he carried on for about two and a half years, in October, 1910, becoming proprietor of the “Hoffman House” at Sunbury, one of the leading hotels of that borough. It is located on Third Street south of Market, in an advantageous situation near the Pennsylvania railway depot and the post office, and has forty guests rooms. Mr. Bingeman has been well fitted by long business experience to make a success of this hotel, which already has a well established patronage. His reputation in previous ventures of the kind, his adaptability for the business and recognized executive talents all augur well for the future of the “Hoffman House.” Mr. Bingeman is well known socially, belonging to Aerie No. 970, F.O.E., of Williamsport to the Owls at Sunbury, and to No. 1 Fire Company, one of the leading companies in the State, whose membership of 341 includes the leading business men of the borough. In 1884 Mr. Bingeman married Ida L. Rothermel, daughter of Andrew Rothermel, of Dalmatia, and they have had two children: Clarence, who died when four years old; and Clinton C., his fathers assistant in business, who married Effie Fegley. Abraham Bingaman, son of Adam and grandson of John the emigrant was born Oct. 22, 18-, and died Feb. -, 190-. He was a lifelong farmer, owning and cultivating the 123-acre farm which is now the property of his son William B., and there making his home. He built the present house on the farm now owned by J. M. Kiehl and Daniel Kauffman. Mr. Bingaman served as school director of his Township before the establishment of the free schools. To him and his wife Rebecca (Enterline) were born the following children: Adam E., William E., Jacob E., Belle (married Philip Drumm), Mary (deceased wife of John Host) and Jennie (married Adam Dubendorf). Adam E. Bingaman, son of Abraham, was born Dec. 25, 1851, on the original Bingaman homestead farm in Lower Mahanoy Township, and was reared to farm life, working for his parents until he attained his majority. He was then in the employ of his uncle Elias Wiest for some years and for four years burned lime for different parties. For another year he was engaged in hauling powder for the Berry Powder Company, and then farmed for the same employer three years. For one entire year he was ill and unable to work. Following this he was engaged in farming for his father, for a period of three years, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and during the next five years found work in the lumber woods. He then settled on the Harry Dornsife farm, where he was engaged in farming for six years, after which for four years he was in business threshing and cutting wood in Little Mahanoy and Jackson Townships. Selling his threshing outfit he began farming at his present place in Little Mahanoy Township, near Hunter Station, in March, 1902, this being the old Conrad Raker homestead (his post office is Raker). It consists of some fifty acres, which Mr. Bingaman has under successful cultivation. In 1872 Mr. Bingaman married Margaret Elizabeth Byerly, daughter of Elijah and Mary (Bower) Byerly, and they have had a family of twelve children: Benjamin F., who died when eight years old; Abraham, of Little Mahanoy Township; Mary A., who died when five years old; Israel & Joseph, both of Little Mahanoy Township; George and Charles, both at Shamokin; and John, William, Fred, Isaiah and Eve, all at home. Mr. Bingaman and his family are Reform members of Zion’s Stone Valley Church. He a Democrat politically, was formerly supervisor of his Township and is now serving as member the Township road board. William E. Bingaman, son of Abraham, was born April 28, 1854, in Lower Mahanoy Township. He worked on the farm for his father until he became of age, meantime obtaining his education in the subscription schools then conducted in the neighborhood and the public schools established during his boyhood, and still later he attended the academy at Freeburg. He received a thorough training and received a license to teach public school in Northumberland County in 1874, spending his first term at what is known locally as the Washington schoolhouse in Lower Mahanoy Township. In all he taught five terms in his home district His salary was a dollar a day, or twenty-two dollars a month for twenty-two days teaching. In the spring of 1880 Mr. Bingaman began farming on his fathers place, on shares, and in 1882 he purchased his present home in Lower Mahanoy Township, which at that time contained thirty-five acres, to which he has since added about thirteen acres. This farm, which is located on the road between Hickory Corners and Pillow, was owned long ago by Isaac Witmer, a tailor; later by Elijah Byerly; next by Jacob Schaffer, and after him by William L. Schaffer, whom Mr. Bingaman succeeded in the ownership. He is a respected and reliable citizen of his Township, one who holds the confidence of his fellow citizens, as evidenced by the fact that for six successive terms he was chosen auditor of his Township. He is a Democrat in polities, and he and his wife are Reformed members of Zion’s Union Church of Stone Valley. He has been a deacon of that church since 1888. On Jan. 8, 1876, Mr. Bingaman married. Mary M. Kiehl, daughter of John and Esther (Frymoyer) Kiehl. They have no children. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 87 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JACOB E. BINGAMAN, son of Abraham, was born May 19, 1857, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and there grew to manhood. After attending the local schools he went to Uniontown Seminary, then taught by Prof. Harry Eisenhower, and in 1880 received a license to teach, following the profession a few terms. His first term was spent in Jordan Township, his second and third at the Stone Valley schoolhouse, and he gave excellent satisfaction. However, he returned to the pursuit to which he had been trained from boyhood, farming the Lessman place in Lower Mahanoy Township for three years. He was next engaged as a huckster, driving a produce team weekly to Pottsville, Minersville and Tremont for six years, during which period he and his family resided at Hickory Corners. In the spring of 1896 he became proprietor of the “Keystone Hotel” at Hickory Corners, conducting that house very successfully for the next eleven years, and in the spring of 1907 moving with his family to Dalmatia (Georgetown), where from July 24 until the spring of 1908, he was engaged in no special line. On the latter date he assumed charge of the “National Hotel” at that point, the leading hotel of this region. It is situated near the Central depot, and has twenty-two rooms, provided with all modern conveniences and comfortably furnished. This hotel is conducted along modern lines, the accommodations are of the best, and the place has an appearance of thrift, neatness and good management, which attract the best element of the traveling public. Mrs. Bingaman is an excellent cook, noted for the preparation of dainty and original dishes, and her assistance has done much to add to the popularity of the hotel. Mr. Bingaman owns a lot in Dalmatia, some limestone quarry Property and four tracts of land—totaling twenty-one acres—in Lower Mahanoy Township. He has been active in citizenship, having served three years as Township clerk in Lower Mahanoy, and after, the expiration of his term in that office was twice elected auditor, for terms of three years each. He is a Democrat on most Political questions, but independent when he thinks it necessary to follow his own convictions. In September, 1881, Mr. Bingaman married Fietta Harris, daughter of Isaac and Polly (Kemp) Harris, and granddaughter of George and ____ (Batteau) Harris, who came from Berks County, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Bingaman have had children as follows: Clara E., who is the widow of Harry H. Engel (she has a daughter, Helen); Jay A.; Winton V.; Melvin H.; Beulah G.; Garrett Q., and Fara U. Mr. Bingaman and his family worship at Zion’s (Stone Valley) Church, he being a member of the Reformed congregation, his wife of the Lutheran. Jay A. Bingaman, son of Jacob E., was born Oct. 15, 1884, in Lower Mahanoy Township, attended the local schools, and later took a course in a Philadelphia Business College and a business course in the Scranton Correspondence School. He then obtained a position as clerk in a Philadelphia hotel, where he was engaged for four years, in the Spring of 1908 returning to Dalmatia where he became clerk for his father at the “National Hotel.” On Aug. 1, 1908, Mr. Bingaman married Jennie R. Lenker, daughter of Cornelius and Rebecca (Witmer) Lenker and granddaughter of Isaac Lenker and of Isaac Witmer. One daughter, Helen Constance, has been born to this union. Mr. Bingaman and his family worship with the Reformed congregation at Zion’s (Stone Valley) Church. He is a member of the Jr. O.U.A.M. at Dalmatia. Melvin H. Bingaman, son of Jacob E., was born Feb. 28 1889, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and there received his education in the public schools. He is at present engaged in assisting his father. He is a Reformed member of Zion’s (Stone Valley) Church. Alexander Bingaman, son of Adam and grandson of John the emigrant was born Aug. 25, 1838, in Lower Mahanoy Township, on what was the homestead of both his father and grandfather. He was a farmer by occupation, for forty-nine years cultivating the tract now owned by his son Jeremiah A. Bingaman, erecting the house and the barn on that property in the year 1845, He and his wife began housekeeping there Jan. 1, 1846, and he passed all his life on that place. One of the well known and highly esteemed citizens of his locality, he was for a number of years an official of Zion’s (Stone Valley) Church, of which he was a Reformed member, held the office of Township supervisor fifteen years, and served about the same length of time as constable and overseer of the poor. Politically he was a Democrat. Mr. Bingaman died in his native Township July 29, 1895, and is buried at the Stone Valley Church. His wife, Catharine Radel daughter of Michael Radel, was born Dec. 25, 1834, in the second house north of the place where she settled upon her marriage, and though now over seventy-five years old is well preserved and in the enjoyment of, good health. Five children were born to this marriage: Sophia, who died in her fourth year; Agnes, who died in her fourth year; Alveretta, wife of John Reitz, of Harrisburg; Jeremiah A.; and Malinda, wife of John Fetterolf, of Lykens Valley.( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 88 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JEREMIAH ADAM BINGAMAN, son of Alexander, a prosperous farmer and teacher of Lower Mahanoy Township, was born in that Township June 8, 1867, at the place which is now his home. He was reared to farm life, and began his education in the schools of the home district later attending the National Pen Art Hall and Business College, then located at Canfield Ohio, and the West Farmington College (also in Ohio), from which latter he was graduated in 1892, with the degree of B. S. After his graduation he went to Chicago, Ill., where he engaged as bookkeeper with the Sykes Steel Roofing Company, having general charge of their office from June 11, 1892, until June 16, 1894. During the World’s Columbian Exposition, held at that city in 1893, he was a guard at the fair grounds for seven and a half months. He left Chicago Dec. 23, 1894, and returning to Pennsylvania taught school in his native Township for three consecutive terms, at the Mahantango schoolhouse. He then taught the Stone Valley school for two terms, and Byerly’s school in the same Township for one term, and accepted a school for the following term which, however, he resigned after four months to take a position with the Standard Oil Company. He was with the Baltimore branch which has headquarters at Salisbury Md., and filled the position of district manager, his territory comprising Wicomico and Dorchester counties, Md., and Northampton and Accomac counties, Va., as well as the adjacent island in the Atlantic. He held the position from February, 1902, until his resignation, in August, 1907, when owing to the condition of his health he deemed it advisable to resume farming. He cultivates his father’s old homestead, which consists of sixty-four acres of fine, fertile land, and is making a thorough success of his work. In addition to farming he acts as agent for the Aermotor Company of Chicago, manufacturers and dealers in wind machinery, and he also installs bathtubs and does various kinds of work in these lines. He has been quite active in the public affairs of the Township, of which he is an auditor, and he has been Democratic committee-man of his Township since 1908, being one of the party’s stanch supporters in his locality. On Dec. 24, 1896, Mr. Bingaman married Laura J. Wert, daughter of Peter and Sarah (Emerick) Wert. William W. Bingaman, son of Nicholas and grandson of John the emigrant, was born April 8, 1836, at the place in Lower Mahanoy Township where he still lives. With the exception of two years when he was engaged with George Bohner as an apprentice at the saddler’s trade he always followed farming throughout his active years beginning on his own account at the age of twenty-two years, on his father-in-law’s farm. He lived eight years at that place, which period and the two and a half years he spent at Uniontown before his marriage, while in the employ of Mr. Bohner, constitute his entire absence from the home farm. This place comprises ninety-six acres which Mr. Bingaman sold in 1910 to his son Benjamin, who is now cultivating it. Mr. Bingaman always did his own harness-making and similar work while engaged in farming. He was a quiet, industrious citizen, prospering by hard work and good management, has never touched intoxicating liquor of any kind, and has never been in court even as a witness. In 1855 he married Polly Kocher, daughter of Peter and Sarah Kocher, and to them were born ten children, four of whom are deceased, including Charles. The survivors are Jane, Joseph, Benjamin F., William, Lindon and Alice. Mrs. Bingaman was born at Orndorf. Benjamin F. Bingaman, son of William W. was born Jan. 2, 1860, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and was two months old when his parents settled at the old Bingaman homestead. He has been used to farming from earliest boyhood, and in 1892 began to work for his uncle Elias Bingaman, with whom he farmed for six years. He then moved upon his present farm taking possession of same in the winter of 1910. He is an intelligent and thrifty worker, a reliable citizen, and a man respected wherever known. He and his family are members of Trinity Evangelical Church (also known as Bingaman’s Church) at the county line, and he has been one of the leading workers in that congregation, serving as class leader and trustee, and in official positions in the Sunday school, of which he has been superintendent for many years. On Aug. 10, 1888, Mr. Bingaman married Jennie Peiffer, daughter of Henry C. Peiffer, and they have had a family of five children: Roy (who is a teacher in Lower Mahanoy Township), Spurgeon, Hale, Gertie and Harry. Elias Bingaman, son of Nicholas and grandson of John the emigrant, was born Oct. 12, 1838, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and there received his early education in the pay schools then conducted in the vicinity, attending the free schools for one winter. He worked for his parents until he became of age, when he began farming on a ninety-acre place adjoining his present home, remaining there for twenty-five years. Since 1889 he has lived at his present place in Lower Mahanoy, a farm of ninety-one acres, but he is not now actively engaged in its cultivation, living retired in the enjoyment of the earnings of his earlier years. He is a man of upright character and consistent Christian life, a faithful member of the Trinity Evangelical Church, in which he has been a most dutiful worker, serving many years as class-leader, trustee and exhorter. About 1867 Mr. Bingaman married Lucinda Dunkelberger, daughter of John and _________ (Geist) Dunkelberger. She passed away Feb. 28, 1904, aged sixty-five years, eleven months, four days, and is buried at the Trinity Evangelical Church. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 89 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

WILLIAM O. BINGAMAN, son of John, was born Feb. 6, 1856, and received a good education, attending the academies at Berrysburg and Freeburg and the State normal school at Shippensburg. In 1875 he entered his father’s store as clerk, and upon his father’s death he purchased the business. He has been a prominent citizen of Georgetown in public as well as business circles (serving as assessor, postmaster and tax collector of that town and Lower Mahanoy Township) and as a well known member of the Republican party. He married Lillie Bearer, of Snyder County, and they had three children, Blanche, John G. and Ella Corrine. The family belong to the German Reformed Church. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 89 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOHN BINGEMAN, deceased,, was born in Lower Mahanoy township, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1817, son of Adam and Hannah (Shroyer) Bingeman. He was reared upon a farm, early in life became a boatman upon the Susquehanna canal, and in the winter drove teams to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia transporting the produce of the farms to market. Early in the '40's Mr. Bingeman located at Georgetown and engaged in the coal and lumber business, and about 1850 he purchased the hotel property now known as the Bingeman House, which he conducted in connection with his other business. In 1875 he built the brick store now owned and conducted by his son, W. O. Bingeman, and engaged in the mercantile business, which he conducted until his death, March 31, 1889. Mr. Bingeman was also extensively engaged in farming. In politics he was an active and ardent Republican, although he never sought or would accept public office. He was a member of the German Reformed church and of the I.O.O.F. He was twice married; his first wife was Louisa Brosius, who bore him one son, John, who resides in Virginia. His second wife was Mary Wiest, who survives him and resides in Georgetown; to this marriage were born nine children, six of whom are living: William O.; Charles; Mary, wife of Joseph Morgan; Harry W.: Frederick W., and Lizzie. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1237 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

W. O. BINGEMAN, merchant, was born, February 6, 1856, son of John and Mary (Wiest) Bingeman. He received his education at Berrysburg and Freeburg academies, and at the Shippensburg State Normal School. In 1875 he entered the employ of his father as clerk in the store, where he remained until the death of the latter, when he purchased the business. Mr. Bingeman has filled the office of assessor, postmaster and tax collector. Politically he is a Republican, and in November, 1890, he was a candidate for commissioner, but the whole county ticket was defeated. He married Lilly M. Beaver, of Snyder county, and they are the parents of two children: Blanche and John G. The family are adherents of the German Reformed church. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1237 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

BIRD FAMILY- James Bird, a native of Warren county, New Jersey, was an early settler of Rush township. Northumberland county, and a farmer by occupation. He married in New Jersey, and had a family of nine children: John; Rachel, who married Jacob Shipman; Sarah, who became Mrs. Scott; Susanna, who married William Kimball; Ziba; James; Joseph; William, and Sylvanus. Their father died in Rush township on the farm which he first settled. Bird Family 874 JOSEPH BIRD, deceased, was born in Franklin township, Columbia county, Pennsylvania, in 1814, son of Ziba and Hannah (Metze) Bird. He was reared to manhood on his father's farm and obtained a limited education at the local schools. He began his active career as a farmer on a tract of land owned by his father in Mayberry township, Montour county. After leaving the farm he went to Shamokin and acted as clerk and general assistant to his father, who had charge of the various interests of John C. Boyd at that place. He first entered the coal trade at Ashland on a small scale, but returned to Shamokin a year or two later and became associated with Dr. J. J. John in the drug business, also operating what was known as the flat vein near the corner of Spurzheim and Pearl streets, selling the product to local consumers entirely. In 1856 he entered into partnership with Dr. J. J. John and John B. Douty, under the firm name of Bird, Douty & John; they operated Big Mountain colliery, one of the most valuable properties in the Shamokin coal field, of which, by the retirement of his partners, Mr. Bird ultimately became sole lessee. After operating individually eight years he disposed of his lease to the Bird Coal and Iron Company in which he was largely interested. He also acquired valuable real estate at Shamokin, Northumberland, and elsewhere, and was regarded as one of the most successful coal operators of the Shamokin region. About the time his mining interests became vested in the Bird Coal and Iron Company he removed to Northumberland, where he resided the remainder of his life, serving as president of the Northumberland County Agricultural Society several terms. Mr. Bird was three times married. His first wife was Rebecca, daughter of Jacob Kram, a pioneer hotel keeper of Shamokin, by whom he had three children, one of whom is now living, Elizabeth, wife of Patrick Gillespie, of Shamokin. After her death he married Catherine, daughter of George Hill, of Shamokin township, who died without issue. As his third wife he married Christiana C. Kram, who survives him. His death occurred on the 18th of June, 1882. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 875 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

MRS. CHRISTIANNA C. BIRD, who resides in a handsome home in the borough of Northumberland, is the widow of Joseph Bird, who for many years was one of the foremost business men in Northumberland County, Pa. He was a son of Ziba and Hannah (Mentz) Bird, and was born in 1814 on Little Roaring Creek in Rush township, Northumberland County. James Bird, grandfather of Joseph Bird, was born in Warren County, N. J., and was one of the pioneer settlers of Rush township, Northumberland County, Pa., where he purchased a large tract of wild and uncultivated land on Little Roaring Creek. He was the father of the following children: John; Rachel; Sarah; Susanna; Ziba; James; Joseph; William; and Sylvanus. Ziba Bird, the father of our subject, was born in Warren County, N. J., and, upon moving to Rush township, Northumberland County, with his father, he aided in clearing the farm and later learned the trade of a carpenter. He made the acquaintance of John C. Boyd, a prominent citizen of Danville, by whom he was engaged to superintend his mining operations in Shamokin. Mr. Bird erected the first two buildings in what is now the borough of Shamokin and they are to-day known as the National and Vanderbilt hotels. He also erected many other buildings at that place. He also was interested in coal operations for several years but retired when the business relaxed, moving to Rush township, where he followed farming. He subsequently purchased a home at Red Point, on the Susquehanna River, and there resided until his death at the age of sixty-five years. He was married three times, first to Hannah Mentz, who died at an early age. Their children were as follows: Annie; Joseph; Catherine; Sarah; and Elizabeth. His second union was with a Miss Farley and they reared three children: John; Hannah; and Ziba. He next married Margaret Muchler by whom he had the following offspring: Mary J.; William; Nelson; Montgomery; Eliza; Emma; Samuel; Margaret M.; and three who died in infancy. Joseph Bird acquired his intellectual training in the common and private schools and assisted his father in the duties about the farm. When his father became superintendent in the coal fields at Shamokin and on the railroad established by Mr. Boyd, Joseph became his assistant and in that capacity gained a wide experience in the business world. He then conducted a coal business in his own behalf at Ashland for one year, and later formed a partnership with J. J. John, M. D., and J. B. Doutz, Esq., for the purpose of operating the Big Mountain Colliery. This they did under the firm name, Bird, Doutz & John, and it proved to be a very valuable coal field. Our subject soon became sole owner and conducted the colliery for eight years with the greatest success, when he sold out to the Bird Coal & Iron Company, in which he was a large stockholder. Having previously bought the magnificent building in which the First National Bank of Northumberland was located, he moved to Northumberland in 1866. The bank then moved to Sunbury and a new bank was established which has since been known as the First National Bank of Northumberland Borough. This large brick building, with massive pillars in the front, was the finest and most costly building in the county; in order to appreciate its grandeur it must be seen. It is now furnished in luxurious style and the parlor walls are adorned with fine paintings. Mr. Bird also was the owner of a number of choice farms in that section, one being Packer Island, which is considered one of the best farms in the valley. He was identified with many of the business enterprises of that borough and lived there until his death on June 18, 1882. He was a man of high character and one who merited and enjoyed the respect of all. He was sociable and a pleasant conversationalist, and he acquired and retained the friendship of many people in the various sections in which he resided. Mr. Bird was joined in hymeneal bonds with Rebecca Kram, a daughter of Jacob Kram, a pioneer hotel-keeper of Shamokin, and they became the parents of three children : Susan, who first married William Snyder, and after his death married L. L. Haas; Eilzabeth, [sic] the wife of Patrick Gillespie; and Wellington, who died at the age of fourteen years. Mrs. Rebecca Bird died at an early age some ten years after marriage, and he subsequently formed a second alliance with Catherine Hill, a daughter of George Hill of Shamokin, and she died without issue. He formed a third union with Christianna C. Kram, the subject of this sketch, who is a daughter of David Kram of Bethlehem, Pa., and a granddaughter of Joseph Kram. Mrs. Bird has carried out the plans made by her husband prior to his death with great ability, having remodeled the house, built a mansard roof, and made many other important improvements. She is a woman possessed of many virtues and is held in the highest esteem by all who know her. Religiously Mrs. Bird is a consistent member of the Presbyterian Church, as was her husband.Socially Mr. Bird was a member of the Masonic Order. (Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY, 1899 , pg. 426 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOSIAH F. BIRD, insurance agent, was born, March 1833, son of Sylvanus and Lena Tietsworth Bird. He received his education at the public schools of Shamokin borough, and subsequently engaged in teaching. After a brief experience in mercantile pursuits he was superintendent for a number of years at the Big Mountain colliery, and afterwards at the Henry Clay colliery. He established his present business in 1868, and is general agent for many of the large fire, life, and accident insurance companies. In 1857 he married Hannah, daughter of Jacob Scholl. He is a member of the United Brethren church, in which he has served as Sunday school superintendent twenty years. He is a Republican in politics, and has held the offices of overseer of the poor and deputy postmaster of Shamokin. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 875 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

PEMBERTON BIRD, eldest son of Sylvanus Bird, was born in Shamokin township in 1817. There he acquired the rudiments of an English education, and learned the trade of carpenter. He was clerk for Boyd & Rosser eight years, for Joseph Bird ten years, and for the Bird Coal and Iron Company. In 1842 he was ordained a local preacher, and in 1846 he was appointed to the Elysburg circuit by the Baltimore Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church, continuing in the active ministry eleven years at various points. For a period of six years he was president of the Bird Coal and Iron Company, with which he still retains official connection as vice-president. In 1838 he married Mary, daughter of Jacob Arnold, of Snydertown. Five children were born to them: William B.; Annie, widow of C. W. Young; Sylvanus, deceased; Joseph F., of Missouri, and Charles, of Harrisburg. His second wife was Sarah E., daughter of Michael F. Deiterly, who is the mother of three children: Henry D.; Wellington H., and Della B. Our subject has been a member of the borough council, borough clerk, and for a number of years school director. He is one of the original members of the Methodist Episcopal church at Shamokin, and politically he is a Republican. Mr. Bird is one of the oldest living representatives of one of the pioneer families of the county. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 874 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

RANSLER B. BIRD, the leading market gardener of the village of Riverside, was born in Elysburg, Northumberland County, Pa., March 18, 1859, and is a son of John S. and Rachel Ann (Potter) Bird, and grandson of James S. and Sarah (Fisher) Bird. Our subject's grandfather was a native of the state of New Jersey, but resided at Bear Gap, Northumberland County, Pa., the greater part of his life, where he was engaged in farming. He married Sarah Fisher, who bore him a family of six children, namely: Henry, James, John S., Lena, Anna, and Sarah. He died at the age of eighty-three years; his wife passed from this life aged eighty-two years. John S. Bird, the father of our subject, was born on his father's farm at Bear Gap, February 1, 1824, and spent his younger days learning the trade of a tanner; in 1875 he moved to Montour County and became a resident of Mausdale, where he worked for Charles Fenstermacher for about eleven years. In 1877 he moved to Riverside, and purchasing four lots on the corner of Avenue E and Sunbury street, erected a fine residence, which he has since made his home. In 1862 Mr. Bird enlisted in the Union Army and served nearly three years; he was assigned to Company D, 150th Reg., in the famous Bucktail Brigade, and was soon promoted to private, and at the battle of Gettysburg he was wounded in the left arm, for which injury he now receives a pension. His wife is Rachel Ann Potter, a daughter of Thomas Potter of Catawissa, Pa., and six children have blessed the union, as follows: Emanuel, deceased; James, a resident of Nanticoke, Pa., bookkeeper for the Susquehanna Coal Company; Kersey, deceased; Ransler B., our subject; Levi, deceased; and Martin, a Congregational minister residing at Brainerd, Minn. Mr. and Mrs. Bird are members of the Methodist Church and our subject's father is sexton of the same. Mr. Bird is treasurer of the village of Riverside. Our subject followed farming until 1887, when he removed to Riverside and purchased of Richard Wilson ten lots, or two and one-half acres of land; he improved the buildings, set out fruit trees and began raising vegetables for the market. In 1891 he erected a greenhouse, which contains forty-seven hundred square feet of glass, and he not only raises many beautiful flowers but keeps one of the largest and best kept gardens in Northumberland County. On market days his wagon and display of vegetables, berries, fruit and flowers are the envy of all. Our subject also raises lemons, and during the season of 1898 he picked and sold over one hundred choice lemons; he also ships flowers and shrubberies to the surrounding towns. Mr. Bird was united in marriage to Emma Shannon, a daughter of Joseph L. Shannon, whose sketch also appears in this Book of Biographies. Three children have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bird, namely: John Elliott, born February 1, 1893; Eva Sophia, born June 24, 1896; and Esther Elizabeth, born March 22, 1898. Mr. Bird is independent in his political views, always upholding the candidate who, in his opinion, is the best man. He has served as a school director; religiously, he is a member and steward of the Methodist Church. (Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY, 1899 , pg. 614 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

SYLVANUS BIRD, youngest son of James Bird, was born in 1796 and reared in Rush township, where his early life was spent on the farm. He learned the trade of carpenter, and was employed by his brother Ziba, who was superintendent for John C. Boyd, the founder of Shamokin. Our subject located at Shamokin in 1838, and built many of the early houses of that borough. In 1852 he was appointed postmaster, which office he filled until his death in March, 1850, excepting from January to December, 1855; he held the office of Justice of the peace twenty years. In 1816 he married Lena, daughter of Robert Tietsworth; she left the following children: Pemberton; Eliza, deceased; John W., deceased; William W. and Joseph F., deceased; Angelina, widow of George W. Raver; Matilda, deceased wife of Peter Heim; Robert T., deceased; Josiah F., of Shamokin, and Sarah J., deceased. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 874 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

WILLIAM BENSON BIRD, late of Shamokin, was a descendant of one of the oldest pioneer families of Northumberland County and himself one of the best known citizens of the borough in which he made his home, having for twenty-six years held the responsible positions of assistant weighmaster at the Weigh Scales and chief clerk at the Shamokin station for the Pennsylvania Railway Company. He was also prominent in G.A.R. circles, having been a veteran of the Civil war and one of the organizers of Lincoln Post, No. 140, of Shamokin. Mr. Bird was born in 1842 on Commerce Street Shamokin, son of Pemberton Bird, and was a member of the fourth generation of his family to reside in this county. The history of its early settlement here and subsequent activity in local affairs is an interesting record. James Bird, his great-grandfather, a native of Warren County, N.J., came to Pennsylvania and settled in Rush Township, Northumberland County, remaining on the farm where he then located until his death. In New Jersey he married, and his family consisted of nine children, as follows: John, Rachel (Mrs. Jacob Shipman), Sarah (Mrs. Scott), Susanna (Mrs. William Kimball), Ziba, James, Joseph, William and Sylvanus. Sylvanus Bird, youngest son of James Bird, was born in 1796, and died in March, 1856. He was reared in Rush Township, spending his early life on the farm, and learned the trade of carpenter, at which he was employed by his brother Ziba, who was superintendent for John C. Boyd, the founder of Shamokin. He located at Shamokin in 1838 and there made his home to the end of his days, building many of the early houses there. He was also well known as postmaster, serving as such from 1852 until his death, excepting from January to December, 1855; he also served twenty years as justice of the peace. In 1816 Mr. Bird married Lena Tietsworth daughter of Robert, and to them were born children as follows: Pemberton, Eliza, John W., William W., Joseph F., Angelina (widow of George W. Raver), Matilda (wife of Peter Heim), Robert T., Josiah F. (of Shamokin) and Sarah J., all now deceased. Pemberton Bird, eldest son of Sylvanus Bird was born in Shamokin Township in 1817, and died in 1894, at the age of seventy-seven. He received an elementary English education in his native place, and learned the trade of carpenter, which however, he did not follow to any great extent. He was clerk for Boyd & Rosser eight years, for Joseph Bird ten years and for the Bird Coal & Iron Company, attaining high responsibility with the latter concern, of which he was president for six years, later serving as vice president, during his declining years. He was prominent in the local civil administration, serving as a member of the borough council, borough clerk and for a number of years as school director. Religious matters also claimed a large share of his time and attention. He was one of the original members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Shamokin, in 1842 was ordained a local preacher, and in 1846 was appointed to the Elysburg circuit by the Baltimore Conference of the M. E. Church, continuing in the active ministry eleven years, at various points. In politics he was a Republican. In 1838 Mr. Bird married Mary Arnold, daughter of Jacob Arnold, of Snydertown, and five children were born to them: William Benson; Annie, widow of C. W. Young; Sylvanus, deceased; Joseph F., of Colorado; and Charles, of Harrisburg. William Benson Bird received his education in the schools of Shamokin. A youth of nineteen when the Civil war broke out, he enlisted in the Union army Aug. 13, 1861, under Capt. Cyrus Strouse, as a member of Company K, 46th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and was mustered into the United States service Sept. 16, 1861, at Harrisburg, for three years He was honorably discharged from active service Sept. 13, 1864, at the expiration of his term of enlistment. Company K, largely recruited from Shamokin and vicinity, took part in the following battles: Winchester, Va.; Middleton, Va.; Winchester, Va. (second battle); Cedar Mountain, Va., Aug. 9, 1862; Sulphur Springs, Va., Aug. 27; South Mountain, Md., Sept. 14; Antietam, Sept. 17; Chancellorsville, May 1, 2, 3, 1863; Gettysburg, July 1, 2, 3; Resaca, Ga., May 19, 1864; Dallas, Ga., May 25; Pine Knob, Ga., June 9, Culp’s Farm, June 22; Peach Tree Creek, July 20; Atlanta, Sept. 6; Cypress, Ga., Dec. 8; Savannah, Dec. 21; Chesterfield, S. C., March 2, 1865; Coon Run, N. C., April 10; Averysboro, N. C., March 14; and Bentonville, N. C., March 19. Mr. Bird was wounded three times while in the service, having been shot through the arm and leg at Cedar Mountain, while his company was operating as part of the Army of Virginia, under General Pope, Banks Division. Company K went into this battle with forty-eight men and came out with twenty-four, eleven being killed and thirteen wounded. The wounds received at Cedar Mountain disabled him for active service, and necessitated his confinement in the Saint John’s College hospital, Annapolis, Md., for many months. Upon recovery he was commissioned to do secretary duty in the medical department of the hospital, which position he creditably filled to the end of the war. Mr. Bird’s interest in military affairs remained with him to the close of his days. He was one of the organizers of Lincoln Post, No. 140, G.A.R., of Shamokin, serving that organization several times as commander, his valued services as adjutant also being frequently sought by other commanders. Ever one of the post’s most useful and active members, his death caused a gap in the ranks hard to fill. On Sept. 9, 1892, following his demise, a handsomely framed crayon portrait of the deceased was presented to the post by his former comrades, an unusual mark of devotion and respect for the departed. The crayon occupies a prominent position on the wall in the, rear of the desk of the adjutant, which office Mr. Bird held at the time of his death. Under Commander Samuel Harper, Department of Pennsylvania, in 1887, he was commissioned chief mustering officer of the State. With his fellow officers of the G.A.R. he was the special guest of the Philadelphia Union League, Oct. 18, 1887, on the occasion of the unveiling of the monument to General Meade. National Commander Russell A. Alger, of the Grand Army of the Republic, in 1890 selected him as one of the aides de camp of his personal staff. The Pennsylvania State encampment honored him at different times as delegate to the national encampments, at Columbus, Ohio, Boston, Mass., Milwaukee, Wis., and Erie, Pa. In all of these position’s of high responsibility he did credit to himself and to these who chose him. Mr. Bird was also a chief factor in the organization and upbuilding of Lincoln Post Corporation, of Shamokin, which possess one of the most valuable properties owned exclusively by G.A.R. men in the State. He was also one of the active organizers of the local branch of the Royal Arcanum, serving that beneficial society as regent at the time of his death. Not long after his return to civil life, upon the close of the war, Mr. Bird became associated with the Pennsylvania Railway Company, continuing in its employ for a consecutive term of twenty-six years, marked for efficient service and intelligent discharge of his responsible duties. He naturally made many friends and acquaintances in this connection, and few men in Shamokin were more widely or favorably known. He died June 1, 1892, at the comparatively early age of forty-nine years. Mr. Bird was an attendant of the Methodist Church. In 1871 Mr. Bird married Clara E. John, who survives him. She is a member of the Lincoln Street Methodist Episcopal Church and has long taken an active part in church and Sunday school work, having served twenty-nine years as organist of the infant department of the Sunday school. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Bird: Cora Blanche, who lives at home; Samuel John, now employed as bookkeeper for the Shamokin Banking Company; William Canton, deceased; and Rutherford Townsend, deceased. Samuel John Bird, in 1902 was married to Rosella Cooper, daughter of Luther S. and Alice (Keefer) Cooper, of Snydertown, Pa. To them have been born three children: John Cooper, and William and Robert, twins. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 605 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

ZIBA BIRD was born in Warren county, New Jersey, a son of James Bird, who immigrated to Rush township. There he engaged in farming on Little Roaring creek and was so occupied when he formed the acquaintance of John C. Boyd, who induced him to take charge of his mining operations at Shamokin. He was thus one of the earliest residents of that town. He erected the first buildings that occupied the sites of the National and Vanderbilt Hotels, two double houses on the south side of Commerce street between Franklin and Pearl, and probably others. When the town began to decline after its first period of prosperity he returned to his farm, and afterward removed to Red Point, on the Susquehanna river below Danville, where he died. Mr. Bird was three times married, and was the father of nineteen children. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 601 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

STEPHEN BITTENBENDER came to Shamokin in 1838 through the influence of Patrick Reilly, master mechanic of the Danville and Pottsville railroad, who had formed his acquaintance at Tamaqua; there he was engaged in business on an extensive scale as a builder and contractor, and it was with the purpose of placing the construction of the turn- tables and other terminal facilities at Shamokin in competent hands that Mr. Reilly induced him to locate at Shamokin. He also found lucrative employment in manufacturing cars, and built many of the first houses at Shamokin, including the first Catholic and Presbyterian churches. In 1851 he purchased the Shamokin foundry and in 1855 the machine shop and car shop; he conducted this establishment sixteen years, employing a large number of men. He was one of the organizers of the Shamokin Bank in 1857; from 1864 to 1871 he operated the Burnside colliery; in 1865 he put down cast-iron water-pipes through a portion of the borough, and when the Shamokin Water Company was organized he was one of its charter members. He died at Shamokin on the 19th of February, 1885, in the seventieth year of his age. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 603Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)
STEPHEN BITTENBENDER, one of the earliest settlers and wealthy citizens of Shamokin, Pennsylvania, died in that borough, February 19, 1885, in the seventieth year of his age. He was born at Nescopeck, Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, April 19, 1815, son of Jacob Bittenbender, a farmer of that county. His vigorous constitution may be attributed to the plain living, early rising, and constant toil which characterized the German farmers of that period. At thirteen years of age he left his father's home and went to live with his grandfather. In 1833 he went to Tamaqua where be learned the trade of carpenter, and in 1838 we find him in business for himself, with over one hundred men in his employ, erecting houses which today remain to attest his ability and honesty as a contractor. In 1838 Mr. Bittenbender came to Shamokin, and with the exception of the years from 1848 to 1850, when he resided in Schuylkill county, he made his home in this borough up to his death. He was married, June 25, 1839, to Harriet, daughter of Philip and Salome (Young) Stambach, of Northumberland county. Thirteen children were born to this union. six of whom grew to maturity: John S. and Cyrus G., both deceased: Alice S., wife of C. E. Hughes, of Shamokin; Martin L., of Wilmington. Delaware; Isadore M., wife of George M. Ditzler, and Laura M., wife of S. C. Wagenseller, merchant and postmaster of Shamokin. In youth his educational advantages were meager. He never attended public school except three months at a German country school in his native county. This, with one summers instruction on Sabbath morning after service by appointment with a neighbor, under an oak tree, completed his education. But through the passing years he obtained that knowledge of men and events which can not be gained inside the walls of a school room. Mr. Bittenbender possessed qualifications which rated him high in the estimation of business circles. In 1838, Patrick Reilly, master mechanic of the Little Schuylkill railroad, came to Shamokin to assume a like position with the Danville and Pottsville Railroad Company. He induced Mr. Bittenbender to locate in this borough, where he found lucrative work in building cars, putting in machinery, turn- tables, etc., for the railway. Mr. Reilly and Thomas Sharpe, the first superintendent of the Danville and Pottsville railroad, were the owners of a patent for a spiral car spring, and they employed Mr. Bittenbender to construct a car with these springs, which was the first ever run over the Reading railroad. Among the public buildings which he erected was the old frame Catholic church in 1839, and the First Presbyterian church in 1847. In 1851 he purchased the Shamokin foundry, and in 1855 the machine shop and car shop, carrying on the business for over sixteen years, employing a large number of men and turning out an immense amount of work. He was prominent in the movement to establish the Shamokin Herald, in founding the old Shamokin Lyceum, and in the organization of the Shamokin Bank in 1857. He always took an active part in the conventions for furthering and increasing the railroad facilities of the coal region. In 1804 he opened up the Burnside colliery, which he operated until 1871, and thus amassed a fortune. In 1805 he put down, at a cost of several thousand dollars, cast-iron water-pipes through a portion of the borough from a reservoir built by his own enterprise, and subsequently was one of the charter members of the Shamokin Water Company. Mr. Bittenbender was a man of great energy and public spirit, and took an active interest in the progress and development of his adopted home. In 1875 he presented to the Friendship Fire Company the ground on which their hose house stands, Politically he was a Whig up to 1860, when he voted for Abraham Lincoln, and ever after was an unswerving Republican. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 869 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOHN and JAMES BLACK were brothers, natives of Ireland, and early merchants at Sunbury. John, the elder, was born in 1735, and died on the 13th of November, 1790; he served as supervisor of Augusta township in 1779, and was probably established in business in Sunbury at that date. Their business was conducted at a frame house which stood on Front street immediately south of the track of the Shamokin Valley and Pottsville railroad; there James Black erected the first three-story brick house in Sunbury, upon the site of the present high school building. On the 1st of March, 1790, he purchased at sheriff's sale a tract of two hundred acres on the West Branch near the mouth of Limestone run, and in 1795 laid out part of it in streets and lots; this land originally belonged to the estate of Turbutt Francis, and now constitutes that part of the town of Milton north of Broadway. James Black was born in Ireland, May 12, 1752, son of James and Rachel Black, and died at Sunbury on the 30th of November, 1830; Catharine, his wife, daughter of James and Jane Cochran, who settled in Columbia county, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna river opposite the mouth of Catawissa creek, in ante-Revolutionary times, was born, July 25, 1766, and diedon the 23d of December, 1843. They were the parents of nine children: Jane; John; David; John; William; Andrew; James; Jesse, and Rachel. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 472 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

SAMUEL M. BLAIN, farmer, was born in Milton, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1834, son of Samuel and Hannah (Kieffer) Blain. The first of his ancestors to settle in Northumberland county, was George Blain, a native of Dublin, Ireland, who immigrated to America prior to 1800 and settled in Turbut township. The father of our subject was born in Turbut township in 1799 and was a farmer by occupation. He was a member of Warrior Run Presbyterian church, but subsequently joined the Milton Presbyterian church. He was a Whig, a strong Abolitionist, and a Republican in politics. His death occurred in 1882, and that of his widow in 1885. He reared a family of seven children: Margaret, wife of J. W. Kelsey; Sarah Jane, who married James B. Wilson, of Lewisburg, and died in 1889; George; Mary Ann, wife of John Russell; Samuel M.; Matilda, wife of Zacharias Yagel, and John. Our subject was reared in his native township and received his education at the public schools. In 1861 he enlisted in Company D, Seventh Pennsylvania Cavalry, as a private, and was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant, in which he served to the close of the war, receiving an honorable discharge. His service was principally in the West, and although participating in several of the famous battles, he was fortunate enough to escape wounds. After the close of the war he purchased a farm in Chillisquaque township, where he resided five years, and then became a resident of Turbut township. In 1864 he was married to Sarah E. Wilson, daughter of William and Ellen Wilson, by whom he has three children: Mattie W.; Jessie Belle, and Ella M. Mr. Blain is a Republican, and with his family belongs to the Milton Presbyterian church. He is a member of Henry Wilson Post, G.A.R., of Milton. Mrs. Blain's grandparents were Hugh and Annie (Crawford) Wilson, natives of Scotland and Ireland, respectively, who settled in that part of Northumberland county which now forms a part of Columbia county, Pennsylvania. At the fall of Port Freeland Mr. Wilson was captured and scalped by the Indians. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1120 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

CHARLES F. BLANK, senior member of the firm of Blank & Gottshall, who have a large milling business at Sunbury, owning and conducting the City Roller Mills, was born Oct. 31, 1851, in Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh Co., Pa. He is a son of Jacob Blank and a descendant of John George Blank, who founded a family now numerous in Lehigh County, especially in the eastern portion. The 1910 city directory of Allentown, that County, gives the names of thirty-two Blanks.
John George Blank, the earliest ancestor of this family of whom we have record, was born in 1729 and died in 1799. He came to Saucon Township, Northampton (now Lehigh) County, about 1750. He married Elizabeth Steinmetz, daughter of Valentine Steinmetz, and after the death of his father-in-law succeeded to and settled upon his estate, taking up his residence on the site later occupied by John H. Laubach. The number of his children cannot be determined, but it appears there are several branches of Blanks even in the territory now embraced in Lehigh County. His son John George Blank had nine children, of whom we have the following account: George died unmarried; John married Esther Clemmer and had six children, George, Charles H. (both residing in Coopersburg, Lehigh County) Edwin H. Benjamin (both residing in Allentown), Eliza (married William P. Weidner) and Elamina (married Simon Troxel); Jacob married a Miss Hintenbeutel, but nothing is known of his descendants; Abraham married Mary Bahl and was the father of Jacob, John G. and Abraham, who reside in Upper Saucon Township, Mrs. John Laubach, of Saucon, and Mrs. John Metzger, of Allentown; Charles married Priscilla Fry and resides at Bethlehem, Pa.; David died unmarried; Mary married Jacob Bahl and resides at Bethlehem; Lydia married Nathan Eberhart and died without issue; Sarah married David Schneider and resides at Emaus, Lehigh County.
Jacob Blank, father of Charles F. Blank, was born in Saucon Township, Lehigh County, and died in 1864. He is buried at Zionsville church, in that County, having been a member of the Reformed congregation of that church. He was a wheelwright, learning the trade early in life, and followed it at Emaus until his death. Mr. Blank married Sarah Groman, whose father lived in Salisbury Township, Lehigh County, and she survived him many years, dying in 1906, at the age of seventy-five. She is buried at Emaus. Eight children, five sons and three daughters, were born to this union: Wilson died at the age of six years; John is a resident of Emaus, Pa.; Charles F. is mentioned below; James was drowned when about seven years old; George died in 1902 at Bethlehem, Pa. (he had sons James and Harvey); Mary Alice married James Camburn, of Philadelphia, and died in 1909; Sarah married John Reinbaugh, of Lehigh County, Pa., and died about 1910; Anna married Paul Eisenhart, of Emaus.
Charles F. Blank was reared and educated in his native County, attending school at Emaus and Allentown, to which latter place the family removed when he was thirteen years old. He worked at various vocations until, he reached the age of eighteen years, when he commenced to learn the carpenter’s trade at Cetronia, Lehigh County, following same, as well as millwrighting, which work he began in 1875. He engaged as millwright in the employ of others until 1888, being foreman for four years for the Wolf & Hamaker Company, then of Allentown. Since that time he has been in partnership with William B. Gottshall, who was also formerly with the Wolf & Hamaker Company and like himself a miller of thorough experience. Messrs. Blank and Gottshall came to Sunbury in the employ of a Chambersburg firm to remodel the historic old Haas mill, from the burr to the roller system. They soon leased the property and began operations on their own account, remaining at that place until 1895, when they completed the building of the large mill they have since occupied. They have a three-story building 40 by 230 feet, with a two-story addition 115 by 50 feet, as well as other buildings, among which is a large engine house. Their business has extended, in both volume and scope, until there are now many interests besides flour milling, the firm handling all kinds of flour and feed, cement, plaster, and similar commodities in large quantities. Their principal brands of flour are “B. & G.’s Best” “Flaky Loaf” and “White Cloud,” the daily capacity of the flour-milling equipment being two hundred barrels of wheat seventy-five barrels of rye, seventy-five barrels of buckwheat and cornmeal. They manufacture cattle and poultry foods, about forty tons of chop daily, and the B. & G. Chick and Hen Food has a large sale not only in the Lehigh Valley but also throughout the Middle States. Their hay shed is 40 by 60 feet in dimensions, the grain elevator has a capacity of 40,000 bushels, and a large warehouse is included among the many conveniences of this well equipped establishment. Twenty-five men are given regular employment. The products, which have the reputation of being of the highest excellence, are not only in steady demand locally and over the coal regions, but find a ready sale all over the eastern part of the country. Blank & Gottshall have shown their enterprise in the completeness of their plant, which is admirably located, facing the Susquehanna river and running parallel with the Philadelphia & Reading tracks, from which a switch connects with the mills; there is also a siding connecting with the Pennsylvania lines. An engine of 150 horse power supplies the motive force for the operation of the mills and the power for the electrical conveniences and comfort of the fine residences which the partners have erected on adjoining property. As member of a firm whose enterprise is reckoned, upon as a substantial factor in the prosperity of Sunbury, Mr. Blank is one of the most respected and valuable citizens of that borough. He is an intelligent and public-spirited man, as effective a worker in other fields as in business circles.
On Aug. 10, 1872, Mr. Blank married Ellen Jane Lentz, daughter of Josiah and Miranda (Shearer) Lentz, the former a lifelong resident of the vicinity of Allentown. Mr. and Mrs. Blank had one daughter, who died in infancy. They are active in the work of the First Reformed Church of Sunbury, and Mr. Blank is a member of Maclay Lodge, No. 632, F. & A.M., of Sunbury. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 158 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

DANIEL C. BLANK, who has been a resident of Sunbury since 1872, has been a railroad man since 1866 and an engineer since 1886, running on the Pennsylvania railroad. He has been in the employ of the Pennsylvania Company for the long period of thirty-eight years. Mr. Blank is a son of Samuel Blank and grand-son of Joseph Blank, who lived in Berwick, Columbia Co., Pa., whither he came at an early period in the history of the settlement of Columbia and Montour counties. He owned a farm, but was obliged to retire at a comparatively early age, because of rheumatism, which so affected him in his closing years that he could not walk without using two canes. He died at Berwick about 1870, at a very advanced age, and is buried near that place. Mr. Blank was a Methodist in his earlier years, later uniting with the Evangelical Association. He was twice married, and survived both wives. His family consisted of three children, all born to the first union, namely: Samuel, and Joseph and Polly, twins. Joseph lived near Berwick. Polly married Jacob Kissner. Samuel Blank, son of Joseph, was born in 1814 and died in 1868, aged fifty-four years. He was a member of the Lutheran Church, and is buried in the old Lutheran cemetery back of Briar Creek, in Columbia county. By occupation he was a farmer. He married Maria Klinetob, daughter of Christopher and Catharine Klinetob, of Salem Township, Luzerne Co., Pa., and she died in 1867 at the age of forty-eight years, the mother of the following named children: One daughter that died in infancy; Katie Ann, who died young; Rolandus, of West Pittston, Pa.; Elmira, wife of Benjamin Eveland, living at Jonestown, Pa.; Daniel C.; Malinda (deceased), who married Samuel M. Smith and lived in Forty Fort, Luzerne county; Jennie, widow of Samuel Poet, who was an engineer on the Pennsylvania railroad and was killed at Duncannon, Pa. (she lives at Harrisburg); Sarah, widow of Wilson Stoudt, living at Sunbury; Louisa (deceased), who married Webster Gensel, now a resident of Berwick, Pa.; and Annie (deceased), wife of Thomas Poet (brother of Samuel, who married her sister Jennie), who lives in Altoona, Pennsylvania. Daniel C. Blank was born July 5, 1848, in Sugar Loaf Township, Luzerne Co., Pa., and was only a youth of sixteen when he enlisted, Sept. 2, 1864, from Columbia county, for one year, to serve as a musician. He became a member of Company I, 110th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the 3d Brigade, 2d Division, 5th Army Corps, Army of the Potomac. He was present at Lee’s surrender and received an honorable discharge May 30, 1865, at Arlington Heights, Va., by reason of the close of the war. In 1866 Mr. Blank began work as a railroad man, and has been thus engaged ever since. He first worked for the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Company, later for the Northern Central and then for the Philadelphia & Erie, both the latter being now under the control of the Pennsylvania, for which he has been working thirty-eight years. Since 1886 he has been engaged as an engineer. His efficiency and trustworthiness May be best judged by the length of his service, which of itself would constitute a remarkable record. He is a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. On Aug. 25, 1872, Mr. Blank married Emma C. Sensenbach, daughter of Charles and Oradio (Gold—now Gould) Sensenbach, who died at Sunbury, but were earlier of Nazareth, Pa. Mrs. Blank had the following brothers and sisters: Sarah, who died aged twelve years; Cloyde, of Bethlehem, Pa.; Mary E., who is the widow of Daniel Paden; James, of Louisville, Ky. (he was drowned at that place, in 1910); Angus, of St. Louis, Mo.; Charles A., of Sunbury; Elmer, of Lewisville, Pa.; and David G., of Sunbury. Mr. and Mrs. Blank have had four children: Harry N., of Pittsburg, Pa.; George W., of Pittsburg; Bessie A., married to Samuel D. Best, a merchant of Sunbury; and Charles W., at home. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 938 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

BLASSER. The Blasser family has been settled in Northumberland County for about a century, and the brothers Abraham D. and Jacob D. Blasser, of Herndon, Pa., now living retired, are worthy representatives of a name which has been respected throughout that period. They are grandsons of John Blasser, who was one of three brothers (another being Abraham) who came from their native country, Switzerland, and settled along the Susquehanna river in Union Township, Snyder Co., Pa. In 1812 John Blasser crossed the river into Northumberland County, settling in Lower Mahanoy Township with his wife and one child, a daughter, Betzy. He was a farmer, a man of good business ability and highly successful, and was an influential citizen, prominent in public matters as well as in the interest of his private concerns. He owned seven hundred acres of land, a large part of which he obtained by warrant from the State, and profitably operated Blasser’s Fishery on the Susquehanna, at what is now known as Dalmatia. He caught shad by tons, single fish often weighing as much as nine pounds, and as the river then abounded with fish this business was very lucrative. He served as general supervisor over the roads of five Townships, making his trips over the roads of which he had charge on horseback. In religious faith be was a Mennonite, and attended services at a meetinghouse in Snyder County, though most of the meetings at that time were at the homes of those interested. John Blasser died about 1850, at the age of seventy-four years, and was laid to rest in a private burial ground on his farm, but in 1876 he was reinterred in the cemetery of the Stone Valley Union Church. His wife, Susanna Riegel, died in 1861, aged seventy years. They had three sons and one daughter: Betzy, who married Henry Latsha; John, who died aged twenty-one years; Jacob, at one time a resident of Lower Mahanoy Township, who moved out to Indiana in 1858 and died there (he was a farmer); and Abraham. Abraham Blasser, son of John, was born April 10, 1816, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and was a lifelong farmer there, dying April 7, 1876, on the farm where he was born. He was a man of high worth and held the confidence of his fellow citizens, who chose him to a number of Township offices, in all of which he gave faithful service. Like his father he was a Mennonite in religion. He married Anna Mary Daniel, daughter of John Adam and Rosina (Wagner) Daniel, and they are buried at the Stone Valley Church. They were the parents of three sons and three daughters: John died unmarried; Abraham D. and Jacob D., twins, are mentioned below; Mary married, David Wetzler; Sarah married John Seal; Susanna married Andrew Star. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 741 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

ABRAHAM D. BLASSER, son of Abraham, was born Dec. 9, 1837, on the Blasser homestead farm in the upper section of Lower Mahanoy Township, this county, a large and valuable tract containing nearly five hundred acres, which he and his twin brother Jacob D. Blasser own in partnership. It is nearly two miles long, and is the largest single farm in Northumberland County. The brothers were reared to farming, which they continued to follow successfully throughout their active years, cultivating the farm in partnership and making many improvements on the property, which is in excellent condition. Both lived there, there being two dwelling-houses, two large barns and two sets of buildings on the land. Upon his retirement from active work, in 1891, Abraham D. Blasser settled in Herndon, of which place he has since been a much esteemed citizen. He was instrumental in the organization of the borough, was one of the first councilmen, continuing to hold that office six years, and has done much to further the best interests of the place, where he is recognized as a man of intelligent public spirit. While living in Lower Mahanoy Township he served as a member of the school board. On May 14, 1860, Mr. Blasser married Elizabeth Lenker, daughter of Adam and Sallie (Messner) Lenker, and to them were born two daughters: Sarah D., born in 1863, died in 1866; Mary Agnes, now the wife of Capt. Jacob F. Hoffman, received her education in the local public schools and at Allentown (Pa.) Female College, meantime, before she entered college, teaching in the public schools of Lower Mahanoy Township and at Berrysburg, Dauphin County. Mrs. Hoffman has marked artistic talent, and has a gift for painting, doing creditable work as a scenic artist and china decorator; she is also a musician of rare attainments, holding several diplomas and medals of honor. Mr. and Mrs. Blasser live on Main Street, in the borough of Herndon, their home being next door to that of his brother. They are members of the Reformed Church. He is a Republican in political opinion. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 741 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JACOB D. BLASSER, twin brother of Abraham D. Blasser, has practically the same history, the brothers have always lived together on the home place until they retired. Jacob D. Blasser, however, did not remove to Herndon until 1893. They have always been on terms of ideal brotherliness, and their homes in Herndon are side by side. On Aug. 25, 1857, Mr. Blasser married Harriet Leader, daughter of Marks and Sallie (Wolf) Leader, of Jackson Township, and granddaughter of John and Susanna (Marks) Leader of the same Township; Susanna Marks was a native of Berks County. Sallie Wolf was a daughter of Michael Wolf. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Blasser; (1) Julius Frank, whose home is at Millersburg, Pa., married Minerva Emerick, and they have eleven children (including two sets of twins), Charles and John (twins), Mabel, Mary, Jacob, Hattie, Naomi, Julius and Alice (twins), Ray and Moses. (2) Sarah A. married Andrew Bucher, and they resided at Mahanoy, where she died May 23, 1895, at the age of thirty-two years. They had one son, Charles. (3) Maggie D. married John Schwab, of Elizabethville, Pa., and died July 2, 1909, aged forty-one years, the mother of three children, Dory F., Mary E. and Erma. Mr. and Mrs. Blasser are new Reformed members of the church at Herndon. While in Lower Mahanoy Township they were identified with the Stone Valley Church, of which Mr. Blasser was an elder for three Years. He is a Republican in politics, but he has always refused to run for public office. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 741 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)