RA - RI Surnames

History of Luzerne County, Pa.,

by H.C. Bradsby, 1893

George RABER, farmer, P. O. Nescopeck, was born in Salem township, this county, December 25, 1828, a son of Michael and Susan (HESS) RABER. His paternal grandfather, George RABER, a native of Northampton county, Pa., born of German parentage, settled in Salem township in 1814; he was a cabinet maker by trade, which he followed in connection with farming. His wife was Margaret SNYDER, and their children were Jonas, Michael, Margaret (Mrs. Samuel SMUTHERS), Betsey (Mrs. Henry THOMAS), Polly and Lydia (Mrs. William HARTER). Michael RABER was reared in Salem township, was a weaver by trade, which he followed during the winters for fourteen years, making grain cradles in the summer time. He was the first lock-tender on the Pennsylvania Canal at Beach Haven, and held that position about fifteen years. In 1842 he settled in Nescopeck township, on the farm occupied by our subject, on which he made all the improvements in buildings; there he died November 25, 1891, at the age of eighty-four years. He served as one of the commissioners of Luzerne county for one term, and was an honored and respected citizen. His wife was a daughter of Jeremiah HESS, of what is now Conyngham township, and was the youngest of twenty-four children. The children of Michael and Susan RABER were George, William, Margaret (Mrs. John W. SEELY), Sarah J. (Mrs. Albert SMITH), Lydia A. (Mrs. Thomas H. SMITH). Our subject was reared in Salem and Nescopeck townships, and educated in the common schools. He has resided in Nescopeck township since 1842, has always followed farming, and succeeded to the homestead at his father's death. He was twice married, his first wife being Mary, daughter of Jacob BITTENBENDER, of Nescopeck township, and by her he has one son living, Michael F. His second wife was Ellen, daughter of John SHOEMAKER, of Shickshinny, Pa., by which union there were two daughters, Alice and Florence. Mr. RABER is one of the substantial farmers of Nescopeck township. He is a member of the Lutheran Church, and in politics he is a Democrat.

Rev. James Lee RACE, clergyman, Duryea, was born in Richmond, Yorkshire, England, July 4, 1830, and is a son of Rev. Daniel (a Methodist minister) and Mary (LEE) RACE, natives of Scotland. They reared a family of six children, of whom James L. is the fourth in order of birth. Our subject was educated in the Richmond Grammar School, and in 1846 received a license to preach four years before leaving school, being known as the "boy preacher." He left school in 1850, and received a charge in London. On February 22, 1858, he arrived in America, and since that time has served the following charges in the Wyoming Conference: Lackawaxen, Moscow, Paupac, Thompson, Damascus, Bethany, Beech Pond, Waymart, Tunkhannock, Nicholson, Smyrna, Plains, New Milford, Maraton, Mehoopany, Lehman and Lackawanna, his present charge. Rev. Mr. RACE was united in marriage September 9, 1851, with Jane, daughter of Thomas and Jane HUMBLE, natives of Yorkshire, England. She died March 15, 1868, leaving the following issue: Jabez W., born June 27, 1852; John H., born March 10, 1862, a graduate of Princeton College, and at present professor of rhetoric in the Wyoming Seminary; and Ulysius G., born May 10, 1864. Our subject was married again, on October, 22, 1868, to Hattie E., daughter of Samuel A. and Ann (BRENTNALL) ABBOT, natives, respectively, of Nottingham and Derby, England. This union was blessed with two children, namely; William F., born December 19, 1870, and Lillian, born November 28, 1874. Mrs. RACE also has a son by a previous marriage, who is a professor of music in Havre-de-Grace, Md. His name is Charles E. WRIGHT, and he was born June 1, 1860. Our subject is a member of the F.&A.M., and is a Prohibitionist.

John W. RAEDER, blank-book manufacturer, Wilkes-Barre, was born at White Haven, November 8, 1858, a son of William and Maria (BALTZ) RAEDER, natives of Germany. They were the parents of five children, of whom John W. is the eldest. Our subject received his education between the ages of five and eight years, having for his instructor the late William DOW. On October 21, 1872, he started out as an apprentice in a blank-book making establishment, in the old Slocum building on the Public Square, now Brown's bookstore. On April 6, 1881, he branched out for himself, and at this writing has the largest plant in northeastern Pennsylvania; in fact it is larger than all the rest combined. He is recording secretary of the Y.M.C.A., also of the First Presbyterian Church Sunday-school, of which he is a member. He is a member of the Masonic Fraternity, belonging to Landmark Lodge No. 442, and holds several other positions.

William LaFayette RAEDER is a son of John and Melinda (WENDELL) RAEDER, the former of whom was born in Hesse Darmstadt, Germany, and emigrated to America in 1841, coming direct to Luzerne county, Pa. He has lived alternately at White Haven, Ransom, Pittston and Wilkes-Barre, finally achieving a competence. At Pittston he was a director of the bank, and of the Street Roadway Company; in Wilkes-Barre, since 1873, he has owned and conducted the "Washington Hotel," on Northampton street. The WENDELL family from which Mrs. RAEDER is descended is among the oldest and best known in what was once New Amsterdam (now New York), where the founder of the American branch, Everett Jansen WENDELL, came from Hanover (now a Province of Prussia) in 1642. Very many distinguished men and women have traced their lineage back to this man. William LaFayette RAEDER was born at Ransom (then in Luzerne county, now in Lackawanna), November 27, 1854. His father having removed to Pittston, our subject attended the public schools at that place, and the West Pittston Seminary. Later he took the course of civil engineering at the Lehigh University, and after graduating he served for a term as a civil engineer under the Wyoming Valley Coal Company. In 1877 he began the study of law in the office of E. P. and J. V. DARLING, and was subsequently admitted to practice in the several courts of Luzerne county in June 1881. Meanwhile, in conjunction with L. C. KINSEY, he organized the Wilkes-Barre Telephone Exchange (since merged into the Northern Pennsylvania Telephone and Supply Company), and until his admission to the bar was employed as its solicitor and collector. Mr. RAEDER is the publisher of the Real Estate Intelligencer. He married, February 17, 1885, Elizabeth, a daughter of George and Eunice WORREL, of Elmira, N. Y. The WORRELS were among the earlier settlers of lower Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Mr. and Mrs. RAEDER have two children, both daughters. In politics, Mr. RAEDER is a Democrat.

Otto K. RAEUCHLE, proprietor of the "Lehigh Valley House," Wilkes-Barre, was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, April 8, 1849, a son of John and Dorothea (BOLLINGER) RAEUCHLE. He was reared in Germany, where he served a three years' apprenticeship at the confectioner's trade, in Stuttgart, and later worked as a journeyman two and one-half years in that city. In 1869 he sailed for America, landing in New York City July 8. He remained there a little over a year, then removed to Philadelphia, where for nearly eight years he was employed as cook in some of the leading hostelries of that city. In December, 1878, he located in Wilkes-Barre, where for seven years he was employed as cook in the "Wyoming Valley House." In 1885 he embarked in the hotel business, in which he has since continued, occupying his present stand since 1887. He was married, June 21, 1874, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Miss Anna, daughter of William and Margaret (SCHNEIDER) KOEHLER, of Germany, and by her has three children living: William, Annie and Charlie. Mr. RAEUCHLE is a member of the German Protestant Church, of the K.of P., the Mystic Chain, the O.R.M., I.O.O.F., the Schuetzenverein, and of the Saengerbund and Concordia Societies. In politics he is a Republican.

Joseph RALSTON, miner in the Keystone Colliery, Plains, was born in Whiflet, Scotland, January 1, 1856, and is a son of James and Isabella (JOHNSTON) RALSTON. The father, who was a miner, left "Old Mauchline" in 1871 and came to America; he located on Scotch Hill, where he still resides, being the first Scotchman to locate there; from this fact the place received its name. He was married, October 4, 1845, to Miss Isabella, daughter of John and Isabella (FRASIER) JOHNSTON; her father, who was a weaver by trade, served twelve years in the British army, during which time he participated in the battle of Waterloo and the Peninsular War. James and Isabella RALSTON had ten children, seven of whom are living, viz: William, a miner in Clearfield county, Pa.; Isabella (Mrs. Thomas COOK); John, a miner in Plains; Joseph, the subject of this memoir; Sarah, married to Isaiah MORRIS, a miner in Plains; James, outside laborer at the mines, living at home; and Jessie, married to John I. ALEXANDER, a miner at Ralston, Pa. Alexander was burned in the mines at Plymouth, in February, 1889, and died from the effects about a year later. Mrs. RALSTON died suddenly December 1, 1891, at about eight o'clock in the morning. Our subject tended door for the Rosall Mining Company, Scotland, for about two years, and then came to America; here he has been engaged in driving, door-tending, running, laboring, firing and mining in the Wyoming, Enterprise, Baltimore, Waddell and Midvale Collieries, and went to the Keystone in February, 1891. Mr. RALSTON was married, January 25, 1882, to Ida May, daughter of Emanuel and Mary Jane (FESTMAKER) SMITH, natives of Columbia county, Pa., and of early German origin. They have four children, viz.: Alfred F., Mary I., Jessie Irene and Minnie G. Mr. RALSTON and family, and also his father's family, are members of the Presbyterian Church; he is a member of the Tuckalula Lodge No. 173, I.O.R.M., Mill Creek, of Sodi Lodge No. 670, I.O.O.F., Plains, and the Caledonian Club of Wilkes-Barre. Politically he is a Republican.

Silas RANDALL, stationary engineer, Mill Creek, was born in Wyoming, September 23, 1856, and is a son of George and Rachel A. (LOW) RANDALL, natives of New Jersey, and of Dutch origin. In their family there were six children, of whom Silas is the fourth. Our subject began life picking slate in the breaker at the age of fourteen, and in two years worked himself up to his present occupation. He came to Plains in 1869, and has followed engineering here since. Mr. RANDALL was married July 4, 1875, to Ella T., daughter of Jonas and Sarah (HINE) SCHLABACH, of Plains, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German origin. To their union have been born three children, viz.: Rachel A., Ella and Allen F. Our subject and wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; he is a member of the O.U.A.M.; he is a Republican in politics, and has held the office of school director three years. In 1875 he built and occupied his present residence.

Francis D. RANSOM, farmer, Forty Fort borough, was born October 13, 1847, in Jackson Township, Luzerne Co., Pa., son of William and Clara (DAVENPORT) RANSOM. They were natives of Pennsylvania, and of English and Scotch origin, respectively. Our subject is the fourth in a family of nine children, eight of whom are now living. He was reared on a farm, and educated in the common schools and a select school at Huntsville, Pa. He started in life for himself at Plymouth, at the age of twenty-three, where he remained five years farming on shares. He then moved to Forty Fort and engaged in general work for three years, when he returned to Jackson township, where he farmed for five years, thence removing to Wyoming, farming there for one year. He then moved back to Forty Fort and purchased two lots, on one of which he built his present residence. Mr. RANSOM was married, October 16, 1870, to Isabella, daughter of Daniel and Catherine (SANTEE) CULP, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German origin. This happy union was blessed with six children, viz.: Catherine, who is a dressmaker and lives at home; Herbert D., weighmaster at the Pettebone Mines; Clara B., a student at the Wyoming Seminary; Eva M., Arthur J. and Grace E. Mr. and Mrs. RANSOM and the four oldest children are members of the Methodist Church. Mr. RANSOM is a Prohibitionist.

Ira RANSOM, farmer, P. O. Plymouth, was born in Plymouth, October 11, 1822, a son of George P. and Elizabeth (LAMAREUX) RANSOM, both of whom were born in Plymouth. George P. was a son of Capt. Samuel RANSOM, who was slain at the Wyoming Massacre. Both the RANSOMS and the LAMAREUX are of the oldest settlers in the Valley, coming here in the county's early history, and were by occupation farmers, honest, sturdy and industrious, whose descendants now hold prominent positions in the county. George P. RANSOM had seventeen children by two marriages--four by the first and thirteen by the second--Ira being the thirteenth member of the second marriage. Our subject was reared and educated in Plymouth, and has always followed the example of his ancestors in tilling the soil, and now occupies the farm on which his maternal grandfather, Thomas LAMAREUX, settled 100 years ago. In 1844 he married Miss Mary, daughter of Benjamin and Mary SMITH, by whom he had six children, four of whom arrived at maturity, viz.: Edwin, Ellen, Emeline and Lira, the latter of whom remains single, all the rest being married and in good circumstances. Mr. RANSOM is a well-to-do agriculturist, and has resided on his present farm for the last thirty-six years. In the fall of 1862, when his country was threatened by invasion, he patriotically enlisted in Company D, One Hundred and Forty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, for the term of three years, serving to the close of the war. He passed through some of the most severely contested battles, viz.: Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, etc., without receiving a wound. At the close of the war he was honorably discharged. He is a member of the G.A.R., Post No. 109. He has been called upon to fill trusted and responsible offices in his town, discharging the duties of the same with credit and fidelity.

Peter J. RARICH, farmer, P. O. Conyngham, was born in Sugar Loaf township, this county, August 20, 1847, a son of Daniel and Elizabeth (MAURY) RARICH. His paternal grandfather, Peter RARICH, settled in Sugar Loaf township in 1827, cleared and improved a farm and died there. His children were Peter, Charles, Martin, Lydia A., Barbara (Mrs. Nathan BARRIA) and Daniel. The father of subject was a native of Lehigh county, Pa., and was reared in Sugar Loaf township from eight years of age. He was a pioneer farmer, and died May 24, 1890, at the age of seventy years six months and twenty-five days. He was twice married. His first wife was Elizabeth MAURY, by whom he had three children: Mary A. (Mrs. George DRASHER); Sarah (Mrs. George KISTHART) and Peter J. His second wife was Mary Magdalena WERT, by whom he had one son, Daniel (deceased). Our subject was reared on the old homestead, whereon his grandfather settled in 1827, and to which he succeeded by will at his father's death. His wife is Emma, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (ROCKEL) ZELLNER, of Sugar Loaf township, and his children are Carrie, Daniel, Abraham, Edith, William and George. Mr. RARICH is a member of the Reformed Church, is a Democrat in politics, and served one term as school director.

Andrew G. RAUB, miller, farmer, coal operator, and lumber dealer, Luzerne borough, was born in said borough March 5, 1861, and is a son of Samuel and Caroline (BISEL) RAUB, also natives of Pennsylvania. The father was one of the early pioneers of the Valley, and did much to develop the resouces of what is now known as Luzerne borough. There are four children in the RAUB family, viz.: Anna C., Addie B., Moriah B. and Andrew G. Our subject was educated in the common schools, and also at Wyoming Seminary. After completing his education, he embarked in the milling business, which had been established by his father, and has since been operated by him, together with his mining and lumbering interests. He was married in May, 1888, to Maud B., daughter of Andrew J. and Mary H. (COLLINGS) BALDWIN, of Trucksville, Pa., to which union have been born two children: Samuel J., born May 17, 1890, and Edwin H., born May 8, 1892. Mr. RAUB has always followed the precepts of the Republican party, but, like his father, he looks to principle for the governing test.

Rev. T. J. REA, pastor of St. Charles Borromeo's Catholic Church, Sugar Notch, was born in Charleville, County Cork, Ireland. He was graduated in philosophy from Allhallows College, Dublin, in 1869, when he came to America and entered the college of St. Bonaventures, from which he was graduated in 1872, and was ordained at Scranton by the Right Reverend William O'HARA on July 14 of the same year. He was then appointed assistant at Archbald, which position he filled for two years, after which he served two years at Wilkes-Barre in the same capacity. He was then to have gone to Hazleton, but a sudden decline in health compelled him to travel. He spent a year in Ireland and continental Europe, and after his return he was appointed pastor at Montrose, Pa., also supplying Meshoppen, Tunkhannock and Auburn, and in 1879 came to Sugar Notch, where he built the pastoral residence the same year, and completed the church which was commenced by Father O'HEARN in 1881, thus affording the congregation an elegant and commodious property, which is free from encumbrances.

Ira K. READ (deceased) was born in Warren county, N. J., December 14, 1828, a son of Richard and Rebecca (HOWELL) READ, natives of New Jersey, and of English origin. In his father's family there were ten children, of whom he was the sixth; he began life farming in his native State, which he followed till 1858, when he removed to Dallas, and there continued farming for seven years. He health failing him he removed to Kingston, and engaged in the hardware business there for three years, afterward going to Wilkes-Barre, where he lived six years. He traveled two years for William BERTOLS, and then engaged with Payne & Co., as agent, in whose employ he remained until his death June 14, 1890; he removed to Miners Mills in 1881. Mr. READ was married December 3, 1851, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Philip and Margaret (BOUGHT) HOWELL, natives of New Jersey, and of English and German lineage, respectively. Mr. and Mrs. READ had three children, viz.: Sarah M., married to Henry BACHMAN (she and her only child, Arthur R., live with her mother, where she conducts a large dress-making establishment); Anna Rebecca, married to James L. RIBBLE, a harness-maker in Wilkes-Barre (they have one child, Willard A.); Emma A., married to William ALLEN, boss plasterer for Charles SHIVER, Wilkes-Barre (they have one child, Ira W.). Mr. READ was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, with which the family is also connected; he was a Republican in his political views.

Joseph C. REAP, doctor of dental surgery, Pittston. This well-known and highly esteemed dentist is a native of Pittston and was born May 3, 1866. He is a son of Michael and Mary (BOLIN) REAP, natives of County Mayo, Ireland. His father, who was one of Pittston's most successful business men, and a very highly respected and influential citizen, died in 1885. The Doctor received his preparatory education in the Harry HILLMAN Academy, Wilkes-Barre, and later attended the University of Pennsylvania, at Philadelphia, where he was graduated in the class of 1888, taking the degree of D.D.S. He immediately came to Pittston and engaged in the practice of his profession, where he has since enjoyed a large and eminently successful practice. The Doctor is a member of the Dental Protective Association, and his political views are of a thorough Democratic nature.

John R. REED, miner, Plymouth, was born November 3, 1851, in Schuylkill county, Pa., and is the sixth in a family of fourteen children born to Daniel and Mary E. (HOWTZ) REED, also natives of Pennsylvania. John R. was educated and reared in Luzerne county, and started life as a workman at the mines, where he remained but a short time. He then went to Harleigh, and engaged in firing and running an engine for six years at No. 2. He then did company work, inside, at the same mine for four years, afterward going to Highland, where he was engaged as a track-layer for two years, coming at the end of that time to Plymouth, and has since worked as a practical miner at Delaware & Hudson No. 2. Our subject was twice married: first, on January 4, 1872, to Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas and Ann (MASON) CASWELL, natives of England, to which union were born three children: Ann, Mary E. and Leona. Mrs. Elizabeth REED died March 3, 1889, and he married for his second wife, on June 25, 1890, Alice, daughter of Thomas WYLIE, of Plymouth. One child has blessed this union, Ernestine. Mr. REED is a Republican in politics, and is a member of the I.O.O.F. The family attend the Presbyterian Church.

Herbert Y. REES, reporter, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Bristol, England, April 2, 1843, a son of John and Jane (EVANS) REES, both natives of Llangadock, Wales. His father was a tallow chandler, and carried on an extensive business at Merthyr Tydvill, South Wales, for forty years. They were the parents of two children: Herbert Y., and Harry J., of Pocahontas, Virginia. Our subject was educated at Bristol, England, and at the age of twenty-five he left Wales for Johnstown, Pa., where he remained two years in the position of clerk in Wood Morrell & Co.'s store. He left there for Jermyn, Luzerne Co., Pa., and accepted a position with John JERMYN & Co., as clerk. From there he came to Wilkes-Barre, to fill a position as clerk in Conyngham & Paine's store, known as the "Empire Store." From there he left for Sugar Notch, where he remained several years, as clerk for the same firm. He finally again came to Wilkes-Barre, and accepted a position as reporter and circulation manager, on the Wilkes-Barre Record, which positions he still holds. On August 31, 1862, he was united in marriage with Miss Isabella, daughter of John and Margaret (PEARSON) MOODY, both born at Newcastle, England, and of this union there are six children as follows: Edith, John M., Harry P., Jennie M., Bella H. and Gertrude. He is a member of the Methodist Church, the F. & A. M., the Cambro American Society, Royal Arcanum, I.O.R.M., and of the Chicago Cymradorion Society. In politics he affiliates with the Republican party. He is the United States correspondent for the Western Mail, Cardiff, Wales.

Morgan J. REES, This gentleman, who is one of Nanticoke's most enterprising merchants, is a native of Carmarthenshire, South Wales, born May 7, 1851. At the age of nineteen he bade farewell to his mother land, set sail for America, and became one of her adopted sons. When he arrived in this country he located at Frostburg, Md., where he found employment as clerk in a grocery store. He remained there about one year and six months and then came to Luzerne county, where he accepted a position as mine foreman, at Jamesville, for the Spring Mountain Coal Company. In the employment of this company he remained some fifteen years, with the exception of three years he spent in California. In 1887 he came to Nanticoke, and embarked in the grocery business, since which time he has increased his stock in every line until he has well earned the title of "General Merchant." His place of business is on Market street. Mr. REES was united in marriage at Jamesville, in 1881, with Miss Almena MOCK of that place. This union has been blessed with five children, viz.: John Howard, Morgan G., Anna Brooks, Alfred and Leroy. Mr. and Mrs. REES are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Socially, he is a member of the S. P. K. Politically, he is a Prohibitionist.

Morgan T. Rees, general merchandise, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, October 31, 1864, and is the son of Morgan T. and Elizabeth (David) Rees, who came to America in 1871, locating in Scranton. In 1874 they came to Wilkes-Barre, where the father engaged in general merchandising, establishing, in 1878, the business now conducted by our subject. This he followed until his death, which occurred in 1883, when he was succeeded by his widow, with our subject as manager. His eight children were: Bessie (Mrs. A. Rhoads), Mary (Mrs. William T. Smith), Catherine (Mrs. William E. Jones), Morgan T., William I., Alice, Edith and Mabel. The subject of this sketch was reared in Wilkes-Barre, up to fifteen years of age, being educated in the public schools. He learned the trade of tinsmith and plumber; and, as before stated, at the death of his father in 1883, became manager of the store. He is a member of the K. of P. In politics he is a Republican.

William S. Rees, miner in the Wyoming Colliery, Miners Mills, was born in Merthyr Maur, near Bridgend, Glamorganshire, South Wales, December 24, 1835, and is an only son of William and Mary Rees, his father being a shoemaker by trade. He came to America in 1865, located at Providence, and engaged in the vocation he had always followed; he remained there three years, then worked at Mill Creek seven years, and at Prospect eight years, since which he has been employed at Wyoming. He built his present residence in 1871. Mr Rees was married, December 28, 1857, to Miss Mary, daughter of Benjamin and Gwenllian (Price) Thomas; She was born in Tafswell, near Cardiff. August 27, 1828. Mr. and Mrs. Rees has two children, viz : Gwenllian, who died in Wales at the age of two and one-half years, and Benjamin, who died at the age of five years and was buried in Hyde Park. He and his wife are members of the Welsh Congregational Church at Plains; he is a member of the Ivorites, and in politics is a steadfast Republican.

A. Reese, general mine foreman, Nanticoke, one of the most respected citizens of Luzerne county, was born December 14, 1847, near Clifton, Carbon Co., Pa. He is the youngest but one of five children born to Daniel and Mary (Morgan) Reese, natives of Wales. When the subject of this sketch was but two years old, hi father, who was a miner, was killed in the mines at Clifton by a fall of rock. Being thus early left an orphan, entirely dependent upon his poor widowed mother who had a family of five children to support, his early advantages were very limited, and at the tender age of seven years he began picking slate at the Sugar Loaf Mines, near Hazelton, and very soon after engaged at work inside. He continued working in the mines until March 4, 1864; then, when but little over sixteen years of age, he enlisted in the Eighteenth Pennsylvania Cavalry. He was in the fight at Weldon Railroad and engaged in several sharp skirmishes at Reems Station. He was under Gen. Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley raid, and took part in all engagements in that locality during the fall of 1864, and remained with that general until the spring of 1865, when he was among the troops left in the valley while Sheridan moved towards Petersburg, where he was when Lee surrendered. His company was then sent from Winchester, then to Cumberland, Md., and in July, 1865, it was sent to Cannon, W. Va., and there Mr. Reese was one of a detachment of fourteen who were sent to Beverly, W. Va., in command of a lieutenant, to assist the sheriff in enforcing the laws of the Federal Government. He received his discharge November 1, 1865, and engaged in mining at Providence, Lackawanna Co., Pa., which he followed a short time, when he went to work at the carpenter's trade with E. L. Riggs. After following that business about two years. he went to Jeddo, where he worked one year again engaged in mining, and next removed to Wanamie, where he remained until 1872. Our Subject then accepted the position of mine foreman for the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company at Plymouth. On January 1, 1874, this company was succeeded by the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, but Mr. Reese continued in the employ of the new firm in the same capacity, until August, 1874, when he went to Wanamie, also in the employ of the same company, where he was given charge of the general underground work. Mr. Reese remained there until 1875, when he entered the employ of the Lehigh Valley Coal Company at Pleasant Valley and West Pittston, remaining there until November 1, 1885, when he accepted the position of general mine foreman for the Susquehanna Coal Company, at Nanticoke, which position he now holds. Mr. Reese was married, December 29, 1868, to Miss Harriet Davies, of Providence, Pa. Mrs. Reese died December 2, 1889, leaving five children, viz : Alfred B., Victor E., Anna May, Eva and Ethel. He is a member of the G. A. R.; politically he is a Republican, and has been a member of the borough council, at present a member of the school board.

Abraham Reese, merchant, Wilkes-Barre, was born February 15, 1840, and is a son of Caspary Reese, a native of Prussia. Our subject came to America in 1856, and located in Dubuque, Iowa, a short time, from there going to the city of New Orleans. Here he was employed as a salesman in one of the largest houses in the South, remaining there twelve years. At the beginning of the Civil war our subject enlisted, in 1861, in the Confederate service with the Crescent Regiment, of New Orleans, Louisiana Volunteers (Infantry), and served the lost cause three years and a half, during which time he became an officer on Allen Thomas' staff. After the war closed he went to Mexico, where he was offered a commission in Maximilian's army. He did not accept this, however, but after remaining in Mexico about two months proceeded to Galveston, Tex., and thence returned to New Orleans, where he remained as salesman in a large wholesale house until 1870, in which year he came to Plymouth, Pa., and established a business, which he carried on in a commodious double store, one department being filled with a large assortment of gents' furnishing goods, the other containing a full line of boots and shoes. The subject of this sketch was married March 23, 1870, to Miss Sarah Reese, daughter of Louie Reese, who, it will be remembered, was foully murdered and robbed, in 1852, near Wilkes-Barre, Pa. The murderer was subsequently apprehended, tried, found guilty and executed. Louie Reese's daughter, Sarah, was soon after this sad tragedy adopted by Isaac Livingstone, with whom she lived until married to Mr. Abraham Reese. Eight children have been born to this union: Ella, Ruth, Ettie, Harry, William Cleveland, Fannie, Gertrude and Marion. Our subject has always been identified with the Democratic party. After a successful business career of over twenty years, Mr. Reese removed to the city of Wilkes-Barre, where he now resides in his beautiful mansion on the corner of South and Franklin streets.

Evan Reese, proprietor of the "Black Ridge Hotel," West Hazelton, was born in Glamorganshire, Wales, March 26, 1834, a son of David and Gwennie(Reese) Reese. He was reared in his native county, and at seven years of age began work about the ore mines; from 1844 to 1863 he was employed in the coal mines of Schuylkill county, Pa., five years; then for seventeen years was employed at the Yorktown Colliery, Carbon county, PA., during fifteen years of which time he was inside boss of the colliery. On his retirement from the mines, he received a recommendation from the company as being thoroughly competent to take any position about mines he might be called upon to fill. Since 1886 Mr. Reese has been the popular proprietor of the "Black Ridge Hotel," and his friends are legion. He was twice married, his first wife being Mary, daughter of Thomas and Mary Price, of Wales, by which union he had fifteen children. of whom eight grew to maturity : Gwennie (Mrs. Charles Tanner), Mary (Mrs. John Thomas), Thomas, Sarah A. (mrs. Evan Davis), Maggie (Mrs. August Wonderlich), William, Lizzie (Mrs, E.E. Fisher) and Evan D. His second wife was Mrs. Josephine (Charles) Young, of Carbon county, Pa. In politics Mr. Reese is a Republican.

GEORGE F. REESE, conductor on the Lehigh Valley Railroad, Hazleton Division, Hazleton, was born January 28, 1848, in Glamorganshire, South Wales, and is the oldest in a family of five children born to John and Martha (BROWN) REESE, natives of Wales. The parents came to America in 1852, settling in Pottsville, Pa., where they resided four years, afterward moving to St. Clair, Pa., where the children were reared and educated. Our subject at the age of twelve, left school and began working about the mines, and did all kinds of work that relates to the mining of coal. His services extended throughout the mines of St. Clair where he worked four years as a practical miner. In 1871 he came to Hazleton, and after working a short time at Mt. Pleasant Mines began railroading, as a brakeman on the Lehigh Valley Road, and after about two years' service in that capacity was promoted to conductor of a freight train. He continued to conduct until 1889, when he was again promoted, to the position of passenger conductor, running between Hazleton, White Haven, Eckley and Lattimer Mines. In his business relations with the public, Mr. Reese is always obliging and pleasant, and looks to the safety and comfort of those who are patrons of the trains he runs. Mr. Reese was united in marriage, December 24, 1874, with Miss Susan, daughter of Robert and Ann (BERTLEY) STEVENS, natives of England, to which union have been born nine children. In political matters Mr. Reese is a firm Republican; he is a member of the Royal Arcanum, and of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

B. C. REEVE, farmer, P. O. Dallas, was born February 16, 1849 in Kingston township, where and at Wyoming Seminary he received his education. He is a son of David and Martha (CHANDLER) REEVE, the former born in orange County, N.Y., and the latter in Hope township, Warren Co., N.J. They are now living in Kingston township on a place of 220 acres, and are prosperous farmers, highly respected by all who know them. The father is an honest, industrious and upright man; politically he is a stanch Republican. There were five children born to them, all of whom are living. B.C. is the only son, and has always confined himself to agricultural pursuits. In 1871 at the age of twenty-two, he began life for himself in Dallas township as a farmer, working the farm he now owns, but which then belonged to Joseph FRANTZ. After the lapse of two years, he moved back to Kingston township, and finally, in 1877, he again moved to Dallas on the farm he formerly worked, and which he had purchased from Joseph FRANTZ, his father-in-law. It consists of 100 acres of land which he is fully able to manage. He is a man of tact and energy, always keeping abreast of the times. His stock is of mixed grade, but fine; it numbers thirty-nine, and this is accounted for by the fact that Mr. Reeve is an extensive dairy-man. In other respects he is a general farmer. He hauls his milk to WIlkes-Barre, where he sells it to wholesale dealers. Mr. Reeve was married, at the age of twenty-one, on February 22, 1870, to Miss Sarah E., daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth FRANTZ. To this union there were born children as follows: Joseph, David, Charles, Emma and Mary E., all of whom are living. Politically, Mr. Reeve is a Republican.

STEPHEN J. REGAN, a popular liveryman of Wilkes-Barre, was born in Ransom, Lackawanna county, October 7, 1861, a son of Daniel and Mary REGAN, natives of Ireland. His parents came to America about 1855, and settled in what was then Ransom township, now Lackawanna county, Pa., where the father was employed by the Reading Railroad system. Their children who are living number seven: Mary, Kate, Stephen J., William, Ellen, Margaret and Elizabeth. Our subject was reared in Ransom township, educated in the public schools, and began life as a farm hand. In 1881 he located in Wilkes-Barre, where he was employed as teamster two years, and where, in 1883, he embarked in the teaming business on his own account. In 1888 he established a livery business, which he has since successfully conducted. June 11, 1890, Mr. Regan married Miss Anna, daughter of Patrick and Mary LENAHAN, of Long Eddy, Sullivan county, N.Y., and by her had one daughter, Mary. He is a member of the Catholic Church and St. Aloysius Society, and in politics is a Democrat.

COL. GEORGE N. REICHARD, of the well-known firm REICHARD & Co., brewers, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., October 13, 1834, a son of John and Wilhelmina (SCHRADER) REICHARD. The father came, an immigrant, to Wilkes-Barre in 1833, and soon after purchased the old brewery of his cousin. [See history of the first brewery in Wilkes-Barre elsewhere.] There were sixteen children born to the parents, eight of whom grew to maturity (the others having died in infancy), and six are now living, in the order of births as follows: George N. (our subject); Henry C., in the employ of the brewery; Kate (Mrs. LEONARD), of Wilkes-Barre; Lena (Mrs. SWOYER), whose husband in his lifetime was one of the prominent coal operators of Wilkes-Barre; John, a real estate agent of Denver, Colo., whither he had removed on account of his health, and Charles W., who owns and operates a cattle ranch in New Mexico. Our subject was educated in the public schools and Deacon Dana's Academy, of Wilkes-Barre, and at the President's call for volunteersin the spring of 1861 he enlisted, and was made captain of Company G, Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry; he served his three months, was discharged, and returned home. In August, 1862, he helped to organize the One Hundred and Forty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment, was elected captain of Company C, and as such served two years, when he was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the regiment, and thus continued in the service to the end of the war, experiencing all the trials and vicissitudes in camp and field and bloody battle-ground. He was twice wounded in battle: at Gettysburg, and June 18, 1864, in the storming of Petersburg; he was honorably discharged with his command in June 1865. In 1870 he became associated with his father in the brewery, when the name and style of the firm becameReichard & Son, and so continued until the death of the father, which occurred August 19, 1884. Soon after this John Reichard was admitted to the firm, when it became known as Reichard's Sons until January 1, 1889, at which date, owing to failing health, John Reichard retired from the firm, and George Weaver and J.G. Reichard were admitted, the style of the new firm being Reichard & Co., as it stands to-day.

On October 27, 1875, our subject was united in matrimony with Miss Grizzy E., daughter of Peter McC. and Elizabeth (HORTON) GILCHRIST, natives of New York State, the former born in Saratoga, the latter in Windsor, Broome county. Mr. and Mrs. Reichard have no children. They are members of the Episcopal Church, Mr. Reichard affiliates with the Democratic party, and has held the office of assistant United States assessor, and has been a member of the city council. He is a director of the Anthracite Savings Bank, and is a F.& A.M.

WILLIAM A. REICHARD, of the firm REICHARD & TRETHAWAY, prominent grocers of Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city June 14, 1868, a son of Henry and Jennie G. (GRIFFIN) REICHARD. He was reared in his native city, educated in public schools and Harry Hillman Academy, and began his business career as a civil engineer, which profession he followed for three years. In September, 1890, he embarked in the grocery trade as a member of the firm REICHARD & TRETHAWAY, in which he ahs since successfully continued. Mr. REICHARD is one of the popular young business men of Wilkes-Barre, and is a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Landmark Lodge No. 442, F.& A.M., Shekinah Chapter No. 182, R.A.M., and Dieu Le Veut Commandery No. 45, K.T.

FRANKLIN S. REICK, jeweler, Ashley, was born in Cressona, Pa., July 22, 1865, son of William E. and Catherine A. (HEISER) REICK, of Ashley, natives respectively of Germany and Pennsylvania, the latter being of early German origin. His father, who is a carpenter by trade, reared a family of four children, two of whom are living, Franklin S. and Esther. Franklin S. was educated in the Ashley public schools, and at the age of fourteen began learning his trade which he has since followed. He engaged in business in 1888. Mr. Reick was married March 5, 1890, to Miss Lida, daughter of John and Elizabeth (HAMILTON) KILMER, of Wilmington, Del., natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and Scotch origin, respectively. Mr. Reick and family are members of the Presbyterian Church. He is a member of the Jr. O.U.A.M.. and is a Democrat in his political views.

THOMAS H. REID, proprietor of a meat market, Pittston, was born at Yatesville, Pa., and is a son of John B. and Grace REID, natives of Staffordshire, England. His parents came to America in 1849, settling at Pittston, Pa., where they resided until 1851, when they removed to Yatesville and purchased a farm which they tilled for thirty-six years, and where they reared a family of twelve children. The father soon after removed from the farm and took up his residence in the village, and was engaged in carrying mail up to the date of his death, which occurred in 1886. The subject of this sketch was reared and educated in Yatesville, and until eighteen years of age worked on the farm owned by his father. He then moved to Wyoming, Pa., and served an apprenticeship of four years with a carriage builder. In the fall of 1882 he came to Pittston, Pa., and engaged in the meat business with W. A. REID, a brother who started the business at Pittston in 1880. It was conducted from 1880 to 1890 under the firm name REID Bros., and at the latter date W.A. retired from the business and William GOWAN took his place. The firm is now known as REID & GOWAN. They are enterprising men and are doing an extensive business. Mr. REID attends the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in politics he is a stanch Republican.

PHILIP Reiley, late merchant in Wilkes-Barre, passed into eternity January 6, 1892, and was followed by his kind and dearly beloved wife, May 15, of the same year, both being survived by their four children: Peter, Cornelius, Mary A. (Mrs. P. E. FLOOD), and Katie A. Much has been written concerning the early settlers in Luzerne county, but in recording the history of the wise, industrious, important and ambitious families of a more modern time, none can be found more worthy of note and a place in the annals of the county than that of Philip Reiley, as one among thousands of his countrymen who emigrated to this country to seek their fortunes. He was born in County Meath, Ireland, in 1824, and was a son of Peter and Catherine (WATERS) REILEY, in whose family there were two sons and two daughters, of whom Michael, a welathy prospector and speculator, residing at Placerville, Boise Co., Idaho, is the only survivor. Philip Reiley came to America in 1847, and for two years was employed on a farm in New Jersey, where, in 1849, he met Miss Mary MASTERSON, of Newark, N.J., daughter of Cornelius and Catherine (COYLE) MASTERSON, natives of County Cavan, Ireland. In October of the same year he went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he found employment on the coal docks, and accumulated a sufficient sum to purchase a comfortable home. Meantime he was very prompt in his attention to Miss MASTERSON, and the following year sought and obtained her hand in marriage, after which they located in their new home in Cleveland, where is now the central part of that great city. Becoming dissatisfied with his employment there, he sold his property, and in 1851 removed to Wilkes-Barre, where, in March of that year, he entered the employ of a Mr. LIPPENCOTTE, of the Baltimore Mines, having charge of the loading of boats and wagons in the capacity of weighmaster for about thirty years. Mr. Reiley's education was scant, but his rare judgment and good common sense won for him the greatest confidence of his employers during that long term of service, and was his unerring guide in his mercantile and real estate business in which he was, lately, extensively engaged. He was a kind father, a loving husband and an excellent financier and business man. Mr. and Mrs. REILEY were noted for their industry and good management, kind and charitable disposition and neighborly conduct, to which may be largely attributed their success in the mercantile business from 1883 to 1892. Another great component of their success was the fact that the reared a good family who always worked for a common interest, and to whom they gave a liberal education. When Mr. REILEY embarked in mercantile business, his daughter, Mary A., took charge of his books and accounts until her marriage in 1885, when she was succeeded by her sister, Katie, who was educated in the Wyoming Seminary, including the commercial department, and in the Sisters of Mercy Convent, Wilkes-Barre. Being a very accurate accountant, she opened a systematic and comprehensive set of books for her father, and was otherwise of great aid to him in the management of the business until his death, when she became interested with her brother, Peter, in the management of their present business, the style of the firm being known as P. REILEY & Co. The REILEY family have been widely known in Luzerne County, and among their business fraternity, as they were always considered very charitable to the poor, devoted advocates of Catholicity and Democracy, and supporters of every worthy enterprise in the community in which they live.

PETER REILEY, of the firm P. REILEY & Co., No. 471 Hazle street, Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city, January 5, 1853, and is a son of Philip and Mary (MASTERSON) REILEY. He was educated in the public school, and then worked in the breaker and about the mines for several years, was for a short time variously engaged in the draying, retailing cigars and in the bottling business, after which he returned to the mines where he was for seven years stationary engineer until January 1892. At that time he joined his sister Katie in the continuance of the well-established business of their father. Mr. REILEY was married January 27, 1881, to Miss Mary O'BRIEN, daughter of Michael and Catherine (WALSH) O'BRIEN, natives of County Waterford, Ireland, and they have five children, as follows: Mary, Philip M., Catherine, Edward J. and Irene. Mr. Peter REILEY and his family are members of the Catholic Church; he was a charter member of the St. Aloysius Society, and the E.B.A., and in his political views is a Democrat.

CORNELIUS M. REILEY, merchant, No. 215 Parrish street, Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city, and is a son of Philip and Mary (MASTERSON) REILEY. He was educated in the schools of his native town and at the Wyoming Seminary, where he finished the commercial course. Was then car dispatcher at the Franklin Mine, five years; county detective of Luzerne county, three years; railroad detective for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company from Wilkes-Barre to Sunbury, one year; and in 1887 built his beautiful place of business, with residence attached, and engaged in his present business which he has since carried on with a marked degree of success. Mr. REILEY was married September 25, 1889, to Miss Katie M., daughter of Patrick and Bridget (WALSH) FITZPATRICK, of West Auburn, Susquehanna Co., Pa., natives of New Jersey and of Irish origin. Mr. and Mrs. Cornelius REILEY are both members of the Catholic Church; in his political views he is a Democrat.

JAMES T. REILLY, merchant, Ashley, was born in Towanda, Pa., November 10, 1838, and is a son of Hugh and Anna (REILLY) REILLY, natives, respectively, of Counties Longford and Cavan, Ireland. His father, a weaver by trade, came to America about 1830 and located in Towanda, later in Montrose, and then at the red mill on the Ashley Planes, where he was stable-boss for many years; thence removed to Newtown, where both he and his wife died. The family consisted of four children, viz.: Mary A. (Mrs. Patrick SMITH); Sarah (Mrs. Patrick MCGRAW); James T.; and Margaret (Mrs. John SHEA). Our subject was educated in the old log schoolhouse which stood where the Central machine shop does, and commenced work in the blacksmith shop on the Plane where he remained until 1858, after which he was successfully engaged as brkaeman on the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, two years; brakeman on the Bloomsburg Railroad, one year; fireman on the Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad, fifteen years; engineer on the Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad, five years. In 1884 he came to Ashley and engaged in his present business. In April, 1863, Mr. REILLY married Miss Anna, daughter of James and Anna (DELEAVY) MULLIGAN, natives of Ireland, and by her had the following children: Hugh V., collector for Coslet & Co., Wilkes-Barre; William S., clerk for COONS & Co., fourteen years, and now for HOFFIMIER, Wilkes-Barre; Annie T., clerk in COONS & Co, four years, married John RAIN also a clerk in the same store; Agnes; Alice; James; Thomas; Edward; Austin; and Emmet (the last was instantly killed by a street car in front of his home at the age of two years; there was also one child that died in infancy). Mr. REILLY and family are strong advocates of Democracy, and zealous adherents of the Catholic Church.

JOHN REILLY, of Hanover Township, while riding down South Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, with Andrew Lenahan, was shot and killed by the latter about half past six on the evening of September 15, 1874. The body was carried to the Newtown bridge, and thrown down the bank where it was soon after discovered. The murderer escaped to Rock Island, Ill., where he assumed the name of Patrick Reilly; but murder will out, and he was discovered by a decoy letter and brought to Wilkes-Barre for trial. The jury was out but twenty minutes when they brought in a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree, and he paid the penalty of his crime. Mr. Reilly was a man well liked by all, and held the office of justice of the peace at the time of his death. Even his murderer and he were friends, and the motive that prompted the deed is difficult to locate, unless it was for money paid by some politicians to destroy the life of one whom they imagined had wronged them, or at least defeated their purposes. Mr. Reilly was born in County Cavan, Ireland, in 1841. After coming to America he enlisted in Company D, Ninth P.V.I., served during the entire was and was discharged as corporal; afterward he was captain of a company of Shield’s Home Guards. When he returned from the was he embarked in the grocery business, which he followed until within two months of his death, when he engaged in the saloon business in Wilkes-Barre but continued to live in Hanover Township. April 4, 1867, our subject married Miss Margaret, daughter of James and Mary (McGonigal) Meighan, natives of County Donegal, Ireland, where the family are wealthy and influential, and whence her parents emigrated in 1839. Of this union were born three children: Mary E. A., a graduate of the Bloomsburg State Normal School in 1886, and teacher in Wilkes-Barre schools; Anna B. , graduate o the same school in 1891,and teacher in Hanover township and assistant principal; and Alice, who lives with her mother. The family have always been devoted advocates of Catholicity and Democracy.

AUGUSTUS REISENWEAVE, proprietor of the "Phoenix Hotel", Conyngham, was born in Sachsen Coburg, Germany, July 11, 1851, and is a son of George and Margaret (Laesterin) Reisenweave, who came to America in 1852, locating in Sugar Loaf township, this county. The father, who was a mason by trade, which he followed in connection with farming, died in Hazleton March 17, 1888, in this sixty-sixth year. His children were five in number, viz: John, Augustus, Peter, Amelia (Mrs. Leroy Gavitt), and Jacob (deceased). Our subject was reared in Sugar Loaf Valley, learned the shoemaker’s trade, which he carried on four years. In 1883, he embarked in the hotel business, and as since been owner and proprietor of the "Phoenix Hotel", the principal hostelry in Conyngham, since 1886. On December 23, 1873, Mr. Reisenweave married Sarah, daughter of William and Sophia (Benninger) Houseknecht, of Sugar Loaf township, and they have two children living: William W. and Esther F. Our subject is a member of the Lutheran Church, of the I. O. O. F., and in politics he is a Democrat.

GEORGE REITH, farmer P.O. Carverton, was born in Kincardineshire, Scotland, near the city of Aberdeen, on the banks of the River Dee, January 19, 1841, where he was partly reared and educated. He is the son of George and Ann (Esson) Reith, both of whom were born in Scotland, the former near the castle of Fyvie, the history of which dates back about nine hundred years to the time when the Norman Conquerors invaded Great Britain. George was a son of Alexander Reith, who was in his day a practical farmer, seving seven years to fit him for all the various branches of horticulture. His son, George, Sr., was an overseer on the estate of a large landowner, where he becmae thoroughly acquainted with agricultural pursuits. He removed to this country with his wife and son, George, Jr., when the latter was eleven years of age. After a voyage of six weeks he located in Wilkes-Barre in June 1852, engaging as a farmer, and taking a deep interest in all its branches. His long prcatice and knowledge of farming on scientific principles became so widely known that his counsel was sought after and acted upon by the thinking men of his community. He was a man of pure life; one in whom his fellow-men could place confidence without fear of betrayal; he was honest and industrious, and loyal to his adopted country. In religious doctrine he was a member of the Presbyterian Church, and an elder in that body at the time of his death, which event occurred February 17, 1866, when he was aged fifty years. His family consisted of four children, two of whom are living. His son, George, Jr., began lifein Kingston township, on the John Dorrance estate, on which his father labored five years previous to his death, and on which our subject labored five years subsequenly. In 1871, he removed to Franklin township, where he purchased of D. H. Frantz a farm of 125 acres. On December 20, 1865, Mr. Reith was married to Miss Eliza J., daughter of Aaron and Zibee La Bar. This union resulted in the birth of one son George, born October 3, 1866. Mrs. Eliza J. (La Bar) Reith was born in Mt. Bethel, Northampton county, Pa. The La Bars are a numerous family, and are of French descent. Mr. Reith is a practical man in every sense of the owrd; a man who reads and remembers what he reads, keeping well abreast of the times in civil and social matters. He is a self-made man, who, by a close application to business, has succeeded in accumulating for himself a sufficiency of this world’s goods. He has made many visible improvements in his place, and many others, not quite so apparent, perhaps, but which are appreciated in harvest tiem. He has held nearly all the town offices with credit, and is a man of influence in his neighborhood.

H. S. REMALY, farmer, Huntington township, P.O. Huntington Mills, was born February 13, 1852, in that township, and is a son of George and Lucy (Smith) Remaly, natives of Pennsylvania, and of German and English origin, respectively; the father is a farmer and resides near Huntington Mills. Our subject is the fifth in a family of eight children, six of whom are now living. He was reared on a farm, educated in the common schools, and when when seventeen years of age went to work as a fireman in Koons Bros.’ paper-mill, where he remained for nine years, after which he went to Canada with Prof. Robert, prospecting for coal for three years. He then returned to his native township and rented the Monroe farm which he worked in this way until the spring of 1889, when he purchased the same. It is a property of 110 acres, between the turnpike and Huntington creek, one-half mile from the post office. Mr. remaly was united in marriage, April 17, 1887, with Miss Edith, daughter of Perry and Martha (McCafferty) Monroe, natives of Pennsylvania and of English origin. Mr. and Mrs. Remaly attend the M. E. church. He is a member of the I.O.O.F. and K. of P.; has held the office of school director, and in politics is a Republican.

WILLIAM J. RENNIMAN, druggist, Avoca, son of Justus and Mary (Miller)Renniman, was born in Honesdale, PA, November 10, 1854. His father and mother are both natives of Germany, where they were educated. At the age of eighteen, Mr. Justus Renniman left Germany and came to this country, in 1849 taking up his residence in Honesdale, Pa., where he remained as a canal boatman and teamster until 1880; at that time he removed to Avoca, where both he and his wife now live. Thirteen children were born to their marriage, viz.: William J. (the subject of this sketch); Justus, Jr., (deceased); Win; Anna (deceased0; Mary, married to James Bell, a barber at Avoca; Margaret, a teacher at Avoca; Magdalene, residing with her parents; Carrie, married to P. H. O’Brien, a miner at Avoca; Elizabeth, living at home; and four who died while quite young. Mr. Renniman was educated in the schools of Honesdale. When thirteen years of age, he left school and began working in a rolling-mill at Scranton, Pa., remaining until 1869, and then entered the drug store of Matthews Bros., of that place. In 1874, he matriculated at Lehigh University , Bethlehem, Pa., as a special student, and graduated in 1876. Mr. Renniman then returned to Scranton, to his old place in Matthews Bros., and remained with them seven months. In the latter part of 1876, he removed to Avoca and opened a drug-store of his own, which he is still conducting. in 1890 he was appointed deputy coroner. our subject is a member of Valley Lodge No. 170, Avoca, Pa., Knights of Honor. He sustains an honorable reputation and has prospered in business because of his unflagging industry, his courteous bearing and manly qualities having won for him many friends.

THEODORE RENSHAW, ice dealer and liveryman, Plymouth, was born in that town November 11, 1836, and is a son of William and Martha (Jenkins) Renshaw, natives of Pennsylvania, who settled at Plymouth before the mining industry was developed and when the place was simply a little country town. They, like many other early settlers, were compelled to endure many privations connected with that period. There were seven children in this family, the subject of this sketch being the second in order of birth, and there are five now living. Mr. Renshaw was educated in the public schools of Plymouth, and commenced life by engaging in the ice trade with the Plymouth Ice Co., finally succeeding to the entire business, and afterward establishing a livery, which is carried on in connection with his ice trade. He keeps between fourteen and eighteen fine horsed. In 1880, he built and launched the river steamer "May Flower", and also purchased the "Marshland". These steamers ply the river from Wilkes-Barre to Nanticoke, making regular trips except during the winter season. Mr. Renshaw was first married January 9, 1839, to Miss Emily, daughter of Samuel Bangs, a native of Luzerne county, and one child was born to this union, William Elmer, who resides in Colorado. Mrs. Renshaw died in 1860, and Mr. Renshaw was married in 1862 to Charity C., daughter of Benjamin F. and Mary E. (Hicks) Smith, natives of Jackson township, Luzerne county. This marriage has been blessed with children as follows: Emily (deceased), Ira Marvin, John J. Charles Irwin, Celia, Blanche, Theodore Raymond and Gertrude H. Mr. Renshaw was chief of police for some years when Plymouth borough was first incorporated. The family attend the Christian Church. M. Renshaw is a member of the F. & A. M. , and of the Order of Elks. In politics he is a Republican.

FRED REUTELHUBER, flour broker and councilman of the Twelfth Ward, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Lambsheim, Rhine, Bavaria, Germany. March 2, 1846, a son of Peter and Gretchen (King) Reutelhuber. He was reared and educated in his native country; came to America in 1865, and in 1870 located in Wilkes-Barre where he has since been a permanent resident, carrying on flour business in that city. On March 10, 1874, he was married to Anna, daughter of Herman and Christiana (Werling) Frank, of Hawley, Wayne county. They have three children: Fred, Willie and Mamie. In politics, Mr. Reutelhuber is a Republican, and is now serving his second term as a member of the city council.

FRED L. REYNOLDS, engineer at No. 5 shaft, Delaware & Hudson Canal Company, Plymouth. Among the many trusted engineers employed by the Delaware & Hudson canal Company is the young man whose name heads this sketch. He was born, January 24, 1860, at Factoryville, Wyoming county, Pa., and is a son of Elias and Caroline (Spencer) Reynolds, natives of Pennsylvania. He was educated in the public schools of his native county, and at the Keystone Academy at Factoryville. In 1880, our subject came to Plymouth, where he was engaged as fireman at the Nottingham, and worked at the Howell Drill Company Machine Shop during slack times at the breaker. At these places he continued for nine years , and then took a position as pump engineer at the Delaware & Hudson No. 2 Shaft, where he remained until February 1892, when he was promoted to hoisting engineer at Colliery No. 5, which place he has since creditably filled. Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage, March 25, 1884, with Miss Jennie Weisley, of Plymouth, and three children have been born to them, viz.: Ashley S., Edith and Caroline. Our subject is the second in a family of three children as follows: Steward E., a machinist employed at Howell’s; Fred L.; and Emma E., now Mrs. F. L. Bailey, of La Plume, Pa. Mr. Reynolds in his political preferences is a Republican. The family attend the Baptist Church.

JOHN BUTLER REYNOLDS is s scion of the numerous family of the name, several of whom are sketched in this book, and one or more of whom have been closely and prominently identified with the history of Wilkes-Barre, and nearby towns, during every period thereof, from its earliest settlement to the present time. His father was Elijah W. Reynolds, who was a leading merchant in Wilkes-Barre, and his grandfather was the Benjamin Reynolds, who in the early "thirties" was sheriff of Luzerne, and was otherwise conspicuously concerned in the affairs of the county and city. John Butler Reynolds descended, through his mother, from Col. Zebulon Butler of Revolutionary fame. She was a daughter of Pierce Butler, who was a grandson of Zebulon Butler. John Butler Reynolds was born in Wilkes-Barre, August 5, 1850, and after a course at the Wyomng Seminary, entered La Fayette College at Easton, Pennsylvania. He read law with W. W. Lathrope, and was admitted to practice November 15, 1875. Mr. Reynolds soon achieved a good reputation in the profession, as was demonstrated when, in 1881, he was chosen one of the examiners of the Orphans Court of Luzerne County, a position he held continuously for a number of years, being, for a part of the time, the only examiner. He was the prime move and energetic spirit in the organization of the companies by which the New North Street Bridge connecting Wilkes-Barre with upper Kingston and the West Side railway Company were, respectively , constructed. One project was a collateral of the other, and Mr. Reynolds was the official head of both. He is a Democrat in politics, and was frequently spoken of as a candidate for district attorney and other offices. In 1888 he was the Presidential elector on the Democratic ticket for the XIIth Congressional District, Pennsylvania, and in 1890 was nominated by his party as their candidate for Congress in the same District. His Republican opponent, Hon. John W. Shonk, was returned as elected, but Mr. Reynolds instituted a contest for the seat, on the ground that his defeat had been consummated by a corrupt use of money, which contest is still (May 1892) pending in the Committee on Elections., though it has already been ably argued by distinguished lawyers for both sides. Mr. Reynolds married, October 21, 1879, Emily Bradley Dain, a daughter of Nathaniel Dain, who is a native of Maine, a graduate of Bowdoin College, and was, for a time, a medical practitioner, but later, owing to ill health, he abandoned the profession and became a large and successful lumber dealer at Peekskill, N. Y. Five children have come of this union.

JOHN F. REYNOLDS, inside foreman at the Pennsylvania Colliery, No. 6, with residence in Sebastopol, where he was born March 8, 1858, is a son of William E. and Anna (Jones) Reynolds, natives of South Wales. The family came to America in 1850, lived a short time in Hughestown and then removed to Sebastopol, where his father was foreman at No. 6, for ten years, and where he died in 1886, at the age of sixty-eight years. The mother died in 1888, at the age of sixty-six years. The family consisted of eight children, four of whom are living, viz.: Ann (Mrs.. Isaac James), Miriam (Mrs. Thomas Pierce). John F., and Edward E., mine foreman for Simpson & Watkins, Carbondale, PA. Our subject was educated in the public schools, and began working in the mines at an early age, which occupation he has since followed, working chiefly inside, and has held his present position six years. In December 1886, he was nearly burned to death. Mr. Reynolds was married, April 1891, to Miss Nettie M., daughter of Frank Boon, of West Pittston, and to their union has been born one child, Anna. Our subject and wife are members of the First Baptist Church of Pittston. he is a member of I. O. O. F., and is a Republican in his political views.

Sheldon Reynolds is descended from James Reynolds, of Plymouth, Mass., 1643, and who moved twelve years later to Kingston, Rhode Island, where three generations of the family continued to reside. About 1750 a branch of the family removed to Litchfield county, Conn., and came thence with the first settlers of the Wyoming Valley under the Connecticut charter in 1769. The family name is conspicuous in the records of the events of those early years, figuring in connection with the famous battle of Wyoming, and in the first lists of taxables in Plymouth, where Benjamin, grandfather of Sheldon Reynolds, was born February 4, 1780. On his mother’s side he came of the Greenes, of Rhode Island, of which stock, Gen. Nathaniel Greene, of Revolutionary fame, was a notable example. Benjamin Reynolds married Lydia Fuller, a descendant of the "Mayflower" Fullers; was justice of the peace many years; sheriff of the county, and in other ways a prominent and useful citizen. He had five sons and three daughters. The eldest son, William C. Reynolds, was born in Plymouth in December, 1801, and educated at local schools and at Wilkes-Barre Academy. He taught school, and in 1820 began the shipping of coal to Harrisburg. Four years later he associated himself in business with his kinsman, Henderson Gaylord, and the firm of Gaylord & Reynolds continued the shipping of coal and other products, the conduct of two large general stores–one in Plymouth, the other in Kingston -- until 1835. The shipments were wholly by river and turnpike, until the completion of the canal to Nanticoke. In 1835 the firm dissolved, and Mr. Reynolds continued the business in his own name until 1854. He was a prime mover in the securement of the charter for, and the construction of, the Lackawanna & Bloomsburg Railroad, from Sunbury to Scranton, now an important branch of the extensive Delaware, Lackawanna & Western system. He was its first president, holding the office until the completion of the road, when he resigned, though continuing a director until 1865. He was a Democrat, and served in the State Legislature 1837-38, during which time he introduced the bill under which the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company’s railroad, connecting the head of navigation, on the Lehigh river, with the North Branch Canal at Wilkes-Barre, was constructed. He was associate judge of Luzerne county 1841-46, for thirteen years a trustee of the Wyoming Seminary, and held many other important places in the community. He was a Democrat and a Presbyterian. His wife’s father was John Smith, who came from Derby, Conn., and with his brother Abijah began the shipment of coal to Columbia in 1807–or thirteen years before coal shipments are popularly supposed to have begun–continuing in the business through a long life. He was the first to use powder in mining coal. In 1834 he placed the first steam engine ever used in the county, in a gristmill he owned. Sheldon Reynolds was the fourth of five children – four sons and a daughter – and was born in Kingston, February 22, 1845. His earlier studies were pursued in the Luzerne Presbyterian Institute at Wyoming, and the Wyoming Seminary, and he was prepared for Yale at the Hopkins Grammar School at New Haven, Conn. He was graduated A. B. from Yale in 1867, and later received the degree of A. M. He read law in the Columbia College Law School, and afterward with the late Andrew T. McClintock, LL. D., and was admitted to the bar October 16, 1871. He has given his attention rather to general business and scientific pursuits than to the practice of the law for which, however, he is regarded as admirably adapted. He has for a number of years been the secretary , one of the trustees and a mainstay of the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society, among whose publications are many valuable papers from Mr. Reynolds’ pen. He is also one of the trustees of the Osterhout Free Library, and a member of many Historical and Scientific Societies through the country; he has been president of the Wilkes-Barre Electric Light Company for several years and is a director of the District Telegraph and Messenger Company; is president of the Wilkes-Barre Water Company; was for many years a director of the Wyoming National Bank, and is now its president. He was a school director in 1875 to 1876; was chairman of the Democratic Committee of the city of Wilkes-Barre in 1880, and of the Democratic Committee of Luzerne county in 1881. During his term in the latter position, he introduced a number of reforms in the party management, and a new code of rules for the party was adopted, which have proven very advantageous in many particulars, and are still in force. He has been repeatedly solicited, but has persistently refused, to become a candidate for State, Senate or Congress. On November 23, 1876, Mr. Reynolds married Annie Buckingham, only daughter of the late Col. Charles Dorrance, and has one son, Dorrance, born September 9, 1877.

Simon Reynolds, merchant, Plymouth, was born in Cornwall, England, August 8, 1842, and is a son of Simon and James (Samson) Reynolds, also natives of England. Our subject was educated at his birthplace, and at the age of twenty years came to America, locating in the State of Michigan, where he was engaged in mining seven years. He then removed to Dover, N. J., where he worked in the iron mines for one year, afterward removing to Philipsburg, Pa., and there engaged in coal mining for a short time, coming from there to Plymouth, same State, where he continued his occupation as a coal miner at various collieries in the Valley. During the time of his residence in Luzerne county, Mr. Reynolds made two distant trips, the first one being in April, 1875, from Plymouth to Georgetown, Colo., where he worked in the silver mines a short time, and then returned to Plymouth; his second trip was in May, 1879, when he proceeded from the same borough to Newfoundland, where he worked in the copper mines one and one-half years, at the end of which time he once more returned to Plymouth. In 1889 he established his present business, occupying the basement of his neat brick block as a general store, where he commands a growing trade. Mr. Reynolds was united in marriage, in January, 1881, with Miss Lizzie, daughter of William and Anna (Brunt) Ellis, natives of Nottinghamshire, England, and two children have blessed this union, namely: Simon Fuller, born September 5, 1886, and John Stewart, born October 24, 1889. In politics, Mr. Reynolds is a Republican. The family attend the Primitive Methodist Church.

Jacob Rhinehart, outside foreman, Stanton Shaft, Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, Wilkes-Barre, was born in that city July 29, 1846. He is a son of Jacob and Mary (Steinhauer) Rhinehart, natives of Bavaria, Germany, who came to America in 1842, settling in Wilkes-Barre, where the father worked as carpenter until 1889, when he retired. Their children were: Elizabeth, Matilda (Mrs. Anthony Baker), Jacob and John. Our subject was reared in his native town, educated in the public schools, learned the carpenter’s trade and engineering. For ten years he was a stationary engineer at the Franklin, Hartford and Sugar Notch Shafts. From 1868 to 1871 he was outside foreman of the Germania Breaker at Ashley; was outside foreman at Sugar Notch three years, and has been at the Stanton Shaft in Wilkes-Barre since 1886. He was married, July 29, 1869. Mr. Rhinehart married Miss Catharine, daughter of William and Mary (Devenny) Gillen, of County Sligo, Ireland, and has five children: Harry, Josephine, Carl, Theodore and John E. Mr. Rhinehart and his family are members of the St. Nicholas German Catholic Church of Wilkes-Barre. In politics he is a Democrat.

Edward F. Rhoades, pumpman at the Henry Shaft, Plainsville, was born at Port Carbon, Pa., June 6, 1857, and is a son of Samuel and Lucy (Frain) Rhoades, natives of Pennsylvania, and of New England origin. The father, who was a carpenter by trade, reared a family of six children, of whom our subject is the third. He received a common-school education, and at the age of twenty-one began his present business, which he has since followed; he has resided in Plainsville since 1869, and built his present residence in 1881. Mr. Rhodes was married, February 23, 1878, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of Robert and Rosanna (Park) Curtis, and to their union have been born seven children, six of whom are living, viz.: Rosanna, Oscar O., Mary, Viola M., Warren A. and Olive. The family attend the Presbyterian Church, of which Mrs. Rhoades is a member; in his political views Mr. Rhoades is a Republican.

Captain Sylvester D. Rhodes, line inspector for the Wilkes-Barre Water Works, was born in the borough of Parsons (then Plains township), December 6, 1842, a son of John and Mary A. (Rothrock) Rhodes, the former a native of Monroe county, the latter of Northampton county, Pa., both being of German lineage. Our subject was educated at the common schools of Plains, and April 18, 1861, he enlisted in Company F, Eighth P. V. for ninety days, which term he served. On September, 2, 1861, he re-enlisted, this time in Company L, Twenty-third P. V., and March 7, 1862, was transferred to Company D, Sixty-first P. V. He was first assigned to Williams’ Brigade, Cadwalader’s Division, Patterson’s army, and later to the First Division, Fourth Corps, army of the Potomac, and in October, 1862, was again transferred, this time to the Second Division, Sixth Corps, army of the Potomac, later to the Fourth Division, Sixth Army Corps, and finally to the Third Brigade, Second Division, of the Corps of the Army of the Potomac. In November, 1861, he was promoted to corporal; on July 23, 1862, to fourth sergeant; on April 25, 1864, to third sergeant; on July 12, 1864, to second sergeant; on September 15, 1864, to first sergeant; on October 20, 1864, to second lieutenant; on December 20, 1864, to first lieutenant, and on April 27, 1865, he was commissioned captain of Company D, Sixty-first P. V. During his term of service he participated in the following engagements: Falling Water, Keys Ford, Siege of Yorktown, the reconnoissance to Bottom Bridge, Chickahominy, Fair Oaks, Seven days fight before Richmond, Seven Pines, White Oak Swamp, Turkey Bend, Malvern Hill, Williamsburg, in the expedition up the Potomac, Fredericksburg, St. Mary’s Heights, Salem Heights, Gettysburg, Fairfield Gap, Rappahannock Station, Mine Run, Locust Grove, Brandy Station, Wilderness, Spottsylvania, Bloody Angle, Cold Harbor, siege of Petersburg, the Weldon Railroad raid; was injured near the Yellow tavern, June 22, (1864), and was taken to City Point Hospital, where he remained until September 15 following, when he rejoined his regiment. Afterward he participated in the following battles: Winchester, Fisher’s Hill, Cedar Creek, second siege of Petersburg and fall of the city, Sailors’ Creek, and Appomattox; he also did provost duty at Danville, Va., and was mustered out June 28, 1865. He then returned to Plains, and followed various pursuits, chiefly that of stationary engineering. Mr. Rhodes was married May 12, 1865, to Susan A., daughter of George and Margaret (Courtright) Huffman, of Plains, and they had six children, viz.: John S., born March 19, 1867, a conductor on the Lehigh Valley Railroad; Fred C., born October 16, 1868, died August 19, 1870; Charles S., born June 3, 1871, died May 3, 1875; Allen O., born April 19, 1873; Daisy B., born April 23, 1875, and Paul B., born July 27, 1878, died October 16, 1884. Captain Rhodes has been a soldier nearly all his life, having been a member of the Wyoming Artillerists, prior to the war, since when he has been second lieutenant of Company E. Ninth Regiment N. G. P., and during the Pennsylvania riots of 1869-70, was appointed to the coal and iron police. He is a member of the G. A. R., and in politics is a liberal Republican.

William H. Rhodes, carpenter, Parsons, was born at Nanticoke, January 22, 1834, a son of John and Mary A. (Rothrock) Rhodes, natives of Pennsylvania, of German descent. His parents removed from Nanticoke to Parsons, then a part of Plains township, when he was one year old, and here he has since resided. He was educated in the common schools, and at the age of twenty-one began life for himself at the carpenter’s trade, in the employ of the Lehigh Valley and the Delaware & Hudson Railroad. He continued in their employ until within the last few years, during which time he has devoted himself to general carpenter jobbing. April 1, 1855, Mr. Rhodes married, for his first wife, Miss Hannah, daughter of George Yale, of Parsons. She died October 15, 1877, leaving six children, viz.: William A., born January 8, 1858, died May 12, 1859; George E., born February 1, 1860, died July 13, 1861; Mary A., born April 19, 1862, died December 19, 1890; Delilah, born August 3, 1865, died October 28, 1869; Ovid, born August 3, 1868, married Elizabeth Fletcher, of Parsons; and Burdie, born October 23, 1872, died February 20, 1874. He was again married, April 24, 1879, to Mrs. Elizabeth Sigman, daughter of Richard and Catherine (Hough) Hinkle, of New Jersey. Mr. Rhodes and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church; politically he is a Republican, and has held the office of school director.

Hon. Charles Edmund Rice was born at Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N. Y., September 15, 1846, a son of Thomas Arnold and Vienna (Carr) Rice, and of old New England stock. His paternal grandfather, Moses Rice, a native of Wallingford, Conn., in early life removed to Salisbury, Herkimer Co., N. Y., where he died. His wife Roxanna, was a daughter of Atwater Cook, a descendant of Henry Cook, a native of Kent, England, who was a resident of Plymouth, Mass., prior to 1640. The father of subject was a resident of Fairfield, Herkimer Co., N. Y., for many years, was one of the leading men of the town, and served as trustee of Fairfield Academy and Fairfield Medical College. His wife was a daughter of Eleazar and Hannah Carr, natives of Herkimer Co., N. Y., and of an old Connecticut family. The subject of this sketch was prepared for college at Fairfield Academy, and was graduated from Hamilton College, Clinton, N. Y., in 1867. He then taught school one year at the Bloomsburg Literary Institute, Bloomsburg, Pa., and at the same time read law; and in 1869 he was graduated from the Albany Law School, and was admitted to the bar of the supreme court of the State of New York. He then located in Wilkes-Barre, where he has since resided, and February 21, 1870, was admitted to the bar of Luzerne county. In 1876 he was elected district attorney of the county. In 1879 he was elected law judge, re-elected in 1889, and is now president judge of Luzerne county. Politically Judge Rice is a Republican. He was one of the charter trustees of the Memorial Presbyterian Church, and is one of the trustees of the Wilkes-Barre Female Institute. On December 18, 1873, he married Maria Mills Fuller, daughter of Henry M. Fuller, of Luzerne county, and has two children living, Charles Edmund and Philip Sidney.

Charles N. Rice, farmer, Lehman, was born June 11, 1848, in Trucksville, and was reared and educated partly in Trucksville and partly in Lehman. He is a son of Levi C. and Elizabeth (Carle) Rice, both born in this county, the latter in Kingston Township. Levi was a son of Jacob, who came from New Jersey in the early history of the county, and owned most of the territory adjacent to Trucksville, where he first located, lived and died. He was a Methodist minister of some ability in his denomination. His family numbered five sons and three daughter, three of whom are now living; Charles L., a minister of the Gospel; Mary Ann, wife of Rev. L. James Phoenix; and Caroline, wife of Dr. J. J. Rogers, of Huntsville, Pa. His son Levi C., settled at Trucksville, but after a few years moved, in 1860, to Lehman, where he lived up to his death, which occurred in 1880. His family consisted of seven children, six of whom grew to maturity. Although a deaf mute he was a good business man, and especially when the disadvantage under which he labored was considered. Charles N. is the sixth in his family, and has always confined himself to tilling the soil, at which vocation he has become an expert. At the age of twenty-two, April 2, 1871, he married Miss Emma J., daughter of Rev. Stephen A. and Dorinda C. Edwards, in Lehman. There were born to them four children, three of whom are living: Walter E., Clarice D. and Thomas M. Mrs. Rice was born in Ross township in 1849. In 1873 Mr. Rice moved on his present place, a farm of fifty acres, where there was no clearing, no building nor shelter of any kind. He has succeeded by hard work and perseverance, and with the assistance of a help-meet for him in the person of his estimable wife, he has a well-cleared and fertile farm, upon which are a neat house and a commodious barn. Mr. Rice began life with nothing, but by a close application to business principles, he has succeeded in overcoming all obstacles. His entire surroundings, both indoors and out, show taste and refinement. He is a consistent member of the M. E. Church, and his wife is in full fellowship with the Christian Church. Politically he is a Republican.

Jacob Rice, retired, Dallas borough, was born June 16, 1817, in Dallas, where he was reared and educated. He is son of Chriseon and Sarah (Mackferrin) Rice, both of whom were born in New Jersey, the former, December 25, 1780, the latter, February 20, 1780. They came to this county in 1812, locating first in Trucksville, Kingston township, where they resided for several years. The father was a wagon-maker by trade, and at various times followed milling. In 1816 he removed to Dallas, where he purchased a tract of land on which he built a sawmill propelled by water power, said to be the first mill in Dallas. He was a man of sober and industrious habits, and lived to be over eighty-four years old; he reared a family of three children, two of whom are now living. Jacob is the youngest in the family, and confined himself to farming and lumbering for the first thirty years after reaching his majority. He kept store in Dallas for about twenty years, and at one time kept the "Lake Grove House," which he built on Harvey’s Lake, that beautiful summer resort. Our subject was married, June 25, 1837, at the age of twenty, to Miss Susan, daughter of Alexander and Margaret Ferguson. By this union there were born six children, five of whom grew to maturity, and four of whom are now living: Zibe B., George H., William H. and Sarah J. Mr. Rice owned the first painted house, and used the first spring-wagon in Dallas township. Jacob Rice has an interesting and honorable military record, and is the representative military man of Dallas. In May, 1839, he was commissioned first lieutenant of the One Hundred and Fifteenth Pennsylvania Militia. On August 20, 1849, he was commissioned captain of the Dallas Artillery; in 1857, lieutenant colonel of Col. Rhoads Regiment; on May 1, 1861, quartermaster of the Fifteenth Pennsylvania Volunteers, and on October 12, 1861, of the Fifty-third Pennsylvania Volunteers, thus showing a record of which he may be proud. At the expiration of his term of service in the Civil war, he received many recommendations from line officers of the brigade and regiment to which he belonged, to Gens. Hancock, and Ingalls, for promotion; but pressure of business at home prevented him from presenting them, or desiring to return to camp life. Capt. Rice, as he is familiarly called, is a man of muchinfluence in his town, both in civil and religious circles. He is a member of the G. A. R., and of the M. E. Church, holding the office of trustee in the same. Politically, he is a Republican.

Dan C. Richards, fire-boss, Hillman Vein Coal Company, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Llanelly, Carmarthenshire, Wales, August 25, 1844, and is a son of William P. and Hannah (Williams) Richards, who came to America in 1860, and located in Pittston, where the father engaged in mining; later he removed to Springbrook, now Lackawanna county, where for several years he was farming, after which he once more moved to Pittston, where he now resides. His children were seven in number; David, Harriet (Mrs. Edward Harris), Dan C., Sara (Mrs. Thomas J. Morgan), Lettice (Mrs. John Mathews), Maria (Mrs. T. B. Evans) and Maggie (Mrs. William W. Mathews). Our subject was reared in Wales until sixteen years of age, when he came to America with his parents in 1860. He has been a resident of Wilkes-Barre since 1868, where he has been engaged in mining, and has held the position of fire-boss under the Hillman Vein Coal Company since 1883. Mr. Richards was married June 20, 1869, to Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph and Catherine (Mathews) Kidney, of Wilkes-Barre, and has seven children living: William, George, Joseph, Eddie, Albert, Lewis and Arthur. He is a member of the First M. E. Church of Wilkes-Barre, and of the Mystic Chain and K. of G. E. In politics he is a Republican.

David L. Richards, retired, Wilkes-Barre, was born near Swansea, Glamorganshire, South Wales, May 26, 1834, a son of David L. and Sarah (Lloyd) Richards. He was reared in his native county, where, at seven years, of age he entered the coal mines, working in the various positions up to 1860. He then came to America, locating in Scranton, Pa., and was employed in the mines of that vicinity two years. In 1862 he came to Wilkes-Barre, where he has since resided, and for eighteen years was in the employ of the Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal Company, as miner, inside and outside foreman and contractor, retiring in 1880. His wife was a daughter of David and Charlotte (Davis) George, of Wales, and by her he has one daughter, Charlotte (Mrs. Thomas Oliver), a resident of Wilkes-Barre, and who has three children living: Gertrude, Edith and Alice. Mr. Richards is one of the old and respected Welsh residents of Wilkes-Barre; is a member of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, and in politics is a Republican.

David T. Richards, mine contractor, Hanover township, was born in Carmarthenshire, South Wales, March 2, 1857, a son of Reese and Mary (Thomas) Richards. The father, who was a farmer, reared a family of nine children, four of whom are living, viz.: Mary (Mrs. Henry G. Jones); William T., farmer, Vermont; David T., and Jane (Mrs. John Richards, Wales). Our subject was educated in South Wales and followed the occupation of jockey until 1878, at which time he came to America, locating in Wilkes-Barre. He engaged in mining, which he has since followed, and in 1881 removed to Ashley, where he built his present residence, at the corner of Ridge and Liberty streets in 1888. January 12, 1883, Mr. Richards married Miss Hannah, only daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Thomas) Hughes, natives of North Wales, and by her had five children, viz.: Mary, Joslin, William B., Rees T. and Julia Lena. Mr. Richards is a member of the I. O. R. M. and of the Ivorites. He is independent in his political views, but in sympathy with the Republican party.

EDWARD RICHARDS, of the firm of Richards & Fry, dealers in wall paper and stationery, Wilkes-Barre, was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., August 25, 1852, and is a son of Oliver and Harriet (Peterson) Richards. The father was a native of Manchester, England, a carpenter by trade and in early life located in Luzerne County, where he followed his trade for several years; in 1853 he removed to Fayette County, residing there until his death in 1861. His wife was a daughter of Isaac Peterson, of Luzerne County, and by her he had four children: Emeline (Mrs. William Baur), Edward, William (deceased) and Albert (deceased). Our subject was reared in Wilkes-Barre from nine years of age, was educated in the public schools, and served an apprenticeship of three years at painting, also two years at paper-hanging, and followed his trade from 1869 up to the present time, six years in Oil City. He has been a permanent resident of Wilkes-Barre since 1884, and September 1, 1890, he formed a partnership with E. K. Fry, under the firm name of Richards & Fry, dealers in wall paper and stationery, ranking among the prominent firms of the city in that business. Mr. Richards was married, May 8, 1876, to Clara, daughter of John Boehmler, of Hazleton, this county, and has six children living: Mable, Grace I., Emma, Ida, William and Walter. Our subject is an adherent of the Baptist Church; politically he is an advocate of Prohibition.

GEORGE P. RICHARDS, retired, Plymouth. This genial gentleman was born April 17, 1820, at Ahesyshen, Monmouthshire, South Wales, and is a son of David and Mary (Parey) Richards, the former a native of Carmarthenshire and the latter of Breconshire, South Wales. The subject of this sketch was educated in Wales and in 1860 came to America, locating at Dunmore, near Scranton, Pa., where he engaged in mining, which he followed for nearly two years. Removing from Dunmore to Wilkes-Barre, in 1852, he put in the ponderous machinery for the Black Diamond Breaker, this being among the first to be erected in the Valley. In 1854 he removed to Mauch Chunk, Pa., and was employed by Bradley & Butler as machinist one year, at the end of which time he returned to Wilkes-Barre and assumed charge of the mechanical work in the mill then operated by O. B. Hillard & Son. From Wilkes-Barre, Mr. Richards proceeded to Plains, where he had charge of a hoisting engine, and where he remained a short time, coming in September, 1865, from there to Plymouth, where he at present resides. There he was engaged in running the river steamer "William Patton," which plied between Plymouth and Nanticoke, which he followed for about fifteen years, although he was connected with the line for twenty years. During the time he was with the steamship line our subject was also employed as salesman by Patton, Fender & Co., coal operators. At about this time, Mr. Richards purchased the steamer "Windhoken" and launched her on Harvey Lake, it being the first boat of the kind ever floated on that picturesque body of water. It was transported by sleighs from the Susquehanna overland through what was then called a dense wilderness. Mr. Richards kept it on the lake three years, during which time it was well patronized. He then sold it to Col. Wright, who transferred it to New Jersey (this was in 1865), and since then Mr. Richards has been extensively engaged in the real estate and hotel business. In 1887 he erected the imposing brick block situated on the corner of Main Street and Center Avenue, which is occupied by James Eley and is known as the "Eley House," one of the finest regulated and best kept hotels in northern Pennsylvania. Mr. Richards has been twice married, first time in Wales to Miss Sarah, daughter of William and Ann (Thomas) Thomas, natives of Wales, and to this union were bornnn fifteen children. The three eldest are deceased, and those living are: Mary Ann (now wife of E. E. Fletcher, of Plymouth, Pa.); Sarah (who married Reese D. Williams, druggist, Plymouth), David, Ida (who married John Appleton, of Plymouth), Martha (now Mrs. John B. Phillips), George W., Harriet (wife of Joseph Griffith, merchant, Danville, Pa.), John (married and residing at Plymouth), and Maggie, Cora, Josie and William at home. Mr. Richards was again married May 5, 1880, this time to Alice, daughter of Julius and Sarah (Whittaker) Mulford, granddaughter of Rev. John Whittaker, who emigrated from England and settled at Dringman's Ferry, Pike County, of which county he was one of the early pioneers. Mr. Richards is a Republican, and in 1870 was elected clerk of the Luzerne County courts. Charles Robinson was his opponent, but the grayhaired veteran downed him by 624 votes. In 1874 he was also elected to the office of justice of the peace. He has done much to develop and build up Plymouth, and it can be truthfully said that he was here early in the history of the borough, and has always been ready to assist in any enterprise that would add prosperity to the town. Mr. Richards and family attend the M. E. Church.

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