The subject of the Courts does not come strictly within the scope of a treatise upon the statistics of Reading. I will therefore merely mention that the courts of Quarter Sessions, Orphans' Court, and Common Pleas, are held four times a year, commencing on the first Mondays of January, April, August, and November, and continuing two weeks.
The Judges at the present time, are—President—Hon. John Banks. Associate Judges—Matthias S. Richards and William H. Addams, Esq'rs.
Cryer.—Joseph Ritter
The following are the names of the Attorneys of the Court, together with their places of business. The whole number is twenty-six; the two first on the list, however, have retired pretty much from practice, and seldom attend court.
Marks John Biddle, S. Fifth, near Franklin st.
Charles Evans, S. Fifth, near Chesnut st.
David F. Gordon, Penn, near Fifth.
Peter Filbert, Fifth, near Washington.
Elijah Dechert, Penn, near Fourth.
Charles Davis, N.E. cor. of Penn & Sixth.
Henry W. Smith, Penn near Sixth.
Jacob Hoffman, Penn between Third & Fourth
William Strong, Fifth near Washington.
William Darling, North Sixth, near Penn.
Robert M. Barr, North Sixth, near Penn.
Henry Rhoads, Penn, near Seventh.
George G. Barclay, North Fifth, near Penn.
J. Pringle Jones, Penn between Fourth & Fifth.
Franklin B. Shoehner, North Fifth near Penn.
Wm. C. Leavenworth, North Fifth near Penn.
A.F. Miller, Fifth bet. Wash'n & Walnut.
A.M. Sallade, North Sixth near Penn.
J.S. Richards, Penn between Fourth & Fifth.
D.W. O'Brien, N.E. corner of Penn & Fifth.
Peter Shearer, Penn near Sixth.
William H. Hiester, Penn between Fourth & Fifth.
George E. Ludwig, North Fifth, near Washington.
Jeremiah D. Bitting, Penn, below Third.
Matthias Mengel, Penn, near Fourth.
William Betz, Attorney and Scrivener, North Fifth near Penn street.
Prothonotary, Benjamin Tyson, Esq.
Clerk of Quarter Sessions, Samuel Myers.
Clerk of Orphans' Court, James Donagan, Esq.
Register, Joel Ritter
Recorder, William Wunder
Sheriff, Henry Binkley
Coroner, William Stahle
County Commissioners.—Michael Reifsnyder, George Weier [or Weler] and John Long.
Clerk.—John Y. Cunius.
County Treasurer.—Peter Nagle, Esq.
William Schoner, Esq. North Fifth, near Penn st.
Charles Troxell, Esq. South Sixth, near Penn.
William A. Wells, Esq. Cor. of Second & Franklin.
The borough of Reading elects four Justices of the Peace; but by the death of Henry Betz, Esq., who had held a justices commission for many years, one of the offices has become vacant.
Constables.—Jonathan Greth and William B. Yahn.
The number of surveyors is four, viz; Matthias S. Richards, Esq., George Fox, Esq., William Lash and Thomas Baird.
The following list of all the persons who have filled the office of Sheriff, in the county of Berks, since the formation of the county in 1752, together with the date of their coming into office, will not be without interest or usefulness. There may be some errors in the dates as given, previous to the year 1781 since that time, I believe them all to be accurate.
Benjamin Lightfoot, 1762
Henry Christ, 1761
Jacob Weaver, 1764
Joseph Scull, 1766
Jacob Shoemaker, 1769
George Nagle, 1771
H. Vanderslice, 1775
Daniel Levan, 1777
Henry Haffa, 1779
*Phillip Kremer, 1781
Peter Filbert, 1784
Jacob Bower, 1787
*Phillip Kremer, 1790
Peter Frailey, 1793
John Christ, 1796
Nicholas Dick, 1799
John Spyher, 1802
Conrad Feger, 1805
George Markis, 1808
Daniel Kerper, 1811
Peter Aurand, 1814
John Miller, 1817
Henry Betz, 1820
*Daniel Kerper, 1823
John Bickel, 1826
James Silliman, 1829
Henry Bowman, 1832
George Fox, 1835
Henry Binkley, 1838
*These are the only persons twice elected to the office of Sheriff since the formation of the constitution of 1790.
The physicians in the borough of Reading, with their address.
Isaac Hiester, West Penn, near 4th Street
John P. Hiester, N. Fifth, near Washington
Diller Luther, Penn, between Fourth and Fifth
William Gries, Corner of Fourth and Franklin
John Otto, Penn, between Fifth and Sixth
H.H. Muhlenburg, Penn, near Fourth
Jacob Marshall, Penn, between Sixth and Seventh
John Marshall, Penn, between Sixth and Seventh
A.H. Witman, Fifth, between Penn and Franklin
Andrew Lippe, Penn, between Sixth and Seventh
P.F. Nagle, Penn, between Eighth and Ninth
M.M. Ancoca, Fichthorn's Hotel, (residence, Fegersville, four miles East of Reading.)
George W. Oakley, N. Fifth, near Washington.
Gerhart G. Bischoff, E. Penn, bet. Sixth and Seventh.
Jacob Gauby, E. Penn, between Fifth and Sixth.
Mrs. Sarah B. Morris, W. Penn, bet. Fourth and 5th.
Submitted by: Nancy.
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