p. 1425
Surnames: FULMER, PRINTZ, LUDWIG, CAMERON, HOLLOWAY, MOYER, BRIDENBAUGH, GOOD, POTT, BOWERS, MILLER
Samuel H. Fulmer, banker and manufacturer at Reading for twenty-six years, was born near Amityville, Berks county, Aug. 27, 1848. He was educated in the public schools of Amity township, Millersville State Normal School, and Bryant & Stratton's Business College at Philadelphia.
After serving as a clerk in the Penn Iron Works at Danville, Pa., he engaged in the mercantile business for himself at Amityville, which he carried on successfully for ten years, from 1869 to 1879, after which he followed farming for four years.
On March 14, 1883, Mr. Fulmer assisted in establishing the Penn National Bank at Reading, and in the organization of the board of directors he was selected as the teller of the bank, which position he has filled in a most admirable manner until the present time. He also became interested in various enterprises and building operations with Daniel F. Printz, more especially the Reading Wood Pulley Company, the Reading Saddle Manufacturing Company, the Penn Shoe Manufacturing Company, at Reading, and the Prince Furniture Company at Allentown, serving all these companies as treasurer. In politics he is a Republican, and as such he has represented the Sixteenth ward as a school controller.
In 1871, Mr. Fulmer was married to Irene P. Ludwig, and by her he had three sons: William, engaged in the poultry business at Douglassville (m. Anna Cameron); Edgar, an accomplished musician now serving as the organist of St. Andrew's Church in New York City; and John J. The latter served in the Spanish-American War as a volunteer soldier, having been engaged in Porto Rico. Subsequently he became a graduate of the United States Infantry and Cavalry School at Fort Leavenworth and entered the regular service, serving now as first lieutenant of Company G, and assistant adjutant, in the 7th Regiment U. S. Infantry, which was ordered to the Philippine Islands in April, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Fulmer have been members of Grace Lutheran Church since they moved to Reading in 1883, and have taken great interest in the welfare of the congregation and the Sunday-school.
Mr. Fulmer's father was Joshua Fulmer, who was born in Lebanon county, Pa., in 1815. While but a boy of six years, upon the decease of his father, he accompanied his mother to Amity township, Berks county. After attending the local schools, he learned the trade of shoemaker, which he followed for forty years. During this time he purchased a farm in the vicinity of Amityville and carried on farming in connection with his trade. He married Harriet Holloway (daughter of Joseph Holloway, of the same township) and by her had four children: Margaret and Levi, who died in infancy, William, who died when a young man; and Samuel H. He died in 1882, aged sixty-seven years; and his wife died in 1887, aged seventy-three years. They had been members of the Lutheran Church at Amityville for many years. In the erection of the new church at Amityville in 1872, he was one of the building committee and he also served the congregation for many years as treasurer.
The grandfather of Mr. Fulmer was also named Joshua. He was a well-known farmer in Lebanon county, having cultivated a farm in the vicinity of Swatara. He was married to Mollie Moyer, and they had three children: Joshua, Hannah (m. to John Bridenbaugh), and Molly (m. to John Good).
Mrs. Fulmer's father was Augustus Ludwig, farmer of Amity township, born in 1818, and died in 1905. He was married to Carolina Pott, daughter of John Pott, of Amity township, Berks county, by whom he had five children: Nathaniel; Oliver; Amanda (m. Samuel L. Bowers); Irene (Mrs. Fulmer); and Jane, who died young. He retired in 1900 when he removed to Reading to reside with Mrs. Fulmer and he continued with her until his decease Sept. 1, 1905, aged eighty-seven years. His wife also resided with Mrs. Fulmer and died in Aug., 1891. And her grand-father was Abraham Ludwig, also a farmer of the same township. He died in 1863, aged seventy-four years. He was married to Sarah Miller, who died in 1878, aged ninety-two years. They had eight children: Sarah, Elizabeth, Harriett, Mary, Mahlon, Lewis, Elam and Augustus.
p. 827
Surnames: FULTON, MCLEAN, STEEL-MCLEAN, WASSON, SCHWARTZ
Andrew McLean Fulton, who passed away Jan. 15, 1902, on his farm near Reading, Pa., was born in Florence, Washington Co., Pa., July 13, 1821, son of Samuel and Jennie (McLean) Fulton. His ancestors were men of influence and renown, his father serving as a color bearer in the war of 1812, and his grandfather came from the vicinity of the Clyde in Scotland and settled in Baltimore, where he laid out Fulton street and built several houses thereon. For six years the grandfather served as a captain in the Revolutionary war. He was in the battles of Long Island and Brandywine, and in one of these, though receiving a wound through the body, stayed with his men. He was also in the battle of Staten Island, and marched from there to White Plains. He is of record in the Indian wars, at the battle of Shamokin receiving a wound in the knee; and in these wars he captured large quantities of furs and booty from the British and Indians.
Samuel Fulton, father of Andrew McLean, married Jennie McLean, a daughter of Andrew McLean. The latter was a son of Lord Steel-McLean, who came to Baltimore from Scotland with Lord Baltimore. He, too, was a captain in the Revolutionary war, and for his great bravery at the storming of Stony Point on the Hudson was awarded a gold medal by Congress, which at his death was given to his namesake, Andrew McLean Fulton.
At the early age of eighteen years Andrew M. Fulton was graduated from Athens College, Athens, Ohio, being valedictorian of his class. A few years afterward he was admitted to the Bar in Ashland, Ohio, where he practised law. Later he was professor of Latin, Greek, and Higher Mathematics in the Female Seminary at Memphis, Tenn., where he remained until the Civil war broke out, when he received an appointment as General Quartermaster in the Union army.
Mr. Fulton was twice married, first to Hattie Wasson, of Ashland, Ohio. This union was blessed with two children: William M., a well known contractor who preceded his father in death; and Jennie A., a teacher in Helena, Mont. Four years after the death of his first wife, Mr. Fulton was married (second) to Mary L. R. Schwartz, daughter of Major John Schwartz. By this union there were four children: Elizabeth, Margaret, John and Elmer. Mr. Fulton was a good Christian, a Presbyterian in faith. He had the good will and sincere respect of all who knew him.
p. 626
Surnames: FULTON, MCCLAIN, WASSON, SCHWARTZ, WOLLETH, KLINE, NOLL
William M. Fulton, deceased, was identified with the building interests of Reading, Pa., for many years. He was a descendant of a family whose members were men of influence, highly respected and valuable citizens.
His great-grandfather, Samuel Fulton, a captain in the Revolutionary war for six years, was in the battles of Long Island and Brandywine, in one of these battles receiving a body wound, but he stood with his men nevertheless. He was in the battle of Staten Island, and marched from thence to White Plains. He was in the Indian wars, and in the battle of Shamokin was wounded in the knee. He captured large quantities of fur and booty from the British and Indians.
Samuel Fulton, grandfather of William M., was a color bearer in the war of 1812. He married Jenny McClain, daughter of Andrew McClain, who was a son of Lord Steel McClain, a Scotchman. He came over from Scotland with Lord Baltimore. He, too, was a captain in the Revolutionary war, and for his great bravery at the battle, or the storming of, Stony Point, forty miles above New York, on the Hudson river, was awarded by Congress a gold medal. He ordered the medal given to his namesake, Andrew McClain Fulton, at his death.
Andrew McClain Fulton, father of William M., was a native of Ohio, where he was liberally educated and became an attorney-at-law. In 1873 he moved to Reading and practiced his profession until incapacitated by failing health. He retired from professional work and engaged in farming in Cumru township, removing later to Muhlenberg township, where he died in 1902, aged eighty years. His first wife, Hattie (Wasson) Fulton, died in 1863, leaving two children, William M. and Jennie, the latter of whom is principal of the Lewistown, Mont., central school. Mr. and Mrs. Fulton were both members of the Presbyterian Church. Andrew McC. Fulton married (second) Mary Schwartz, daughter of Hon. John Schwartz, M. C. Four children were born to this union, namely: Elizabeth; John S., of New York; Margaret, who married Horad Wolleth; and Elmer O., of Muhlenberg township, Berks Co., Pa. The father was a Republican in his political belief.
William M. Fulton was born Nov. 2, 1858, in Ashland, Ohio, and was educated in the schools there, completing his training at a commercial college in Reading, after his father settled there. He then accepted a position as clerk in the Philadelphia & Reading freight depot, where he worked for five years and then took up general contracting. This business he followed for the rest of his life, accumulating a large amount of property. He owned a quarry at the west end of the Penn street bridge.
Mr. Fulton was married in 1883, to Catharine R. Kline, a daughter of Simon and Catharine (Noll) Kline, and to this marriage two children were born, namely: S. McClain, who died aged five months and eighteen days; and Jennie M., who is a graduate of the class of 1907, girls' high school, Reading, and she is now a student at the Teachers College, New York City.
The death of Mr. Fulton took place July 10, 1899. He left a devoted family, members of various organizations, many friends, and attached fellow citizens, to mourn his loss. He belonged to the First Reformed Church, having united with the society in 1883. In politics he was a Republican, and a faithful worker in the ranks of that party. He was always a loyal citizen, upholding American institutions. His fraternal connections were with the Masons, he being a member of Chandler Lodge, No. 227, F. & A. M., of Reading.
p. 485
Surnames: FUNK, KALB, MEYER, SHOWALTER, SHELLY, HOCH, BECHTEL, CLEMMER, JOHNSON, ERMENTROUT
James B. Funk, miller near Clayton, in Hereford township, Berks county, was born Jan. 17, 1845, in Washington township, this county, and has lived at his present place, on the Butter Valley creek, since 1873. He is a son of Philip H. Funk and grandson of Rev. Henry Funk.
(I) The first of the Funk family to come to America was Henry Funk, who emigrated from the Palatinate or from Holland in 1719, and settled in Franconia township, Montgomery county, Pa. He built a mill along Indian Creek, and also carried on a large farm. He was a deep scholar, and was well educated for the times, and was the author of two books which passed through several editions. His greatest work probably was when, in connection with Diehlman Kalb, he supervised the translation from Dutch into German of "The Martyrs Mirror," a great historical work on the Mennonites, 1,512 folio pages, which was printed at Ephrata, Pa., in 1748, and was the largest work published in Colonial times. Henry Funk was a minister and bishop in the Mennonite Church. He died in 1760. By his wife, Anne Meyer, he had ten children ? four sons and six daughters ? one of the sons bearing the fathers name, Henry (2).
(II) Henry Funk (2) son of Rev. Henry, was born in Montgomery county, Pa., about 1730. In 1786 he moved to Virginia, where he died some years later. For many years he was a Mennonite minister, but during the Revolutionary times, he took the part of Congress and the American people, and for this he and his adherents were expelled form the Mennonite communion. However, he afterward preached independently. He married Barbara Showalter, and they had thirteen children, all of whom except Jacob accompanied their father to Virginia.
(III) Jacob Funk, son of Henry (2) was born in 1761, and died in Chester county, Pa., in 1817. He, too, became a minister in the Mennonite church. He married Mary Shelly, and they had nine children ? six daughters and three sons.
(IV) Henry Funk, son of Rev. Jacob, was born in 1787, and died in 1826. He became a Mennonite minister in Hereford, now a part of Washington, township, Berks county. He married Mary Hoch, and they had six children, among them a son named Philip H.
(V) Philip H. Funk was born in Washington township, near Schultzville, and in his earlier life he taught school in Lancaster county, but later engaged in farming. He was a Mennonite, and is buried at the Hereford meeting-house at Bally. His wife was Anna Bechtel, daughter of John Bechtel, and they had two children, Mary (m. Abraham Clemmer) and James B. After the death of Philip H. Funk his widow married Jacob Johnson, by whom she had three children: Ephraim; Abraham, who died at Reading, where he was a well-known dentist; and Milton, of New Berlinville, Pennsylvania.
(VI) James B. Funk received his education in the public schools and at Freeland Seminary (now Ursinus College), and in 1861 he received a license to teach school, from Prof. John S. Ermentrout. For five terms he followed the profession, the first term in Lower Heidelberg, near Wernersville, this county; the next year in Lower Providence township, Montgomery county; the third in West Pikeland township, Chester county; the fourth term in Hereford township, Berks county, where he was engaged at the Clemmer school, at Clayton; and the fifth and last term at Huber's Church, in Montgomery county. Having been reared upon the farm, he turned to agricultural pursuits when he settled down after his marriage, which occurred in 1868, and for three years rented land at Clayton, in 1873 coming to his present home. Here he has since carried on both farming and milling with much success, proving himself to be a man of intelligence as well as industry. His farm consists of 152 acres, of fertile, productive land, formerly the homestead of David Clemmer, who erected the present stone house upon the place in 1857. Mr. Funk has made a number of improvements during his ownership, including an addition to the barn, and has added to the value of the place in various ways. The mill was erected by David Clemmer during the forties, but the engine house was added by Mr. Funk. His establishment enjoys a large patronage, the proprietor being noted for his integrity and honorable dealings. He is an influential and esteemed citizen of his locality, held in the utmost respect, and his fine home and family would be a credit to any community.
Mr. Funk is a progressive citizen, as shown by his connection with various enterprises affecting the general welfare. He has been treasurer of the Hereford Turnpike Company since 1893, and is a member of the Clayton Butter and Cheese Company, of which he was one of the organizers; he has been a director ever since its organization, and is treasurer of the board of directors, which consists of five members. He has been a school director of his township for many years, and is still holding that office. He was elected on the Republican ticket.
In 1868 Mr. Funk married Susan Clemmer, daughter of David and Mary (Bechtel) Clemmer, and six children have been born to them, as follows: Oswin assists his father; Ambrose is in Pendleton, Oregon, where he is at present serving as deputy sheriff; Horace is a respected public school teacher in Hereford township; Warren is a student at Cornell University; Anna is a Mennonite missionary in Janjgir, Central Provinces, India; and Cora, unmarried, is at home. Mr. Funk and his family are members of the New Mennonite Church at Bally, in which he is a faithful and active worker and is at present serving as deacon.
p. 1311
Surnames: FUNK, FRETZ, HIGHLEY, HOUCK, PENNEPACKER, TODD, STAUFFER, MOYER
The Funk family have a complete history and genealogy of the family, published in 1899 by the Rev. A. J. Fretz of Milton, N. J. Their history is one of progress and is an honor to the state in which they settled.
(I) Bishop Henry Funk emigrated from Holland in 1719, and settled at Indian Creek, Montgomery county, Pa., where he died in 1760. His wife was Anna.
(II) Christian Funk was the son of Bishop Henry Funk, and father of John.
(III) John Funk, son of Christian, was the father of John.
(IV) John, son of John, and father of David W., was a Montgomery county man.
(V) David W. Funk, son of John, and father of Dr. John H. Funk, was a native of Montgomery county, where he was engaged in farming, and where he was successful. The Funk family name has been identified with Montgomery county for so many years that members of it are connected with almost every other family there. The family name has been given to various points of interest and its representatives have held important offices not only locally but in the state government. David W. married Elizabeth Highley and they had two children: Martha who married Peter Houck and now resides on the Funk homestead near Norristown: Dr. John H.
(VI) Dr. John H. Funk, State Pomologist, located at Boyertown, was born in Montgomery county, Lower Providence township, March 7, 1844.
He was educated in the common schools, later in the Freeland seminary, now Ursinus college, and in the Spring of 1865 was graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with the degree of M. D. He then practiced for a short time in Boyertown, when he embarked in the drug business, starting the first drug store in Boyertown, and this he conducted in conjunction with his practice.
Later he extended his operations and became a merchant, although all this time he possessed love for horticulture, and every spare moment was spent in studying the science of fruit growing. In time he has become an authority on this subject. In 1878 he started in the orchard business, and in 1896-7 set out extensive orchards northwest of the city limits. In the spring of 1902 he planted a peach orchard of six acres, containing 1053 trees, and within two and one-half years the yield was one basket to each tree. One year more and the orchard yielded 3200 baskets which were worth about $4,000 on the market. His orchards are recognized as the finest in the entire state. Dr. Funk has made many very valuable discoveries. His trees bear without reference to good or off years. Experiments have taught him that in order to get best results for the state it is best to get varieties from southern latitudes. An Arkansas variety, for instance, grown in Pennsylvania will give a good winter apple that will keep. On account of his intimate knowledge of horticulture, the state of Pennsylvania secured him to write Bulletin No. 152, entitled "Fruits of Pennsylvania," in October, 1907. The first edition of 15,000 was exhausted before the expiration of one year. The work is standard, and his is a national reputation, so all interested in the subject were anxious to secure a copy. Some idea of the immense amount of work its preparation entailed can be gathered from the fact that it contains 342 pages. Dr. Funk is one of the principal lecturers at Farmers' Institutes conducted under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture. Dr. Funk's experience extends over a period of thirty-five years. The state recognizes him as the authority on fruit, and his entire life is wrapped up in the matter. He travels all over the state on his lecturing tours, and he also lectures in Maryland and Delaware. He was appointed state pomologist by Gov. Samuel W. Pennepacker, and through this office he is made a member of the state board of agriculture. Dr. Funk has also traveled in thirty-one of the states and is a cultured, polished man, and a delightful talker, whose lectures are a treat.
The present home of Dr. Funk has been his residence since the year 1861. He first studied medicine under Dr. John Todd in the house he now owns. Dr. Funk served his town as chief burgess, councilman, school director for many years. He also was active in church work, and was a member of all the church councils, serving on the building committee, as chairman, of the Reformed Church of the Good Shepherd, built in 1874 in Boyertown. In addition to his home, Dr. Funk owns a tract of land, eighty acres principally within the borough limits of Boyertown, and the rest is in Colebrookdale township.
In the fall of 1864 Dr. Funk was married to Valeria Stauffer, daughter of Jacob K. Stauffer of Boyertown, and their children are: Walter and Irene. Of these Walter S. is a trucker and owns a greenhouse in Boyertown. His wife is Helena Weiser Funk, and their children are: Sheldon, Hildegard and Cathlene. Irene married Dr. Charles E. Moyer. formerly a druggist of Boyertown. They had children: Gwendeline, Leon T., Ena B. and Roydon F. Dr. Moyer and his seventeen year old daughter Gwendeline perished in the Boyertown fire, Jan. 13, 1908. His widow now carries on the drug business.
As a member of the most honored of all professions, as a private citizen and as a learned savant, Dr. Funk has fulfilled every demand made upon him, and has made the lives about him better and broader for his acquaintance. In his present study he is working unselfishly. Many of the important discoveries he is constantly making, he will not live to enjoy. He is working for those who will come after him and leaving for his children the best heritage that could be theirs, -- an honored name, linked forever with some of the most wonderful discoveries of the age.
p. 737
Surnames: FURLOW, KEGERISE, WALDSCHMIDT, MOHN, TROSTLE, FRY, WHITMOYER, DUNDORE, KOHL, KESSLER, ZIEMER, KRAMER, FRITZ, JOHNSON, SCHAELLKOPF, KACHEL, SPARR, HOSHAUER, STOVER, KERN, KIEFFER, SNADER, SCHWEITZER, HOYER
Henry K. Furlow, one of the most popular hotel men of Berks county, who is proprietor of the well known "Furlow [Eight Mile House] Hotel" in Brecknock township, the only public house in the township, was born Nov. 20, 1857, in East Cocalico township, Lancaster Co., Pa., son of Henry and Eliza (Kegerise) Furlow.
Peter Furlow, grandfather of Henry K., lived in East Cocalico township, where he followed farming all of his life. He married a Waldschmidt, of German extraction, and they had these children: Polly, m. to John Mohn; Anna m. to Levi Trostle; Sallie, who died young; Susanna, who still lives in Lancaster county; Betzy; who died single; Henry and Samuel, who died young; John, who died aged eighty years; and Isaac, who died aged eighty-four years.
Henry Furlow, father of Henry K., was born Dec. 26, 1821, in East Cocalico township, and died June 1, 1869, being buried at the Swamp Church in Lancaster county. He had a tract of about twenty-five acres of land, from which he cut the timber, which he burned into charcoal and sold to the old furnaces of Berks county. In 1854 Mr. Furlow was married to Eliza Kegerise, born April 30, 1834, daughter of William Kegerise, and she is still surviving and has lived with her son Henry K. since 1880. To Henry Furlow and his wife were born these children; William, born in February, 1855, died in his second year; Henry K.; Sarah and Kate were twins, born in December, 1859, the former of whom married Samuel Fry, of Vera Cruz, Pa., and the latter Henry Whitmoyer of Rossville, Pa.; John, born Sept. 20, 1865 a farmer residing near Wernersville, Pa., married Lillie Dundore; and Frank, born Nov. 16, 1868, is foreman in a planing mill at Pottsville, having formerly been in business with his brother, Henry K., at Denver, Pa. (m. Ida Kohl).
Henry K. Furlow was reared upon the home farm until twenty-one years of age, when he engaged in the produce business in his native and surrounding townships, residing during this time in East Cocalico township. He had a large huckster route, over which he went one a week, handling upwards of 2,000 dozen of eggs and about 800 pounds of butter weekly. This produce he sold at the market and at private places in Reading, and during the time he continued in this business, from 1878 to 1890 he was very successful and made many friends. In 1885 Mr. Furlow and Jacob R. Kessler bought the well known "Eight Mile Hotel" from William Ziemer, and this partnership continued for one year, when Mr. Furlow bought Mr. Kessler's interest, and has since been conducting the hostelry alone. He rebuilt the premises in 1904, making one of the finest stands in Berks county, outside of the city of Reading. The hotel is situated at the west end of Brecknock township, where four leading roads meet, and on an elevation which affords a beautiful view. The water is of the best and purest in the State, the table fare is excellent and the rooms are well furnished, comfortable and clean, there being six on the first floor, eleven including a both on the second, and three on the third. Connected with the hotel is a tract of thirty-four acres of land, which Mr. Furlow cultivates, and he also has a fine orchard of fruit trees and a vineyard. He has a pear orchard of 250 trees which bear as many as 600 bushels yearly, the varieties being Kiefers, Beauty Angelo, Berry Clargo, Clapps Favorite and the Sheldon. He has fifty cherry trees, among them the Richmond, Mount Moranga and Black Datarian, and 300 grape stalks, all Clinton, which promise well. The orchard covers about three acres.
On May 3, 1889, Mr. Furlow married Lavinia Kramer, born Sept. 8, 1870 , daughter of Samuel and Julian (Ziemer) Kramer, farming people of Brecknock township, and to this union there have been born four children: Bessie, Elizabeth, John and Samuel. In politics Mr. Furlow is a Democrat, and for a period of twenty-one years, from 1885 until 1906, he was postmaster at Knauers. He and his wife are Reformed members of Allegheny Union Church.
Henry Kramer, Mrs. Furlow's grandfather, lived in Brecknock township, Berks county and died aged about forth-eight. He married Elizabeth Fritz, and their children were: Susan Johnson, of Honeybrook; Kate Schaellkopf, of Reading; Eliza Ziemer, of Brecknock; Lovesia Kachel, of Brecknock; Samuel Kramer; Isaac; Elias, of near Bowmansville, in Lancaster county, and Sarah Sparr, of Morgantown.
Isaac Kramer, son of Henry, and uncle of Mrs. Furlow, lives on his father's farm, and also owns three or four other farms in that neighborhood. He married Elizabeth Hoshauer, and their children are: Amanda Stover, of Bowmansville; Mary Kern, of Brecknock; Emma Kieffer, of Morgantown: Sallie Snader, of Terrehill; Cassie Kachel, of Alleghenyville; and Isaac, Jr., of Alleghenyville.
Samuel Kramer, son of Henry and father of Mrs. Furlow, was born March 15, 1827, and died May 18, 1906. His wife Julian Ziemer was born July 29, 1833, and died April 1, 1901. Their children were: John, Albert, Harvey, Samuel, Peter, Sarah Schweitzer, Elizabeth Kachel, Lavinia Furlow, Katie Hoyer and Henry. Henry, the last named, died unmarried at the age of forth-one. With his brother, Harvey, he was in the leaf tobacco business, and Harvey still continues in that line, also carrying on his father's farm (which he now owns) and raising fine crops of tobacco.