Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery
p. 581
Surnames: HAFER, BRINDLEY, DIEHL, EGELMAN, ENDY, ESTERLY, GILBERT,
HAIN, HELLER, HOFFA, KLINE, LEBKICHER, LERCH, LINCOLN, McKINNEY,
MOYER, REIFSNYDER, ROMICH, ROMIG, SEIGFRIED, SLICHTER, WIEN, YERGEY
Ammon L. Hafer, member of the firm of Hafer Bros., commission
merchants at Reading and prominent factors in the city's business
life, was born June 3, 1866, in Exeter township, Berks county, Pa.,
son of Samuel R. and Elizabeth G. (Lincoln) Hafer.
John Hafer, great-grandfather of the Hafer
brothers, was a native of Berks county, Pa., and for many years
resided on his farm in Exeter township, which he cultivated in
addition to working at his trade of stone mason. He assisted in the
erection of the old Schwartzwald stone church and of Spies's church
in Alsace township. He is recalled as a man of robust appearance.
His first marriage was to Gertrude Kline. When she died she was
interred at the Reformed Church cemetery, at Sixth and Washington
streets, Reading, Pa., but later she was reinterred, by the side of
her husband, at the Schwartzwald Church. His second wife was Mrs.
Diehl (widow), by whom he had no children. To the first marriage
were born: George m. Ellen Heller, and had children, William,
Phebe, Daniel and Amanda; Daniel m. Charlot Egelman, and had
children, Charles E., Maryetta, John E., Rosetta, Daniel E.,
Wilhelmina, Edward E. and Anna; John was twice married, and by his
first wife, Rebecca Esterly, he had four children - George, John,
Mary and Amanda - and by his second wife, Sarah Moyer, he had -
Henry, Westley, and three daughters; Sarah m. Abraham Wien, and had
children, John, Rebecca, Sarah and Samuel; William m. a Miss Lerch,
and had two children, William and Margaret; Mathias m. Rachel
Romig, daughter of Jacob Romig, and had four children, Samuel R.,
Amelia (wife of Daniel Yergey), Susan (died in infancy) and Anna
(widow of Henry L. Gilbert); Henry m. Julia Egelman, and had
children, Henry, Heryetta, William, Mary, Augustus, John and Cyrus;
Levi m. a Miss Hoffa, and had children, Adam, Emelia, Louisa and
another daughter; and Anna m. Samuel Romich, and had one son,
Franklin. All the family are deceased.
Mathias Hafer, son of John, was born in Alsace
township, Berks county, and died on his farm in Exeter township, in
1898, aged eighty-two years. He was a life-long farmer and owned a
tract of ten acres of land on which he lived. Both he and his wife
belonged to the Reformed Church, and they lie buried in the
Schwartzwald cemetery. He married Rachel Romig, daughter of Jacob
Romig, and they had four children, namely, Samuel R.; Amelia, wife
of Daniel Yergey, residing in Exeter township; Susan, who died in
infancy; and Anna, widow of Henry L. Gilbert.
Samuel R. Hafer, only son of Mathias Hafer, was
born July 9, 1840, in Exeter township, Berks Co., Pa., and he
attended the old subscription schools when his parents paid three
cents a day for his tuition, his teacher at that time being
Jonathan Moyer. He attended from twenty to sixty days a season and
continued until he was twenty-one years of age. According to the
habit of the times he was hired out to neighboring farmers during
his youth. When eighteen years of age he came to Exeter Station,
where he later became station agent and embarked also in a general
store and hotel business, which he continued for eight years. He
then moved to Birdsboro, where, for five years, he engaged in
clerking in George W. Hain's general store and assisted also in the
lumber and coal yard. For eight years thereafter he conducted the
Co-operative Association store, and during President Cleveland's
first administration he served as postmaster at that point. In 1888
he came to Reading and since May, 1905, he has been bookkeeper for
the commission house of Hafer Brothers, his sons. For some years
after his location at Reading, Mr. Hafer conducted a grocery store,
for John F. Reifsnyder, whom he later bought out. In 1864, he
married Elizabeth G. Lincoln, daughter of John D. Lincoln, a
distant relative of the great President. They have five children,
namely: Ammon L.; Adelle, wife of John Seigfried; Samuel L.;
Matthias L., a grocery merchant at Reading; and Rachel, wife of
Harry McKinney, a furniture merchant at Reading. Samuel R. Hafer is
a member of the Reformed Church.
Ammon L. Hafer was educated in the public
schools at Birdsboro, where his boyhood was spent, and at an early
age he commenced to work as a clerk in a store in that town, and
later went to work in the Brooke Nail Factory, at Birdsboro. In
1887 he came to Reading, and for two years he drove a team for
Daniel S. Esterly, wholesale grocer. In 1889, he entered the employ
of John F. Reifsnyder, commission and produce merchant, at Reading.
Both he and his brother, Samuel L., becoming silent partners of
this house for seventeen years (wording correction by JP not
affecting content). In March, 1905, Mr. Reifsnyder died, and on May
1st, following, Hafer Brothers became sole owners, purchasing the
good will, stock and fixtures, as per agreement.
In 1895 Ammon L. Hafer married Nellie Lebkicher,
daughter of Alfred Lebkicher, of Reading, and they have one son,
Lloyd A. Mr. Hafer belongs to Progressive Lodge, No. 470, I. O. O.
F., Reading. He is a member of the Second Reformed Church, and was
an official of the Birdsboro Reformed Church, prior to coming to
Reading.
Samuel L. Hafer, member of the firm of Hafer
Brothers, the largest wholesale commission merchants at Reading,
was born Sept. 20, 1870, in Exeter township, Berks Co., Pa. His
schooling was obtained at Birdsboro, and when sixteen years of age
he became a clerk for J. H. Brindley, of that place, with whom he
remained for three years. When nineteen years of age he became a
salesman for John F. Reifsnyder, commission merchant at Reading,
with whom he continued two years and then took service with M. B.
Slichter & Co., at No. 6 South Sixth street. One year after, he
became a salesman for still another commission firm, Claus &
Silvas, where he remained for two years, when both he and his
brother Ammon L. became silent partners with the late John F.
Reifsnyder-a partnership which continued until May 1, 1905. On that
date the firm of Hafer Brothers became sole owners, Mr. Reifsnyder
having died in the previous March. The members of the firm are
successful business men of high repute, and they do the largest
produce business in Berks county. They employ fifteen men, and have
six teams in constant use. They have established trade relations
which make them the leaders in the wholesale commission line at
Reading.
In 1890 Samuel L. Hafer married Ida M. Endy, and
they have three children: Earl E., Paul E., and Nellie M. The
eldest son is a graduate of the Interstate Business College at
Reading, of the class of 1906, and he now fills a lucrative
position as clerk for the Reading Iron Works. The other son and the
daughter are still at school. Mr. Hafer and family are members of
the Second Reformed Church at Reading, a religious body to which
the family has been faithful for generations. He is an Odd Fellow,
and belongs to Progressive Lodge. No. 470, at Reading.
p. 1176
Surnames: HAFER, ARMPRIESTER, BERGNER, BONAPARTE, BRISSEL, DUSEN,
EGELMAN, FINLEY, FISHER, HECKMAN, HERFLICKER, HILL, KLINE, MUENCH,
NAGEL, ROMIG, SCHMID, SCHWALB, SEIDEL, WEAN, YEAGER
Edward Egelman Hafer,
engaged as a photographer at Reading for upward of thirty years,
was born in 1843, near Belleman's Church, in Centre township, Berks
county, and when a year old his parents removed to near Reading
where they resided until 1853. And after the death of the father
the family removed to Reading. Edward E. Hafer was given a common
school education in the local schools and then placed in the drug
store of his uncle, H. W. Bergner, at No. 834 Penn street, where he
continued for sixteen years. Having become inclined towards
portrait painting in this time, he engaged in painting portraits
for two years, and secured a position in the photographic studio of
Capt. F. M. Yeager, where he carried on the study of photography in
connection with painting. After spending two years, 1872-1874, in
this studio, he purchased the business, and has since conducted it
in a very successful manner. During this time he has painted
portraits on special orders, among the last having been the
portrait of "Kuechler at his Roost," for which he was given much
praise.
Mr. Hafer was married to Amanda Nagel, daughter
of William Nagel, of Pottstown, and they had six children: Minerva
(m. Samuel S. Finley, who is conducting a large photographic studio
at Chicago, Ill.); Bess Mable; Carl Egelman; and three died in
infancy.
His father, Daniel Hafer, was born in 1803 in
Alsace township, and brought up on a farm. He then carried on
farming in the township named, and in Centre township. He died in
1853. He was married to Charlotte Egelman, daughter of Charles F.
Egelman, of Reading, who was recognized as one of the greatest
astronomical calculators of the United States in his day. She died
in 1886, aged seventy-six years. They had eleven children: Charles
(m. Helena Heckman); Mary Etta (m. John Herflicker); John (m. Susan
Armpriester); Rosetta (m. Edward Muench); Daniel (m. Susan Dusen);
Wilhelmina (m. Jacob Schwalb); Edward Egelman; Anna (m. Charles
Fisher); and three died young.
Mr. Hafer's grandfather was John Hafer, a stone
mason and farmer who carried on business in Alsace and Exeter
townships. He died in 1853. He was married to Gertrude Kline,
daughter of Henry Kline of Alsace township, and they had nine
children: George, Daniel, William, Sarah (m. Abraham Wean), John,
Matthias, Henry, Anna (m. Samuel Romig) and Levi.
His great-grandfather was Matthias Hafer, who
emigrated in 1773, from Alsace, on the borders of the Rhine in
Germany, and settled in Alsace township, Berks county, one mile
east of Reading, where he carried on farming until his decease. He
was married to Julia Schmid, and they had eight children, seven
sons and one daughter: John, Matthias, George, Benjamin, Isaac,
Daniel, Henry and Maria (m. to Jacob Hill). Charles Frederick
Egelman, the maternal grandfather of Mr. Hafer, was born at
Osnabrck, in Hanover, May 12, 1782, and emigrated to this country
in 1802, landing at Baltimore. He learned the trade of coach
making, and remained there for a time, when he removed to Berks
county, Pa. His last piece of work executed there was the body of a
coach for Jerome Bonaparte. He was afterward engaged at teaching
for a number of years, officiating in this time also as organist
for several German Churches in country districts. About 1830 he
settled at Reading and assisted in the publication of a German
newspaper, entitled Der Readinger Democrat. He was recognized as a
man of great scientific attainments, having been particularly
accomplished in astronomy. His ability in this branch of learning
was utilized for the period of forty-three years in furnishing
astronomical calculations for the principal almanacs published in
the United States. The study of perpetual motion received his
earnest attention for a number of years, he having devised and
constructed various machines in his efforts towards accomplishing
this object, regarded as impossible. In the matter of copper-plate
engraving he was a skilled artist, and executed a number of
superior designs, one of them being a view of Reading. He died at
Reading, Nov. 30, 1860, aged nearly seventy-nine years. His
residence was at the northwest corner of Ninth and Penn streets. He
left to survive him seven children: Ferdinand, Edward, Charlotte
(m. Daniel Hafer), Julia (m. Henry Hafer), Wilhelmina (m. Solomon
Seidel), Catharine (m. John Brissel) and Amelia (m. Dr. H. W.
Bergner); and two children, Solomon and Lydia, of a deceased
daughter, Henrietta, who had been married to Solomon Seidel.
p. 839
Surnames: HAFER, BERTOLET, BREISH, ENOCH, FAUST, FOCHT, HAUCK,
HUNTER, MANMILLER, MARBARGER, MOYER, NOLL, REIDER, REMINGER,
SCHAEFFER, SCHEFFEY, SCHMEHL, SHANE, SPOHN, VETTER, WEAVER,
WEIDNER, WEISER, WENTZEL,YODER
During the early history of this country - the exact date is not
known -(I) Mattias Hafer, the founder of the extensive Hafer family
in America, emigrated from Germany and settled in Ruscombmanor
township, Berks county, Pa., where he purchased a farm and lived
the remainder of his life. Among his children were George, Samuel
and Henry.
(II) George Hafer, son of Mattias, married Dianah Weiser, and their
children were: Henry; John; Benjamin; Isaac; George; Samuel (from
whom descends James W. Hafer mentioned below); Anna, who married
Peter Hauck; and Sarah, who married Samuel Marbarger. Of the sons,
John married and moved to the West, where he died; his daughter,
Mrs. Vetter, lives at Sterling, Ill. All of the children of George
Hafer are now deceased, but they left descendants, among them the
children of Benjamin, namely: Charles, Benjamin, Israel, Anna,
Catherine and Mary. Isaac had children as follows: David, Isaac,
Hettie, Sallie, Louisa and Emma.
(III) George Hafer, son of (II) George and grandson of (I) Mattias,
was born Nov. 13, 1815, and died April 17, 1889, aged seventy-three
years, five months, four days. He is buried at Friedensburg. By
trade he was a stone-mason, and followed this occupation until he
was fifty years of age. He also engaged in farming on a small scale
in Ruscombmanor township. His wife, Esther Moyer, daughter of
Mattias Moyer, was born in 1814, and died at the age of thirty-nine
years. Her last resting-place is at Spies Church.
Children as follows were born of this marriage:
George M., of Reading; Catherine, who married Tobias Shane,
deceased; Dianna, deceased; Esther, who married Daniel R. Hunter;
Lewis M.; Susan, deceased, who married Maberry Focht; and Sarah,
who married Harry Scheffey.
The second wife of George Hafer was Mary Faust,
born Nov. 18, 1822, who died Oct. 29, 1890, aged sixty-seven years,
eleven months, eleven days. The children of this marriage were:
Mary, who married Ammon Spohn; of Oley; John, of Reading; and
Hannah (deceased), who married Milton Schmehl.
(IV) Lewis M. Hafer of Oley, Oley township, Berks county, Pa., was
born in Alsace township, this county, Nov. 3, 1846, and was early
trained to farm work. His mother dying when he was but seven years
old, he lived with his relatives until he was sixteen, and then
began to learn the trade of shoemaker which he followed for seven
years. Owing to ill health he was obliged to turn his attention to
something else, and returned to farm work, hiring out for nine
years, and in 1880, he began farming for himself in Oley township
on the Daniel G. Bertolet farm, where he remained for seventeen
years. The farm then being sold, he engaged as farmer for Mrs.
Jeremiah Weaver, widow of Colonel Weaver, whose property was
located in Oley township. After seven years, in the spring of 1904,
he sold his stock and removed to Friedensburg, where he now
resides, retired from active labor. His very pleasant home was
erected by him in 1899 and is a substantial brick residence on Main
street. Mr. Hafer also owns the Lee farm, which belonged to the Lee
family (Quakers) for over 130 years. This is a very good property
and is rented by his son-in-law, Aaron Enoch.
In 1871 Mr. Hafer married Anna Manmiller, a
daughter of Amos and Julianna (Breish) Manmiller, of Oley township.
To them these children have been born: William, Sallie, Charles,
James, Lewis, Amos, Howard, Eva, and Ida, living; and John, Emily,
George and Annie (who died at Reading), all deceased.
Mr. Hafer is one of the roadmasters of Oley, and
is a very efficient official, one who has the best interests of the
community at heart. He and his family are consistent members of the
United Evangelical Church, with which he has been connected since
1867, and in which he has filled a number of the offices.
(III) Samuel Hafer, son of (II) George and grandson of (I) Mattias
Hafer, was a native of Pricetown, Berks county, born Sept. 30,
1819. He died Dec. 2, 1897, aged seventy-eight years, two months,
two days, and is buried at Friedensburg. By trade he was a
stone-mason, and he also engaged in farming, becoming a substantial
man of Ruscombmanor township, which he served as supervisor. Samuel
Hafer married Elizabeth Reider, born Aug. 1, 1816, a daughter of
John Reider. John Reider was blind for a number of years. He had a
son named after him, John Reider. Mrs. Hafer died Dec. 20, 1899,
aged eighty-three years, four months, nineteen days. These children
were born to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Hafer: George, Frank, Reuben and
Samuel.
(IV) Frank Hafer, son of Samuel, was born Dec. 17, 1813, in Oley
township, where he still resides, his home being in the vicinity of
the Oley furnace. By trade he is a carpenter, and at the age of
fifty-five is an energetic man and excellent workman. In politics,
Mr. Hafer is a Democrat, but he has never taken an active part in
party matters. His religious opinions have made him a member of the
Friedensburg Reformed Church.
On May 30, 1868, Frank Hafer married Susanna W.
Weidner, daughter of David Weidner, and they had children as
follows: William, who died in childhood; James W.; Sallie W., born
May 15, 1874, who married William Wentzel, of Oley township; Viola,
who died in childhood; Mary W., born Aug. 16, 1876, who married
Henry Noll, of Pricetown; and Luella W., born June 12, 1892, who is
unmarried and residing at home.
(V) James W. Hafer, son of Frank Hafer, and great-great-grandson of
Mattias, the founder of the family in America, was born in Oley
township, May 17, 1871. During his boyhood he attended the public
schools of Oley and Ruscombmanor townships, and at the same time
learned farming. In 1893 he began farming the old Yoder farm below
Pleasantville, formerly known as Yodersville. This farm consists of
ninety-five acres of excellent farming property and is a portion of
the original Yoder farm of 300 acres. Mr. Hafer has his farm well
stocked, having five head of cattle, and eighteen to twenty cows,
his dairy being one of the best in the neighborhood; he markets his
milk daily in Reading. In addition to other improvements Mr. Hafer
has some excellent machinery and applies scientific methods in
farming, his success proving the wisdom of his actions.
In 1890 Mr. Hafer married Mary Schaeffer,
daughter of Nathan and Catherine (Yoder) Schaeffer, of Fleetwood,
Pa. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hafer:
Edith, who married Paul Reminger, a student in a veterinary
college, and has a daughter, Marguarite; Webster; Lottie; Bertha;
Howard; Esther; Walter, and Arthur. Mr. Hafer and his family are
members in good standing of the Friedensburg Reformed Church.
Socially he is connected with several secret societies and is
secretary of Manatawny Castle No. 461, K. G. E.
The Hafer family is one of the oldest in Berks
county and its members are all respected, honorable and successful
residents of the several communities where they are to be found,
possessing the sterling virtues that made their founder, Mattias
Hafer, so welcome a settler in the new country more than a century
ago.
p. 902
Surnames: HAFER, BIEHL, BOYER, ESTERLY, FOOS, GOODMAN, HERR,
HIMMELREICH, LORAH, MEE, MILLER, MOYER, OTT, RILEY, SHULLEY, SNYDER
Howard M. Hafer the popular proprietor of the "Seltzer House," and
a leading citizen and councilman of Womelsdorf, Berks Co., Pa., was
born in Reading, Oct. 1, 1864, son of William H. and Elizabeth
(Miller) Hafer.
Henry Hafer the progenitor of this family in
America, was a native of Mensen, Germany, whence he came to this
country and settled in eastern Berks county. He was a redemptioner
and had been in bondage for several years Henry Hafer,
great-grandfather of Howard M., was a farmer in Ruscombmanor
township, Berks county. He died in Muhlenberg, and was buried at
Alsace Church. His wife was a Lorah, and they had the following
children: Matthias; Jacob m. Anna Mee and had a son, Jonathan;
Henry m. Harriet Snyder, and resided in Muhlenberg township, and
had a son Romanus; Katie m. John Moyer, and moved by team to
Indiana; and Julia m. George Mee, a miller of Tulpehocken township.
Matthias Hafer, son of Henry was born in
Ruscombmanor township, Nov. 28, 1811, and died in Reading, Feb. 28,
1891, aged eighty years. He was a tailor and farmer by occupation,
and in about 1832 removed to Muhlenberg township, where he carried
on agricultural pursuits on a small scale and did rough tailoring
for the people of his vicinity. He married Hannah Himmelreich, born
May 10, 1811, who died July 22, 1875, aged sixty-four years, and to
them there were born two children: (1) James H., born in Alsace
township in 1835, resides in Philadelphia, where he is a tailor and
clerk in a clothing store; he married Hettie Foos, and they had
children Frank, Kate, Tyson, and Alice (deceased). (2) William H.
is the father of Howard M.
William H. Hafer was born Feb. 13, 1840, in
Alsace (now Muhlenberg) township, and was brought up on the farm,
on which he worked until twenty-one years old. He came to Reading,
in 1861, where he has since made his home, with the exception of
four years when he carried on farming in Exeter township. Mr. Hafer
was the proprietor of the "City Hotel" from 1889 to 1895, and from
1896 to 1898 conducted the "Hotel Penn," both of Reading, and made
himself well known as a hotel keeper to the traveling public. In
politics he is a Democrat, and is much interested in public
affairs. He and his family are members of Trinity Lutheran Church.
On Jan. 10, 1864, Mr. Hafer was married to
Elizabeth Miller, born Dec. 4, 1840, daughter of Daniel and
Elizabeth (Goodman) Miller, the former a blacksmith of Reading, and
granddaughter of Jacob and Mary Miller who resided at the old
Miller homestead at the northwest corner of Eighth and Franklin
streets. Mr. and Mrs. Hafer have been the parents of four sons:
Howard M.; Allen H., a carpet store proprietor at Pottsville, Pa.,
m. Clara Herr, of Philadelphia, and had four children - -Elwood
(deceased), Claude, Ralph and Allen J.; William, Jr., died in
childhood; and Edwin L., who resides at Reading. m. Helen Ott, and
has one son, Earle R.
Howard M. Hafer obtained his education in the
Reading public schools, after leaving which he learned the
coachmaker's trade, and for some time was engaged with George W.
Biehl, whose employ he left to enter that of D. S. Esterly,
wholesale grocer of Reading, where he remained six years. He then
assisted his father in conducting the "City Hotel" for about four
years, and Jan. 1, 1893, he purchased the well-known "Seltzer
Hotel" at Womelsdorf, Berks county, one of the oldest hostelries in
the county which has had the patronage of the traveling public and
the town trade for many years. This hotel, which is still in good
condition, was erected in 1798, and is situated on the Dauphin
turnpike, midway between Reading and Lebanon. In early days it was
the changing place for horses, and President Martin Van Buren
stopped at this hotel in 1838. Mr. Hafer keeps a fine house, and
has the reputation of keeping one of the best tables of any hotel
in Berks county.
In politics Mr. Hafer is an influential
Democrat, and has been honored by his townsmen by election to the
council since 1899, by overwhelming majorities. He has also been a
delegate to numerous county conventions. He was the organizer of
the Womelsdorf Volunteer Fire company, of which he has been chief
since its organization in 1895. He is fraternally connected with
Williamson Lodge No. 307, F. & A. M., Excelsior Chapter No.
237, R. A. M., Reading; Reading Commandery, No. 42 K. T.; and Rajah
Temple, A. A. O. S. N. M. S.; Golden Rule Lodge No. 159, I. O. O.
F., of Womelsdorf; Washington Camp, No. 89, P. 0. S. of A., of
Reading; and the K. G. E., of Womelsdorf. He and his family are
members of Trinity Lutheran Church of Reading.
In 1890 Mr. Hafer married Miss Jennie Shulley,
born on Nov. 7, 1863, daughter of Frederick and Lucretia (Riley)
Shulley, farming people of Fairfield, Adams Co., Pa. Two children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hafer, namely: Marie E., a student
at school; and a son, who died in infancy.
p. 1147
Surnames: HAFER, BERSTLER, GASS, GAUL, GLASS, KELLER, LEITHEISER,
MEDLER, RISMILLER
William B. Hafer one of the prominent agriculturists and dairymen
of Muhlenberg township, Berks county, who is conducting an
excellent farm of seventy-one acres, was born July 31, 1858 in
Muhlenberg township, son of Abraham and Fietta (Berstler) Hafer.
Abraham Hafer was a blacksmith by trade, but
spent the major portion of his life as a farmer, dying on a tenant
farm in 1891, when fifty-six years of age. His wife still survives
and makes her home in Reading. Of their children there is the
following record: Catherine, deceased. m. Adam Keller, and had one
child, Deborah (m. to Thomas Rismiller); William B. is mentioned
below; Francis was killed by a fall in which he was impaled on the
handle of a garden rake; Isabella, deceased, m. Daniel Glass, and
had two sons, William and Elmer; Rebecca m. James Berstler, and had
five children, Gertrude, Robert, Alva, Elsie and Warren; and Laura
m. William Gass, and had one child, Leroy (died in infancy). In
religious belief the family were Reformed. Mr. Hafer was a Democrat
in politics, and for some years served as school director.
William B. Hafer received his primary education
in the public schools of Muhlenberg township, but his subsequent
training was in the school of experience. For several years he was
engaged in farm work for his father, and he then learned the
butcher's trade with William K. Leitheiser, of Reading, an
occupation which he followed for about three years, and later went
to Louisville, Ky., where he also engaged in butchering. Mr. Hafer
then enlisted in Company D, 8th U. S. Regulars, in which he served
five years, being promoted to first sergeant. His enlistment
occurred in 1882, in Cincinnati, Ohio, whence he was transferred to
Columbus, where he was stationed about six months, and then to
Angel Island, San Francisco, Cal., where about fourteen months were
spent. At the end of this time Mr. Hafer's company was transferred
to San Diego. Cal., where they were stationed for fifteen months,
and then sent to the frontier in Arizona to quell the Apache raids,
instigated by the Indian warriors under the wily Chief Geronimo.
After eleven months of frontier fighting the regiment was
transferred to Fort Bridger, Wyo., and after eight months to Fort
Robinson, Nebr., where the balance of Mr. Hafer's term of
enlistment was spent. After his discharge he returned East, and
accepted a position in the tube works of the Reading Iron Company
where he remained eight years, and in 1896 he located on the old
Fisher homestead, owned at that time by Edward Medler. This he
purchased in 1902, and since that time he has made many
improvements on this fertile, seventy-one acre tract. In addition
to carrying on experimental work in agricultural lines, in which he
has been very successful, he is conducting a dairy and keeps from
seventeen to twenty head of Holsteins to furnish the people of his
vicinity with milk, his product also finding a ready market in
Reading.
Mr. Hafer was married to Kate Medler, daughter
of Edward and Mary Ann (Gaul) Medler. and three children have been
born to this union: Guy, Ray and Fay, who attend the high school at
Leesport. In religious belief Mr. Hafer is Reformed and he has been
active in Sunday school work. He is a member of Washington Camp,
No. 68,P. O. S. of A., and in politics is independent, having held
the office of supervisor under the new road law passed by the
Legislature in 1905.
p.
333
Surnames: HAGENMAN, FILBERT, WOODWARD, RICHARDS, BOYER
Jeremiah Hagenman, third elected President Judge of Berks county,
from 1875 to 1889, was born at Phoenixville, Pa., Feb. 6, 1820. He
obtained a preparatory education in the schools of that town, and
when sixteen years of age engaged in teaching; then he removed to
Reading, where he entered the public schools and prose.cuted higher
branches of study till he was nineteen years old. He then began the
study of law under Peter Filbert, Esq., teaching occasionally while
pursuing his legal studies, and was admitted to the Bar on April 7,
1842. He opened an office, and soon entered upon an active
prac.tice, which he conducted successfully for seventeen years,
when he was elected additional law judge of Berks county. In 1875,
upon the elevation of the Hon. Warren J. Woodward to the Supreme
Bench of the State, he was promoted to the office of president
judge, and in 1879 he was re.elected for another term of ten years.
The attorneys always appreciated his courtesy on the Bench, and the
younger attorneys found him possessed of a kindly spirit and great
indulgence. He became interested in politics soon after his
admission to the Bar, and was prominently identified with the
movements, of the Demo.cratic party from 1850 till 1869. He
attended many State Conventions as a delegate; and in 1868 was a
delegate to the Democratic National Convention. In 1850 he was
elected the first district attorney (under the act then passed
creating the office), and after serving three years was elected for
a second term. The public school affairs of Reading received his
earnest attention for nearly forty years, he having first become a
director about 1846. He advocated the erection of more commodious
and attrac.tive school buildings; and in 1865 he first suggested
the practicability of heating the buildings by heaters in the
cellars. He served the county commissioners as solicitor for a
number of years. About 1860 he was instrumental in having them to
allow half of the court fines to be appropriated toward
establishing a Law Library for the Bench and Bar in the
court.house. John S. Richards, Esq., an attorney at the Bar,
suggested the idea. Sub.sequently legislation was obtained allowing
this to be done, and a Law Library Association became incorporated.
In 1850 Judge Hagenman married Louisa A. Boyer,
daughter of George Boyer, who was a descendant of one of the first
families in the county and a prominent mem.ber of Trinity Lutheran
congregation, having taken an active part in the erection of its
church building in 1791. They had one son, George F. Hagenman, a
practicing attorney at the Reading Bar, who was killed in the Honda
wreck, in California, May 11, 1907. Judge Hagen.man died March 6,
1904, and his wife in190_. They were buried in Charles Evans
Cemetery.
p. 1175
Surnames: HAGY, BYERLE, WILDT, HIESTER, BARR, HANTSCH, MASSENO,
EISENBISE, MILLER, KEEN, THOMPSON, KISSLING, CRESSMAN, EBLING,
TALLER, FRANCIS
Bennewell Hagy, resident of Reading, who for many years was engaged
at the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company's shops as
boiler-maker. He was born Sept. 21, 1833, in Lancaster Co., Pa.,
and died in Reading in 1900.
J. Hagy, grandfather of Bennewell, lived near
Schoeneck, Lancaster county. To him and his wife Elizabeth were
born children as follows: George, Jacob, Henry, David, Samuel and
Elizabeth (m. to Bernhard Byerle).
Samuel Hagy, father of Bennewell, was born in
1796 in Lancaster county, and his death occurred in 1851. He
married Elizabeth Wildt, and to them were born eleven children, as
follows: Sarah, m. to Jacob Barr; Catherine, m. to Isaac Hiester;
Harriet m. to G. W. Hantsch; Edward; Adam; Obed; Lydia, who died
young; Bennewell; Abraham; Mary, m. to Joseph Masseno; and Benjamin
F. In religious belief Mr. Hagy was a Lutheran, while his wife was
a member of the Methodist faith.
Bennewell Hagy received his education in the
schools of Lancaster county, and in his youth worked on a farm for
several years. Locating in Reading, he entered the employ of the
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, with which concern he
was connected the remainder of his life. Mr. Hagy was married
(first) to Sarah Eisenbise, and to them were born thirteen
children, six of whom are now living; Warren m. Sarah Miller, of
Reading; Sadie m. Edward Keen, of Philadelphia; Jennie m. Robert
Thompson and resides at Philadelphia; Harriet is a dressmaker at
Whitners; Mary m. Cyrus Kissling, of West Catasaqua; and George, of
Philadelphia, m. Ella Cressman. After the death of his first wife
Mr. Hagy was married (second) to Sally Ann Ebling, born in 1831 in
Longswamp township, Berks county, daughter of David and Polly
(Taller) Ebling, and widow of David Francis. No children were born
to the second union. In religious belief Mr. Hagy was a Methodist,
while his widow is a member of the Reformed Church.
p. 693
Surnames: HAGY, BECHTEL, BITLER, DONAHOWER, GEIGER, HARBSTER,
HETRICK, JAMESON, JOHN, SHANEMAN, SINDEL, STOVER, TRICH
William Hagy, a venerable resident of the city of Reading, who is
now spending the autumn of life in the enjoyment of the fruits of
his earlier years of toil, was born in West Cocalico township,
Lancaster county, Pa., Dec. 12, 1825, and represents a family long
identified with that part of the country.
Henry Hagy, his paternal grandfather, is
supposed to have been a native of Lancaster county, and certainly
all his active life was passed there, operating a farm which he
owned near Schoeneck. He was also an expert weaver, and according
to the custom of those Revolutionary days, spent much time during
the winter months in weaving into cloth the flax that had been
raised on his own farm and then spun. He married Miss Catherine
Stover, and both lived to advanced age, his death occurring in
1844, and hers in 1837. They were members of the Lutheran Church.
Their nine children were: Henry, John, George, Samuel, David,
Catherine, Elizabeth, Jacob and Eve.
Jacob Hagy, father of William, was born in 1795,
and lived only to the age of thirty-five. He owned a small farm,
which he had operated, and his family were left in straightened
circumstances. His wife was Miss Catherine Trich, and they had
three children, namely: William; Lydia m. George Sindel; and
Elizabeth, who lives at Reamstown, is the widow of the late Joseph
Bechtel. Mrs. Hagy survived her husband until Nov. 4, 1867, when
she died aged sixty-nine years, one month and eighteen days. In her
latter years she was a member of the Mennonite church.
William Hagy was sent to the schools of
Lancaster county, but his father's untimely death compelled him to
shift for himself at an early age, and he was hardly more than a
boy when he became an apprentice to a tailor to learn the trade.
After four years' service he was released in 1844, and the
following year came to Reading, where he has ever since resided. He
found employment at first with James Jameson, and worked with him
till 1853, when he started in business with William Donahower, the
partnership lasting eighteen months. He then went to Eighth and
Penn streets, but at the end of three months moved to North Fifth
street, remaining one year. In the spring of 1867 he located at No.
701 Penn street, where he remained till his retirement in 1892. Mr.
Hagy still owns the property and retains an office on the premises,
spending some time there each day looking after his affairs. He was
always industrious, upright in his dealings and wide awake to every
opportunity, so that his success was justly due.
On May 10, 1849, Mr. Hagy married Miss Sarah Ann
Bitler, daughter of Elisha Bitler, of Robeson township, Berks
county. A family of nine children were born to them, of whom seven
lived to mature years, viz.: William D.; Harry B. is treasurer of
the Pennsylvania Trust Company, of Reading; Irwin A. resides at
Philadelphia; Mary E. m. (first) Henry A. Hetrick, son of John
Hetrick, of Reading, and (second) Matthan Harbster, of Reading;
Emma C. m. Thomas Shaneman, of Lebanon; Anna E. m. Park John, of
Reading; and Sarah J. m. A. J. Geiger, a shoe merchant of Reading.
The wife and mother died Jan. 16, 1907, aged eighty years and
eleven months. Mr. Hagy has been for years a Methodist in his
religious faith, having united with that denomination when a young
man, and he now holds membership in St. Peter's M.E. Church. In
politics he is a Republican.