p. 682
Surnames: SCHEALER, GARDNER, SCHUELER, SHEELER, SHULER, SCHUYLER, SPOHN, WENTZ, SHADLER, DEHART, ESHBACH, WUNDER, SALTZER, LIVENGOOD, WESSNER, REIDER, GOOD, BRUMBACH, FELTUS, HIMMELREICH, BABB
John G. Schealer, contractor and builder of Boyertown, Berks county, was born Oct. 15, 1836, in Exeter township. He has followed his present line of business in Boyertown since the early seventies, and many substantial structures testify to the quality of his work. Being a son of John and Catherine (Gardner) Schealer, his is a great-grandson of the founder of the family in this country, who, coming to America from his native land, Germany, settled in Exeter township, Berks Co., Pa., where he was among the pioneers. He spelled the name Schueler, and there are various other spellings, the most common forms being Sheeler, Schealer, Shuler and Schuyler. When this ancestor was born, when he died and where he was buried are facts unknown by his descendants, who are numerous. He had a large family.
William Schealer, the grandfather of John G. Schealer, was engaged all his life as a farmer and stonemason in Exeter township, operating the farm now owned by Jacob Spohn. He was a member of the Reformed Church. He and his wife Barbara had a family of eight children, namely: Jacob and William, who died in Reading; Samuel, who lived in Robesonia; John, who lived in Exeter; Benneville, who lived at Robesonia; Ann, who died unmarried; Lydia, who married Jacob Wentz; and Harry, who lived at various places.
John Schealer, the fourth child of John and Barbara Schealer, was born in Exeter township, Oct. 23, 1793, and died there Dec. 16, 1872, aged seventy-nine years, one month, twenty-three days. He was a farmer and stone-mason by occupation, and during the winter months engaged in butchering. On Dec. 20, 1818, he was married to Catherine Gardner, born Nov. 20, 1800, who died Sept. 29, 1878, in her seventy-eighth year. Eleven children were born to this union, of whom one died unnamed at the age of three days. The others were: William, born Sept. 10, 1819, a carpenter and cabinet-maker of Colebrookdale township, died in May, 1894; Harriet, born Sept. 19, 1821, married Jeremiah Shadler of Seneca county, Ohio, who died before she did, her death occurring while she was out West in 1904; Elizabeth, born Dec. 13, 1823, married Abraham Dehart (now deceased), of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Valeria, born Feb. 14, 1825, married James Eshbach, late of Pike township, this county, whom she survived, her death occurring Dec. 25, 1895; Susanna, born Oct. 14, 1827, is the widow of Henry Wunder, of Reading, and makes her home at No. 1028 Chestnut street, that city; Lovinia, born Sept. 10, 1831, married John Saltzer, of Colebrookdale township, and died Oct. 2, 1893; Catherine, born July 18, 1834, died in infancy; John G., born Oct. 15, 1836, lives at Boyertown; Augustus, born March, 15, 1839, married Mary Livengood, and died March 8, 1872; Samuel G., born in Exeter township Oct. 5, 1842, lives in his own residence at No. 1145 Chestnut street, Reading. The latter is a stationary engineer by occupation, and a highly esteemed citizen of his community. He was married Dec. 26, 1868, to Adeline Wessner, born in 1848, who died in 1905. They had six children, three of whom died in infancy, the others being William O., Lucretia I. and S. Raymond, the latter of whom is a student at Lehigh University.
John G. Schealer attended the pay school near his home when it was taught by an old man named Daniel Reider, and later he went to public school. He himself received a license to teach from Prof. William Good, and taught one term in Exeter township, but he early commenced work as a cabinet-maker, having learned the trade in his young manhood. He continued at that work and at carpentry, and in time became established in business at Boyertown as a contractor in the same line, which he has continued to follow at his present location for the past forty-one years. The class of work which has been intrusted to him is the best evidence of his reliability. Many of the best and largest business buildings and residences in the town are his work, among them the Rhoads Opera House block, the Boyer block, the big C. D. Brumbach building, the Lefeaver building, the greater portion of the Boyertown Casket Company's building, and the building of the Union Manufacturing Company. He has erected a number of churches, viz.: The St. John's Lutheran, Good Shepherd (Reformed), English M. E. and German Evangelical churches of Boyertown, the Lutheran and Reformed Churches at Amityville and the new Lutheran church at Pleasantville, all in Berks county; and he rebuilt St. Joseph's, of Hill Church, Berks county. In December, 1898, he completed the new high school building in Boyertown; and he also erected the Friedensburg (Berks county) Academy, and is now building the Boyertown high school building, which is to be finished by Dec. 26, 1909.
Though Mr. Schealer's building operations have been extensive they have not engrossed his attention entirely, for he has other business interests. He is president of the Union Manufacturing Company, which was organized in 1893 for the manufacture of all kinds of light and heavy castings, one of the specialties of this concern being the Union Detachable-Handle Sad Iron, which has the reputation of being superior to any other article of the kind on the market. Mr. Schealer is also president of the Boyertown Gas Company, being one of the large stockholders in that organization, which has a paid-up capital of $30,000. He is interested in the Franklin Improvement Company, which owns considerable real estate, and which erected a three-story and basement brick building in Boyertown, 175x45 feet in dimensions, to which an "L" has since been added. Among Mr. Schealer's real estate holdings is a tract of seventeen acres, on which he raises apples, pears, peaches, plums and other fruits, and he also owns a large cider press, and a cold storage plant with a capacity of 3,000 barrels.
Though a Republican in a town which is Democratic three to one Mr. Schealer has served as burgess and chief burgess of Boyertown, having been elected burgess in 1894 and 1897 and chief burgess in 1900, holding the latter office until 1903.
On Jan. 23, 1863, Mr. Schealer enlisted in Company E, 75th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, his captain being Roswell G. Feltus, and with his company took part in all the battles of the Army of the Potomac until after Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, when the regiment was transferred to the Army of the Southwest. Mr. Schealer was discharged at the close of his term, Oct. 26, 1863. He is a charter member of General Crooks Post, G. A. R., of Boyertown, and has been post adjutant ever since the organization. His other social connections are with Stichter Lodge, No. 254, F. & A. M., of Pottstown; Reading Chapter, No. 152, R. A. M.; Nativity Commandery, No. 71, K. T., of Pottstown; Rajah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., Oasis of Reading; Consistory at Bloomsburg; Oley Lodge, No. 218, I. O. O. F., of Reading; and Camp No. 104, P. O. S. of A., of Boyertown.
On April 3, 1858, Mr. Schealer married Elizabeth Himmelreich, daughter of John Himmelreich, of Pike township, and they have had two children: Sarah, now wife of William Babb, a farmer of Pike township, Berks county; and Milton, who engaged in teaching for twelve years while a young man, but is now connected with the National Bank of Boyertown, as teller.
p. 1300
Surnames: SCHEARER, BODY, MILLER, HERBEIN, WEAVER, KNABB, RITTER, FRETZ, LUDWIG, GILHAM, DUNDORE, LASH, GRIESEMER, KANTNER
Schearer. The branch of the Schearer family in Berks county represented by John M. Schearer, proprietor of the "Yellow House Hotel" in Amity township, and Weaver H. Schearer, druggist, in Reading, is of German extraction.
John Schearer, grandfather of John M. and Weaver H., was born in Bern township, Jan. 26, 1798, son of Peter Schearer, and died Oct. 29, 1889, and is buried at Schwartzwald Church, of which he was a Reformed member. He was a blacksmith, and followed that occupation at Stonersville. He married Susan Body, daughter of Henry Body, and their children were: Henry B.; Mary m. Levi Miller; Benjamin; Solomon; Hannah m. Abraham Herbein; and Peter.
Henry B. Schearer, son of John, was born in Bern township, April 23, 1826, and is now living retired at Amityville. He attended the old pay schools in his district, and was reared upon the home farm. When sixteen years old he learned the blacksmith's trade from his father, John Shearer, and this he followed nine years. After his marriage he took to farming in Exeter township, continuing there five years, and then coming to Spring township and farming ten years. The next two years he passed in Bern township, and at the end of that time came to the Peter Weaver farm in Amity township. He farmed there for twenty-two years, and then retired to Amityville, his present home. He was poor director of Berks county from 1888 to 1891, and was for some years supervisor of Amity township, being elected on the Democratic ticket. On June 1, 1851, he married Esther Herbein, daughter of Isaac and Susan (Knabb) Herbein, of Oley, and they had eleven children, namely: Miranda m. Jairus Ritter, of Earl township; Sarah m. the late John Fretz (1842-1898); Mary Jane m. David V. Ludwig, of Reading; Henry, died aged three years; John M.; Isaac and George, born June 1, 1865, live in Amityville; David; Lizzie m. Samuel Gilham; Weaver H. is of Reading; and Edwin is of Reading. Mr. Schearer and his family attend the Reformed Church, at Amityville, and formerly belonged to Schwartzwald Church, having their burial plot at the latter place.
John M. Schearer, son of Henry B., was born in Spring township, Oct. 14, 1862, and when six years of age accompanied his parents to Amity township, there attending the public schools and working for his father on the farm until twenty-two years old. He then became a clerk for Mr. A. G. Body, proprietor of the 'Yellow House Hotel," with whom he remained for eighteen years, or until he bought out the place in the spring of 1906. He has a fine hotel of twenty rooms and his stand is well known in Berks and adjoining counties, being a favorite resting place of the traveling public. It is located on the Swamp road leading from Reading to Boyertown, being ten miles from Reading, seven from Boyertown and nine from Pottstown.
On June 18, 1887, Mr. Schearer married Elizabeth Dundore, daughter of William and Rosana (Lash) Dundore, of Reading, and they have six children, namely: William H., Levin, John, Sarah and Rebecca (twins) and Annie R. Mr. Schearer is a member of St. Paul's Reformed Church, of Amityville, where for three years he served as deacon. He belongs to Griesemersville Lodge No. 1109, I. O. O. F., and is a charter member of Wohlink Tribe, No. 179, Red Men, of Yellowhouse.
Weaver H. Schearer, son of Henry B., was born in Amity township, June 28, 1872, and he is now one of the energetic and enterprising young business men of Reading, where he is engaged in the drug business a the corner of Ninth and Penn streets. He attended the schools of Amity township and Palatinate College at Myerstown (now known as Albright College) in Lebanon county, graduating therefrom in 1890, in September of which year he engaged in the drug business. He clerked in different stores in Reading, and later in Philadelphia, graduating from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy in 1894. He then returned to Reading to J. C. Griesemer. In 1898 he bought his present place of business and through his attention to details and his strict integrity, the excellence of his stock and the genial courtesy of Mr. Schearer himself, he has built up what it is safe to say is one of the best trades - wholesale and retail - in Reading. His store is also the waiting room for the out-of-town cars, viz.: the Birdsboro, Boyertown, Wormleysburg, Adamstown and Lancaster.
Mr. Weaver H. Schearer married Miss Emma Marie Kantner, of Reading, and they have one child, Mary, now in school. Mr. Schearer is a member of the Elks and Odd Fellows, and also member of the Berks county Pharmaceutical Association.
Surnames: SCHEETZ, SCHUETZ, SCHUTZ, SCHULTZ, DEPPEN, FISHBACH, BREIDENBACH, MARSHALL, SELTZER, DEPPEN, SCHALL, LENGEL, McLEAN, PISAS, RIETH, TITLER, SCHARF, LAAB, LAUER, WALBORN, ZERBE, FISCHER, PACHT, LESCH, ANSPACH, WEISER
John David Scheetz, who resides on his well-improved farm in Heidelberg township, is one of the leading farmers of Berks county, Pa., and has been largely identified through his position as a prominent citizen with the general progress of this section since attaining the years of manhood. Mr. Scheetz was born July 15, 1843, in North Heidelberg township, son of William and Harriet (Deppen) Scheetz.
Conrad Scheetz (or Schuetz or Schutz), the great-great-grandfather of John D., was one of the pioneers who came from the Schoharie, N. Y., in 1723, with thirty-three other Palatinate families, having emigrated from Germany to England, where they were provided with passage to the New World by Queen Anne. On Christmas Day, 1709, 4000 of these emigrants embarked for New York, and on reaching that port June 14, 1710, 1700 of these travelers died. The survivors camped in tents on Governor's Island until late in autumn, when about 1400 removed to Livingston Manor, 100 miles up the Hudson river. Here they improved land, built log cabins, and were in a fair way towards success, when Governor Hunter's treatment became unendurable and many of these sturdy settlers fled through the forests on rudely constructed sleds, which they tugged themselves through the deep snow. Among these early arrivals at the Tulpehocken were: Johannes Pisas, Sebastian Pisas, Gorge and Peter Rieth, Gottfried Titler, Conrad Schultz, Anconeus Scharf, Johannes Rieth, Joseph Laab, Christian Lauer, Andrew Walborn, Lorentz Zerbe, Sebastian Fischer, Johan Peter Pacht, Johann Adam Lesch and George Anspach.
John Adam Schutz, son of Conrad Schultz, was one of the most prominent men of his day and locality, served a term in the Legislature and held numerous township offices, and owned considerable land, which is now divided into four fine farms, having originally consisted of upwards of 400 acres. He spelled his name Schutz until after he had served in the Legislature. He was buried at Tulpehocken Church. Mr. Schutz married a daughter of Jost Fishbach, of Heidelberg township, and four children were born to this union: Elizabeth m. John Breidenbach; Jacob; John; and Samuel.
John Scheetz, son of John Adam, was born in what is now Marion township, in 1793, and died Feb. 20, 1869, aged seventy-six years, and was buried at Union cemetery. In 1832 he purchased the well known Conrad Weiser farm east of Womelsdorf, and here he engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1855, when he retired. He was prominent in politics in his day, and in 1836-37 served in the Assembly at Harrisburg, also holding a number of township offices. He also was the owner of the farm at the St. Daniel's (Corner) Church. Mr. Scheetz married (first) Barbara Schutz, daughter of John Jacob Schutz, and to them were born two children: William, the father of John David; and John Adam, who married and had four children, namely, Alice, Kate, (m. John F. P. Marshall, part owner of the C. Weiser farm), Dr. Laurence J. (of New Oxford, Adams county), and Franklin (of Albuquerque, New Mexico). Mr. Scheetz m. (second)Catherine Seltzer, by whom he had one son: Isaac K., who m. Mary A. Seltzer and had four children, namely, Horace (died young), J. Albert (of Chicago), Mary Catherine (m. John David Scheetz) and Amanda (died young).
William Scheetz, son of John and father of John David, was born Nov. 8, 1818, in Heidelberg township, and died March 6, 1885, being buried at the Corner Church. He was a farmer and property owner, being the possessor of three fine farms. Until the outbreak of the Civil war Mr. Scheetz was a Democrat but after that time he became a Republican, and for twenty-five years served as a school director in Heidelberg township. He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, and lived much in advance of his day. He married Harriet Deppen, who died in 1880, at the age of fifty-seven years, daughter of David and Elizabeth C. (Schall) Deppen. Of their six children, two died in infancy. Those who survived were: John David; William Henry, born June 21, 1846, who for some years was a lumber merchant in North Heidelberg township, was accidentally killed in a trolley accident, July 25, 1907; Alinda m. Nathaniel Lengel, a farmer of North Heidelberg township; and Mary Agnes m. William F. McLean, who resides on one of the Scheetz farms.
John David Scheetz was reared to agricultural pursuits, and with the exception of some school teaching in his younger days, this he has followed all his life, working for his parents until his thirtieth year, since which time he has resided on the Conrad Weiser farm, which he purchased in 1892. Until 1904 he carried on home trade, but in that year retired from active work. Mr. Scheetz is a well-read man and a great student. He has made many friends in his community and he and his wife are highly esteemed in the locality in which they have resided for so long. During the Civil war he was appointed by Gen. Thomas D. James as a clerk in the hospital quartermaster's department, serving in 1864 and 1865.
In 1874 Mr. Scheetz married Catherine Scheetz, daughter of Isaac K. and Mary A. (Seltzer) Scheetz. They have no children.
p. 1427
Surnames: SCHEIFLEY, SEIGEL, BLESSING, WHITNER, STETSON, BOBST, WILL, CHUBB, KNERR, THUDEROH
John Scheifley, well known to the residents of Reading, Pa., as a faithful employe of the U. S. post-office, and an honored veteran of the great Civil war, was born in 1836, in Wurtemberg, Germany, son of Jacob and Mary (Seigel) Scheifley.
The parents of Mr. Scheifley emigrated to America in 1848, landing at New York, whence they came to Reading. In the Fatherland Jacob Scheifley had been a weaver, but in this country was engaged in work at the Reading Iron Company's plant until 1861. In 1862 he enlisted in the 59th Pa. V. I., with which regiment he was serving in an engagement before Petersburg, where he lost his left leg. He was taken to New York, but died at the military hospital at Davids Island, aged forty-five years. His wife survived him until 1890, when she died, aged seventy-three years, in the faith of the Lutheran Church, of which Mr. Scheifley had also been a member. Two children were born to this good couple: John; and Mary, who married George Blessing, now deceased, and had five children - Mary, Annie, Dorothy, George and John.
John Scheifley received his education in the schools of Reading, and worked in Brumbach's woolen mill until the outbreak of the Civil war. The following is an account, written by Mr. Scheifley to a minister of Philadelphia at the latter's request, of Mr. Scheifley's war record.
"Dear Sir - Not knowing you personally, but seeing that we are one in the Lord, may God bless you and make you a blessing in saving souls. I see in your letter that you want to have an account of my past life and army record. I will give it to you cheerfully and briefly as far as I am able. When President Lincoln called for 300,000 men to enlist for three years or during the war, I enlisted in Co. D, 3rd Reg., Pa. Reserves, and left a family of wife and two children. One of these children is the pastor of an U E. Church of your city.
"I was engaged in the following battles, viz.: Drainsville, second battle of Bull Run, the Seven Days Fight in front of Richmond, Antietam and Fredericksburg. The battle of Fredericksburg occurred on the 13th day of December, 1862. It was in this battle that I received my wound which resulted in the loss of my right leg. And right here, four brave men out of my company took their muskets in one hand and their lives in the other and tried to carry me off the battle-field. They held on to me, and the Rebels commanded them to surrender. One of the men was captured and another wounded. I told them to drop me, and to write home what had become of me, and here is where my suffering commenced. I was lying on that field of battle for five days and five nights, with snow on the ground at the same time, and captured. By the aid of the Rebel friend of whom you have already heard and who interceded for me with Stonewall Jackson, I was taken back into a rifle-pit, out of the reach of the bullets, and from there I was taken to Libby Prison. I was there six weeks, and after being paroled I was brought back to Annapolis, Md., a skeleton. After seeing me, the doctors gave me but three days to live, but by the grace of God I am here to tell the tale of my sufferings.
"Up to Dec. 13, 1862, I saw thousands of men sacrificed on the altar of their country, but through all that, 'there was peace in my soul that passeth all understanding.' No wonder General Sherman expressed himself correctly when he said: 'War is Hell.' In the battle of Fredericksburg, forty-two men were shot down out of the three Reading companies, and only two survived, another Reading man and I.
"Before closing, I must tell you of an incident that happened while I was lying on the battle-field. A man from your city died right aside of me. He professed to be an infidel and lived like one, but the first night while lying on the battle-field, when he saw there was no hope for him, he commenced to pray until his tongue was stiff in death. From this you can plainly see what infidelity is. When I look back over my past life I must call out with the poet, 'Oh, what a wonder that Jesus loves me.'"
After the war Mr. Scheifley returned to Reading, and for some time was employed at various occupations, until 1863 when he was appointed clerk by Postmaster George Whitner, brother of C. K. Whitner, and he remained in that position for four years. A Democratic administration at this time compelled him to resign, but he was later appointed under Postmaster Casper Stetson, and he has continued faithfully in the service since that time, a period of twenty-one years, six months. Courteous and obliging, cheerful and affable, Mr. Scheifley is one of the most popular employes that the service has ever had. He has charge of the stamp department.
Mr. Scheifley was married, in 1859, to Miss Catherine Bobst, daughter of Charles Bobst, and to this union there were born the following named children: Rev. J. William, of Philadelphia, Pa., was educated in the Reading schools, and is a minister of the United Evangelical faith; Annie m. Fred Will, who is in the employ of the Philadelphia & Reading railroad; Catherine m. Charles Chubb, a resident of Reading; Carrie, deceased, m. Rev. George Knerr; one died in infancy; John; and Naomi. The mother of these children passed away Sept. 18, 1886, and Mr. Scheifley was married (second) March 7, 1889, to Mrs. Helena H. Thuderoh, the widow of Jacob Thuderoh, who was a well known artist of Reading. There have been no children born to this second union.
In his religious belief, Mr. Scheifley is identified with the Evangelical Church, of which he has ever been a consistent attendant. In his political views he is a stanch Republican. As a veteran of the Civil war, he is one of the popular members of McLean Post No. 16, Grand Army of the Republic.
p. 1463
Surnames: SCHELL, MOUNTS, REDER, LEISS, REICH, MCCALISTER, FIDLER, WILHELM, OLIVER, MOYER, LUTZ, GRUBER, FISHER, KLOPP, KINTZER, PFLUEGER, FILBERT, KUTZ, BLATT, BRECHT, DREIBELBIS
George P. Schell, who owns and operates a fine farm of 190 acres in North Heidelberg township, is secretary of the township school board, and a member of one of Berks county's old and honored families. Mr. Schell was born June 23, 1862, in North Heidelberg township, son of Isaac and Sarah (Mounts) Schell.
The first of this family to locate in Berks county was Michael Schell, who settled in Hereford township at an early date, and died there between Oct. 18 and Nov 10, 1783, the respective dates of making and of probating of his will, which is on record in Will Book B, page 84. The executor of the will was John Reder, probably a son-in-law. The ancestor and his wife Catherine had three sons and two daughters. One of the sons, Michael, settled in North Heidelberg township, where he died in middle age, his widow, Susanna Margaret, dying there in 1827. She made a will, which is recorded in Will Book 6, page 119, her grandson Henry being the executor of her estate. Items of the will were that her grandchildren Barbara, Peter and Henry were to have the bulk of the estate, and her children Adam, Henry and Maria (intermarried with Peter Leiss), should have nothing beyond five shillings each. Peter Schell, grandson of Michael of North Heidelberg, was the grandfather of George P.
Peter Schell was a farmer in North Heidelberg township, where he died when forty-three years of age, and was buried at Little Tulpehocken Church, of which he was a Lutheran member. His wife was Esther Reich, and their children were as follows: John; William; Isaac; Samuel; Amelia, m. to James McCalister; Rebecca, m. to Levi Fidler; Elias; Adam; Edward; Joshua; Alfred; Reuben; Levi; and Sarah, who went with James Wilhelm, her uncle, to Perry, Dallas Co., Iowa, and there married a Mr. Oliver.
Isaac Schell, father of George P., was born in North Heidelberg township in 1834, and died in 1899, aged sixty-five years. He was a shoemaker and farmer in North Heidelberg township, and lived and died on the old Schell homestead, near Klopp's store, a tract of forty acres. He was buried at Little Tulpehocken Church, of which he was a member. He married Sarah Mounts, daughter of George and Mary (Moyer) Mounts, who now lives with her son, J. Franklin Schell. Mr. and Mrs. Schell had these children: George P.; Samuel H.; J. Franklin, of North Heidelberg township; Sallie M., m. to William Lutz, a farmer of North Heidelberg township; Walter J., a successful farmer of Perry, Dallas Co., Iowa; and Clyde A., who is in the employ of his brother George P.
George P. Schell obtained his early education in the township schools, and later attended the Bernville Academy, taught by Prof. M. A. Gruber, and until twenty-one years of age worked for his parents. After his marriage he commenced farming on the John W. Fisher farm in North Heidelberg township, where he remained eight years, and at the end of that time removed to his present place, formerly the William D. Klopp homestead. This property, which is finely cultivated, consists of 190 acres, and is operated by Mr. Schell as a general farm. He is up-to-date in his methods, using the most modern machinery. He has thirteen horses, twenty-three head of cattle and fifty hogs. Mr. Schell is a Democrat in politics, and in 1886 was elected constable, an office which he held for twelve consecutive years. He was elected a school director in 1903, and re-elected to that office in 1904, now serving as secretary of the board. Fraternally he is connected with Bernville Lodge No. 113, P. O. S. of A. With his family he attends Christ (Little Tulpehocken) Lutheran Church, in which he has been deacon and elder.
On Nov. 13, 1886, Mr. Schell was married to Agnes Kintzer, daughter of Levi Kintzer, and they had one daughter, Miriam, who is attending school.
Samuel H. Schell is a brother of George P. Schell and is a highly esteemed citizen and progressive agriculturalist of North Heidelberg township, where he was born May 22, 1864. Until twenty-one years of age he worked for his parents, and then engaged in laboring until his thirty-second year, when he commenced operating the George Pflueger farm in North Heidelberg township. He continued there for four years and spent a like period on the John Filbert farm. In the spring of 1905 he removed to the John M. Kutz farm near Klopp's store, where he now resides. He has twelve horses, twenty-one head of cattle and thirty-five hogs, and his farm is conducted along modern lines. In politics Mr. Schell is a Democrat, and he succeeded his brother as constable, an office which he held for six years. He was elected a member of the board of school directors in the spring of 1905.
On Sept. 27, 1884, Mr. Schell was married to Celesta Blatt, daughter of Jacob Blatt, and they have three children, as follows: Thomas m. Alice Brecht, and has a daughter, Helen. Annie m. Calvin Dreibelbis, of Bernville, and has two daughters, Pearl and Mabel; and Willis assists his father on the home farm.
Surnames: SCHELLHAMMER, LEYMASTER, KLAHR, SELLERS, HOLTZMAN, KAUFFMAN, STRAUSS, WOODWARD
Henry W. Schellhammer, a prominent teacher of public schools in Berks county for many years, was born Jan. 7, 1844, in Upper Bern township, Berks county. His grandfather, Simon Schellhammer, was born at Shartlesville, but subsequently removed to Orwigsburg where he died. His father, Benneville Schellhammer, born May 1, 1823, also at Shartlesville, accompanied his parents to Orwigsburg where he engaged in agricultural pursuits for a number of years, when he removed to Pine Grove where he died. He married Elvina Leymaster, and their only child was Henry W.
Mr. Schellhammer attended the public schools of Upper Bern township until he was fourteen years old, and then attended an advanced school at White Hall. He became a public teacher when he was only fifteen years old, and the school which he first taught was situated in Lower Heidelberg township, near Wernersville. In 1860 he attended an advanced school at the Trappe, and in 1861 entered the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, N. Y., where he continued his studies for two years, graduating in 1863. While thus preparing himself with a thorough education, he learned the trade of a carpenter and millwright, and was in the employ of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company for thirteen years. Subsequently he served as a clerk for three years in a foundry at Bernville, and for two years under J. Klahr & Son, who were prominent manufacturers at that place; while for a time he carried on the manufacture of cigars for himself.
Mr. Schellhammer, with this experience in the business world, directed his attention to teaching public school in Berks, Lebanon and Schuylkill counties, and in this profession he was very successful and very highly appreciated. He taught a school in Longswamp township, Berks county, for seven terms, and the Mertztown grammar school for fifteen terms; and while teaching the Central high school of that place was stricken with paralysis from which he died June 4, 1895. At the time of his death, he was the second oldest teacher in Berks county, having taught public school for thirty-two terms. He held a permanent certificate from May 13, 1881. He taught his pupils not only in the English language, but also in the German language, in which he was proficient. He was very highly esteemed for his excellent characters.
In 1865 Mr. Schellhammer married Isabella J. Sellers, daughter of Leonard Sellers and Elizabeth Holtzman, his wife, of Upper Bern township, and they had the following children: Minnie (who died in infancy), Emma J. (m. Albert W. Kauffman, whose sketch appears just above), William F. (who died at the age of twenty-seven years), Charles E., Bessie D., and Cora J. (who all three reside at Reading), Lutie (m. B. S. Strauss, of Philadelphia), and Estella E. (m. Elmer Woodward). Mr. Schellhammer was an esteemed member of the Reformed Church, and of the I. O. O. F., at Strausstown.
p. 1491
Surnames: SCHITLER, HARTMAN, HARE, BRUNNER, HOOVER
Hiram W. Schitler, a well known citizen of Reading, to which city he came in 1839, was born in Frederick township, Montgomery county, April 27, 1831, son of Lewis Schitler. He died Oct. 2, 1892, at his home, No. 42 North Eighth street, Reading.
From the time he was a little lad of eight years, Mr. Schitler was a lover of horses, and at that age had his first lessons in riding. While still a boy he was sent by his parents on horseback to drive a cow to their farm in Montgomery county, but on the way the boy forgot the name of his destination, and when found was roaming about the country. Schools were few in those days, and what education he acquired was gained by his own pluck and perseverance. When he was eighteen he began a railroad life as fireman on the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad. At the end of a year he was deemed competent to fill the position of engineer, and for eight years he held that responsible position. He seemed to bear a charmed life, for, although he was in a number of wrecks, he always escaped uninjured. He next engaged in the hauling business, but this did not prove a success, and he lost considerable money. To retrieve his finances he followed boating on the Schuylkill canal for two seasons, having charge of the "Blue Bird," a boat of about 190 tons, and this business he found quite profitable. His next venture was the purchase of a livery stable, and this laid the foundation for his later success. There were but eight horses available for the business, but Mr. Schitler persevered and succeeded. From this he developed the Reading Horse Exchange, with a large building at Poplar and Court streets. After the Civil war the Reading Hose Market developed rapidly, and was visited frequently by the leading dealers of the country, from thirty to fifty horses changing
hands in a week. Mr. Schitler was exceedingly fortunate in his horses, but he gave them his personal supervision, and in cases of illness saw that they had prompt attention. One of his greatest successes was "Lydia S.," a horse he purchased for $135, trained to a first-class trotter, and sold for $5,000. The highest price he ever paid was $5,000, for "Little Mary," and she maintained her trotting record of 2:25, winning every race entered. Mr. Schitler traded her for two trotters, but after this did not stay much longer in the sporting business. Only once did he lose a horse through theft. He looked after his business himself and did his own bookkeeping to the last. During the Civil war he enlisted for service and was assigned to the 149th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and for ninety days was on active duty.
In 1848 Mr. Schitler married Lydia Hartman, daughter of "Blind" Hartman, who for many years conducted the hotel on the Kutztown road known as "Blind Hartman's Hotel." Two children were born to them: Clara L. married Michael R. Hare, who was born at Reading July 7, 1853, and died July 19, 1897, and who was associated with his brother-in-law in the livery business: they had four children, George, Elsie, Gertrude, and Hiram. William J., born April 7, 1852, was educated in the public schools and Prof. D. B. Brunner's Academy, and is an excellent penman. He was associated with his father in the livery business, and after the latter's death, with his brother-in-law, Michael R. Hare, who, however, died nine months later. William J. Schitler then sold out the business and has since lived retired. He married Clara Hoover, daughter of Simon Hoover, of Mianisburg, Montgomery country, Ohio, and they have a son, Richard H.
Surnames: SCHITLER, SCHILLER, HEEBNER, HEILIG, MOORE, HOUCK, BOYER, HEEBNER, STETTLER, GOOD, HAINES, DAVIS, KNODERER, BUCK, DIEHL, BERTOLET, KELLER
Milton J. H. Schitler, former huckster, sawmill operator, in Pricetown, Ruscombmanor township, Berks county, was born Oct. 1, 1839, in Montgomery county, Pa., son of Daniel H. and Alamanda (Heebner) Schitler.
Ludwig Schiller, the ancestor of the family of this name, is said to have been a redemptioner. He had an only son Hezekiah, whose son Hezekiah as the grandfather of Milton J. H. In the Federal census of 1790 Ludwig Schiller is recorded as the head of a family made up of himself and wife, one son Hezekiah over sixteen years of age, and two daughters.
Hezekiah Schitler, the grandfather, was born in Frederick township, Montgomery county, Pa., and was almost ninety years old when he died. He is buried at Keeler's Church, of which he was a Lutheran member. He was a foremost man of his district, and owned much land. His wife, Barbara Heilig, is buried at Swamp Church. Their children were: Jacob, unmarried who lived at home; John, who m. and lived at Perkasie, Pa.; Lewis, who lived in Reading; George, of Reading; Barbara, m. to George Moore; Elizabeth, m. to Harry Houck; Sarah, m. to Mr. Boyer; and Daniel H., who was three years of age when his mother died.
Daniel H. Schitler, son of Hezekiah and father of Milton J. H. was born in Frederick township, Montgomery county, in 1812, and died at Pricetown, in 1882, in the seventieth year of his age. In 1840 or 1841 he and his family came to Reading where they lived until 1857, when he moved to Ruscombmanor township, and operated a farm and grist mill. In his earlier life Mr. Schitler had been one of the first employes of the Philadelphia and Reading Railway, and was on the road as an engineer twenty-seven years, first running a coal and later a freight train between Pottsville and Philadelphia. He married Alamanda Heebner, and both are buried at Keeler's Church in Montgomery county. They had eight children, four of whom are deceased. The living are: Milton J. H.; Nathaniel, of Holton, Kans.; Barbara Anna, m. to Rev. Daniel Stettler, of Trevortown, Pa.; Daniel A., of Missouri, having his home but sixty miles from his brother Nathaniel.
Milton J. H. Schitler was educated in the public schools of Reading, to which city his parents came when he was little over one year old. He began clerking in his father's feed, grocery and queensware store, located at Ninth and Franklin streets, and he continued clerking in different stores in Reading until he was nearly seventeen years old, when he became a salesman in Philadelphia for Birch & Weldy-wholesale notion dealers, remaining a short time. Later he was salesman for Philip Ford, in his boot and shoe store, remaining in Philadelphia a little over one year. Returning to Reading, he learned the blacksmith's trade, and in 1857, when his father moved to Wanner's Mill, in Ruscombmanor township, he accompanied him and by assisting his father learned the milling trade. He was licensed to teach in the public schools by Prof. William Good, and taught six years in Ruscombmanor and two years in Pike township.
On May 22, 1860, Mr. Schitler was married to Sarah M. Heebner, daughter of William Heebner, of Friedensburg, Berks county, and they began house-keeping at the homestead of William D. Haines, where they have lived ever since. Mr. Schitler is one of the foremost men of his township, and is a large real estate owner. He operates a saw mill and cidermill on what was the old Buck estate. An old glue factory, once operated by Michael Buck, a native of Germany, was located on this tract, and the old stone building, a land mark of the district was erected about 1830, and is located along the Pricetown Road, east of Pricetown. Mr. Schitler is also engaged in huckstering, attending the wholesale and retail street markets in Reading. In 1862 he enlisted for service in the Civil war, becoming a member of Company C, 167th Pennsylvania Volunteers, under Col. Knoderer, and came home under Colonel Davis, the former colonel having died on the field of battle. Mr. Schitler was in the army nine months, and participated among others, in the fight at Deserted Farm. He is active in Church life, and has been interested in Sunday-school work from his youth up. He is connected with both Pricetown Zion and Pricetown Salem Sunday-schools, being honorary Sunday-school superintendent of Zion, and Bible Class teacher of adult scholars in both schools. He was Sunday-school superintendent of both schools for many years, and he is a leader in all religious and moral movements.
The following children were born to Mr. Schitler's marriage with Sarah M. Heebner. William H., deceased; Miss Eva, of Philadelphia; Charles, of Pricetown; Mary, m. to William Diehl, of Pricetown; and Harry H., of Ruscombmanor. Mr. Schitler was m. (second) to Emma K. Bertolet, daughter of John K. Bertolett, of Friedensburg, and their son, John Bertolett Schitler lives in Pricetown. He m. (third) Sarah Keller, widow of Levi Fry, son of Charles. No children have been born of this union.
p. 1493
Surnames: SCHLAPPICH, WAGNER, SAVAGE, DIETRICH, SIEFERT, MOLL, SCHWADER
Among the rising young medical practitioners of Berks county, Pa., one who is favorably known to the public as well as the profession is Dr. Charles E. Schlappich, who has chosen for his field of practice the borough of Bernville. Dr. Schlappich was born Jan. 5, 1882, at Shartlesville, Pa., son of Jefferson F. and Polly (Wagner) Schlappich.
William H. Schlappich, grandfather of the Doctor, is very well known at Shartlesville, where he now resides. He was born in Upper Bern township in 1832, and for many years was one of the prominent agriculturists of his district, although he now lives retired. He married Mary A. Savage, who is buried at St. Michael's burial ground, and they had three children : William S. ; Ellen m. Frank Dietrich, of Bern township ; and Jefferson F., born at Shartlesville in 1864.
Jefferson F. Schlappich now follows farming on a fine tract of Upper Bern township land. He married Polly Wagner, daughter of Ephraim Wagner, of Shartlesville, and they have had these children: Dr. Charles E. ; Calvin L. m. Katie Siefert ; Sallie N. m. Oliver Moll ; Annie M. ; Cora L. ; H. William ; Lawrence S. and Clarence M., twins ; and Miranda E.
Charles E. Schlappich's primary education was secured in the local schools of Shartlesville, and later he attended the Bernville Academy. In the fall of 1900 he was appointed to teach in the Scull Hill school in Penn Valley, Penn township, where he taught two successive terms, and in the spring of 1908 he entered the Schissler College of Business, from which he was graduated in October of the same year. He then entered the employ of the Webster Coal & Coke Company, at Cresson, Pa., as clerk and stenographer for the chief engineer. During the winter of 1904 he entered the Keystone State Normal school at Kutztown, taking up college preparatory work, and entered the Baltimore Medical College in September, 1904, from which he was graduated May 24, 1903. He was a close and careful student, but was always popular with his fellows, having the honor of being the president of the Phi Chi fraternity during his senior year. After leaving this institution, he took a general course in the Maryland General Hospital, where he secured valuable experience, and received second honorable mention out of a class of one hundred and twenty-one students. The Doctor located on Main street, Bernville, July 17, 1908. He is a member of Washington Camp No. 133, P. O. S. of A. His religious connection is with the Reformed Church.
Dr. Schlappich married Martha E., daughter of George J. Schwader, of Cresson, Pennsylvania.
p. 1072
Surnames: SCHLASMAN, LIVENGOOD, BOMBERGER, HICKS, PEIFFER, BURKHOLDER, SCHEETZ, KAUFFMAN, SCHMEHL, KURR, BORDNER, WALTERS, BERGER, NOECKER, LERCH
James F. Schlasman, one of Tulpehocken township's representative citizens, who for more than twenty years was engaged in the hotel business as proprietor of the "Mansion House," at Mount Aetna, Pa., was born Nov. 22, 1862, at Stouchsburg, Berks county, son of Isaac and Mary (Livengood) Schlasman.
Peter Schlasman, grandfather of James F., was a farmer of Rehrersburg, where he married Eva Bomberger. Their children were: Augustus m. Rebecca Hicks, and removed to Girardville, Schuylkill county, where he carried on painting and paperhanging until his death; Isaac became the father of James F.; Mary m. John Peiffer, a farmer of near Myerstown, Lebanon county, and had five children-James, Emma, Clara, Nora and Clayton; and Adam left home when quite young and was for many years a resident of Texas and later of Oklahoma. Mrs. Schlasman survived her husband many years, and died at the home of her daughter, at the age of ninety-three.
Isaac Schlasman was at an early age apprenticed to Samuel Burkholder, of Stouchsburg, with whom he learned cabinet making, an occupation at which he worked until the outbreak of the Civil war, when he commenced work for the Government. He was married to Mary A. Livengood, daughter of James and Elizabeth (Scheetz) Livengood, for many years residents of Stouchsburg, where Mr. Livengood was a constable for twenty-seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Schlasman had children: Kate Elizabeth m. Henry E. Kauffman, and resides in Reading; Eva m. John Schmehl; Mary Ella m. Erasmus Kurr, and has four children-Charles, Nettie, Mary and Louis; James F.; Isora m. Morris C. Bordner, and they reside on his farm near Millersburg; Harry Augustus, a carpenter in the employ of the Philadelphia & Reading Railway, resides in Reading and is married; Anna Margaret m. Walter Walters, of Reading; and Margaret Anna (twin to Anna Margaret) m. Charles C. Berger, of Reading.
James F. Schlasman was educated in the public schools of his native district and later at Womelsdorf, whither his parents had removed in 1873 to take charge of the "Nicholas House." In the spring of 1877 they went to Millersburg where they conducted the "Centre House" for seventeen years, and where Mr. Schlasman died. Here James F. Schlasman assisted his parents, and in addition carried the daily mail between Bethel and Myerstown for nine years, but in 1886 removed to Mount Aetna, where he took charge of the "Mansion House" and continued to conduct it for twenty-one years, at the same time dealing largely in horses, poultry and calves. By thrift and good management he accumulated a competency, and he is now practically retired and lives in his own home. He is an active Democrat, and has been mercantile appraiser for one term, as well as being delegate to various conventions and holding minor township offices. He is a member of Golden Rule Temple, of which he is treasurer, and is also connected with Camp N. 69, P. O. S. of A. With his family he attends the old Lutheran Church at Rehrersburg.
Mr. Schlasman was married to Dora Noecker, daughter of Israel M. and Rebecca (Lerch) Noecker, and their children were: Mary, member of the 1909 class at the Keystone State Normal School, is an accomplished musician; Robert died aged one year, five days; and Mark James is in school.
p. 1165
Surnames: SCHLEGEL, KINSEY, HARTMAN, SNYDER
Adam H. Schlegel, a representative citizen of Mount Penn borough, Berks County, residing in his pleasant home on Perkiomen avenue, has for some years been employed by the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company as a molder. Mr. Schlegel was born Oct. 19, 1871, in Ruscombmanor township, this county. Until his sixteenth year he attended the public schools of his native locality, and then learned the molder's trade with Schaeffer & Merkel of Fleetwood serving a full apprenticeship for years. After working for a few months for the Reading Hardware Company, and has continued in that company's employ to the present time. Mr. Schlegel is a skilled mechanic and a steady workman, and is respected by his employers and popular with his fellow workmen. In the spring of 1901, he erected a nice frame residence on Perkiomen avenue, in Mount Penn borough, and here he has a comfortable home. In political matters he is a Democrat, and he is fraternally connected with Castle No. 230, K. G. E., of St. Lawrence, Pa. He and his family worship at Spies's Union Church, he being a Lutheran member, while his wife belongs to the Reformed denomination.
On Oct. 28, 1892, Mr. Schlegel was united in marriage with Sallie H. Kinsey, and to this union have been born three children: Elsie K., born March 10, 1894; Harry K, born April 28, 1896; and Frederick Marshall, born July 27, 1908.
The grandparents of Mr. Schlegel, who were farming people of Alsace township, had children as follows: Isaac; Benjamin, who died while fighting in defense of his country during the Civil War, when he was less than twenty years old; Sarah, who married Jacob Snyder and now resides in Reading; and Amos, also a resident of Reading. Isaac Kinsey, father of Mrs. Schlegel, who also carries on agricultural pursuits in Alsace township, had the following family; Benjamin; Sallie H., who became Mrs. Schlegel; Annie; Judith; Peter; Darius; Lucetta; Rebecca; Edward, and Hettie. All of these grew to maturity and live in Berks county at this time.
p. 944
Surnames: SCHLEGEL, HAAS, KEIM, YODER, ENGSTADT, SCHOLL, HERBINE, WANNER, ROTHERMEL, HOCH, KUTZ, RAHN, SHOLLENBERGER, REDDINGER, ANGSTADT, MERKEL, DIESHER, SCHAEFFER, HOCH, BROWN, HARTMAN, HEBER, ROHRBACH, ZIEBER, LEOPOLD, FIES, WEIDNER, FOCHT, LUTZ, SCULL, KILLIAN, CLOUSER, ESHELMAN, LANCE HAFTER, ECKERT, KEEPORT, DENGLER, KINSEY
Among the well known contractors and builders of Berks county, Pa., may be mentioned Charles H. Schlegel, who is carrying on extensive operations in the borough of Mt. Penn. He was born Jan. 19, 1872, in Ruscombmanor township, Berks county, son of Amos R. and Mary (Haas) Schlegel.
John Christian Schlegel, the American ancestor and progenitor of this family, was a native of Germany, and undoubtedly was the Johanis Schlegel who emigrated on the ship "Bilander Townshead," which landed (qualified) at Philadelphia, Oct. 5, 1737. On Aug. 16, 1738, and also Nov. 7, 1854, he obtained proprietary warrants for land situated in Berks county, Pa. In 1759 he paid six pounds tax in Richmond township, where he had lived since coming to the New World. He was a farmer and owned more than 300 acres of land, and in 1797 built a stone house which is still standing and in good condition, and is owned and used by his great-grandson, Abraham, and his children and grandchildren. To John Christian Schlegel and his wife Esther were born a number of children, among whom were: Peter; Wilhelm; Christian, born March 25, 1765; Elizabeth, born April 9, 1967; Johannes, born Sept. 7, 1768, and Heinrich, born July 15, 1779. Peter and Wilhelm left this section, traveling on horseback across the Blue Mountains, and settled in the Mahantango Valley (in Schuylkill), then a part of old Berks county. They visited their brother Heinrich at the old home every two, three or four years, coming on horseback and remaining for a week or two. One of the sons of John Christian Schlegel lived with the Indians, liking their manner of life. He was greatly admired by them, because of his courage, strength and marksmanship, and when he was quite an aged man, he and some of his adopted brethren of the forest came to visit his old home near Fleetwood. Because of the great journey on which they came, and the effects of his strenuous life with the red men, he became exhausted at Dreibelbis Spring, and he died soon thereafter, and fills an unknown grave. This account is based on tradition, and the old family papers give brief accounts of it.
Heinrich Schlegel, great-grandfather of Charles H., was born in Richmond township, July 15, 1779, and died March 29, 1860. He was a farmer and bought from his father the "Schlegel Adventure," so named by the Provincial Government of Pennsylvania in a deed dated the twenty-first day of the seventh month, 1752. The tract consisted of 252 acres, and in 1803 he bought another patent of forty-six acres near his other land in Richmond township. He erected the grist mill three-fourths of a mile above Fleetwood, and was a man of considerable importance in his day. He was Democrat in politics, which has always been the political faith of the Schlegel family. Heinrich Schlegel was married, in 1800, to Esther Keim, born Dec. 28, 1771, who died Dec. 21, 1843. They had children as follows: Samuel, born in 1801, died in 1892; Magdalena (1802-1886) m. Reuben Yoder (1802-1838), a farmer; Jacob m. Hattie Engstadt; Sally m. George Scholl; Abraham (1809-1900); Solomon died aged forty-five years; John; Daniel died aged ninety-seven years and is buried at New Jerusalem; Katie m. Jonas Herbine, a farmer of Richmond; Barbara m. Jacob Wanner, of Richmond township; and Susannah m. Simon Rothermel, a farmer of Richmond township. Heinrich Schlegel and his wife are buried in a private burial ground on his farm near Fleetwood. They were Lutherans, which is generally the faith of the Schlegel family. He was an official of New Jerusalem church for many years.
Samuel Schlegel, one of the sons of Heinrich, married Betzy Hoch, daughter of Solomon Hoch, and to them were born these children: Henry m. Hettian Kutz, daughter of Joseph, and had children: Albert, Sarah, Cyrus, Cecelia, Samuel, Cyranius, Tilmus, Carolina and Mahlon (of Topeka, Kans.); Hannah m. Jacob Rahn; Heittie m. John Shollenberger; Samuel had a son, Samuel, who had Ahiah A.; Reuben m. Catherine Kutz, daughter of Joseph; David lives at Berkley, Pa.; William, deceased, lived at Topeka, Kans.; Caroline and Maria live at Fleetwood, both being single; Joshua; Uriah is an undertaker at Reading; Elizabeth died at the age of twenty-one years; and Lydia died when eighteen years old.
Abraham Schlegel, son of Heinrich and grandfather of Charles H., was born on the old Schlegel stand near Fleetwood in Richmond township, Jun e26, 1809, and died Sept. 8, 1900, in his ninety-second year. He was a lifelong farmer on the place on which he was born, his fine property of 135 acres being now in the possession of his son, Abraham, who lives upon it. He also had an eighty-acre farm in Ruscombmanor township. In 1861 he erected the present large Swiss barn on the homestead. His wife was Esther Reddinger, daughter of Heinrich Reddinger, (whose wife was an Angstadt), and they had the following children: Peter; Amelia m. Peter Merkel; Abraham, born Feb. 4, 1842, a successful farmer on the homestead and at one time director of the poor of Berks county, m. Annie Diesher, and they had children-Charity, Mary, William, Rother, Emily, Oliver, Minerva and Lloyd; Orlando lives at Fleetwood; Amos resides at Mt. Penn; Amanda m. William Schaeffer; Joseph makes his home at Spring Valley, Ill.; Augustus is at Fleetwood; Clara m. Joel Hoch, postmaster of Fleetwood; Nicholas died young; Annie died at the age of six years; Israel resides at Topeka, Kans.; and Adeline died in infancy.
Amos R. Schlegel, father of Charles H., was a farmer in Ruscombmanor township, and there resided on his father'' property for a number of years, later removing to a farm in Exeter township and in 1902 to Mt. Penn, where he owns a nice home, being employed with his son, Charles H. He was born in Richmond township, Jan. 27, 1844, and married, Nov. 23, 1867, Mary Haas, daughter of John and Katie (Brown) Haas, and to this union there were born the following children: Katie m. Benjamin Hartman, of Reading; Adam, a molder of Mt. Penn, m. Sallie Kinsey; Charles H.; Heber, a carpenter of Mr. Penn, m. Harriet Rohrbach; John, a machinist of Mt. Penn, m. Annie Zieber; Abraham, a machinist of Mt. Penn, m. Annie Leopold; Albert H., a painter of Mt. Penn, m. Dora Fies, and they have a daughter-Frances; and Amos died in 1892 when seven years of age.
Charles H. Schlegel obtained his education at Fry's school in Ruscombmanor township, which he left at an early age to go to work on the farm. When eighteen years of age he learned the carpenter's trade with John R. Weidner, of Reading, with whom he worked four years and then engaged with Levi H. Focht, who was his employer for ten years, eight years of which he was foreman. On Nov. 1, 1903, William Lutz, of Lorane, Pa., requested Mr. Schlegel to build him a house, which he completed in sixty days, this being his first contract. Liking the business he decided to continue therein, and this he has been engaged in ever since with almost phenomenal success. Since engaging in the business he has erected upward to seventy-five buildings, including William Scull's fine summer home at Pleasantville; the fine mansions of Hiester Killian, Harvey Clouser and Charles Eshelman, at Gibraltar; the mountain home of Rump & Son, of Philadelphia, located in the mountains above Gibraltar; the George F. Lance residence at Wyomissing; the William Hafer home at Neversink; the Lutz furniture factory at St. Lawrence; the handsome large summer residence of Isaac Eckert, at Dingman's Ferry, Pike Co., Pa.; and the Mark A. Keeport and George Dengler homes and the Mt. Penn City Hall, at Mt. Penn. Mr. Schlegel is a man of much business ability and enterprise, and his standing is that of a substantial, far-sighted citizen of excellent judgment. He employs on an average twenty-five skilled mechanics. He is a director of the Commercial Trust Company, of Reading, and a heavy stockholder in the Reading Bone & Fertilizer Company, whose large plant he built after doing all of the grading therefor.
In political matters Mr. Schlegel is a Democrat, like all of the members of this numerous family, but has never cared to hold public office, preferring to give his entire time and attention to his growing business. He is popular in fraternal circles, and is a member of Knights of the Golden Eagle, of St. Lawrence, and the Patriotic Sons of American, Camp No. 1330, of that place. L he and his family worship at Spiel's Union Church, of which they are consistent Reformed members, and they reside in their handsome residence situated on Perkiomen avenue, Mt. Penn, which Schlegle purchased in 1905, and where their many friends are always welcome.
p. 846
Surnames: SCHLEGEL, ANGSTADT, ROMICH, GULDEN, VAN REED, HIGH
Daniel Schlegel, manufacturer of and dealer in steam engines and boilers, steam and water pipes and fittings, and creamery outfits and supplies, has carried on his present business at Boyertown since 1875. He was born Nov. 20, 1848, at Fleetwood, in Richmond township, Berks county, in which neighborhood the family has been located for over a century. Samuel Schlegel, his grandfather, was born in Richmond township, where he followed farming all his life, and he is buried in a private burial ground on a farm now owned by Abraham Schlegel, near Fleetwood.
Jacob Schlegel, a son of Samuel and father of Daniel Schlegel, was born in Richmond township in 1800, and died in 1861, after an industrious agricultural career. He owned part of the original homestead, his farm consisting of sixty-two acres of good land, which is now cut up into building lots around Fleetwood. His remains rest in the old Fleetwood burying-ground. He married Hettie Angstadt, of Rockland township, Berks county, who survived him a number of years, living to the age of nearly eighty. Fourteen children were born to this union: John (deceased), Jacob, Henry, Daniel, Isaac, Sarah (deceased), Susan, Rebecca (deceased), Hettian, Emma, Kate, and three who died young.
Daniel Schlegel was reared on the old home farm in his native township, near Fleetwood, and was eighteen years old when he commenced to learn the machinist's trade, at Fleetwood. He served his apprenticeship with Schaeffer, Melchior & Co., with whom he remained four years. As previously stated, he opened his business in Boyertown in 1875, locating on Washington street, near the railroad station, where he has remained to the present day. Mr. Schlegel has a first-class machine shop, and does all kinds of repair work as well as manufacturing, always having employment for several mechanics. He is a master workman himself, and takes pride in turning out articles of superior quality, making a specialty of creamery supplies and outfits. He has equipped nearly all the creameries within a radius of fifteen miles around Boyertown, and altogether has fitted about twenty-five, his reputation in this line being founded on satisfactory machinery and its expert adjustment. The main part of the shop is 20x60 feet in dimensions, and the additions afford all the room necessary to carry on the business conveniently. Mr. Schlegel is progressive as well as industrious, and he holds an interest in nearly all the local enterprises which have brought Boyertown to the front as an up-to-date borough.
In 1877 Mr. Schlegel married Miss Ellen Romich, daughter of John Romich, of Douglass township, Berks county, and they had one daughter, Katie, who died in 1907, when twenty-six years old. Mrs. Ellen Schlegel was born in 1854, and died at the age of twenty-six years. For his second wife Mr. Schlegel married Mrs. Isabella (Guldin) Van Reed, widow of James Van Reed. No children have been born to this union. Mr. and Mrs. Schlegel are members of St. John's Lutheran Church. They reside at the corner of Third and Washington streets, Boyertown. Mr. Schlegel has no inclination for politics or public life, and he has never had any ambition for office.
Peter Guldin, father of Mrs. Schlegel, was a farmer near Friedensburg, in Oley township, this county, his property in that locality comprising 130 acres of fine land, now owned by Mrs. Schlegel. There is a stone house standing on the place that was built in 1809, and is still in good condition. There is considerable limestone in the region thereabout, and under this old house is a cave which has a uniform temperature of about forty degrees Fahrenheit, and which is an ideal place for keeping meats and vegetables, etc. It was made by Mrs. Schlegel's grandfather, Daniel Guldin.
Peter Guldin owned another farm, which was a part of the old Guldin homestead, and which is now the property of Willoughby High.
p. 537
Surnames: SCHLEGEL, KLINE, STROHECKER
George Solomon Schlegel, D. D. S. Among the prominent young professional men of Reading, Pa., may be mentioned George Solomon Schlegel, a successful dental practitioner of that city. Solomon Schlegel, his paternal grandfather, was a resident of Fleetwood, Pa., while his maternal grandfather , Simon Kline, was the pioneer brick manufacturer of Reading. Edmund Schlegel, father of George S., was a farmer, now living in Reading. He married Mary M. Kline, and their only child was George Solomon.
George S. Schlegel was born in Cumru township, Berks county, April 9, 1879, and was educated in the public schools, graduating from high school in 1897. He then attended the dental department of the University of Pennsylvania, and in 1900 graduated a doctor of dental surgery. He came at once to Reading, locating at No. 147 North Eighth street, where he has since enjoyed a large and lucrative practice. Dr. Schlegel belongs to Delta Sigma Delta fraternity of the United States, and to the Auxiliary Chapter, Philadelphia ; to the Reading Dental Society and the Lebanon Valley Dental Association and the Pennsylvania State Dental Society. He is a life member of the Alumni Association of the University of Pennsylvania In politics the Doctor is a Democrat. He belongs to Trinity Lutheran Church, and is a teacher in its Sunday-school.
Dr. Schlegel was married, Oct. 29, 1903, to Miss Emma Brumbach Strohecker, daughter of Augustus J. Strohecker, a member of the board of park commissioners of Reading. Mrs. Schlegel is a graduate of Reading high school graduating therefrom in the same class as did her husband.