Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery
p. 432
Surnames: SMINK, EBERT, FELIX, NICOLLS, BAER, SEIDEL, THOMPSON,
HEIM, NOLAN, DEYSHER
F. C. Smink, president of the Reading Iron Company, is associated
with so many enterprises typical of the commercial prosperity of
Pennsylvania that he is not only considered a representative
business man of Reading, but of the State as well. The Reading Iron
Company, to the direction of which the greater part of the time is
devoted, has one of the largest independent plants of the kind in
the United States.
Mr. Smink was born in 1845 in Kutztown, Berks
county, Pa., son of H. B. and Elizabeth (Ebert) 
Smink. He was educated in the public schools of
Reading, graduating from the high school in 1861, after which he
taught school during the winter season, doing farm work in the
summer months. He has since been identified with Reading. His first
position in this city was that of bookkeeper in the shoe
manufacturing establishment of H. F. Felix, with whom he remained
two years. In 1864 he entered the employ of the Philadelphia &
Reading Railway Company as secretary to Superintendent G. A.
Nicolls, in which service he remained three years, after which he
resigned to accept the chief clerkship in Bushong Brothers Bank.
Soon afterward he was promoted to cashier, and acted as such until
the bank failed in 1877. Meantime he had also become treasurer and
general manager of the Berks & Lehigh Railroad Company, and
president of the Keystone Hardware Company. The latter concern also
suspending business in 1877. Mr. Smink entered the service of the
Reading Iron Works as general business manager, Jan. 1, 1878. He
continued in that capacity until 1889, in which year the works
failed. On the organization of the Reading Iron Company, Mr. Smink
was made vice-president and general manager under the presidency of
George F. Baer, whom he succeeded in 1902 as executive head of the
company.
Mr. Smink has risen to a position of affluence
from a modest beginning. Starting as a clerk, he has progressed
gradually and surely to a position of unquestioned influence.
Besides filling the presidency of the Reading Iron Company, he
serves as a member of the executive committee as well as a director
of the Pennsylvania Steel Company, as well as a director of each of
the subsidiary companies owned or controlled by that company. He is
a director of the Reading Trust Company; president of the Deer Park
Land Company; and a director of the Spanish-American Iron Company;
the Pure Oil Company; the Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad Company;
the Schuylkill & Lehigh Railroad Company; the Maryland Steel
Company; the Penn Mary Coal Company; and the Temple Iron Company.
He is also interested in several iron and mining companies of
lesser magnitude.
In December 1866, Mr. Smink married Clara C.,
daughter of Augustus and Elizabeth (Seidel) Thompson, of Reading,
and they have four children, namely: Harry A.; Augusta, now the
wife of Samuel Heim; Emily M., wife of J. Bennett Nolan, Esq., and
Elizabeth. The family are members of Trinity Lutheran Church.
Mr. Smink's social connections include
membership in the Wyomissing Club, the Berkshire Country Club (of
which he is president) the Manhattan Club of New York City,
Pennsylvania Society in New York, the Railroad Club of New York,
American Iron and Steel Institute, New York, American Institute of
Mining Engineers, the Philadelphia Country Club of Philadelphia,
and Franklin Institute, Philadelphia.
Harry A. Smink, only son of F. C. Smink, was
born in the city of Reading in 1867. He received his early
education in the public schools of his native place, later
attending a preparatory school, and in 1892 entered the employ of
the Reading Iron Company, with which he is still connected. He
began as a clerk, and was advanced upon his merits, until in 1897,
he was promoted to be assistant superintendent of the Tube Works of
the Company, a position he has ably filled since. The charge is a
responsible one, over two thousand people being employed in the
plant.
Mr. Smink married Rosie Deysher, daughter of
William G. Deysher, and they have two children, Frank and Russell.
The family are Catholic in religious connection.
p. 591
Surnames: SMITH, RITNER, RIPPEL, DELONG, WALDMAN
Charles A. Smith, the well-known contractor of Reading, who
resides at No. 313 North Ninth street, was born in Philadelphia,
Pa., Sept. 10, 1856, son of Joseph T., whose father was a farmer of
Adams county.
Joseph T. Smith attended the public schools of
Adams county, and when a young man learned the bricklaying trade.
His early business life was spent in Reading, but later he removed
to Philadelphia, where he spent eight years, at the end of that
time returning to Reading. In 1873 he engaged in contracting in
brick, and this he followed very successfully until his death, Aug.
6, 1891. He married Barbara Ritner, daughter of Jacob Ritner, and
to this union there were born: Frank, a bricklayer is employed with
his brother; Charles A., Mary, m. to George Rippel; John, deceased:
Vincent A.; and William A., who was Charles' partner until his
death in 1897. For a number of years Mr. Joseph T. Smith was a
school controller from the Ninth ward.
Charles A. Smith's educational advantages were
secured in the schools of Reading, after leaving which he secured
employment in the Scott works, and he continued at various
positions until 1873, when he began to learn the bricklayer's trade
with H.J. Delong of Reading. Remaining with this gentleman but a
short time, Mr. Smith entered his father's employ and continued
with him until the latter's death, when he and his brother William
took up the business, which they continued until William's death.
Since this time Mr. Charles A. Smith has continued the business
alone with great success. Among the many large buildings of Reading
erected by the Smiths may be mentioned the St. Joseph Hospital, and
Mr. Smith has also done much work for the well-known firm of Rehr
& Fricker.
Charles A. Smith married Maggie Waldman,
daughter of Joseph Waldman, and to this union there have been born:
Joseph, who is engaged with his father at bricklaying; Mamie;
William, and Edward. Mr. Smith is a Democrat in politics, but has
never cared for office. He is a member of the St. Paul's Catholic
Church. Fraternally, Mr. Smith is affiliated with the Eagles.
p. 843
Surnames: SMITH, BAUER, SALLADE, HART, WENRICH, KINTZER, RADER,
REIFSYNDER, BODY, SCHAEFFER, WANNER, MAURER, WEISER, PALM, SELL,
LUFT, WHITMOYER, RESCH, DETTES, TEXTER
Cyrus B. Smith, postmaster at Wernersville born in Lower Heidelberg
township, Jan. 2, 1843, son of Samuel and Anna (Bauer) Smith, and
grandson of John Smith, Middletown, Dauphin county, the latter of
whom was the father of three sons, William, John and Samuel.
Samuel Smith, father of Cyrus B., was born in
1810 in Dauphin county, and removed with his parents to Berks
county in about the year 1825. He learned the trade of shoemaker
and followed it for upward of fifty years. He died in 1890, at the
age of eighty years. He married Anna Bauer, and they were the
parents of twelve children: Abbeline m. John Sallade; Mary Ann m.
Rudolf Hart; Catharine m. Levi Wenrich; Ellen m. Isaac Y. Kintzer;
Franklin m. Clementine Rader; Henry m. Melinda Reifsnyder; Cyrus
B.; Sarah m. John Body; Rebecca m. John Schaeffer; John m. (first)
Ella Wanner, and (second) Miranda Maurer; and two died in
childhood.
Cyrus B. Smith was educated in the public school
learned the trade of blacksmith, which he followed from 1863 to
1895, excepting several years when he drove a team. In 1895 he was
obliged to discontinue working at his trade on account of an
excession of muscle of the right arm. During the Civil war he
served as a private for nine months in 1862 and 1863, in Company A,
167th Pa. Militia. He has served as town auditor for three terms in
1897, on the inauguration of President McKinley, Mr. Smith was
appointed postmaster at Wernersville, and his official duties were
so well performed that he was re-appointed, he being now in his
third term.
Mr. Smith married Sarah Weiser, of Sinking
Spring, daughter of Raymond Weiser, granddaughter of Phillip
Weiser, and great-granddaughter of Solomon Weiser. Raymond Weiser
married Hannah Palm, and became the father of seven children:
Christiana (m. John Sell); Rebecca (m. John P. Luft); William (m.
Kate Whitmoyer); Sarah (Mrs. Smith); and three died young. Mr. and
Smith were also the parents of seven children, as follows: Wilson
(m. Anna Resch); Laura (m. Arthur Dettes); Clarence (m. Mary
Texter); Stella (unmarried); and three died young.
p. 949
Surnames: SMITH, REINER, BUTLER, DAWSON
Hon. Edmond L. Smith, who was generally known by his military title
of Major, was a native of Reading, born in 1829. He was sent to
college in Georgetown, D. C., and received his degree of B. A. in
1853. He then read law, and four years later was admitted to the
Reading Bar. Young as he was politics had already received much of
his attention, and he was so favorably regarded that in the fall of
1857 he was elected to the Legislature, and re-elected in 1858.
In 1861 at the very beginning of the war, Major
Smith, to use his later title, enlisted in Ringgold's Artillery of
Reading, one of the first companies in the State to respond to the
President's call for troops. They passed through Baltimore just the
day before Gen. Butler's troops were attacked in that city. On May
14, 1861, he was commissioned captain of the 19th U. S. Infantry
and joined McClellan for Peninsula campaign. He was in much active
service and took part in the battle of Malvern Hill, the second
battle of Bull Run, South Mountain, Antietam, Fredericksburg and in
the Chickamauga campaign. During the last he had a horse shot under
him, but he himself escaped injury. In that battle Major Dawson was
shot, so that the command fell upon Capt. Smith, and he was
brevetted for his bravery in the engagement. At the beginning of
the second day he was captured, and for about thirteen months was
imprisoned in the infamous Libby prison. He was among the 110 men
who dug the celebrated tunnel, and so escaped, but unfortunately he
was also one of those who were captured after ten days ten days of
suffering, and taken back. After that Major Smith was moved from
place to place, being finally sent to Macon, Ga. While on the way
thither, he again succeeded, with four others, in escaping by
jumping from the train, but was brought back after six weeks of
untold hardship, and then sent to Charleston, S. C., where he was
placed under fire from Union guns. At last, Oct. 1, 1864, Major
Smith was paroled, and after a month's leave of absence, returned
to his command, and was with them at Lookout Mountain and at
Augusta, Ga. When he finally resigned, in 1868, he had seen seven
years of hard service in his country's cause.
Immediately after resigning from the army, Major
Smith, in July, 1868, went to Colorado, and resumed his practice of
law, in partnership with his brother, J. Bright Smith. Again he
combined politics with his legal business and was elected to the
Territorial Legislature from Arapahoe county, his brilliant war
record being really the cause of his election.
He remained in Colorado until his death Sept. 9,
1891. Both as a man and as a soldier Major Smith offered a fine
example of what American citizen's may be. Major Smith married
Magdalena Reiner, who was born in Germany, where her father, John
Reiner, died. She left her native land when seventeen years old,
and came to America, where her marriage took place. She survives
her husband and makes her home at No. 519 Walnut street, Reading.
She was reared in the Catholic faith, and is now a communicant of
St. Peter's Church. To Major and Mrs. Smith were born six children,
viz.: Edmond L., who lived only four years; John Philip, a clerk in
the Orphan's court; Susie A.; Harry, a reporter; Charles F., a
civil engineer; and Margaret, at home.
p.
1518
Surnames: SMITH, MATHAI, ALLEN, JONES, ECKERT, HAHS, McILVAIN,
ILLIG, ZIEBER
Edward Davies Smith, deceased, who was born March 12, 1816, in New
Holland, Lancaster county, was a son of Edward and Elizabeth
(Mathai) Smith, and was descended from one of the old families of
Pennsylvania.
On the paternal side, Mr. Smith counted among
his ancestors, the Thomas Smith, who was married to Priscilla
Allen, before Friends' Meeting in Philadelphia, in 1684. Passing
down to later times, his grandfather, William Smith, was sheriff of
Lancaster county from 1758-1762. In 1774 he was one of the
committee of observation and was sub-lieutenant for the eastern
townships of the county from 1781 to the close of the Revolution.
With his brother he built and operated the Martin furnace and forge
from 1752 till he moved to Earl township.
Edward Smith, Sr., died in 1842, when his son
and namesake was only eight years old, and the mother was left with
six children to bring up. Mrs. Smith was a granddaughter of Colonel
Jonathan Jones, who raised a company in Caernarvon township and was
with the expedition to Canada in the winter of 1775-76.
Edward D. Smith was next to the youngest in the
family. He was obliged to go to work early and when only in his
eleventh year was taken out of the public schools and put to work
in the general store, owned by William and Isaac Eckert, at the
northwest corner of Fourth and Penn streets. He remained there ten
years and then in 1837, in partnership with Philip Zieber, he
bought out the business and they established the firm of Zieber
& Smith. After a short time, however, they dissolved
partnerships, Mr. Zieber taking the grocery and queens ware
departments and Mr. Smith the dry goods. The latter continued in
business till 1862, when he sold out to Knabb & Thomas.
Meantime, he had become closely identified with the gas interests
in Reading. In 1857 he was elected secretary and treasurer of the
Reading Gas Company, whose affairs were at that time in very bad
shape, the stock selling at $12.50, fifty per cent below par. Up to
that time the company had never earned nor paid dividends, but
under Mr. Smith's careful management, the property was developed,
the service extended and the consumption so rapidly increased that
dividends were soon declared and the shares rose in value till they
sold for $60. Later the works were leased to the Consumers' Gas
Company, but Mr. Smith continued as secretary and treasurer of the
old company till his death. He was also a director in the Farmers'
National Bank and afterwards on the board of the First National,
remaining in the latter position till his demise.
Mr. Smith was married Dec. 31, 1838, to Miss
Henrietta Stichter Hahs, daughter of Henry and Catherine Hahs, the
former of whom was at one time treasurer of Berks county. The
children born to this union were as follows: Emily R., Mrs. William
R. McIlvain, of Reading: Catherine E., Mrs. Jonathan C. Illig, of
Reading. Mr. Smith passed away on Sunday morning, Jan. 12, 1902,
aged eighty-five years and ten months, and his remains are buried
in the Charles Evans cemetery. He was a member of Christ Episcopal
Church for upward of fifty years, was vestryman, and at the time of
his decease was serving as senior warden. Fraternally he was a
charter member of Montgomery Lodge, I. O. O. F. Mrs. Smith survives
her husband and continues to occupy the old home on Fourth street.
p. 371
Surnames: SMITH, CADWALADER, MCCURDY
Edwin Foster Smith, civil engineer, in the employ of the
Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company since the year 1862, was
born in Catawissa, Pa., Aug. 18, 1841, son of James Foster Smith
and Ellen Eliza Cadwalader, his wife. Through his father he comes
of Scotch-Irish ancestors, and on his mother's side is of Welsh
descent. His earlier education was acquired at Reading, where he
graduated from the high school with the class of 1858. He entered
Union College, at Schenectady, N.Y., and graduated with the degree
of A. B., later receiving from Union University the degree of Civil
Engineer.
In October 1862, Mr. Smith entered the service
of the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company in the
engineering department and remained in that employ until the year
1865, engaged on construction work and the locating and building of
new branch lines of railroad. During this period, also, he served
two short-term enlistments in the Civil war, one under the State of
Pennsylvania in 1862 and one in the service of the United States in
Company F, 26th Pennsylvania Emergency Volunteers, in 1863.
In the fall of 1865 he entered the service of
the Schuylkill Navigation Company, of which he subsequently became
the chief engineer and general manager. In 1872 there was added the
Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal in Pennsylvania and Maryland.
In the year 1891 Mr. Smith, who had for some
years been the chief assistant engineer of the Philadelphia &
Reading Railway Company, was called to take charge of the
construction of the Reading terminal railway and station in the
city of Philadelphia, one of the first of the large terminals in
this country, and one that has attracted much attention, not only
in itself and its appurtenances, but as changing the business
conditions of a large surrounding district of the city. He has
remained with the railway company up to the present time in the
practice of his profession, in charge of hydraulic, steam and
electrical plants, and given much of his time as consulting
engineer to the development and installation of electrical plants
operated by water-power. One of these is at Sewalls Falls, on the
Merrimac river, New Hampshire, where the dam and structures for
creating the power were designed by Mr. Smith as early as the year
1892, and is one of the earliest examples of the modern system of
distribution of power by electricity. In the course of an extended
practice of his profession, Mr. Smith has served as consulting
engineer for many interests involving the solution of problems of
hydraulic engineering, designing and building a large part of the
extensive water works system of the city of Reading; serving on the
board of engineers appointed by the aqueduct commissioners of the
city of New York in 1901, to report on questions of engineering
construction in relation to the new Croton dam and Jerome Park
reservoir; in the investigation of the conditions affecting the
Castlewood dam, in Colorado; a general review of the subject of the
location and plans for the Nicaragua ship canal, and many others.
He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the
Franklin Institute, and the Engineers' Club of Philadelphia.
In 1867 Mr. Smith was married to Nancy King
McCurdy, daughter of Dr. J. K. McCurdy and Elizabeth, his wife, of
Reading, by whom he has three children. Mrs. Smith's father was a
prominent druggist in Reading for many years, having his store on
South Fifth street, near Penn; he took an active interest in
educational affairs at Reading, officiating as the first president
of the board of school controllers from 1865 to 1867; and he and
his family were devoted members of the First Presbyterian Church
for many years. He died in 1873.
Mr. Smith's father, James Foster Smith, was born
at Pittsburgh, Pa., on Christmas Day, 1813. He was descended from
Scotch-Irish parentage, his grandparents having immigrated to
Pennsylvania about 1783 and settled at Pittsburgh. In 1822 his
parents removed to Blairville, Pa., and there he received his
preliminary education. At the age of twelve years he was obliged to
support himself, and he devoted his leisure time to study,
inclining toward mathematics and civil engineering. When eighteen
years old he entered the service of the Portage Railway Company as
rodman; when twenty-three he became assistant engineer of the
Catawissa Railway Company; and when twenty-four, the chief engineer
of the Morris Canal Company, designing and building during the
years 1837 and 1838 the tide-lock at the outlet of the canal in
Jersey City, which is still in use. In 1839 and 1840 he was in the
service of the Catawissa Railway Company, having designed the
celebrated high trestle bridges on its line; and in 1841 and 1842
in the service of the New York & Erie Railway Company. In 1843
Mr. Smith became the superintendent of the lower division of the
Schuylkill Navigation Company and served as such until 1845, when
he was appointed the resident engineer, taking charge of the
reconstruction of the canal between Philadelphia and Reading and
finishing it in 1846. In 1850 he was elected the chief engineer,
and removed with his family in Reading. He filled this responsible
position until 1875, when he relinquished the more active duties
and acted as consulting engineer until his retirement in 1885.
During his engineering career Mr. Smith designed
and constructed many important hydraulic works, including many of
the dams on the Schuylkill river, the Columbia dam across the
Susquehanna river, 6,843 feet long; the coal shipping landings at
Schuylkill Haven; and the extensive wharves, with automatic
coal-transferring machinery, at Greenwich Point, on the Delaware
river.
Mr. Smith resided forty-eight years at Reading,
took much interest in local affairs, and was a devoted member of
the First Presbyterian Church, having served as deacon, elder and
trustee for many years. He died Jan. 31, 1898, aged eight-four
years.
p. 354
Surnames: SMITH, LEAF
Frederick Smith, Attorney General and Associate Justice of
Pennsylvania, and one of the most distinguished men that Berks
county produced, was born at Reading in 1773. He was the son of the
Rev. John Frederick Smith, an eminent divine of the Lutheran Church
in Pennsylvania, and one of the pioneers of that denomination in
America. He obtained a superior classical education, and selecting
the law as his profession after a careful preparation was admitted
to the Bar at Reading Aug. 7, 1795. He soon won prominence and
distinction, both as a counselor and as an attorney in important
litigation. In the meantime he became actively interested in local
politics, and served as a member of the Legislature in 1802 and
1803. He was appointed deputy attorney general for Berks county in
1818, and filled that position three years. He served from 1823 to
1828 as attorney general of Pennsylvania, and as an associate
justice of the Supreme Court from 1828 until the time of his death.
His judicial career, though brief, was distinguished. He died at
Reading Oct. 4, 1830. He was a member of the Roman Catholic church.
He married Catharine Leaf, of Philadelphia. His two sons, Henry W.
Smith, Esq., and George Smith were prominent in the local affairs
of Reading for fifty years anterior to 1878, when they died.
p.
464
Surnames: SMITH, SHULZE, LEAF, PIERCE, COULTER
Frederick Leaf Smith, A. B., A. M.
(deceased), represented the third generation of his family devoted
to the legal profession and was himself for many years a prominent
member of the Berks county Bar. He was a son of the late Henry W.
Smith, grandson of Judge Frederick Smith, and great-grandson of
Rev. John Frederick Smith, an eminent pioneer of the Lutheran
Church in Pennsylvania.
Judge Frederick Smith was one of the most
distinguished citizens of his time in Berks county. He was born in 1773, received unusual educational
advantages for the time, and after careful preparation for the
profession of law was admitted to practice Aug. 7, 1795. He had
been thorough in his studies and was equally conscientious in the
preparation of his cases, and he soon won a prominent position
among the lawyers of his day. Like many others of his profession he
became interested and active in politics. From 1802 to 1803 he was
a member of the Legislature; in 1818 he was appointed deputy
attorney general for Berks county, a position he held for three
years; from 1823 to 1828 he was attorney general of the Statue
under Governor Shulze, by whom he was appointed associate justice
of the Supreme court of the State in 1828, and this honorable
position he filled with great credit until his death. Judge Smith
was clear and logical in his reasonings, and just and impartial in
his decisions. He died at his home in Reading, after but a brief
illness, Oct. 5, 1830, aged fifty-seven years, seven months, four
days, and his remains were interred in the Roman Catholic cemetery,
but later removed to the Charles Evans cemetery. The Bar
Associations in Reading and in Philadelphia passed resolutions in
testimony of his high character and distinguished ability. He
married Catharine Leaf.
Henry W. Smith, son of Judge Frederick Smith,
was born Jan 4, 1804. He received the benefit of a good literary
education, studied law under the wise and able instruction of his
father, and was admitted to the Bar Jan. 5, 1825. He became an
active politician, and was a delegate to the State Democratic
conventions of 1832, 1835, 1841, 1844 and 1846, and to the National
Democratic convention in 1835. In 1836 he was a candidate for
Congress; in 1843 and 1844 he served as a member of the
Legislature, and again in 1846 became a candidate for Congressional
honors. Twice he was the candidate of his party for the office of
president judge. In his profession, like his father, he attained
high rank, and he had from the first an extensive practice. The
successes that came to him were the result of careful, painstaking
work, and he was a student as long as he lived of what he
considered the "noblest profession on earth." In 1873 he gave able
service to the state as a member of the Constitutional convention.
He died Aug. 27, 1878, and he was survived by his wife, Mary, and
one son, F. Leaf. Mrs. Smith was born Dec. 11, 1811, and died March
2, 1881.
F. Leaf Smith was born Aug. 31, 1831, and
received his early education in the public schools of Reading.
During the late forties he entered Georgetown (d. C.) College, from
which he was graduated n 1854 with the degree of A. B., after an
unusually bright course. His literary gifts were notable,
particularly his ability as a poet, and on the day of his
graduation he had the honor of delivering a discourse on "The
Influence of Philosophy" before President Pierce, who was present
at the commencement exercises. In 1858 he received the degree of A.
M. from his alma mater. After leaving college Mr. Smith took up the
study of law for which he had inherited aptitude, which was greatly
strengthened and developed by his constant association with his
father, while the latter continued in active practice. Owing to the
fact that his father had acquired a competent estate and he was the
only child, there was an absence of that incentive to full
development of his powers so essential to the average man, but
notwithstanding this absence of the spur of necessity Mr. Smith
practised his profession with commendable diligence and remarkable
success, continuing for a number of years. He was a wise counselor,
a diligent student of his cases, and an adroit trial lawyer, and as
long as he maintained his interest in the practice of the law stood
in the front rank of the profession, becoming one of the most
prominent members of the legal fraternity in his section. That he
was not merely a lawyer is shown in the fact that he added to his
professional attainments a varied and sound knowledge of business,
and possessed the prompt and practical judgment which rendered his
opinions as a man of affairs valuable in the management of his own
business as well as that of his clients.
In personal integrity, in inflexible devotion to
the interest of his clients, in urbanity of feeling and bearing to
his professional brethren, in his respect for the law when it was
declared by the court, and in his habitual deference to the
judiciary, he was a model for imitation. The benevolent feelings of
his heart were displayed by regular and unostentatious giving to
charitable objects, and his sympathy with the beauties of nature by
his interest in the systematic culture of plants and flowers.
On July 2, 1879, Mr. Smith married Mary Coulter,
and they had one child, Marie Carroll, who resides in the old
family home on South Fifth street, Reading, where Mr. Smith passed
away April 10, 1898.
p. 642
Surnames: SMITH, SCHMIT, WISTER, SASAMONHOUSEN, KLEIN,
LEIBENSPERGER, ADAMS, KUMP, ERMENTROUT, DUTT, STRAUSS, BOYER,
RICHARDS, STRUMP, KIEFFER, SCHAEFFER, REYNOLDS, CAPWELL
Rev. George B. Smith. On Jan. 30, 1732, the proprietaries of the
Province of Pennsylvania granted Casper Wister a patent for 633
acres of land lying in Philadelphia county. By the subsequent
subdivision of Philadelphia county the larger portion of this tract
of land was brought within the confines of Maxatawny township,
Berks county, close by the borders of Lehigh. Casper Wister dealt
extensively in lands, and on the early records he is almost
invariably designated as the brass button maker of Philadelphia. In
October, 1734, Casper Wister and his wife Catherine conveyed 123
acres of this land to one Jost Henry Sasamonhousen, "Blacksmith,"
who on March 5, 1761, in confirmation of his title to the same,
obtained a patent deed for it from the proprietaries, John and
Thomas Penn. On Dec. 2, 1761, Jost Henry Sasamonhousen and his wife
Petronilla conveyed the same to Henry Sasamonhousen, one of their
sons, and on April 19, 1775, Henry Sasamonhousen and Elizabeth, his
wife, conveyed it to George Smith, of Macungie township,
Northampton (now Lehigh) county. From George Smith it descended to
his son, George Smith, Sr., from him to his son, George Smith, Jr.,
and from him to his son, George L. Smith, who is the present owner
and occupant.
Two George Schmits came from Germany to America
in the fall of 1749, one on the ship "Patience," Sept. 19, and the
other on the ship "Leslie," on Oct. 7. Other George Schmits came in
other years, but the weight of circumstances favors the theory that
one of the two arrivals named was the George Smith who came into
possession of this tract of land in 1775. The future investigator
through the help of additional facts may be able to determine which
of the two it was. Landing at Philadelphia, he in time removed
inland with the incoming drift of homeseekers, and settled where
now is Fogelsville, within the present bounds of Lehigh county. He
and his wife are interred in a family burying ground on the farm
which he acquired in 1775, but as their tombstones have long ago
crumbled away it cannot be ascertained when either was born or how
long they lived. Their son, Joh. Georg Schmit, was born Feb. 12,
1770, while they yet lived in Lehigh county. He married Margaret
Klein, born April 10, 1768, and in course of time came into
possession of the farm, improved it and lived upon it until the end
of his days. He died Jan. 21, 1855, and his wife Margaret Oct. 23,
1850, both being buried in the same little burying ground that
contains the unmarked graves of their parents.
When Joh. Georg Schmit came into possession of
the farm, the house upon it was a massive stone structure, built in
1740, probably with a view of not merely using it for a house but
in case of emergency as a fort as well. This was occupied until in
1841, when it was abandoned for a new and larger house, also of
stone, which is the Smith family homestead of to-day. From the
information at hand it does not appear fully what family Joh. Georg
Schmit and his wife Margaret had, but it is definitely known that
they had a son, George, designated as George Schmidt, Jr., and
another named John, who lived near Claussville, and there raised a
family, among whom were several sons. They also had a daughter,
Elizabeth, who died Oct. 13, 1804, at the age of six and one-half
years; and a son Jonathan, who died May 1, 1816, in his
twenty-third year, both of whom are buried in the aforementioned
little family graveyard.
George Schmidt, Jr., was born April 25, 1800, on
the old homestead in Maxatawny, where he always lived. The country
becoming Anglicized by this time, the spelling of the name with him
changed from Schmidt to Smith. He married Lydia Leibensperger, born
Nov. 10, 1798, in Lehigh county, and to them were born seven
children, namely: Stephen, Caroline, David, George L., Alfred,
James and Rebecca. (1) Stephen died March 27, 1896, leaving a
widow, one son and four daughters. (2) Caroline died Jan. 17, 1838,
in her tenth year. (3) David married Catherine Adams, engaged at
farming in Lehigh county and died leaving a widow and two sons. (4)
George L. (5) Alfred died March 11, 1847, in his seventh year. (6)
James, who was a physician, died unmarried May 8, 1861, in his
twenty-sixth year. (7) Rebecca married John Kump, of Maxatawny
township, who died survived by his widow and three children. The
remains of Caroline, Alfred and James rest in the little family
burying ground on the Smith ancestral farm. George Smith, Jr., died
Sept. 1, 1890. During his active years he was one of the leading
spirits of his locality, enterprising and successful in his own
affairs, and bearing his full share of the duties and
responsibilities of citizenship, and during his long lifetime was
respected and honored by those who knew him. His wife died Feb. 3,
1865, twenty-five years before the death of her husband, and the
two rest side by side in the family graveyard.
George L. Smith, the fourth child of George and
Lydia (Leibensperger) Smith, was born June 26, 1833, in the same
house in which his father was born and in which his grandfather had
lived. He grew to manhood upon the old homestead and received the
benefit of the schools of his neighborhood, later attending a
select school in Reading, of which the late Hon. Daniel Ermentrout
was principal. He then returned to the farm and continued at farm
labor until in 1854, when he went to Lehigh county and there for
three years engaged at clerking in a general store. Returning to
Maxatawny township, he took charge of the old homestead and has
remained upon it ever since, engaged at farming and stock-raising.
He married Louisa Dutt, daughter of Thomas and Henrietta (Strauss)
Dutt, who paternally is of English ancestry and whose family
formerly lived in Montgomery county. In course of time he acquired
title to the old homestead and improved it in various ways, making
it for himself and children not only a pleasant abiding place, but
a home in the highest and best sense. He is an enterprising and
progressive citizen, a man of intelligence and integrity, and
enjoys the confidence and respect of all his neighbors and friends.
He belongs to the Reformed Church, the church of his family for
generations past. In politics he is a Republican. To George L. and
Louisa (Dutt) Smith five children were born, namely: Elizabeth, m.
to Edwin Boyer; Rev. George B.; Dr. James, a practicing physician
living at Allentown, who m. Mary L. Richards, of Maxatawny, and had
two children: Marion (died in 1903, aged seven years) and George;
Anna, m. to George Strump, and had two children; Wayne and Mark
(died aged five years); and William, m. to Annie Kieffer, living at
home.
Rev. George B. Smith, second child of George L.
and Louisa (Dutt) Smith, was born July 8, 1867, on the homestead in
Maxatawny township which his family have owned and occupied
continuously for generations. He was reared on the farm and
employed at such duties as usually fall to the lot of farmer boys.
His education began in the country district school, and was
continued in the Keystone State Normal school at Kutztown. His
object in entering the latter school was to merely obtain something
more of an education than that afforded by the country schools, but
as he advanced from class to class a desire for more learning grew
upon him and he decided to aim higher. Failing in one of his
aspirations he applied to his Principal, Dr. N. C. Schaeffer, the
present State Superintendent of Public Instruction, for information
and advice, and in reply received a letter that turned his
ambitions in the direction of college training. This he regards as
the turning point in his career. He subsequently entered upon a
course in Franklin and Marshall College, at Lancaster, and
graduated from that institution in 1889. With the advance of years
and knowledge came the natural desire for employment, and after
careful and conscientious consideration he selected the ministry
for his life work. This decision he arrived at unaided and
uninfluenced by circumstances, purely from a sense of duty, and
after graduating from College he entered the Reformed Theological
seminary at Lancaster, from which he was graduated in 1892.
On leaving the seminary Dr. Smith returned to
the place of his nativity and, where he was best known, was
formally commissioned to work in the Master's vineyard. On June 21,
1892, he was ordained and installed as pastor of the Maxatawny
charge of the Reformed Church, consisting of the congregations at
Maxatawny and at De Long's Church at Bowers. The following spring
St. Paul's congregation in Kutztown, and St. Peter's at Topton were
added to his charge, and in this enlarged field he has ever since
been laboring with gratifying success, preaching to all of his
congregations in both the English and German languages.
On Aug. 22, 1893, Dr. George B. Smith was
married to Miss Mary L. Reynolds, daughter of Stephen Cromwell and
Mary L. (Capwell) Reynolds, of near Factoryville, Pa. They have one
child, Arline Augusta Reynolds, born Sept. 4, 1896.
p. 1531
Surnames: SMITH, BAILEY, RETTEN, FINGER, GEIGER, KERN, MURRY,
ROBERTS, SHELER, JONES
George W. Smith, until his death April 20, 1908, a citizen of
Caernarvon township, Berks county, and who, for many years was
engaged in mercantile and agricultural pursuits near Joanna, Pa.,
was born Jan. 25, 1829, near Elverson, Chester county, son of
Benjamin and Sarah (Bailey) Smith.
Benjamin Smith was born in 1795, and died April
14, 1854, while his wife, who was born in 1797, passed away in
1851. Both were buried at St. Marys, Chester county. In 1835
Benjamin Smith located on the farm later owned by George W., and
here he spent his life engaged in farming. He and his wife had the
following children: John; Joseph; Levi; George W.; William; Phoebe,
who married Robert Retten; Sara; Anna; Hannah, who married William
Finger, now deceased, and lives with her brother; and Margaret.
George W. Smith engaged in agricultural pursuits
all of his life. He owned a beautiful home; his farm is now
operated by his son-in-law. Mr. Smith was of robust constitution,
and to the time of his death retained his faculties. He was
prominent in political matters, and for more than twenty years was
township auditor, assessor and school director, having been elected
to these positions on the Republican ticket. For over half a
century Mr. Smith was a member of the Methodist Church, where he
was for many years an exhorter and steward.
Mr. George W. Smith was married to Miss Matilda
S. Geiger, born in 1834, and died Aug. 15, 1892. The following
children were born to them: (1) Jane, born in 1855, m. John Kern,
and they are the parents of these children: (a) Edgar m. a Miss
Murry and had three children; (b) Frank; (c) Elsie m. William
Smith; (d) Mabel lives at home; (e) Rena; and (f) Florence. (2)
Emma, born in 1859, m. James Roberts, and they have three children.
(a) George S. lives in Reading; (b) Roy died in 1896; and (c)
Matilda. (3) Hattie, born in 1861, died in 1884. She m. Elmer
Sheler, and they had one child, now deceased. (4) Valaria, born in
1863, m. Daniel B. Geiger, and they had, George, born in 1892, died
in 1906, and Ellena, born in 1899. (5) Elizabeth m. Howard Jones,
and lives in Unionville, Berks county. They have four children.