Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery
p. 740
Surnames: WESLEY, SHAFER, WHITMAN, ROGERS, MCNALL, CROASDALE,
OBOLD, ROWBOTHAM, SWEGAR, BOSSERMAN
John H. Wesley, a well-known citizen of Reading, and a soldier of
the Civil war, was born June 9, 1846, in Robeson township, Berks
county, Pa., son of Mark and Susan (Shafer) Wesley.
Mark Wesley was a collier and laborer - an
honest, hard-working man. When his son, John H., was an infant, he
settled at Reading. To him and his wife Susan (Shafer) were born
the following children: Phebe Ann, m. to Isaac D. Whitman; Samuel
L., who served in the Civil was as a member of Company B, 88th Pa.
V. I.; John H.; Kate, m. to Thomas Rogers; Charles, an engineer
with the Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company; Harry, of
Louisiana; and one that died in infancy. Mark Wesley and wife were
consistent members of the Methodist Church. In politics he was a
Democrat.
After completing his education in the schools of
Reading, John H. Wesley entered the cotton mill, where he was
subsequently made a foreman, and was working as such when, in
March, 1862, he entered the employ of Jacob Shafer, with whom he
remained until August 6th, when he enlisted in Company B, 128 Pa.
V. I., and accompanied his regiment to the front three days later.
He had for officers, Capt. William McNall and Col. Samuel
Croasdale. The regiment was mustered in at Camp Curtin and was then
sent on to join McClellan's army. The first battle of importance in
which Mr. Wesley took part was Antietam and the second was
Chancellorsville. When his first enlistment of nine months had
expired he enlisted in Company H, 42nd P. V. M., Captain John
Obold, and was discharged after the battle of Gettysburg. He again
enlisted in July, 1864, in Company I, 196th Pa. V. I., Capt. George
S. Rowbotham, and was elected second lieutenant of the company. The
command was sent to Baltimore, Md., and was then shipped to Camp
Douglas, Chicago, Ill., to do guard duty, as there were 1,500 Rebel
prisoners at that point. After returning East, Lieut. Wesley was
stationed at Fort Delaware, where the regiment relieved a
detachment to allow them to vote, Pennsylvania soldiers having
voted in the field. Soon afterward, in 1864, Mr. Wesley was
discharged and returned to Reading, entering the employ of the
Reading Hardware Company, as an apprentice to the molder's trade.
Completing his apprenticeship, he went to Warren county, Pa., and
remained about two and one-half years in the oil fields, then going
to Renovo for a short time, where he engaged at his trade. He then
accepted a position as clerk in the "Renovo Hotel," but in the fall
of 1873 returned to the employ of the Reading Hardware Company,
remaining with them until 1877, when he accepted a position with
the Keystone Hardware Company, at Tenth and Spruce streets as
foreman. After one year he returned to the employ of the Reading
Hardware Company, and on Feb. 14, 1879, accepted a position with
the Penn Hardware Company, with which company he has continued to
the present time in the capacity of foreman. He has charge on an
average of 125 men in the molding department.
In December, 1872, Mr. Wesley married Emma
Swegar, daughter of David and Margaret (Bosserman) Swegar, and to
this union there were born four children: Esther M., deceased;
Marion J., Carrie S., and J. Frank. The latter, one of Reading's
most popular young men, was drowned July 4, 1906.
John H. Wesley is a member of Renovo Lodge, No.
495, F. & A. M., and of Liberty Fire Company, which he joined
in 1865. He is a stanch Republican in his political belief, but
takes only a good citizen's part therein.
p. 1418
Surnames: WESSNER, SCHOLLENBERGER, KUNKEL, JANDWORK, MUNTZ, HERBER,
MODD, HEIN, GRASSLY, HENRY, DIETRICH, KISTLER, KRAUSE, TREXLER,
BAUTSCH, FAUST, SNYDER, WEIDA, KONIG, FENSTERMACHER, ZIMMERMAN
Jerry M. Wessner is descended from Johannes Wessner, the emigrant
of the Wessner family in Albany township, where he settled between
1760 and 1775. He was a native of Germany, arriving in Pennsylvania
about 1752. Acquiring land he became a tiller of the soil, the
Federal Census of 1790 recording him as a resident of Albany
township, "having one son above sixteen years of age, a wife and
one daughter." He was a man of religious temperament and
convictions, being mentioned in the organization and government of
Jerusalem Church in that township. The records show that he was
born May 8, 1723, and died Aug. 23, 1794. He is buried near the old
school-house in the graveyard at Wessnersville. Nothing is stated
concerning his family except that his son was named Mathias or
Mathes.
Mathias Wessner (according to the tombstone
inscription, "Mathes Wessner") was born August 1, 1757, and died
Dec. 26, 1821, aged sixty-four years, four months, twenty-five
days. His occupation was farming, cultivating the farm owned by his
descendant, Jacob D. Wessner. He married Catharine Schollenberger,
who was born in 1773, and died in 1838, leaving, among other
children whose names do not appear, a son Johannes.
Johannes Wessner also passed his life in Albany
township. The dates of his birth and death do not appear to be on
record. He was evidently a man of thrift and enterprise, for his
farm was later divided into three properties, each considerably
over 100 acres. Neither does the date of his marriage nor his
wife's name appear, though his children are given as: Johannes,
Adam, Jacob, Jonathan (who was a mute) and William. He lies buried
at Friedens Church, Wessnersville.
Samuel Wessner, son of Adam of the above family,
built the first house and hotel stand in what is now Wessnersville,
which town perpetuates the family name. One of the landmarks of
that time is an old church, two squares to the east of the village,
still used for church services, known as Friedens Church. It is a
union church, both Lutheran and Reformed congregations using it for
worship.
William, youngest son of Johannes, was born June
25, 1805, and died Oct. 29, 1873, aged sixty-eight years, four
months, four days. He was a laborer of Albany township. He married
Lydia Kunkel, and their children were: Judith, married David
Jandwork; Catharine, m. Lewis Muntz; Caroline, m William Herber;
Polly, m. Willoughby Modd; Lydia, m. Francis Hein; William is
deceased; Peter is mentioned below; Matthias, a farmer of Stony
Run, had a family of fourteen children.
Peter Wessner, son of William (son of Johannes),
was born July 4, 1836. In 1858 he began farming for himself, after
having worked over eight years in Albany. Since 1894 he has lived
at Fetherolfsville. He there owns a small farm of fourteen acres,
with a fifty-acre property in another locality. In 1856 he married
(first) Maria Grassly, who died March 3, 1872, aged forty years,
leaving Ellen, James H., Ida A., Sarah F., and Emma. He married
(second) in 1879, Mary Ann Henry, who has borne two children-Victor
and Herbert.
Jacob Wessner, son of Johannes and grandfather
of Jerry M., passed his life as a farmer on the old homestead. Born
June 27, 1803, he died at the age of eighty-nine years, eleven
months, twenty-one days, June 18, 1893. He was an upright,
prosperous citizen and left a large estate. He married Mary (Polly)
Dietrich, born July 3, 1803, died Dec. 31, 1883, aged eighty years,
five months twenty-eight days. Their children were: John born 1831,
died 1883; Reuben, 1831-1847; Amos, 1834-1907; Jacob D., father of
Jerry; and Malinda, unmarried.
Jacob D. Wessner, retired farmer of
Wessnersville, and father of Jerry M., was born in Albany on the
Wessner homestead, Oct. 27, 1839. He followed the vocation of his
fathers until 1899, when he built his present residence in
Wessnersville, and retired to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He is
the present owner of the old Wessner homestead of 104 acres, this
farm having been in the Wessner family over one hundred years. It
was originally a large plantation, covering the tracts now owned by
Jacob D. Wessner, Stephen Kistler and Jacob Krause. Mr. Wessner
takes pride in voting the Democratic ticket on election day, and
though he has never sought office, he has had sufficient public
spirit to serve on the school board of Albany township and in other
minor offices. He is a deacon and elder in the Lutheran
congregation of the Wessnersville Union Church, his family also
being members.
Mr. Wessner's marriage to Sarah Trexler,
daughter of Nathan and Lydia (Bautsch) Trexler, of Albany, occurred
in 1858. Mrs. Wessner died March 22, 1903, aged fifty-nine years,
eight months, twenty-seven days. She was the mother of the
following children: Rosa m. Francis Faust; Edwin is deceased; Susan
m. Frank Snyder; Jerry M.; Alice m. Henry Weida; Minnie m. William
Konig; Assie m. William Kistler.
Jerry M. Wessner is one of the progressive
farmers of the township, and an experienced driller of artesian
wells, living on the road from Kempton to Wessnersville. He was
born Feb. 1, 1868, on the old homestead, remaining on the farm
until after his majority. In the spring of 1892 he began farming on
his own account on his father's farm, where he continued with
success for eleven years. In the fall of 1905, he purchased the
David Kunkel farm, and moving to it the following year has since
made it his home. In the short period during which he has had it
under his control he has made many improvements, remodeling the
house, beautifying the yard, and in 1907, erecting the commodious
62x65 foot barn. The farm contains 100 cares, upon which is also a
good fruit orchard. There still remains on the farm a landmark of
Colonial times in the shape of a log house that was the home of
some of the earliest pioneers of the district.
Mr. Wessner is a Democrat in politics. The
religious affiliations of himself and family are with the Lutheran
congregation of the Wessnersville Union Church, of which he has
been a deacon. Socially, he is a charter member of Lodge No. 544,
Independent Order of Americans, of Kempton, Pennsylvania.
On May 25, 1890, Mr. Wessner, married Emma M.,
daughter of Noah and Mary (Fenstermacher) Zimmerman, of Albany,
farming people on Stony Run Hill. Children were born to them as
follows: Osville M., a student of the Normal School at Kutztown;
Debbie H.; Florence D.; Edna B.; Clarence D.; Elwood C.; and Elton
E.
p. 1009
Surnames: WESTLEY, LEBO, BROWN, MENDELSON, KIMMEL, BAUSUM,
DETAMBLE, BRENDEL, KELLER, MOSSER, EVANS, SCHAEFFER, KLINE,
DANIELS.
John L. Westley, a substantial citizen of the Twelfth ward,
Reading, and an honored survivor of the Civil war, was born March
15, 1842, in Schuylkill county, Pa., son of Peter and Esther (Lebo)
Westley.
The Westley family of Berks county was formerly
of Robeson township, where the ancestor settled during the latter
part of the eighteenth century. His descendants spread across the
border of Robeson into Brecknock and Cumru townships, where they
were numerous for many years. Michael Westley, the grandfather of
John L., was a native of Robeson township, where he lived and died,
and he, as were also many of his relatives, was buried at the
Robeson (Plow) Church. Among the members of the Westley family
buried at this graveyard, all relatives of Michael Westley, may be
mentioned: John (1779-1856); Christian (1790-1857); Catherine
(1790-1859); Elizabeth (1797-1861); William (1799-1875); John
(1803-1873); Sarah (1806-1883); Christian (1806-1893); Samuel
(1815-1857); William (1817-1859); Peter (1820-1891); Margaret
(1826-1886); Mary (1829-1873); Catherine (1827-1896); and Samuel
(1851-1883). Among the children of grandfather Michael Westley
were: Jacob; John; Peter; Mark; who lived on Bingaman street,
Reading, and had two sons, John and Samuel, who live in Reading;
and Kate, who died unmarried at the home of her brother Mark.
Peter Westley, father of John L., was born in
lower Berks county, but died about 1849, in Schuylkill county,
whither he had removed shortly after his marriage. He married
Esther Lebo, of Cumru township, and they had eight children as
follows: Sarah m. James B. Brown, of Fleetwood, Pa.; Susan m.
Edward Mendelson, of Pottsville; Catherine m. John Kimmel, of
Pottsville; Hannah m. Daniel Bausum, of Pottsville; Mary m. Jacob
Detambel, of Gibraltar; Edward m. Mary Brendel, of near
Chambersburg; John L.; and Hettie, born in January, 1844, is
unmarried and resides at Reading.
John L. Westley was but five years old when his
parents removed to Gibraltar, Berks county, and in 1857 he took to
boating on the Schuylkill canal, a vocation which he followed for
five years. When the war broke out his brain was fired with
patriotism, and on Oct. 3, 1861, he enlisted at Philadelphia in
Company I, 6th Pa. Cav., under Captain Star, and served three
years, participating in a number of engagements. On May 12, 1864,
near Meadow Bridge, Va., in a charge in which Mr. Westley had just
entered the woods, he came unexpectedly on the Confederate line. He
had a miraculous escape after a fierce hand-to-hand encounter, but
not until he had received a severe wound in the thigh. He was at
all times a brave and faithful soldier, and his war record is one
of which he may well be proud.
After the war Mr. Westley returned to his home
in Cumru township, where his mother lived, and began to work in the
McIlivan iron works, located at South Reading. After one and
one-half years there he commenced working at the sheet mill, but
when the Reading Coal & Iron Company opened its mill, March 9,
1868, he accepted a position there, and continued in that place for
fifteen years. Since May, 1865, he has been continuously at work at
the sheet mill. In the early fall of 1867 Mr. Westley located in
Reading, and in 1869 built his own home at No. 736 North Ninth
street, where he resided for sixteen years, then purchasing the
property at No. 740 North Ninth street, his present home. He also
own other real estate in Reading. Mr. Westley is a member of St.
John's Lodge No. 435, F. & A. M., Reading. He and his family
are Lutherans in their religious belief.
On April 27, 1867, Mr. Westley married Mary
Keller, daughter of Reuben Keller, of Exeter township, and to this
union there have been born twelve children, namely: Anna m. Frank
Mosser, of Reading; Emma is at home; Charles E. m. Sarah Evans;
William m. Rebecca Schaeffer; Cora M. and Harry W. are unmarried
and at home; George I. m. Ada Kline; Florence E. m. Robert Daniels,
of Reading; and Luther F. and three other children died in infancy.
p.
1135
Surnames: WEYMAN, KIRZICK, GEIGER, COVINGTON, COLEMAN, ANGSTADT,
EACHES, KUHN, BROWN, SCHEIBNER, TROOP, DALE, RIEGEL
William A. Weyman, foreman of the brick laying departments of the
Reading Iron Company's Scott Foundry and Steam Forges, has been
thoroughly trained in his particular line of work. He comes of a
family that long had their home in Hanover, Germany, his
great-great-grandfather and great-grandfather, Herman H. Weyman and
Herman H. Weyman II, respectively, both living at Nein Kirchen Am
Milan, in that Kingdom . The latter was the father of three
children: Dr. Herman H. III, Catharine (Kirzick) and Frederick.
Dr. Herman H. Weyman III, son of Herman H. II,
was born Jan. 16, 1808 in Nein Kirchen Am Milan, and there he
received his elementary education. He graduated from the University
at Siegel, April 15, 1833, and then spent one year in the
University at Berlin. In the fall of 1834 he emigrated to America,
and made an extensive trip through the United States. Tradition
says he settled near Baumstown, in Berks county, and that he was
called into consultation at Geigertown, where he became acquainted
with Miss Sarah Geiger (daughter of State Senator Paul J. Geiger of
Geigertown, now deceased), who became his wife Oct. 1, 1843. Their
children were: (1) Annie m. Allen J. Covington, who served in the
Confederate army under Gen. Lee as a sharpshooter, and who after
the close of the war moved to Reading, Pa., and became an honored
and useful citizen. (2) Margaret m William C. Coleman, an extensive
contractor at Los Angeles, Cal. (3) Katurah m. Benneville D.
Angstadt, of Oley township. (4) Paul J. died in infancy. (5) Herman
H. IV is deceased (6) Horace C. lives at Redlands, California.
Herman H. Weyman IV, son of Dr. Herman H. III,
was born August 3, 1853. By occupation he was a brick layer, and he
was foreman of the Brick Laying Departments of the Reading Iron
Company's Scott Foundry until his death, which occurred suddenly
Dec. 29, 1907. He married Rosy E. Eaches, and they became the
parents of children as follows: Herman H. V, born Oct. 12, 1873, m
Annie, daughter of Prof. P. J. Kuhn, of Reading; Rosie E. died in
infancy; Elmer G. m. Hattie M. Brown, daughter of Charles Brown, of
Reading; Lillian May died in infancy; William A.; and Florence L.,
born Aug. 20, 1885, is at home.
William A. Weyman was born in the city or
Reading Oct. 20, 1882, and was educated in the public schools of
his native city, spending about two years in the high school under
Prof. M. E. Scheibner, principal. On Jan. 20, 1899, he accepted a
position as a clerk in the drug store of W. W. Troop, but on April
17th following he became an employee of the Reading Iron Company's
Steam Forge Department, under the superintendence of Gerald F.
Dale, and July 1, 1900, he became an apprentice brick layer under
his father. After serving a full apprenticeship of three years he
became a full-fledged journeyman, and continued with his father
until March, 1905, when he was appointed assistant foreman under
his father, a position he held until the latter's sudden death, and
on Jan. 6, 1908, he was promoted to his father's position, and this
he has since ably filled.
In politics Mr. Weyman is a Democrat. He is a
member and has been active in Christ's Evangelical Church, taking
particular interest in the Sunday-school. Fraternally he is quite
prominent, being a member of Lodge No. 62, F. & A. M.;
Progressive Lodge, No. 470, I. O. O. F.; Wyanet Tribe, No. 301, I.
O. R. M.; Court Conrad Weiser, No. 199, Foresters of America;
Neversink Camp, No. 7634, M. W. A. Mr. Weyman has taken great pains
to memorize the unwritten and staff work of the I. O. O. F., and
has proven himself a thorough and efficient student of this work.
On July 25, 1903, Mr. Weyman married Mary
Riegel, daughter of Lewis and Emma E. Riegel, of Reading, and they
have two children: Levira E., born Nov. 19, 1904; and William A.,
Jr., Dec. 3, 1906.
p. 325
Surnames: WHARTON, DOBBINS, MERIDITH, STOCKER, LLOYD, KEARNEY,
FISHBOURNE, TALLMAN, SHOEMAKER, MORRIS, BROOKE, BICKLEY
Hon. Thomas Wharton, Jr., the first Governor of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, under the constitution of 1776, was born in 1735, in
Chester county, Pa., a son of John and Mary (Dobbins) Wharton,
grandson of Thomas and great-grandson of Richard Wharton.
Richard Wharton, who emigrated to Pennsylvania
from Kellworth, in the parish of Overton, Westmorelandshire,
England, at an early date, was the emigrant ancestor of the Wharton
family in America.
Thomas Wharton, who later achieved so great a
distinction in his native State, spent his boyhood attending school
in the primitive institutions in the vicinity of his home, and
assisting on the paternal farm, and he became a young man of
sterling character. In 1755 he moved to Philadelphia, where he
apprenticed himself to an employer by the name of Reese Meridith
and later was associated with Anthony Stocker. With the latter he
formed a partnership, under the firm name of Stocker & Wharton,
in the mercantile line. This firm became very strong, and according
to the custom-house bonds of 1762, was one of the heaviest
importers in the city.
Governor Wharton, then but a prosperous
merchant, was married Nov. 4, 1762, at Christ Church, Philadelphia,
to Susannah Lloyd, daughter of Thomas and Susannah (Kearney) Lloyd,
and they had the following children: Lloyd, Kearney, William M.,
Sarah N. and Susannah. The mother of these children died Oct. 24,
1772. On Dec. 7, 1774, Thomas Wharton married (second) Elizabeth
Fishbourne, daughter of William and Mary (Tallman) Fishbourne, and
they had three children, viz.: Mary, Thomas F. and William
Fishbourne. Governor Wharton was an Orthodox Friend.
It is passing strange that the history of Thomas
Wharton, Jr., a man whose life was so closely linked with that of
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, whose affairs he administered
during the darkest struggle in which she and her sister colonies
ever engaged, is not more widely and more intimately known. One
most obvious reason for this is to be found in the circumstance of
his early death, which abruptly terminated a useful and honorable
career; for, considerable as were the services which he had already
rendered his country, the potentialities of the future were even
greater, and without doubt he, who had acquitted himself so
creditably, would, had he lived to see the new government
permanently established, have continued to hold positions of honor
and trust in his native State. To quote: "Full justice has never
been done to the magnanimity and ability of Pennsylvania's
statesmen and warriors during the Revolutionary contest. The quiet
and unassuming character of her population has caused the
historians, in a measure, to overlook their merit in the council
and in the field."
By reading the history of Pennsylvania during
those momentous years from 1774-1775 and up to 1778, we recognize
the worth of Governor Wharton, from the pages of her records and
archives, full of important orders emanating from him at trying
crises; or, in glancing over the journals of the day, which abound
in proclamations that even now stir us by their tone of deep and
earnest patriotism. Through ringing calls to arms and eloquent
appeals to the nobler impulses of mankind, we gain some insight
into the character of the man of whom few written expressions are
left us. He was a man, however, who had impressed his personality
in such a way that we know he was universally beloved.
Thomas Wharton had been called to numerous
positions of trust, had served with honor and capacity on the
committee of Safety, and in 1776, when the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania called together a convention to frame a new
Constitution, for the Province of Pennsylvania, in accordance with
the Resolve of Congress ( on May 10th of that year), on July 24th a
Council of Safety was established, in which the convention vested
executive authority of the government until the new Constitution
should be put in operation.
Thomas Wharton, Jr., who had given abundant
proof of his zeal and ability when a member of the late committee
of Safety, was now chosen president of the newly formed council and
again distinguished himself in a most creditable manner. In
February, 1777, an election was held for the choice of assemblymen,
in place of several who had declined to act. Thomas Wharton, Jr.,
was elected councilman from Philadelphia and later, as such,
assisted to organize the Supreme Executive Council and thus
complete the new government. This was done and the General Assembly
and the Council united and elected Mr. Wharton president of the
latter body. As president of the Council of Safety, Mr. Wharton had
filled with honor a position of trust, hence, it is not strange
that he should have been offered one of greater responsibility
under the new government. It seemed, indeed, as if by mutual
attraction, the best minds of the country were drawn together, and
that, with an insight born of the necessities of the hour, men
recognized each other's worth and discerned in what field their
talents would be best developed for the good of the common cause.
Thus Thomas Wharton, Jr.'s talents were
pre-eminently administrative, and from one important position in
his State he was raised to another until finally called upon, amid
the bitter political dispute of 1777, to fill the most elevated
position his proud State could offer him, that of president of the
newly formed Supreme Executive Council. On March 5, 1777, the new
president was duly inaugurated as president of the Supreme
Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
captain-general and commander-in-chief, and served as such until
May 23, 1778, when his death occurred in the city of Lancaster. His
funeral was solemnized with civil and military honors and his
remains were interred at the Evangelical Trinity Lutheran Church at
Lancaster. His fame rests with posterity.
William Fishbourne Wharton, the third child of
Thomas and Elizabeth (Fishbourne) Wharton, was born Aug. 10, 1778,
and was married (first) May 10, 1804, to Susan Shoemaker, who died
Nov. 3, 1821. She was the mother of nine children as follows:
Thomas, George M., Fishbourne, Henry, Joseph, Deborah, William,
Edward and Elizabeth. He married (second) Mary Ann Shoemaker, a
sister of his first wife by whom he had two children, namely: Susan
F. and Philip Fishbourne, attained distinction in legal and
artistic circles. Beside Miss Susan F. Wharton, who is the only
living grandchild of Governor Wharton, several of his
great-grandchildren have resided in Berks county, namely: Wharton
Morris, grandson of Kearney, who was a son of the Governor by his
first marriage; Maria Wharton Brooke, widow of Dr. Brooke and a
granddaughter of Kearney Wharton; and Robert Wharton Bickley, also
a grandson of Kearney Wharton. Mrs. Brooke and Mrs. Bickley are
living in Reading at the present time, both widows. Miss Susan F.
Wharton, who until lately resided at No. 138 North Fourth street,
Reading, is now living at "The Poplars," Wyomissing, esteemed for
her ancestry and also for her personal characteristics.
p.1694
Surnames: WHITE, REED, REMP, SCHAFFER, HORNBERGER, HARTZ, MENGEL,,
HOLTRY, EBEN, MILLER, FRITZ, SCHONOUR, MESSINGER, STAMM, ULRICH,
FISHER, GAUL, KUHL, SPATZ, BALTHASER, WERTMAN, KAUFFMAN, GRETH
John R. White, a representative citizen of Berks county, who is
engaged in truck farming near Mohnton, in Cumru township, was born
in Spring township, Oct. 11, 1862, son of John H. and Elizabeth
(Reed) White.
Peter White, the great-grandfather of John R.,
was born in Cumru township, where he owned a farm, being also
engaged in rake making. He was twice married, there being no
children to the second union, but by the first marriage, with a
Miss Remp, Mr. White had six sons and three daughters, as follows:
Jacob; Samuel; William; John R.; Catherine, m John Schaffer; Susan
m. Jonas Hornberger; Peter; Daniel; and Elizabeth, m. Daniel Hartz.
The fourth son, John R., born Feb. 11, 1809, married Elizabeth
Mengel in 1828. She died Oct. 2, 1886, and he passed away Nov. 13,
1904, having been the father of eight children, one of whom, John,
was a constable for more than a quarter of a century in Cumru
township, holding that office at the time of his death.
William White, grandfather of John R., was born
April 6, 1804, and died Sept. 17, 1885, having spent his life in
farming a small tract near Gouglersville. He married (first) Sarah
Holtry, who was born in 1805 and died in 1833, and three children
were born to them: Mary, born Jan. 27, 1828, m. Charles Eben; John
H.; and Lydia, m. William Miller. Mr. White married (second) Ann
Maria Fritz, born Jan. 13, 1804, who died Aug. 12, 1877, and to
this union there were born four children: Hannah, m. Daniel
Schonour; Henry, who died in youth; Annie, m. John Messinger; and
Daniel (m. Emma Stamm), deceased April 10, 1907, aged sixty years.
John H. White was born March 12, 1830. and
attended the old pay schools of Cumru township. When a young man he
learned the trade of gun barrel maker, which he followed for many
years, working in Cumru at Worleys, and in Heidelberg for Holls. He
now owns a farm of twenty acres in Spring township, where he lived
from 1869 until 1907, removing in the latter year to a home near
that of his son, John R., in Cumru township. Mr. White and his
family attend Wyomissing (Gouglersville) Church, being Lutheran
members thereof. He is a man of much ability, a skilled mechanic
and has led a successful career.
Mr. White married Elizabeth Reed, born Dec. 28,
1832, daughter of John and Ellen Reed, and to them there were born
the following children: Sarah m. Samuel Ulrich; Ellen G. is
unmarried; William R., born Nov. 15, 1857, m. Mary E. Fisher
(1858-1885) and died June 4, 1890; Emma is unmarried; and John R.
John R. White was reared on the home farm, and
was brought up to agricultural pursuits, which he has followed all
of his life. He began farming for himself in the spring of 1889 on
a forty-seven acre tract in Bern township, but after three years
removed to another in the same district, whence he went a year
later to the Solomon Gaul farm in Cumru township. After spending
two years there and three years on the Joseph Kuhl farm in the same
township, Mr. White in 1898 purchased the old Spatz farm near
Mohnton, which then consisted of thirty-four acres. Later Mr. White
sold eleven acres of this land, and greatly improved the remainder,
rebuilding the barn in 1901, and in 1905 building a nice frame
house with porches and surrounded by a fine lawn. He is now engaged
in truck farming, at which he is very successful, and attends the
Reading markets. In politics he is a Democrat, while fraternally he
is connected with the K. G. E., of Sinking Spring, and the Red Men,
of Mohnton. He and his family are prominent Lutheran members of
Gouglersville Union Church, of which he has been a deacon since
1901.
In the year 1887 Mr. White was married to Emma
C. Balthaser, born May 12, 1861, daughter of Cornelius and
Elizabeth (Wertman) Balthaser, granddaughter of Jacob and Sarah
(Kauffman) Balthaser, and great-granddaughter of Jacob and Margaret
(Greth) Balthaser. Mr. and Mrs. White have these children: Jennie
B., born March 3, 1888; William B., May 31, 1890; Mary E., Jan. 3,
1893, and John Irwin, March 29, 1898.
p.
709
Surnames: WHITE, CROSS, WAGONER, SPONSLER
The material advancement of the city of Reading has been conserved
in no small degree by Joseph A. White, who was for a score of years
one of the leading contractors and builders of this county, as a
member of the firm of White & Wagoner. He now resides on a
beautiful little farmstead contiguous to the city and devotes his
attention principally to floriculture and the raising of fine
poultry. He was born in Lancaster, Lancaster Co., Pa., June 17,
1853, son of William R. and Rebecca E. (Cross) White.
William R. White was born in the City of New
York, in 1819, and reared and educated in his native city, where he
learned the trade of cotton manufacturing, eventually becoming
superintendent of a cotton mill in New York. He remained there
until about 1840, when he took up his residence in Lancaster, Pa.,
where he entered the employ of Arnold & Company, leading cotton
manufacturers, with which concern he continued until 1895, when he
permanently retired from active business. The last six years of his
life were passed in the home of his son, Joseph A., where he died
in 1906, and where his widow still resides, a revered member of the
family circle. Mr. White married in Lancaster, Rebecca E. Cross, a
native of London, England, born in 1835, who accompanied her
parents to America, and located at Lancaster, Pa. Mrs. White
belongs to the Lutheran church, of which her husband likewise was a
member, and in politics he was uncompromising in his allegiance to
the Republican party. Of the eight children of William R. and
Rebecca E. (Cross) White, Joseph Aubrey was the oldest; Charles F.
was born Aug. 2, 1858; Emily Alice, Oct. 22, 1865; Ada R., Aug 7,
1868 (is deceased); Jessie May, March 27, 1870 (died in childhood);
Laura V., March 1, 1872; Mary W., Dec. 29, 1876; and Emma R., March
2, 1879.
John Aubrey White was afforded the advantages of
the public schools of Lancaster, his native city, and there he
served a thorough apprenticeship at the plasterer's trade, becoming
a skilled artesian in the line. For several years he followed the
work of his trade in New York City, and in 1885 he took up his
residence in Reading, where he engaged in contracting and building,
in partnership with John M. Wagoner. The firm of White &
Wagoner built up an extensive business and attained a high
reputation for reliability and progressive methods. This firm
erected about one thousand buildings in the various sections of
Reading, and their enterprise and excellent work contributed much
to the substantial upbuilding and attractiveness of the city.
Mr. White is recognized as a representative
citizen of Berks county, and has so ordered his course as to retain
at all time the confidence and good will of his fellow men. He has
shown a commendable interest in all that pertains to the welfare of
his home city and county, an while he has never been a seeker of
public office he has been signally observant of the duties of
citizenship, and has lent his co-operation, in the furtherance of
enterprises and projects tending to advance the general welfare of
the community. In 1904 he retired from the contracting and building
business, and purchased a small farm in the northeast section of
the city. On this place he has made fine improvements of a
permanent nature, including the erection of a handsome and
commodious residence of modern architectural design and equipment
and he is living the idyllic life of a country gentleman, the while
enjoying also the advantages of the city. His farm is largely given
over to the cultivation of fine varieties of flowers, for which he
finds a ready market, and to the breeding of high grades of
poultry, in which line , he is producing some exceptionally
attractive new strains. He has secured premiums at various poultry
shows and takes much pride and interest in his poultry business. He
is a Republican in his political proclivities and both he and his
wife are zealous members of the Lutheran church.
In 1890 Mr. White married Miss Kate Sponsler,
daughter of Jacob and Lucy Sponsler, of Adams county, Pa. They have
no children. Mr. White has attained to success through his own
efforts, and is one of the substantial and honored citizens of
Berks county, where he has a wide circle of acquaintances in both
business and social lines.
p.
763
Surnames: WHITMAN, DELIGER, CULP, SCHOL, SASSAMAN, SMITH, MOYER
Joel W. D. Whitman, one of the old and honored residents of
Reading, Pa., who has been engaged in painting in the city for over
forty years, was born Dec. 17, 1832, in Montgomery county son of
George and Catherine (Deliger) Whitman.
George Whitman was a weaver by trade and
followed that occupation in Montgomery county, where he died at the
age of forty-seven years. His first wife died at the age of
thirty-five years, and he married (second) a Miss Culp, by whom he
had these children: Jesse; Lydia Ann, and Lucy A. (m. to John
Schol). To George Whitman and his first wife were born these
children: Sarah, Maria, Kittie, Hetty, Fayette, David, Ephraim,
Joel W. D., all being deceased except Ephraim, who resides at
Pottstown, Pa., and Joel W. D.
Joel W. D. Whitman attended the schools of
Montgomery county, and when a young man learned the cabinet-maker's
trade, which, however, he followed but a short time. He next took
up painting as an occupation, and April 3, 1866, came to Reading,
where he has made his home to the present time. He still resides at
his first location, No. 322 North Ninth street, and is one of the
oldest men of the district. In 1860 Mr. Whitman married Lucy Ann
Sassaman, born July 2, 1841, daughter of Christina C. and Maria B.
Sassaman, and to this union there were born children as follows:
Hemmer died when nine months old; Luther C. S., who died Jan. 5,
1894, m. Mary M. Smith, and had one child, Helen M. S., who lives
with her grandfather; Katie m. Edward Moyer of Reading; Ella S.
died Oct. 28, 1873, aged six years, seven months; Annie E., died in
December, 1870, aged six months; and Lucy M. died in 1873, aged one
year, ten days.
Mrs. Whitman has been a teacher in the
Sunday-school since her sixteenth years, and since 1878 has had
charge of the primary class of St. Luke's Lutheran Church. Mr.
Whitman has also been a teacher in the Sunday-school. He is
fraternally connected with the Knights of Pythias No. 65, while in
political manners he is a Republican.
p.
607
Surnames: WHITMAN, REESER, FOX, CLARK, JOHNSON, MERRITT, YEAGER,
GERBER, SHUNK, SAVAGE, PRICE
Richard M. Whitman, former chief of police of Reading, is descended
from David Whitman, a blacksmith of Robeson township, Berks county.
Abraham S. Whitman, his father , who was a
printer and publisher of Reading, died in that city in 1900, aged
seventy-nine years, while his mother, Mary Elizabeth (Reeser),
daughter of Daniel Reeser, a drover of Berks county, passed away in
May, 1901, aged eighty-one years. Eight children were born to Mr.
and Mrs. Whitman, two of whom, Rose and Kate, died in early
childhood. Those still living are: Daniel R.; Mary, wife of David
Fox, of the Reading Hardware Company, Reading; Esther, the wife of
William Clark, of the Reading Hardware Company; Henrietta, at home;
Lilly, the wife of James Johnson, of the Pennsylvania Railroad
service; Richard M.
Richard M. Whitman was born in Reading, April 3,
1848. He received his education in the public schools, and then
learned the printing business in his father's office, at the Times,
and continued at printing for a number of years. He next took
charge of the Daily News and remained there nine years, or until
the paper was discontinued, when he became one of the proprietors
of the Reading Daily Telegram and with this paper he continued
three years. He was then twice elected to Common Council from the
Second ward, resigning in 1890 to accept the position of highway
commissioner of the Western district of Reading. At the expiration
of his term he was appointed chief of police, and served under
Mayors Merritt, Yeager and Gerber, with an interval between Merritt
and Yeager. During this interval he was employed on the Times.
Mr. Whitman was married Jan. 20, 1877, to Mary
Catherine Shunk, daughter of John and Rachel (Savage) Shunk, the
former a tanner and farmer of Heidelberg township, Berks, county,
and a nephew of the Hon. Francis Shunk, ex-Governor of
Pennsylvania. Two sons and two daughter have been born to this
union: Daniel R., a toolmaker of Philadelphia; May; Jacob; and
Mollie, wife of Clifford H. Price.
Mr. Whitman belongs to St. John's Lodge No. 435,
F. & A. M., and to the Foresters of America. He is also
connected with Liberty Fire Company, in which he has held several
offices. In politics he is a Democrat. During his career as chief
of police he made many important arrests, and was a faithful and
capable officer.
p.
408
Surnames: WHITNER, KLINE, WITTNER, STEVENS, PLANK, BRITTON, RICK,
KNABB, HILL, CARRIER, DAVIS, PARKER, SHALTER, SWARTZ, KAUFFMAN,
HUNTER, KALBACH, KURTZ
Calvin Kline Whitner, president of the Farmer's National Bank of
Reading and founder of the mercantile business of C. K. Whitner
& Co., at Reading, Pa., who has become known throughout Berks
and surrounding counties as one of its leading merchants, was born
in 1841, in the southern part of Oley township, son of George and
Christiana (Kline) Whitner.
Rev. John George Wittner, of Bellheim, Germany,
the great-grandfather of Calvin K., was born in 1735, educated at
the University of Heidelberg, and in 1766, was sent by the Holland
Deputies as a missionary to America, landing at New York in the
fall of that year. He was a son of Rev. Abraham Wittner, a
Protestant minister in Germany from 1734 to 1743, and subsequently
a councillor to the Consistory at Heidelberg.
Abraham Wittner, his grandfather, was born in
1773, in Upper Milford township, Northampton (now Lehigh) county,
in the vicinity of Zionsville. He was brought up to farming and
about 1800 located in Albany township, Berks county, where he
carried on farming until 1810, when he removed to Columbia county,
and there continued agricultural pursuits until his decease, in
1854, at the age of eighty-one years. By his first marriage he had
an only child, George, born Aug. 3, 1800, the father of Calvin K.;
and by his second marriage he had eleven children.
George Whitner, his father, was a farmer near
the "Yellow House" in Oley for many years. He died Jan. 13, 1869,
in the sixty-ninth year of his age. He was an earnest advocate of
the common school system, against much local prejudice, and his
influence assisted in its adoption by Oley township in 1850, he
having been a great admirer of Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, who was the
chief agitator and defender of public schools before the people and
the State Legislature. During this period, about 1845, the spelling
of the family name was changed from Wittner to Whitner. He married
Christiana Kline (born Dec. 2, 1804, died Dec. 16. 1872), daughter
of David Kline, of Amity township, and a lineal descent of Elder
George Kline (who was born in Germany in 1715, emigrated to New
Jersey in 1738, and settled along the Northkill, Berks county,
about 1750, where, as one of the "Brethren" or "Dunkards," he
preached the Gospel for upward of twenty years). They had eight
children: David, Rebecca, Abraham, Hiram, George, Samuel, Sarah and
Calvin, of whom the only survivors are Hiram and Calvin. The first
two children, David and Rebecca, died whilst young, and Sarah at
the age of nineteen years. Abraham became a banker at Pottsville,
having been connected with the Miner's Bank for many years. Hiram
served as a teacher in the public schools in Berks county; became a
graduated physician of Jefferson Medical College and practised in
Berks and Schuylkill counties; served as a surgeon in the Civil
war; then located at Chicago, Ill., where he invented and
introduced "The Whitner two-rope safety device" for facilitating
the work of and protecting window cleaners of large public
buildings, which has come to be extensively used in all the
principal cities throughout the United States. George served as
postmaster of Reading from 1881 to 1885. Samuel served in the Civil
war with the Ringgold Light Artillery (First Defenders) and
Durell's Battery, acting as quartermaster-sergeant from 1863 to the
close of the war.
Calvin K. Whitner received
his education in the township schools, and worked on his father's
farm until nineteen years of age, when he entered the country store
of Spang & Son, at Spangsville, situated about a mile north
from the farm, which had quite an extensive trade on account of the
"Spang Forge" at the Manatawny creek near by. He remained here
about a year, when he became clerk for Isaac Plank in his general
store at the "Half Way House," eight miles north of Reading, on the
Kutztown road. After serving in this position faithfully for three
years, he became ambitious to conduct a store of his own, and
feeling qualified to do so established himself at Friedensburg, in
Oley township; but after carrying it on for two years he decided to
go into a larger field, with greater opportunities for success,
and, disposing of his store stock, went to Reading in 1868.
After looking over the business situation at the
county-seat for a short while, and determining to follow a
mercantile life there as his chosen vocation, he found employment
in the large and prosperous establishment of Line & Eppihimer,
on Penn Square, in order to become thoroughly acquainted with the
manner of conducting business in a growing city, which was
different from that in the country. He continued with this firm
until the spring of 1877. With this preparation, and appreciating
the great resolution necessary to embark at that trying time in
business for himself, he opened a dry goods store with a single
department and six salesmen at No. 432 Penn Square, in a room 20
feet wide and 90 feet deep. Here he persevered with a constantly
increasing trade for six years, when his quarters were found to be
altogether too small, and, being obliged to secure a larger place
to accommodate the demands of his business, and the opportunity
being then afforded, he secured just such a place as he needed in
the immediate vicinity, a few doors to the east, on the same side
of Penn Square, at Nos. 442 and 444. In the spring of 1883, he
removed to the new quarters, with floor space increased to nearly
four thousand square feet (the room being 30x130 feet), and started
with ten departments and twelve salespeople. His announcement of a
"Grand Opening on March 17th" was greeted with a flattering
recognition by the public. His course of dealing was found to be so
straightforward and satisfactory, that notwithstanding great
competition his trade multiplied rapidly, and in 1891 he enlarged
the room, added four new departments, and increased the number of
salespeople to forty.
In 1898 he purchased the adjoining property to
the west, when he remodeled and extended the whole interior of the
building to cover a total floor space of 42,000 square feet,
developed the departments to thirty-one and increased the
salespeople to 215, or over five times the number in 1891. Since
then, the departments have been somewhat changed and consolidated,
so that now they number twenty-eight, but the salespeople have been
increased to 260. His numerous patrons come to his "Daylight Store"
not only form all parts of the city and county, but also from many
places in the surrounding counties. The brightness, cheerfulness
and cleanliness of his establishment are not exceeded anywhere. The
details of his business have been gradually developed to a high
state of perfection, even to drilling his employees to the tap of a
bell to meet a sudden emergency? such as a panic caused by a real
or false alarm of fire. Having been asked to what he attributed his
success mainly, he remarked epigrammatically: "From the start of my
career as a merchant, I have made my business a constant pleasure
for myself as well as for my employees, and not pleasure a
business."
In 1889, Mr. Whitner's son, Harry K., was
admitted as a partner in the business, and the firm then became C.
K. Whitner & Son; but the son's promising career as a superior
business man of Reading in the footsteps of his father was cut
short by his untimely decease in 1891. A faithful employee for many
years, John A. Britton, was taken in as a partner in 1897, when the
firm name became C. K. Whitner & Co.; and Jan. 1, 1907, his
son-in-law, John Rick, was also admitted as a partner.
Notwithstanding his great devotion to the
establishment of his business in a thriving community, Mr. Whitner
has shown much interest in the religious, social and financial
affairs of Reading for many years. He and his family are members of
St. Paul's Memorial Reformed Church, in which he officiated as a
vestryman for several years. He is a trustee of the Y. M. C. A.; a
director of the Reading Mutual Fire Insurance Company; president
and director of the Farmers' National Bank and president of the
Merchants' Association of Reading.
In the Sesqui-Centennial of Reading in 1898, he
was chairman of the "Historical Committee," which supervised the
publication of a souvenir of the great and successful occasion,
which was compiled by the author of this revived history of the
county.
In 1864, Mr. Whitner married Amelia Knabb,
daughter of Daniel D. Knabb, of Oley, and Sarah (Hill) Knabb, his
wife, and to this union there were born three children: Harry K.,
Sarah K. (m. Arthur E. Carrier, of New York), and Charles. Harry K.
Whitner m. Estella Davis (daughter of Charles Davis and Emma
Parker, his wife), of Reading, and he died in 1891, aged
twenty-five years, leaving a son, Harry Davis Whitner. Charles
Whitner died in infancy. Mr. Whitner's first wife died in 1873, and
in 1876 he married (second) Mary Shalter, daughter of George
Shalter, an ironmaster of Cumru township, and Eliza (Kline)
Shalter, his wife. There were four children born to this second
marriage: George Shalter, who died in 1901, aged twenty-four years,
after having shown much promise as a business man in his father's
store; Elizabeth S.; Carrie G. (m. John Rick, of Reading, and has
on daughter, Mary Elizabeth, and one son, Horace Whitner); and Mary
S. Mrs. Whitner died June 9, 1909.
Mrs. Whitner's father, George Shalter, carried
on the iron furnace business at the Mount Penn Furnace in Cumru
township, several miles south of Reading, Pa., for a number of
years. He died there in 1881, in his eighty-second year, after he
had lived for a number of years in retirement. His wife survived
him until 1892, dying at the age of seventy-seven years. They were
the parents of ten children: Richard m. Hettie Swartz; Isabella m.
William M. Kauffman; Sarah m. Cyrus Hunter; Emma m. Dr. John
Kalbach; Mary m. Calvin K. Whitner; William m Mary Kurtz; four
children died young.
p. 1662
Surnames: WIEAND, GRABILL, WHITE, RENNINGER, SPANG, GILBERT, REHR,
WILLIAMS
Reverend Daniel Wieand, deceased, for many years well known in
Reading and vicinity as an earnest worker in the ranks of the
United Evangelical Church, was born in Lehigh county, Pa., in 1815.
Mr. Wieand, received his preliminary education
in the common schools of his native city, was prepared for the
ministry and ordained. He preached the Gospel for about thirty
years, the cause of his retirement form the ministry being a severe
throat trouble. During the years of his preaching, Mr. Wieand was
well known throughout Berks county, having pastorates at Reading,
Harrisburg, Milford, Adamstown and other places. From 1868 until a
short time prior to his death, Mr. Wieand was engaged in
broommaking. He died at his home in Reading, No. 225 North Eighth
street, Jan. 21, 1888, aged seventy-three years, twenty-one days,
and was buried at Charles Evans cemetery.
Mr. Wieand was first married to Judith Grabill,
and to them were born children as follows: Elizabeth (m. Frank
White); Rev. William, who was a minister in the United Evangelical
Church, died in 1902; and Mary, single, at the Eighth street home.
Mr. Wieand's second marriage was to Mrs. Matilda Renninger, widow
of Josiah Renninger. Mrs. Wieand was born April 15, 1822, daughter
of Henry and Lydia (Spang) Gilbert, well-known people of
Colebrookdale township. Her first husband was a well known business
man of Colebrookdale township, and to them were born children as
follows: Emma (m. Henry Rehr); Rosa (m. Jacob Rehr); and James, who
m. Katie Williams, is in the contracting and building business in
Reading. There were no children born to Mr. and Mrs. Wieand. Mrs.
Wieand died May 5, 1907, at the Eighth street home, Reading; she
was very well known and highly esteemed in the community.