HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA.

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HISTORY OF SCHUYLKILL COUNTY, PA.

with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers.

New York: W. W. Munsell & Co., 36 Vesey Street, 1881 Press of George Macnamara, 36 Vesey Street, N.Y.

___________________________________________________________

Acrobat transcriber's note: The original transcribers of this work are: Josephine Reed Garzelloni and Carole Lyn Carr - January to April, 1998 Everyname Index by R. Steffey - January, 1998

and they deserve our hearty thanks! I have transcribed this work from the many text files I found on the web into one Adobe Acrobat file, so that other researchers will be able to use and print this wonderful resource from their own computers more easily. The pages correspond with their original page numbers, so the Everyname Index which starts on page 391 is useable. However, this made formatting the pages a nightmare, so I did my best and tried not to worry about it. Enjoy!

Paul Welcomer - 5/21/2001

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OUTLINE HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Chapter I Pages 9-11 The Discovery of the Delaware--Pennsylvania Granted to and Organized by William Penn

Chapter II Pages 11, 12 German Immigration--The Administration of William Penn and Sir William Keith

Chapter III Pages 13-15 The Question of Taxing the Proprietary Estates--Wars with the French and Indians

Chapter IV Pages 15, 16 "Mason and Dixon's Line"--Causes of the Revolution--Patriotic Action of Pennsylvania

Chapter V Pages 17, 18 Revolution in the Provincial Government--Pennsylvania a State--Battles of 1776 and 1777--Indian Warfare

Chapter VI Page 19, 20 Later Events of the Revolution--War with the Western Indians--Constitutional Changes

Chapter VII Pages 20-22 The Pennamite War--Whiskey Insurrection--"Mollie Maguire" Outrages--The Riots of 1877

Chapter VIII Pages 22-24 Harrisburg made the Capital--The War of 1812--Internal Improvements--Schools

Chapter IX Pages 24, 25 Patriotic Action in the Mexican and Civil Wars--Governors of Pennsylvania

Chapter I Pages 27, 28 Ancient Inhabitants--Berks County

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY

Chapter II Pages 28-31 First Settlement and Pioneer Life in Schuylkill County

Chapter III Pages 32-34 Topography of Schuylkill County

Chapter IV Pages 34-41 Geology of Schuylkill County

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Chapter V Pages 41-72 Development of the Coal Production and Trade in Schuylkill County

Chapter VI Pages 72, 73 Land Titles in Schuylkill County--The first Settlers and their Achievements

Chapter VII Pages 74-76 Organization and Growth of Schuylkill County--Officers and Representatives

Chapter VIII Pages 76-79 Public Buildings--Removal of the Seat of Justice--the County Law Library

Chapter IX Pages 79-81 Waterways of the County--Lumbering and Rafting--Schuylkill Navigation-The Union Canal

Chapter X Pages 82, 83 Early Wagon Roads--Construction of the Center Turnpike--Stage Lines

Chapter XI Pages 83-93 The Railroad System of Schuylkill County

Chapter XII Pages 93-95 Education in Schuylkill County--The Fight for Free Schools--Orwigsburg Academy

Chapter XIII Pages 95-97 Medical, Religious and Agricultural Societies--The Miners' Hospital

Chapter XIV Pages 97-106 Labor Troubles--The Crimes and Suppression of the Mollie Maguires

Chapter XV Pages 106-108 The Militia of Schuylkill County--Participation in the Mexican War

Chapter XVI Pages 108-112 Origin and Early Incidents of the Civil War--Patriotic Spirit in Schuylkill County

Chapter XVII Pages 112-117 Companies from Schuylkill County that saw comparatively little service

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Chapter XVIII Pages 118-127 A Regiment of Schuylkill County Men--The Forty-Eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers

Chapter XIX Pages 128-131 Records and Rolls of the Fiftieth and Fifty-Second Regiments

Chapter XX Pages 131-132 The Fifty-Third, Fifty-Fifth and Fifty-Sixth Regiments

Chapter XXI Pages 132-134 The Sixtieth and Sixty-Fifth Regiments--Third and Fifth Cavalry

Chapter XXII Pages 134, 135 Representatives from Schuylkill in the 67th, 70th and 76th Regiments

Chapter XXIII Pages 135, 138 The 81st Regiment--The 80th and 89th (7th and 8th Cavalry)

Chapter XXIV Pages 138-144 Histories of the 93rd and 96th Regiments

Chapter XXV Pages 144-146 Records of the 99th, 104th, 107th, 108th, 116th, 117th and 127th Regiments

Chapter XXVI Pages 146-149 History of the 129th Regiment--The 237th and 151st Regiments

Chapter XXVII Pages 149-151 Later Regiments--16th and 17th Cavalry--173rd, 184th, 194th, 210th, and 214th Infantry

Chapter XXVIII Pages 152-155 Schuylkill Men in other than Schuylkill Regiments--Casualties among the same

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TOWNSHIP AND BOROUGH HISTORIES

Ashland Borough Auburn Borough Barry Township Blythe Township Branch Township Butler Township Cass Township Cressona Borough East Brunswick Township East Norwegian Township East Union Township Eldred Township Foster Township Frackville Borough Frailey Township Gilberton Borough Girardville Borough Hegins Township Hubley Township Klein Township Mahanoy Township Mahanoy City Borough Middleport Borough Minersville Borough Mount Carbon Borough New Castle Township New Philadelphia Borough New Ringgold Borough North Manheim Township North Union Township Norwegian Township Orwigsburg Borough Palo Alto Borough Pine Grove Township Pine Grove Borough Port Carbon Borough Port Clinton Borough Porter Township Pottsville Borough Rahn Township Reilly Township Rush Township Ryan Township Schuylkill/WalkerTownships Schuylkill Haven Borough Shenandoah Borough

181-189 350-351 156-158 158-160 162-164 177-180 194-197 246-250 198-199

201 213-214 214-215 215-216 373-374 216-219 374-376 190-193 219-221 221-222 222-224 225-228 229-241 160-161 164-176 250-251 242-244

161 200 244-246 261 261-263 364-366 201-202 313-315 315-323 202-207 366-367 324-326 263-312 326-327 342-344 344-347 348 348-349 251,256 377-384, 388-390

South Manheim Township St. Clair Borough Tamaqua Borough Tremont Township Tremont Borough Union Township Upper Mahantongo Township Washington Township Wayne Township West Brunswick Township West Mahanoy Township West Penn Township Yorkville Borough

VILLAGES

Barnesville Big Mine Run Branch Dale Brandonville Coal Dale Delano DeTurkville Donaldson Drehersville Elwood Fishback Forestville Foutain Springs Friedensburg Gearytown Gilberton Gordon Heckscherville Hecla Heginsville Helfenstein Hometown Honey Brook Jalapa Kepnersville Lingerstown Leibysville Lewistown Llewellyn Locust Dale Lorberry Junction McKeansburg

5

349,350 207-213 327,341 351-352 352-354 354-356 356-357 357-358 358,361 361-364 367-372 384-387

313

344 179 342 213 326 345 357 218 199 314 274 197 179 359 327 375 177 197 199 220 214 344 224 274 286 256 386 349 163 178 352 199

Mahoney Plane Maizeville Mantzville Mifflin Mt. Laffee New Castle Newkirk New Town North Penn Patterson Pitman Quakake Junction Reevesdale Ringtown Rock St. Nicholas Silver Brook Summit Summit Station Swatara Tamanend Taylorsville Torbert Tower City Tuscarora Wadesville William Penn Valley View

BIOGRAPHIES

ALLISON, Robert AUDENRIED, Lewis AUDENRIED, William BANNAN, Benjmain BARTHOLOMEW, Lin BAST, Gideon BEACH, W.T. BECHTEL, O.P. BOYER, Emanuel BROWN, D.P. BRUMM, Charles N. BUCK, Peter E. CAMPBELL, John COMREY, Andrew CONRAD, F.W. CONRAD, H.W. CONRAD, Victor L.

374 DONALDSON, Wm, Pottsville

303

375 DONALDSON, Wm, Tamaqua

338

386 DIEFFENDERFER, R.E.

302

314 EICHMAN, John

229

243 ENCKE, William

230

243 FERMIER, H.

232

349 FILBERT, Peter

323

343 FOSTER, Solomon

306a

386 FRIDIRICI, Alfred

387

348 GARNER, Joseph W.

185

215 GRANT, William

383

345 GREEN, D.B.

301

349 GRIFFITHS, Ryce J.

230

355 GRISCOM, Samuel

294

357 GRISCOM, Samuel E.

295

225 HAESELER, C.H.

299

224 HAYWOOD, B.

308

360 HEILNER, B.

337

223 HEIM, Jonas

229

343 HOPPES, Solomon S.

232

344 HUGHES, F.W.

311

156 JONES, William F.

229

213 KEAR, Frank G.

175

326 KENDRICK, William

389

348 KITZMILLER, John

322

242 KLINE, Jacob

300

368 KLINE, Mrs. Jacob

300

220 KOPITZSCH, Charles F.

309

LAWRENCE, Jacob S.

174

LOSCH, S.A.

259

MAJOR, George

230

213 MAY, Alexander

230

306 McCARTHY, Patrick

230

305a McKIBBIN, D.J.

189

293 MECK, Charles A.

260

296 MERKEL, M.

176

258 NUTTING, J.L.

319

174 PALMER, Robert M.

298

302 PARRY, Edwin O.

307

229 PERSHING, C.L.

301

371 PIPER, O.P.

258

173 POTTS, George H.

305

189 QUINN, John T.

229

347 REILLY, B.

311a

230 RICHARDSON, William F.

232

321 RYON, J.W.

297

321 SCHLICHER, Edwin

337

321 SELTZER, Conrad

312

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SHANNON, B.F. SHANNON, Samuel H. SHEPP, Daniel SHOENER, John A. SHORT, William SIGFRIED, J.K. SPAYD, Benjamin STAUFFER, H.H. STEACH, George N. TOBERT, Family ULMER, Jacob WALKER, Thomas H. WEBER, Augustus WEBER, John WEBER, William Y. WEISS, G.W. WEISSINGER, L.W. WELDY, H.A. WENRICH, Frank WERNER, J. Frank WETHERILL, J.M. WIGGAN, George WIGGAN, Mrs. George WILLIAMS, John H. WREN, Thomas WATSON, M.C. WYTHE, George W.

PORTRAITS

ALLISON, Robert, Port Carbon AUDENRIED, Lewis, Philadelphia AUDENRIED, William, Philadelphia BANNAN, Benjamin, Pottsville BARTHOLOMEW, Lin, Pottsville BAST, Gideon, Schuylkill Haven BEACH, W.T., Minersville BECHTEL, O.P., Pottsville BLASS, Louis, Girardville BLATCHFORD, Mary J., Torbert BROWN, D.P., Lost Creek BRUMM, Charles N., Minersville BUCK, Peter E., Ashland CAMPBELL, John, Rush Township DONALDSON, William, Pottsville DONALDSON, William, Tamaqua FILBERT, Peter, Pine Grove FOSTER, Solomon, Pottsville

257 257 339 232 233 304 298 230 232 213a 309a 301 230 230 232 260 310 336 230 312 307 340 341 310 309a 390 230

213 306 305a 293 296 258 174 301 232 213b 371 173 188 347 303 338 323 306a

GARNER, Joseph W., Ashland

184

GREEN, D.B., Pottsville

301

GRISCOM, Samuel, Philadelphia

294

GRISCOM, Samuel E., Philadelphia

295

HAESELER, C.H., Pottsville

299

HAYWOOD, Benjamin, Pottsville

308

HELINER, Benjamin, Tamaqua

337

HUGHES, F.W., Pottsville

311

KEAR, Frank G., Minersville

175

KENDRICK, William, Shamokin

389

KOPITZSCH, C.F., Pottsville

309

KLINE, Jacob, Pottsville

300

KLINE, Mrs. Jacob, Pottsville

300

LAWRENCE, Jacob S., Minersville

174

LOSCH, Samuel A., Schuylkill Haven

259

MacMILLAN, M.M., Ann Arbor, Mich 213c

MacMILLAN, Ida V., Ann Arbor, Mich.

213c

McKIBBIN, D.J., Ashland

189

MECK, Charles A., Schuylkill Haven

260

MERKEL, M., Minersville

176

NUTTING, J.L., Pine Grove

319

PALMER, Robert M., Pottsville

298

PARRY, Edwin O., Pottsville

307

PERSHING, Cyrus L., Pottsville

301

PIPER, O.P., Schuylkill Haven

258

POTTS, George H., N.Y.City

305

REILLY, B., Philadelphia

311a

RYON, J.W., Pottsville

297

SCHLICHER, Edwin, Tamaqua

337

SELTZER, Conrad, Pottsville

312

SEVERN, E.L., Mahanoy City

232

SHANNON, Benjamin F., Schuylkill Haven-257

SHEPP, Daniel, Tamaqua

339

SIGFRIED, J.K., Pottsville

304

TITMAN, Charles E., Shenandoah

213d

TITMAN, Lizzie F., Shenandoah

213d

TORBERT, A. Carrie, Torbert

213d

TORBERT, Hester, Torbert

213c

TORBERT, James, Torbert

213b

TORBERT, James F., Torbert

213c

TORBERT, Margaret A., Torbert

213b

TORBERT, Mary C., Torbert

213c

TORBERT, Sallie R., Torbert

213c

TORBERT, Susie L., Torbert

213d

TORBERT, William Stephen, Torbert

213d

TORBERT, Hon. William L., Torbert

213a

TORBERT, Victoria H., Torbert

213d

ULMER, Jacob., Pottsville

309a

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WALKER, Thomas H., Pottsville

301

WATSON, M.C., Shenandoah

390

WEISS, G.W., Schuylkill Haven

260

WEISSINGER, L.W., Sporting Hill 310a

WELDY, H.A., Tamaqua

336

WERNER, J.F., Pottsville

312

WETHERILL, J.M., Pottsville

307

WIGGAN, George, Tamaqua

340

WIGGAN, Mrs. George, Tamaqua 341

WILLIAMS, John H., Pottsville

310

WRENN, George H., Mahanoy City 189

ILLUSTRATIONS

BAST, Mrs. Gideon, Schuylkill Have, Res BUCK, Peter E., Ashland, Res., Store & Warehouse COAL CHART COLLIERY, Big Mine Run, Butler COLLIERY, William Penn, West Mahanoy DIAMOND DRILL COMPANY Pottsville, Works FENSTERMACHER, John, Ringtown Hotel GARNER, Joseph W., Ashland Iron Works GRANT IRON WORKS, Mahanoy City, Works GEOLOGICAL CHART MAP, Schuylkill county METZ, C., Mahanoy City, Hotel SAFE DEPOSIT BANK, Pottsville, Building SELTZER, William and Conrad, Pottsville, Res., Hotel THOMPSON, L.C., Pottsville, Store TORBERT, W.L., Torbert Res. and Grounds TROUTMAN, H., Ashland, Hotel WATSON, M.C., Shenandoah, Store WEISSINGER, L.W., Sporting Hill, Res.

258a 188 040a 179 369 273 180 184 233 038 008 180 275 312 273 213e,f,g 180 390 310a

Introduction

In preparing the following work for publication information has been sought from every available source, and it is believed that many of the facts recorded have been preserved from oblivion by being thus rescued from the failing memories of those who will soon pass away.

It is hardly possible that in a work like this no errors will be found; but it is confidently hoped that if inaccuracies are discovered the great difficulty of preventing their occurrence will be considered, and that they will be regarded in a charitable rather that a censorious spirit.

The publishers desire to acknowledge the kindness and courtesy with which their efforts to obtain the facts recorded here have been almost uniformly met. To the press, and especially to the editors of the Minors' Journal, of Pottsville, and the Shenandoah Herald, for free access to the files of their journals; to Colonel Hyde, the gentlemanly librarian of the Pottsville Athenaeum, for the privileges of the library; to county and borough officers, for assistance in examining their records; to the pastors of nearly all the churches in the county, for assistance in preparing the religious history; and to secretaries of numerous societies and lodges, for data furnished, their grateful acknowledgments are due.

The following books have been freely consulted: Sherman Day's and Dr Egle's histories of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Archives, Rupp's history of Schuylkill county, Dewees's and Martin's histories of the Mollie Maguires, the history of the Pennsylvania volunteers, prepared under the authority of the State by Samuel P. Bates, LL.D.; and the Memorial of the Patriotism of Schuylkill County, by the late Francis B. Wallace, from which last the lists of the soldiers of the Union from Schuylkill county were taken.

Of those who have aided in the preparation of the work, or furnished valuable information, it is a pleasure to the publishers to name the following, besides the authors of sections of the work who are named in connection with their contributions: The intelligent octogenarians, Abraham Pott, who came here at the age of ten, and Jeremiah Reed, who was born here; Judge David B. Green, Judge E.O. Parry, F.A. Mortimer, O.J. Airgood, clerk of the courts, J.B. Kaercher, C.D. Arters, D.E. Miller, Christopher Little, John P. Bertram, William L. Whitney, John A.M. Passmore, George R. Kaercher, Jesse Hawley, Rev. Dr. Bellville and George W. Smiley, Revs. G.A. Hinterleitner, Edward J. Koons, J.B. Stein and B.F. Patterson, J. Wallace McCool, Charles Tanner, W.B. Staller, Jacob S. Longacre, H.H. Brownmiller, F.G. Faust, H.S. Strong, A.L. Boughner, W.H. Zeller, John Anthony, Edward T. Filbert, Rev. E.S. Henry, John Jacob Schnoke, J.O. Roads and Richard Harington.

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