Centre County PA Biographies

A. F. Kreamer

Donated by Donna Rife

A. F. KREAMER, who is classed among the successful farmers of Penn township, Centre county, is well worthy to be ranked among the individuals who havedistinguished themselves useful and enterprising citizens. He was born in the same township, January 6, 1847, and was but a child when brought by his parents, Jonathan and Susannah (Strohm) Kreamer, to the farm which he now occupies, and which at one time was owned by his great-grandfather, Daniel Kreamer, who was the first of the family to come to Centre county. In his family were three children: Daniel, John and Mrs. Salorna Keen.

Daniel Kreamer, Jr., the grandfather of our subject, was a farmer by occupation, as was also his father before him. He married a Miss Neese, by whom he had eight children—seven Sons and one daughter—namely: Jacob who died in Kansas; John, who became an Evangelical minister, and died in the same State; William, an auctioneer and farmer, who died in Iowa; Jonathan, the father of our subject; Elias, a resident of Union county, Penn.; Daniel, once a minister, now living in Illinois; Henry, a painter in the same State; and Betsey, who married William Guitilus, and died in Mifflinburg, Penn. In 1876 the Sons were all together, at which time their combined weight was over two thousand pounds.

Jonathan Kreamer was born in Miles township, Centre county, in 1821, and was reared to farm life. When a young man he married Susannah Strohm, a native of Lebanon county, Penn., and a daughter of Jonathan Strohm, who brought his family to Potter township, Centre county, when Mrs. Kreamer was but a small child. After their marriage the parents remained upon his father’s farm until 1848, when they removed to the place now owned and occupied by our subject, having purchased it at the sale of his grandfather’s estate. In 1868 the father removed to Millheim, where he conducted what is now known as the National Hotel for a time, and died in that village in 1883. Like the other members of the family he was very large, being six feet,one inch in height,and weighing at one time 365 pounds. He was an enterprising, energetic man, succeeding in accumulating a comfortable property; he was a Democrat in politics, and held a number of township offices to the satisfaction of all concerned. His religious views were those held by the Evangelical Church, of which he was a faithful member. His wife, who still survives him, makes her home with her daughter, Mary, at State College. In their family were six children: A. F., the subject of this review; Mary, wife of Ab Miller, of State College; Sarah A., wife of Pierce Musser, of Millheirn; Emma, wife of A. A. Frank, of the same place; John, express messenger for the Adams Express Company at Harrisburg, Penn., and Cora, wife of Greely Bowman, of St. Louis.

During his boyhood, A. F. Kreamer attended the Liberty school during the winter months, his first teacher being Thomas Strayhorn. He remained upon the home farm until the removal of the family to Millheim in 1868, where he assisted his father in the hotel business for four years. On October 10, 1872, he was united in marriage with Miss Jestie Keen, who was born in Penn township, February 28, 1847, a daughter of Jacob and Mary (Dininger) Keen, farming people. Two children were born of this union: Nora F. died in infancy; and N. F., born October 12, 1874, was married in November, 1893, to Miss Jennie, a daughter of Jacob Breon, of Gregg township, and they have one child—Helen, born April 11, 1895.

Mr. and Mrs. Kreamer began housekeeping upon the farm where they are now living, but later removed to Haines township, where he rented land for fifteen years. On April 1, 1892, they returned to the old family homestead, which he had purchased in January, 1891. It comprises seventy-one acres of highly improved land, on which six generations have made their home, the grandchild of our subject, who with its parents resides thereon, being of the sixth generation. Mr. Kreamer has always been identified with the Democratic party, and although no office-seeker, has filled a number of local positions. Socially, he affiliates with the Grange, and religiously, both himself and wife are connected with the Evangelical Church, in which he has served as class leader. He is honest, industrious, and thoroughly honorable in all the walks of life, and enjoys the esteem and respect of the community to a large extent.  --HISTORY OF CENTRE AND CLINTON COUNTIES PENNSYLVANIA - by John Blair Linn

Mrs. Belle (Gill) Howard

HOWARD, Mrs. Belle, dramatic reader, born in Center county, Pa., 27th August. 1857. She is the only daughter of Samuel and Mary S. Gill. With her parents, at the age of eight years, she removed to Emporia, Kans., where she was placed in the model department of the State Normal School, and remained a student in that institution for ten years. At the age of eighteen years she began to teach, and not many months later contracted an unfortuinte marriage, and at the end of three years, with her two infant children, she launched upon the world alone. Among other duties the care of an invalid mother fell to her lot. After years of struggles she failed in health and was forced to abandon labor of all kinds. After two years of rest she gained strength enough to take up again life's duties, and with her twelve-year-old daughter, May Belle, began to give musical and elocutionary entertainments. Mrs. Howard inherited from her father musical talent of a high order, and literary talent from her mother. Her musical studies have gone hand in hand with her literary work. She gave lessons in music with her school-teaching. After seven years of successful work in the public schools of Lyon county, in the vicinity of Emporia, Mrs. Howard removed with her family to El Dorado, Kans., teaching in the El Dorado city schools with marked success for a period of three years. Her work was of the character that imbued her pupils with life's lofty purposes. She resigned her position there to devote her energies exclusively to musical and literary work, and organized a prosperous music school at her home. When Garfield University was opened in Wichita, Kans., she moved there from El Dorado for further study and development for herself and children. She obtained a position in the Wichita schools with a salary sufficient to meet all her expenses, tuition in the University and support of her family. Many painful experiences came to her, accompanied by the serious and protracted illness of her mother, herself, and lastly of her son, but she persevered in the work of her life's effort and ambition. Her daughter became at the same time a violinist, elocutionist and vocalist of marked skill. Twenty-five years of Mrs. Howard's life have been spent in the schoolroom, as student and teacher. She now lives in Wichita with her daughter May Belle and son Guello P., a bright lad of fifteen years. She is connected with the Mozart Conservatory' of Music and the Western School of Elocution and Oratory. Her entertainments are generally given in churches, and she is assisted by her daughter.

(Source: American Women, by Frances Elizabeth Willard, Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, Vol 1, 1897. Transcribed by Marla Snow)

ROBERT CAMPBELL GEMMELL.

Robert Campbell Gemmell, one of the foremost mining engineers of the west, is general manager of the Utah Copper Company and since the 1st of August, 1919, has been assistant managing director of the Utah Copper Company, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, the Chino Copper Company and the Ray Consolidated Copper Company. Through successive stages of development he has reached the position of leadership which he occupies in professional circles.

Mr. Gemmell was born at Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, July 5, 1863, a son of Robert Brown and Anna Eliza (Campbell) Gemmell. Actuated ever by a laudable ambition to utilize his time to the best advantage and to make his ability, native and acquired, of greatest force in the business world, Robert C. Gemmell entered the University of Michigan for a course in civil engineering and there won his Bachelor of Science degree in 1884, his degree of Civil Engineer in 1895 and his degree of Master of Engineering in 1913. His professional career has been marked by steady advancement, resulting in the mastery of every situation or duty that has come to him. He was engineer on surreys and construction with the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad from 1884 until 1890 and through the succeeding six years was active as a civil and mining engineer of Utah, Nevada, Idaho and California and was engineer of the De Lamar mines from 1896 until 1901.

In the latter year he was appointed manager of the Mexican Mining Syndicate of Mexico and so continued until 1903, when he was made superintendent of mines for the Guggenheim Exploration Company in Mexico, occupying that position of responsibility until 1905. During the year 1905 he made an examination of mines in Spain, Mexico and the United States, and in 1906 he became general superintendent of the Utah Copper Company, which position he filled until 1909. He was then advanced to the position of assistant general manager and on the 1st of May, 1913. was made general manager, which position lie still occupies. Those who are in the slightest degree familiar with the history of copper mining can realize the importance of his present position as it includes the general management of the world's greatest copper mine. He is also assistant general manager of the Bingham & Garfield Railway Company and a director of the Utah Light & Traction Company. His latest advancement came to him with his promotion on the 1st of August, 1919, to the position of assistant managing director of the Utah Copper Company, the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, the Chino Copper Company and the Ray Consolidated Copper Company.

On the 17th of October, 1888, Mr. Gemmell was united in marriage to Miss Belle E. Anderson, of Salt Lake City, where they make their home and are well known in the best social circles, their residence being at No. 164 East South Temple street. Mr. Gemmell gives his political allegiance to the republican party and has served as state engineer of Utah for two terms, from 1898 until 1901. He has never sought nor desired office, however, outside the strict path of his profession. In the recent crisis which tested the patriotism and loyalty of every citizen Mr. Gemmell proved himself one hundred per cent American, being one of those men who gave liberally of his time, efforts and cooperation to the solution of important public problems. His religious faith is that of the Presbyterian church and the nature of his interests is further indicated in the fact that he has membership in the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Mining Engineers and the Mining & Metallurgical Society of America. That he is appreciative of the social amenities of life is indicated in his connection with the Alta, Bonneville, University, Commercial and Country Clubs of Salt Lake, the Bear River Duck Club of Ogden, the Flat Rock Club of Idaho and the Sequoyah Country Club of Oakland, California. He is also a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, which is indicative of the fact that among his ancestors were those who were loyal defenders of the cause of American independence.

As a citizen of Salt Lake City, he is included among those men whose public spirit and enterprise have always been readily enlisted in the support of any movement or project involving the city's progress or advancement, and his influence and activities along many lines have been of great value. The nature, the breadth and the importance of his interests have placed him in a commanding professional position and, moreover, he is possessed of those qualities which make for personal popularity among a large circle of friends.

[Source: Utah since Statehood: Historical and Biographical Volume 2; By Noble Warrum; Publ. 1919; Transcribed and submitted by Andrea Stawski Pack.]