ABRAHAM C. BOYER, a young business man of Sunbury who is engaged in the manufacture of buggies, carriages and wagons, was born Aug. 30, 1884, in Upper Augusta Township, this county, son of Elias D. Boyer. The Boyers are a branch of an old family of lower Berks County, Pa., established in Northumberland County in 1831 by Peter Boyer, great-grandfather of Abraham C. Boyer.
The emigrant ancestor of the Boyer family was John Philip Beyer, who came from the Palatinate to Philadelphia in 1731, with a number of children. He settled in Frederick Township, Montgomery Co., Pa., but later lived in Amity Township, in the lower end of Berks County, where he died in the spring of 1753, at a ripe old age. He belonged to the Swamp Lutheran Church, and was buried by the pastor, Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, who reports the matter fully in the “Halleschen Nachrichten.” His will is on record at the Philadelphia courthouse, and in it some of his children are named. Among his sons were: Jacob, the ancestor of the Boyertown branch of the family; and Johann Heinrich.
Johann Heinrich Boyer was born in 1714, in the Pfalz, Germany, and died May 2, 1814, in the one hundredth year of his age. In 1748 he was married to Magdalena Kirchner, and among his children—six sons and one daughter—were Philip and Heinrich.
Philip Boyer, born Dec. 14, 1754, died July 31, 1832. His wife, Christiana, who was born in 1754, also died in 1832, and both were buried in the old graveyard at Amityville. Philip Boyer made a will the year before his death, while a resident of Amity Township, and in it he mentions the following children: Michael; Jacob, who had a son Philip; John; Peter; Mary, married to George Koch; and Daniel, born in 1792, who died in 1825.
Peter Boyer, son of Philip, was born in Amity Township, Berks County, and in 1831 came to Northumberland County with his wife and family, which then consisted of twelve children, the youngest two having been born in Lower Mahanoy Township, where they settled. His 170-acre farm in that Township is now owned by one Frank Phillips. Later be moved to Dauphin County, where he owned a valuable farm and mill property for which he paid $12,000, and he died in that county about 1850-51, at the age of sixty-five years. He is buried at Hoffman’s Church, in Lykens Township, Dauphin County. Though a stonemason by trade, he was engaged principally in farming, in which he was very successful and prosperous. He was a strong man, noted for his courageous disposition, and was known locally as “Wammas” Boyer. His wife, Catharine Herb, also of Berks County, lived to the age of eighty-four. They were the parents of fourteen children, as follows: Benjamin, Sally, Elias, Isaac, Rachel, Mary, Hettie, Gabriel, Abraham, Catharine, Josiah and Benneville (twins), John and Leah, the two last named born in Northumberland County.
John Boyer, probably an uncle of Peter Boyer, above, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
Abraham Boyer, son of Peter, was born in Amity Township, Berks County, and came with the family to Lower Mahanoy Township, where he passed the remainder of his active and successful life with the exception of the years he was at Millerstown, Perry County. Like the Boyers generally, he was noted for his industry and thrift, and he became one of the most extensive farmers in Lower Mahanoy Township, owning about five hundred acres of land. He died in Lower Mahanoy Township. Abraham Boyer married Catharine Anderson, daughter of John Anderson, and to them were born six children, namely: S. Pierce; Amelia, who married Henry Pieffer, of Dauphin County, Pa.; John, deceased; Elias D.; Hannah, married to John Lahr of Pillow, Pa.; and Peter, of Pillow.
Elias D. Boyer, son of Abraham, was born April 19, 1857, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and was there reared to farming, in which he has continued to be interested up to the present time. After living in Stone Valley, in Lower Mahanoy, for five years, he moved in 1882 to Upper Augusta Township. where he has since made his home. He is extensively engaged in general farming, owning a number of farms—two in Upper Augusta Township, one of 168 acres and one of seventeen acres; and three in Lower Augusta Township, of sixty-one acres, eighty-nine acres and 105 acres, respectively. As a lumber dealer he has interests all over the county, employing from six to twenty men in this line. as business demands. Mr. Boyer has also engaged in contracting, having put up about forty houses in the borough of Sunbury, where he has invested heavily in real estate. The farm in Upper Augusta Township upon which he makes his home is an attractive and valuable property with a valuable farm stock and well equipped throughout. A good manager, and possessing excellent judgment in business matters, Mr. Boyer has been very successful, and by his own efforts has accumulated considerable property.
In 1878 Mr. Boyer married Catharine Peifer, daughter of Isaac and Eve (Yerger) Peifer, who lived in Jackson Township, and nine children have been born to them: William, now of Fisher’s Ferry, Pa.; John, who died in infancy; Hannah, married to Gordon Neidig, of Lower Augusta Township, this county; Abraham C.; Eve, who died in infancy; Amelia M. who died in infancy; Edward C.; Katie; and Emma V. Mr. Boyer and his family attend the Hollowing Run Union Church, of which he is a Reformed and his wife a Lutheran member. In political conviction he is a Democrat.
Abraham C. Boyer received a public school education. In September, 1906, he came to Sunbury and established his present business, having a factory on the corner of Woodlawn Avenue and Gas Alley for the manufacture of buggies, carriages and wagons, and facilities for all kinds of repairing, of which he makes a specialty. He also acts as agent for Swab’s wagons. Mr. Boyer has gained a lucrative patronage, and gives employment to four men. He is one of the enterprising young business men of the borough and has high standing among his associates and all with whom he has dealings.
On Dec. 21, 1905, Mr. Boyer married Josephine Drumm, daughter of John Drumm, and they have three children, Helen C., Mary A. and Elias D. He and his family are members of the Reformed Church, and fraternally he belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 957 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

BENJAMIN ADAM BOYER, son of Benjamin, was born March 17, 1853, in Lower Mahanoy Township, where he now lives, engaged in farming. He is a typical dark “complected” Boyer, and a representative member of a family noted for enterprise and progressive industry. In his early boyhood he attended both subscription and free schools, and later was a pupil at the Freeburg Academy, in Snyder County, profiting so well by his advantages that when sixteen he began teaching at McKee’s school in Lower Mahanoy Township. In 1874 he began farming on the place in Lower Mahanoy where he has since resided, a tract of 150 acres made up of two farms, the part on which he lives having formerly been his father’s place, the other, which comprises sixty-six acres, having become his by purchase. The former part was originally a Leffler homestead, was next acquired by the Bowman family, and then came into the possession of Benjamin Boyer, father of the present owner, who built a new residence thereon in 1894. It replaced the old log house which had stood for a little over a hundred years, having been erected by the Lefflers, the pioneer settlers on this land. Mr. Boyer was formerly somewhat extensively engaged in the burning of lime, as much as 24,000 bushels per annum. He gave employment to as many as four men, and has throughout his active career proved himself a competent business man. He has been supervisor of his Township since 1905. Mr. Boyer and his children are members of the Reformed Church, Mrs. Boyer uniting with the Lutheran Church. He is a Democrat in politics. In 1873 Mr. Boyer married Lizzie Coleman, daughter of John and Catharine (Artz) Coleman, granddaughter of John Coleman and great-granddaughter of Charles Coleman. Two children have been born to them: Charles I. is a graduate of the State Normal school at Bloomsburg and of Bucknell University, and for a time was engaged in teaching public school and in a business college at Baltimore, but he is now following his profession of civil engineer, being a member of an engineer corps at Altoona, Pa.; John Benjamin is a graduate of the Bloomsburg State Normal school and of Bucknell University, and is a highly successful teacher, being at present principal of the high school at Milroy, Mifflin Co., Pennsylvania. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 222 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

CHARLES B. BOYER, farmer and dealer in agricultural implements, was born, April 27, 1836, son of John and Elizabeth (Bixler) Boyer, was reared upon the homestead farm, and received about five months' schooling in German. He followed farming as an occupation until 1860, when he opened the Union Hotel, where he now resides, and conducted it as a hotel sixteen years, when he discontinued the business and turned his attention to the sale of agricultural implements and farming. He also operated a saw mill on Mahanoy creek from 1868 to 1885, when the dam was torn away by high water. He was postmaster from 1877 to 1885, and filled the offices of supervisor, school director, and auditor. He married in 1858 Lucy, daughter of Benjamin Haupt, who died in 1862, leaving two children: Aaron and Albert. He again married in 1865 Rosanna M. Startzel, who died in 1874, leaving two children: Charles E., and Mary E., the latter deceased. In 1882 he married Ametia Maurer, of Upper Mahanoy township, by whom he has two children: Martha and Elvorda. Mr. Boyer is a member of the Lutheran church, has been connected with Eureka Lodge, I.O.O.F., of Upper Mahanoy township, for thirty-two years, and in politics he is a Republican. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1230 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOHN BOYER was a native of Berks county, who settled in Coal township, now Cameron, and subsequently removed to Columbia county, where he died. He was the father of seven children, and the owner of about four hundred acres of land in what is now Cameron township, and here his children were reared. His son John purchased the farm and cultivated it. The latter married Elizabeth Bixler, and was the father of eleven children; those living are: S. B. Boyer, attorney of Sunbury; Susan, Mrs. J. K. Maurer; Lydia, Mrs. Solomon Zegenfuse; Charles B.; John; Annie, Mrs. Peter Wool; Hettie, Mrs. Samuel Wikel; Angelina, Mrs. Gilbert Reitz, of Mt. Carmel, and Gabriel, of Schuylkill county. He was born in 1803, and died in 1876. He served as supervisor and auditor of the township, and was one of the original members of the Lutheran church, of which he was an elder. He was originally a Democrat, but the last twenty years of his life was a Republican. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1230 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

SOLOMON B. BOYER, attorney at law, was born in Little Mahanoy township, now Cameron, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, January 4, 1829, son of John and Elizabeth (Bixler) Boyer, early settlers of this county. The senior Mr. Boyer, a farmer and merchant by occupation, reared eleven children, nine of whom are living. Solomon B., the eldest, was educated at the common schools, learned the cabinet maker's trade, and occasionally clerked for his father. He read law with the late H. J. Wolverton and was admitted to the bar in August, 1858. Entering at once into practice, he readily gained reputation and popularity, and has for many years been recognized as a successful lawyer in the civil and criminal courts. His practice extends throughout the State, and into all the courts, both State and Federal. Now and for some years past an ardent Democrat, he was during the war a Republican, and held the office of deputy revenue collector under President Lincoln's administration. He has been chief burgess of Sunbury four years and held other minor offices at various times. In Masonry, Odd Fellowship, and Knights of Pythias Mr. Boyer is the foremost man in the county. There is scarcely any position in the order of Odd Fellows, including the office of Grand Master of this State, that he has not held, nor any honors they have not conferred upon him from time to time. He was married in Cameron township in 1850 to Esther Haupt, and has had two children: Francis, his only son, who was accidentally drowned when between nine and ten years of age, and Amelia, wife of J H. McDevitt, of Sunbury. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 827 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

PETER BOYER, youngest son of Abraham Boyer, was born April 15, 1867, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and worked for his parents until he reached the age of twenty-two years. He subsequently farmed some seven years as a tenant on the John Haas farm, three miles east of Milton, Pa. In 1902 he settled in Jordan Township on the valuable farm of 286 acres, near Hebe, which he has since occupied and cultivated. Besides this place he owns other land, having in all 321 acres, of which 209 acres are under cultivation. In addition to farming he is engaged to some extent in lumbering, and he has also been interested in building, having put up five houses in Sunbury during 1907-08. Mr. Boyer married Catharine Troutman, and they have five children: (1) William R., born July 30, 1882, in Lower Mahanoy Township, took a course at Keller’s business college, at Lewisburg, Pa., taught public school for five terms, and has since held his present position, being rural letter carrier No. 1 of Pillow, Pa. He married Minnie Strohecker, and they have three children, Hazel, Helen and Vivian. They live a half mile west of Pillow. (2) John C., born, Aug. 13, 1884, was engaged in farming for a while and then turned to the raising of fancy poultry and lumbering. He lives on his place at Klingerstown, Pa. He married Jennie S. Wiest, and they have three children, Mildred, Margaret and Evelyn. (3) Silas N., born Dec. 15, 1886, lives at home with his parents. He is a prominent young farmer and raiser of swine. (4) Chauncey E., born Dec. 26, 1889, lives with his parents, and devotes most of his time to cattle and horse raising; he is also assistant rural carrier at Pillow. (5) Ramsey E., born May 31, 1894, living with his parents’, is particularly interested in machinery. Benjamin Boyer, son of Peter, was born Aug. 8, 1813, in Amity Township, Berks County, and came with his parents to Northumberland County, locating with them in Lower Mahanoy Township. He was reared to farming, which was always his principal vocation, though during his early manhood he taught school for a time. When twenty-five years old be married and began farming on his father’s place, which he purchased some time later, this farm comprising about one hundred acres, in addition to which he owned two other farms. He prospered greatly in his work, and continued farming until eight years before his death, which occurred Dec. 10, 1887, when he was seventy-four years old. His wife, Catharine Stein, born Aug. 14, 1814, died Sept. 27, 1887. They were members of the Stone Valley Union Church in which he held various offices. Mr. and Mrs. Boyer were the parents of ten children, three of whom died in infancy, the others being: Elias, of Dalmatia, Pa.; John, deceased, who was a resident of Lykens valley, in Dauphin County; Hannah, Mrs. William Seiler; Emeline, Mrs. Emanuel Lark; Caroline, Mrs. Jeremiah Lenker; Benjamin Adam; and Daniel, deceased, who lived in Jordan Township. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 222 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

S. PIERCE BOYER, farmer, of Lower Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, lives on part of the old homestead of his grandfather, Peter Boyer, who moved to this county in 1831 with his family. The Boyers are from Berks County, Pa., where the name has long been a representative one.
The emigrant ancestor of the Boyer family was John Philip Boyer, who came from the Palatinate to Philadelphia in 1731, with a number of children. He settled in Frederick Township, Montgomery Co., Pa., but later lived in Amity Township, in the lower end of Berks County, where he died in the spring of 1753, at a ripe old age. He belonged to the Swamp Lutheran Church, and was buried by the pastor, Rev. Henry Melchior Muhlenberg, who reports the matter fully in the “Hallesehen Nachrichten.” His will is on record at the Philadelphia courthouse, and in it some of his children are named. Among his sons were Jacob, the ancestor of the Boyertown branch of the family; and Johann Heinrich.
Johann Heinrich Boyer was born in 1714, in the Pfalz, Germany, and died May 2, 1814, in the one hundredth year of his age. In 1743 he was married to Magdalena Kirchner, and among his children—six sons and one daughter—were Philip and Heinrich.
Philip Boyer, born Dec. 14, 1754, died July 31, 1832. His wife, Christiana, who was born in 1754, also died in 1832, and both were buried in the old graveyard at Amityville. Philip Boyer made a will the year before his death, while a resident of Amity Township, and in it he mentions the following children: Michael; Jacob, who had a son Philip; John; Peter; Mary, married to George Koch; and Daniel, born in 1792, who died in 1825.
Peter Boyer, son of Philip, was born in Amity Township, Berks County, and in 1831 came to Northumberland County with his wife and family, which then consisted of twelve children, the youngest two having been born in Lower Mahanoy Township, where they settled. His 170-acre farm in that Township is now owned by one Frank Phillips. Later he moved to Dauphin County, where he owned a valuable farm and mill property for which he paid $12,000, and he died in that county about 1850-51, at the age of sixty-five years. He is buried at Hoffman’s Church, in Lykens Township, Dauphin County. Though a stonemason by trade, he was engaged principally in farming, in which he was very successful and prosperous. He was a strong man, noted for his courageous disposition, and was known locally as “Wammas” Boyer. His wife, Catharine Herb, also of Berks County, lived to the age of eighty-four. They were the parents of fourteen children, as follows: Benjamin, Sally, Elias, Isaac, Rachel, Mary, Hettie, Gabriel, Abraham, Catharine, Josiah and Benneville (twins), John and Leah, the two last named born in Northumberland County.
John Boyer, probably an uncle of Peter Boyer, above, served as a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
Abraham Boyer, son of Peter, was born in Amity Township, Berks County, and came with the family to Lower Mahanoy Township, where he passed the remainder of his active and successful life with the exception of the years he was at Millerstown, Perry county. Like the Boyers generally, he was noted for his industry and thrift, and he became one of the most extensive farmers in Lower Mahanoy Township, owning about 500 acres of land. He died in Lower Mahanoy Township Sept. 28, 1894. Abraham Boyer married Catharine Anderson, daughter of John and Mary (Harrold) Anderson, and to them were born six children, namely: S. Pierce; Amelia, who married Henry Kieffer, of Dauphin County, Pa.; John, deceased; Elias D., of Limestone, Upper Augusta Township, this county; Hannah, married to John Lahr, of Pillow, Pa.; and Peter, of Pillow.
S. Pierce Boyer was born Jan. 12, 1853, in Millerstown, Perry Co., Pa., and was but four weeks old when the family returned to Northumberland County, where he was reared to farm life. He worked for his parents until he was thirty years old, when he left home and began farming on his own account in Jordan Township, as a tenant. Some years later he and his brother Elias bought a tract of seventy-one acres near Mandata, Pa., in partnership, and S. Pierce Boyer farmed this tract for twelve years, until he settled on his present place in Lower Mahanoy Township in 1894. He has a tract of 109 acres near Mandata which was at one time part of the old homestead of his grandfather, Peter Boyer, and which has been in the family name for many years. The barn on this place was built by his father, Abraham Boyer, and the present owner has remodeled the house, which is a comfortable dwelling. The place is well kept up and Mr. Boyer is a typical member of his family enterprising and energetic in all he undertakes and prosperous in his farming operations. He has taken some part in local affairs, having served three years as school director of the Township and also as tax collector. He is a Democrat in politics. Mr. Boyer has been quite prominent in church affairs, he being a member of the Reformed congregation at Zion’s Stone Valley Church, which he has served as member of the council for ten years.
In March, 1883, Mr. Boyer married Susan Michael, daughter of Jacob and Catharine (Bobb) Michael, of lower Mahanoy Township, who had a family of six children, namely: John, William, Mary (Mrs. George Philips), Susan, Isaac and Sarah. Mrs. Boyer died April 14, 1893, at the age of forty-two years, the mother of two children: Katie, unmarried, who lives in Sunbury, Pa.; and Carrie, who is living with her parents. Mr. Boyer married for his second wife Ella Drumheller, daughter of Nicholas Drumheller, and to this union there was one child, born dead. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 221 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

WILLIAM C. BOYER, who has an up-to-date meat market and grocery in the borough of Sunbury, is one of the younger business men of that place whose energy and progressiveness have been marked factors in the bringing about of present conditions in its commercial life. He has been a resident of Sunbury since 1900. Mr. Boyer was born in Montour county, Pa., Nov. 13, 1876, and is a member of an old family of that region whose founder there, Henry Boyer, moved from Berks County, this State. He followed farming until his death, and is buried at the Follmer Church. He and his wife Catharine had children as follows: Jacob, Henry, Christopher, Susan, Benjamin, Phebe (Mrs. Thomas Bieber), Leah (Mrs. George Bieber) and Maria (Mrs. Henry Roul).
Benjamin Boyer, son of Henry, lived in Montour county, had a small farm, and engaged in farming and the manufacture of brick. He died Oct. 20, 1889, aged seventy-six years, and is buried at the Follmer Church. To him and his wife Mary (Miller) daughter of Samuel Miller, were born these children: Samuel M. lives at Pottsgrove, Pa., where he is serving as postmaster; George Francis lives in Michigan; Catharine died in infancy; Zacharias M. lives at Milton, Pa.; Charles P. lives on the homestead near Pottsgrove; U. Grant lives at Clarkstown, Pennsylvania.
Zacharias M. Boyer, son of Benjamin, was born May 6, 1851, on the homestead in Montour county, Pa. He was reared upon the farm and also worked in his father’s brickyard. In 1878 he moved to Milton, Northumberland County, where he still makes his home, and has ever since been engaged in the teaming business. He is an industrious and thrifty man, and is regarded by all who know him as an excellent citizen. On Dec. 30, 1875, Mr. Boyer married Emma Lattimere, daughter of Robert and Juliann (Gross) Lattimere, and they have the following children: William C. is mentioned below; Celia married Myron Fowler; Myrtle married Joseph Boyer; Mary; Catharine; Bertha; Robert.
William C. Boyer obtained his education in the common schools of Chillisquaque Township, Northumberland County. He was employed at farm work until he reached the age of sixteen, after which he worked in the Godcharles iron works at Milton for about eight years. On Jan. 7, 1900, he arrived in Sunbury, where he completed an apprenticeship as butcher, in 1904 engaging in the butcher business on his own account at his present location, No. 330 Line Street, corner of Catawissa Avenue. In 1906 he added a line of groceries, and he has since continued both branches of the business, having built up a large trade, one of the most extensive enjoyed by any tradesman in the city. He employs three men steadily. Mr. Boyer carries a very complete and desirable stock of groceries, both staples and fancy lines, and his meat market has the highest reputation. His prosperity is well deserved, for he has worked hard to attain his standing, and is much respected in business circles as well as among his patrons.
On June 23, 1905, Mr. Boyer married Mary Amelia Martz, daughter of William J. and Louisa (Lenig) Martz, of Sunbury, and they have four children: Mildred E., Charles W., Geraldine and Rachel. Mr. and Mrs. Boyer are members of Zion’s Lutheran Church at Sunbury. Fraternally he belongs to the Royal Arcanum, the Modern Woodmen and the P.O.S. of A., all at Sunbury. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 833 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

E. G. BRADFORD, "from all accounts, a lawyer of very considerable ability," was "a tall, heavy, portly man of a commanding appearance," as described by John F. Wolfinger.* He was prosecuting attorney for Northumberland county from April, 1809, to January, 1821, from January to April, 1824, and probably also from 1806 to 1809, from which it is evident that his professional career in this county began early in the present century. He resided at Sunbury in the substantial brick building on Market Street that is now the residence of Samuel J. Packer, 2d. After leaving this county he removed to York, Pennsylvania, and died of apoplexy at Pottsville, May 17, 1836, in the sixty-second year of his age. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 248 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOHN BRADY was born in 1733, son of Hugh and Jane (Young) Brady, who settled in the Cumberland valley near Shippensburg in 1750. His military career began in the French and Indian war. On the 19th of July, 1763, he was commissioned as captain in Colonel Clayton's battalion of the Pennsylvania regiment, and served under Colonel Bouquet in 1764. In 1768 he settled at Standing Stone (Huntingdon), but, having obtained a tract of land on the West Branch opposite Lewisburg in consideration of his military services, he removed thither in 1769, and was thus one of the earliest as he was also one of the most prominent pioneers of Northumberland county. In August 1772, he was foreman of the first jury impanelled after the organization of the county. On the 14th of October, 1776, he was commissioned as captain in the Twelfth Pennsylvania regiment, with which he served in the campaigns in New Jersey and Pennsylvania until the 1st of July, 1778. when the Twelfth was incorporated with the Third. He was then ordered home by General Washington to assist in the defense of the West Branch valley; he had previously removed his family to Muncy and fortified his house (which became a rendezvous for the inhabitants and was known as Fort Brady), and was killed by the Indians while making a reconnaissance in that vicinity, April 11, 1779. He married Mary Quigley, and they were the parents of thirteen children: Samuel, whose skill and success as a captain of rangers is celebrated in the annals of border warfare; James, who died at Sunbury from wounds received in a skirmish with the Indians; William; John, sheriff of Northumberland county, 1794-97; Mary, who married Captain William Gray, of Sunbury; William P., a pioneer and prominent citizen of Indiana county, Pennsylvania; Hugh, major general in the United States Army; Jane; Robert; Agnes; Hannah, who married Captain Robert Gray, of Sunbury; Joseph, and Liberty, who married William Dewart, of Sunbury. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 717 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)
CAPT. JOHN BRADY, one of the most distinguished of the early settlers of the West Branch Valley, was the second son of Hugh Brady and Hannah Brady, and was born in 1733 near Newark, Del., where he received a good education and taught school. He came with his parents to Pennsylvania, and soon won the love of Mary Quigley. At twenty-two, the age of his marriage, he was six feet in height, well formed, with black hair, hazel eyes and a dark complexion. Fearless, impulsive and generous, he was one whom friends loved and enemies hated. Soon after his marriage the breaking out of the French and Indian war caused him to enlist in the service and defend his country from the merciless invaders. On July 19, 1763, he was commissioned captain, 2d Battalion of the Pennsylvania regiments; commanded by Gov. John Penn and Lieut. Cols. Asher Clayton and Tobias Frances. In 1764 he received his commission of captain in the 2d Pennsylvania Battalion, in Colonel Bouquet’s expedition west of the Ohio, in which campaign he participated, and he took part in the land grant to the officers in that service during the year 1766. He was actively engaged against the Indians who made desperate slaughter in Bedford and Cumberland counties, and killed many of the settlers. When his regiment reached Bedford, the officers drew a written agreement wherein they asked the proprietaries for sufficient land on which to erect a compact and defensible town, and give each a commodious plantation on which to build a dwelling. Capt. John Brady was one of the officers who signed this petition. In 1768, “urged by the restless, mysterious impulse that moulds the destiny of the pioneer of civilization,” he removed his family to Standing Stone, now Huntingdon, Pa. The following year he again changed his location to a site opposite the present town of Lewisburg, Pa. At that period titles to uncultivated lands could be secured by erecting a house, and by cutting a few trees by way of improvement. In this manner he took up a vast tract of land on the West Branch of the Susquehanna, and had he lived longer he would have been one of the wealthiest men in the State. Owing to the carelessness of those connected with the management of his affairs, his family was deprived of much benefit from his exertions.
In 1776 he took his wife and children and belongings to Muncy manor, where he built a semi-fortified log house, known later as “Brady’s Fort.” It was a private affair and was not classed among the provincial fortifications. The spot on which it stood is in the borough of Muncy and a slight elevation in a field is pointed to as the exact plot of ground. After Northumberland County was formed, Capt. John Brady was appointed foreman of the first grand jury, and served in many such capacities afterwards.
Not slow to respond to the call to arms in defense of home and the independence of the nation, he marched to the front in some of the bloodiest engagements of the war of the Revolution. He fought with Washington at Brandywine, where his two sons, Samuel and John, were with him, and he was wounded in the mouth. The loss of some teeth was the result but he was disabled by an attack of pleurisy and sent home.
In 1775 Colonel Plunkett made his famous expedition to the Wyoming Valley, and John Brady was one of his ablest assistants. The Connecticut settlers claimed under their charter the territory of the Province of Pennsylvania as far south as the 41st degree of latitude, which ran a mile north of Lewisburg, and determined to enforce their rights. In 1772 a party of them reached the present town of Milton, but were driven back by Colonel Plunkett. The settlers were not subdued and the contest was waged many years. They advanced to the Muncy Valley and made a settlement where the town was later located. In order to punish the intruders for their presumption it occupying this part of the West Branch region blood was shed and lives were lost.
John Brady was a surveyor of land in Cumberland, Buffalo and White Deer Valleys, and in the possession of his descendant, Mrs. Charles Gustav Ernst, nee Mollie Brady Cooper, of Punxsutawney Pa., is a surveyor’s guide book, entitled “Table of Difference of Latitude and Departure” to navigators, land surveyors, etc., “compiled at the instance of a committee of the Dublin Society, by John Hood, Land Surveyor. Published in Dublin in 1772.” She has also an account book which has on the inside of the leather cover the words printed in ink, “John Brady, His Book, Cumberberland County, 1765.”
On March 3, 1776, he was commissioned major of the battalion commanded by Colonel Plunket and on Oct. 14, 1776, captain in the 12th regiment of the Pennsylvania Line, commanded by Col. William Cooke, whose two daughters became wives of two of Capt. John Brady’s sons. In 1778 on the invasion of the Wyoming Valley, he went with his family to Sunbury, and Sept. 1, 1778 returned to the army. In the spring of 1779 he received orders to join Colonel Hartley on the West Branch, and on the 11th of April, 1779, was killed by a concealed body of Indians. He had taken an active part in efforts to subdue the atrocities, and his daring and repeated endeavor intensified their hatred and desire to capture him resulting fatally on that springtime morning. With a guard and wagon he went up the river Wallis to procure supplies. His family was living at the “Fort” at Muncy during the winter and early spring, and from his home to the provision house was only a few hours ride. On their return trip about three miles from Fort Brady, at Wolf Run, they stopped to wait for the wagon, which was coming another way. Peter Smith, whose family was massacred on the 10th of June, and on who’s farm young James Brady was mortally wounded, was by his side. Capt. John Brady said: “It would be a good place for Indians to hide.” Smith replied in the affirmative, when the report of three rifles was heard, and the Captain fell without uttering a sound. He was shot with two balls between the shoulders. Smith mounted the horse of his commander and escaped to the woods unharmed, and on to the settlement. It was not known what Indians did the shooting, but proof was evident that a party had followed him with intent to kill. In their haste, they did not scalp him, nor take his money, a gold watch, and his commission, which he wore in a bag suspended from his neck, his dearest earthly possession. Thus perished one of the most skilled and daring Indian fighters, as well as one of the most esteemed and respected of men, on whose sterling qualities and sound judgment the pioneers of the entire settlement depended.
Carried to his home at Fort Brady, which he built and is now within the borough limits of Muncy, his heroic little wife looked the second time upon the blood-stained form of one of her family, her son James having met the same fate on the 8th of August of the preceding year.
Laid to rest on the hillside, where few internments had been made, his grave was well nigh forgotten, and weeds and briars hid the lonely mound of earth, until the spot was identified through the efforts of a granddaughter of Capt. John Brady, Mrs. Backus, wife of Gen. Electus Backus, U. S. A. Prior to 1830, at Halls, a heavy granite marker was erected bearing the inscription “Captain John Brady Fell in defense of our forefathers at Wolf Run, April 11, 1779—Aged 46 years.”
An old comrade who was present at his burial pointed to the site and requested that he be laid by his side. His request was granted, and near by it Capt. John Brady’s grave is that of his friend Henry Lebo. The Lycoming Chapter, D. A. R. recently honored his memory by placing an appropriate marker between his grave and that of his is faithful comrade.
A hundred years after his death, through a dollar subscription fund, raised by Mr. J. M. M. Gernerd, a monument was placed in the cemetery at Muncy, and unveiled Oct. 15, 1879. The date 1779 is on the front of the shaft, the name “John Brady” in the die, and the date of erection, 1879, in the sub-base. In closing his oration at the unveiling of the monument, Hon. John Blair Linn, of Bellefonte, Pa., said:

“To Captain Brady’s descendants, time fails me in paying a proper tribute. When border tales have lost their charm for as the evening hour; when oblivion blots from the history page the glorious record of Pennsylvania in the Revolution of 1776, then and then only will Captain Samuel Brady of the Rangers be forgotten. In private life, in public office, at the bar, in the Senate of Pennsylvania, in the House of Representatives of the U. S., in the ranks of battle, Captain John Brady’s sons and grandsons and great-grandsons have flung far forward into the he future the light of their family fame.”

Capt. John Brady was foremost in all expeditions that went out from the West Branch settlement, and his untimely death was a sore affliction. When the inmates of the fort heard the report of the rifles that ended his life, they, with his wife, ran to ask Smith, who was with him, where he was, and his reply, “In heaven or hell or on his way to Tioga,” showed his rapid flight for, he did not wait to see whether Captain Brady was killed or taken prisoner. His was a remarkable career, and death, claiming him in the prime of manhood, robbed the earth of one of her strongest sons, and the nation of one of her most loyal subjects, but in the lives and life work of his children were continued and completed the blessings and benefits to mankind commenced so unselfishly by him.
Capt. John Brady had an older brother, Samuel, who was also, a noted Indian fighter. He was one of the two men who escaped from Fort Freeland at the time of its capture by the Indians. He afterward moved to Indiana County, where he died in 1811, after having spent more than thirty years in defense of the Pennsylvania frontiers.
Capt. John Brady and his wife were the parents of thirteen children: Capt. Samuel Brady, the noted Indian fighter; James Brady, who was mortally wounded by the Indians near Muncy in 1778; William, who died in infancy; John Brady, afterward sheriff of Northumberland County, and who was the father of Hon. Jasper Ewing Brady, and of William Perry Brady and Samuel Brady, both of whom distinguished themselves in the war of 1812; Mary Brady, who married Capt. William Gray, of Sunbury; William P. Brady, who was, the father of Col. Hugh Brady and grandfather of Capt. Evan Rive Evans Brady; Gen. Hugh Brady, who distinguished himself in the war of 1812 and rose to a major generalship in the regular army; Jane Brady, who started the first Sunday school in Sunbury; Robert Brady; Agnes Brady, who died in infancy; Hannah Brady, who married Maj. Robert Gray, of Sunbury; Joseph Brady, who died in infancy; and Liberty Brady, who married Maj. William Dewart, of Sunbury. Cyrus Townsend Brady, the author, is a direct descendant of Capt. John Brady. Contributed by W. G. Murdock. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 693 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

SAMUEL BRADY (deceased) passed his latter years in retirement at Shamokin, where his widow now makes her home. He was a lifelong resident of Northumberland County, and followed farming near Elysburg, in Ralpho Township, the principal part of his active life. Mr. Brady was born near Elysburg in 1847, son of Abraham Brady, who was a farmer and well known citizen of that locality. He died upon his farm in 1889. His children were: Katie, wife of George Leibig; Clara, Mrs. Yoder; Josephine, living at Bloomsburg, Pa.; Frain, living at Tharptown, Pa.; Samuel, deceased; Oliver, living near Elysburg; and George, of Tharptown. Samuel Brady attended the public schools, but he was a mere boy when he began work at the breaker. Later he followed railroading for several years. He began farming in Ralpho Township, continuing that occupation throughout his active years, but always had his residence in Shamokin. By thrift and industry he made a success of his work, in which he acquired a competence. Sometime before his death he lived in retirement dying at Shamokin June 8, 1907. He is buried in the Odd Fellows cemetery at Shamokin. Mr. Brady was a Lutheran in religions connection, and a man who deserved the respect in which he was held by all who knew him. On Aug. 15, 1874, Mr. Brady married Sarah Lints, daughter of Daniel Lints, of Northumberland County, and she still resides at their Shamokin home. Four children were born to Mr. and Mr. Brady: Samuel, who is employed as a fireman at the Henry Clay colliery, married Miranda Dillaplain, and they have had six children, Jennie, Eva, Beatrice, Bertha, Gladys and Florence; Oliver died in infancy; Minnie died aged two years; Jennie is the wife of Irvin Kissler of Shamokin, in Northumberland County, and they have one child, Mildred. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 687 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

WILLIAM L. BRAUN, a practical and successful miller, at present the proprietor of Braun’s mill, near Milton, in Turbut Township, this County, is a native of Lycoming County, Pa., born at Nesbit, a small town above Williamsport, in 1867, son of G. F. Braun. Christian Braun, grandfather of William L., lived at Spielberg, in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, and there died at the age of forty-eight years. He married his cousin, Magdalena Braun, and they had several children, two of whom, Jacob and G. F., came to America, the others dying young. Jacob settled near Buffalo, where be died leaving a large family, who still make their home in that vicinity. G. F. Braun was born at Spielberg, a little town of about four hundred population, Dec. 3, 1831, and was twenty-two years of age when he came to this country. He had learned the miller’s and baker’s trades in his native land, and was thus well equipped to make his way to prosperity, in America. He had married in Germany, and he and his wife made the voyage to America in a sailing vessel, being on the water forty days before they landed at New York City. Their first settlement was made at Buffalo, N.Y., where Mr. Braun worked as a miller. He built a home in what is now a very busy part of that city. In 1863 he located at Nesbit, in Lycoming County, where he worked at milling. In 1892 he and his two sons, John and William L., bought the Milton mill, and conducted it under the name of G. F. Braun & Sons until the death of John, in 1902. The father still resides at Nesbit, where he has become very well known, and where he is highly respected. To him and his wife, Annie, were born children as follows: Louisa, Emma, John, Mary, Charles, Tillie, William L. and Flora. William L. Braun attended the local schools, and under his father’s careful instruction learned the miller’s trade. In 1907 he purchased his present property. This was a good mill, built in 1874 by William Kemmerer, a native of Berks County. The roller process was installed when Mr. Braun, his father and his brother John bought it. It has four sets of rolls, and is modern throughout in its equipment. Mr. Braun has a special brand of flour known as the “Streight,” which has a very wide reputation, and all his goods, in fact, find a ready sale. Fraternally Mr. Braun is a member of Lodge No. 84, I.O.O.F., and Aerie No. 1208, F.O.E., of Milton. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 473 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

DANIEL BRAUTIGAM, a native of Philadelphia, where he was born, March 30, 1788, was in business for some years, individually or in Partnership with others, at a stone building on the northeast side of Queen street between Water and Front, now occupied by Straub's feed store. He was appointed prothonotary of Northumberland county, January 29, 1836, and filled that position until February 5, 1839. He died, March 10, 1863. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 526 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

REV. GEORGE J. BRECKEL,* who is faithfully discharging the duties of pastor of St. Joseph's Church of Milton, Northumberland County, Pa., and of St. Michael's Church at Sunbury, is a man in whom every member of his parish unhesitatingly reposes confidence, and one whom everybody esteems. He is a son of Francis and Mary Annie (Klute) Breckel, and was born in Lancaster, Pa., September 8, 1870. Francis Breckel, the father of our subject, was born in the Kingdom of Wurtemberg, Germany, September 1, 1824, and after receiving a good education learned the trade of a baker. He soon after came to America and located in Philadelphia, and subsequently in Lancaster, Pa., where he followed his trade, after some time entering business on his own account. He contracted what is known as baker's consumption and was obliged to give up his bakery, but he purchased a small piece of land in the suburbs, on which he erected a home, and there lived until his death, March 9, 1875. Politically he was a Democrat. He was united in marriage with Mary Annie Klute, who was born in the town of Olendorf, Armsberg, Kingdom of Prussia, Germany, December 25, 1825. She was left an orphan at an early age and came to this country, making her home at Lancaster, where she married Mr. Breckel. Their union resulted in the following issue: Rev. Francis L.; Tressia, who died at the age df twenty-one; Mary, who died at the age of nine years; Margaret and Elizabeth, twins, who died in infancy; Sophia, wife of D. Gochenour of Lancaster; John, deceased; and George J., the subject of this biographical record. Rev. George J. Breckel obtained his preliminary training in the parochial school at St. Joseph's, Lancaster, and was prepared for the ministry at St. Vincent's, entering in 1885, and taking a complete classical, philosophical and theological course of study. On July 16, 1896, he was ordained to the priesthood by ;Rt. Rev. Thomas McGovern, Bishop of Harrisburg, at the Cathedral, a nephew of the Bishop being ordained at the same time. He was shortly after called to his first charge, as pastor of St. Joseph's Church at Milton and of St. Michael's at Sunbury, and has continued as such up to the present time. Among the earliest settlers of Milton were many Catholics, and the first religious services held in the valley of the West Branch were held by them immediately after the close of the Revolutionary War. They were held in an old log hut which was erected for that purpose on the farm of Martin Kieffer, and it is recorded that some of the old Catholics of Turbot township were buried there as far back as 1787. A missionary priest occasionally visited the settlement to celebrate mass, instruct and baptize the children, and preach the word of God to the little congregation, thus keeping alive the spark of Catholic faith in the hearts of those pioneer families. About four acres of land for parochial and burial purposes were deeded to Rev. Francis Neale of Georgetown, D. C, by John and Margaret Kieffer May 13, 1805, adjoining the place of worship, which was destroyed by fire May 14, 1880. On March 1, 1882, Father Ganss, who was then pastor, bought the property previously known as the old Academy Hill, lying south and east of the old parochial residence built by his predecessor, and upon the exact site of the academy he erected the present church at a total expense of $10,000. He subsequently laid out the grounds in lawns and terraces, and the property is now one of the handsomest in Milton. The building is in thorough harmony with the best and most approved ideas of Gothic architecture. It is conspicuously located on one of the historic spots in Milton, around which cluster many of the tenderest ties and most sacred memories of pioneer days. St. Michael's Church at Sunbury, a mission connected with St. Joseph's parish, had its beginning in the autumn of 1863, as a result of the efforts of Rev. J. J. Koch, who had previously conducted services at the home of a Mr. McNamara, which stood on the site of the Pennsylvania depot, and in the home of John Leavy, on Fourth street. At the latter place he conducted services once every month until 1866, when he was called to Shamokin. During this time he collected subscriptions amounting to $300, which formed the nucleus of the fund subsequently used in purchasing the property on which the church now stands. Rev. Arthur McGinnis of Danville acted as pastor during the following two years, but since that time the pastors of Milton have had charge. About this time Maj. Malone made a grand effort toward securing a permanent place of worship, and as a result of his endeavors and those of his able assistant, Rev. Michael McBricle of Harrisburg, enough money was obtained to purchase the old Methodist Church on Arch street in 1872, the purchase price amounting to $3,500. It was at once fitted up for Catholic worship and was dedicated by Bishop Shanahan, and services have since been held there weekly. Rev. Daniel Maher succeeded Father Ganss as pastor of St. Joseph's, and he in turn was succeeded by Rev. Thomas Hayes, who was relieved by the present pastor. Father Breckel is a learned, zealous and energetic priest, and although he has been connected with the parish but a few years, he has the entire confidence of all who have been so fortunate as to know him. He is especially popular among the younger members of the congregation and is at all times devoted to their interests and ready to encourage and foster every laudable enterprise that will advance them. In season and out of season he has been assiduous in his labors for the elevation of his flock, and all ages and conditions have been the objects of his pastoral care. Whilst there he has made improvements in many ways, and his good work, perseverance and excellent business methods have made him a host of admirers, not only among his parishioners but the people in general who appreciate the learned priest for his strict integrity. In the cause of temperance he has taken an advanced position and his work in this line has been most gratifying to him in its happy success.* The information contained in this biography was supplied by the subject of this sketch. A type-set copy of the biography was sent to the subject to be proof-read, but the subject did not edit and return the copy, so this biography may contain typographical errors. (Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY, 1899 , pg. 753 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

PETER BRECKER, mine foreman, Locust Gap colliery, was born in Bavaria, Germany, January 5, 1844, son of Peter and Magdalena (Omler) Brecker, who emigrated in 1849, and from that date until 1871 the father was employed in the mines of Schuylkill county. In the latter year he removed to Locust Gap, where he was killed by the fall of an embankment, May 5, 1875. Of his family five children are living: Peter; Nicholas; Harriet, Mrs. Alexander Butt, and Charles. Their maternal grandparents, John and Magdalena (Colby) Omler, natives of Germany, settled near St. Clair in 1851. There Mr. Brecker received his education, and began life as a miner. In 1871 he came to Locust Gap, and assumed his present position in 1875. May 15,1867, he married Mary A., daughter of Peter and Magdalena (Luck) Steinfeld, natives of Bavaria, and to this union seven children have been born: Henrietta C.; Elizabeth; Peter N.; Josephine M.; Joseph J.; Henry W., and George F. In politics Mr. Brecker is a Democrat, and has been intrusted with various township offices; the family is Catholic in faith. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1062 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

REV. A. J. L. BREINIG, pastor of the Lutheran church, Trevorton charge, was born in Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, April 25, 1860, son of Edwin L. and Catharine (Swartz) Breinig, natives of that county and farmers by occupation. Mr. Breinig was educated at Muhlenburg College, Allentown, Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated in 1884. He then took a theological course of three years at the Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, was ordained as a minister of the Gospel in 1887, and in December of the same year was appointed to his present charge. In 1888 he married Annie S., daughter of Joseph Keefer, of Lehigh county, by whom he has one child, Joseph. Politically he is a Democrat. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1174 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

PATRICK F. BRENNAN district superintendent of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal & Iron Company, is a man of great prominence in the Seventeenth Congressional District of Pennsylvania. His position is one of vast importance not only to his employers but to the thousands of laboring men under his supervision. In 1895 he was appointed district superintendent of the Southern Coal & Iron Works and he has exhibited much executive ability in his management of the same. The district in his charge includes the following collieries: Henry Clay, Big Mountain, Sterling, Burnside, Bear Valley, North Franklin and Buck Ridge. These collieries furnish employment to about 3,800 men and boys and are all located in Northumberland County. Besides his varied duties in superintending these collieries Mr. Brennan has been partially instrumental in bringing about important changes in the mining laws. He was appointed by Gov. Robert Pattison a member of a commission consisting of eleven to revise the old mining law then in operation. The commissioners gravely considered the situation and the present law is the result. Our subject was born September 3, 1853, in the southern part of Schuylkill County, Pa. His father died when he was eleven years of age, leaving a widow and four children, our subject being one of them. Thus, early in life, he was obliged to work hard to assist in supporting the family. At the age of eleven years he began his industrious career by working as door-boy of Preston Mine No. 2, located at Girardville, operated at that time by Eaton & Company. As he was active and attentive to his duties he was soon promoted from that position to a better one and finally became a miner. On account of his superior skill he was advanced to foreman of the Suffolk Colliery, near Mahanoy City, which position he resigned to accept his present much more important and lucrative situation, mentioned in the beginning of this sketch. In 1886 Mr. Brennan was a prominent figure in the Knights of Labor and in that year was a delegate to the Miners' District Assembly, which was held in Indianapolis, Ind. At all times our subject has been ready and willing to do all in his power to assist and help those who are under his supervision. Mr. Brennan sought and won Elizabeth Murphy for his wife and their nuptials were consummated July 1, 1880. The following children have been born to them: Thomas: Laura; Annie, Lizzie, Helen, and Joseph, all deceased; James; Joseph; Eleanor; and Ida. During his experience as a miner while working at Preston Mine No. 2 he received severe injuries, caused by a gas explosion, and has never entirely recovered from them. Politically Mr. Brennan inclines to the party of Jefferson and Jackson, but does not ally himself with it when its politics do not suit him. He served one term as burgess of Girardville and was also tax collector and chief of police of the same town. Few men can boast of having more friends and influence in the Seventeenth Congressional District than our worthy subject. (Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY, 1899 , pg. 441Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

THOMAS L. BRENNAN, proprietor of the “Kellagher Hotel” at Locust Gap, in Mount Carmel Township, has but recently settled at that place, and until he took charge of the hotel was engaged in mining. He is a native of Schuylkill County, Pa., born April 14, 1871, at Pottsville, and is of Irish descent, his father, John Brennan having been born in Ireland. John Brennan came to the United States when a young man, and settled at Pottsville, Pa. He was a shoemaker, and followed his trade there until his death, which occurred in 1873. He married Catherine Colby, who survived him many years, dying in 1899, and they are buried at Pottsville. They had a large family, namely: Patrick, Annie, Elizabeth, Michael, William, James Catherine, Mary, Margaret, John and Thomas L. Thomas L. Brennan attended the public schools of Pottsville and began work at the mines when only a boy, picking slate. Later he became a regular miner and on coming to Locust Gap, in February, 1908, was employed at tunnel work for a year at the Locust Spring colliery. On Feb. 23, 1909, he took charge of the “Kellagher Hotel,” a well known and old established hotel stand in this region which he has since successfully managed. He has an obliging disposition which wins and holds custom, and bids fair to continue the popularity the hotel has always enjoyed. On Feb. 23, 1909, Mr. Brennan married Mrs. Margaret (Brown) Kellagher, widow of Michael Kellagher. They have no children. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 541 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

ANDREW NEBINGER BRICE, editor and proprietor of the Sunbury Weekly News, is a lawyer by profession and a justice of the peace by repeated elections. He was born at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, February 2, 1840, son of Thomas and Mary (Wenck) Brice, natives of this county and the city of Philadelphia, and of Irish and German extraction, respectively. Mr. Brice was educated at the common schools and in the office of the Sunbury Gazette he started to learn the printing business in 1857, serving three years and a half. In the spring of 1861 he assisted in starting the Northumberland County Democrat, and was connected with that paper about a year, reading law in the meantime with Judge Alexander Jordan. In the summer of 1862 he joined the army and was made second lieutenant of Company C, One Hundred and Thirty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers, served nine months, and was mustered out as first lieutenant. July 4, 1863, he re-entered the army, going out as a private in a volunteer cavalry squadron, and served six months. September 7, 1864 he again enlisted and served nearly one year as a private in Company H, Fifth Pennsylvania Cavalry. While a member of the One Hundred and Thirty-first regiment he was at Chancellorsville and Antietam, with the volunteer squadron he was looking after the wounded at Gettysburg, and with the Fifth Cavalry he was in front of Richmond and Five Forks. In front of Richmond, December 14, 1864, he was slightly wounded, but the great irreparable injury received by him while a soldier was not caused by the armed enemy; it was the more formidable and dangerous work of disease. That enemy that attacks you in the air you breathe, in the water you drink, in the food you eat; that silent, invisible, and insidious monster which hovers about you while you sleep; that evil genius which mixes the fetid effluvium of decaying animal and vegetable matter with the pure hydrogen and oxygen of life and plants the germ of destruction in the blood - from the wounds of this enemy. Mr. Brice will never wholly recover. After the war he resumed the study of law and diversified the time with school teaching until admitted to the bar in 1870. He has been three years chief burgess of Sunbury, more than once in the council, and five times elected justice of the peace. In 1881 he started the Sunbury News, which in 1883 absorbed the old Gazette, and is publishing the Legal News, a small periodical of law-book size. Mr. Brice was first commander of the local post of the G.A.R. He is a past grand of the Order of Odd Fellows, past chief patriarch of the Encampment branch, and also past grand marshal of the State of Pennsylvania of the same order. As a Mason he belongs to the Elysburg Lodge, and is a member of Northumberland Chapter of Sunbury. He belongs to the commandery at Danville and to Bloomsburg Consistory, having taken thirty-two degrees in Masonry. He is a past master of the Blue lodge and a past high priest of the chapter. He is one of the leading Republicans of the county, having served three years as chairman of the county committee. In his leisure moments he has been working on the history of his first regiment, the One Hundred and Thirty-first Pennsylvania Volunteers. The new building just put up by him where the News is located is opposite his residence. It is a well equipped newspaper office, in height three stories and a basement, the basement containing the newspaper Hoe press, boiler, and engine. Though Mr. Brice of late years has suffered much from ill health, contracted from exposure in the field, he is a very busy worker, spending most of his time with a pen in his hand. It is a noteworthy fact in his life that in 1880 he was offered the nomination for Congress, but declined it in favor of another county in the congressional district. He was married in Sunbury, July 31, 1862, to Rebecca Friling, and has three children: Edward L.; William F., and Mary. His sons are associated with him in newspaper business. He was commissioned postmaster of Sunbury by President Harrison, and his son, William F., is the efficient deputy in charge. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 843 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOHN J. BRIERLEY, of Trevorton, Northumberland County, has been superintendent of the silk mill at that point since January, 1908, the plant being a branch of the Shamokin Silk Mills, owned by J. H. and C. K. Eagle. The business has been his life work. His aptitude for this industrial art, and his long practical experience, make him a valuable man in his capacity as superintendent. Mr. Brierley was born Jan. 2, 1867, in Paterson, N.J., where his father, John Brierley, a native of England, settled upon coming to America, in 1854. The father was employed throughout his active years by the Hinchliffe Brothers, brewers, of Paterson. He married Sarah Clark. John J. Brierley attended the public schools of his native city. When only a boy of twelve he began to work in the silk mills, beginning at the bottom, and he has worked his way up through the various stages of employment, rising by efficient service to his present responsible position. In 1898 he came to Shamokin, Pa., entering the Shamokin Silk Mills as a foreman, and when the mills passed into the ownership of the Eagle brothers he continued as foreman in their employ. In January, 1908, he was sent to Trevorton to take charge of the branch mill there, as superintendent. About one hundred hands are employed in this plant, which is kept busy constantly, the output of these mills finding a steady demand in the market. Mr. Brierley’s efficiency and devotion to his work, and his intelligent comprehension of its requirements and possibilities, have brought out his executive qualities, which have proved quite as important in the successful operation of the plant as his thorough knowledge of silk manufacturing. On Feb. 21, 1888, Mr. Brierley married Charlotte Miller, of New Jersey, and they have three children: David M., Elsie C. and Charlotte M. The family home is at Edgewood. Mr. Brierley is a Mason and an Odd Fellow, belonging to Shamokin Lodge, No. 255, F. & A.M., to Lodge No. 664, I.O.O.F., and to the Triple Link Club of Shamokin. In religious connection he is a Lutheran. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 183 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOHN M. BRIGHT is engaged in the lumber business at Seventh and Oak Streets, Mount Carmel to which place he came in September, 1900, having bought out his brother, Hunter F. Bright.
This Bright family has long been established in Pennsylvania, and is of old standing in Berks County, where Michael Brecht, as the name was formerly spelled, was married in 1728 to Margareta Simone. He was born in 1706 and died 1794; she was born in 1708 and died in 1778. They had the following children: Jacob, born April 13, 1729; George, Feb. 9, 1731; Michael, March 24, 1732; Katherine, April 6, 1734; John, Feb. 20, 1736; Peter, May 13, 1738; David, Aug. 9, 1740; Maria, Aug. 1, 1742; Sarah, Jan. 19, 1745; and Christina, Aug. 12, 1747. A genealogical sketch of this Bright family, in pamphlet form, prepared by the late A. G. Green, Esq., May be found among the archives of the Berks County Historical Society.
Michael Bright evidently the son of Michael recorded above as born March 24, 1732, was the great-grandfather of John M. Bright. He was born in Berks County, and was an early pioneer in central Pennsylvania.
Hunter F. Bright, son of Michael, was born in Lewisburg, Union Co., Pa., and passed many years in Schuylkill County, living at Minersville and later settling at Ashland. He died in Philadelphia at the age of ninety-nine years. He was engaged in the lumber business. To his marriage with Catharine Dreher were born four children: William H., Daniel, Harrison and Carrie (who married James Lawrence).
William H. Bright son of Hunter F. and Catharine (Dreher) Bright, was born at Minersville, Schuylkill Co., Pa., Nov. 27, 1831. He learned the saddler’s trade, but did not follow it long, as he embarked in the hotel business and later engaged in the lumber business at Ashland, cutting most of the timber in that district He died Jan. 11, 1896, at Reading, Pa., while on a visit and was buried at Ashland. Mr. Bright married Anna Barbara Seitzinger, who was born Feb. 18, 1839, daughter of Peter Seitzinger, at one time a large landowner in Schuylkill County, who sold big property to the Reading Company. Mrs. Bright died July 26, 1902. She was the mother of a large family, namely: Kate, born Nov. 7, 1855; Adelaide L., born June 20, 1857 (wife of Rev. A. Stewart, a Presbyterian minister now located at Marietta, Pa.); Hunter F., born Jan. 18, 1859, who resides at Ashland, following the lumber business there and at Hazleton, Pa., and in the South (he married Laura Orth); Winfield P.; born Oct. 16, 1860, who died young; Martin D., born Nov. 26, 1861, Eveline E., born May 11, 1865 (wife of H. A. Acker, of Reading, Pa.) William E., born May 26, 1870; John M.; and David J., born Nov. 19, 1877.
John M. Bright was born Dec. 27, 1873, at Ashland, Schuylkill Co., Pa., and there received his education, attending high school. He was thoroughly trained to practical lumbering by his father, and has been principally engaged in that business since he commenced his active career. In September, 1900, Mr. Bright located at Mount Carmel, having bought the interests of his brother, Hunter F. Bright at this point. His yard is located at Seventh and Oak Streets and is the center of a large trade, which is being steadily built up under Mr. Bright’s excellent management. He is also agent for the Rubberoid roofing. With an extensive knowledge of his business gained by actual experience, and an enterprising spirit that is equal to the demands of modern successful operations, Mr. Bright has made a good start on a prosperous business life.
Mr. Bright married Bertha E. Slanker, daughter of David Slanker, of Gordon, Schuylkill Co., Pa. They have had two children, William and Marshall.
Mr. Bright is a member of the Elks lodge at Mount Carmel, and of the American Fire Company of Ashland, Pennsylvania. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 283 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

WILLIAM S. BRIGHT was born at Sunbury in 1812, son of Jacob Bright, and read medicine with Doctor Rush, of Philadelphia, graduating from Jefferson Medical College in 1842. He began the practice of medicine at Northumberland, where he remained until 1849; he was then successively located at Philadelphia, at Jackson, Mississippi, at New Orleans, and at Galveston, Texas, where he died, August 2, 1890. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 266 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

BROSIOUS or BROSIUS, two of the commonest forms in which this name is found, is the patronymic of a family numerously represented in Northumberland County, where several distinct branches reside. It is said that the family was settled in Lancaster county before coming to this region, and that Sebastian Brosious, from whom many of the name trace their line, came from that county. About 1780 he obtained from William Dunbar a tract of land in the lower end of this county upon which Dalmatia, (Georgetown) is now located, and this land he left to his son John George Brosius, who opened a store and erected a mill. This mill as originally built by George Brosius was a log structure, situated on the Stone Valley creek at the lower end of Dalmatia, and is said to have been the first in the southern part of Northumberland County. It subsequently became known as the Witmer mill. Sebastian Brosius must have been in this section before the land transaction mentioned, as in 1777, when Mahanoy Township was organized, he became its first constable. Unfortunately be left no will, and there seem to be no records to show definitely who his children were, but the following were undoubtedly his sons: Peter, Abraham, John (head of the Lower Mahanoy branch) and another son who founded the Jordan Township branch.
Members of the family were also in Berks County, Pa. The last will and testament of one Nicholas Brosius, of the borough of Reading, on record in Will Book 3, page 134, at the Berks County courthouse, was proved June 28, 1790. He was married Feb. 12, 1789, and his wife Frances was appointed executrix. They had no children. His only brother, Henry Brosius, “shall have all my wearing apparel of every kind whatsoever, together with the sum of ten pounds in gold and silver money, all to be settled by my executors three months after my decease; rest shall belong to my beloved wife Frances, who shall be my sole heir and executor.” This Nicolas Brosius died at Reading in June, 1790.
In 1806, when Mahanoy Township, which originally embraced all that area now divided into Jackson, Washington, Upper Mahanoy, Jordan and Lower Mahanoy Townships, was divided, one Nicholas Brosius was one of the supervisors of that section now called Upper Mahanoy, and Abraham Brosius was one of the two overseers of the poor of said Township. In 1845 George Brosius was one of the organizers of the Georgetown Church, Lutheran and Reformed.
Among the records at The Himmel Church we find: Nicolaus Brosius, born Dec. 23, 1754, died Dec. 13, 1833. But we also find that one Nicolas Brosius died Dec. 6, 1832 and his wife Anna or Ann died Oct. 30, 1830. Their sons were Nicholas, George, Peter, (who lived in New York), Michael (?) and John, and there was evidently a daughter Elizabeth, born Aug. 10, 1780 who died March 29, 1821. Of these, George, born March 27, 1788, died Oct. 1, 1854; his wife, Eve Catharine, daughter of Michael and Rosanna Schafer born May 30, 1792, died April 11, 1868.
John Brosius, evidently son of Nicholas and Ann, was born July 2, 1790, and was a farmer by occupation. In his earlier years he lived near Hickory Corners, where Jacob Phillips now resides, later settling on the place now occupied by David H. Witmer, and there he died Sept. 30, 1861; he is buried at Georgetown. He married Catharine Spotts, who was born Jan. 15, 1795, daughter of John Spotts, and died Dec. 27, 1878, when nearly eighty-four years old. They had the following children: Charles; Sarah, who never married; Mary Ann, born in 1819, who died in 1870; and Napoleon, who lived near Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania.
Charles Brosius, son of John, was born in Lower Mahanoy Township, and lived on the Brosius homestead, the farm now occupied by David H. Witmer. He followed farming throughout his active years, retiring some years before his death, which occurred Feb. 4, 1889, at the age of seventy four years, four months, twenty-nine days. He is buried at Zion’s Stone Valley Church, of which he was a Lutheran member, all his family also belonging there. He was active in the life of his congregation, holding several church offices. His wife was Rebecca Emerick, daughter of Michael Emerick, and their children were the following George; Henry; Isaac E.; Charles, born in 1862, who died in 1865: Catharine, who never married, Sarah, married to William Scheib (they live near Gratz, Pa.); Susanna, wife of Henry Fetterolf; Elizabeth, who married Foster Spotts, of Valley View, Pa.; and Louisa, who married Alexander Deppen.
George Brosius son of Charles, was born. at Dalmatia, and like his immediate ancestors became a farmer, living in the Mahantango Valley, where he owned the farm now belonging to Alexander Deppen. He also followed the butcher business for some years. He took some part in local affairs, serving as school director, was a Republican in politics, and was an active member of the Stone Valley Church, in which he held the office of deacon. He died Dec. 10, 1883, aged forty-two years, eleven months, sixteen days, and is buried at the Stone Valley Church. His wife Sophia (Trego), daughter of Samuel Trego, was born Oct. 8, 1837, and died Dec. 27, 1877, and is also buried at the Stone Valley Church. They had the following children: John F., Mary (Mrs. Jerre Heckert), Sarah (Mrs. John F. Bastress), Charles H. and Samuel (died aged ten years).
John F. Brosious, son of George, a merchant of Dalmatia (Georgetown), was born Aug. 6, 1863, where he still lives, and received his education in the public schools. He passed his boyhood upon the farm, assisting with the agricultural work and also helping his father in the butcher business for several years. He then became clerk in a hotel at Herndon, being thus engaged for two years, and at the age of twenty he went out to Ogle County, Ill., where he did farm work for about one year. After his marriage he began clerking in a hotel in his native Township, continuing in that position three years, until he engaged in the livery business, in Dalmatia, in 1891, on his own account. After conducting same about one and a half years he sold out and entered the bottling business, which he carried on altogether about fifteen years, during which time, however, he was also engaged as owner and proprietor of the “National Hotel” at Dalmatia, the leading hotel of the town. He was interested in the hotel business for six and a half years, selling his property and good will in 1908 to Jacob Bingaman, the present proprietor. Since the spring of 1910 Mr. Brosious has had a general mercantile and drug business at Dalmatia, carrying a full stock in both lines, and he is agent and distributor for various kinds of farm implements and vehicles of every description. In this connection he handles the famous Mifflinburg (Pa.) and Michigan buggies and other vehicles, in which line be has a large trade; has the district agency of the DeLaval cream separators, of which he has sold many in his section of the county; is agent for a number of different harvesting machines, many makes of plows and harrows and farm supplies of various kinds, doing the largest business of the kind in the territory south of Line Mountain. Stoves, heating apparatus and bathroom supplies constitute another line in which he has built up a profitable trade. Mr. Brosious is vice president and a director of the Mahanoy & Mahantango Telephone Company, director and manager of the Murninum Paint & Tile Company, of Dalmatia (which employs six men), is the owner of considerable real estate in Dalmatia, and an all-around man of affairs in his community, where he is regarded as a leading business man, and a citizen whose public spirit and progressive influence have done much for the general welfare. He has gained his substantial position through his own efforts, and the high standing he enjoys is the result of a consistent career of honorable dealings and the pursuit of creditable ambitions. His financial acumen and trustworthy character were recognized by his selection to the office of treasurer of Lower Mahanoy Township, a position he filled for many years. He is a Republican in politics, socially is identified with the Jr. O.U.A.M., John B. Packer Council, No. 854, of Dalmatia (of which he was elected treasurer in 1896, two months after joining, and has filled the office ever since), and with the I.O.O.F., Lodge No. 864 at Herndon, and in religion is a Lutheran. He belongs to the Lutheran congregation at Dalmatia Union Church, of which his wife is a Reformed member, and served four years, as deacon, declining another two years term.
On Sept. 3, 1887, Mr. Brosious married Mary G. Emerick, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Spotts) Emerick, and granddaughter of John and Anna (Charles) Emerick. They have four children: Albert Eugene, Harry F. (born Jan. 17, 1893), Leotta C. and Anna S.
Charles H. Brosius, who conducts a livery business at Dalmatia, was born April 22, 1870, in Lower Mahanoy Township, son of George and Sophia (Trego) Brosius. He was reared upon the farm, and did farm work from the time he commenced regular employment, at the age of thirteen, until he reached the age of seventeen. The next year he clerked in a hotel, and then became traveling salesman for D. F. Witmer, jobber and manufacturer of confectionery, of Herndon, following this line of work for three years. For the next two years he was engaged as bar clerk at Tower City and Lykens, after which he married and returned, to Dalmatia, his early home. For several years he followed different kinds of work, until he entered the hack business in 1900, for Dr. M. L. Emerick of Hickory Corners. Three years later he began the livery business which he has since continued, and in which he has now an extensive custom, having an up-to-date stable, ten horses and excellent equipment. He has the reputation of always keeping reliable teams, and frequently has calls to take out parties. Mr. Brosious has built up a good business by faithful attention to the wants of his patrons, and he has been thrifty of his earnings, having bought his own residence, owns several lots in the borough, and has real estate in, Washington, D.C. He is a thoroughly respected citizen, enjoying the esteem of all who know him.
In 1896 Mr. Brosius married Katie Seachrist daughter of John Henry and Elizabeth (Zerbe) Sechrist, and they have a family of eight children: Laura M., John F., Ella M., Charles E., Catharine M., George F., Ralph F. and William E. Mr. Brosius and his family worship with the Lutheran congregation at Dalmatia. Politically he is a Republican.
Isaac E. Brosius, son of Charles and Rebecca (Emerick) Brosious, was born Nov. 19, 1852, in Lower Mahanoy Township, where he was reared, and where he continued to live until 1890. From boyhood he was trained to agricultural life, which he has always followed, and in 1890 he moved to the farm near Selinsgrove Junction, in the lower end of Upper Augusta Township, this county, which he has since occupied, cultivating the land on shares. There are 140 acres of cleared land in this property, and Mr. Brosious has acquired a valuable farm stock during the twenty years he has been on this place, which he has placed in excellent condition by his intelligent and thrifty methods. Mr. Brosious is a Republican, and is serving his second term as school director of Upper Augusta Township, having been last elected in the spring of 1910. He and his family worship in the old Lutheran Church, St. Elias Church in Hollowing Run, where he is serving his second term as elder.
On Nov. 17, 1877, Mr. Brosious married Lizzie Weaver, daughter of Henry and Annie (Bonawitz) Weaver, of Mahantango, the former a native of Lower Mahanoy Township, where he died and is buried, his grave being at the Bingaman Evangelical Church at the county line. Mrs. Brosious’s grandfather was Henry Weaver, who also lived in Lower Mahanoy Township, later moving to Juniata county, where he died and is buried. Fifteen children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Brosius, as follows: Charles H.; Jonathan A., deceased in infancy; Arthur F., of Upper Augusta Township, who married Mary Drumm; William I.; Forrest E., of Lower Augusta Township, who married Virgie Brosius; Stella M., who married Charles Brosius, a contractor of Sunbury; Cartie M., unmarried, who lives at home; Lizzie A., wife of William D. Wolf; a son that died in infancy; Beulah D. and Anna C., both of whom are unmarried and at home; and Eben T., Flossie H., Leroy and E.G., all of whom are attending school.
Charles H. Brosious, son of Isaac E., was born March 4, 1880, in Lower Mahanoy Township, and there attended the common schools. He was reared to farming, which he followed as assistant to his father in his youth, continuing to live with his parents until 1904. That year he moved to Sunbury, where he continued to reside for a year and a half, following which he was located at Limestone, in Upper Augusta Township, for four years, in the spring of 1910 settling at his present home in the central part of Rockefeller Township, at the Center (Shipman) schoolhouse. It was at one time the Daniel Conrad homestead, later owned by William Horning, and consists of seventy-one acres of fertile land, with good buildings and various modern improvements. Everything about the property is in excellent condition, and Mr. Brosius has up-to-date machinery and the necessary equipment for carrying on his work profitably and expeditiously. He has a silo, and is wide-awake in adopting any approved apparatus or methods for facilitating good work, being regarded as one of the enterprising young farmers of his section. The farm is sure to improve materially under his energetic management. For nine years Mr. Brosius was engaged in the dairy business, conducting a daily milk route to Sunbury.
On July 9, 1904, Mr. Brosious married Katie May Foy, daughter of Daniel B. and Sallie M. (Rebuck) Foy, of Rockefeller Township, and they have one daughter, Ellen May. Mr. Brosious and his family worship at the Hollowing Run Lutheran Church. Socially he holds membership in Lodge No. 203, I.O.O.F., of Sunbury.
William I. Brosius, son of Isaac E., was born June 2, 1883, in Lower Mahanoy Township, Northumberland County, and there began his education in the public schools. When he was in his seventh year his parents moved to their present home in Upper Augusta Township, and he continued to work for them on the farm until he reached his majority, at which time he took up the carpenter’s trade. He followed that business about four years altogether. In the spring of 1893 he had begun farming on shares, being thus engaged for two years, one in Lower Augusta Township and one in Rockefeller Township. After that he was employed at his trade until the spring of 1910, when he purchased and settled upon the farm of seventy-two acres in Lower Augusta Township, near Mount Zion U. B. Church, which he now occupies. This farm was owned in the earlier days by John Bartholomew and later by F. B. Delbough. Mr. Brosius raises general crops and attends the Sunbury markets. He is prospering by strict attention to his work, and is one of the industrious and respected citizens of his locality.
On July 4, 1902, Mr. Brosious married Bertha Daisy Delbough, daughter of F. P. and Carrie Delbough, of Lower Augusta Township, and they have three children, namely: Eugene A., B. Violet and W. Leroy. Mr. Brosious and his family are Lutherans in religious faith. He is a Republican on political questions.
Peter Brosius, born July 23, 1782, was one of the early residents in the lower end of the county, and followed farming, owning a large acreage, now divided into two farms. The one went to his son Peter and is now owned and occupied by Wesley Snyder; the other went to his son Andrew, and is now owned by the Milton Drumheller estate. Peter Brosius died Nov. 19, 1849, and he and his two wives are buried at the Himmel Church. All his children were born to his first marriage, with Anna Margaretha Hepler, who was born. July 19, 1786, and died April 27, 1838. His second wife, Anna Maria (Hepler), was a sister to the first, and was herself first married to Jacob Reitz, she was born April 4, 1784, and died Sept. 23, 1857. Two sons and three daughters were born to Peter and Anna Margaretha Brosius: Maricha, who married Godfried Rebuck; Godfried; Peter; Eve, who married a son of Rev. Mr. Hemping; and Anna, who married Benneville Holshue (storekeeper, hotel keeper and postmaster at Greenbrier, in Upper Mahanoy Township) and (second) a German named Lawrence, with whom she moved West.
Godfried Brosius, son of Peter, was a farmer all his life. He settled in Washington Township, where Milton Drumheller now lives, and was a Lutheran member of the Himmel Church there, where he is buried. He was born Jan. 27, 1808, and died November 29, 1851; his wife Catharine Klock, born Nov. 24, 1805, died Dec. 1, 1876, and is also buried at the Himmel Church. We have the following record of their children: (1) Judith married David Ferster, and they lived near Urban, Pa. (2) Samuel obtained the homestead of his father when he was sold out and later moved north of the mountain into one of the Augusta Townships. He married Kate Rebuck, and they had children, Wilhelmina, Emma, James, Washington, Zetic and Sivilla. (3) Lydia married Joseph Rebuck and they lived near the Himmel Church in Washington Township. (4) Sarah, born in 1837, died in 1854, unmarried. (5) Peter married a Miss Christ and they lived in Ashland, Pa. They had a family. (6) Joseph had a small tract of land in the neighborhood of the Himmel Church, and besides cultivating it followed his trade of carpenter. He married Henrietta Clark and they had Jane (Mrs. Morris Rothermel) and Laura (Mrs. Richard Hilbush).
Peter Brosius, the other son of Peter and Anna Margaretha (Hepler) Brosius, passed all his life in the Swabian creek district, near Greenbrier, in what is now Washington Township, Washington and Upper Mahanoy Townships forming the Swabian Creek Valley. He owned over two hundred acres of land (the farm now owned by Wesley Snyder), and was an enterprising and successful man, in addition to farming being engaged in milling, in which he prospered as in his other work. He operated an oil mill, sawmill and gristmill. He was succeeded by his son Andrew. Peter Brosius died Feb. 2, 1854, aged forty-three years, five months, nineteen days, and was buried at the Himmel Church, of which he was a Lutheran member. His wife, Catharine Gonsor, daughter of Daniel Gonsor, of Washington Township, died Oct. 6, 1895, aged eighty-five years, eleven months, twenty-nine days. They had a large family, viz.: Andrew G. is mentioned below; Eve married John Hetrich; Maria (deceased) married a Mr. Beissel; Catharine (deceased) married William Hetrich; Daniel (deceased) lived on part of the homestead, where Charles Brosius now lives; Mary married John Houten (or Houden); Emanuel G. is mentioned below; James died when about eleven years old.
Andrew G. Brosius was born in Upper Mahanoy Township, Sept. 23, 1832, and died April 16, 1900, aged sixty-seven years. He owned and operated the Brosius mill and farm, his land consisting of 120 acres, now owned by his son-in-law, Wesley Snyder, and the mill is now owned and operated by his son William S. During his ownership of the mill Andrew G. Brosius remodeled it, and he had a linseed oil mill and sawmill, as well as a gristmill. A man of initiative and energy, he long held his place as the leading business man of the district where he did considerable building and lent his influence and aid to many projects which benefited the whole community. He was an active member of the Lutheran congregation at the Himmel Church, where he held various offices, and was also a public officeholder, serving as school director and supervisor of his Township. In politics he was a stanch Democrat. Mr. Brosius was twice married. His first wife, Mary A. Schankweiler, daughter of Solomon Schankweiler, of Upper Mahanoy Township, was born Sept. 9, 1834, and died March 12, 1867. They were the parents of five children; Sarah married John Keim; Samuel lives at Shamokin, Pa.; Cassie married Wesley Snyder; William S. is mentioned below; Mary married Lewis Rothermel. By his second marriage, to Luzetta Adam, daughter of Jeremiah Adam, there were three children: Galen, of Rough and Ready, Pa; Frances, who married William Snyder; and Andrew Jackson. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 866 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

EMANUEL G. BROSIUS, son of Peter and Catharine (Gonsor) Brosius, was born Sept. 17, 1845, in the Swabian creek district, and was reared on the farm of his parents, for whom he continued to work until he was of age. He then began farming on his own account, at the place where Israel Lahr now lives, being located there for eight years. About 1878 he came to his present home in Lower Augusta Township, where he has lived continuously since. The first seven years he was a tenant of Henry Reitz, and then bought the place, which contains 150 acres of good land, which under his care has been brought to a highly improved state. He built his house in 1898 and his barn in 1901. The place has been intelligently and systematically cared for ever since it came into his possession, and is now a valuable piece of property. Mr. Brosius formerly held the office of overseer of the poor, and is now serving as supervisor of his Township, which office he has held since 1908. He votes independently. He and his family are Lutheran members of St. Elias Church, which he has served as deacon, elder, treasurer and trustee, holding the two offices last named at present.
In August, 1870, Mr. Brosius married Wilhelmina Brosius, daughter of Samuel and Catharine (Rebuck) Brosius, who lived at the place now occupied by Milton Drumheller, Samuel Brosius later moving to Plum Creek, in Rockefeller Township. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Emanuel G. Brosius: Sarah J. married David Rebuck; Catharine married Frank Hetrich; Emma, married Charles Wanke; Charles is a resident of Sunbury; Irwin is unmarried and lives at home; Virgie married F. Brosious; Nora married Calvin Klock; Annie married John Strasser.
Jacob Broscious, great-grandfather of Charles H. Broscious, of Sunbury, farmed in Lower Mahanoy Township, this county, and lived in the vicinity of Uniontown, where he died about 1848, at an advanced age. He is buried in the lower end of the county. In religion he was a Lutheran. To him and his wife Catharine Reisel were born the following children: Daniel, John, Jacob, Elias, Samuel, Lydia, Catharine, Maricha and Sally.
Samuel Broscious, son of Jacob, was a native of the Swabian creek valley; born in 1821, and farmed in Shamokin Township the greater part of his life, also engaging in the hotel business near Paxinos, on the Tulpehocken road. He dealt rather extensively in horses and cattle, and in the pursuit of his various interests became a widely known man. He died at his home in Stonington, in Shamokin Township, in 1904, at the advanced age of eighty-three years, and is buried at Snydertown. In religious matters he was connected with the Lutheran church, and in politics he was a Democrat, taking interest in the success of his party and in the local welfare; he served as supervisor and overseer of the poor. Mr. Broscious’s first wife, Rebecca (Hepner), daughter of George and Eve (Weiser) Hepner, died in 1859, aged forty-two years, the mother of three children: David, Henry and Elizabeth (who married Jacob Eister and lives in Sunbury). His second marriage was to Mary Ann Hartline, daughter of George Hartline, and she survives him. Two children were born to this union: Sevilla, who married John Richie; and Rebecca, who died young.
David Broscious, son of Samuel, was born in 1842 in the Mahantango Valley, and died in Lower Mahanoy Township, Sept. 4, 1902. He is buried at Lantz’s Church. For five years Mr. Broscious farmed in Lower Augusta Township, and then for nineteen years followed that vocation in the Irish Valley, returning to Lower Augusta Township and thence moving to Lower Mahanoy, where he was residing at the time of his death. He was an active member of the Democratic party, and held local offices. In religion he adhered to the Reformed faith. Mr. Broscious married Louisa Fegley, daughter of Jacob and Harriet (Zartman) Fegley, and six children were born to them: Webster now of Baltimore, Md.; Charles H.; Mary, who married William Shipe; Katie, who married D. H. Snyder; and two that died in infancy.
Charles H. Brosious contractor and builder, of Sunbury senior member of the firm of C. H. Broscious & Co., was born July 4, 1869, at Augustaville, son of David Broscious. He grew up in the Irish Valley where he received his education in the public schools, until he was twenty-one years old living and working on the farm. He then learned the carpenter’s trade, which he followed in Shamokin for eleven years in one employ, for the West End Lumber Company. His next work was as carpenter at Sunbury in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, and in 1904 he embarked in the contracting and building business there on his own account. He is now associated with C. H. Wiest. In addition to their contracting and building business they deal in and manufacture all kinds of lumber and builder’s supplies handling lime, cement, builders hardware, slate, roofing, etc., and they have a modern mill, where all kinds of planing mill work can be turned out. The firm employs as many as forty five men, and among other structures of their construction may be mentioned the B. F. Brown three story storehouse; the W. A. Shipman residence on Market Street; the Daily printing office at Sunbury; the Charles L. Silvious residence; the Elwood Fasold residence; the David Slear residence on Susquehanna Avenue; the Keystone machine works; the Catawissa Avenue M. E. Church, 1910; the Jere Lower residence, and many more of the leading business and residence structures in the borough. Mr. Broscious has applied himself assiduously to his work, and the progress he has made is due entirely to his own efforts. He has established himself in a substantial business, and has built up an extensive trade, the scope of which is widening continually under his energetic and well-directed endeavors. He is well known in fraternal circles, being a member of Maclay lodge No. 632, F. & A.M;, Northumberland Chapter No. 174, R.A.M., and Mount Hermon Commandery, No. 85, K. T., as well as of Washington Camp, No. 189, P.O.S. of A., to which he has belonged since 1893. For eight years be held membership in the I.O.O.F.
On March 23, 1897, Mr. Broscious married Alice Zimmerman, daughter of Sebastian Zimmerman, of Sunbury, and six children have been born to them: Marion (who died aged four years) David Sebastian, Harriet Louisa, Henry H., Russell Carl and Raymond Clarence. Mr. Broscious and his family are members of the Lutheran Church.
Jacob Brosius, great-grandfather of Maurice E Brosius, lived in Jordan Township, Northumberland County, on the farm which later belonged to George Brosius, and followed farming throughout his active years. His children were: Daniel, Elias, John, Jacob, Samuel, Maricha (married Ferdinand Masser), Elizabeth (married Jonas Bohner), Mrs. Solomon Delp and Mrs. Peter Thomas
Daniel Brosius, son of Jacob, was born in Jordan Township Nov. 14, 1808, and there engaged in farming on an old homestead of the Brosius family, owning a tract of 130 acres now the property of George Emerich. He died Dec. 17, 1885, survived by his wife Sarah (Wenrich), whose people came from the Heidelberg valley in Berks County. She was born Jan. 16, 1815, and died Sept. 14, 1895, and they are buried at St. Paul’s. Church, at Urban. Mr. Brosius was first a member or the Hebe Church, later uniting with St. Paul’s, and he was active in church work, holding various offices. Four children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Brosius: Michael, George, Annie (1847-1863) and Polly (married Andrew Adams ). Of these, George who was a lifelong farmer lived and died on his father’s homestead; he married Polly Wolfgang; and their children were Catharine, Emma, Jane, Ella, Daniel Nora, Cora, Elwood and Lizzie.
Michael Brosius, son of Daniel, now a resident of Lower Mahanoy Township, was born across the line in Jordan Township July 4, 1842. He was reared in Jordan Township, where he worked for his father and for a year or two as hired man on farms, in about 1864 beginning farming for himself. He continued to engage in agricultural pursuits in Jordan Township until about 1904, when he practically retired, moving to his present home in Lower Mahanoy, where he has a small tract besides his dwelling, which was built by one Daniel Schlegel. Mr. Brosius has led a quiet life, and has taken no part in public affairs except to serve as school director. He has been active, however, in the work of St. Paul’s Church at Urban, to which he and his family belong, and which he served as deacon and elder. In politics he is a Democrat. Mr. Brosius has been twice married. His first marriage, which took place during the Civil war, was to Kate Bush, daughter of Samuel and Mary (Hollenbach) Bush, and she died Aug. 19, 1893, aged fifty-four years, nine days. She is buried at St. Pauls Church. Ten children were born to this union: Frank, Henry, William, Maurice F., Gordon, Orlando, Annie, Francis, and two that died young. There are no children by the second marriage, to Barbara Bohner, daughter of Nicholas and Lydia (Spotts) Bohner. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 866 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

MAURICE E. BROSIUS, a farmer of Jordan Township, was born Aug. 26, 1874, and has passed practically all his life in that Township. He was reared to farm work, and assisted his parents except during the time he was attending school. In addition to the privileges of the public schools he had the advantages of Uniontown Seminary for several terms. At the youthful age of seventeen he began teaching, receiving his license from Prof. William E. Bloom, and for eight successive terms he followed that profession in Jordan Township. Meantime, in the spring of 1900, he bought his present farm, a tract of sixty-seven acres in Jordan Township formerly belonging to John T. Wiest, who purchased it from Simon Bohner, whose predecessor was Samuel Bush. Mr. Brosius devotes the principal part of his time to farming, and he has also had considerable success as an insurance agent, being one of the three agents of the Stone Valley Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Mahanoy. He has also been a faithful public servant, having held the office of auditor of his Township for seven years in succession. he is a Democrat in politics. Mr. Brosius is well and favorably known in his locality, where his successful business life and excellent public service have gained him high standing among his fellow citizens.
On Feb. 8, 1894, Mr. Brosius married Kate E. Wiest, daughter of John T. Wiest, and they have a family of five children: Mabel, Carlos, Fred, Harold and John. Mr. Brosius and his family are members of the Hebe Church, of which he has been a deacon since 1905. Socially he belongs to Washington Camp, No. 232, P.O.S. of A., at Hebe.
Abraham Broseus (Brosius), Sr., yeoman, of Upper Mahanoy, Township, died there, near the Schuylkill County line, in 1844. he made his last will and testament Jan. 22, 1839, and it was probated Jan. 11, 1844, soon after his death, which likely occurred early that month. He signed this document Abraham “Broseus,” and his descendants generally have adhered to that spelling of the name. He provided liberally for his wife Catharine, who was to have all movable property, and after her death her clothes were to be divided between her daughters Euline and Anna Mary. Mr. Broseus left a large estate, being considered a wealthy man in his day. The following children were mentioned in the will Peter, three hundred pounds; Abraham (Abram), three hundred pounds; Euline, who married John Beach; George, deceased, whose heirs were to have $169.49 each; Elizabeth, who married Peter Zegenfus (they were to have sixty dollars more); Nicholas, “yet 100 pounds”; John, “yet 100 pounds”; Anna Mary, who married John Delb, and they obtained the homestead (containing 160 acres) on which they lived in 1839 (they were to pay out 1,100 pounds).
Abram Broceus (as he wrote the name), son of Abraham, Sr., was born in Washington Township April 24, 1817, and lived there until he was seventeen years old. He then went out to Ohio, stopping first at Massillon, but during the great part of his residence in that state he was located at Akron, where he learned the carpenter’s trade, working for Henry Howe, brother of Captain Howe. He followed that trade for a number of years. He was married at Greensburg, near Akron, and there lived until after the birth of his oldest child, Raymond, soon after which he moved to Berrien county, Mich., settling in Buchanan Township. Mr. Broceus took up land, and continued to follow his trade besides clearing and cultivating his land until he had his property paid for. Selling that property he bought a 200-acre farm within one mile of the village of Buchanan and there spent the last thirty years of his life. The success he met with was due entirely to his own industry and good management, for he was a self-made man in the best sense of the term. He was the pioneer of his family in Michigan, and in 1909 his descendants organized a family association, holding their first reunion at his old homestead; the second was held in August, 1910. A man of unassuming life and retiring disposition, he was a useful, respected member of society, and his death, which occurred June 2, 1894, was widely mourned. He is buried in the Broceus family plot in Oakridge cemetery, at Buchanan, Mich. Mr. Broceus was a member of the Evangelical Association, and active in church life. In politics he was a Republican.
Mr. Broceus married Abigail Smith, who died July 24, 1880, aged fifty-six years. Ten children were born to this union: Raymond, who lives at Buchanan, Mich.; Eliza, wife of Justice H. Steiner; Mary Ann, wife of Solomon Quint, of Carroll, Iowa; William, who died at Buchanan, Mich.; Henry, of Buchanan, Mich.; Malinda, deceased, who was the wife of George W. Rough; Matilda, wife of George Hanley; John W., of Buchanan, Mich.; Emma, wife of Ansalom Wray; and H. Francelia, widow of Jefferson Fowler, of Buchanan, Mich. There were forty-four grandchildren, and twenty-nine great grandchildren.
On Oct. 9, 1888, Mr. Broceus married (second) Lucy A. Kauffman, daughter of Daniel and Mary (Ressler) Kauffman, of Lower Augusta Township, Northumberland Co., Pa., where Mrs. Broceus was born. No children were born to this union. Mrs. Broceus continues to make her home in Buchanan, Berrien Co., Mich., visiting her kindred in Northumberland County, Pa., every two or three years.
According to the records at the Northumberland County courthouse, one Abraham Brosius must have died shortly before Nov. 24, 1852, in Lower Augusta Township. After the widow had renounced the privilege of administration, papers were given to Elias Brosius, probably a son. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 871 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

WILLIAM S. BROSIUS, son of Andrew G., operates the old gristmill and sawmill run by his father and grandfather before him, at Greenbrier, in Washington Township, where he was born March 10, 1865. He was reared to work on the farm and in the mill, assisting his father until he reached his majority, after which he was employed in the coal mines at Locust Dale for a period of eight years. For the following ten years he was engaged in railroading, on the Philadelphia & Reading road. On April 2, 1900, he came to his present home and has since devoted himself to the operation of the mill; it is located on a two-acre piece of land. Mr. Brosius has a thriving business, which has continued to grow under his management and he is a reliable miller and honorable in all his transactions, having the respect of all who have had dealings with him.
In 1888 Mr. Brosius married Elizabeth Umlauf, daughter of Henry and Dinah (Racebeck) Umlauf of Ashland, Pa., the former of German descent, the latter of English ancestry. Mr. and Mrs. Brosius have had a large family, namely: Francis, Myrtle, Guy, Gertrude, Adda, William, Ethel, a son that died in infancy, Clarence, Emery, Henry, and Roy (who died when five months old). Mr. Brosius and his family are Lutheran members of the Himmel Church. He is a Democrat in political sentiment.
Andrew Jackson Brosius, son of Andrew G. and Luzetta (Adam) Brosius, was born June 20, 1880, in Washington Township, and received his education in the local schools. He was reared to farm life, but also gained a familiar knowledge of the milling business, operating the Brosius mill at Greenbrier for four years, from the time he was seventeen years old. For five years he also followed the carpenter’s trade, one year as journeyman and four years as boss carpenter, during which time he built a number of houses and barns in the locality, employing at times as many as seven men. In 1904 he began farming at his present home in Upper Mahanoy Township, where he owns a tract of one hundred acres, which for a number of years belonged to Amos Mattern. Mr. Brosius has found huckstering profitable, and he makes weekly. trips to Shamokin, where he disposes of his various products. He is a thrifty young farmer, and is making good progress in his work.
On Nov. 23, 1901, Mr. Brosius married Sarah Elizabeth Mattern, daughter of Amos Mattern, and they have a family of four children: Harry R., Norman I., Blanch C. and Amelia L. Mr. Brosius was originally identified with the Lutheran congregation at the Himmel Church, but since living in Upper Mahanoy Township he and his family attend St. John’s Church, where he is at present serving as a deacon. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 868 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

CYRUS BROUSE, merchant, was born in that part of Union county which is now Snyder county, Pennsylvania, October 15, 1840, son of Peter and Amelia (Moore) Brouse, both natives of that county, and farmers by occupation. They were members of the Lutheran church. The mother died in 1887 and the father in 1889. They reared five children, four of whom are living: Cyrus; Margaret, Mrs. E. I. Snyder, of Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; Mary E., Mrs. Abel Johnson, of Union county, and Franklin, of Sunbury. The subject of this sketch was educated at the township schools and at Freeburg Academy. In September, 1862, he came to Northumberland, and first engaged as clerk for William T. Forsyth, with whom he remained until June, 1863; he then engaged with M. H. Taggart, and was subsequently in the employ of Reuben Johnson, Colt & Todd, and others. April 1 1888, he established his present business. In 1864 he married Esther J., daughter of John Johnson, of Point township, by whom he has five children: Reuben; Franklin C., who married Sarah Dull of Lewisburg; Thomas; Williard, and Earl M. Politically Mr. Brouse is a Republican, and has served as councilman and burgess of Northumberland; he is a member of the K. of P. of Northumberland. He and family are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, in which he holds the office of recording steward. (History of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, edited by Herbert C. Bell, Published by Brown, Runk & Co. of Chicago, Ill, 1891 pg. 1102 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

DANIEL BROWER, brother of John T. Brower was born Aug. 25, 1856, and during his boyhood attended the schools of the home locality. Meantime he began his practical training for farm work, continuing with his father until twelve years after his marriage, and in 1888 he began farming his present property, a tract of 107 acres in Jackson Township, two miles east of Herndon. This was an old Peifer homestead. Mr. Brower remodeled the house and the barn, and has made other improvements to bring his place up to modern requirements, keeping the farm in creditable condition. He makes a specialty of dairying, running a daily milk route to Herndon. Since l908 he has been a school director of his district. On Dec. 31, 1876, Mr. Brower married Amanda Swab, daughter of Eli and Nellie (Cooper) Swab, of Washington Township, Dauphin Co., Pa., and granddaughter of Jacob Swab and of Jacob Cooper, of Washington Township, that county. Mr. and Mrs. Brower have had children as follows: A. Alice, who is unmarried; Sallie, wife of Daniel Willard, of Jackson Township, who has children Olive and Earnest F.; Nellie; Mabel, who married Charles Kobel and has a son, Daniel E; and Katie. Mr. Brower and his family attend the Lutheran Church. He is a Republican in politics. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 265 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

JOHN T. BROWER, late of the borough of Herndon, was one of the substantial and influential residents of that place, with whose progress he had been identified for a number of years, as a business man being one of the leading factors in its material development. He retired from active business in 1905. Mr. Brower was born May 18, 1845, in Jackson Township, Northumberland County, son of Nathan and Caroline (Troutman) Brower. Nathan Brower was born in Chester County, Pa., June 20, 1817, and when fourteen years old moved to Uniontown, Dauphin County, where he made his home with Isaac Matthias until he reached the age of twenty years. He learned the milling trade, and after following it several years at Uniontown went to Dornsife, Northumberland County, where he was engaged in the same line for a period of eleven years, doing a prosperous business. Later he became a farmer, acquiring a 115-acre tract in Jackson Township, which he continued to cultivate until a few years before his death. He died June 4, 1895, and is buried at Uniontown. Mr. Brower was prominent in his section in both business circles and church life, being active in the work of the United Evangelical Association, which he supported with a liberal hand. He married Caroline Troutman, who was born Sept. 28, 1821, daughter of Jacob Troutman, and died Feb. 24, 1901. They were the parents of five children, namely: Mary married Benjamin Clement (who is now deceased) and they lived in Jackson Township; John T. is mentioned below; Sarah married Samuel Rumberger and they live at Elizabethville; Elizabeth married Henry Lautenslayer; Daniel is mentioned below. John T. Brower was reared in Jackson Township, being trained to farm work from early boyhood. On March 29, 1865, he enlisted, at Harrisburg, Pa., in Company C, 74th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for three years’ service, but the war closing he was mustered out Aug. 29, 1865. Upon his return to civil life Mr. Brower engaged in merchandising at Bull Run, in Jackson Township, where he continued for one year, coming thence to Herndon, where he was in active business for thirty years, having a successful career until his retirement, in 1905, when his son John succeeded to the business, which he still conducts. Mr. Brower carried a comprehensive line of general merchandise, and his patronage was large, being drawn from the surrounding territory for miles around. He took a public spirited interest in the welfare of the place, and helped to establish several industries at Herndon, built a number of dwellings and business houses in the town, and in various ways contributed to its upbuilding in the best sense. He was instrumental in the organization of the borough, which he advocated warmly as important to the best interests of the town. He was a Republican or political questions. Mr. Brower’s first wife, Sarah (Latsha), died in 1886, the mother of two children: Mary, who married Lincoln Otto, postmaster at Herndon; and John, who has succeeded his father in the mercantile business at Herndon. On April 9, 1889, Mr. Brower married (second) Emma (Hensyl) Hoke, daughter of Jesse and Magdalena (First) Hensyl and widow of George Hoke. By her first marriage she had one son, George E. who is located at St. Paul, Minn., attorney for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company. Mr. Brower died May 21, 1910. ( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 265 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)

BROWN. The Brown family has been identified with Upper Mahanoy Township and that region of Northumberland County for over a century, having been founded there in the early days by Michael Brown, a native of Longswamp Township, Berks Co., Pa., born Feb. 16, 1772. Coming to this section he became a farmer in what is now Upper Mahanoy Township, on the property now owned by John Fetter and Albert Gessner. He died May 9, 1851, and his wife, whose maiden name was Cherry, was born March 30, 1770, and died Feb. 18, 1844. They were members of the Reformed congregation at the Himmel Church. They were married July 15, 1794, and nine children were born to this couple, as follows: Rebecca, March 10, 1796; Magdelena, Jan. 19, 1798; Catherine, June 18, 1800; John, March 11, 1803; Andraes, Aug. 16, 1805; Michael, July 13, 1807; George, April 26, 1809 (died July 13, 1864; wife Lydia, born Jan. 20, 1818, died March 27, 1892); Peter, Aug. 16, 1811 (died Sept. 12, 1878; wife Lydia, born Sept. 23, 1817, died March 27, 1887); Susanna, March 5, 1814. John Brown, son of Michael, born March 17, 1803, lived on the place now occupied by his son John F. Brown. He was not only a farmer, but a carpenter and weaver as well, doing house and shop carpentry, making considerable furniture and in his earlier years many coffins, and he wove all sorts of woolen wear and carpets. He was active in church life and held various church offices. His wife, Catharine (Fetter), daughter of Friedrick Fetter, was born Aug. 27, 1806, and died Jan. 3, 1871, and Mr. Brown passed away March 10, 1881. They are buried side by side at the Salem Church. Their children were as follows: Fromena, born in August 1829, married Elias Erdman and (second) Daniel Romberger; Lovina, born in 1881, married Jacob Paul; Jacob, born in 1888, died aged fourteen years; Hannah, born in 1886, died unmarried; Simon is mentioned below; a son born in 1841 died in infancy; Elias, born in 1843, died aged six years; John F. is mentioned below; Catharine, born in 1850 married Monroe Shadel. Simon Brown, son of John, was born Aug. 31, 1838, on the farm of his father in Upper Mahanoy Township, and was a lifelong farmer, an industrious, thrifty, successful man. His property adjoined the homestead to the south. An active member of the Reformed congregation at the Salem Church, he served as deacon and elder, and he is buried at that church. His death occurred Jan. 17, 1902, when he was aged sixty-three years, four months, seventeen days. Mr. Brown married Catharine Paul who was born Dec. 19, 1838, daughter of Abraham and Esther (Merkel) Paul, and died Aug. 2, 1906. They were the parents of nine children: John W., Hettie, Cassie, (married Elsworth Erdman), Adam H. (deceased), a son that died in infancy, Polly (deceased), Milton (deceased), Abraham and William. John W. Brown, son of Simon, is a farmer in Upper Mahanoy Township, where he was born Oct. 2, 1870. He obtained his education in the home locality, attending the common schools, and was trained to farm work from boyhood, beginning farming on his own account at his present home in 1901. This was once a Delp homestead, was later owned by Jacob Paul, and after him by Simon Brown, father of John W. Brown. It consists of ninety-five acres located a quarter of a mile from the Schuylkill County line, and is well improved, though the house and barn are structures of long standing. Mr. Brown has gained a position among the most honorable and trusted citizens of his locality, and he has been chosen to serve as auditor of his Township. In politics he is identified with the Democratic party. On Nov. 28, 1891, Mr. Brown married Harriet Rothermel, who was a daughter of Solomon and Fietta (Snyder) Rothermel, and she died April 9, 1910, aged forty years, seven months, four days. She was a highly respected woman, and her funeral was largely attended, many neighbors and friends showing their sympathy for the bereaved family. To Mr. and Mrs. Brown were born children as follows: Clements, Maud, Minnie and Beulah (who died in 1908, aged six months). Mr. Brown and his family are Reformed members of the Salem Church, and he has served as deacon of his congregation.JOHN F. Brown, son of John and Catharine (Fetter) Brown, is a well known farmer citizen of Upper Mahanoy Township, where he was born Dec. 13, 1845. He has passed all his life on his father’s homestead, working for his father until past his majority. After his father’s death the property, consisting of sixty-five acres, came into his possession. One part of the house is very old, having been built probably more than a hundred years ago, and the rest of the buildings on the place were erected by John Brown, father of the present owner. Mr. Brown has been particularly interested in public school matters in his Township, and his services on the school board cover almost twenty years; he is still a member of that body. Politically he is a Democrat. In May, 1873, Mr. Brown married Elmira Dietz, daughter of Jonas Dietz, whose father, Michael Dietz (1806-1882), came to this section from Berks County. She died in August, 1874, at the early age of twenty-two years, the mother of one son, William Franklin, who now lives near Uniontown, Pa. Mrs. Brown was a member of the Reformed congregation at the Salem Church. On Oct. 17, 1875, Mr. Brown married (second) Emma Elizabeth Kiehl, daughter of George and Mary (Stahr) Kiehl, of Upper Mahanoy Township, but now of Ashland, Pa., and by this union there have been twelve children: Jane E., married to Wilson Reitz; Charles V., who married Sarah Mattern; John Preston, who married Sallie Trautman; Katie S., who died aged seventeen years, seven months, eighteen days; Sadie F., married to Charles Wiest; Farietta; Froene Mabel, married to J. Allen Reed; Samuel W.; one daughter that died in infancy; Clarence O.; Lulu May, and Rosa Alverta. Mr. and Mrs. Brown and their family belong to the Reformed congregation of the Salem Union Church, at Rough and Ready, to which his parents also belonged. He has been an active member for many years, having served as deacon, for many years as trustee, and since 1903 as elder.( Genealogical and Biographical Annals of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, by J. L. Floyd Published Chicago, Ill., 1911. pg. 842 Transcribed by Tammy L. Clark)