BIOGRAPHY: Tarring Davis, History of Blair County, PA, Vol. II, 1931 - File 1 Contributed July 2003 for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Sharon Russell Judy Banja Copyright 2003. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _________________________________________ A HISTORY OF BLAIR COUNTY PENNSYLVANIA UNDER EDITORIAL SUPERVISION OF TARRING S. DAVIS LUCILE SHENK ASSOCIATE EDITOR VOLUME II PUBLISHERS NATIONAL HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, INC. HARRISBURG 1931 BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 1 CALVIN VICTORY ERDLY, principal of the Hollidaysburg High School, was born in 1896, at Selinsgrove, Snyder County, Pa., and is a son of Lewis Jefferson and Sally (Kantz) Erdly, the former of whom is deceased and the latter of whom resides on the family homestead. After graduating from the Selinsgrove High School, in 1914, Mr. Erdly taught school one year, thereafter attending Susquehanna University for two years. With the outbreak of the World War, he enlisted in the ambulance service of the army and with his organization was attached to the French Army, receiving citations from the French Government for distinguished service under fire. Following his discharge in 1919, he returned to college, graduating in 1920. He then spent a year as instructor in mathematics at Philipsburg, Pa., and then became supervising principal of the schools of that city until June, 1925 In the same year, he came to Hollidaysburg as supervising principal but two months later was appointed superintendent, a position which he has since retained. In 1922, he married Alma Eleanor Peterson, of Philipsburg, and they have two children, Ralph Peterson, born in 1923, and Elinor Marie, 1924. Mr. Erdly is a member of the State and National Education Associations, American Legion, Kiwanis Club, P1 Gamma Mu and Kappa Phi Kappa Fraternities, and the Blue Lodge, Consistory, and Shrine in Masonry. He and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. HARRY GRANT KING, burgess of Hollidaysburg, was born in 1871, in Greenfield Township, Blair County, a son of Thomas and Susan King, both deceased, the former of whom was employed for many years in a clerical capacity at Sarah Furnace, one mile south of Claysburg. After completing the prescribed course of the Greenfield Township schools, Mr. King studied for two years at Juniata College and began teaching school in 1890, a profession which he followed until I902. In that year, he opened a general merchandise store at East Freedom and continued successfully in the conduct of this enterprise until 1916, twelve of those years marking his incumbency in the office of postmaster of the community. Selling out his business, Mr. King came to Hollidaysburg as representative in this section of the state for the Henderson Lumber Company, of Pittsburgh, and was so engaged until 1925. Thereafter, until 1930, Mr. King conducted a jobbing business here. In November, 1929, he was the successful candidate for election to the office of burgess of Hollidaysburg, taking office January 1, 1930, and it is significant that he was unopposed at the polls in the November voting. He also served two terms as school director at East Freedom, one term as justice of the peace of Greenfield Township, and represents the BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 2 Second Ward of Hollidaysburg on the Republican County committee. He has also been a delegate from this county to the State convention of his party. In 1894, Mr. King married Alverta Sell, and they have become the parents of nine children: Mrs. Mary Feathers, a widow; Howard D., who is married and a salesman for the Penn Barbers' Supply Company, of Altoona; Charles M., a postal clerk of Hollidaysburg; Joseph N., who is employed by a Hollidaysburg clothing firm; Harry G., Jr., a bricklayer by trade and a resident of Claysburg, Pa.; Nora Marie, who is a student nurse at Hahnemann Hospital, Philadelphia; Martin, Pauline, and Fred, at home. He and his wife attend the Church of the Brethren, of which all but one of their children are members. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN WARFEL, of Hollidaysburg, is one of the leading attorneys of Blair County, of which he is a native. Born in 1871, be is the son of John and Margaret (Conrad) Warfel, both deceased, the former of whom engaged in brick making and later farmed until the time of his retirement a few years prior to his death. Of the seven children of this family, two died in infancy; Mrs. C. C. Fleck resides at Hollidaysburg, Pa.; Mrs. W. M. Glasgow is a resident of Bellwood, Pa.; Grant Warfel is deceased; and Mrs. G. B. Bailey lives at Tyrone, Pa. Benjamin F. Warfel obtained his early education in the public schools of Blair County, pursued a teacher training course at Indiana, Pa., and for five terms taught in the schools of Tyrone Township, Blair County. In 1897, he took up the study of law in the offices of W. I. Woodcock, of Hollidaysburg, and was admitted to practice at the Blair County Bar in 1900 He has since engaged in a general practice and is now president of the Blair County Bar Association and a member of the Pennsylvania State Bar Association. He has served the people as burgess of Hollidaysburg one term and as a school director two terms. He is now solicitor for the Blair County Controller, the Duncansville Building & Loan Association, Morrison's Cove Bank, of Martinsburg, Pa., the Farmers' State Bank, of Woodbury, Pa., and numerous townships, school districts, and boroughs. He is a director of the Hollidaysburg Trust Company, is a deacon of the Lutheran Church, and is a charter member of the Blairmont Country Club. His Masonic affiliations include membership in the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery, and Shrine. On November 6, 1901, Mr. Warfel married Maude Hunter, and they have a daughter, Maudie Hunter Warfel. Mrs. Warfel is a communicant of the Lutheran Church and is active in church and social affairs of Hollidaysburg. FRANK JORDAN OVER, principal owner of the Hollidaysburg Register and postmaster of this city, was born in Bedford County, Pa., in 1857, a son of David and Elmira Over, the former of whom was a native of the same county and died in 1900. The father was prominent in newspaper work in this section of Pennsylvania. He was the editor of the Bedford Inquirer, later of the Lewis-town Gazette, and finally of the Hollidaysburg Register from 1868 until the time of his death. He took an active part in the affairs of the Republican party in BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 3 Blair County and of Bedford County, in both of which he was elected to the office of county treasurer, and was a delegate to the Republican National Convention at Chicago at which Ulysses S. Grant failed to secure the nomination for a third term after thirty-six ballots. Frank Jordan Over was educated in public and private schools and in 1884, went into partnership with his father in the Hollidaysburg Register, taking charge of the editing of the newspaper. For two years, semi-weekly editions were issued, but since that time, the paper has appeared as a weekly with Republican affiliations. The Register, established in 1836, bears the distinction of being the oldest paper from the standpoint of continuous existence published in Blair County and had its inception under the proprietorship of Scott & Gray, with whom John Penn Jones became associated shortly afterward. With the retirement of Gray, publication was continued by Jones until 1861, when the newspaper was sold to Hon. John Dean, later judge of the Blair County Court and subsequent thereto a justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. In 1863, Samuel Hoover & Son bought the Register, remaining as publishers until 1868, when David Over and his brother bought the paper. The brother later retired from the firm, leaving David Over sole proprietor. A job printing business is now conducted in conjunction with the newspaper work, and Mr. Frank Jordan Over is the editorial writer and manager. In 1892, he was appointed postmaster of Hollidaysburg by Benjamin Harrison, was returned to that office in 1905 and 1909 by Roosevelt, and since his appointment by Harding in 1922, has retained that position. He served as school director of Hollidaysburg for eleven years and has always taken an active interest in the public affairs of the community. His Masonic affiliations are with the Blue Lodge, Chapter, and Commandery, and he is a member of the Congregation of the First Presbyterian Church, of Hollidaysburg. In 1883, he was married to Anna C. Bailey, of Sinking Valley, Pa., and they have four children, Stuart and Elizabeth, twins; Ruth, and Frank J., Jr. Stuart Over, a civil engineer of Philadelphia, was married to Lillian Pay, of Hollidaysburg, by whom he has two children, Stuart, Jr., and Orville, and after the death of his first wife, he married Margaretta Tingley, of Philadelphia, by whom he has a daughter, Margaret Ashmead. Elizabeth Over is the wife of H. H. Garrigues, general superintendent of the Middle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and has two children, Samuel M., and Henry H. Ruth Over became the wife of Francis Tingley, of Philadelphia, and is the mother of three children, Nancy, Betsy, and Ruth Anne. Frank J. Over, Jr., married Ruth Millard, daughter of the Pennsylvania State architect, Julian Millard, and has a daughter, Mary Stuart, born in June, 1927, and is assistant trainmaster with the Pennsylvania Railroad stationed at Long Island. The two sons of Mr. Over served in France with the American Expeditionary Forces during the World War, Stuart B., as a captain of engineers and Frank in the Air Service, the latter being cited for bravery in action. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 4 ARTHUR BENJAMIN LITZ, general manager of the Hollidaysburg Register, is a son of William and Mary Litz and was born in Clearfield County, Pa., in 1876. The father was a farmer and lumberman throughout his life, cutting lumber under contract for mills. Educated in the school of Clearfield County, Arthur B. Litz worked with his father for a time until he first became identified with the printing business in 1900. This trade he followed in many sections of the United States, and in 1925 he came to Hollidaysburg, where he purchased an interest in the Register and took over the duties of general manager of the Register Printing Company. He is more particularly concerned with the operations of the job printing business of the plant, which employs seven men. Since the advent of Mr. Litz to the firm, the plant has been re-equipped with the most modern printing machines and is thus able to give a thoroughly diversified service. Mr. Litz is a member of the Elks, Moose, Hollidaysburg Club, and Kiwanis Club, and attends Trinity Lutheran Church. In 1923, he married May Dougherty, of Altoona. FRANK GILBERT FISHER, assistant district attorney of Blair County and well known attorney of Hollidaysburg, was born at Altoona, Pa., in 1893, and is a son of A. S. and Lillian Fisher, both of whom are deceased. His father, a native of Bedford County, practiced law at Altoona, whither he had come from his native county, from 1893 until the time of his death in 1926. Graduating from the Altoona High School in 1911 Frank Gilbert Fisher attended Dickinson Law School, Carlisle, Pa. He immediately enlisted in the army for service in the World War, and served with the artillery at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, until his discharge in April, 1919. Returning to Altoona, he entered upon active practice in partnership with his father and two years later entered the office of Judge Patterson, then district attorney, at Hollidaysburg. In 1922, Mr. Fisher was appointed assistant district attorney and has since occupied that position. In addition to his public work in the courts, Mr. Fisher has built up a gratifying private practice. He is a member of the Blair County Bar Association and the American Legion. He was united in marriage in 1924 to Mary Marks, of Altoona, Pa., and they are both members of the First Methodist Episcopal Church, of Altoona. JOHN N. DRASS, prominent in real estate and insurance circles of Holidays- burg, Pa., was born here, May 25, 1879, a son of John B., and Elizabeth (Gill) Drass, the former of whom was born in Hollidaysburg and here followed the business of general contractor and the latter of whom was a native of Cambria County, Pa. Receiving his education in parochial and public schools of his native city, he first worked with the Post-Office Department at Hollidaysburg for two years and then four years with the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1910 he entered upon his present field of endeavor, opening real estate and insurance office at No. 412 Allegheny Street, subsequently, through the ever-increasing demands of his business, he purchased the building and fitted up his present BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 5 offices and residence at No. 410-412 Allegheny Street. His operations in real estate have been extensive and he is the owner of the new development north of Hollidaysburg known as Drass Place, comprising some thirty acres, where the school board has recently purchased a site for the new high school soon to be erected. His achievements in insurance have been no less notable. He was instrumental in the organization of the Blair County Fire & Casualty Insurance Agents' Association, of which he was the first president and is now a director. A member of the Pennsylvania State Federation of Insurance Agents, he is one of a committee of four outstanding insurance men of the state of that organization selected to negotiate with insurance companies for adjustment of agents' rates. He is also a member of the National Federation of Insurance Agents, member and secretary of the Hollidaysburg Chamber of Commerce, charter member of the Blairmont Country Club, the Hollidaysburg Business Men's Association, and the Hollidaysburg Kiwanis Club. As president of the last named organization in 1929, he inaugurated the child welfare program of the club. His fraternal affiliations are with the Knights of the Macabees, Knights of St. George, Artisans' Order of Mutual Protection, and the Knights of Columbus, in the last of which he was secretary of the directors of the Home Association who supervised the erection of the new building which houses the Altoona Council at 1508 and 1510 12th Ave., Altoona, Pa. During the World War, he was chairman of the Knights of Columbus drive for welfare funds, assisted the Y. M. C. A., Y. W. C. A., Salvation Army, and Liberty Loan drives, was general chairman of the United War Work campaign, and was county chairman of Home Service Relief of the American Red Cross. His religious affiliations are with St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church. In 1903, he married Clara T. Leap, born in Hollidaysburg, a daughter of Anthony and Agnes (Fox) Leap, and to them have been born these children: John N., Jr., James L., Robert F., Clara G., Francis B., Richard A., Albert A., and Patricia L. WALDO EMERSON PRESTON, M. D., physician and surgeon of Hollidaysburg, was born in 1889, at Canton, Pa., a son of M. C. and Nioma Preston, who now live retired at Pasadena, California, the father having been a merchant at Canton throughout his active career. Doctor Preston obtained his public school education in Canton and then studied at the University of Pennsylvania, from which he received his doctorate in medicine in 1914. He served his interneship at the Philadelphia General Hospital, and when the United States entered the World War, he enlisted in the Medical Corps, receiving the commission of first lieutenant and serving eleven months in France. Following his discharge in 1919, Doctor Preston located in Hollidaysburg, where he has since conducted a general practice with special emphasis on eye, ear, nose, and throat diseases. He is medical inspector of the Hollidaysburg public schools and is a member of the Medical Society of Pennsylvania and the Blair County Medical Association. He is a member of Punxsutawney Lodge, No. 543, F. & A. M., and the Harrisburg Consistory. He is a member of the Methodist Church and his wife BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 6 belongs to the Presbyterian Church. In October, 1921, he married Catharine Lindsey, of Hollidaysburg, and to them have been born two children, Robert and Louise, both of whom are attending school here. WAYLAND RAY PALMER, M. D., prominent physician and surgeon of Hollidaysburg, was born at Watsontown, Northumberland County, Pa., December 1, 1877, a son of James Reed and Mary Elizabeth (Bruch) Palmer, both deceased, the former of whom was a farmer throughout his active career. Graduating from the Watsontown High School in 1894, Doctor Palmer matriculated at Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, and graduated therefrom in 1902 with the degree of doctor of medicine. In the same year, he inaugurated his practice in Hollidaysburg and has come to be regarded as one of the leading physicians and surgeons of the community. He has served as medical examiner for the public schools, was a medical examiner for the Selective Service Board during the World War, and now occupies a similar position with the United States Pension Board. He is a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy, the Medical Society of Pennsylvania, and the Blair County Medical Association. He is also a member of the various Masonic bodies, the Odd Fellows, and the Juniata Country Club. In 1910, Doctor Palmer married Amy E. Eliason, of Fairmont, West Virginia, and they have one daughter, Helen Louise, born September 23, 1915, who is a student at the Hollidaysburg High School and is a talented violinist. Doctor Palmer and his family attend the First Presbyterian Church of this city. DANIEL STRALEY BRUMBAUGH, Blair County commissioner, was born in 1870, at New Enterprise, Bedford County, Pa., a son of Jacob S., and Francino (Straley) Brumbaugh, both deceased, the former of whom was a farmer throughout his life. He received his education in the common and high schools of New Enterprise, thereafter worked on the home farm for a number of years, and came to Altoona, Pa., in 1893. For fifteen years, he was employed as a conductor on the Altoona & Logan Valley Railroad, after which he was dispatcher on several divisions of the railroad until 1915. In that year, he took office as treasurer of Blair County, serving four years. From 1919 to 1927, he was again engaged in railroad work but in the latter year took over the duties of county commissioner, an office which he still retains. He represented the Twelfth Ward in the city council for six years, to which he was elected on the Democratic ticket. He is a member of the Church of the Brethren. Mr. Brumbaugh married Elizabeth King Stiffler, of New Enterprise, Pa., and they have two children, Orval Chalmer, who married Orpha Pate and resides in Altoona, and Francino, the wife of Fred Shollar, of Altoona. M. T. BERINGER, comptroller of Blair County, was born in 1881, at Beringer, Indiana County, Pa., a son of George and Catherine Beringer, both deceased. Reared on the home farm, he attended the public schools and prepared BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 7 himself for the teaching profession. He taught in Indiana County during the year of 1899 and then entered the employ of John D. Garman, proprietor of a general store at Beringer, remaining there one year. He then became a fireman on the Cresson Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad and in 1902 allied himself with the William F. Gable Company, of Altoona, Pa., as buyer of books and stationery. He continued in this work until 1918, when he was appointed deputy county comptroller. In 1921, he was elected county comptroller and has been returned to that office at the three succeeding elections. He has served as a member of the school board and is now secretary and treasurer of the Blair County Agricultural Extension Association. He is a Republican in politics and is interested in the civic affairs of Hollidaysburg, his home. He is a member of the Blue Lodge, Consistory, and Shrine in Masonry, the Patriotic Order Sons of America, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, and Knights of Pythias, and attends the Lutheran Church. In July, 1906, he was united in marriage to Anna B. Spearing, of Altoona, Pa., and they are the parents of these children: J. Craig, an accountant in the employ of Blair County; Edward Forde, with the State Highway Department; and Marie Adele, a student at the Shippensburg State Teachers' College. Mrs. Beringer attends the Lutheran Church, where she is a member of the Ladies' Aid Society, and holds membership in the Order of the Eastern Star. JOHN REPLOGLE BASSLER, deputy controller of Blair County and a resident of Roaring Springs, was born in Bedford County, Pa., in 1892, a son of David M., and Libbie (Replogle) Bassler, farmers of that county who are deceased. Reared on the home farm, he acquired his education in the public schools, Juniata College, and the Penn Business College, Lancaster, Pa., graduating from the former college in business administration and studying at the latter in 1913. He then became associated with the Cambria Steel Company, Johnstown, Pa., as timekeeper and later with the shipping department of the same concern. In 1917, he came to Blair County and was appointed assistant clerk in the office of the county commissioners. On January 1, 1921, he was appointed deputy controller of the county and has been twice reappointed for four-year terms. He is active in the Republican politics of the county and also holds the offices of secretary of the borough of Roaring Spring and justice of the peace, the latter since 1918. He is a member of the various Masonic bodies, the Odd Fellows, and the Patriotic Order Sons of America. He and his wife are communicants of the Lutheran Church. He married Edith G. Brumbaugh, of Roaring Spring, and they are the parents of two children, Phyllis Louise and John R., Jr., both of whom are pupils in the Roaring Spring Schools. Mrs. Bassler is a member of the Rebekahs and the Order of the Eastern Star. PAUL L. HALL, prothonotary and clerk of the court of Blair County, is a native of Sullivan County, Pa., where he was born in 1897, a son of H. P. and Mary E. (Boatman) Hall, the former of whom is deceased and the latter of whom BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 8 resides with her son at Juniata, Pa. Educated in the graded and high schools of Juniata, he became identified with the William F. Gable Company, of Altoona, Pa., and continued with that organization until 1917, when he enlisted in the 148th Aero Squadron for service in the World War. As an aerial gunner, he served with this unit in France, being wounded in action, March 28, 1918, and again on May 9, 1918, the latter from shell fire which caused the loss of his right leg. He was returned to this country in the same year and discharged from the army in 1919. He was the first Blair County soldier to be wounded and the third American soldier to lose a leg on the Western Front. Following his discharge, he studied at the Vocational Training School, at Philadelphia, and after his return to Blair County was elected prothonotary and clerk of the court, an office to which he has been twice reelected. Mr. Hall is senior vice-commander of the local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and is a member of the American Legion and Independent Order of Red Men. He attends the first Methodist Episcopal Church, of Juniata. In 1919, Mr. Hall married Alice R. Ellsworth, of Ellenville, New York, and they have two children, Ellsworth L., born in 1920, and Paul L., Jr., born in 1923. Mrs. Hall is a communicant of the First Methodist Church and a member of the auxiliaries of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. JOHN CENTENNIAL GORSUCH, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners of Blair County, was born at McKees Gap, this county, October 31, 1876, a son of Henderson and Elizabeth (Gates) Gorsuch, both deceased, the former of whom was a farmer and blacksmith throughout his active life. He attended the public schools, graduating from the Roaring Spring High School in 1892, and then began the study of telegraphy with the Pennsylvania Railroad at McKees Gap, receiving his first instruction from John S. Wertman and a postgraduate training at the Altoona, Pa., yards of the company. He followed this work at the Altoona yards until 1908, when he entered the livery business, continuing therein until 1912. In 1912-13, he traveled for the Austin-Western Machine Company, resigning to become constable of the Third Ward of Altoona, holding that position until 1916. In the latter year, he was elected alderman of the same ward and held that office until he was elected county commissioner in 1920. He was returned to office in 1924 and 1928 and now occupies the position of chairman of the board. In 1923, he was elected president of the State Association of County Commissioners and reelected to that office in 1930. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, Patriotic Order Sons of America, and the Order of Railroad Telegraphers. In 1902, he was united in marriage to Sarah Lawson, of Altoona, Pa., and they have two sons, Robert H., of Altoona, and Gerald L., who is associated with the Oakland Motor Car Company, of Pontiac, Michigan. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 9 ANDREW MEYERS, deceased, was for many years a leading builder and contractor in Blair County. He was born at Schnehin, Baden, Germany, in July, 1834, a son of Andrew and Anna Marie Meyers. The father passed away when Andrew Meyers, the subject of this review, was but two years old, and Mrs. Myers emigrated to America with her son, locating in Hollidaysburg. Andrew Meyers began his schooling in Germany, and completed it in the public schools of Hollidaysburg. Subsequent to this he became apprenticed to David K. Reaney, a building constructor of his community. After he had mastered the work, he entered into business for himself, where he rapidly became an outstanding representative of the building business in the county, and an influential factor in Hollidaysburg. Miss Margaret Metz, daughter of Andrew and Anna Metz, became the wife of Mr. Meyers in 1856. The following children were born to this union: Margaret, who married Dr. E. M. Duff; Emma; Mary, now Mrs. A. C. Harnish; Andrew, Jr., deceased; Katherine, who is Mrs. W. A. Mattern; George and Sue L. JAMES WILLIAM GROMILLER, vice-president of the Hollidaysburg Trust Company, was born in this city, July 18, 1863, a son of Engelbert and Catharine (Sturm) Gromiller, both natives of Germany. The father learned the trade of brewer, which he followed at Lancaster, Pa., after coming to this country and later at Hollidaysburg, where he was brewmaster for the old Springer brewery. Later, he engaged in the hotel business and conducted the enterprise until the time of his death in 1873. His wife died in 1887. James W. Gromiller attended the St. Michael's Parochial School and the Hollidaysburg public schools and apprenticed himself to the printing trade in the employ of the Hollidaysburg Register, where he remained four years. Subsequently, he was employed by the Times and Tribune, of Altoona, and the Freeman, of Ebensburg, Pa. In 1887, he became the proprietor of the United States Hotel at Hollidaysburg, conducting this enterprise until 1918. He was an incorporator of the Hollidaysburg Electric Light & Power Company, of which he was president and a director until the concern was sold to the Penn Central Light & Power Company in 1911. In 1905, he organized the Green Lawn Cemetery Association, of which he is president and a director. When the First National Bank was reorganized in 1897 as the Hollidaysburg Trust Company, Mr. Gromiller was elected to membership on the board of directors and was elevated to the vice-presidency of the institution in 1920 upon the death of A. L. Garver, whom he succeeded. For twenty-five years a member of the Hollidaysburg borough council, he was instrumental as its president in the flotation of a $40,000 loan in 1904 for the construction of the first sewer system, improved streets, and municipal building. He served on the building committees for the erection of the structures of the Hollidaysburg Trust Company, Phoenix Engine House, and municipal building and assisted the Pennsylvania Railroad to secure land for the location of a roundhouse and classification yards at Hollidaysburg, securing for the borough $10,000 and the construction of the Union Street bridge. During the Spanish-American BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 10 War, Mr. Gromiller became intimately acquainted with Admiral Cervera, his son, Captain Eulate of the "Vizcaya," and Emilio, paymaster of the "Oquendo," when the Spanish officers were honor prisoners at Annapolis, Maryland. He took photographs of the officers and has in his possession letters received from them. In 1900, he toured Europe, sailing from this country aboard the "Oceanic," it being the maiden voyage of the vessel, then the largest afloat. His experiences on his travels, which included the Passion Play at Oberammergau, Germany, he set forth in a book entitled, "Notes from the Diary of an Amateur Tourist." In 1907, he married Regina May Marks, of Hollidaysburg, and they have one son, James F., who is head bookkeeper of the Hollidaysburg Trust Company and married Avalyn Filtz, October 1, 1930. Mr. Gromiller is an independent Republican in politics and his fraternal affiliations are with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is a life member. WILLIAM I. WOODCOCK, attorney of Hollidaysburg, was born at Bedford, Bedford County, Pa., August 21, 1850. Educated in the public schools of his native section and the State Normal School of the county, he began reading law in the offices of W. Lee Woodcock and won admission to practice before the bar of Blair County in 1875. He came to Hollidaysburg in 1877 to practice his profession and has since risen to a place of eminence in that field. He has taken an active interest in the affairs of the community, serving two terms as school director, and his business affiliations include directorship in the Hollidaysburg Trust Company. He is a member of the Blair County Bar Association, Penn State Bar Association, and American Bar Association, He is a former president and an active member of the Blair County Historical Society, and is also a member of the local lodge of Masons, Blairmont Country Club and the Juniata Hunting and Fishing Club. Mr. Woodcock married Elizabeth Ugnast, who was born in India, and they have three children, John, who married Marjorie Sprecher, of Sykesville, Maryland, and has two children, Virginia Ann and John, Jr.; Robert, who married Lucile Savage, and they have two children, William I., III and Richard; and William I., Jr., who is General Solicitor of the Reading Railroad, at Philadelphia. JOHN OSWALD PROSSER, B. S., M. D., engaged in a general medical practice at Hollidaysburg, was born at Scranton, Pa., in 1901, a son of Rev. Charles and Catherine (Harris) Prosser. The father, who is deceased, was a minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church and was a member of the Masonic fraternity. The mother of Doctor Prosser now resides at Scranton. Doctor Prosser attended the graded and high schools of his native city and then matriculated at Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he received his doctorate in medicine in 1927. His interneship was spent at the Hahnemann Hospital, Philadelphia, and in 1928, he established himself at Hollidaysburg, where he has since carried on a general practice in medicine and surgery. Doctor Prosser is a member of the staffs of Mercy Hospital, at Altoona, Altoona Hospital, and the Roaring Spring Hospital. He is house physician of Highland Hall, a preparatory school for girls near this city. His professional affiliations are with the American and Blair County Medical Associations and the Medical BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 11 Society of Pennsylvania. He is a member of Juniata Lodge, F. & A. M., and, with his wife, attends the Presbyterian Church. On January 29, 1930, he was united in marriage to Marguerite Alexander, of Westmont, Pa. JONAS WAKEFIELD STITZEL, M. D., of Hollidaysburg. Pa., was born at McEwensville, Northumberland County, Pa., May 13, 1868, a son of Jacob and Julia (Fisher) Stitzel, both deceased, both having been of German extraction, the former engaging in farming throughout the greater part of his life. Doctor Stitzel attended the graded and high schools of McEwensville, graduating from the latter in 1887, taught school two years and then studied at the Kutztown State Normal School, whence he graduated in 1890. For three years thereafter, he taught school, thus enabling himself to attend Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he received his doctorate in medicine, May 5, 1896. His first year of practice was spent at Houtzdale. Pa., from which he came to Hollidaysburg, in 1897. Later, he took special work on the eye, ear, nose, and throat at the New York Ophthalmic Hospital, from which he graduated in 1903 with the degree of Oculi et Auris Chirurgus. He has since specialized in those particular branches of medicine and has earned a wide reputation in this section of the state. He is a member of the Pennsylvania State and Blair County Medical Associations, American Institute of Homeopathy, Homeopathic Medical Society of Pennsylvania, and the American Society of Ophthalmology, Otology and Laryngology. Doctor Stitzel has always taken an active interest in civic affairs, serving for a number of years as a member of the school board. He is president of the board of directors of the Y. M. C. A. and a member of the Blairmont Country Club, Juniata Valley Colony Club, Kiwanis Club, Mason, Knight Templar and Jaffa Temple of the Shrine, and the Lutheran Church. He was married September 28, 1892, to Anna C. Derr, of McEwensville, Pa. to them has been born one son, Elwood W., who was born April 13, 1897, graduated from Hahnemann Medical College. Philadelphia, in 1922, specializing in children's diseases exclusively, and maintains offices in the Central Trust Building, Altoona. Pa. IRA KARNS, representative in Hollidaysburg of the Ford Motor Company, is a native of Clearville, Bedford County, Pa., where he was born in 1885, a son of Simon H. and Elberta (Mearkle) Karns. His father taught school in Bedford County for twenty years and also engaged in farming until the time of his death. After completing the prescribed course of study in the Clearville public schools, Ira Karns was employed as a rural mail carrier for eleven and a half years at Clearville, Pa., and in 1919, removed to Bedford, Pa., to become a partner in the King Motor Company, dealing in Ford automobiles and tractors. Subsequently, he located at Cumberland, Maryland, and in 1925 became identified with the Bohman Motor Company, with which he remained one year. At this time, he secured the Ford franchise for Piedmont, West Virginia. and represented the company there for a year. In 1927, Mr. Karns purchased the Ford BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 12 agency at Hollidaysburg and has since conducted that enterprise. Serving the city and surrounding territory and employing some fifteen men, he operates day and night service on repair work in addition to the sales end of the business. He is a member of the Odd Fellows, and as a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal Church, sings in the choir of that body. In 1912, he married Loretta McCoy, of Cumberland, Maryland. Mr. and Mrs. Karns have four children, Leo, Robert, Margaret Louise, and William. CHARLES EDWIN STOUT, county engineer for Blair County, was born at Nescopeck, Pa., January 2, 1886, a son of Robert Cadwalder and Charity Alice (McBride) Stout, the former of English and German extraction and the latter of Scotch- Irish descent. He traces his ancestry to Richard Stout, who came to America from England in 1622. He obtained his early education in the public schools, graduating from the Altoona High School in 1905. He then became associated with the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, of Colorado, rising to the position of assistant division engineer, continuing with that concern until 1916, when he matriculated at the School of Mines of Pennsylvania State College. His college training was interrupted by the World War, for he served in the artillery at Fortress Monroe from September to December, 1918. He resumed his studies after being discharged, graduating in 1920 with the degree of bachelor of science. He then entered the employ of the Compania Carbonifera de Sabinas, S.A., a subsidiary of the American Smelting & Refining Company, of New York, and was stationed at La Rosita, Coahuila, Mexico, as a mining engineer in the coal fields. A serious accident, May 4, 1921, in a mine explosion made it necessary for him to return to the United States, where he spent three years at the Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland. Coming to Altoona, Pa., in 1924, he was appointed county engineer, January 1, 1925, and has since continued in that office, conducting a general engineering practice in addition to his county work. In Masonry, he has attained the Thirty-second Degree in the Scottish Rite and is a member of El Jebel Temple of the Shrine at Denver, Colorado. In June, 1918, Mr. Stout was united in marriage to Beulah Rebecca Ross, of Altoona, Pa., and they have three children: Jane Lucille, born in 1921; Edwin Erle, born May 4, 1925; and Charles Edwin, Jr., who was born February 26, 1927. Mr. Stout, through his military service, is a member of the American Legion, to the auxiliary of which Mrs. Stout belongs. She is also a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the White Shrine and both attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. DANIEL DIGHTON MORRELL, who died at Hollidaysburg, February 7, 1904, was born at Monkton, Vermont, September 27, 1822, and was a son of Jonathan and Tamasa (Stackpole) Morrell. He first married Mary Caroline Ingersoll, born in Richfield, Ohio, April 6, 1827, and died at Henrietta, Pa., June 11, 1874, and to this union were born three children, Marion Theodosia, Cornelia Ingersoll, and Daniel D.; the last named died April 3, 1871. For his BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 13 second wife he took Sydney Holliday Reamey, whom he married at Hollidaysburg, Pa., June 7, 1877. She died June 28, 1906, leaving one son, Daniel Reamey. Cornelia Ingersoll Morrell, of these children, is a graduate of the University Hospital Training School for Nurses with the class of 1898. Marion Theodosia Morrell was married in Henrietta, Pa., February 22, 1874, to Nicholas Dinant, by whom she had two children, Louis and Grace, both of whom died in infancy. She was married a second time to Rev. Alonzo Potter Diller, they and their son, Isaac, being lost in the Johnstown flood. DANIEL REAMEY MORRELL was born at Henrietta, Pa., March 26, 1878, and there obtained his early education in the public schools. He attended preparatory school at Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and in October, 1900, apprenticed himself to the mechanical department of the Pennsylvania Railroad, working under the general superintendent of motive power. He continued with this organization in the mechanical and purchasing departments until January, 1927, when he resigned, since which time he has lived retired at Hollidaysburg. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club and Hollidaysburg Club, of which he has served as president, Y. M. C. A., and Blair County Motor Club. His fraternal affiliation is with Juniata Lodge, No. 282, F. & A. M. CHARLES EDWIN BRANTLINGER, proprietor of the Capital Hotel, of Hollidaysburg, was born at Altoona, Pa., in 1893, and is a son of William W. Brantlinger, who has been an engineer with the Pennsylvania Railroad for fifty years and resides in Altoona, and of Anna (McIntosh) Brantlinger. Graduating from the Altoona High School in 1910, Charles E. Brantlinger matriculated at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied pharmacy, graduating in 1914. For two years thereafter, he operated a drug store at Pittsburgh and returned to Altoona in 1917. In 1918, he established at Hollidaysburg a pool room and recreation hall, which he operated successfully until 1929. In that year, he purchased the Capital Hotel, a thirty room hostelry maintaining dining and coffee room service, and now conducts this business. Mr. Brantlinger is a member of the Knights of Columbus, Kiwanis Club, and Hollidaysburg Club. In October, 1914, he married Nana M. Calvin, of Hollidaysburg, and they are both communicants of St. Michael's Catholic Church. JOHN WESLEY ALLEN, druggist of Hollidaysburg, was born in Altoona, Pa., in 1898, and is a son of Walter B. and Caroline S. (Walls) Allen, residents of Altoona. The father is a machine shop foreman with the Pennsylvania Railroad. John W. Allen graduated from the Altoona High School in 1917, and then attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, completing his studies there in 1921. Coming to Hollidaysburg at that time, he purchased from the John P. Jacobs Estate his present drug store located on the Diamond. Mr. Allen handles a complete line of drugs, maintains a fountain service, and sells radios. During the World War, Mr. Allen served in the army as an instructor in the Officers' BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 14 Training Camp at Camp Gordon, Georgia, until his discharge, November 29, 1918. He is a member of the American Legion, Kiwanis Club, and the various Masonic bodies, including the Harrisburg Consistory and Jaffa Temple of the Shrine. His wife is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star. In June, 1921, Mr. Allen married Margaret Elizabeth Williams, of Altoona, and to them have been born three children, Margaret Elizabeth, born in 1923; John Wesley, Jr., 1927; and Priscilla Carol, 1930. WALTER HUMES LEEDOM, pharmacist of Hollidaysburg, was born in this city, January 17, 1886, a son of Levi and Emma (McCahan) Leedom, the former living here while the latter is dead. Levi Leedom, a baker by trade, was a veteran of the Civil War. In 1880, he first became associated with various public offices in a clerical capacity, his associations in the succeeding years being with the offices of register, recorder, and prothonotary. He retired in 1929 because of ill health. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and attends the Lutheran Church. Walter Humes Leedom graduated from the Hollidaysburg High School in 1902, and studied pharmacy at the Medico, Chirurgical College, Philadelphia. Thereafter until 1911, he was employed as a drug clerk but in that year purchased the drug store of H. I. Davis. He has since conducted that enterprise, and in addition to a complete line of drugs and sundries, he handles Victrolas and radios. A Republican in politics and interested in local civic affairs, he has served as a member of the school board since 1919. He is a member of the various Masonic bodies, the Odd Fellows, Kiwanis Club, and a local fire company, of which he is treasurer. In 1910, Mr. Leedom married Mabel Irene Mauk, of Hollidaysburg, and their son, Walter Mauk, was born September 15, 1914. He and his wife are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, while Mrs. Leedom is active in Y. W. C. A. work. PAUL GRAHAM STULTZ, a member of the hardware and implement firm of Stultz Brothers, of Hollidaysburg, Pa., was born at Duncansville, Pa., in 1888, and is a son of Harry L. and Louise V. (Graham) Stultz. The father, who is deceased, entered the hardware and implement business at Eldorado, later removed to Duncansville, and in 1911 established himself in the same line at Hollidaysburg, his store being located at the corner of Mulberry and Wayne Streets. Paul Graham Stultz and his brother, Joseph, bought the business from their father and now conduct it as a partnership. They have so increased the annual volume of sales that they maintain a second store at Williamsburg, Pa. In 1911, Mr. Stultz married Sarah Peck, of Hollidaysburg, and to them have been born these children: Frank P., who is attending Lehigh University; Jane Louise, a student at the local high school; Henry L., attending junior high school; and John Peck. A Republican in politics, Mr. Stultz has taken an active interest in civic affairs, having served three years as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and attends the Presbyterian Church. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 15 J. DON CONDRON, owner and manager of the Condron Lumber Company, of Hollidaysburg, was born in this city in 1889. J. B. Condron, his father, was active in the lumber business here for forty years, having established the concern of which his son is now the proprietor. He died in 1922, and his wife, Belle (Kinport) Condron, is also deceased. J. Don Condron, after completing two years of study in the local high school, completed his education by two years spent at Mercersburg Academy. For several years, he traveled through the West in the employ of the Bitter Root Valley Irrigation Company, but returned to Hollidaysburg in 1915, to assist his father in the management of the Condron Lumber Company. Following his parent's death in 1922, he assumed charge of the enterprise and has since guided its destinies. In 1915, he married Grace Saylor, of Hollidaysburg, and they are the parents of two children, Martha Vene and Joseph B. In fraternal circles, Mr. Condron is a member of Juniata Lodge, F.& A. M., of Hollidaysburg. He and his wife attend the Presbyterian Church, of Hollidaysburg. WEBSTER CALVIN, M. D., was known until the time of his death, January 15, 1929, as one of the leading physicians and surgeons of Blair County, where he practiced twenty years. A son of Matthew and Mary (Henry) Calvin, he was born at Rodman, Pa., May 31, 1882, attended the Hollidaysburg public schools, and pursued his college preparatory studies at the academy of Prof. J. A. Stewart. After two years at Bucknell University in pre-medical work, he matriculated at Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he received his doctorate in medicine in 1904. He served his interneship at the Homeopathic Hospital, Pittsburgh, in 19O5, took post-graduate work at the universities of Gottingen and Freiburg in Germany, and upon his return to the United States was appointed a member of the staff of the Pittsburgh Homeopathic Hospital, where he served until May, 1909. At that time, he inaugurated his practice in Hollidaysburg and soon rose to a position of eminence in his profession here. His career was interrupted by the World War, though his record in military service was as notable as that in civil life. On March 25, 1917, he was commissioned first lieutenant in the Medical Corps and reported to Fort Ogelthorpe, Georgia, for training June 1st, that year. On June 15th, he was assigned to the Eleventh Infantry and on July 1st was transferred to the 22nd Ambulance Company, of which he became the commanding officer a month later and took to Camp Dix, New Jersey, on August 25th. He was commissioned captain, October 15, 1917, and major, January 25, 1918, his unit meanwhile becoming a part of the 303rd Sanitary Train of the 78th Division in the army reorganization. Receiving the commission of lieutenant-colonel, April 2, 1918, he was placed in command of the train, composed of four field hospitals and four ambulance companies and over a million dollars worth of government property, with which he sailed for England aboard the Mauretania on June 2nd, arriving at Liverpool on June 9, 1918. The organization was landed at Havre, France, June 12th, and was brigaded with the British Army in the Lens sector, BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 16 Flanders, until June 25th, when it was transferred to the First British Army in the vicinity of Arras. On August 25th, the train rejoined the 78th Division with which it remained during the remainder of the fighting, being present at the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne drives. On October 11, 1918, Colonel Calvin was promoted to assistant to the division surgeon and so continued until he sailed for the United States, December 23, 1918. He was discharged from the army at Camp Dix, January 8, 1919. He was prominently identified with the activities of Fort Fetter Post, No. 516, American Legion. On September 29, 1909, Doctor Calvin married Elizabeth Stone, daughter of Andrew T. and Mary (Kean) Stone, and to them was born one son, Webster, Jr. Doctor Calvin was a member of the Sigma Chi, college social fraternity, and Phi Alpha Gamma, professional medical fraternity of his school. Doctor Calvin was a member of the staff of Nason Hospital, at Roaring Spring, Altoona Hospital and Mercy Hospital, at Altoona, and physician of the Hollidaysburg Presbyterian Home. HARRY ELLSWORTH CRISWELL, Chevrolet dealer at Hollidaysburg, was born at Altoona, Pa., in 1898, a son of Harry E. and Carrie E. Criswell, the former being deceased and the latter residing in Altoona. Mr. Criswell obtained his education in the graded and high schools of his native city and found his first position traveling for the National Biscuit Company, with whom he remained two and a half years, and then traveled two years for the Cudahy Packing Company, of Pittsburgh, Pa. In 1923, he came to Hollidaysburg to sell Chevrolet automobiles for the Davis-Murray Company and continued there for two years as sales manager. He was then associated with the Altoona agency of the same company and in March, 1927, acquired the Chevrolet franchise for Hollidaysburg and the surrounding territory. Mr. Criswell maintains a well equipped garage for sales and service work and employs eleven men. He is a Republican in politics, is a member of the Blairmont Country Club, and attends the Presbyterian Church. In 1928, he married Louise Grimes, of Pittsburgh, and to them has been born a daughter, Louise in May. 1929. The family residence is at Sylvan Hill. WILLIAM FREDERICK KIESEL, JR., mechanical engineer with the Pennsylvania Railroad, was born at Scranton, Pa., September 1, 1866, a son of William Frederick and Mary Johanna (Neuffer) Kiesel, both of whom are deceased and were of German extraction. He attended Lehigh University, graduating therefrom in 1887, and entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad on April 9, 1888. On March 1, 1898, he was made chief draughtsman. On July 1, 1900, he was promoted to assistant engineer. became assistant mechanical engineer, September 1, 1902, and assumed the duties of mechanical engineer of the Pennsylvania System, February 1. 1919, a position which he still retains. He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Railroad Association. In 1889, Mr. Kiesel married Alice Sweigard, of Bethlehem, Pa., and to them have been born these children: Mildred Virginia; John BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 17 Sweigard, a graduate mechanical engineer; William Frederick, III, also a graduate mechanical engineer. Mr. and Mrs. Kiesel are members of the First Methodist Church, of Altoona, Pa. JOHN BRUA ELLIOTT, head of the Thermic Coal & Supply Company, of Hollidaysburg, was born in Hollidaysburg, October 6, 1884, a son of Robert Alexander and Clara (Brua) Elliott, the former of whom was engaged in the transfer and trucking business until his retirement from active life in 1924. The Elliott family is one of the oldest in the county having come here from Carlisle along with the Hollidays. Robert Elliott, the great grandfather of the above, having married Mary Holliday, a direct descendant of William Holliday, who settled here along with his brother, Adam, after whom the town is named, in 1768. Following his graduation from the Hollidaysburg High School, in 1903, Mr. Elliott entered the employ of R. H. Spendley, Altoona, Pa., coal broker, who died shortly afterward. In 1904, Mr. Elliott organized the Thermic Coal & Supply Company, of which he is the president. The corporation is a leader in its field. The concern handles coal and building materials, manufactures ice, performs road contracting work, and operates a sand and stone quarry at Franktown, Pa. Thirty men are regularly employed by the company, of which the secretary and treasurer is T. E. Dipner. Mr. Elliott entered the army when the United States declared war on Germany, and was sent to Camp Joseph E. Johnston, Jacksonville, Florida, in 1918, where he served as camp postmaster. A member of the First Presbyterian Church, he has been a trustee for years and for a long time has managed the Presbyterian Cemetery. He is past commander of the local post of the American Legion, past president of the Kiwanis Club, and holds membership in the Forty- and-Eight Club, Blair County Motor Club, Blair County Historical Society, Altoona Cricket Club, and Blairmont Country Club. [a duplicate line was removed from the previous sentence] His fraternal affiliations are with the Odd Fellows and Masonic fraternity, in the latter being a member of Juniata Lodge, Knights Templar and of Jaffa Shrine. In March, 1929, Mr. Elliott married Mary Ogden Taylor, daughter of Jeffry W. and Margaret Gallagher Taylor, of Greensburg, Pa., and they reside at Hill View, Hollidaysburg, Pa. EDWIN HITE BRUA, of the contracting firm of E. H. & L. A. Brua, Jr., of Hollidaysburg, was born here in 1887, a son of Lynn A. and Lizzie (Hite) Brua, residents of Hollidaysburg, the former born in Blair County and the latter near Pittsburgh, Pa. After completing the prescribed course of the Hollidaysburg public schools, he entered the contracting business in 1912 and has since continued in that field. Many miles of state highway in Blair, Bedford, and Cambria Counties and nearly all the improved streets in Hollidaysburg, have been laid by this company, so that Mr. Brua may well be regarded among the leading road contractors in this section of the state. In 1910, he married Eva Thomas, of Hollidaysburg, and they maintain their home at No. 907 Penn BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 18 Street. He is a member of the Blair County Country Club, and Mrs. Brua attends the Lutheran Church. J. DENNISTON HARTMAN, is a well known and prosperous business man of Hollidaysburg, carrying on the ganister business of his father, the late Jesse L. Hartman. Mr. Hartman was born at McKee's Gap, now known as McKee, Blair County, in the year 1880. He was educated in the public schools of the same county, and attended the Kiskimenetas Springs Preparatory School, at Saltsburg, Pa., later entering Cornell University from which institution he graduated in the year 1903, with the degree of mechanical engineer. On completing his education he entered the employ of the Westinghouse Electric Company, of Pittsburgh, where he remained for about one year when he became associated with his father in the ganister business at Hollidaysburg, in which business he is still very active. Mr. Hartman, like his father, is a Republican, and is, fraternally, a member of the F. & A. M., Royal Arch Mason, the Engineers' Club of New York, the Cornell Club of New York, the Penn Athletic Club of Philadelphia, the Blairmont Country Club, the Juniata Country Club and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Mr. Hartman is very much interested in the civic enterprises of his community. He is a Major, Engineers' Reserve Corps, and a Blair County member of the Public Safety Committee during the World War, appointed by Gov. William C. Sproul. He is the father of two children, Anna Duncan Hartman and Jesse Lee Hartman. FLOYD GUANAR HOENSTINE, clerk in the Blair County commissioners' office, was born at St. Clairsville, Pa., July 31, 1895, a son of Wilson E. and Mary E. (Claycomb) Hoenstine, who are living retired at Hollidaysburg. After attending the public schools, he matriculated at Pennsylvania State College, from which he received the degree of bachelor of science in 1924, his college career having been preceded by service in the army during the World War. He enlisted August 27, 1917, was commissioned second lieutenant, November 27, 1917, and was assigned to Company C, 55th Infantry, 7th Division. His organization sailed from Hoboken aboard the U. S. S. Leviathan, August 3, 1918, and landed at Brest, France, August 11th. On October 25, 1918, while serving in the St. Mihiel sector, he was wounded in action. He holds a citation for gallantry under fire and is entitled to wear the silver star conferred upon the winners of citations. He was returned to the United States, January 17, 1919, and discharged from the hospital, September 11th, that year. As a member of Fort Fetter Post, No. 516, American Legion, Hollidaysburg, Pa., he was its commander in 1929 and was elected district commander of the American Legion in the Twenty-first District for the year 1930-31. From his father, he purchased a thirty-acre farm in Allegheny Township devoted to poultry raising and truck gardening, and this he still operates. On February 15, 1926, he was appointed clerk in the office of the county commissioners, an office which he still retains, and in 1930, he was a Republican candidate for Representative in Congress, BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 19 Fraternally, he is a member of the Juniata Lodge, No. 282, F. & A. M., Hollidaysburg, the National Greek Letter Fraternity of Alpha Chi Rho, the American Legion and the James S. Noble Post, No. 3, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Altoona, Pa. He was married August 27, 1928, to Harriett C. Baird, of Altoona, Pa. Mrs. Hoenstine is a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, and they both attend the Lutheran Church. HON. JESSE L. HARTMAN, late congressman, banker and ganister quarry operator, was one of the most influential citizens of Hollidaysburg, and was not only recognized for his business ability and integrity and his political strength but also for his kindness towards his fellowmen. Appeals to him were never unheeded or help from him ever refused. He was the son of Benjamin and Penina M. (Wilson) Hartman and was born at Cottage, Huntingdon County, June 18, 1853. His father was born in Perry County, in the year 1804, later moving to Cottage, Huntingdon County, where he became engaged in farming and mercantile business. He died at Royer, Blair County, in 1880. Penina Hartman, the mother, was born at Stone Valley, Huntingdon County, and was one of a family of nine who were well known and prominent throughout that district. Jesse L. Hartman's paternal great grandfather, Jacob Hartman, came to this country from Germany in the year 1775 and settled in Chester County, where he remained until the time of his death. Mr. Hartman received his education in the public and private schools at Bell's Mills, later matriculating into higher knowledge at the Hollidaysburg Seminary. After he had completed his schooling in the year 1872, he entered the employ of the B. M. Johnston & Company firm as a clerk in the company's general store in Hollidaysburg. He remained with this company for a period of six years after which time he became manager of the branch stores. In the year 1878, he became manager of the Hollidaysburg and Gap Iron Company's blast furnace at McKee, where he worked until 1891, when he was elected prothonotary of Blair County succeeding himself for two additional terms, serving in all a total of nine years. Mr. Hartman was very active in the affairs of the Republican party in his district and acted as leader and chairman of many political contests. In 1910, he was elected a member of the sixty-second Congress from the 19th district; serving one term in the House of Representatives at Washington. In 1898, Mr. Hartman was elected president of the First National Bank of Hollidaysburg now known as the Hollidaysburg Trust Company, which post he held in both institutions for a period of 32 years. On November 7, 1878, Mr. Hartman was united in marriage to Miss Ella McNamara Denniston, of Hollidaysburg. She died in 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Hartman were the parents of three children, one of which survives, J. Denniston Hartman. Mr. Hartman, fraternally, was active in the following circles: president of the Board of Directors of the Nason Hospital of Roaring Spring for many years, a member of the Woodbury Lodge, No. 539, Free and Accepted Masons, Mountain Commandery, No. 10, Knights Templar of Altoona, Syria Temple, A. A. 0. N. M. S., Pittsburgh, Altoona Lodge, No. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 20 I02, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Spruce Creek Rod and Gun Club and the Juniata Hunting and Fishing Club. He died February 17, 1930, but his memory will be cherished by many always. CHESTER HARRISON EDWARDS, chief clerk in the office of the county commissioners of Blair County, was born in Houston Township, this county, in 1888, a son of William H. and Anna N. (Shultz) Edwards. The mother died in 1921, and the father now resides in Altoona, where he is associated with the shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Chester H. Edwards was educated in the graded and high schools of Martinsburg, graduating from the latter in 1906, and in the same year entered the employ of the Morrison Cove Bank, of Martinsburg, Pa., as clerk and bookkeeper, where he remained two years. After a third year in the office of the timekeeper of the Pennsylvania Railroad, he spent a year and five months as clerk in the office of the prothonotary of Blair County. In June, 1910, he was transferred to the office of the county commissioners and was appointed chief clerk in 1916, a position which he still retains. He is, a member of the Juniata Lodge of Masons and attends the Church of God. In 1914, Mr. Edwards married Irma L. Noggle, a native of Taylor Township, Blair County, and they have a daughter, Elizabeth Lois, born in 1920. OLIVER F. ANDREW, M. D., C. M., physician and surgeon. of Hollidaysburg, was born at Oakville, Ontario, in 1896, and is a son of J. T. and Nettia (Finger) Andrew, the former of whom is deceased. After completing the prescribed course of study of the Oakville public schools, he made junior matriculation at Oakville High School and Senior matriculation at University of Toronto. Spending four years in study of medicine at University of Toronto and at McGill University, he graduated in 1925 with the degrees M. D. and C. M. His college training had been interrupted by the World War, for he spent three years in France with the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. His interneship was served at Mercy Hospital, Altoona, Pa., where he engaged in practice for two years, when that work was concluded. He was medical inspector of the Altoona public schools during that time. In 1928, Doctor Andrew established himself in Hollidaysburg and has since conducted a general practice here. He is included on the staff of Mercy Hospital and is a member of the Blair County Medical Association. In 1927, he married Josephine E. Hazzard, of Altoona, a graduate of the Mercy Hospital Training School. Doctor Andrew is a member of the Kiwanis Club and attends the Methodist Episcopal Church. CHARLES IRWIN ROBINSON, M. D., of Hollidaysburg, was born at Sharpsburg, Allegheny County, Pa., January 10, 1882, and is a son of James Alexander and Anna Margaret (Klinfelter) Robinson, the former of whom died in 1920, and the latter in 1925. The father was a coal dealer of Sharpsburg, following that business from 1880 until the time of his death. Doctor Robinson obtained his early education in the graded and high schools of his native city and BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 21 the Pittsburgh Academy, Pittsburgh, Pa. His pre-medical studies were pursued at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa., after which he attended the University of Pennsylvania, from which he was graduated with the degree of doctor of medicine in 1910. He spent his interneship at Mercy Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa. From 1911 to 1914, he was engaged in active practice at New Lebanon, Mercer County, Pa., locating at Sharpsburg in the latter year. In 1918, he went to Wilmington, Delaware, as surgeon for the Harlan plant of the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, remaining there until 1922. Since that time, Doctor Robinson has been engaged in a general practice at Hollidaysburg, where he is also surgeon for the Pennsylvania Railroad for this district. He is a member of the American, Pennsylvania State, and Blair County Medical Associations and is one of the staff of the Mercy Hospital, Altoona, Pa. In 1912, Doctor Robinson married Mary Edna Barth, of Lewistown, Pa., and to this union have been born two daughters, Jane Barth and Ann Elizabeth, both of whom are attending school at Hollidaysburg. In Masonry, Doctor Robinson has attained the Thirty-second Degree in the Scottish Rite and he is also a member of Lu Lu Temple of the Shrine, of Philadelphia, the Blairmont Country Club, and the Juniata Valley Colony Club, of Mt. Union, Pa. Both he and his wife attend the Methodist Episcopal Church. NOAH JOSEPH MULCH, prominent heating contractor of Hollidaysburg, was born in Ireland in 1880, a son of Noah and Mary (O'Keefe) Mulch., the former of whom died in Ireland and the latter of whom brought her four children to the United States in 1890. He obtained his education in the parochial and high schools of Philadelphia, graduating from the latter in 1895, and for two years thereafter was employed in Philadelphia. After working for three years in a Yonkers, New York, sugar refinery, he became identified with the heating firm conducted by Harry F. Murphy, of Philadelphia, where he served his apprenticeship. The company did a large heating contracting business throughout the state, and it was this fact that brought Mr. Mulch to Hollidaysburg. He was sent to this city to take charge of the heating installations in the Blair County Hospital and Court House. In 1907, he and his brother, John J., established the present concern at Hollidaysburg and so continue. The firm handles large contract jobs throughout this section of the state, installing heating systems in schools, churches, and other large buildings. The shops and display rooms of the company are located at No. 200 Bedford Street, where a force of six men is regularly employed, though the personnel frequently numbers as many as twenty. The firm does its own draughting for the jobs it handles. Mr. Mulch was married in 1911 to Mary C. Tierney, of Hollidaysburg, and they are both members of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Mulch is a member of the Altoona Lodge of the Knights of Columbus and the Hollidaysburg Kiwanis Club. FRANK ALFRED FLEISHER, jeweler, of Hollidaysburg, is a native of Markelsville, Perry County, Pa., where he was born August 11, 1879, a son of BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 22 Ezra A. and Sally J. (Shearer) Fleisher, who now reside with their son. He was educated in the public schools and the Bowman Technical School, from which he graduated in 1899. For two years thereafter, he managed a jewelry store in North Carolina, but he returned to Pennsylvania in 1901 to engage in the jewelry business for himself at Marysville, where he remained until 1915. In that year, he came to Altoona to become associated with the Pennsylvania Railroad in the signal service, work in which he was employed ten years. During the year 1925, he returned to the jewelry trade in the employ of H. S. Baumgardner. The following year, he purchased his present business in Hollidaysburg, in the operation of which he has met with unqualified success. In February, 1930, he established the concern in its present quarters, where he carries a complete line of jewelry and maintains a repair department. He is a Democrat in politics and served as president of the Marysville school board. He attends Grace Lutheran Church, of Altoona, and in Masonry is a member of the Marysville Lodge and Harrisburg Consistory. On August 11, 1901, he was united in marriage to Emma N. Weibley, a native of Sayville, Perry County, Pa., and they have two daughters, Helen Elizabeth and Ethel May. HARRY C. BRODE, superintendent of the Blair County Home, was born in East Freedom Township, Blair County, Pa., in 1873. Joseph C. Brode, his father, was born in Bedford County, Pa., and was an engineer with the Pennsylvania Railroad until his retirement. He died in 1928 and his wife, Rebecca (Benton) Brode, in 1903, she having been born in Blair County. Harry C. Brode was educated in the public schools of Altoona, Pa., and thereafter worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad for ten years. In 1902, he became a traveling salesman for the Armour Packing Company in the central part of the state and was so employed over a period of twenty-five years. He resigned in the autumn of 1927 to accept the stewardship of the Blair County Home, to the superintendency of which he was elected in April, 1928. He has entire charge of the home, including its farm work, and his wife is matron of the institution. He is a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, the Grange, United Commercial Travelers, and Kiwanis Club. He is a member of the Third Presbyterian Church. He was married October 24, 1894, to Annie Stoke, of Blair County, and they have two daughters, Rebecca May and Norma Gertrude, the former a graduate nurse of Philadelphia and the latter a student in the Hollidaysburg schools. LYNN A. BRUA, JR., is one of the prominent contractors of Hollidaysburg, where he is a partner with his brother in the firm of E. H. and L. A. Brua, Jr. Born in this city, April 2, 1890, he is the son of Lynn A. and Lizzie (Hite) Brua, the former of whom was a native of Blair County and the latter born near Pittsburgh, Pa. He attended the graded and high schools of Hollidaysburg and the Staunton Military Academy, from which he graduated in 1908. In 1911, he went to Detroit, Michigan, where he was in the employ of the Ford Motor Company and in charge of some two hundred men. Resigning in 1917, he BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 23 engaged in road contracting for himself and so continued until 1922, when he joined his brother in the establishment of the present contracting firm of E. H. & L. A. Brua, Jr. This company has the enviable record of having built most of the improved roads in Blair County and many in Clearfield, Cambria, and Bedford Counties. Edwin H. Brua manages the grading operations of the company, and Lynn A. Brua manages the grading operations of the company, and Lynn A. Brua superintends the laying of the concrete. Work for the Altoona & Logan Valley Railway is also done by this firm. He is a member of the Juniata Colony Club and the Hollidaysburg Club. In 1911, he married Grace Lindsay, of Hollidaysburg, and to them have been born two children, Lynn A., III, and Nancy Grace. JOHN WEEST, deceased, was for many years a prominent merchant of Altoona. He was born December 1, 1857, in Hollidaysburg, a son of Mr. and Mrs. W. G. Weest. John Weest received his education in the public schools of Hollidaysburg and Altoona, after which he worked for his uncle for a short time in his meat market. Subsequent to this he entered his father's business, eventually purchasing the business. During the following years he enlarged the meat market to considerable proportions, and because of his aptitude in merchandising, came to be recognized as one of Altoona's leading merchants. He and his two brothers erected a hotel in Altoona, which they owned and operated under the name of the "Weest Hotel" for many years. Ill health forced him to retire from active business and he spent the remaining years of his life traveling in the West in an effort to regain his health. His passing on, November 11, 1929, was a source of much grief to his family and many friends and associates. Mr. Weest was an active member of the Republican Party, and although he never aspired to public office, he was a loyal worker in the interests of his party. On September 24, 1886, he married Lucy McClure. She was the daughter of Thomas W. McClure, born in Scotland, emigrating to Canada as a young man, who later located in Pennsylvania, and served the Pennsylvania Railroad for over half a century, being the first baggage master at Spruce Creek, Pa. His mother was Susanna (Love) McClure, a native of Ireland. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Weest: Walter W., married Miss Edith Barmond; Laura; and Anna Margretta, now Mrs. E. J. Corless, who has one child, Patricia Jane. Mr. Weest was a communicant of the German Lutheran Church and was fraternally identified with the Mystic Shrine and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. Mrs. Weest resides at 221 Ruskin Drive, Altoona. WILLIAM PARKER, deceased, was identified with the steel industry at Duncansville for many years and was an active participant in public affairs of his community. Born at West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, he there married Mary A. Whorrall and first came to the United States in 1880, with a view to locating here. He returned to England the following year, but again came to America in 1882, to be followed by his family in 1883. Going first to Ohio, then to Pittsburgh, and then settling in Duncansville, Blair County, BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 24 where he became identified with the steel business, as a roller in the rolling mills from 1889 to 1902, and thereafter having charge of the Carnegie Steel company's interests until the time of his death, July 9, 1924. His wife died December 29, 1929. A Republican in politics, he served on the Duncansville borough council for more than twenty years and interested himself deeply in the welfare of the community. He and his wife became the parents of five children, as follows: Thomas, a retired steel worker of Pittsburgh, where he lives retired; William, Jr., a master mechanic for the Allegheny Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Pittsburgh; Mrs. J. E. Kelly, of Altoona Pa.; Emily, who resides at the Parker homestead in Duncansville and is division clerk at the Hollidaysburg office of the Pennsylvania Department of Highways; and Mrs. Homer L. Hill, of Johnstown, Pa. Mr. Parker was a member of Juniata Lodge, F. and A. M., and Chapter 282, of Hollidaysburg, also I. O. O. F. HARPER ANCEL WRIGHT, M. D., physician and surgeon of Duncansville, Pa., and born January 2, 1882, at Calvin, Pa., where his mother, Prudence J. (Glasgow) Wright, now resides. William P. Wright attended the public school of his native community and the studied at the Millersville State Normal School and the Purchase Line Academy, graduating therefrom in 1899. He matriculated at the University of Baltimore School of Medicine, from which he received his doctorate in medicine in 1904. After serving a year's internship at the hospital maintained by the university, he entered upon the active practice of his profession at Portage, Pa., later practicing at West Winfield and East Freedom, this state. In 1923 Doctor Wright came to Duncansville and has here conducted a general practice. He has taken post-graduate in diseases of the eye and makes a specialty of this branch of medicine. ELMER ELLSWORTH HICKS, retired steel man and banker of Duncansville, Pa., comes of a family that has been identified with the steel manufacturing business for many decades. Philamon Nelson Hicks brought his family from Wales to the United States and began manufacturing charcoal iron in the mountains of this section of the state about 1846, continuing therein throughout the remainder of his life. Daniel B. Hicks, his son and the father of Elmer E. Hicks, continued the business, though he closed out his interests here and located at Pittsburgh, where he was actively identified with the steel industry until the time of his death, which occurred in 1914. He married Anna Elizabeth Gibboney, of Duncansville, Pa. Their son, Elmer Ellsworth Hicks, obtained his education in the public schools of Pittsburgh, supplementing this training by a commercial course. In 1884, he went to Leechburg, Pa., as chief clerk for the West Penn Steel Company. He left the concern in 1892 to go to Canton, Ohio, where he became associated with fifteen others in the organization of the Canton Rolling Mills Company for the manufacture of sheet steel. Disposing of his interests here in 1896, he established the Dennison Rolling Mills Company at Dennision BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 25 Ohio, where he remained until 1898, when he sold his interests. Subsequently, he went to Shoustown, Pa., where he promoted the establishment of a rolling mill which was purchased by the American Steel Company before the plant was ready to commence operations. For a time retiring from the steel business, he entered the oil and gas field, operating in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. In 1900, he became associated with the Allegheny Steel Company as chief clerk and soon rose to the position of paymaster in the company, which he retained until his retirement in 1926. Since that year, he has made his home at Duncansville, though he has an interest in the Allegheny Steel Company and takes an [line missing[ steel brokerage operations. Mr. Hicks is a Republican in politics and conducts active interest in civic affairs. He was chairman of the Y. M. C. A., of Tarentum, Pa., for fifteen years, and he and his wife are members of the Hicks Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, of Duncansville, erected by Captain Alfred Hicks in memory of Philamon Nelson Hicks. Mr. Hicks was married in 1900 to Anna L. McClare of Burgholtz, Ohio. Mr. Hicks has attained the Thirty-second Degree in Masonry and is a member of Syria Temple of the Shrine, of Pittsburgh, and the Grotto. MAURICE JEROME HAMILTON, warden of the Blair County jail, was born in 1877, at Gettysburg, Pa., of which city his parents, Marcus J. and Laura Louise (Culp) Hamilton, were natives. The father was employed for many years as a landscape gardener on the Gettysburg Battlefield and spent eight years as a plain clothes officer there. Maurice J. Hamilton attended the public schools of Gettysburg until he was ten years of age, when he began to learn the trade of photographer in the employ of W. H. Tipton, with whom he continued seven years. Possessed of an excellent voice, he also engaged in concert work during this time. For three years, he was helper and salesman for a Gettysburg concern, and in 1898, he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona, Pa., as switch and signal operator. He continued in railroad work until 1923, when he became collector and claim adjuster for the Schaffer Store Company, work in which he was engaged until the autumn of 1928, On January 1, 1929, he was appointed warden of the Blair County jail and was reappointed to that post in 1930. By utilizing the help of inmates, he has virtually reconstructed the interior appointments of the jail during his administration. Mr. Hamilton is a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics and attends the First Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1898, he was united in marriage to Carrie M. Heintzelman, of Fairfield, Pa., and they are the parents of these children; Edith, the wife of Mr. Sparks, Proprietor of the Mansion House Skating Rink Company; Russell, superintendent of the DuPont Chemical Works, Charleston, West Virginia; and Grace, who resides at home and is the employ of the House Finance Company. BLAIR BECHTEL GUYER, of the firm of Guyer & O'Neil, Blair county distributors for the Willys-Overland Motor Car Company, is a well known BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2, - 26 business man of Hollidaysburg. Born at Woodbury, Bedford County, Pa., in 1898, he is a son of Irvin and Minnie (Bechtel) Guyer, both of whom are deceased. He attended the public schools of his native county and then worked on the home farm until 1918, when he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad as fireman at the Twelfth Street yards of the company. The following year, he became a salesman for the Altoona Baking Company, a position which he retained until 1924. In that year, he joined L. E. O'Neil in the operation of the Willys- Overland agency in Blair County, the main branch of the firm being located at No. 400 Plank Road, Altoona, and the Hollidaysburg establishment at No. 319 Bedford Street. Mr. Guyer is in immediate charge of the Hollidaysburg branch of the business and holds a high place among automobile men of the county. In Masonry, he is affiliated with the Portage Lodge, Harrisburg Consistory, and Jaffa Temple of the Shrine, and he is also a member of the Kiwanis Club and Hollidaysburg Business Men's Association. WILLIAM JACK SELLERS, meat and grocery merchant of Hollidaysburg, was born in this city, October 25, 1872, a son of David M. and Rebecca (Martin) Sellers. The father was a blacksmith by trade and operated a grocery store during the later years of his life. During the Civil War, he served in the Union Army and was wounded in the Battle of Antietam. The bullet that caused the wound and a combination knife, fork, and spoon are now in the possession of his son. He was actively interested in the affairs of the community and served as constable for a number of years. William Jack Sellers received a public school education, and on April 2, 1886, entered the employ of Henry L. Bunker, from whom he learned the fundamentals of the meat business. In 1889, he became associated with his brother, J. G. Sellers, in the same work and so continued until 1915. In that year, he went into the meat and grocery business for himself, his place of business being located at No. 109 Broad Street. He maintains a delivery service and employs three men. When the Hollidaysburg Business Men's Association was organized eight years ago, Mr. Sellers was chosen the first president. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club and of the Blue Lodge and Chapter in Masonry, having been treasurer of Portage Lodge, No. 220, since 1920, and is affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Artisans Order of Mutual Protection. He is a communicant of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is a trustee and a member of the finance committee. On February 9, 1893, Mr. Sellers married Irene McIntire, daughter of Martin and Anna Mclntire, of Hollidaysburg, and to them have been born these children: Alverta, a registered nurse and the wife of H. C. McKendrick, of Clearfield, Pa.; W. Ralph, who married Pauline Borg, of New Britain, Connecticut, and is employed by his father; Rebecca, the wife of Chester Elliott, of Hollidaysburg; J. Lee, who married Hulda Borg, of New Britain, Connecticut; Anna, deceased; Alma, a student nurse at Mercy Hospital, Altoona, Pa.; J. Lloyd, a high school student; and Fay McClelland, also attending the Hollidaysburg High School. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 27 DAVID RHODES WIKE, one of the most well known and highest esteemed citizens of Roaring Spring, Pa., was the son of Henry and Nancy Wike, and was born on the Wike homestead at Clappertown, near Martinsburg, July 19, 1842, where he was reared and obtained his education. After he completed his schooling, he followed the pursuit of farming which occupation he pursued for many years, later serving his apprenticeship and learning the trade of J. F. Ellsworth, of Williamsburg, well known throughout the district as an expert millwright. Practical experience and close attention in his chosen profession gained for Mr. Wike an enviable reputation. Mr. Wike removed to Roaring Spring where he engaged in business as a millwright at which time he assisted in the building of the paper mill for Morrison, Bare and Cass. He assisted in the building of various other projects throughout this community, was on the council for many years and was instrumental in development of the town. Mr. Wike helped to rebuild the first paper mill at Tyrone, Pa., and in the year 1886, was admitted as a partner in this same manufacturing company, serving in the capacity of master mechanic very faithfully and efficiently until the time of his death. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Roaring Spring Blank Book Co.; the Planing Mill at Roaring Spring, and in bringing the water from the mountains making the survey himself. He was also a stockholder in the Roaring Spring Blank Book Company. Mr. Wike was united in marriage to Magdalena Roffe at Mill Hall. They have one son, Jesse Wike, who has served two terms in the Pennsylvania Legislature. Mr. Wike was a faithful and honored member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and an active and appreciated member of the Bible class of this same church. As has been said many times, "He was a man of more than ordinary intelligence, up-to- date in his reading and thought, in all the important moral and political questions of the day." Mr. Wike's advice was often sought and he stood ever ready and willing to lend his aid and influence to advance the interests of his community. He was indeed an asset to the town in which he lived. Mr. Wike died at Roaring Spring, Pa., June 30, 1910. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN DlVELY, State Superintendent of Highways in Blair County, was born at Claysburg, Pa., October 6, 1868, and is a son of George M. and Margaret (Dell) Dively, the former of whom was of German descent and died in 1909, and the latter of whom was of Irish extraction and died in 1919. The father served in the Union Army during the Civil War and thereafter farmed until the time of his death. Benjamin F. Dively was educated in the Claysburg public schools and the Schullsburg Normal School and for some time thereafter worked with his father on the home farm. For several seasons, he traveled for the International Harvester Company, and in 1905 entered the employ of W. H. Herr, a road contractor. He continued as superintendent with this company until 1912, when he was appointed maintenance superintendent of state highways in Bedford County. After four years there, he was transferred to Blair County in 1916 and has occupied a similar position here BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 28 with respect to the state highways of this and other counties. He maintains his home at Claysburg, where he has served as a member of the school board for twenty-five years. He is a member of the board of directors of the First National Bank, of Claysburg. He attends the First Reformed Church, of Greenfield, and his fraternal affiliations are with the Odd Fellows and the Blue Lodge, Consistory and Jaffa Temple of the Shrine in Masonry. In 1892, Mr. Dively married Geneva H. Claar, of Queen, Bedford County, Pa., and they have six children: G. Nevin, an attorney of Altoona, Pa.; N. Lester, an electrical engineer in the employ of the Century Electric Company, of Philadelphia; Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Jr., a dentist of Alexandra, Pa.; Mrs. Warren McCarty, of Claysburg; Mrs. Wesley Weiandt, of Sproul, Pa.; and Margaret, an employe of the Claar Telephone Company. LIONEL YOCUM GREENE, manager of Silica Operations of the General Refractories Company, with offices at Claysburg, Pa., was born in 1892, at McConnelstown, Pa., a son of W. E. and Florence (Yocum) Greene, the latter of whom is deceased. He is a director of the First National Bank of Claysburg and a trustee of the Nason Hospital at Roaring Spring. Fraternally, he is a member of the Tyrone Encampment of Odd Fellows and has attained the Thirty-second Degree in Masonry, being a member of the Williamsport Consistory and Jaffa Temple of the Shrine, Altoona. In 1916, Mr. Greene married Alice Holden, who died in 1919, leaving one child, Elizabeth Marie. In 1921, Mr. Greene married Sarah Hoover of Port Matilda and they have two children, William L. and Nancy Jane. LOUIS GEORGE KURTZ, of Claysburg, Pa., was born at Johnstown, Pa., July 7, 1896, a son of William N. and Elizabeth K. (Weinzeirl) Kurtz. He obtained his education in the public schools and business college of Johnstown and became identified with the General Refractories Company in 1913, since which time he has risen to the position of district manager of the eastern silica fire brick operations of the company. He was married in April, 1916, to Emma M. Tipton, of Claysburg, and to them have been born four children, Thomas W., Helen Ruth, John Louis, and William Ray. Mr. Kurtz is a Republican in politics and in the Masonic fraternity is a member of the Consistory and Jaffa Temple of the Shrine. DAVID EMMERT BRUMBAUGH, cashier of the First National Bank, of Claysburg, was born in 1894, at Martinsburg, Pa., a son of Moses R. and Sarah F. (Steward) Brumbaugh, both of whom are deceased. He obtained his education in the public schools of Martinsburg and Henrietta, Pa., and then became associated with the First National Bank, Martinsburg, Pa., Mountain City Trust Co., Altoona, Pa., and later with First National Bank, of Claysburg. On June 24, 1918, he was inducted into the army for service in the World War and was assigned to the 158th Battalion Headquarters, 33rd Division, A. E. F., with which he served until he was discharged in the United States, June 22, 1919. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 29 In July, that year, he resumed his duties with the bank as cashier and a director of that institution. He is also treasurer and a director of the Juniata Valley Building & Loan Association and in partnership with John A. Finnegan owns and operates the Queen Lumber Company, a wholesale and retail concern. On October 29, 1919, Mr. Brumbaugh married Caroline L. Acker, and they have two children, David Robert and Sumner Emmert. Mr. Brumbaugh attends the Church of the Brethren and his wife the Reformed Church. HARRY DAWSON STAKE, superintendent of the Sproul plant of the General Refractories Company and a resident of Claysburg, Pa., was born in 1882, in Huntingdon County, Pa., a son of John and Isabel Cornelius Stake, both of whom are deceased. Educated in the public schools of his native county, Mr. Stake has been identified with the brick manufacturing business since 1905, when he entered the employ of the Mountain Silica Brick Company. In 1921, he came to the General Refractories Company as assistant superintendent and was made superintendent of the Sproul plant in 1922, a position which he has since retained. He is a member of Woodbury Lodge, F. & A. M., the Odd Fellows and the Junior Order of United American Mechanics. He and his wife attend the Presbyterian Church. In 1903, he married Mary Florence Rankin, of Orbisonia, Pa., and to them were born these children: Dr. R. R. Stake, a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and a dentist of Everett, Pa.; and Harry Burkett accidentally killed by the kick of a horse in July, 1924, and Gertrude, also deceased. JAMES ELLSWORTH DIVELY, assistant superintendent of the Sproul division of the General Refractories Company, was born in Claysburg, Pa., in 1894. Calvin U. Dively, his father, has been associated with the General Refractories Company for twenty years, and his mother, Annie E. (Stine) Dively, is deceased. James E. Dively was educated in the public schools, training which he supplemented by a business course, and in 1914, entered the employ of the Standard Refractories Company. In 1917, he enlisted for service in the World War and served in France with Company E, 305th Engineers, 80th Division. He was discharged from the army June 13, 1919, and returned to Claysburg, where he has since been in the employ of the General Refractories Company. He now holds the position of assistant superintendent of the Sproul plant of that organization. He is a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Masonic fraternity, and Odd Fellows. He attends the Reformed Church. In 1926, Mr. Dively married Margaret Johnston, a daughter of Dr. C. O. Johnston. PETER MERLE STUFFT, superintendent of the Claysburg works of the General Refractories Company, was born in Bedford County, Pa., September 20, 1893, a son of Valentine A. and Sarah (Imler) Stufft, the former deceased and the latter a resident of Imler, Pa. He obtained his early education in the schools BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 30 of Bedford County and then attended Franklin and Marshall Academy and the Penn Business College, Lancaster, Pa., graduating from the latter in 1915. In that same year he entered the employ of the Standard Refractories Company as timekeeper and pay clerk, continuing in that work until 1917, when he enlisted in the United States Army for service in the World War. He served in France from July, 1918, to July, 1919, and in August of the latter year he returned to his duties that had been interrupted by the war, beginning as storekeeper. He was promoted to bookkeeper and then to assistant superintendent, and in 1927, he was appointed superintendent of the Claysburg works of the company, which in the meantime had been absorbed by the General Refractories Company. A Republican in politics and active in local affairs, he is a member of the Claysburg school board. He is a member of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the various Masonic bodies, including the Williamsport Consistory and Jaffa Temple of the Shrine. In 1922, Mr. Stufft married Anne Elizabeth Lingenfelter, and they are the parents of a daughter, Phyllis Jane. He and his wife attend the Reformed Church. CHARLES OLIVER JOHNSTON, M. D., of Claysburg, Pa., was born here, November 14, 1872, a son of Dr. John W. and Ella B. (Mauk) Johnston The father was born at Woodbury, Bedford County, Pa., and graduated from the Albany Medical College, December 23, 1866. He entered upon the active practice of his profession at Claysburg, February 5, 1867, and was in continuous performance of his duties until the time of his death, May, 1912. His wife died February 9, 1925. Charles O. Johnston attended the public schools of Claysburg and Williamsport Seminary and took his pre-medical studies at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. He then matriculated at the Medico-Chirurgical College, Philadelphia, from which he received the degree of doctor of medicine, May 18, 1897. Returning to Claysburg, he became associated in practice with his father and has since conducted a general practice here. He also operates a drug and confectionery store and is president of the First National Bank, of Claysburg. He is a member of the staff of Nason Hospital and is affiliated with the American, Pennsylvania State, and Blair County Medical Associations. In 1899, he married Mary H. Weyandt, who died September 22, 1911, leaving these children: Margaret P., the wife of J. Dively; Flora E., who married Guy Ebersole, of Claysburg; Grace E., the wife of Harry Yingling, of East Freedom, Pa.; Ellen B., a teacher in the schools of Philadelphia; Mary H., a nurse in the Frankford Hospital, Philadelphia; and Thomas P., a resident of Detroit, Michigan. On September 22, 1911, Doctor Johnston married Della B. Beggle, of Bedford, Pa., and to this union has been born one daughter, Helen Joanne. JACOB CARNS, justice of the peace of Greenfield township and since 1871 a resident of Claysburg, was born on a farm in Imler Valley, Bedford County, Pa., December 26, 1853, a son of William and Susan (Pressel) Carns and a grandson of George Carns and Isaac Pressel, early settlers of that county. He attended BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 31 the public schools of his native community, and when he was eighteen years of age, he came to Claysburg, where he entered the employ of S. C. Hoenstine, furniture dealer and undertaker, serving a three-year apprenticeship. For some years thereafter, he continued as a journeyman but in 1896, established his own business which he still heads, the firm style being that of Jacob Carns & Son. More frequently elected to township offices than any other man now serving in this section, he has been constable of Greenfield Township, township clerk for ten years, tax collector for roads many years, and township treasurer. In 1890, he was elected justice of the peace, and, with the exception of one year, has continuously discharged the duties of that office to the present time. He married Matilda Shock, daughter of Captain Daniel Shock, a prominent resident of Claysburg, and to this union were born eight children: Mattie R., William F., Charles O., D. Ray, John L., Margaret V., Frederick L., and Stanton, deceased. Mr. Cams is a member of the local encampment of Odd Fellows, of which he has been secretary for more than half a century.