BIOGRAPHY: Tarring Davis, History of Blair County, PA, Vol. II, 1931 - File 6 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 - 152 BYRON A. McDOWELL, principal of the Noble School, Juniata, was born at Curwensville, Clearfield County, Pa., December 19, 1904, a son of Ashley P. and Ruth Iva (Bloom) McDowell, both natives of the same county. The parents resided on a farm in Clearfield County until 1923, when they removed to Juniata, where the father now operates the McDowell Studios. Another child of this couple, Ruth, is the wife of James M. Humphreys. Byron A. McDowell graduated from the Curwensville High School in 1922. He began teaching in the schools of Pike Township, Clearfield County, taking summer work at the Lockhaven Normal School during the summer months. He completed his work at the normal school in 1925 and came to Juniata in the same year as principal of Noble School, a position which he has since retained. He is a member of the Knights of Malta and attends the First Methodist Episcopal Church. PROCTOR T. MILLER, M. D., has been engaged in a general practice of medicine and surgery at Altoona for more than thirty years. Dr. C. C. Miller, his father, was born in Indiana County, Pa., and practiced at Altoona for nearly twenty years, his death occurring in 1910 and that of his wife, Maria Elizabeth (Ferguson) Miller, a native of Indiana County, in 1928. They were the parents of three sons: Dr. Homer C., Dr. Proctor T., and F. H. Miller, all of Altoona. Dr. Proctor T. Miller was born in Indiana County, Pa., August 5, 1871, and obtained his early education in the graded and high schools of Ft. Larned, Kansas, after which he studied at the Kansas City Business College. Matriculating at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, in Baltimore, he graduated therefrom with the degree of doctor of medicine in 1893. He inaugurated his practice in the coal mining region of Cambria County, Pa., where he remained five years, and then established himself at Altoona, where he has since conducted a general practice. He is affiliated with the Medical Society of Pennsylvania and the Blair County Medical Society and is a member of the Masonic fraternity. Doctor Miller married Cora M. Burns, a native of Burns Crossing, Blair County, and their one daughter, Margaret E., died in 1918. The Burns family is one of the oldest in Blair County, they at one time having owned some fifteen hundred acres of land, on part of which the town of Eldorado now stands. DANIEL R. MOCK, M. D., has been associated with the Altoona Clinic since 1924. Born at Williamsburg, Pa., December 25, 1897, he is a son of George W. and L. Edith (Hoover) Mock, the former born on a farm in Woodbury Township, Bedford County, and the latter near Martinsburg, Pa. The father, now BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 153 engaged in the milling business at Roaring Spring, has spent most of his life in Blair County, and the mother died in February, 1923, at the age of forty-seven years. Doctor Mock attended the grade schools of Roaring Spring and the Altoona High School, graduating from the latter in 1916, and then studied at the Hahnemann School of Science and Hahnemann Medical College, from which he received the degree of doctor of medicine in 1921. He was an interne at the Metropolitan Hospital, New York, for a year and at the Maternity General Hospital of Yonkers for six months; also of the Ambulance Service of New York City, for seven months. He entered upon the active practice of his profession at Juniata, coming to Altoona in 1924, to become associated with the Altoona Clinic. He married Sarah Adella Lorenz, daughter of Frank L. and Mary Myrtle (Zook) Lorenz, of Roaring Spring, and they have two children, George Franklin and John Edwin. Doctor Mock is a member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Pennsylvania, Blair County Medical Society, and the Masonic fraternity. He attends the Fairview Methodist Episcopal Church. JOHN DAVID O'BRIEN, late telegrapher for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, completed forty-six years of faithful service for that organization before his retirement in 1919. He was born in Hollidaysburg, on Juniata Street, where members of his family still reside, on July 16, 1854. His parents were Thomas O'Brien, one of Blair County's pioneer settlers, and Catharine Clawson O'Brien. Mr. O'Brien attended the schools of Blair County and one of his teachers was Miss Martha Neville, who later attained distinction in educational and literary circles as teacher and writer. Mr. O'Brien became a telegrapher on March 1, 1873, when nineteen years of age and entered the service of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. For ten years he was stationed at Kittanning Point on the famous Horseshoe Bend. Later he was almost continually employed at Hollidaysburg until he retired at the age of sixty-five years. Mr. O'Brien won the regard of his friends and fellow employees among whom he was highly esteemed. He was extraordinarily public spirited and fulfilled the responsible positions allotted him with courage. He performed heroic work on many occasions and on two recorded instances prevented serious wrecks on the railroad. It is a significant fact that Mr. O'Brien never had occasion to report a fellow employee for insubordination. He was retired almost eight years before his death in Hollidaysburg on July 21, 1927. Mr. O'Brien was a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church, adhered to the political principles of the Republican Party, and was a member of the Brotherhood of American Railway Telegraphers. Although his name was suggested for public offices on several occasions but he never aspired to such positions. On October 25, 1883, he married Miss Elizabeth Hart at Hollidaysburg. She was a daughter of Joseph Hart who came to the United States from Germany when six years of age. Her father was a pioneer settler in the town and conducted an extensive brick manufacturing business. As such he was a dominant factor in the early development of the BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 154 community. Mrs. O'Brien's mother was Barbara Smith Hart, also a native of Germany, who came to this country at the age of twelve. Mr. and Mrs. O'Brien had three children: Mary, who married Richard R. Baker, of Laura Brush Mountain of Pennsylvania; Joseph W., who married Edna Nivley, of Williamsburg, assistant general superintendent of A. & P. Tea Co., and Howard, who died in infancy. CHALMERS MONTGOMERY, M. D., has practiced in Altoona since 1915. Born at Shade Gap, Huntingdon County, Pa., October 28, 1880, he is the son of Samuel C. and Mary Ann (Robison) Montgomery, both deceased, the former of whom was a merchant. After a public school education at Shade Gap and a summer course at Rock Hill Normal School, Doctor Montgomery taught school for a year in Huntingdon County and for a like period in Blair County. He entered the Medico- Chirurgical College, Philadelphia, from which he graduated in 1907 with the degree of doctor of medicine, was interne at the Philadelphia General Hospital two years, and was assistant surgeon of the Punxsutawney Hospital six years. In 1912, he spent six months in post graduate work at the University of Vienna, Austria. In 1915, Doctor Montgomery established his practice at Altoona and has since conducted a general medical and surgical practice. He is one of the staff of the Mercy Hospital and a member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Pennsylvania, and the Blair County Medical Society. He attends the First Presbyterian Church. He married Marie Winter, daughter of Ferdinand and Emma (Buhl) Winter, of Altoona, and they are the parents of two children, Richard and Donald. ROBERT MORROW, M. D., specializing in surgery, has practiced in Altoona for eleven years. Robert Morrow, his father, is a native of Arch Spring, Pa., and spent his active career as a farmer. He now lives retired at the age of ninety- one years, and his wife, who was Anna (Kennedy) Morrow, was born in Hart's Log Valley, near Huntingdon, Pa., and is deceased. They were the parents of three other children: Grace, principal of the Emerson School; Eleanor; and Arabelle. Doctor Morrow, the oldest child of this family, was born at Arch Spring, Blair County, March 24, 1889, and there attended the public schools. He took preparatory work at Starkey Seminary, Lakemont, New York, took his premedical studies at the University of Michigan, and matriculated at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he received the degree of doctor of medicine in 1914. He served his interneship at Jefferson and Altoona Hospitals and practiced at Altoona for a year and a half before enlisting for service in the World War in March, 1917. He was commissioned first lieutenant and assigned to Base Hospital 89, with which he served at Mesners, France. In 1919, following his discharge from the army, he resumed practice in Altoona and has since specialized in surgery, maintaining offices at 2000 Union Avenue. For the past eight years, he has been a member of the staff of Mercy Hospital. He is a member of the Elks, the Harrisburg Consistory and Shrine in Masonry, and the BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 155 Spruce Creek Rod & Gun Club. He has a son and a daughter, Robert, Jr., and Virginia Grace. REV. MICHAEL VINCENT MUNLEY, pastor of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, of Hollidaysburg, was born at Avoca, Pa., September 5, 1876, a son of James and Bridget (Gaughan) Munley, both of whom were born in Ireland and are deceased, the father having been a shoe merchant of Avoca until the time of his death in 1903. Father Munley attended the public schools of Avoca and took his high school work at St. Thomas College, Scranton, Pa. After a year at St. Michael's College, Toronto, Canada, he entered Villanova College, Philadelphia, and was ordained December 1, 1904. Until 1907, he was assistant pastor at St. John's Cathedral, Altoona, and in the latter year began a two-year pastorate at Gallitzin. In 1909, he was chosen to organize a new parish at Cassandra, Pa., where he remained in charge until 1922, assuming the pastorate of St. Mary's Church, Hollidaysburg, in January, 1922. Father Munley has been assisted since 1927 by Father William Flynn. J. C. ORR & SON is one of the leading contracting, building, and lumber concerns of Altoona and has been in continuous existence since 1888. The founders of the enterprise were Bunker, Orr & Flick, J. C. Orr later buying out the interests of his partners and continuing as sole proprietor until 1919, when R. J. Orr became a member of the firm, at which time the present name of J. C. Orr & Son was adopted. J. C. Orr maintained his active association with the business until 1919, his death occurring in 1924. He and his wife, Elizabeth Jane (Fleck) Orr, were both natives of Altoona and became the parents of these children: Josiah M., R. J., Margaret, Lillian, and Viola, the second son being the present owner of the business. PAUL F. PERSHING, M. D., has been engaged in practice at Altoona for twenty years. Born at West Elizabeth, Pa., May 3, 1885, he is a son of Rev. Thompson F. and Anna (Jemison) Pershing, both deceased, the former of whom was a minister of the Pittsburgh Methodist Episcopal Conference for forty-three years. Doctor Pershing graduated from the Blairsville High School in 1904, studied at Kiskiminetas Springs School in 1905, and then matriculated at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he received his doctorate in medicine in 1909. He served his interneship at the West Penn and Altoona General Hospitals and began active practice for himself in 1910. He is chief of the gynecological department of the Altoona Hospital and is a member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Pennsylvania, and the Blair County Medical Society. He also holds membership in the Kiwanis Club and the Blairmont Country Club. Doctor Pershing married Myra Mock, daughter of Henry and Rachael Mock, the former of whom is deceased, and they have their home in Columbia Park at 3004 Second Avenue. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 156 RALPH M. PHELPS, merchandise manager for the Penn Central Light & Power Company, of Altoona, was born at Gloucester, Massachusetts, where he obtained his graded and high school education. Matriculating at Dartmouth College, he graduated therefrom in 1914, and when the United States entered the World War, he entered the Air Service. He was commissioned first lieutenant and was stationed at London, England, as liaison officer and test pilot with the Royal Air Forces, his war service covering a period of three years. Following the cessation of hostilities, he was engaged in the electrical business at Paris, France, until 1925, when he returned to the United States to become associated with the Insull organization, for which he worked in Maine, South Dakota, and Michigan. In 1928, he became merchandise manager for the Penn Central Light & Power Company and Municipal Service Company at Altoona and has since retained that position. Mr. Phelps married Audrey Mitchell, a native of England, and they maintain their residence in Altoona. Mr. Phelps is a member of the Masonic fraternity, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion. HAROLD L. REED, general manager of the Altoona office of the Community Finance Company, of Philadelphia, was born at Wheeling, West Virginia, August 31, 1904, a son of Herman L. and Carrie (Frohme) Reed. The father was also born in Wheeling, where he was a merchant for a time, later removing to Altoona to engage in the same work here. Harold L. Reed obtained his education in the public schools of Wheeling and Altoona, after which he became associated in business with his father. In 1925, he formed a connection with the Community Finance Company as appraiser, the business having been established here in 1922, and was subsequently promoted to the managership of this office, a position which he now holds. Mr. Reed was united in marriage to Nellie Nagle, of Altoona, and they have two sons, Robert and William. JOHN N. RITCHEY, farmer and fire warden of Blue Knob, was born on a farm in Blair County, Pa., in 1861, and is a son of Emanuel and Catherine (Hengst) Ritchey, both of whom are deceased. He attended the public schools of his native township and for eight years thereafter mined coal in Cambria County, Pa. In 1883, he purchased his present home and farm, which subsequent additions have brought to a total of seventy-five acres, and here is engaged chiefly in truck farming. For many years, he has served as fire warden in this section. He has taken an active part in the Republican affairs of his township, having been township road supervisor and township tax collector for eight years and mail carrier for eight years. He is a member of the Blue Knob Chapter of the Patriotic Order Sons of America and is a member of the Reformed Church. On August 26, 1883, Mr. Ritchey married Sarah Elizabeth Long, daughter of Jeremiah and Maria H. (Ritchey) Long, and to this union have been born the following children: William B., a resident of Altoona, Pa., who married Bertha Burns and has eight children; Grace F., the wife of A. J. Miller, of Duncansville, Pa., and BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 157 the mother of four children; Esther C., who married Harry Bachtell, of Portage, Pa., and has two children; Roy R., of Pittsburgh, who first married Julia Burns, deceased, by whom he had four children, and then married Viola Trowbridge; Clyde, of Portage, Pa., who married Esther Stambaugh and has five children; Frank L., who married Jennie Over, resides at Blue Knob, and has five children; Ida C., who resides with her parents; Ralph A., of Portage, who took to wife Willownet Walters and has one child; and Elvin J., who is in the employ of R. B. Long, lumberman of Blue Knob. WILLIAM BLAIR RITCHEY, machinist in the locomotive repair department of the Pennsylvania Railroad shops, of Altoona, was born at Blue Knob, Blair County, December 5, 1884, a son of John N. and Sarah Elizabeth (Long) Ritchey, of whom more is contained in the preceding article. After completing his education in the township schools, Mr. Ritchey clerked for two years in the general store of McMasters & Son; Newry, Pa. In 1904, he came to Altoona, where he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad as machinist's helper. In 1911, he was promoted to machinist and has since continued in that position, engaged in general locomotive repair work. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Railroad Volunteer Relief Fund and a member and stockholder of the Beneficial Loan Association. He also holds membership in the Patriotic Order Sons of America and attends the Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1910, he married Bertha Burns, of Altoona, and they have these children: Elwood C:, William Raymond, Catherine E., Dean P., Dorothy R., Clyde B., Donald E., and Betty Jane, the last two being twins. HENRY SABATHNE, of the Altoona heating and ventilating firm of H. Sabathne & Son, is a native of Bavaria, Germany, in which province he was born April 2, 1851. J. T. Sabathne, his father, was a native of France, served in the French Army, and became a teacher of Latin, French, and German in various German schools. He married Appolonia Koehr, who was born at Lyons, France. Henry Sabathne, their son, obtained his education in the schools of Frenkenthal, Bavaria, and after learning the trade of sheet metal worker, he traveled into many European countries, where he followed his trade in twenty-two shops. Returning to Germany in 1872, he established a business of his own at Hanover and there continued until 1881, when he brought his family to the United States and located at Altoona. He entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad and so continued until 1904, in which year he established his present concern, now operating under the name of H. Sabathne & Son. He is interested in the Logan and Teutonia Building & Loan Associations, serving as president of the latter. He is a communicant of Mt. Carmel Roman Catholic Church and a Republican in politics. In Hanover, Germany, he married Anna Siedentopf, a native of that city, and their first three children, Marie, Marguerite, and Henrietta, were born there, another daughter, Emma, and a son, A. J., being natives of Altoona. A. J. Sabathne is now in business with his father. Mr. Sabathne is a member of the Elks, Concordia, the Bavarian German Beneficial Organization. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 158 WILLIAM SANDERSON, deceased, was a veteran employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, serving that organization for a period of fifty-one years. He was a native of Blair County, where he was born on March 12, 1853, the son of George Sanderson, a farmer, and Rebecca Sanderson. The advantageous positions open to young men in Altoona drew him from the farm to the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company where he first served as a signal operator. He relinquished that position to become a brakeman. After that he was successively a fireman and an engineer. In the latter capacity he served for thirty-two years, and his total length of service with the company was fifty-one years, all of which service was rendered on the Pittsburgh Division of the railroad. He retired from active service in 1915. Mr. Sanderson received his early education in the schools of Somerset County, and later graduated from the Iron City College in Pittsburgh. He affiliated himself with the United Brethren Church, and the Brotherhood of Railroad Engineers. Mr. Sanderson married twice, and was the father of three children by his first marriage. They are: Richard R., William, deceased, and Bertha. In 1910, he married Miss Fannie Bartlebaugh, daughter of David and Lucinda Bartlebaugh, the former of whom served as an engineer of the Middle Division of the Pennsylvania Railroad, and a veteran of the Civil War, enlisting with the 125th Pennsylvania Volunteers, Company G, seeing active service during the entire period of the war. Mr. Sanderson died on May 24, 1919, at Altoona. His widow, Mrs. Fannie Sanderson, is a resident of Altoona, living at 126 6th Avenue, with her sister, Lucinda Ester McNoldy. EDWARD A. SEIDEL, has been engaged in the insurance and real estate business at Altoona since 1918. Born in this city, March 14, 1885, he is a son of John A. and Kunigunde (Vogel) Seidel, the former of whom was a native of Austria, and the latter of Bavaria, Germany. The father was brought to the United States by his parents when he was five years of age and settled with them in Huntingdon County. Subsequently, he located in Altoona, where he was a machinist with the Pennsylvania Railroad until 1925, when he retired. The mother came to this country with her parents when she was four years old, and she and her husband became the parents of these children: Hilda, Edward A., Leonard, Herbert, John, Fred, Theodore, and Philip. Edward A. Seidel acquired his early education in the St. Mary's Parochial School and took a commercial course at the Mountain City Business College, supplementing this training by special courses with the International Correspondence School, of Scranton, Pa. He entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad when he was thirteen years of age as a messenger boy and served twenty-one years with that company. He was promoted to clerk, became special apprentice, machinist, fireman on the Pittsburgh Division, and finally gang foreman in the air brakes shops. In 1918, he established his present business, maintaining offices at 835 Seventeenth BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 159 Street, under the style of Edward A. Seidel, Insuror and Realtor. He is a member of the Altoona Real Estate Board. He has attained the Fourth Degree in the Knights of Columbus and also holds membership in the Knights of St. George and the Y. M. A. of St. Mary's Church. He was united in marriage to Jessie Holland, of Altoona. HIRAM HUSTON PENSYL, deceased, widely known merchant and public servant of Blair County, was born near Gettysburg, Adams County, Pa., on August 2, 1853. He was a son of Henry Pensyl, farmer and blacksmith at the cross roads at Center Mills, Pa., and Julianna (Huston) Pensyl. Hiram Pensyl assisted his father in the work of the farm and shop while attending the public schools of Adams County. The great battle at Gettysburg during the Civil War occurred when he was a lad of ten, and the events of that campaign made a profound impression on his youthful mind. Several of his brothers were soldiers in the Union Army then. After the war an elder brother engaged in the business of plastering contractor and Hiram at the age of seventeen apprenticed himself in that trade. Two years later, on October 8, 1872, he left Adams County to come to Altoona because of the prospects afforded by the rapidly growing business interests of this city. For a time he followed the plastering trade and then associated himself with David K. Howe, with whom he conducted business for several years. In 1897, Mr. Pensyl opened a grocery store at 6th Avenue and 3rd Street in partnership with his brother-in law, William H. Peters, under the firm name Pensyl & Peters. Members of the Republican Party induced Mr. Pensyl to become a candidate for Director of the Poor of Blair County in 1898, and he was subsequently nominated and elected. Thus began a long period of devoted, intelligent service to the interests of the unfortunate citizens of the county, that has few, if any, parallels in Pennsylvania. In 1901, 1904, 1907, 1911, 1915, 1919 and 1923, he was returned to office, one of the outstanding and veteran leaders in welfare work in Pennsylvania. His interest in welfare work was so keen that after a few years, he sold his interest in the firm of Pensyl & Peters to Mr. Peters so that he could give more time to the needs of the poor. After five years, he again entered the grocery business on the original site, but this time his son became a partner. In 1909, he again found business duties too pressing to make it possible for him to direct as much of his energy as he wished to welfare work. So he disposed of his business interests entirely, and until his death, in 1927, devoted his entire time to his work as Director of the Poor. In addition to his services in the welfare work of the county, Mr. Pensyl was at one time a member of the Altoona School Board and a member of the Altoona City Council for one term. Mr. Pensyl's activities in behalf of the poor of this county were particularly effective in the hospital for the insane. At the time of his death, Dr. H. J. Sommer, Superintendent of the Blair County Hospital for the Insane, who was associated with Mr. Pensyl, for nearly twenty years, paid the following tribute to this public-spirited leader: "Thus passed a man who was a constant and consistent friend BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 160 of the poor and of the insane. He was always ready to aid any one in distress. He was consistent in the administration of his office regarding his duties as a director of the poor. He had certain definite policies and adhered to them religiously, but at all time was willing to be convinced if a change seemed best for the unfortunates and the county at large; always mindful of the needs in any one case, and of the institutions under the charge of his board, he gave his best efforts and time to his work, never allowing private business or any other matter to interfere when duty called. A friend, a helper, an adviser, 'a man to tie to,' he will be sorely missed in this hospital for the mentally ill." Mr. Pensyl succumbed to pneumonia at Altoona on October 1, 1927. Esteemed and respected, he was mourned by relatives and a host of friends. Although so much of his time was devoted to the pursuance of official duties he was a charter member of the Archie Maxwell Lodge of Odd Fellows and president of Poor Board, County Home and Hospital, for 30 years. He made his church affiliations early when he became a charter member of the United Brethren Church, at Centre Mills, in Adams County, before coming to Altoona, and always retained his membership there. Mr. Pensyl married Miss Juniata Warfel, of Mill Creek, Huntingdon County, on September 20, 1880. Her parents were Adam Warfel of Mill Creek and Barbara (Foster Warfel. Mr. and Mrs. Pensyl became the parents of three children: Edna, now Mrs. W. Walter Henry, of Altoona; Walter J.; and Janet, who resides at 314 6th Avenue, Altoona. Mrs. Pensyl died in Altoona on April 14, 1930. HENRY W. SHOEMAKER was born in New York City on February 24, 1882. His father, Henry F. Shoemaker, had come to New York a few years previous to his son's birth, as a representative of the old Philadelphia Banking House of I. & S. Waterman, and later he became a member of the New York Stock Exchange firm of Shoemaker, Dillon & Company. Henry F. Shoemaker was descended from Peter Schoenmaker, a Quaker born in Amsterdam, in 1622, who settled in Germantown, Pa., in 1685, the family achieving prominence in the colony and intermarrying with English-Quaker and Scotch-Irish families, and later in Berks County with families of German-Swiss antecedents. The subject, Henry W. Shoemaker, is therefore, said to be a typical "Pennsylvania Dutchman" that most polyglot race of all the early American colonial stocks. All of the ancestors of Henry W. Shoemaker fought in the Revolutionary War. Henry W. Shoemaker was one of three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Henry F. Shoemaker, the others being: William Brock Shoemaker, who was in business with his brother until a few years ago when he met with an accident and was killed; and Blanche, better known as a poetess under her pen name of Blanche Shoemaker Wagstaff. Henry W. Shoemaker received his early education from private tutors, and at Dr. E. D. Lyon's Classical School, now known as the Allen-Stevenson School, New York City. He entered Columbia University in the class of 1901, remaining in this institution for a period of three years. He received the honorary degree BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 161 of Litt. D., from Juniata College, at Huntingdon, Pa., in 1917, and Franklin and Marshall College located in Lancaster, Pa., conferred the same degree on him in 1924. After leaving college he entered the employ of the C. H. & D. Railway in Ohio, of which his father was Chairman of the Board of Directors. At this time, the railway company, in conjunction with Senator Stephen B. Elkins, was planning to build a line into the newly opened Kentucky coal fields. Henry W. Shoemaker spent considerable time in Eastern Kentucky in the year 1902-1903 working on this project. At this time he became very much interested in the similarity of names and places and people in the Kentucky Mountains to those of Pennsylvania. The similarity of languages and traditions furthered his desire to collect and compile Pennsylvania Mountain Folklore. In the year 1903, Mr. Shoemaker, through the friendship of Senator Foraker, of Ohio, and Senator Fairbanks, of Indiana, was appointed Secretary of the American Legation of Lisbon, Portugal, under Charles P. Bryan, Minister. Later he became Third Secretary of the American Embassy at Berlin under Charlemagne Tower, Ambassador, who had been his father's boyhood playmate at Orwigsburg, then the seat of justice of Schuylkill County, Pa. In 1905, Mr. Shoemaker returned to the United States after an interesting experience in diplomacy, which earned for him the commendation of President Roosevelt and various others. He entered the banking business in partnership with his younger brother, William Brock Shoemaker, in New York City. After the death of his brother he turned his thoughts to journalism and original historical research. He became publisher of the Jersey Shore Herald at Jersey Shore, Pa., but he soon disposed of his interests in this publication and purchased various other papers some of which are very well known at this time. In 1911, Mr. Shoemaker retired from active banking business but retained the directorates in many of his business enterprises. He then gave his time and attention to the compiling of folklore, legends, proverbs, sayings and obsolete words of the Pennsylvania Mountain people, Pennsylvania Indians, gypsies, etc., spending much time with these people. The result of these observations has been the publication of over 125 separate titles on the above subjects. In the year 1915, Mr. Shoemaker became a member of the Military Staff of Governor Brumbaugh, of Pennsylvania, with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was made a member of the State Forest Commission of Pennsylvania, and served terms under four administrations. He started the movement to reorganize the Pennsylvania forestry department, and through his insistence Gifford Pinchot was made a member of the Forest Commission and later Chief Forester of Pennsylvania. Mr. Shoemaker served many commissions until his appointment as Minister to Bulgaria. Mr. Shoemaker's ability can be noted by his affiliations with the following organizations. In 1928, Governor Fisher appointed him Historian of the Battlefield Memorial Commission in France. He is a trustee of Dickinson Seminary, Williamsport, and Linden Hall, Lititz, Pa. He has served as president of the Pennsylvania Alpine Club, president the Pennsylvania Folklore Society, president of the Pennsylvania Huguenot Society, chairman of the Pennsylvania Historical Commission, and vice-president BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 162 of the Netherlands Society of Pennsylvania. He is a member of the Franklin Club of Philadelphia. During the World War, Mr. Shoemaker was a member of the State Council of National Defense for Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Reserve Militia, a special representative of the Pennsylvania National Guard in Europe, and an officer in the Military Intelligence Division of the General Staff at Washington, D. C. He belongs to the Military Order of the World War, American Legion and the Sons of the Revolution. Mr. Shoemaker resides at "Restless Oaks," McElhattan, in Clinton County, Pa., an estate where his maternal ancestor, Michael Quigley, settled on Indian land in 1768 and held it, through the Revolution, until he received his deeds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in 1787. There are hundreds of unique specimens and collections at "Restless Oaks," and the collection of Curry and Ives prints is one of the most complete in the country. Mr. Shoemaker has taken a deep interest in outdoor life, and is a lover of animals. JOHN ANDREW SKELLY, deceased, was a veteran employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company, having served that organization for over forty-seven years. He was born in Cambria County, a son of William A. and Anastasia (Holder) Skelly. The family removed to Westmoreland County, where the father became recognized as a prominent farmer. John A. Skelly attended the schools of Cambria County, after which he assisted his father in the duties of farming for a short time. He then entered the shops of the railroad and was transferred to Altoona in 1902, where he remained until his death on March 20, 1929. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and the Loyal Order of Moose. Dora Elizabeth Penrod, daughter of Casper H. and Lydia A. (Ankney) Penrod, became the wife of Mr. Skelly on November 15, 1886. The Penrod family have been residents of Westmoreland County for over a century, the Penrod homestead having been owned by them for one hundred years. Five children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Skelly: Katherine, married to Raymond Engle, of Altoona; Charles F., of Altoona; James L., of Idaho; Raymond Albert, of Altoona; and Ralph Roy, deceased. Mrs. Skelly resides at 202 Walnut Avenue, Altoona. Mr. Penrod, the father, was a Civil War veteran. CLAUDE SNYDER, M. D., obstetrician and gynecologist of Altoona, was born on a farm at Palmerton, Carbon County, Pa, October 3, 1888, and is a son of Puriette, now retired from active farming, and Ida (Sun) Snyder, deceased. After graduating from the Palmerton High School in 1906, Doctor Snyder taught school for two years. In the summer of 1908, he took a special course at Perkiomen Seminary, Pennsburg, Pa., after which he matriculated at Jefferson Medical College. Receiving his degree of doctor of medicine in 1912, he spent his interneship at the Altoona Hospital and in 1913 entered upon the active practice of his profession here, specializing in obstetrics and gynecology. He is chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Mercy Hospital and is a member of the American Medical Association, American College of Surgeons, Medical BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 163 Society of Pennsylvania, and the Blair County Medical Society. During the World War, he was commissioned first lieutenant in the Medical Corps and served with the 319th Regiment, Base Hospital, No. 14, seeing action at Chateau Thierry and in the Meuse-Argonne. He was wounded in action. Doctor Snyder married Sarah Hommer, daughter of Harry and Grace Hommer, of Bellwood, Pa., and to Doctor and Mrs. Snyder have been born two daughters, Jane and Louise. Doctor Snyder is a member of all Masonic bodies, including the Shrine, past president of the Kiwanis Club, and a member of the Jefferson Club and Spruce Creek Rod & Gun Club. He attends the First Presbyterian Church. GEORGE A. SNYDER, M. D., engaged in a general practice of medicine at Altoona, was born at Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, August 22, 1900, a son of John Franklin and Agnes (Donaldson) Snyder, the former a native of Red Bank, Pa., and the latter of Edinburg, Scotland. The father had been engaged in the coal business in Ohio for many years prior to his death, and the mother now resides in New York City. George A. Snyder graduated from the Mt. Pleasant High School in 1917, spent a year in the Student Army Training Corps, and graduated from Grove City College in 1923 with the degree of bachelor of science. He then matriculated at Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he received the degree of doctor of medicine in 1928. He served a year's interneship at the Altoona Hospital and in 1929 entered upon the active practice of his profession here, maintaining offices at No. 1202 16th Street. He is a member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Pennsylvania, Blair County Medical Society, the Masonic fraternity, and the Jefferson Club. He is a member of the Society of Friends. Doctor Snyder married Helen C. Miller, daughter of John C. and Betty Miller, of Juniata, Pa., and they have one son, George A., Jr. SIMON R. SNYDER, retired resident of Altoona, is a native of Clover Creek, Blair County, Pa., where he was born April 28, 1864. Christian Snyder, his father, was born at Loysburg, Bedford County, Pa., February 2, 1813, and spent the greater part of his life as a miller in Blair County, his death occurring here January 29, 1876. He married Katherine G. Rhodes, who was born at Clover Creek, a daughter of Frederick G. Rhodes, for whom the town of Fredericksburg is named. They became the parents of these children: Simon R.; Daniel, who is employed by the Santa Fe Railroad at Los Angeles, California; Nancy, who married Joseph Wareham, of Martinsburg, Pa.; Mrs. Sarah Klein, of Seattle, Washington; and Mrs. Elizabeth Davis, of Parsons, Kansas. Simon R. Snyder was educated in the public schools of Martinsburg and then came to Altoona, where he entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the wheel foundry in 1882. In 1920, he was transferred to the Iron Department and worked there as a moulder until his retirement in 1930. A Democrat in politics, he served on the city council in 1907-08 and was the candidate of his party for election to the State Senate to represent Blair and Huntingdon Counties. He attends the Presbyterian Church and is a member of the Artisans. Mr. Snyder took for his BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 164 wife Maude W. Jackson, daughter of Thomas H. and Cornelia (McKenzie) Jackson, of Beaver County, Pa., and to this union have been born these children: Cornelia, who resides in Juniata; Harold T., chief of stores for the D. & H. Railroad at Albany, New York; Katherine, a resident of Pittsburgh; and Eugene, an employee of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona. THEODORE F. SPILLANE, manager of the American Loan Company, of Altoona, was born at Toledo, Ohio, February 17, 1901, a son of John J. and Katherine (Lockland) Spillane, the former of whom is identified with the glass industry at Toledo and the latter of whom is deceased. In January, 1930, he assumed the managership of the Altoona office and has since been in that position. He is a director of the Blair County Credit Bureau and a member of the Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Spillane married Irene Koepfer, of Swanton, Ohio, and they have one daughter, Jane Frances. Mr. Spillane took a two-year course with the Industrial Lenders Technical Institute of New York City and completed the course April 13, 1929, with distinction. HOWARD ALEXANDER STEPHENS, deceased, served the Pennsylvania Railroad for over a quarter of a century. He was born December 26, 1871, in Altoona, a son of W. Harry Stephens and Maria (Reem) Stephens, the former of whom, was one of the early settlers of Altoona, teaching schools in the first years of his career, and later was for many years alderman of the Sixth Ward with his office at Eighth Avenue and Seventeenth Street. Howard Stephens received his schooling in the public schools of Altoona, and as a lad applied himself in his father's office. He then entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company in the shops at Pittsburgh. Subsequent to this, he worked as a conductor on the streetcars of Altoona, later returning to the Juniata shops of the railroad. He was rapidly promoted to material inspector, and traveled extensively over the lines in this capacity. A few months prior to his death, he was promoted to the rank of assistant foreman in the Altoona shops. He passed away May 13, 1927, and his death was mourned by his family and the host of friends that he had made during his lifetime. Mr. Stephens was a communicant of the Eighth Avenue Methodist Church, and was fraternally connected with the Masonic Order and the Knights of Pythias. He was an active member of the Republican Party and served as judge of elections for many years. Miss Martha M. Emes became the wife of Mr. Stephens on June 23, 1896. Four daughters were born to this union: Helen, now Mrs. Cecil V. O'Brien, of Akron, Ohio; Evelyn, married to Russell E. Whitehead, of Camp Hill, Pa.; Thelma, married to Harry B. Schuck, of Altoona; and Mildred, at home. Mrs. Stephens makes her home at 3003 Oak Avenue, Altoona. N. AUGUSTINE STEVENS, one of the outstanding professional men and citizens of Blair County is N. Augustine Stevens, who serves the community as a mortician, with finely appointed quarters at 1421 Eighth Avenue, Altoona. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 165 He was born in this city in 1872, a son of Joseph and Matilda (Flaugh) Stevens. Joseph Stevens was born in Blair County in 1844 and died in 1910. The Stevens family is not only one of the very oldest in Blair County, but one of the few in the United States which can trace its founder to a member of that daring body of men who manned the flag-ship of no less a person than Christopher Columbus when the little caravel brought the great discoverer to American shores. Joseph Stevens was engaged in the undertaking business in Altoona for thirty years. N. Augustine Stevens was reared and educated at Altoona, and upon leaving school, became associated with his father, and was so connected for twenty-two years under the firm name of Joseph Stevens and Son. Upon his father's death, he succeeded to the business, maintaining the principals of integrity, courtesy and service which his father had established. In 1900, Miss Regina Allen became the wife of Mr. Stevens. She is the daughter of James Allen, of Altoona. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens are the parents of the following children: Marie M., Joseph J., Frances A., Thomas M., Ruth, and John. Mr. Stevens and family are communicants of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church. He is identified with the Knights of Columbus, the Elks, the Young Men's Institute, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Knights of St. George. He is also a member of the State Funeral Directors' Association. THADEUS STINE, D. D. S. The late Dr. Stine was a leader in his profession in Blair County for thirty-three years. David Stine, his father, was a resident of Mifflin County, an extensive farmer and prominent banker of his community. His mother was Margaret (Bratton) Stine. Thadeus Stine was born in Mifflin County, November 19, 1870, and received his early schooling in the graded and high schools of McVeytown. He then attended the Pennsylvania Dental College, graduating in the year 1892, when he became engaged in the practice of his profession in McVeytown, remaining there for one year, after which he removed to Tyrone, and rapidly rose to a place of eminence in his profession in city and county. Dr. Stine married Mary M. Mattern on December 25, 1895. She is the daughter of Albert J. and Annie (Gardner) Mattern, the former of whom was a leading merchant of Blair County. Two sons were born of this union: Roy B., an instructor in the Youngstown (Ohio) High School; and Ralph M., a mechanical engineer, for the American Radiator Company of Buffalo, New York. Dr. Stine was prominently identified in fraternal organizations. He was a member and past master of the Blue Lodge, Consistory, Mason and Shrine, Woodmen of the World, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He was also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Tyrone, the Chamber of Commerce and the County, State and National Dental Societies. His religious affiliations were with the Presbyterian Church, having served for many years as deacon. The life and services of this good man were terminated November 19, 1926, at Tyrone, but the deep and lasting impression that he made on the lives and hearts of others is one that will not easily nor quickly be forgotten. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 166 JAMES S. TAYLOR. A physician and surgeon whose instinctive preference for his profession has gained for him a reputation early in his career, and provided a training that has assured his present and future. Dr. Taylor was born in Bedford, Pa., May 12, 1888, and he is the son of Amos O., and Margaret (Paul) Taylor, the former being one of the foremost medical men of Altoona. Dr. Taylor was educated in the grade and high schools of Altoona, attended the Bellefonte Academy for one year and later matriculated at Princeton University wherein the year 1910 he received his A. B. degree, and in 1914 the degree of Doctor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He served his interneship in the Altoona Hospital the year 1914-1915, after which he began to practice. From August, 1917, to July, 1919, during the war he held the commission of lieutenant later being promoted to captain and was stationed with Base Hospital, No. 64. After his discharge he began to practice his profession in Altoona, specializing in obstetrics. He is a member of the State, County and National Medical Societies, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and holds a certificate from the National Board of Obstetrics, and is chief of the Obstetrics Department of the Altoona Hospital. Dr. Taylor is a member of the Masonic order, the American Legion and the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. On June 2, 1914, he married Elizabeth Kephart, of Altoona, and they are the parents of two children: James S., Jr., and Alice Kephart Taylor. Dr. Taylor is active in the politics of the Republican Party and a member of the St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Altoona. RALPH TAYLOR, secretary, treasurer, and general manager of the Altoona Discount Company, has been engaged in this business here for eight years. Born at Mt. Union, Pa., August 1, 1888, he is a son of J. Newton, a native of Ottumwa, Iowa, and Laura V. (Fuller) Taylor, born in Thompsontown, Pa. The father came to Mt. Union, Pa., in early manhood and served as judge and postmaster for sixteen years. Ralph Taylor obtained his early education in the public schools of Mt. Union and studied at Juniata College. Following his graduation from that institution, he taught for a year at Mill Creek School and in 1910 entered the employ of the First National Bank, of Mt. Union. In 1912, he was made cashier of the Freeburg State Bank, Freeburg, Pa., holding that position until 1917, when he accepted a similar position with the First National Bank, of Bellwood, Pa. On November 1, 1922, the Altoona Discount Company was established to make industrial loans, relieving the people of Altoona from the burden of paying high interest rates, and receives the cooperation of the banks and Chamber of Commerce. More than 23,000 persons have availed themselves of the service thus offered and have borrowed money in excess of $2,959,000. Officers of the company are as follows: R. C. Wilson, president; D. N. Slep, vice-president; J. C. Nugent, vice-president; and Ralph F. Taylor, secretary, treasurer, and manager. Mr. Taylor has been associated with the enterprise since its inception. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity and attends the Presbyterian Church. He was united in marriage to Lillian Wagner, BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 167 daughter of H. A. and Ada M. (Bell) Wagner, of Mt. Union, Pa., and to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor have been born four children: Harry M., Ralph, Jr., John I., and James W. EDWIN GEORGE BOBB, president of the D. M. Bare Paper Company, also president of the Roaring Spring Blank Book Company, was born at Tyrone, Pa., in 1856, and is a son of Alexander and Matilda (Mattern) Bobb, both deceased, former residents of Martinsburg, Pa. The father served in the Union Army during the Civil War and held the commission of colonel at the close of the war. He was elected sheriff of the county, in 1873, and took an active interest in all affairs of a civic nature. He was part owner of a foundry and machine shop at Martinsburg and of another at Roaring Spring, in the operations of which he was active throughout his life. His other sons, William M. and James S., are deceased. Edwin George Bobb attended the schools of Martinsburg and Hollidaysburg and spent three terms at Canonsburg Academy. For a short time after completing his schooling, he was connected with his father's foundry at Roaring Spring and in 1892 became associated with the paper manufacturing business of D. M. Bare as bookkeeper. Later, he was promoted to the position of president. A few years prior to the death of Mr. Bare, he was made president of the Roaring Spring Blank Book Company, and in 1922 was made president of the Roaring Spring Bank, in the affairs of which he still takes an active part. Mr. Bobb is also one of the organizers and a director of the Whittaker Paper Company, of Cincinnati, Ohio. D. M. Bare, founder of both the paper company and of the bank, was perhaps the most aggressive citizen of Roaring Spring in seeking the welfare of the community, for he played a prominent part in securing industries for the borough. Mr. Bobb, a Republican in politics, follows local events with a deep interest and served as the first burgess of the borough, holding office for several years. In 1884, he married Clara S. Bare, daughter of D. M. Bare. Mrs. Bobb is active in the work of the Church of God and is an earnest worker in behalf of Nason Hospital. Two children, Ralph Daniel and Chester Alexander Bobb, are both deceased, the former having died while he was in his second year at Cornell University, passing away in San Antonio; Texas, in 1907, and the latter during his first year at Tome School for Boys, in 1907. ROBERT L. THOMPSON, assistant secretary of the Altoona Board of Education, was born in this city, July 17, 1900, a son of William S. and Julia B. (Arbogast) Thompson, the former a native of Alexandria, Virginia, and the latter of Juniata County, Pa. The father has spent the greater part of his career in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Altoona, and besides Robert L. Thompson, he and his wife have these children: Norris; Kenneth, and Isabella, deceased. Robert L. Thompson graduated from the Altoona High School in 1919 and for a year and a half worked at a local store and with the Pennsylvania Railroad. He studied at the University of Pittsburgh two years, spent a year with the Department of Recreation at Altoona, and was thereafter employed by BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 168 the Pennsylvania Railroad until 1925. In that year, he came to his present position of assistant secretary of the Board of Education and is also secretary of the Central Pennsylvania Football Conference. He is secretary of the Altoona Real Estate Board, a member of the Masonic fraternity and Shrine, and attends the Lutheran Church. He took for his wife Sarah R. Moser, of Altoona. JOHN W. TILLARD, chief of police of Altoona, has a long and creditable record to his credit as head of the city's constabulary. Born in Antis Township, Blair County, February 24, 1856, he is a son of William and Rachael (Dorsay) Tillard, the former a native of Reedsville, Mifflin County, Pa., and the latter of Huntingdon County, Pa. The father worked in the charcoal furnaces of Reedsville until 1855, when he came to Blair County, later in 1862, entering the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad shops. He died in October, 1872, and his wife in 1877. In a log schoolhouse in Logan Township, near Greenwood, bearing the name of Hamilton School, John W. Tillard acquired his education. On June 1, 1870 he came to Altoona to go to work in the shops of the Pennsylvania Railroad but after three years began his long association with the Altoona Police Department. He was appointed chief of the force, April 1, 1893, but retired from office in 1896 to become the first chief and organizer of Altoona's first paid fire department, and the four years he spent in this work placed the Fire Department upon a new basis. He resumed his duties as police chief, which, except from 1908 to 1911, has constituted his career in the service of the city, and now occupies that position. He was first married February 8, 1882, to Rosella Dengler, of Schuylkill County, Pa., who died in April, 1921, leaving one son, Paul V. For his second wife, Mr. Tillard took Myrtle V. Fisher, of Altoona. He is one of the founders of the Fifth Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church and has served as secretary of its board of trustees for fifteen years. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and is a Republican in politics. THOMAS CALDWELL TWITMIRE, M. D., deceased. A prominent physician and citizen, honored for his characteristics in social and professional circles, the late Dr. Thomas Caldwell Twitmire was born at Bellefonte, Centre County, on April 11, 1858, a son of Henry H. and Nacy (Caldwell) Twitmire, both natives of Centre County, the former a blacksmith and skilled carriage maker. Thomas Twitmire was educated preliminarily in the schools of Bellefonte, later entering Bellefonte Academy, and was graduated from Western Reserve University with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1886. He located in Gallitzin, establishing himself in practice, and remained there until 1891, when he removed to Glenn Ritchie, Clearfield County. In 1897, he moved to Newry, Blair County, and in 1906 removed to Williamsburg, this county. He remained there for three years and subsequently established himself in Juniata, where he attained a lucrative practice. Ill health forced him to retire from active affairs in 1922 and he finally succumbed to death February 9, 1923. Dr. Twitmire was a member of the County, State and National Medical Societies, the Knights of Pythias BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 169 and the Golden Eagles. He was an active member of the Presbyterian Church and gave generously of his time and ability whenever needed to alleviate the suffering of the poor and less fortunate. In politics, he identified himself with the affairs of the Republican Party. Dr. Twitmire married twice; first to Mary Ellen Arrowsmith; and second to Kezia Rowles on December 21, 1892. Two children were born: Ethel May, daughter of the first union, and now married to James Wallace; and Mary Ellen, married to Samuel W. Goodman, of Juniata. WILLIAM E. VARNES, D. D. S., practicing dentistry at Altoona, is a native of Windber, Cambria County, Pa., where he was born September 26, 1901, and is a son of James E. and Lydia (Shiver) Varnes, both natives of Fulton County, Pa., and now residents of Gallitzin, Pa., where the father is a trainman in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Doctor Varnes obtained his early education in the graded and high schools of Gallitzin and the Altoona High School, from which he graduated in 1919. For two years, he was employed as ticket clerk for the Pennsylvania Railroad at Gallitzin and then entered the University of Pittsburgh, from which he graduated with the degree of doctor of dental surgery in 1926. He initiated his practice at Gallitzin and continued there until early in 1930, when he established himself at Altoona, where he maintains offices at 626 Fourth Avenue. He is a member of the American Dental Association and the Central Pennsylvania Dental Society. He attends the Methodist Church. HERMAN LEE WAGNER, D. D. S., has been practicing his profession at Altoona since 1919. Born at Lewistown, Pa., August 29, 1886, he is a son of William and Mary (Cubbison) Wagner, the former of whom was a conductor with the Pennsylvania Railroad and was killed in an accident in 1902. Doctor Wagner took his college preparatory work at the Lewistown Preparatory School and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1917 with the degree of doctor of dental surgery. He enlisted for service in the World War and was commissioned first lieutenant in the Dental Reserve Corps. In 1919, after the conclusion of his military service, he began active practice in Altoona and now maintains offices in the Central Trust Building. He is a member of the American, Pennsylvania State, Central Pennsylvania, and Altoona Dental Societies. He was married June 23, 1928, to Lavinia Miller, of Altoona, and they have a daughter, Nancy Jane, who was born February 22, 1930, and a son, Robert, born January 15, 1931. HARRY W. WEEST, JR., M. D., who has practiced at Altoona for ten years, was born in this city, November 2, 1894, a son of Harry W., also a native of Altoona, and Fannie Maude (Ritter) Weest, born in Orbisonia, Pa. The father was engaged in the mercantile and hotel businesses here for many years and is now retired from active life. Doctor Weest obtained his early education in the public schools of Altoona, graduating from high school in 1914, after which he attended Jefferson Medical College, serving in the Student Army Training BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 170 Corps while a student there. He received his doctorate in medicine in 1919, served his interneship at the Altoona Hospital, and entered upon active practice here in 1920. He is a member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Pennsylvania, Blair County Medical Society, Lions Club, and American Legion. He attends the Lutheran church. He holds a commission in the Officers Reserve Corps and is attached to the 110th Regiment, Pennsylvania National Guard. Doctor Weest married Dorothea Henrietta Lingenfelter, daughter of Charles C. Lingenfelter, of Altoona, and they have a daughter, Joan Louise. ARDIE E. WILT, superintendent of the Alto Reste Park Cemetery Association and general insurance agent of Altoona, was born at Kittanning, Armstrong County, Pa., a son of J. W. and Amanda (Wagner) Wilt, both natives of the same county. J. W. Wilt was a minister of the Church of the Brethren and a merchant of Altoona until his death, which occurred in April, 1919. Ardie E. Wilt attended the local public schools and Juniata College, graduating from the latter in 1893, and for a time thereafter was associated in business with his father. He was next employed by Lippincott & Company, of Altoona, after which he spent ten years as manager of the Shaffer Baking Company. In 1927, Mr. Wilt entered the insurance business and has since continued successfully in that work. He is a trustee of Juniata College, president of the board of the Church of the Brethren, and superintendent of its Sunday School for the past thirty-five years. He is superintendent and a director of the Alto Reste Park Cemetery Association, of which the other officers are: R. P. Good, president; R. B. Replogle, vice-president; H. G. Mock, secretary; S. S. Metz, treasurer. The company was established in 1925 by these five men and owns a tract of 144 acres on Alto Reste Boulevard between Altoona and Hollidaysburg. Mr. Wilt married Minnie R. Ressler, daughter of John W. and Susan Catherine (Shaw) Ressler, and to this union have been born four children: Lorna W., the wife of E. N. Walter; Bertha R., the wife of J. H. Dillon; J. Ellis; and Helen. ROBERT H. WYMER, M. D., general practitioner of Altoona, is a native of Huntingdon, Pa., where he was born June 13, 1898, a son of John A. and Clay Ann (Hale) Wymer, the former of whom was born at Leamersville and the latter at Bloomfield, Pa. The father spent his life in Bedford and Huntingdon Counties and was employed for many years at the Huntingdon Reformatory. Doctor Wymer acquired his early education in the public schools of Huntingdon, graduating from high school in 1916, took a year's premedical work at Juniata College, and then matriculated at Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he received his doctorate in medicine in 1921. He served his interneship at the Pittsburgh Homeopathic Hospital and was house physician at the Scranton Hospital until 1924, when he entered upon active practice at Altoona. He is a member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Pennsylvania, Blair County Medical Society, Phi Upsilon Rho Medical fraternity, American Business Club, Elks, and Knights of Pythias. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 171 JOHN G. YOST, principal of the Fairview School, Altoona, is a native of White Deer, Union County, Pa., where he was born September 18, 1901, a son of Francis O. and Josephine (Jamison) Yost. The father was born in the same county and spent the greater part of his life as a farmer in Montour County, Pa., and he and his wife, who was born at Allenwood, Union County, became the parents of these children: Millard, a resident of Mifflinburg, Union County; John G.; and Elizabeth, who married A. O. Burlew, of Williamsport, Pa. John G. Yost attended the public schools of Union and Montour Counties, graduating from the Mifflinburg High School in 1919. For two years thereafter, he taught in the schools of Buffalo Township, Union County, and four years in Cambria County, Pa., following this by a year at Snyder, Pa., and three years at Juniata, Blair County. In 1929, he received the degree of bachelor of arts from Susquehanna University and in the same year became principal of the Fairview School, Altoona, in which position he has since remained. He is a Democrat in politics, attends the Reformed Church, and is a member of the American Youth Foundation. He married Katherine Latshaw, of Mifflinburg, Pa., and they are the parents of two children, John G., Jr., and Ernest Latshaw. VERY REV. JEROME ZAZZARA, T. O. R., D. D., rector of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Altoona, was born at Manoppello, Italy, September 30, 1882, and attended the elementary schools of his native place. He entered the Third Order Regular of St. Francis, November 27, 1897, to study for the priesthood and received the Franciscan habit of the order December 24, 1899, spending a year's novitiate before pronouncing the vows of the order. From March, 1903, to September, 1905, he served his period of compulsory military training. He made his solemn profession, March 9, 1906, and on April 15, 1906, was ordained priest in the Church of St. Appolinaris in Rome; and thereafter spent two years in the Gregorian University, from which he received the degree of doctor of theology October 23, 1908. A month later, he came to the United States as commissary general to effect the union of his order with the Order of the Franciscan community at Loretto, Pa. In September, 1910, he was elected the first Provincial of the newly established province, holding that office until July 16, 1913. At St. Francis College, Loretto, he taught theology and philosophy and instituted a program of improvements that resulted in the virtual rebuilding of the college. To him, too, is due the credit for the building of Trinity College, Sioux City, Iowa, a $100,000 project, and for making extensive improvements at the Franciscan College, Spalding, Nebraska. In 1909, he undertook a mission for the Italians of Johnstown, Pa., and by 1916 had secured the erection of the present Church of St. Anthony. When the parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was established at Altoona, Father Jerome took charge of the work, and through his efforts has been erected the present church. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 172 ROBERT F. BAILEY, superintendent of the meter department for the Penn Central Light & Power Company, is a native of State College, Pa., where he was born April 27, 1893. Thomas Scott Bailey, his father, was born at Pine Grove Mills, Centre County, Pa., and spent the greater part of his life as a coachmaker at State College, where he erected the fifth house in that village and where his death occurred in 1914. He married Mary Elizabeth Glenn, who was born on a farm near Lamont, Pa., and died in December, 1929, and to them were born the following children: Edgar Warren, Robert F., Sue, Glen D., Maude M., Nan M,, and Mary E. Robert F. Bailey attended the graded and high schools of State College and then matriculated at Pennsylvania State College, from which he graduated in 1916. For a year thereafter, he was employed by the Public Service Electric Company, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, and on September 20, 1917, he came to the Penn Central Light & Power Company as power meter inspector, a position which he held until he became superintendent of the meter department in 1923. His fraternal affiliations are with the Masonic fraternity, and he is a communicant of the Broad Avenue Presbyterian Church. Mr. Bailey married Ellen Vipond, daughter of William J. and Katherine Vipond, of Clearfield, Pa., and to Mr. and Mrs. Bailey have been born two children: William V. and James R. WILLIAM H. BURD, principal of the Roosevelt Junior High School, of Altoona, has been connected with the schools of this city since 1902. Born at Donnelly Mills, Perry County, Pa., he is a son of James and Ellen (Long) Burd, both natives of the same county and both deceased, and is one of a family of four children, of whom the others are Samuel W., Edward Howard, and Anna L. His early education was received in the public schools of his native place and his preparation for teaching at the Cumberland Valley Normal School. Matriculating at Lebanon Valley College, he graduated therefrom in 1901. In 1902, he came to Altoona, where he has held the principalship of the Emerson, Garfield, Wright, and Central Grammar Schools and, since 1924, of the Roosevelt Junior High School. In this last capacity, as the first principal of the first junior high school in the city, he has done an outstanding piece of work for public education. He has taken additional collegiate training at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and as a communicant of the First Presbyterian Church, is an elder of that body. In 1908, he married Eleanor Campbell, of Pennsylvania Furnace, who had been engaged as director of a public kindergarten in Altoona. They are the parents of four children: Howard H., a senior at Purdue University; Eleanor C., a graduate of Wilson College; Dorothy E., and Anna McF. ELMER HOOKER FRIEDLY, who during his lifetime was one of the representative and influential citizens of Blair County, was born at Huntingdon, February 18, 1863, son of George Washington and Martha (Claubaugh) Friedly. The Friedly family are listed among the early American families, the ancestors BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 173 having settled in Pennsylvania about 1740. George Washington Friedly served the cause of the Rebellion, enlisting August 7, 1862, with Company C, Pennsylvania Volunteers, 125th Regiment. He saw active warfare in the battles of Gettysburg, Antietam, and Chancellorsville, and was honorably discharged from service May 18, 1863. Elmer Hooker Friedly attended the public schools of Huntingdon, and as a lad entered the cattle business with his father. Later he became apprenticed to the carpenter trade after which he followed that line for some years. Subsequently he removed to Altoona and became employed as a clerk in the Fourth Street blacksmith shop of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. He held this responsible position until his demise which occurred October 23, 1926. Mr. Friedly served for many years as judge of elections for the eighth and tenth wards and was a member of the Knights of Pythias. Miss Ida E. Reigh, daughter of Frederick and Anna (Sullivan) Reigh, became the wife of Mr. Friedly. They became the parents of two children: Ida May, now the wife of R. A. Potter, of Altoona, who are the parents of the following children: Edward Russell Potter, who is attached to the U. S. Army School at Chanut Field, and was previously stationed at Langley Field, Virginia, for six years; Helen, Marion, Ellwood and Doris all of whom live at home. George Washington is the other son of Mr. and Mrs. Friedly. The Friedly family are communicants of the Methodist Church. The death of Mr. Friedly was a severe loss to his family and friends, and to the business and church circles in which he had always been a leader. BEVERLY W. HATCH. Among the prominent and respected citizens of Blair County, none stand higher nor possess a wider circle of friends than did the late Beverly W. Hatch. His career was marked by continuous advancement as a merchant, one in which success can only come as a result of merit and ability and he occupied an enviable position in his community. Beverly W. Hatch was born in Hollidaysburg, June 3, 1853, a son of Nelson Hatch, a native of Lancaster County, who located in Blair County about 1800 and identified himself as a boatman on the old canal, and Catherine (Condon) Hatch, a native of County Kilgore, Ireland. Beverly Hatch attended the schools of Hollidaysburg and as a young man worked as a boatman on the canal. In his spare time, he handled fish and produce, and after the canal was closed, he removed to Huntingdon, where he entered the produce business on a larger scale. He remained there for twelve years, locating in Altoona in 1893 and established his business on Eleventh Avenue in the wholesale district, under the trade name of "Beverly Hatch - Produce." The business met with great success from its inception, and he came to be known throughout the surrounding territory. Mr. Hatch was a communicant of the Roman Catholic Church and in politics was a member of the Republican Party. On December 26, 1872, he married Rose Hartsock, daughter of Charles Hartsock, a native of Sinking Valley, who was owner and operator of one of the first brick kilns in the county, and Rose Elizabeth (Cope) Hartsock, a descendant of early settlers of Newry. Ten children were born to Mr. and BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 174 Mrs. Hatch: James, who married Esther Lewis, and are the parents of three children: Edith, James, and Esther; Mary, single and living at home; Charles, deceased, who married Maria Byrne, and parents of four children: Nelson, Mary E., Bernard, and Cyril; William, deceased, who married Caroline DeTemple, and are the parents of five children: George, Mary, Agnes, Ellen, and Dorothy; Ross, married Julia Augusta Watz, who are the parents of four children: Ross, Paul, John, and Theodore; Harry, who married Ruth Ray; Lawrence, single and living at home; Beverly, whose first wife was Cora Seiders, and they were the parents of the following children: Bernardine, Earl, and Madoline; Beverly's second wife was Irma Grace McIntyre, and they are the parents of the following children: Beverly, Eugene, William, deceased, Lewis and Erma; Arthur, deceased; and Edwin, who married Vera McEllive, and their children are: Rose, Harry, Donald, and Elizabeth; Mary and Agnes at home. The receipt of the news of the death of Mr. Hatch on April 26, 1917, was a great shock to the whole community in which he was universally loved and respected. Mrs. Hatch resides at 1210 Pleasant Valley Avenue, Altoona. PAUL E. HILBERT, district manager of the Altoona office of the Edward A. Woods Company, of Pittsburgh, was born at Allentown, Pa., April 27, 1896, his father, John F. Hilbert, being born near that city and his mother, Clara Alice (Koons) Hilbert, at Bunker Hill, near Lebanon, Pa. The father was an accountant in the cement and brick business at Catskill, New York, for twelve years and is now trust officer for the Lehigh Valley Trust Company, Allentown, Pa. Paul E. Hilbert attended the public schools of Catskill and Allentown, graduating from high school in the latter city in 1915. He graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 1919, his college career having been interrupted by a year in the Chemical Warfare Service during the World War, during which time he was stationed successively at Washington, D. C., Cleveland, Ohio, and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. For eight years after his graduation, he taught in the high school at Red Lion, Pa., four years being spent as principal. During this period, he took work which brought him the degree of master of arts in education and chemistry at Columbia University. He was also engaged as part time agent for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and in 1927 gave up school work to continue under the agency of the Edward A. Woods Company, of Pittsburgh. In November, 1929, he was sent to Altoona as district manager of a five county territory with offices in the Altoona Trust Building. The Equitable Life has been represented in the Altoona district for thirty years by the Woods organization. Mr. Hilbert was united in marriage to Elizabeth Koppenhaver, daughter of John M. and Sarah Koppenhaver, of Valley View, Pa., and to this union have been born two children: Marcella Louise and Lucille Marie. Mr. Hilbert attends the First United Brethren Church and is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. Mr. Hilbert has the distinction of being the first Life Underwriter in the city of Altoona to achieve the designation of C. L. U., granted by the American College of Life Underwriters. A rigorous BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 175 course of study is prescribed in preparation for annual examinations conducted by the college throughout America. He is president of the local association of Life Underwriters, a group of life men banded together for mutual help and to advance the professional standing of agents. HERBERT JOHN SEADS, deceased. For a quarter of a century the name of this eminent citizen of Altoona has been associated with progressive business enterprises, civic improvement and social reform movements in our city. As native of Juniata County, where he was born on January 21, 1873, his family removed to Williamsport when he was six years old. Mr. Seads rapidly rose to a position of leadership in that city, and after he moved to Altoona, in central Pennsylvania. His parents were Porter Seads, a native of this state, and Ella (Ebberts) Seads, a descendant of pioneer settlers in Perry County. The family name was originally Seeds, but the spelling was changed by the mother of Herbert John Seads. The latter was educated at Williamsport, and as a young man entered the employ of the railroad company there, as a clerk. With the declaration of war against Spain he enlisted at Williamsport with Company G, and was stationed near Washington, D. C. After receiving an honorable discharge from the army he returned to his native city and took up his old position. He was too ambitious and energetic to remain in the capacity of clerk for a great length of time, and was quick to realize the great future of the insurance business. While working for the railroad he began the sale of insurance in his spare time, developing such a volume of business for the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company, that he gave up his clerical position to devote himself to salesmanship. The growth of his business was rapid, and the company, recognizing his administrative capacity, sent him to Altoona. Here he was the district manager, with offices in the Central Trust Building. He was made general agent, in 1914, for a section comprising seven counties in the central part of the state, and held that position for the remainder of his life. Mr. Seads had absolute faith in the future of Altoona. This is evidenced in his great service to the Chamber of Commerce, of which organization he was president and delegate to a national convention at Washington, D. C. In addition, he was actively identified with the Altoona Rotary Club, where he also served as president. These activities in no way hampered his business in which he was a record producer. In fact these contacts increased his usefulness to the company he represented, and were of incalculable value to Altoona. As a youth he joined the Methodist Church at Williamsport, and always retained his membership there. Mr. Seads' death on June 6, 1929, was a blow to his immediate family, his host of friends, and to the business and social circles where his presence was always eagerly anticipated. He was naturally a leader and developer, and his death before he passed middle age, left a great vacancy in the community that can never be completely filled. Mr. Seads was very happy in his marriage to Miss Elizabeth C. Campbell, of Woodstock, Virginia, which took place at Altoona on July 9, 1913. The latter BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 176 was an ideal companion to the energetic business man. Her father was Wright G. Campbell, a Lutheran minister, who was a native of Virginia. The branch of the Campbell family from whom he was descended, came to this country from Scotland, in 1730. They were prominent during the French and Indian wars, and Theodore Roosevelt in his "Winning of the West," makes frequent references to them. The mother of Mrs. Seads was Mary Ott, a native of Woodstock, too, whose ancestors were pioneers in the settlement of Virginia, to which colony they came early in the Eighteenth Century. Mrs. Seads was educated at Irving College, Mechanicsburg, Pa. Her uncle was president of that institution for nearly forty years, 1891 to 1926; born January 21, 1859; died August 4, 1926; and her father, Rev. Wright G. Campbell, taught Greek and Latin there in the latter part of his life. As a member of the D. A. R., the Blair College Club, the Board of Directors of the Y. W. C. A., and the Broad Avenue Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Seads has become proportionally as great a figure in her sphere as her husband was in his. Mr. and Mrs. Seads were the parents of two children: Jean Ellen, born October 29, 1915; William Herbert, born October 5, 1917. They reside with their mother at 2310 Broad Avenue, Altoona. HARRY L. JONES has served as alderman of the Eighth Ward of Altoona since 1920. Born in Sinking Valley, Pa., December 12, 1864, he is a son of William R. and Ellen (Hostler) Jones, the former a native of Delaware County, Pa., and the latter of Sinking Valley. The father served with the Union Army during the Civil War and lived in the West the greater part of his life. Harry L. Jones attended the public schools of Sinking Valley and worked there for a number of years thereafter. He engaged in merchandising for some time and later held the office of constable, being elected in the year 1901 and holding this same office for a period of nineteen years. After locating in Altoona, he took an active interest in the affairs of the Republican Party and was elected to represent the Eighth Ward as alderman in 1920, an office to which he has been returned at successive elections. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen of the World and attends the Second United Brethren Church. He married Mary Applebaugh, a native of Blair County, and they are the parents of these children: Charles, who married Rothub Boyles, of Juniata; Emma Katherine, married to Harry Overcash, of Altoona; Helen, married to A. J. Parson; and Harry E., and Olive Pearl, at home. REV. JOSEPH C. KREITER, assistant pastor of St. Mary's Catholic Church of Altoona, was born at Honesdale, Pa., March 9, 1900, a son of Henry and Margaret (Stocker) Kreiter, the former of whom was born on a farm near the same city and is deceased, and the latter of whom resides at Brooklyn, New York. He is one of a family of four children, of whom the others are: William, of Binghampton, New York; Mary, the wife of Edward Butler, of Honesdale; and Margaret, who married William Somers, of Detroit, Michigan. Father Kreiter BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 177 attended the parochial schools of Honesdale and then matriculated at the Pontificial Josephinum College, Columbus, Ohio, where he studied twelve years. He was ordained June 2, 1928, and has since been at Altoona as assistant pastor of St. Mary's Church. EDWARD W. LOUDON, M. D., has conducted a general practice of medicine in Altoona for more than twenty years. William Loudon, his father, was born in this city and spent his life here, engaging in farming and the real estate business. He was active in the affairs of the community, serving twenty-four years as a school director of Logan Township. He married Rebecca Bridenbaugh, of a prominent family of Sinking Valley, and they are both deceased. Doctor Loudon was born in Altoona, March 4, 1874, and attended the public schools of Logan Township, Gettysburg Academy, and Gettysburg College, from which he received the degree of bachelor of science in 1896. Matriculating at the Medical School of the University of Pennsylvania, he graduated with his doctorate in medicine in 1901 and served a year's interneship at the Altoona Hospital. He initiated his active practice at Altoona for three years, then at Alexandria, Huntingdon County, where he continued five years, and in 1911, he established himself in Altoona, where he has since remained. He is medical inspector for the schools of Logan Township and Altoona, is chief medical examiner here for the Prudential Insurance Company, and is also examiner for the Knights and Federal Union Life Insurance Companies, and the Washington Fidelity Life Insurance Company. He is a member of the American Medical Association, Medical Society of Pennsylvania, Blair County Medical Society, Sigma Chi fraternity, and the Juniata Valley Colony Country Club. He attends the Waid [Ward] Avenue Presbyterian Church, of which he is an elder, and is a Republican in politics. Doctor Loudon married Cora Lee Kerlin, daughter of John and Catherine (Koons) Kerlin, of Altoona, the former of whom was born in Juniata County, Pa., and the latter near Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pa. The father of Mrs. Loudon lived in Altoona the greater part of his life and was in the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad. WADE A. MATTERN, deceased, and one of the prominent residents of Hollidaysburg, Pa., was born in 1860, at Tyrone, Pa., a son of Jeremiah C. and Mary Anna Elizabeth (Mattern) Mattern, second cousins. The father was a carpenter by trade but followed the vocation of farming throughout the greater part of his life. He came to Blair County in 1863 and farmed near Hollidaysburg, where he lived to an advanced age. Wade A. Mattern was educated in the public schools of Hollidaysburg and then worked on the home farm until 1882. In that year, he went to the northwestern part of Kansas, where he engaged in sheep raising for a year. Selling out the enterprise, he took a sheep ranch near Laredo, Texas, continuing successfully in that work for ten years. He returned to Hollidaysburg in 1894 and later established himself in the business of buying and selling fat cattle and hogs, in which he continued independently for BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 178 twenty-five years. In 1914, in company with four others, he built a packing house at Altoona, Pa., which was operated by a corporation employing the name of the United Home Dressed Meat Company, for which Mr. Mattern was stock buyer and vice-president. For the past few years, he had been retired from active business affairs, although he retained an interest in several local banks, and the Home Dressed Meat Packing Company. A Republican in politics, Mr. Mattern served fourteen years as a member of the Hollidaysburg borough council and took a keen interest in all civic movements. He was a real philanthropist, and aided many needy families in his quiet manner. For many years he was an active member of the Gaysport borough council now the Sixth Ward of Hollidaysburg. Mr. Mattern was connected with a number of organizations. For fifty years he was a member of the Judson Bible Class of the Hollidaysburg Baptist Church, the oldest men's Bible class possibly in the world, and was the only president the class ever had. He was high in the Masonic order, being a member of Jaffa Temple, Knights Templar, Portage Lodge, No. 711, Charter member of the Blairmont Country Club, Hollidaysburg Club, and director of the Citizens National Bank, Hollidaysburg. On April 21, 1897, Mr. Mattern was united in marriage to Miss Katherine Meyers, of Hollidaysburg, and to them have been born these children: Mrs. Margaret Stoeltzing, Pittsburgh, Pa., and Ruth, the wife of J. Gossard, of Altoona, Pa. Mr. Mattern passed away at his home after an illness of nine months. M. E. McDONNELL, PH. D., chief chemist for the Pennsylvania Railroad, at Altoona, was born on a farm in Washington County, Pa., February 26, 1873, a son of David and Elizabeth (Criss) McDonnell, natives of Florence, Washington County. He obtained his early education in the public schools and Eldersville Academy and received the degree of bachelor of science from Pennsylvania State College in 1893. He remained to take post graduate work, during which time he was assistant chemist at the Pennsylvania Agriculture Experiment Station. Later, he took further work in Germany which brought him his degree of doctor of philosophy. In 1898, Doctor McDonnell entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad as bacteriologist in the chemical department, subsequently assumed the duties of assistant chief chemist, and in 1921 was made chief chemist, a position which he has since occupied. Doctor McDonnell is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Society of Testing Materials, American Society of Advanced Science, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Doctor McDonnell married May Patterson, of State College, Pa., and they have two children: William Patterson, and Julia Adelaide. William graduated from Yale in the year 1923 and entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad at Perryville, Maryland. Adelaide graduated from Goucher College in 1927, and from the University of Pittsburgh Law School in 1931, passed the State Bar Examinations and will be a member of the Bar after the first of the year. BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 179 SAMUEL W. MILLER, JR., M. D., initiated his practice in Altoona in 1921. Born at Rico, Colorado, April 14, 1888, he is a son of Dr. Samuel W. and Anna (Jones) Miller, the former of whom was born in Lancaster County, Pa., graduated from Jefferson Medical College and the University of Pennsylvania, and went to Colorado in 1886, where he has since practiced. Dr. Miller attended the public schools at Denver, Colorado, took pre-medical work at Oberlin College and the University of Denver, and began his professional studies at the Denver and Gross College of Medicine, which was consolidated with the University of Colorado in 1911 so that he received his doctorate in medicine the following year from the University. He served his interneship at the Denver City & County Hospital and St. Anthony's Hospital, Denver, subsequently gaining further experience at the Philadelphia Municipal Hospital for Contagious Diseases and Kings County Hospital, Brooklyn, New York, and the Multnonia County Hospital, Portland, Oregon. He then engaged in a general practice in Colorado, leaving there to be associated with the Bellevue Psychopathic Hospital as assistant alienist. In 1917, he entered the United States Army Medical Corps, serving in the Neuro- Psychiatric department until 1921. In that year, he came to Altoona, where he has since conducted a general practice, maintaining offices at 1200 Fourteenth Avenue and 828 First Avenue. Doctor Miller married Dorothy A. Nelson, of Emporium, Pa., a graduate nurse from the Kings County Hospital, and to them have been born these children: Samuel W., III, born in 1914; Marguerite Virginia, 1919; Jeanne Ann, 1924; and Marjorie Augusta, 1925. LYNN McGRAW MOSES, secretary and treasurer of the Mountain City Trust Company, Altoona, was born at Hollidaysburg, Blair County, February 26, 1888, a son of Marion M. and Kate A. (McGraw) Moses, the former born near Claysburg, Blair County, Pa., and the latter near Hollidaysburg. Marion M. Moses owned and operated a grist mill for many years at King, Bedford County, and then came to Altoona, where he was first associated with the Canan-Knox Supply Company and later with the Perry-Canan Wholesale Grocery House until the time of his death, March 26, 1920. Lynn McGraw Moses graduated from the Altoona High School, and while attending business college, worked with the Stewart Restaurant Company, beginning as a dishwasher. He was then employed in the ice cream manufacturing department, then in the baking department, and finally as a waiter before being made night manager in 1905. For one day, he worked with the wholesale cigar concern of the William Weil Company and then entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad, where he held every position in the freight house during his six years in that work. For two years thereafter, he was employed in the office of the passenger agent. On July 14, 1914, he came to the Mountain City Trust Company as teller, was made assistant secretary and treasurer in 1918, and was elected secretary and treasurer, October 8, 1928. He is treasurer of the Beneficial, Federal, and Mutual Building & Loan Associations and holds the same office with BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 180 the Altoona Boosters Association, Company G, 110th Infantry, P. N. G., the Salvation Army, of Altoona, and the Altoona Community Concert Association. He became a Mason, September 13, 1910, and is past master of Logan Lodge and secretary since 1918, past commander of Mountain Commandery, No. 10, Knights Templar, past potentate of Jaffa Temple, the present Temple was dedicated during his terms of office September 25, 1930; also chairman of the finance committee of Jaffa Temple, a member of the advisory council of the Order of DeMolay, a member of the Royal Order of Jesters, and an honorary member of thirteen Shrine Temples in this country. He is also affiliated with the Modern Woodmen of America. Mr. Moses married Ellenora Mattas, daughter of Joseph and Katherine Mattas, of Altoona, both of whom were born in Hollidaysburg and are deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Moses has been born one daughter, Sarah Jane. MOUNTAIN CITY TRUST COMPANY, of Altoona, was incorporated with a capital of $250,000, September 26, 1905, and with these officers and directors: H. L. Nicholson, president; Oliver Rothert, first vice-president; L. Z. Replogle, second vice-president; E. J. Lomnitz, secretary-treasurer; A. S. Fisher, counsel; and H. L. Nicholson, Oliver Rothert, L. Z. Replogle, J. Banks Kurtz, L. F. Hinman, W. S. Aaron, W. H. McEldowney, Dr. E. J. Smith, V. A. Oswald, A. S. Fisher, J. A. Kohler, Charles D. Baltzell, John A. Doyle, Dr. H. E. Crum, baker, and L. L. Fair, directors. The next officers elected were as follows: J. E. Smith, president; L. Z. Replogle, first vice-president; W. S. Aaron, second vice-president; S. S. Metz, secretary-treasurer; L. M. Moses, assistant secretary-treasurer; and L. F. Tate, assistant secretary-treasurer. At the close of business June 30, 1930, the company showed capital and surplus amounting to $437.962.50, at which time the officers and directors were as follows: V. A. Oswald, president; C. G. Mattas, vice-president; L. M. Moses, secretary-treasurer; J. L. Tate, assistant secretary-treasurer; J. R. Harkness, assistant treasurer and trust officer; W. A. Leckie, comptroller; and W. L. Nicholson, J. Banks Kurtz, H. M. Weest, C. G. Mattas, W. H. McEldowney, S. G. Griffith, Dr. A. S. Oburn, C. M. Kurtz, V. A. Oswald, W. H. Burgoon, and J. R. Hinman, directors. For the past quarter of a century the Mountain City Trust Company has done business on the same site, at 1016 Twelfth Street. HENRY JOSEPH SOMMER, M. D., superintendent of the Blair County Hospital for the Insane, was born near Quakertown, Bucks County, Pa., in 1872. Henry J. Sommer, his father, served in the Union Army during the Civil War from its beginning to the signing of peace, and in 1868 engaged in cigar manufacturing until the time of his death, January 13, 1910. The firm is still operated under the name of H. Sommer Company, of which Dr. Sommer is vice-president and his brother, president and general manager. Dr. Sommer attended the public schools of Quakertown but received such serious injuries in an accident that he took his college preparatory work under a tutor. Matriculating at Jefferson Medical College, he graduated in 1893 and was gold medalist in the Department BLAIR COUNTY HISTORY, VOL. 2 - 181 of Surgery and was appointed to the State Quarantine Service at the Port of Philadelphia, serving five or six weeks in that capacity. He was then appointed resident physician for the Municipal Hospital of Philadelphia for Contagious Diseases. On November 29, 1893, he sailed for India, having been appointed United States Consul to Bombay, so that he might continue research work there in leprosy and cholera. He was forced to return to the United States in 1895 because of ill health and shortly after engaged in private practice at Tremont, Schuylkill County, Pa., to regain his health. He then became associated with the Norristown State Hospital for the Insane as assistant physician, a post he occupied for six years, and then as pathologist for five years, during which time he made the first hog cholera serum used in Pennsylvania. In 1908, Dr. Sommer compiled an analysis of 1,180 post mortem examinations of insane persons, a book that is used as basic reference by authors and teachers throughout the country. On December 31, 1908, Dr. Sommer left the Norristown Institution to assume the superintendency of the Blair County Hospital for the Insane, where he has since remained. During the past four or five years he evolved the typhoid- paratyphoid vaccine treatment of Paresis, having previously established the use of the disease malaria for the treatment of the same mental trouble, both with success, and used at this hospital today. He is ex-president of the Blair County Medical Society, and a member of the Pennsylvania and American Medical Associations; a Fellow of the American Association of Psychiatrists; a member of the Pathological Society of Philadelphia; the American Editors and Authors Association; and was a member of the first International Congress of Mental Hygiene at Washington (1930) and is a member of the Neurological Congress at Berne, Switzerland. He is also a member of the Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. He is a member of the staff of both Mercy and Altoona Hospitals, and vice-president of the Association of Trustees and Medical Superintendents of Incorporated Institutions of Pennsylvania. In Masonry, he is a member of the Blue Lodge, Chapter, and Commandery, and holds membership in Jaffa Temple of the Shrine, Altoona, and an honorary membership of Syria Temple, and is a charter member of the Royal Order of Jesters, Altoona. Dr. Sommer is married to Emily E. Hergesheimer, of Germantown, Pa., and they have three children: Emily Elizabeth, teaching in the Lakemont District; Henry Joseph, an attorney at Selinsgrove, Pa., and Ferdinand C., who graduated from the Jefferson Medical College in 1929 and is now serving his interneship at the Jefferson Hospital, Philadelphia.