BIOGRAPHY: Bernard NEES, Cambria County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Lynne Canterbury and Diann Olsen. Portions of this book were transcribed by Clark Creery, Martha Humenik, Betty Mirovich and Sharon Ringler. USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/cambria/ ____________________________________________________________ From Wiley, Samuel T., ed. Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Cambria County, Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Union Publishing Co., 1896, p. 257-8 ____________________________________________________________ BERNARD NEES, a genial gentleman and the popular proprietor of the commodious hotel, at Geistown, is a son of John and Mary Ann (Fleckenstein) Nees, and was born in the kingdom of Bavaria, now one of the states of the great German empire August 16, 1842. His parents were both natives and life-long resident of Bavaria, where the mother died in 1840, at thirty-four years of age, and the father survived until 1878, when he passed from earth, aged seventy-two years. They were industrious people, who held to the faith of the German Catholic church, and reared a respectable family of sons and daughters. Bernard Nees grew to manhood in a farming district in one of the valleys of the blue Danube, received his education in the old Bavarian schools, noted for thoroughness and excellence, and then followed agricultural pursuits until he attained his twenty-third year, when he left the Fatherland to seek his fortunes in America. He came to Johnstown on April 23, 1866, and secured a position as clerk in the general mercantile store of Geis & Foster, of that place. He remained in their employ for four years, and then erected at Geistown his present hotel building, in part of which he conducted a general mercantile store from 1870 to 1876. Opening his hotel in 1870, he has conducted it ever since, excepting the years 1885, 1886 and 1887, when he rented it. This hotel has always been licensed, except the year 1893. Mr. Nees has always made it an object to render his guests comfortable, and this has helped to secure him the large and remunerative patronage which he enjoys. He is a highly-respected citizen, a democrat in politics and a member of the German Catholic church of Johnstown, of which his family are communicants. Mr. Nees owns a good farm in connection with his hotel property, and employs his time largely in the management of the one and the operation of the other. He is pleasant and genial, and on July 4, 1893, in company with E. Zang, sailed from New York city to Europe, where they visited many old cities, historic places and beautiful spots, and enjoyed themselves exceedingly well. Mr. Nees is wont to refer to this tour as one of the most enjoyable times of his life. On February 22, 1870, Bernard Nees married Helena Geis, of Geistown. Mr. and Mrs. Nees have eight children living, three sons and five daughters: Agnes, wife of Jacob Grosh; Katie, Annie, Josephine, Rose, Ludwig B., Joseph M. and George A. Mrs. Nees was born in Geistown February 11, 1850. Her paternal grandfather, Conrad Geis, was a man of fine memory and good education, who served twenty-four years as magistrate in his native country of Bavaria before coming, in 1842, to Richland township, where he bought the old Squire Horner farm, on which he died in April, 1876, when in the eighty-third year of his age. His son, Joseph Geis, and the father of Mrs. Nees, was born in a Bavarian district in 1821, and came with his father, in 1842, to Richland township, where Geistown was soon laid out and named in honor of the latter. Joseph Geis was successfully engaged in farming for a number of years, but is now living a retired life on his farm. He is a member of St. Joseph (German) Catholic church, and married May A. Fleckenstein, who was a daughter of Adam and Eva Fleckenstein, and died January 16, 1893, at the age of seventy-two years. Frugal and industrious, the Nees and Geis families are among the useful families of the county, and have brought from their old-world Bavarian home many worthy characteristic traits that are worthy of emulation.