BIO: Samuel BRUGGER, Centre County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by JO Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/centre/ http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/centre/1picts/commbios/comm-bios.htm _____________________________________________________________________ Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion: Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens, Etc. Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1898. _____________________________________________________________________ 400 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. SAMUEL BRUGGER. There are no rules for building characters; there is no rule for achieving success. The man who can rise from the ranks to a position of eminence is he who can see and utilize the opportunities that surround his path. The essential conditions of life are ever the same, the surroundings of individuals differ but slightly; and, when one man passes another on the highway to reach the goal of prosperity before others who perhaps started out before him, it is because he has the power to use advantages which probably encompass the whole human race. To-day among the most prominent business men of central Pennsylvania stands Mr. Brugger, whose work as a civil engineer covers a wide radius of territory. Johann Rudolph Brugger (grandfather of our subject), a son of Samuel Brugger, was born in October, 1772, in the District of Brugg, Canton COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 401 Aargau, Switzerland, and after his marriage with Catherine Wildi located at Veltheim, in the same canton, where he engaged in linen weaving. In 1817, with his family, consisting of wife and six children, he started for the New World; but during the three-months' voyage one of his three sons died and was buried in the ocean. On landing at Philadelphia, Grandfather Brugger went up the Susquehanna river to McKee's Half Falls, and located at Grubb's Church, five miles from the river, where he made his home for several years. He then removed to what was then Union county, but is now Snyder county, Penn., locating a few miles from the mouth of Mohantongo creek, where his death occurred at the age of eighty-two years. Gabriel Brugger (the father of our subject) was born in Veltheim, Switzerland, June 1, 1804, and was thirteen years old when he came with the family to this country. He wedded Catherine Arnold, who was born in Chapman township, Union county, Penn., May 19, 1805, and was a daughter of George Arnold. Ten children were born of this union: Saloma, now the widow of Nathan Forrey, of Sandusky county, Ohio; Rudolph, a farmer of the same county; Samuel, the subject of this review; Gabriel, also a farmer of Sandusky county, Ohio; Benjamin, a farmer of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; George, deceased; Jonathan, a carpenter of Berrysburg, Penn.; Mary A., deceased wife of Joseph Vogt, of Clyde, Ohio; William, deceased; and Mary E., wife of Silas Malich, of Wayne, Neb. After his marriage the father of our subject removed to the old Stone Valley church, in Lower Mahanoy township, Northumberland county, Penn., where he resided until October, 1839, when he went to Perry township, Union county, Penn. (now Snyder county), and located upon a small farm near Mr. Pleasant Mills. The birth of our subject occurred near the old Stone Valley Church in Northumberland county, August 26, 1830. His early education was rather limited, he at first attending a German school for a part of a year in his native county, where the public-school system had not yet been adopted. During the last two years he attended school there, he learned to read English, but did not understand what he read. After the removal of the family to Union county, he attended the public schools for three months, the length of the winter term. By the law then existing the citizens of the district could take a vote every three years, and reject or adopt the public-school system, and for several years afterward there were no public schools. At the age of ten years, Mr. Brugger started out to fight life's battle, at first working for his board and clothes with an uncle, Jonathan Gelnett, of Juniata county, Penn., where he remained three years and one-half. Returning home, he was a student in a private school for two months during the winter for a couple of year, taking up reading, arithmetic and a little penmanship. In the fall of 1846 he taught a two-months' term of school in Greenwood township, Juniata county, and so successful was he in this venture that he followed the profession for several years, alternately teaching and attending school. In 1849 he pursued his studies for one session in the Dickinson Seminary, at Williamsport, Penn., under Rev. Thomas Bowman, now a retired bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church. In the year previous his father had given him his time, and he left home with his small stock of clothing and school books in a trunk, going to Boalsburg, Centre county, where he clerked in the general store of George Jack for $5 per month for three months. He next cooked for a party of lumbermen in Clearfield county, Penn., for his board. In the winter of 1848-49 he taught school at Grahamton, in that county, but in the following spring he returned home. After attending the seminary at Williamsport for one term, Mr. Brugger's funds were exhausted, and he engaged in teaching for a time at Mt. Pleasant Mills, Union county, and near Unionville, in Centre county. In the summer of 1851 he traveled on foot through Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio, and back again to his old home. He then taught school until 1853, when for five months he attended Joshua Hoope's school for boys at Westchester, Penn. He then entered the railroad service, with which he has since been mainly connected, first going to Unionville, where he was chainman on the Bald Eagle Valley railroad. During the summer of 1854 he was rodman on the Tangascootak railroad, later taught school at Unionville, and in April, 1855, he went to Minnesota, for a time being employed as assistant city engineer on the streets of St. Paul. In the fall of the same year he was engineer in charge of the survey of the Minnesota & Northwestern railroad from St. Paul to Cannon river, the first railroad projected in the territory. On February 14, 1856, Mr. Brugger was married to Miss Margaret Peters, who was born at Unionville, Penn., 402 COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. February 29, 1836, and is a daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Iddings) Peters, also natives of Centre county. Her paternal grandparents, Lawrence and Elsie (McGinnis) Peters, were born in Lancaster county, Penn., and were among the early settlers of Centre county, where they spent their remaining days upon a farm. Joseph and Margaret (Henry) Iddings, the maternal grandparents, were natives of Chester county, Penn., and were also pioneer farming people of Centre county. The brothers and sisters of Mrs. Brugger are as follows: John died in the Union service during the Civil war; Joseph died from the effects of his army service; Mary A. is the wife of Daniel Schuman, of Missouri; and Sarah F. is the wife of Daniel Hall, a blacksmith, of Unionville, Penn. Six children blessed the union of our subject and his wife: Walter M., a carpenter by trade, but now on the road; Nora I., wife of William F. Becker, stationery agent at Harrisburg, Penn.; Caroline A., wife of John C. Rumberger, agent for the Central railroad of Pennsylvania at Salona, Clinton county, Penn.; Joseph, a farmer of Union township, Centre county; and John P. and Elizabeth C., at home. After his marriage, Mr. Brugger erected his pleasant home at Unionville, Centre county, where he has since resided. From October, 1856, until November, 1864, he was connected with the construction of the Bald Eagle Valley railroad; was next with the Sterling Mountain railroad at New York; in 1866 located about fifty miles of the Winslow Colliery & Clarion River road; and in 1867 helped to construct the Western Maryland railroad. In the following January he went to New York as principal assistant engineer on the Boston, Hartford & Erie railroad, with which he was connected until 1870, when on account of lack of funds work was abandoned. Returning to the Western Maryland road, he was resident engineer for three and one-half years, or until its completion, when he returned home. For several years he was then with the Pennsylvania & Western railroad, and subsequently for three years was with the Susquehanna & Southwestern, now called the Beach Creek railroad, which extends between Jersey Shore and Mahaffey, Penn. Since 1882 he has located the Dickerson Run & Red Stone railroad between Dawson and Uniontown, Penn.; the Kettle Creek railroad, between Westport and Trout Run, Clinton county; a part of the Southern Central between Sunbury and Harrisburg; Chest Creek, between Patton & West Dover, Penn.; Clearfield, Conemaugh & Western railroad, between Clearfield and Johnstown, Penn.; and at present is their civil engineer. The Clearfield & Mahoning railroad, between Clearfield and Du Bois, Penn., was located by him in 1892. As a civil engineer, Mr. Brugger has few equals in this section of the State, and that his work has been eminently satisfactory is shown by his long retention with important railroad companies. A great student, he owns one of the most elegant libraries in Centre county; is a man of broad general information, and well-informed on the leading topics of the day. He is one of the most prominent and influential citizens of the community, honored and respected by all, and the confidence which he receives is justly merited. For the past twenty-two years he has been a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, of which he is steward and trustee. He casts his ballot in behalf of Democratic principles, but cares nothing for political office, though in 1880 he was elected county surveyor. During all the time he has been engaged in his profession he made his home on his farm at Unionville, consisting of about 160 acres of land, 100 of which have been improved. Besides this he owns a piece of land in the Alleghany Mountains, which he is clearing and converting into a fruit farm.