Columbia County PA Archives Biographies.....RABB, Charles W. 1873 - living in 1899 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com July 2, 2005, 8:53 pm Author: Biographical Publishing Co. DR. CHARLES W. RABB, a young and very popular dentist of Bloomsburg, has a well-established patronage and his work in dentistry is unexcelled in Columbia County. He was born in Bloomsburg June 13, 1873, and is a son of William and Abigail (Bell) Rabb. His grandfather was Frederick Rabb, a native of Lubeck, Prussia, who came to America with his family in 1839 and settled in Little York, York County, Pa. In 1842 he came to Bloomsburg and opened a bakery on Third street, where Schuyler's hardware store now stands, and was later associated in business with his son-in-law, John Rheam, who succeeded to the ownership of the business. He was united in marriage to Caroline Young, and they were the parents of the following children: Augustus; William; Lewis, deceased; twins who died in infancy; Hannah, deceased; and Charles F., the only one of whom was born in America. Mrs. Rabb passed into the world of rest in 1870, at the age of seventy years, and was followed by her husband in 1872, aged seventy-three years. William Rabb, father of our subject, was born in Lubeck, Prussia, June 3, 1828, and came to this country in 1839 with his parents. He served an apprenticeship to the cabinetmaker's trade in Norristown. Upon attaining man's estate he came to. Bloomsburg and started in business where Ringler's drug store is at present, where he continued for thirty years. In 1891 he built the building which is now standing upon that site. At the expiration of the period in which he followed cabinetmaking, he sold out and purchased a farm of 116 acres in Madison township, Columbia County, where he lived for three years, and then, renting the farm, returned to Bloomsburg. He then conducted a grocery store until 1890, with good results; but in that year he retired and is spending his declining years in the peaceful quiet of home life. He is a shrewd business man and a successful manager, and during the active period of his life he accumulated a comfortable competency. He has owned as many as forty stores and houses and at present owns fourteen, all of which are very valuable and well located. He takes great interest in educational matters and for many years served as school director. He was also a member of the town council for eight years. In 1856 he was united in marriage to Abigail Bell, a daughter of Abraham Bell, a native of the county, and they are the happy parents of the following children: Luther Isaiah, a dentist, who married Camilla E. DeSheppard and they have six children,— Fredericka, William, May, Inez, Robert and Arthur; Martha A., at home with her parents; Clara E., wife of Charles Welliver, and they have three children, William, Walter and Charlotte; Ida V., wife of George P. Ringler, druggist; and Charles W., in whom the interest of this sketch centers. Mr. and Mrs. Rabb are enjoying the best of health and their many friends join in wishing them many more years of continued happiness. Dr. Charles W. Rabb attended the public schools of Bloomsburg and the Bloomsburg State Normal School, after which he took up the study of dentistry with his brother and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1896. He then took a special course in gold-crowning from that well-known instructor, Frederick Pesso, of Philadelphia, and in that line of work he has no superior in this section of the state. Immediately after completing his course of study he came to Bloomsburg and opened dental parlors at No. 6 East Main street, which are handsomely furnished. He was successful from the start and his patronage has ever been on the increase. He has great fondness for his profession and he gives the strictest attention to his work. He is a young man just entering the prime of life and has a brilliant future before him. Additional Comments: Extracted from: Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District Published by Biographical Publishing Company of Chicago, Ill. and Buffalo, NY (1899) This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/pafiles/ File size: 4.5 Kb