BIOGRAPHY: Henry BOSSINGER, Mifflin County, PA

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The Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley, Comprising 
the Counties of Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, and Perry, Pennsylvania.
Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897, Volume I, page 679.

  HENRY BOSSINGER, Lewistown, Mifflin county, Pa., a resident of Granville 
township, was born at Magstadt, district of Boeblingen, Wurtemburg, Germany, 
December 29, 1843, son of Henry and Frederica (Knoll) Bossinger.  Their family 
included nine children:  Henry;  Andrew, married Matilda Kauffman, who died in 
1878, leaving five children, after which he married Miss Harshbarger, by whom he 
had four children, and died in June, 1896;  Frederick, who married Martha 
Heineman, and has three children, keeps the Keystone Hotel in Lewistown;  
Catherine (Mrs. August Miller), has eight children;  Louis, married and resides 
at Lewistown, has three children;  Christian, died in early life;  Rachel C. 
(Mrs. James N. Bylmyer), has three children;  Mary (Mrs. Philip Young), died in 
December, 1895, had two children, the family residing in Louisville, Ky.;  and 
Sophia (Mrs. Abraham Kitting), has three children.  The father of the family, 
Henry Bossinger, Sr., who was born November 1, 1814, died October 16, 1877.  He 
was greatly esteemed for his kindness and hospitality.
  The eldest son, Henry Bossinger, Jr., received the good common school 
education that the law of Germany assures to its citizens, and was confirmed at 
the age of fourteen.  He then learned coopering and afterwards brewing with his 
father, serving a full apprenticeship.  He then worked several years in the 
principal towns of Germany, and a year and a half in France, afterwards residing 
at home for a time, and conducting a brewery for his father.  At last, thinking 
that he would find more lucrative employment in America, he left home, December 
18, 1863, and embarked at Havre on the 31st of that month.  More than six weeks 
later, February 17, 1864, the young man landed in New York.  After working at 
his trade on Staten Island, and in other places in the vicinity of New York, he 
went to Philadelphia, in October, 1864, and pursued his vocation in that city 
for a year.  In October, 1865, he went to Milford township, Juniata county, Pa., 
where he was employed in coopering, and some time later purchased 1,700 acres of 
timber land.  His brother, Andrew Bossinger, came to America in the spring of 
1864, and in July of the same year the father came, with Catharine and 
Frederick.  All worked in Philadelphia until the removal to Juniata county, 
where all the family were reassembled;  for in that year - 1865 - Henry 
Bossinger, Sr., sent home for his wife, her mother, Margaretta (Holzapfel) 
Knoll, and the rest of the children.  In 1868 the family once more removed, this 
time to Lewistown, where at first they conducted a coopering establishment, and 
in 1870 added a brewery.  In both these enterprises they did a flourishing 
business, the unity of the family contributing greatly to their success.  In 
November, 1869, Henry Bossinger, Jr., went to Indiana, where he worked for about 
a year at brewing, and then returned to Lewistown.  In 1882 he bought the 
homestead on which he now resides, comprising 112 acres, to which he has since 
added 40 by purchase.  He has made many improvements in the way both of utility 
and of beauty;  in 1884 he built the large and convenient house in which he now 
resides.  He is an enterprising man, and ready to adopt anything which he sees 
to be a real improvement.  He takes much interest in local political affairs, 
and is a worker in the Democratic party.  Mr. Bossinger is a member of the A. O. 
U. W.
  Henry Bossinger, Jr., was married, April 15, 1869, to Mary, daughter of Carl 
and Mary (Attinger) Frasch.  The children of this marriage are:  Christiana 
(Mrs. William Bossinger), has two children;  Frederica;  Henry;  Mary;  Carl 
Frederick, who died in early life;  Joseph;  Bertha;  Sophia;  and Louisa.