BIO:  John S. Geist, York County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis

Copyright 2006.  All rights reserved.
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History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
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Part II, Biographical Sketches, Spring Garden Township, Pg 189

JOHN S. GEIST, was born October 13, 1834.  His parents, Baltzer and Anna M. (More) Geist, were 
natives of Germany, and immigrated to America over fifty years ago.  They located in Lower 
Windsor Township, where the father was employed as a teamster at the Slaymaker Furnaces for six 
years, and then had charge of a furnace until the failure of the Slaymaker firm, in which he 
lost heavily.  The mother of our subject died in 1837, leaving three children:  Mary M., 
Elizabeth and John S.  His father subsequently married Miss Maria Hains, a native of York 
County, Penn.  John S. has a fine farm of sixty-five acres, located in Spring Garden Township, 
which is well cultivated and improved.  He was married, February 5, 1856, to Miss Harriet Wolf, 
a daughter of Peter and Catherine Wolf, of Hellam Township.  By this union they have had six 
children:  Henry, married to Mary J. Smith’ Aaron A., married to Sarah Bender, Sarah A., wife 
of Granville Forry; Anna M.; William H. and George W. (deceased).  The family are members of 
the Evangelical Lutheran and Mennonite denominations.