Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

BERGER
FAMILY

p. 1567

Surnames: BERGER, KAUFFMAN, MARBERGER, WAGNER, RENTSCHLER, ROTH,
FOLK, SHARTLE, CLAUSER, SNYDER, STOUDT, DUNDORE, WILHELM, ALBRIGHT,
WEIBEL, RENNO, HAGNER, KLOPP, SPENGLER, KANTNER

The Bergers of Berks county, a family which has numerous
representatives among the most creditable citizens of this section,
have been located here since the arrival of the emigrant ancestor,
several generations back.

(I) Herber Berger came to this country from Germany in company
with his brother, and settled in the upper end of Berks county,
among the Blue Mountains. The brother died unmarried, and both are
buried at the Blue Mountain Church.

(II) Jonathan Berger, son of Herber, was born June 24, 1769. He
lived in Bern township, now Upper Bern, where he owned about two
hundred acres of land, part of this farm being now in the
possession of Orlando F. Berger, his great-grandson. He married
Catharine Kauffman, and both are buried at St. Michael’s Church, in
Tilden township. They had children: Solomon, John, William,
Benneville, George, Mrs. Marberger and Mrs. William Wagner.

(III) John Berger, son of Jonathan, was born April 16, 1798. He
married Magdalina Rentschler. He was a farmer in Bern township, now
Upper Bern, owning the old Berger homestead, of about two hundred
acres of land, after the death of his father. For a number of
years, in addition to agriculture, he owned and conducted a large
clover hulling mill, located in the German valley, in Upper Bern
township. This is now owned by his grandson, Orlando F. Berger.
John Berger, who died April 17, 1878, and his wife are buried at
St. Michael’s Church. They had children as follows: Samuel, George,
Daniel, Benjamin, Jacob, and Sallie (m. Peter Roth).

(IV) Samuel Berger, son of John, born Jan. 17, 1825, died Oct. 1,
1895, and is buried at St. Michael’s Church. He was a farmer,
having land in Upper Bern township. He married Elizabeth Folk,
daughter of John Folk.

(V) Orlando F. Berger, only child of Samuel, is one of the best
known and most highly respected citizens of his section of Berks
county. As a public school teacher for many terms he became well
known and influential among the residents of Upper Bern generally,
and in his present position of county surveyor, which he has held
since 1903, he has widened his circle of friends and acquaintances
until they can be found in all portions of the county. Mr. Berger
was born Dec. 7, 1853, in Upper Tulpehocken township. He received
his early education in the township schools, and later attended the
Keystone State Normal, at Kutztown, after which preparation he
engaged in teaching, following that profession for twenty terms in
all, one in Richmond township, one in West Leesport, and eighteen
in Upper Bern township. His influence as a man of high intelligence
and fine moral standards upon his young charges will be felt for
many years to come.

When he abandoned teaching Mr. Berger bought the
old historic Shartle farm, owned and worked for over a century by
the Shartle family (the first being Captain Jacob Shartle, who
served as captain during the Revolutionary war), and engaged in
farming, and he has shown himself as enterprising and capable in
this vocation as in his other undertakings. He has never lost his
interest in his old profession or in anything of interest to the
general welfare of a community. In 1883 Mr. Berger began surveying,
at which he has engaged ever since, and in the year 1903 he was
elected county surveyor, being honored with re-election to that
office in 1906. He has also served five years as justice of the
peace of his township. In politics he is a Democrat.

Mr. Berger is active in fraternal work and
identified with several local lodges, being a member of Vaux Lodge,
No. 406, F. & A., M.; of the P. O. S. of A., the K. O. T. M.
and the I. O. O. F. He is a member of and prominent worker in St.
Michael’s Lutheran Church, which he served many years as deacon,
and is still superintendent of the Sunday-school, an office he has
filled for twenty-five years.

On May 3, 1873, Mr. Berger married Mary Ann
Clauser, daughter of Harrison and Rebecca (Snyder) Clauser, and
they are the parents of seven children: Austin L. is in the
Philippine Islands, where he is superintendent of fourteen schools
in the Province of Leyte; Samuel A., born in 1876, who farms the
old Shartle homestead owned by his father, married Sallie Stoudt,
daughter of Reiley Stoudt, and they have had seven children, Floyd
C., Helen L., William H., Herma L., John A., Ralph A., and Orlando,
the two last named deceased; Elizabeth M. is a graduate of the
Normal School at Kutztown and at present a teacher in New Jersey;
John S. lives at home; Robert is a veterinarian; Herbert Cleveland
and Mary A. R. are at home.

(III) William Berger, son of Jonathan, was born July 30, 1811, in
Bern (now Upper Bern) township, Berks county, and was a farmer by
occupation. He died June 13, 1888, aged seventy-six years, ten
months, thirteen days. He married Annie Dundore, and their children
were: Aaron H., J. Reiley, William, Adam, Ellenora, Emma, Lydia and
Annie.

(IV) J. Reiley Berger, son of William, born May 13, 1847, died
Dec. 9, 1889, aged forty-two years, eight months, twenty-seven
days, and is buried at the Zion’s (or Blue Mountain) Church in
Upper Tulpehocken township. He was a farmer by vocation, and became
one of the well known residents of his district. Mr. Berger married
Mrs. Rebecca S. (Wilhelm) Berger, and to this union were born four
children, namely: Edward P., now deceased; James C.; George I., a
resident of Philadelphia; and Albert F., of Detroit, Mich. By her
first union, with Adam Berger, who died two years after their
marriage, Mrs. Berger had a daughter, A. Kate, who is now the wife
of Jacob W. Albright, of Upper Bern township. After the death of J.
Reiley Berger his widow married Jacob H. Weibel, and they reside in
Philadelphia.

(V) James C. Berger, son of J. Reiley, a young man of good
standing in Upper Bern township, was born May 20, 1873, in Upper
Tulpehocken township near Strausstown, Pa. He attended the public
schools of Upper Tulpehocken township, and after leaving school was
engaged at farm work assisting his parents until he reached the age
of twenty-one years, after which he moved to where he now resides
and has since been engaged in selling commercial fertilizers and in
fruit growing and trucking. He has also taken part in the local
civil government, having served three years as township auditor and
three years as township assessor, of Upper Bern township. He is
intelligent and industrious, and has the respect of all who know
him. He is quite prominent in social organizations, particularly in
the Masonic fraternity, being a member of Vaux Lodge. No. 406, F.
& A. M., of Hamburg, Pa.; Reading Lodge of Perfection,
fourteenth degree, and Philadelphia Consistory, thirty-second
degree, and Rajah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S., Reading, Pa. He is
also a member of Shartlesville Camp, No. 133, P. O. S. of A., and
was district president of that order for two years; and is a
prominent member of Tent No. 351, K. O. T. M., which was instituted
Sept. 2, 1902, and whose interests he has promoted in every way (he
has been record keeper since its organization). In religion he
holds to the faith of the Reformed Church, holding membership in
the Friedens Church, and he is active in Sunday-school work.

May 20, 1893, Mr. Berger married Miss Annie F.
Wagner, only child of Moses H. Wagner, and their family consists of
three children, Mary R., born Sept. 30, 1894; Clara M., b. March
10, 1899; and Helen A., b. Nov. 8, 1902. Mr. and Mrs. Berger make
their home with Mrs. Berger’s parents in Upper Bern township, near
Shartlesville.

Moses H. Wagner, now living retired in Upper
Bern township, was born in that township July 30, 1853, son of
Elias Wagner and grandson of George Wagner. The latter lived in
Upper Bern (now Tilden) township, and was a well-known farmer of
his day. He is buried at St. Michael’s Church. He and his wife had
seven sons and two daughters, the sons being: Elias, George,
William, Daniel, Samuel, Benjamin and Solomon.

Elias Wagner was a farmer in what is now Tilden
township, and died June 19, 1903, aged eighty-three years, four
months, twenty-four days, and is buried at St. Michael’s Church. He
married Fayetta Renno, and they became the parents of four
children, of whom but one survives, Moses H. For his second wife
Mr. Wagner married Mary Hagner, who died in 1906. No children were
born to this union.

Moses R. Wagner engaged in farming until 1888,
since when he has been retired. He still makes his home on his old
place near Shartlesville, in Upper Bern township, and is one of the
most respected citizens of that neighborhood. He married Mary A.
Rentschler, daughter of John and Polly (Klopp) Rentschler, and a
granddaughter of John Rentschler. Mr. and Mrs. Wagner had one
daughter, Annie F., born Feb. 4, 1873, now the wife of James C.
Berger.

(V) Edward P. Berger (deceased), son of J. Reiley Berger, was born
Oct. 14, 1871, at Strausstown, Berks county, and died Nov. 4, 1900,
aged twenty-nine years. He is buried at the Blue Mountain Church.
Mr. Berger was a barber by trade, and followed that vocation at
Strausstown, where he was a well known and respected young citizen.
He was a member of the Reformed Church, taking an active part in
its work, and socially held membership in the I. O. O. F. and P. O.
S. of A. Mr. Berger married Sallie J. Spengler, who still lives at
Strausstown, and they had one child, Clarence G., born Aug. 11,
1893, who died Nov. 10, 1901, aged seven years, two months,
twenty-nine days.

Jacob E. Spengler, father of Mrs. Sallie J.
Berger, was a son of George Spengler, who lived near
Schaefferstown, Pa. Mr. Spengler followed farming in Upper
Tulpehocken township, where he died Dec. 18, 1906, at the age of
seventy years, six months, nineteen days. He is buried at the Blue
Mountain Church. He married Lucetta Kantner, and to them were born
two children, Annie Matilda and Sallie J., the former now deceased.

Mrs. Berger is a member of the Reformed Church
and very active in both church and Sunday-school, at present
teaching a class of thirteen girls from twelve to fifteen years
old. She is also interested in lodge work being a member of the
Daughters of Rebekah and of the P. O. of A.

BERGER,
MORRIS C.

p. 480

Surnames: BERGER, POTTEIGER, STRAUSE, BETHRAM, SCHLAPPICH, HAFE,
SEAMAN, WERTZ, KRAMER

Morris C. Berger, farmer of Penn township, the present tax
collector of that township, and a director of the First National
Bank of the borough of Bernville, is one of the most respected
citizens of his section of Berks county. The name he bears is an
old and honorable one here, several generations of Bergers having
lived in this region.

Mr. Berger’s great-great-grandfather had the
following named children: Elizabeth, born Feb. 8, 1760; George W.,
Sept. 20, 1761; Tobias, Jan. 21, 1765; Catharine, July 9, 1766;
Maria B., April 8, 1768; Johannes, June 24, 1769; Maria M., June 9,
1771; Diana Maria, April 27, 1773; Maria Magdalena, Sept. 18, 1774;
John Christian, Nov. 5, 1777; Johan Ludwig, Jan. 28, 1779; Johan
Philip, born June 3, 1782.

The great-grandfather of Morris C. Berger lived
and died near the Blue Mountains. His children were born as
follows: Sarah, Feb. 12, 1797; John, April 16, 1798, Solomon, May
5, 1801; Catharine, Dec. 2, 1803; Elizabeth, Sept. 14, 1805;
Daniel, Sept. 16, 1807, George, Sept. 7, 1809; William, July 30,
1811; Susanna, May 18, 1814; Joseph, Feb. 26, 1818, Benneville,
Sept. 21, 1820.

Solomon Berger, born May 5, 1801, owned a farm
in Bern township, which he cultivated. Later he removed to
Bernville, where he died. He married Elizabeth Potteiger, and to
them were born six children: Adam; Levi, of Bernville; John, who
died young; Rebecca, m. to Daniel Strause (their daughter, Miss
Strause, of Bernville, has the record of the
great-great-grandfather’s children previously given); Esther, who
died unmarried; and Eliza, m. (first) to Benneville Bethram and
(second) to William Schlappich.

Adam Berger, son of Solomon and father of Morris
C. Berger, born in 1830 in Bern (now Penn) township, died in 1882.
After his father’s death he took the homestead, where he passed
most of his life, and besides managing the place he was for many
years engaged in the contracting business with his brother Levi
under the name of Berger Brothers. They built many churches, among
them being St. Michael’s, Leesport Union, which they rebuilt after
its destruction by fire. St. John’s Reformed at Schuylkill Haven,
Mohrsville Union and three Baptist churches. Adam Berger was a well
known man in his day in public affairs as well as in business life,
served his township as school director, and was also active in
religious matters, being a prominent member of the Bernville
Reformed Church, in the work of which he was deeply interested. He
married Elizabeth Hafe, daughter of Samuel Hafe, and to them were
born four children: James and John, who both died at the old
homestead; Morris C.; and Mary, who died at the old homestead. The
mother now lives with her only surviving child, Morris C. Berger,
in Penn township.

Morris C. Berger was born in Penn township April
11, 1863, and there attended the public schools. He was eighteen
when his father died, and though rather young took charge of the
homestead at that time, making a success of his work. His land
comprises eighty-five acres, three miles northeast of Bernville,
and is in very good condition, giving evidence of his care and
intelligent management. He has prospered well as the result of
industry, and when the First National Bank of Bernville was
organized he became a member of the first board of directors, and
is still serving in that capacity. He is progressive and energetic,
and has done his share toward the advancement of the township,
having given six years of service as school director, for five
years of that time acting as treasurer of the school board. For
three years he has been tax collector of the township. He is a
Democrat in political belief and a worker in the local ranks of the
party, having been a member of the election board of the township.
Like his forefathers he clings to the Reformed denomination, being
a member and deacon of St. Thomas Church, Bernville.

Mr. Berger married Rebecca Seaman, daughter of
William and Rebecca (Wertz) Seaman, and eight children have blessed
their union: Alice, who taught three terms in Penn township before
her marriage to Milton Potteiger (they have a daughter Pearle);
Kate, wife of Elwood Kramer (they have one daughter, Ruth); Alvin,
a teacher, who taught four terms in Penn township; Mary M.;
Allison; Edwin; Stephen, and Earle.

BERK, HENRY

p.
1682

Surnames: BERK, BERCK, BERG, WESSNER, BELI, BAILEY,
SCHOLLENBERGER, BILLMAN, KNEPPER, REINHART, KOMP, MERKEL,
FOLLWEILER, SCHROEDER, HENDRICKS, SCHWENK, LUTZ, NESTER, DIETRICH,
MAURY

Henry Berk is a farmer in Albany township, Berks county, where he
was born June 8, 1847, son of Johan and Lydia (Wessner) Berk.

The Berk, Berck, or Berg family settled in Berks
county in the very beginning of its history. The pioneer members of
the family were Henry and Ludwig Berck, probably brother, who
located in Greenwich township. In 1759 the former paid four pounds
tax, and the latter three pounds. In 1774 the taxable list of
Greenwich township records the names of Henry Berck and Peter
Berck. It appears that Ludwig had already died or removed from that
township. The Federal census of 1790 records the following Berks
for Greenwich township, as heads of families: Peter Berck, who had
a son under sixteen years, a wife and three daughters; George
Berck, who was married but had no children. In 1811 John Berk was a
taxable of Greenwich township, and paid a tax of 1 5s. 4d. The
Berks were among the Huguenot families who came to this country for
religious freedom, and with the family bearing the name of Beli
(now Bailey) settled in the same (Greenwich) township. Both
families later moved to Albany township in the same county. One
branch of the Berk family went to Ontelaunee, and of that line one
member went to Cumru township, where today Charles Berg is well
known.

David Berk, who died in Greenwich township in
1871, was survived by his wife Hannah and sons David and Nathan.
His will is on record in Book 12, page 354.

Daniel Berck (as his name is spelled on his
tombstone), grandfather of Henry, was born July 27, 1796, and died
March 6, 1871, and is buried at New Jerusalem Church in Albany
township. He owned the farm now the property of Charles
Schollenberger. This was a large farm, and when Mr. Berck died it
first became the property of his son, Reuben. His wife was Sarah
Billman, born Oct. 12, 1793, died May 28, 1869, they had seven
children, and at their deaths twenty-nine grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren. Among their children were: Johan; Reuben, born
1821, died past sixty years of age, m. Lovina Knepper (who died in
1875; aged fifty-four years), and they lived in Albany township;
Daniel B., born 1825, died 1884, lived in Albany township; Salome
m. Jacob Reinhart.

Johan Berk, father of Henry, was born in Albany
township June 5, 1818, and died March 30, 1883, and is buried at
New Bethel Church. He was a farmer and owned the farm now owned by
his son Henry, consisting of 153 acres. He built the present barn.
He was a man well known in public affairs, and served as supervisor
and school director, and he was an official of the New Bethel
Church. He married Lydia Wessner, born May 27, 1817, daughter of
Johannes Wessner; she died May 18, 1882. Eight children were born
to this union as follows: Elias is married and lives with his
brother Henry; Daniel lived in West Penn township, Schuylkill
county; Jacob lives in Albany township; Henry; Fianna m. David
Komp; John lives in West Penn township, Schuylkill county; Adam, a
farmer at Eckville, in Albany township, married Sarah J. Merkel,
daughter of Abraham and Leah (Follweiler) Merkel, and she died in
1898, the mother of eight children — Katie V. (deceased), J. Oscar
(deceased), M. Vara, Clara I., William H., Ralph A., Frances A. and
Robert J. (deceased); and Joel lives in West Penn township,
Schuylkill county.

Henry Berk obtained but a limited education as
his winters were spent in chopping cord wood for his father, for
whom he worked until he was twenty-five years of age. He was then
married and began farming in Albany Corner, on land which he still
owns though it is tenanted by his son-in-law, George Schroeder.
Here he lived many years and at present is making his home on a
tract of thirty acres adjoining, where he erected all the buildings
except the house, which was built in the early fifties by Michael
Hendricks. Mr. Berk also owns a farm of 180 acres in Albany
township, known as the George Schwenk homestead. This came into his
possession about 1898, and is now cultivated by his son J. Francis.
He is one of the substantial men of the township. In politics he is
a Democrat, and he has served as delegate to county conventions. He
and his family are Reformed members of New Bethel Church, of which
he was deacon and elder for many years.

Mr. Berk married Mary S. Lutz, daughter of
Abraham and Catharine (Bailey) Lutz, and six children were born to
them: J. Francis, a farmer in Albany, m. Jane Nester, and has five
children — Maud, Katie, Edna, Charles and Lillian; William died in
infancy; James, employed by M. C. Dietrich, at Kempton, m. Annie
Schroeder (no children); Sarah was buried on her second birthday;
Walter J. of Albany township, m. Rosa Maury, and has three children
— Carrie, George and Clarence; and Nevada M. m. George Schroeder,
and the live on Mr. Berk’s farm in Albany township (no children).

BERKHOLD,
GEORGE

p. 1703

Surnames: BURKHOLD, WEISENDER, HENKEL, BOSSLER, SCHROEDER, DERSH,
HAAS, HUNTZIGER

George Berkhold, who is one of the many sons of Germany who have
been successful in establishing substantial home in this country,
is a native of Oberamt Heidenheim, Wurtemberg, Germany, where he
was born Nov. 8, 1832, son of Georg and Catharine (Weisender)
Berkhold.

Georg Berkhold, Sr., was a farmer in Wurtemberg,
Germany, where he owned several small tracts of land. He m.
Catharine Weisender, and to them were born two sons, viz: George;
and Michael, who was a weaver in the Fatherland.

George Berkhold attended the schools of his
native land from the age of six to about the age of fourteen years,
after which he learned the blacksmith’s trade. He served an
apprenticeship of three years at this trade in Stammheim, from
which place he came to America in 1853, landing at New York in the
latter part of May of that year. He came directly to Reading, Pa.,
and has since made this city his home, with the exception of a few
years spent in Milwaukee, whence he moved in 1883. He was a good
mechanic and was employed for many years at Sternbergh’s, his work
being well appreciated by his employers.

By industry and economy, Mr. Berkhold gradually
became possessed of some means, and since 1901, he has lived
retired enjoying the comforts earned by a useful and well-spent
life. He owns a valuable business house at No. 1055 North Ninth
street, Reading.

Mr. Berkhold was married in 1857 to Magdalena
Henkel, born in Hessen-Darmstadt, Germany, Aug. 20, 1828, daughter
of Jost Henkel, of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Berkhold had four
children, viz: (1) Henry, a cigar-maker, lives in Warsaw, Wis. (2)
George is also a cigar-maker and lives at Warsaw. (3) Annie m.
Charles Bossler, or Reading. (4) Henrietta m. (first) Daniel
Schroeder, of Reading and they had a daughter Gertrude, who m.
Frank Dersh, of Canton, Ohio, and they now reside in Columbus,
Ohio. Henrietta m. (second) in Milwaukee, Wis., Mr. Haas, of
Cleveland, Ohio. She died at Toledo, Ohio, in February, 1907. The
Berkhold family are members of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of
Reading, of which Rev. Frank Huntzinger is the pastor. Mrs.
Berkhold is a sincere and kindly woman, and has been an able aid to
her husband in the management of his business affairs.

BERND,
FRANKLIN K. (REV.)

p. 450

Surnames: BERND, BARND, GABLE, KLINE, RENSHEIMER, RUCH, LAUBACH,
SCHWARTZ, KRAMLICH, HEILMAN, LAUCHNOR, KRAUSS

The earliest American ancestor of the Bernd family came from the
Palatinate, Germany, and settled in Bucks county, Pa. He landed at
Philadelphia, Sept. 7, 1748, in the ship “Mary Galley”, George
Lawson, captain, and his name stands upon the records as Peter
Barnd.

This progenitor had a son, George, who was
married twice, but the names of his wives are missing. By his first
marriage he had two sons, namely George and Peter, and by his
second marriage also had two sons, John and Philip. These four sons
settled in Bucks county, and as far as is known spent the remainder
of their lives there.

George Bernd, the elder of the two sons of the
first marriage of George Bernd, was a tailor by occupation, and
worked at that trade not only in his own home, but at certain
seasons of the year at the homes of his patrons, going from one to
the other and making clothes for their families, as was the custom
in those early days. He was organist for the Indian Field Lutheran
congregation in Bucks county, and afterward for many years for the
congregation at the “Six Cornered,” or St. Paul’s, Lutheran Church
in Montgomery county. He died at the age of seventy-eight years,
and was buried in the old graveyard at Pennsburg, Montgomery
county.

He married Miss Magdalena Gable, a member of an
old and representative family of the vicinity of Pennsburg, and to
them there was born in August, 1818, a son, Francis Gable.

Francis Gable Bernd grew to manhood in Rich
Valley near the boundary line of Bucks and Montgomery counties, and
obtained the full advantage of the schools of that locality. He
inherited his father’s taste for music, and, practicing the art
from his earliest youth, became an accomplished musician, excelling
as a performer on the organ. He was not merely an efficient
performer, however, but thoroughly understood the mechanism of the
organ which under his skillful manipulation produced the music, and
frequently persons who desired to purchase instruments consulted
him as to the merits of the different makes. He was also a
successful school teacher, was able, ambitious and progressive, and
the first teacher in Lehigh county to whom was awarded a
professional certificate. The various employments afforded by music
and teaching were his life-work, he confining himself to them
exclusively, and achieving in them a distinction which but few men
attain. When in his prime he was without doubt among the most
thorough and progressive musicians and educators in the State of
Pennsylvania, outside of the cities. In 1845 he married and settled
in the town of Egypt, Lehigh county, where he continued to reside
the rest of his life, being organist to one congregation for
forty-one consecutive years. He died in February, 1892, and his
wife in 1886, both being buried in the cemetery at Egypt. He
married Christina Kline, daughter of Michael Kline, and
granddaughter of Michael, Sr., both leading farmers and influential
citizens of Klinesville, Montgomery county, who are buried in the
graveyard of the Six Cornered Church in that county. According to
tradition the father of Michael Kline the elder came from the
palatinate, and is also buried in the same graveyard. To Francis G.
Bernd and wife were born children as follows: Maria m. Hiran Ruch;
Ketura m. Sylvester J. Rensheimer; Franklin K.; Victor K.; Lydia F.
m. Peter Laubach; and George T.

Franklin K. Bernd, the third child of the above
family, was born March 16, 1850, in the town of Egypt, Lehigh
county, and there grew to manhood. As soon as he reached eligible
age he entered the public schools of his native place, from which
he entered the high school of North Whitehall township, then taught
by Eli G. Schwartz, Esq. In April, 1867, having completed the high
school course, Mr. Bernd entered the Keystone State Normal School
at Kutztown, remaining there the following summer session. By this
time he had decided to become a teacher, and on application was
elected as an assistant instructor for the following winter in a
school in North Whitehall township, of which his father was
principal. In the spring of 1868 he returned to the Keystone State
Normal School, where he continued his studies until the summer of
1869, when he graduated in the elementary course. He then returned
to North Whitehall township and resumed teaching, but in the
following spring re-entered the Normal school and in 1871 graduated
in the scientific course. During the winter of 1871-72 he taught a
graded school in Bath, Northampton county, and then in the
following spring was called to the Keystone State Normal School and
given the principalship of the Model school, which position he
filled for five years. At the end of that time he went to Carbon
county, where from 1877 to 1880 he was principal of the public
schools of Packerton and Lehighton, and then relinquished teaching
for the purpose of preparing for the ministry.

In the fall of 1880 he entered the Evangelical
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, from which he was
graduated in 1883. Soon thereafter he was elected pastor of the
Jordan Lutheran congregation at Guthsville, Lehigh county, which he
served very acceptably until in 1889, when he was again called to
the Keystone State Normal School, this time to fill the chair of
Latin and Greek. His ability and zeal as a minister of the Gospel
and as a scholar and educator by this time being generally
recognized, Muhlenberg College in 1898 conferred upon him the
honorary title of A. M. But with reputation and honors came more
exacting labors, and in 1900 he was elected superintendent of the
Topton Orphans’ Home. This offer he declined, but about the same
time came a call to the eastern portion of the parish of the late
Rev. B. E. Kramlich, consisting of a congregation at Maxatawny and
another at Mertztown, which a sense of duty impelled him to accept.
Circumstances not favoring an immediate separation from the
position he had filled satisfactorily for so long, he for upwards
of a year served as pastor of this charge and also as a professor
on the Normal school faculty. In 1901 he resigned his position at
the Normal school and since then has been devoting himself
exclusively to his pastoral duties in this charge, which, since his
election, has been enlarged by the addition of the St. Peter’s (or
Becker’s) congregation in Richmond township. He preaches in both
English and German and is a faithful and assiduous worker in the
Lord’s vineyard. In 1905 he was elected by the Ministerium of
Pennsylvania a delegate to the General Council of the Lutheran
Church of America, which was held in Milwaukee in October of that
year; and in 1907 he was elected president of the Reading
Conference, which office he held two years. He is a member of the
Pennsylvania German Society, and also of the Berks County
Historical Society, occasionally contributing articles of a
biographical character to the press.

In 1875 Rev. Franklin Bernd married Miss Hattie
M. Heilman, a graduate of the Keystone State Normal School, class
of 1871, and a daughter of Moses and Levina (Lauchnor) Heilman.
Moses Heilman was a son of George Heilman, a farmer, and was born
in Heidelberg township, Lehigh county. He was a merchant miller and
enterprising and intelligent citizen. His wife, Levina Lauchnor,
was of American birth, but of German-French descent. To the
marriage of Rev. Franklin K. Bernd and Hattie Heilman were born the
following children: Margaret, who became the wife of Elmer A.
Krauss; Florence; Katie; Alice, and Mary. Like their parents all of
these daughters are graduates of the Keystone State Normal School
of Kutztown, and at the present writing four of them have already
been teachers.

BERNDT, CALVIN OSCAR

p.
1127

Surnames: BERNDT, GRUBER, DUNKEL, HECKMAN, REIFF, KOHLER, BUSH,
WANNER, DREIBELBIS

Calvin Oscar Berndt, a substantial citizen of Maidencreek
township, Berks county, who is carrying on operations on the old
Berndt homestead, near Calcium P. O., was born on his present
property, son of Herman and Lydia (Gruber) Berndt.

Samuel Berndt, grandfather of Calvin O., was the
owner and operator of the Berndt home, where his life was spent in
agricultural pursuits, as have been those of his son and grandson.
He was married to a Miss Dunkel, and they had the following
children: Anna and Joel died single; Kate, deceased, m. Abraham
Heckman; Elizabeth, deceased, m. Daniel Reiff; Herman; and Stephen
m. (first) Hannah Kohler, (second) Mary Kohler (sister to his first
wife), and (third) a Miss Bush.

Herman Berndt was born and reared on the old
home place, and after many years spent in farming, now resides near
the home property which his son is engaged in operating. He married
Lydia Gruber, daughter of William Gruber, and they had two
children: Miss Katie; and Calvin Oscar.

Calvin Oscar Berndt was married Sept. 28, 1895,
to Sarah Wanner, daughter of John and Hannah (Dreibelbis) Wanner,
and a descendant of some of the oldest families of Berks county.
Eight children have been born to this union: Herbert, born Sept.
14, 1897; Hettie Victoria; Samuel; Sarah Anna; Ellen Lydia; Calvin
Herman; William John; and _______. The family are members of
Blandon Reformed Church. Mr. Berndt is a Democrat in politics, but
has never aspired to office.

BERNET, JOHN
L.

p. 1148

Surnames: BERNET, RICKENBACH, REESER, HUNSBERGER, SCHAPPELL,
DREIBELBIS

John L. Bernet, an enterprising young business man of Ontelaunee
township, Berks Co., Pa., who is engaged in a successful butchering
business at Leesport, was born Nov. 27, 1875, at Kutztown, this
county, son of Lewellyn and Salome (Rickenbach) Bernet.

Moses and Mary (Reeser) Bernet, grandparents of
John L., were highly esteemed residents of Berks county, where they
carried on agricultural operations. Their children were: Llewellyn;
Magdalena, m. to Daniel Bernet; William, who died single; Eber, who
went West and there married; and Louis, who is still unmarried.

Llewellyn Bernet, father of John L., was born in
Berks county, and engaged in an extensive lime and iron ore
business. He married Salome Rickenbach, and to them were born
children as follows: Cyrus, who died young; John L., Mary, who died
in about 1880; and Howard, who married Maggie Hunsberger. The
mother of this family is now conducting a general store at
Leesport, near the depot of the Pennsylvania Railroad.

John L. Bernet was brought up partly in
Kutztown, but after his father died, in 1880, he was brought by his
mother to Ontelaunee township, where he completed his education and
learned the trade of butcher. This occupation he has engaged in to
the present time, in all eighteen years. In politics he is a strong
Democrat, and has held various township offices, including those of
school director and supervisor. He has the respect and esteem of
his fellow townsmen to a high degree. He is a member of Camp No.
165, P. O. S. of A.; Lodge No. 503, K. G. E; Independent Americans,
No 985; and Modern Woodmen, No. 9284, in all of which he is very
active. He and his wife are active members of the Reformed Society
at Gernand’s Church and he holds the position of deacon.

On Dec. 18m 1897, Mr. Bernet was married to
Minnie E. Schappell, daughter of P. Sassaman and Sarah (Dreibelbis)
Schappell, and they have children, as follows: Florence; Lewis
Howard and Dorothy Mabel.

BERNHART,
WILLIAM (ESQ.)

p. 1541

Surnames: BERNHART, ROTHERMEL, ZIMMERMAN, MARTIN, SHIREY, BOYER

William Bernhart, Esq., a Justice of the Peace for upwards of
twenty-five years, was born in Richmond township, Berks county, in
1830, son of Jacob and Sarah (Rothermel) Bernhart.

Jacob Bernhart emigrated from Germany while
still under age and settled in Ruscombmanor township, where he
carried on farming. He married Sarah Rothermel, born March 27,
1805, daughter of Peter Rothermel, who was born Sept. 1, 1773, and
died Feb. 1, 1856. He was a son of Peter Rothermel, who was born in
Wachbach, Germany, in about 1718, and who came to America with his
father, Johannes, born about 1688, and mother Sybilla (Zimmerman)
who was born about 1690.

William Bernhart was reared to farming, was
educated in the local schools, and while a young man served as a
teacher in the township for several terms. When he was twenty-nine
years old he was elected as on of the Justices of the Peace of the
township, and he continued to fill this office by re-election until
his death in 1886. When the borough of Fleetwood was established in
1873 he had been a citizen of the place for some time previously.
He also carried on huckstering for a number of years. He was an
active Democrat from the time he became a voter; he was affiliated
with the Evangelical Church of Fleetwood.

Squire Bernhart was married in 1860 to Mary
Margaret Martin, daughter of James Martin, who emigrated from
England when a young man eighteen years old, and settled in Windsor
township, where he carried on farming until his death in 1838. He
married Magdalena Shirey, daughter of Henry Shirey of Richmond
township, who died in 1887 at the age of ninety-two years. Mrs.
Bernhart was the only child of her parents, and since her husband’s
death has been living retired in Fleetwood. Four children were born
to Justice Bernhart and his wife; Henry and Alice, who died young;
Ada, who married Henry Boyer; and Elizabeth, who was thoroughly
educated for a teacher, and who now makes her home with her mother,
caring for her in her declining years.

BERTOLET
FAMILY

p. 1262

Surnames: BERTOLET, BERTOLETTE, BERTHOLET, BERTOLOT, BERNET,
DeBENNEVILLE, PALLIO, FREY, de TURK, GERBER, HOCH, YODER, SHENKEL,
GRIM, GRIESEMER, KEEHN, DAVY, CHESTNUT, MATTIS, SHEARER, ANTRIM,
JORDAN, HEILIG, HIGH, VAN REED, DRIEBELBIS, ELY, KNECHT, ZIEGLER,
KAUFFMAN, BOYER, NAGLE, REIFF, GULDIN, JACK, HECKMAN, GROSS,
BREINER, DENGLER, WILSON, BUTZ, ERMENTROUT, LIVINGOOD, KAUFFMAN,
JACK

The Bertolet family of Berks county, Pa., has an ancient and
honorable lineage, and for centuries before its planting in the New
World played an important part in the history of the Old. The
“Dictionaire de la Noblesse de France (1771)” says “The family
Bertholet was originally from Brittany, where it comprised several
branches, one of which settled in Picardie.” From this Picardie
family come the American line. “Picardie was an old Province
adjoining the north of France, having on the north and west the
English Channel.”

Gabriel O’Gilvy, London, 1864, in his work on
the Nobility of Normandy, etc., Vol. I., p. 157, says: “Bertholet
(Germanized and Americanized Bertolet) 1470, ennobled by warrant of
the francs-fief (francesfee) and new acquisitions: The widow Blesot
Bertolot, of the vic. of Conches and Breteuil, was taxed fives
livres.

“Bertolet, 1470, ennobled by warrant of the
frances-fief and new acquisitions: Jean Bertolet of the vic. de
Conches and Breteuil was taxed fifteen livres.

“Bertolet de Mezernay vic. de Caen: arms of
blue, helmet with front of silver, lowered under two cuirasses of
the same.”

Part of the family in Picardie became
Protestant, and the persistent persecution of the Huguenots after
the Revolution of the Edict of Nantes, 1685, drove them to Bern, in
Switzerland, whence they went to the Lutheran Palatinate.

In the article that follows the Roman numerals
indicate the number of generations, beginning with the first known
ancestor in direct line.

(I) “Jean Bertolet, St., was born in Picardie, France, where the
family held large estates. During the religious wars he retired
into Switzerland, and established himself on a farm near
Gottenberg, which belonged to the ‘Pfaltz-grafflische
gemsin-schaft,’ held by the Protestant congregation, and which had
been confiscated from the Catholics and rented.”

(II) Jean Bertolet (or Berthelot) was born in Chateau d’Oex,
Switzerland, son of Jean, Sr., during the sojourn of the family in
the haven of refuge. He became one of the leaders of the Huguenot
faction, and with others moved to the Bavarian Palatinate. There
prior to (one authority says 1711) 1712, he married Susanna,
daughter of Jean Hericourt, in Muhlhaften, bie Landau, a short
distance southwest of Speier. The family of Hericourt also belonged
to the ancient nobility of France, and it took its name from the
estate (terre) de Hericourt in la Comte de Saint Pol. The town of
Saint Pol is in the Province of Pas de Calais, Picardie, the
ancient home of the Bertolets. In 1712 Jean Bertolet and wife moved
(again because of persecution) to and tenanted a farm belonging to
the Chapter of Selz, a town in Alsace on the Rhine, near
Minnefeldten, where they remained fourteen years, and where five
children were born. During all these years they had been subject to
more or less persecution, and in 1726 they determined to come to
America to find home and peace in Quaker Pennsylvania. The
authorities of the district in which he lived gave to Jean Bertolet
the following testimonial.

“Attestation for John Bertolet (Jean Berthelot).

“We, the undersigned, President Judge of the
Principality of Pfalz for the District of the Community of
Guttenberg, do hereby testify by virtue of this letter, that the
bearer of this, the well reputed and discreet John (Jean) Bertolet
(Berthelot), born in Chasteaudeux (Chateau-d’Oex) in Switzerland,
under the jurisdiction of Bern, with his wife, have for fourteen
years, as occupants of the adjoining farm, belonging to August
Chapter of Seltz, conducted themselves piously, honorably,
uprightly and justly, and in such manner as is appropriate for
virtuous persons praiseworthily conducting themselves, that we of
him, as well as of his wife, cannot otherwise speak than to their
honor and praise.

“Inasmuch as this married couple with their five
children under the hope of improving their best interests and
opportunities desired to remove themselves to the new country of
Pennsylvania, there to settle themselves in a domestic manner and
are wholly resolved and determined upon the same. We respectfully,
obedient to our numerous duties of station and service would in a
friendly way solicit and entreat for the aforesaid John (Jean)
Bertolet (Berthelot) and his wife Susanna and five children not
only that they may pass all places free and without hindrance, but
besides, on account of their respectable conduct, to extend to them
ever desired aid and assistance.

“To such are we on similar occasions in the most
friendly manner ready and willing to reciprocate the kindness.

“To this as a truthful record we, besides our subscribed names,
append our usual seal.

“So given and done in the Upper Official District of Minnfeldten
the twenty-ninth day of the month of April as men enumerate one
thousand seven hundred and twenty-six.

“J. G. Wimpffen,
“Nicolaus Schoenlaub,
“Anwald (Council)
“Hans Ehrhart Beyer,
“des Gerichts Secretary.”
[Siegel 16 der 28 Ober Amtz Minnfeldten.]

The story of Pennsylvania as a refuge of those
persecuted for religions’s sake, was carried through Holland and
Germany in 1677 by William Penn himself. In Germany the opposition
of the Roman, Lutheran, and Reformed churches had repressed the
awakening minds of the people, and the Imperial Edict of the
Chancery Court of Speier, capital of Bavaria in 1671, was intended
to recall the people to a stricter ritualistic worship, but all
failed. William Penn, on his continental trips proselyting on
behalf of the doctrine of the “Inner Light,” impressed the people
with his zeal and his character and in a short time was formed the
company that founded Germantown, the birthplace of the
German-American race. From that time on the tide of emigration was
steady, and Pennsylvania became the home of a sturdy, independent
Christian people.

Jean Bertolet and his wife and five children
landed at New York in 1726, preceded in 1720 by his brother Pierre
(Peter) Bertolet, who located in Oley, Berks county, Pa., March 25,
1720, and that year was a signer of a petition to have Oley
organized into a township. Jean Bertolet also settled in Oley, and
some years later a third brother, Samuel, joined the other two. The
first generation of the Bertolets in America married into the Frey,
De Benneville and De Turk families.

Pierre Bertolet died prior to 1737, as his widow
sold their farm May 7, 1737. Elizabeth Bertolet’s will is on record
in Philadelphia. Daniel H. Bertolet, of Philadelphia, an authority
on early family records, says: “This may be only letters of
administration signed by John Bertolet, of Germantown (sadler),
Aug. 5, 1747.” And again “This may be only letters of
administration on the estate of Dr. Jonathan Bertolet, who married
Charlotte, daughter of Dr. George and Susanna (Bertolet) De
Benneville (second cousins).”

Jean Bertolet purchased land in Oley, Pa., near
the present Yellow House, and in 1731 he erected a substantial
stone dwelling. The Indians were his neighbors, and he taught them
how to farm. His death occurred in 1754. At the third reunion of
his descendants, the Bertolet Family Association, held at Oley in
1900, a committee was appointed to try to discover beyond all doubt
the exact spot of his grave; while the Finance committee of this
Association took subscriptions for a fund for the purchase of a
headstone for the grave, and the renovation of the burial lot. When
Jean Bertolet came to America he brought with him his Bible, which
had proved a source of great comfort to him in all the years of his
sojourn in strange lands for conscience’s sake. Its title page
reads: “La Bible qui est Tovte La Saincta Ecritures x x Par
Francois Perrin Pour Antoine Vincent MDLXVII.” Its fly leaf bears
the inscription: “Le Presante Bible apartien a Jean Bertolet.” This
Bible was sold in 1907 for $183, but still remains in the family,
and is in an excellent state of preservation. To Jean and Susanna
(Hericourt) Bertolet were born children (the first five before the
emigration to America), as follows: Abraham, born Dec. 11, 1712,
died in 1766; Maria, born July 12, 1715, m. H. Bernet; John, born
Sept. 28, 1717, m. a daughter of Peter Pallio, an early settler of
the Manatawny region, and died at Pottstown, Pa., in 1789; Esther,
born Aug. 12, 1720, m. Dec. 24, 1745, Dr. George de Benneville (who
died in 1793), and died in March, 1795, the mother of two sons and
five daughters, of whom Daniel was a surgeon in the Revolutionary
war, and George also followed the medical profession; Susanna, born
Nov. 17, 1724, m. Jacob Frey, and died Feb. 2, 1805; and Frederick
Americus, born in America in 1726.

(III) Abraham Bertolet, son of Jean and Susanna, born Dec. 11,
1712, married Esther de Turk, daughter of Isaac de Turk and his
wife, Maria Gerber. Isaac de Turk, born in 1686, landed at New
York, with his sister Esther in 1707, and settled at Esopus, then
became one of the first settlers at Quassick Creek, Dutchess
county, N. Y., and on June 11, 1712, was granted 300 acres at
“Oley,” Pa. (the first mention of this locality on record), by the
Commissioners of Pennsylvania, who described him “late of
Franklin-thal, in Germany.” Isaac de Turk had three children –
Catherine (m. Abraham Levan), John (m. Deborah High) and Esther (m.
Abraham Bertolet)-but bequeathed all his landed estate to his son,
who paid his sisters their proportionate shares according to the
appraisement. To Abraham and Esther (de Turk) Bertolet were born
the following children: Maria, born Sept. 18, 1736, m. a Hoch, and
died July 17, 1802; Daniel, born May 9, 1741, m. Maria (Mary)
Yoder, born Feb. 13, 1749, and he died Nov. 19, 1799; Samuel, born
1744, m. a Frey, served in the Revolutionary war, and died Jan. 1,
1805; Elizabeth, born in 1745, m. a de Turk; Esther, born in 1746,
m. a Yoder; and John, born 1748, m. a Shenkel, and they died
leaving a son, John Shenkel. Abraham Bertolet, the father, died in
1766.

(IV) Daniel Bertolet, son of Abraham and Esther, was born May 9,
1741. He married Maria (Mary) Yoder, who was born Feb. 13, 1749,
and his death occurred Nov. 19, 1799. Eight children were born of
this union: Esther, born Oct. 21, 1769; Abraham, born Feb. 28,
1772; Catherine, born July 23, 1775, m. Daniel Grim, who died in
1802, and is buried in the Grim lot in Maxatawny township, and
their only son, Daniel Grim, was living in 1861; Charlotte, born
Feb. 10, 1778; Daniel (2), born June 11, 1781; John, born Feb. 21,
1784; Maria, born Jan. 9, 1788; and Samuel, born May 4, 1791.

(V) Daniel Bertolet (2), son of Daniel and Maria, born June 11,
1781, was married Oct. 3, 1802, to Maria (Mary) Griesemer, and they
became the parents of nine children: Abraham, born Nov. 4, 1803
(died Oct. 1, 1835); Samuel, Nov. 15, 1804; Maria, Dec. 3, 1807;
Daniel, Jan. 17, 1809; Isaac, April 14, 1810; Esther, May 15, 1811;
Jacob, Nov. 3, 1815; Hannah, Nov. 21, 1817; and Peter, June 11,
1822.

(VI) Isaac Bertolet, son of Daniel (2) and Maria (Greisemer)
Bertolet, was born April 14, 1810, and died June 7, 1882. He m.
(first) Eliza Cleaver (born July 2, 1812, died June 2, 1849), and
their children were: Rebecca, born Jan. 18, 1836, died April 20,
1856; Dr. Jonathan, born Nov. 19, 1837, was an eminent surgeon in
the army during the Civil war, and died in Europe May 1, 1868, and
is buried at Berlin, Germany; Maria, born March 8, 1840, died July
21, 1856; and Keturah, born July 15, 1844, m., Sept. 15, 1863,
Hiram W. Keehn, and has two children-Clarence H. (born 1872, m.
Elizabeth Davy, and has two children Hiram, born April 12, 1898,
and Helen, born March 10, 1900) and Maria C. (born 1875, m. John M.
Chestnut). Isaac Bertolet m. (second) Christiana Griesemer (born
March 9, 1820, died Nov. 25, 1905) and they had three children:
Daniel N., born Jan. 22, 1851, unmarried; Anne, born Nov. 1, 1854,
deceased; and Charles, born Jan. 22, 1859, deceased.

(VII) Dr. Daniel N. Bertolette, son of Isaac and Christiana
(Griesemer) Bertolet, was born in Oley Jan. 22, 1851. He graduated
from the Reading high school in 1866, and was valedictorian. In
1872 he received the degree of M. D. from Jefferson Medical
College, Philadelphia; and in 1873 was appointed assistant surgeon
in the U. S. Navy, and in 1877 lieutenant, passed assistant surgeon
U. S. N. In 1888 he was made lieutenant commander, surgeon, U. S.
N. On Jan 17, 1891, he was made special commissioner of the United
States to Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentine Republic for the World’s
Columbian Exposition. He was present at the special audience given
by the Dowager Empress of China, and accompanied the United States
commission, attending the coronation of Czar Alexander II at Moscow
in 1896. He was also captain medical director, U. S. N., naval
laboratory, Brooklyn, N. Y., and in March, 1909, was assigned to
the command of the Naval Hospital, Washington, D. C., having just
completed a term of duty at Philadelphia. His entire career has
been marked with signal honors and unusual distinction. His home is
at No. 127 South Sixth street, Reading.

(VI) Jacob Bertolet, born Nov. 3, 1815, son of Daniel (2) and
Maria (Griesemer), was twice married. On Oct. 24, 1841, he m.
(first) Hannah Mattis, who was born Oct. 29, 1818, and who died
March 15, 1853. He m. (second) Sept. 11, 1860, Lucetta Shearer.
Seven children were born of the first marriage: Israel M., born
Sept. 2, 1842; Mary Ann, born May 29, 1844, m. William Y. Antrim
(now deceased), and died June 9, 1876, leaving a daughter, Hannah
Antrim Jordan, of Colebrook, N. H.; Elizabeth, born June 7, 1846,
m. F. M. Heilig, of Pine Iron Works, Pa.; Sarah, born March 21,
1848, died unmarried; Catherine, born April 20, 1849, m. A. K. de
Turk; Hannah, born Jan. 24, 1851, died unmarried ; and Jacob, born
March 4, 1853, died June 15, 1855.

Jacob Bertolet, the father, died June 19, 1878.
He was a life long resident of Oley township, where he was engaged
as a farmer and lumber dealer. In his lumber business he employed
many men and teams. He was a man of large business capacity, and
was held in the highest repute in his district. He was a man of
piety and religious zeal.

(VII) Israel M. Bertolet, son of Jacob and Hannah (Mattis), was
born Sept. 2, 1842, on his grandfathers’s homestead in Oley, near
Friedensburg. He was educated in the public schools and the famous
Oley Academy, and in 1860 he was licensed to teach by Prof. John S.
Ermentrout, the county superintendent of Berks county. He taught
first at the Wiest school in Oley township, remaining there two
terms. In all he was employed at teaching five terms-one term in
Heidelberg township, and the rest in Oley. He also taught a
subscription school at Oley Academy during the Civil war, for one
term. His early training had been along agricultural lines, and the
summer months were devoted to that work. In 1867 he went to
Reading, Pa., and was employed by the East Penn Railroad Company.
He lived at Reading for twelve years. In the spring of 1876 he was
elected first alderman of the Eleventh ward, Reading, and he served
in that office continuously until one year after the death of his
father, when he resigned and in May, 1879, he moved to the
homestead farm in Oley. For a few years he carried on the farm
himself, and then rented it to give his entire attention to the
manufacture of lumber. He retired from this business in 1906, and
now resides in Friedensburg, Oley. Pennsylvania.

Mr. Bertolet owns the family homestead, which
has descended through five generations; it contains 140 acres. Mr.
Bertolet was one of the organizers of the First National Bank of
Oley, and is its president. He is a director of the Second National
Bank of Reading, and has been since its organization in 1882; and
is director in the Colonial Trust Company in Reading. He is also
interested in the Oley Knitting Mills. He is a member of Zion’s
United Evangelical Church of Friedensburg, to which his family also
belong.

Mr. Bertolet has been twice married. In 1868 he
m. Annie V. R. High, daughter of Henry and Rebecca (Van Reed) High,
and the two children of this marriage were: Henry, born 1870, died
1891; and Frederick, born 1872, died 1873. Mrs. Bertolet died Aug.
12, 1872, aged thirty-one years. He m. (second) in 1874, Annie E.
Driebelbis, widow of Dr. D. L. Driebelbis, and daughter of Solomon
Ely, late of Allentown, Pa. This union has been blessed with seven
children, namely: Heyman E., born 1875, a civil engineer,
Philadelphia; Samuel E., born 1877, an attorney at Reading; Irene,
born 1881, m. Rev. Thomas S. Knecht; Mabel, born 1883, m. to Prof.
Irwin Ziegler, a teacher at Clearfield, Pa.; Helen, born 1888; and
Annie and Marie, twins, born 1891.

(VIII) Samuel E. Bertolet, a member of the Berks county Bar, with
residence at Reading, was born in that city Feb. 17, 1877, son of
Israel M. He attended the public schools, Oley Academy, Schuylkill
Seminary and Lafayette College, graduating from the latter in 1897.
He at once entered upon the study of law in the office of Frank S.
Livingood, and in 1899 was admitted to practise. He is Referee in
Bankruptcy for Berks county. He is a Republican in politics, and
takes an active part in the affairs of that party. In 1904 he made
the race for the State Senate and polled a full party vote.

Mr. Bertolet is a Mason and member of the
Knights of the Golden Eagle, and in matters religious holds
membership with the Presbyterian Church. On June 29, 1905, he
married Alexandrine, daughter of Alexander M. Wilson, of the
Reading Railroad, residing in Reading.

(IV) John Bertolet, born 1748, son of Abraham and Esther (de Turk)
Bertolet, married a Miss Shenkel, and they both died young. Their
only child was John Shenkel.

(V) John Shenkel Bertolette (as this branch of the family spell
the name), was born on the homestead now owned by Ephraim Kauffman
in Oley township, in 1775. He was a large land owner, and was one
of the first iron makers of this section to use the charcoal
furnace, being engaged in the manufacture of iron at Spring Forge.
He also did much teaming, carrying on a stage line between
Philadelphia anPittsburghrg. He was known as one of the most
prominent mill men and influential citizens of his day, and was
always spoken of as a man of great wealth. He died in 1833. In 1808
he married Mary Boyer, and their children were: Dr. David, born in
1809, lived at Washingtonville, Ohio, and died in 1880; Lydia, born
in 1811, m. Filbert Nagle, and died in 1885; Levi John, born March
29, 1813, died April 10, 1883; Zechariah, born in 1815, died in
1890; and Mahlon, born in 1817, died in 1852. John S. Bertolette m.
(second) Mrs. Peter (Reiff) Guldin. No children were born of this
union.

(VI) Levi John Bertolette, son of John Shenkel, was born at Yellow
House, at the Old Spring Forge, in Earl township, Berks county,
March 29, 1813, and he died April 10, 1883. He was a prominent man
of his day in this section of the State, being an early director of
the Union National Bank of Reading, and was also a great traveler,
and a man of wide and varied experience. He was a great lover of
horse flesh, and also engaged in farming to some extent. In
political matters he was a radical Democrat, and was very positive
in his opinions. He was a member of the Lutheran Church. At the age
of eighteen he married Maria Henrietta Guldin, daughter of Peter
Guldin, and to them were born these children: John C., born in
1831, has a ranch near Denver, Colo.; Levi A., lives in Wilmington,
Del; Emma Josephine m. (first) Dr. J. A. Jack, and (second) Samuel
Heckman; Jeremiah Guldin; and several died young.

(VII) Jeremiah Guldin Bertolette, son of Levi John, was born March
17, 1833, and he died of typhoid fever Jan. 4, 1876. His life was
spent in Oley township in agricultural pursuits, and he owned the
old original Bertolette homestead of upwards of 200 acres. He was
prominent in the movements of the State Grange, and was considered
one of the good practical agriculturists of his day. In politics he
was a Democrat, and held a number of the offices of his township,
including that of school director. He had a good mind, and
possessed great reasoning powers, and was able to solve any problem
in trigonometry. He was a member of the Lutheran Church, and was
buried at the Oley church. On Oct. 9, 1855, he married Fianna
Christman Butz, a descendant of one of the early German settlers of
Longswamp township; she survives and lives on North Tenth street,
Reading. The four children of this union were: Martin Luther; Mary
Alice, born Jan 2, 1859, m. David G. Gross, and is now deceased;
Charles Albert, died in childhood; and Annie Virginia, born March
6, 1874, died Feb. 11, 1898.

(VIII) Dr. Martin Luther Bertolette, son of Jeremiah Guldin, was
born Oct. 5, 1858, in Oley township, and was educated in the common
schools of his native township, Oley Academy, and the Keystone
State Normal School at Kutztown. He entered Lafayette College in
1875, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical
School in the class of 1878, giving much study while at school to
the Eye as a special line. His medical preceptor was Dr. J. A.
Jack, of Oley. After his graduation he located at Jacksonwald, and
in March, 1882, accompanied an invalid cousin to Colorado, and in
the summer of that year settled at Dubuque, Iowa, where he spent
seven years. In 1888 he went to Philadelphia, and took a post
graduate course at the Polyclinic and the University of
Pennsylvania. In 1889 he returned to Berks county, locating at Mt.
Penn, which has since been his field of practice. He has been a
member of the staff of St. Joseph’s Hospital since 1890, being
chief for diseases of the chest. He is a member of the County,
State and National Medical Societies, the P. O. S. A. and the K. G.
E. In political principle he is a Democrat, and he has been
president of the Mt. Penn council and president of the water board.

On Nov. 27, 1879, Dr. Bertolette was married to
Hannah Elizabeth High, daughter of Jacob Van Reed High. On March
27, 1902, he was married to Catherine Breiner, of Mt. Penn,
daughter of William and Annie (Dengler) Breiner. The Doctor and his
wife attend the Lutheran Church.

[For much information concerning the early generations of this
family we acknowledge our indebtedness to “Keim and Allied
Families,” by deB. Randolph Keim.]

BERTOLETTE, DANIEL NICHOLAS
(M.D.)

p. 1657

Surnames: BERTOLETTE, CLEAVER, GRIESEMER, HUNTER, BERTOLET,
MILLER, LEVAN, GULDIN, YODER, GRIM, KERST, DeTURK, HOCH, de
HARCOURT, HERICOURT, BARNETT, de BENNEVILLE, FRY, KURTZ

Daniel Nicholas Bertolette, M. D., of Reading, Pa., a medical
officer in the naval service of the United States since 1873, was
born near Friedensburg, in Oley township, Berks county, Jan. 22,
1851. When he was three years of age his parents moved to Reading,
where he attended the public schools, graduating from the high
school in the class of 1866, and delivering the valedictory address
upon that occasion. After graduating he was employed by Douglas
& Connard, brass-founders of Reading, and he remained with them
over three years, when he commenced the active study of medicine
with Dr. Charles H. Hunter, of Reading, as his preceptor. Dr.
Hunter dying in June, 1870, this course of medical studies was
continued under Dr. Samuel L. Kurtz, also of Reading. After
attending the usual course of lectures at the Jefferson Medical
College in Philadelphia, he received the degree of Doctor of
Medicine from the institution in March, 1872.

Immediately after graduating Dr. Bertolette took
a competitive examination, and obtained an appointment as resident
physician at the Philadelphia (Blockley) Hospital, where he served
with distinction the full term of fifteen months; and then, after
passing successfully the required examinations, he was appointed,
June 23, 1873, an assistant surgeon in the United States Navy, and
he has continued in that service until the present time, passing
through its various grades as assistant surgeon from 1873 to 1876;
passed assistant surgeon from 1876 to 1888; surgeon from 1888 to
1900; medical inspector from 1890 to April 5, 1905, when he was
commissioned a medical director, the highest grade of his corps.

Since entering the navy, Dr. Bertolette has been
stationed as follows: The U. S. Naval Hospital at Norfolk, Va.; the
U. S. Ship “Worcester,” flagship of the North Atlantic Squadron;
the U. S. S. “Constellation,” practice cruise of naval cadets; the
U. S. S. “Minnesota,” Port-Admiral’s flagship in New York Harbor;
the U. S. Naval Hospital at Brooklyn, N. Y.; officiating as
lecturer on surgery at the advanced school for naval medical
officers; the U. S. S. “Wyoming.” in European Station; the U. S. S.
“Trenton,” flagship in European Station; the U. S. Naval Academy at
Annapolis, Md.; the U. S. S. “Dale.” practice cruise of cadets; the
U. S. S. “Dolphin;” the U. S. S.

“Tennessee,” flagship in North Atlantic Station;
the U. S. S. “Thetis,” on special duty in Behring Sea and the
Arctic Ocean; the U. S. Receiving Ship “Franklin,” at Norfolk, Va.;
Naval Hospital at Philadelphia; special commissioner by appointment
of President Harrison, under Department of State, to carry to the
Presidents of Uruguay, Paraguay, and the Argentine Republic, the
official invitation to take part in the World’s Columbian
Exposition at Chicago in 1893, and later detailed to assist in the
entertainment of foreigners of distinction at that Exposition;
Delegate to the meeting of Association of Military Surgeons at
Chicago in 1893; the U. S. S. “Atlanta”; the U. S. S.
“Minneapolis,” in European Station and incidentally a member of the
commission to attend the Coronation of the Czar, Nicholas II., of
Russia, at Moscow in 1896; member of board for examination of
officers for promotion, at Washington, D. C.; member of board for
examination of candidates for admission to Naval Medical Corps;
member of retiring board; medical officer of barracks at Marine
Headquarters at Washington, D. C.; delegate to represent the
medical department of the U. S. Navy at the Thirteenth
International Medical Congress at Paris, and the Tenth
International Congress of Hygiene and Demography at the same place,
in 1900; U. S. S. “New York,” flagship of Asiatic Squadron, as
surgeon of the Fleet; member of various boards at Washington, D.
C.; medical director in command of the U. S. Naval Medical Supply
Depot at Brooklyn, N. Y.; and now in command of the U. S. Naval
Hospital at Washington, D. C.

During the extended services mentioned, Dr.
Bertolette has visited nearly every quarter of the globe. The U. S.
S. “Thetis,” to which he was attached, made an extended excursion
into the great ice fields of Alaska, north of Point Barrow, during
which the abandoned whaling ship “Jane Gray” was found in the ice
floe, and recovered and returned to its owners. While fulfilling
his mission to the Republics of Uruguay, Paraguay and the Argentine
Republic, he traveled extensively in those countries, visiting the
governors of all the various provinces. He also visited the Falls
of the Iguassu in Brazil, larger than Niagara but so difficult of
access that very few persons have ever seen them. While attached to
the Asiatic Squadron, he visited Peking, China, and was received in
audience by the Dowager Empress of China, Tsi-An, at the palace
within the forbidden city; and then he also visited the famous
Summer palace. In Japan, he was present at the unveiling of the
memorial which commemorates the landing of Commodore Perry and the
opening of the country to the world; and he attended the Emperor’s
chrysanthemum party at the palace in Tokio and traveled extensively
through that country. These several positions, promotions and
services evidence the distinction of Dr. Bertolette’s successful
and honorable career in connection with the national government,
covering a period of thirty-six years.

Besides being identified with numerous social
and scientific societies in different parts of the country, he is
an active member of the world-renowned National Geographic Society
at Washington, D. C.; and he was one of the founders of the Reading
Academy of Natural Sciences, and the Historic Society of Berks
County.

Dr. Bertolette’s father was Isaac Bertolette. He
was born in Oley in 1810, moved to Reading in 1854, where he was
engaged in manufacturing until his decease in 1882. He married
(first) Elizabeth Cleaver, a daughter of Jonathan Cleaver of Oley,
by whom he had four children: Rebecca, Jonathan (who was a surgeon
in the Naval service of the United States), Maria and Keturah; and
upon his wife’s decease in 1849, he married (second) Christiana
Griesemer, a daughter of Jacob Griesemer and Mary Hunter his wife,
of Oley, by whom he had two children: Dr. Daniel, and Anna (who
died in 1880). The Doctor’s mother died in 1905, at the advanced
age of eighty-five years.

His grandfather was Daniel Bertolet, of Oley, a
prominent and very successful farmer born in 1781, and died in
1868. He married Maria Griesemer, daughter of Stephen, of Oley, by
whom he had nine children: Abraham, Samuel, Maria (m. Moses
Miller), Daniel, Isaac, Esther (m. Joel Levan), Jacob, Hannah (m.
John Guldin) and Dr. Peter G. (prominent in the Civil war).

His great-grandfather was also named Daniel. He
was born in 1741, and died in 1797. He married Maria Yoder,
daughter of John, of Oley, and they had eight children, four
growing to maturity: Daniel, Catherine (m. Jonathan Grim),
Charlotte (m. Jacob Yoder) and Esther (m. Jacob Kerst).

His great-great-grandfather was Abraham
Bertolet, born in 1712 and died in 1766. He married Esther DeTurk,
who was born in 1710, and died in 1798. They had six children:
Daniel, Samuel, John, Maria, (m. Daniel Hoch), Elizabeth (m. John
DeTurk) and Esther (m. George Yoder).

And his great-great-great-grandfather was Jean
Bertolet, the immigrant who settled in Oley in 1726, and died in
1754. He was married to Susanna de Harcourt (Hericourt) in 1711,
and by her had six children: Abraham, Maria (m. Stephen Barnett),
John, Esther (m. Dr. George de Benneville), Susanna (m. Jacob Fry),
and Frederick. He was a native of Bern, in Switzerland. On account
of religious persecution, he removed to Selz, in Alsace, about
twenty-seven miles northeast of Strassburg, where he was engaged in
farming for about fourteen years. He then emigrated with his wife
and five children to Pennsylvania. His wife was the daughter of
Jean de Harcourt (or Hericourt), a prominent citizen of Muhlhausen,
in Lower Alsace, of the French nobility.

BHAER,
FRANKLIN A.

p. 1624

Surnames: BHAER, LESHER, BAER, REISER, SCHNECK, BECKER, SELTZER,
PHILLIPS, STARTZEL, REBER, BREININGER, FINK, BALTHASER,
ZETTELMOYER, ENGEL, BOYER, MILLER, STRASSER, LENHART, TOBIAS,
KLINE, KRICK, JACOBY, HECKMAN, BRAUCHER

Franklin A. Bhaer, a retired farmer of Shoemakersville, Berks
county, was born on the old Jacob Bhaer homestead, one mile north
of Shoemakersville, Jan. 2, 1865, son of Jacob and Elizabeth
(Lesher) Baer.

The immigrant of the Baer family in this country
was Hans (Johannes) Baer, of Weisenburg township, Lehigh county,
who emigrated from Zweibrucken, Germany, arriving at Philadelphia,
Sept. 30, 1743. His son John, who had settled on the old Bhaer home
soon after the Revolutionary war, died there about 1825. He married
Catherine Reiser, and they had these children: John; John Jacob;
Elizabeth, who married a Mr. Schneck, lived in Weisenburg township,
Lehigh county; Maria, who married Henry Becker; Bevy, who married
John Seltzer; Katherine, who married Jacob Phillips; Susan, who
married Jacob Startzel; Magdalena, who married John Reber;
Margaret, who married Jacob Reber; and Lizzie, who married John
Breininger.

John Jacob Baer (Hons Jocob), who lived on the
old David Bhaer farm, the original Baer homestead of Windsor
township consisting of over 300 acres of fine land, was married to
Kate Fink, daughter of John Fink, and had these children: Jacob;
Kate, who married John Balthaser; John, who married (first) Betsy
Balthaser, and (second) Betsy Zettelmoyer; Susannah, who married
Henry Engel, was born in 1821 and lives with her daughters on the
old homestead, and at her advanced age is possessed of excellent
health and a splendid memory; Mollie, who married Jacob Boyer; and
David, who married Sarah Miller.

Jacob Baer, father of Franklin A., lived on the
old Bhaer homestead in Perry township, his farm consisting of 380
acres of land. He built the house and barn on the premises and
otherwise in many ways improved the property. He was a Democrat and
a straight voter. He was connected with the Reformed Church,
holding membership in the Union Church not far from his home. He
married Elizabeth Lesher, and to them there were born children as
follows: Elias, born in 1846, married Minna Strasser; Katie, born
in 1848, married Daniel Lenhart; Henry, born in 1851, married
Lizzie Lenhart; William, born in 1854 married Nora Tobias; Hettie
married Seth Kline; Solomon married Lizzie Krick; Jacob married
Amanda Jacoby; Daniel died single; and Franklin A. Franklin A.
Bhaer obtained his education in the Heckman’s school in his native
township, and at the age of fourteen years lost his father,
thereafter assisting his mother in the management of the farm until
twenty-five years of age. In 1890 he began farming for himself,
first on the old homestead, but two years later removed to his own
farm, situated on the Pottsville turnpike, immediately west of his
father’s property. Here he remained for two years, when he removed
to Shoemakersville, where he now resides, being employed by the
Schuylkill Valley Clay Manufacturing Company.

On Jan. 5, 1889, Mr. Bhaer was married to Lillie
E. Heckman, daughter of Ephraim and Catherine (Braucher) Heckman,
and they have a son Van Buren E. J., who has shown remarkable
mechanical talent.

BOYER, CHARLES CLINTON (DR.)

p. 583

Surnames: BOYER, BEYER, BAYER, REIFSCHNEIDER, WELLER, FRIEDENS,
SCHAEFFER, SCHOFER, BENSINGER, YOST, BAUSCHER, BRECK, STEVENS,
WOLF, BURROWES, HUEY, GUNSETTE, HOUSER, LINTZ, SCHEIRER, BAUSCHER,
ERB, BALLIET, HANCHER, KRAMLICH, ROTHERMEL, WRIGHT, GARTLEY, POTTS,
LAFFERTY

The Boyers, as the original spelling of the name Beyer or Bayer
indicates, are Rhine Bavarians. The records show that this family
dates back into the earliest tribal history of Germany and France,
in both of which countries they hold an honorable place today. Many
of them became Protestants both in Germany and France; persecution
drove them to America. About thirty-five Boyers, as the ships’
lists show, came to Pennsylvania before the Revolutionary war. From
the well-known fact that the earlier settlers “sent for their
relatives and kin”, we gather that the Boyer settlers of
Pennsylvania were blood relatives in Europe. There are thousands of
them now in Philadelphia, Reading, and in the States of
Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky, Missouri,
Illinois, etc.

Philip Beyer, who came over in the ship “Winter
Galley” in 1738, was the European ancestor of Dr. Charles Clinton
Boyer, of Kutztown. Philip Beyer, as the connection of events
proves, found his way into Bern township, Berks county, where as
the list of Berks county taxables shows, he owned property in the
vicinity of what is now known as St. Michael’s Church, before 1755.
This church was founded a few years before Philip died and it is
likely that he is buried in the cemetery of St. Michael’s, but the
brown headstones found over the earliest graves of the church
reveal nothing concerning him. The early church records, together
with the list of Bern taxables, seem to prove that there were at
least four sons, namely: Michael, Henry, John and Christopher. The
mother’s name, at this writing, has not been ascertained. Philip
disappears from the tax list in 1780.

Christopher Beyer, in all probability the
youngest son of Philip Beyer, was born in Bern township, Berks
country, about 1740 or 1745. He became a member of the Lutheran
Church. To his marriage with Katherine Reifschneider were born
children as follows: Christopher, born in 1765; Jacob, 1767; Henry;
Christian, 1781; Daniel, and two daughters. In 1785, or soon
afterwards, the family removed to what is now Brunswick township,
Schuylkill county. The elder Christopher’s name appears for the
first time on the tax list of Brunswick township in 1791. He lived
in a log hut, probably constructed by himself, against a hill side
in the rear of what is now known as Friedens Church, about a mile
north of McKeansburg. Whether or not he was the schoolmaster of the
congregation is a little uncertain. Missionaries stopped at his
house and preached in his barn, as Rev. H. A. Weller records in his
history of Friedens Church. He was certainly closely identified
with this congregation, as we infer from a fragment of church
records to which his name is signed. His name disappears from the
tax list in 1811, or soon afterward. He and his wife lie buried in
Boyer’s Row, Friedens cemetery, but the brown headstones that
marked the graves were rudely removed when the present church
building was erected.

Jacob Boyer, second son of Christopher and
Katherine (Reifshneider) Beyer, was born in Bern township, Berks
county, Jan. 14, 1767, and became a member of Frieden’s Church
(Lutheran). In 1802 he owned a large farm in Lewistown Valley,
about four miles north of Friedens Church. He died April 1, 1829,
and lies buried in Frieden’s cemetery. His wife, Susanna Schaeffer,
born Jan. 14, 1775, died Nov. 4, 1849, in the home of a daughter,
and is buried in the cemetery of the Lutheran Church, East
Germantown, Ind. Their children were: Jacob, Samuel, Joseph,
Daniel, Mary, Elizabeth, Susan, Kate and Hettie.

Samuel Boyer, second son of Jacob and Susanna
(Schaeffer) Boyer, was born in Lewistown, Schuylkill county, Feb.
12, 1801. He was confirmed in the Lutheran Church and on Nov. 9,
1823, was married by Pastor Schofer to Lydia Bensinger, daughter of
Michael Bensinger. When his father died six years later, Samuel,
who was a blacksmith by trade, took the father’s farm, which, as
the deeds show, comprised about 300 acres. On the Yost farm, which
he owned soon afterward, he carried on milling. He was prominently
identified with the founding and maintenance of the Lutheran Church
at Lewistown. In 1873, when he was serving as township supervisor,
he died in the Bauscher home, where he had called to warm himself
on a bitterly cold morning. His wife, Lydia, born Feb. 29, 1808,
survived him until 1894. They are buried at Lewistown. The sons and
daughters of this marriage were: Israel, Samuel, Emanuel, Joseph,
Benjamin, William, Jacob, Daniel, John, Catherine, Elizabeth and
Caroline.

Joseph Boyer, fourth son of Samuel and Lydia
(Bensinger) Boyer, was born Jan. 27, 1831. When he began to go to
school the free school bill of 1834 and 1835, framed by Lawyer
Breck and saved by Thaddeus Stevens in Governor Wolf’s
administration, had just been put into operation by Secretary of
State Thomas Burrowes. The Lewistown school fell in line in 1837.
The teachers, however, were poorly qualified. Joseph’s best teacher
was a Mr. Huey. The school terms were short, about three months,
and the branches about the same as those of subscription schools.
The rod was freely used, and the pupils were hardly able to
understand the importance of an education. The English language was
not in high repute in the valley as yet, and German spelling,
together with the trapping system in the “paragraph reading” of the
German Psalter, was about all that counted for much in serious
study. There were no blackboards and few books. The long plank
benches were arranged a round the walls of the room, with benches
for the smaller boys and girls in the middle of the room. The old
frame schoolhouse, however, in which Joseph Boyer received his
education, has long since been replaced. Joseph was a miller by
trade, but lived on a Lewistown farm the greater part of his life.
He was confirmed in the Lutheran Church of Lewistown. In 1856 he
married Magdalena Gunsette, daughter of Christian Gunsette (who
came from Alsace with his father Philip Henry and his mother
Margaret (Houser) Gunsette in 1828) and Mary (Lintz) Gunsette(a
Lehigh county girl). To this marriage were born: Charles Clinton,
Alice Minerva, George Harris and Frank Samuel. Joseph Boyer served
his township eight terms as supervisor of roads, took an active
interest in the political affairs of his times, and lived to enjoy
a ripe old age. At this writing he is seventy-nine years old and
his faithful helpmate seventy-five.

Dr. Charles Clinton Boyer, eldest son of Joseph
and Magdalena (Gunsette) Boyer, was born at Lewistown, Schuylkill
county, Aug. 6, 1860. His first school teacher was Mr. Benjamin
Scheirer, a man of learning, of charming personality and remarkable
teaching powers. His last teacher in the public schools was that
excellent master of boys, Mr. David Bauscher. He was confirmed in
the Lutheran faith by Rev. I. N. S. Erb, and it was partly through
his influence, and that of Mr. Bauscher, that in 1877 Mr. Boyer
first came to the Kutztown Normal school, to which he continued to
return every spring as a student until 1883. For one term he was a
pupil of the now illustrious Dr. Thomas Balliet in his Center
Square Academy. He prepared for college under Rev. Mr. Erb, while
teaching at Landingville and Orwigsburg. In 1885 he was graduated
from Muhlenberg College with second honor. He studied Theology at
the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, but, called to
the chair of Latin and Greek at Kutztown through Dr. Schaeffer, he
completed his theological course under Dr. Hancher, and was
ordained with his class in 1888. Then, while teaching, writing and
preaching, he completed six years of post-graduate work, graduating
from Wooster University in 1894, and receiving the title Doctor of
Philosophy cum laude. His thesis on “Psychic Initiative in
Education” attracted considerable attention. After that he studied
psychology, experimental and theoretical, under Dr. Hugo
Munsterberg, of Harvard University. In 1901 he traveled in Europe,
accompanied by Professor George E. Kramlich, the main object of
interest being history, education and art.

Dr. Boyer began his teaching career at
Patterson, Schuylkill Co., Pa., when he was seventeen years of age.
Then he taught an ungraded school in Lewistown for two years. He
gave up this school for the Landingville grammar school, in order
that he might take up college preparatory work under the Rev. Mr.
Erb, of Orwigsburg. This proved to be his stepping-stone to the
principalship of the Orwigsburg high school, where he remained
until in 1883, when he entered college. In the fall of 1887, after
conducting a very successful summer school for teaching at
Lynnville, Pa., he was called to the chair of Latin and Greek in
the State Normal School, at Kutztown, Pa. Two years later when he
had entered upon his duties as professor of Greek in the
Pennsylvania Military Academy, at Chester, Pa., he was recalled to
Kutztown to teach psychology and English classics. Two years later,
after supplying the pulpit at St. John’s Lutheran Church at
Boyertown, Pa., for six months or more, and confirming a large
class of catechumens, he went to Boyertown as pastor of this
congregation, remaining there until 1893. Then Dr. Schaeffer, the
principal of the Normal School, became Superintendent of Public
Instruction, and Professor Boyer was called back to the Normal
again, this time to the chair of Pedagogy, under the principalship
of Dr. Hancher. In 1900, when Vice Principal Rothermel became
Principal, Dr. Boyer became Vice Principal of the Normal School, a
position which he fills with much ability at this writing.

Dr. Boyer has few superiors as a teacher. His
rapid promotions were due not simply to his acknowledged
scholarship, but to his marked teaching powers. Progressive and
modern in spirit and method, he is also well proportioned and
conservative. He has served the cause of the Normal school and
education about twenty-two years at this writing. As an institute
instructor and lecturer he is as well received in Maryland,
Delaware and New Jersey as in Pennsylvania. Among the subjects on
which he has lectured most frequently, are “Mental Moods and
Tenses,” “On the Up-Grade,” “Lawlessness in Pupils,” “Serpent and
Dove in Discipline,” “As You Would Like It in Schooldays,” “The
Roman Child and Ours,” “Spencer’s Theory of Consequence,” “In Touch
with the Infinite in Teaching,” “Vulcan and Venus,” and “An Hour in
Europe.” He is considered an eloquent and forceful talker, and a
master in the art of thinking, and this is as true of his sermons
as of his lectures. The most tempting propositions have at this
writing not persuaded him to leave Kutztown.

As an author Dr. Boyer has won signal success.
He published his “Concrete Psychology” in 1891, for the use of his
own classes. “Principles and Methods of Teaching,” a work that has
now gone through many editions, and that is deservedly popular,
followed in 1899. A book entitled “Waymarks of General History” was
published in 1902. This work, like that on methods of teaching, is
highly praised by the reviewers. His book on “Modern Methods for
Modern Teachers” was published in 1909. He is a member of the
National Education Association, the Pennsylvania German Society,
and the Historical Society of Berks county, etc.

In 1889 Dr. Charles Clinton Boyer was united in
marriage with Margie Wright, daughter of Calvin D. Wright, a
cavalry officer of the Third Pennsylvania Regiment during the Civil
war, and his wife, Katherine (Gartley) Wright. She was born Oct.
11, 1869, in Pottsville, Pa. The Wrights were originally English
Quakers and the Gartleys Scotch Presbyterians. Through her Gartley
ancestry Mrs. Boyer is related to the Potts family, founders of
Pottstown, Pa., and through her father’s more distant Lafferty
ancestry she is also of Irish descent. She is a cultured artist and
musician, and devotes much of her energies to church work. There is
one son, Karl Wright Boyer, born at Mt. Carmel, Pa., Nov. 26, 1897.