Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

VAN BUSKIRK, EPHRAIM

p.
1420

Surnames: VAN BUSKIRK, YOUNG, KOCH, HEFFNER, SCHEIDT, KELLER,
HARTMAN, HILL, SCHLOTTMAN, BERNHART, WEISS, HOUCK, CRONRATH

Ephraim Van Buskirk, in his lifetime a prosperous farmer and
shoemaker in Ruscombmanor township, Berks county, was born July 29,
1840, and died at Pricetown, Feb. 22, 1907.

The Van Buskirks were of Holland ancestry.
Marmaduke Van Buskirk, great-grandfather of Ephraim, lived in New
York. He served as a soldier in the war of the Revolution. His
three sons were: John, Jacob and Joseph.

Jacob Van Buskirk, son of Marmaduke, was born in
New York City July 4, 1783, and came to Berks county in his young
manhood. He died at Pricetown, Berks county, Aug. 17, 1876, aged
ninety-three years, one month, thirteen days. He was a farmer, and
owned the farm later the property of his grandson Ephraim. He also
owned the farm in Ruscombmanor, now owned by Benneville Young, and
there he lived some years. He married Catharine Koch, who was born
Nov. 27, 1780, died Oct 15, 1862, and they are both buried in the
graveyard at Pricetown. Catharine (Koch) Van Buskirk was a daughter
of Sebastian Koch (a Revolutionary soldier) and his wife Elizabeth.
To Jacob and Catharine Van Buskirk were born children as follows:
John, Jacob, Judge Daniel, Mary (m. Peter Heffner) and Catharine m.
to Joseph Scheidt).

Daniel Van Buskirk, son of Jacob, was an
Associate Judge of Berks county. He was born Jan. 13, 1816, in
Colebrookdale township, and the greater part of his life was passed
at Pricetown. He learned the molding trade at the Oley Furnace in
his youth, following it for several years. In 1841 he was elected a
justice of the peace of Ruscombmanor township, and served until
1855, in which year he was elected Register of Wills of Berks
county. In 1858 he was again elected justice of the peace of
Ruscombmanor, and served until 1871, when he was elected an
Associate Judge of the Courts of this county. In this office he
served with honor and fame for five years. In 1877 he was again
elected a justice of the peace, which office he filled until his
death. In all the many years that Judge Van Buskirk was justice of
the peace he never drew $75 in fees or costs from the county. He
was a stanch Democrat, and a man of the highest honor and standing.
He was a member of the Lutheran congregation of Pricetown Church,
in which he was at different times trustee, deacon and elder. In
1838 he married Rebecca Keller, daughter of Jacob S. Keller, of
Ruscombmanor township. She was born Oct. 24, 1808, and died Aug.
28, 1881. The children born of this union were: William, Hiram,
Daniel, Ephraim, Jacob (died young), James and Rebecca (died
young). Judge Van Buskirk m. (second), in 1887, Catharine Hartman,
widow of Peter Hill. She died about five years after her
distinguished husband. Judge Van Buskirk died Dec. 17, 1894, aged
seventy-eight years, eleven months, four days.

Ephraim Van Buskirk was a shoemaker, and
followed that trade some years. In 1863 he began farming, an
occupation that occupied his time and attention 39 years. He owned
a farm which had belonged to his father, consisting of forty-nine
acres. Upon his retirement he went to Pricetown, where he lived
until his death. Here he did some work repairing shoes.

In politics Mr. Van Buskirk was a Democrat, and
always interested in public affairs. He was a school director for
twenty-one years, and was a delegate to many county conventions. He
and his children were Lutheran members of Pricetown Union Church,
of which he was deacon many years, and was an elder at the time of
his death. His wife was a Reformed member of the same church.

Mr. Van Buskirk was married Jan. 24, 1863, to
Elmira Schlottman, born Sept. 3, 1842, daughter of George and
Susanna (Bernhart) Schlottman, of Alsace township. Mrs. Van Buskirk
resides at Pricetown. To Mr. and Mrs. Van Buskirk were born ten
children: Susan I., m. to Frank Weiss, of Philadelphia; Charles,
who died young; George, of Reading; Henry, who died young; Samuel,
of Reading; Emma, m. to Charles Houck, of Reading; Annie, m. to
Charles Cronrath, of Ruscombmanor township; Daniel, of Pricetown;
and Marks and Alexander, of Reading.

VAN DENBERG, J. E.
DELNER

p. 1521

Surnames: VAN DENBERG, DELNER, LEADER, YEAGER, SCHAEFFER

J. E. Delner Van Denberg, former plumbing inspector for the city of
Reading, and now a partner in the plumbing firm of Eagle & Van
Denberg, in that city, comes from sturdy English ancestors, and is
a good American citizen in all the word implies. He is a son of
Peter W. and Margaret A. (Van Denberg) Delner.

Edward Delner, his paternal grandfather, was
born in England, coming from there first to New York City and later
to Rochester, N. Y. His son, Peter W., father of J. E. D., was a
contracting stone and brick mason, and died in 1902, aged
sixty-four years. He married Margaret Van Denberg, daughter of
Philip Van Denberg, for years a whaler, but later a contracting
plasterer. Five children were born to this union, four daughters
and one son. Two of the daughters live in Brooklyn, N. Y., one in
Albany and one in Amsterdam, N. Y. The only son, J. E. Delner, is a
resident of Reading.

J. E. Delner Van Denberg, only son of Peter W.
and Margaret A. (Van Denberg) Delner, was born July 5, 1868, at
Glenville. N. Y., where he attended the public schools. While still
a lad he left home and found employment on a steamship, but tiring
of this he started out with the idea of seeing something of the
world, and visited many portions of this country before returning
to his home in Rochester. There he learned the plumbing trade, and
this he followed from 1888, in that city, until 1896, when he came
to Reading. Soon after his arrival he was appointed plumbing
inspector for the city by Mayor Adam Leader, who preceded Mayor
Yeager. He was admirably qualified for this important office, and
many improvements in the sanitary matters of the city were due in a
large degree to the careful supervision of Mr. Van Denberg.

Mr. Van Denberg married Nora Schaeffer, daughter
of Franklin and Sallie Schaeffer, well-known residents of
Neversink, Berks county, and they had one child, Edward, who died
at the age of five months.

Mr. Van Denberg is a member of the Plumbers’
Union of Reading, and of the Fraternal Order of Eagles. He belongs
to the Reformed Church.

VAN REED
FAMILY

p. 681

Surnames: VAN REED, DUNKLIN, EVANS, HIESTER, HUY, JONES, JUSTASON,
PATRICK, SAVAGE, YEAGER

The Van Reed family in Berks county has been resident here for over
one hundred and fifty years. It originated in Holland, whence, in
1750, came Henry Van Reed to find fortune and liberty in the New
World. On May 20, 1750, he purchased from one John Patrick a farm
of one hundred and Fifty acres at $6.75 per acre. He had previously
lived a short time in Philadelphia county, but on the purchase of
this land moved onto same, which was located in what is now Amity
township, Berks county, but which was then still in Philadelphia
county, the township being erected March 4, 1745. Berks county was
erected out of Philadelphia, Chester and Lancaster counties March
11, 1752. In 1778 Mr. Van Reed tore down the old log cabin, and in
its place erected a large two-story stone building, the western end
of the present structure. He died in 1790, the father of nine
children, all born on the Amity township homestead. These children
were: John, Jacob, Agnes, Susan, Mary, Anna, Catharine, Margaret
and Hannah.

The Van Reed homestead is a part of the land
granted by the Crown to William Penn. On Sept. 11, 1704, William
Penn granted by letters patent one thousand acres of land to Justa
Justason, a Swede. This land extended from the river Schuylkill
north to Earl Mountain, or what is now known as “Fancy Hill,” the
line being about 120 perches south from the Swamp road, leading to
Boyertown, and was located between two lines running in a
northeasterly direction 210 perches apart by measurement. These
lines were two of the Swede’s lines, and are now nearly eradicated
by the division of the farming land in the neighborhood to suit the
convenience of the owners. In 1716 Mr. Justason conveyed eight
hundred acres of his land to one Samuel Savage, retaining two
hundred acres himself. This latter part adjoining the Schuylkill
river included within its boundaries the village, then called
Molaton, now Douglassville. In 1717 Samuel Savage conveyed 150
acres, part of the 800, to George Savage. This smaller tract was
almost all arable land, while the larger (650 acres) was mostly
heavy timber land. Samuel Savage was the proprietor of what was
then called the Manatawny Iron Works, and he no doubt retained the
timber land for the purpose of charring coal and manufacturing
charcoal iron. George Savage, it is believed, first settled upon
this small tract and erected the first building upon it-a small
one-story log cabin, and a log stable-and he was the first person
to carry on farming operations there. He and his family continued
in possession until about 1737, when he died and in that year his
heirs conveyed the farm to one Oliver Dunklin. In 1740 Mr. Dunklin
improved the place by the erection of a large two-story log
building at the eastern end of the log cabin, constructing in its
center a large stone fireplace, then a necessary part of every
house. Mr. Dunklin died about 1748, and the same year his heirs
conveyed the property to a brother, John Dunklin, who after holding
it only a month conveyed it to his brother-in-law, John Patrick,
and in 1750 John Patrick sold it, as above stated, to Henry Van
Reed.

When Henry Van Reed died he bequeathed the
homestead to his son Jacob, who was then farming in Cumru township
(now Spring). In 1819 Jacob Van Reed tore down the two-story log
building, and erected in its stead a two-story brick, the eastern
part of the present building. Down to 1810 the log stable was the
only place used for storing grain, etc., with a frame addition
rendered necessary by the increasing crops. In that year Jacob Van
Reed built the southern part of 63 feet of the present large frame
barn, with heavy stone base and gable ends, and with a bank in the
rear. When Jacob Van Reed came into possession of this land it was
valued at $29.62 per acre, and this sum he was required to pay to
his brothers and sisters in due proportion. He married Ann
Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Hiester, and he died in 1838.

Jacob Van Reed was succeeded by his son, the
present owner and occupant, Jeremiah Van Reed, who by his father’s
will was to pay a fixed annuity to his mother, and to his brothers
and sisters such sum as would value the land at fifty dollars per
acre.

From the time of the first settlement until 1819
the water for household purposes was obtained at a spring near by
at the rear of the north end of the building then a well in front
of the house was dug. The live stock was always watered at the
creek running diagonally through the farm-close by the house until
1858, when a well was dug in the barnyard. In 1875 water power was
communicated to the pump from the creek 700 feet distant by means
of a stout wire worked to and fro by a water wheel. Two orchards
are on the farm, one north and the other south of the dwelling. The
first was planted south of the house in the latter part of the
eighteenth century, and some of the apple trees are still standing
and bearing good fruit; the north orchard was planted at the
beginning of the nineteenth century. All the improvements other
than those here-in mentioned have been made by the present owner.

John Van Reed, son of the emigrant Henry,
married Catherine Huy, and he became the father of the following
children: Joshua, Mary, Lewis, James, John, Henry and Jacob. John
Van Reed was a paper manufacturer and owned and operated a mill on
Cacoosing Creek.

Jacob Van Reed, son of John, was born in Lower
Heidelberg township, Dec. 24, 1819. He was a large land owner and
he lived retired for many years previous to his death, Aug. 10,
1900. He married Mary C. Jones, daughter of Major Samuel Jones (a
major in one of the Pennsylvania regiments in the war of 1812), and
their children were: Samuel John m. Minerva Yeager, and had
children, Lewis and James; and Margaret, m. John H. Evans, and had
children, Charles V. R. and Jacob V. R. In politics Mr. Van Reed
was a stanch adherent to Republican principles. He was a member of
the State militia at the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, and
was called out with his company. In every relation of life he was
found on the side of honor and truth, and he had the well merited
esteem of all men.

VAN
REED, GEORGE R.

p. 479

Surnames: VAN REED, BICKLEY, GEARY, GERNANT, GORDON, HARTRANFT,
HUNTER, HUY, KNAPP, STEVENS, YOST

George R. Van Reed was a descendant of one of the representative
families of Berks county, which has been active and influential for
upward of a hundred years in the development and upbuilding of the
county. The first of the name in the western division of the county
was John Van Reed, who died April 19, 1820, in the seventy-third
year of his age. He settled in the northern part of Cumru
township-that part which is now Spring township-about the time of
the Revolutionary war. His wife was Eva Yost, and of their children
there were four sons, John, Charles, Henry and Thomas. The Van
Reeds were members of the Reformed Church, but in political
opinions they have been more or less divided, all parties being
represented. They have, however, never been office seekers.

John Van Reed, son of John, was born in Cumru
township, on the Cacoosing creek, near its outlet into the
Tulpehocken, in 1786. He married Catherine Huy and their children
were: Henry, James, Lewis, John, Joshua, Jacob and Mary.

Henry Van Reed, son of John and Catherine (Huy)
Van Reed, was born on his father’s farm in Cumru (now Spring)
township, Aug. 21, 1821. His education he acquired in the schools
of Reading, Lititz, Lafayette College and Dickinson College,
completing the course at the last named institution with the class
of 1843. Selecting the profession of law as his life work, he
entered upon his studies in the office of David F. Gordon, of
Reading, a most able and conscientious attorney who was afterward
made president judge of this judicial district. Under his careful
tuition Mr. Van Reed attained a thorough knowledge of law and of
the ethics of the profession, and on April 5, 1844, was admitted to
the Bar. He opened an office in Reading, and in a comparatively
short time had a large practice, continuing it twenty years. In
1851 he went to California to visit his brothers, James and Lewis,
and with the former he engaged in banking in San Francisco for some
months, but the East called him, and he returned to his profession
in Reading, the same year.

On July 13, 1869, Mr. Van Reed, on the
recommendation of the Republicans of the county, was appointed law
judge, with powers similar to the president judge, by Gov. John W.
Geary. This was in compliance with an act passed by the Legislature
authorizing an additional judge, and his term of office was to
continue until his successor was duly elected and qualified, which
was on the following 6th of December. Judge Van Reed had always
been a good Republican, but he did not believe that a judgeship
should be made a matter of political self-seeking, and true to his
convictions at no time offered himself as a candidate. What came to
him was the unsought reward of faithful and efficient service. From
Jan. 12, 1875, to Jan. 2, 1876, he again filled the same office,
having this time been appointed by Gov. John F. Hartranft to fill a
vacancy. He filled the office with dignity and impartiality but the
preponderance of the Democratic majority made his filling it by
election impossible. After leaving the Bench he gradually retired
from practice. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention in
1872-73. During the Civil war he gave warm support to the
administration, and in September, 1862, he became a member of
Company G, 2d Regiment, Pennsylvania Militia, commanded by Capt. F.
S. Bickley, to repel the threatened invasion of the State. They
performed military duty for eleven days, and were then discharged.
At the time of the battle of Gettysburg, he again enlisted,
becoming sergeant in Company C., 42d Pennsylvania Volunteer
Militia, under Col. Charles H. Hunter, and served from July 6 to
Aug. 12, 1863.

At his death, June 30, 1885, many highly
eulogistic addresses were delivered by members of the Berks County
Bar, and in the resolution passed it was said of him: “As a lawyer
and judge he was able, conscientious and painstaking. As a man he
despised sham and hypocrisy; and he took for his own example the
Christian virtues. He had the rare gift of courage equal to his
convictions; and therefore in public as well as in private life he
acted as he believed an honest, upright man should act, without
regard to affiliations or personal consequences.”

On Sept. 2, 1852, Judge Van Reed married Miss
Harriet, daughter of George Gernant. She died Jan. 13, 1883. Their
children were: George R. and Anna.

George R. Van Reed was born in Reading Sept. 21,
1853. He obtained his earlier education in the public schools and
then entered Lafayette College, at Easton, graduating therefrom in
1874. He became division engineer for the South Mountain &
Boston Railroad, and later assistant engineer on the Pennsylvania
Railroad, being stationed at Paoli. He assisted in the construction
of the Schuylkill Valley Division, of the Pennsylvania Railroad,
continuing in the service of that company from 1876 to 1884. He was
a very able civil engineer, and the mastery of difficulties in that
work afforded him keen enjoyment. He read law under Garrett
Stevens, of Reading, and Jan. 21, 1888, was admitted to the Bar,
but he never engaged in practice. He died Aug. 12, 1908.

In 1891, Mr. Van Reed married Miss Effie,
daughter of John H. Knapp, of Menomonie, Wisconsin.

VAN REED,
HENRY

p. 359

Surnames: VAN REED, GORDON, BICKLEY, HUNTER, GERNANT

Henry Van Reed, first additional law judge of Berks county in 1869,
was born Aug. 31, 1821, in Cumru (now Spring) township. His
grandfather, John Van Reed, settled there about the time of the
revolution, and his father was born there is 1786. He was educated
at Reading, Lititz, Lafayette College and Dickinson College,
graduating from the last named institution in 1843. Upon returning
home he selected the law as his profession, and pursued a regular
course of legal study in the office of David F. Gordon, Esq.,
afterward president judge of this judicial district. On April 5,
1844, he was admitted to the Bar, and soon established a large and
lucrative practice, which he continued for twenty years.

In 1851 he made a trip to California, visiting
his brothers, who had gone thither some years previously. In April,
1869, the State Legislature authorized the qualified electors of
Berks county to elect an additional law judge. At that time the
Governor was a Republican in politics, and having been authorized
to appoint a suitable person to act as such judge till one should
be elected, he appointed Mr. Van Reed to this position July 13,
1869. The appointment was given to him without any solicitation on
his part. He occupied his seat on the Bench and discharged his
duties in a superior manner till Dec. 6, 1869, when his successor
was qualified. Subsequently, from Jan. 12, 1875, till Jan. 2, 1876,
he again filled the same office by appointment from the Governor to
supply a vacancy caused by the promotion of the then incumbent to
the office of president judge. Judge Van Reed represented this
district as one of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention
which was held in 1872 and 1873.

During the progress of the Civil War, he was an
ardent supporter of the national administration in every way, and
his strong patriotic feelings impelled him to express himself in
the most positive manner in favor of prosecuting the war. When the
State of Pennsylvania was threatened with an invasion by the
Rebels, in September, 1862, he enlisted with a large number of the
most prominent men of Reading, in Company G, of the 2nd Regiment of
the Pennsylvania Volunteers, commanded by Captain F. S. Bickley.
The company was marched to and beyond the State line and performed
military service for eleven days when it was discharged. During the
excitement through-out the State, owing to the battle of
Gettysburg, in the beginning of July, 1863, he enlisted again in
Company C, 42nd Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, and acted
as a sergeant. This regiment was composed entirely of Berks county
companies. It was under the command of Col. Charles H. Hunter and
continued in service from July 6th, to August 12th.

Judge Van Reed died June 30, 1885, after an
illness of several years. He married Catherine Gernant, daughter of
George Gernant. She died Jan. 13, 1883. They had two children:
George and Anna.

VAN REED, WELLINGTON

p.
471

Surnames: VAN REED, RUTH, LERCH, OTTO, KESSLER, LINDENMUTH,
LEBKICKER, BEHM

Wellington Van Reed, secretary and treasurer of the Sinking Spring
Fire Insurance Company, vice-president of the Auburn Shale Brick
Company, and a director in the Schuylkill Valley Bank, is one of
Reading’s leading business men. Mr. Van Reed was born at Sinking
Spring, Berks county, Oct. 15, 1840, son of Thomas and Eliza(Ruth)
Van Reed, and grandson of John Van Reed, who descended from an old
and honored Holland Dutch family.

John Van Reed was born in Berks county, Pa., and
his education was secured in the old fashioned log school house,
where oiled floors and varnished seats were unknown. He became one
of Sinking Spring’s leading farmers and a man of much influence in
his locality. He and his wife had a family of children, of whom are
recalled: John, Charles and Thomas. In religious belief the family
have been members of the Reformed Church for many generations and
have done much in its support in this section. In politics the Van
Reeds were never office seekers, but they were often sought by
offices, and officials both Republican and Democratic have come
from the family.

Thomas Van Reed, father of Wellington, was born
in Spring township, Berks county, and his education was obtained in
the common schools. When a young man he learned the wool fuller’s
trade, which he followed for many years, also owning and conducting
a valuable farm. He died in 1889, at the age of seventy-five years,
his wife dying when sixty years of age. They were the parents of
the following children: Levi, Henry, Daniel, Wellington, Charles,
Thomas, John and Eliza( m. to Adam G. Lerch, and living in
Wernersville, Pa.). Thomas Van Reed conducted an old-fashioned inn
at Sinking Spring, but when the Lebanon Valley Railroad was built
he gave it up. He was a man of good principles and was highly
esteemed in his community.

Wellington Van Reed received his education in
the common schools of Spring township, and also attended the old
Reading Academy for three years. When a young man he entered the
employ of the mercantile establishment of Henry M. Otto, with whom
he remained for seven years, and then resigned to engage with the
old Reading Adler, when Charles Kessler was proprietor and owner.
He clerked in this well-known establishment for six years, but in
1865 resigned to engage in business for himself, locating on Penn
street, between Third and Forth. Here he opened a store for the
sale of wool suitings, linings, trimmings, etc., and does an
extensive business today at the same location, having never changed
his place of business. The greater part of his time, however, is
given to insurance and financial ventures. For the past thirty
years he has been prominently identified with the Sinking Spring
Fire Insurance Company, which was organized in 1843, and is one of
the most reliable companies in the State. It insures farm and city
property, and the company has gained the reputation of being one of
the solid, safe and conservative institutions of the country.

In 1859 Mr. Van Reed married Catherine Kessler,
daughter of Charles Kessler, and to this union there were born:
Elizabeth m. E. L. Lindenmuth; Annie m. J. E. Lebkicker; Mary is
single; and Helen m. James Behm.

Politically Mr. Van Reed is a Democrat, but has
never been an office seeker. He has been a member of the Reading
school board for the past thirty-four years, being the oldest
member. He and his family are members of the Second Reformed
Church, in which he has served in many official capacities.
Fraternally Mr. Van Reed is a member of the Oley Lodge, I. O. O.
F.; Lodge No. 62 F.& A. M.; Excelsior Chapter, No. 237; Reading
Commandery No. 42, K. T.; Rajah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S.; Knights
of the Golden Eagle; Mt. Penn Council, Royal Arcanum; and the
Improved Order of Heptasophs.

VATH,
LEONARD A. ( JR.)

p. 1517

Surnames: VATH, MILLERMAN, GANTER, BREIM

Leonard A. Vath, Jr., whose hardware establishment is situated at
No. 826 North Tenth street, Reading, was born in 1870, in Bavaria,
Germany, son of Leonard and Mary (Millerman) Vath, and was brought
to this country when ten months of age.

Mr. Vath was educated in the schools of
Kingston, N. Y., where he learned the cigar making business, but on
coming to Reading entered Joseph Ganter’s hardware store. In 1903
he decided to embark in business on his own account and purchased
his present store and stock. This business, under the name of the
Northern Hardware Store, has been very successful, and this success
may be attributed to Mr. Vath’s upright business methods, his
energy and enterprise and his happy faculty of making friends. He
handles hardware, glass, oils, paints, varnishes, brushes, seeds,
cutlery, tools, ammunition and house-furnishing goods, and in fact
any and all articles to be found in a first-class, up-to-date
hardware establishment. Fraternally Mr. Vath is connected with the
Knights of the Maccabees, the Order of the Holy Cross and St.
Boniface’s Society. He and his wife attend St. Paul’s Catholic
Church.

Mr. Vath was united in marriage with Miss
Gertrude Breim, and to this union there have been born two
children, namely: Frederick and Catherine.

VERRENDO, LEONARDO

p. 1127

Surnames: VERRENDO, DIIASSIA, GINDILESCA, SHEARER

Leonardo Verrendo, an Italian merchant of the city of Reading, Pa.,
whose place of business is situated at No. 153 Penn street, was
born not far from Naples, in Southern Italy, Oct. 11, 1867, son of
Nicoli and Mariantonia (Diiassia) Verrendo, the former of whom, who
resides in the old country, owns much land in Castelfranco, in
Miscano, Province of Benevento, Italy.

Leonardo Verrendo was educated in the schools of
his native country, and in his youth worked for about five years at
butchering with his maternal uncle. He then returned to his home to
work with his father until 1888 when he came to this country. His
father had come to this country previously, but prior to his son’s
landing in New York had returned to his native country again. Mr.
Verrendo went from New York to Michigan City, where he was employed
as a railroad laborer, following this line of work for two years,
and at the end of this time made his way to the anthracite coal
district. Here he engaged in coal mining at Hazleton until, one
year later, when during the riots he engaged in the mercantile
business. One year later he came to Reading, engaging in business
near the Berks County Court House on North Sixth street, continuing
there for five and one-half years. In 1902 Mr. Verrendo located on
his present property, which he purchased of Joseph Shearer. Mr.
Verrendo stocked his place with a fine and complete line of
domestic and imported fruits, and he has been very successfully
engaged in business here to the present time.

Mr. Verrendo was married Nov. 15, 1892, to Anna
Gindilesca, a native of the province of Potenza, Italy and they
have had four children, one of whom survives, Nicoli, aged eight
years. Mr. Verrendo was naturalized a citizen of the United States
Sept. 28, 1896 and is a Republican in politics. He is very popular
in his community, and is considered a substantial business man.

VOELKER,
CHARLES

p. 401

Surnames: VOELKER, ROTHENBERGER

Charles Voelker has since 1905 been principal owner of the Berks
Manufacturing Company, of Reading, and he has been long known as a
business man of that city, having conducted the “Farmers and
Mechanics Hotel,” in West Reading, for a number of years. Mr.
Voelker is a native of Germany, born Oct. 12, 1856, in Feldkarl,
Bavaria. He was reared in the Fatherland, whence he came to America
in 1878, settling at once in Reading, where for the most part he
has since had his home. In Germany he had learned the trade of a
brewer, at which he immediately found employment on his arrival in
Reading, in one of the leading breweries of the city. Later he was
engaged in the business on his own account, in Pottstown,
Montgomery Co., Pa., where he remained several years, finally
selling his interests in that line. Returning to Reading in 1893 he
entered the hotel business, becoming proprietor of the “Farmers and
Mechanics Hotel,” in West Reading, which he has since kept, finding
the venture congenial and profitable. In July, 1905, in company
with his eldest son, Charles T. Voelker, Mr. Voelker purchased the
plant and business of the Berks Manufacturing Company, Ltd., at No.
154 Court street, under the firm name of Charles Voelker & Son.
At that time the product of the factory, which consists of
sunbonnets and aprons, amounted to about five hundred dozen weekly.
Under their enterprising management the weekly output has been
increased to fifteen thousand dozen, in the manufacture of which
steady employment is given to forty hands. These goods are of high
grade and excellent workmanship, and are marketed through jobbers
all over the United States and Canada. The constantly growing trade
has necessitated the erection of a new factory, which is now in
course of construction, and which will be one of the finest
manufacturing plants of its kind in the city when completed. It is
a brick building 34 x 100 feet in dimensions, three stories and
basement, and will be equipped with the most reliable and
up-to-date machinery obtainable, every facility for the most
expeditious dispatch of work compatible with the manufacture of
high class articles being included in the appointments. The company
are also adding to the working force from time to time, finding
considerable difficulty in keeping up with a steady stream of
orders. Mr. Charles Voelker, the senior member of the firm, is a
hard-working and reliable business man. He has been remarkably
successful in his latest venture, which is advancing to a place
among the appreciable industrial factors of the city. He is a
citizen of sterling merit, and though he takes no active part in
public affairs is public-spirited and interested in welfare of the
city in which he found a fruitful field for his efforts. He is a
Democrat in politics, and a Catholic in religious faith. Mr.
Voelker married Caroline Rothenberger, like himself a native of
Germany, and eight children have been born to them: Charles T. (who
is in business with his father), Lewis, Edward, Mary, Carrie,
Catherine, Anna and Joseph.

Charles T. Voelker, manager and part owner of
the Berks Manufacturing Company, was born in Reading Jan. 29, 1884,
and received his early education in the schools of Pottstown,
supplementing it with a course at the Reading Business College. He
is thoroughly fitted for the superintendency of the plant, the
marvelous growth of which since it came under the present
management is due in a great measure to his executive ability. He
is a young man of forceful personality and excellent business
judgment, and his energy has made itself felt in every department
of the factory, which has made a most creditable showing under his
guiding hand.

VOGEL,
FRANCIS F.

p. 1520

Surnames: VOGEL, CROWMAN, GEHRING, HOUSER, HOUSMAN, LIEBECK,
SCHEAFER, SWENK

Francis F. Vogel, a well-known business man of Reading, Pa., who
conducted a restaurant for a number of years at No. 833 Penn
street, died in Reading Oct. 1, 1901. Mr. Vogel was born in this
city in 1858, son of Felix and Margaret (Swenk) Vogel. Felix Vogel
was born in Germany, and there grew to manhood. He emigrated to
America, and from New York City, where he had landed, removed to
Lehigh county, Pa., and thence to Reading, being engaged in the
contracting business for the Philadelphia & Reading Company, at
a sawmill, sawing wood for fuel for the engines. Mr. Vogel died at
the age of fifty years, his wife living until seventy-three, and
both were interred in Reading. Their children were: William; Mary,
the wife of Francis Houser; John; Joseph; Charles; Adam; Annie, the
wife of August Gehring; and Francis F.

Francis F. Vogel attended the schools of
Reading, and when a young man was employed with his brother-in-law,
Mr. Houser, who was a florist. He was later employed at the
Philadelphia & Reading shops continuing there for fifteen
years, after which he engaged in the restaurant business at No. 833
Penn street, and in this line continued until his death. Mr. Vogel
was a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church, and was buried at the
new Catholic cemetery, Reading. In his political belief he was a
Democrat.

Mr. Vogel married Miss Annie E. Liebeck,
daughter of Nicholas and Margaret (Scheafer) Liebeck, and she
survives him and resides at No. 354 North Eleventh street. She
continued the restaurant business for one and one half years after
her husband’s death, when she sold out. To Mr. and Mrs. Vogel were
born children as follows: Mary, the wife of Edward Housman, lives
at No. 645 Moss street, Reading, George F., a foreman in the
Textile Machine Works, married Mary Crowman, and resides at No. 749
South Eighth street.

During the Spanish-American war he enlisted for
service, was promoted to corporal and later to quarter master
sergeant, served in the Philippines, and was honorably discharged;
Sadie, who died when ten years old; and Edith, at home.

VON NIEDA,
J. HALLER

p. 1685

Surnames: VON NIEDA, HALLER, LIGHT, RICHARD

Reverend J. Haller Von Nieda, former pastor of the Gospel
Tabernacle at No. 1003 Franklin street, died April 5, 1908. He was
a well-known Berks county undenominational church worker, and was
born Dec. 14, 1860, near Fritztown, Berks county, Pa., son of
Philip and Annie (Haller) Von Nieda, natives of this section.

J. H. Von Nieda received his early education in
the schools of Berks county, and for four years attended Lebanon
Valley College, at Danville. He was licensed while at school, at
the age of nineteen years commencing to preach, which he continued
for six years and returned to college, where he remained for one
year. His first charge was the United Brethren Church at Rayville,
Md., where he remained for one year, afterward preaching in
Halifax, Pa., for sixteen months, followed by three years at
Lykenstown, and one year at Shamokin. After his year’s work at
college he took charge of the United Brethren Church in Reading,
May 12, 1889, to finish the unexpired term of Rev. Job Light, after
which the Conference retained him five successive terms of one year
each. He was then returned to the First United Brethren Church in
Lebanon, and after doing evangelistic work for one year, returned
to Reading and for two years labored at Zion United Brethren
Church. Rev. Mr. Von Nieda then retired from that denomination and
for two years preached the Gospel independently, when he began the
establishment of Gospel Tabernacle, which was completed in 1901. He
was an earnest worker, beloved by his congregation and respected by
all.

Rev. Mr. Von Nieda married July 10, 1983, Mollie
R. Richard, and to them there were born two children: Mary H., who
died aged nine months; and Philip D., born Dec. 14, 1885, and has
charge of the wireless station at Culebra Islands, in the United
States Navy service.