Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

SHEARER, CHRISTOPHER

p.
724

Surnames: SHEARER, RAPP, PHILLIPPI, DRAYER, EBLING, MAURER, BULL,
DEEM, LEASE

Among the representative citizens and leading agriculturists of
Berks county, none is more worthy of mention in this publication
than Mr. Christopher Shearer, whose excellent farm is located in
Muhlenberg township. Mr. Shearer was born Nov. 8, 1820, in the city
of Reading, son of Jonathan and Polly (Rapp) Shearer.

Christopher Johan Shearer, grandfather of
Christopher, was the founder of the family in America. He came from
Holland and settled at Reading, Pa., where he followed his trade of
shoemaker until the outbreak of the Revolutionary war. With other
neighbors he was drafted for service and participated in the battle
of Long Island, and the retreat through New Jersey to Philadelphia.
Here his regiment’s term, with nearly all of the other bodies of
militia, under the three months enlistment period, expired. It is
probable the farmers would have all returned to their homes and the
tradesmen to their trades, had not General Washington made a
stirring speech to them in which he demonstrated that all would be
lost unless the militia re-enlisted, contracting to serve six
months longer, giving them a hope that the struggle might then see
an end. We are accustomed in these days to look on all the
Revolutionary soldiers as unselfish patriots, but that all of the
militia did not belong to this class was shown when in spite of the
commander’s appeal, the larger number returned to their homes.
Among the few who again offered his life and liberty to the country
was Christopher Johan Shearer, and he was one of the soldiers that
took part in the historic Crossing of the Delaware and the fight
with the Hessians. After the expiration of his six months service,
he was drafted again into the militia, and fought in the battle of
the Brandywine, on which occasion the militia was placed in the
front as reserved troops. The grandfather in after years described
this battle as having taken place on a calm, smoky day. The firing
was done in platoons, each platoon stepping backward after they had
discharged their guns. Soldier Shearer knelt down to get a view of
the English troops under the cloud of smoke and in this action was
wounded in the left forearm. The next morning news reached General
Washington that the British had made an incursion into the farming
country for provisions, and the commander said that the Reading
militia had done such good service that he would accord them the
honor and pleasure of capturing this foraging party. In spite of
his wounded arm, Mr. Shearer determined to assist in this effort
and accompanied the body of soldiers that met the British, who were
well prepared for the assault. Just at this time General Washington
discovered that instead of a foraging party, he had sent his brave
Reading militia to attack the entire British army. He immediately
sent General Wayne’s division which soon checked the English and
caused their retreat and thus saved the militia from complete
annihilation. Mr. Shearer’s enlistment, or draft, had now expired,
and he returned for a rest of several months, but subsequently
re-entered the army and did guard duty at Royersford, being then a
non-commissioned officer in his company. After being here for some
time the Reading militia found a platoon of British cavalry
endeavoring to cross and the former wisely took shelter in a small
wood near by, and by rapid firing drove the enemy back. One of the
British dropped to his saddle after the firing.

Like in our own days political feeling ran high
and the German element was largely in sympathy with the British
soldiers at that time. Mr. Shearer and wife were members of the
German Reformed Church, and while he was absent in the army one of
his children died and the church refused burial privileges on
account of his serving with Washington, and not having paid the
last year’s assessment of tax on its members. In her extremity his
wife turned to the Lutheran denomination, asking from them a burial
lot, which they readily granted, and when Mr. Shearer returned to
his home and learned the facts he said: “From this time on we are
Lutherans.” He again engaged in shoemaking, which he followed until
he was appointed justice of the peace, an office which he held
until his death in 1827. Mr. Shearer was married to Julia
Phillippi, who, according to family traditions, was the first
female child born in Reading. There was a boy child born in Reading
named Drayer, being the first born, but she was the second child
and the first female. To Christopher Johan Shearer and wife were
born a number of children, of whom but four lived: Jonathan, John,
Solomon and Benjamin. In political belief Mr. Shearer was a
Federalist.

Jonathan Shearer, father of Christopher learned
the shoemaker’s trade with his father, and followed it for a few
years, After which he became an artist, and some of his paintings
can be found in Reading to this day. Subsequently he learned the
tanner’s and currier’s trade with Abel Ebling, and this he carried
on for some time but in 1832 he engaged in farming, in which he
continued until his death, when he was aged sixty-four years. His
wife lived to be eighty years of age, and had a family of eleven
children, as follows: Peter, Christopher, Benjamin, Joseph, Julian,
Solomon, Mary, Hannah, Daniel, Jonathan and Rebecca. The family
were Lutherans in religious belief, and Whigs in politics.

Christopher Shearer was educated in the pay
schools of Reading, also spending two terms in the common schools.
He learned the carpenter’s trade, which he followed for fifteen
years, and then located in Muhlenberg township and purchased the
old Daniel Maurer farm, which he converted into the Tuckerton Fruit
farm. This property became famous throughout the county, a season
crop including from 3,000 to 5,000 bushels of potatoes, 1, 000 to
1,500 bushels of Bartlett pears, 3,000 to 4,000 bushels of apples,
many bushels of cherries and 3,000 to 4,000 baskets of peaches, not
to mention hay, corn, etc. In addition to the crops mentioned about
one hundred tons of tobacco and from eighty to one hundred barrels
of Clinton grape wine are produced annually. When the Early Rose
potato was first offered for sale at one dollar a pound by its
producer, Mr. Shearer bought one pound, and planted it to a single
eye. He dug them up in July, having developed very early and he
planted them again, getting a full harvest of seventeen bushels.
These were all planted the following year, and were sold at a high
figure, thus introducing the fine potato to this section of the
country. When Mr. Bull of Massachusetts advertised three different
grapes-Concord, Clinton and a raisin grape-at three dollars per
stalk, or nine dollars, Mr. Shearer sent for one of each kind, and
the Concord and Clinton grapes have proved very valuable. The Globe
peach was a standard variety, and was produced on the Tuckerton
Fruit Farm, some of the trees yielding thirteen baskets each of 5/8
measure. These large peaches were exhibited at county fairs, always
drawing premiums. They won the first premium at the State Fair at
Philadelphia, over Jersey and Delaware peaches, and at the close of
the Fair was sold at twenty-five cents each to Jersey and Delaware
peach growers.

Mr. Shearer has done more, perhaps, to build up
this section of the country than any other citizen. He petitioned
the court to open Muhlenberg street, which was granted, and here he
made a draft and laid out the solid block between Eighth and Ninth
streets, Bingaman and Muhlenberg, named Spring Garden street,
purchased a half-square of land on which he built twenty-one
houses, bought the acre of land from Eighth street to Lemon alley
and from Cherry to Franklin, building eleven houses on Lemon alley,
two on Eighth street, and four south of Franklin street. He also
purchased the corner of Penn and Eighth streets, where he built a
number of houses and bought land on Walnut, Elm and Buttonwood
streets. He petitioned the court to open Elm and Buttonwood
streets, both being granted, and built a number of houses, being
both a contractor and builder. finally he purchased a five-acre lot
below the Charles Evans cemetery.

In 1843 Mr. Shearer was married (first) to
Catherine Deem, and to them were born these children: Peter D.,
Christopher H., Esther, Oliver R., Edmond L., Rebecca, Mary,
Catherine and Rose. Mr. Shearer was married (second) to Fietta M.
Lease, and to them four children were born: Clara, Sylvan, one who
died in infancy, and Gay Y. Mr. Shearer was a Lutheran in religious
belief, but is now a Spiritualist. In politics he was first a Whig,
then a Republican and now is independent. He was a candidate for
lieutenant governor on the Greenback ticket, and was nominated for
congress in the Berks county district, was defeated by the old
party, though receiving a satisfactory vote. Though now
eighty-eight years old he is still well and strong, and is actively
engaged in looking after his truck farm and his numerous
properties.

SHEARER, CHRISTOPHER
HIGH

p. 1566

Surnames: SHEARER, DEVLAN, RASER, ECKERT, SCHEARER, DIEHL

Christopher High Shearer, a landscape painter of national
reputation, whose artistic creations are in numerous prominent
homes in Pennsylvania and other states of America, was born at
Reading, May 18, 1846. After receiving a general education in the
local schools he manifested an inclination for the study of art,
which resulted in frequent visits to the studios of F. D. Devlan
and J. Heyl Raser. Upon one occasion, whilst in the studio of the
latter, watching the development of a landscape on the easel, he
remarked innocently to Mr. Raser, “I believe I can paint,” when the
artist looked up and replied pleasantly, “Yes, a man can do
anything if he tries.” The ambitious boy tried and the result of
his first endeavor was so satisfactory that he was encouraged to
continue. He persevered in his studies and in ten years, when
twenty-seven years of age, produced a picture which attracted great
public attention and won the favorable opinion of art critics. It
was a large woodland scene which he entitled “Schwartzbach” and it
found a place in the art gallery of a prominent manufacturer and
banker at Reading, Henry S. Eckert. Shortly afterward Mr. Shearer
went to Europe to pursue his studies in the great art schools of
Dusseldorf and Munich and remained there several years. He also
visited the principal art galleries of Germany. Upon his return he
painted a number of foreign subjects one of which was an admirable
picture of the Bavarian Alps and was given a place of honor in the
Academy of Fine Arts at Philadelphia. In 1878, he went again to
Dusseldorf and spent a year in that city. Later he visited Paris
and studied French art for a time.

Of the many remarkable productions from his
prolific brush during the past thirty years, which give abundant
evidence of his creative genius, the “Smoky Range” (1889) in the
Reading Free Library, is admittedly one of his best, as well as one
of his largest, paintings.

Mr. Shearer is also a naturalist, and his large
and superior collection of butterflies, numbering 35,000, both in
their natural state, and as painted by him in the various stages of
development from the egg on the leaf to the “full-blown” butterfly,
prove him to be a persevering student of nature.

For some years Mr. Shearer has cultivated a farm
in Muhlenberg township, along the east bank of the Schuylkill
river, near Stoudt’s Ferry Bridge, and has manufactured
considerable quantities of grape wine as a diversion from his art
work. Another pastime is the study of music, and he is a pleasing
performer on the violin.

Mr. Shearer’s father is Christopher Shearer, now
over ninety years of age, and who was a large fruit grower for many
years in Muhlenberg township, near Tuckerton. His grandfather was
Jonathan Shearer, fruit-grower and builder, of Reading, who was a
son of John Christopher Schearer, a Revolutionary soldier in the
company of Captain John Diehl, and a justice of the peace at
Reading from 1813 until his decease in 1830.

SHEARER,
DAVID R.

p. 1222

Surnames: SHEARER, RUBRIGHT, MUNTZ, LINK, BREHAN, WERTZ

David R. Shearer, a leading contractor and builder of Reading, Pa.,
was born March 13, 1850, in Perry township, Berks county, son of
David and Sarah (Rubright) Shearer, and grandson of John Shearer.

John Shearer was a farmer of Perry township, and
was also engaged as a stone mason. He married a Miss Lesher, and to
them were born these children: David; John; Hannah, who died in
1906, at the age of ninety-three years; Kate; Caroline; Anna;
Sarah; Mary and Elizabeth. In religious belief the family were
members of the Reformed Church., David Shearer, son of John, was
born June 24, 1819, and was a farmer and carpenter in Perry
township, following the latter occupation until eighty years of
age, since which time he has lived retired, he now being in his
ninetieth year. His wife, Sarah Rubright, died in December, 1905,
when seventy-eight years old. Their children were: Daniel, William,
David R., Samuel, Frank, Catherine, all living, Joel, Sarah and
Anna, deceased. In religious belief the family were Reformed, and
in politics David Shearer was a Democrat.

David R. Shearer was educated in the schools of
Perry Township, and as a young man learned the carpenter’s trade
with his father, an occupation which he has followed since his
eighteenth year. Until 1892 he engaged as a journeyman, but since
that year he has been engaged in contracting, his present holdings
being fourteen stone-front houses on North Eleventh street, the
block between Robeson and Marion streets. Mr. Sheerer employs an
average of six men, and his buildings have been mostly confined to
the northeastern section of the city, where he has erected many
building blocks.

Mr. Shearer was married to Catherine Muntz, also
a native of Perry township, and to them were born five children, as
follows: Annie, m. to William C., Link; Charles D., who is
associated with his father in business, m. to Flossie Brehan;
Sallie, m. to Harry Wertz; and Katie and Elizabeth, single. Mr.
Shearer is a Democrat in politics, and he and Mrs. Shearer attend
the Reformed Church, of which he as been an elder since 1895.

SHEARER
FAMILY

p. 1222

Surnames: SHEARER, PHILLIPI, TOBIAS, HERBINE, REIGEL, SOUDER,
ZIEMER, YORGEY, HAIN, DUNDORE, WEITZEL, HIESTER, LEINBACH,
HORNBERGER, BRYAN, FLEISHER, GOOD, WALLACE, LIVINGOOD, WITMAN,
POTTEIGER, MADEIRA, SCHWARTZ, LEHR

For many years the Shearer family has been prominently identified
with the best interests of Berks county, and its members have been
associated with the general development and prosperity. Among those
to whom special attention is called are William Y. Shearer, justice
of the peace of Bern township, and Dr. James Y. Shearer, a
physician of Spring township.

(I) Christopher Shearer, the founder of the Shearer family in
America, when seventeen years old came from Germany to Reading,
Pa., when that city was but a small town. He was a justice of the
peace, and had his office at what is now the corner of Eighth and
Penn streets. His wife was a member of the Phillipi family. These
two spent the remainder of their lives in Reading, dying there.
Their children were: John P., Jonathan P., Benjamin P., and Solomon
P., all but John dying at Reading.

(II) John P. Shearer was born at Reading, but in early manhood he
removed to Bern township, locating on the farm now owned by Judge
Shearer. He took up 100 acres of land in 1799, and there spent the
remainder of his useful life, dying in 1847, when seventy-four
years of age. He is buried at Epler’s Church. During his residence
in the township he became prominent in local affairs, was
constable, and later justice of the peace. Under his management his
farm was improved and he erected necessary buildings, which were
rebuilt by his son, Samuel T. Shearer. His first wife was Sophia
Tobias, a daughter of Christian Tobias, and of this marriage the
following children were born: Esther T., who died unmarried; John
T.; Jacob T.; Abraham T.; William T.; Samuel T.; George T.;
Elizabeth T., who died unmarried; Mary T., who married John
Herbine; Annie T., who married Joseph Reigel; and Sarah T., who
married David Souder. After the death of his wife Sophia, John P.
Shearermarried a Miss Lehr, by which union there was no issue. By
his third wife, Lydia Ziemer, widow of William Ziemer, he had two
children: Senator Edward, an attorney of Reading, and Susan, who
was killed in a railroad accident when a girl.

(III) Samuel T. Shearer, the father of William Y. and Dr. James Y.
Shearer, was born in Bern township, where he engaged in farming. In
1829 he was married in Reading, to Catherine Yorgey, a daughter of
Henry Yorgey, of Exeter, and twelve children were born to them:
William Y. and James Y. are mentioned below; Catherine married
Emanuel Hain; Eliza married Benneville Dundore; Sarah married
Weitzel; Gettie married Evan Hiester; Benjamin Y., Esq., of
Reading, married Clara Leinbach; Aaron married Emma Hiester, and,
after her demise, Mary Ann Hornberger; Amos has his home with his
brother William.; three died young.

While not a public official, Samuel T. Shearer
always took an interest in public affairs, and was a good farmer
and business man. He lived on the home place, further improving it,
and when it passed into the hands of William Y. Shearer it was
considered one of the best pieces of property in the township, and
is still so regarded.

William Y. Shearer was born in Reading, Pa.,
Jan. 12, 1830, but when seven years of age he was brought to Bern
township, where he completed the education begun in the public
schools of Reading. Later, from 1864 to 1869, he taught school in
Bern township, being engaged at the Eplers, Albright and what was
then known as the Mine Hole (now the Shearer) schools. However, the
better portion of Mr. Shearer’s life has been spent in farming, and
he is regarded as one of the representative farmers of his
township. For over half a century he has also been a surveyor, and
has been employed in surveying much of the county. During his term
of service as auditor of Berks county, to which office he was
elected in 1869, the county was cleared of debt, and his financial
foresight gained him a high reputation as a public official. In
politics he is a Jeffersonian Democrat, and firm in his belief in
the future of his party. His religious affiliations are with the
Reformed faith.

On Oct. 27, 1853, Mr. Shearer married Caroline
C. Bryan, a daughter of Jeremiah and Elizabeth Bryan, born Dec. 8,
1829, died Oct. 19, 1897, at the age of sixty-seven. She is buried
at Epler’s Church. No children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Shearer,
but they took a little girl of eleven, Ellen Fleisher, and reared
her as their own. Miss Fleisher is also a native of Bern township.

One of the old landmarks of Berks county was the
court-house built in 1761, and torn down in 1840, and Mr. Shearer
remembers it well, as he does many very interesting events
connected with local and national affairs. He is a man of
unflinching principle, true to his best ideals, and a citizen of
whom the county may well be proud.

James Y. Shearer, M. D., A. M., of Sinking
Spring, a successful practitioner of medicine in Berks county for
upward of forty years, was born at Reading Oct. 5, 1836. When he
was a child his father removed to Bern township, and he there
received his early education in the public schools. Later he
attended the normal school at Reading, conducted by Rev. Dr.
William Good, who afterward became the first county superintendent
of common schools. At that institution he acquired a further
knowledge of books, making a specialty of Latin and Greek. When but
fifteen he began to teach school, and he thus continued for five
years, spending three years at Tuckerton and two years in Upper
Tulpehocken township, near Strausstown. In 1860 he determined to
study medicine, and after successfully passing a severe literary
examination under Dr. Edward Wallace, to demonstrate his fitness,
he entered the office of this eminent physician, with who he
remained for three years, accompanying him in his daily work among
his patients. During the fall and winter months of 1860-61-62 he
attended lectures at the Jefferson Medical College, and was
graduated therefrom in 1862. Immediately thereafter he located at
Strausstown, entering into an introductory practice among the
people whose confidence he had gained as a school teacher, and
there remained for three years. Learning then of a larger and in
every way better opening at Sinking Spring, caused by the removal
of Dr. Michael T. Livingood to the West, he determined to take his
place in an office which had been started by Dr. A. H. Witman about
1840, and has been carried on continuously ever since. Since his
removal to Sinking Spring, Dr. Shearer has been in active practice.
His patients are scattered over an area of many miles. At the
request of many of his patients he opened an office in Reading,
where he sees office patients upon stated days.

In 1862 Dr. Shearer became a member of the
Medical Society of Berks county; in 1868 he joined the Pennsylvania
State Medical Society, and in 1880 he became associated with the
American Medical Association, and is still a member of all three
bodies. He was president of the Berks County Medical Society for
several terms, and has represented the society as delegate to the
state and national associations more than once. His papers upon
various professional topics have aroused favorable comment. In 1887
he was the only accredited representative from Berks county to the
International Medical Congress at its ninth annual convention, held
at Washington, D. C., and received one of the handsome medals
specially prepared to mark the occasion. This medal is one of Dr.
Shearer’s most valued possessions. In 1884 Franklin and Marshall
College conferred the degree of Master of Arts upon Dr. Shearer by
reason of his acquirements in Latin and Greek. Twelve men who
afterward became successful physicians studied medicine under Dr.
Shearer and learned to love as well as respect and admire him. He
is the best known physician in lower Berks county, where he has
witnessed many changes in social and industrial progress.

While Dr. Shearer was practising at Strausstown
he was selected to act as school director of Upper Tulpehocken
township, and he officiated as secretary of the board for one term.
This was during the Civil war, and as secretary he raised the
necessary funds to fill the quota of soldiers from the township to
avoid the draft, levying the tax, according to law, to meet the
obligation. As director of the Farmers National Bank, of Reading,
for twenty-five years Dr. Shearer has given the bank the benefit of
his sagacity and business foresight.

Dr. Shearer married Eliza G. Potteiger, daughter
of Jacob Potteiger, of Upper Tulpehocken, and they had one
daughter, Alva, who married Dr. J. D. Madeira. Dr. Madeira was one
of Dr. Shearer’s medical students, and thus met his future wife;
later he graduated from Jefferson College, and is now a successful
physician of Reading. In 1879 Mrs. Eliza G. Shearer died aged
forty-nine years. In 1882 Dr. Shearer married Susanna Schwartz,
daughter of James Schwartz, a miller, who for many years resided at
the mouth of the Wyomissing creek, in Cumru township, opposite
Reading.

From this brief chronicle can be readily
gathered the importance of the services rendered by the Shearer
family to Berks county, both in their capacity as public officials
and as private citizens. The name has come to be associated with
all that is best and most public-spirited, and the present
representatives of the family hold the esteem and admiration of
their neighbors in the several communities in which they are to be
found.

SHEARER
FAMILY

p. 1598

Surnames: SHEARER, DIEHL, SNYDER, PHILLIPPI, PRINTZ, HIGH, RAPP,
DIEHM, WITMAN, RITTER, RIBBLE, KEISER, SELLERS, MCNULTY, BURKEY,
STIRL, POTTS, ZACHARIAS, MCCALLUM, ROTHERMEL, HESSER, BREINER,
HETRICH, LUDEN, HELLER, ROBINSON, WARLEY, EISENBERGER,

The Shearer family has been settled in Berks county for over one
hundred and forty years and is still represented among the best
elements of its citizenship. Its members have during all this time
contributed their full share toward maintaining the high standing
of the name for honor in business and social relations.

John Christopher Shearer, the emigrant ancestor
of this family, was born in Germany in 1752, and emigrated to
America, sailing from Rotterdam. He was a shoemaker by trade.
Settling at Reading, Berks Co., Pa., which was then a very small
town, he there passed the remainder of his life, except for the
time he was serving as a soldier in the Revolutionary war. He was
in the colonial forces, enlisted as a private in the company of
Capt. John Diehl, of Reading, and took part in the battle of the
Brandywine in which he was wounded, a bullet passing through his
forearm and breaking it. He became one of the most prominent men of
Berks county in his day, and long served as justice of the peace,
holding that office for nearly twenty years. He received his
commission from Governor Snyder. He died in 1830, at the age of
seventy-eight years, widely known and respected all over his
portion of the State. His wife was Juliana Phillippi, a daughter of
John Phillippi, of Reading and a member of a French-Huguenot
family; and she was the first white female child born at Reading,
and died Dec. 28, 1831, aged seventy-eight years.

Jonathan Shearer, son of John Christopher, was
born Sept. 18, 1780, and was brought up at Reading. He received
such education as the average schools of his day afforded, and was
well prepared to make his way in the world, having a knowledge of
three different trades, shoemaking, tanning and the painting of
clock dials. He also farmed out-lots, being what was then known in
Reading as a town farmer, having about fifteen acres of land now
included in the city, which he cultivated successfully. He and
three other enterprising young men of Reading (his brother Solomon
Shearer, John Printz and Abraham High) started the cultivation of
the first vineyards in Berks county, each for himself on half-acre
adjoining lots, situated on South Eighth street, between Bingaman
and Muhlenberg streets. Thus it may be judged that he was a man of
energy and resource, and he became a citizen of excellent standing.
Jonathan Shearer married Mary Rapp, daughter of Peter and Hanna
(High) Rapp, of Reading and she survived him many years, dying in
1879, at the advanced age of eighty-two. Mr. Shearer had died in
1845, at the age of sixty-five years. They had a family of eleven
children, namely: Peter, an attorney of Reading who died unmarried;
Christopher A., now a retired contractor and builder of Reading who
married Catharine Diehm; Benjamin, who died unmarried at the age of
twenty-nine years; Joseph, who is mentioned below; Solomon,
mentioned, below; Jonathan, who married Mary Witman; Daniel,
mentioned below; Rebecca, unmarried; Juliana, wife of William S.
Ritter; Mary, married to William Ribble; and Hannah, who married
David Keiser.

Joseph Shearer, who has lived retired for the
past few years, is one of the oldest residents in his part of the
city of Reading, having occupied his present home, at the corner of
Eighth and Franklin streets, since 1858. Fifty years is a long
period of residence in one spot, and involves a test of good
citizenship which Mr. Shearer has stood well. He was born Feb. 13,
1828, in Reading, and there received his education in the common
schools. He attended the very first day of free school. Carpentry,
which trade he learned early, has been the principal business of
his life, and he followed it off and on the greater part of the
time during his active years, doing considerable building and
selling for himself. For about four years he was also engaged in
the mercantile business, and for may years following was greatly
interested in the culture of fruit and truck, but for several years
past he has lived retired, enjoying the competence he laid away in
his younger days. Mr. Shearer is particularly fond of good
literature and has a good supply in his home, which his leisure
enables him to enjoy as never before. He has always been an
industrious man, and deserves the esteem which is everywhere
accorded him. His acquaintanceship is wide, and he is favorable
known wherever he has had dealings with his fellow-men, whether in
business of other relations. In his political faith Mr. Shearer is
a Republican, and though he has not been active in party affairs he
served in the council in 1859-60. Mr. Shearer can relate many
stories of the early days in Reading, which have been handed down
from his father and grandfather, and which are particularly
interesting to those who have a taste for folklore and
characteristic incidents of old times in Berks county.

Mr. Shearer was united in marriage with Louisa
Sellers, a daughter of Nathaniel Sellers and granddaughter of Dr.
Tobias Sellers, of Montgomery county, who practised medicine in the
county, where he died. Nathaniel Sellers followed the trades of
cooper and potter, and was engaged in business for several years.
He died in Reading at the age of fifty-eight, and his wife,
Magdalena (McNulty), died at the age of fifty-six. Six children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Shearer: John Christopher died in
infancy; Charles Oscar and Joseph Sellers died in childhood; Louisa
M. is the wife of William C. Burkey, who is engaged in the
contracting and building business in Reading; Helen Mary is the
wife of George S. Stirl, of Reading; William J., a farmer in Alsace
township, Berks county, married Ellen Potts, and they have six
children, William, Charles, Mabel, Irene, Irvin, and Emily.

Solomon Shearer, for fifty years one of the most
enterprising and successful farmers and fruit growers of Berks
county, residing at Vinemont, was born at Reading March 16, 1830,
son of Jonathan Shearer. He received a limited education in the
public schools of Reading (the free system having just been started
when he began going to school) and then learned the trade of
carpenter. He had followed that pursuit as a journeyman but a short
while when he directed his attention to the cultivation of trees
and fruits of various kinds, beginning at Reading in a small way.
He remained at Reading two years, but wishing to engage in the
business more extensively purchased a farm in Muhlenberg township,
near Tuckerton, where he could carry out his plans, enlarging the
business year after year for twenty-seven years, which evidences
the success of his enterprising efforts. Then in 1881, having
purchased a large farm in Lower Heidelberg, a short distance beyond
Fritztown, his operations were developed to still greater
proportions, and were extended year after year until he came to own
three farms embracing 375 acres, all under active cultivation, and
to produce valuable and wonderful crops, as the following
particulars will show most conclusively; Seven acres of
strawberries; four thousand to eight thousand bushels of picked
apples; two thousand to eight thousand bushels of peaches (varying
according to seasons); hundred of barrels of wine, of five
different kinds; and great quantities of cider. The looking after
all these productions annually from the beginning to the end
through the several seasons, undoubtedly required exceptional
ability, and Mr. Shearer displayed such ability in a manner as
remarkable as it was most successful. Besides these great
operations, he took upon himself the burdens of other persons
involving many thousands of dollars, which he also mastered, but
only by the exercise of the greatest possible skill, economy and
determination in the management of his multitudinous affairs. His
life has been one continuous struggle against adverse
circumstances, if not the natural enemies to farmers and fruit
growers on the one hand, then the financial embarrassments of
others on the other, which a sympathetic disposition led him to
assume; and he has the proud satisfaction of known that he survived
them all, making of himself a free and independent man.

In 1857 Mr. Shearer married Amelia Zacharias, a
daughter of John A. Zacharias, farmer of Muhlenberg township, and
by her he had three children, Emma D. (unmarried), Catharine (who
has become a successful teacher and traveler) and Rosa E. (who has
become a successful nurse in New York City). Upon his wife’s
decease, in 1866, he married Mary A. Sellers, a daughter of Dr.
Henry A. Sellers, druggist at Pottstown, Pa., and by this union had
two children, Martha M. (married Malcom McCallum) and Walter J.

John Zacharias, father of Solomon Shearer’s
first wife, was married to Catharine Rothermel, born Oct. 30, 1797,
a daughter of Peter Rothermel, and they had eight children, John,
Peter, Rebecca, Sarah, Mary, Amelia (Mrs. Shearer), Catharine and
Deborah.

Dr. Henry A. Sellers, his second wife’s father
was married to Mary A. Hesser, of Pottstown, by whom he had eight
children: George, Harry, John, Faber, Anna, Juliet, Mary A. (Mrs.
Shearer) and Louisa.

Daniel Shearer, another son of Jonathan Shearer,
was the father of Frank D. Shearer, florist, of the borough of
Wyomissing. He was born in Reading, Feb. 10, 1843, and died there
Dec. 25, 1880, at the age of thirty-seven years. He was cut down in
the midst of a successful career, for he had already attained a
good reputation in the shoe business, which he carried on at Nos.
704-706 Penn street, Reading. He is buried in the Charles Evans
cemetery. Mr. Shearer was one of the well-known men of his day and
generation, and he was one of the early Rainbow firemen of the
city. He married Annie Breiner, daughter of Charles and Catharine
(Hetrich) Breiner, the former a grocer at Third and Chestnut
street, Reading. Mr. and Mrs. Shearer had one son and one daughter;
Annie May, unmarried, who is a well-known school teacher in
Reading; and Frank D., mentioned below.

Frank D. Shearer, son of Daniel, was born at
Reading Sept. 27, 1879. He attended the public schools of his
native city, going as far as the high school, and commenced work as
a young man with William H. Luden, the confectioner of Reading,
entering his employ in 1895. He remained with him for five years,
working in turn as office boy, clerk and assistant paymaster, and
at the end of that time went to work for C. F. Heller, the
book-binder. After being in his employ for two years Mr. Shearer
took an education tour to Indianapolis, Ind., where he acquired his
first knowledge of his present business with Fred Robinson, a
well-known florist of that State. He remained one year with Mr.
Robinson, learning the various branches of the trade, and on his
return to Berks county established himself in his present business
at Wyomissing. Commencing in a small way, he has extended his
accommodations to meet the demands of a constantly growing
patronage, and he has tree modern greenhouses, having 10,000 feet
under glass. He is located at the corner of Evans and Garfield
avenues, in the borough of Wyomissing. Mr. Shearer’s trade is not
confined to the locality, his customers being found as far distant
as Philadelphia and at points in New Jersey. He raises fine
flowers, making a specialty of chrysanthemums and carnations, and
also grows vegetables under glass, such as lettuce, radishes,
cucumbers, tomatoes. Mr. Shearer finds this branch of his business
quite profitable. He has won success by industrious and intelligent
application to the advancement of his business, and deserves the
rewards which have come to him.

On March 29, 1903, Mr. Shearer was married to
Miss Edith Warley, daughter of Frank and Kate (Eisenberger) Warley,
of Reading. Two children have been born to this union, Warley
Donald, March 21, 1907; and Dorothy Virginia, Sept. 3. 1908. Mr.
Shearer is a member of the Church of our Father, the only
Universalist Church in Reading. He is likewise liberal in political
sentiment, inclining toward the best tenets of socialism, with
equal rights for all.

SHEARER, WAYNE
LEINBACH

p. 518

Surnames: SHEARER, LEINBACH, YORGEY, HAIN, DUNDORE, WEITZEL,
HIESTER, SHERRER, ESTERLY, RICH, STICHTER, HOFF, ALTHOUSE, GRAEFF,
HOFFMAN, SCHNEIDER, COOPER, CARROLL

Wayne Leinbach Shearer, B. S., M. S., M. D., was born in Reading,
Berks Co., Pa., Oct. 3, 1876. His early school life he spent in the
private school of Miss Jennie Cooper, on South Fifth Street, later
attending the Reading public schools at North Seventh and Dick
streets and Washington and Rose streets. He was prepared for
College in the Carroll Institute, of which Professor Edward
Carroll, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland was
principal. Dr. Shearer was graduated from the Pennsylvania State
College June 13, 1900, receiving the degree of Bachelor of Science,
and in the Fall of the same year entered the University of
Pennsylvania, Medical Department, from which he was graduated June
15, 1904, receiving the degree of Doctor of Medicine. On June 13,
1906, the degree of Master of Science was conferred by the
Pennsylvania State College upon Dr. Shearer.

He has been active in the practice of medicine
since his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania. In
addition he is treasurer of the Leinbach Box Company a corporation,
engaged in the manufacture of wooden packing cases, crates etc.,
also secretary and treasurer of the Reading Manufacturing Company,
a corporation, manufacturing washing machines.

He is a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Fraternity and the Theta Nu Epsilon Fraternity, the former of which
Greek Letter societies is still active at both the University of
Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State College. He is also a
member of St. John’s Lodge No. 435, F. & A. M.; of Excelsior
Chapter No. 237, R. A. M.; and of Reading Commandery, No. 42, K. T.

Doctor Shearer is the only child of Benjamin Y.
Shearer and Clara A. Shearer (nee Leinbach). His father, Benjamin
Y. Shearer, was born in Bern township, Berks county, Dec. 15, 1848,
where he received part of his preliminary education; later he
attended the Reading Classical Academy. He taught school from 1864
to 1874, and during the latter part of that period devoted his
spare time to the study of law; also the entire year from 1874
until the time of his admission to the Berks County Bar on April
12, 1875, since which time he has been steadily engaged in the
practice of law. He married, Oct. 14, 1875, Clara A. Leinbach. He
is a member of St. John’s Lodge No. 435, F. & A. M.; Excelsior
Chapter, No. 237, R. A. M.; and a past commander of Reading
Commandery, No. 42, K. T.

Benjamin Y. Shearer is a son of Samuel T.
Shearer, born Feb. 29, 1808, died in 1881, and Catharine D. Shearer
(nee Yorgey), born April 1, 1810, died July 1, 1893. He is a
brother to William Y. Shearer, James Y. Shearer, M. D., Catharine
Y. Hain, Elizabeth Y. Dundore, Sarah Y. Weitzel (deceased), Aaron
Y. Shearer, Amos Y. Shearer, and Brigetta Y. Hiester (deceased).
His father Samuel T. Shearer, was a son of John Shearer, born in
1773, and died in 1847, who in turn was a son of John Christopher
Sherrer, who came to America from Germany in 1769, landing at
Philadelphia, Pa., in the ship “Minerva,” Thomas Arnold captain.
During the Revolution he was under Washington when he crossed the
Delaware on Christmas, 1776, at Chadd’s Ford, etc.

Dr. W. L. Shearer’s mother, Clara A. Shearer
(nee Leinbach), was born in Bern township, Berks county, June 28,
1851, where she received the greater part of her early education.
She was married on Oct. 14, 1875, to Benjamin Y. Shearer. She was a
daughter of Christian R. Leinbach and Catharine S. Leinbach (nee
Esterly). Her father Christian R. Leinbach, born Dec. 6, 1820, died
July 10, 1892, was a son of William Leinbach and Elizabeth Leinbach
(nee Rich), an aunt to Mrs. William Arnold, Cyrus Rich, James Rich,
etc. Mrs. B. Y. Shearer’s mother Catherine S. Leinbach (nee
Esterly), born May 5, 1827, died March 15, 1859, was a daughter of
Amos Esterly and Ann Barbara Esterly (nee Stichter), a daughter of
Peter Stichter, born in 1761, died in 1843, and Catharine Stichter
(nee Hoff). Mrs. B. Y. Shearer is a sister to Annie E. Althouse, B.
Franklin Leinbach, J. Calvin Leinbach, Catharine E. Graeff
(deceased), and Timothy J. Leinbach.

Benjamin Y. Shearer and Clara A. Shearer are
living at No. 146 North Fifth street, Reading.

Dr. W. L. Shearer was married on June 1, 1905,
to Marie Carolyn Hoffman, of Philadelphia, daughter of George H.
Hoffman and Emma S. Hoffman (nee Schneider). Dr. Shearer has his
office and residence at the Northwest corner of North Front and
Greenwich streets, Reading, Pennsylvania.

SHEEDER, BENJAMIN F.

p.
746

Surnames: SHEEDER, FINK, RIGG, SEIDERS

Benjamin F. Sheeder, a prominent business man of Reading, Pa., who
is conducting the Sheeder Planing Mill, located at the corner of
Spruce and Mifflin streets, was born in Montgomery county, Pa., in
1851, son of Philip Sheeder (born April 15, 1808), a blacksmith by
trade, who was engaged as an iron worker.

Mr. Sheeder secured his education in the common
schools of Reading, and while still a boy apprenticed himself to
the carpenter’s trade, working for John Fink & Co., where the
Goetz tannery is now located. He continued in the employ of this
company for twenty-five years, and then engaged in outside
contracting until 1901, when he organized the Sheeder Planing Mill
Company, with the following well-known business men: Dr. Walter A.
Rigg, and Samuel B. Rigg. This company does all kinds of contract
mill work, stair work, etc. The factory and grounds cover an area
of 110 x 480 feet, the building being equipped with the latest
machinery, doing an extensive amount of work in Reading and the
surrounding country, as well as in the States of Delaware and New
Jersey. They furnished all the building material for the Colonial
Trust Build, the boy’s new high school, the Masonic Temple, and
many other of Reading’s substantial buildings. The company employ
from twenty-five to thirty hands, and are kept busy the year
around. Mr. Sheeder is a member on the Liberty Fire Company. In
political matters he is independent.

Mr. Sheeder was married in 1874 to Miss Mary
Agnes Seiders, and to this union there were born two children:
Howard F., and Peter M., both of whom are engaged in work at the
planing mill.

SHEELER,
HARRY W

p. 870

Surnames: SHEELER, WENRICH, SCHUELER, SCHEALER, SHULER, SCHUYLER,
SPOHN, WENTZ, GARDNER, WESSNER, SCHAUER, WEIDMAN, GERHART, NEWMAN,
ROETHER, KREITZ, WEIGLEY, POTTEIGER, HENRY, MILLER, KLOPP, GRETH

Harry W. Sheeler, one of the substantial business men of Heidelberg
township, Berks county, extensively engaged in the manufacture of
hosiery at Robesonia, Pa., was born Aug. 27, 1865, near Womelsdorf,
in Marion township, son of Henry and Elvina (Wenrich) Sheeler.

The first ancestor of this family in America
came from Germany and settled in Exeter township, Berks Co., Pa. He
spelled his name Schueler, and there are various other spellings,
the most common forms being Sheeler, Schealer, Shuler, and
Schuyler. The date of birth, time of death and place of burial of
the emigrant ancestor are unknown. His progeny are numerous.

John Schealer, the great-grandfather of Harry
W., was a farmer and stone-mason of Exeter township, running the
farm now owned by Jacob Spohn. He and his wife, Barbara, had eight
children, as follows: Jacob and William, who died in Reading:
Samuel, who lived in Robesonia: John (1793-1872), who lived in
Exeter: Benneville, who lived at Robesonia: Ann, who died
unmarried: Lydia, who married Jacob Wentz: and Harry, who lived at
various places.

John Schealer, one of the sons of John and
Barbara Schealer, was born in Exeter township Oct. 23, 1793, and
died there Dec. 16, 1872, aged seventy-nine years, one month,
twenty-three days. He was a farmer and stone-mason by occupation,
and during the winter months engaged in butchering. On Dec. 20,
1818, he was married to Catherine Gardner, born Nov. 20, 1800, who
died Sept. 29, 1878, in her seventy-eighty year. Ten children were
born to this union: William, born Sept. 10, 1819, died in May 1894:
Harriet, born Sept. 19, 1821, died while out West in 1904:
Elizabeth, born Dec. 13, 1823, was married and lived in Fort Wayne,
Ind.: Valeria, born Feb. 14, 1825, died Dec. 25, 1895: Susanna,
born Oct. 14, 1827, makes her home at No. 1028 Chestnut street,
Reading, Pa.: Lovinia, born Sept. 10, 1831, died Oct 2, 1893:
Catherine, born July 18, 1834, died in infancy: John G., born Oct
15, 1836, lives at Boyertown, Pa.: Augustus, born March 15, 1839,
died March 29, 1873: Samuel G., born in Exeter township Oct 5,
1842, lives in his own residence at No. 1145 Chestnut street,
Reading. The latter is a stationary engineer by occupation and a
highly esteemed citizen of his community. He was married Dec. 26,
1868, to Adeline Wessner, born in 1848, who died in 1905. They had
six children, three of whom died in infancy, the others being
William O.: Lucretia I. And S. Raymond, the latter of whom is a
student at Lehigh University.

Samuel Sheeler, son of John and Barbara and
grandfather of Harry W., was born June 20, 1805, in Exeter
township, and died Dec. 26, 1882, being buried at the Corner Church
near Robesonia. He was a stone-mason by trade, and owned a tract of
ten acres of land, which he cultivated. He married Sarah Schauer,
who was born Jan. 23, 1811, and died July 11, 1873, and she also
sleeps her last sleep in the cemetery at the Corner Church. Mr. And
Mrs. Sheeler had these children: Henry, Rebecca, who married Harry
Weidman, of Womelsdorf: Isaac, who spent his whole life in
Schuylkill county: Amelia and Lizzie, who died of diphtheria:
Samuel, who died young: ad John, an iron worker of West Lebanon,
Pa., who married Emma Newman (they have had five children, George,
Lizzie and Becky, living, and two now deceased).

Henry Sheeler, father of Harry W., was born in
Exeter township, Berks county, April 24, 1829, and died at
Robesonia April 7, 1906. He was a stone and brick mason, and did
considerable contracting in his time, the buildings he erected
including the high school (in 1889), and Wagner Hall, the latter
now the property of George W. Gerhart. In early life Mr. Sheeler
settled at Robesonia where he owned the house in which he lived, as
well as several others. He was a member of the Lutheran
denomination, and held membership in St. Daniel’s (Corner) Church.
On March 18, 1852, Mr. Sheeler was married to Elvina Wenrich, born
April 1, 1827, daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Roether) Wenrich of
Heidelberg township. Mrs. Sheeler died Dec. 26, 1905. To this union
were born the following children: Lizzie, who married George
Kreitz, resides on the Sheeler homestead at Robesonia: Ada, who
married Pierce Weigley, lives at Lebanon: Ellen, who died in 1902,
married Rankin Potteiger and lived at Lebanon; Charles W., of
Robesonia, who married Lizzie Henry, daughter of John Henry, who
erected the first hotel at Robesonia: Lewis, who died in youth, and
Harry W.

Harry W. Sheeler was educated in the common
schools of his native locality, which he was obliged to leave at
the age of fifteen years to earn a livelihood, and for four years
was a servant on a truck farm. Subsequently he went to Montgomery
county, Ohio, for one year. Mr. Sheeler then learned the
stone-mason’s trade and became stonecutter for the Robesonia Iron
Company, for whom he worked in the summer months while his winters
were spent at carpet weaving. This he followed with success until
1890, when he entered the hosiery manufacturing field, commencing
with four knitters in the old schoolhouse at Robesonia where he
remained five years. In 1907 he erected a three-story brick
factory, 32 x 50 feet in dimensions on Main street, in which are
installed nearly one hundred machines and where from sixty to
seventy employees are kept busy. His factory is complete in every
detail, and is lighted by electricity. Mr., Sheeler is an able
businessman and a most public-spirited citizen. In politics he is a
Democrat, has been auditor of the township for three years, and in
1905 was first elected school director, being re-elected to that
office in 1907, by a large majority. Mr. Sheeler is fraternally
connected with the Royal Arcanum at Reading. He and his family are
members of St. Daniel’s (Corner) Church, near Robesonia, of which
he has been secretary and deacon and is now trustee.

On Jan. 3, 1888, Mr. Sheeler was married to Miss
Margaret Miller, daughter of Adam P. and Amanda (Klopp) Miller, and
granddaughter of Philip and Matilda (Greth) Miller. Four children
have been born to Mr. And Mrs. Sheeler, namely: Earl W., born March
10, 1889, who died Sept. 10, 1889: Raymond W., born July 28, 1900,
who graduated from the Heidelberg township high school in 1906, and
from the Interstate Commercial College, Reading, 1907: Guy W., born
Dec 10, 1891, a graduate of Heidelberg township high school, class
of 1908: and Margaret I., born July 14, 1893, also a graduate of
Heidelberg township high school, class of 1908. The family occupy a
fine sandstone front residence on Main street, surrounded by a
beautiful yard.

SHEIDY, WILLIAM E.

p.
1137

Surnames: SHEIDY, HAFER, CRESS, DECHLER, AHRENS, YAEGER, RUTT,
BROWN, KEENEY, BESBAUR, GAUGLER, SUTTSMAN

William E. Sheidy, of Wyomissing, Spring township, Berks Co., Pa.,
was born in Bern township, April 10, 1862, son of Joseph and
Margaret (Hafer) Sheidy.

Joseph Sheidy was born in Bern township in 1840,
where he followed farming until his retirement from active life.
During the Civil war he served in the volunteer infantry, but was
wounded during the first year in the right arm, the bullet passing
through it. The homestead Heidelberg township at Blue Marsh
consists of a very comfortable house surrounded by three acres of
land, which Mr. Sheidy purchased from Adam Cress. His wife,
Margaret Hafer, was born in Bern township, daughter of William
Hafer, of that township, and died in July, 1881, and is buried at
Epler’s church. Joseph Sheidy died in the fall of 1908. The
children born to him and his wife were: William E.; Joseph, of
Heidelberg township; Benjamin, of Centre township; Jacob of Penn
township; Charles, of Cumru township; Adam of Brownsville, where he
is in the hotel business; Irwin of Heidelberg township; Margaret,
m. to Charles Dechler. Joseph Sheidy had two brothers, Jacob, lived
in Bern township; and Frederick, w ho lived in lower Heidelberg
township.

William E. Sheidy attended the local schools of
Heidelberg and Spring townships, and worked upon his father’s farm.
At the age of twenty years he commenced to work for himself, hiring
out to the farmers in his vicinity until 1885, when he began
farming in Heidelberg township on the Henry Ahrens farm. There he
lived as tenant for four years, and in the spring of 1890 came to
Wyomissing where he cultivated the Thomas G. Yeager farm until it
was sold to the Wyomissing land company. He then turned his
attention to his farm of twenty-four acres in Lower Heidelberg
township, on which he planted 500 peach trees and raises
considerable fruit. For four years he conducted the Wyomissing coal
yards, but in 1902 he sold that property to Calvin Rutt.

In 1903 Mr. Sheidy built a double brick house in
Wyomissing borough, on Wyomissing boulevard, three stories in
height and supplied with all modern improvements. He and his family
live in one of the houses and rent the other. Since locating in
Wyomissing, he has been engaged in hauling, and has built up a big
business, keeping four horses always busy. In connection with this
business, he erected a large brick stable in 1907, 20 x 30 feet in
dimensions. In all his enterprises Mr. Sheidy has met with success,
and is now one of the prosperous business men of Wyomissing. In
politics he is a Democrat, and has been delegate to various county
conventions. He and his family are members of Hain’s Reformed
church. Fraternally he is a member of West Reading Castle, K. G.
E., No. 487, of West Reading.

On July 16. 1881, Mr. Sheidy married Isabella
Brown, daughter of Jacob and Catherine (Keeney) Brown,
granddaughter of Philip and Catherine (Besbaur) Brown. Six children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sheidy; Florence, m. to Edward
Gaugler, of the Blue Marsh; William B., unmarried, of Wyomissing ;
Jacob B., m. to Sallie Suttsman, and in his brother’s employ;
Thomas B., unmarried, living with his father; Charles B and Henry,
both at home.

SHENK,
TOBIAS K.

p. 713

Surnames: SHENK, KREIDER, HOCKER, IMBODEN, LONGENECKER

Tobias K. Shenk, a prosperous business man of Reading, Pa., who is
proprietor of Shenk’s Carriage and Wagon Works, Nos. 1137-1149 Moss
street, was born in Dauphin county, Pa., son of Peter and Sarah
(Kreider) Shenk.

Peter Shenk, who was for many years engaged in
farming and carpentering, during which time he gained an honestly
earned reputation as a skilled mechanic and practical farmer, is
now living retired in Lebanon county, Pa., where for some years he
served as school director, a position to which he was elected on
the Republican ticket. He and his wife are members of the United
Christian Church. They have had six children, three of whom
survived, namely; Mary, m. to Harry Hocker, of Hockersville,
Dauphin county; Sarah, m. to Isaac Imboden of Cleona, Lebanon
county; and Tobias K.

Tobias K. Shenk was four years of age when his
parents removed to Lebanon county, where he remained on the home
farm until twenty-two years of age. He was then married to Miss
Emma Longenecker, daughter of Benjamin and Anna Longenecker, of
Dauphin county. He engaged in farming until the age of thirty
years, when he came to Reading, and carried on contracting until
1903. In that year he began the manufacture and general repair of
wagons, and the steady increase of his business has demanded more
floor space and machinery until he now has one of the best equipped
plants in the city.

Mr. and Mrs. Shenk are the parents of five
children; Clayton, Viola, Raymond, Harry and Mary. In religious
belief the family are connected with the Evangelical Church. Mr.
Shenk is a Republican in politics.

SHERADIN, WILLIAM G.

p.
1625

Surnames: SHERADIN, GEIGER, DE LONG, ALBRIGHT, FAHL, WAGNER,
BURKEY, KLINE, TOBIAS, SCHAPPELL, HELDER, NIES, DRESSLER

William G. Sheradin, a well known citizen of Hamburg, Pa., who is
extensively engaged in the manufacture of brick, was born Oct. 21,
1848, in West Brunswick township, Schuylkill county, Pa., son of
Charles and Elizabeth (Geiger) Sheradin.

Jacob Sheradin, grandfather of William G., was
one of the best known agriculturists of his day in Longswamp
township, owning land where the Topton depot is now located. He
married a Miss De Long, and to them there were born children as
follows: Reuben; Mrs. Joseph Albright; and Charles, the father of
William G. Charles Sheradin, who was born in 1817, was for some
years a farmer of Longswamp township, Berks county, but later in
life removed to West Brunswick township, Schuylkill county, where
he died in 1868. He married Elizabeth Geiger, and to them were born
these children: Mary, who married David Fahl; Daniel, who married
Katie Wagner of Schuylkill Haven, Pa.; and William G.

William G. Sheradin attended the district
schools of his native locality, obtaining a good general education,
and worked on his father’s farm until his eighteenth year, when in
1866, he came to Hamburg and learned the trade of cabinet maker
with the late Peter Burkey, with whom he remained his full
apprenticeship of two and one-half years. He then went to Reading
and engaged with William Kline at cabinet making until 1870, in
which year he started out for himself, and successfully conducted a
cabinet making business for four years at No. 108 South Fourth
street. In the latter year he engaged in the brick manufacturing
business in which he has continued ever since; his present yard,
where he employs about fifty hands, and manufactures on an average
of 4,000,000 bricks per year, being located in West Hamburg. The
firm of Tobias & Sheradin, which was founded five years ago,
manufacture the red clay brick, and their product finds a ready
sale throughout Schuylkill and Luzerne counties. Mr. Sheradin is
one of the progressive business men of the borough, and is always
found in the foremost ranks of any movement for the benefit of the
community.

In politics Mr. Sheradin is a Republican, and
for six years was a borough councilman, one year of which time he
was president of that executive body. He has been a member of the
Union Fire Company for thirty-five years, and has held various
offices in that organization, of which he has been president for
the past five years. He and his family are members of the First
Reformed Church, of which he was a deacon for twelve years, and
trustee for nine years. He has always been a pillar of the church,
and he was one of the liberal contributors towards the erection of
the present beautiful edifice.

Mr. Sheradin has been twice married, (first) on
Nov. 20, 1869, to Mary Tobias, daughter of John and Vinetta
(Schappell) Tobias, to which union there were born three children:
William M., who died in 1877, in his fourth year; Annetta, who
married Joseph Helder of Reading, died Dec. 24, 1904, and was
buried on her twenty-sixth birthday; and Charles R., born Aug. 10,
1885, is single, and resides at home. Mr. Sheradin was married
(second) to Miss Annie Laurie Nies, daughter of Daniel K. and
Florenda (Dressler) Nies.

SHERMAN, THOMAS CALVIN

p. 1547

Surnames: SHERMAN, UNGER, MORGAN, KIRST, DRESS, WAGNER, BORREL,
REINHART, BLATT, CLAY, HUNSICKER, HAAS, SCHMOKE, HUONCKER

Thomas C. Sherman, of Tulpehocken township, who is operating a
fertile tract situated near Mount Aetna, Pa., was born Sept 19,
1877, in Tulpehocken township, son of Simon and Alwildia (Unger)
Sherman.

Jacob Sherman, the great-grandfather of Thomas
C., resided in Schuylkill county, about where Pinedale is now
located, and was the father of three sons: George, Jacob and
Daniel, the latter the grandfather of Thomas C. Daniel Sherman was
a farmer by occupation and for many years resided near Millersburg,
Bethel township, Berks county, but later removed to Tulpehocken
township, near Mount Aetna, where he died aged eighty-five years,
one month and seventeen days. He was married to Miss Maria Morgan,
who bore him the following children: (1) Daniel m. Matilda Kirst,
resided on a farm in Bethel township, and later removed to
Newmanstown, Lebanon county, where they still reside. (2) William
m. Emma Dress and resided in Schuylkill county, where he died aged
thirty-two years, having had five children. (3) John lost his life
as a member of the Union army during the Civil war. (4) Charles is
married with three children, and resides on a farm near Mount
Aetna. (5) Israel, who was a farmer near Mount Aetna, died at the
age of forty-nine years, one month and eleven days, leaving a
widow, Susan (Wagner) Sherman, and one child. (6) Joseph m. Abbe
Borrel, resided near Wintersville and had three children. About ten
years before his death, he lost his left hand while operating a
threshing machine, and thereafter he engaged in light occupations,
and served in the offices of supervisor and tax collector. His
death was caused by typhoid fever in 1889, at the age of
forty-three years. (7) Susanna m. William Reinhardt, a farmer of
near Mount Aetna, and has two children. (8) Simon was the father of
Thomas C. (9) Priscilla died unmarried aged forty years. The mother
of these children died at the advanced age of eighty-eight years,
three months, seventeen days, and she and her husband were both
buried in the cemetery adjoining the Mount Aetna Church.

Simon Sherman, father of Thomas C., was born
Sept. 15, 1855, in Bethel township, where he was reared and
educated. He married Alwildia Unger, daughter of John and Hannah
(Blatt) Unger, and granddaughter of Benjamin Blatt, a farmer of
near St. Michael’s Church. Her mother died when thirty-nine years
old, leaving a large family, of which Mrs. Sherman was the oldest
daughter. She was married to Mr. Sherman Sept. 9, 1876, and
together they worked on the farm until fifteen years ago, when they
purchased the first of the three farms they now own. To this happy
union there were born the following children: Thomas; Calvin; Jacob
Henry m. Mabel Clay, daughter of Levi and Sarah (Hunsicker) Clay,
resides in his own home at Mount Aetna, and has four children, –
Beatrice Pearl, Edgar and Wistar, twins, and Wimer Jerome; Bertha
Valeria m. Hiram Haas and they reside with her parents; Simon
Samuel, Jerome Daniel, Broxton Manoah and Reuben are all at home.

Thomas Calvin Sherman spent his early life on
his father’s farm, where he worked during the summer months, while
attending the district school in the winter terms. He subsequently
attended the Mount Aetna high school for some time, since leaving
which he has been cultivating one of his father’s farms. July 29,
1988, he was married to Martha Schmoke, daughter of George and Rosa
(Huoncker) Schmoke, and three children have been born to this
union: Paul and Verna, deceased; and Leon Adam.

Mr. and Mrs. Sherman are members of Salem
Reformed Church of Millersburg. Fraternally he is actively
connected with Camp No. 69, P. O. S. of A., and in politics he is a
Democrat and has held minor township offices.

SHILLING, HOWARD M.

p.
1672

Surnames: SHILLING, STRAUB, WEITKNECHT, BATRON, FISHER, STEHMAN,
BAER, STAMM, HOLL, MAURER, SCHAEFFER,

Howard M. Shilling, a well-known educator and successful
businessman at Shillington, Pa., was born in that town Nov. 29,
1856, son of Samuel Shilling and grandson of Jacob Shilling.

Jacob Shilling, grandfather of Howard M., was a
native of Franklin county, Pa. He was a drover and came to Cumru
Township before he was married. Locating at the Three Mile House,
then known as Shilling’s Inn. He m. Hannah Straub, by whom he had
issue as follows: Levi, Hester, Louisa, Ephraim, Samuel, Isabella,
Hannah and Jacob. The father died about 1845, from apoplexy, when
past fifty years of age. He is buried at Reading in the Lutheran
cemetery. He operated Shilling’s Inn, now known as Three Mile
House, for many years, and his death occurred here.

Samuel Shilling was born in Cumru Township March
11, 1819, and died March 29, 1891; he was buried at Yocom’s Church
in his native township, of which he was a Lutheran member. Mr.
Shilling was educated at the Trappe School in Montgomery County. He
was a farmer and owned considerable land where Shillington now is
located. He was the foremost man of his district. For fifteen
year’s he served as tax collector of Cumru Township, and this was
his last employment. In 1860, he laid out the town of Shillington.
He was a Democrat up to 1860, until Abraham Lincoln was a candidate
for the Presidency, when he became a follower of “Old Abe.” He was
a member of Company D, 167th P. V. M., in the nine months’ service.
He was ever an active citizen. Mr. Shilling married Catharine
Weitknecht, and they became the parents of nine children: (1)
Champion F. P. died May 8, 1872, aged seventeen years. (2) Mary M.
W., deceased wife of James M. Batron, of Shillington, and (3)
George W, were twins, and were born on Washington’s birthday, 1859;
George died May 19, 1906. (4) Howard M. is mentioned below. (5)
Frederick E. E., a brass molder, lives in the borough of
Shillington. (6) Emma L., born on Washington’s birthday, lives at
Shillington. (7) Ida C. E., born in 1868. m. Charles C. Fisher, of
York, Pa. (8) Oscar, twin to Ida, died in infancy. (9) Ella m.
George Stehman, of York, Pennsylvania.

Howard M. Shilling spent his boyhood days in
Shillington, where he attended the public schools and then took a
full scientific course at Prof. D. B. Brunner’s business college at
Reading studying there for three years and six months. He was
licensed to teach school under county superintendent Prof. S. A.
Baer, in 1877, and has taught thirty terms in Cumru township,
teaching 1900 children. He also holds a State teacher’s permanent
certificate, ranking Second in a class of twenty-one. His was the
largest school in the county, having eighty-nine pupils enrolled,
who made a general average of eighty-three for the term. Mr.
Shilling first engaged in the florist business in Shillington, in
1880, in a small way, in a building 19 x 40 feet. Now the buildings
he occupies are the longest in the county; they are 20 x 192 feet
in dimensions, and there is in use over 13,000 square feet of
glass. These buildings area heated by the hot water system. Mr.
Shilling attends the Reading market and does both whole sale and
retail business, shipping flowers all over the United States.

Mr. Shilling is keenly interested in the
development and progress of his town and county, and he took an
active part in organizing the borough of Shillington which was laid
out and named by his father in 1860, when there were but three
buildings in the place. In politics, he is a Republican, and after
the death of his father for a short time collected the tax in Cumru
Township. For seventeen years he has been Republican county
committeeman of Cumru township and served the party as county and
state delegate, and has always been identified with the best
interests of the party, being personally acquainted with all the
voters of the township. Mr. Shilling was twice Census Enumerator of
Cumru Township–years 1880 and 1890. He has been active in politics
since 1876, during the Hayes and Tilden campaign, and during the
Garfield campaign, he stumped the county.

Mr. Shilling on Feb. 7, 1893 became a member of
Co A, 4th Regt., N. G. P., for a term of three years, and after the
expiration of his first enlistment. On Feb. 8, 1896, re-enlisted
and was promoted to Third Sergeant of the above company, and served
actively in the Lattimare Riots, in 1897. When the Spanish American
war broke out, and President McKinley called for 100,000 men. This
regiment was one of the first to be sworn into the Federal service,
at Mount Gretna, Pa., on May 9, 1898. This regiment went to
Chickamauga, Ga., May 15th, and remained until July 22d, when it
embarked for Newport News, Va., and sailed July 28th, for Puerto
Rico, being in General Miles’ command on that island. The regiment
left Ponce Sept. 1st, arrived at New York City Sept. 6th, came to
Reading on a furlough Sept. 7th, and was mustered out of service
Nov. 16, 1808. Mr. Shilling was a Sergeant of his company
throughout the Spanish-American war. Mr. Shilling is an able penman
and while in the Spanish-American war performed special service for
his company, writing out all discharges and reports to Washington.

Mr. Shilling has been twice married. On June 22,
1884, he married Amelia Stamm, daughter of George and Mary (Holl)
Stamm, late of Cumru Township. She died July 26, 1888, aged
twenty-six years, nine months, nineteen days, leaving a daughter,
Edith. On March 11, 1893, he m. (second) Annie Elizabeth Maurer,
eldest daughter of Franklin and Clara (Schaeffer) Maurer, the
former of whom has charge of the mail and baggage department of the
P. & R. railroad at the terminal depot, Reading, and they have
two children: Earle Leslie and Irene Ruth. Mrs. Shilling was
educated in Reading and at present is engaged as an elocutionist,
and as an instructor in theatrical work. Mrs. Shilling looked after
the business interests of her husband while he was in the Spanish
American war, besides caring for the family. In 1904 Mr. Shilling
built a brick residence on Philadelphia Avenue, Shillington, 32 x
52 feet. He has a collection of Porto Rico relics numbering over
1,400 pieces which he obtained in 1898, consisting of coins,
seashells, stamps, merchandise, cutlery, bullets, etc. He has a
library of over 1,000 volumes. In 1879 Mr. Shilling made a trip
through thirty-four States of the Union and also visited Canada,
his trip extending over eight months.

In fraternal circles Mr. Shilling is a member of
the K of P., Lodge No, 485, Mohnton; Sons of Veterans, George G.
Meade Camp No. 16; Order of K. of F., Reading, Chamber NO 23; K. G
E., Fraternity Castle, No. 302, Reading; Order of Independent
Americans, Council No. 252, Reading; P. 0. of A., Camp No. 17,
Reading; P. O. S. of A., Camp No. 163, Reading; L. O. T. M., No.
155, Reading; Maccabees Tent No. 426, Reading; and he is also a
member of the Foresters of America, Court Progress, No. 116, of
Reading.

SHILLING, JOHN JACOB

p.
684

Surnames: SHILLING, STRAUB, WHITEMAN, BECHTEL, MILLER, FORBS,
MARKS, WELDE, WAGNER, GAUSS, STEFFEY, BERSTLER, TOMKINS, CARL,
KANE, KRUM, ADAMS, KLOPP, SNYDER

John Jacob Shilling (deceased) founded a family in Berks County now
well known there. He was born in Chester County, Pa., and came to
Berks County when a young man, settling at what is now Shillington.
He owned considerable land there, built numerous dwellings, and for
many years owned and conducted the “Three Mile House,” where he
lived with his family. He was a man of prominence in his day, and
was of striking appearance, being erect, tall, and weighing over
two hundred pounds. He was a member of the Reformed Church. He
married Hannah Straub, whose father was Christian (?) Straub, and
to them were born children as follows: Levi died unmarried when
about seventy years of age; Hettie also died unmarried; Samuel, who
laid out Shillington, and gave it its name, married Catharine
Whiteman, and they had children-Franklin P. (deceased), Oscar J.
(deceased), Mary M. W. and George Washington (twins), Howard M.,
Frederick E. E., Emma L., Ida C. E. and Ella; Ephraim is mentioned
below; Jacob, who was killed in the Civil war, married Mary Bechtel
and had one child, who died young; Eliza married Isaac Miller, of
Illinois, in which State both died; Isabella died unmarried; Louisa
married a Forbs, of Minnesota.

Ephraim Shilling, son of John Jacob, was born
Nov. 16, 1822, in Shillington, and lived to his seventy-seventh
year, dying Jan. 18, 1899. There he spent his entire life. He not
only followed farming, but also his trade of pattern making, and
turned out many violins of sweet tone; in later years he also
engaged in wheel-weighting in connection with farming, cultivating
a tract of forty-two acres. In politics, he was a Republican.

In 1848 Ephraim Shilling married Catharine
Marks, daughter of George Marks, and a family of eight children was
born to them, namely: Clara m. Frank Welde; Catharine m. Julius
Wagner; Elizabeth m. John Gauss; John Jacob m. Sarah Steffey, and
(second) Sallie E. Berstler; Alexander E., unmarried, lives at
Shillington; Hannah m. Jerome Tompkins; Jane m. Horace R. Carl;
Andrew m. Lizzie Kane. The family were Lutherans in religion.

Julius Wagner, who married Catharine, second
daughter of Ephraim Shilling, was born in Germany in 1849, and came
to America when eighteen years of age, landing in New York in 1867.
After staying for a while in that city he moved to York, Pa., and
learned the carpenter’s trade, which he followed for some time, but
being dissatisfied with his progress he located at Lancaster and
made himself proficient as a baker. When ready to begin for himself
in that line he went to Reading, opened a bakery at No. 276 South
Ninth street, and was so successful that by the end of thirteen
years he had amassed sufficient capital to retire from that
business and enter into building and contracting. While thus
engaged he put up sixty-two houses in Reading, some of them on
property owned by his wife. Mrs. Wagner is quite an extensive
property holder, owning ten lots on Thirteenth street, seven on
Fairview, five on Kenney, and three residences in the Tenth ward.
Mr. Wagner at present gives his entire attention to managing his
wife’s interests.

Mr. and Mrs. Wagner were married March 18, 1871
and they have five children: Julius, Jr., m. Helen Krum; Lucca K.;
Elsie T. m. Harry Adams; Mabel m. George Klopp; and Richard m. Anna
Snyder. In religious faith, the family are Lutherans. Mr. Wagner is
a Democrat in politics.

SHILLING, JOHN JACOB

p.
1711

Surnames: SHILLING, MARKS, STRAUB, WEITKNECHT, BECHTEL, MILLER,
FORBS, WELDE, WAGNER, GAUSS, TOMPKINS, CARL, KANE, STEFFEY, STIRK,
BERSTLER, LAMP

John Jacob Shilling, whose home is situated at No. 239 South
Twelfth street, Reading, Pa., was born Oct. 17, 1859, at
Shillington, Cumru township, Berks county, son of Ephraim and
Catherine (Marks) Shilling.

John Jacob Shilling, grandfather of John J. of
Reading, who was the founder of Shillington, Pa., was born in
Chester county, Pa., and came to Berks county when a young man,
settling at what is now Shillington. He owned considerable land
there, built numerous dwellings, and for many years owned and
conducted the “Three Mile House,” where he lived with his family.
He was a man of prominence in his day, and was of striking
appearance, being erect, tall, and weighing over two hundred
pounds. He was a member of the Reformed Church. He married Hannah
Straub, daughter of Christian Straub, and they had the following
children: Levi died unmarried when about seventy years of age;
Hettie died unmarried; Samuel who laid out Shillington, and gave it
its name, m. Catharine Weitknecht and their children were Champion
Franklin P. and Oscar J., deceased, Howard M., George Washington
and Mary M. W. twins, Frederick E. E., Ida C. E., Emma L. and Ella;
Ephraim; Jacob, who was killed in the Civil war, m. Mary Bechtel
and had one child that died young; Eliza m. Isaac Miller of
Illinois, in which State both died; Isabella died unmarried; Louisa
m. a Forbs, of Minnesota, and Hannah.

Ephraim Shilling, father of John Jacob, was born
Nov. 16, 1822, in Shillington, where his entire life was spent. He
was a patternmaker by trade and made many violins, of sweet tone,
but in later years engaged in wheelwrighting in conjunction with
carrying on operations on his forty-two acre tract. In political
matters he was a Republican, and was a well-known man of his day.
His death occurred Jan. 18, 1899. In 1848 Mr. Shilling was married
to Catherine Marks, daughter of George Marks, and they had children
as follows: Clara m. Frank Welde; Catharine m. Julius Wagner;
Elizabeth m. John Gauss; John Jacob; Alexander E., unmarried, of
Shillington, Pa.; Hannah m. Jerome Tompkins; Jane m. Horace R.
Carl; and Andrew m. Lizzie Kane. The family were Lutherans.

John Jacob Shilling was educated in the district
schools of his native locality, and for a number of years was
engaged in farm work there. In 1882 he began working in a hat
factory, where he continued for seventeen years, and in January,
1900, secured employment with the Reading Iron Company, where he
has continued to the present. From 1882 until 1902 Mr. Shilling
resided at Mohnton, in the latter year removing to Reading, since
which time he has occupied his South Twelfth street home. He is a
Republican in politics, and he and Mrs. Shilling are members of St.
John’s Lutheran Church of Mohnton, where he was a deacon and a
charter member of the church. He is a member of the Reading Relief
Organization.

Mr. Shilling has been twice married, his first
wife being Sarah Steffey, by whom he had three children: Rosa, who
m. Willis Stirk of Reading; Kate R. and Stella E., unmarried, who
reside at home. Mrs. Shilling was born July 16, 1867, and died
Sept. 25, 1892. Mr. Shilling married (second) Sallie E. Berstler,
who was born July 31, 1862, and is a daughter of John and Catherine
(Lamp) Berstler of Blandon, Pa., and to this union two children
were born: Helen, born May 9, 1894; and Elmore, born June 17, 1897.

SHIREY,
DANIEL W.

p. 942

Surnames: SHIREY, LUDWIG, BERNDT, SCHRACK, WOODLEY, BECHTEL,
DREBER, HARNER, DAVIDHEISER, WEIDNER, BREIDENSTEIN, FORTNA

Daniel W. Shirey, proprietor of the “Douglassville Hotel,” at
Douglassville, Berks county, was born Sept. 15, 1868, at Monocacy,
in Union township.

According to tradition the ancestor of this
Shirey family was Joseph Shirey, who settled in Rockland township,
Berks county, where John Shirey, the great-grandfather of Daniel
W., was born. The latter moved to Amity township and settled on the
tract now owned by Calvin Ludwig, at Monocacy Station, building the
house which still stands on that property as well as the barn now
(1908) being rebuilt by Mr. Ludwig. He was a stonemason and
bricklayer as well as farmer. John Shirey is buried in the
graveyard at Amityville. His first wife was a Berndt, his second a
member of the Schrack family. Among his children were the
following: William B.; Samuel, who lived at Monocacy Hill; Hannah,
who married Michael Woodley, and lived on the north side of
Monocacy Hill; Betzy, who married Levi Bechtel, of Reading; Polly,
who married Abraham Dreber, of Amity township; Esther, and Sally.

William B. Shirey, son of John, born Nov. 2,
1807, died July 18, 1861, aged fifty-three years, seven months,
sixteen days. He was a native of Amity township, and passed all his
life there. He married Sarah Harner, and to them were born twelve
children, namely: Elizabeth married George Davidheiser, who is
deceased; Mary Ann married George Weidner, of Friedensburg; John is
deceased; Frank is mentioned below; Nathaniel, unmarried, still
lives at the old home; Jeremiah, of Lebanon, Pa., married his
cousin, Margaret Shirey; Caroline married her cousin Jacob Shirey;
Jacob is deceased; William is deceased; Maberry, who is a deaf
mute, lives with John Shirey at Monocacy; Amanda married her cousin
Harrison Shirey; Emanuel, unmarried, still lives at the old home.

Mrs. Sarah (Harner) Shirey, the mother of this
family, was born Sept. 16, 1812, and though in her ninety-seventh
year is remarkably well preserved. She still lives in the old home
at Monocacy Hill, on a farm of thirty acres one and one-half miles
east of Monocacy, and is able to do much of the housework herself,
her energy and activity being proverbial among the many who know
and esteem her. When her husband died, over forty years ago, she
was left with a family of nine, the youngest but four years old,
yet on the ninety-fifth anniversary of her birth, when asked for a
recipe for longevity, she said: “Work hard, live moderately, don’t
worry, and you will have a fair chance to become old.” It has been
the custom of her relatives and friends for a number of years to
gather at the old home to celebrate her birthday, and none enjoys
these occasions more than Mrs. Shirey herself, who has retained her
interest in all the affairs of life along with unusual vitality and
cheerfulness. She is beloved by a large circle of friends and
relations, and on her ninety-fifth anniversary over one hundred
were present. A Reading paper, in commenting upon the affair, said:
“Although lacking but five years of the century mark, Mrs. Shirey
is still well preserved and there was none in the party who was
happier than she. She moved among her visitors with a kind word for
each. She wore a happy smile which told of a life well spent and of
a conscience void of offense.” Her reminiscences of the old days
are enjoyed by all. Her father, Henry Harner, was a soldier in the
war of 1812, to which she refers as the Baltimore war; her
grandfather Harner was a soldier in the Revolution, which she calls
Washington’s war.

Frank Shirey, son of William B. and Sarah
(Harner) Shirey, was born in Amity township Feb. 20, 1838. He began
his education in the old-time pay schools, later receiving the
benefits of the public schools when they were introduced. Farming
has been his chief occupation, and since 1870 he has lived at his
present home near Monocacy, having a tract of eighteen acres which
he cultivates. He and his family are members of the Amityville
Church. In 1865 Mr. Shirey married Rebecca Breidenstein, born July
7, 1838, and three children were born to them: Annie, unmarried,
lives at home; Daniel W., who lives at Douglassville; and Davilla,
who died young.

Mr. Shirey is a veteran of the Civil war, in
which he served under two enlistments. In October, 1862, he became
a private in Company K, 79th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, and
served nine months and eighteen days. Later he enlisted in Company
D, 213th Regiment, with which he served to the close of the war,
this term also lasting nine months and eighteen days. He receives a
pension.

Daniel W. Shirey, son of Frank, attended school
at Monocacy during his boyhood and early began to work upon the
farm, continuing thus until he was about twenty years old. He then
became a member of the repair gang on the Reading railroad, between
Birdsboro and Douglassville, and was employed at that work for nine
years, during the last two years of that period acting as section
boss, with from six to twelve men under him, the average number
being eight. In 1898 he became proprietor of the “Bramcote Hotel.”
In the spring of 1900 he moved to the “Palace Hotel,” at Reading,
where he lived until 1901, when he moved to Douglassville and
became proprietor of the “Douglassville Hotel,” which he has since
conducted so successfully. The building is commodious, and not only
contains the twenty-five rooms appropriated for the use of the
hotel, but also a store in the western end and a hall in which the
Sons of America, the Odd Fellows and the Modern Woodmen meet.

Mr. Shirey has a number of fraternal
connections, belonging to Camp No. 240, P. O. S. of A., of
Douglassville; Court No. 137, Foresters of America, of Pottstown;
Aerie No. 626, F. O. E., of Pottstown; Sanatogo Tribe, No. 123, I.
O. R. M., of Pottstown; Sanatogo Council, No. 106, Pocahontas Lodge
(to which Mrs. Shirey also belongs); and the Twenty Century
Quakers, of Reading, No. 1. He also belongs to the Hook and Ladder
Fire Company, of Pottstown, and to the Retail Liquor Dealers
Association of Reading.

On March 21, 1891, Mr. Shirey married Mary
Fortna, daughter of Henry Fortna, of Robesonia, and they have had
two children, Walter E. and Ria R. The eldest child is now
attending high school at Pottstown, and both are receiving musical
instruction.

SHIREY,
JESSE

p. 1093

Surnames: SHIREY, YOCUM, ROGERS, PIERCE, HOUCK, JONES, BURT,
HEFFELFINGER

Jesse Shirey, now living retired, was for many years an employe of
the Philadelphia & Reading Ry. Co. He was born in Robeson
township, Berks county, July 17, 1833, son of Samuel and Sarah
(Yocum) Shirey.

The family, as far as is known, is of German
origin, the great-grandfather of Jesse Shirey emigrating to America
in the latter part of the seventeenth century, and settling in
Berks county. His name is not known.

Samuel Shirey, the father of Jesse, was educated
in the common schools of Robeson township, and learned the trade of
stone mason when a boy. This he followed, and he also carried on
farming, owning a tract of 100 acres of finely improved land which
he later sold, removing to Reading. Here Mr. Shirey worked at his
trade until he died, in the faith of the Methodist Church.
Politically Mr. Shirey was a Republican. He and his wife were the
parents of: Jeremiah, David, John, Samuel, Levi, Jesse, Joseph,
Elias, Charles (died aged ten years), Catherine (M. Charles
Rogers), Mary (m. George Pierce), Sarah (m. Aaron Houck) and Hannah
(died single).

Jesse Shirey was educated in Robeson township
and later removed to Chester county, locating in Coatesville, where
he learned the trade of harness-making. This Mr. Shirey followed
for some years, and continued it for four years after locating in
Reading. At the outbreak of the war he was employed by the
Government in the making of cavalry saddles, and in 1862 he
enlisted in Company I, 128th Pa. V. I., under Capt. Richard R.
Jones, serving nine months, and participating in the battles of
Antietam, South Mountain and Chancellorsville. He was taken
prisoner at the latter and was taken to Libby Prison, but twelve
days later was paroled. His term of enlistment having expired, Mr.
Shirey rejoined his regiment at Annapolis, Md., and was sent to
Harrisburg, Pa., where the regiment was mustered out of service. He
re-enlisted in 1864 with the 100-day men in Company B, 195th Pa. V.
I., Eighth Army Corps, which was held as a reserve when General
Early invaded Maryland. The regiment was doing police and patrol
duty along the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, being stationed for a
time at Monocacy Junction, and later at Tabb’s Station, being
mustered out in December 1864. After the war Mr. Shirey worked at
his trade for a time, and was then for thirty-seven years employed
by the Philadelphia and Reading Company, as superintendent of the
leather department. Mr. Shirey was placed on the retired list March
12, 1903.

Mr. Jesse Shirey married in 1859 Mary M. Burt,
daughter of William Burt, and five children were born to this
union: Charles and Burt, deceased; Ralph, at home; Lizzie,
deceased; and Hattie, deceased wife of Adam Heffelfinger. In
religious belief Mr. Shirey is liberal. He is fraternally connected
with Emblematic Lodge No. 169, I. O. O. F. and was formerly a
member of the Encampment. In politics he is a Republican.

SHIREY,
MILTON L.

p. 1374

Surnames: SHIREY, LEEDOM, FRAME, NEWKIRK, SHEARER, ESTERLY, GOODMAN

Milton L. Shirey, grocer at Reading, was born in this city in
1861, the only son of David Y. and Emma L. (Leedom) Shirey, and a
grandson of Samuel Shirey, who was a native of Caernarvon township,
Berks county. He was a stone mason by trade and also manufactured
hearthstones. He carried on business in Reading for a number of
years.

David Y. Shirey, father of Milton L., was born
in Caernarvon township, in the old homestead there, and after
completing his schooling he engaged with his father in the
manufacture of hearthstones. Later he accompanied the family to
Reading and found employment with Conrad Frame, who kept a store at
“The Locks.” Mr. Shirey remained with Mr. Frame for several years
and then went into business for himself at the same place, with
John Newkirk. They carried on a general store and did a big trade
supplying the surrounding country and the canal boatmen, traffic
then being heavy on the canal. Later he came to Reading and engaged
in business at Third and Franklin streets, where he remained a few
years, and then moved on Penn street above Sixth, into the S. Young
building. In partnership with Henry Shearer, Mr. Shirey did a large
business in garden produce of all kinds. Later he engaged in a
livery business, but subsequently returned to the grocery line and
for a number of years was established at No. 1129 Chestnut street,
on the corner of Wunder. Some twelve years before his death, which
occurred in February, 1901, he retired from active business life.
He was a man who was respected and esteemed and was an active
member of the orders of K. of P. and the Sr. O. U. A. M.

David Y. Shirey married Emma L. Leedom, daughter
of John and Louisa Ann Leedom. She still survives and resides with
her son, M. L. Shirey.

Milton L. Shirey completed the grammar school
course at Reading and then assisted his father in his store until
he was eighteen years of age, when he went with Joseph S. Esterly,
in the produce business. He continued with him for one year and
then returned home and continued with his father until he was
twenty-three years old. His next business connection was with the
Adams Express Co., with which he remained a year, and then was with
Howard L. Goodman, in the bakery business for the next ten years.

He took over his father’s store, making many
improvements and introducing modern methods and also enlarging the
capacity for doing business. His store room is 20×60 feet and he
has a warehouse in the rear, 14×40 feet. He possessed business
enterprise and may justly be considered a representative man in the
city’s commerce.

Mr. Shirey married Katie Goodman, daughter of
Daniel and Amanda Goodman, and they have three children, viz.:
Harold A., Thaddeus I., and Minerva L.

He is a member of St. Peter’s M, E. Church. He
belongs to the I. O. O. F. and Red Man.