Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

SIEGFRIED, WILLIAM

p. 969

Surnames: SIEGFRIED, ZIEGLER, ZIMMERMAN, MOSS, RAUMICH, LEVAN,
ROTHERMEL, FISHER, KLINE, FETTEROLF, GRIM, REISER, FIEGOL, BOLTZ,
OVERHOLTZER, STRAUB, KAUFFMAN, ZIEGLER, KRAMLICH, KUHNS, HOCH,
BIEBER, DOUMAYER, HILLEGARS,

[See the Notes following this biography for additions and corrections.]

William Siegfried, formerly a leading citizen of Maxatawny
township, was born on one of the Siegfried homesteads in
Siegfried’s Dale, Pa., Feb. 19, 1842, and died Oct. 25, 1886, aged
forty-four years, eight months, six days. He passed his entire life
in the home in which he was born. His parents were Abraham and
Lydia (Zeigler) Siegfried.

The Siegfried family of Maxatawny
township is representative of the best kind of old Berks county
stock. While the larger number of its members are engaged in the
pursuits pertaining to agriculture, there are also those who have
become prominent in business and professional life. It was in 1752
that two brothers, John and Joseph Siegfried, settled in the
section which for more than 100 years has born the name of
Siegfried’s Dale There they owned a large body of land, probably
1,000 acres. In 1759 John Siegfried paid a tax of twenty-one pounds
and Joseph paid one of twenty pounds. They increased in numbers as
a family and prospered and founded organizations which still bear
their honored name. Siegfried’s school and Siegfried’s Church
testify to their progress and the latter was so known for several
years, but is now generally known as the Maxatawny Zion’s Union
Church. In Lehigh County, in the cement district, there is a pretty
borough known as Siegfrieds, so named after a prominent member of
this family. It has a population of about 1,000. In Siegfried’s
Dale, in Maxatawny township, about one-fourth mile due west of the
school-house, is the private burial ground of this well-known
family. It is about 100 square feet and in that enclosure rest the
remains of the early pioneers of this name, five generations
sleeping there. It is well kept and evidently is regarded as a
sacred spot by the present generation.

John Siegfried, brother of Joseph, and
co-founder of the Siegfried family in Maxatawny township, died late
in the spring of 1766. His widow, Elizabeth , made her last will
and testament, June 17, 1766, and she died between that date and
the filing of her will, Nov. 10, 1767 . She designated her son,
Joseph Siegfried, and her trusted and esteemed friend Sebastian
Zimmerman as her executors. The children mentioned in the will
were: Joseph; Margaret, m. to Jacob Moss, of Lynn township, Lehigh
County; Catherine, m. to Frederick Raumich; Susanna, m. to Daniel
Levan; Elizabeth, m. to John Rothermel; Magdalena, m. to Anthony
Fisher; and Anna, m. to Jacob Fisher.

(I) Joseph Siegfried, one of the founders of the family in Berks
county, and great-great-grandfather of the late William Siegfried,
died before the close of the eighteenth century. The will of his
widow, Anna Mary Siegfried, is dated Dec. 14, 1795, and was
probated Jan 3. 1806. The executors of it were: Gideon Grim and
Johannes Siegfried. The children of Joseph Siegfried were:
Catherine, Magdalena (m. Abraham Levan), Johannes, Joseph, Henry
(born April 17, 1751, died Aug. 9, 1822), Jacob, Abraham, Isaac,
and Daniel (born Dec. 29, 1763, died Nov. 20, 1846, m. Magdalena
Kline, born 1768, died 1852).

(II) Johannes Siegfried, son of Joseph, born Oct. 1, 1758, died
April 4, 1821, aged sixty-two years, six months, three days.

(III) Johannes Siegfried, son of Johannes, grandson of Joseph,
born Jan 20, 1782, died June 18, 1835, aged fifty-three years, five
months, twenty-eight days. He was a farmer. In 1819 he erected a
barn in Siegfried’s Dale that was replaced in 1905 by a modern and
improved building that is one of the best barns in Upper Berks
County. He was married to Catherine Fetterolf (1776-1850), and they
had five sons and two daughters, some of whom died young.

(IV) Johannes Siegfried, son of Johannes and Catherine, was born
Aug. 27, 1802, and died July 30, 1840, aged thirty-seven years,
eleven months, three days. He was a farmer on the homestead. By his
wife, Hannah Grim (1803-1840), he had the following children: Mary;
John; Jesse, residing at Allentown, has a son Harry; Alfred,
residing at Allentown, has Robert, James and Henry; Hannah; and one
died young.

(V) John Siegfried, son of Johannes and Hannah Siegfried, born in
1829, died in 1902. He was a life-long farmer on the Siegfried
homestead, which, when he acquired it, contained 165 acres. He
married Catherine Grim, daughter of Joshua Grim, born in 1837, and
still living in Siegfried’s Dale. Their seven children are: Hannah,
John, Mary, Joshua, Sue, Celia, and Jacob.

(II) Jacob Siegfried, son of Joseph , the first settler, and
great-grandfather to William, was a native of Siegfried’s Dale in
Maxatawny township. There he was born Aug. 19, 1762, and died March
28, 1829, aged sixty-six years, seven months, nine days. On June
15, 1784, he married Dorothea Levan, born Feb. 2, 1765, died March
14, 1831, aged sixty-six years, one month, twelve days. Their
children were: Alexander settled at Sunbury, PA; William, born
1797, died 1826, m. Maria Reiser; Samuel; Benjamin; Jonathan;
George, who was blind, lived in Ohio; and several daughters (names
not preserved)

(III) Jonathan Siegfried, son of Jacob, was born Oct. 28, 1790, in
Maxatawny township, and died in June 1853, near Rebersburg,
Schuylkill county, and is buried at the Bethel Church. He owned a
farm and kept an inn across the Blue mountains from Rebersburg and
was a well-known man. He married Barbara Fiegol (1787-1854). They
had the following children: Abraham; William, of Harrisburg; Sarah,
born June 25, 1827, m. Philip Boltz, of Annville; B. Matilda, born
Jan 8, 1825, m. (first) an Overholtzer, had one son, Alfred (killed
in the Civil war), and m. (second) Thomas Straub (died at
Perryville), and they had fifteen children; and Daniel, born Nov.
30 1818, m. a Kauffman and went West (after his father’s death),
where he died.

(IV) Abraham Siegfried, father of the late William Siegfried, was
born Aug. 29, 1813, in Siegfried’s Dale, and died Jan 31, 1895,
aged eighty-one years, five months, two days. He was a farmer and
drover, and for many years was supervisor of Maxatawny township. He
owned a farm of seventy acres in Greenwich township, from which he
subsequently moved to Topton and later to Reading., where he died
at the home of a daughter, Mrs. John Fisher. He was buried at the
Maxatawny Zion Church. He married (first Lydia Ziegler, born April
24, 1816, in Lehigh county, and died June 7, 1873. They had two
children: Amelia, m. John Fisher, who died at Reading June 27,
1907, aged seventy-five years, ten months, eighteen days; and
William. Abraham Siegfried m. (second) Mrs. Sally Ann Kramlich,
daughter of Solomon Kuhns, and they had one daughter Kate.

(V) William Siegfried attended the early schools of his
neighborhood and grew to manhood with a knowledge of farming and
stock raising. He was a farmer and drover and dealt largely in
horses and cattle for many years. He was a man of fine business
capacity and of excellent judgment and was frequently elected to
local offices on the Democratic ticket. He served Maxatawny
township as assessor and also as tax collector and performed his
full duty on every occasion. He was a leading member of the
Maxatawny Zion Union Church, belonging to the Reformed
congregation, and served some years as a deacon, and then was made
an elder, sustaining that relation at the time of his death. For a
number of years he was the Sunday-school superintendent, and always
gave liberally for all religious purposes. In every relation of
life he was a most worthy man.

On April 5, 1856, William Siegfried was married to Mary Ellen
Hoch, daughter of William and Sallie (Bieber) Hoch, of Maxatawny
township, and a granddaughter of Abraham and Hannah (Doumayer) Hoch
of Richmond township. Five children were born to William Siegfried
and wife, namely: Sallie H; Mary Ellen, m. Dr. C. Q. Hillegars, of
Pennsburg; Edwin A. H. resides in Maxatawny township; and Victor G.
H. manages the home farm for his mother.

NOTE:

The following corrections and additions to
the Siegfried family biography were submitted by Leon F. Borst:

Additional Surnames: WISTER, DEISHER, BECHTEL, WERLIN, MUNNIG,
LANTZ, SASSAMAN, HILLEGASS

Either Morton Montgomery in his editing or the submitter of the
biography, wrongfully inserted Joseph Siegfried at the beginning of
William Siegfried’s line. It should be: Johannes, John II,
Jacob, Jonathan, Abraham, William

Paragraph 1: The house where William Siegfried died was originally
the home of his Great Uncle, Benjamin Siegfried. William inherited
the property at age 20 in 1862 when Benjamin Siegfried died.

Paragraph 2: Joseph (b.1721) and John (b.1723) were born in Oley,
the sons of Johannes (b. 1690’s) and Elizabeth Siegfried. Johannes
moved his family from Oley to land the Indians called
“Mach-set-Hanne” (Bear’s path stream) about 1724 (eight years
before the Penns “purchased” the land from the Indians in 1732).
Johannes purchased his first land in “Maxatawny” in 1732 from
Casper Wister, a Brass Button Maker and Land Speculator from
Philadelphia. Johannes Siegfried owned 600 acres when he died in
December of 1747 and willed each son 300 acres.

The place known as Siegfrieds is in Northampton
County, not Lehigh as stated. When this was published in 1909,
there was a covered bridge (built in 1828} which replaced
“Siegfried’s Ferry” that crossed the Lehigh River. The village on
the east side of the bridge was known as ‘Siegfried’s Bridge” and
later shortened to “Siegfrieds”. In 1901, three contiguous villages
(Siegfried, New Port, and Stempton) combined to form the town of
“Alliance”. In 1909, Alliance was renamed” Northampton”. The
present steel bridge, which connects Cementon to Northampton,
replaced the covered bridge in 1933. The prominent member after
whom the village of Siegfrieds was named is Col. John Siegfried
(1745) who moved from Maxatawny, Berks Co. about 1770 to the east
bank of the Lehigh River in Allen Township, Northampton, County
where he owned a Tavern and operated the ferry.

Paragraph 3. This paragraph should be about Johannes Siegfried
(1790’s – Dec 1747). Johannes was the founder of the Siegfried
family in Maxatawny and not his sons, Joseph and John. As
mentioned, Joseph & John are brothers and brother John died in
May of 1766. The rest of the paragraph is not about brother John’s
widow (whose name was Catherine) but about Elizabeth, mother of
Joseph and John and wife of Johannes the immigrant. The author fails to mention that “the heirs of my recently deceased son John” (who died in May of 1766) was also mentioned by Elizabeth (d. Sep 1767) in her will. Elizabeth’s
husband, Johannes, died in Dec. 1747. At the end of the paragraph,
Jacob Fischer should be Jacob Deisher (Anna’s Mother’s Will has
“Jacob Teisher”).

Paragraph 4: (I) Joseph Siegfried. This paragraph is about Joseph
Siegfried (1721-1795) who was the son of Johannes Siegfried (b.
1690’s), the founder of the family in Berks Co., but he is NOT the
g-g-grandfather of William Siegfried. Joseph(1721)’s brother,
Johannes ( John) II (1723), is the g-g-grandfather of William
Siegfried. The Johannes mentioned in Joseph’s Wife’s will is her
oldest child, Col. John Siegfried (1745 – 1793) and is mentioned in
phrase, “children of my deceased son Johannes”. The Daniel
mentioned (b.1763) is not Joseph’s son but the son of Joseph’s
brother, John II (b.1723). Joseph’s son is Daniel R.(b.1767) who
married Sarah Bechtel .

Paragraph 5: (II) Johannes Siegfried. Johannes III(1758) is not
the son of Joseph, but is the son of Joseph’s Brother, Johannes II
(1723) and wife Catherine Federolf. Johannes (John) III (1758) m.
Maria Gertraud Sassaman.

Paragraph 6: (III) Johannes Siegfried. Johannes IV (1782) is the
grandson of Johannes II (1723), not Joseph (1721). Like his
Grandfather, John II, John IV also married a woman named Catherine
Federolf.

Numbering starts over, since Jacob (1762) is also a son of John
Siegfried II and Catherine Federolf. Their children were: Elizabeth
(1754), m. Michael Werlin; Peter (1757), m. Catherine Munnig;
Margaret (1758 ?). m. Henry Lantz; John III (1758), m. Maria
Gertraud Sassaman; Susanna (1760), m. Albrecht Werlin; Jacob
(1762), m. Dorothy Levan; Daniel (1763), m. Mary Magdalena Kline.

Paragraph 9: Jacob Siegfried (1762) is the son of Johannes II, not Joseph. Joseph is not the first settler. Jacob’s death date and age on the tombstone are in error, and should be March 28, 1830, with his age as sixty-seven years, seven months, nine days. “Alexander settled in Sunbury” should be deleted as Jacob’s son. There was an Alexander Siegfried who lived in the Sunbury area but he was not the son of Jacob but was actually his grandson, the son of Jacob’s son Samuel. Biography mentions a son “George, who was blind in Ohio”. No record of a George, son of Jacob (1762), has ever been found. I believe this should be Jacob (1788), who moved to Ohio in 1827, and had a son that was blind. Jacob (1762) had daughters named Sarah and Elizabeth. Jacob Siegfried and wife, Dorothy (Levan) are interred in Siegfried’s Burial Ground, Maxatawny Township.

Paragraph 10: (III) Jonathan Siegfried. Jonathan died in Bethel
Township, Berks County (see page 154 of 1850 US census for Bethel
Township, Berks County, PA).His death date of June 1853 is in
error. Estate record in Berks County Court House shows that his
Widow, Barbara, took a Widow’s Share of the estate in March 1853.
Also in the Estate record it states, “He died sometime in 1851”. I
doubt that Jonathan “kept an inn across the Blue Mountain”, since
he had 53 acres and a hotel on the state road from Jonestown to
Pinegrove in Bethel Township. His son Daniel (1818), m. 12 Feb 1846
Sarah Kauffman in Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Lebanon County,
PA. Daniel went to Ohio or Iowa after his father died in 1851/53.

Paragraph 11: (IV) Abraham Siegfried. Abraham is a son of Jonathan.

Last Paragraph: William Siegfried. William’s daughter, Mary Ellen,
m. a Dentist, Dr. Charles Quentin Hillegass of Perkiomenville,
Montgomery County, PA. Dr. C.Q. Hillegass discontinued his Dental Practice and became Owner and Editor of the “Town and Country” newspaper in Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA.

SIGMUND, MATTHIAS C.

p.
1356

Surnames: SIGMUND

Matthias C. Sigmund, of Reading, proprietor of the only hat block
manufacturing establishment in the city, was born in Thurmont, Md.,
in 1858.

In 1881 Mr. Sigmund removed from his native
place to Ohio, and was for some time employed in the experimental
department of the Champion machine works at Springfield. He learned
the pattern-maker’s trade in Waynesboro, Pa., and on coming to
Reading in 1887, engaged at the Malleable Iron works. Later he
erected a plant at Detroit, Mich., and one in Montreal, Canada, and
in 1888 engaged in his present business. He not only furnishes the
leading hat manufacturers of Reading and the surrounding country,
but ships his goods to Boston, New York, St. Louis, Chicago, and
all of the leading cities of the United States. He manufactures
block forms, some of which are of his own invention, and employs
from four to six men in his establishment, which is furnished with
the latest machinery, and which has electricity for its motor
power. Mr. Sigmund is not only an able business man, but is a man
of much mechanical ability, and his inventions are practical and
labor saving.

In 1887 Mr. Sigmund was married to Adelaide
Sigmund, and to this union there have been born four children, as
follows; Amy, a graduate of the Reading High School, class of 1907;
Irma, who is attending high school; Jeanette, in high school; and
Olive, in grammar school. Mr. and Mrs. Sigmund and their four
daughters attend St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church.

SIMMON,
HENRY F.

p. 928

Surnames: SIMMON, STEFFE, GITTLEMAN, FREY, KLOPP, WENRICH, SPATZ,
WERNER, FIDLER, HALL, STEFFEY, CONRAD, BOYER, HUEY

Henry F. Simmon, a popular citizen of Robesonia, Berks Co., Pa.,
where he is carrying on a successful blacksmithing business, was
born May 10, 1865, in Lower Heidelberg township, son of Daniel and
Elizabeth (Steffe) Simmon.

The paternal great-grandfather of Henry F.
Simmon was born near Schaefferstown, Lebanon co., Pa., where he
spent his life in agricultural pursuits. He and his wife were the
parents of seven children, namely: Daniel, John, Michael, Nancy,
Elizabeth, Nettie and Peter.

Michael Simmon, grandfather of Henry F., was
born at Schaefferstown, where he secured his education, afterward
coming to Berks county to engage in the tanning trade. Later he
returned to Lebanon county, where the remainder of his life was
spent, his death occurring near Sheridan, at the age of
seventy-eight years, and he is buried at Hain’s Church. His wife
was Annie Gittleman, who died when eighty-eight years old. They
were the parents of these children: Susan; Benjamin; Michael, Jr.,
Daniel; Henry; William; Hannah, who died young; and Elizabeth, who
married Sullivan Frey, residing in Ohio.

Daniel Simmon, father of Henry F., was born July
15, 1832, in Lower Heidelberg township, where much of his life has
been spent in laboring. He now resides in his own home near
Wernersville, where he is a highly esteemed citizen and prominent
member of Hain’s Reformed Church. Mr. Simmon married Elizabeth
Steffe, born in 1840, daughter of John Steffe, and to this union
there were born eleven children: John; Daniel; Ellen; Hannah; Henry
F.; Elizabeth m. Adam Klopp, and died aged about twenty-three
years; Mary; Sallie; Charles; Emma, and one died in infancy.

Henry F Simmon was reared to agricultural
pursuits, and when nineteen years old learned the trade of
blacksmith with N. R. Wenrich, at Robesonia, in the shop which he
now conducts. After continuing in Mr. Wenrich’s employ for four and
one-half years, Mr. Simmon contracted a partnership with him, and
the firm of Wenrich & Simmon continued to do business until the
senior partner’s retirement in 1903. Since this time Mr. Simmon has
carried on the business by himself, and, assisted by one skilled
mechanic, holds the bulk of the trade in the section, Mr. Simmon
has his own home on Main street, and he is known as a good citizen,
a kind neighbor, and a business man of much ability. In politics he
is a Democrat, and his popularity in his neighborhood has been
proven on a number of occasions when he has been elected a delegate
to country conventions. Fraternally he is connected with Knights of
Pythias Lodge No, 119, of Robesonia. He is a member of St. Paul’s
Reformed Church, in which he has been a deacon, elder and trustee,
and a member of the building committee which erected the present
edifice in 1904.

On Jan. 1, 1886, Mr. Simmon was married (first)
to Ellen C. Spatz, born Sept. 30, 1860, who died April 12, 1894,
daughter of Daniel and Mary (Werner) Spatz the former a shoemaker
of Robesonia. Three children were born to this union, namely: Annie
N., born April 29, 1887, who died Nov. 3, 1891; Franklin D., born
Aug. 4, 1890; and Mary E., born April 6, 1894.

Mr. Simmon married (second) Rebecca H. Fidler,
daughter of Adam and Sophia (Hall) Fidler, of Bern township, and
three sons have been born to this marriage; George F., born June 9,
1896; Paul A., March 8., 1901; and Luther C., May 26, 1903.

Michael Simmon, Jr., son of Michael, who was
born at Schaefferstown, was born in 1839 died near Shillington,
Berks Co., Pa., March 17, 1907, aged seventy-seven years. He is
buried at Shillington. He was a carpenter by trade, and for many
years lived in Lower Heidelberg township. His wife was Susannah
Steffey, who was born July 6, 1834, and is now living with her son,
Frank, near Wernersville. They had these children: Frank; Lydia m.
Enos Conrad; George, deceased; Henry; John; Alice m. Daniel Boyer.

Frank Simmon, son of Michael, Jr., was born in
Lower Heidelberg May 12, 1855. He learned the gunsmith’s trade in
Alsace township, and later learned blacksmithing, and these trades
he followed many years in Lower Heidelberg and Alsace townships. He
married Katie, daughter of John Huey. They have one son, Daniel H.,
born at Frush Valley, April 8, 1878, who follows blacksmithing at
Wernersville, Pennsylvania.

SINDEL,
REUBEN

p. 1200

Surnames: SINDEL, HAGY, ASTON, MORRIS, PFLUGFELTER

Reuben Sindel, a substantial business man of Reading, Pa., who is
engaged in the grocery business at the corner of Sixth and Laurel
streets, was born Dec. 3, 1862, in Lancaster county, Pa., son of
George and Lydia (Hagy) Sindel.

George Sindel came from Germany of the United
States in 1847, being the only one of his family to come to this
country. He had engaged in the milling business in the old country,
and on locating in Lancaster county engaged in that occupation
there and in Chester county. He died in 1894; his wife was a native
of Lancaster county and a sister of William Hagy, of Reading.
Fifteen children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Sindel, six of whom grew
to maturity, they being: George H., deceased, a miller by trade;
Edwin H., a grocer of Reading; Mary A., m to A. S. Aston of Safe
Harbor; John A., a locksmith of Reading; Reuben; and Emma L.,
single, of Reading, forelady of the Mr. Penn Box Factory. In
religious belief the family were first Lutherans, but later became
converted to the belief of the Methodist Episcopal faith. Mr.
Sindel was Democrat in politics.

Reuben Sindel was educated in the schools of
Lancaster county and Reading, and his first employment was as a
clerk in the grocery store of William Morris, with whom he remained
eight years, then engaging in stove moulding for two years with
Painter & Co. Mr. Sindel then went to Chester county, where he
was engaged in the grocery business for four years. After selling
out the grocery business Mr. Sindel returned to Reading, clerking
in Bright & Co.’s hardware store for one year, and then, in
1890, engaged in his present business at the corner of Sixth and
Laurel streets, where he keeps constantly on hand a full line of
fancy and staple groceries, notions and dry goods. Mr. Sindel is
affable and courteous, and his honest business methods have won the
confidence of a large trade. He is regarded as one of the
substantial and representative business men in his line in the
city.

Mr. Sindel was married in 1884, to Miss Emma
Pflugfelter, and to this union were born five children: Wilber G.,
a salesman for the National Biscuit Co., of Reading; Leroy J. E.;
Ralph L.; Emma C., deceased, and an infant , deceased. Mr. Sindel
is fraternally connected with the Maccabees, Reading Tent, and in
political matters he is a Republican. He attends the Methodist
Episcopal Church.

SLATER,
SAMUEL W.

p. 1397

Surnames: SLATER, MATZ, KENYON, ALBRIGHT, FIDLER, TOMKINS

Samuel W. Slater, one of the popular young business men of North
Reading, Pa., who is proprietor of the “Riverside Hotel,” was born
in 1876, in Terre Hill, Lancaster Co., Pa., son of Maberry and
Margaret (Matz) Slater, the former of whom died in 1891, and the
latter in 1882.

Samuel W. Slater was educated in the schools of
Terre Hill, and as a boy learned the cigar making business, which
he followed for three years. He then located in Reading, and
entered the employ of Sternbergh, with whom he continued for one
year, then serving a six months’ apprenticeship with the Reading
Scale and Machine works. Mr. Slater’s next employment was as clerk
in George Kenyon’s hotel on Penn street, and later he was engaged
for one year in the restaurant business for a Mr. Eberly, from
whose employ he went to the Reading Market, being engaged with
George N. Albright one year. Mr. Slater then became clerk of the
“Riverside Market, being engaged with George N. Albright for one
year. Mr. Slater then became clerk of the “Riverside Hotel,” under
Harry Fidler, now deceased, and continued in this capacity until
Mr. Fidler’s death, when he was prevailed upon by the Brewing
Company to accept the proprietorship of this hotel, which is one of
the finest stands in this section of Reading. Mr. Slater has been
very successful since taking charge of this well-known hostelry,
and makes a very efficient hotel proprietor, being genial and
courteous, and popular with all who know him. Fraternally he is
connected with Reading Aerie, F. O. E., Knights of the Golden
Eagle, Quakers, Neversink Fire Company, and Hotel and Restaurant
Employers’ national Alliance.

In 1902 Mr. Slater was married to Lillie
Tomkins, of Trenton, N. J., and to them there has been born one
child: Margaret. They are members of the Lutheran Church, and in
political matters Mr. Slater is a Republican.

SLATER,
WILMER H.

p. 1151

Surnames: SLATER, LESHER, BIEBER, TURNER, WEBER

Wilmer H. Slater, one of the energetic and enterprising young
business men of Reading, who as W. H. Slater & Co, is engaged
in the printing business at No. 500 North Tenth street, was born
July 11, 1879, at Terre Hill, Lancaster county, son of John and
Sarah (Lesher) Slater, who resides at that place.

Wilmer H. Slater attended the schools of his
native county, and when a young man learned the printing trade at
the office of the “Times” at Terrehill. He remained in this
capacity for six years, and in July, 1895, came to Reading, where
he secured employment with Henry Bieber , continuing with this
gentleman a period of five years. He later engaged in the
restaurant business for a short time, but sold this and bought the
printing business of William Turner, known as the Christian Life
Printing Company, at No. 991

Walnut street. This he operated for a short
time, but sold it back to Mr. Turner, establishing his present
business Aug. 1, 1905. He enjoys a good and growing trade, doing
all kinds of job and book work, also manufacturing postal cards and
advertising novelties. His office is fully equipped with the best
and most modern machinery. Until October, 1908, he was located at
No. 806 Walnut street, but the increased volume of business
necessitated larger quarters, and he removed to his present
location on North Tenth street, where he has five times the space.
He occupies the entire three stories. He has added books,
stationery and novelties to his stock, and under the name of
“Slater’s Novelty Shop” carries on a mail-order business. He is the
sole owner of the business, and directs it all himself.

Mr. Slater married Esther E. Weber, and four
children have been born to this union: Warren F., Mary H.
(deceased), and Ruth I. and Naomi A., twins. Mr. Slater is a member
of St. Paul’s United Evangelical Church of Reading, in which he is
class leader and a teacher in the Sunday-school. He is very popular
in his community, as is his wife, and their many friends always
find a cheery welcome at their home at No. 810 Walnut street.

SLEGEL,
W. SCOTT

p. 1223

Surnames: SLEGEL, SCHLEGEL, ELY, REBER, KISSINGER, BEARD, KING

W. Scott Slegel, superintendent of the contracting firm of George
W. Beard & Co., with main offices in the Colonial building,
Reading, is a member of an old family of Berks county. He was born
June 17, 1866, in Reading, son of Joel E. Slegel.

John Slegel (also spelled Schlegel), grandfather
of W. Scott, was a well known tailor located at Fleetwood, Berks
county, where he died at a ripe old age. His wife, whose maiden
name had been Estella Ely, died in her ninetieth year. They were
the parents of five children. Of these Joel E. Slegel was born in
1833, at Fleetwood, Berks county, and when a boy learned the
tailor’s trade, under the tuition of his father. He later traveled
through the Western States following his vocation. Later giving up
the tailoring trade, he commenced the study of dentistry, and
subsequently received his diploma, being for some time in
partnership with his brother, Levi, and later in business on his
own account at No. 111 North Fifth street. He built up a large
larger practice, which he held until his death in 1888. Dr. Joel E.
Slegel married Susan J. Reber, daughter of W. W. Reber, and she
died at the age of fifty-eight years. They had two children: Walter
R., D. D. S., of Reading; and W. Scott.

W. Scott Slegel was educated in the public
schools of Reading, subsequently graduated from Schuylkill
Seminary, and later took a course in bookkeeping at Professor
Brunner’s Business College. After leaving the latter school he was
engaged in farming for two years near Boyertown, Berks county,
after which he learned the carpenter’s trade and was first employed
by John Kissinger. He was engaged in business for five years on his
own account, during that time building fifty-two residences and
several business buildings. In 1897 Mr. Slegel entered the employ
of George W. Beard & Co., as a journeyman, working as such from
October to April, 1898, when he was made foreman. Mr. Slegel
continued in this capacity until 1901, in which year he was
appointed superintendent of the company, a position which he is
filling at the present time.

Mr. Slegel married Ida May King, and with their
three children-W. Scott, Jr., Harry W. and Annie S. W.-they have
resided near Birdsboro, Pa., since the spring of 1909. In political
matters Mr. Slegel is a Republican. He is fraternally connected
with Lodge No. 115, I. O. O. F.; and Commandery No. 47, Knights of
Malta.

SLICHTER, FRANK W.

p. 1531

Surnames: SLICHTER, WARNER, MILLS, KELLER, KESSLER, HENDEL, MOHN,
SPATZ, HORNBERGER, MOSSER, GRILL

Frank W. Slichter, a resident of Mohnton, Pa., where he owns
considerable property, was born Feb. 26, 1867, on what is now the
Yocum farm in Cumru township, son of David and Catherine (Warner)
Slichter.

The grandfather of Frank W. Slichter, who came
from Alsace township, was a farmer by occupation, and met his death
accidentally while shaking an opossum out of a tree. His children
were: Jacob, deceased, was a minister of the Methodist Church;
Joseph is in the trucking and fruit business in Robeson township;
Henry, of Exeter township; and David.

David Slichter also met an accidental death in
his fifty-sixth year. He was a farmer by occupation in Cumru
township, near the Old Yeager farm, now private in the Civil war.
Mr. Slichter was a member of the Lutheran Church, serving as an
elder at Gouglersville, where he is buried. In politics he was a
Democrat, but never took an active part therein. He was married to
Catherine Warner, daughter of Levi Warner, and she died in 1904,
having been the mother of these children: Mary, who married
Ellsworth Mills, of Sinking Spring, Berks county; Frank W.; John,
who married Sallie Keller, of Mohnton; and William, who married
Mary Kessler, of Mohnton.

Frank W. Slichter attended the schools of Cumru
township, and as a boy worked with his father. At the age of
sixteen years he began to learn the hatting business at Edison with
George Hendel & Son, with whom he continued for five years and
then went to Reading, being with John Hendel for five years, Henry
Hendel for three years and with J. G. Mohn & Company for five
years. He then engaged in business with Isaac D. Spatz and Joseph
Hornberger, under the firm name of the Globe Hat Company, as
superintendent and general manager, continuing with this firm for
four years, this being at Mohnton. Since 1901 he has been employed
by J. G. Mohn & Company, at Reading, as a skilled mechanic in
the hat department.

Mr. Slichter married Sallie Mosser, daughter of
Nicholas and Sallie (Grill) Mosser, whose sketch will appear
elsewhere in this volume, and to this union there have been born:
Earl, an apprentice to the molder’s trade; and Emma, attending
school. In his political belief Mr. Slichter is a Democrat, and he
served as school director of Cumru township from 1903 to 1906, with
much ability, being greatly interested in educational matters. He
refused a second nomination. He is interested in the movement to
have Mohnton made a borough, and is a leader in that enterprise. He
is a member, trustee and steward of the Salem Evangelical
Association of Mohnton, and a teacher and treasurer of the
Sunday-school. He owns five fine properties in Mohnton. Mr.
Slichter is a leading raiser of poultry, having some of the best
stock in the county.

SLIPP, JOHN
W.

p. 832

Surnames: SLIPP, HOUCK, SMITH

John W. Slipp, one of the most active citizens of Birdsboro at the
present day, prominent in business circles in fraternal affairs, in
the local civil government and in the development of the borough
generally, has resided there for the past twenty-five years. His
principal business interests during this period have been centered
in the lumber and hardware trade, but in recent years he has also
done considerable in local real estate dealing, in which connection
he has been instrumental in enlarging and building up the borough.

Mr. Slipp is a native of Chester county, Pa.,
born in 1856, son of Daniel and Mary (Houck) Slipp. He was reared
there, and received his education in the public schools, and upon
commencing work learned the carpenter’s trade, which he continued
to follow in all for fifteen years. In 1882 he came to Birdsboro,
where he has ever since made his home. For the first eight years or
so after his removal to the borough he worked at his old trade, in
1891 commencing what has since developed into a profitable lumber
business. He began so modestly in this line that he delivered his
first orders for lumber with a wheelbarrow, but his trade increased
steadily, and his lumberyard is now well stocked and the center of
a thriving business. He also carried on a flour and feed business
for two years, at the end of that time selling out of that line and
engaging in the hardware trade, in which he has since continued.
His business in this line has become quite extensive, proving an
excellent adjunct to the sale of lumber, especially among builders.
Mr. Slipp also acts as agent for several manufacturing concerns.
Besides attending to all these interests he has engaged quite
extensively in the real estate business and building. In
association with several other men he opened up the addition to
Birdsboro known as Wayne Heights, one of the most attractive parts
of the borough, a credit to its projectors and to the town of which
it forms a part. Mr. Slipp has served the community in various
public offices, having been a member of the borough council,
assessor, judge of elections and county commissioner, to which
latter position he was elected in 1900, serving one term. He is a
Republican in political sentiment.

In 1902 Mr. Slipp was raised a Mason in
Birdsboro Lodge, F. & A. M., and he has since attained the
thirty-second degree, belonging to Philadelphia Consistory; he is a
member of Rajah Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S. He also affiliates with
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, as a member of Neversink
Lodge, No. 514, of Birdsboro, and with the Knights of the Golden
Eagle at Birdsboro; and he is a charter member of the Friendship
Fire Company.

In 1886 Mr. Slipp was married to Annie Smith,
and they have five children namely: May, Blaine, Viola, Florence
and a son who died in infancy. The family are Baptists in religious
connection.

SMECK,
CHARLES M.

p. 1218

Surnames: SMECK, SCHMECK, MOSER, RITZEY, EISENBISE, LEWIS, HARDY,
JONES, RUSK, SNYDER, RENNINGER, BARTLETT, WUNDER, LANDIS, WIEND,
MILLER, STETSON, LEADER, HOUCK, DIETRICH, MAURER, TEXTER

Charles M. Smeck, one of the well-known hotel men of Reading, Pa.,
who is proprietor of the “Wayside Inn”, located at Nos. 257 and 259
Penn street, corner of Third, has been prominently identified with
the political and fraternal interests of the city, and belongs to
one of the old and honored families of Berks county. Mr. Smeck was
born at Birdsboro, Pa., March 17, 1866, son of Ephraim and Caroline
(Moser) Smeck.

Samuel Schmeck, great-grandfather of Charles M.
Smeck, was born Sept. 7, 1778, and his life was spent in Reading,
where he followed the trade of hatter. He was first buried at Sixth
and Washington streets, Reading, but his remains were later removed
to the Charles Evans cemetery. On July 6, 1800, Samuel Schmeck
married Ann Eliza Ritzey, born Aug. 25, 1781, and to this union
there were born the following children: Edward; Charles, who lived
in Reading; William, born Jan. 21, 1812, in Reading, and died in
Ohio; Henry, who died while on his way home from Brazil, and was
buried at sea; Susanna, m. to Peter Eisenbise, and lived in
Reading; Barbara Ann, born March 10, 1822, m. to Elmer Lewis of
Reading; and Ann Eliza, m. to Harrison Hardy, and lived in Reading.

Edward Schmeck, son of Samuel and grandfather of
Charles M. Smeck, was born in Reading Jan. 14, 1801, and died in
that city aged seventy-four years, nine months, twenty-five days.
He was carpenter by occupation, and for fifteen years followed that
trade in northern Ohio, but subsequently returned to Reading, where
for a number of years he was engaged in building houses. He was the
assessor and tax collector of the First ward (then called Spruce
ward) for sixteen or seventeen years, and was a well-known and
highly esteemed citizen. He is buried in Aulenbach cemetery. Edward
Schmeck married Hannah Moser, daughter of George Moser, who was
wounded five times during his service as a soldier in the
Revolutionary war. On one occasion while on picket duty Mr. Moser
had a wonderful experience: The picket line where he was put on
guard on this night was a very dangerous point, as for five or six
nights the picket here had been either captured or killed.
According to his report he “heard something crawling and grunting
like hogs” and shot and killed an Indian, but was captured. The
horse on which he was spirited away, however, was shot by the other
Continental picket, and falling, crushed Moser’s leg, thus
disabling him from further service. It is said he was a brother of
Burkhard Moser, around whose estate centers a litigation that has
assumed large proportions. He is said to have died a bachelor and
left extensive coal lands in Schuylkill county. Edward Schmeck and
his wife had the following children: a son, born Dec. 27, 1827,
died in infancy; Angeline M. born March 28, 1828, m. James Jones;
Ephraim M., born July 26, 1831; James M., born Jan. 25, 1834, died
on Penn street, Reading; George M., born Nov. 13, 1835, died in
Reading; Elizabeth, born May 11, 1838, in Ohio, m. Thomas Rusk, and
now resides in Philadelphia, Pa., Susan, born Jan. 3, 1840, m.
(first) Charles Snyder, and (second) Ephraim Renninger; Mary Ann,
born Feb. 3, 1844, m. Tobias Bartlett; Ann Eliza, born Oct. 9,
1846, died young; Permilla, born Aug. 27, 1849, also died young;
and Charles W., born Nov. 7, 1851, died in Reading.

Ephraim M. Smeck, father of Charles M., was born
July 26, 1831, in Reading, and when one year old accompanied his
parents to the Western Reserve, where he lived fifteen years. When
sixteen years of age he returned to Reading and became a heater for
Seyfert, McManus & Co., a capacity in which he served thirty
years, being located at Reading, Port Clinton, Schuylkill Haven,
Philadelphia and other points. After spending two years at
Birdsboro he purchased a farm of 100 acres in Pike township, and
there resided for three years, subsequently selling out to return
to Reading, where he has lived ever since. Mr. Smeck now occupies
his own residence at No. 421 Schuylkill avenue, where he has lived
since 1889. In political matters he is independent. He and his
family are members of St. Mark’s Reformed Church. In 1852 Mr. Smeck
married (first) Mary Wunder, daughter of Daniel Wunder, and to this
union there were born two children, namely: Lillie, m. to Samuel
Landis; and Hannah, m. to John Renninger. Mrs. Smeck died quite
young, and was buried at the family plot at Aulenbach cemetery. Mr.
Smeck m. (second) Caroline Moser, daughter of Frederick and
Christiana (Wiend) Moser, farming people of Pike township. There
were six children born to this marriage: James is a barber at
Lebanon, Pa.; Ellen, m. William Miller; William lives at Reading;
Charles M.; Carrie is single; and Harry lives in Philadelphia.

Ephraim M. Smeck enlisted April 2, 1861, in
Company A. 14th Pa. V. I., for three months’ service during the
Civil war, and was honorably discharged Aug. 5, 1861. He was about
to re-enlist as a soldier, when he received information that
teamsters were needed in the army, and he subsequently served in
that capacity on a supply wagon, from August, 1862, until in 1863,
when he was again honorably discharged.

When a mere lad, Charles M. Smeck accompanied
his parents to Hillchurch, in Pike township, and there spent
several years on the farm, coming to Reading with his parents when
five years old. He attended the German Lutheran parochial school at
Reading, and as a youth commenced working in the sheet mill of the
Reading Iron Company, continuing in the iron business until
twenty-two years of age. For one year he operated the big
twelve-inch heating furnace at the Blandon Rolling Mill, and then
entered the employ of the Prudential Life Insurance Company, with
which he continued for eighteen months. He was a distributing clerk
in the Reading post-office during this administration of Capt. R.
P. Stetson for two years and nine months, and then became
proprietor of “Lauer’s Park Hotel,” where he remained two seasons.
He next conducted the “Metropolitan Hotel” at Harrisburg for one
season, but subsequently returned to Reading and for two years was
the proprietor of the “East Reading Hotel.” He was also for six
months the proprietor of the “Hamilton House,” but this he sold out
to become House Sergeant under the administration of Mayor H. H.
Leader, a capacity in which he served for eighteen months.
Following this he purchased the hotel property at Nos. 1356 and
1358 Cotton street, corner of Fourteenth, taking possession thereof
on July 31, 1900, and successfully conducted it until Sept. 9,
1907, when he sold the property to the Lauer Brewing Company, and
became the proprietor of his present stand. This is one of the best
hotel stands in the city, and Mr. Smeck has a large and growing
patronage. He is also the owner of a number of building lots in
Reading, and has been very successful in his business operations.

In politics Mr. Smeck is a Republican in
national matters, while in local affairs he is independent. He has
held various positions of trust and responsibility, and in the
spring of 1906 was elected common councilman from the Sixteenth
ward, an office which he resigned on his removal to the Sixth ward.
He is a member of Aerie No. 66, F. O. E., Reading; Camp No. 330, P.
O. S. of A.; Resolute Council No 27, I. O. A; and Court Wyomissing,
F. O. A., of which he has been treasurer since 1904. He is also an
active member of Schuylkill Fire Company, and a contributing member
of the Union and Neversink Fire Companies, as well as of the
Philharmonic Band. He is one of the members and heavy stockholders
of the Eagles’ Mountain Home Association, and is connected with
various other Reading clubs and organizations. With his family he
attends the First Reformed Church.

Mr. Smeck was married Oct. 6, 1887 to Elizabeth
Houck, daughter of Charles and Susanna (Dietrich) Houck, and they
have had four children: Florence, at home; William, a cornet player
of wide reputation who, although but twenty-one years of age, is
assistant treasurer of the Academy of Music; and Walter and James,
who are attending school. All of the Smeck children are musicians
of ability.

William M. Smeck, brother of Charles M. and son
of Ephraim M., was born Sept. 2, 1863, in Reading, and his
education was obtained in the public schools of this city. He
learned the machinist’s trade as a youth at the American Iron &
Steel Company’s plant, and continued in that company’s employ for
twenty-seven consecutive years. He is a skilled mechanic and a most
trusted employee. In political matters he is a Republican, while
socially he is connected with the I. O. R. M.; Resolute Council,
American Mechanics; the Friendship Fire Company, and the Nursery
Literary Association of Reading, of which he is a past official. He
was chairman of the building committee in 1892, which erected the
present building of the association, it now having a membership of
103 persons.

On May 28, 1891, Mr. Smeck was married to Emma
Maurer, daughter of Isaac Maurer and wife (whose maiden name as
Texter).