Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

BOONE, CYRUS

p. 1650

Surnames: BOONE, MECK, SPAYED, BUSHONG, CLYMER, YERGER, LANDO,
ROTHWELL, SELTZER, SPEAS, DREY

Cyrus Boone, a well know farmer, and a veteran of the Civil war,
was born in Bern township, Sept. 27, 1843, a son of John and
Elizabeth (Meck) Boone, and a grandson of John Boone.

(I) John Boone, Sr., was a resident of Bern
township, who had four children: John, Daniel, William and Susan,
who married D. Spayed, for many years proprietor of the Dry Road
hotel.

(II) John Boone, Jr., was born in Bern township
where he was a farmer on his father’s land, and later among the
farmers of the township after he was left an orphan. In 1850 he
went to Reading and engaged in the Bushongs distillery, continuing
with them for many years. Later he was connected with a stone
quarry, but the last six years of his life, he was retired from
active business. His death occurred on South street, and he is
buried at the Charles Evans cemetery at Reading. The children born
to himself and wife were: Sylvia, deceased; William, deceased;
Cyrus; Eliza, deceased; Henry, deceased; Jonathan of Philadelphia;
Albert of 10th street, Reading; Sarah of Reading, and John who died
in infancy.

III) Cyrus Boone attended the public schools of
Reading, but when only nine he began boating on the canal and thus
continued until 1861, when August 8th, he enlisted in Company G,
6th Cavalry, Captain Clymer commanding, and he served until Dec.
31, 1863, when he re-enlisted at Mitchell Station, Va., Jan 1,
1864, for three years, in a company of the 2nd Battalion, Veteran
Reserve Corps, and was honorably discharged Dec. 15, 1864 on
account of disability. Mr. Boone was wounded May 7, 1864, in the
Battle of the Wilderness. He received two wounds, part of his left
side being shot away. He lost a rib and a portion of his elbow, but
he retained his arm, although the surgeons wanted to amputate it.
When he recovered sufficiently, Mr. Boone went back to his canal
boat life, and thus continued for six years when he entered the
employ of the Pennsylvania & Reading Railroad foundries and
worked in them in several departments, until April 11, 1894, when
he bought the Jacob Lando tract of four acres in Bern township. On
this he erected a house, and has since made it his home. Naturally
Mr. Boone is an enthusiastic G. A. R. man and belongs to Post No.
16 Reading. He is also a member of the Keystone Hook and Ladder Co.
In politics he is an independent, voting for the man he thinks best
fitted for the office regardless of his party affiliations. He and
his family are members of the Reformed church, in which they are
active.

Mr. Boone married Mary A. Yerger, a daughter of
William and Catherine (Rothwell) Yerger, and their children are:
Minnie E., deceased; John H., deceased; Mary A., married William
Seltzer of Heidelberg township; Kate, married Irwin Speas of
Heidelberg township; William W. of Reading; Laura M., married John
Drey; Rosa I., deceased.

BOONE,
DANIEL

p. 1502*

Surnames: BOONE, HUYETT, MORGAN, BRYAN

The immediate ancestors of Daniel Boone, the famous hunter and
pioneer of Kentucky, occupied a small settlement near Exeter,
England, where they nearly all followed a pastoral life. George
Boone immigrated to America with his wife, Mary, in 1717, bringing
with them eleven children, but few worldly goods. Two of the eleven
children were daughters. The nine sons were: William, Joseph,
Joshua, Jeremiah, Hezekiah, Benjamin, James, John, and Squire, the
last named being the father of Daniel Boone.

George Boone settled in Berks County, Pa., where
he obtained a large tract of land and founded a small settlement
which in honor of his birthplace was called Exeter. It is also
related, through with no better authority than tradition, that he
pre-empted the ground on which Georgetown, in the District of
Columbia, is situated, that he located the town, and give it his
name.

George Boone and his family were Quakers. They
are buried at the Exeter meeting-house. His descendants in Berks
county are still quite numerous.

Squire Boone married in Pennsylvania Mary Morgan
about the year 1732, and resided at Exeter, Berks Co., Pa., on the
original home of his father. They had seven sons and four
daughters, as follows: Daniel, James, Squire, Edward, Jonathan,
George and Samuel, Mary, Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth. Daniel’s
uncle James, a schoolmaster, left a memorandum in a book to the
effect that Daniel Boone was born July 14, 1734; the date is given
elsewhere as 1733. About 1750 or 1751 his father moved from Exeter
to a spot on the Yadkin river, ten miles from what is now known as
Wilkesboro Co., North Carolina.

Daniel Boone married Rebecca Bryan, a neighbor’s
daughter, and to them were born nine children: James (born 1756),
Israel, Nathan, Daniel, Jesse, Rebecca, Susan, Lavina, and Jemima.
Five years after his marriage Daniel was still living on th Yadkin,
following the same pursuits as his father, hunting, trapping, and
cultivating a garden patch.

The material for the following is found in
“Fifty American Soldiers of Fortune.”

In 1767 Daniel Boone left his family and his
farm in North Carolina and with six companions went to explore the
Kentucky wilderness. Finding the soil fertile and the game
plentiful he returned to North Carolina and raised a little colony
whom he led to the new territory. Food was scarce and the Indians
troublesome, but they finally succeeded in founding fortified
settlement on the banks of the Kentucky river, named Boonesboro in
honor of the leader. Boone’s wife was the first white woman to
enter that region, and one of their sons was the first white boy
born in Kentucky.

With thirty comrades Boone went of search of
salt to Salt Licks, a hundred miles from the settlement, and on the
trip they were surrounded by a party of over a hundred Indians, led
by English officers, who captured the entire party and took them to
Detroit. All were ransomed, however, but Boone, for whom the
Shawnee chief had formed a liking. He was held against his will and
adopted into the tribe, being well treated but closely watched.
Hearing of a plan to swoop down upon the little settlement of
Boonesboro and massacre all its inhabitants, he determined to
escape to warn them, and although five hundred of the savages gave
chase he succeeded, arriving in time to help the settlers prepare
for the attack. They held the fort successfully against six times
their number, though the Indians were led by British and Canadian
officers.

Boone’s wife and family, believing him dead, had
during his captivity returned to North Carolina and after the
battle he followed them without delay, and in 1780 brought them
back to Kentucky. Shortly afterward, while on a hunting trip with
his brother, he was ambushed by the Indians, and the brother was
slain and scalped. Boone escaped this time, but was later captured
by four savages; he got free by throwing snuff into their faces,
blinding them while he fled. His daughter being taken prisoner,
with two girl friends, by a band of Indians, Boone followed and
rescued the three women single-handed. Two of his sons were killed
by the Redmen.

Unfortunately, when Kentucky became a state in
1791 it was found that Boone had not secured proper title to his
lands, and he was ousted from the property he had fought so hard to
gain. It was then that he went to Missouri, at that time under
Spanish rule, and the Spaniards in recognition of his fame and
prowess, gave him a tract of 8,500 acres and made him a
sub-governor. However, when Missouri after passing into French
hands, was sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana
Purchase, he again lost his property through neglect in
establishing his title, and in his old age found himself without
land or money. Returning to Kentucky, he was there given 850 acres
as a result of a petition to Congress, and he passed the remainder
of his long life in hunting and farming. He died September, 1820,
and was buried at Frankfort, Ky. Years before he had made for
himself an enormous coffin which he kept always under his bed. He
was a man of gentle and modest manners, and of irreproachable
private life.

*Note:

The biography of Daniel Boone
appears in the Huyett family biography, starting on page 1496. The
Boone family lived next to the Huyett family in Exeter township,
Berks, attended the same church, and intermarried.

BOONE, EDWIN

p. 433

Surnames: BOONE, CLEAVER, LINCOLN, O’REILY, HUNTZINGER, BUCHANAN,
HARRISON, HAWKESWORTH

Edwin Boone, vice-president and cashier of the
National Union Bank, of Reading, was born on the Boone homestead,
in Exeter township, Berks county, Jan. 14, 1846. His emigrant
ancestors were among the first settlers in this county, coming from
England and settling along the headwaters of Monocacy creek, in
what is now Exeter township, prior to the year 1720. His father,
Ellis H. Boone, moved to Reading in early manhood, and there became
a well-known man in his line, serving for more than forty years as
foreman in the Philadelphia & Reading car shops. Ellis H. Boone
married Ann Cleaver, daughter of Derrick Cleaver, whose ancestors
were also among the first settlers of that section of Berks county.

Mr. Boone was educated in Reading, and was only
fifteen years old (having left high school) when tendered a
position as clerk in the National Union Banks, with which
institution he has ever since been connected. He accepted the
clerkship March 4, 1861, the day Lincoln was first inaugurated
President. It is of interest to note that Lincoln’s ancestors were
near neighbors of the Boones in Exeter township, before 1730. Mr.
Boone commenced his business career with a determination to succeed
which he has never relinquished. He gave evidence of ability from
the start, and was promoted steadily until he attained the position
of cashier in 1878, though then but thirty-two years of age. Over
twenty years later, in 1901, he was honored with election to the
office of vice-president, and still retains both responsibilities.
In all the years he has been intrusted with the heavy obligations
of these positions his vigilance and fidelity have been marked, and
no cloud has ever marred the history of the institution or its
management. Under his management the bank has enjoyed continual
success, and a steady growth, the business transacted in 1906
amounting to over $82,500,000. But it is only due to the directors
of the bank to say that Mr. Boone’s services have been both
appreciated and rewarded, and he has the satisfaction of enjoying
the confidence of those in authority at the bank and of the public
upon whose patronage its prosperity depends.

Mr. Boone’s alertness, keen perception,
knowledge and long experience in matters of finance have brought
him into many congresses and councils, and in contact with some of
the greatest minds and financiers of the country. Whatever
threatened or menaced, whether depression or panic or stringency of
any kind, the National Union Bank has had in Mr. Boone a pilot who
knew the channel and knew of every reef and ledge, and whatever the
tempest this commander carried his barque safely through to the
calm sea.

In the year 1892, seeking a respite from
business cares, Mr. Boone made a tour of the United States visiting
many points of interest and extending his trip through Nova Scotia
and Canada. Six years later, in company with Messrs. James A. and
Dr. Charles A. O’Reilly, he visited France, sojourning most of the
time in Paris. Again in 1902, in company with his friend, Rev. F.
K. Huntzinger, pastor of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church of Reading, he
journeyed to Jamaica, stopping at Kingston (since destroyed by
earthquake), where they remained for three weeks meeting many of
the distinguished and influential citizens of the Island. This
jaunt proved so enjoyable to Mr. Boone and his companion that
another was planned, and in 1905 they set sail for Europe, visiting
France, England, Holland and Germany.

While in London rare respect and privileges were
extended them. They were shown through the Bank of England, an
unusual courtesy to those having no credentials or recommendations.
However, identity and confidence were established through a five
dollar National Union Bank note bearing the signature of Mr. Boone
as cashier. This was accepted as a satisfactory sponsor, and they
were shown through this historic institution, being specially
interested in the printing, as all currency circulating throughout
England and the English Colonies is printed there. They were also
admitted to both Houses of Parliament, while in session, and at a
time or on a day when visitors were excluded.

In the summer of 1907 these two friends took a
six weeks’ trip together, on this occasion visiting Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, northern Germany and Holland. They sailed from New York on
July 17th , on the “Noordam” of the Holland-American line, and
though the trip across was not particularly pleasant, the weather
being cold and foggy, they had the novel experience of coming close
to an iceberg, so close that the vessel was slowed down until it
made scarcely any progress, because of the danger of a collision.
Icebergs at that season show little of their bulk above the
surface, and are a source of danger avoided by every captain.
During the trip the fog at one time prevailed for thirty-six
consecutive hours. At Hamburg, Germany, the friends boarded the
tourist steamer “Vega” for Norway, and they had a delightful voyage
along the romantic and mountainous coast of that country, also
penetrating many of the fjords which indent the mountains, whose
sides slope directly into the sea. The marvelous color effects on
the water, the snow-covered mountains, the mountain forests, the
beautiful cascades formed by the melting snow-all the bold scenery
of the coast was pleasantly varied by the trips up the fjords,
which afforded them many delightful glimpses of peaceful farm and
village life. The wonders of the midnight sun were among the
glories of that far northern land they enjoyed to the full.

From Bergen, Norway, they went to the larger
cities of Scandinavia, visiting Christiania, the capital of Norway;
Stockholm, with its beautiful public and private buildings, parks,
streets and places of amusement; Upsala, the great university town,
the intellectual center of Sweden, and its handsome Dome Church,
founded two hundred years before the discovery of America, and
rebuilt in modern times; Copenhagen and Berlin, where they remained
for a week, on Sunday attending divine service in the new Dome
Church, and during their stay visiting many noted places of
interest. From that city they proceeded to Rotterdam, where they
embarked on the “Ryndam,” of the Holland-American Line, arriving at
their home on August 27th. The tour was one of unusual interest and
enjoyment, and Mr. Boone and his friend live through their
experiences again in many pleasant hour of friendly intercourse.

Fraternally Mr. Boone is a 33d-degree Mason, and
is likewise a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and
the Knights of Pythias. He belongs to the First Baptist Church,
which he united in boyhood, and since 1879 he has served as
treasurer of that church.

On April 9, 1868, Mr. Boone was united in
marriage with Mary J. Buchanan, and to them have been born two
daughters; Mary, now the wife of Theodore Bond Harrison, whose home
is at Germantown, Pa.; and Annie, wife of Henry Moore Hawkesworth,
living at Brookline, Boston, Massachusetts. Mr. Boone is a man of
fine physique and personality, a safe counselor, though never
obtrusive, generous and charitable without ostentation, and upright
in every relation of life.

BORDER,
WILLIAM

p. .611

Surnames: BORDER, KLINE, BOWER, ROLAND, REBER, BARD, LEASE,
HARBOLD, HAFER, WIEST, REINERT, FLECKENSTEIN

William Border, a retired citizen of Reading, has been a resident
of that city from youth, and was one of its foremost business men
for many years. His success was not made in any one line alone, but
in different ventures, his chief interest, however, centering in
the local financial institution and in the Acme Manufacturing
Company, of which important concern he was a member and director
for several years. He is a man of independent spirit and
persevering disposition, and made his own way to a high position in
business circles.

Mr. Border is a native of Berks county, born in
Alsace township, June 6, 1829. He is of German descent, his
grandfather, Samuel Border, having been born in Germany, whence he
emigrated to America, settling in Exeter township, Berks Co., Pa.
Daniel Border, a son of Samuel, and father of William, was born in
Exeter township and there passed his early life. In time he settled
in Alsace with his family where he remained until his comparatively
early death in 1821. He was a farmer by occupation. Daniel Border
married Elizabeth Kline, and they had two children, Daniel and
William, the former dying when eleven years old. Mrs. Border
remarried, her second husband being Jacob Bower, by whom she had
one son, Jeremiah, who became a well known physician of Reading.

William Border was only a year and a half old
when his father died, and he remained at home with his mother and
step-father until he reached the age of eleven, when he began to
support himself. For several years he hired out as a farm hand, but
when he was seventeen the family removed to Reading, and he
accompanied them to the city, which has since been his home. During
his first summer here he found work in a brick yard, and then he
did day’s labor until he commenced fence-making, in which line he
made his first notable success. He continued in the line for
twenty-two years, taking orders for the particular kind of fence he
sold in every section of Berks county, where he formed a wide
acquaintance while traveling around in pursuit of his business. For
the first six months after he quit fence-making he was in
partnership with Isaac Roland, whose interest he purchased at that
time. He then formed the firm of William Border & Co., in which
his associates were James T. Reber and Adam Bard, and they
continued together for eight years, doing a profitable business as
manufacturers of parts for wagons, buggies, etc., such as felloes,
spokes, shafts, etc.

Mr. Border’s next venture was as a money broker,
a business which he began in 1873 at a most favorable time for that
calling, as the financial panic of that time had just broken out.
He followed that line for three years, during which he not only
exercised his native shrewdness to the best advantage in various
financial transactions, but also found several openings for
profitable investment. The accuracy of his judgment, whether in
regard to men or conditions, was the principal factor in his
success at this time. It was about this period that he invested
largely in timber lands, upon which he intended to realize by
cutting and selling the timber, and the outcome of these
investments showed him to be an expert in the valuation of such
property. He continued on a similar line for some time afterward,
buying land which he laid out into building lots, and he did
considerable trading in real estate throughout his active career,
also retaining a number of lots for himself-about a hundred near
Reading. His sales amounted to over $30,000 annually.

In 1894 Mr. Border became a member of the Acme
Manufacturing company, manufacturers of the Stormer bicycle, whose
business offered a most promising investment as the demand for
bicycles was then at its height. His executive influence soon
became apparent, and he continued to be a factor in the management
of the concern during which time the large bicycle factory on Eight
street, at that time the largest in the city was erected in 1896.
The product was twenty thousand bicycles yearly, and employment was
given to a force of four hundred in their manufacture. The wheels
were marketed all over the United States and also in foreign
countries, being of high standard make. In 1893 Mr. Border opened a
toy and variety store, the conduct of which he turned over to his
grandson William F. Lease, and this was sold in 1903. Mr. Border
has also been identified with some of the most notable of Reading’s
financial institutions. He had an interest in the Penn National
Bank, the Schuykill Valley Bank, the Reading National Bank and the
Reading City Passenger Railway Company, still retaining his stock
in the last named.

Though his phenomenal success followed a youth
of hard toil, with no promise of the affluence which crowned the
efforts of his manhood. Mr. Border was never carried away with his
prosperity, and never became a reckless investor or improvident in
any way. His judgment led him to decide deliberately and venture
cautiously. Thus, having gained ground, he did not lose it, and his
course not only made for his own profit, but won for him a
substantial position and gave the enterprises with which he was
connected high prestige. He made his way against many obstacles,
but he had the qualities of determination and perseverance, and his
successful struggles against lack of means in his earlier years
gave him courage for large things as time passed. His integrity in
all transactions gained him universal respect.

On July 1, 1849, Mr. Border married Emma
Harbold, like himself a native of Berks county, born May 26, 1822,
daughter of Adam Harbold and granddaughter of Frederick Harbold.
She died May 7, 1899, the mother of five children namely; (1) Ellen
Alwidla m. Jeremiah Lease, of Reading and they have a family of
five; William F., m. to Sallie Hafer, has two children, Ella and
Catherine; Edwin J., m. to Carrie Wiest, has six children, Lester,
Florence, Harold, Grace, Emily and Carrie; Arthur F.; Clarence and
Raymond. This family with the exception of Arthur F., who is
Reformed, belongs to the Lutheran Church. (2) Amanda Otilda. (3)
Anetta m. Frank Reinert, of Reading, and they have had three sons;
One died in infancy; Leroy, m. to Helen Fleckenstein, has one
child, William; and Guy is unmarried. (4) Emma and (5) Elizabeth
died when young. Mr. Border and his daughter, Amanda, reside at No.
1238 North 12th street, Reading.

Mr. Border is a Republican in political faith
and has been almost since the formation of the party. He cast his
first vote for Buchanan, supported Abraham Lincoln, and has upheld
Republican principles staunchly, though he has never taken an
active part in political affairs. Fraternally he unites with
Freedom Circle, Brotherhood of the Union, and is an Odd Fellow. His
religious connection is with the Lutheran Church, to which he gives
liberal support. Among the characteristic traits showing Mr.
Border’s beneficent spirit was the distribution of all his real
estate in 1907 to his three daughters, it being his desire to see
the enjoyment of his children in his property while he was yet
living. He is now in his eighty-first year, and enjoying fair
health.

BORDES,
ALFRED

p. 1511

Surnames: BORDES, LEVAN, KRICK

Alfred Bordes, Reading, Pa., is a native of France, born in 1849.
He received his education in the schools of his native country and
when only eighteen years of age enlisted in the French army. He was
wounded in battle, and still bears the scar of the bullet between
his thumb and forefinger on his left hand.

Mr. Bordes has always been engaged at his
present occupation and it is doubtful if he has a superior in his
line in this section. When still a lad, wishing to see this
country, he sailed from France, landing in New York City in 1875.
There he remained a short time, going thence to Philadelphia, P.,
securing employment at the best hotels. In 1878 he was made chef at
the “Aldine Hotel,” and was the first chef at Willow Grove,
Philadelphia, also being employed at the best mountain and
sea-shore resorts. He came to Reading in 1898, and since that time
has been employed with W. B. Krick, proprietor of Bissinger’s Caf?

Mr. Brodes was married to Miss Rosa Levan,
daughter of William B. Levan, of Reading and to this union one
child has been born, Raymond, who is attending school. Mr. Bordes
was the organizer and first president of the Cooks’ Association, at
Philadelphia.

BORDNER,
CLOYD W.

p 1649

Surnames: BORDNER, SELTZER, MAYS, SPATZ, SMALTZ

Cloyd W. Bordner, liveryman and horse dealer of Womelsdorf, Berks
county, was born Sept. 27, 1874, in Mount Aetna, this county, son
of Isaac Bordner, a prominent citizen of that locality. Mr. Bordner
received a liberal education in the public schools of his native
district, attending until he was twenty years old. He was trained
to assist in his father’s general store at Mount Aetna, and
continued to work for his father until lie was twenty-five years
old. In 1900 he removed to Womelsdorf to engage in the buying and
selling of horses, a line of enterprise which he has since followed
successfully. Mr. Bordner handles over a thousand head a year,
purchasing his horses throughout the Western States, where he goes
from twelve to fifteen times a year. During 1908 (his banner year
thus far) he shipped seventeen car-loads in to Womelsdorf, where he
disposes of them at the Sale & Exchange House (at the Seltzer
Hotel ). He has frequent public sales, and is widely known as a
reputable dealer. He also ships to Reading, Philadelphia and New
York City. In connection with this branch of the business Mr.
Bordner conducts a livery business of growing proportions; and his
standing in both branches is unquestioned. On Dec. 24, 1889, Mr.
Bordner married Miss Minnie Smaltz, daughter of John and Sarah
(Mays) Smaltz, and granddaughter of John and Theresa (Spatz)
Smaltz; the grandfather farmed on the Smaltz homestead in Richland,
Lebanon county, Pa. Mrs. Bordner has been well educated, having
attended the public schools of Marion township, Berks county, and
later Palatinate College, at Myerstown, Pa. She is fond of horses
and has excellent judgment in that line, proving of considerable
help to her husband in his business transactions. Mr. and Mrs.
Bordner have traveled extensively. They are Reformed members of
Zion’s Union Church of Womelsdorf. In political opinion he is a
Democrat.

BORDNER,
GEORGE C. (PROF.)

p. 515

Surnames: BORDNER, PENN, HOFFMAN, BALT, BROSZ, LERCH, SNYDER,
DUNDORE, TRAUTMAN, BURKHART, WEIDNER, DECK, HARTMAN, BERGER,
BERTRAM

George C. Bordner, Professor of Higher Mathematics in the Keystone
State Normal School, at Kutztown, and a well-known educator in
Berks county, was born May 22, 1870, on the old Bordner homestead,
in Bethel township, half a mile east of Millersburg. He is of the
sixth generation in descent from the original (I) Balthaser
(Baltzer) Bordner, who at the age of thirty-four years, together
with his wife Marilles, aged thirty-seven years, and three
children-Jacob, Hanna and Mela, aged ten, eight and seven years,
respectively,-sailed from Rotterdam on the ship “Adventurer,” and
landed at Philadelphia, Sept. 22, 1732. Balthaser Bordner settled
in Tulpehocken township, Lancaster (now Berks) county, immediately
after landing, and died there in 1747.

(II) Jacob Bordner, son of Balthaser, and great-great-grandfather
of Prof. Bordner, was born in 1722. He was executor of his father’s
estate, and on April 10, 1761, was naturalized as a citizen of
Tulpehocken township, Berks county, at the Supreme court of
Philadelphia. On June 20, 1761, he purchased from Thomas and
Richard Penn the present Bordner homestead, which had been leased
to Jacob Hoffman, who was unable to pay his rental. Since that day
the homestead has been owned by a son of each successive
generation. Jacob Bordner married Sarah Balt, and they reared a
family of seven children: Jacob (2), John, William, Daniel, Peter,
Anna Maria and Barbara. The father died in 1792, and by his will
the homestead passed to his eldest son Jacob (2).

(III) Jacob Bordner (2), son of Jacob, was born in 1754, and spent
his whole life on the homestead. He was married to Anna Maria
Brosz, seven years his junior. They had a family of six children:
Jacob (3), John, Catharine, Elizabeth, Julian and Susanna. Jacob
Bordner (2) died in 1837, willing the homestead to his eldest son
Jacob (3). The widowed mother survived her husband two years.

(IV) Jacob Bordner (3), son of Jacob (2), was born in 1793, and he,
too, passed his whole life on the homestead. He married Catharine
Lerch, born in 1793, and they had issue as follows: Augustus,
Joanna, Mary and Thomas L. Jacob Bordner (3) died in 1867,
preceding his wife in death by one year. He willed the homestead to
his youngest son, Thomas L.

(V) Thomas L. Bordner, son of Jacob (3) and father of Prof.
Bordner, was born May 8, 1824, on the old homestead where his whole
life was passed. He was a successful farmer and stock-raiser, and a
man of local prominence in politics. A stanch Democrat, he was
elected auditor, treasurer and school director at different times,
and in 1880 was a delegate to the Democratic State Convention which
elected the national delegates to the convention that nominated
Gen. Hancock for the Presidency. He and his family have been
consistent members of the Reformed church all their lives. He was
married to Malinda Snyder, born 1830, daughter of Peter and
Catharine Snyder, prominent residents of Bethel township. Mr.
Bordner died in March, 1899. His children were: William J., born
1849, m. Emma Dundore; Cyrus P., born 1851, m. Emma Trautman;
Samuel T., born 1856, m. Annie Burkhart; Adaline C., born 1859, is
single; Mary M., born 1862, died in infancy; Francis A. born 1864,
m. Mary Weidner; Rebecca S., born 1865, is single; John H., born
1867, m. Emma Deck; Charles L., born 1868, m. Annie Hartman;
George. C. born 1870; and Ellen N., born 1873, died in infancy.

(VI) George C. Bordner was reared on the old Bordner homestead and
attended the public schools of Millersburg in Bethel township until
1886, when he began to teach school, teaching one term. in
Jefferson township, four in Bethel township, and one in the Mt.
Aetna Grammar School, in Tulpehocken township. In the spring of
1892 he entered the Keystone State Normal School, and was graduated
in June, 1893. During the year following graduation he was
principal of the Kutztown high school, and in the spring of 1894
was elected an additional teacher in mathematics in the Keystone
State Normal School. In the fall of 1894, he re-entered the Normal
School to prepare for the Sophomore class at Franklin and Marshall
College, and again taught mathematics at the Normal during the
spring of 1895. In the fall of 1895 he entered Franklin and
Marshall College and graduated in the classical course in June,
1898, receiving the degree of A. B., and three years later, in
course, the degree of A. M., from his Alma Mater. During the last
two years at college he specialized in mathematics, physics and
astronomy, and attained to great proficiency in these departments.
While still at college he conducted for two seasons a summer normal
school at Bernville, Pa., where he prepared many young men and
women for teaching and for entrance to various colleges. After
graduating he took charge of the Bernville high school and
conducted it very successfully for one year, and after being
re-elected in the summer of 1899, he resigned to take charge of the
department of Higher Mathematics in the Keystone State Normal
school, his appointment to this position indicating the esteem in
which he is generally held. While serving in this capacity since he
has taken advantage of every opportunity to raise the standard of
his department both pedagogically and scientifically, and by so
doing has given it a standing second to none of its kind in the
State.

Fraternally, Prof. Bordner is prominently
connected with Bethel Lodge, No. 820, I. 0. 0. F., and Huguenot
Lodge, No. 377, F. & A. M. In politics he is a stanch Democrat,
and as such takes an active interest in the affairs of the borough
of Kutztown, having served for some time as a member of the borough
board of school directors in the capacity of secretary of the
board. He is a member of the Association of Mathematics Teachers of
the Middle States and Maryland, as well as of the American
Federation of Science and Mathematics Teachers.

In March, 1898, Prof. Bordner married Mary M.
Berger, daughter of Levi and Rebecca (Bertram) Berger. The former
is a valued citizen and successful business man of Bernville, and
during the administration of President Cleveland was postmaster of
that town. Prof. and Mrs. Bordner have four children, namely: Paul
B., Claude L.,. Grace A. and Mary H.

BORDNER,
JACOB M.

p. 478

Surnames: BORDNER, MILLER, BENDER, BIXLER, GRUBER, FRANTZ, BARTO,
BRIGHT, HAIN, RICK

Among the representative citizens of Bernville borough, Berks Co.,
Pa., one who stands high in the regard of his fellow-men is Jacob
M. Bordner, county commissioner, who for more than a quarter of a
century has been conducting the stage route between Bernville and
Reading. Mr. Bordner was born Sept. 16, I854, in Bethel township,
son of Percival and Lovina (Miller) Bordner.

Daniel Bordner, grandfather of Jacob M., was a
farmer of Bethel township, where he died at the age of forty-five
years. He married Catherine Bender, and they had three children:
Percival; Isaac, who served as a soldier in the Civil war; and
Elizabeth, who married the Rev. Mr. Bixler, a local preacher.

Percival Bordner was born March 23, 1830, and
died in 1903, his active life having been spent in Bethel township,
although shortly before his death be removed to Myerstown, Pa. He
was buried at the Salem churchyard at Millersburg. Mr. Bordner
married Lovina Miller, daughter of Daniel and Catherine (Gruber)
Miller, of Bethel township, and they had these children: Jacob M.;
Kate mar. Israel Frantz, of Bethel township; Percival resides in
Cincinnati, Ohio; Theodore died at the age of forty-four years at
Myerstown; Daniel lives in New Jersey; John died at the age of
three years; Henry lives in the West; and Charles lives in New
Jersey.

Jacob M. Bordner attended the public schools of
Bethel township and the Palatinate (now Albright) College of
Myerstown. After leaving school he engaged in clerking for G. M. F.
Rick at Millersburg for three years. After one year spent in
clerking for J. B. Miller at Bernville, he began to drive the stage
for the late Tobias Barto, of Reading, and in 1880 purchased the
stage route, which he has since conducted very successfully. He
also does a large produce business, conducts a grocery store and
butchering business, and is one of the best known business men of
his locality. Mr. Bordner was elected to the office of borough
assessor six years, served as tax collector five years, constable
twenty-three years, and school director for twelve years, six years
of which time he was treasurer and one year secretary of the board.
He was a committeeman for eighteen years, served eleven years as
county delegate, in 1893 was appointed mercantile appraiser, and
was nominated by the Democratic party at the primary election,
April 11, 1908, to the office of county commissioner; he had a
majority of 2,136 votes above the second highest nominee, and was
elected to said office Nov. 3, 1908. His religious belief is that
of the Lutheran Church. Socially he is connected with Camp No. 113,
P. O. S. of A. and Consistory No. 15; Lodge No. 122, I. O. O. F.,
Bernville; Schaefferstown Castle, K. G. E.; Good Fellows of
Stouchsburg; and Rebekah Lodge at Leesport, and at the time of the
organization of the Bernville Fire Company, was a member of that
body.

In I878 Mr. Bordner married Ellen H. Bright,
daughter of Amandon and Clara (Hain) Bright, and they have had
three children: John A., who died aged two years, five months,
twenty-one days; Harry A., telegraph operator at Robesonia; and
Clara A., who graduated from the Keystone State Normal school at
Kutztown at the age of seventeen years, taught four years in
Bernville, Berks county , and one year in Bucks county, and is now
teaching her fourth term in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania.