Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

SCHOENER, JACOB B.

p. 1571

Surnames: SCHOENER

Jacob B. Schoener, son of William Schoener, who was prominent for a
number of years as a justice of the peace, chief burgess and county
official, was born at Reading in 1805. After being educated in the
local schools, he directed his attention to painting and took
special instruction in the Academy of Fine Arts of Philadelphia,
directing his efforts in the line of miniature portraits. He went
to Florida and Cuba where he won distinction, and afterward
proceeded to New York and Boston where his work was highly
appreciated. He became proficient in the use of the German, Spanish
and Italian languages. He died at Boston in 1847.

SCHOEDLER
FAMILY

p. 1454

Surnames: SCHOEDLER, VON SCHOEDLER, DER SCHOEDLER, HOFFMAN,
JAEGER, BINGAMAN, O’NIEL, ESSER, EVARTS, SPRENGER, HUMBERT, BIEBER,
GEHRET, MILLER, KOHLER, HERMAN, ERMENTROUT, COPPEL, DUNKEL,
BILLMAN, HEFFLEY, MEDLOCK

The Schoedler family, or as it was originally called von Schoedler,
is of ancient date in the Rhine provinces in Germany, of free, that
is noble, descent. From the Rhineland the family spread over large
portions of Germany and Switzerland, where it originated various
noble families, which are recorded partly in the Austrian, and
partly in the Berner and Basler lists of Knights. The lineage goes
back so far that it is lost in the early centuries of the Christian
era in Germany. In the time of King Dagobert (in the seventh
century), one finds in his retinue of attendants, Hiram Schoedler,
Knight, and private secretary to the King; and in the time of
Charles the Great (in the eighth and early ninth centuries), there
were spread over the Rhine country various highly respectable and
settled families of the name, as, for example, the Knight Hector,
surnamed der Schoedler, in Bingen-on-the-Rhine, who was for a time
town magistrate of Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) to which office he was
appointed by the Emperor; and Hans der Schoedler, who was
constituted Count of Fiefenbach by Charles the Great in the year
805 A. D. During the same period the Knight Gotthard, surnamed der
Schoedler, distinguished himself by his crusades against the then
heathenish Frieslanders, of whom he frequently took many captives
and brought them to Aachen, where they submitted to Christian
baptism. He died in 820 as a monk of the cloister at Paderborn,
where to this day his tomb may be seen in the cross-passages of the
choir, with the Schoedler coat-of-arms cut into stone.

The aforementioned Hector Schoedler is
considered the ancestor of the Schoedler family, and appears to
have been the father of the Hans and Botthard Schoedler, mentioned
above. Among his descendants was George von Schoedler, a landed
proprietor on the lower Rhine, who left two sons, Adolph and
Bernhard, the former of whom founded the noble Schoedler family of
Wiesenthal, in Austria, the Emperor Albrecht, having in the year
1305 invested him with this honor and the fief of Wiesenthal. This
family became extinct in the seventeenth century.

Bernhard’s family spread among the lesser
nobility of the Rhineland under the name of von Schoedler, and his
descendants have lived in various portions of Germany and
Switzerland. In the latter country, descendants of this branch are
found among the Berner and Basler nobility as early as the
fourteenth century, all of whom have preserved and continued the
Rhinelandian coat-of-arms. In the year 1260 this coat-of-arms was
confirmed and sealed by the Emperor Rudolph I, by letters patent to
George von Schoedler, of the Rhineland, and his descendants, as
their hereditary and proprietary coat-of-arms. In the middle of the
seventeenth century the name of Schoedler disappears from the
genealogical tables of the Austrian and Swiss nobility, probably
because at this time the most important and respectable branches of
the family had died out, and those remaining had abandoned the
title of nobility. Rev. Dr. D. E. Schoedler, of Allentown, Pa., has
a copy of the Geschlechts-Wappen, or coat-of-arms, of the Schoedler
family, but says he cannot interpret it.

There are many Schoedlers living in Germany to
this day. One of them is a prominent leader of the Catholic Center
party of the German Reichstag, and of the Bavarian House of
Commons; and there are a number of the name in Berlin, having
immigrated thither from South Germany. Some of them are holding
office under the German government. The Schoedlers have also been
prominent in the educational affairs of Germany. Friedrich
Schoedler, Ph. D., and formerly assistant in the chemical
laboratory of Giessen, has published a book entitled ” Das Buch der
Natur,” which has been translated into English by Prof. Henry
Medlock, F. C. S., of London, England.

Thus far no connecting link between the
Schoedlers in Germany and Switzerland with those in America has
been found. The Schoedlers settled mainly in the townships of
Longswamp, Maxatawny and Richmond, Berks county, Pa., but it has
not yet been ascertained when the first immigrants of the family
arrived. It is known, however, that they were all related to one
another. They no doubt came to this country under the age at which
German immigrants were obliged to swear allegiance to the British
government, as the name is not found in any one of the lists that
have been preserved. Moreover they must have come over quite early
as the father of Henry, great-grandfather of the Rev. Dr. D. E.
Schoedler, of Allentown, was born in this country.

(I) Henry Schoedler married a Hoffman, by whom he had a son named
Henry.

(II) Henry Schoedler, Jr., was born in 1771, and he died Feb. 12,
1832. He married Elizabeth Jaeger, who was born in Reading, Pa.,
April 18, 1773, daughter of Henry Jaeger and his wife, whose maiden
name was Bingaman. Their children were: Solomon was born Jan. 25,
1795, in Oley township; Hannah was born June 4, 1800, in Alsace
township, m. David O’Niel, and their son George is the veteran
shoemaker at Kutztown; Esther was born Dec. 27, 1802, in Longswamp
township; Susanna was born April 11, 1806, in Macungie township,
Lehigh (then Northampton) county; Fayette was born Feb. 14, 1809,
in Upper Sancon township, Northampton county, and m. Sarah Esser;
George was born March 7, 1812, in Macungie township, and m. Lucinda
Evarts; Sallie was born July 20, 1818, in Maxatawny township, m.
Augustus Sprenger, and their son Lewis lives at Independence, Iowa.

(III) Fayette Schoedler, son of Henry, Jr., born Feb. 14, 1809, in
Upper Sancon township, Northampton county, married Sarah Esser,
daughter of Daniel and Elizabeth (Humbert) Esser, of Kutztown.
Fayette Schoedler was well and favorably known throughout Berks
county. He served for many years as elder in St. John’s Reformed
Church of Kutztown, often served on juries at court, and for one
term was chief burgess of Kutztown. He was not re-elected because
he believed that borough ordinances were made to be carried out. In
the old militia days he was a drum major, serving under Capt.
Daniel Bieber, who gave him the following testimonial:

“To all whome it may concern: I do hereby
certify that Mr. Fayette Schoedler, of the Borough of Kutztown, has
served for seven successive years as a volunteer and drummer under
my command, in a corps of Light Infantry, called Washington Guards,
of the First Battalion, Second Brigade, Sixth Division,
Pennsylvania Militia, and for his skill in military tactics and
general conduct, I grant him this certificate.

(Signed) Daniel Bieber, Captain, Kutztown, Jan. 3, 1839.”

Of the children of Fayette and Sarah, the eldest
son, Henry D., lived many years in Reading, served two terms as
coroner of Berks county, and died in June, 1890; the Rev. Dr. D.
E., is mentioned below; Mrs. Sarah Ann Gehret lives at Reading; and
Mrs. Mary E. Miller, at South Allentown.

(IV) Rev. Dr. D. E. Schoedler, son of Fayette, was born at
Kutztown, Feb. 6, 1840, was baptized March 15, 1840, by the Rev.
Daniel Kohler, and confirmed March 22, 1856, by the Rev. C. G.
Herman. He attended the public schools of Kutztown, for a time
Kutztown Academy, and in 1857 the private school of the Hon.
William S. Ermentrout, deceased. He entered Allentown Seminary,
afterward Muhlenberg College, in 1858, and Franklin and Marshall
College, Lancaster, in 1860, graduating from the latter with honors
in 1863. He studied theology under private tutors, and in 1865 was
licensed by the East Pennsylvania Classis, and in 1868 ordained at
Bath, Pa. He taught school at Kutztown from 1863 to 1864; at
Easton, 1864-65; and at Bethlehem, 1865-70. While teaching at
Bethlehem, he assisted in starting the first newspaper published in
South Bethlehem, and he edited it for two years. It was known as
the Weekly Progress, and became very popular. Dr. Schoedler has
served the following pastoral charges: Brodheadsville; Oley; one in
San Francisco, Cal.; Mt. Zion and Paradise, Northumberland Co.,
Pa.; and Grace Church, South Allentown. From 1875 to 1884 he had
charge of Oley Academy, during which time he prepared many young
men and women for the profession of teaching, and put a number of
boys on the way to college who have since found their way into
various walks of life, many of them prominent in official and
professional circles.

On June 18, 1865, Dr. Schoedler was married to
Miss Ellen L. Coppel, of Allentown. One son and six daughters were
born to them, of whom the son and three daughters survive. The son,
Frank A., is an eminent scholar and musician, being now professor
of German and History in the high school at Spokane, Wash., and
also director of the high school orchestra. Dr. Schoedler is Stated
Clerk of Lehigh Classis of the Reformed Church in the United
States; secretary of the board of trustees of Classis; secretary
and treasurer of the Phoebe Deaconess and Old Folk’s Home,
Allentown. He has spent a busy and useful life in religious,
educational and benevolent work.

(III) George Schoedler, son of Henry, Jr., born March 7, 1812, in
Macungie, and was a laborer at Kutztown. He married Lucinda Evarts,
and had five children: William; Mary, who died young; Hettie, who
married William Gehret; Henry P.; and Lewis, of Allentown.

(IV) Henry P. Schoedler was born at Kutztown, Feb. 25, 1843, and is
now the proprietor of the “Washington House” at Bowers. He was
brought up in the vicinity of Kutztown, and when nineteen years old
began to learn the carpenter’s trade under David Dunkel, and this
he followed seven years. In 1868 he engaged in the hotel business
at Kutztown, where he remained two years. In 1877 he located in
Bowers, where he has since had charge of the “Washington House,”
now a period of over thirty years. He conducts an up-to-date
establishment, and is very well known to the traveling public, his
entire nineteen rooms being generally well filled. Mr. Schoedler is
a member of K. G. E., No. 70, of Kutztown. In 1865 he married
Amanda Billman, daughter of Reuben Billman, and they have five
children: Ellen; Annie; George P.; Kate, who married Charles
Bieber, of Lyons, Pa.; and Harry, who assists his father in the
hotel business.

(V) George P. Schoedler, son of Henry P., has followed in his
father’s footsteps, and is now the popular hotel proprietor of
Lyons, where he is also engaged as a veterinary dentist. He was
born at Kutztown, Jan. 8, 1869, and he passed his boyhood days in
that borough. When he was eight years old his parents removed to
Fleetwood, where they lived until the fall of 1877, when they went
to Bowers. Mr. Schoedler received his earlier education in the
public schools of Berks county and the Keystone State Normal
School, and in 1892 entered the Toronto Veterinary Dental School,
from which he was graduated in 1893. He then located at Bowers
Station, and there built up a good practice. Since November, 1904,
he has been the proprietor of the “American House,” at Lyons, but
this has not necessitated his giving up his practice, which is
large and constantly growing. He has a large Reading practice,
having an office at the corner of Court and Poplar streets, where
he is to be found every Tuesday. He also deals in horses and hogs,
and is meeting with great success. Fraternally he belongs to Adonai
Castle, No. 72, K. G. E., of Kutztown.

Mr. Schoedler married Edith Heffley, daughter of
William and Amanda (Gehret) Heffley, of Kutztown.

SCHOFER, CHRISTOPHER
HENRY

p.1208

Surnames: SCHOFER, FRYBERGER, BADER, HILBERT, LOBACH, GRIM, HAAK,
ROELLER, KOLB, FOGEL, ANGSTADT, KLINE, HOFFMAN, MATTHIAS, BITTNER,
LUDWIG, HARTMAN, BARR, BUCKWALTER, FIDLER, JOHNSON, ZIMMERMAN,
KEHNER, HATT, FREDERICK, STONER, HUNTZINGER, HEINLY, KEMP

Christopher Henry Schofer, of Reading, director of two of the banks
of the city, and proprietor of one of the largest and finest
bakeries in the State of Pennsylvania, has for three-quarters of a
century, or since his fourth year, been a resident of Berks county,
and he has been an honored citizen of Reading for thirty-nine
years. He is, therefore, most emphatically an adopted son of the
county and one whom the entire community is proud to claim. Mr.
Schofer’s father was a German veteran who fought against Napoleon
the Great in the Old World.

Mr. Schofer was born in the Kingdom of
Wurtemberg, Germany, Jan. 18, 1829. His paternal grandparents were Ferdinand and Elizabeth
(Fryberger) Schofer. His father, John George Schofer, was a native
of Loschgau, Bissigheim, Wurtemberg, born June 21, 1793, and was
baptized and in due time confirmed in the Evangelical Lutheran
Church. His godparents, or, more formally speaking, his sponsors in
baptism, were Conrad Fryberger and wife. John George Schofer
received his literary education in the local schools and received
practical training in the rope-walks-that is, in the making of
rope, which at that time was one of the largest of German
industries. Like others of his countrymen, able-bodied and manly,
he was enrolled in the army which formed a portion of the allied
forces hurled against Napoleon Bonaparte. He joined the ranks Dec.
30, 1813, and saw actual service during the years 1814 and 1815. He
was present at the surrender of Paris, during the engagement losing
one of his earrings by a French shot which miraculously missed him
altogether. He was honorably discharged from the service Dec. 30,
1820.

On March 8, 1821, John G. Schofer married Regina
Dorothea Bader, with whom he lived for fifty-one years, five
months, thirteen days. In 1832 he prepared to leave the Fatherland
for America, passing down the Rhine to Rotterdam, where the family
(consisting of the parents, and five children, the oldest then but
nine years of age) took passage for Baltimore. They arrived at the
American port May 10, 1832, and commenced their journey over land,
on foot and by wagon, into Pennsylvania. The party crossed the
Susquehanna at Columbia, Lancaster county, and when they reached
Reading a friend and countryman by the name of Neifert met them and
conducted them into Oley township, Berks county. There they founded
their first home in the New World. At the time of their arrival
residences were scarce, and the family therefore moved into a
school-house at Oley Church, where they resided until the following
spring. Later, for a year, they occupied a house at Bloch’s Hill,
owned by Daniel Hilbert, and for three years rented a house and lot
of Samuel Lobach. They then moved to a small lot owned by Jonathan
Grim, where they lived for eight years, or until 1845, when they
located in District township, Berks county. The industry and
economy of Mr. Schofer and his wife had so borne fruit that they
were enabled to purchase a house and lot of John Haak, about one
mile east of Landis Store. The children were also maturing, leaving
the parental home and supporting themselves, although the family
had increased, Mr. and Mrs. Schofer having in all eleven
children-six sons and five daughters. During all the years he
passed in Berks county John G. Schofer was employed at his boyhood
trade of ropemaking, at the occupation of brush-making, or at the
various agricultural pursuits which naturally fell to his lot in
the new country. He died Aug. 21, 1872, and his remains were
interred at Huff’s Church, District township, Berks county. His
wife died while residing with her daughter Catherine, in Berks
county, in 1883. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. John G. Schofer
were as follows: Catherine, who died in the old country; Jacob
Frederick; John Gottlieb, who settled near Siegfried’s Church, then
called Kuhnsville, and established a store and post-office, known
as Schofers (he is now deceased); Fredericka Caroline, deceased;
Christopher Henry; Catherina; Salome; a son who died in infancy
unnamed; and William, James and Elizabeth.

As noted Christopher Henry Schofer came with his
parents and the other four children to America in 1832, he being
then in his fourth year. His entire schooling was confined to about
three months’ instruction in the subscription schools of his
locality, but up to the age of twelve years he studied at home and
made himself generally useful to his parents and their family.
During the following seven years he worked upon various
neighborhood farms. In 1848, after having been confirmed in the
faith of his fathers, that of the Lutheran Church, by Rev. Isaac
Roeller, he was apprenticed to the wood turner’s trade, at which
occupation he found employment for five years.

On Dec. 8, 1850, Christopher Henry Schofer
married Miss Ethelinda Haak, and four years later, with their two
children, they removed to Exeter township, Berks county, where Mr.
Schofer had purchased a small farm and a sawmill. This double
occupation, added to the cares of a growing family, absorbed his
time, energies and abilities for the succeeding fourteen years,
when he located at Mohrsville, in the same county, and there he
conducted a hotel for one year. On selling the hotel he moved to
Mount Airy, in Union township, where he farmed for a year, and on
March 15, 1870, he became a permanent settler of Reading.

Mr. Schofer’s first occupation at Reading was a
proprietor of a hotel at No. 219 North Eighth street, after which
for about two years, he was employed in the car shops. Meeting with
an accident, however, he was obliged to devote himself to less
active manual work, and turned his attention to the baking
business, which had already been established by his son, Calvin,
with whom he formed a partnership. Subsequently they added a
confectionery department to the bakery. Several sons of Mr. Schofer
were taken into the business, which has grown to such large
proportions, namely: George E., Franklin A., W. H., Jacob A.,
Charles D. and Harry L. The survivors, under the name of Henry
Schofer’s Sons, now actively conduct the establishment. The first
bakery on North Eighth street was opened in February, 1876, with
one small oven 7 x 8 feet. Father and son constituted the force,
and they had no team to deliver their goods. Now the firm operate
ten large ovens, night and day, and have twenty-five horses to
distribute the products of their establishment, which are sold
throughout the city and county. They pay especial attention to
catering. They manufacture their own ice, and, in fact have the
cream of the trade, whether in bakery goods, confectionery, ice
cream or the catering line, generally. The location of their
up-to-date factory and salesrooms covers now Nos. 229-233 North
Eight street, and they have about forty regular employes.

Christopher Henry Schofer, whose valued advice
in the conduct of this immense business is still in constant
demand, resides at his handsome residence at No. 1238 Perkiomen
avenue: his wife did not live to share his late years of
prosperity, dying on Feb. 25, 1876. The their union came the
following children: William Henry, born Feb. 9, 1852, m. Elinora
Kolb; he was one of the firm, and died July 17, 1905. John Calvin,
born Oct. 26, 1853, m. Elvesta M. Fogel, and died Jan. 25, 1884.
George Emerson, born Oct. 30, 1855, m. Susan Angstadt; he is a
machinist by trade, and a member of the firm. A child born June 19,
1857, died unnamed. James Albert, born Dec. 13, 1858, m. Ella C.
Kline, and is engaged in business on South Fifth street, Reading.
Thomas J., born Nov. 5, 1860, died March 15, 1881. Franklin A.,
born March 17, 1863, a member of the firm, m. Alice Barbara Cassia
Hoffman. Jacob Alvin, born July 24, 1865, m. Lydia Emma Matthias;
he is connected with the firm. Charles Daniel, born Dec. 7, 1866,
m. Lizzie K. Bittner, and is a partner of the firm. Harry Ludwig,
born March 16, 1874, m. Ellen O. Hartman, and is also an associate
in the business.

Since his confirmation in 1848 Mr. Schofer has
remained a steadfast member of the Lutheran Church. In politics he
is a Democrat, and he has served two terms in the common council of
Reading. He is also connected with the fraternity of Odd Fellows.

Besides keeping in touch with the large business
actively conducted by his sons, Mr. Schofer is a director of the
Neversink Bank (having occupied that position since its
organization) and of the old Citizens Bank of Reading, and
superintends his two farms in Berks county, one of sixty-five and
the other of 120 acres near Jacksonwald. As he is interested in
other enterprises, it is evident that he is a remarkably active and
energetic man for one of his years. When to his activity and
executive ability are added his unswerving honesty, and his justice
in the conduct of all his interests, it is not strange that he
should be enrolled among the foremost residents of Berks county.

On May 24, 1902, Mr. Schofer left New York for
his old home in Germany, and had a most enjoyable trip. He found
the house in which he was born, and many other things to interest
him.

George E. Schofer, son of Christopher Henry, was
born Oct. 30, 1855, in Exeter township. He accompanied his parents
on their removal to Mohrsville, and later to Mount Airy, finally
locating in Reading in 1869. His education was acquired in the
public schools. In 1873 he learned the machinist’s trade at Tenth
and Spruce streets, at a place known as the Griscom Lock Works, but
later known as the Jones, Oaks & Co. Foundry. In 1876 he
entered the employ of the Reading Hardware Company, and in 1888 he
was appointed foreman of the die and tool department, serving in
that capacity until the fall of 1900, when he connected himself
with the firm of Henry Schofer’s Sons. On account of his mechanical
ability, he has made himself especially useful in looking after all
the different contrivances used in the business and he has kept in
close touch with all things needed in that part of the work.

On Dec. 25, 1882, he married Susan Angstadt, who
died in 1901. She was the daughter of Benneville and Sarah (Barr)
Angstadt, formerly of Rockland township, now of Reading. Mr.
Schofer is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, of Reading, and
also of Trinity Lutheran Brotherhood of the same church. He is also
connected with Lodge No. 65, Knights of Pythias; and Lodge No. 115,
B. P. O. E., Reading. His children are: Hattie E., born Nov. 22,
1883, m. Thomas Buckwalter; Clarence H., born Jan. 12, 1885, m
Minnie Fidler; Herbert B., born July 27, 1887, is at home; and Earl
W., born July 29, 1893, is at home.

Franklin A. Schofer, son of Christopher Henry,
was born March 17, 1863, at Stony Creek, Alsace township. In 1868
he went with his parents to Mohrsville, and there attended the
public schools until 1869, when they moved to Mount Airy, and then
to Reading, where his schooling was completed. In 1880 he began to
learn the baking business in all its branches under his father, and
in 1898 the business was turned over to the sons, William H.,
George E., Franklin A., Jacob A., Charles D and Harry L. The
establishment is equipped with all the latest improved machinery,
and especial attention is paid to the catering business. They have
fifteen teams and deliver all over the city. Mr. Schofer is a
member of Trinity Lutheran Church, and a member of the board of
public works. He takes a great interest in municipal affairs.

He married Alice B. C. Hoffman, daughter of Rev.
David Hoffman, late of Lebanon, Pa., whose wife was a Miss Kline,
of Mt. Aetna. To this union have been born: M. Ethel, C. Harry,
Mabel, Florence and Rebe, all at home. Fraternally Mr. Schofer was
a member of the old Philomathean Literary, Musical and Social Union
of Reading. He is a member of Chandler Lodge, No. 227, F. & A.
M.; Excelsior Chapter No. 237, R. A. M.; Reading Commandery No. 42;
Reading Lodge of Perfection, 14 ; Philadelphia Consistory, 32 ,
and Rajah Temple, Mystic Shrine.

Jacob A. Schofer, son of Christopher Henry, was
born in Alsace township, July 24, 1865, and was only five years old
when his parents went to Reading, where he was educated in the
public schools. In 1882 he became a salesman for the firm of Henry
Schofer & Sons, and in 1899 a member of the firm of Henry
Schofer’s Sons. His duties require him to keep in touch with the
orders that go through the office, so that the best service may be
given the general public.

In 1885 he married Lydia E. Matthias, daughter
of Enoch and Elizabeth (Johnson) Matthias, and to this union two
children have been born: Alvin H., born July 7, 1887, who was
educated in the Reading high school and graduated from Stoner’s
Business College, Reading, is teller in the Neversink Bank,
Reading; Howard J., born Aug. 4, 1889, was educated in the public
schools and is a salesman for Henry Schofer’s Sons (he m. Helen
Zimmerman, daughter of Milton Zimmerman). In politics Mr. Schofer
is a Democrat. He and his family are members of Grace Lutheran
Church, of Reading, and he belongs to Trinity Brotherhood.
Fraternally he is a member of Vigilance Lodge, No. 194, I. O. O.
F., and Encampment No. 43, I. O. O. F.; Castle No. 51. K. G. E.;
and Junior Fire Company No. 2, all of Reading.

Charles D. Schofer, son of Christopher Henry,
was born in Reading Dec. 7, 1866, and was educated in the public
schools of this city. From his youth he has worked in his father’s
bakery, and when the business was assumed by the sons he became a
member of the firm. He resides at No. 817 Walnut street, where he
has a charming home. He is a lover of curios, and has a good
collection of coins, stamps, Indian relics, china, etc. He is a
member of Vigilance Lodge, No. 194, I. O. O. F.; Reading
Encampment; and Esther Lodge, Daughters of Rebekah. With his family
he belongs to Trinity Lutheran Church. Mr. Schofer has been twice
married. In October, 1890, he married Lizzie K. Bittner, daughter
of Daniel and Sarah (Kehner) Bittner, of Reading. The only son of
the marriage, Charles, is a student in Albright College. Mr.
Schofer m. (second) Oct. 29, 1897, Rosa M. Hatt, daughter of John
and Magdalena (Frederick) Hatt, of Spring township. To this union
have been born: Myrtle M. and Carl H.

Harry L. Schofer, son of Christopher Henry, and
youngest member of the firm of Henry Schofer’s Sons, was born in
Reading March 16, 1874. He attended the public and high schools of
the city, and in 1888 entered the business college of Rev. H. T.
Stoner, located at Sixth and Washington streets, taking a course of
study in the commercial department. In 1889 he entered the employ
of his father as salesman, and remained in that capacity until be
became a member of the firm. He still holds his position as
salesman, and also has charge of the wholesale and retail
department, looking after the teams and checking the supply and the
return of each. He also assists in the catering department, when
necessary, for funerals, weddings, banquets and private parties, an
extensive business in this line being done all over the county.

Mr. Schofer married Ellen O. Hartman, daughter
of Nathaniel and Mary Hartman, of Northumberland county, the
ceremony being performed by Rev. F. K. Huntzinger. Children as
follows have been born of this union: Harold H., born April 12,
1896; Kehl A. and George C., twins, born Dec. 24, 1897 (died in
infancy); Stanley W., born July 28, 1900; and Bertha E., born Sept.
16, 1902. Mr. Schofer is a member of the St. Luke’s Lutheran
Church, and was confirmed on Palm Sunday, 1889, by Rev. F. K.
Huntzinger. He has been a member of the vestry, and its secretary
during the years 1903 and 1904, and is a member of Class A of the
Sunday-school, which has been taught by Harvey F. Heinly, Esq., for
over ten years. Fraternally he belongs to St. John’s Lodge, No.
435, F. & A. M.; Lodge of Perfection, 14 ; Harrisburg
Consistory 32 , of Harrisburg; Progressive Lodge, No. 470, I. O.
O. F.; Reading Castle, No. 49, K. G. E., and at one time was first
sergeant of Keystone Commandery, No. 49, K. G. E., under Captain
George Kemp. He is an active member of the degree staff of
Progressive Lodge, has made the unwritten and dramatic work a
study, and is fully equipped to fill any position connected with
this work of the order. Mr. Schofer is also secretary of the
Progressive Association, an auxiliary connected with the lodge, the
object of which is the upbuilding of the order. Mr. Schofer has
made a number of lengthy trips, having visited the Bahama Islands,
the city of Kingston, Port Antonio, West Indies, Cuba, and made
five distinct trips to Florida in search of health-the results of
which were very beneficial. He has attended two different sessions
of the Master Bakers’ Association, held respectively in Washington,
D. C., and Chicago, Ill. On the later trip he was accompanied by
his wife, and they visited relatives whom they had never before
seen, sons and daughters of Frederick Schofer, brother of
Christopher Henry, who settled in Moline and Rock Island, Ill. They
were royally entertained, and the happy days of that visit will
never fade from memory.

SCHOFER,
JAMES A.

p. 407

Surnames: SCHOFER, MOSS, MILLER, KLINE

James A. Schofer, a prominent representative of the business life
of Reading, located at No. 108 South Fifth street, is proprietor of
that well-known establishment on South Fifth street-Schofer’s
Bakery. He was born Dec. 30, 1858, in Exeter township, Berks
county, son of Christopher H. Schofer (who is mentioned elsewhere).

James A. Schofer obtained a portion of his
education in the common schools of Exeter township, association
with the world through many years of activity in business
completing it. His first work was the driving of a bakery wagon,
attending the weekly market at Reading, and he continued in this
work until he was twenty-eight years old. Wishing to perfect
himself in the bakery business he went to Philadelphia and
completed his trade under J. A. Moss, who had been chief steward at
the “Continental Hotel” for fifteen years.

After learning all that this competent
instructor could teach him, Mr. Schofer returned to Reading and
entered his father’s bakery establishment remaining there until
1885. Then, in company with William Miller, he engaged in the
baking business on Douglass street, between Ninth and Tenth,
remaining three years, at the end of which time he sold out to his
partner and returned to his father’s employ. Here he remained until
1894, when he started again on his own account, at his present
quarters. From a small beginning, Mr. Schofer has built up a fine
trade and he has one of the most complete plants in that part of
the State, equipped with every known device for modern baking. It
is located at Nos. 108-110 South Fifth street, a brick structure of
pleasing architecture, 48 x 230 feet in dimensions, and it is
interesting to note the space given to the various departments in
an up-to-date sanitary plant of this kind. The sales room and
office contain 870 square feet; supply room, 480 square feet;
first-floor bakery shop, 1,696 square feet; second-floor bakery
shop, 896 square feet; bread room, 1,349 square feet; third-floor
flour room, 1,349 square feet; sifter and blender room, 2,444
square. The rear building is four stories high and each floor
contains 4,000 square feet. There is nothing in the line of plain
or fancy baking that this modern baker cannot accomplish, while
fancy baking and choice confections of every kind, for
entertainments on any scale, for weddings and all social functions,
come entirely in the line of Mr. Schofer’s capacity. He gives
employment to forty experienced workmen, uses seventeen horses and
keeps his delivery wagons out constantly. He has eight persons for
office work, a telephone girl, and everything found in a
metropolitan establishment of this kind. It is a credit to Reading.

In 1882 Mr. Schofer married Ella C. Kline, a
daughter of Elam and Catherine Kline, deceased. Mr. and Mrs.
Schofer have had the following children: Robert R., who is manager
of his father’s store; Henry H., deceased; James F., a clerk in the
establishment; Mabel A., a pupil in the Reading high school; Edward
K. and Charles. In September, 1905, Edward K., of the above family,
was accidentally killed while delivering goods to the “Mansion
House,” Reading. He belonged to the class of 1908, Reading high
school, was particularly bright and was a great favorite with his
classmates. His death was a terrible blow to his parents. The
family belong to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, where Mr. Schofer has
been superintendent of the Sunday-school for seventeen years.

Mr. Schofer has been eminently the architect of
his own fortunes and his success but points the way for others to
follow persistently the path of industry and economy in youth. In
politics Mr. Schofer is a Democrat, although he has never cared for
political offices.

SCHOLL, EDWARD ZARTMAN

p. 707

Surnames: SCHOLL, WEISER, ZARTMAN, JONES, BARROWS, FOCHT

Edward Zartman Scholl, architect at Reading, with offices at No. 35
North Sixth street, is descended from two of the pioneer families,
and of which he bears both names. The first ancestor of the Scholl
family was one George Scholl, who settled in the vicinity of
Stouchsburg some few years prior to 1727, and who was an intimate
associate of Conrad Weiser, the renowned pioneer. He is on record
of making the motion at the first Lutheran vestry held in the
county to build a church, the result of which was the erection, in
the year 1727, of a log building, which became known as Reed’s
Church, so named after the donor of the ground. All of Mr. Scholl’s
forefathers lived in the vicinity of this church, near Stouchsburg.

Peter Scholl, grandfather of Edward Z., was a
farmer of Stouchsburg, and his son John Adam Scholl married Amelia
Zartman, the latter the eldest child of Levi Zartman, of Myerstown.
The pioneer of the Zartman family was Alexander Zartman, who landed
in this country, at Philadelphia, Aug. 31, 1731. The direct lineage
in this family is Alexander the pioneer, who had a son Alexander
(2), whose son Alexander (3), had a son Jacob, who was the father
of Levi.

John Adam Scholl, the father, was a miller by
occupation, and now lives retired. To him and his wife Amelia were
born four children: Peter L., a contractor at Reading; Edward Z.;
Sarah E., wife of Walter Jones, electrician in the employ of the
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad; and Emma R., a professional
nurse.

Edward Z. Scholl was born in Womelsdorf, Berks
county, Aug. 1, 1877. At an early age the family moved to Leaman
Place, Lancaster county, where he received his earliest education.
After the removal of the family to Reading in 1890, he attended the
city schools, and then finished his education at the Keystone State
Normal School, Kutztown, Pa., and in Ursinus College, at
Collegeville, Pa. He entered the office of Frederic A. Barrows,
architect, for a term of two years, after which he served a nine
months’ apprenticeship in the Shunk Planing Mill and the same
length of time in the office of L. H. Focht, contractor. He was
next employed for five years in various architects’ offices, and
then opened an office for himself in Reading, Pa. Mr. Scholl has
shown his ability as an architect in the numerous structures that
he is erecting, and has built up a practice not only in his own
locality, but his reputation and business extends to many locations
throughout the State.

Mr. Scholl is a member of Trinity Lutheran
Church of this city, and is regarded among the social circles as a
gentleman of refinement and exceptional qualifications.

SCHOLLENBERGER, EDGAR
R.

p. 1248

Surnames: SCHOLLENBERGER, MERTZ, MOLL, LEWARS, KOLLER, FAUST,
FREY, SCHRUBGIER, BACHMAN, BENDER

Edgar R. Schollenberger, a business man of Hamburg, Berks county,
Pa., was born there Nov. 3, Berks county which we can trace to the
great-great grandfather, the founder on American shores. His name
was Lorenz Schollenberger and he emigrated from Germany in 1742,
settling in Berks county. He married Elizabeth Mertz and it is
known that they had at least two children, John and Abraham. The
latter was born Dec. 19, 1768, and married Barbara Moll, born Dec.
4, 1774, daughter of Benedict Moll. They had fourteen children,
namely: Catherine, Susan, Christina, Elizabeth, Maria, Johannes,
Sara, Hannah, Jacob, Wilhelm, Charles, Esther, Abraham and
Alexander.

John Schollenberger, the great-grandfather of
Edgar R. Schollenberger, was born Nov. 14, 1767, and died March 16,
1840. He had these children: Jacob, John, Benjamin, Samuel, Daniel,
George and Susanna.

Samuel Schollenberger was born in 1800 at
Hamburg, and died in 1863. For a number of years he worked at his
trade of blacksmith, but later engaged in a mercantile business at
Hamburg, which he carried on until his death. He built a house at
the northwest corner of State and Fourth streets and also operated
a farm in Windsor township, of which he and his brother were joint
owners. For many years he was chorister of St. John’s Union Church.
He was elected first burgess of Hamburg when it became a borough in
1837.

Samuel Schollenberger married Mary Lewars and
they had these children: James, Erasmus, Marquis H., Cara S., John
L., Helen C., and Samuel, who died in infancy, with perhaps one
other whose name is not known.

Erasmus Schollenberger, father of our subject,
was born at Hamburg and here he has spent the greater part of his
life, for many years engaged in his father’s store. He is a veteran
of the Civil war and participated in many battles during his period
of service. He married Caroline Koller, and they had two sons:
Irwin K. m. Bertha Faust; and Edgar R.

After completing his education in the public
schools at Hamburg, Mr. Schollenberger began work in the Wilhelm
Bicycle Works, where he fitted frames for two years, and later
worked in machine shops in Reading. In August 1897, he engaged in
the plumbing business at Hamburg and has successfully continued in
the same until the present. In 1903 he secured a large contract in
connection with the building of the public water works at
McConnellsburg, Pa., and later became the superintendent of these
works and was elected secretary of the company. Mr. Schollenberger
has fitted out all the factories and the public school building at
Hamburg and he also put the steam fittings in the large M. E.
Church here. Honest work commands good prices and Mr.
Schollenberger is prospering.

On May 18, 1899, Edgar R. Schollenberger married
Rosa F. Frey, daughter of John and Rosa (Schrubgier) Frey, of
Reading. Mr. Frey is a native of Wurtemberg, Germany and his wife
of Switzerland. They both came to America when young. Mr. and Mrs.
Frey have these children: Ida, wife of Harry Bachman; Rosa, wife of
our subject; Ella, wife of Oscar Bender; Louise; Maggie; John;
Helen and Victor. The Frey family is one well and favorably known
at Reading, where it has been established many years.

Fraternally Mr. Schollenberger is a member of
Vaux Lodge, No. 406, F. & A. M. of Hamburg; Lodge No. 600, B.
P. O. E., of Chambersburg, Pa.; Ontelaunee Tribe, Red Men, No. 312,
of Hamburg; Washington Camp No. 72, P. O. S. of A., of Hamburg, and
the Royal Arcanum. He is also a member of the Hamburg Fire Co.

SHOLLENBERGER FAMILY

p.
1699

Surnames: SHOLLENBERGER, SCHOLLENBERGER, BAER, KNOSKE, MERKEL,
CORRELL, CHRIST, DREIBELBIS, CLEAVER, KELLER, BOWER, LEINBACH,
RIDER

The first representatives of the Shollenberger or Schollenberger
family of upper Berks county were Frederick and Gerhart
Schollenberger, the former of whom emigrated to America on the ship
“Loyal Judith” and landed at Philadelphia Sept. 26, 1742. It is
likely that they were brothers, and they were residents of
Greenwich township, Berks county, in 1759, at which time both were
married. One Henry Shollenberger, unmarried, was also a resident of
the township at the same time. The family is of German origin, and
in the direct line of Franklin A. Schollenberger, of Boyertown,
there is a tradition that three brothers came from Europe, one
settling in Virginia, and Lorenz and the other brother going to
Weisenburg, Lehigh Co., Pennsylvania.

Lawrence Shollenberger was a farmer of Greenwich
township, Berks county, and married Mary Correll, of the same
township. They had two sons–John M. and Jacob–and four daughters.
Jacob, the younger of the sons, was born Aug. 9, 1798, and died
aged ninety-three years, five months, four days; he is buried at
Moselem Church, in Richmond township. His wife, Eva Baer, was born
Jan. 5, 1799, and died in her eighty-eighth year.

John M. Shollenberger, older son of Lawrence,
was born in Greenwich township Aug. 26, 1791. On May 18, 1817, he
was married by Rev. Mr. Knoske, of Kutztown, Pa., to Catharine
Merkel, who was born May 3, 1795, daughter of Daniel Merkel, of
Richmond township, and a descendant of an old family long
established in that section of the county. In Greenwich township he
learned the trade of making gun-barrels and sickles from a man
named Christ, but he followed farming principally. After his
marriage he moved to Albany township, this county, there living
above Kempton, and in 1848 he removed to Richmond township, where
he passed the remainder of his days, dying on his farm there June
25, 1867. He is buried at Kutztown. He was the first of the family
to own the homestead in Richmond township, above Fleetwood, which
has remained in the family since he purchased it, in 1848, and
which was formerly the John Jacob Dreibelbis farm. The place
contained 200 acres when Mr. Shollenberger bought it, now divided
into two farms, one of which became the property of his son Capt.
Jonas M. and the other of his son Nathan M. Twelve children were
born to John M. Shollenberger and his wife, the first four in
Greenwich township, the others in Albany township: Sarah M., born
June 10, 1818; Daniel M., Nov. 8, 1820; Catharine M., June 18,
1823; John M., Sept. 23, 1824; Lucy Ann, May 13, 1827; Nathan M.,
March 14, 1829; Jonas M., Feb. 27, 1831; Elizabeth M., Feb. 24,
1833; Edwin M., Jan. 22, 1835; Malinda M., Feb. 17, 1837; Lydia M.
(the only survivor of this large family), Dec. 13, 1838; Fianna M.,
Feb. 15, 1841 (died July 14, 1866).

William S. Schollenberger, son of John M., was born Oct. 24, 1851,
in the vicinity of Fleetwood, and was reared on the farm. When
eighteen years old he commenced to learn the trade of tombstone
cutting at Hillchurch, and after a few years engaged in business
for himself near Yoder’s Mill in Pike township. He next moved to
Pleasantville, where he lived for two and a half years, after which
he was located at Friedensburg for a little over eighteen years. In
December, 1899, he settled in Boyertown, where he carried on a
thriving business in his line until his sudden death, Mr.
Schollenberger having been one of the victims of the memorable
Opera House fire on Jan. 13, 1908. Mr. Schollenberger was a
prosperous business man and a quiet but useful citizen, and he
served as councilman of the borough, having been elected on the
Democratic ticket. He was a consistent member of the Reformed
Church at Friedensburg.

Mr. Schollenberger was twice married, his first
union being with Mary Ann Cleaver, who was born July 5, 1858,
daughter of Daniel Cleaver, and died June 2, 1905. She was the
mother of two children, Franklin A. and Mary Ellen, the latter of
whom is unmarried and since her father’s death has made her home
with her brother. Mr. Schollenberger’s second marriage was to Mrs.
Mary C. (Keller) Bower, by whom he had no children. She perished
with him in the Opera House fire, and they are buried in Fairview
cemetery, at Boyertown.

Franklin A. Schollenberger was born near
Hillchurch, in Pike township, Berks county, Dec. 6, 1875, and
attended the public schools in Oley township in his early boyhood,
later becoming a pupil at the Oley Academy. He began to learn the
trade of stone-cutter under his father when very young, during the
time when the business was located at Friedensburg, and he has
continued to follow the same line, in which he has met with
uninterrupted success. On June 10, 1908, he engaged in the business
on his own account at Boyertown, dealing in marble and granite as
well as doing all kinds of stone and marble cutting. He has a
paying patronage, keeping five or six men busy all the time, and
his equipment of pneumatic tools, drills, surfacing and polishing
machines is complete and up-to-date, all facilities for doing this
kind of work in the most convenient manner being at hand in his
establishment. He does a large business making tombstones for the
different districts throughout the lower end of Berks county.

Mr. Schollenberger was married June 21, 1902, to
Miss Cora B. Leinbach, who was born Feb. 1, 1882, daughter of
Daniel and Ada (Rider) Leinbach, of Oley township, and she, too,
perished in the disastrous fire of Jan. 13, 1908. Mr.
Schollenberger thus losing three members of his immediate family in
that catastrophe. One child was born to this union, Alton W., who
died April 15, 1905, in his second year. Mr. Schollenberger in
religious connection is a member of the Reformed Church at
Friedensburg.

Fraternally he unites with Ringgold Council, No.
23, O. U. A. M., and Castle No. 123, K. G. E., at Friedensburg, and
with Camp No. 8286, M. W. of A., at Boyertown.

SCHRADER, CHARLES E.

p.
1401

Surnames: SCHRADER, HAINS, HEARING, RITTER, SCHMUCKER, FELIX,
KLINE, MALTZBERGER, GENSEMER, WITTICH, KLAPP, KOCH, HOUT,
BRIDEGROOM

Charles E. Schrader, engaged in the furniture business at Reading
since 1865, was born Dec. 2, 1833, in the township of North
Whitehall, Lehigh county, Pa., and when a small boy his parents
removed to Trexlertown. He received a limited education, and at an
early age began to work on different farms in the neighborhood, and
continued this work until he became twenty years of age, when he
entered the employ of William Hains as an apprentice to the trade
of cabinet maker. He served his apprenticeship of two and a half
years and then followed the trade at Trexlertown, Allentown and
Philadelphia for several years, when he went to Reading. There he
worked for a short time for Josiah Hearing, a prominent furniture
dealer (prothonotary of Berks county from 1854 to 1857) and then
went to Holidaysburg where he followed his trade for nearly a year,
when he returned to Reading and resumed his employment with Mr.
Hearing, Jacob R. Ritter and Joseph Schmucker, he formed a
partnership with Anthony Felix and they carried on the business as
dealers in furniture until 1872, when they purchased the stock of
Joseph Schmucker and added Jerome T. Kline (an experienced salesman
in the business) to the firm. They traded as Schrader, Felix &
Kline until 1882, when Mr. Felix sold his interest to his partners
and the firm name became Schrader & Kline, and under this name
they have continued to trade until the present time. Mr. Schrader
has been in the furniture business on Penn street, between 6th and
7th streets for upward of forty years. Though entirely self-taught,
he designed and executed superior woodwork, more especially parlor
mirror mantels in costly mansions at Reading and elsewhere.

In 1858, Mr. Schrader was married to Elizabeth
Maltzberger, a daughter of Jacob Maltzberger (bricklayer of
Reading) and Elizabeth Gensemer (also of Reading), by whom he had
seven children, three having died in infancy: Harry, Katie (m.
Arthur Wittich), William, and Annie (m. Daniel Y. Klapp). His wife
died in1906, aged sixty-five years.

Mr. Schrader’s father was Benjamin Schrader, who
was brought up and lived in Montgomery county until he died in
1852, aged forty-five years. He was married to Sarah Koch, of
Lehigh county, who died in 1874, aged sixty-two years; they had six
children; Charles, Benjamin, Benneville, James, Angeline (m. Peter
Hout), and Mary (m. John Bridgegroom).

His grandfather was John Schrader, farmer of
Montgomery county, who located in Snyder county in 1840, and there
died in 1855, aged seventy years. He was married and had six
children: Jacob, John, Benjamin, Charles, Isaac and Catharine.

SCHREINER,
JOHN

p. 1139

Surnames: SCHREINER, GLASSER, KOENIG

John Schreiner, who for a number of years has been a trusted
employe at the Scott foundry, Reading, Pa., is a native of
Eidesheim, Rheinpfalz, Germany, born in that country Sept. 15,
1849, son of Frederick and Mary (Glasser) Schreiner, farming people
of the Fatherland, who are both dead.

In May, 1882, John Schreiner came to America,
landing at New York City, whence he came to Reading, Pa. He became
at once employed at the Scott foundry, where he has continued to
the present time. Mr. Schreiner has been a faithful, steady
employe, and has earned the respect of his employers and of his
fellow workmen. He married Catherine Koenig, also born in Germany,
eight miles from her husband’s birthplace, and she died July 7,
1887, aged twenty-seven years. Their three children were: Miss
Minnie, a seamstress, resides at home; George is a machinist by
trade and is employed at Wyomissing, Pa., at the textile works; and
John died in infancy. Mr. Schreiner resides at No. 329 North
Mulberry street, Reading. In his political opinions he is a
Democrat, but he has never taken an active interest in public
matters, preferring to give his time and attention to his work. He
is a member of St. Paul’s Catholic Church of Reading. Mr. Schreiner
is also connected with the relief association of the company with
which he has been so long identified.