Biography: BEDFORD, Biographical Review, 1899, Bedford Co., PA, pp. 9 - 68

BEDFORD biographies contributed by Judy Banja jbanja@msn.com

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                             BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
                                 VOLUME XXXII

                CONTAINING LIFE SKETCHES OF LEADING CITIZENS OF
                        BEDFORD AND SOMERSET COUNTIES
                                 PENNSYLVANIA

    Who among men art thou, and thy years how many, good friend? - XENOPHANES

              BOSTON: BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1899

                        SELECTED BEDFORD BIOGRAPHIES

Included in the file, in this order, are the biographies of:

Longenecker, Hon. Jacob H.
Carpenter, William H. 
Boor, William D.
Weisel, Abraham
Filler, William B.
Kramer, Milton H.
Figard, Levi H.
Dodson, Andrew
Dibert, Daniel C.
Ingard, John L.
Skillington, Robert M.
Hunt, William J.
Covalt, Abraham
Diehl, H. Grant
Wolford, Levi
Bortz, Captain Martin S.
Lowery, Jesse J.
Clark, Alexander
Imler, Jonas C.
Eshelman, Albert B.

HON. JACOB H. LONGENECKER, of Bedford, Pa., President Judge of the Sixteenth 
Judicial District, was born in Huston township, Blair County, on September 17, 
1839, son of John and Elizabeth Longenecker.  His paternal grandfather, David 
Longenecker, was a native of Lancaster County.  Removing to what is now Blair 
County, he there engaged in farming during the remainder of his life.
  John Longenecker, who was born in Blair County on May 21, 1804, and died on 
July 29, 1876, in Johnson County, Missouri, was, like his father, a lifelong 
agriculturalist.  About 1844 he took up his residence in Woodbury township, 
Bedford County.  He served for some time as a school director and in other 
township offices.  Elizabeth Longenecker, who was his second wife, was the 
daughter of George Holsinger, of Bloomfield township, this county.  She bore him 
five children, as follows: Daniel, who is a resident of Paola, Kan.; Jacob H., 
Mary, who is the wife of Henry Albaugh, of Kingman, Kan.; George, who resides in 
Nelson, Butte County, Cal.; and Nancy, who is the wife of Samuel Longaker, of 
Kansas City.
  Judge Longenecker received his education in the common schools and in what was 
then Allegheny Seminary at Rainsburg, Pa.  During the latter part of his course 
he taught school in winter and went to school as a student in summer.  Shortly 
after the Civil War broke out he left everything and enlisted in Company D of 
the One Hundred and First Pennsylvania Regiment.  Upon the organization of the 
regiment he was made Sergeant-major.  After a considerable period of service in 
that capacity, he was made Second Lieutenant, and still later Adjutant of the 
regiment.  He fought at Williamsburg and Fair Oaks, in the seven days' campaign 
with McClellan, in the retreat across the Peninsula, and in skirmishes in the 
neighborhood of Suffolk, Va.  He was subsequently in the campaign of General 
Foster into the interior of North Carolina; also in the battles of Kinston and 
Goldsboro, and in a number of minor engagements in the eastern part of the 
State.  Taken prisoner with his command at the siege of Plymouth on April 20, 
1864, he was sent successively to Andersonville, Ga., Macon, Ga., Savannah, Ga., 
Charleston, Columbia, S.C., and Charlotte, N.C.  At the last-named place he 
managed to escape, but his liberty was of short duration.  He was recaptured, 
and was sent to

[10]

Wilmington, N.C., where, on March 1, 1865, he was exchanged.  Coming to 
Annapolis he there received, on March 14, an honorable discharge, under an order 
of the War Department, owing to the reduction in numbers of the command.
  Shortly after his return home he became a student in the law office of the 
Hon. Samuel Steele Blair, of Hollidaysburg, and after some time spent there he 
entered the Albany Law School, from which he was graduated in 1866, and was 
admitted to the bar of New York State.  Returning to Pennsylvania, he formed a 
partnership with Hon. Samuel L. Russell, at Bedford, under the firm name of 
Russell & Longenecker, that continued from April 1, 1867, to September, 1891, 
when the death of the senior partner caused its dissolution.  This firm had an 
extensive practice and did a large amount of important business.
  Judge Longenecker was elected to his present official position on November 6, 
1891, and his term began on the first Monday in January of the succeeding year.  
He had previously held a number of important political offices. 
  In 1869 and 1870 he occupied a seat in the legislature, where he served on the 
judiciary and other committees.  For some years he was a member of the Town 
Council and School Director.  In 1882 he was elected to the Pennsylvania Senate, 
and served on the Judiciary Committee of that body and on other important 
committees.  From February, 1877, to November, 1890, he filled the position of 
Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth; and from the last-named date to January 
20, 1891, he was Secretary of the Commonwealth.  The Judge was one of the 
organizers and the first vice-president of the First National Bank of Bedford.  
He is a member of the Masonic fraternity.
  Judge Longenecker married Nannie Rebecca, daughter of Hon. Samuel L. Russell, 
and has three sons - Samuel R., Ralph, and Charles.  The two elder sons entered 
Yale University in September, 1890.  Samuel left in his Sophomore year, and in 
1893 was admitted to the bar.  Ralph was graduated in the class of 1894.  He 
then read law for a time in Bedford, subsequently took a course of study in the 
Pittsburg Law School, and was admitted to the bar in March, 1897.  He is now a 
practicing lawyer in Pittsburg, and is also an instructor in the Pittsburg Law 
School.  Charles, the youngest son, is a student in his Junior year at State 
College, Pennsylvania.  Judge Longenecker and his family are members of the 
Presbyterian church.  The Judge is a member of William Watson Post G.A.R., and 
of the Loyal Legion.  For the year 1885-86 he was President of the National 
Association of ex-Union Prisoners of War, having been elected at the annual 
meeting in Philadelphia.

WILLIAM H. CARPENTER, Auditor of Harrison township, Bedford County, is a worthy 
representative of the native-born citizens of this township, which has been his 
home since his birth, on September 27, 1860.

[11]

  His father, Levi Carpenter, was born in Londonderry, Pa., and was a son of 
Jacob Carpenter, who removed from Maryland to that township as one of its 
pioneer settlers.  There Levi Carpenter grew to man's estate, receiving a 
practical education in the common schools, and being well trained to habits of 
industry and prudent economy.  After his marriage with Catherine Miller, who was 
born in Harrison, Bedford County, he settled on a farm in this township, where 
he made his home until his death, January 26, 1894.  He was actively identified 
with public affairs, being a School Director a number of terms.  As a valued 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church, he also assisted in its religious 
growth and development.  In politics he was an adherent of the republican party.  
Of his children eight still survive, namely: Martha, wife of Jacob S. Leonard, 
of Londonderry, Pa.; Sarah J., wife of Benton Scott, of Lake County, California; 
William H., the special subject of this sketch; Ellsworth, of Washington County, 
Arkansas; Charles, of Virginia; Nettie, wife of William Heltzeel, of Bedford, 
Pa.; George and Blair, both of Harrison township, Pa.
  William H. Carpenter in his youth obtained his education in the public 
schools, and at home acquired a practical knowledge of agriculture.  For six 
years in his early manhood he carried on an extensive business in lumbering, but 
has since devoted the most of his time to the management of his estate of two 
hundred and ninety-eight acres.  In connection with general farming he 
manufactures cider in his well-equipped mill purchased for that purpose, and in 
the harvest season he operates a steam thresher.  He is a keen-sighted, wide-
awake man, ever ready to take advantage of business opportunities, and by his 
upright and honest dealings has won the confidence and esteem of the community.  
He is a strong Republican in politics, and at the present time is ably serving 
his first term as Auditor of the township.
  On November 22, 1882, Mr. Carpenter married Miss Josephine, daughter of George 
Hurley, of Harrison, Bedford County.  They have three children - Blaine H., 
Fannie M., and Ida M.

WILLIAM D. BOOR has been intimately associated with the agricultural, business, 
and political interests of Cumberland Valley, Pa., for many years.  He was born 
in this township, August 25, 1845, a son of Michael and Phoebe (Zembower) Boor.  
His paternal grandfather was Martin Boor, who married a Miss Bear.
  Michael Boor spent his entire life in Bedford County, residing the greater 
part of the time in Cumberland Valley, where his death occurred more than a 
score of years ago.  A strong Democrat in his political views, he served a 
number of years as Constable, and was well known throughout the community.  He 
was an earnest Christian man and a valued member of the Methodist Protestant 
church.  Of the children born of his marriage with Phoebe Zembower six survive, 
as follows: Mrs. John Simons, of Cumberland Valley; 

[12]

Mrs. Brice McCoy, of Cass County, Missouri; Oliver P., John R., Henry M., and 
William D., all of Cumberland Valley township.  Their maternal grandfather was 
John Zembower.
  William D. Boor attended the common schools of Cumberland Valley in his youth, 
afterward completing his preparatory education at the seminary in Rainsburg.  
The two following winter terms he taught in the district school, but from that 
time until he was twenty-five years old he assisted in the care of the parental 
homestead.  Entering then into partnership with Mr. H. M. Ressler as head of the 
firm of Boor & Ressler, he embarked in business as a tanner and harness-maker, 
and met with much success.  He subsequently purchased his partner's interest, 
and for three years was sole proprietor of the business, which he gave up to 
assume the management of his present farm.  He has one hundred and eighty-five 
acres of choice land, devoted to general agricultural purposes, his farm as 
regards its appointments being one of the most desirable in the locality.  In 
politics Mr. Boor is a stanch Democrat, and has ably served in many official 
capacities.  For twelve years, nine of them being consecutive years, he was one 
of the School Directors of Cumberland Valley township, eight years being 
secretary of the board.  For three years he was Assessor.  He has been Town 
Auditor; and for three years he was Justice of the Peace, since which time he 
has been familiarly known as Esquire Boor.  He was also a candidate in the 
Democratic convention for Representative to the State legislature, but failed to 
secure the nomination.  He is a very active member of the Methodist Protestant 
church, in which he served for nearly twenty successive years as steward, 
besides having been a trustee and the superintendent of the Sunday-school for a 
number of years.
  Mr. Boor married Harriet, daughter of the late Frederick Sliger, on March 6, 
1871.  Of their eleven children, four - namely, Murry T., Edna E., Frederick, 
and a boy baby - are dead, and seven are now living; namely, Curtis H., Perry 
E., Adna B., Cyrus C., Rhoda P., Elva M., and Bertha D.  Mr. Frederick Sliger 
was the son of George and Catharine (Hardsock) Sliger.  He was for many years a 
well-known citizen of Cumberland Valley township, and much respected for his 
integrity and sterling worth.  He was twice married.  His first wife, Rebecca 
Dicken, died young, leaving him with one daughter, Mrs. Francis Elliott, of this 
township.  He subsequently married Mrs. Caroline Bruner, he being her second 
husband.  She was the daughter of Joseph and Harriet (Longsworth) Vickroy.  
Three children born of this second union survive, as follows: Mrs. Boor; Sarah, 
wife of J. W. Diffenbaugh, of Cumberland Valley; and Emma, widow of Henry Hite, 
late of this township.

ABRAHAM WEISEL, one of the foremost citizens of Colerain, Bedford County, was 
born in this township, February 14, 1844, a son of Abraham, Sr., and Elizabeth 
(Mann) Weisel.  On the mater-

[13]

nal side he comes of Revolutionary stock, his great-grandfather Mann having 
fought during the struggle for American independence under General Washington.
  Abraham Weisel, Sr., was born in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  He followed 
the trade of a cooper when a young man, but afterward became widely known as a 
miller, carrying on business for many years.  He operated grist-mills in 
different sections of the county, having one at Bedford Springs for fifteen 
years, one in Wolfsburg, one known as "the Patterson Mill," and for a time also 
he had control of the plant known as "the old Poor House Mill."  In the early 
part of his life he enjoyed the distinction of being the first superintendent of 
the celebrated Bedford Mineral Springs.  During the latter part of his life he 
devoted his energies to general farming in Colerain, where he was for years one 
of the most influential citizens.  He was a self-made man.  In 1842 he 
represented Bedford County in the State legislature, having been elected on the 
Democratic ticket, which he always supported.  He served in various township 
offices with fidelity and ability, and was also active in religious work, being 
a member and an Elder of the Reformed church.  He died at his home in Colerain, 
August 26, 1890, full of years and honors.  The maiden name of his wife, who was 
born and bred in Bedford County, was Elizabeth Mann.
  Abraham Weisel, Jr., received his elementary education in the public schools 
of the county, after which he attended the Allegheny Male and Female Seminary at 
Rainsburg, Pa., under Professor J. W. Hughes, several terms, and for a time was 
a student at a private normal training school in Bedford, Pa., conducted by 
County Superintendent H. W. Fisher.  Subsequently for a period of about twenty-
five years he was engaged as a teacher in his own and adjoining townships, a 
position for which he was well qualified.  He taught a select school at 
Boydstown, then a suburb of Bedford, but now included within the borough limits.  
During the term of 1874-75, he had charge of the intermediate department of the 
Everett schools.
  Mr. Weisel began his career as school teacher at Spruce Hill school-house, in 
Snake Spring township, on December 4, 1865.  Commencing with a low-grade 
"provisional certificate," by hard study and close attention to his duties he 
worked his way up till he soon took rank with the leading teachers of the 
county, having received in regular order from the proper school authorities the 
different grades of teachers' certificates - namely; provisional, professional, 
and permanent.  Since retiring from the work of school teaching, he has devoted 
himself, with well-directed energy and with gratifying success, to agricultural 
pursuits.  He has a farm of two hundred and ten acres of land, on which he 
raises an abundance of the crops common to this part of the country.  He is also 
engaged to some extent in stock-breeding.  An active supporter of every good 
cause, Mr. Weisel continues to take special interest in education of the young, 
and as School Director of Colerain township, an office in which he is now 
serving

[14]

his third term, he has rendered valuable service.  He has also been Township 
Clerk and Township Auditor a number of terms, positions which he has filled most 
creditably.  In politics he is identified with the Democratic party.  In the 
Reformed church, of which he is a member, he is now serving as Elder, having 
virtually succeeded his father, who served in that capacity many years.
  Mr. Weisel and Malinda C. Hartman, a daughter of A. J. Hartman, of Loysburg, 
Pa., were married on May 13, 1875.  They have ten children, namely: S. Estella, 
a teacher in the public schools of Bedford County; Elizabeth A.; Henrietta C.; 
Theodore H.,; Martin B.; Mary G.; William A.; Lloyd S.; James H.; and Elsie M. 
C.

[21]

WILLIAM B. FILLER, Postmaster at Rainsburg, in Colerain township, Pa., is a 
native of this place.  He was born on September 15, 1845, a son of Joshua and 
Rebecca (Pickeran) Filler.  His parents were both born and brought up in 
Colerain township.  His paternal grandfather, Conrad Filler, was born in Loudoun 
County, Virginia, whence he came to Pennsylvania at an early day, and as a 
pioneer of this part of Bedford County cleared a tract of land, thus ably 
assisting in transforming it into a fine agricultural region.
  Joshua Filler was a man of enterprise and sagacity.  Although he made farming 
his chief occupation throughout his life, which was brought to a close on May 
11, 1866, he was

[22]

for many years proprietor of a hotel in Rainsburg, and was known by the 
traveling public as a genial and generous host, who looked well after the 
comfort of his guests.  He was a Democrat in politics, but never took any active 
part in public matters.  Of his children the following survive: John H., of West 
Virginia; Mrs. Sophia Williams, of Cumberland, Md.; Ellen C., wife of W. P. 
Fowler, of Washington, D.C.; William B., the special subject of this sketch; 
Daniel, of Rainsburg; and Charlotte, wife of William A. Cessna, also of 
Rainsburg, Pa.
  William B. Filler was educated in Rainsburg, where he attended first the 
common schools and later the Allegheny Seminary, then a somewhat noted 
institution of learning.  While yet a lad, in the fall of 1861, he enlisted in 
Company D, One Hundred and First Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which was 
attached to the Army of the Potomac.  He gallantly participated in the siege of 
Yorktown, at the battles of Williamsburg and Fair Oaks, and in the seven day's 
fight during McClellan's retreat to the James River.  In July, 1863, he joined 
the Twenty-second Pennsylvania Cavalry, and as Sergeant of Company I 
participated in the engagements of Harper's Ferry, Shepherdstown, Berryville, 
Mount Jackson, Upperville, and Snicker's Gap.  He fought at Winchester, Va., on 
September 19, 1864, and later at Strawsburg.  At Brown's Gap, September 26, 
1864, he was engaged in a skirmish with the rebels, and having been captured by 
the enemy was subsequently confined in Libby Prison, at Belle Island, and in 
Salisbury Prison.  From the latter place he was returned to Richmond, and was 
released on parole March 10, 1865, and at once returned to Rainsburg, and 
received his discharge from the service at Harrisburg the following August.  
Soon after his return Mr. Filler learned the carpenter's trade, which he has 
since followed as a contractor in this vicinity, where he has a deservedly high 
reputation for superior workmanship.  One of the leading members of the 
Republican ranks, he has been prominent in public affairs, and has served in 
many offices of trust in the borough of Rainsburg, having been a member of the 
School Board, a Burgess, and a member of the Council.  In June, 1897, he was 
appointed to his present position as Postmaster.  Fraternally, he is a member of 
the Odd Fellows Lodge at Rainsburg; of the Major Watson Post, G.A.R., of 
Bedford, Pa.; and of the Rainsburg Lodge, P.O.S. of A.
  On February 2, 1870, Mr. Filler married Mary V. Mower, of Rainsburg.  They are 
the parents of nine living children, namely: George S., Francis M., Anna R., 
Jennie A., Harry K., Carrie R., Grace G., Nellie M., and Mary M.

[25]

MILTON H. KRAMER, Esq., a leading citizen of Hyndman, Pa., is at the head of the 
well-known and enterprising firm of Kramer & Mullin, insurance agents.  A native 
of Pennsylvania, born March 9, 1861, in Bucks County, the birthplace of both his 
parents, Aaron F. and Mary (Hillegass) Kramer, he comes of thrifty German 
ancestry.
  Milton H. Kramer when about ten years old removed with his father and mother 
from Bucks County to Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, where, in the township of 
Upper Saucon, which was his home several years, he continued to add to the 
knowledge he had previously obtained in the district schools of his native town.  
After completing his education in the normal department of Muhlenburg College at 
Allentown, Pa., he taught school three terms in Lehigh County, and one term in 
Londonderry township, Bedford County.  In 1882 he settled in Everett, Pa., as 
one of the surveyors who located the furnace in that town and the narrow gauge 
railway connected with it.  Having finished his surveying, he remained in 
Everett for more than a year, being in business

[26]

with J. J. Barndollar & Son, lumber manufacturers and dealers.  In 1884 he 
became superintendent of the lumber interests of Connelly & Barndollar in 
Londonderry township, whose plant was located about two miles from the town of 
Hyndman, a position which he retained two years.
  Removing then to Hyndman, Mr. Kramer formed a partnership with John Bussard, 
with whom he was engaged in mercantile pursuits for three years.  In November, 
1891, he retired from business as a merchant, and in the following June he 
established himself in the insurance business as senior member of the firm of 
Kramer & Mullin.  This firm is one of the most successful of its kind in Bedford 
County, representing as it does many of the leading insurance companies of the 
world, including the following: the Home Insurance Company of New York; the 
Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company of Springfield, Mass.; the Sun 
Insurance office of London, England; the American Central Company of St. Louis, 
Mo.; the Citizens' Company of Pittsburg, Pa.; and the Philadelphia Underwriters' 
Company of Philadelphia, Pa.
  Mr. Kramer is intimately and favorably known in the community, and he is 
prominently identified with its financial, political, and social interests.  By 
his fellow-citizens, who appreciate his many superior qualities, he has been 
frequently elected to important positions of public trust.  Since 1890 he has 
served continuously as Justice of the Peace; from 1889 until the spring of 1892 
he served as Burgess of Hyndman borough; and while living in Londonderry 
township he was a School Director.  Politically, he is identified with the 
Republican party, and religiously, he is a member of the Reformed church, in 
which he has been an Elder for many years.  Fraternally, he belongs to the three 
most prominent secret societies of Hyndman - the Masonic organization, the order 
of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias.
  On September 5, 1885, Mr. Kramer married Miss Lucy Bussard, a daughter of 
Joseph E. Bussard, of West Providence township, Bedford County.  Three children 
- Anna L., John K. White, and Pearl - brighten their home to-day.  They have 
been bereft of one child, a daughter, Mary L., who was taken away when "life and 
love were new."

LEVI H. FIGARD, Justice of the Peace in East Providence, Pa., is a citizen of 
prominence, widely known throughout this section of Bedford County.  A son of 
William and Mary (Hoover) Figard, he was born on February 10, 1844, in Broad Top 
township, where his paternal grandfather, James Figard, was a pioneer settler.
  William Figard was born and reared in Bedford County, and spent a large part 
of his life in Broad Top township, where he owned and operated a grist mill for 
many years.  He was a Republican in politics, and a for a number of terms served 
as School Director.  As an active member of the Church of God he did much 
ministerial work in the neighborhood.  Of the children borne him by his first 
wife

[29]

the following survive: Mrs. Caroline Foster, of Coaldale, Pa.; David H., a 
prominent citizen of Seward County, Nebraska, where he has served as County 
Treasurer; Levi H., the special subject of this biographical sketch; Catherine, 
wife of Joseph Flegle, of Huntingdon, Pa.; Mary, wife of Peter Smith, of 
Franklin County, Pennsylvania; and John, of Seward County, Nebraska.  By his 
second wife, whose maiden name was Catharine Pult, three children are now 
living; as follows: George, of Saxton, Pa.; William, of Riddlesburg, Pa.; and 
Mrs. Alice Elder, of Philadelphia, Pa.  The father died in 1884.
  Levi H. Figard was educated in Broad Top, Pa., where he lived until fourteen 
years old, when he came with his parents to the township of East Providence.  On 
December 11, 1861, he enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Seventh 
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which, under command of General Pope, became a 
part of the Army of Virginia.  On August 9, 1862, he was on the field of 
conflict at Cedar Mountain, Va.  He subsequently fought in many other 
engagements, among them being the battle at Rappahannock Station, at 
Thoroughfare Gap, Va., the second battle of Bull Run, and at South Mountain.  In 
the latter he was seriously wounded in the left thigh, and he was afterward 
confined in various hospitals until declared convalescent, when, on February 14, 
1863, he was discharged from the service.  Returning to Bedford County, he 
resided in East Providence until 1864, when he removed with his parents to 
Fulton county.  A short time later he accompanied them to Broad Top township, of 
which place he was a resident until about 1885, when he took possession of his 
present farm of fifty-seven acres, pleasantly located in East Providence.
  He is identified with the Republican party in politics, and in every office to 
which he has been elected by his fellow-citizens he has faithfully performed the 
duties thereof.  While living in Broad Top he served as Assessor and as School 
Director.  In the latter capacity he has likewise served the township of East 
Providence, besides having been Auditor.  He is now most acceptably filling the 
office of Justice of the Peace for the second term.  In 1873 he united with the 
Methodist Episcopal church, in which he has been class leader and superintendent 
of the Sunday-school, and is now steward and trustee.
  On February 22, 1865, Mr. Figard married Miss Margaret Ensley, of Fulton 
County, Pennsylvania, a daughter of James and Mary Ensley.

ANDREW DODSON, Sheriff of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and a prominent citizen 
of Bedford township, was born in Greenfield, Blair County, this State, October 
12, 1844, son of William and Susan (Burkett) Dodson.
  William Dodson, son of William, Sr., a lifelong farmer of Greenfield, was born 
in that town in 1808.  He remained at the parental home until after his 
marriage, when he purchased a neighboring farm, which he cultivated as long as 
he lived.  Susan, his wife, was a

[30]

daughter of John Burket, of Greenfield.  They were the parents of twelve 
children, of whom ten grew to maturity; namely, Margaret, Ann, Samuel B., 
Andrew, William, Ruth, Abraham, Elizabeth, Mary Ann, and Michael Daniel.  
Margaret, who married Joseph Baird, of Greenfield, and Ann, who married Abraham 
Briggle, of Greenfield, are both now deceased, and their husbands also.  Besides 
these, two of the brothers, Samuel B. and William, have passed away.  Ruth is 
married, and living in Missouri.  Abraham resides in Hopewell, Bedford County.  
Elizabeth is the wife of Michael D. Eichelberger, of Kearney, Bedford County.  
Mary Ann is the wife of George E. Lingenfelter, of Davis, W. Va.  Michael Daniel 
lives in Broad Top township.
  Andrew Dodson in his boyhood received a common-school education.  At the age 
of Eighteen he enlisted in Company E, One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Regiment, of 
Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which joined the army of the Potomac.  He was 
in the battles of Antietam and Chancellorsville, Nashville, Tenn., Hollow Tree 
Gap, and Sugar Creek, and soon after the latter engagement he was honorably 
discharged.  Two weeks later he went to Philadelphia, and enlisted in the 
Nineteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry, Company L, with which he went first 
to Camp Stoneman, thence to Union City, Tenn., Memphis, and Tallahassee.  From 
there he returned to Memphis with prisoners, and later went to Vicksburg, Baton 
Rouge, La., New Orleans, and Nashville.  He subsequently went again to Baton 
Rouge, and up the Red River, and then to Jefferson, Tex., where he was engaged 
in gathering up government property, the war having closed.  About May 1, 1866, 
he went to New Orleans, where he was mustered out on May 14.  He was sent to 
Philadelphia, and there he received his honorable discharge June 12.  For a time 
after that he worked at lumbering.  He then engaged in the business on his own 
account, purchasing two mills in Broad Top, where he continued the business 
about fifteen years.  He was one of the first men to own and operate a steam 
saw-mill in that section of the county.  His next venture was to lease a coal 
mine, which he operated about three years, or until about 1895.  A few months 
later he took the office of Sheriff of Bedford county, to which he was elected 
in 1896 for a term of three years.  He served a number of years as Constable in 
Broad Top.  Fraternally, he is a member of L. R. Piper Post, No. 454, of Broad 
Top; and of Allaquippa Lodge, No. 555, I.O.O.F., in which he is a Past Grand.
  Mr. Dodson was married on September 16, 1866, to Eliza, daughter of Samuel 
Nofsker, of Freedom, Pa.  Four children have been born to them, and three are 
living, namely: Samuel N., Margaret C., and U. G. Grant.  Mrs. Dodson is a 
member of the Methodist Episcopal church.

DANIEL C. DIBERT, a well-known farmer and one of the older residents of Bedford, 
Bedford County, Pa., is a self-made man; that is, one who has achieved

[31]

success in life by his own industry, thrift, and steadfastness of purpose.  A 
native of this township, born on August 3, 1820, son of John and Barbara Dibert, 
he is of German ancestry.  The first title to land now owned by him was held by 
his paternal grandfather, John Dibert, Sr., whose first wife was Ene Ickes, the 
second being Mary Earnest.  The children of John, Sr., and Ene Dibert were: 
David; Ene, wife of Peter Fetter; Elizabeth, wife of Valentine Rehienhart; 
Barbara, wife of Valentine Fickes; and Susannah, wife of Samuel Rondabuch.  The 
children of John, Sr., and Mary Dibert were: John, born probably in 1786, father 
of Daniel C.; Margaret, born October 4, 1788, married Jacob Fette, and died 
September 9, 1869; Catharine, born April 27, 1792, married John Croyl, and died 
May 15, 1842; Mary, born August 20, 1794, married first Henry Croyl, second, 
Jacob Dibert, third Abram Sill, and died July 3, 1865; Rachel, born August 10, 
1798, married Henry Kauffman, died January 27, 1885.
  Henry Earnest, Mrs. Mary Dibert's father, was killed by the Indians in Bedford 
township.  Her mother and two brothers were taken captive and carried away, but 
after a number of years they made their escape and returned to Bedford.
  John Dibert, second, was a pioneer settler in this part of Bedford County, and 
here married Barbara Croyl.  He died in 1830, while yet in the prime of manhood.  
Of his children, two survive, namely: Daniel C., the special subject of this 
biography; and Mrs. Barbara Zimmers, born in 1826, now the widow of the late 
Samuel Zimmers, of Bedford township.  One son, John Dibert, third, born in 1818, 
died while young; and David, born in 1822, died in Missouri, December 3, 1898.
  Daniel C. Dibert was deprived of a father's care and guidance when a little 
fellow of eight years.  From that time until of age he lived in Bedford township 
in the family of Michael Fetter, under whose instruction he obtain a practical 
knowledge of farming, to which he has since devoted the larger part of his time 
and energies.  His facilities for acquiring an education were very meager as 
compared with those available to all at the present day, but he made the most of 
such as were afforded by the subscription schools of his neighborhood.  After 
working several years as a farm hand, Mr. Dibert inherited the homestead estate, 
in the northern part of the township, on which he and his capable helpmeet have 
spent the larger portion of their wedded life.  By years of diligent labor and 
wise management, he has developed and improved a valuable farm.  A man of good 
business ability, honest and upright in his dealings, he is held in high esteem 
as a citizen, and has the respect and confidence of the community.  In politics 
he is a sound Democrat.
  In April, 1852, Mr. Dibert married Maria Carrell, who was born and bred in 
Bedford township.  Their union has been blessed by the birth of nine children, 
of whom seven are still living, namely: Lloyd C. and Wayne C., both residents of 
California; David F., of Virginia; Alice M., at home; Ida V., wife of Albert 
Dively; Emma M., at home; and Dan

[32]

iel O., of California.  The angel of death has twice visited this household, and 
has borne away two of its daughters - Minnie E. and Caroline.  Mr. and Mrs. 
Dibert are both connected by membership with the Lutheran church.

[34]

JOHN L. INGARD, one of the supervisors of Colerain township, Bedford County, is 
a prosperous member of the farming community and well known as a citizen of 
genuine worth.  He was born in this place, March 17, 1850, a son of William and 
Rebecca (Ash) Ingard.
  William Ingard was born in Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania, but when an 
infant, having lost his father, who died while yet a young man, he was taken 
into the family of George Bootz, then residing in Cumberland Valley, Bedford 
County, where he was reared and educated.  He subsequently came with his foster-
parents to Colerain township, and settled near Rainsburg.  He at once identified 
himself with the best interests of the township, which he served a number of 
years as Supervisor, and was always one of the heartiest supporters of 
enterprises inaugurated to benefit the public.  In politics he was an advocate 
of the principles of the Democratic party.  He belonged to the Lutheran church, 
in which he officiated at different times both as Deacon and as Elder.  He died 
on May 8, 1881.  His wife was Rebecca Ash, of Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  
They had nine children, of whom three survive, as follows: Sarah J., wife of 
George Barclay, of Rainsburg; John L., the subject of this biography; and D. L., 
of Sandusky, Ohio.
  John L. Ingard was educated in the public schools of Rainsburg, which he 
attended pretty regularly through boyhood and youth.  Becoming a farmer from 
choice when a young man, he purchased land that is now included in his present 
farm of seventy acres, and has since been actively engaged in agricultural 
labors, giving much attention to stock raising and fruit growing.  In his 
various enterprises he has exhibited good judgment and business ability, and it 
is needless to say has met with signal success from the first.  A broad-minded, 
public-spirited citizen, he is greatly

[35]

interested in the welfare of the town and county, more especially in the 
improvement of the public school system.  This he assisted to considerable 
extent while serving for three years as School Director of Colerain township and 
for six years as a member and the treasurer of the school board of the borough 
of Rainsburg.  He is now (1899) rendering excellent service to his fellow-
citizens as one of the Supervisors of Colerain.  Fraternally, he has been 
identified by membership with the Bedford Lodge, No. 202, I.O.O.F., for a 
quarter of a century.  Religiously, he is a consistent member of the Lutheran 
church, of which he is treasurer and Deacon.
  On March 17, 1875, Mr. Ingard married Miss Henrietta Beegle, daughter of 
William Beegle, late of Colerain township.  Their only child, William C. Ingard, 
was born May 1, 1876.

[36]

ROBERT M. SKILLINGTON, one of the Auditors of East Providence township, Pa., is 
a well-known patriotic citizen and a veteran of the late Civil War.  He was born 
in Bedford, Pa., July 5, 1841, a son of James W. and Lavinia D. (Martin) 
Skillington, the former of whom was born in Wilmington, Del, and the latter in 
Frederick City, Md.  The Skillington family is of English origin, and was first 
represented on American soil in old Colonial times.
  James W. Skillington came to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, when young, and in 
the town of Bedford married Miss Martin.  He subsequently followed his trade of 
cabinet-maker in that place and in Snake Spring

[37]

township until the spring of 1870, when he removed to East Providence, where he 
resided until his decease in January, 1875.  Of his children three survive, 
namely: Robert M., the special subject of this sketch; Charles O., of Everett, 
Pa.; and Mary E., of East Providence, Pa.
  Robert M. Skillington received his elementary education in the common schools 
of Bedford, where he lived until twelve years old.  Removing then with his 
parents to Snake Spring, nearby, he there continued his studies, and was a 
resident of that township until his enlistment in August, 1862, in Company C, 
One Hundred and Thirty-third Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, for a period of 
nine months.  With the Army of the Potomac he fought in the battles of 
Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, and others, before receiving his honorable 
discharge in June, 1863.  After remaining with home friends a few months, he re-
enlisted in February, 1864, as a member of Company A, One Hundred and Eighty-
fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry.  Again joining the Army of the Potomac, 
he took part in the battle of Cold Harbor, where he received two slight wounds; 
and in the siege of Petersburg, where on June 16, 1864, he was so severely 
wounded as to necessitate his removal to the hospital, in which he was confined 
until mustered out of service in July, 1865.  From 1866 until 1870 Mr. 
Skillington resided in West Providence, Pa., but since that time has made his 
home in East Providence township.  He has a well-managed farm of thirty-two 
acres, which he devotes to general farming.
  In 1882 he was appointed as storekeeper and gauger in the United States 
Internal Revenue Service, an office which he filled until the 1st of January, 
1885.  He has served as Judge of Elections in East Providence, and for two terms 
of five years each has been Justice of the Peace.  Politically, he is an earnest 
adherent of the Republican party.  Fraternally, he belongs to the J. R. Callahan 
Post, G.A.R., No. 559, at Ray's Hill, Pa., of which he has been Commander; and 
to the Ray's Hill Lodge, I.O.O.F., No. 776.  He is a man of great religious 
fervor, and as a local preacher in former years did much ministerial work in the 
community.  Both he and his wife are active members of the Methodist Episcopal 
church, in which he is now steward.
  On April 19, 1876, Mr. Skillington married Elmira McLaughlin, daughter of John 
L. McLaughlin, late of Rainsburg, Pa.  Her paternal grandfather, Charles 
McLaughlin, who was born and bred in the north of Ireland, came to America when 
a lad of seventeen, and located as a pioneer in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  
He attained the venerable age of ninety-seven years.  John L. McLaughlin was 
born in East Providence township, but after arriving at man's estate he settled 
at Rainsburg, in the neighboring township of Colerain, where he was engaged in 
mercantile business until his death, which occurred in 1847.  His wife, whose 
maiden name was Sarah Folck, was born near Cumberland, Md.
  Mrs. Skillington is her father's only living representative.  Her only 
brother, Charles P. McLaughlin, as First Lieutenant of Company

[38]

F, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, on June 1, 1864, at 
the battle of Cold Harbor, gave his life for his country, while leading his 
company in a charge against the enemy.  The union of Mr. and Mrs. Skillington 
has been blessed by the birth of ten children, six of whom are now living, 
namely: Charles H., J. Edgar, J. Walter, Elmira M., Mary M., and Lawson M.

[43]

WILLIAM J. HUNT, proprietor of a finely improved farming property in the 
southern part of Bedford township, Bedford County, Pa., is among the best known 
and most respected citizens of this community.  He was born January 24, 1837, on 
the farm where he now resides.  His parents were Joseph and Maria (Radebaugh) 
Hunt.
  His paternal grandfather, Thomas Hunt, Esq., who was of English parentage, was 
the founder of the branch of the Hunt family now

[44]

living in this county, and was a man of prominence in Bedford township, of which 
he was Justice of the Peace many years; also rendering efficient service in  
other official capacities.
  Joseph Hunt spent the greater part of his life engaged in agricultural 
pursuits on the farm which he partly cleared from the wilderness, and which is 
now owned and occupied by his son, William J. Hunt.  An industrious and hard-
working man, of resolute and determined character, truly the architect of his 
own fortune, he wielded a good influence in the neighborhood in which he lived, 
and where his death occurred in December, 1857.  He was a Republican in his 
political affiliations and a member of the Presbyterian church.  He married 
Maria Radebaugh, of Bedford County.  One of their children, a son named John T., 
died during the Civil War.  The following still survive: Samuel, of Colerain, 
Pa.; Mary A.; Arnold, of Harrison, Pa.; William J., the special subject of this 
sketch; David A., of Wisconsin; Mrs. Rebecca Brown, of Iowa; Emeline, wife of 
Eli Corle, of Colerain, Pa.; Louise, wife of Emanuel Ling, of Juniata, Pa.; and 
Harry C., of Colerain, Pa.
  John T. Hunt, Corporal, Company K, Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania Volunteer 
Infantry, was enrolled as a recruit for the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania at Bedford, 
Pa., October 21, 1862, and mustered into the United States service at 
Harrisburg, Pa., November 4, 1862.  Joining his regiment, then stationed at 
Beaufort, S.C., on December 25, 1862, he was assigned to Company K.  In April, 
1864, the Fifty-fifth Pennsylvania, forming a part of the Tenth Corps, was 
transferred to Virginia.  He was present with his regiment in an action near 
Petersburg, Va., May 9, 1864, and subsequently was captured in a battle near 
Drury's Bluff, Va., May 16, 1864.  He was taken as prisoner to Libby Prison, 
thence to Andersonville, Ga., where he remained a greater part of the time of 
his captivity.  When General Sherman commenced his march through Georgia to the 
sea, he was removed with other Andersonville prisoners to Millen, Ga., and 
afterward to Savannah, Ga., where he died.  The exact date of his death is 
unknown, some comrades reporting it as having occurred on October 10, 1864, 
while others fixed upon a later date.
  William J. Hunt acquired his early education in the district schools of 
Bedford township, and has supplemented it by extensive reading.  Having 
succeeded to the ownership of the parental homestead, he has conducted general 
farming and stock-raising with good results from a financial point of view, and 
the justness of his reputation as a skilful and progressive farmer is amply 
borne out by the appearance of his homestead.  His one hundred and thirty acres 
of land are in a fair state of cultivation, and yield good crops.  Religiously, 
he is a consistent member of the Presbyterian church, and, politically, he 
affiliates with the Republican party.
  Mr. Hunt and Catherine, daughter of the late Benjamin Vore, of Napier 
township, Pa., were married on December 2, 1862.  They have four children, 
namely: Samuel H., a resident of Cleveland, Ohio; Benjamin F., a 

[45]

physician in Bedford, Pa.; Annie E., and William E., at home.

ABRAHAM COVALT, a successful general merchant of Bedford, Pa., was born in 
Thompson township, Fulton County, this State, February 14, 1833, son of Ephraim 
and Rachel (Mason) Covalt.  He is of the seventh generation in descent from his 
immigrant progenitor, Bethuel Covalt, a native of Wales, the line being: 
Bethuel, 1, Bethuel, 2, Isaac, 3, Bethuel, 4, Isaac, 5, Ephraim, 6, Abraham, 7.
  Bethuel Covalt, first, born in Wales, Great Britain, October 15, 1642, O.S., 
was cupbearer to Charles H. until the death of that monarch.  He then immigrated 
to Northern New Jersey.  Three sons - Abraham, Bethuel, second, and Chemiah - 
were there born to him, prior, it is thought, to 1700.  Abraham had two sons - 
Abraham, Jr., and Bethuel, third.  The younger Abraham and his father were 
killed in Miami County, near the site of Cincinnati.  Bethuel, third, escaped 
South.  His descendants now live in Iowa.  All that is known of Chemiah is that 
he settled in Brush Creek, Fulton County, Pa., but afterward went South.
  Bethuel, second, had a son Isaac, who settled on Tonaloway Creek, near Covalt, 
Pa., about 1740.  Isaac Covalt had one son, Bethuel, fourth, born October 15, 
1746, who was married February 11, 1772, to Sarah Hart, who was born March 5, 
1752.  They had nine children: Ruhamah, born March, 11, 1776; Isaac, second, 
born December 11, 1778; Mary, born September 18, 1780; Rachel, born April 29, 
1783; Sarah, born December 8, 1785; Jacob; Bethuel, fifth, born June 15, 1790; 
Elizabeth, born April 21, 1793; Martha, born September 8, 1796.
  Isaac Covalt, second, married September 29, 1801, Elizabeth Cowell, who was 
born January 6, 1779.  They had three sons, namely: Bethuel, born July 12, 1802, 
who died young; Isaac, born May 9, 1804; and Ephraim, born December 12, 1806.  
Ephraim, the younger son, was married February 2, 1831, to Rachel Mason, 
daughter of William Mason, of Bethel township, Pa.  She was born November 5, 
1812, and died December 29, 1862.  He died February 7, 1883.  Their children 
were: John S., born January 23, 1832, died February 25, 1894; Abraham, born 
February 14, 1833, subject of this sketch; Lavina, born August 11, 1835; Elmira, 
born November 16, 1837, died October, 1893; Isaac M., born December 17, 1839, 
died November 23, 1863; Anna, born February 24, 1842; Sarah, born December 31, 
1844, died July 16, 1894; Elizabeth, born September 14, 1847, died October 30, 
1895; Rachel, born July 8, 1850; Mary Martha, born March 21, 1858.
  Ephraim Covalt was born in Thompson, Pa., and was there engaged as a farmer 
all the active years of his life.  His daughter Lavina is the wife of Henry R. 
Brewer, of Belfast, Pa.  Elmira was the wife of Ben Fauner, of Martinsburg, W. 
Va.  Annie is the wife of the Ref. Calvin Funk, of Belfast, Pa.  Elizabeth

[46]

married Joseph H. Covalt, a very distant relative and a resident of Thompson, 
Pa.  Sarah married Thomas Myerly (both deceased).  Rachel is the wife of Jesse 
Peck, of Martinsburg, W. Va.  Mary Martha lives in Martinsburg, W. Va.  Ephraim 
and Rachel Covalt were members of the Baptist church, in which he served as 
Deacon for a number of years.
  Abraham Covalt, special subject of this sketch, received his education in the 
public schools of Thompson, his native township, and remained on the home farm 
until he attained his majority.  The following year he worked at the carpenter's 
trade.  He next became a clerk in a general store in Hancock, Md., where he was 
employed for seven years.  In 1863 he embarked in business for himself at 
Warfordsburg, Bethel township, Fulton County, continuing until 1869, when he 
again went to Hancock, this time to engage in business on his own account as a 
merchant.  Two years later, about 1871, he removed to Broad Top (now Defiance), 
Pa., and has had business interests in that place ever since, although after 
living there two years he came to Bedford, and this township has since been his 
residence.  When in Hancock he formed a partnership with J. M. Hedding, under 
the firm name of Abraham Covalt & Co.  Upon establishing the business at 
Defiance the firm style became Hedding & Covalt, but was subsequently changed to 
A. Covalt & Co.  About 1882 the firm built a planing mill in Bedford, which they 
conducted until 1895, when the partnership was dissolved.  At one time this firm 
did the most extensive business in the county.  In 1897 Mr. Covalt started alone 
in the general mercantile business which he now conducts in Bedford.
  Mr. Covalt was married in 1862 to Annie, daughter of James Dorrance, of 
Mercersburg, Pa.  They have two children: James A., of Saxton, Pa.; and Eva L.  
Mr. and Mrs. Covalt are members of the Presbyterian church.  He is a Mason, 
being a member of Bedford Lodge, No. 320.

H. GRANT DIEHL, one of the leading citizens of Colerain township, Pa., his 
native place, where he is now serving as Justice of the Peace, is a worthy 
representative of an old and honored family, being a descendant several 
generations removed of Samuel Diehl, a pioneer of Bedford County.  He was born 
December 26, 1863, a son of Samuel S. and Emily (Diehl) Diehl.
  Samuel S. Diehl, a son of the late Jonathan Diehl, has been a lifelong 
resident of this part of Pennsylvania, and during his active career has been 
prominently identified with the best interests of Bedford County.  His home is 
now in Bedford township.  He has served his fellow-townsmen in many positions of 
trust, and as County Commissioner of Bedford County he did excellent work.  His 
wife, whose maiden name was Emily Diehl, passed to the life immortal March 10, 
1872.
  H. Grant Diehl obtained his early education in the public schools; and after 
taking a course of study at a normal school in Bedford, Pa.,

[47]

and at Schellsburg, Pa., he was for five terms a teacher in the townships of 
Harrison, Colerain, and Bedford.  When ready to settle to some permanent 
occupation, he located himself in Colerain, where he owns and occupies a farm of 
eighty-four acres, forty-four having been inherited and forty acquired by 
purchase.  On the later he has placed his farm buildings.  Here he is 
successfully carrying on farming after the most approved scientific methods.  He 
is a strong Democrat in his political affiliations, and has filled public 
offices of importance, having been Township Clerk and Auditor, and also Justice 
of the Peace, being at the present time in his second term.  He is now serving 
his fifth year as secretary of the Friend's Cove Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance 
Company, an organization that has been of inestimable value to the 
agriculturalists of this region.  Fraternally, he is a member of the P.O.S. of 
A.
  Mr. Diehl and Miss Laura Diehl, a daughter of Henry Diehl, of Colerain 
township, were married on June 19, 1890; and they are the parents of three 
children, namely: Austin S., Ethel S., and Carrie V.

LEVI WOLFORD, formerly one of the directors of the Bedford County Almshouse, 
owns and occupies a highly improved farm in Londonderry township, Pa., where his 
birth occurred May 29, 1847.  He is a son of the late Adam F. Wolford and a 
grandson of Frederick Wolford, who settled in Londonderry when a young man, and 
here reared his children to stalwart manhood and womanhood.
  Adam F. Wolford was born in Londonderry, and here resided until his death, 
which occurred in August, 1896.  His wife, whose maiden name was Elizabeth May, 
also passed her entire life in this township.  Both were members of the United 
Evangelical church.  Of their children the following named are yet living: 
Daniel, of whom a brief sketch may be found on another page of this volume; 
Frederick, of Londonderry, Pa.; Levi, the subject of this biography; Phoebe, 
wife of John L. Says, of Westernport, Va.; Mary, wife of John Stauffer, of 
Londonderry, Pa.; and John, also a resident of this township.
  Levi Wolford acquired a substantial foundation for his future mental 
attainments in the public schools, which he attended in his youth and early 
manhood.  Starting in life for himself when young, he has been chiefly engaged 
in the pursuit of agriculture, and in the accumulation of landed property has 
been eminently successful.  He has now a finely improved farm of two hundred and 
seventy-six acres, which he is managing with very satisfactory results, the 
improvements thereon being apparent on every side, and bearing speaking evidence 
of the sagacity and thrift of the owner.  He takes deep interest in advancing 
the prosperity of the place in which he resides, and has served ably and 
faithfully in various public capacities.  He has been School Director of 
Londonderry several terms; was Township Supervisor three years; and served three 
years as a director of the Bedford County

[48]

Almshouse, being president of the board one year.  Politically, he affiliates 
with the Republican party, and religiously, he is a consistent member of the 
United Evangelical church.
 Mr. Wolford married April 21, 1870, Miss Mary Mowry, a daughter of Frederick 
Mowry, of Juniata, Pa.  Their union has been blessed by the birth of five 
children, namely: Clarence E., Loretta M., Burton E., Agnes L., and Raymond E.

[52]  

CAPTAIN MARTIN S. BORTZ, a prominent citizen and a prosperous agriculturalist of 
Cumberland Valley, Pa., who bravely earned his title by his service in the Civil 
War, was born in this township, November 1, 1839.  he is the son of George and 
Mary M. (Beegle) Bortz.
  George Bortz, the father of Captain Bortz, was born in Lehigh County, 
Pennsylvania, in 1812.  He was named for his uncle, his father's brother George 
who was a soldier in the War of 1812.  When a young man he located in Cumberland 
Valley township, where he has since resided, and is now one of its most 
venerable citizens.  After coming to Bedford County, George Bortz married mary 
Magdalena Beegle, who was born in this county in 1818.  For a full half-century 
this aged couple have trod life's pathway hand in hand, sharing together the 
joys and the inevitable sorrows that beset their way.  Of their children six are 
still living, as follows: Mar-

[53]

tin S., the subject of this sketch; Henrietta, wife of John Cessna, of Bedford, 
Pa.; Daniel, of Cumberland, Md.; Calvin, a resident of Cumberland Valley, Pa.; 
Rebecca, wife of William Shaffer, of Cumberland, Md.; and Mary, wife of Dr. C. 
P. Calhoun, of Altoona, Pa.
  Martin S. Bortz was reared and educated in Cumberland Valley, and with the 
exception of the time spent in the army has made this his home.  From his 
boyhood he has been familiar with agricultural labors, and when a young man he 
engaged in farming on his own account.  During the Civil War, however, giving up 
the ploughshare for the rifle and sword, he enlisted in August, 1862, in Company 
F, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, which became a 
part of the Sixth Corps, Third Division, Second Brigade.  He was mustered into 
service as Second Sergeant of the company, and was subsequently promoted through 
the grades of Orderly Sergeant, Second Lieutenant, and First Lieutenant to the 
rank of Captain, a capacity in which he served one year.  He saw much service in 
the field, and participated in many engagements, among those of more importance 
being the following battles: Brandy Station; Locust Grove; the Wilderness; 
Spottsylvania; Cold Harbor; Monocacy; Fisher's Hill; Cedar Creek, where he 
received a flesh wound in the hip; siege of Petersburg; and at Sailor's Creek.  
After returning from the war, Captain Bortz took possession of his present farm 
in Cumberland Valley, and in the management of its one hundred and seventy-five 
acres he has met with much success.  He carries on general farming, and in 
addition makes somewhat of a specialty the raising of choice stock.  He has a 
very attractive home, located but one-half mile from the village of Centreville.
  He is actively identified with two fraternal organizations, being a member of 
the Cumerland Valley Lodge, I.O.O.F, of that place, and of P.O.S. of A.  he is 
likewise a member of the William Watson Post, No. 132, G.A.R., of Bedford, Pa.  
In politics the Captain is a stanch Republican.  He has served one year as 
County Auditor of Bedford County, and has been a candidate for the position of 
County Sheriff.
  Captain Bortz married in November, 1866, Sarah Growden, of Cumberland Valley 
township, a daughter of the late Rev. John Growden.  They have five children, 
namely: William G., Frederick, Frank C., Walter G., and Lettie

[55]

JESSE J. LOWERY, Postmaster at Hyndman, Pa., has long been prominently 
identified with the leading industrial interests of this part of Bedford County.  
He was born September 23, 1849, in Londonderry township, Pa., a son of Jesse M. 
and Rachel (Burkett) Lowery.  He comes of thrifty Scotch ancestry, and is 
descended from one of the early pioneers of Bedford County, his paternal 
grandfather, William Lowery, having removed with his family from Maryland to 
Londonderry township at an early day.
  Jesse M. Lowery was but a young lad when he accompanied his parents on the 
tedious journey from Maryland to their new home in the almost unbroken 
wilderness.  Succeeding to the occupation with which he was best acquainted, he 
improved a good homestead, on which he carried on general farming until his 
death, at a ripe old age, in 1892. A man of ability, taking an intelligent 
interest in things conducive to the prosperity of the town, he served his 
fellow-men in various official capacities, and for years was one of the most 
faithful members of the Republican party and a leading citizen of Londonderry 
township.  He married Rachel Burkett, a woman of great personal worth, who ably 
assisted him by her wise counsels.
  Jesse J. Lowery, who was reared to man's estate on the home farm, was well 
educated in the schools of Londonderry and Bedford.  At the age of eighteen 
years he began to learn the trade of miller at the grist-mill of a neighbor, and 
for a score of years he operated a grist-mill on his own account in Londonderry, 
the larger part of the time carrying on a prosperous mercantile business in 
connection with milling.  In 1889 he removed to Hyndman, where for a time he was 
engaged as a merchant and miller.  For several years he was superintendent of 
the wholesale mercantile business of the firm of J. J. Lowery & Co., coffee 
roasters and dealers, and at the present time he is engage in the manufacture of 
cigars.
  Mr. Lowery is a well-known politician, active in the Republican ranks, and has 
served with ability in many offices of trust.  While living in Londonderry he 
was for five years a Justice of the Peace, and for a number of terms a School 
Director and Auditor of the township.  Since coming to Hyndman he has served as 
Councilman four years, as Auditor of the borough for a time, also as Auditor of 
Bedford

[56]

County; and in 1896 he was a candidate for the office of County Commissioner.  
In July, 1897, he assumed charge of the Hyndman post-office, of which he had 
previously been appointed Postmaster, and in the same year he was appointed by 
the County Commissioners Mercantile Appraiser of Bedford County.  He is a member 
of two of the leading secret societies of Hyndman, the Knights of Pythias and 
the Masonic Order, and he belongs to the United Evangelical church.
  On January 1, 1871, Mr. Lowery married Annie Devore, who was born and brought 
up in Johnstown, Pa.  She passed to the higher life on November 9, 1897, leaving 
five children, namely: Laura B., wife of Frank Cook; Grace L.; Bertha; Gussie; 
and Walter C.

[61]

ALEXANDER CLARK, a veteran of the Civil war, is a representative citizen of West 
Providence township, Pa., where he was born on March 4, 1838.  His father, Joel 
Clark, was the son of Thomas Clark.  His great-grandfather, Samuel Clark, the 
founder of the Clark family in Bedford County,  was the son of a Revolutionary 
soldier, who, it is said, fought throughout the seven years' struggle of the 
colonies for independence.  Samuel Clark, coming here when the country was in 
its pristine wilderness, was forced to cut down trees and root up stumps before 
he could cultivate the land.  In this pioneer labor his son Thomas doubtless was 
of great assistance.
  Joel Clark, reared in West Providence on the old homestead, on which he was 
born, had but meager facilities as compared with those of the present day for 
acquiring an education.  Well endowed, however, both intellectually and 
physically, he developed great force of character, and in course of time became 
an influential and popular citizen.  A lifelong farmer, he continually added by 
purchase to the original area of his farm, and before his death, in 1864, was 
the owner of more than a thousand of acres of land in this vicinity.  A valued 
member of the Christian church, he was active in church affairs, exemplary in 
his daily life, and charitable to the poor.  He was well known in the business 
and political circles of the county, in his early life having been prominently 
identified with the Whigs, but later being a stanch Republican.  His wife, whose 
maiden name was Martha Calhoun, was born and bred in Monroe township, Pa.
  Alexander Clark received his early education principally in the public schools 
of West Providence township, but the lessons that have been most beneficial to 
him in his subsequent career have been obtained in the hard school of practical 
experience.  During the Civil War, inspired by patriotic motives, he enlisted in 
the One Hundred and Ninety-fourth Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and at the 
expiration of his term of service re-enlisted in the Ninety-seventh Pennsylvania 
Volunteer Infantry.  He served nearly three years in the army, being one year 
under Captain Fitch in the quartermaster's department in the Valley of Virginia.  
While with his regiment he was at Baltimore, Md., much of the time doing provost 
guard duty.  He participated in the famous battle at Winchester and in various 
skirmishes; and at the battle of Gettysburg, Pa., he was detailed as ambulance 
driver.  After being mustered out of service at Baltimore, Md., Mr. Clark 
returned to his home in West Providence, where he at once resumed agricultural 
work, in which he has since been successfully engaged.  Having succeeded to the 
ownership of the parental homestead, he has a farm of one hundred and fifty 
acres, much of which is under cultivation.  The reputation he has acquired as a 
good farmer is amply borne out by

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the fine appearance of his neatly-kept estate.  He is a sound Republican in 
politics, actively interested in local affairs, and has served two terms as 
School Director.
  In April, 1866, Mr. Clark married Sitha Wink, daughter of the late Samuel 
Wink, a lifelong resident of East Providence township.  By this union eight 
children have been born, namely: Elmer W.; Mollie, wife of David Manspeaker; 
Albert E.; Rachel M., wife of professor D. S. Garlick; Howard W.; Walter H.; 
Ettie E.; and Nancy M.

JONAS C. IMLER, one of the leading citizens of King township, Pa., is well known 
throughout Bedford County as chairman of its Board of Commissioners.  Born in 
this township, October 13, 1844, he is a son of the late Joseph Imler and the 
descendant of one of the original settlers of this part of the State - namely, 
George Imler, who came to Bedford County from Adams County, Pennsylvania, when 
this region was in its primitive wildness.
  Clearing a space in the forest, the pioneer erected a log cabin, and on the 
homestead that he improved reared his family, which included a son Peter, who 
became the grandfather of Jonas C. Imler.  Peter Imler was a lifelong resident 
of Bedford County, and performed his full share of the pioneer labor required to 
develop the town.
  Joseph Imler, son of Peter, was born and lived and died in King township, 
where he for many years occupied a place of prominence.  Energetic and 
ambitious, he labored unceasingly during his active years in his efforts to 
improve a farm, meeting with such success that he was enabled to spend the later 
years of his life in pleasant leisure.  Born in 1803 and living to be about 
ninety-four years of age, he noted with gratification, one after another, the 
wonderful discoveries and invention of the nineteenth century.  In January, 
1897, he passed to the life immortal.  Of the children born of his union with 
Rachel Croyle, who also was a lifelong resident of King township, five are now 
living, as follows: Peter, of King; Elizabeth, wife of A. H. Ickes, of Barry 
County, Michigan; Jacob, of King; Adam H., of Sandusky County, Ohio; and Jonas 
C., the subject of this sketch.  Both parents were members of the Reformed 
church, which the father served for years as Deacon, Elder and trustee.  He was 
originally a Whig in politics, and he became one of the most loyal adherents of 
the Republican party when it was organized.
  Jonas C. Imler was bred and educated in King township, where he has been 
engaged in agricultural pursuits, with the exception of the time he was in the 
army, ever since he was old enough to work.  While the Civil War was in progress 
he enlisted, in August, 1864, in Company C, Two Hundred and Fifth Pennsylvania 
Volunteer Infantry, which subsequently formed a part of the Army of the Potomac.  
With his brave comrades he took part in the two battles of Hatcher's Run, the 
engagement at Fort Steadman, and the siege of Petersburg, and was at Appomattox 
when Lee surrendered.

[63]

After receiving his discharge on June 7, 1865, he returned home, and at once 
resumed his former occupation as a farmer.  He manages his two-hundred-and-
fifty-acre farm with admirable judgment and skill, and by his persevering energy 
has made it one of the most valuable pieces of property in this vicinity.
  Mr. Imler has ever taken much interest in public matters, and has given much 
time to the discharge of the duties of the various offices which he has been 
called upon to fill.  In King township he has served as Assessor, Auditor, and 
School Director, and has held other positions of minor importance.  In November, 
1895, he was appointed County Commissioner of Bedford County; and in November, 
1896, he was elected to the same office for a term of three years.  In January, 
1897, he was made chairman of the board, a position for which he is eminently 
qualified.  Politically, he is a stanch Republican; and fraternally, he belongs 
to E. S. Wright Post, No. 333, G.A.R., of Pleasantville, Pa., in which he has 
held all the offices, including that of Commander of the post.  A prominent 
member of the Reformed church at Imler in King township, he has served as Deacon 
and is now an Elder.  He is also secretary and treasurer of the joint consistory 
of the St. Clairsville charge, and for nearly a quarter of a century has been 
superintendent of the Sunday-school.  The Imler family have long been active in 
the industrial and political circles of King township, and both Imler Valley and 
Imler postoffice were named in honor of one of the ancestors of Jonas C. Imler.
  On January 20, 1867, Mr. Imler married Elizabeth, daughter of James Smith, of 
East St. Clair, Bedford County.  Of their union five children have been born, 
namely: Lincoln S., Postmaster at Imler; Jennie, wife of Lloyd Fickes, of Kimmel 
township; Edwin S., of King township; Joseph W., also of King township; and 
Minnie, deceased.

[67]

ALBERT B. ESHELMAN, a prominent farmer and lumber manufacturer of West 
Providence township, Pa., was born August 13, 1856, in the adjacent township of 
East Providence.  His parents, John W. and Hanna (Williams) Eshelman, the former 
of German descent, were both natives of East Providence.  His mother died soon 
after his birth.  She was his father's first wife.
  John W. Eshelman was a son of David Eshelman.  Left a widower, he subsequently 
married a second wife, and, removing to West Providence, settled on the 
Chambersburg pike road, at the Weaverling place.  During the progress of the 
Civil War he enlisted as a soldier; and, from the exposure and hardships to 
which he was subjected in camp and on the field, he died a short time after 
returning home, in 1865.
  Albert B. Eshelman resided on the Weaverling estate with his father and step-
mother until the death of the former.  In the fall of 1865

[68]

he went to live with his maternal grandfather, Jeduthan Williams, in East 
Providence, and was there reared and educated.  On the first of September, 1877, 
he went to Everett, Bedford County, to work for an uncle, Jeremiah Baughman, a 
farmer in Black Valley, with whom he remained until March 10, 1878, when he 
started West, hoping in a new country to lay a substantial foundation for a 
future fortune.  In Marshall County, Iowa, he labored as a farm hand for a short 
time, and later on he was similarly occupied for a few months in Ogle County, 
Illinois.  Returning in December, 1878, to Bedford County, he has since 
continued his residence here.  In 1880 Mr. Eshelman began farming for himself, 
the first two years renting land to cultivate.  In 1882 he purchased his present 
farm on Clear Ridge, containing one hundred and sixty-eight acres, which he has 
managed with good success.  Energetic and enterprising, he has also since 
February, 1895, engaged in the lumber business on his own account, operating a 
saw-mill, the lumber manufacturing industry proving very profitable.  For 
several years previous he had carried on lumbering as a contractor.
  Mr. Eshelman is a strong adherent of the Republican party.  Public-spirited, 
ever manifesting a lively interest in local affairs, he has filled many offices 
of trust, having served as Assessor of the township three years, as Road 
Supervisor one year, as Judge of Elections at various times, and as School 
Director, to which he was recently re-elected.  He is a self-made man, having 
through his own efforts steadily climbed the ladder of success, attaining a 
position among the leading men of the community in which he lives.
  On August 17, 1881, Mr. Eshelman married Mrs. Rebecca V. Sparks, widow of 
Philip W. Sparks, late an esteemed citizen of West Providence, Pa., who died in 
1879.  Mr. and Mrs. Eshelman have five children, namely: Frances Irene, John W., 
Matilda B., Mary E., and Allen R.  Frances Irene is now the wife of John E. 
Williams, a farmer of Monroe township, Pa., to whom she was married a few weeks 
since, April 19, 1899.
  By her first marriage Mrs. Eshelman had three children, as follows: Laura V., 
who married, March 17, 1898, Herbert M. Jackson, of Fulton County, Pennsylvania; 
David E., who died December 24, 1883; and one child that died in infancy.  Mr. 
Eshelman and family are members of the Christian church of Clear Creek, Pa.