Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/500

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES H a r v e y W. Hess. H e w as bom Ju ly 7, 1862, at M inlinville, Columbia county, and is a son of the late A aron V. H ess, o f that place. D r. Hess is a descendant o f a fam ily of S w i s s origin founded in this country by S a m u d H ess, who came to Am erica with a co lo n y o f his countrymen in 1 7 12. H e settled at w hat is now Pcqucxi. Lancaster Co., Pennsy i vania. Jerem iah H ess, great-grandfather o f Dr. M ilto n j ., brought his fam ily to this section fro m one of the lower counties o f Pennsyl­ v a n ia, settled at Beach H aven, Luzerne coun ty, and follow'cd farm ing and the trade of stonem ason. H e dic<l there and is buried in the g raveyard at W apwallopen. H is children w e r e : John, Abraham, Jacob, W illiam, Je r e ­ m iah, and several daughters. Jerem iah Hess, grandfather o f Dr. Milton J ., w a s bom at Easton, Northampton Co., Pa., and w a s a boy when he moved with his parents to Luzerne county, settling in Salem township. H e learned milling, and followed it for eight or nine years, acquiring a mill property at VapNvallo])cn. T his he traded for a farm in Salem township and b tc r bought another tract there, part o f which he sold, upon which he continued to live the remainder o f his life. A t (he time o f his death this farm was owned by h is son Jolm. Jerem iah Hess followed farm ing, and although he lived retired from active work the last twenty or twenty-live years o f his life continued to oversee the cul­ tivation o f his land. H e died there in 1877. when eighty-six years old, and is buried at Beach Haven, as is also his w ife M ary. T hey w'crc members of the Reform ed Church, in which he took an active interest. H e was twice married, the first lime to M ary Fcnsternuichcr, daughter o f Philip Fenstermachcr. She w as a native o f L u zcm c county, and died on the farm in 1857, at the age o f sixtytwo. About two years Inter M r. Hess mar­ ried a widow'. M rs. Ruckle, who died shortly after him. Thirteen children were .torn to the first union, o f wliom ten reached maturity, viz.: n iilip : Susan, w ife o f John Fenster­ machcr; Jo h n : M ary, who married Thomas B rad cr: Jerem iah M „ who married M aria Pohe: N athan; A aron W ., father o f Dr. M il­ ton J. H ess, o f Bloom sburg; Elizabeth, w*ifc of Charles H ill; Rcuton. the only one of the family now livin g : and Catherine, who m ar­ ried Reuben Hill (deceased,cousin o f Q iarles) and died at Dixon. Illinois. Aaron V. H ess w as torn N ov. 30, 1827, in Luzcm c county. P a. H e made his home and worked with his parents until the age of

437

twenty-one. and from that time until twentylive w'orkcd at home in the winter and boated in the summer on the canal from W ilkes-Barre to Baltimore and I'hiladclphia. l i e had a boat built, o f which he w as tnc owner, and with which he w as engaged during the time mentMined in (he lumber and coal carrying busi­ ness. H e married. Ja n . 2, 1855, m Reaver township, t'olum bia county, Esther Bittentondcr. a native o f Luzerne county, daughter of Jacob and Catherine (N u ss) Bittenbcnder, the former o f whom is buried near Shamokin and her mother .at Ncscopcck, Luzerne county. l*or the first two years of their m arriage M r. Mess and his w ife lived on his father’s fam t in Luzerne county. The year after his m ar­ riage he discontinued work on the canal and sold his boat. On removing from Luzerne county he located in Mifllm township, Colum­ bia county, where he had p u rc h a se a farm o f I (3 acres. There he lived for eight years, and then removed to M ainville and took chaige of the hotel afterw ard s conducted by M r. Jjongcntorgcr, which he h.nd also purchased. The iic.xt spring, 1867. he sold both the fam i and liotel and m o v ^ to Mifflinville, where he bought the hotel property which he owned and conducted until 1888. when he retired. M r. Hess owned thirty-five acres outside the cor]K)ra(ion, besides ten or twelve acres in lots and residence protxm y in Mifflinville, and a house and lot in >lountain Grove. In politics he w as a DeuKicrat, and he ser>*cd as over­ seer of the poor fo r two years. T o M r. and M rs. A aron W. Hess were bom six children, two o f whom died in in fan cy: C lara A dora is the w ife o f A. W. Snyder, a pn^pcrous general merchant at M ifflinville: H,ar%'cv W. is mentioned below; Milton J. is mentioned b elo w; and G eoige W ., who learned the jew elry business at Hazleton, ts in RloomsImrg (h e n u rried Victoria Brow n, d.iughter u f W illiam Brow n, and sister o f J . C . Brow n, the well known postmaster at Hloomsburg). T he mother o f this fam ily died in 1903. She w as a member of the Lutheran Oturch, to which some of the fam ily belong. TJie father died M arch I, 1 9 1 1, and is buried ut Mifflin­ ville. H e w as one of the most enterprising men of the locality and prominent in business affairs for years. Milton I. Hess obtained his preliminary edu­ cation in Mifflinville. later attending W yoming Seminar>% at Kingston. P a., where he look toth the academic and business courses. F o r some time thereafter he w'as employed at home, with his father, and then he clerked in a gen­ eral store at Hazleton for one year. l*or a