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/533

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COLUMBIA AXD MONTOUR COUNTIES

hts business career as an office boy for the Mahoning Rolling M ills Company. Later he learned pattemmaking, which trade he foL lowed for ten years. In order to learn the knitting business he entered the employ of the Danville Knitting M ills Co. as a clerk, and W'as later made superintendent of the plant* holding that responsible position until 19 11* when upon the organization of the N a m T ra h Knitting & Spinning Company he became vice president and superintendent. M r. Purpur has b ^ n quite prominent In municipal affairs* serving three years as borough auditor* and is now councilman from the F irst ward* having been elected to that office for a term o f four years, in 1 9 1 1. He w as trustee of the Thomas Beaver Public L L brarv fo r some years, and for one year was chief of the fire department. On A pril 26* 1905* M r. Purpur married Lillie M. Allgaier, a daughter o f Frederick and Catherine (B au sch) Allgaier* her father a shoe manufacturer o f Danville. Mr. Purpur belongs to Beaver Lodge* No. 132. Knights o f P yth ias; to the Htmtasophs. and 10 Danville I.^odge, N o. 754, d. P. O. Elks* serving as sccrctar)* of the latter organ­ ization. H e still holds his membership in the Friendship Fire Company o f Danville. H e and his family belong to Christ Memorial Episcopal Church. The Nam -Trah Knitting & Spinning Com­ pany was organized in 1 9 1 1 with John H. G o c ^ r as president; Edw ard Purpur, v k e president; David J . Reese, secretai^* and F . Q. Hartman* treasurer. It is capitalized at $ ^ ,0 0 0 . and the building owned by the com­ pany is 40 by 80 feet m dimensions* three stories in height, and built o f brk k . Employ­ ment is given to one hundred persons. 'Phis corporation is the outgrow'th of the Danville Knitting M ills Company, manufacturers of men’s h alf hose* cstablisfied in 1897. R E V . K D W IN H. W IT M A N . pastor of St. F^auPs Methodist Episcopal Church in Danville, was bom in Rtoomshurg. Pa. He received his early educational training in the public schools o f Bloomsburg and was sub­ sequently tutoreil by the Ute P rof. J. W. F'erree* an eminent educator o f his day. and a member u f the faculty of the State N or­ mal School at Bloomsburg. .fterw ards he became a student in the State Normal School preparing for the profession o f teaching, and fo r five years thereafter scrvc<l as a teacher in the public schools o f Bloomsburg and vicin­ ity. Prom 1880 to 1882 he w as the general

secretary of the Young Men's Cliristian Asso­ ciation in W ilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. In the spring o f 1882 he entered the Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference of the Meth­ odist Episcopal Church held at Lock Haven* (*a., and has served the following charges in Pennsylvania: 1882, Benton; 1883. West Sham okin; 1884-85, Duboistown; 1886-88, Osceola M ills; 1889, R am ey; 18 9 (^ 2 * West Clearfield; 1893-97* Roaring S p rin g; 189899, Patton; 1900-01* A shland; 1902-03. Pat­ ton; 1904-05. A u stin; 1906^)7, Jersey Sh ore; 1908-10* B ellw ood; 19 11-12 * Curw ensvillc; 1913*14* Paul's, Danville. In i 8 ^ M r. Witman married M iss Lilian I. Edgett. T o this union two children were bom : Eleanor Ew in g Witman, now w ife of Rev. Jam es M cKendree Reiley* at present re­ siding at State College, P a .; and M ary Corinne Witman* now M rs. H oward A . Ryder* o f Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. C H A R L E S H . Z 104 N D E R, now living re­ tired at Allenhurst. N . J ., was one of the prominent figures in the industrial develop­ ment o f Berwick, for some time president of The Jackson & Woodin M anufacturing Com­ pany, whose busines.s has been ahsorixxl by the .mericaii C ar and Foundry Com|iaiiy. M r. Zehnder was born A pril t6* 185O. in NorthumberUnd county, I’a., o f licrniaii descent, his grandfather having come to this country from (ierm any early in the ninctcemh century*. H e was a miller* and followed the trade nearly all his life. F o r some years he resided at Rupert, Columbia county. The father o f Charles 11. Zehnder. also a miller by trade* spent most o f his life in Columbia and Montour counties, and evemualty seitlctl al Danville, in the latter county. Charles H. Zehnder w*as given a public school education* and in 1874 became a clerk in (he Danville National Rank. He remained with that institution until October* 1878. when he went to Harrisbiug* for three months hold­ ing the |K>silion o f assistant secretary of the Y . M. C . A. Then fo r four months he general .secretary fo rth c association at N orristovn« Pa., resigning on account o f ill health. During 1879 he became private secretary to Colonel Jackson, o f T h e Jackson & V V o ^ in M anufacturing Company, car iHiildcrs. at Bcrw’ick, being so engaged until Colonel J a c k ­ son's death. ITten he ser*ed M r. C . R . Woodin in a sim ilar capacity for some tim e, until electcany. and in l)cceml>cr. 1885, the duties o f .superintend­ ent o f (he plant were addetl to his respon>i-