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/579

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES machines of the kind they manufacture are in daily use at their own plant has i^ven them unexcelled opportunities fo r obserx-ation and paved the way for many of the most valuable improvements in this product. 'They aim to turn out machinery that xx'ill surpass any claims made fo r it. Jn addition, they under* take all kinds o f high-class mechanical en­ gineering xx'ork, designing and building rod, tube and w ire mills, some of the wire mills being o f thcir construction. They lay out manufacturing plants, planning all the de­ tails. and arranging for the economical han­ dling of the work in ever)- stage from the raw material to the flnished product. T he Richard M anufacturing Company employs one hun­ dred skillcil mechanics and constructional engineers. The trade controlled extends all over the United States, and they have done considerable work for the government, having built several machines fo r use in the Panama canal work. T he heads of the concern arc men of the highest standing in manufacturing, financial and industrial circles, and M r. Rich­ ard is not only a man o f fine excaitiv e abifitv but possessed o f skill and experience whicn makes him regarded as the foremost mechanic in this part of the State. H e designed and 5u{>crvised most of the machinery in the plant, and it is generally conceded that no n»an has done more to bring Bloomsburg fame as an industrial town than he. Personally he is a man of the highest character, and his strong influence is alw ays exerted in favo r of the l>est interests of the community. Besides his business property and home he owns a large house on the Light Street road and one on Fourth street, which he rents. On M av 27, 1879. M r. Richanl marrie<l Catherine k o ch. daughter o f August and M ar­ garet Koch, o f W oodhavcn. Long Island, and she died Oct. 10. 1897. at Bloomsburg. aged thirty-seven years, the mother o f six children: W illiam (deceased). Catherine. Ju lia. Jennie. Lizzie (dcceaserl) and Lillie (deceased). In lu ly, 1898. M r. Richard married (second) Hannah Susan Christ, o f Bloomsburg. daugh­ ter o f George T. and M argaret Christ, o f that place. T hey have had four children: M ar­ garet. Fred J .. J r ., George and Henry. T h e ’ fam ily hax-c a fine residence on N onnal Hill. M r. Richard is a Mason, belonging to H ar­ mony l2xlge. No. 42. F. & A. M ., o f W aterbury. Conn.: to Caldxxell Consistory (thirtysecond degree), o f Bloom sburg: and to Irem Tem ple. A. A. O. N. M. S .. o f W ilkes-Barre. H e also holds membership in I ^ g e No. 436. B. P. 0. E lk s, o f Bloomsburg. H e has taken

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some part in the administration o f public a f ­ fairs in the borough, haxing se n c d several terms as member of the town council, at one election receiving the largest vote ever cast for a candidate fo r that oflicc. H e was also m ayor o f Bloomsburg fo r one term. C H .A R L E S J. F I S H E R, attorney at law and president of the Catawissa .National Bank o f Catawissa, Pa., was bom in Rush township, Northumberland Co., Pa., near lin v ille, and is the son o f W illiam G. and Sarah A. (Sxx-ayzc) Fisher. Joseph Fisher, his |»tem al great-grand­ father, w as bom in Saxony, (icrm any, in A pril, 1734, and came to .America with his sister. Elizabeth, atout 1747, but had the mis­ fortune to lose her by death soon afterxx-ards. N ew Je rse y was their destination, and was the home of the brother until 1788. from xvhich time he was settled in Northumberland county. Pa., xvhcrc he died. H e was marric«l Ju n e 5, 1764. to Catherine Minegar. to m in Holland .Aug. 24, 1746, who lived for a time in Harmony toxvnship, W arren Co., N. f. Ten children blessed this union. Catherine. Henry, Mar>-. Hannah. Elizabeth, Jolm Moses. David. Jaco b and Josejdi. During the Revolu­ tion the Lather fought fo r the Colonics. Jaco b Fisher, gram lfalher o f Cliarles J .. was torn in Sussex county, N. J .. Dec. i*8. 1783. and died .Oct. 29, 1 ^ 1 . in Kush townshiji. Northumtorland Co.. Pa. .At Ihc age o f five his parents brought him to NorthumIierland county, xvherc he xx-as reare<l on the home fam i. .An old tax list of the year 1820 shows him asscssc<l with 153^^ acres adjoin­ ing the farm o f William Osmun, having there­ on a log house ami bam. two horses and three cows. H e later mox-cd to a farm on Roaring crcck, near Sharj) Ridge, where he resided a few years, finally removing to the "B o y d " farm on the Susquehanna river, three miles east o f Danville. Pa., where he died. He m.arricd M argaret, daughter o f Albert Kinipbcl. and by her had twclx-c children: Rcbw ca. Catherine. Fannie. Joseph. .Albert. Sarah. Pat­ terson. (icorgc  ., Iraniel K .. CLalworlhy. .Asher and Ellen. .After the death o f his first xrife. which occurrexl Nov. 1. 1831. he marrieil Eli2,abeth Shrefllcr. who died Ju n e 15. 1867. By her he hail txvo children. William G. and Nlargaret. W illiam G. Fisher was to m in Rush town­ ship. Northumbcrlaml county. M ay 6, 1834. and was only in his eighth year at the time o f his father's death. H e remained with his mother atout one vcar. and then went to