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/592

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

176, R oyal Arcanum. Politically he is a sup­ porter of the Republican party. H e is one of the trustees of the present Berwick M ospiul board. C H A K I> E S C. B A R G E R, senior member of the firm o f Barger, Bains & Munn, p ivprietors of the Bloomsburg Hosiery M ills, was bom a l I’ hiladclphia, Pa.. Sept. 14, 18(13. o f Benjamin Barger. ident o f Philadcljdtia, the fam ily being an old and rei>resenl.ativc one of the Slate. (ieorge iiargcr, the grandfather o f Charles C. B aig cr. w as also a resident o f I’hiladelphia, and early in life w as one of the watch­ men employecnt. For thirtv-five years he w as with the firni o f Cliarles M cN eal 9c Co., giving most faithful scrx'icc. T h e death o f this excellent man occurred in 1905. Benjam in lU rpcr m ar­ ried Cordelia Streeter, and their 'ihildren w ere; G eoige. David. Charles C.. Louis, Cor­ delia. W illiam and M a iw re t. C harles C. B a ig e r affonls in his career a splcndi'l examjilc o f what a man can accom­ plish through str.idy, faithful and persistent effort. When still a lad he secured employ­ ment in a hosiery mill. an«l he has continued to w ork along this line ever since, concentrat­ ing all his energies towards advancement therein. H is first employer was a man by the name o f Thom as Brown, and when Mr. Barger left him he went into other Philadel­ phia hosiery mills, learning the business so thoroughly that when he embarkc'l in business fo r him self, in A pril. u/>2. he was able to do so IntcHigently and successfully. In KJ04 Mr. B arger took Edw ard B.iins into partnership, .m'l they ojieratcd under the firm name o f B arger & Bains until two years later, when the present firm was oiganize«l. F. W. Munn becoming the junior member. T he main office of the mills is at .-Vdains and Jasp er streets. Philadelphia. In Ju ly. 1906. M r. B arger came to Blooms­ burg and built his present plant there, which has been materially enlargc<l since. When he began operations in Philadelphia he had only ten machines, whereas 350 arc in operation
 * n»e jxatcmal greal-grandfathcr w as a res­

now in the plants in which he is interesiol ciiiployinent being gix cn to 150 workers. The output of the firm comprises infants’, ladies’ and to y s ’ hosiery. T he Bloomsburg plant b housed in a brick building containing .iboat five thousand square feet o f fioor space, and the annual output is 200.000 dozen pairs of in­ fants’ hose, the Philadelphia plant manufac­ turing the ladies’ hosiery. In A p ril. 19 14 . Mr. B arger started work on the construction o f a plant at NescojwcL Pa., which was opened Ju ly 15. It is equipped with 150 machines and gives employment to seventy-live [>eo]>le, engaged in the piwluction a heavy stocking fo r toys. The total daily outjiut of the three mills at present is seventeen hundred dozen jiairs. M r. Barger is general man.igcr o f all the mills and vice president of the company, and he is ably as­ sisted by his son Paul, who has dcvelope'l rcnarkable fitness for the (>osition. M r. B arger m arried Catherine I-audwhcre. a daughter o f Jonathan Paul lau d w h ere. and they have the following children; Conlelia. who n arric d (icorgc Robbins: J. l^ u l. who is employed with his fa th e r; Elsie, who is a stu­ dent at the State Normal .School: and Rosk. In 1 9 1 1 Mr. Barger built the toautiful resi­ dence at Bloomsburg which is now the family home. Me and his fam ily arc Methodists in religious faith. W hile it is the aim of the firm to priHlucc the tost quality o f hosiery manufacturixl. Mr. Barger takes an equal amount o f pride in ito sanitary condition o f his plants. In equip­ ping them he has given special attention to furnishing a'lequate sanitation and is always ready to adopt new methods i f certain they will further his idc.as along these lines. The l(Kal mill affords employment to a numtor of families o f Bloomsburg. and the industry is an imjiortant one in Columbia county. J 0 . E P H G . S W A N K, farm er, and ex8 county commissioner o f Columbia county, rcsiiling in Mifflin township, was to m at Lime K i'lgc. Pa.. N ov. 2. 1844. son o f Jolm and Caroline (K irk en d all) Swank. Cteorge Sw ank, grandfather o f Joseph (ISw ank, w as to m in N ew Jerse y, where he was a farm er 'luring his younger days. Comii^ to Columbia county. Pa., he settled at Lime Kidge, where he engaged in the lime busines.s. and later he moved to Hetlers'ille. where he died. John Sw ank, son o f George Swank .and father o f Joseph (V Sw ank, w as bom in New Jerse y, whence he came to Lim e Ridge with