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/696

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COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES

a paper which is a model after which many countiy weeklies could lake paltcm with ad­ vantage. A s a writer Mr. Randall is famous, both tor truth and fearlessness, and he is a factor in the dci'clopmcnt and prosperity of the section of the State in which he resides. T he paocr is Democratic in politics, but Mr. Randall docs not allow partisanship to blind him to the virtues o f his i>olitical u]>ponents or the defects o f his partisans. In September, t88o. Mr. Randall was m ar­ ried to Elizabeth J. Search, o f W ilkcs-Barrc, and they have two children: Eugene Y ., a mining engineer in the employ of the Susque­ hanna Coal Com rany at Nanticoke, Ra., and Ruth E sser, w ife o f Sterling E. Young, a hardware merchant, o f Catawissa. She has one child, Elizabeth Emerson. T he fam ily arc members of the Lutheran Church and M r. Randall is a member of the Benevolent and Protective O rder o f E lk s, In ­ dependent O rder o f Odd Fellows. Knights of the Golden F-ngle, Patriotic O rder ^ n s of Am erica, Royal Arcanum, Grand Fraternity and Fraternal O rder o f Eagles. He is atso a vice president of the Columbia County H is­ torical Society. JO H N S. M E N S C H. who has a valuable farm in Montour township, Columbia county, about two and a half miles west o f Dloomsbun;. is one u f the well known citizens o f his section, in whose advancement and improve­ ment he has taken an active part. H e was bom M ay 19, 1837, in Franklin townsliip. Columb b rounty, son of Michael Mensch. The Mensch famtly is an old one in this county. Johannes Christian Mensch, great­ grandfather o f John S., having founded it here over a ccntuiy ago. He was a native of G cm jany. bom Jan. 3 1, 1745, and his wife, .Sabina, was liom in that country Feb. 8. 1753. T hey came to this country accomjwnied by his brothers Adam (bom Ju n e 2, 174— ) and Abraham fbom Feb. 25, 17 5 0 ). and for a time lived in Berks county. P a. Subsequently they hrought their family to Columbia county, settling in what is now Franklin township, where they had a tract o f 400 acres. Here Johannes G iristian Mensch lived and died, his death occurring Oct. 26. 1826, when he was aged cighty-onc years, eight months, twentysix d ay s; he is buried at Catawissa. Ills w ife died Ju n e 10. 1829, aged seventy-six years, four months, two days. T hey had the following children: .Adam became a farm er and miller o f Roaringcreek township; .Abraham, liom Jan . 24, 1774. was a farm er

in what is now Montour county fo r a time, afterw ards moving to Buffalo valley. Union county, where he owned about five hundred acres o f land (his fam ily is still in that sec­ tio n ); John is mentioned below; Peter ob­ t a in ^ part o f his father's homestead in Co­ lumbia county, but later settled in Black Hole valley, in Lycoming county, Pa., where he fo l­ lowed fam iing until his death; one daughter. M rs. Keiser, w as married in Berks county and died there; M rs. Rodcnbcrgcr also m arried in Berks county and died there. John Mensch, son o f Johannes Christian, w as bom Nov. 5. 1789. in Berks county, and came to this section with his father. Inherit­ ing part of the old homestead, he acquired the rest by purchase, and there passed his life. H e w as a prosperous farm er and made many improvements upon the place, including the erection o f a fine large ham. He died in June, <875. aged cighty-fivc years, six months, twenty-five days, and is buried at Catawissa. H is w ife, Catherine HeimUach, bom Oct. t6. 1796, died Ju n e 20, 1872, aged seventy-five years, eight months, fo u r days. T hey had children: Sarah married Joseph Reitz, and (second) Isaac l i c ^ r; Michael is mentioned ^ l o w; Hliza married G iarles B ittin g; Jesse married Catherine Sh u ltz; Christian married M argaret Crom eley; M aria married W ash­ ington P a r r; W illiam married Catherine L c ib y; A bby married I.afayettc R eitz; Cathe­ rine married John Sidler and (second) Jo n a ­ than Loarman. Michael Mensch, bom A pril i t. 18 16, on the old homestead in Franklin township, became the owner o f part o f that place and followed farm ing. L ater he purchased a sn u ll tract in the same township to which he removed, re­ maining on that property until his death, which o c c u rr^ Dec. 15. 1884. H e was active in the affairs of the township, serving as school di­ rector and supervisor. H is w ife, a daughter o f John Shuman, was bom M ay 9, 18 16. and died Feb. 26, 1902. T hey are buried in Cata­ wissa cemetery. T hey were the parents o f four children: John S .; Thomas M., deceased; Catherine, Mrs. Owen C layton; and Matilda. M rs. William Beniiinger. John S. Mensch w as reared upon the farm and attended public school in the locality. He remained at home until twenty-one years old. when he went W est to Illinois, engaging in fam iing there. A fte r a short stay he returned home and found employment driving a team in Bloomsburg. for Boyd M cK elvy. 'Hien for two years he worked at home for his father, receiving fifty cents a day and his board, and