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/728

 COI.UMBIA ANO MONTOUR COUNTIES buig. is interested in the Richard M anufactur­ ing Company (manufacturers o f special machincty) and proprietor of the D aily Sentinel and Sem i-W eekly Democratic Sentinel. Fraternally the Doctor is a Mason, holding membership in Washington L o ^ c, N o. 256, F. & M ., and Caldwell Consistory (thirtysecond degree), both o f Bloomsburg, and in Irem Temple, A. A. O. N. M. S-, at WilkesBarre. H e ,il.so belongs to the B. P. O. Elks, ‘ I. 0. 0 . F. and Knights of the Golden Eagle. Politically he is a Democrat. On A pril 28, 1903, D r. Altm illcr married M artha M oyer, daughter o f William S. and M artha (M en ajh ) M oyer, o f Bloomsburg. The)' attend the Presbyterian Church. H IR.A M R . B O W E R, now living retired at Berw ick, w as born in Centre township, Colum­ bia county, Oct. 3 0 .1 8 3 1, son o f Abraham and Ellen (R em ley) Bower, and a grandson of George Michael Bower. George Michael Bow er came from Saxony to America at the age o f thirteen and settled in Berks county. Pa. .After his marriage to a M iss H ill he removed to Columbia county, near E%’ansvil1 and bought a farm o f 12 0 acres e, from a man named Desser. H e w as a success­ ful fanner and became one of the prominent men o f his part of the county. H e w as the father of the following children; Jacob, Michael, Solomon, Daniel, Philena, Catherine and .Abraham. A bralum Bower, father o f Hiram R ., was born in Kutztown. Berks county, and w as astonemason by trade. In early manhood he moved to Centre township, Columbia county, bought a farm o f fifty acres, and immediately erected new buildings and began to renovate the land, bringing it to a high state o f cultiva­ tion. I lc married Ellen Rcm lcy, whose parents, Michael and Susan Remley, were both o f German ancestry and pioneer settlers in Berks county. M r. and Mrs. Bow er had thirteen children, all o f whom are dead e x c ^ t Hiram. T hey w ere: Sam uel; Phœbe, w ife o f Ckintel M ille r; Rachel, w ife o f John S lo an; Elizabeth, w ife o f Caleb F o w le r; W illiam; .Abraham; Susanna; Lavinia, w ife o f George Johnson; Catherine, w ife o f Thomas E v a n s; E llen; Aaron, a Methodist minister, o f M ctamorn. III.; Hiram R .; and M atilda, who n u r­ ried George Johnson and (second) Daniel Bchr. M r. Bower died at the age o f seventyeight and his w ife at the age o f sixty-four. H e w as a Democrat, and served as supervisor and school director. H iram R. Bow er was educated in the com­

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mon schools and remained at home until he w as twcnty-thrcc years o f age, meantime prcp.-iring himself for the ministry. However, Providence had decreed otherwise for him, and ill health compelled him to relinquish his ambition. A fte r recovery he entered the store o f Abraham M uller, the largest in the county, being connected with the establishment as clerk for ten years. In 1864 he associated himself with Isaiah Bower and M. K. Jackson, under the firm name o f Jackson, liow er & Co., and they conducted a store until 1870, when Mr. Jackson retired. In 1880 M r. Bow er obtained the entire control of the business, reorganized it and successfully carried it on until 1890, when he retired. H e had been interested in the real estate business and during that time built the line residence he now occupies. M r. Bower w as married Oct. 29. 1857, to Rebecca, daughter o f John and Lydia Martz, who had a family o f five children. T o Mr. and M rs. Bow er have been bom five children: Laym an F ., Aaron B.. Minnie, Elizabeth, and Fran k, the last named dying when three years old. M r. Bow er is a member o f Berwick Lodge, No. 246. I. 0. 0 . F ., and is a past grand of the same. H e and his family are all members of the Methodist O iurch. Since 1890 M r. Bower has been field man of the Columbia County Sunday School Association, w as for four years president and is now vice president. In October, 19 12, he attended the meeting of the State .Association of Sunday Schools held at Philadelphia and w as there awarded a medal in recognition of the fact that he had been ,acti%'cly engaged in the work for sixty-two years. H e has attended all of the Sunday sd w ol conventions. State, National and international. M r. Bower is much inter­ ested in the weather department of the signal service and has a fine set o f instruments for recording the changes o f temperature and pressure. Layman F. Bower, son o f Hinam R ., is vice president of the .Allis-Chalmers M anufactur­ ing Company, .at Milwaukee, Wis. H e and his w ife, Gertrude (H cnninger), have four children, o f whom Florence is married to Rev. Charles D avidson: both were form erly mis­ sionaries in Japan, and M r. Davidson is now principal o f schools at Tokio. Russell Forrest married Marg.arct Kirkpatrick, o f Scranton, Pa., and they have two children, Ru.sse)I and Margaret. Harold w as married in Chicago and is now living in Milwaukee. Laym an, Jr ., completes the family. Aaron B. Bower, son o f Hiram R .. is a lawyer o f Scranton, Pa. H e married Harriet