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

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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