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/749

This page needs to be proofread.

COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES tended school in the intervals o f employ­ ment. Upon reaching his m ajority he bought a farm in Main township, devoting the rest o f his life to its cultivation. He also bought considerable property in Bloomsburg. He married Sarah C . Brow n, daughter o l Tacoh Brow n, a resident o f Main township, and they had eight children; Bessie, Ida, David. Ralph R ., Jacob, Daisy, W ilson and Sally. M r. and M rs. John were members of the Methodist Church, and he was a strong Prohibitionist. Ralph K. John was educated in the public schools and at the age o f seventeen entered Dickinson Sem inary, Williamsport, P a., from which he graduated Jan . 19, 1800. H e then taught school in E lysb u ig Academ y, North­ umberland county, until 19^3, after which he went to Bloomsburg and eniered the office of Lloyd S . Wintcrstecn, to begin the study o f law. H e w as admitted to the bar o f Colum­ bia county, .Sept. 30. 18 9 5; to the Superior court, J,an. 13, 1902, and to the Supreme court, in A pril, 1904. M r. John has bui t up a targe practice and has been very successful in the many cases he has handled. On Nov. to, 1896, M r. John married SalUe C. Schweppenheiser, bom Aug. 3, 18 7 1, sec­ ond daughter o f Rlc.tzcr and I^ ro th y A . (W alters) Schweppenheiser. They have one child, Dorothy Catherine, bom Sept. 10, 1905. Mr. John is a Republican in politics, but had held no offices o f a political character. H e and his w ife arc members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. C H A R L E S E L L I O T T A D A M S, a promincnt and progressive citizen o f Berw ick, Pa., engaged in the wholesale lumber business, w as l)om in Briarcrcek township Jan . 26, 1863. H e is a son of Enos L .dam s and comes of an ancient and historical fam ily, the progeni­ tors o f which were from Gemtany. Anthony .Adam, a potter, was bom in G er­ many in the year 171C, and emigrated to America in 17 4 1. H e sailed from Rotterdam on the snow “ Sfo lly," commanded by C.iptain John Cranch, arriving at Philadelphia, Oct. 26, 17 4 1. Adam ’s age w as entered on the pas­ senger list as twenty-five. On Feb. 7, 1748, he received from the Proprietaries of the Prov­ ince o f Pennsylvania a warrant fo r a tract of 136 acres, 146 perches o f land in .Albany town­ ship. then a part o f Philadelphia county. T h is land w as surveyed to him in Ju n e. 1752. The farm is now in the possession o f Nathan Weisncr, o f Round Top, Albany township, Berks county. In a warrant fo r a tract of 13 5 acres and 47 perches, loc.atcd "above M axatawny,”

633

dated Feb. 7, ^ 4 8 . he wrote his name Andoni Adam. In 170 1 he sold 140 acres o f his land in A lbany township lo Jo h n Reinhard. He was administrator of the estate o f Albrecht Stimmel. o f Albany township, in 1766, being the chief creditor. H is account w as audited and approved in December, 1768. The date o f his death is not known. Anthony Adam ( 2 ), son o f Anthony, of .Albany township, w as bom about the year >736, and w as a resident of the adjoining township o f W indsor in 1758. H e married Rosina Dunkcl, widow o f Vincent Lesher, of Richmond townsliip, and from this union he had four children: Peter, o f W indsor town­ ship, bom Oct. I, 1765, died Ju ly i, 1849, married Catharina H ausknecht; Anthony ( 3 ) , o f Briarcreek township, Columbia county; Jacob, o f Richmond township, Berks county, married Susan K lin e; Abraham, o f Briarcreek, bom Oct. 7, 1779, died Ju ly 6, 1855, married Sarah Miller. Anthony Adam (2 ) served during the Revolutionary w ar as a private in Capt. Jacob I.adich’s company. Col. .Samuel E ly 's battalion o f Berks county militia, being in service Oct. i to 17, 17 8 1. In 1799 he re­ ceived from the State a patent fo r 307 acres o f land called “ .Manheim," on B ria r crcck. in Northumberland (now Columbia) county, and in 1806 received another patent fo r a tract of 426 acres, called "Q uincy,’’ on the same crcck. These lands he conveyed to his four sons. H e died some time a fte r A pril 27, 1809. Anthony Adam ( 3 ) established the Adam 's homestead in Briarcrcek township, Columbia county. He w as born Dec. 25, 1767. He served as a private in Capt. Christian M adery’s company of Berks county militia which was ordered to the front in 1787. T hey arrived at Fort Allen, N ov. 2 1st, at W yoming Nov. 26th, and were discharged Ja n . 6, 1788. H e settled in Briarcrcek as early a s 1792, fo r in October o f that year a warrant was granted to him fo r 278 acres o f land, fo r which he received a patent in 1 8 1 1 . H e purchased a parcel o f seventy-five acres in Fishingereek township; the "M anheim ” tract o f 307 acres w as deeded to him by his father in 1806. and in iB t i he received a deed from his brothers for his fourth interest ( 10 6 acres) in the tract called •■Quincy.” H e married Catherine Glass, who w as bom Dec. 30, 1766, and died Aug. t2, 1845. H is death occurred A pril 29, 1822, and together with his w ife he lies at rest in the B ria r Crcck Reform ed Church yard, five miles west o f Berw ick, Pa. 'H ie children o f this couple w e re : Hannah, bom M ay 10, 1790, died