88 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



(Schulcr) Hiester. He was seventeen 

 years of age when his parents removed to 

 Reading, and remained with his parents in 

 Reading for ten years. He then removed 

 to Bern township, where he died July 13, 

 1822. He was a private in Captain George 

 Will's company, in 1777, in the battalion 

 commanded by his brother, Major Gabriel 

 Hiester. He married. March 18, 1784, Anna 

 Maria Meyer, daughter of Isaac Meyer, the 

 founder of Meyerstown, Pennsylvania. She 

 was born December 28, 1758, and died 

 October 4, 1822. They were the parents 

 of eight children, the fifth of whom. Maria 

 Catharine, born March 4, 179.3. was the 

 wife of Edward Tilghman Clymer. 



Lee S. Clymer, born at the Mt. Laurel 

 Furnace. April 2, 1863, was educated at 

 Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, 

 taking a special course in chemistry. On 

 leaving college he accepted a position as 

 chemist for the Minnesota Iron Company, 

 which he filled for one year. In 1885 he 

 opened a general laboratory at Reading, 

 Pennsylvania. In December, 1886. he left 

 Reading and took a position as chemist for 

 the Carnegie Company at the Edgar Thom- 

 as Furnace. Braddock, Pennsylvania, where 

 he remained for one year. In October. 1887, 

 he came to Bucks county as chemist for 

 the Durham Iron Company, and filled that 

 position for two years, when he was made 

 superintendent of the Request Iron Fur- 

 nace, near Oxford, New Jersey, where he 

 remained until the furnace was about to 

 be closed in the autumn of 1890. He then 

 accepted a position as superintendent of 

 the Lehigh Iron Company's works near 

 Allentown, Pennsylvania, where he re- 

 mained for about eight months. During a 

 part of the next two years he was superin- 

 tendent for the Thomas Iron Company's 

 furnaces at Hellertown, Pennsylvania. In 

 1895 he erected and equipped the Durham 

 Knitting Mills, at Riegelsville, Bucks coun- 

 ty, which he has since sucessfully operated. 

 He also operates several fine farms in Dur- 

 ham township, and is interested in the 

 breeding of standard bred horses and thor- 

 oughbred cattle. He recently became half 

 owner of what was the Lehigh Power 

 Company, located at Raubsville, Pennsyl- 

 vania. It is proposed to operate this plant 

 under the name of the Clymer Power Com- 

 pany. 



He married, June 11, 1891, Clara Matilda 

 Riegel, daughter of the late John L. and 

 Lydia (Stover) Riegel. by whom he has 

 two children. John Riegel, born April 14, 

 1892, and Valeria Smith, born January 12, 

 1896. 



JACOB F. CLYMER. The Clymer fam- 

 ily, of which Jacob F. Clymer. a prosperous 

 farmer of New Britain township is a worthy 

 representative, is one of the oldest in the 

 township, and have always been highly es- 

 teemed for the many excellent characteris- 

 tics displayed by them both in public and 



private life. Jonas Clymer, grandfather of 

 Jacob F. Clymer. resided on the farm now 

 owned by Jacob F. Clymer. He was a 

 shoemaker by trade, and this occupation he 

 followed in connection with agricultural 

 pursuits during the early years of his life, 

 but as he advanced in years he abandoned 

 the former line of work entirely, devoting 

 his entire attention to the latter. He served 

 as supervisor of his township for seven 

 years, his long term of office attesting to 

 his capability. He adhered to the tenets of 

 the Mennonite church, in which he served 

 as trustee ; he was formerly a Whig in pol- 

 itics, and later a Republican. He married 

 Hannah Clymer, daughter of Henry Cly- 

 mer, and their children were : John, Will- 

 iam C. Henry. Levi, Elizabeth, Sarah, 

 Amanda and Hannah. 



William C. Chmer, father of Jacob F. 

 Clymer. was reared on his father's farm in 

 New Britain township, educated in the com- 

 mon schools of the neighborhood, and upon 

 the death of his father succeeded to the 

 homestead. In connection with his exten- 

 sive farming operations he engaged in the 

 produce commission business for thirty 

 years, deriving a goodly income from both 

 enterprises, and thus was enabled to pro- 

 vide a comfortable home for his family. The 

 esteem in which he was held by his fellow- 

 townsmen was evidenced by the fact that 

 he was the incumbent of the office of school 

 director twelve j'ears and supervisor one 

 year. He was a trustee of the Mennonite 

 church, the doctrines of which he firmly be- 

 lieved in, and his political views were in 

 accord with those of the Republican party. 

 By his marriage to Elizabeth Fretz, only 

 child of Joseph and Mary (Markley) Fretz, 

 four children were born: Jacob F., Charles 

 who died at the age of twenty years ; Jonas, 

 who is engaged in business in Philadelphia; 

 and Harvey, also engaged in business in 

 Philadelphia. Mary (Fretz) Clymer, moth- 

 er of these children, died in 1884. and ]\Ir. 

 Clymer married for his second wife Lydia 

 A. Swartley. widow of Philip Swartley. 



Jacob F. Clymer was born in New Britain 

 township. Bucks county, Pennsylvania, 

 March 16. 1862. He was reared on the old 

 homestead, and his educational advantages 

 were obtained by attendance at the com- 

 mon schools. His whole life has been spent 

 on the farm where he was born, his occu- 

 pation being that of farming, for which he 

 is eminently qualified, as is clearly shown 

 by the appearance of his broad acres and 

 com.modious outbuildings. Mr. Clymer has 

 served as supervisor of the township nine 

 3'ears. his duties during that time being 

 performed in a highly creditable and ef- 

 ficient manner. In religious and political 

 faith he follows in the footsteps of his fore- 

 fathers, being a member and trustee of the 

 Mennonite church and a Republican. In 

 1887 l\Ir. Clymer married Anna Mary 

 Swartley, daughter of Philip and Lydia 

 Swartley, and they are the parents of one 

 son, Vincent, born June 30, 1892. 



