384 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



deacon. He married Heslor Fluck, who 

 was born March b, 1792, and died April 

 7, 1875, and they reared a taniily of nine 

 children, viz. : Wilhani, Edwin, Franci.^, 

 Reuben F., Jacob, Eliza, wife of Aaron Fui- 

 nier, Samuel V., Charles, and Albert ¥., 

 all of whom are now deceased. Of the 

 children of George and Esther (Fluck) 

 Scheetz, William, the eldest, born in 1812, 

 was a farmer for many years, latterly in 

 Richland, near Quakertown, where he died 

 October 19, 1888, leaving two sons and four 

 daughters. Francis, born 1814, was a farmer 

 and later a merchant at Norristown, Mont- 

 gomery county, where he died 1897, leav- 

 ing two sons, Remandus, a wholesale grocer 

 of Norristown, and Mahlon F. Scheetz. 

 Jacob, born 1815, was a carpenter by trade, 

 but was a lifelong farmer in Bedminster, 

 and died there April 5, 1899; he had two 

 children, Levi G. and Lizzie Ott. Reuben 

 F., born 1817, was a mason by trade, but 

 most of his life was devoted to clerical and 

 mercantile pursuits, he was many years a 

 resident of Doylestown, and at one time had 

 a hardware store there; he was clerk of 

 quarter sessions of Bucks county, 1849-51 ; 

 prothonotary, 1866-69; deputy sheriff, 

 1863-66; deputy clerk of orphans court, 

 1884-87. He died in Doylestown early ni 

 1888; he had live sons and one daughter, 

 two sons are since deceased. Edwin F., 

 born 1821, was a miller by trade, which he 

 learned at New Hope, Pennsylvania; he 

 was, however, a merchant for the greater 

 part of his active life, later living retired in 

 Quakertown, where he died September 28, 

 1904; two children— Oliver R., teller of 

 Quakertown Bank, and Amanda, wife of 

 Charles Biehn, survive. Charles, born Jan- 

 uary 17, 1823, was a justice of the peace 

 and merchant at Keller's Church, Bed- 

 minster township, where he lived all his 

 life, dying June i, 1901- He married Mag- 

 dalena Hager, and had eight children ; his 

 son, George H., succeeded him as justice, 

 and is also a merchant at Keller's Church. 

 Eliza married Aaron Fulmer, a farmer of 

 Bedminster, she died in 1888. Samuel F., 

 born 1828, was a merchant and justice of 

 the peace for many years at Rich Hill. 

 Rockhill township, where he died August 

 3, 1890; had three daughters., 



Albert F. S.cheetz, youngest son of George 

 and Esther (Fluck) Scheetz. was born at 

 Keller's Church, Bedminster township, 

 Bucks county June i, 1831. He was for a 

 half century actively connected with busi- 

 ness enterprises in Bucks county, the 

 greater part of which was spent in Doyles- 

 town. He was reared in Bedminster town- 

 ship, and received his intellectual training 

 at the public schools and under the private 

 tuition of his father. At the age of seven- 

 teen years he was apprenticed to the car- 

 riage maker's trade at Springtown, Bucks 

 covinty. After serving two years in that 

 capacity he continued for one year at 

 journey work at Quakertown, and then 

 went to Bedminster and filled the position 

 of clerk in a mercantile establishment for 



two years. In 1853 he opened and conducted 

 a store for one year at Stover's Mills, Hay- 

 cock township, for Jonas Stover. He then 

 went into the mercantile business for him- 

 self at Wormansville, Tinicum township, 

 with his brother-in-law, Morgan Rufe, as 

 partner, under the tirni name of Scheetz & 

 Rufe, which continued until 1857. In that 

 year he formed a copartnership with his 

 brother, Edwin F. Scheetz, under the firm 

 name of E. F. Scheetz & Brother, and they 

 conducted a store at Quakertown for three 

 years. In i860 he purchased his brother's 

 interest and conducted the store alone until 

 the close of the war m 1865, when he dis- 

 posed of the store to his brother Edwin F. 

 Scheetz. A year later he came to Doyles- 

 town, and in partnership with Morgan 

 Rufe, under the firm name of Rufe & 

 Scheetz, bought and finished leather until 

 1869, when they built a steam tannery at 

 Doylestown and manufactured and sold 

 leather for a number of years. In 1870, 

 leaving Mr. Rufe to attend to the tannery^ 

 Mr. Scheetz removed to Pittston, Luzerne 

 county, Pennsylvania, where he established 

 a store and sold leather of his own manu- 

 facture. In 1872 he purchased his part- 

 ner's interest and, returning to Doyles- 

 town, operated the tannery for several years. 

 In 1878 he formed a partnership again with 

 his old partner, Morgan Rufe, under the 

 old firm name of Rufe & Scheetz, and 

 opened a general merchandise store in the 

 Armstrong building on Main street, Doyles- 

 town, where they remained for six -years, 

 when Mr. Rufe purchased the Cowell 

 House, (hotel property) at Court and Pine 

 streets, and rebuilt it and converted it into 

 a store, and, the firm taking a new part- 

 ner, Oliver R. Scheetz, a nephew, located 

 there. Mr. Rufe retired at the end of one 

 year, and the firm of A. F. & O. R. Scheetz, 

 continued for another year, when Mr. 

 Scheetz purchased his nephew's interest and 

 conducted the business for three years, un- 

 til 1889, when he retired and was succeeded 

 by his two sons, Leo and Harvey. Leo 

 died September 8, 1890, and was succeeded 

 by his brother Harry. Harry died in 1896, 

 and the youngest son Erwin became a mem- 

 ber of the firm, and with his eldest brother 

 Harvey still conducts the business under 

 the firm name of A. F. Scheetz's Sons. 

 Morgan Rufe dying in 1894, the present firm 

 purchased the property, rebuilding and re- 

 fitting it, and have the largest general mer- 

 chandise store in Doylestown. When the 

 present store was first opened it was in a 

 sense an experiment, as the idea of con- 

 ducting a large department store of its class 

 in a country town was a new one. but by a 

 careful study of the wants of the people, 

 courteous treatment of customers and the 

 application of thorough business principles 

 to every branch of the trade, Mr. Scheetz 

 and the succeeding members of the firm 

 have built up and maintained a business in- 

 stitution of which the town is proud. A 

 few years after retiring from the business. 

 Mr. Scheetz was afflicted with locomotor 



