My Genealogy Hound

FREDERICK HORLACHER is a wealthy citizen and capitalist of Slatington, being prominent in many of the enterprises and industries of the Lehigh Valley. A native of Germany, he was born in Wurtemberg, December 3, 1840, being a son of Michael and Catherine (Nonenmacher) Horlacher, the former also a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, where his death occurred. At the age of seventeen years Frederick Horlacher left his native land, thence proceeding to France and England. He had received a good high-school education in his native land, and further extended his knowledge by traveling in England, France and Russia. In November, 1865, he set sail for America, and on arriving in the New World located in Philadelphia, where he attended the Pierce Pioneer College for six months, thus becoming well versed in the English language. His next move was to learn the jewelry business, and afterward he embarked in that line of trade on his own account in Philadelphia, where he continued to reside until 1874. Next we find him in Parryville, Carbon County, where he was engaged in business at his trade, and subsequently became the owner of a hotel. While in that city he started in the bottling business, conducting a factory for three, years. For four years thereafter he was located in Bowman, Carbon County, and in the spring of 1882 he came to Slatington, where he established his present bottling works. He later established a bottling concern in Allentown, and in the year 1887 established another at Lehighton, Carbon County, and a year later located still another one at Bangor, this county, and now runs all four of the works with good financial success. In these works are manufactured soft drinks of various kinds, which find a ready market in the Lehigh Valley, Baltimore, Washington, and other large cities. Forty-eight men are given steady employment, and the business of these concerns is growing at a surprising rate year by year. In addition to his other works Mr. Horlacher located and now owns the Slatington Ice Plant for the manufacture of artificial ice, and is a stockholder and Director of the Allentown Ice Company, also being a half-owner in the Lehighton and Weissport Ice Plants. He has money invested in the Water Power and Planing Mill of Lehighton, being President and manager of the same, and is a stockholder in the Slatington Rolling Mills and the Blue Valley Slate Company, and in 1888 organized the electric light plant of this city.

In politics Mr. Horlacher supports the Democracy, and fraternally belongs to Carbon Lodge No. 242, F. & A. M.; Lilly Chapter No. 181, R, A.M.; and Packer Commandery No. 23, K. T., at Mauch Chunk. He is justly esteemed one of the leading business men and citizens of Slatington, for he is foremost in all things relating to the good of the city.

January 30, 1868, Mr. Horlacher married Miss Carolina Schwartz, of Wurtemberg, Germany, and to this worthy couple five sons and two daughters have been born, their names in order of birth being as follows: Frederick, George, William, Charles, Annie, Lillie and John. The parents are devoted members of the Lutheran Church, in the faith of which their children are being reared.