My Genealogy Hound

GEORGE APPLEGATE, a retired real-estate dealer in West Bethlehem, who is classed among the city’s intelligent, keen and thoroughly wide-awake business men, has contributed much to the material prosperity of Lehigh County. He was born in Williams Township, Northampton County, February 20, 1818.

Mr. Applegate’s father, Moses Applegate, was born December 7, 1787, in New York State, and on coming to Pennsylvania located on a farm of sixty acres in Northampton County, which he improved and resided upon until his decease, which occurred when he was past his sixty-eighth year. He was a Lutheran in religion, and in politics was first a strong Whig, but later a Democrat. The lady to whom he was married was known prior to that event as Miss Christiana Vogel. For a fuller history of her life the reader is referred to the sketch of Jacob Applegate, elsewhere in this book. Of the eight children comprising the parental family, only three are living. Our subject, who was the second in order of birth, was reared on his father’s farm, and only attended school seventy-two days out of the year. In 1840 he engaged in business for himself, purchasing, a general merchandise store from his father-in-law, Jacob Deemer. This establishment was located nine miles from Easton, and after conducting it for three years he removed to a location about a mile southwest. Here he remained until 1855, when he moved to Bucks County, and there he remained one year. After leaving Bucks County, he became the proprietor of a gristmill, store and tavern in Saucon. He made his home in that place until 1857, in the mean time selling his tavern, store and mill to a Mr. Moore.

Our subject, besides his other interests, owned three hundred acres of fine farming land, and had been engaged in its cultivation for ten years. In the above year he located with his family in Bethlehem Township, where he became the owner of the Luckenbaugh farm of one hundred acres. The following year he located in Milton, on the Susquehanna River, where he was engaged in milling and the manufacture of lumber. Later he was engaged in manufacturing the circle bit, which was invented by his son-in-law, George J. Shimer, who is now deceased. He was the first to make that article in the United States, and now it is used throughout the entire country.

In the year 1874, Shimer & Co.’s factories were burned, but soon afterward they rebuilt the iron works, which Mr. Applegate managed for a time, and then sold to Samuel J. Shimer. While living in Milton he donated five acres of land in Union County for school purposes, and was instrumental in the erection thereon of a good school building. In 1873 he moved upon his farm, and in February, 1883, he came to West Bethlehem. Five years later he purchased property and erected a block of buildings. Besides this block he owns fifteen residences on Fourth Avenue in the borough, the same number on Market Street, and three on Third Avenue. They are all brick structures, and are built after the most approved architectural plans. Mr. Applegate contemplates erecting other buildings soon on his property on Third and Fourth Avenues.

Our subject was married in Easton, this state, in August, 1841, to Miss Esther Deemer. She was born in Williams Township, Northampton County, and is the daughter of Jacob Deemer, who was a merchant in Williams Township. Of the three children born to our subject and his wife, Lena A. is now Mrs. G. J. Shimer; William M. is a tobacconist in Bethlehem; and Tillie married Rev. Wilson Moore, of Catasauqua.

Our subject has been very active in political affairs, and has been Assessor of his native township, and Postmaster of Saucon, where he also served for nine years on the School Board. He is a demitted member of the Odd Fellows’ order, and in politics votes for the Democratic party. He holds membership with the Lutheran Church, and has been very active in Sunday-school work since 1855. He has served as Deacon and Elder in his church, and aids in every way he can to promote the good work in that vicinity. He is a man of sterling traits of character and liberal in his views, and is justly classed among the foremost citizens of Lehigh County.