My Genealogy Hound

ABRAHAM H. HENDRICKS, district attorney of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, was born at Collegeville, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, December 21, 1866. He is the son of Joseph H. and Catharine (Hunsicker) Hendricks, both natives of Montgomery county. They had five children, one son and four daughters, as follows: Ella M., wife of F. G. Hobson, of Norristown; Bertha, wife of Rev. Charles Wehler, of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, Abraham H., of Pottstown; Miss Sarah C., of Collegeville; and Lizzie, who died in infancy.

Joseph H. Hendricks (father) was a school teacher in young manhood, and is now pastor of Trinity Reformed church of Collegeville. He celebrated his fortieth anniversary as a minister in April, 1902. He is also pastor of the Skippack church.

Abraham H. Hendricks (paternal grandfather) was a native of Montgomery county. By occupation he was a farmer. His wife was Catharine Hunsicker and they had six children. At the time of his death he was more than seventy years of age.

Rev. Abraham Hunsicker (maternal grandfather) was also a native of Montgomery county and was of German descent. He was a farmer and a Mennonite preacher and was the founder of Freeland Seminary, now Ursinus College. His wife was Elizabeth Alderfer, who lived to her one hundredth year. He was more than sixty years old at the time of his death.

Abraham H. Hendricks lived in Collegeville until 1893. He attended the public schools there and was graduated from Ursinus College in the class of 1888. He began reading law in the office of Bickel & Hobson of Norristown in the same year. He was admitted to the bar in June, 1890, and has practiced in Pottstown ever since.

On October 21, 1890, he married Miss Ella T. Miller, daughter of Addison T. and Lucinda (Dismant) Miller. They have one daughter, Miriam E. Hendricks. Mr. Hendricks is a member of Trinity Reformed church at Collegeville and his wife of St. Augustus Lutheran church at Trappe.

Mr. Hendricks belongs to Warren Lodge, No. 310, Free and Accepted Masons, and is past master of the lodge; to Pottstown Chapter, No. 271, Royal Arch Masons; to Nativity Commandry No. 71, Knights Templar; to Manatawny Lodge, No. 214, I. O. O. F., and Excelsior Encampment, No. 85. He is first exalted ruler of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, No. 814, of Pottstown; past regent of Pottstown Council, No. 351, Royal Arcanum, and representative in the grand council for four years; also a member of Washington Camp, Patriotic Order Sons of America, of Pottstown; and of the Fraternities’ Accident Order.

Mr. Hendricks is one of the most prominent Republicans of Montgomery county. He was solicitor of the borough of Pottstown for three years, until March, 1899, being elected by a Democratic town council; and in the fall of 1898 was elected to the office of district attorney, and re-elected in 1901, being the only district attorney of Montgomery county that ever served two successive terms in the position.

The name Hendricks is of wide distribution in all parts of the United States and the family are undoubtedly of Dutch origin, their first ancestor in this country having settled at Germantown. The family name is said to have been originally Hendricksen.

The father of District Attorney Hendricks was born December 21, 1834, in Upper Providence township, his maternal grandfather being Rev. John Hunsicker and his maternal great-grandfather Rev. Henry Hunsicker, both very prominent and influential Mennonite bishops in their day in eastern Pennsylvania. He was at first, on reaching manhood, a teacher, becoming assistant in Freeland Seminary and vice-principal of the institution, founded by Rev. Abraham Hunsicker, whose daughter he married in the fall of 1858. While engaged in this occupation, at a meeting of the Christian Society in 1860, he was chosen to the office of minister. On June 25, 1861, he was ordained. The Christian Society, of Collegeville, was the outgrowth of a disownment by the Mennonite church of Rev. Abraham Hunsicker, Israel Beidler, Abraham Grater, and Henry A. Hunsicker and about forty of their followers, by a branch of the Mennonite church of which they had all been members. The charges against them were founded on their liberal views of Christian doctrine, church fellowship, education, and kindred matters. The schism gave rise to the building of the Christian Meeting-House at Collegeville, which was opened to worship in 1855. Of this church Mr. Hendricks became the pastor in 1862. The charge subsequently known as Trinity Christian church, with its branches at Skippackville, and Iron Bridge (formerly Rahn’s Station) remained independent until 1888, when all became connected with the German Reformed church in the United States, although the Skippackville congregation was not formerly made a part of that denomination until 1892. The Collegeville church was very advanced in its views on slavery, intemperance and on popular education. Mr. Hendricks is one of the oldest pastors in the county. He is a pleasant and popular speaker and is highly respected by the entire community in which he has been so active a spirit during his long lifetime.

District Attorney Hendricks is one of the best-known lawyers of Montgomery county. He has performed efficiently the duties of the responsible office which he has held and has been especially active in the effort to put a stop to lawlessness in all sections of the county, doing all in his power to discover and punish the authors of the mysterious assaults and murders which have occurred from time to time in the last few years.