My Genealogy Hound

HENRY A. SCHWEYER, of the firm of Schweyer & Liess, marble dealers at King-of-Prussia, was born at Bower’s Station, Berks county, Pennsylvania, February 6, 1865. He is the son of Daniel H. and Katherine (Landis) Schweyer.

Daniel H. Schweyer (father) was born in Berks county and spent all the active years of his life at Bowers Station, where he is still engaged in the wholesale marble and lumber business. He is an active Democrat, has served three terms as justice of the peace and one term as prothonotary of Berks county, and also has been a delegate to state and county conventions. He is a member of DeLong’s Lutheran church and has held every office in the church. He is president of the Laurel Hill Lumber Company. He is a member of DeMolay Commandery, No. 9, K. T., of Reading, Berks county.

In 1862 Daniel H. Schweyer married Katherine Landis, daughter of Samuel Landis of Berks county. Mr. and Mrs. Daniel H. Schweyer had the following children: Henry A.; Harvey L., who was born March 13, 1867, and died March, 1892; Norah L., who was born 1869, and resides with her parents; Katie L., who was born in 1871, and resides with her parents; and Solon L., who was born in 1874, and died in 1901.

John Schweyer (grandfather) was born in Berks county in 1802. During the first years of his life he was a farmer and a teamster and resided at Maxatawney from 1802 to 1896. In politics he was a Democrat and was an influential man in his community. He was a deacon in the Lutheran church for many years. He died in Maxatawney township in 1896. He was twice married, and by his first wife, Mrs. (Helfrich) Schweyer, he had seven children, as follows: James, Henry, Jacob, Allen, Alfred, Daniel H. and Francis.

Henry A. Schweyer was reared at Bowers Station and attended the public schools and the Kutztown State Normal School until he was seventeen years of age. He then entered his father’s marble works at Bowers Station, where he remained three years, from 1882to 1885. After leaving Bowers Station he became a member of the firm of Schweyer & Liess. The firm have opened two new quarries, bought of John Derr in 1882, and called the Reeseville marble quarries. They put in railroad siding, built a new mill with all the latest improvements, also a finishing shop equipped with planers, lathes, rubbing machines, pneumatic tools, overhead travellers and quadrupled its capacity. The firm ships marble to nearly every state in the Union and also to Canada and Nova Scotia for monumental purposes. They have also furnished the marble for thousands of small houses within a radius of fifty miles and have supplied the marble for the erection of many large buildings. Among the buildings constructed of Pennsylvania blue marble are Montgomery county courthouse, Norristown, built in 1854. Addition to Montgomery county courthouse, Norristown, built in 1902; United States courthouse, post-office, Williamsport; United States post-office, Reading; Bomberger Memorial Hall, Collegeville; Chester high school, Chester; Girl’s high school, Reading; Central grammar school, Chester; Bryn Mawr high school, Bryn Mawr; St. Patrick’s parochial school, Norristown; State Asylum for Chronic Insane, Wernersville; John A. Crozer’s Home for Incurables, Upland; Allentown Hospital, Allentown; St. Mark’s Reformed church, Leba- non; Calvary Baptist church. Norristown; St. Paul’s Reformed church, Sellersville; Grace United Evangelical church, Reading; and German Reformed church, Pennsburg. In politics Mr. Schweyer is a Democrat and both he and his family are Lutherans.

In 1885 Henry A. Schweyer married Miss Maria, daughter of Daniel Y. and Eliza (Biernig) Bittenbender. The Bittenbenders are an old family of Herford township, Berks county, Pennsylvania, where they were among the first settlers. They were always active members of the Lutheran church. The Biernigs were an old family of Upper Macungie township, Lehigh county, Pennsylvania, and have representatives of the family in that section of the state. They were also Lutherans. Daniel Y. Bittenbender and wife had the following children: Annie, who married William Koch and has children: Estella, Herbert (deceased), Freddie, Oscar, Howard, Helen and Clarence; Laura, who married Austin Weiler; Maria, who married Henry A. Schweyer; Eliza, deceased; Victoria, deceased, who married William Hensinger and had one child, Nevin; Oscar, who married Ada Butz and has one child, Lillian.

Mr. and Mrs. Henry A. Schweyer have three children, as follows: Daniel Herbert, born May 15, 1886; John Leroy, born December 18, 1889; and Katharine M., born January 8, 1895.

Katherine Landis, Henry A. Schweyer’s mother, was a member of a family who settled in District township, Berks county, at an early day and have always been prominent in church and township as well as county matters. Many of the family still reside in that locality. They are members of the Reformed church.

Henry A. Schweyer is a member of Fritz Lodge, No. 420, A. F. & A. M., of Conshohocken; also Royal Arch Chapter, No. 190, and Hutchinson Commandery, No. 32, both of Norristown; and the Elks Lodge of Norristown. He is a member of the Trinity Lutheran church on DeKalb street, Norristown.