My Genealogy Hound

HENRY B. TRACE, of West Pottsgrove township, Montgomery county, was born April 23, 1843, at Perkiomen Junction, same county. He is the son of Nathan and Mary (Baker) Trace.

Nathan Trace (father) was a native of Berks county, where he removed when his son, Henry B. Trace, was six years of age. He lived on a farm in Berks county for forty years, dying in 1894 at the age of seventy-four, and is buried at Mount Zion’s cemetery, Chester county. His wife died in 1857, being thirty-seven years of age at the time of her death. She is buried in the Pottstown cemetery. They belonged to the Lutheran denomination. Mr. Trace was a Democrat in politics. Nathan and Mary (Baker) Trace had seven children, five sons and two daughters, as follows: Rebecca, married M. Yergey, and lives in Pottstown, where he was a carpenter, but is now deceased, they having fourteen children; Henry B.; William, married Elizabeth Engle, residing in Monocacy, where he is a farmer, being a veteran of the Civil war, and they have nine children; Ellen (deceased), married Daniel Engle, and lived in Pottstown, where he is a butcher, and they had four children; John, who is employed in the iron industries in Berks county, married Lizzie Beidenbach, and they have four children; Frederick, unmarried, is an iron worker, being employed by the Valley Mill, in West Pottsgrove township; Augustus (deceased), died unmarried many years ago.

Conrad Trace (grandfather) lived in Berks county, where he followed his trade of a tailor. He died many years ago at the age of eighty years. He married Rebecca Baker, who also lived to be very old. They are buried in Pottstown cemetery. John Baker (maternal grandfather, and his wife Rebecca (Stineruck) Baker, lived on a farm in Berks county. They lived to an old age, and are buried in Amity township, Berks county. They had six children: Henry, John, Frederick, George, Charles, and Maria, of whom Henry lives retired in Philadelphia.

Henry B. Trace devoted most of his time until he was fourteen years of age to acquiring an education, and afterwards was occupied in farming for six years. In 1862 he enlisted in the Third Pennsylvania Regiment of Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of the war. He was discharged June 28, 1865. On returning to civil life he entered the employ of the iron mills, where he remained for thirty-three years, meanwhile purchasing the farm where he now lives, and which he has owned for twelve years.

On December 16, 1872, Henry B. Trace married Anna, daughter of Samuel and Anna (Levengood) Davidheiser. Mr. and Mrs. Davidheiser lived on the farm which is now the home of Mr. Trace for many years, he dying at the age of eighty-eight, and his wife at the age of sixty. They are buried in Pottstown. Mr. Trace purchased his farm from their estate after their death. Henry B. and Anna (Davidheiser) Trace have had three children who are living, and one who is dead. The living are: Edward, born September 3, 1882, is employed at Glendale as an iron worker, being unmarried; Mary Ellen, born April 27, 1885, resides with her parents; Anna, born July 2, 1888, also resides with her parents. Mr. Trace is a Republican in politics, and he and his family are members of the Lutheran church of Pottstown.