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Below is a family biography included in the book,  Portrait and biographical record of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, Pennsylvania published in 1894 by Chapman Publishing Company.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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NICHOLAS ARTHUR TOPFER, a clever and enterprising young business man of Bethlehem, has the finest greenhouses in the southern part of this city and makes a specialty of furnishing decorations, floral designs and choice varieties of cut flowers. He is of French descent. His parents, John and Madeline (Bevan) Topfer, were born, reared and married in Alsace, and the latter is still living, making her home in South Bethlehem. In the spring of 1868 the father emigrated to America with his wife and son and settled in Monroe County, Pa., where he followed his trade of cabinet-making. He afterward became a. resident of South Bethlehem, where for many years he continued as a cabinet-maker, but later in life worked at different employments. For a time he was assistant gardener with E. P. Wilbur, after which he was an employe of W. A. Wilbur. His death occurred March 26, 1894, at the age of sixty-six years.

In his father’s family, which comprised two daughters and four sons, Nicholas A. Topfer is the third in order of birth. His birth occurred September 23, 1869, in Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pa., and he was quite young when his parents removed to South Bethlehem, where he was reared to manhood. His education was obtained in the public schools, and in his youth he worked at various employments during the vacations, mainly for his father. In 1885 he became an assistant gardener for E. P. Wilbur, with whom he was connected for over two years. For the succeeding year he was employed in the merchant mill of the Bethlehem Iron Company. Afterward returning to the florist’s trade, for which he seemed to have a special adaptation, he took charge of Mrs. Emmerich’s greenhouses until her death, in March, 1892.

Since that time Mr. Topfer has leased his business, which is located on Seneca Street, the ground covered being 145x220 feet in dimensions. There are five green houses, which are covered by four thousand square feet of glass, and are the finest of the kind in South Bethlehem. Mr. Topfer has become thoroughly versed in the business, and propagates and raises all varieties of plants and vegetables. He has the reputation of doing the finest decorating in the city, his taste being excellent, and he is often called upon to furnish plants, palms and flowers for weddings and entertainments, both public and private. He was reared in the faith of the Catholic Church, as were also his parents, and is a member of the Church of the Holy Infancy.

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This family biography is one of the numerous biographies included in the book, Portrait and biographical record of Lehigh, Northampton and Carbon counties, Pennsylvania published in 1894 by Chapman Publishing Company. 

View additional Northampton County, Pennsylvania family biographies here: Northampton County, Pennsylvania Biographies

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