My Genealogy Hound

HOWARD W. GEIST, of the firm of Geist & March, dealers in tin roofing and house furnishings, No. 453 High street, Pottstown, was born in Pottstown, September 12, 1862, and is the son of William and Sarah (Slonaker) Geist.

William Geist (father) was born in Montgomery county. He lived in Upper Pottsgrove township, where he was a farmer. In 1880, putting aside the work of the farm, he removed to Pottstown and lived retired until his death. He died in 1895, aged sixty years. His widow still survives. They were members of the Trinity Reformed church. In politics he was a Democrat, and served in the town council one term. Mr. Geist owned a great deal of property in Pottstown, his money being for the most part invested in town lots. William and Sarah (Slonaker) Geist had three children, one son and two daughters: Howard W.; Elizabeth, wife of Howard S. Reifsnyder; and Emma S., wife of Josiah H. Erb.

Matthias Geist (grandfather) was also a native of Montgomery county and was of German descent. He learned the blacksmith trade, but devoted the greater part of his life to farming. He was the owner of a large tract of land in the northern part of what is now the borough of Pottstown, known as Mintzer’s addition. He married Frederica Stetler and they had three children, two sons and one daughter. He died at the age of seventy-eight years.

Frederick Slonaker (maternal grandfather), a native of Montgomery county, lived for many years on his farm in Upper Pottsgrove township, at the same time carrying on his business of a carpenter and builder in Pottstown. He is now living in Pottstown, which has been his home for the last twenty years, he being now eighty-seven years of age. He married Elizabeth Yolin, who died several years ago, at the age of eighty years. They had a large family. Mr. Slonaker was a school director, serving very acceptably for a number of years. His father was Daniel Slonaker, the family being of German origin.

Howard W. Geist has lived in the borough of Pottstown all his life with the exception of a few years spent in the country when he was very young. He attended the Pottstown public schools, the Hill school and the Franklin and Marshall College, at Lancaster.

After coming of age Mr. Geist was employed as a clerk in the shoe store of A. K. Edelman for one year, and with J. W. Evans, tobacconist, two years. He was next employed as a traveling salesman for Eshbach & Kolb, cigar manufacturers, for a year and a half, when he entered the service of Slonaker & Son as a clerk, the firm being changed to F. Y. Slonaker soon after his connection with it. He continued in this position until Mr. Slonaker sold out to O. W. Wentzel in 1895, in which year Mr. Geist formed a partnership with D. K. March, which still continues, the firm name being Geist & March.

On November 28, 1894, Howard W. Geist married Miss Addie L. Wolf, daughter of Andrew and Annie (Missimer) Wolf. They had three children, as follows: Robert and Paul, both of whom died in infancy, and Louis.

Mr. and Mrs. Geist are members of the Trinity Reformed congregation and he is a deacon. Mr. Giest belongs to the following secret orders: Stichter Lodge, No. 254, Free and Accepted Masons; Manatawny Lodge of Odd Fellows, No. 214; the Foresters of America and the Royal Arcanum. Politically he is a Democrat and is president of the Pottstown school board, to which responsible position he was elected in 1902. He resides at 240 Beech street, and owns five properties in Pottstown, besides some wood land in Schuylkill county.

Mrs. Geist’s father, Andrew Wolf, was born in Germany, but her mother was born in Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. Mr. Wolf came to America when six years old, and settled immediately in Montgomery county, where he died in 1895, at the age of sixty years. His wife is still living in Pottstown. They had ten children, four sons and six daughters.

Peter Wolf, grandfather of Mrs. Geist, died at Royersford, Montgomery county, at an advanced age. His wife was Dorothy Wolf.

The maternal grandfather of Mrs. Geist was Joshua Missimer. He was born in Montgomery county. He married Deborah Frederick and they had four children, three daughters and one son. He was a school teacher and a farmer.