My Genealogy Hound

FRANCIS WEISS, deceased, was one of the large coal operators of Pennsylvania and a man of remarkable ability. Born at Weissport, Carbon County, August 17, 1820, he is the son of Thomas Weiss, who was also born in the same village. His grandfather, Col. Jacob, was a native of Virginia, where he was educated as a surveyor. When a young man he came to Pennsylvania and settled in Carbon County, upon the present site of Weissport, which was named in his honor. At that early period it was a fort. He served in the Revolutionary War and was Quartermaster-General of the army, with the rank of Colonel. For his day he was a very noted man. He was a scientist and geologist, and it was really due to him that anthracite coal was introduced. The story related in the early history of the county is something to this effect: Philip Ginter, an old hunter in the mountains, on one of his trips noticed a small black stone dislodged by his feet, and discovering more he concluded it was the stone coal he had heard of. He took a few specimens to Col. Jacob Weiss, who in turn carried them on horseback to Philadelphia, where he had a blacksmith friend; but though they tried to burn it they were not very successful. Not daunted, however, he returned and gathered more of the coal, Mr. Ginter having shown him the place, and in return received a title for a small property. Once more he took these specimens to Philadelphia and they placed them on the coals. They did not succeed in making them burn at first, but left to go to dinner, and on their return found everything red hot. They soon discovered that, just as they had left, an underdraft had been produced by raising the log that lay in the front, and thus they discovered the principle that all that was necessary in burning this variety of coal is a good underdraft. As he did not have any capital, and there were no means of transportation, for years afterward nothing was done with the industry. The Colonel was a Lutheran, in which faith he died in 1840. Our subject’s father was a farmer and lumberman until his death, which occurred at Weissport.

Francis Weiss started out in life a poor boy, working on a farm and in a sawmill until eighteen years of age. He educated himself and taught school for a while at Weissport, in the old octagon stone schoolhouse, which is still standing, though not in use. At the age of eighteen he joined the engineers’ corps of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, beginning as axeman and working his way up until he had charge of the corps. While with them he assisted in surveying the Lehigh and Morriss Canals laying out some of the locks along the former, and later in life helped to survey the Lehigh Valley Railroad. In partnership with Messrs. Belford, Sharp and John Leisenring, he embarked in business, and as they had no capital, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company advanced them their mules, with which to start mining at Summit Hill. There they mined for four years with success, and during that time planned and built the “Gravity” Railroad from Summit Hill to Mauch Chunk, in order to convey the coal to the latter place. This was one of the most remarkable railroads ever constructed, and is now the famous “Switchback.” The firm leased a valuable tract of land from the Cox estate at Eckley, and engaged in mining, under the firm name of Sharp, Weiss & Co., the latter being the superintendent of the mines and the former the financier of the concern. Shortly before the war Mr. Leisenring retired from the firm and became President of the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company.

For a few years but little headway was made. It was about 1860 that the coal business commenced to be a grand success in this region, and the firm became immensely wealthy. When their twenty years’ lease had expired they dissolved partnership, and Mr. Sharp located at Wilkes Barre, our subject becoming a resident of Bethlehem in 1870. In the mean time they had, however, purchased over five hundred acres of coal land in Newport Township, Luzerne County, nine miles south of Wilkes Barre, now operated by the Alton Coal Company. The mines were not opened until 1886, when Mr. Weiss formed and incorporated the company, being made President, which position he held until his death. He and Mr. Sharp owned the land, and the company paid a royalty to them. They were also the largest stockholders in the concern.

Francis Weiss planned the building of the colliery and the breakers, which are operated by means of automatic machinery, constructed so as to save a great deal of labor. When a boy our subject traveled on foot all over the mountains, and during the surveying expeditions made geological discoveries and investigated the science, until he was considered an authority on the subject. He often gave lectures on this, his favorite study. One of the organizers of the Lehigh Valley National Bank, he was President of it until his death. He was also a stockholder in the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Bethlehem Iron Company, the old Bangor Slate Company, the Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company, and held stock in banks in different cities.

Elizabeth, wife of Mr. Weiss, was born in Weissport, being a daughter of Jacob Koons, a farmer, of German descent. Ten children were born of this marriage, eight of whom grew to manhood and womanhood: Rebecca, Mrs. Joseph E. Smaltz, of Philadelphia; Thomas, a resident of Bethlehem, whose sketch will be found elsewhere in this work, as also those of his brothers, Harry, Francis and William; Caroline, the wife of George H. Meyers, President of the First National Bank of Bethlehem, whose record appears elsewhere in this volume; Lewis, who died in 1888, aged thirty years; and Kate, Mrs. L. R. Meyers, wife of the well known attorney of Bethlehem. The mother of these children is still living at the old homestead, and is now in her seventy-fifth year.

Francis Weiss was called from this life February 14, 1889, when nearly sixty-nine years of age. He was a straight Republican, but not an aspirant for office. Quiet and unassuming in manner, he was well liked by every one and was an interesting conversationalist. He was prominent and liberal in the work of the Trinity Episcopal Church, of which he was a charter member and in which he officiated as Senior Warden. He it was who gave the lot on which the edifice stands, and he was also one of the principal contributors toward the erection of the building.