#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 36 Tradesman: Henry Yoxtheimer's General Store

My grandchildrens' great uncle, Henry Yoxtheimer Jr., was born in Berks County PA in 1793, the son of Johann Heinrich (Henry) Yoxtheimer and Maria Catherine Kunrad, the 5X great grandparents of my grandchildren.  Henry's brother George Adam Yoxtheimer was their 4X great grandfather and the grandfather of George Washington Yoxtheimer, about whom I have previously written.

In 1817, Henry married Margaret Mallick and had two children with her: Margaret and William. After Margaret's death in 1826, he married secondly Nancy Bacon in 1828 and had a daughter Rachel with her. 

Henry Jr. was originally a potter by trade, but gradually expanded his business to include all kinds of merchandise. In 1826, he erected a large brick building to serve as a general store on Market Street in Sunbury with a warehouse in the back to store his goods. Sunbury was (and still is) a small town in the Susquehanna Valley of eastern Pennsylvania and the county seat of Northumberland County. In the early 1800's, about 1000 people lived in Sunbury and the surrounding area. 

The old-fashioned general store like Henry's was at the heart of most small towns.  It carried almost every large and small item that might be needed on the farm or in the home: groceries, meat, hardware, clothing, toiletries, bolts of cloth and dozens of other necessities. Almost everything was carried in bulk with few packaged or canned items. The interior would be crammed with boxes, barrels, crates, and tables holding the goods for sale. As Henry's ad indicates, he sold goods for cash or barter, a common practice, especially in rural areas.  In addition to its merchandising function, the general store was often the social center of the community as well where gossip and news were spread. Someone like Henry Yoxtheimer pretty much embodied the term "pillar of the community." 

The picture below is not Henry's store, but it gives you the general idea of what his place might have looked like.

19th-Century General Store

Henry owned his own canal boat, the Enterprize, which ran between Sunbury and Philadelphia, on the Susquehanna River, trading farm goods and bringing back the items his customers wanted. This ad from 1835 shows the kinds of items he traded in.  

Judging by this ad in the Sunbury Gazette from 1833, Henry prided himself on being able to beat the prices of the stores in Philadelphia.

In 1838, Henry leased part of a coal field in Shamokin and offered coal to his customers as well as dry goods and produce. 

 

In the 19th century, patent medicines were in their heyday.  These pills, elixirs, tonics and liniments were among the first products promoted by the advertising industry, using techniques such as celebrity endorsements.  

Although Henry's store carried a huge variety of goods, Henry seemed especially proud of his selection of patent medicines, judging by the ads he ran in the Sunbury Gazette in the 1830's and 40's, touting the availability of these miracle cures at his establishment. The ads below are typical of the dozens Henry ran over the years, relying heavily on testimonials and hyping pseudo-scientific claims of efficacy. 

In 1841, Henry was elected to the Common Council of Sunbury Burough.

Henry sold his store to his son-in-law, John Frilling, in 1842.

John W Friling has this day purchased from Henry Yoxtheimer his store and entire stock of goods. The business of store will hereafter be conducted at the Old Stand. Sunbury, May 18, 1842

Henry Yoxtheimer Jr. died in Sunbury in November 1849 and is buried in the Sunbury Cemetery. 

Died. In Augusta township, suddenly, on Tuesday last, Mr. Henry Yoxtheimer, aged about 55 years. The deceased was a good and useful citizen, and was for many years, engaged in the mercantile business in this place.

#52 Ancestors 2023 Week 14 Begins with a Vowel: George Washington Yoxtheimer

 OK.  When I was in school we learned the vowels were A E I O U and sometimes Y.  I am going with the sometimes Y here.  I promised that this year I would try to write more stories about my husband's family so my grandchildren would get that side of their story as well as from my family.  

G.W. Yoxtheimer

So, George Washington Yoxtheimer, my husband's great-grandfather. 

George was born 12 March 1848, the third child and second son of Henry Yoxtheimer and Elizabeth Mayer, in Union County PA. 

The 1850 Census shows 38-year-old Henry, a laborer, and 30-year-old Elizabeth Yoxtheimer in Union Township, Union County PA with their four children: Huldy, Charles, George and Mary. Two other sons, Benjamin and John were born in the 1850's but died young.

George's father died in Snyder County PA in 1857 at the age of 46. 

By the time of the 1860 census, George's family was split.  His mother Elizabeth was working as a domestic and had her young son Benjamin with her. His older sister Hulda was also working as a domestic with another family. Twelve-year-old George was working on the farm of Samuel Brouse in Point Township, Northumberland County. In 1862, George's older brother Charles enlisted in the Union Army where he served as a musician. 

Selinsgrove Missionary Institute 1863

George attended public schools in his town and later the Selinsgrove Institute, also known as the Missionary Institute, founded in 1858 by the Evangelical Lutheran Church and later became Susquehanna University. Although the Institute was intended to train missionaries, the Classics department was much more popular than the Theology department, and it is likely that George studied humanities, arts and sciences in the Classics department. He taught school for a short time, but most of his life was devoted to farming. 

GW and Mary Catherine

Despite attending a Lutheran school, George was a devout Methodist and attended Christ United Methodist Church in Northumberland at least since the 1860's. 

In August 1875, he married Mary Catherine Gibbons in that church. Mary was born in Point Township in 1848, the daughter of Abel Gibbons and Susan Morgan. 

George and Mary Catherine had a son and five daughters:

*James Henry Yoxtheimer 1876-1942. 

James followed his father into farming.  He married Anna Jones in 1897 and had four children with her: Mable, Margaret, Mary and George.

*Susan Yoxtheimer 1878-1953.

Susie married John Kent Young in 1901.  She died in Maryland at the home of her daughter, Mary Katherine Getty. 

*Alverna Yoxtheimer 1879-1942.

Verna married George Ezra Derk in 1900 and had 8 children with him: Mary Catherine, Leon, George, Ralph, Dorothy, Edith, Charlotte, and Paul. 

*Harriet May Yoxtheimer 1881-1963.

Hattie married James Horace Hopewell in 1898 and six children with him: Elmer, Margaret, Mildred, James, Frances, and Marian. 

*Estella Alice Yoxtheimer 1884-1972.

Stella married first in 1907 to John George Brown who died in 1916 in a tragic accident while unloading a coal car. They had a son George.  She married secondly to Milton Adam Noecker in 1918.  They had a son John. 

*Margaret Florence Yoxtheimer 1890-1973 (my husband's grandmother).

Maggie married Charles Edward Orwig, an inspector for the Pennsylvania RR, about whom I have previously written, in 1907. They had eleven children: Margaret, Fay Anna, Sarah Catherine, Charles, John George, Ray Edward, Elizabeth Jane, Dorothy Mae, Robert, Lester, and Shirley Ruth.  The youngest daughter was my husband's mother. 

The photo below shows the Yoxtheimer family about 1910. Margaret is in the lighter color dress in the front center. Stella is seated next to Margaret and leaning on her mother. Hattie is standing in the back next to her mother. 

In addition to managing his farm, George Yoxtheimer took an active role in his town, serving as an elected Supervisor for Point Township and as a school director. 

In 1910, George rented his farm to his son-in-law and retired from Point Township to Northumberland, purchasing a house on Orange Street, shown in the photo below. 

Yoxtheimer/Orwig home Orange Street, Northumberland PA

In 1914, Mary Catherine Gibbons Yoxtheimer died at the age of 66 after contracting pneumonia.  Her obituary notes that she was very active in the Methodist church and took great interest in the work of the Ladies' Aid Society.  She was buried in Riverview Cemetery in Northumberland PA. 

After her mother's death, Margaret and Charles Orwig moved into the house with her father. George's 78-acre farm was sold in 1916. 

The 1920 Census shows George Yoxtheimer living with Margaret and Charles and their four children.  At age 72, he was working as a school janitor.  Celebrating his birthday, the Sunbury Item noted that "Mr. Yoxtheimer enjoys excellent health and is still as actively in the harness as many men considerably his junior." 

He continued to live with the Orwigs until his death in October 1929 at the age of 81. He was buried next to his wife at Riverview Cemetery. His local paper noted that "He is a man who has the thorough respect of all who know him."

In 1943, George's grandson, the Rev. George H. Yoxtheimer, purchased four stained glass windows for the Northumberland Methodist Church to honor his parents and grandparents.  I am working on getting a picture of these windows.