James Bergey Smull Family: Judson Gray Smull, Sr

JESSE SMULL > JAMES BERGEY SMULL > JUDSON GRAY SMULL, SR m Margaret Erwin

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Judson G Smull, Sr at Lehigh University

Judson Gray Smull was born 02 May 1882 to James Bergey Smull and Louise McGarvey. He was born and raised in Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania. He married Margaret Montgomery Erwin,who was born 23 Sep 1880 in Bethlehem in Blair County.

Judson attended Altoona High School and then got his bachelor's in chemistry from Lehigh University in 1906. He went on to get his master of science degree in 1921. He belonged to Tau Omega and was business manager of the student newspaper.

For many years, he worked as the chief chemist at the New Jersey Zinc Co in Franklin, New Jersey and worked as an investigator in the research laboratory of the National Lead Company. He conducted various studies in Linseed oil research. In 1919, he started on the faculty of Lehigh University, working his way up to professor.

He was a charter member of Sigma Xi at Lehigh and was affiliated with the American Chemical Society, the American Electro-Chemical Society and the American Association of University Professors. He also advised for Alph Rho chapter of ATO fraternity. He served on the board of the Moravian Prep school, was active in the Boy Scouts, and belonged to the Central Moravian church.

August Werft
Captain
Lacrosse Team at
Lehigh U 1931

Mrs. Smull died 16 Feb 1917 at her home in Richmond Hills, Long Island and was brought to Bethlehem for burial. She was 36 years old.

Professor Smull died 21 Apr 1978 at age 95 in Bethlehem.

The two children of this marriage were:

Louise Smull, born about 1908 in New Jersey. She was a graduate of Moravian College.  At some point, she became the second wife of US Steel coal operations executive and Lehigh-graduated mining engineer August Werft. They retired to Sarasota, Florida. She died 16 Aug 1992. August died 15 Jan 1987. If she was married previous to this, I've been unable to locate that information.

Judson Gray Smull, Jr. was born 03 Jul 1913 in New York. He married Gertrude Miller, born in 1914 in Bethlehem, on 04 Sep 1937 in Bethlehem. Judson also graduated from Lehigh. Judson died 18 Jun 1979 and Grace died 03 Feb 2015. They had five children.

Jesse Smull Family: James Bergey Smull

JESSE SMULL > JAMES BERGEY SMULL m Louise Garvey

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Jesse Smull, one of the Brothers Smull of Brush Valley in Centre County, Pennsylvania, moved fairly early on to Montgomery and then Chester County, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Mary Bergey, had nine children. Jesse died tragically in an industrial accident. You can read about his brother, Henry Bergey Smull here.

330 23rd Ave Altoona

Son James Bergey Smull was born 30 Sep 1852 in Spring City. On 06 Oct 1880, he married Louis McGarvey, daughter of William McGarvey and Mary Gray. She was born 13 Aug 1861 in Blair County. Smull came to Altoona in 1877. He began working in the shoe repair business prior to arrival in Altoona, when he was 13 years old. For 18 years, he worked for J B Smith.

Early on, they resided at 1212 17th Ave in Altoona. His shoe shop, Smull's Shoe Shop, was located at 1504 12th Ave. He worked in several locations in this vicinity over the course of his career including his final location at 1109 14th St.  In early days, before machinery, he employed up to 10 shoemakers of the highest skill. The shop was a thriving concern that was in business until his retirement in 1931. In their old age, they resided at Lake Altoona on the Kittanning Trail Highway where James liked to garden. That place was on the old McGarvey homestead farm. Louise sold that farm in 1937. Before their deaths, they lived at 330 23rd Ave  in Altoona. James lived until 20 Sep 1940, when he died of heart issues. His wife, Louise, died 19 Oct 1944.

The Smull's had four children:;

1. Judson Gray Smull was born on 02 May 1882 in Altoona. He married Margaret Erwin, who was born 23 Sep 1880 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. They had two children, Louise and Judson Gray, Jr. I'll be writing about him separately. He died 21 Apr 1978 in Bethlehem and Margaret died 16 Feb 1917 in Long Island.

2. William Penn Smull was born 30 Sep 1883 in Altoona. He married Eleanor M Smith of Italy and it appears they divorced. WP Smull held Patent 2,793,610 for a multipoint moistener for gummed labels. He resided in Gettysburg and died Altoona in Apr 1967.

3. Mary Victoria Louise Smull was born 09 Oct 1886 in Altoona. She married Frank Jesse Varner who was born 29 Mar 1884 in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. They had two children: Virginia Louise Varner and Franklin Smull Varner. Frank died 30 Jun 1959 in Huntingdon and Mary died 30 Mar 1956 Huntingdon.

4. Jesse McGarvey Smull was born 26 Sep 1891 in Altoona. Jesse married Mary  Etta "Etta" Robison. They had four children: Marian, Beatrice, Virginia, and Frances. Jesse died in Feb 1967 and Etta on 19 Aug 1973.

Jesse Smull Family: Henry Bergey Smull

JESSE SMULL m Mary Keil Bergey > HENRY BERGEY SMULL

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You can read about Jesse Smull here.  Son Henry Bergey Smull was born in about 1844 and died in mid-1873 (prior to May 12th, when his will was proved) at the age of 29 after a long illness. The family had lived in Frederick, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania for several years and then moved

The Village Record, 12/24/1869

on to Spring City/East Coventry in Chester County.

Henry married Annie E Francis on 18 Dec 1869 in Chester County in her parents' home. She was born 13 Apr 1846 in Spring City. In 1870, the couple was living in East Vincent and Henry's brother James, then 17, was living with them.

On 26 Apr 1873, Henry must have known things weren't looking good. He set down his will. On 12 May 1873, he is referred to as "deceased" and the will was proved. My only observation about his will is he didn't seem to have a lot, but wanted it to go to his wife only if she stayed a widow! There were no children. She didn't stay a widow and remarried about 1879 to Nathan Stubblebine and they had one daughter. She died 21 Dec 1937 in South Coventry, Chaster County.

I, Henry B Smull, of the borough of Spring City in the county of Chester, and state of Pennsylvania,
being of sound mind, memory, and understanding but weak in body, do make and publish this my last will and testament, hereby revoking and making void all former wills by me at any time heretofore made. And first, I direct that my body be decently interred, according to the Christian church and that my funeral be conducted in a manner corresponding with my estate and and situation in life. As to such estate as if hath please God to entrust me with. I dispose of the same as follows. I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Annie E. all my real and personal property during the time she remains my widow, by her paying the interest of the money now invested in the property in judgment. In case my said wife should desire the property sold during her widowhood, my executor hereinafter mentioned, shall dispose of the same to the best advantage private or public sale using his own discretion, and pay all judgments and just debts, and the balance shall be invested in real estate secured on Bond and Mortgage, by me executor, the interest whereof shall be paid annually to my said wife, Annie E, so long as she remains my widow. Should she again marry, the said money so invested which shall include all my estate, except three hundred dollars, which shall be paid to her in her own right, shall be placed in the hands of a guardian or guardians, duly appointed by the courts or otherwise, for the use of my children. And, I hereby constitute and appoint my esteemed friend, Dr. William Brower, my sole executor of this my last will and testament. In witness whereof, I, Henry B Smull, the testator, have to this my will written one sheet of paper. Set my hand and seal this 26th day of April 1873.

Dr William Brower

Henry's "esteemed friend," Dr. William Brower, came from Dutch early settlers to East Coventry township. He spent time at both the Oakdale and Freeland Seminaries before going to Pennsylvania State Normal School. He taught school for six years before studying medicine at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, graduating in 1867. He practiced successfully in Spring City and was involved in the public affairs of the town.

Jesse Smull Family: John Francis Smull, DDS

JESSE SMULL > CHARLES GEORGE SMULL m Lydia Rebecca Francis > JOHN FRANCIS SMULL, DDS

2544 W Lehigh Ave where the laundromat is currently
was the Smull family home for two generations
Imagine it what it might have looked like 100 years ago

Jesse Smull was one of the Brothers Smull of Bush Valley, Centre County, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Mary Bergey had several children. Their oldest boy was Charles B Smull who was born 20 Oct 1840. He married Lydia Rebecca Francis, who was born 06 Apr 1849 in Chester, Pennsylvania, the daughter of John and Elizabeth DeFrain Francis.

They had two boys. John Francis, born 19 Apr 1874 in Philadelphia and Harry, who died at seven months old in 1873, who was born in Spring City, Chester County. In 1880, Charles was listed as a "provisions dealer," Charles was a "provisions dealer" and partner with Levi Shengle (and possibly with brother Jesse Jr., who in 1880 was also a "provisions dealer." He also boarded with the Shengle's in 1900) in Shengle & Smull, located at 255 N 12th St in Philadelphia at the corner of Vine and N. 12th. That business appears to have operated from the mid 1880s-before 1910. In 1910, Charles as listed as a "solicitor" in the publishing industry.I would surmise that means an advertising solicitor rather than an attorney. The family lived at 2544 W Lehigh Ave.

John Francis was educated at the Philadelphia Central High School and Penn College of Dental Surgery, graduating in 1895.He married Ruth Esther Bankes, daughter of Peter and Mary Whetstone Bankes. They had one child, Ethel Frances, born 24 May 1909.

John was active in the national Dental Association of Dental Surgeons, 32nd degree Mason, Old Guard, City of Philadelphia; Sons of Veterans, Patriotic Order of the Sons of America, IOOF, Knights of Pythias, Fraternal Order of the Eagles, Independent Order of America, Brotherhood of America, He was a retired Major in the National Guard of Pennsylvania, attached to the 3rd Infantry Regiment.

He died, "suddenly," at his home on 23 Nov 1922 at the family's home on Lehigh Ave. His death certificate said he died of a stab wound to his heart, self-inflicted.This is supported by the news item published after his death that states he committed "hari-kari."  The funeral was held the following Monday morning at the David H. Schuyler Building at Broad and Diamond Sts. His widow Ruth survived until 19 Mar 1957.

Brothers Smull: Jesse Smull

The Brothers Smull include Jacob, Peter, Henry, and Jesse, the brothers whose parents are still unidentified. The first three settled in Centre County, Pennsylvania sometime near the turn of the 19th century, soon after its founding (1799).

Jesse was the odd brother out. He wasn't a farmer or stone mason like his brothers, but a day laborer. The first decipherable census of 1850 has him age 36, married to Mary Bergey, with four boys: Charles, Henry, Jesse, and John, living in Frederick County, Pennsylvania.

In 1860, the family had pulled up stakes and relocated to East Coventry, Chester County. Mary and Jesse, had by then, three boys at home:  John, James, and Irwin. Jesse worked as a farm hand.

By 1870, they were still in Chester County, though no census is available for the family. That census would have been Jesse's last. In 1879, while working in a paper mill in Spring Valley, Chester County, Jesse met with a terrible accident.

According to the local paper, The Reading Times, Reading, Pennsylvania:

Jesse Smull, an old employee of the American Wood Paper Company, Spring City, this county, died while working in the alkali house, this morning, because of the tanks suddenly sprung a leak, covering him with liquid and scalding him fatally. He lingered with intense pain until 4 o'clock in the afternoon, when death relieved him of his suffering. Deceased leaves a family.
September 11, 1879

Mortality Schedule, Chester County, PA ending 31 May 1880 (Click to open)

It appears that they did not live a well-off life if at age 65 he was still laboring. What a horrible way to go.

I believe Mary died some time in the next decade. I'm taking a new look at his children, but most of them appear to have remained in the Reading area.  His children generated at least a couple of PhDs and a dentist.  His hard work paid off. I'll update on this soon.