PAGE 737
After
a short walk from the Lehigh Valley Depot, in the suburbs of Lehighton, in a
spacious brick residence, near Gnadenhutten Burying-ground, of Revolutionary
and Historic fame, lives the subject of this sketch. Mr. Olewine is a son of Mr. George Olewine, who was born in Lower
Towamensing township, Carbon Co., Pa.
He married Miss Susan Erdman, whose family was one of the oldest and
most respectable of Bucks County. His
occupation through life was framing.
Their married life proved a most prosperous and happy one, being blessed
with eight children equally divided in sex, Mr. Daniel Olewine being the
seventh in descent.
He
was born at the old homestead in Lower Towamensing township, April 13,
1815. Enjoyed all the advantages that
could be obtained from a country school in that early day, until he reached the
age of seventeen, when he was apprenticed for three years to learn tanning and
currying, after which he spent ten years at this work as a journeyman.
In
1847 he moved to Mauch Chunk, Pa., where he engaged in tanning and
shoe-manufacturing business. On April
14, 1850, at the age of thirty-five, he married Miss Esther Zoll, of Orwigsburg,
Schuylkill Co., Pa. This estimable lady
was born there March 23, 1818. In 1856,
Mr. Olewine and family moved to
Lehighton, still continuing in the tanning business until 1873, when that
destructive agent, fire, burned his buildings to the ground; however, he was
not at loss for labor, as he had a large and productive farm in charge at the
time of the fire.
From
1875 to 1877 he engaged in general foundry business, which, like all his former
undertakings, proved successful. Mr.
Olewine was a director of the Second
National Bank of Mauch Chunk, for five years.
In 1875 the First National Bank of Lehighton was organized, and he was
honored by being made its president, which position of dignity and trust he
filled acceptably for five years, when business becoming so great, he was
compelled to resign this position of honor.
Mr.
Olewine has been a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal church of
thirty years, in which society he has held many positions of confidence. His family consists of three children. The eldest, Miss Susan Esther, married Mr.
William Koch, of Bingen, Pa., who is now following farming, and resides at the
old homestead. The second, Miss Clara
Alta, married Mr. Pierce Lentz, one of Lehighton’s most successful and promising
young men. Mr. Lentz is now occupying a
position of confidence with the Lehigh Valley Railroad Company, at Packerton,
and living in his own home, one of the handsomest in Lehighton. The third of Mr. Olewine’s children is
Daniel Irvine. He was united in
marriage with Miss Edna Conn, of Lycoming County, Pa. This son is engaged in the mercantile business at Williamsport,
Pa., and bids fair to become one of its most successful merchants.
Mr.
Olewine is now in his seventieth year, and is still and active, well preserved
gentleman.
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From
The History of the Counties of Lehigh & Carbon, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,
By
Alfred Mathews & Austin N. Hungerford
Published in Philadelphia, Pa., in 1884
Transcribed from the original in November 2003
by
Jack Sterling
Web page by
November 2003