My Genealogy Hound

FRANCIS J. NEWHARD. One of the finely improved farms of Lehigh County is located in Whitehall Township, and is the property of Mr. Newhard, who through perseverance and the exercise of good judgment has gained a prominent place among the agriculturists of the community. He was born upon the farm where he is at present residing, and since it has come into his possession he has placed upon it many valuable improvements and has the soil under a high state of cultivation.

Mr. Newhard was born March 27, 1843, and is the son of Henry and Sarah (Gobrecht) Newhard. His maternal grandfather, Rev. John Gobrecht, was a minister of the German Reformed Church, and one of the early preachers in the Lehigh Valley. He was very successful in the good work and has been dead more than a half-century.

The great-grandfather of our subject, Frederick Newhard, was a native of Germany, and crossed the Atlantic to the New World prior to the Revolutionary War. He made his home in Lehigh County, near the present site of Allentown, and was engaged in farm pursuits on the banks of Jordan Creek until his death. He was one of the first settlers in this part of the county, and in that early day his neighbors were principally redmen. His wife was on very friendly terms with the Indians, often giving them supplies. His son, Daniel Newhard, the grandfather of our subject, also resided in this county until his death.

Henry Newhard spent his entire life on the farm which is now the property of our subject. He had learned the trade of a blacksmith when a young man, which he followed in connection with agricultural pursuits until his decease, when eighty-four years of age. His blacksmith shop still stands on the farm. The father was a man possessed of a fair education, and religiously was a member of the German Reformed Church at Allentown, in which he held the office of Elder, and during his younger years was Deacon. His death occurred in 1887, and he was preceded to the better land by his good wife, who passed away in 1881.

Only four members of the parental family survive. Coletta, now Mrs. Edward Reichert, resides in Macungie Township, this county; Adeline, the wife of Jacob Ritter, makes her home in Salisbury Township, this county; Rebecca and Francis J. are twins, and the former is living in Philadelphia. Francis J. was reared on the old homestead, and after obtaining his education in the schools of Whitehall Township was trained to a thorough knowledge of farm pursuits. Although never having received instruction he was a natural musician, and for a number of winters during his early life he taught singing school in his neighborhood.

September 4, 1869, Miss Alice Mickley, who was born June 13, 1851, in Whitehall Township, became the wife of our subject. She was the daughter of Abraham aud Maria (Erdman) Mickley, residents of Whitehall Township, and of Whom extended mention will be made in the sketch of Edwin Mickley, found elsewhere in this record. Mr. and Mrs. Newhard have no children of their own, but have an adopted daughter and son, Margaret and Charles F.

Besides owning his farm of sixty-seven acres, Mr. Newhard is the possessor of property in Allentown. With his wife he is a member of the German Reformed Church, in which he has held the office of Deacon. He has been Assessor of Whitehall Township for six years, and served for many terms on the School Board. He is a member of the Lehigh Agricultural Society, and is a man whose character and personal attributes are such as to win the confidence and friendship of the people by whom he is surrounded.