{"1": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2780", "width": "1859", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0001.jp2"}, "2": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2620", "width": "1747", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0002.jp2"}, "3": {"fulltext": "in 311ljem0rijtm\u00c2\u00bb\\n^o\u00c2\u00ab. gmilel CfErmEttttowt.", "height": "2610", "width": "1659", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0003.jp2"}, "4": {"fulltext": "^v\\n75453", "height": "2620", "width": "1664", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0004.jp2"}, "5": {"fulltext": "|iti piemovnam*\\nHISTORICAL SKETCH\\nDELIVERED BEFORE THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF BERKS COUNTY, PA.\\nNOVEMBER, 14, 1899,\\nBy THOS. C. ZIMMERMAN.\\nOn Sunday, September 17th, 1899, at\\n6 o clock in the morning, Daniel Er-\\nmentrout, the subject of this sketcli,\\npassed peacefully away after an illness\\nof only a few days. The immediate\\ncause of his death, which was acciden-\\ntal, was due to an inflammatory irrita-\\ntion, superinduced by the lodgment of\\nsome foreign substance a piece of un-\\nmasticated food in the aesophagus.\\nThe family to which Mr. Ermentrout\\nbelonged was one of the most influen-\\ntial and widely-known in the county of\\nBerks a family that has contributed\\nin no small degree to the making of our\\nlocal history. Its niembers have occu-\\npied with distinction leading places in\\nall the learned professions and skilled\\navocations.\\nThe father of Daniel Ermentrout,\\nwhose name was William Ermentrout,\\nwas born in Womelsdorf in 1799. He\\nhad 10 children John Silvis Ermen-\\ntrout, William C, Benjamin F., Daniel,\\nPhilip M., Joseph C, Samuel C, James\\nNevin. Ellen, widow of H. C. Ritter,\\nand Elizabeth, wife of Benneville Ber-\\ntolet.\\nAs will be seen, in a genealogical\\nnarrative which follows, the family\\nline can be traced back in Germany,\\nfor the most part unbroken, to about\\n1350, when the family name was Eh-\\nrentraudt. This information was fur-\\nnished by Rudolph, Baron von Irmtraut\\nin 1896, and has been in the possession\\nof the family of Daniel Ermentrout\\never since that time. Following is the\\nhistory of the lineage referred to:\\nThe family of the Barons von Irm-\\ntraut belonged to the very oldest mem-\\nbers of the German riobility and formed\\npart of the old tournament circle of\\nFranconia. The spelling of the name\\noccurs in many different ways, explain-\\ned by the circumstance that in those\\nremote days very few of the knightly\\nnobles were able to write more than\\ntheir names, and even then they were\\nspelled by the same man in different\\nways. They generally signed their\\ndocuments only by the imprint of their\\nsignet rings or the pommel of their\\nswords, with their coat of arms. In\\nold genealogical works and in docu-\\nments referring to the family it is\\nfound to be spelled Ehrendraud, Ehren-\\ntraud, Ermentraut, Ermtraut, Irmen-\\ntraut and Irmtraut. Today the name\\nis Irmtraut in Austria and Ermentrout\\nin America. The family originated as\\nfar as known in the county of Hada-\\nmar in the Grand Dukedom of Nassau,\\nwhere still exists the village of Irm-\\ntraut. The feudal seat and manor-\\nhouse (castle) was there, and probably", "height": "2610", "width": "1659", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0005.jp2"}, "6": {"fulltext": "according^ to the prevailing usage the\\nfamily gave their name to the place.\\nAt present there is no vestige of\\nthem to be found there, except a great\\nold barn built of stone with the coat\\nof arms carved thereon in the stone,\\nbut the castle has disappeared. I\\nwrote to the minister of the place in\\n1864 to inquire if there were still traces\\nof our old home to be found and got\\nthe above result.\\nThe village at present is a flourish-\\ning little place of 1500 inhabitants, sit-\\nuated on the outskirts of the Wester-\\nwald. Besides farming, their princi-\\npal industry consists of wood-carving\\nand fancy basket-making, which are\\npeddled generally by girls in their\\nvery picturesque costumes over the\\nwhole of Southern Germany. Several\\nof these girls, having been told by their\\nminister of my existence, then in Ba-\\nden, called expressly on me for the pur-\\npose of seeing a scion of their former\\nlords. They told me that it had made\\nquite a stir in the village when they\\nheard that a member of the family was\\nliving.\\nIt is not known how long the family\\ndwelt there, but it seems probable that\\nthey remained until the end of the 17th\\ncentury, as nearly all the inter-mar-\\nriages up to that time are with families\\nliving in that neighborhood\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Nassau,\\nPalatinate, Franconia, etc. and even\\nthe marriage of Wilhelmina von Irm-\\ntraut, the last of this line, to Gerhard\\nvon Werkamp, whose family belonged\\nto the Palatinate, (1695-1758) seems to\\nprove this theory.\\nThat the family belonged even in re-\\nmote times to good old stock, is\\nproven by the participation of several\\nof their members in the tournaments\\nof the nobility. In a tournament held\\nat Frankfurth, and at the celebrated\\ntournament at Nurenberg in 1433\\ntime of the Emperor Sigismund\u00e2\u0080\u0094 son;^\\nof the family participated, belonging to\\nthe tournament ring of Franconia.\\nSince the Emperor Henry VI. four\\ntournament rings were known in Ger-\\nmany, viz.. Rheinland, Fra^ .en, Bay-\\nern and Schwaben.\\nTo be elis ble to these tournaments\\nthe Knight had to prove his quartcr-\\nings, viz., his direct descent from\\nfour noble families (also all eligible) on\\nboth sides from the father s and\\nmother s sides. Then only could he\\nenter the ring. The proof was this:\\nGRANUFATHER. GRANDMOTHER. GRANDFATHER. GRANDMOTHER\\n1352-Gilbreclit von Irmtraut. Anna von Selbach. 1429-Arnold von Keftig. Elga Walpott von CIn\\nWilhchn von Ernitrant, 1445,\\nraarrifd to\\nUrsula Bred Icr von Hohcustein.\\nrreula Brfdfer von Hohenslein was the dauRhter of Jacob, 14S5, and of\\nAnna von Scheuk von Geyern.\u00e2\u0080\u0094 Jacob was the\\nSon of Heiin, 1467, and of Gretta von dcr Erlcn.\\nSon of Henn, I434-I45q, and of Lysn Mohr von Watde,\\nSon of Ifcnn, 1425, and of Elizabeth Setzer von Gcisspitzhcini,\\nAnd so it goes on\u00e2\u0080\u0094 every niarriaye being with the nobility.", "height": "2620", "width": "1664", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0006.jp2"}, "7": {"fulltext": "Several members of the family seem\\nto have been of an adventurous dispo-\\nsition, as we find in the records two of\\nthem mentioned as having participated\\nin the Spanish-Moorish wars, and as\\nbeing killed by the Moors in Spain.\\nIn early times the family were doubt-\\nless of the Catholic faith. Many of the\\nwives families certainly were, and sev-\\neral members were Abbots in noble,\\nknightly Abbeys. The time of their\\nchange to Protestantism is not exactly-\\nknown, but was probably at the time of\\nthe Reformation. The living members\\nof our line today are Protestants.\\nAll the families who intermarried\\nwith the Ermtrauts, beginning with\\nGodebrecht in 1339, were noble,\\nknightly. Almost all of them lived in\\nthe same or neighboring counties\\nFranconia, Suabia and Palatinate.\\nMany of these families are at this date\\nnourishing- as some of the best known\\nin Germany as the Counts of Bassen-\\nheim In Bavaria; the Princes and\\nCounts of Metternich in Austria and\\non the Rhine: the Counts of Schwar-\\nzenberg in Austria; the Hatzflelds in\\nPrussia: the Schoenborns-Austria, the\\nBarons von Stein on the Rhine and in\\nPrussia, etc.\\nThe Irmtrauts were all conspicuous\\nin the military service while on the\\nfemale side of the house the men\\nserved their country in civil offices.\\nOne of their number was sent on a\\ndiplomatic mission to Duke Charles of\\nBurgundy, 16th century, and after con-\\ncluding a favorable treaty was reward-\\ned by his sovereign by the augmenta-\\ntion of his coat of arms. This ambas-\\nsador was possibly the father or grand-\\nfather of Gerhard von Werkamp, who\\nmarried Wilhelmina Frederika Sophie\\nBaroness von Irmtraut, who was the\\nlast of her line remaining in the Old\\nWorld. But to this day the family re-\\ntain the name of Irmtraut by special\\ndiploma of the Emperor granted June\\n6th, 1792.\\nThis Baroness being the last surviv-\\ning member of her family and married\\nto Baron von Werkamp, Alt-Barckhau-\\nsen was at that time (June 6, 1792)\\ngiven the right for all time to come,\\nto assume for her own person and for\\nall of her descendants to come, born in\\nrightful wedlock, male and female, the\\nname, title, coat of arms and all other\\nprerogatives of the ancient and noble\\nfamily of Barons von Irmtraut, as if.\\nthey had been born in that ilk; and\\nthey must therefore, now and in all\\nfuture, by His Imperial Majesty s or-\\nder, use henceforth on all occasions and\\nbe known by the name Barons von and\\nof Irmtraut, Barons of the Holy Em-\\npire, and use rightfully their coat of\\narms and join it to that of Barons Wer-\\nkamp- Alt-Burckhausen.\\nThis was all in consideration of the\\ndistinguished services this ancient and\\nwell-known family had rendered the\\nstate, and because the Government de-\\nsired that the name, coat of arms and\\ntraditions of so ancient a member of\\nthe nobility of the Empire should con-\\ntinue to live and be perpetuated in the\\nannals of the country.\\nToday the head of this house is liv-\\ning in retirement near Vienna at an\\nadvanced age over eighty having\\nserved his Emperor and country as\\nGeneral of the Austrian army.\\nBaron Rudolph von Irmtraut, who\\nfurnished the above information, is be-\\ntween seventy and eighty. One year\\nago, through the late Daniel Ermen-\\ncrout, he presented to the Pennsylvania\\nGerman Society the coat of arms of the\\nPalatinate exquisitely painted by him-\\nself.\\nThe home of the first emigrant to this\\ncountry, John Ermentrout, the great-\\ngreat-grandfather of the subject of this\\nsketch, was in the Palatinate, whence\\nhe came to the New World in 1739, and\\nestablished his home in what was af-\\nterwards erected into Berks county.\\nChristopher Ermentrout. the next in\\nline of descent, w-as born in Berks\\ncounty, where he was engaged in agri-", "height": "2610", "width": "1659", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0007.jp2"}, "8": {"fulltext": "cultural pursuits all his life: his birth\\norourred February 8, 1754.\\nThe grandfather of our subject, John\\nE., son of Christopher, was born in\\nBerks county, April 27, 1777, and farmed\\nand carried on the mafiufacture of hats\\nIn the vicinity of Womelsdorf, living\\nthe last twenty years of his life in\\ncomfortable retirement. That he pos-\\nsessed endurance beyond the best is\\nevidenced by the fact that he often\\nwalked to Philadelphia on business,\\ncovering the distance between sunrise\\nand sunset. In his political views he\\nwas a Democrat of the Thomas Jeffei--\\nson school.\\nWilliam E.. his son, was born in\\nWomelsdorf, Berks county, December\\n12, 1799, and lived to be over 80 years of\\nage, dying January 21, 1880. He enter-\\ned upon his active career as a merchant\\nIn Womelsdorf, where he was engaged\\nin business until his removal to Read-\\ning In 1S29, In which city he continued\\nto busy himself in mercantile pursuits.\\nHe served as Treasurer of Berks\\ncounty from 1S.51 to 1853; for many\\nyears was a member of the Board jf\\nControl of the public schools of Read-\\ning, holding for a lime the position of\\nTreasurer of the Board. He was an\\nactive and consistent member of the\\nFirst Reformed Church of Reading,\\nholding the office of deacon for many\\nyears.\\nDaniel Ermentrout, the fourth son of\\nWilliam, in whom the interest of this\\nbiographical notice centres, was born\\nIn Readme January 24, 1837, and re-\\nceived in his youth a thorough ti-aln-\\ning In the public and classical schools\\nof his native city. It was in the class-\\nical school taught by Mr. Kelly, of\\nIrish parentage born In France, where\\nMr. Krmentrout learned to love the\\nlanguages and acquired great pro-\\nndency In French. He also attended\\nFranklin and Marshall College at Lan-\\ncaster. Pa., and KUwood Institute of\\nNorrlstown, Pa. Before leaving the In-\\nstitute he taught .-ichool for a numb-T\\nof years In Reading. Conshohocki-n.\\nNorrlstown, and Muhlenberg township,\\nat the same time pursuing his legal\\nstudies under the direction and tute-\\nlage of Judge David F. Gordon, being\\nadmitted to the bar on August 3, 1859.\\nHe rose rapidly in his profession, and\\nfrom almost the first he enjoyed a\\nlucrative and extensive practice.\\nPolitics ever had a decided attraction\\nfor him, and from his first entrance\\ninto public life as district attorney of\\nthe county in 1862, serving a term of\\nthree years, he was recognized as one\\nof the leaders of the Democratic party\\nin this county. From 1867 to 1870 he\\nfilled out three terms as city solicitor,\\nand in 1873 was chosen to represent this\\ndistrict In the State Senate for a term\\nof three years, his term of service hav-\\ning been lengthened In 1876 to seven\\nyears by a re-election to the same office\\nfor four years. In 1877 he was appoint-\\ned as a member of the Pennsylvania\\nStatuary Commission, which had been\\nauthorized by the State Legislature to\\nselect two prominent Pennsylvaniansto\\nbe represented with statues in the\\nStatuary Hall of the National Capitol.\\nIn ISSO Mr. Ermentrout was elected to\\nCongress, and served continuously from\\n1881 to 1887, and again was sent to rep-\\nresent this district by the election of\\n1S96. and was re-elected in 1898. He\\nfigured In every State Democratic\\nConvention, and attended as a delegate\\nthe National Democratic Convention jf\\n1880, supporting at that time the name\\nof Samuel J. Tilden as long as that\\ngentleman was a candidate.\\nMr. Ermentrout on February 1, 1870,\\nmarried Adelaide Louise Metzger,\\ndaughter of John Metzger, Esq., of Lan-\\ncaster, Pa.,\u00e2\u0080\u0094 a woman of high attain-\\nments and many accomplishments.\\nThey had two children. Fitz-Danlel, an\\nattorney of the Berks county bar, and\\na daughter, Adelaide Louise.\\nMr. Ermentrout was well versed in\\nthe liiw, proficient In llnguislio attain-\\nments, a skillful attorney, well read, n\\nilii P (hiiikiw. ami a vi-rsHtil. writer.", "height": "2620", "width": "1664", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0008.jp2"}, "9": {"fulltext": "He was one of the founders of the His-\\ntorical Society of Berks county, a mem-\\nber of the Pennsylvania German So-\\nciety, and of the Historical Society of\\nPennsylvania, Royal Arcanum. Ameri-\\ncus Club, and an associate member pf\\nthe Reading Press Club. For upwards\\nof twenty years he had been a member\\nof the board of trustees of the Charles\\nEvans Cemetery Company. It was at\\na dinner of the Reading Press Club,\\nonly a few days before his death, where\\nhe made the last speech of his life, and\\nwhere he appeared for the last time at\\nany public function.\\nDuring his long Congressional career\\nmany of his bills for the benefit of his\\ncounty were successfully put through\\nboth branches, and stand as memorials\\nof his loyalty to home and friends.\\nIn the 47th Congress, in 1S82, he pre-\\nsented bills to change the name and\\nlocation of the Kutztown National\\nBank, to furnish condemned cannon to\\nMcLean Post, No. 16. G. A. R., and lo\\nerect a Public Building at Reading,\\nwhich was secured and stands today as\\nhis best monument. Incidentally, it\\nmay be mentioned here that Mr. Er-\\nmentrout was a member of Company\\nG, 2d Regiment Penna. Militia, in 1862.\\nHe also presented petitions and pa-\\npers from the citizens of Pennsylvania\\nfor the passage of a bill to establish a\\nSuperior Court, for an appropriation to\\nAmerican steamships for ocean mail\\nservice, and for medals for the Ring-\\ngold Battery, First Defenders, in rec-\\nognition of their services in 1861-1865.\\nHe also made strong addresses in fa-\\nvor of the restriction of Chinese im-\\nmigration, to extend the charters of the\\nNational bank, and against the ap-\\npointment of a tariff commission.\\nIn the 48th Congress he introduced a\\nnumber of private pension claims which\\nwere afterwards secured. He offered\\npetitions and papers to increase the\\npay of the Capitol police, and from cit-\\nizens of Pennsylvania for the enforce-\\nment of the eight-hour law; for penny\\npostage; from the Berks County Medical\\nSociety for a building for a medical\\nmuseum.\\nIn the 30th Congress Mr, Ermentrout\\nwas appointed on the committee on in-\\naugural ceremonies of President Har-\\ni-ison, and a teller at the count of the\\nelectoral vote.\\nHe introduced bills to print the pro-\\nceedings of Congress in accepting the\\nstatues of Cass, Muhlenberg and Ful-\\nton for Statuary Hall in the National\\nCapitol. These motions and resolu-\\ntions be offered: To admit ladies on\\nthe floor of the House; to reserve por-\\ntions of the House gallet y; for the ap-\\npointment of a committee on inaugural\\nceremonies; presenting the thanks of\\nCongress for the statues of Muhlenberg\\nand Fulton. He also presented peti-\\ntions and papers from the Reading\\nDruggists Association for free alcohol,\\nand from the Reading Typographical\\nUnion, No. 86, for the Chance-Breckin-\\nridge currency bill. He made a splen-\\ndid address on the Muhlenberg and\\nFulton statues.\\nIn the 55th Congress he presented a\\nbill and joint resolutions donating can-\\nnon to the G. A. R. at Allentown; for\\nthe relief of Herman Van Marsdorf:\\nalso papers and petitions from the Read-\\ning Cigarmakers Union against in-\\ncrease in the tariff on tobacco; from\\nFreedom Circle. Reading, relative to\\nalien ownership of land; Penn Hard-\\nware Company of Reading, against\\nduty on emery ore; Reading Tinplate\\nCompany, relative to placing tariff on\\ntinplate; St. Lawrence Congregation,\\nagainst placing church goods on the\\nfree list. He was also instrumental in\\nsecuring the appointment of Hon.\\nHenry May Keim as Consul to Prince\\nEdwards Island; the appointment of\\nFrank D. Keller, son of Col. D. C. Kel-\\nler, in the regular army; securing a\\npension for the family of the late Lieut.\\nJohn C. Hintz. U. S. V., and also se-\\ncuring flowers and plants for the beau-\\ntifying of the public park at the head\\nof Penn street. He made a memorable\\naddress at the Centennial in Philadel-", "height": "2610", "width": "1659", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0009.jp2"}, "10": {"fulltext": "phia in 1ST6 on The Pennsylvania\\nGermans in History.\\nThe remains of the deceased were in-\\nterred at the Charles Evans Cemeterj-,\\nin Reading, Pa., on the 21st of Septem-\\nber, and were buried with Congres-\\nsional honors. The funeral committee\\nselected by the Clerk of the House\\nconsisted of the following gentlemen:\\nCongressmen A. C. Harmer, H. H.\\nBingham, Wm. McAleer, Philadelphia,\\nPa.; J. W. Ryan. Pottsville, Pa.; Ga-\\nlusha A. Grow, Glen wood. Pa.; Wm.\\nAlden Smith, Mich.; C. F. Joy, Mo.; W.\\nP. Hepburn. Iowa; J. S. Salmon, Boon-\\nton, N. J.; W. D. Daly, Hoboken, N. J.;\\nJ. J. Gardner, Atlantic City, N. J.;\\nJames A. Norton. Ohio; Amos Cum-\\nmings, N. Y. City; James L. Sherman,\\nUtica, N. Y.; M. Brossius, Lancaster,\\nPa., and Senators Boise Penrose, Pa.\\nKean, N. J.; Kenny, Conn.; Welling-\\nton, Md. Vest, Mo.,; Morgan, Ala., and\\nJ. H. Hollingsworth, Clerk. The hon-\\norary pall-bearers selected from the\\nBar Association of Reading were Hon.\\nH. W. Bland, Chas. H. Schaefter, Esq.,\\nRichmond L. Jones, Esq., and C. H.\\nRuhl, Esq.\\nThere were many beautiful tributes\\nto the memory of the deceased, nota-\\nbly from the newspapers of his own\\nhome, as well as from the press of the\\nState generally; from the Bar Associa-\\ntion of Berks county; from various po-\\nlitical organizations of his own party:\\nfrom a local Post of the Grand Army\\nof the Republic; as there were letters\\nof condolence from distinguished citi-\\nzens of the State, including the Chi^f\\nMagistrate of the Commonwealth;\\nfrom Congressional associates of the\\nlate Congressman, and from private in-\\ndividuals, and from neighbors and\\nfriends generally.\\nAs a matter of historical interest in\\nMr. Ermentrout s Congressional ca-\\nreer, it may be mentioned th.it\\nup to the time of his death\\nhe was the last one remaining of\\na party of six who were gathered in\\nhis committee room at Washington\\ndiscussing civil service reform. Th.?y\\nwere John F. Andrews, of Massachu-\\nsetts; ex-Governor Curtin, of Pennsyl-\\nvania; Secretary Gresham, of Illinois;\\nArnott of New York; Mutchler, r,t\\nPennsylvania, and himself. At the\\ndeath of Congressman Andrews, which\\ntook place in June. 1895, Mr. Ermen-\\ntrout wrote in his diary the following\\nquotation from Whittier on the death\\nof Longfellow: Who next shall fall\\nand disappear? I await the answer\\nwith awe and solemnity and yet with\\nunshaken trust in the mercy of the\\nAll-Merciful.\\nAlas! the dread summons came to our\\nfriend and fellow-member all too soon!", "height": "2620", "width": "1664", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0010.jp2"}, "11": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2610", "width": "1659", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0011.jp2"}, "12": {"fulltext": "Ill", "height": "2828", "width": "1945", "jp2-path": "inmemoriamhondan00zimm_0012.jp2"}}