In the year 1737 Jacob Dengler emigrated to America,
coming from Germany, probably from Wittenberg. His brother, Andreas, who
soon followed, died in America, unmarried. Jacob Dengler settled near
Amityville, Berks county, and there built a forge and manufactured various
iron implements. His remains are buried at the Swamp church. - Henry
Dengler, the progenitor of the Denglers in Oley township, Berks county, a
grandson of Jacob, was born Oct. 3, 1792, in Amity township. He married
Sarah Guldin, a lineal descendant of the Rev. Semuel Guldin, who emigrated
to this country from Switzerland in 1710, and was the first Reformed
minister in Pennsylvania. Henry Dengler moved from Amity to Friedensburg,
now Oley, in 1829, and engaged in a mercantile business, in which he
continued until near the close of his life. He was very active in public
affairs, and took a deep interest in church matters, being one of the
chief promoters of the building of the First Reformed church at
Friedensburg, Berks county, in 1830, donating the land and contributing
liberally otherwise. For many years he served as an officer of the
Reformed Church. His death occurred March 19, 1860, when he was
sixty-seven years, five months and sixteen days old. His wife, Sarah, died
Oct. 30, 1883, aged seventy-six years, seven months and twenty-five days.
Their children were: Henry G., deceased; John G.; James G.; Harriet,
married to John C. Nipe, and lives in Philadelphia; George, lives in
Clarion county; Washington, who enlisted at the age of eighteen, served
for two years in the Civil War, was captured July 24., 1863, and kept a
prisoner in Richmond until March 23, 1864, when he was taken to
Andersonville, South Carolina, and there died of starvation, May 6, 1864.;
Jacob, married to Sarah N. Diehl, died in February, 1905, aged seventy-one
years; Mary Ann, married to Isaac Vansickle; William G.; Susanna G.;
Daniel G.; and Louisa G.; who have all departed this life.
The Rev. Dr. James G. Dengler, youngest son of Henry, has been in the
ministry of the Reformed Church since June, 1874- He is a graduate of
Franklin and Marshall College at Lancaster, and of the Theological
Seminary located there. For nearly a quarter of a century he served one
charge in Sellersville, Bucks county, Pa.; other charges served by him
were Maytown, Lancaster county, Pa., and Weissport, Carbon county, Pa. Dr.
Dengler has been a frequent contributor to various publications, both
religious and secular, and is a scholarly man of marked attainments. As a
religious leader he has few equals in devoted piety and earnestness, of
both life and teachings.
John G. Dengler, the revered veteran school teacher of Berks county, is a
resident of Friedensburg, Oley township, where he was born Oct. 29, 1837-
His education was obtained in the Oley Academy under Prof. Jacob H. Major,
and the Freeland Seminary under Prof. Hunsicker. He was licensed to teach
in the public schools under the first county superintendent of Berks
county, Rev. William A. Good, in 1857, and taught the first term in Oley
township, in school house No. 1. Prof. Dengler has since been teaching
every successive school term (except during his army service), and also
conducted select schools each spring term. He has instructed thousands of
boys and girls of Berks county, forming their characters through his
excellent example, as he shaped their minds with his wise precepts, and he
is held in highest respect by the entire county. He is now teaching the
grandchildren of his first pupils. Prof. Dengler possesses a kind and
benevolent disposition. which is shown in his intelligent face, and is
loved for his many excellent traits and lofty ideals of life. During the
many years that he has labored in Berks county he has witnessed many
changes, especially in the public school system. His first salary was
twenty-two dollars per months of twenty-two days. Not only has he
instructed the children under him the text of their books, but gave them
the benefit of his wide experience, varied reading and exhaustive studies,
and never failed to hold up the highest possible standards before their
young eyes.
On April 18, 1861, Mr. Dengler, filled with patriotism, enlisted in Co. C,
7th Pa. V. I., at Harrisburg, and was in active service at Martinsburg,
Va. His first enlistment was for but three months; however, on Oct. 30,
1861, he re-enlisted at Reading, for three years, in Battery M, U. S. A.,
Capt. James McKnight commanding, and saw some very hard service, passing
through the entire Peninsular campaign, and participating in the battles
of the Wilderness. When he was mustered out, Oct. 30, 1864, at Staten
Island, N. Y., he was in the Sixth Army Corps. Having thus devoted over
three years of his life to his country, Prof. Dengler came back to
Reading, where he arrived after midnight on Oct. 31, 1864.; so anxious was
he to see his dear ones that he walked to Friedensburg, a distance of
twelve miles. The following day he engaged to teach the school he had left
three and one-half years before, at the call of duty, and accepted the
position at the earnest solicitation of the patrons, who were anxious to
secure his distinguished services. Prof. Dengler has also been active in
church work, ever since young manhood, and is a member of Friedens
Reformed church, of which he has been an elder and trustee. He is a
trustee of the Friedens cemetery company; a trustee of the Oley Academy,
founded in 1857, holding this office since 1875- Since his youth Prof.
Dengler has been a faithful teacher in the Sunday school. He is a member
of Minnehaha Lodge, No. 1541 K. of P., at Oley; also Jr. 0. U. A. M.
Council, No. 23, of the same place. In addition to all his other duties
Prof. Dengler is the correspondent to all the Reading daily papers at
Friedensburg In 1907, at the Berks County Teachers Institute, an hour was
set apart in recognition of Prof. Dengler's long and faithful services as
a public instructor at which time he was presented with a silver loving
cup, fifty dollars in gold, and seventy carnations, the last named
representing the number of years he had lived. Those having the program in
charge very fittingly selected his birthday for the presentation day, and
the speech which accompanied the gifts, as well as his reply, will never
be forgotten by those present.
Prof. Dengler has been twice married. His first wife to whom he was
married in January, 1860, was Catharine Schlotman, daughter of John and
Lydia (Shade) Schlotman. She was born in Oley, in 1839 and died May 5,
1875, aged thirty-five years, the mother of children, as follows: Annie,
married Harvey. Wismer, deceased, has four children, as follows: Carl,
Millard, deceased, Frank, and Ralph, and lives at Philadelphia; Millie,
married Benjamin Swavely, deceased, has five children, as follows: Miriam,
married to Edwin Deisher; Hattie, Grace, and two who died in infancy, and
lives at Friedensburg; Lilla, deceased, married Milton A. Bieber, of
Reading, had four children, as follows: Bertha, married to Leroy, Smith;
Ambrose, and two died in infancy; Calvin and Clara, who died in infancy;
and Harvey S. Dengler, an enterprising insurance man of Allentown, was
born Jan. 21, 1872, at Oley Friedensburg, Berks county, Pa. In 1878 Prof.
Dengler married his second wife, Kate L. (Ritter) Yoder, widow of Thomas
Yoder, with whom he had three children; William, who has an R. F. D. mail
route at Oley, is married to Ella Christman, and has ten children, as
follows: Blanche, Harvey, John, Ella, William, Alton, Leroy, Earl, and two
died in infancy; John was drowned when fourteen years old; Sallie, married
to Alton Wiest, of Reading, the mother of two children, as follows: Ruth
and Earl.
History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania and a genealogical and biographical
record of its families by Charles Rhoads Roberts, et.al, Allentown, 1914.
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