HENRY K. HARTZELL,
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HENRY K. HARTZELL, M.D., President of the
HARTZELL Concentrating Company, and a leading business man of
Allentown, was born in Bucks County, Pa., on the 6th of May,
1840, and is a son of Philip G. HARTZELL, who was also a native
of Bucks County, and was a farmer by occupation. The
grandfather, Philip HARTZELL, was of German descent. The mother
of our subject, who bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Kerr, was
born in Bucks County, and was a daughter of Henry Kerr, who was
of Scotch and Irish descent. Unto Mr. and Mrs. HARTZELL were
born eight children, seven of whom are yet living, three being
residents of Allentown.
When our subject was a lad of ten years his father died, and
he went to live with an uncle in Montgomery County, Pa., where
he attended the common schools and acquired his literary
education. He then began reading medicine with Dr. C. Williams,
of Tylersport, Pa., and later entered Jefferson Medical College
of Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1863. He
commenced practice in Goodville, where he continued for seven
years, when he came to Allentown and opened an office.
Subsequently he formed a partnership with P. Albright and J. F.
Kline, under the firm name of P. Albright & Co., private
bankers. They did a successful business and subsequently merged
into the Girard Savings Bank, which ceased operations in 1873.
Mr. HARTZELL afterward became interested in the iron mines of
Lehigh and Berks Counties, and owns a considerable interest in
magnetic iron-ore mines. This investment has proved a profitable
one and yields him a good income. He formed a partnership with
Thomas A. Edison, and for two and one-half years they
experimented and succeeded in putting into successful operation
a process for separating iron-ore by electricity. The HARTZELL
Concentrating Company was then organized, and Dr. HARTZELL was
made its President. In the spring of 1893 this was made a stock
company under the laws of the state, and the following gentlemen
are now the officers of the HARTZELL Concentrating Company: H.
K. HARTZELL, President; and W. S. Pilling, Secretary and
Treasurer. The works of the company are located in the
Rittenhouse Gap in the mountain, and a superior quality of
magnetic ore is mined. The company use all of the latest and
best improved machinery for separating and concentrating the
ore, and furnish employment to about two hundred men. They have
two large Corliss stationary engines of
two-hundred-and-fifty-horse power each, besides smaller engines,
and about three hundred tons of ore are turned out daily. This
is one of the leading enterprises of the city.
In 1879 Dr. HARTZELL was joined in wedlock with Miss Mary
Martin, a daughter of Dr. T. H. Martin, one of the highly
respected citizens of Lehigh County, and to them were born two
children, Helen M. and Harry Kerr. Their home is an elegant
brick residence, built in modern style of architecture, supplied
with all conveniences and tastefully and richly furnished. It is
located at the northeast corner of Eighth and Walnut Streets.
In political sentiment, Dr. HARTZELL is a pronounced
Democrat, but has never been an office-seeker, preferring to
devoted[sic] his entire time and attention to his business
interests. Besides his interest in the mines he is connected
with other enterprises, being a Director of the Lehigh Valley
Trust and Safety Deposit Company, and also of
PORTRAIT AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. P. 797
the Allentown Hardware Works. He is a man of most excellent
business ability, sagacious and farsighted, and by close
attention to details and well directed efforts, he has become
one of the representative business men of this part of
Pennsylvania.
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Source:
Portrait and Biographical Record of Lehigh, Northampton and
Carbon Counties, Pennsylvania. Containing Biographical Sketches
of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the Counties,
Together with Biographies and Portraits of all the Presidents of
the United States. Chicago, Chapman Publishing Co., 1894; |
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