A. N. Shuster

A. N. SHUSTER, a prominent real estate and insurance dealer in Westmoreland county. Pennsylvania. was born in Penn township. near Boquet. May 12, 1873 the son of Israel and Mary (Kepple) Shuster. His mother is deceased, and his father is a farmer in Penn township. A. N. Shuster acquired his education in the public schools of his native place, and at the age of sixteen left school and entered into his first regular employment as clerk for Ed Fry, at Boquet, which position he held for five years. He then moved to Charleroi, where he acted as head clerk for J. E. McCardle for three years. He went to Monessen in October, 1897, becoming one of the pioneer settlers in that town. At the time of his arrival there were but three families in residence there, and he and his brother John opened a general store, the first of its kind in the place. They conducted the business very successfully under the firm name of Shuster Brothers for five years, when they sold it to the Geer Brothers. During the succeeding year they engaged in the conduct of a feed and livery business, and at the end of the year Mr. A. N. Shuster went on a trip to California. Upon his return he organized a stock company and erected the Monessen Opera House at a cost of $45,000, and of this Mr. Shuster has since been manager and director. He was also one of the organizers of the Monessen Savings and Trust Company, of Monessen, of which he is now a member of the board of directors. In May 1905, he formed a partnership with Milton Loeb, and established a real estate and insurance business, which they conduct tinder the firm name of Shuster and Loeb. They also conduct a fire insurance business. In this line they represent the Allegheny Insurance Company: the Western of Toronto; the S. V. E. A. of Gothenburg, Sweden; and the London, Liverpool and Globe Insurance Companies.

Mr. Shuster has always been actively identified with all public affairs, and was one of the first councilmen elected in the borough, serving for three years. He was elected on the Democratic ticket, and in 1903 was elected burgess on the Republican ticket. He has served as a member of the Republican County Convention for the past three years. Fraternally he is a member of the B. P. O. E.. and one of the organizers of the Monessen Lodge, No. 773: he was made a member of the Elks in Charleroi; he was one of the charter members of the K. P., Monessen Lodge; and also one of the charter members of the German Beneficial Union. He has contributed his share toward the upbuilding of the thriving borough, and erected the building occupied by Greer Brothers, on Scheonmaker avenue, which is forty-four by one hundred feet. Mr. Shuster married, March 26, 1898, Bessie McFeely, daughter of Scott and Anna McFeely, of Monongahela, Pennsylvania. They have three children: Prather, Rudell and Catharine, deceased. They are members of the Presbyterian church.  

Source: Page(s) 222-223, History of Westmoreland County, Volume II, Pennsylvania by John N Boucher. New York, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906.
Transcribed August 2008 by Nathan Zipfel for the Westmoreland County History Project
Contributed for use by the Westmoreland County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/westmoreland/)

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