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MARSHALL COLLEGE
Class of 1849 Obituaries
Rev. Peter Seibert DAVIS, D. D., son of Elias F., and
Amelia (Seibert) Davis, was born at Boonsboro, Md., March 21, 1828. Dr. Davis was prepared for college by
private tutors in his father's family, and entered the Freshman class of Marshall College in 1845, graduating four
years later. He was an active member of the Diagnothian Society. He entered the Theological Seminary at Mercershurg, where he studied theology under Dr. J. W. Nevin
and Dr. Philip Schaff, and afterwards studied at Princeton, N. J.
He was licensed to preach the Gospel in 1850, by the
Classis of Maryland, and became assistant to Dr. Elias Heiner, pastor of the First Reformed church, Baltimore,
and at the same time taught Latin in the select school of Prof. T. D. Baird.
In 1853, he was ordained by the Classis of Virginia and
installed pastor of the Centenary Reformed church, Winchester, Va. He was pastor of this charge until 1857, when
he resigned to become Professor of Ancient Languages and English Literature in Mt. Washington Female College,
near Baltimore, an institution which was broken up by the Civil War.
In 1860, he became the pastor of the Church of the
Ascension, Norristown, Pa., and remained there until 1864, when he removed to Chambersburg, Pa., having accepted a
call to the pastorate of Zion's Church. He resigned this charge in 1875, and removed to Philadelphia, having been
elected, by the three Eastern Synods, editor-in-chief of The Reformed Church Messenger. In 1885 he traveled
through Europe on account of impaired health. His health was somewhat improved, but later he again became
enfeebled and in 1887 resigned as editor-in-chief of The Messenger on account of continued ill health.
Dr. Davis was gifted as an after-dinner speaker, and
spoke frequently at the various alumni banquets of the College. He was also a fluent and forceful writer. In 1861
he published " The Young Parson," which passed through several editions. Besides his editorials in The Messenger,
he did much other literary work. His " Mosaics of the Bible " and " The Young Professor " were lost by the
burning of Chambersburg in 1864.
He took part in the discussion which agitated the church
during his ministry, and though his opponents could not accept his views they always admired the genial spirit of
the man. He was an earnest, thoughtful preacher, and had qualities of head and heart which endeared him as a pastor.
During his residence in Philadelphia he devoted much
time to prison work. His experience and studies along this line, both in this country and in Europe, caused him
to be regarded an authority on prison reform.
After resigning as editor of The Messenger, he removed
from Philadelphia to Plainfield, N. J., in 1888, and in 1889 to Chicago, Ill. From there he went to Wyoming, Ohio,
near Cincinnati, in 1892. Here he died August 9, 1892, and was buried in Spring Grove cemetery.
He was married January 26, 1860, at Hanover, Pa., to Miss Emma M.
Phreaner. His widow and only child, Carolynn D. Peterson, of Plainfield, survive him.
[Rev. J. A. Peters, D. D.; Mrs. C. D. Peterson.]
William Ephraim DAVIS, A. M., M. D., son of Elias and
Amelia (Seibert) Davis, was born at Funkstown, Washington county, Md., December 28, 1828. He prepared for
college at Boonsboro, Md., under Drs. Diehl and Bittle, entered the Freshman class in 1845, and graduated with
his class. He was a member of the Diagnothian Society, and received the degree of A. M. in course, in 1852.
In the fall of 1850 he entered the Medical Department of
the University of Pennsylvania and received his degree of M. D. three years later. He began the practice of medicine
at Wolfsville, Frederick county, Md., in 1853, and in 1855 moved to Boonsboro, where he continued his practice until
death, December 17, 1857.
Dr. Davis married Miss Henrietta Elizabeth Smith, of
Boonsboro, January 10, 1853, and to them were born four children: Kate Amelia, wife of Dr. J. S. Boak, Martinsburg,
W. Va.; S. Seibert (M. D., U. of Va., 1875), Boonsboro, Md.; William E. (M. D., U. of Va., 1879; and U. of City of
New York, 1891), Baltimore; and Theodore F. Davis, Boulder, Colo.
[Wm. E. Davis, M. D.]
Tobias HARNISH, M. D., son of Samuel and Susannah
(Keller) Harnish, was born in Canoe Valley, near Waterstreet; Huntingdon county, Pa., March 6, 1826. His early
education was received in the public schools and from his Own individual efforts. He went to Marshall College and
entered the Freshman class in the fall of 1845, graduating in due course. He was elected president of the Goethean
Literary Society, March 3, 1849.
After graduation, he went South with the intention of
teaching. This he continued for four years in Mississippi. His school was select, having planters for his patrons, and
requiring a thorough knowledge of Latin, Greek and German. That these languages were well taught at the time
of his collegiate course was evidenced by the fact that until his declining years he could read Latin and Greek at sight.
This fact was not only the result of painstaking labor and thoroughness on the part of his teachers, but it was also due
to a highly developed memory.
On his return from Mississippi he began the study of
medicine under Dr. J. M. Gemmill, of Alexandria, Pa., and entered Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from
which he graduated in 1856. He practiced medicine in Martinsburg and Phillipsburg, Pa., and finally settled at
Alexandria, where he had the confidence of the people.
His analytical powers, retentive memory, and keenness of
diagnosis, would have made him a shining mark had he been endowed with ambition, but his retiring disposition
made him content. Having devoted his time profitably to well selected literature, his mind was well stored with facts
and consultation with him in his professional work evidenced the extent of his knowledge.
He was a member of the Huntingdon County Medical Society.
He was married in 1857 to Miss Augusta Stewart. One
daughter, Rose, survives, his wife dying in 1861. On March 6, 1865, he married Miss Letitia Stitt, of Alexandria.
He retired from active practice in 1893, an died at Alexandria, March 21, 1807, of melanosis, from which he had suffered for several
years.
His wife and five children survive him: Charles A., M. D.
(U. of Pa., 1891), who has taken his father's practice since his retirement; Walter K. (1896), a student at Princeton
Theological Seminary, and three daughters, Letitia, Sarah, and Annie, at home.
[Charles A. Harnish, M. D.]
J. LAUDENSCHLAGER entered the Freshman class of
Marshall College in 1845, became a member of the Goethean Literary Society, and graduated in 1849. The
following year he died at his home, at Gratz, Dauphin county, Pa., where members of his family are now living.
Rev. Joseph Seaman LOOSE, A. M., was born at
Hamburg, Berks county, Pa., March 17, 1821. At the age of four years he removed with his parents, Joseph and Esther
(Seaman) Loose, to Washington county, Md. His early life was spent on his father's farm near Clearspring, Md., and he
received his preparatory training in the school of this village, and one year at the Preparatory Department of
Marshall College.
He entered the Freshman class of the College in 1845,
graduating in 1849 with honor. He was a member of the Goethean Literary Society. He received the degree of
A. M. in course from his Alma Mater.
He entered the Theological Seminary in 1849, graduating
in 1851, and was licensed by the Classis of Maryland in the same year, to preach the Gospel. He was ordained in his
only charge at Mechanicsburg, Pa., in 1852. After a pastorate of two years he retired from the ministry in consequence of the complete failure of his vocal organs. This
weakness continued through his life, growing worse with increasing years.
He then turned his attention to teaching, and established
the Cumberland Valley Institute at Mechanicsburg, which he taught for four years with great success on the
coeducational plan. On account of ill health he discontinued teaching and removed to a farm near Greencastle,
Pa. Here his health soon improved, and he took charge of the academy at Mercersburg, in which, as the Preparatory Department of the College, he had also taught during
his seminary course. He taught here four years, until the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion, when he removed to
Greencastle, and subsequently to a farm at Williamsport, Md., where he taught a private school in his own home.
In 1870 he moved to Harrisonburg, Va., where he taught
in the public schools. In 1871 he was elected county superintendent of public schools of Rockingham county,
which position he held for two years. Being displaced by the mutations of politics, he removed to a farm he had purchased near Bridgewater, Va., and subsequently removed
to the village of Bridgewater. Soon after he was elected a justice of the peace, which office he reluctantly filled, and
declined a re-election after his term expired. He was elected cashier of the Farmer's Bank of Bridgewater in
1877, at the organization of the bank, and held this position until 1888, when his health became so feeble that he was
compelled to refrain from business. For a number of years prior to his death he was a confirmed invalid. He died on
April 17, 1894, and was buried at Hagerstown, Md. He lived an active and useful life.
He was married March 11, 1853, to Miss Sarah Adeline
Gross, of Harrisburg, Pa., who survives him. This happy marriage was blessed with six children, two of whom survived their father: Otho Benjamin, who attended
Mercersburg College in 1876 and 1877, and Elizabeth Henrietta, who attended the seminary at Staunton, Va.
[Rev. S. N. Callender, D. D.; Mrs. J. S. Loose.]
William Henry MILLER, son of Hon. Jesse and Eliza
(Sample) Miller, was born at Landisburg, Perry county, Pa., February 28, 1829, and died in Harrisburg, Pa., September
12, 1870. His father was a member of Congress during Gen. Jackson's administration, first auditor of the U. S.
Treasury under President Van Buren, and Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under Governor
Shunk.
William Henry's early life was characterized by an
eagerness and thirst for knowledge. He entered the Freshman class in 1845, became a Goethean, and graduated in 1849.
After graduation he read law with Hermanus Alricks, of
Harrisburg, where he was admitted to the bar. Upon his appointment as prothonotary of the Supreme Court of
Pennsylvania, in 1854, he took up his residence in Harrisburg, and served with ability in that capacity until 1863. He was
for one term clerk of the State Senate, and for a number of years connected with the Harrisburg Patriot. In 1862 he
was elected to the 38th Congress in the face of a large party majority. He died in his 42d year in the prime of a useful
life. He was a vigorous writer, a judicious counselor and a fearless and eloquent advocate.
He married Ellen, the eldest daughter of Christopher L.
Ward, of Towanda, Pa., who with one son, Jesse, survived him.
[Egle, Dr. W. H. History of Dauphin County, Pa.]
Rev. Abraham ROMICH, son of Leonard Philip and
Rosina (Leinbach) Romich, was born September 10, 1821, in Macungie, Lehigh county, Pa. He was baptized in
infancy by Rev. William Helfrich. When a boy of six years his parents removed to Philadelphia and joined Salem
Reformed church, Rev. Henry Biblighaus, pastor. At the age of thirteen, he was confirmed by his pastor. He
always took an active interest in the church, and was selected by the congregation as a worthy young man for
the ministry, and worthy of their moral and financial support, which he received.
He entered the Preparatory Department of the College
in 1844, and the year following, the Freshman class, graduating in 1849 with honor. He belonged to the
Diagnothian Society. After graduation he entered the Theological Seminary. The next year he left Mercersburg, having
received a certificate of dismission with a recommendation for licensure and ordination. He taught school until
August, 1851, when he accepted a call to the Jonestown charge, in Lebanon county, Pa. He was ordained and
installed pastor of this charge September 3, 1851. He was pastor of this charge for eleven years. He then started a
mission in Philadelphia, which, in 1864, became St. Stephen's Reformed church, and which he served as pastor
until 1876. He next accepted a call to the Beaver Spring charge, Snyder county, Pa., after which he was missionary
for the Pennsylvania Bible Society, from 1880 to 1891.
He was married to Miss Sabina Stine, of Jonestown, Pa.,
December 22, 1857. His wife and two daughters survive him: Mrs. Elizabeth Wetzel, and Miss Adele Mary Romich.
He died September 15, 1891, in Philadelphia.
[College Student, 12: 17; Rev. H. W. Super, D. D.; Mrs.
Elizabeth Wetzel.]
Andrew Kershner SYESTER, Esq., A. M., son of Daniel
and Sarah (Moudy) Syester, was born March 11, 1827, in Berkeley county, Va., now W. Va. His father was a native
of Berkeley county, and his mother was born in Washington county, Md. He prepared for college at the Preparatory
Department and entered the Freshman class in 1845, and graduated, after four years, as valedictorian of his class.
He belonged to the Diagnothian Society.
Mr. Syester was raised in the family of Andrew
Kershner, whose wife was his aunt. Mr. Kershner was a leading Whig in Washington county for many years, representing
it in the House of Delegates from 1818 to 1832. Nevertheless, Mr. Syester early cast his fortunes with the Democratic
party and, during the war, he was an earnest sympathizer with the South.
The year following his graduation, Mr. Syester removed
to Hagerstown, Md. During the following winter he was a committee clerk in the Maryland House of Delegates. In
November, 1851, he was admitted to the bar, and in 1853 he was elected as a Whig to the House of Delegates. He
was elected State's attorney of Washington county in 1854, which office he held for four years from January 1, 1855.
He was twice renominated but declined the nomination.
In 1857 the Whigs nominated him for judge of the Court of Appeals in opposition to James L. Bartol, Democrat, but
he was defeated by seven votes, after a very exciting contest. The judicial district at that time comprised Allegany,
Washington, Frederick, Carroll, and Harford counties. In 1864, Mr. Syester was a candidate for Congress against
Hon. Francis Thomas, but he was defeated in common with all other Democrats of that period. In the spring of 1867
he was elected a member of the Constitutional Convention, and in the autumn of the same year to the House of
Delegates. He was elected Attorney-General of Maryland in 1871, having been nominated by the Democratic party. In
1882 he was elected associate judge of the fourth judicial circuit, composed of Allegany, Garrett and Washington
counties. He held this office at the time of his death.
From his earliest experience as a lawyer, Mr. Syester
always had a large trial practice, and he was regarded as one of the ablest criminal lawyers of the State. In the
course of his professional career he was engaged in no less than thirty-two cases of homicide. One of his
most celebrated cases was that of Harry Crawford Black, charged with the murder of William McKaig, who betrayed
Black's sister, for which Black shot him. Mr. Syester's conduct of this case, which resulted in the acquittal of
Black, greatly assisted in obtaining him the nomination for the attorney-generalship.
November 15, 1852, he was married to Miss Catharine
Gaither Harry, daughter of George I. Harry, of Hagerstown. Their surviving children are: Andrew K.,
Harrisburg, Pa.; Miss Louise Darby, Hagerstown; Lewis Duffield, Hagerstown; and Mrs. Joseph W. Coxe, Roanoke, Va.
After two years of suffering, Judge Syester died at his
home in Hagerstown, March 25, 1891. He is buried in Rose Hill cemetery of that place.
[College Student, 11: 134; Scharf, J. T. History of Western
Maryland, 1882, 2: 1124 (Portrait) ; Lewis D. Syester, Esq.]
Source: Franklin and Marshall College
Obituary Record, Edited for the Alumni Association, Vol. 1, No.1, Lancaster,
Pa. Published by the Alumni Association of Franklin and Marshall
College, June 1897.
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