tective Order of Elks; Knights of Columbus, No. 522; the Heptasophs, and the Homeless Twenty-six. He and his wife are members of the Roman Catholic church of Ebensburg.
Mr. Bearer married, September 24, 1889, Jennie R., daughter of ex-Sheriff John A. and Jane Ann (Evans) Blair, and they are the parents of three children: Paul T., Byron E. and Roy P.
WILLIAM SCHMIDT, who is the proprietor of one of the most nourishing establishments in this section of the country, with gardens, hothouses, etc., located in Westmont, opposite Grand View cemetery, and salesrooms at No. 208 Franklin street, Johnstown, Cambria county, Pennsylvania, is, as the name indicates, a representative of a German family.
He was born in Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany, September 16, 1863, and at the age of nineteen years left his native land in order to seek his fortunes in the new world. He came to America in 1882, settled in Johnstown, and has made that city his home since that time. His school education was obtained in his native country, and by means of studying the English language in the evenings and during all his spare moments, he found no difficulty in obtaining employment in America. He was variously engaged until 1894, when he entered the employ of a man by the name of Stahl, a florist, for whom he worked conscientiously and faithfully until 1901. At this time he purchased the business of his employer, including the extensive gardens and hothouses, located opposite the cemetery, and by his enterprise and careful business methods has made an eminent success of this undertaking. He has an enviable reputation throughout the business world of Cambria county for reliability and practical business methods. He is a member of the Lutheran church, and his political affiliations are with the Independent party. He is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.
He married, 1888, Lena Zimmer, daughter of George and Helena Zimmer, who emigrated from Germany in 1869, and they have two children.
JOSEPH C. LAUFFER. The name that heads this sketch is that of a man who is and has been for a number of years prominently identified with the public interests and welfare of Portage, Cambria county, Pennsylvania. His business interests are largely in the real estate and insurance fields. He is of German descent, and has inherited the habits of thrift and industry that predominate in those of that country.
Valentine Lauffer, father of Joseph C. Lauffer, was born in Germany in 1828. He was one of a party who came to this country in 1829, and when a youth accepted a position as coachman for Dr. Shunebarger, the great ironmaster of the Sayer furnace, and this he held for some years. He then bought a farm at Poplar Run, about 1866 or '67, and lived on and cultivated it until 1872, when he sold it and removed with his family to Portage. At the first call to arms made by President Lincoln, Mr. Lauffer responded, ready to lay down life in defense of the country which he called his own. He enlisted in Company A. Fifty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, and served with great bravery. He was actively engaged in a number of the most important conflicts of that time--second battle of Bull Run, Fortress Monroe, New Orleans, Gettysburg, and the battle of the Wilderness. He returned to Blair county at the close of the war, but injuries which
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