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In the waning moments of World War II, the Lewis Historical Publishing Company commissioned former Pennsylvania State Librarian Frederick Godcharles to prepare a history of central Pennsylvania. In the tradition of Lewis Historical Publishing, the fourth and final volume of that work was devoted to biographical sketches of the central Pennsylvania luminaries (mostly businessmen from towns like Harrisburg, Hershey, Williamsport, and Gettysburg, or counties like Lancaster, Union, Sullivan, and Dauphin). The work at hand is a reprint of the final, Personal and Family History volume of Godcharles' massive effort.

In all, Biographical and Genealogical Sketches from Central Pennsylvania features over 1,200 sketches--some of them illustrated--of prominent business and professional men from this region. The sketches uniformly recount the subject's career, civic and fraternal interests, and political leanings, if any. In addition, we are invariably provided with his date and place of birth, date of marriage, name of spouse, and names of children and their spouses, and the names of grandchildren, frequently with dates given. In a significant number of the sketches the subject's ancestry is traced back to the Civil War and, sometimes, to the eighteenth century. Comprising one of the largest, if not the largest, single collection of central Pennsylvania biographical/genealogical sketches; this scarce volume is commended to you if your antecedent is listed among the names that follow:

Abel, Adams, Ade, Albertini, Albright, Aldinger, Alexander, Alwine, Amble, Anderson, Andruss, Anspach, Anstine, Appel, Apple, Arbegast, Archibald, Arnold, Artley, Asper, Atkins, Aument, Averill, Bachman, Bacon, Badorf, Bagshaw, Bahney, Bailey, Bair, Baird, Baker, Ballard, Bamberger, Baney, Banks, Barber, Barbour, Barclay, Bard, Barger, Barker, Barnhart, Barto, Barton, Batdorff, Bateman, Baum, Beaman, Bearinger, Beatty, Beaudin, Bechtold, Beck, Becker, Beckwith, Beddall, Beers, Bees, Behler, Bell, Belmar, Bender, Benedict, Bennett, Benning, Benson, Bentz, Berger, Berkheimer, Bernstein, Bertels, Bertin, Beruinger, Beury, Bevier, Biberman, Bicksler, Bigham, Billig, Bingham, Binkley, Binner, Bistline, Bitting, Bittner, Bixler, Blood, Bly, Blyer, Bobb, Boeshore, Bogar, Boggs, Boiardi, Boillat, Bolens, Bolger, Bollman, Boltz, Bomberger, Bomgardner, Bomman, Booh, Books, Border, Bordner, Bostwick, Bott, Bottcher, Bower, Bowers, Bowman, Boyd, Boyer, Brady, Brandt, Bream, Brehm, Brendle, Breneman, Brenner, Bricker, Bright, Brightbill, Brockley, Brockway, Bronzburg, Broome, Broscious, Brossman, Brough, Brouse, Brown, Brubaker, Brucklacher, Brungard, Brunner, Brust, Bryce, Buch, Bucher, Buckalew, Buckwalter, Budd, Bullock, Burchell, Burchfield, Burdick, Burkholder, Bury, Bush, Bushey, Butler, Byers, Byrne, Cadwallader, Cairns, Cameron, Campbell, Caplan, Carolus, Carter, Carver, Cary, Case, Cassell, Cattell, Cawley, Chalfant, Chambers, Chapin, Charters, Clapp, Clark, Clarke, Claus, Clausen, Clay, Clayberger, Clemens, Clement, Coble, Cochran, Cochrane, Cohen, Cohr, Coleman, Colette, Collier, Collins, Colombi, Comp, Confair, Conover, Conser, Conway, Cook, Cooke, Cooper, Coover, Cortright, Coughlin, Coulson, Cox, Crandall, Crane, Cremer, Crichton, Crisswell, Crist, Cronrath, Croop, Crossley, Crouse, Crowe, Crytzer, Culbertson, Current, Dabler, Daehnke, Dakin, Dalburg, Daneker, Danforth, Daniel, Dann, Davenport, Davies, Davis, Dawson, Deck, Deckard, Decker, Deeter, Degg, De Haven, Delone, Dempwolf, Derr, Desch, Devitt, De Witt, Dickson, Diehm, Dietrich, Dietrichson, Dietz, Dill, Distler, Ditzler, Dohner, Dool, Dornbach, Doughty, Dreibelbis, Droz, Duffy, Dummer, Dunbar, Dunham, Dunkelberger, Dunkle, Dunlap, Dyer, Eaby, Eagan, Earley, Early, Eastwood, Ebersole, Eby, Ecker, Eckert, Edie, Ehrgood, Eisenhart, Ellenberger, Elliott, Elmes, Elwell, Ely, Emerich, Enck, Engle, Enterline, Erb, Erdley, Esbenshade, Eshenaur, Esser, Etter, Evans, Everett, Fairchild, Fake, Farmer, Fasick, Fasnacht, Fauber, Fay, Feaser, Feinberg, Fenstermacher, Ferguson, Fernsler, Ferrari, Ferry, Fetterhoff, Fetterolf, Fields, Fink, Finkbinder, Finnegan, Fischer, Fish, Fisher, Fisler, Fletcher, Flory, Fogelsanger, Folgersonger, Follmer, Folmsbee, Foresman, Forman, Forney, Forrester, Forrey, Fortenbaugh, Fortney, Fosnot, Foster, Foust, Fox, Foye, Fraim, Francis, Frankenfield, Frantz, Frazer, Frazier, Frederick, Frey, Freymeyer, Frick, Friederich, Fritz, Fryburger, Fuller, Fullerton, Funkhouser, Furey, Galloway, Gammache, Gantz, Garber, Gardiner, Gardner, Garman, Garrett, Gass, Gassert, Gassler, Gates, Gearhart, Geesaman, Geib, Geiger, Gerberich, Gerhart, Getman, Getter, Gibble, Gibson, Gill, Gilmore, Gingrich, Girton, Gitt, Glass, Glassmoyer, Glatfelter, Glazier, Glenn, Glosser, Glover, Gobrecht, Gochnauer, Godcharles, Goehring, Goeken, Golden, Good, Goodman, Grace, Graeff, Graff, Graham, Grau, Gray, Graybill, Grebe, Greenough, Greider, Grimes, Groff, Groh, Groner, Groover, Grosh, Gross, Grubb, Guerrisi, Guise, Gulden, Guthrie, Gutschall, Haag, Haar, Habecker, Haberstroh, Hacker, Hackman, Hager, Hall, Hamaker, Hamilton, Hamm, Hammar, Hammond, Hamner, Hampton, Happer, Harbaugh, Harder, Harding, Hardinge, Hare, Harpel, Harpster, Harrington, Harris, Harrison, Hart, Harter, Hartman, Hartwell, Hartz, Hassel, Hassenplug, Hassett, Hassinger, Hastings, Haupt, Hawley, Hayden, Hays, Heacock, Heck, Heckert, Heess, Heiges, Heilman, Heim, Heimbach, Heine, Heisey, Hellam, Hempt, Hendrix, Henly, Hensel, Herman, Herr, Herrold, Hersh, Hershberger, Hershey, Hershner, Hertz, Hertzler, Hess, Heusner, Hibshman, Hickernell, Hicks, High, Hildebrand, Hill, Hipple, Hitchler, Hoak, Hobart, Hocker, Hofer, Hoffa, Hoffacker, Hoffman, Hoffmeister, Holbrooke, Hollabaugh, Hollinger, Holman, Holtzman, Hook, Hoover, Horn, Horner, Horning, Horst, Hosler, Hosterman, Hostetter, Hottenstein, Houck, Houghton, Housel, Hover, Howard, Howell, Hower, Howerth, Howle, Hoy, Hubbard, Huber, Huebener, Huebner, Hughes, Huling, Hummel, Hunt, Hurff, Hurr, Hurst, Hutter, Hutton, Hyman, Ibach, Ikeler, Ikler, Ingham, Innes, Ivins, Jeffers, Jefford, Jennings, Jobe, Johnson, Johnston, Jones, Jury, Kaltreider, Kaplan, Karmany, Kast, Kauffman, Kaufman, Kaye, Keefer, Keen, Keener, Kegerreis, Kegler, Keiser, Keith, Kelchner, Kelker, Keller, Kemble, Kemp, Kendig, Kepner, Kerr, Kessler, Kettering, Kiehl, Kiester, Kincel, Kinsinger, Kinzer, Kirk, Kirkpatrick, Kistler, Klein, Kline, Klinedinst, Klinefelter, Kling, Klingman, Klopp, Knies, Knoebel, Knouse, Koenigsberg, Kohler, Koller, Krause, Krebs, Kreider, Krisher, Kresge, Krum, Kuehnert, Kuhn, Kuhns, Kunkel, Kurtz, Kushel, Lahr, Lance, Landgraf, Landis, Lanning, Lantz, Lark, Larrabee, Lauck, Laucks, Lausch, Lauver, Laux, Law, Lawley, Layser, Leaman, Le Duc, Leed, Leely, Lehm, Lehman, Lehr, Leib, Leinbach, Leisenring, Leiser, Leister, Lemon, Lenker, Lentz, Leonard, Le Page, Lerch, Lerman, Leschey, Lesher, Lewars, Lewis, Lewisson, Liebich, Light, Lilich, Link, Lischy, Little, Llewellyn, Lloyd, Lober, Lohr, Long, Longachre, Loose, Lorah, Louser, Lowell, Ludwick, Ludwig, Lundy, Lupold, Lutz, Lynch, McBride, McCallum, McCarty, McCausland, McConnell, McCormick, McCoy, McCraney, McCrone, McCurdy, McDowell, McFarland, McGee, McGhee, McIntosh, McIntyre, McKinney, McNerney, McPherson, McWilliams, MacDonald, MacIntrye, Magee, Malick, Malone, Manbeck, Maneval, Manifold, Mann, Mansuy, March, Margerum, Mark, Markle, Markunas, Marsh, Martin, Martz, Masland, Masser, Mathias, Mattern, Matteson, Matthews, Mattis, Maurice, Maxwell, Meals, Meek, Meixel, Mellish, Mencer, Mentzer, Mertz, Mervine, Metzger, Meyer, Meylert, Michaels, Middlesworth, Miles, Milleisen, Miller, Millward, Mitrani, Moehlmann, Mohl, Mohler, Mohr, Molyneaux, Moore, Moorehead, Morgan, Morris, Morrison, Morrow, Moser, Moss, Motter, Motz, Moul, Moyer, Mumey, Mummert, Mundorf, Murphy, Murray, Musselman, Musser, Mussina, Myerley, Myers, Mylin, Nagel, Narehood, Nauss, Nayfield, Neff, Nestor, Newton, Nickel, Nissley, Nissly, Nitrauer, Noggle, Noll, Noonan, Norris, Noss, Nutting, Nye, Oatman, Ober, Oberholtzer, Obetz, Oblender, Oller, Ord, Orner, O'Rourke, Orr, Ottmeyer, Overly, Owen, Packard, Page, Painter, Palumbo, Pardee, Parker, Paternostro, Patschke, Patterson, Paul, Pealer, Pensyl, Persing, Person, Peterman, Peters, Petry, Philips, Picking, Pierson, Plankenhorn, Plasterer, Plowman, Pohl, Polk, Portzline, Posey, Potteiger, Potter, Powl, Price, Pursel, Quinn, Rader, Rainey, Rakow, Ramer, Ranck, Randall, Rank, Raymor, Ream, Reamer, Rebert, Redcay, Reddig, Reed, Reese, Reeser, Reich, Reichard, Reighard, Reigner, Reily, Reimensnyder, Rein, Reindollar, Reisinger, Rempfer, Rengier, Ressler, Reynolds, Rhey, Rhoades, Rice, Rich, Richardson, Richter, Riden, Rider, Rife, Rine, Rinehardt, Risser, Rissmiller, Ritter, Ritzman, Roat, Robbins, Roberts, Robinson, Rogers, Rohrbach, Rohrer, Rombach, Romig, Root, Rose, Rosemiller, Ross, Rothenberg, Rothermel, Rovenolt, Royer, Rubin, Ruby, Rudisill, Ruhl, Runkle, Rutherford, Rutter, Ryan, Ryder, St. Clair, Sample, Saunders, Sawyer, Schachterle, Schaeffer, Schaffer, Schaffner, Schantz, Schaszberger, Schelling, Schindler, Schlasemen, Schlegel, Schleif, Schlott, Schmertz, Schmidt, Schmucher, Schmuck, Schneck, Schneitman, Schnitzer, Schoch, Schock, Schott, Schotta, Schradley, Schreyer, Schrier, Schropps, Schuyler, Schwartz, Schweitzer, Schwenk, Scott, Seal, Searight, Sechrist, Seesholtz, Seidel, Seiler, Seitz, Seldomridge, Sellers, Sener, Seriff, Settles, Shaak, Shalkop, Shanaman, Shand, Shapiro, Sharp, Sharrer, Sheaffer, Shear, Sheehey, Sheetz, Sheffer, Sheiffer, Sheldon, Sheller, Shenk, Shepp, Sherman, Sherry, Shertzer, Shimer, Shipman, Shirk, Shoemaker, Shoff, Shollenberger, Sholly, Shoop, Shore, Showalter, Showbaker, Shroyer, Shufflebottom, Shugar, Shull, Shulz, Siegrist, Siemens, Simcock, Simon, Singleton, Singmaster, Sinner, Sitler, Skeen, Skelton, Slaymaker, Sleeger, Slothour, Slothower, Smaltz, Smith, Snavely, Sneeringer, Snell, Snook, Snyder, Souder, Souders, Sourber, Spahr, Spalding, Spangler, Specht, Speece, Spence, Spicer, Spogen, Spotts, Stabler, Stackpole, Stafford, Stahl, Stair, Stambaugh, Stamm, Stauffer, Steck, Steckbeck, Steel, Steele, Steffen, Stein, Steinberger, Steininger, Steinmeyer, Stephens, Sterling, Stetler, Stevens, Stevenson, Stewart, Stockwell, Stolzfus, Stone, Stoner, Stonesifer, Stopper, Storb, Stork, Stough, Stover, Straley, Strayer, Strickler, Strite, Stroup, Strouss, Stuart, Stultz, Stump, Stumpf, Sturm, Sullivan, Sultner, Sunday, Sutliffe, Sutton, Swanger, Swartz, Swope, Tabb, Thomas, Thome, Thompson, Thumma, Tice, Tilley, Todd, Traut, Trautman, Travis, Treat, Tressler, Trew, Tritch, Tritle, Trostle, Troup, Trout, Troutman, Tyson, Ulmer, Ulrich, Umholtz, Underhoffler, Unger, Utz, Vale, Valentine, Van Allman, Vandergrift, Van Maanen, Van Scyoc, Van Zant, Venn, Vincent, Voelcker, Vogel, Vogt, Vought, Wagner, Walker, Wallize, Walls, Walter, Walters, Waltman, Walton, Warner, Wartluft, Wasbers, Watt, Weaber, Weabes, Wear, Weary, Weaver, Webber, Weber, Wehler, Weidman, Weikert, Weimer, Weiner, Weirick, Weise, Weiser, Weiss, Welliver, Welsh, Wenger, Wentzel, Werman, Wert, Wertman, Wertz, Wetzel, White, Whiteside, Whitmer, Whitmore, Whitmoyer, Wiest, Wiker, Wilder, Williams, Willits, Wills, Wilson, Wilton, Windsor, Winebrenner, Wingard, Winter, Wise, Witmer, Witmeyer, Wolf, Wolfe, Wolff, Wolfrom, Wollam, Wolverton, Wood, Woodruff, Woodside, Woolworth, Worrilow, Wream, Wright, Yarger, Yates, Yeager, Yeiser, Yingst, Yocum, Yoder, York, Yoselowitz, Yost, Young, Youngman, Zahm, Zehner, Zeiser, Zeller, Zerbe, Zerfing, Zettle, Ziegler, Ziemer, Zimmerman, Zinkand, Zug, and Zwally.