Posted on: Luzerne Co. Pa Bios Forum Reply Here: http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~genbbs/genbbs.cgi/USA/Pa/LuzerneBios/11553 Surname: VEALE, LEUTHOLD, KLOSE, PROBERT ------------------------- Hazleton Plain Speaker, Mon. Mar. 19, 1945 James Veale, retired contractor of 323 East Elm street, is celebrating his 95th birthday today, and for a man of his years is hale and hearty. He gets around the town with the agility of a man many years younger. Born in England, Mr. Veale is one of our pioneer residents, having come to Hazleton in 1873. At that time he worked on the old Central Hotel building where the Hotel Loughran now stands, and he recalls the first stripping operations in the region. At that time, the top soil was hauled away in wheelbarrows, from the first stripping at Coxeville, and people gazed in amazement at this new type of "mining" which nowadays is commonplace. He built the first house on North Locust street for the late Calvin Pardee, and says "the place was just woods then". In his early years here there were no houses north of Diamond avenue and none on what we today call the south side of town. Mr. Veale is a member of St. Peter's Episcopal church and can recall attending the Episcopal church in Drifton built by Mrs. Eckley B. Coxe before the local one was constructed. His wife is dead and he now lives with a daughter, Miss Ethel Veale. There are six grandchildren: Mrs. Harry F. Leuthold, wife of the city treasurer; Mrs. William Klose; SK.D. Third Class James Probert, with the Seabees in Saipan; Capt. John Probert, in New Guinea; Sgt. James Veale, in India, and Ruth, at home. There are also two great-grandchildren: Tommy Leuthold and Linda Klose.