Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - June 24, 1905 The seven-year-old daughter, Martha, of David CRESSMAN, of Quakertown, was killed by an electric stroke on Thursday afternoon. A telephone wire hanging over an electric light wire was struck by lightning and the current was carried into the home of Mr. CRESSMAN. The unfortunate girl received the shock, which caused her to lose her life. Saturday - September 26, 1914 Anthony BALLINGER, of Allentown, was struck by a southbound freight at Salford Station, on the Perkiomen railroad, on Thursday afternoon, and died while on the way to the Allentown Hospital. Mr. BALLINGER was flagman on the Green Lane shifter, attached to engine number 1010, which was on its way to Collegeville. Saturday - February 20, 1915 One of the most distressing accidents for some time, in the Perkiomen Valley, occurred Saturday afternoon, when John W. HALLMAN, proprietor of the Rushing Spring Farm, in Upper Bucks county, near Geryville, lit a match to start his balky gasoline engine after he and his fifteen-year-old daughter Helen, went to the barn to cut some corn fodder for the cattle. The result was that the gasoline tank exploded and both Mr. HALLMAN and daughter were horribly burned. The daughter died several hours later and Mr. HALLMAN died the following day. Saturday - April 17, 1915 William GALLMAN, of Third street, East Greenville, had a narrow escape from death when he was struck by a railway locomotive, while he was walking along the Perkiomen railroad tracks in East Greenville. Mr. GALLMAN, who is slightly deaf, had picked dandelion along the tracks and had stepped aside to allow a freight train to pass by. After the freight passed he returned to the tracks and alight engine running alone came along. Saturday - May 29, 1915 Five seniors of the Pennsburg High School will be graduated on Tuesday evening, June 8, at the commencement exercises in the Aurora Theatre in Odd Fellows' Hall. The members of the graduation class are: Irad ESHBACH, Harry KERN, Reuben SCHANTZ, Lillian WELKER and Alverda ZIEGLER. Irad ESHBACH is valedictorian with an average of 92 17-22 percent. Saturday - June 19, 1915 Warren ZIEGLER, of Sumneytown, was drowned in the Electric Light Dam, about two miles above Sumneytown, while on a fishing trip along the Swamp Creek. The accident happened after a $1 bet was made after Mr. ZIEGLER, known to be a good swimmer, made the claim he could swim across the dam and back again. After he reached the opposite shore, he started to swim back and sank. Friday - September 5, 1924 Henry K. FREED, member of the board of supervisors of New Hanover Township, was arrested on charges of failure to fulfill his duties as road supervisors. The case was one of the most unusual in this section and more than 50 resident of the Pleasant Run section of New Hanover township attended and took an active part in the hearing. Friday - May 29, 1925 Sarah Anna ROEDER, of Main Street, Pennsburg, claimed to be the oldest person in the Upper Perkiomen Valley, will tomorrow celebrate the 96th anniversary of her birth. Her faculties are all good. She enjoys sitting on her front porch during these warm days and goes about her home unaided. Her memory of events and incidents in her life is one of the features quite remarkable. Friday - September 7, 1934 Charles LEISTER, of Perkiomenville, suffered a bad laceration to the side of his head when he was struck by a stone which was dislodged while a 500-pound dynamite blast was being made at the Kibblehouse stone quarry, near Perkiomenville, on Friday. Friday - October 5, 1934 Julia BILLY, 17, of Clayton, testified before a Boyertown magistrate and a crowd of over 600 that Anthony Y. HENRY, a Clayton stone quarry operator, hit her with his fist and broke her nose. She also told of feeding rocks to the stone crusher until dark, using a sledge to break heavy stones and dynamiting rocks since she was nine years old. The crowd followed HENRY after the hearing, with cries heard of "get a rope." Friday - November 23, 1934 While walking to his place of employment in Red Hill at 5:30 a.m. Monday morning, Hayes S. BALMER, 58, of Pennsburg, was struck and fatally injured on north Main Street, Red Hill, by an automobile driven by Leon MOLL, 21, of that borough. BALMER was dead when brought to the office of Dr. Herman F. MECKSTROTH, Red Hill, several minutes after the accident. Friday - May 24, 1935 The East Greenville blacksmith shop, situated on south Main Street, East Greenville, will be closed some time next week by Milton M. HOFFMAN, the present operator. Mr. HOFFMAN will continue his business at his home at Perkiomenville. The shop has been operated for more than 30 years, being conducted for many years by the late Frank HOFFMAN and his brother, Milton. Friday - June 21, 1935 Playing with dynamite resulted in a harrowing experience for Chas. FELS, 8, and Edwin FELS, 14, of Quakertown near Mumbauersville Sunday. Playing on thier parents farm, the two boys came across a stick of dynamite and decided to experiment. By pounding a match stick through the cap with stones they caused an explosion and were painfully injured. Both boys were apparently knocked unconscious. Friday - September 1, 1944 Lt. Merritt E. DERR, East Greenville pilot, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross at an Eighth Air Force Station in England, the first flier from the Upper Perkiomen Valley known to receive the award. The D.F.C. is conferred upon any member of the air forces of the United States who distinguishes himself by heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. Friday - November 24, 1944 Second Lieutenant Henry L. HUBER, of Pennsburg, recently given a combat promotion to his present rank, has been cited for meritorious support of combat troops from January to August, 1944, in Italy. Severing with Lieutenant General Mark W. CLARK's Fifth Army, HUBER was a member of a battalion supply section for a armored engineer battalion, an the division engineer supply section for the 1st Armored Division. Friday - April 13, 1945 "Have been a German prisoner al this time, Just released. Tell all my friends I may be seeing you soon." This was the happy news received by V-mail on Tuesday by Mr. and Mrs. Harry RUTTER, Cherry Street, East Greenville, from their son, S/Sgt. Stanley Z. RUTTER, who had been missing in action and unreported since Dec. 19. Friday - May 25, 1945 Competitive selling of series "E" war bonds and war savings stamps in Pennsburg High School over a period of five days, which ended Tuesday, totaled $1,773. Mrs. Nellie KNOTTS, a member of the high school faculty, in charge of the campaign, announced this week. Friday - June, 22, 1945 Pvt. Robert MCLEAN, husband of the former Veronica LELKO, Red Hill, who was liberated last month from a German prison camp where he had been held since Nov. 29, 1944, has arrived at Camp Patrick Henry, Va., his wife was informed early this week. He had been overseas since September, 1944. Thursday - September 23, 1954 Coast Guard personnel at Barnegat, N.J., reported late Wednesday they had given up hope for Clarence H. LITZENBERGER, 29, lost off Barnegat Light Sunday afternoon, and that the Hereford service station operator must be presumed dead. The Hereford man, father of two children, was missing after his home-built 18-foot cabin cruiser capsized inrough water near Barnegat inlet. Friday - March 4, 1955 Percival M. HALLMAN, 99, believed to be Montgomery County's oldest resident, died early Sunday morning at his late home, on Station Street, Palm, just five months short of his 100th birthday anniversary. A former cabinet maker and carpenter for 64 years, he retired at the age of 80 and operated a wood-working shop at his home for 20 years, helping erect many of the houses and other buildings in the upper end community. Friday - May 27, 1955 Robert L. MARSHMAN was named director of the Red Hill Band to succeed Oliver K. BERND, who resigned recently after 30 years service in that position, band officials announced this week. Mr. MARSHMAN is presently supervisor of instrumental music in Upper Perkiomen Joint High School. He previously served as supervisor of music at the Warwick High School. Thursday - September 3, 1964 Richard ZIEGLER, 31, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. ZIEGLER, East Greenville, was promoted to the rank of major at Fort Riley, Kan., on Aug. 11 while assigned to the 1st infantry division. Major ZIEGLER entered the Army in 1954, following his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY. He is a 1950 graduate of East Greenville High School.