Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-10-06
ALMOST A CENTURY.
SonH ,. srElHnAN PASSES away

Lsnsthsnsd and Bssy career.
!onn Frederick Steinman, Who has lived
IN this community for almost q century.
and through every day Of the time enjoy.
ing its highest consideration, died yester.
Gay afternoon about ono O'Clock ut his
farm residence, In Drumore township,
whore ior twenty years past he has boon
He had been gradually fsilins in strcn~th
for some years, though the apparent
change In his condition for the past year
had been slight and the end WAS uncxpccted
whom 1t came, though anxiety was felt
because OF his frequent refusal TO take
n0urishment. Tho death vas 10 oalm
and peaceful that the time Of it, Occurrences
is not known to those Of tho family who
sat BY his bedside Watching for tho evil
IDENTITY coming dissolution.
John r. SteinmAn was born on tho 10Th
day Of December 1889, and was couse
quently within two months and two weeks
Lancaster, in the house In which is now
Hubley's drug store, adjacent to the one Ia
which he carried on the hardware business
Oil bis life. His father John Frederick, had
the business before him, but was not mnoh
OF q business man, being Of social, indo
lent turn, disposed to 20 out In business
hours to soc his friends aud visit tho Swan
hotel, in Centre Square, whore the gentle.
men In those days gathered TO drink Ma
deira vine from the cask. The truth Ii
that his wife was tho business manager
and SO when John Frederick, jr., came to
mans estate, he was speedily ushered into
took 1t into his own name whom he
was but o little past his majority. 1t
was small business then originally IL
had been smaller, having come to John +.
Steinman, the first, through Christopher
Hayne, who married his widowed mother,
after her first husband, Christian Steinman,
had died in 1850 ut Lititz, where he was
engaged in building mill for the congre-
cation. He was the fifth person buried In
the graveyard. He had come to this country
some years before, first residing in Bethle
hem. The first born sou was left in Eu
rope and afterw ards became missionary,
leaving no descendants. Tho second son,
John Frederick, was born in Bethlehem in
1859 and was the only other child of the
marriage. His son, John Frederick, jr..
as he was long styled, was like
wise the only ono OF two sous
to live aud leave descendants, his elder
brother, George Michael, dying in the
West Indies of yellow fever, whittier he
had gone with his uncle Jacob Mayer, rs
clerk in his shipping business. John F.
Steinman was tho youngest Of a family of
seven, his five sisters changing their names
in marriage to Bryan, Ernst, Dinokle,
Cottrell and Ernst. His mother was
Sybilla Margaretha Mayer. daughter OF
George Ludwig Mayer, Of this city.
He inherited the business energy Of his
mother in heightened degree. He
/ never knew an idle moment until
he retired with what he deemed compe-
| tency at the age Of 80. unless 1t may have
been when he volunteered In the war OF
| 1872 and went on q short campaign with
Captain Humes' company, which camped
l at Elkton. Nd, but saw no service. His
inclination WAS to straight forwardness
and frankness irresistibly. Ho lmay
often have been unjust, but ho was
l never Intentionally SO; aud IL
was not in his nature to DO unjust in that
accoptation Of the term, which makes it
in his ninety-ivo years Of life, dishonest
impulse, and no one lives day who can
] say that they over knew or ever heard OF
dishonest act Of John r. Steinman. 1t
l is q noble record to leavo behind him. Who
would have noblei? Men are famous
who are not just but tho just man is the
model work of God. Winding his
own business with intelligence, hon
esty aud zeal, aud giving to tho public
interests such service as was demanded
from him, with tho same singleness of de.
votion that he gave to his own affairs.
l John +. Steinman was in his active life
model citizen. He built up his own bus.
ness from small to great things and gave
it an impetus that helped it to still grow
after he surrendered 1t on January 1st,
L lS49, to his eldest son, his second son
Charles Fahnestock, who was about 20
l join the firm on coming Of age, having
died OF typhoid fever in tho previous
! August. With self control few men
manifest, Mr.. Steipman gave up money
| acquisition when he thought no had
enough for bis wants. and while he was
but fifty nine years old took to himself the
remainder Of his years.
No one ever enjoyed more fully the conf
dence Of his fellow citizens. He took very
| active part in the affairs of the city, aud
l for many years acted in its councils and
1 school board, being the president Of the
latter from its formation until he with
drew from public affairs. Ho was also the
president Of the Conestoga Steam Mlls
company when organized and continued
TO be until he resigned after they were
built and fairly established. These public
duties he discharged 80 long and zsalously
Notwithstanding the deafness which always
troubled him and which induced him to
WisuuEdW from tuoSo POSITIONS Wn0n II
seemed to him that he could be spared
He. was always singularly modest and
FREQ from pretension, while maintaining
just self appreciation and conception
OF his abilities. He was free from
every pretente OF vanity and affecta-
tion |; and wherever he was struck
there came forth the ring that confirmed
the guinea's stamp.
He was Democrat of the straightest
scot, dyed deep. We do not know that he
ever voted any other tiokot though he
held his ballot to bs sacred aud subject to
no mans scrutiny. One OF the earliest aud
strongest impressions of ono of his sons is
the reply he made to him, on one occasion
when the child asked him, as he stood at
his shaving stand, who he was going to
vote for that day; "none Of your business"
He was married twios--first to Maria
Gill, Of Lancaster, seoond to Mary Smith
Fahnestock, daughter of Charles
FahnestOck of "The Warres." Chester
county. He had been wifeless for over
thirty years. Two of the three children
OF the first marriage and five of that of
the second lived to care for him to the last
days OF his long life. He was fond OF
agriculture and an ont door life. He
had ten acres of land within the oity
limits, that has b,so Ia tue family for .
hundred years or more. the cultivation VI
which greatly amused his leisure hours.
H. kAnuht A.. "a.