Hiester, Daniel F.

Daniel F. Hiester, who carries on business as a carpenter and joiner at Reading, is also a surviving soldier of the Civil war, and belongs to one of the old families of Berks county. Mr. Hiester was born Nov. 30, 1843, in Spring Township, Berks county, not far from Van Reed's paper mill, son of Benneville and Sarah (Brown) Hiester.
 
John Hiester, grandfather of Daniel F., passed his whole life in Berks county, where Benneville Hiester was born and reared. He married Sarah Brown, and they had six children, Daniel F. being second in order of birth. Daniel F. Hiester was educated in the schools of Spring, Ruscombmanor and Heidelberg townships, attending until he was eighteen years old, when he learned the cabinet maker's trade. He continued to work at this trade until Feb. 6, 1865, when he enlisted for service in the Civil war, entering Company F, 192d Pa. V. I., in which he faithfully served until Aug. 24, 1865, when he was mustered out at Harper's Ferry, and honorably discharged at Harrisburg. The officers of this Company were Capt. John Teed and Lieut. Samuel Snyder. Company F was mainly utilized for provost duty. Upon his return from the army he engaged in carpenter work, and has continued in this line ever since, for seventeen and one-half years being connected with the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad as foreman bridge builder, and for nineteen years has been foreman for the firm of L. H. Focht & Son, which is the largest building and contracting firm in the city of Reading.
 
In 1866 Mr. Hiester married Sylvia Beiber (died Sept. 20, 1908), daughter of Benjamin Beiber, of Rockland Township, and they have had eight children, of whom one son died in infancy. The others are as follows: (1) Charles, deceased, married Linnie Huber, who now lives at Harrisburg, and they had six children-Leroy (who is married and has a daughter, Katherine), Harry (a private in Co. 88, C. A. C., Fort Mansfield, R. I.), Howard (deceased), Charles, Sylvia and Ivy. (2) Sally married Charles E. Miller, and had two children, Helen E. and Edith F., the latter deceased. (3) George A. married Sallie Levan, and has seven children-Pauline, George, Emma, Daniel, Elizabeth, Lydia and Samuel. (4) Lydia and (5) Corinna M. are both deceased. (6) Emma J. is a graduate nurse from the Reading Hospital, class of 1901. (7) Daniel married Bernie Gregory, and has two sons, Edward F. and James Gregory. In religious belief Mr. Hiester is a member of the Reformed Church, as was also his wife. He belongs to the Carpenters' Union.[bib]624[/bib]