Jonas Garman, grocery merchant, was born in Snyder County, then Union County, Pennsylvania, 12 November 1827.
Henry Garman, his grandfather, was of German and English descent. He was an extensive farmer in Snyder County. He married Mary Bergstresster, of the same descent as himself. They had seventeen children.
Peter Garman, father of Jonas Garman, was born in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, 28 February, 1803. He was a blacksmith and farmer and in later life had a country store in Perry Township, Union County. He married Catherine Minium, native of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, daughter of Nicholas Minium, stone mason and farmer. They had seven children:
William Garman, deceasesd;
Jonas Garman;
Peter Garman, merchant on the old homestead in Snyder County;
Catherine Garman, wife of David Kerstetter, retired;
Sarah Garman, deceased, wife of Thomas Misser;
Sophia Garman, wife of Elias Minnich, farmer in Berrien County, Michigan;
Elizabeth Garman, deceased, wife of Henry Misser, also deceased.
Mr. Peter Garman was a Whig. He and his wife were members of the old school Lutheran church. Both died in Snyder County.
Jonas Garman attended the district schools in Perry Township, Snyder County, and worked with his father on the farm until he was twenty-one years of age. He learned cabinet making and worked at that trade for several years in different parts of the state. Having learned the drug business in a wholesale house in Philadelphia, he came to Lykens in 1857 and opened a drug store, which he conducted for twenty years with good success. In 1881, he was also a partner with Riley Bressler in the tin and hardware business. In 1866, with J. M. Hensel as partner, Mr. Garman built and equipped a foundry and continued its management for eight years. After this he was for some years retired from active business. In 1891 he opened a grocery store, and has been successful in this line.
Jonas Garman was married, in 1857, at Freeburg, Pennsylvania, to Martha Leopold, a native of Dauphin County. Their children are five in number:
James H. Garman, druggist at Lykens;
Martha V. Garman, wife of J. L. Weidler, Renovo, Pennsylvania.
Samuel F. Garman;
Peter Garman; and
Kate Garman, deceased.
Mrs. Martha [Leopold] Garman died at Lykens in 1876. Mr. Garman married again in 1878. His second wife was Sarah A. Wirt, widow of H. H. Mosser. They have two children:
Jessie Garman; and
Pauline M. Garman, at school.
Mrs. Sarah A. [Wirt] Garman, by her first marriage with Mr. Mosser, had three children:
Wirt Mosser, commercial man;
Charles E. Mosser, clerk at Lykens; and
Nef H. Mosser, in Harrisburg.
Mr. Jonas Garman is a Republican. He served for several years as school director and was always an advocate of compulsory education. He is a member of the Lutheran church, has been a deacon and is elder and trustee. He has served in all church offices.
In the way of enterprise and progressive and pushing business spirit and methods Mr. Garman has been a leading man in the community. In personal worth he stands at the front. He was postmaster during Abraham Lincoln‘s administration.
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The above information was modified/edited from Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, published in 1896 by J. M. Runk and Company of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. A free download is available from the Internet Archive.
Corrections and additional information should be added as comments to this post.
Findagrave Memorial #117756453. Jonas Garman died 4 March 1908. He is interred at a mausoleum at odd Fellows Cemetery in Lykens, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.