School days being ended, January 1, 1869, he began to learn the art of telegraphy at the Lehigh Valley depot. In May of the same year he became assistant to John Hudders whom he succeeded in later years. After six years of service he was given the position of yardmaster at the Valley depot. When more help was employed at the station, Mr. Eberhard was entrusted with the ticket office wherein he served for many years. In all he served the Company for over forty years.

PETER EBERHART. The native-born citizens of this county are coming actively to the front in various lines of work, and the gentleman above named, who is ticket agent for the Lehigh Valley Railroad at Catasauqua, is one of the shrewdest and most intelligent of railroad men. He served as Borough Auditor for three terms, and although a comparatively young man, he has already made a name for himself in this county.

Born in Catasauqua, April 25, 1850, our subject is a son of Frederick Eberhart, a native of Wurtemberg, Germany, where he carried on his trade as a coppersmith until coming to America. He crossed the Atlantic when a single man, and made his home for a time in Somerville, N. J., where he met and married Miss Catherine Tillman. His next removal found him in Mauch Chunk and later near Catasauqua, where he was employed in quarrying stone on contract, placing upon the market the first limestone, which was bought by the Crane Furnace Company. Mr. Eberhart operated a quarry on contract for about twenty years, or until he retired from business. For a number of years thereafter it was carried on by his three eldest sons. He departed this life in June, 1893, at the advanced age of eighty-four years. He was a charter member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, to which he was a liberal contributor, as indeed he was to all worthy enterprises.

During the latter years of his life Frederick Eberhart invested his means in farming land, and was the proprietor of a portion of the land which is now the site of Northampton. At the time of his death he had gained a competence, leaving valuable property in Allentown and Catasauqua, and several farms in Northampton and Lehigh Counties. On his farming land were opened up quarries, and as he was an expert in judging limestone, he was not mistaken or defrauded in the purchase of his property. He was also a stockholder in the Lehigh Valley Railroad, the Lehigh Coal Company, the Allentown National Bank, the Thomas Iron Company, the Wahneta Silk Mills, and a charter member of the Catasauqua Gas Company. It will thus be seen that he was a very prominent and popular man, and a leader in business circles. He was a stanch Republican in politics, and held at various times all the local offices of trust.

The mother of our subject, Mrs. Catherine (Tillman) Eberhart, was also of German birth, and came to the New World with her parents when quite young. They located in Flemington, N. J. Her father, Peter Tillman, was a coppersmith, and had been an expert in that line of work in Germany. He died in New Jersey, when fifty-five years of age, and his wife departed this life in 1881, when in her sixty-seventh year. They reared a family of ten children, of whom Mrs. Eberhart was the eldest. Her son, Augustus, served in the late Civil War, from the beginning to the close, as a member of Company F, Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Infantry. He was wounded at Pocotaligo, from which he recovered only to meet a horrible death by the premature explosion of powder, when blasting in the quarries, in April, 1883. Another son met a similar fate prior to the war. William F., who is now residing in Catasauqua, was likewise a Union soldier.

The original of this sketch attended the common and high schools in this city, and January 1, 1869, began learning the art of telegraphy, under the instruction of the agent of the Lehigh Valley Road. In May of that year he was given a position as day operator in this city, and after the resignation of John Hudders he filled the position of agent for six years. At the expiration of that time he resigned, and was given work as yardmaster until the company was obliged to put on additional help, when he was placed in charge of the ticket office, which position he still holds.


The lady to whom our subject was married, June 7 1873, was Miss Josephine Bast, a native of this state, and the daughter of Aaron Bast, a retired business man, who makes his home in this city. As a Republican our subject takes great interest in political matters, and is a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. He is one of the oldest employees now in the service of the company, having been with them for twenty-six years, and has endeared himself to the hearts of the people throughout the entire county by his honorable and upright methods of conducting business.