Jacob  Schlear,  the  father,  was  born  in  Windsor  township,  Berks  Co.,  Pa.,
Feb.  25,  1826,  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  When  he  was  a  young
man  he  removed  to  Schuylkill  Haven,  and  was  employed  on  the  Schuylkill


926  SCHUYLKILL  COUNTY,  PEXXSYLVAXL\

Navigation  Company's  canal  as  a  stonemason  and  boatman.  When  his  son
Alfred  was  six  years  old  he  moved  to  Blythe  township,  where  he  bought  a
farm  of  thirty-six  acres,  in  a  few  years  adding  twenty-four  acres  thereto.  Of
these  tracts  there  were  almost  twenty-five  acres  under  cultivation,  and  be-
sides doing  general  farming  Mr.  Schlear  made  a  specialty  of  dairying,  having
a  ver).-  fine  herd  of  cows.  He  conducted  a  milk  and  butter  route  and  mar-
keted his  various  products  to  Pottsville,  Port  Carbon  and  Palo  Alto.  When
he  sold  his  farm  he  removed  to  McKeansburg,  where  he  lived  retired  for  about
ten  years  before  his  death,  Sept.  lo,  1896.  ^Mr.  Schlear  married  Louisa  Keim,
who  was  born  in  Perry  township,  Berks  Co.,  Pa.,  April  8,  1835,  daughter  of
Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  Keim,  and  died  April  13,  1900.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schlear
had  four  children:  Alfred;  Angelina,  who  is  married  to  Samuel  Tiley  and
resides  in  Port  Carbon ;  Isaac,  who  married  Kate  Briggs,  deceased  (he  lives  at
New  Ringgold)  ;  and  Edward,  who  married  Sarah  Smith,  and  they  reside  in
Blythe  township.  Mr.  Schlear  was  a  Republican,  and  in  religion  a  Lutheran,
belonging  to  Christ  Church  at  McKeansburg.
Alfred  Schlear  was  reared  and  educated  in  Blythe  township,  and  worked
on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of  age.  He  learned  the
trades  of  blacksmith  and  wheelwright  and  owned  a  shop  at  McKeansburg,
where  he  did  an  excellent  business  for  about  twenty  years.  Selling  out  in  1903.
