ing all this time he, in conjunction with his fellow-citizens, has been forward in most public movements, and is always known as a man of liberal sentiments and remarkable business shrewdness. In the organization of Ursinus College, at Freeland, by the Reformed church, he took an active part, affording material and advisory aid, and for the space of two or three years occupied a professor's chair therein. He still retains a seat in the Board of Direction. In 1842 Professor J. Warrenne Sunderland married Lu Anna Munson, of western New York, and there were born to them four children, three of whom died young. The surviving one is Mrs. Dr. Helffrich, of Lehigh county, Pennsylvania. DAVID SCHRACK, M. D. 'Tis immortality our nature solves; Without it, half our instincts are a riddle : Without it, all our virtues are a dream.-Young. The Schrack family, as stated in the life of James W. Schrack, is of the Protestant German emigration of 1717, settling near the village of Trappe, and doubtless were Lutherans, as the following are among the oldest inscriptions in the cemetery of Augustus Lutheran Church: "In memory of Jacob Schrack, who died February 22d, 1742, aged 63." "Here lyeth the body of Hannah Schrack, who was born April 17th, 1722, and died December 9th, 1736." "John Schrack, who departed this life in his 62d year, on ye 11th of April, 1772." Silence Schrack, in her 66th year, December 11th, 1777. We have not learned the names of the descending offspring of the above Jacob Schrack, who must have been born in Germany in 1679, before Penn planted his colony, and doubtless was the head of the family. The subject of our notice must be the sixth or seventh in descent from him. *This would be regarded as a most auspicious christian name in some families, and most unfortunate in others. John Schrack, born in 1780, and the grandfather of him whose name heads this sketch, had three sons and one daughter, David, Norris, John, and Eunice. David, who is a farmer living in Norriton, married Elmina, daughter of Christian Weber, and they have two daughters, Kate and Elmina; the latter was intermarried with William Porter, now deceased, and has two children, David and Elmina. Norris, also a farmer, living near, married Harriet, daughter of Rev. Sylvanus Haight, for some years pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church; they have three sons, David (our subject), John, and Charles Norris. John, the youngest son, studied medicine in the office of Dr. Benjamin Johnson, of Norristown, graduating at Jefferson Medical College, and for many years enjoyed a lucrative practice in Norriton, Providence, and Worcester townships; being now advanced in years, however, he has mainly retired from business. Eunice, the daughter, married Colonel Augustus W. Shearer. The children of this union were Mary, intermarried with E. B. Moore, Esq., the former of whom is now deceased leaving one son, Augustus; Kate, married to William Owen; John Schrack, to Martha Ambler; Naomi, to George W. Longaker; Eliza, to Dr. Daniel Brower; Lydia, to J. Roberts Rambo, The wife of John Schrack, Sr., and mother of David, Norris, Dr. John, and Mrs. A. W. Shearer, was a lineal descendant of the celebrated Quaker family named Norris, after whom Norriton township and Norristown are named. The patrimonial estate, which the two elder brothers now own and occupy, has thus descended to them through their mother as part of the old Norris estate. The history of the property is thus briefly stated. The manor of Norris, being originally the whole of Norriton township, including the site of Norristown, was conveyed by William Penn to his son, William Penn, Jr., in October, 1704. The latter, a few days after receiving it, sold it to Isaac Norris and William Trent, Quaker merchants of Philadelphia, for eight hundred and fifty pounds sterling, or about four thousand dollars. After selling considerable of the land jointly, Norris, in 1712, bought Trent's share, and thus a large plantation on the Schuylkill, south of Jeffersonville, now divided, is in the hands of the Schracks as the descendants of the Norris family. We return now to the subject-proper of this sketch. David Schrack, Jr., M. D., after receiving a good education, studied medicine with his uncle, Dr. John Schrack, graduated at Jefferson Medical College in 1865, and at once commenced practice, having his office at his father's residence in Norriton. He has fallen heir to most of his uncle's practice, and has besides extended his own to distant points, being, for a young practitioner, very successful. Some years ago Dr. D. Schrack united with the Centennial Presbyterian Church of Jeffersonville, and a few years later was elected and ordained to the eldership of the same. GEORGE SHANNON, What nothing earthly gives or can destroy, The Shannon family in eastern Pennsylvania belong to Montgomery alone, none of the name being settled in neighboring counties so far as we know. It is probably Irish or Scotch in origin. The earliest account we have of it is in 1784, now nearly a century ago, when Henry Pawling, Jr., Jonathan Roberts, Sr., George Smith, Robert Shannon, and Henry Conrad, in the act erecting Montgomery into a county, were named commissioners to purchase ground on the Schuylkill near Stony creek, and erect upon it a court house and prison for the use of the new county. This Robert Shannon without doubt was the great-grandfather of our subject, and must then have been a man of intelligence and social standing among his fellowcitizens. We have no exact account of the second generation, counting the said Robert as the first, though of the third generation we have the names of the following three families, who were cousins to each other: Robert Shannon, the father of Charles P. Shannon, who still resides on the homestead at Shannonville, where the former died some years ago; John Shannon, who for many years lived in Norriton, recently died in Norristown at the age of ninety-four, and whose widow (his second wife), Hannah Evans Shannon, died in the same town on the 29th of March, 1879; Samuel Shannon, the other cousin, was the father of the subject of this notice. This Samuel resided in Norriton township till about 1840, when, becoming advanced in life, he removed with his family to Norristown, where the daughters are still engaged in business. He was the son of James and Elizabeth Shannon, and was born April 16th, 1781, dying March 18th, 1859, aged seventy-eight years. His widow, born December 11th, 1785, died March 20th, 1879, in her ninety-fourth year. The children of Samuel and Elizabeth Harner Shannon were James (now one of our most estimable Norristown business men), Ann, Rose, George (our subject), John, Joseph, and Samuel Lane. The latter three are deceased. We come now to the subject-proper of this notice. George Shannon, Cashier of the First National Bank of Norristown, was born in Norristown on the 5th of November, 1821. His education was mainly received in the Norristown Academy, under William M. Hough and other tutors. In 1842, when about twenty-one years old, he entered the Bank of Montgomery County as clerk, and soon rose to the post of teller, which place he held till March, 1855. The year following he erected a steam mill on Ford street, in the lower part of the town, and commenced the manufacture of linseed oil, which he pursued successfully for five years. He was then out of business till 1864, when he was chosen Cashier of the First National Bank, which position he still holds. Mr. Shannon was for eleven years a very industrious and efficient school director, and for about the same length of time was in Town Council. On the 16th of April, 1850, he married Miss Arabella Steinmetz. The offspring of this union are a daughter and son. The former, Flora, was intermarried with J. Roberts Howell, now deceased; she at present lives with her parents, but has no issue. The son, Walter, a book-keeper in the bank, is married to Elizabeth, daughter of Atkinson F. Jarrett, and has one child. Mr. S. is one of the trustees named in the will of Wright A. Bringhurst, who bequeathed sixty-seven thousand dollars to the borough of Norristown. This sum was directed to be invested in tenement houses by the trustees, and the rents used for charitable purposes. In concluding this notice we may remark that Mr. S., by reason of his firm yet mild, courteous demeanor and obliging disposition, is eminently fitted to preside over a moneyed institution. LOUIS W. READ, M. D. The body is but the clog and prisoner of the mind; tossed up and down, and perseruted with punishments, violences, and diseases.—Seneca, There are few persons in our State, civil, military or professional, who by middle life have had such varied experience as the gentleman whose name stands above. He is the eldest son of Thomas and Sarah Corson Read, and was born in Chester county, near Phoenixville, on the 5th of July, 1828. His mother, as elsewhere recorded in this work, was the daughter of Joseph Corson, and a sister of Drs. Hiram and William Corson, of Montgomery county. He has three sisters and two brothers, Sarah, Hannah, Mary, Joseph C., and Alan W. Joseph C. Read has located in Fernandina, Florida, where for some years he has been extensively engaged in lumbering and forwarding to distant markets the finer sorts of lumber. Alan W. studied dental surgery, went to Europe about twenty years ago, and is successfully established in his profession at Copenhagen, Denmark. His eldest sister, Sarah, was intermarried with Charles Jones, of Conshohocken, and Mary with John Roberts, of Norristown. Both of these men are now dead. Some of Dr. Read's early years were spent at what is known as "Read's mill," situated near the Schuylkill, in Upper Merion township, which concern his father owned for some time. His rudimentary education was obtained in the common schools of he locality, after which he was a pupil for a considerable time |