Aaron Balliet (1813-1895)
Early Life
Aaron Balliet (FamilySearch.org LHJ3-LWT) was born in North Whitehall Township on March 7, 1813 [1] to Stephen Balliet (1781-1854) and Susan Ihrie. [2] He was educated in North Whitehall Township [3]. The Balliet Family came to Pennsylvania when Paulus Balliet emigrated from Alsace and landed in America in 1736 [4]. In 1845, Aaron married Sarah Dengler and had 8 children, 6 of which survived to adulthood. He remarried in 1867 to Catherine Housman. He held local posts such as justice of the peace and school director and also was an active member of the German Reformed Church of Unionville. [5]
Aaron Balliet along with his brother in-law Benjamin Levan (1806-1886) and father built and operated the Coplay iron furnaces [6]. They formed Stephen Balliet & Co. in the summer of 1853 and started out with 12 acres of land on the West bank of Coplay Creek. The same year the land was acquired, the base of the furnace was finished along with houses for workers. By 1854,the stack of the furnace was built. In 1854, Stephen Balliet Sr. died and the company admitted new partners and became the Lehigh Valley Iron Company which consisted of 40 corporations and was worth $200,000.[7]
Aaron also took over the East Penn Furnace from his father from 1838-1855. This furnace was built by Stephen Balliet and Samuel Helffrich on land east of the mountain in the East Penn township. [8]
Aaron managed mines with his brothers, Paul and John Balliet. Their mines were extremely prosperous, especially during wartime when they produced $35,000 worth of material in one year. [9]
In 1863, Aaron Balliet was listed as the top income earner in all of Lehigh County. He earned $13,153 that year through his ownership in the Ironton iron mines and in the Lehigh Valley Iron Company (roles that he shared with brother Paul and brother-in-law Benjamin Levan, who were also among the top 20 earners in the county. [10]
Notes
- ↑ Roberts et al. 1914: 48
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 505.
- ↑ Roberts et al. 1914: 48
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 510-511.
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 505.
- ↑ Roberts et al. 1914: 48
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884. 502.
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 722.
- ↑ Mathews and Hungerford 1884, 523.
- ↑ Hellerich 1987, 144.
References
- Mathews, Alfred, and Austin N Hungerford. 1884. History of the Counties of Lehigh and Carbon, in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia: Everts & Richards.
- Hellerich, Mahlon Howard. 1987. “A History of Allentown: 1861-1865.” In Allentown 1762-1987: A 225-Year History, edited by Mahlon Howard Hellerich, 91–180. Allentown, PA: Lehigh County Historical Society.
- Roberts, Charles Rhoads, John Baer Stoudt, Thomas H. Krick, and William J. Dietrich. 1914. History of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Its Families. Allentown, Pa.: Lehigh Valley publishing Company, Limited.