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- BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ZERBE, M. D. - Born October 11, 1853. Died May 30, 1915. Aged 61 yrs., 7 mos and 19 days. Dr. Zerbe was the youngest of three sons of Dr. Jonathan and Martha A. (Meyer) Zerbe. Dr. Jonathan was born in Tulpehocken, Berks County, Pa., in 1811, from whence, after maturity, and after having spent some years in the State of Virginia, where he attended school, and after his return to Pennsylvania, he came to Schaefferstown in 1837, and settled there. Later he attended a course of lectures at the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and on his return to Schaefferstown took up the practice of medicine there, and in time became prominent in medical circles and in public life. The American progenitor of the Zerbe family came to America from one of the French Cantons of Switzerland in the days of Queen Anne, settled in Berks County in 1723, and obtained a grant of land there. On the maternal side the family is related to the Schaeffer family, whose ancestor in this country, Alexandria Schaeffer, founded Schaefferstown (then known as. Heidelberg) in 1743, he having come from the University town of Heidelberg, in Baden, Germany, hence this early name of Schaefferstown, and still the name of the township of which it is the centre.
After a course in his home schools and one at Palatinate College, Myerstown, Dr. Zerbe took up the reading of medicine with his father and older brother, Dr. Thomas T., and subsequently took a course in the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1878. After practicing his profession for some time with the late Dr. George Gleim at Cornwall, he settled down in his native town and continued his practice there to the day of his death. Along with this he engaged in his later years, with his brother, Dr. Thomas T., quite extensively in the industry of cigar manufacturing, the eastern section of Heidelberg Township and the neighboring Millbach section having gone largely into the growing of tobacco, for which their soils, like that of many parts of the adjacent county of Lancaster, had been found especially adapted.
Dr. Zerbe, as a member of the Republican Party for years took an active part in the political affairs of his county, like his father, who had aided in organizing that party in Lebanon County and had taken an aggressive part in the Fremont Campaign of 1856, and also represented his county in the Pennsylvania Legislature in 1870 - 71. Dr. Zerbe served as Prothonotary of the county during the years 1907, 1908 and 1909. He also was at one time a member of the School Board of Heidelberg Township.
He was admitted to membership in the Lebanon County Historical Society Aug. 15, 1913. On November, 1883, he was united in marriage with Miss Ida a daughter of the late Judge George S. Lauser of Schaefferstown, who survives him, together with a son, Charles L. Zerbe, a former Deputy Prothonotary during the term of his father and that of Eli Wallace, of Newmanstown. He is also survived by his brother. Dr. Thomas T., already mentioned, and by another brother, Charles M. Zerbe. Esq., an Attorney at Lebanon, and at one time President of the Lebanon Bar Association and one sister Jennie M., the wife of Jacob F. Hickernell, of Schaefferstown, and also had another sister, Agnes E., the deceased wife of Dr. George Mays, of Philadelphia, who formerly, but now deceased, was a valued member of this Society and contributed to it a number of excellent papers.
NOTE: The above information is from "The Lebanon County Historical Society" Eighteenth Annual Meeting December 17, 1915 (Report of the Committee on Necrology). [1]
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1853 - 1915 (61 years)
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