| Notes |
- In 1880, Manuel was living in Pottsville, Schuykill County, Pennsylvania.
From Schuylkill County Pennsylvania, Genealogy - Family History - Biographies, Volume II, Chicago, Illinois, J H. Beers & Company, 1916, Pages 698 - 700
MANUEL W. BROMMER, of Landingville, Schuyklill county, seems to have found the solution of being “pleasantly and profitably employed” for himself, at any rate, and his beautifully kept little property is one of the features of the neighborhood, where enterprises similar to his are rare. For a number of years Mr. Broomer was an employee of the Philadelphia & Reading Railroad Company, and in that capacity and as hotelkeeper at Landingville, he has a very wide acquaintance. Born Nov 6, 1857, in South Manheim township, Schuylill county, he is a son of Lewis Brommer and grandson of Henry Brommer. The latter came to this country from Germany with his wife and one child, and settled at Schuylkill Haven, Schuylkill Co., Pa. By trade he was a carpenter, and as such was employed at the locks when the Schuylkill canal was under construction.
Lewis Brommer, father of Manuel W. Brommer, was born in Wayne Township. While living in Schuylkill county, he followed farming, and in 1879 he moved out ot Missouri, settling at Boonville, where he continued agricultural pursuits, also making a specialty of hog raising. He prospered and continued to reside there until his death. His wife was Eliza Reber, daughter of Samuel Reber, and they had children as follows: Manuel W., Morris, Harry, Robert, Francis, Fulton, Carrie, Jennie and Pearl.
Manuel W. Brommer attended public school during his boyhood, and later in 1874-75, was a student of the Keystone State Normal School at Kutztown, Pa. In his young manhood he taught six terms of school in Schuylkill county, after when he entered the service of the Philadephia & Reading Railroad Company. Following a short experience as brakeman he became conductor of a freight train, and soon afterwards a passenger train, for eight years being so engaged on the best train on his division, the “Cannon Ball,” running between Pottsville and Philadelphia. His employment with the railroad company extended over a period of twenty years, and he retired in 1899, at which time he bought the hotel at Landingville. He conducted it as a proprietor for seven years, leasing the property, and made a thorough success of his business, but gave it up to enter his present line, the raising of high-grade chickens.
Mr. Brommer has bought the small piece of ground on the road running west from Landingville, a short distance from the railroad station, two and a quarter acres, which was all woodland when it came into his possession. He put up a little two-story house, where he has since resided, and during the intervening years has improved the place with the idea of making it an ideal poultry establishment. Most of his land is on a hillside, and at the foot of the hill is a fine stream of clear water, a great advantage for his purpose. He has eight pens, 8 by 10 feet in size, with wire inclosures 10 by 100 feet for each, the latter extending down the slope of the hill to the creek at the bottom. The houses are of the open front variety, protected in the winter by muslin curtains. After considerable study of the various breeds of poultry, Mr. Brommer decided on the White Leghorns, which he keeps exclusively, and after importing a pen of Tom Barron Single Comb White Leghorns from Preston, England, he had such favorable results that he has tried no other kind since. At present he has about one hundred and fifty chickens, old and young, and the effect of scientific feeding and unremitting care is very well demonstrated, for often, even during the winter season, he gathers as many eggs daily as there are hens in the pens. The eggs are always very large, averaging nearly two pounds to the dozen, and he has been unable to supply the demand for hatching purposes. In one season from his small flock he has disposed of more than one hundred and fifty dollars worth in eggs for hatching purposes. Mr. Brommer has made a thorough study of feed, housing and the ideal conditions for his tock, and though he has taken infinite pains and neglected no precautions to keep the chickens in the best condition, his arrangements have been so perfected that he is able to accomplish all the necessary work with the minimum of labor. Cleanliness is the prime consideration, white wash is used plentifully wherever needed, and all the property is kept in a most attractive state, neatness and true economy being the most conspicuous characteristics. The fee house is one of the best arranged in the country. Mr. Brommer erected is especially for his purpose and it is admirably equipped, about 20 feet square and three stories high. The lower floor is used for the mixing of the feed and provided with two large mixing troughs, a grinder and a gasoline engine. After being mixed in the trough the feed is ground, and then placed in the hopper and fed. The hoppers are large enough to hold a week’s supply of grain, thus eliminating much of the work of feeding. The second floor is so arranged that a team can back up against the front from the road and deliver the bags of feed right on the floor. The bins, six in number, with a capacity of 400 bushels, are on this floor, three on either side of the aisle. These bins are equipped on the bottom with chutes, leading into and operated from the basement, and when Mr. Brommer wants a certain kind of grain, he simply taps it from the bin. The third floor is used for storage purposes. Here he keeps his incubators when not in use, and various other articles.
Along with the raising of poultry Mr. Brommer has continued the clearing of his land and its improvement in other lines. He plants a fair sized garden, raising enough vegetables for his own use, and he has set out fifty peach trees, principally to supply shade for the chickens when the brush and trees originally on the land have all been cleared away. Last year he set out a strawberry bed 20 by 100 feet in size. His little establishment is a model of its kind, and though he has expended much time and means on its development the venture is paying him well. Combining study with intelligent labor he has worked out many problems of the business to which he now devotes his time, making experiments which assist his neighbors as well as himself, and showing the possibilities of the industry in this section he has accomplished at least one thing of distinct value to his neighborhood.
Mr. Brommer is a skillful watchmaker and jeweler, and while on the railroad he was well known as a reliable repairman, many of his fellow trainmen bringing their watches to him for care and adjustment. He continues to follow this trade as occasion demands. Mr. Brommer is a member of the Improved Order of Red Men.
Newspapers: The Boonville Advertiser, 25 Nov 1898.
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