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Edwin Schleicher
(1837-1903)
Mary Jane Gerber
(1849-1918)
Edwin Charles Peter
(1848-1920)
Harriet Rebecca Rehrig
(1858-1919)
Oliver Daniel Schleicher
(1875-1959)
Emma Louise Peters
(1879-1921)
Clayton Peters Schleicher
(1905-1973)

 

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
1. Estella Alberta Wehr

Clayton Peters Schleicher 7

  • Born: Nov 9, 1905, Ashfield, East Penn Twp, Carbon Co, Pennsylvania 6
  • Marriage (1): Estella Alberta Wehr on Feb 28, 1925 in Normal, Carbon Co., Pennsylvania 6
  • Died: Jan 1, 1973, Clearwater, Pinellas, Florida at age 67
  • Buried: Jan 1973, Section G-1-3-1, Lauraldale Cem., Reading, , Pennsylvania
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bullet  General Notes:

When I knew Grandpa he was always fixing things. He would come up to visit and spend most of his time working on something around the house. I also spent many days and one time all night fishing with Grandpa. During the all night fishing trip we went to Indian Rocks pier. While we fished Grandma (Estella) slept on a bench. I remember he wanted to teach me to help, but I was more interested in playing with friends. Now I regret that.
One time when I was visiting with Grandma and Grandpa in Clearwater, Grandma made 8 quarts of Peanut Butter Cookies, I ate most of them myself. I remember many times watching them play cards with friends, usually the Arner's, Willard and his wife.

When Clayton was young he used to pump the organ at the Dinkey Memorial Church in Ashfield.

Grandpa worked at the Atlas Powder Co. When a country store became available, he bought it. It was located in Clam Town near Tamaqua. They sold Gas, feed, groceries and candy. They also had a lunch counter. Uncle Ernie (their son) used to slaughter the chickens on Saturdays for the chicken and waffles that they served for dinner. Due to the depression many people couldn't pay their bills.

From Ernest Schleicher about his father Clayton:
Pap Pap Schleicher sold the Clamtown store and purchased a store in Tamaqua. The Clamtown store was a restaurant and bar too (Pap pap owned a pistol). Every weekend patrons would come from out of town for Grandma Schleicher's chicken dinner with waffles and gravy. She had quite the reputation. The Tamaqua store was a larger grocery-only store with fresh vegetables etc.
The Tamaqua burned around 1938 or 1939 when some rags next to the refrigeration compressor caught on fire. He restored the building (mostly smoke damage) but with the Acme coming into town and profits down, he sold the store and took a job as a salesman for Smucker's Jellies. The money with Smucker's was not very good so he took a job with New York Life.


During World War II Clayton worked as a brakeman on the Reading Railroad, making trips from Tamaqua to Philadelphia. Clayton also served as the cook in the caboose. Later he worked as a salesman for New York Life Insurance Company.

Per the 1930 Census their rent was $50 a month. They did not own a radio.


From Ernest of the Schleicher children:

Clayton worked at the Packerton shops of the New Jersey RR outside of Palmerton. I believe it was at that time he became engaged to Estella. I am not sure why he left the employ of the railroad but he went to work at the Atlas Powder Company in Reynolds. At Atlas he worked in maintenance and as a blacksmith. He Rented a house at Zeyners Station where Naomi was born and then bought a house immediately outside the entrance gate to the powder company. Clayton stayed there a few years and then took over the store in Clamtown. In addition to the responsibilities at the store he had a panel truck from which he delivered grocery orders to farmers as far as 12 miles away. I know I was stuck sitting in the truck waiting for him to stop visiting so we could move on and I could then play with our neighbor Tommy Hoppes. As I recall the Clamtown operation they sold gas for 7 gallons for $1 (One Dollar).

Part time help was sometimes needed in the barroom. On the bar was a large dish of salty pretzels and two large jugs, one of pickled hot bologna and the other pickled sheep tongue. Can't recall (if) what we charged for the pickled treats.
Draft beer was the main seller as the was during the depression era. As a consequence the Schleichers kept many local's in food necessities with little thought of ever collecting past due accounts in the grocery store.

I have no ideawhen we first purchased a TV. We had big Philco radio in the living room where we listened to Amos and Andy, Jack Benny et al. I was given my own radio about 1939 a brown backalite Zenith and I spent hours listening to show of my choice.

Dad had a car as far back as I can remember. About 1931 he bought the business in Clamtown where he needed a panel truck to pick up supplies and make deliveries to rural
customers. That truck served as the family car When we moved to Tamaqua about 1936 he
bought a used , 4 door Pontiac this gave us a real car. What followed was a string of Studebakers and Oldsmobiles.

There are numerous instances where Clayton was a born matchmaker. In my case he was never thrilled with the girls I dated but they were funlovers. In 1954 when he talked me into buying a red Mercury he said "let's take it over the road to test it out". I did not know that he had his eye on Grace, for me, as he had a death benefit check to her mother a year earlier (this was when he was working for New York Life Insurance) and had become very fond of Grace and her mother, due largely to her mothers fabulous cooking which he frequently enjoyed when he was making sales calls in the New Tripoli area.
Unannounced we dropped in on Grace and her mother on a Saturday afternoon, he purposely waled away after introducing us. Grace was initially turned off by my new red car but we overcame that and I soon began making trips from York to New Tripoli. Forunately I was transferred back to Reading where I had started and the trip to call on Grace became much shorter.

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bullet  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Lehigh Valley Railroad, 1924.

• Residence, 1925, Clamtown, Pennsylvania.

• Occupation: Atlas Powder Co, then bought store, Feb 1925. 8

• Residence, 1936, Tamaqua, Pennsylvania.

• Occupation: Country Store Owner / Life Insurance Salesman New York Life Insurance Co, 1937. 9,10

• Occupation: Reading Railroad, during WWII worked Freight, 1943.

• Residence, 1950, Reading, Pennsylvania.

• Residence, 1960, Clearwater, FL.


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Clayton married Estella Alberta Wehr, daughter of Charles Albert Wehr and Ida Lovina Henry, on Feb 28, 1925 in Normal, Carbon Co., Pennsylvania.6 (Estella Alberta Wehr was born on May 2, 1903 in Normal Square Mahoning Valley, Carbon Co, Pennsylvania,6,11 died on May 12, 1970 in Clearwater, Pinellas, Florida and was buried on May 12, 1970 in Section G-1-3-1, Lauraldale Cem., Reading, , Pennsylvania.)


bullet  Marriage Notes:

Clayton had to get Olivers ok for his marriage as he was underage.

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