#Tax services in Philadelphia PA | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

mericaphiladelp · 24 days ago

Text

Harnessing Solar Power with Merica Solar Panels in Philadelphia, PA

As the world moves toward sustainable energy solutions, Philadelphia residents are embracing solar power at an unprecedented rate. Among the leading providers in the area, Merica Solar Panels stands out for its commitment to helping homes and businesses transition to renewable energy. Here's why Merica Solar is making waves in Philadelphia, PA, and how it can help you go green.

Why Solar Panels Are a Game-Changer in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, affectionately known as the "City of Brotherly Love," is on a mission to become a sustainable city. With its climate action goals and a growing interest in renewable energy, solar panels are becoming a staple for households and businesses alike.

Solar energy offers numerous benefits for Philadelphians:

Lower Energy Bills: By generating your own electricity, you can significantly reduce your monthly utility expenses.

Environmental Impact: Switching to solar reduces your carbon footprint and helps combat climate change.

Energy Independence: Solar panels decrease reliance on traditional power grids, especially during peak usage hours or power outages.

Incentives and Tax Credits: Pennsylvania offers several incentives for solar installations, such as the federal solar tax credit, which can offset installation costs.

Why Choose Merica Solar Panels?

With numerous solar providers in Philadelphia, what makes Merica Solar Panels a standout choice? Here are the reasons:

Tailored Solar Solutions Merica Solar understands that no two properties are alike. Their experts assess your home or business to design a solar system that fits your unique energy needs and budget.

Premium-Quality Panels They use high-efficiency solar panels built to withstand weather fluctuations and perform optimally for years. These panels are perfect for Philadelphia's mix of sunny and cloudy days.

Affordable Financing Options Merica Solar offers a range of payment plans, including zero-down financing, to make solar accessible to everyone. They also guide you through tax credits, rebates, and local incentives to maximize savings.

Expert Installation Team A skilled team ensures that your solar panels are installed correctly and safely, allowing you to start enjoying energy savings immediately.

Local Expertise As a company with a presence in Philadelphia, Merica Solar understands the city's specific energy needs, zoning laws, and utility regulations. This local knowledge ensures a smooth and hassle-free experience.

How to Get Started with Merica Solar Panels

Switching to solar power with Merica Solar is a simple, straightforward process. Here's what to expect:

Free Consultation: Contact Merica Solar for a no-obligation consultation to evaluate your property’s solar potential.

Custom Design and Proposal: Receive a tailored solar plan that outlines your energy savings, installation costs, and available incentives.

Installation: The installation process is quick and handled by experienced professionals, minimizing disruption to your daily life.

Enjoy Savings: Start generating clean, renewable energy and saving money on your electricity bills.

Solar Energy and Philadelphia’s Future

Philadelphia is paving the way for a greener future, and solar power is a crucial part of this transformation. By choosing Merica Solar Panels, you’re not only reducing your energy costs but also contributing to a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations.

With Merica Solar's reliable systems and dedicated customer service, you can trust them to guide you every step of the way. If you're in Philadelphia and ready to make the switch, now is the perfect time to harness the power of the sun.

Take the first step today! Contact Merica Solar Panels and join the growing community of Philadelphians who are making a positive impact on the planet—one solar panel at a time.

#solar energy #solar power #solar system #solarpunk

1 note · View note

uvsunspot · 1 month ago

Text

MY HAMBURGER IS FIGHTING BACK DONT EAT ME WHERE ARE ALL THE COWBOYS!!!

ANTITRUST—E.D. Pa.: Philadelphia class certified, $2 million settlement approved in alleged Jiffy Lube no-poaching case, ( 2024)

By Justin Marcus Smith, J.D.

In approving the settlement, the court noted the risk that a national class might not be certified.

A final fairness hearing confirmed all grounds for granting final class certification and approval of a $2 million settlement in long-running “no poach” wage suppression litigation against Jiffy Lube International, Inc. (Jiffy Lube), held the federal district court in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The court approved the Jiffy Lube franchise employee plaintiffs’ requests for $500,000 as an award of attorney fees; $320,465 in litigation expenses; and, $68,132 for settlement administration expenses. The court also approved an incentive award of $5,000 for the named class representative. About 1,255 class members will receive an average remaining award of about $881.60. The court appeared to suggest that regional subclasses would have complicated the litigation and jeopardized the plaintiffs’ case. All circumstances considered, the court opined that the primary class counsel litigator obtained an “excellent recovery” for the finally approved Philadelphia area settlement class (Fuentes v. Jiffy Lube International, Inc., No. 2:18-cv-05174-AB (E.D. Pa. May 28, 2024)).

Jiffy Lube International, Inc., the largest chain of quick automotive oil changes chain in the United States, incorporated a clause into its franchise agreement prohibiting franchisees from soliciting or hiring employees from other Jiffy Lube franchises (the no-poach agreements). Fuentes, one such former franchise employee, filed a complaint against Jiffy Lube individually on behalf of a nationwide class.

After four years of litigation, Fuentes and Jiffy Lube moved for preliminary approval of their settlement on or about July 22, 2022, but only as to employees who worked at Jiffy Lube in the greater Philadelphia metro area. The court preliminarily certified that settlement class and preliminarily approved the Fuentes settlement on September 15, 2023. A plaintiff-intervenor who sought to pursue a nationwide class action against Jiffy Lube was subject to mandatory arbitration. The court also deemed a later proposed intervention, brought by a separate intervenor, but through the same attorney, as untimely and potentially prejudicial to settlement.

Fuentes now moved for class certification and final approval of the settlement. After conducting a fairness hearing, the court granted Fuentes’ motion for final class certification and approval of settlement. The court also granted Fuentes’ motion for attorney fees, expenses, and service award.

Certified class. The court certified the settlement class definition as consisting of all Jiffy Lube hourly employees who worked for at least 90 days for franchises located in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington MSA. This definition comprised about 1,255 class members.

Cash settlement. The court reported that Jiffy Lube had already deposited $2 million into escrow for settlement distribution. After the subtraction of settlement administration expenses, taxes, fee and expense awards, and the service award, the $1,106,403 remainder is to be distributed to class members pro rata based on their estimated earnings working at Jiffy Lube franchisees during the class period. Class members are to be paid automatically. This means the average award will be about $881.60. The settlement administrator will withhold one-third as a proxy for taxable wages. Jiffy Lube will not have a reversionary interest in unclaimed funds. Any remainder will be subject to a second pro rata distribution to class members or, if too small to justify the cost of distribution, cy-près donation to a court-approved non-profit.

R. 23(a). The court held that the 1,255 putative class members satisfied R. 23(a) numerosity. Common questions of law and fact, including whether Jiffy Lube engaged in unlawful suppression of wages due to a “no poach” agreement between Jiffy Lube and its franchisees, meant that all class member claims satisfied the R. 23(a) commonality requirement. Claims and defenses of the representative parties were also typical of the class, satisfying the R. 23(a) typicality requirement.

The court also held Fuentes was an adequate representative of class interests. The Gibbs Law Group was class counsel and had been involved in the litigation since inception. The court concluded that Attorney Joshua L. Bloomfield is an experienced complex class action attorney who “vigorously” prosecuted the Philadelphia -area class claims. Fuentes was also a diligent class representative, as reflected by the lack of objections.

R. 23(b). The court concluded that the issue of whether the alleged “no poach” provision applied to every franchise agreement equally was common to all putative class members, as was the concomitant alleged injury of suppression of wages. The same issues, expertise, and proof applied to each class members, thereby satisfying R. 23(b) predominance.

Class members did not bring individual actions, where the likely successful payout would be under $2,000, thus confirming that the class action mechanism satisfied the superiority requirement. The proposed class members were also readily ascertainable, as defined, under R. 23(b).

With respect to the fairness of final approval, the court observed how the parties had participated in multiple formal and arms’ length settlement negotiations before the magistrate judge. The court concluded the presumption of fairness applied here.

Applying the Girsh factors, Girsh v. Jepson, 521 F.2d 153, 157 (3d Cir. 1975), the court noted the case had already been pending for over five years, so the complexity, expense, and likely duration of continuing it weighed heavily in favor of approving settlement. No class members filed objections or opt outs, so this also weighed in favor of approval. Both sides had a “strong grasp” of remaining legal hurdles, including the risk that a national class might not be certified, and the plaintiffs’ risk of failure at trial.

Regional subclasses, as previously sought by California intervenor Jimenez and would-be intervenor Hernandez, would have also required more time and expense, and again, an award of damages might not be guaranteed at trial. This also weighed in favor of settlement. It also was not clear whether the defendants could withstand a larger judgment, but the court concluded Jiffy Lube probably could, so this factor was neutral. The court concluded here that the settlement represented an “excellent recovery” for the settlement class and an “adequate overall recovery.”

Applying Prudential considerations, In re Prudential Insurance Co. America Sales Practice Litigation, 148 F.3d 283 (3d Cir. 1998), the court concluded class counsel was “able to make an informed decision about the probable outcome of a trial.” All class members had an opportunity to opt-out, and attorney’s fees were reasonable. These relevant Prudential considerations weighed in favor of settlement.

Given that the net award to class members would be $881.60, the lack of objections confirmed a substantial benefit to class members under In re Baby Products Antitrust Litigation, 708 F.3d 163 (3d Cir. 2013).

Attorney fees. The court approved class counsel request for $500,000 in attorney fees, $320,465 in litigation expenses, and $68,132 for settlement administration. Jiffy Lube was not directly liable for payment of the attorney fees. The court concluded the requested attorney fees, at 20% of recovery and 25% of the entire fund, were reasonable under the percentage-of-recovery method and the lodestar cross-check. The court considered that plaintiff’s counsel devoted over 3,000 hours to the case, and class counsel had advanced more than $300 thousand for litigation expenses. The court also noted that fee awards in the district generally range between 19% and 45% of the common fund. The court also approved a $5,000 incentive or service award for Fuentes.

The Case is No. 2:18-cv-05174-AB.

Rose Fulbright US LLP) for Jiffy Lube International, Inc.

Companies: Jiffy Lube International, Inc.

0 notes

famousengineerpaper · 2 months ago

Text

The Growth of Technology and Innovation in Allentown, PA

Introduction

Allentown, Pennsylvania has experienced a remarkable surge in technology and innovation in recent years. With its strategic location, talented workforce, and supportive business environment, this Click here! city has become a hub for technological advancements and groundbreaking ideas. In this article, we will delve into the various aspects of the growth of technology and innovation in Allentown, PA and explore the factors that have contributed to its success.

The Role of Allentown's Strategic Location

Allentown's strategic location has played a significant role in attracting technology companies and fostering innovation. Situated in close proximity to major cities like New York City and Philadelphia, Allentown provides easy access to markets and resources. This geographical advantage has made it an ideal destination for startups and established companies looking to expand their operations.

The Thriving Startup Scene

Allentown's thriving startup scene is one of the key drivers behind its technological growth. The city has successfully cultivated an ecosystem that nurtures new ideas and encourages entrepreneurship. Startups in various sectors, including software development, biotechnology, and clean energy, have flourished in Allentown. This vibrant community of innovators has created an environment where collaboration and knowledge sharing thrive.

Collaboration Between Businesses and Academia

The collaboration between businesses and academia has been instrumental in driving technological advancements in Allentown. Local universities and colleges have partnered with companies to provide students with real-world experience through internships and co-op programs. This synergy between education and industry has not only benefited students but also contributed to the development of cutting-edge technologies.

youtube

Government Support for Innovation

The local government's support for innovation has played a crucial role in House cleaning services Allentown's technological growth. By offering tax incentives, grants, and other forms of financial assistance, the government has created an environment conducive to innovation. Additionally, they have streamlined regulatory processes to make it easier for businesses to operate and grow. This support has attracted both domestic and international companies to invest in Allentown, further fostering technological advancements.

The Availability of Skilled Workforce

Allentown's pool of skilled workforce has been a driving force behind its growth in technology and innovation. The city boasts a highly educated population with expertise in various fields such as engineering, computer science, and biotechnology. This talent pool has attracted companies seeking skilled workers, while also providing ample opportunities for local talent to thrive and contribute to technological advancements.

Infrastructure and Resources

Allentown's infrastructure and resources have been crucial in supporting the growth of technology and innovation. The city offers state-of-the-art research facilities, incubators, and co-working spaces that provide startups and entrepreneurs with the necessary resources to bring their ideas to life. Additionally, the presence of reliable internet connectivity and advanced telecommunications infrastructure has further facilitated the development of cutting-edge technologies.

The Impact of Technology on Allentown'

#Youtube

0 notes

lboogie1906 · 5 months ago

Text

Woodrow Wilson Goode Jr. (August 9, 1965) is a politician. He served on the Philadelphia City Council from 2000 to 2016. He is the son of former Philadelphia Mayor Wilson Goode. He graduated from Central High School and the University of Pennsylvania. He later did graduate studies at Harvard Kennedy School.

He was elected City Councilman At-Large in 1999 and won re-election three times.

He served as Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations as well as the Committee on Commerce and Economic Development. He introduced over 145 city ordinances including a revenue share increase for public education; a civil service preference for residents; a living wage and benefits standard for City-supported employees; annual disparity analyses; diversity goals for city contracting; fair lending plans and community reinvestment goals from city depository banks; contractor debarment processes for economic discrimination; elimination of the business gross receipts tax; business tax credits for job creation and investment in community economic development; as well as municipal election reform.

He was a Founding Board Member of Local Progress, the national municipal policy network created in 2012. He was the recipient of a National Achievement Award from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition in 2006. He received the 2013 Community Development Champion Award from the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations and the 2015 PA Working Families Legislator of the Year Award.

He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, and the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #sigmapiphi #alphaphialpha

0 notes

pizza-is-the-key · 2 years ago

Text

Advice For Finding The Best Lawyer For Your Needs

At some point in your life, you may find yourself needing the assistance of a good lawyer. Do not panic if this happens to you. With the services of a good lawyer, you can quickly and easily resolve any legal difficulties in your life. Use the following tips to find a great lawyer.

Learn about your lawyer's past before you hire him. Just because a lawyer can practice doesn't mean he is good. Knowing a lawyer's record will enable you to determine whether or not he or she can handle your case successfully.

Before you hire a lawyer, sit down and define the problem that you have. Sometimes, you may find that your situation is not bad enough to warrant a lawyer. Understanding exactly what you are going through can help save you a lot of money over time with a lawyer and court fees.

Be certain every lawyer you interview provides you with a list of fees. Fees can vary greatly; therefore, it's best to thoroughly understand the fees before signing any agreement. Nothing is worse than losing a lawyer in the middle of your case.

It is important that the lawyer you hire is one who is experienced on the field you need help with. For instance, if you need a lawyer for a divorce, it would not be wise to hire a lawyer specializing in taxes. When you hire a lawyer familiar with the problem, you need help with, you have a better chance of positive results.

Look for people who have experienced similar problems and ask them which lawyers they used. Your friends and relatives might be helpful but do not follow their suggestions unless you need a lawyer for the same kind of issues. Use the different resources available in your community, such as support groups.

When you need a lawyer, it is all too easy to panic and just hire the first person you see. However, it is more important to remain calm and hire a really good lawyer. By keeping the advice you have just read in mind, you can find a great lawyer to help you out.

Read more here Motorcycle Accidents Attorney Philadelphia PA

#Car Accidents Attorney Philadelphia PA #Dram Shop Liability Attorney Philadelphia PA

0 notes

gubercompany · 3 years ago

Link

#CPA firms in Philadelphia PA #Tax Services Philadelphia

0 notes

vincenthousman · 3 years ago

Text

All the dogs are just as guilty.

"As an AD, I was already at Leonardtown when she got the athletic director's job at Great Mills and we probably communicated almost on a daily basis. If a child is set upon by a pack of hounds, does it matter which one tears out his throat? All the dogs are just as guilty. Supposing these, now, to be all heresies, which of them is the worst?—which will bring the worst practical results? And, if Congregationalism had fought this slavery heresy as some of her leaders fought Dr. Arrive early in the day to allow ample time for viewing big mammals (including bison, bighorn sheep, elk, deer, and black bears) from observation points along the range roads. “Almighty God has been pleased to take away your entire property, and to give you nothing but labor and poverty in this world, which you are obliged to submit to, as it is his will that it should be so. If we eat this way every day I will neve e sale amazon be the size of Illyrio before I meet this dragon queen. Another woman. Adults are not the only ones suffering from weight problems. As a while health christian louboutin outlet related rehabber, Presidency input is one I shoot completely super. There were more of them than he would have guessed—forty-seven in the Gatehouse Tower and another eighteen in the Drunkard’s Tower. Bought it a while back from a car collector's widow over in Cornwells Heights, PA. But Mace Tyrell could not seem to see beyond the threat to his own daughter. If space is extra tight, such as in a narrow two car garage, Park Pilot will confirm a reduced lateral distance setting, fold the mirror, and squeeze the car in.. Tennis was first introduces in India during the colonial rule of England and slowly it gathered the ground till the present moment. Beyond those canvas walls, each man got a heel of bread and a chunk of black sausage no longer than a finger, washed down with the last of Galbart Glover’s ale.. Camarron of the Count put forth a scheme to seize the ships tied up along the baby nike trainersriverfront and use the Skahazadhan to bring three hundred pit fighters around the Yunkish rear. Our enemies are in disarray. For one instant it seemed to me she

bocanci grisport 480

was delirious. Katya simply obeys her without question, and it seems as though there’s some agreement between them about it. I would tell him that the commandments of some men, and not the commandments of God, made slavery a sin.—Smylie on Slavery, p. Squirrel slipped away, soft-footed as she always was. "When people see potential, especially with the coaching staff, it means they're going to push me to reach that new level. This is all right, this is doable, this is good.' I wake up moustiquaire lit 1 personne ikea the next morning. His distracted wife kept guard at his door, struggling with men armed with bludgeons and bowie-knives, who swore that they would have his heart’s blood. Megan believes the air marshal may have been drugged. I had no time to raise up a new host.” He turned back to face her. "President Reagan is frequently cited as a source of inspiration for many Republican candidates, so we can think of no better venue from which to bring this historic event to viewers and voters.". But isn't forward facing easier for everyone?Yes, it's easier to interact with your child when she is facing forward, and less awkward to get her into the seat. Ever.''I hear that all the time from the girls,' Jensen says. A 140 mm liquid cooler radiator may also be installed here as well, regardless of thickness this time.. There has been no prosecution of the sort. I will be Thistle the spearwife, and Varamyr Sixskins will be dead. She is a member of Shore Fellowship Church, is training to become a facilitator for the Alcove, and is a member of Atlantic County Community's Emerging Leaders. Even large examples of the People Carrying breed can't take much luggage if you fill all seven seats up with occupants. Bermuda shouldn't but the game should be developed chaussettes bon marchéas it actually has a fan base in Bermuda as opposed to the US and Canadian teams which no one in the US/Canada knows/cares about. When Squirrel returned, the other four were with her: gaunt grey-haired Myrtle, Willow Witch-Eye with her long black braid, Frenya of the thick waist and enormous breasts, Holly with her knife. President very much emphasized that there has to be a replace with the repeal, Cassidy added. In Colossians 4:22 and 5:1,—“Servants, obey, in all things, your masters, according to the flesh; not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart as fearing God; and whatsoever ye do, do it heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto men, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ.” “Masters, give unto servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.”.. JR was the owner and operator of McGillan, Inc., Fort Fairfield. Please wear boots or sturdy shoes, long sleeved tops and bring gloves. 1 is the dream of so many in Nashville.A song that goes to No. As legs tired the game continued to open up with flurries back and forth, though

sandisk mp3 mode d emploi

with little meaningful result. After graduating with a MBA from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Emre started his gaming career in 2001 with the Trump properties in Atlantic City. But from a practical standpoint, the location allowed the shooter to easily wound and kill dozens of innocent people. “Slavery is forbidden in Pentos, by the terms of the treaty the Braavosi imposed on us a hundred years ago. This isn't lip service, more like one regarrds. Hillary Clinton's campaign says the Democratic nominee and her husband paid a federal tax rate of 34.2 percent and donated 9.8 percent of

scaun rulant inchiriere

their income to charity last year. The HD 630 series GPU core can boost up to 1150MHz and can power up to 3 displays simultaneously. But the laughter was certainly not genuine. After the beast fights came a mock battle, pitting six men on foot against six horsemen, the former armed with shields and longswords, the latter with Dothraki arakhs. Ages 3 to 7. Spokeswoman papuci de casa din pasla Katherine Vasilos told Raw Story in an email that the Republican Party of Arkansas had bikes btt usadas no plans to make financial contributions to Fuqua in the future.. He might be using one to poison me, hoping I will let him cut my hand off.” The more he thought on it, the more likely it seemed. You'll notice I put "serving" in quotes, because, let's face it, I suck. We noticed that the maximum voltage achieved was only 1.187V, not the 1.2V we had the slider set at, it never went over 1.187V. No reason at all. We will meet at the parking lot and walk the three ponds, stopping frequently.. In the informal darkness of the old Fruitmarket, it was sublime.. We can't even count the times she came down the stairs in some kind of costume that she wore to school. The red arrows point to other visible sections of the wall. papuci de casa din pasla To noon Saturday at the Potomac Community Center, 11315 Falls Road. Interestingly, back in the 70's, there were no specialized basketball shoes and all the players relied only on the veteran Converse All Stars! Late 70s was the time that brought a sort of glamor and development to the shoe market for basketball players.

1 note · View note

tax-experts · 5 months ago

Text

Tax Services Philadelphia PA

A Plus Tax Expert in Philadelphia offers comprehensive tax services for individuals and businesses. Their expertise includes tax preparation, planning, ITIN services, and support for non-profits. They ensure compliance with IRS regulations, improve credit ratings, and maximize tax savings through detailed knowledge of tax breaks and efficient filing processes. Their goal is to provide stress-free tax management and significant savings.

#Tax Services Philadelphia PA

0 notes

nobrutalitybudget · 4 years ago

Text

UNITY CAUCUS STATEMENT ON MAYOR KENNEY’S BUDGET ADDRESS

Unity Caucus is a group of rank-and-file City workers.*

(PHILADELPHIA, PA) -- At huge risk to ourselves and our families, city workers have been working tirelessly on the frontlines through the pandemic picking up trash, running access centers for students, fixing streets, and keeping health centers running.

We see at work everyday, the city budget has been inadequate for years. Our schools, our libraries, and our parks are understaffed and underfunded. Many essential city departments, like sanitation, are so understaffed with workers so underpaid that they need a constant stream of overtime to get the work done and make a living wage.

Mayor Kenney’s budget proposal leaves last year’s dramatic pandemic cuts in place. 2020’s pandemic cuts have devastated public services, while city residents need city services more than ever to get back on their feet.

At the Free Library, the Mayor’s budget leaves $3.6 million dollars of cuts in place from before the pandemic, and does not restore full 6 day a week service. At Parks & Rec, the Mayor’s budget cuts $2.9 million from pre-pandemic levels. Since even before the pandemic, many rec centers are physically unsafe and staffed by 1 person. In the Streets department, where sanitation workers worked around the clock and contracted Covid at alarming rates, Mayor Kenney cut the budget $11.3 million.

Last summer 454 workers across the city were laid off, nearly half of those workers from the library alone. Most were women. Most were people of color. Most were the lowest paid, temporary workers who get let go and rehired every year. They never have union representation, health insurance, or a permanent year-round job.

These layoffs were unnecessary and harmful, and those workers must be rehired to permanent positions as city services are rebuilt. The budget should not be balanced on the backs of working families, so we are also happy to see the wage tax reduced. But without increasing revenue from other sources this budget proposal simply postpones an inevitable budget gap, and the layoffs and service cuts that will come with it.

We believe that now is the time to seek progressive revenue sources that will provide city funding over the next decades--not just this year. Mayor Kenney said in his address today that we can’t tax the rich, but we know that isn’t true. We can tax the ultra-rich and require large corporations and nonprofits to pay their fair share. Yes, we can do this, even with the PA uniformity clause.

Even during the pandemic, large corporations have made massive profits, like Comcast’s $10.5 billion in 2020 alone.

Our city residents and workers need a Big Business Tax (aka Gross Receipts Tax) on these large corporations that pay a tax rate of less than 1%.

It’s time for large nonprofits like UPenn, Drexel, and Jefferson to pay their fair share. These institutions can pay taxes on the income from their massive endowments, and they can contribute PILOTS, as we know they are exempt.

We need to tax the massive wealth of local billionaires like Brandywine CEO Jerry Sweeney by levying an estate tax on the ultra wealthy and taxing capital gains like million dollar investment winnings instead.

We must also redirect funds away from the police department, toward city departments that promote public safety and welfare. The police department’s budget would serve our city better if it went towards public health, infrastructure, homelessness services, and schools, instead of things like tax-payer funded, multi-million dollar settlements.

Today, we stand in solidarity with community members and union and non-union workers across the city to call on the mayor and city council to create a budget that works for all Philadelpians, by taxing the extreme wealth that exists in Philadelphia and investing it in our communities--not incarceration.

________________________________________________________________

*Unity is a caucus of AFSCME DC 33, DC 47, and non-rep, non-management employees who are building solidarity between rank-and-file workers across job classes, departments, locals, and district councils, in order to make AFSCME stronger.

We are a caucus of, by, and for rank-and-file workers. We do not claim to speak on behalf of the union or its elected leadership. We are acting on our right to speak up on behalf of ourselves, to bring attention to our working conditions, to organize for mutual aid and protection, and to voice our aspirations about our jobs, our city, and our future.

Unity's mission is to increase democracy, transparency, solidarity, public service, dignified work, and collective power in our union: any rank-and-file City worker or member of our union who agrees with our program may join us.

3 notes · View notes

antheminmyheart · 5 years ago

Text

Master List of Black Creators, Owners, & Public Figures

DISCLAIMER: I am fucking whiter than white. I compiled this list to boost black creators and public figures, but if I am overstepping at all PLEASE let me know!

Also, I tried to research these in a timely manner. If anyone in these lists is problematic or should not be supported, let me know. :)

(Of course, this is only a TINY portion! Feel free to add more names, businesses, and creators!)

——

Activists:

•Naomi Anderson

•Maya Angelou

•James Baldwin

•Lillie Mae Bradford

•Mari Copeny

•Frederick Douglass

•Ruth Ellis

•Erica Garner

•Alicia Garza

•Ernest Green

•Fannie Lou Hamer

•Frances Harper

•Langston Hughes

•Marsha P. Johnson

•Alberta Odell Jones

•Quincy Jones

•Martin Luther King Jr.

•Audre Lorde

•Bree Newsome

•Huey P. Newton

•Rosa Parks

-Bayard Rustin

•Sojourner Truth

•Harriet Tubman

•Madam C.J. Walker

•Ida B. Wells

•Malcolm X

Actors/Actresses & Directors:

•Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

•James Avery

•Angela Bassett

•Halle Berry

•John Boyega

•Levar Burton

•Nick Cannon

•Michael Clarke Duncan

•Zendaya Coleman

•Terry Crews

•Viola Davis

•Idris Elba

•Jamie Foxx

•Morgan Freeman

•Whoopi Goldberg

•Tiffany Haddish

•Skai Jackson

•William Jackson Harper

•Kevin Hart

•Steve Harvey

•Jennifer Hudson

•Ice Cube

•Spike Lee

•Phill Lewis

•Bernie Mac

•Eddie Murphy

•Keke Palmer

•James Pickens Jr.

•Chris Rock

•Will Smith

•Raven Symonè

•Denzel Washington

•Jesse Williams

•Chandra Wilson

•Oprah Winfrey

•John Witherspoon

Authors & Poets:

•Elizabeth Acevedo

•Tomi Adeyemi

•Kwame Alexander

•Maya Angelou

•Rena Barron

•Paula Chase

•Dhonielle Clayton

•Brandy Colbert

•Jay Coles

•Dana Davis

•Tanita S. Davis

•Sharon M. Draper

•Paul Laurence Dunbar

•Akwaeke Emezi

•Sharon G. Flake

•Kristina Forest

•L.R. Giles

•Whitney D. Grandison

•Nikki Grimes

•Justina Ireland

•Tiffany D. Jackson

•Kimberly Jones

•Claire Kann

•Kekla Magoon

•Janice Lynn Mather

•Tony Medina

•Candice Montgomery

•David Barclay Moore

•Britney Morris

•Bethany C. Morrow

•Greg Neri

•Nnedi Okorafor

•Tochi Onyebuchi

•Morgan Parker

•Junauda Petrus

•Ben Philippe

•Jason Reynolds

•Debbie Rigaud

•Ilyasah Shabazz

•Nic Stone

•Liara Tamani

•Mildred D. Taylor

•Angie Thomas

•Brian F. Walker

•Booker T. Washington

•Renée Watson

•Alicia Williams

•August Wilson

•C.E. Wilson

•Ashley Woodfolk

•Jacqueline Woodson

•Nicola Yoon

•Ibi Aanu Zoboi

Black-Owned Bookstores:

•Grassrootz Bookstore (Phoenix, AZ)

•Eso Won Books (Los Angeles, CA)

•Malik Books (Los Angeles, CA)

•Marcus Books (Oakland, CA)

•Shades of Afrika (Long Beach, CA)

•Shop At Matter (Denver, CO)

•Pyramid Books (Boynton Beach, FL)

•For Keeps Books (Atlanta, GA)

•Bunnie Hillard (Decatur, GA)

•Challenges Games & Comics (Decatur, GA)

•Semicolon (Chicago, IL)

•Wild Fig Books (Lexington, KY)

•Frugal Bookstore (Boston, MA)

•Loyalty Books (Silver Springs, MD)

•Loving Me Books (Detroit, MI)

•Source Booksellers (Detroit, MI)

•Mind’s Eye Comics (Burnsville, MN)

•Eye See Me (St. Louis, MO)

•Source of Knowledge (Newark, NJ)

•The Lit Bar (The Bronx, NY)

•Cafe Con Libros (Brooklyn, NY)

•Megabrain Comics (Rhinebeck, NY)

•The Schomburg Shop (Harlem, NY)

•Sister’s Uptown (New York, NY)

•Fulton Street Books (Tulsa, OK)

•Third Eye Bag (Portland, OR)

•Amalgam Comics (Philadelphia, PA)

•Harriett’s Bookshop (Philadelphia, PA)

•Uncle Bobbie’s (Philadelphia, PA)

•Turning Page Bookshop (Goose Creek, SC)

•Black Pearl Books (Austin, TX)

•The Dock (Fort Worth, TX)

•Loyalty Books (Washington DC)

•MahoganyBooks (Washington DC)

Other Black-Owned Businesses:

•228 Grant Street Candle Company (228grantstreet.com)

•Aamir Graphics (jaizthedesigner.mystrikingly.com)

•Ailey Extension (aileyextension.com)

•Aminah Abdul Jillil (aminahabdujillil.com)

•Anya Lust (anyalust.com)

•AphroChic (aphrochic.com)

•Basbaas Foods (basbaassauce.com)

•Beauty Bakerie (beautybakerie.com)

•Beauty Stat Cosmetics (beautystatcosmetics.com)

•BedStuyFly (bedstuyfly.com)

•Bel Lumière (thebellumiereco.com)

•Beneath Your Mask (beneathyourmask.com)

•Black Enterprise (blackenterprise.com)

•Black Girl Sunscreen (blackgirlsunscreen.com)

•Black Girls Run (blackgirlsrun.com)

•The Black Home (theblackhome.com)

•Black Pepper Paperie Company (shopbpco.com)

•Blavity (blavity.com)

•BLK MKT Vintage (blkmktvintage.com)

•Body Space Fitness (bodyspacefitness.com)

•Bold Xchange (boldxchange.com)

•Bolé Road Textiles (boleroadtextiles.com)

•Briogeo (briogeohair.com)

•Brooklyn Circus (thebkcircus.com)

•Brooklyn Tea (brooklyntea.com)

•Brother Vellies (brothervellies.com)

•Camille Rose (camillerose.com)

•Carlis Design Studio LLC (carlisdesignstudio.net)

•Castamira (castamira.com)

•CBAAF (comebackasaflower.com)

•Celsious (celsious.com)

•Cherry Blossom Intimates (cherryblossomintimates.com)

•Clare (clare.com)

•Cool and Casual Studios (coolandcasualstudios.com)

•CurlBox (curlbox.com)

•CurlMix (curlmix.com)

•Curls (curls.biz)

•Cushnie (cushnie.com)

•Custom Collaborative (customcollaborative.org)

•Diop (weardiop.com)

•Divine Nature Cosmetics (divinenaturecosmetics.com)

•Drift Taxi (thedrifttaxi.com)

•Edas (edas.store)

•Effortless Composition (effortlesscomposition.com)

•Essence (essence.com)

•Esusu (esusurent.com)

•Fix My Resume Services (fixmyresume.net)

•Flat Fifteen (flatfifteen.co.uk)

•Flaunt It Beauty Supply (flauntitbeautysupply.com)

•The Folklore (shopthefolklore.com)

•FUBU (fubu.com)

•Golde (golde.co)

•Golden Krust (goldekrust.com)

•Goodee (goodeeworld.com)

•Grillz and Granola (grillzandgranola.com)

•Hanahana Beauty (hanahanabeauty.com)

•Haus Urban (hausurban.com)

•HealHaus (healhaus.com)

•House of Aama (houseofaama.com)

•Iconoclast Fitness (iconoclastfitness.com)

•Ilé Ilà (ile-ila.com)

•International Smoke (internationalsmoke.com)

•Johanna Howard Home (johannahoward.com)

•Jones Bar-B-Q (jonesbbqkc.com)

•Jungalow (jungalow.com)

•Justice of the Pies (justiceofthepies.com)

•Kahmune (kahmune.com)

•KAI (kaicollective.com)

•KNC Beauty (kncbeauty.com)

•Kutula by Africana (shopkutula.com)

•Label by Three (labelbythree.com)

•LaQuan Smith (laquansmith.com)

•Lauren Napier Beauty (laurennapier.com)

•The Lip Bar (thelipbar.com)

•Lit Bklyn (litbklyn.co)

•Local European (localeuropean.com)

•Love Notes Fragrances (lovenotesfragrances.com)

•LUXE Honeymoons (luxe-honeymoons.com)

•Maison Noir Wines (maisonnoirwines.com)

•Maki Oh (makioh.com)

•Malene B (malenebarnett.com)

•Manual (manualphoto.com)

•Marché Rue Dix (marcheruedix.com)

•Marie Burgos Collection (marieburgosdesignthestore.com)

•Market*TING (market-ting.com)

•Mateo New York (mateonewyork.com)

•McBride Sisters Collection (mcbridesisters.com)

•Melanin Haircare (melaninhaircare.com)

•Mented Cosmetics (mentedcosmetics.com)

•MyaVana (myavana.com)

•Nandi Naya (nandinayanyc.com)

•Natty Garden (nattygarden.com)

•Neighborhood Fiber Co. (neighborhoodfiberco.com)

•Nerdz World (nerdzworld.com)

•NightLight Pediatric (nightlightpediatrics.com)

•Nude Barre (nudebarre.com)

•Octave Jewelry (octavejewelry.com)

•Oma the Label (omathelabel.com)

•Orange Culture (orangeculture.com.ng)

•OUI The People (ouithepeople.com)

•Partake Foods (partakefoods.com)

•Pat McGrath Labs (patmcgrath.com)

•Peace & Riot (peaceandriot.com)

•Peju Obasa (pejuobasa.com)

•People of Color Beauty (peopleofcolorbeauty.com)

•Pipcorn (pipsnacks.com)

•Post-Imperial (post-imperial.com)

•Pottery by Osa (potterybyosa.com)

•Rebecca Allen (rebecca-allen.com)

•Red Bay Coffee (redbaycoffee.com)

•Reparations Club (rep.club)

•Riot Swim (riotswim.com)

•Rochelle Porter (rochelleporter.com)

•See Line Ceramics (seelineceramics.com)

•Sheila Bridges (sheilabridges.com)

•Sincerely, Tommy (sincerelytommy.com)

•The Sip (thesipsociety.com)

•The Sixes (thesixes.com)

•Slashed by Tia (slashedbytia.net)

•Sol Cacao (solcacao.com)

•Sol Sips (solsipsnyc.com)

•Something Unique Accessories (shopsomethingunique.com)

•T.A. (shop-ta.com)

•Tackussanu Senegal (tackussanusenegal.com)

•Tactile Matter (tactilematter.com)

•T&C Management Tax & Financial Services (https://xu625-feb5c6.pages.infusionsoft.net )

•Telfar (telfar.net)

•TLZ L’FEMME (tlzlf.com)

•Total Resistance (thetotalresistance.com)

•Tree Fairfax (treefairfax.com)

•UniBuyz (unibuyz.com)

•Unlimited Treasures Chest (utchest.com)

•Unsun (unsuncosmetics.com)

•Unwrp (unwrp.com)

•Uoma Beauty (uomabeauty.com)

•Urban One Inc. (urban1.com)

•Victor Glemaud (glemaud.com)

•Wales Bonner (walesbonner.com)

•Whetstone Magazine (whetstonemagazine.com)

•The Wrap Life (thewrap.life)

•Yam (yamnyc.com)

•xN Studio (osxnasozi.com)

•Yowie (shopyowie.com)

•Zafa Wines (zafawines.com)

•Zou Xou Shoes (zouxou.com)

Book Reviewers:

•Black & Bookish

•Black Books Matter

•Bookaddict4real

•Brazen Babe Reviews

•Doddy About Books

•Fine Point Scribbles

•Kaybee’s Bookshelf, A Literary Blog

•Literally Black

•Ms. Shabria Gxo

•Sometimes Leelynn Reads

Models:

•Adwoa Aboah

•Adesuwa Aighewi

•J. Alexander

•Karen Alexander

•Leomie Anderson

•Alanna Arrington

•Yasmine Arrington

•Tyra Banks

•Corey Baptiste

•Tyson Beckford

•Yasmin Benoit

•Akech Bior

•Minah Ogbenyealu Bird

•Maria Borges

•Adonis Bosso

•Cindy Bruna

•Naomi Campbell

•Dorothea Church

•Yaya DaCosta

•Agbani Darego

•Bruce Darnell

•Khoudia Diop

•Nadège du Bospertus

•Jourdan Dunn

•Selita Ebanks

•Paloma Elsesser

•Cora Emmanuel

•Staniel Ferreira

•Malaika Firth

•Diandra Forrest

•Imaan Hammam

•Winnie Harlow

•Beverley Heath-Hoyland

•Marsha A. Hunt

•Broderick Hunter

•Chanel Iman

•Beverly Johnson

•Toccara Jones

•Grace Jones

•Liya Kebede

•Jayne Kennedy

•Janet Langhart

•Shakara Ledard

•Precious Lee

•Noémie Lenoir

•Damaris Lewis

•Sessilee Lopez

•Donyale Luna

•Anais Mali

•Eva Marcille

•Denny Mèndez

•Jillian Mercado

•Ariel Meredith

•Lineisy Montero

•Muna

•Katoucha Niane

•Mayowa Nicholas

•Emanuela de Paula

•Lais Ribeiro

•Valentine Rontez

•Shaun Ross

•Kimora Lee Simmons

•Naomi Sims

•Joan Smalls

•B. Smith

•Arlenis Sosa

•Sal Stowers

•Duckie Thot

•Jasmine Tookes

•Eugena Washington

•Veronica Webb

•Alek Wek

•Jessica White

•Slick Woods

•Kara Young

Musicians:

•Aaliyah

•Akon

•Louis Armstrong

•Pearl Bailey

•Harry Belafonte

•Chuck Berry

•Beyoncé

•The Black Eyed Peas

•Blackstreet

•B.o.B.

•The Bobettes

•Soulja Boy

•50 Cent

•Chance the Rapper

•Ray Charles

•Chubby Checker

•The Chords

•Ciara

•The Clovers

•The Coasters

•Nat ‘King’ Cole

•Zendaya Coleman

•The Contours

•Sam Cooke

•Taio Cruz

•Andra Day

•Bobby Day

•The Del-Vikings

•Jason Derulo

•Destiny’s Child

•The Diamonds

•Bo Diddley

•Daveed Diggs

•DMX

•Fats Domino

•Dr. Dre

•The Drifters

•Earth, Wind, & Fire

•Missy Elliott

•Flo Rida

•The Four Tops

•Aretha Franklin

•Bobby Freeman

•Marvin Gaye

•Gloria Gaynor

•CeeLo Green

•Billie Holiday

•Whitney Houston

•Ice-T

•Sharaya J

•Janet Jackson

•Michael Jackson/The Jackson 5

•Kamille

•Alicia Keys

•Khalid

•Sean Kingston

•Eartha Kitt

•Lenny Kravitz

•Patti LaBelle

•John Legend

•Leona Lewis

•Lizzo

•The Marcels

•The Masqueraders

•M.I.A.

•Mickey & Sylvia

•MKTO

•The Monotones

•Nelly

•Ne-Yo

•The Penguins

•Leigh-Anne Pinnock (of the girl group Little Mix)

•The Platters

•Prince

•Otis Redding

•Little Richard

•Rihanna

•The Ronettes

•Diana Ross

•Darius Rucker

•Run-DMC

•Travis Scott

•Shaggy

•Tupac Shakur

•Nina Simone

•Shirley & Lee

•The Silhouettes

•Snoop Dogg

•Jimmy Soul

•Jordin Sparks

•The Supremes

•The Temptations

•TLC

•T-Pain

•Ty Dolla Sign

•Usher

•Bill Withers

YouTubers:

Jackie Aina

Alissa Ashley

Yasmin Benoit

Berleezy

Raye Boyce

Patricia Bright

Marques Brownlee

Alyssa Forever

GlamTwinz

GloZell

Bri Hall

Todrick Hall

Aysha Harun

Alonzo Lerone

Oneika the Traveller

Shanna Malcolm

Shameless Maya

MakeupShayla

Chris Smoove

Nyma Tang

TheAjayII

AdrianXpression

#black lives matter #blm #black creators #black owned #black businesses #black authors #black actors #black activists

27 notes · View notes

abbottikeler · 4 years ago

Text

The Ikelers: A Family Chronicle, 1753-2018 (Part III)

The Ikelers in the Nineteenth Century There are many descendants of Wilhelm who, to this day, live within a few miles of Jerseytown and his original Greenwood farm. They are, most of them, eight or nine generations removed either from his eldest son, Andrew, or his only daughter, Elizabeth. (Barnabus, his second son, did not marry, and William, his third born, though he married in New Jersey and lived out his life in Columbia County, could not convince most of his descendants to stay. Many migrated west to Ohio and beyond.) Especially if you can trace your ancestry back to Andrew Ikeler, you will easily find third, fourth and fifth cousins in Bloomsburg and neighboring townships. Evidence of their long presence and influence is everywhere in Columbia County—in two Ikeler cemeteries, a church, a street, and even a village named Ikelertown. In the case of Wilhelm’s friend Daniel, and his son-in-law William, Elizabeth’s legacy lives on in the ubiquity of the Welliver name in local phone directories, in the Jerseytown cemetery established by Daniel, and in numerous published histories of Daniel’s involvement with the ill-fated Whitmayers. There is, in fact, near Bloomsburg a country crossroads and a hamlet surrounding it named “Welliverville.” Those two families, after all, were among the first pioneer farmers to clear and work the land after the 1780 treaty with the local native-Americans. Ikelers and Wellivers have been there ever since. In this segment of the narrative, I’ll be looking at three generations of Ikelers who lived all or most of their lives in nineteenth-century Columbia County, PA. They are, in order, Andrew Ikeler (1772-1850) and his wife Christiana, nee Johnson (1774-1865); Andrew’s son Isaac (1804-1883) and his wife Mary, nee Taylor (1810-1872); and Isaac’s son Elijah (1838-1898) and his wife Helena, nee Armstrong (1840-1913). For information about the siblings of Isaac or Elijah (there were in fact a dozen), the best local sources are the County Courthouse and the Columbia County Historical and Genealogical Society in Bloomsburg. Under discussion here are only the children from whom my immediate family and I are descended. Andrew reached his majority in New Jersey under the sole care of his mother. In 1792, he married the daughter of an English settler—the first with the new surname Ikeler to do so. Christiana Johnson’s father, Isaac, was most likely sympathetic to the British cause, since he allowed the union of his daughter to the son of a notorious loyalist. He also later moved to the Pennsylvania neighborhood where Wilhelm had settled. It appears that Christiana and Andrew may have been the last of their generation of Ikelers to leave New Jersey for Columbia County. The 1888 Beers Book makes reference to Andrew’s journey there in 1804. Presumably, he was waiting for confirmation from his father that the land they needed for their growing family had been purchased. That news came in 1804, and Andrew appears on the tax records of 1805 as the owner of a log cabin and a saw mill and 150 acres of land in Greenwood Township. Unlike most of the farmers around him, Andrew seems to have cut quite a public figure. Near the end of the War of 1812, he led a company of militia to the defense of the nation’s capital. While underway, they learned the threat had passed, so he and his men returned to Columbia County without firing a shot. Again, in 1835, he made news when elected Magistrate at the ripe age of 62. At his death in 1850 he had outlived his brothers and his sister by nearly a decade. We know precious little about Christiana’s life, either in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, but she and Andrew lived long enough to see many of their grandchildren grown, long enough to celebrate their 57th wedding anniversary, and, in her case, long enough to see the end of the Civil War. Born before the nation itself, she died at 91 in 1865. One can only image what a diary of her times she might have written! She and Andrew are buried in the far right corner of what is known as the “churchless” Ikeler cemetery, at the top of a hill overlooking both their and Wilhelm’s original homesteads, and planted in corn to the very borders of the graveyard. The site functioned up until 1840 as the informal burial place for Ikelers and their near neighbors. In that year, Andrew’s eldest son, William, set money aside to preserve it in perpetuity and later erected the limestone tombstone that marks his parents’ last resting place. In the row immediately behind them are several broken slabs of slant, the inscriptions on them (if any) long since effaced. It is very likely that they mark the burial place of Wilhelm and his wife, presumably carried there (in 1808 and 1815 respectively) from their nearby log house in a homemade pine box, or perhaps simple in winding sheet. Ironically, far less is known of Andrew’s son Isaac, my great-great grandfather, and his wife Mary Taylor. Though he followed his father’s example and married a woman of English stock, he kept close to the land Andrew left him, and rarely participated in the life of the wider community. Yet, since he lived into the 1880s, I suspect at least one photograph of him must have been taken, and may somewhere still exist. Certainly there are available photos of other children of Andrew. Much research remains to be done on his wife as well. Happily, some has recently come to light through the efforts of my third cousin, Chris Sanders. Mary Taylor was sold by her father into indentured service at age twelve, along with her brother. The promise of an apprenticeship was often written into the contract—in Mary’s case, the promise was, in the course of her seven years of servitude, that she would be taught “the mysteries of housewiffery.” Why her father, a widower, was driven to take such an extreme measure remains a mystery. Perhaps he simply thought he couldn’t manage their upbringing on his own. It was, as one wise genealogist reminded me, a different time. Mary’s servitude did, at least, have a foreseeable end. She married Isaac Ikeler immediately upon regaining her freedom at 19, in 1829. Her son Elijah, perhaps as a tribute to the suffering she had endured in her adolescence, christened his second son with the middle name “Taylor” just two years before his mother’s death. Her memory was apparently cherished by later descendants as well---they passed it down to this very day as the middle name of at least four other Ikeler males. Mary, fortunately, was something of a genealogist herself, and faithfully kept what she knew of the Ikeler family tree on the flyleaf of her bible. For most of us, that partial record represented the starting point for our research into the early generations. Mary Taylor Ikeler predeceased her husband by eleven years. Isaac passed away in 1883. All but one of their eight children survived into adulthood. Both parents are buried under well-preserved limestone monuments in what became the next, newer Ikeler cemetery, atop Ikeler Hill and directly across the road from the Ikeler Church. Their resting place sits right above the border between Mt. Pleasant and Greenwood Townships, looking down on the very hills and fields they plowed. Elijah Redmond Ikeler, their fourth child and second son, is perhaps the most widely remembered and controversial of all the Ikelers in this history. Even his birth year is debatable, variously recorded as any of four years between 1837 and 1840. Most sources, including his large granite tombstone in Bloomsburg’s Rosemount Cemetery, declare it to be 1838, however. From his early days he appears to have been disinclined to take up farming. At 18 he was apprenticed to a mill owner, and shortly thereafter had acquired a share in the business. At the outset of the Civil War, he seems to have been equally disinclined to take up arms in defense of the Union. Whether he paid the standard $300 to send someone else in his place, or simply wasn’t called up because the local quota of soldiers had already been filled, he clearly had no interest in risking his young life for a cause he didn’t believe in. In a Bloomsburg newspaper article from 1864, in which a local volunteer at the front complains about the lack of support and enthusiasm from the folks back home, Elijah is quoted (among others) arguing in favor of a compromise with the Confederacy that would allow the Southern States to keep their slaves and end the bloodshed sooner. By that time he had already been married for a year—to one Helena Armstrong, two years his junior and a resident of Bloomsburg. Her father owned a prosperous stonemasonry business, producing monuments in limestone and granite for local cemeteries and public places, as well as the marble window frames and sills for the more prepossessing homes along Main and Market Streets. Helena also brought an impressive pedigree to the union with Elijah: among her father’s ancestors were the socially prominent Rittenhouses of Philadelphia, and the Hiesters, one of whom had been an officer under Washington in the Revolutionary War. She was thus a member of the D.A.R., with the bona fides to prove it. On her mother’s side she was descended from the Vanderslices, a Dutch family and one of the wealthiest in Columbia County. How did Elijah, the 25-year-old son of a Greenwood farmer, manage to marry into an established upper middle class family such as the Armstrongs? Probably a combination of ambition, political savvy, and good looks. He looks out from photographs and portraits taken of him then and later with a self-assurance and a symmetry of aspect that commands admiration. By 1865, he and Helena had taken up residence in Bloomsburg, the county seat, at the time a settlement of some 3,000 souls on the banks of the Susquehanna. Elijah would remain a townsman the rest of his life. He struck up a friendship with a much older Bloomsburg lawyer, John Freeze, who had lost his own sons to childhood illnesses several years before. Freeze took him under his wing, taught him the law, and, from 1867, admitted him into his own practice as a fellow attorney. Thereafter, Elijah rose quickly to political prominence, becoming Bloomsburg town treasurer in 1870 and district attorney a short time later. His domestic fortunes, despite an initial setback, were also advancing. In 1867, Helena had lost a pair of twins, but she gave birth to one healthy son, Frank Armstrong Ikeler, the next year, and another robust boy, Fred Taylor Ikeler, in 1870. Why they had no more children after that, though both were in their early thirties, I can only speculate. Certainly Elijah grew increasingly involved with public affairs and the business of making money. He participated in the early prosecution of the Molly Maguires (though the miners were ultimately tried, convicted and hanged by others), and he bought numbers of residential properties within Bloomsburg proper (whether for rental income or resale I haven’t been able to ascertain). By the 1880s he thought himself well enough known and respected to run for elected office. The position he sought was that of Presiding (or President) Judge: a five-year term of office with jurisdiction over both Columbia and two adjoining counties. He was twice elected: in 1888 and again in 1893. He ran again in 1898 at the age of 60, but fell ill in the midst of the campaign and died within a week in August, 1898. At the time of his death he was living on Market Street in a mansion-sized home of his own design, known for years after as “the Judge’s house.” The building has since been extensively renovated and functions today not as a place of residence, but as a funeral home. In the last two decades of his life, there was also much going on at home to keep him happy with only two children. Given his risen position in society, Elijah was clearly ambitious for his sons. They both attended and graduated from Lafayette College—the first Ikelers to earn baccalaureate degrees—and, by the mid-90s, both boys had begun to practice law, just as their father had done. Aside from vague rumors that Elijah was a bit too fond of the bottle, and his arguable lack of patriotism during the Civil War (neither one of which sins was considered much of a problem in that part of Pennsylvania), everything about his life and his family seemed above reproach. Particularly in 1888, when he ran for high office, it was essential to his success: he needed to present an unblemished record to the voters of three counties. One small problem arose the year before that election. A chronicle of Columbia County was being prepared, a chronicle that would rely for much of its information on interviews with prominent members of long-established families in the region—people who could recount their own and their ancestors’ history. The chronicle (known then and since as “The Beers Book”) was due to be published in 1888, shortly before Elijah planned to open his election campaign. And, given his social prominence, there was certainly no Ikeler more likely to be approached for genealogical information than Elijah. All to the good, it would seem: a chance to boast, modestly of course, of his and his forefathers’ accomplishments, and perhaps, amongst interested readers, to gain a few votes. The Ikeler section of the Beers Book that appeared in 1888 does indeed suggest the interviewee was Elijah—more than half of the entry praises the deeds of the would-be Presiding Judge, and has little to say of his siblings or his parents. But the passage makes some quite curious claims about earlier generations. Fact gets oddly mixed up with fiction—the first Ikeler [it reads] was “Joseph Eggler...of an honored old family of German extraction,” not a tenant farmer named Hieronymus Eichler; he landed in New Jersey, not Philadelphia, arriving in 1760, not 1753; most curious of all, “at the outbreak of the Revolution he promptly enlisted with the Colonists, and throughout that historic conflict unselfishly rendered service to his country.” This founding father of the American Ikelers is also said to be Elijah’s great-grandfather, when in fact Hieronymus is his great-great-grandfather. Elijah skips a generation in order to make Andrew, not Wilhelm, the son of this fictional hero. It is Andrew, so the account runs, who brought the Ikelers from New Jersey to Greenwood Township in 1804. What Elijah’s version does, of course, is to wipe out the first seven years of the family’s indentured servitude, credit Hieronymus/Joseph with an honorable, unselfish war record on the side of the Colonists, and eliminate Wilhelm and the “shame” of his fugitive years altogether. There simply is no Wilhelm in Elijah’s account of his ancestry. It’s a neat blending of fact and fiction, calculated to sit well with his neighbors and the electorate. But I suspect Elijah’s dissembling had a second, and perhaps more powerful motivation behind it. He was, we remember, married to a member of the D.A.R., a descendant of a genuine hero on the side of the Revolution. When the chronicler came calling, Elijah could enhance respect for his heritage in the eyes of Helena by “recalling” an equivalent hero in the Ikeler family past. But it was even more important for both husband and wife that he expunge any trace of Wilhelm and the family’s loyalist background. And God forbid, Helena should find out one of her husband’s ancestors was a redcoat under arms during the conflict! Elijah’s efforts to bowdlerize or mythologize his family’s past remained unchallenged for another 27 years, until both he and Helena were no longer among the living. At last, in 1915, and just two years before his own death, I suspect it was I.B. Ikeler who offered a very different story to the county historian who came by collecting information for a second edition of the chronicle: “In another account it is stated that William Ikeler [so the 1915 printed version reads] was the name of the founder of the Columbia county branch of the Ikelers. William Ikeler also came from New Jersey and settled on a farm…approximately one hundred twenty-five years ago [i.e., circa 1790]. His wife’s name was Barnhart, and their issue were four children: Andrew, William, Elizabeth and Barnabus.” Except for getting Elizabeth Bengert’s maiden name wrong, his version squares with the facts as we now know them. I.B. Ikeler was in the best position to set things straight, after all, since it was he who held that “ancient” deed of sale, the proof that William Ikeler had paid 450 hundred pieces of gold or silver for an additional 350 acres of land in 1804.

1 note · View note

importantdeerdestiny · 4 years ago

Text

Increase and improve your Credit score in Philadelphia, PA

Mistakes on your credit report are common. Working with a credit repair service can help you fix those errors. We researched the best credit repair in Philadelphia, PA. Those who need help restoring their credit should look for reputable companies willing to customize their plans to match individual needs.

Here are the top 6 credit repair companies in Philadelphia, PA

1. Allen & Allen, Inc

Allen & Allen, Inc. certified member of the National Association of Credit Services Organizations (NACSO), Credit Restoration Organization Their goal is to provide credit restoration services to assist CONSUMER in achieving an accurate credit report. CONSUMER hereby acknowledges that Credit Restoration Organization does not guarantee any specific outcomes or results on behalf of CONSUMER, but contracts to provide the specific list of services as more fully described herein. Credit Restoration Organization does not charge for, nor shall Credit Restoration Organization collect for, any services, until such services as detailed in the listed contracted services are fully provided. Credit Restoration Organization does not contract for services to remove accurate and/or verifiable information from CONSUMER'S credit file. CONSUMER hereby acknowledges that active participation in providing Credit Restoration Organization with all requested documents, forms, and information including investigation results, is essential to providing the credit services for CONSUMER. Credit Restoration Organization does not provide tax, legal or financial advice. If you need any type of legal advice, you must contact a licensed professional.

2. CreditRepairEase.com: Overall Best Credit Repair firm in Philadelphia, PA

Credit Repair Ease make it easy for people looking for the best local credit repair services provider. We are available in 51 states of United States and committed to offer you the best credit repair service. Whether you live in Alabama, California or New York or any other state of United States, we help you from your location and you don't have to take much burden.

3. Clean Credit Group

Clean Credit Group is your number one choice for one reason, we produce impeccable results in a timely fashion. We are so confident that our credit repair services will work for you that we offer the best money back guarantee in the business. Our success derives from our belief in quality over quantity. We do not claim that we have serviced hundreds of thousands of clients, that would simply not be true. We are a medium sized firm that made a choice, to provide excellent service to a set number of clients, without sacrificing quality and satisfaction for more profit.

4. Quality Credit Repair

Welcome to Financial Investments & Trust. Quality Credit Repair offers credit repair and debt counselling services to clients in Philadelphia, PA. Since 1999, we have provided financial counselling and credit repair services to individuals with a wide range of simple and complex financial problems involving issues such as foreclosures, bankruptcy, and excessive debt. The consultants at Quality Credit Repair are highly trained, experienced, and committed to helping individuals enforce their rights in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The process begins with a member of our staff conducting a detailed review of your credit report with you and describing issues that are damaging your credit worthiness. We identify inaccurate accounts and erroneous reporting to help eliminate information that is not accurate.

5. Global Financial & Credit Solutions

We have many years in business operations and solid experience in Global Financial & Credit Solutions And evaluating credit and guiding consumers to assert their legal rights. We do it every day! We guarantee integrity, honesty, and dependability; virtues which often seem to have been forgotten nowadays. Credit repair firms cannot do anything that you could not do yourself, but we can help you to achieve results in a fraction of the time without making costly errors. We appreciate our clients for trusting us to do just that. Thank you for your business and God Bless.

6. Credit Saint

Credit Saint's Programs work in 45-day cycles. At the end of each cycle, you will receive 3 credit reports at your home. These reports are your results, they will show which questionable negative items have been removed from your credit so far. You simply fax, email, or mail these reports to us, and then check for your progress report update. Credit Saint performs a full analysis of your credit history, challenges the damage you disagree with, and sets you up with a plan to build positive credit.

So if you want to take your efforts of trying to improve credit scores to a whole other level, contact credit repair ease. There is no time to spare. For every day you waste waiting or trying to figure things out on your own, your interest liabilities continue to pile up. You can’t afford to play that game. Call on (888) 803-7889 now to schedule a free consultation!

Resource: Best Credit Repair Company in Philadelphia, PA

#creditscore #creditcard #creditrestoration #creditcarddebt #creditkarma #creditgoals #creditrepair

1 note · View note