HENRY
FORKER (deceased) was born in Mercer, Penn., in August, 1823, and was
a son of Gen. John and Isabella (Graham) Forker, of
that borough. He grew up and received his education in Mercer, and there carried
on the mercantile business up to 1857, when he sold his interest to his brother Joseph
and Mr. Zahniser, and removed to Sharon,
where he entered the coal business in partnership with his father-in-law, T.
J. Porter, Esq. In company with Samuel Kimberly,
under the firm name of Kimberly & Forker,
he opened Keel Ridge coal mine in 1863. He was successfully engaged in coal
operations until his sudden death by a railroad accident at Altoona, Penn., May
20, 1885. He was married February 22, 1849, to Miss
Sauna J., daughter of the venerable T. J. Porter,
Esq., of Sharon. Of this union three sons and two daughters survive:
John, teller of the Sharon National Bank;
Thomas J., dry goods merchant of Sharon; Harry P.,
Julia A., wife of Frank H.
Buhl, of Sharon, and Bella G. Mr.
Forker was a stanch Republican, but took no active interest in political
affairs. He was deputy sheriff under his father one term. He was a regular
attendant at the United Presbyterian Church, and did a great deal toward
building up that denomination in Sharon.
History of Mercer County, 1888, page
723-724
