Robert Middleton Ziegler

(1857 - 1929)

The Father of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf

His name sign was “Z”

Robert Middleton Ziegler was not only the Father of the Pennsylvania Society for the Advancement of the Deaf, but he dedicated most of his time to the Society. He had served the Society for 43 years and was on the board of managers for 41 years. He was elected to all higher positions except Treasurer. It all began when he held a meeting with 11 other men in his room at Gallaudet University to set up an alumni association, but instead he launched one of the finest, most respected and wealthiest Deaf state organizations in America; it is still true today.

Robert was born Deaf on August 22, 1857 near Middlesex, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. He had seven brothers and sisters. He had an older brother who was Deaf, John D. His older sister, Mary, was a teacher at PSD for eight years. His other sisters’ names are Lillie, Laurie and A.C. Givler (her married name). His father was a well-to-do farmer and was of German descent. The Ziegler family was considered one of the oldest and most respected families in the Cumberland County. Ziegler’s great-grandfather came from Germany and settled among the hills that extended for some miles from the North Mountain, Blue Ridge.

His family members were heavily involved in politics. Robert’s father named Levi was a County Treasurer. Their vote was considered a powerful one. Some members of the Ziegler family were in the office of politics. Some members were lawyers. His relative was a mayor of York in the 1960’s and another relative named Ronald Ziegler was a press secretary to the former President Richard Nixon in the 1970’s.

When Robert was about eight years old, he attended school with his sisters and brother. In 1869, when Ziegler was 12 years old, his family moved to Carlisle. Robert and John transferred to the Pennsylvania Institution for the Deaf and Dumb (now Pennsylvania School for the Deaf) in Philadelphia. He stayed there until he graduated in 1876 but he and John were absent for one year in 1872 for some unknown reasons. Upon his graduation, he attended National Deaf-Mute College (now Gallaudet University) and graduated there in 1882. During his years at college, he was actively involved in various organizations and sports. He also gave lectures at some organizations such as Y.M.C.A. and the Literary Association.

During Ziegler’s sophomore year at Gallaudet, he called 11 men to meet in his room, the room was located in College Hall, room 303, was numbered 33 back then. His former room is one of the finest in the building since it locates on the corner of the 3rd floor and has a great view of the outside. Those students who got highest grades on their academic programs tend to be assigned the best rooms of College Hall building. It made sense as Ziegler was considered a very brilliant and logical man. The meeting took a place on October 13, 1880. They met and discussed about establishing a much needed alumni association of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf. The first convention was held in Harrisburg on August 1881. Ziegler was the main orchestra in planning and made the convention as successful as it was. It is my belief that he spent the expenses of the first convention out of his own pocket. There was no mention of expenses or receipts from the convention in the papers of the first minutes or annual reports. Ziegler emphasized that there would not be any charge for any person who came to the convention in the Deaf-Mutes Journal.

After Ziegler left Gallaudet in 1882, he spent two years with his family in Carlisle. He was hunting for employment but it was to no avail during that period. In 1884, he decided to move to Philadelphia, started in a weaving job to support himself until he could find a better job. In October 1884, he was called by his Alma Mater to the position of assistant supervisor of boys, and a year later he was promoted to Chief Supervisor. He held the position for some years until the oralism spread over the dormitory areas. The school preferred a hearing supervisor to take his place as they already took a full control in the academy. Then he was transferred to the Steward’s office as a clerk earning $660.00 a year. His long employment at the school and his contacts with officers, teachers and students gave him opportunity to advance the interests of the PSAD during his spare time.

The happiest incident of Ziegler’s life was when he married Mary Lentz, 50 years old, on April 30, 1900. Lentz was born deaf on November 6, 1850 and enrolled PSD on October 14, 1862. They did not have any children but they had a nephew named Lee, and a niece from Ziegler’s brother John who lived in Carlisle and later in Germantown. Lentz’s parents were John L. and Louisa B. Lentz. She had one sister named Anna V. and one brother named John G. She had no trade but was more of a homemaker. Note: She was absent in the year of 1864 due to illness?) The wedding took place, on Monday at 3:00 pm, at All Souls’ Church where Rev. Koehler was officiating. Superintendent Crouter was acting an interpreter to the hearing audience. There were between two hundred fifty and three hundred guests presented. They were strictly admitted by an invitation card. Almost every teachers and officers of the PSD showed up. The Long distance guests were T.F. Fox, a former President of NAD and Superintendent of New Jersey School for the Deaf, Mr. & Mrs. Walker. Ziegler’s attendant was J. A. McIlvaine, a very young man of his 20’s and the ushers were William McKinney, Franklin C. Smileau, Harris Taylor and J. L. Johnson. Helen Childs was Lentz’s maid of honor. Lentz’ brother gave her away at the altar. He and his wife were honeymooned at Washington, D.C. and seashore points for ten days. Afterwards, they resided in a cozy house in Mt. Airy. Note:(Mary Lentz’s brother was deaf)

One year after their marriage, they moved across the street. The house was larger and more finely built house, which they had purchased through their attorney, John P. Walker, Esq. Walker who worked at the school as a teacher and a principal of a vocational school.

John Ziegler’s death was a tragic event. On July 15, 1914, a police squad truck struck him and he was dragged for ten feet. He was unconscious for a moment that the police assumed he was all right and wanted to bring him home but the by-standers insisted that he be taken to the hospital. The police brought him to police station first then went to the hospital. He was given a painkiller injection. He complained that he was feeling some pains in his abdomen area. A few hours later he died and an autopsy was performed afterwards. The result was that he had an internal bleeding. It happened in Brooklyn, New York where he was living for a while. John was about to move back to Philadelphia to live with his son, Lee.

Miss Elizabeth Ziegler died on February 27, 1911 from a yearlong illness and another sister Laura died on April 14, 1915 from gallstones. She was a well known among public schools where she was a teacher for many years.

On Sunday, March 19, 1922, when Ziegler was in his sixty-fifth year, he received a light stroke that caused paralyzed to his right side extending from the head down to his foot. It was not temporary illness, which the doctor at first thought. The medical treatment did not help any further which his friends had hoped. He was the secretary of the Society that time. He moved to become a board of manager and stayed for two of his last years. Another unfortunate incident happened to him. His wife passed away when he needed her the most. Ziegler then moved in to live with one of his nieces.

Levi Ziegler was born on December 25, 1825 and died on July 27, 1905 at his home, West High Street, Carlisle. His death was caused by stroke on his right side. He had a stroke before. His character was to be believed that he was so much a like his son, Ziegler for he was a man of genial and kindly disposition and made many friends. So, it is clear to me that Robert took after his father.

Ziegler was elected to be an honorary member of the Society by the board of managers in recognition of his long and valuable service to PSAD.

His final day of serving the Deaf Pennsylvanians was on Sunday, January 20, 1929. He died at his niece’s home by a sudden heart attack. The day before, he attended the board of managers’ special meeting which was to become his last meeting.

Upon Ziegler’s death, memorials and kind words from the Deaf people were poured in from all over the state of Pennsylvania. The former president of PSAD, Ritchie said that Ziegler spread words wherever he could the greatest virtue - CHARITY. He traveled at his own expense to all corners of the State to build, to strengthen, to stimulate and to encourage the membership of the great society he founded. He paid all of his expenses while traveling to the convention though he believed that the Society should pay the expenses of its officers to meetings. Another former president of PSAD, Reider, gave a detailed description of Ziegler. He said that Ziegler’s whole career was spent in Philadelphia, where he was best known, but he was also the most widely known in the state of Pennsylvania. In religion, he was a Lutheran and in politics he was always a democrat. He was an avid reader and was known to have often sat up late into the night, reading until he fell asleep in his chair. And that he was easy to reach, considerate, but resolute when a principle was involved.

Ziegler was involved in the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). He was on the executive committee for some years and was a chairperson of the NAD convention that was held in Philadelphia in 1896. He was 2nd Vice President of the NAD from 1893 to 1896 when Fox was a President.

Also in the year of 1896, Ziegler was a president of All Souls Working People’s Club.

In 1931, the board of managers created a memorial honoring Ziegler. It was called the Ziegler Foundation and it was added to the Society’s Endowment Fund. From this Foundation, a Ziegler room would be maintained in perpetuity at the Home. That way Ziegler’s name would be forever be associated in his helpful work for the Home which he labored all his life for the welfare of the Deaf in Pennsylvania. In the 1931, Pennsylvania Society News, the article, mentioned that since Ziegler gave his self-sacrificing effort and constructive planning, it was doubtful if we would today have either the PSAD or the Home for Aged and Infirm Deaf. We were poorer for his having left us.

Ziegler was buried in East Laurel Hill Cemetery with his wife, overlooking the Schuylkill River, in Philadelphia.

Seventeen miles or so in the west direction, Ziegler’s former best friend and valued co-laborer for the Society, Rev. Brewster Randall Allabough, was buried in Montgomery County Cemetery, which also commands a fine view of the Schuylkill River.

Sources: The Gallaudet’s Buff and Blue newspaper, the Silent World of PSD, the Pennsylvania Society News, American Annals of the Deaf, Gallaudet University Archives, PSD’s admission records, the Records of the Gallaudet University Alumni Association, the York Dispatcher, A Missionary Chronicle, the Deaf-Mutes Journal and the National Association of the Deaf’s Proceedings of the Convention, 1893.

By Reginald L. Boyd, February 1994

Revised July 26, 1994

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