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Martha Aurilla |
Martha Aurilla (Fawcett) Shomaker was born on May 4, 1871 in or near Kingwood, Preston County, WV, the daughter of John Allen and Narcissus (Feather) Fawcett.
Martha married Levi Samuel Shomaker, Jr. (1871-1944), the son of Levi S. and Martha Jane (Pool) Shomaker, and a native of Rock Forge, WV.
The Shomakers had four daughters -- Jane Elizabeth Shaffer Watson, Sarah Anna Shackelford, Fanchion Lee Maddon and Mary Lee Shockey. A list of their descendants was published in the 1980 book, Genealogy of the Jacob and Mary (Connoly) Feather Family, by Edna (Davis) Rogers.
Martha and Levi bought her father's 107-acre "home place" in
1912 in Preston County. Later, they moved to nearby Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV,
where they made their home at
221 Kingwood Street.
Levi was a coal miner, and Martha was a housewife.
A
rare old bird's eye view of Morgantown's University Hill is seen at left.
Sadly, at the age of 53, Martha passed away on Dec. 28, 1924, of "pernicious anemia." The Morgantown Post noted that she "had only recently moved here from Masontown ... where she had lived for many years." She was laid to rest in East Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown.
Levi married again to Lydia (Goff) Wimer (1883-1965), the widow of W.C. Wimer, and the daughter of Granville S. and Mary Catherine (Simmons) Goff. They moved to Masontown, Preston County.
He passed away at the age of 73, almost 20 years to the day of
his wife's death, on Dec. 30, 1944, of heart failure caused by high blood
pressure. He was buried at East Oak Grove.
Lydia outlived Levi by 21 years. She made her home in Morgantown, and was a member of the Masontown Methodist Church. She died at the age of 81, at Monongalia General Hospital, on March 10, 1965, "after a long illness," said the Preston County Journal. She was survived by six children to her first marriage, as well as her four adult stepdaughters, all named in the Journal obituary. She was buried at Masontown Methodist Cemetery.
Daughter Jane
Shomaker (1899-1982) was married twice. Her first husband
was John "Millard" Shaffer Sr. (1893-1968), whom she married in 1921 in
Oakland, Garrett County, MD. He was a veteran of World War I. They resided in
Morgantown and had three
children -- John Millard Shaffer Jr., William Levi Shaffer and Richard Thomas
Shaffer. Said the Preston County Journal, Jane "was a retired school
teacher who taught in Preston, Monongalia and Anne Arundel, Md., counties. She
was a member of the Reedsville United Methodist Church, the United Methodist
women, the Masontown VFW Auxiliary No. 1589 and the Retired Teachers
Association." Sadly, Millard passed away at age 75 on Jan. 5, 1968, in Deale, MD, and
was buried at Fort Lincoln Cemetery in Brentwood, MD, a suburb of Washington.
DC. Jane wed her second husband, retired banker Harold Elmo Watson (1893- ? ),
in 1972 in a ceremony in Harrisonburg, VA. The genealogy of this branch is
spelled out in precise detail in the Feather genealogy book. The Watsons made
their home in Reedsville, Preston County. Jane passed away at age 83, in Preston
Memorial Hospital, on Oct. 8, 1982. Following a funeral led by Rev. Nolan Turner
at Reedsville United Methodist Church, her remains were laid to rest at Fort
Lincoln Cemetery with her first husband.
- Son John Millard Shaffer Jr. lived in Washington, DC in 1982.
- Son William Levi Shaffer made his home in 1982 in Silver Spring, MD.
- Son Richard T. Shaffer resided in Dunkirk, MD in 1982.
Daughter Sarah Shomaker (1903- ? ) married Trevor Brown Shackelford ( ? - ? ), a veteran of World War I. They resided in Arthurdale, Preston County, circa 1944. Arthurdale was an experiment of the federal government during the Great Depression, the first "New Deal" community created under the vision of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. (Click here for the website of the Arthurdale Heritage Corporation.) Their son Brown was a World War II veteran; son in law Earl Hibbs was also a World War II veteran; and son in law Donnley Finn was "totally disabled during World War II, and in a wheel chair for over 25 years," said the Preston County History. Circa 1982, Sarah resided in Reedsville, near Arthurdale.
Daughter Fanchon M. Shomaker (1908-1998) married William Madden ( ? -1969). Tragically, their only child James William Madden lost his life at a young age in an automobile accident. Later, she wed (?) Linger and resided at French Creek (possibly in Upshur County, WV) circa 1982. Fanchon died in or around Dayton, Rockingham County, VA on March 27, 1998.
Daughter Mary Lee Shomaker ( ? - ? ) married Elbert Shockey ( ? - ? ). Their son John was an automobile dealer; son and daughter in law David and Mary Jane were educators; and daughter Fanchon married Rev. Don Williams. They lived in Dayton, Rockingham County, VA circa 1982.
Copyright © 2006, 2009 Mark A. Miner