Grant
Louis Firestone Sr.
(1866-1958)
Grant Louis Firestone Sr. was born on Dec. 22, 1866 in Somerset County, PA, the son of Lewis and Sarah Ann (Rose) Firestone.
At a young age, he moved with his parents to Fayette County, PA.
On April 1,
1891, the 24-year-old Grant married 17-year old Christena Kirkwood (1874-1966),
the daughter of David and Christena Kirkwood of Pittsburgh, PA. The ceremony
took place in New Haven (now West Connellsville), PA.
They had nine children – David Laurence Firestone, Albert J. Firestone, Ada Opperman-Laws, Leroy Firestone, Ira R. Firestone, Grant L. Firestone Jr., Edna Auer, Huey W. Firestone and an unnamed son who died in infancy.
Grant was a lifelong farmer. They belonged to the Rich Hill Church of God.
Tragedy rocked the family when their 26-year-old son Huey was killed in an automobile accident in Wyandotte, MI in 1941.
Grant died at his home in Breakneck at age 92 on Dec. 21, 1958. At the time of death, he had 29 grandchildren and "many" great-grandchildren, said the Courier. He was buried at Mount Olive Cemetery.
Christena outlived her husband by eight years. Said the Courier in 1966, "She had been an invalid for the past seven years, since breaking her hip in a fall." She lived with daughter Edna in her later years, and died at the Auer home at age 92 on Feb. 27, 1966.
Son Albert (1896-1973) married Pearl Leish. They resided in Marion, OH and had five children. He retired from Bell Telephone Company. After Albert's death in 1973, Pearl is believed to have married Orton P. Eicher.
Son David (1893-1966) married Gertrude Margaret Leach (1896-1967). They resided in the Connellsville area, and circa 1927 had a telephone in their home, with the number "4100-R-15." Said the Courier, "He was a retired lineman of West Penn Power Co., with 30 years of service." They had six children.
Daughter Ada (1901-1973) first married Arthur Opperman (1923?- ? ) in 1924. At the time of marriage, he was a laborer residing in Connellsville. Later, she married married James Laws (1896-1981). They lived on Breakneck Road near Connellsville. He served in France in World War I, and later was a longtime coal miner.
Circa 1958, son Ira lived in Xenia, Greene County, OH.
Son Leroy (1902-1982) worked for West Penn Power Company in Greensburg. He married Eleanor Jean Curry and had several children. One of their sons, Roy Eugene Firestone, died at age five months, 15 days on Jan. 21, 1928.
Son Grant Jr. (1909-1978) married Grace Huey (1909-2003). They lived in Connellsville. They had four sons and four daughters.
Daughter Edna
(1912-1990) married John L. Auer. They were married for 58 years. Said the Courier,
"She was a former employee of Anchor Hocking and of Meidel’s Restaurant.
She was a member of Immaculate Conception RC Church, Connellsville."
John was employed for 35 years at Robertshaw Fulton Controls Company in
New Stanton, Westmoreland County, PA. The Robertshaw plant is seen at left in
a rare old postcard photograph.
Grandson Elmer David Firestone was a clerk with Oppman Auto Parts of Connellsville and "a veteran of World War II, having served in the U.S. Army Air Force in North Africa and England," the Courier said.
Grandson
Warren R. Firestone Sr. worked for "Anchor Hocking Closure Division as a
lithographer with 38 years of service," said the Courier. (Anchor
Hocking's Connellsville facility is seen at right.) "He
was a member of The Graphic Arts International Union. He was a veteran of the
Korean Conflict, having served in Korea with Company G of the 7th Infantry
Regiment."
Grandson Albert J. Firestone (1921-1996) "was a self-employed building contractor for over 30 years," said the Courier. "He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army…" He married Elsie Firestone, and was a member of the E.U.B. Church at Pleasant Hills, and attended the Church of the Open Door in Connellsville.
Grandson David L. Firestone Jr. married Norma Welsh. He "was the fourth generation in the Firestone family to work as a beekeeper and was an active member of the Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association," said the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. "He was a World War II veteran, having served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theatre. David was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds sustained at Mindanao, Philippine Islands [and] a trustee of the Rich Hill Union Community Church and Cemetery."
Grandson in law Karl F. Buchholz Sr. was a World War II veteran of the Navy, serving on "the USS Pennsylvania in the Asiatic-Pacific and Phillipine Liberation Campaigns," said the Courier. "He was a bus mechanic and driver for many years with the Kern School Buses and R.W. Beck School Buses."
Granddaughter Ruth Brooks married J. Melvin Brooks and was a Sunday School teacher and director of the Sunday School Department of Elk Ridge Baptist Church in Maryland. Melvin was "manager of Altman’s Feed Store in Connellsville, and also an employee of Railway Express which ran out of Connellsville," said the Uniontown Herald-Standard.
Copyright © 2004-2006 Mark A. Miner