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Robert
Bacom
Harbaugh Jr. |
Robert
Bacom Harbaugh Jr. was born on May 15, 1902 in Maple Summit, Fayette County,
PA, the son of Robert B. and Elizabeth
(Long) Harbaugh Sr.
On July 21, 1923, Robert married Alice Elizabeth Rugg, the daughter of Thornton and Susie (Ohler) Rugg of Maple Summit. They were married for 66 years.
They had eight children – Charles Clinton Harbaugh, Irwin "Oscar" Harbaugh, James Harold "Hub" Harbaugh, Esther Melia, Donald Wade Harbaugh, Clifford Domer Harbaugh, Marlene Younkin Schnatterly and Ethel "Pearl" Kemp.
They were dedicated supporters of the annual Harbaugh Reunion, which began in 1926 and continues today. Their adult children and grandchildren have provided continuous leadership for many decades.
Said a 1983 article in the Somerset Daily American, honoring their 60th anniversary, "They first lived in Mill Run and have been residents of Confluence for the past 15 years. They are both members of the Maple Summit Church of God."
When
the Harbaughs celebrated their 65th anniversary in 1988, the Daily American
again published a profile. The story said
that "Before Mr. Harbaugh retired, he worked at Kelley's Hotel, Confluence,
and did timber work and farming. Mrs. Harbaugh is retired, but did work at
Kelley’s Hotel and Howard Johnson Restaurant in Somerset."
Sadly, Robert passed away in the Somerset Hospital on Nov. 24, 1989, at the age of 87. He was laid to rest at Somerset County Memorial Park. At the time of his death, they had 25 grandchildren, 41 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
~ Son Clifford Harbaugh ~
Son Clifford Domer Harbaugh (1935-2003) was born in 1935.
He worked as a "track foreman for the B&O Railroad retiring in 1997 and also was employed by Somerset Welding and Steel," said the Daily American. He was Secretary of the Harbaugh Reunion from 1964 to 1971, when he handed over the duties to his brother Oscar.
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Son Charles Clinton Harbaugh ~
Son Charles Clinton Harbaugh served in World War II. Said the Daily American, he retired "as a U.S. Mail carrier in Confluence after 29 years of service [and was a] part-time custodian for Uniontown Area School District." When he retired from the Postal Service, he was profiled in a major feature article in 1979 in the Daily American, seen here, headlined "Neither Rain, Nor Snow, Nor Barking Dogs…"
He was President of the Harbaugh Reunion for nearly two decades, from 1964 to 1983, and then was Secretary from 1983 to 1985. His daughter Betty Lou Tressler has been a key organizer of the reunions in more recent years.
~ Daughter Esther (Harbaugh) Melia ~
Daughter Esther Harbaugh married Rufus Melia. Their daughters provided singing entertainment at the Harbaugh Reunions of the 1960s.
Their daughter Cathy (Melia) Hinzy owns Hinzy's Personal Care Home in Confluence, licensed for four beds.
~ Son Irwin "Oscar" Harbaugh ~
Son Irwin "Oscar" Harbaugh was Secretary of the Harbaugh Reunion from 1971 to 1983.
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Son James Harold "Hub" Harbaugh ~
Son James Harold "Hub" Harbaugh was married and had a family of children.
At the 1980 Harbaugh Reunion, the group sang "Happy Birthday" to him and others having a birthday around that time.
Hub worked for many years for the B&O Railroad as a track foreman. Later, he was police chief in Rockwood for five years; served as a local constable for more than 40 years, starting in 1952; and owned Harbaugh Trucking Inc., a waste removal company in Rockwood.
One of his trucks, bearing the family name, is seen below. He is mentioned in the book, Down the Road of Our Past, Book II. In the summer of 1996, he hosted a visit by the founder of this website.
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Harbaugh Trucking facility in Rockwood, PA |
~ Daughter Pearl (Harbaugh) Kemp ~
Daughter Pearl Harbaugh (1925-1980) was born in 1925.
She married Ralph W. Kemp (1925-1977), who was a member of the Uniontown VFW, Post 47. Said the Meyersdale New Republic, "She was a member of the Confluence VFW Ladies Auxiliary and the Turkeyfoot Fish and Game Association."
~ Daughter Marlene E. (Harbaugh) Younkin Schnatterly ~
Daughter Marlene E. Harbaugh (1941-2011) was born on May 15, 1941 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County. She was married first to Blair Younkin, and they had three children -- Robert B. Younkin, Susan J. Moon and Julia A. Custer. Later, she wed Arden Schnatterly (1926-2010).
Said the Somerset Daily American, she was "an employee of Wal-Mart in Somerset for 17 years and a former member of the American Legion."
Arden died at the age of 83 on June 13, 2010.
Marlene outlived Arden by 17 months. She passed away at the In Touch Hospice House of Journey's Rest in Somerset on Nov. 16, 2011, at the age of 70.
Copyright © 2003, 2011 Mark A. Miner