Mary Emma (Ogle) Newingham
(1871-1945)
Mary Emma (Ogle) Newingham was born in 1871 in Pennsville, Fayette County, PA the daughter of William D. and Sarah (Minerd) Ogle.
On Feb. 4, 1895, at the age of 24, Mary Emma married James E. Newingham (1863- ? ), the son of Henry S. and Ann S. (Byerly) Newingham of Pleasant Unity, Westmoreland County, PA, but former residents of Allegheny, now known as the north side of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA.
The Newinghams resided in Scottdale, Westmoreland County, PA, and had three children -- Frank Ellsworth Newingham (1894- ? ), Ralph Henry Newingham, Nellie B. Newingham and one unknown child who died in infancy sometime before 1910. They all belonged to the German Reformed Church.
Old and New Westmoreland book featuring
James Newingham and son Frank
At
right, the railroad depot in Scottdale, with the Kromer House hotel in the
background.
James' grandfather David Newingham was sheriff of Westmoreland County in the 1840s, and so James would have grown up in a family and home which placed a high value on public and civic service. James and his son Frank are profiled in a chapter in the 1918 book, Old and New Westmoreland, edited by Capt. Fenwick Y. Hedley, and published in New York by the American Historical Society, Inc. His entry states that at the age of 15, James:
... began learning the harness-maker's trade, becoming an expert workman and continuing that trade as his sole occupation for eight years. He then spent two years in Latrobe [PA] with the hardware and grocery firm of I.D. Pores & Company, later moved to Scottdale [PA] where in 1887, in partnership with his father, he bought out the livery business conducted by William Herbert. About four years later the father withdrew and James E. continued the business alone. He built up a prosperous livery and sales business, and at one time shipped many horses to Eastern markets. He also became proprietor of the Newingham meat market, and one of the substantial business men of Scottdale, where he is yet in business. He is a man of genuine public spirit and aids in all movements for civic betterment.
When
the federal census was enumerated in 1900, the family lived in Scottdale
Borough, where James worked as a "livery keeper." On April 21, 1904,
the Daily Independent newspaper of Monessen, PA reported a
"war" between James and Samuel W. Webb, a "well known
barber." The issue of the feud centered on Webb's desire, and James'
objection, to the display of advertising posters promoting Walter L. Main's
World Exposition Circus and another smaller show which were scheduled to appear
in Scottdale on April 30. After Webb assaulted James in a passageway next to the
barbershop, James sued in Common Pleas Court of Westmoreland County. The outcome
of the case is not known.
In 1928, James offered his eight-room house for sale at 177 Market Street. It featured a "bath, heater, electric," with the price listed as $5,800. Apparently the sale did not go through, as daughter Nellie is known to have lived there in 1942.
James' fate has not yet been learned, but he apparently died before Mary Emma did.
Mary
Emma passed away in 1945, at the age of 74. She had suffered a heart attack, and
had been ill for about a year. Her burial site is not yet known. A New Castle,
PA, newspaper apparently published her obituary.
Son Frank Newingham (1894- ? ) was born in Scottdale and graduated from Peterson Business College in 1914. Circa 1918, he was employed as manager of the Weimer Motor Company of Scottdale and also later at the Hetzel-Young Motor Company of Scottdale. In 1942, when he registered for the military draft, he lived near Scottdale, on the "Star Route."
Son Ralph Newingham (1897-1956) married Minnie Brahs (1897- ? ) in about 1918. When he registered for the military draft in World War I, he was employed as an automobile mechanic at Scottdale Auto Company. Circa 1930, Ralph and Minnie resided in New Castle, Lawrence County, PA, where he was employed as a foreman in a motor garage, and Minnie worked as a clerk in an art store. They apparently had no children. Residing in their home that year were boarders Martha D. Smith and Genevieve Houston, who were teachers in the local public schools. When Ralph registered for the World War II draft, he and Minnie lived at 418 Laurel Boulevard in New Castle, and he worked as a salesman for Chambers Motor Company. They were members of the First Christian Church in New Castle, and he belonged to the Mahoning Lodge of the Masons. Ralph died on Christmas Eve 1956, at the age of 59. Burial was in the Graceland Cemetery in New Castle. Minnie survived her husband, but her final fate is not yet known.
New Castle's public square, 1930s
Daughter Nellie Newingham (1900- ? ) resided at home with her widowed father for many years, and may have been divorced, though this is conjecture. When the federal census was taken in 1930, when she was age 30, she lived with her father and brother Frank, and was not married at the time. She was not married circa 1942 when her brother Frank named her in his World War II draft registration card. That year, she lived on 117 Market Street in Scottdale.
Copyright © 2006-2007 Mark A. Miner