Bio-Rankin, JohnWm

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John William Rankin
(1861-1918)

John William Rankin was born on Sept. 22, 1861 in Wharton Twp., Fayette County, PA, the eldest son of Robert and Hester Ann (Minerd) Rankin.

John married Phoebe Ann Maust (1861-1934). They had nine children – Robert "Dewey" Rankin, Thomas Rankin, Harry Richard Rankin, Grant Rankin, Frank Rankin, Arthur Rankin, John Oliver Rankin, Sarah Jane Rankin and Jacob Rankin.

Little is known of their lives. John's property of about 56 acres was on Cave Road, also known as Mud Pike, near Laurel Caverns at the peak of Summit Mountain near Uniontown. The tract was located between the fire tower and the radio tower.

John died on April 6, 1918 at age 67 at their home near Elliottsville. At the time, one of his sons was serving in World War I and stationed in camp at San Antonio, TX.

Phoebe outlived her husband by 16 years. She passed away at home in Elliottsville on Feb. 12, 1934. She is buried with her husband at Brown Cemetery near Elliottsville.

Vista at the summit of the mountains near Elliottsville

~ Son Dewey Rankin ~

Son Dewey Rankin (1899-1925), age 26, died suddenly of a heart attack at the Revere Mine on April 2, 1925 “while awaiting the cage to go to work in the mine.”

~ Son Grant Rankin ~

Son Grant Rankin married Mary Anne Miller (1895-1916). Tragically, Mary Anne died on Feb. 16, 1916, at the untimely age of 21, "from a severe attack of laryngitis," reported a local newspaper. She was buried at Smithfield Cemetery. Seven years later, Grant married Hilda Burkholder, daughter of William and Sarah (Clare) Burkholder of Fairchance, PA.

~ Son Arthur Rankin ~

Son Arthur Rankin ( ? -1945) married Lottie Miller ( ? - ? ), a distant cousin who was the daughter of Jesse and Flora Belle (Farabee) Miller. They resided in Chartiers, Greene County, PA for 16 years until the time of his death on May 23, 1945. Tragedy struck when their son Gerald Marvin Rankin drowned at age eight in Ten Mile Creek while at a family picnic.

~ Son Thomas Rankin ~

In 1920, son Thomas Rankin ( ? -1952) married Gladys Miller ( ? -1969), also the daughter of Jesse and Flora Belle (Farabee) Miller. They resided in West Finley, Washington County, PA, until 1941, when they moved to Washington. Thomas was employed by the Washington Mine, of the Hillman Coal and Coke Co., until retirement in 1950. He died on Feb. 25, 1952. She passed away on Jan. 28, 1969. Their children were Clarabelle Stollar, Alva Rankin, Grace Giovannini, Agnes Hoffman, Glenn Rankin and Wayne Rankin.

~ Son Jacob Rankin ~

Son Jacob Rankin ( ? -1958?) lived at home with his parents. After his mother died in 1934, he was ill and unable to care for himself. He roomed in Fairchance, Fayette County, remaining there until his death in February 1958.

~ Son Harry Rankin Sr. ~

Son Harry Rankin Sr. (1897-1978) was a coal miner. On Feb. 9, 1922, when he was age 25, Harry married Henrietta Ringer (1905-1997), who in turn was age 17. They are seen here.

The Rankins had a dozen children -- Harry Rankin Jr, Alice Irene Crupe, Thomas Robert Rankin, Anna Virginia Philips, Gladys Mae Bush, Mary Jane Williams, Geraldine Fisher, Freda Pearl Bowland Ritz, Rosella Katherine Campbell, Donald Laverne Rankin, Ronald Lee Rankin and James Richard Rankin.

The family first lived in Prosperity, Washington County, and then moved to Fayette County in about 1956. Some of the children made their home with Harry's aunt Margaret (Rankin) Fike near the Tent Church alone Route 119 in Georges Township.

On June 15, 1978, when he was 81, Harry left home telling his wife he would tell her all about where he had gone after he returned, but unfortunately he did not come back alive. Having gone missing, search parties found his body two weeks later, on June 29, 1978, in a wooded mountain area near Albright, Preston County, WV, about 1.5 miles from his automobile.

Henrietta outlived her husband by almost two decades. She resided with her son James in Brownfield, Fayette County. She became blind in March 1996 and spent the remaining 10.5 months in that condition, until her death at the age of 92 on Feb. 12, 1997.

Son Harry Rankin Jr. (1923-2008) -- seen at right -- served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He wed Irene A. Casedy (1922-2010) on Dec. 14, 1946, and they were married for 61 years. They had seven children -- Judith Nichols, Gary Rankin, Paul Rankin, twins Martin Rankin and Martha L. Moldovan, Delinda McCarrier and Donna Thompson. The family made its home for many years in Hermitage on Cassady Road, followed by a decade at Treasure Lake in DuBois, Clearfield County, PA. Said the Sharon (PA) Herald, Harry was "an Army veteran of World War II" and "retired as a member of Local 268 of the Carpenters Brotherhood of Sharon and was a retired member of Mercer County Fireman's and Police Auxiliary." Irene was employed as a bookkeeper at Barris Company in West Middlesex and at Flowers Lumber Company in Sharon, PA. In retirement, they relocated to San Antonio, TX. Sadly, daughter Martha passed away just a few months before her father, at the age of 59, on Feb. 10, 2008. Having battled Alzheimer's Disease, Harry died on April 20, 2008, in the Edgewater Care Center of Kerrville, TX, at the age of 85. At the time, he was survived by 15 grandchildren, 14 great- grandchildren and many step-grandchildren. His remains were returned to Sharon for burial at Hillcrest Memorial Park in Hermitage. Irene outlived her husband by two-plus years. She suffered a heart attack and died in St. Luke's Hospital in San Antonio, TX on Nov. 15, 2010, at the age of 88.

Daughter Alice Irene Rankin married (?) Crupe and resided in Washington, Washington County, PA.

Son Thomas "Bob" Rankin (1927-2000) was a World War II veteran, serving in the U.S. Navy. He enlisted even though he was underage. After his discharge, he joined the Army and served for about 13 more years. Later, he was a Washington County, PA law enforcement officer, "serving as deputy constable, deputy sheriff and county detective," said the Washington Observer-Reporter. He died on Nov. 27, 2000.

Daughter Anna Virginia Rankin married (?) Philips. Their home was in Washington, Washington County, PA.

Daughter Gladys Mae Rankin (1931-2003) wed (?) Bush. She passed away on Jan. 19, 2003, at the age of 72.

Daughter Mary Jane Rankin married (?) Williams, residing in Washington, PA.

Daughter Geraldine Rankin wed Gifford Fisher and made Uniontown, PA as their residence.

Daughter Freda Pearl Rankin was married twice, first to (?) Bowland and second to (?) Ritz.

Daughter Rosella Katherine "Dotty" Rankin wed Larry Campbell. They made their home in Uniontown.

Son Donald Laverne Rankin (1943-2003) served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era. Residing in Hopwood, Fayette County, he "was a truck driver for D.M. Bowman of Williamsport, Md.," said the Observer-Reporter. "He was awarded Driver of the Year and was a member of the Million Miles Club." Sadly, his son Paul F. Rankin passed away at the untimely age of 27 the day after Christmas 1993. Donald died on July 31, 2003 at the age of 60.

Son Ronald Lee Rankin joined the U.S. Navy in 1966 and spent four tours of duty in Vietnam until his discharge in 1970. He joined the Army Reserves and went to the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm as a member of the famed 14th Quarter Master Detachment, a water purification unit based in Greensburg, PA. The night that he and nephew Robert "Bobby" Rankin arrived in Dhahran, Saudia Arabia, on Feb. 25, 1991, their barracks were struck by an Iraqi Scud missile, killing 13, but fortunately the Rankins survived.

Son James Richard Rankin is a Vietnam War veteran.