Bio-Rose, John Wesley

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John Wesley Rose
(1850-1927)

John Wesley "West" Rose was born on June 20, 1850 in Kingwood, Somerset County, PA, the son of Charles and Catherine (Minerd) Rose.

West was a skilled stone mason and brick layer. A newspaper once reported that he and his brother Levi "had built 140 chimneys in the town of Humbert." The town no longer exists.

He never married.

West was listed in a 1903 directory of Ursina, which was reprinted many years later in the book, Reflections: Ursina 1787-1994.

A familiar landmark, the large "Charter Oak" tree on Water Street in Ursina

Federal census records show that in 1910 he was single and made his home with his widowed mother. By 1920 his widowed sister Susanna Durst had joined the household.

He lived to the age of 77. He died of stomach problems on July 9, 1927 and was buried in an unmarked grave at Jersey Church Cemetery near Ursina, Somerset County.