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Elizabeth (Rowan) Hall |
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Maple Summit Cemetery |
Elizabeth (Rowan) Hall was born on April 19, 1831, in Maple Summit, Springfield Township, Fayette County, PA, the daughter of James and Catherine (Harbaugh) Rowan.
She featured dark hair and blue eyes. Unmarried at the age of 19, in 1850, Elizabeth resided with her parents in Youghiogheny Township, Fayette County. Then again in 1860, still single at age 29, she remained in her parents' household in Stewart Township, Fayette County.
Evidence suggests that during the Civil War years between 1862 and 1866, when she would have been in her early 30s, she was united in wedlock with widower Joseph Hall Jr. (1811- ? ), son of Joseph and Mary (Matthews) Hall Sr. He was two decades older than she, and could neither rear nor write.
Joseph's nephew John K. Hall, a Civil War veteran and son of Garrett Hall, also married into the Harbaugh/Minerd family, entering into wedlock with Lucinda Minerd, daughter of Charles and Adaline (Harbaugh) Minerd.
Joseph and his first wife, also named Elizabeth (1811- ? ), had borne 10 offspring -- Abigail Hall, David Hall, Samuel Hall, Hilah Jane "Hiley" Hull Baker, Henry Hall, William Hall, Winfield S. Hall, Mary Hall I, Susanna Hall and Mark Hall.
Evidence further suggests that our Elizabeth and Joseph went on to produce six additional children -- James R. Hall, Sabina Catherine Knopsnyder, Levi Hall, Josiah Hall, Mary Hall II and one unknown.
Thus there were 16 children in the combined family, with a span of 45 years in between the ages of the eldest and youngest. Elizabeth herself was only three years older than her eldest stepdaughter.
When the federal census enumeration was made in 1850, Joseph and his first family lived in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County, with him eking out a living as a farmer. By 1860, the Halls dwelled at Wharton Furnace in Fayette County, where Joseph worked with his sons David and Samuel as day laborers. Their next door neighbors at the Furnace that year included Andrew Jackson and Minerva (Minerd) Inks and James and Sarah (Walters) Minerd Sr.
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Wharton Furnace ruins, early 1900s |
Our Elizabeth came into the picture in the mid-1860s.
During the Civil War, three of Joseph's sons enlisted in the Union Army. David was assigned to the David 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, while Henry and William were placed within the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry. The family was plunged into grief when two of the sons did not return home. David was captured and died as a prisoner of war at the Confederacy's Belle Isle camp in Richmond, VA. William passed away in a field hospital at Brandy Station, VA. Neither son's burial site is known.
By 1870, Joseph and our Elizabeth had relocated to a farm at Maple Summit, Stewart Township, Fayette County. The United States Census of 1870 shows the family as next-door neighbors to Elizabeth's parents, in whose home also lived Elizabeth's 81-year-old step-grandmother Martha (Minerd) Imel Harbaugh and cousin Lucinda Minerd. They apparently did not own their farm as the family is not shown in a detailed Stewart Township map in the 1876 Atlas of Fayette County.
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| First-born Elizabeth's name in a family record by Allen Edward Harbaugh Courtesy Rev. Dr. William Bradford Harbaugh |
Census records for 1880 list the Halls remaining on a farm near Maple Summit, and making their home near Elizabeth's parents and married brother Allen H. and Joanna "Annie" (Linderman) Rowan.
Joseph's fate is not yet known, but will be included here once discovered.
At the age of 75, Elizabeth suffered a stroke and died quickly in the Knopsnyder home near Markleton in Black Township, Somerset County on March 5, 1907. A physician later wrote that "the death of the above named Person was caused by paralysis the left side of the body being paralyzed. there was no Doctor in attendance. the above information given by Son in law the undersigned who was Present and at whose home she died." Son Levi of Victoria, Fayette County, was the informant on her death certificate. Burial was in the Maple Summit Cemetery.
Her name and birth details were inscribed in pen and ink details in a manuscript genealogy notebook kept her first cousin, Allen Edward Harbaugh, the famed "Mountain Poet" of Mill Run, appearing on this page.
~ Step-daughter Abigail Hall ~
Step-daughter Abigail Hall (1834- ? ) was born in about 1834. At the age of 16, in September 1850, she lived at home with her parents in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County.
Nothing more about her is known. If she married, her husband's name has not been identified..
~ Stepson David L. Hall ~
Stepson David L. Hall (1836-1863) was born in about 1836. He served in the Civil War and died in captivity as a prisoner of war.
He grew up not having learned to read or write. At the age of 24, in 1860, he resided with his parents at Wharton Furnace, Fayette County and earned a living as a day laborer at the Wharton Furnace.
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Susan's rare signature as a "Hall." |
On Nov. 3, 1861, at the age of 25, David married 19-year-old Susan Workman (1842-1896), daughter of Solomon and Ann (Keifer) Workman. Rev. Jacob Beighley, having traveled from Brandonville, WV, officiated at the wedding ceremony, held in Wharton Township.
They produced one daughter, Mary Margaret Fike, who was born in Wharton. Susan Hall -- a relative? -- was present at the birth and likely served as a midwife.
During their brief married lives together, the Halls resided in Elliottsville, Fayette County.
Records show that David L.'s Army enlistment date was Nov. 2 or 23, 1862 and that he joined the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, as did his brother-in-law Jacob Hull. He and the 14th Pennsylvania took part in the Battle of Rocky Gap, or Dry Creek, near White Sulphur Springs, WV on Aug. 26, 1863. Both armies suffered a collective 350 casualties, including David's step-cousin Burkett M. Fawcett of the 3rd West Virginia Infantry, who was picked off by an enemy gunshot. View more images of the Rocky Gap battlefield site.
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Junction of Anthony's Creek Road and the James River and Kanawha Turnpike at Rocky Gap near today's Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. The road in center was filled with dead and wounded, and may have been where David L. Hall was captured. The White Sulphur Springs, by William Alexander MacCorkle. Below: Belle Isle prison in Richmond where David died in 1863. |
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During the battle action, David's horse was killed and, when the regiment retreated, David was left behind and captured. From Rocky Gap, he was transported to the capitol of the Confederacy in Richmond, where he was incarcerated in the Belle Isle prison. The prison was sited on an island in the James River, where lower-ranking soldiers were held and typically only until more suitable facilities could become available. He may not have known that his daughter had been born in October 1863.
After three months on the unsanitary Belle Isle, and having ingested poor food and water, David contracted a deadly case of diarrhea. He was unable to recover and died on Nov. 25, 1863. His burial site is unknown.
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14th Pennsylvania Cavalry book naming David L. Hall |
Thelma Chidester Anderson's 1962 book, Workman Family History, reports a "David Hall" who was "born about 1840 in Wharton Twp., Pa.; drafted in April 1862 for service in the Civil War and was later reported missing in action." The book The Fourteenth Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry in the Civil War states that he was captured and died as a POW.
The untimely death left Susan a widow and single mother at the age of 21. After the war, on July 18, 1865, she began receiving a military pension as compensation for her loss. [Widow App. #102.174 - Cert. #84.704] Friends John E. Collins and William Van Sickle, who had served with David in the army, provided supporting testimony of her claim, saying they had known the couple before the war. Sgt. J.M. Nesmith gave details of how David was captured in battle.
On Nov. 24, 1869, Susan remarried to farmer Ezra A. Thomas (Oct. 31, 1847-1938), but they had no further offspring. Upon this marriage, Susan no longer was eligible to receive the first husband's pension, but on Sept. 8, 1870, it was awarded to their daughter Mary Margaret. [Minor App. #190.317 - Cert. #145.435] Susan's father was assigned as legal guardian to her daughter.
Ezra had been born in an 18 ft. by 18 ft. log cabin. As a boy, he joined the Church of the Brethren. The family was so poor that his mother used a certain store box for both a cupboard and table, and a large log was used as the fireplace mantel. Mortar for the cabin was handmade and carried in a bucket which Ezra helped to apply. At the age of 21, he relocated from Preston County to Wharton Township, Fayette County.
He remained a member of the Brethren Church for 75 years and "was noted from early boyhood for his kind deeds and consideration of others," reported the said the Uniontown Morning Herald. "He had served as a member of Wharton township school board but was content to devote his life to God and to follow the tilling of the soil. Even after he passed the 85 mark, Mr. Thomas often drove his farm products in Uniontown and vicinity. He was noted for his square dealings. Although he never had a brush in his mouth or never cleaned his teeth, not one tooth was missing at the time of his death. A razor never touched his face or a barber cut his hair until several years ago."
Sadly, Susan died on July 12, 1896, terminating their marriage of about 26 years.
A little more than a year later, on Sept. 4, 1897, in Uniontown, at the age of 45, Ezra remarried to 30-year-old Sarah "Sadie" Van Sickle (March 15, 1867-1932), daughter of Samuel and Frances (Hensel) Van Sickle and a native of Somerfield, PA. The couple made their home in Farmington, and their marriage lasted for 35 years until the separation of death.
Suffering from chronic kidney and heart disease, Sadie died in Uniontown Hospital at the age of 65 on July 29, 1932. An autopsy was performed to determine the precise cause of death. Her remains were placed into rest in the Bethel Cemetery. Charles E. Collen of Uniontown signed the death certificate. An obituary in the Morning Herald stated that she was survived by a brother, Marion Van Sickle of Elliottsville.
Ezra spent his final years living alternately with his brother James M. Thomas at Gibbons Glade and brother Josiah A. Thomas at 26 Lawton Avenue in Uniontown. His eyesight remained "far above ordinary at that age," said the Herald, and he "still was able to read without the aid of glasses." In early February 1938, he attended both church and Sunday School at the Uniontown Church of the Brethren, and the Herald added that "The Holy bible was his constant companion and eternity held nothing but anticipated happiness and everlasting joy for him."
While under brother Josiah's roof, Ezra passed away at the age of 90 on Feb. 18, 1938. A lengthy story in the Herald noted that he had collapsed that morning as his sister in law "was washing his face in bed preparatory to going down stairs to his breakfast" and that he had "been in extraordinary good health until several days ago when his appetite was impaired." The Herald went on to report: "Retiring at 6:30 Thursday evening the remarkable man complained Friday morning of 'not feeling well.' His brother ... had been up to his room earlier in the morning. He had requested that his hands and face be washed for breakfast. Mrs. Thomas was complying with his request at 9:40 when the Death Angel removed one of Fayette county's most lovable citizens, who by clean living had gone far beyond the normal span of life.... Mr. Thomas went as he had prayed he would go -- without suffering. The light that burned for more than 90 years just flickered and went out as Death struck at a shinking mark." Funeral services were held in the Bethel Church of the Brethren near Farmington and burial in the church cemetery, with James Fike, Albert Rothermel, Henry Herring, James Fearer, Quinter Barnthouse and Richard Ghrist serving as pallbearers. Traveling to attend the funeral were Mr. and Mrs. Wilmer McArdle and son Robert of Cumberland, MD, Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Thomas of Meyersdale, Somerset County, PA and Mr. and Mrs. James Thomas of Clifton Mills.
Daughter Mary Margaret Hall (1863-1922) was born on Oct. 27, 1863, an only child of her parents. She was an infant when her father died as a POW during the Civil War. She was awarded a pension in 1869 as compensation for her loss, and began receiving $8 per month, payable to her grandfather and legal guardian, Solomon Workman. As a young lady, she joined the Church of the Brethren. When she was 19 years of age, on June 3, 1881, Mary entered into marriage with Rev. Silas Wesley Fike ( ? -1935). They made their home near the Hatfield School House. Their children were John Orville Fike, Plura Pearl Fike, Bertha Ida May Fike, Nora Ellen Fike, George Emmel Fike and Hulda Minerva Fike. Mary Margaret died in Uniontown on July 18, 1922, caused by "acidosis" and shock from a fractured femur after a fall. Burial was in Park Place Cemetery. An obituary in the Uniontown Morning Herald noted that she "was the only child of David L. and Susan Hall, both deceased, of Elliottsville, Pa." The Meyersdale Republican's column for Confluence happenings added that Mr. and Mrs. Orville Fike and son Eugene Elbridge and Mrs. Mansfield R. Osler traveled to attend the funeral. Silas outlived his bride by nine years and retired from the ministry. He made his last home with his daughters Plura and Bertha at 311 Derrick Avenue. Sadly, he died at the age of 76 on Dec. 12, 1935. An obituary appeared in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Funeral rites were conducted at home by Rev. C.C. Sollenberger of the Church of the Brethren on Robin Street.
- Grandson John Orville Fike (1882-1959) was born on July 9, 1882 in Elliottsville, Fayette County. He exchanged marital vows in 1918 with Blanche Edna Haney (1896-1961). The pair resided in South Union Township and produced two known children, Oma Ruth Brooks and Glenn Orville Fike. For 48 years, John was a school educator in the county, including 28 years as principal at Continental No. 1. He retired in about 1950. They held a membership in the Church of the Brethren. Their final home was at 75 Maurice Street, Uniontown. John died at the age of 76 on April 15, 1959. Interment was in the local Oak Grove Cemetery, with Rev. Robert E. Houff presiding.
Great-granddaughter Oma Ruth Fike ( ? - ? ) wed (?) Brooks. They became the parents of D.L. Brooks. She made her dwelling-place in Monroeville near Pittsburgh in 1959.
Great-grandson Glenn Orville Fike (1926-2008) was the father of Thomas J. Fike and Donald W. Fike.
- Granddaughter Plura Pearl Fike (1883-1945) was born on Dec. 2, 1883. She never married but, like her sister Bertha, devoted her life to her work as a school teacher. In July 1907, she took an examination to receive a certificate to teach in a class that also included her distant step-cousins Andrew Jacob "Bud" Enos, Hazel Dell Leonard and Edward Campbell Miner. The Uniontown Morning Herald commented that hers' was "one of the largest classes of teachers for professional certificates ever assembled in Uniontown in the High school building..." Her certificate was awarded in June 1908. In the fall of 1907, she was assigned to a school in Redstone Township, where her sister Bertha also was working. Plura moved to Sandy Hollow No. 4 School in the fall of 1909 in the Brownsville Township School District. A year later, she was assigned to a school in the coal mining patch town of Grindstone. Plura was named in the gossip columns of the Morning Herald in July 1914 when spending the summer with friends and relatives in Grove City, PA. Over the years, she made her home with her father and sister Bertha. By the fall of 1915, she was teaching at Braznell No. 2 School in Grindstone. Her next school circa 1921 was at Hatfield in the South Union Township School District, and she appears to have remained there at least through 1940. Ill health forced her to retire in about 1943. Her last residence was in the old family home on Derrick Avenue, and she suffered from kidney problems and diabetes as well as hardening of the arteries and hypertension. She was felled by a cerebral hemorrhage and two days later died at the age of 61 on Sept. 22, 1945. Rev. M. Guy West, pastor of the Church of the Brethren, officiated the funeral service, and the remains were lowered into the sacred soil of Park Place Cemetery. Students at South Union Township High School were dismissed early on the day of the funeral in respect to her memory. Obituaries were published in the Morning Herald and Connellsville Daily Courier.
- Granddaughter Bertha Ida May Fike (1887-1968) was born in 1887. As with her sister Plura, she devoted her life to her profession as an educator and never married. She and Plura shared a home with their widowed father at 311 Derrick Avenue in Uniontown. Circa 1907, Bertha and Plura were assigned to schools in Redstone Township near Brownsville, Fayette County. Then in the fall of 1909, she was moved to the Brownfield School in the South Union Township School District, and to Little Brownfield in the fall of 1910 at a salary of $52 for an eight-month term. At the end of 1913, she is known to have been placed in the Luzerne Township School for an eight-month term -- for 1915 at the Charleston School in Luzerne -- and for 1916 at the school in the coal mining patch town of Hiller, with a class of 40 pupils. Bertha and Pearl are known to have assisted their father in his Church of the Brethren ministry including meetings of the Dorcas and Men's Bible classes over the years. She also was active with the Women's Christian Temperance Union and in 1938 was elected president of the Laurel Hill chapter. Remaining in the Luzerne School District, she was made principal of the Alicia School in the fall of 1929. But in March 1936, during the depths of the Great Depression, she was among 17 Luzerne teachers whose contracts were terminated. How long she was without work at this time is unknown, but in March 1940 she and several others sued for reinstatement as invalid under the teachers' tenure act -- "on the ground that the suspensions are not based on seniority rights, that there has been no substantial decrease in enrollment, consolidation of schools or curtailment or alteration of the school program," reported the Uniontown Morning Herald. She and the others won their case in August 1940 in a ruling by Judge W. Russell Carr, and a year later was awarded back pay of $839.95 plus $37.68 interest. She spent her final years in Pittsburgh's Allison Park community, at 2483 Trotter Drive, with her nephew, Dr. G.F. (or G.J.) Fike. The angel of death cleaved her away from a cerebral stroke at the age of 81, in St. Francis Hospital, on Dec. 12, 1968. The remains were transported back to Uniontown for burial in Park Place Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Nora Ellen Fike (1889-1918) was born on Jan. 25, 1889. She does not appear to have married. Her home was with her parents in South Uniontown, Fayette County. At the age of 29, she contracted pneumonia and influenza and within a few days succumbed to the spectre of death on Dec. 2, 1918. Burial was in Park Place Cemetery. A brief notice of her demise was published in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
- Grandson George Emmel Fike (1891-1967) was born on May 4, 1891. He settled in South Union Township and, as with his sisters Bertha and Plura, was a local educator for decades. George married Mary Teresa Christie (Dec. 13, 1893-1951), daughter of James and Catherine (Cairns) Christie. The couple's only son was Dr. George James Fike. George is known to have served as principal of the Craig School in Uniontown and of the Bute elementary school in North Union Township. George also held a seat on the South Union Township school board for three decades. He was a member of the Church of the Brethren while Mary Teresa belonged to St. John's Roman Catholic Church. In her own right, Mary Teresa was a 1911 graduate of Uniontown High School and attended Grove City College. She went on to teach in the South Union Township schools for 33 years, including the Areford School. As of 1951, their home address was 310 Derrick Avenue. Mary Teresa was diagnosed with cancer and cysts of the ovaries and intestines. She underwent two surgeries in 1950 and 1951 at Uniontown Hospital, but no cure was to be. She passed away at the age of 57 on April 22, 1951. James outlived his bride by 16 years and retired in 1959. His last home was at 347 Derrick Avenue. Sadness gripped the family when he suffered a heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival at Uniontown Hospital at the age of 75 on Oct. 20, 1967. Burial was in Oak Lawn Cemetery.
Great-grandson Dr. George James Fike (1919-1994) was born on Feb. 28, 1919 in Uniontown. He stood 6 feet, 2 inches tall in young manhood and weighed 210 lbs. On Dec. 17, 1939, when he was 20 years of age, he entered into marriage with Iris Linn (June 24, 1918-1987), daughter of Clara Mae Linn of Hopwood. The wedding ceremony was held in the Lutheran Church of Accident, MD, by the hand of Rev. L.A. Wagner, with the happy news announced in the Uniontown Morning Herald and the Connellsville Daily Courier. They became the parents of two -- Margaret Rooney and Ellen Spears. Iris was an alumna of North Union High School and at the time of their nuptials earned a living in Uniontown as a beautician. George earned a bachelor's degree in 1941 and a master of arts degree in 1948 from West Virginia University and a master's of education in 1946 from the University of Pittsburgh. He taught for three years in South Union Township High School and another three years in Brownsville High School. Then in 1948 he was hired to teach science at the Benjamin Franklin Junior High School in Uniontown. He went on to receive a doctorate from Pitt in 1954. He immediately was hired as principal of Pitcairn High School. The Fikes relocated to Allison Park, a suburb north of Pittsburgh. As of 1967, their address was 2483 Trotter Avenue. In time he joined the faculty of Slippery Rock University as director of student teaching and upon retirement was named professor emeritus. He held memberships in the Kiwanis Club and Elks and belonged to the Infant Jesus Roman Catholic Church of Mount Sinai, NY. They migrated to Florida in 1977. Iris died at the age of 69, in Bayonet Point, Pasco County, FL, on Sept. 27, 1987. The spirit of death swept George away in Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater, FL on Dec. 7, 1994. An obituary appeared in the Tampa Tribune. Both of their daughters lived in New York City as of 1994.
- Granddaughter Hulda Minerva Fike ( ? - ? ) may have died young, sometime prior to 1910.
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Road leading to the sulphur springs near Wharton Furnace |
~ Stepson Samuel Hall ~
Stepson Samuel Hall (1838- ? ) was born in about 1838.
At the age of 22, in 1860, he resided with his parents at Wharton Furnace, Fayette County and earned a living as a day laborer at the Furnace, a hot blast charcoal facility producing ingots of iron.
Did he join the Union Army during the Civil War? Research is underway to determine if he served in the 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery and drew a military pension after the war [Invalid App. No. 690.439 - Cert. No. 841.711].
He may -- or may not -- be the the same Samuel Hall who married Sara W. ( ? - ? ) and, as a widower, died of acute heart failure at the age of 86 on March 8, 1924, in Henry Clay Township, Fayette County, with burial in the M.N. Thomas Cemetery in Markleysburg. On the official Pennsylvania certificate of death for this man, the space for the names of his parents was left blank, and no obituary has yet been found in the local newspaper, the Connellsville Daily Courier.
But this identity is conjecture and all of it needs to be confirmed precisely. [Find-a-Grave]
~ Step-daughter Hilah Jane (Hall) Hull Baker ~
Stepdaughter Hilah Jane Hall (1840-1909) was born in about 1840 in Stewart or Wharton Township, Fayette County. Her name also has been spelled "Hyle" - "Highly" - "Hiley" - "Hollie" - "Hilda" - and "Hyley." She never learned to read or write.
On Aug. 3, 1862, on Aug. 17, 1863, when she was in her late teens, Hilah entered into the rite of matrimony with teenage farmer Jacob Hull (1840-1887). Justice of the peace Samuel D. Elliot officiated at the wedding, held at Elliott's Mills in Wharton Township.
They made their home in Wharton Township and produced these 11 known children -- Jane Hull, Lydia M. Hull, Mary Ellen Hull, John Henry Hull, William S. Hull, Anna May "Annie" Hixson, Sarah C. "Sadie" Shetler, Charles B. "Charley" Hull, Enoch Abraham Hull, Barnett Hull and Jacob "Cooley" Hull. With no physician in attendance during at least eight of the births, Hilah used the services of midwives Margaret A. Rankin and Nancy Wolf.
Jacob joined the Union Army during the Civil War. He was sworn in as a private on March 9, 1864 as a member of the 14th Pennsylvania Cavalry, Company E (or "K"). The regiment also was known as the 159th Pennsylvania Volunteers. Later, on Feb. 26, 1865, he mustered out of the 14th Cavalry and transferred to the 47th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company K. Many others in the extended Minerd-Minard-Miner-Minor family were mates of Jacob's in the 14th Cavalry, among them Adrian Johnston, Andrew Minerd, Jordan Nesmith, David J. Rowan and Jonas Rowan. Other 14th Cavalry soldiers within the Younkin family, which had very close ties to our clan, were Samuel H. Imel, Alexander Rush and William Henry Younkins.
Suffering from deafness and illness of his right lung, Jacob entered the Camp Reynolds Hospital in Pittsburgh in March 1864. Later that month, on March 27, 1864, he deserted. He apparently returned to the regiment.
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14th Pennsylvania Cavalry history naming Jacob Hull |
While in the field near Gordonsville, VA around Christmas 1864, he was "hurt by hours [horse] fall in time of charge ... which caused rupture across stomach which caused me to be troubled with hemerage on the lungs." He also claimed tha he had suffered head and liver problems by catching colds while standing guard after nightfall, lying in the mud, having his head frozen fast to the ground and getting wet while swimming in rivers. A week or two later, at Winchester, VA in January 1865, he was treated in a camp hospital. Then in February 1865, he once more received medical treatment while in a field hospital near camp. In late March 1865, he was sent from Winchester to Harpers Ferry and was transferred to Washington DC in April 1865 for further examination. Recalled Jacob: "I have treated my self by geting medican and means till I spent every thing that I was worth."
Evidence shows that he was discharged at Washington, DC on Jan. 31, 1866, after which he returned home to Hopwood.
When the United States Census count was made in 1870, the Hulls were next-door neighbors to the farming families of James and Sarah (Walters) Minerd Sr. and Eli and Catherine (Dean) Leonard.
Upon returning home, friends such as Moses Rankin of Hopwood heard Jacob complain about his wartime ailments, including heart disease and feeble health. Margaret Rankin saw him spit up blood. Brother-in-law Henry Hall of Fayette Springs worked with him and said Jacob could not do more than two-thirds of a day's work anymore. When A.S. McDowell of Dunbar hired him for day work in about 1868 or 1869, he said that Jacob "was not able to work more than half the time, and perhaps not that much & complained very much of his breast & in February 1869 from that time till May 1869 I saw him spit blood and he appeared to have lunch disease." Jacob himself wrote that "I regard myself as a walking skeleton, being reduced from 145 lbs previous to the war to 105 lbs now and losing daily." Physician Dr. Alonzo P. Bowie wrote in 1885: "I can't see how the man can work at all."
Jacob eventually applied for and was awarded a soldier's pension on Jan. 26, 1885. [Invalid App. #530.923 - Cert. #432.757]
But heartbreak enveloped the family when Jacob, unable to surmount his lung problems, and suffering from cough, spitting, chills and fever, passed away at the age of 47 on Feb. 13, 1887. Friend Moses Rankin was with him at the end. His remains were placed into rest in the Hull Cemetery, also known as Wharton Furnace Cemetery, and a marker erected at the site. His grave marker -- the lone one on the site -- was inscribed "Gone but not forgotten."
His passing left his widow with 10 children under the age of 16.
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| Jacob's lone grave marker in Hull Cemetery, a burying ground with many unmarked, sunken graves, including Hilah's, within a mile of Wharton Furnace |
Now without a source of regular income, Hilah petitioned the War Department and began receiving Jacob's pension payments in 1887. [Widow App. #351.216 - Cert. #255.221]. She received $16 each month in pension payments and rented her home from landlords Dr. A.P. Bowie and George D. Howell.
Hilah apparently was overwhelmed as a widow in her home at Tub Springs near Hopwood and demonstrated unstable behavior. In October 1893, recalled neighbor Mary Jane Hixson, she "left her children about one mile away and took up her residence with Jonathan Baker who resides just across the street from me and she spent most of her time there.... The house in which they resided is a story and a half house. A sleeping room and kitchen on the 1st floor. There are two beds in the sleeping room but I don't know whether they slept together." The arrangement was "open and notorious" and caused indignation among the neighbors, and one of them, Samuel Hixson, said that "there was considerable talk on the part of their neighbors that a coat of tar and feathers would be administered if they did not cease living together but people were afraid of Baker and did not act."
Then in June 1897, with authorities considering taking away her pension payments and awarding them to her younger children, she and Jonathan quarreled, and she returned home to Tub Springs. She stayed with the children for a few weeks or months, claiming to be sick with la grippe. But as she got well, she told her neighbor Jacob W. Rishel that she "couldn't stay away from John and that pension or no pension she was going back and live with him.... She said that her son Bill, now a man, could take care of her children." Rishel spoke with her during that brief period when at home with her children, and he commented that "I suppose you will have to go down and dress him up once in a while," and she responded that she "guessed she would." She promptly went back into the Baker residence. During that time, Samuel Hixson said, Hilah's son William supported his five younger brothers and sisters through his income as a "coal digger," but the children did not attend school.
When questioned, Jonathan and Hilah told a government investigator that she was his "housekeeper" but had no formal compensation arrangement other than him giving her a dollar from time to time and buying her one dress. They said that they slept in separate beds, without a curtain in between, and had seen each other unclothed, but never having had "carnal" relations. He admitted that they dressed and undressed in each other's presence. The investigator, D.H. Alexander, later filed a report saying that Jonathan was "disreputable" and that Hilah's younger children "were running wild in the woods. They have never seen the inside of a school house although they have resided within one mile of a public school."
Hilah's pension was terminated on Dec. 13, 1897, cutting off her source of regular cash payments.
After a dozen years as a widow, at about age 59, on May 8, 1899, Hilah entered into marriage with her 61-year-old lover, Jonathan "John" Baker (March 31, 1838-1915), son of David C. and Catharine Baker of Dunbar Township. The couple united themselves in wedlock. Jonathan stood 6 feet tall and had a light complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.
At the time of their marriage, Jonathan was a laborer and dwelled in Hopwood, while Hilah claimed to be living in South Union Township. Jonathan had possession of an old family Bible in which his birth was recorded -- the Bible having been printed in 1846 by Jasper Harding of Philadelphia.
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Jonathan's 1st wife, Cassindy, Mt. Washington Presby Church |
Jonathan's first wife -- Cassandra Lucinda "Cascindy" Ogle (1839-1880), daughter of Hannah Ogle -- had died on April 22, 1880, at the age of 49, with burial at Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church cemetery in Farmington.
Thus he brought these stepchildren to the marriage with our Hilah -- David Baker, William Baker, Otho W. Baker, Andrew "Andy" Baker, Lydia "Liddie" Wolfe, John Baker and Jennie Baker.
Hilah's and Jonathan's second marriage lasted for a decade, and the couple dwelled in Hopwood, where he earned a living as a day laborer. The Hall and Baker families had a close relationship, and Hilah's niece Mary Margaret Hall married Jonathan's son Otha Baker.
Jonathan also was a Civil War veteran, having served with the 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery, Battery K, also known as the 212th Pennsylvania Volunteers. He enlisted at the age of 26 at Uniontown on Aug. 23, 1864 under Captain Stone, and mustered into the army in Pittsburgh 10 days later, on Sept. 2, 1864.
Jonathan received a freak injury when stationed as a picket guard along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad line between Alexandria and Fairfax Station. Fellow soldier thomas McNatt described that "while out on a scout, while we were stationed at Alexandria Va., a twig of a bush flew back and struck him in one eye -- the left one I think. He incurred the injury about dark, along late in the evening.... I was at his side the moment it happened and he then complained of the injury and continued to complain of the left eye until discharged." While on duty at Fort Ethan Allen, across the Chain Bridge in late 1864 or 1865, he complained to friends of problems with his eyes, which were enflamed.
He also suffered from diarrhea, rheumatism and the mumps, which he claimed affected his right testicle. His face swelled and turned red. He received treatment from the regiment's surgeon. When the regiment received word of President Lincoln's assassination in mid-April 1865, he was in the hospital. Recalled Andew J. Dean, the regiment "was ordered to hastily report at Washington DC when they at once started on a double quick forced march for that place. [Jonathan] at the time by his cripled and stiffened up condition did not seem physically able to go along with them but under the exciting circumstances as then existed he volunteerily went...."
Jonathan continued his service until the war's end, mustering out with his battery on June 13, 1865 at Fort Ethan Allen.
After the war, Jonathan was awarded a military pension on Aug. 18, 1890. [Invalid App. #796.877 - Cert. #575.981] Providing sworn statements of support in his case were childhood friend and fellow soldier Jacob Moyer of White Cottage, OH; Clark Christopher of Muses Bottom, WV; Robert Anderson of Hopwood; Jacob W. Rishel of Gibbon Glade, PA; William Klink of Wharton Furnace, PA; Christopher B. Hadden of Fayette Springs; Dr. Jacob S. Hackney of Uniontown; Dr. Robert M. Hill of Farmington; Thomas McNatt of Lemont, PA; John Bierer of Uniontown; Daniel Turney of Uniontown; and brother-in-law Henry Hall of Fayette Springs. In Rishel's deposition dated July 1897, he reported that:
I have known Jonathan Baker all my life. We was neighbors down to 1892. I saw him when he came home from the army. He dide not then have or cmoplain of any disease or disability to my knowledge, but about five years aftr discharge erysipelas [a bacterial skin infection] took hold of him. It appeared in his face and scalp and on his legs. At that time his head and face was so badly swollen that he could not see and the scalp was so affected that it became necessary to shave his head. He has had occasional attack of erysipelas down to the present time. For about 10 years he has had some trouble with his left eye and the vision of that eye has been impaired. There was a "scum" appeared on the eye ball and had gradually extended over the pupil of the left eye so that the vision is now almost destroyed.
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Physician's sketches of Jonathan's medical problems circa 1902, including varicose veins on his left calf, and a fatty tumor on his back. National Archives |
Daniel Turney of Uniontown said that in the 1890s, he had seen Jonathan at times when his skin was badly broken out with "eruptions... all over his face." In examining the case, a government official once wrote that "Among his neighbors [Jonathan] bears a bad reputation."
Jonathan dwelled in South Union Township in 1890 when a special census was taken of Civil War veterans. The 1890 census states that Jonathan's sight had been "injured." But he eventually was dropped from the pension rolls, circa 1897 for reasons that were not clear. Then in December 1899, his next-door neighbor Richard Varndell of Hopwood wrote to the Commissioner of Pensions in Washington, DC, asking that the payments be restored.
I live neighbor to Mr. Baker not over 25 yards and I think Mr. Baker ought to be restored back on the pensino roll fo rthe reason that he is not able to do manual labor but he has to work wether [sic] or not and he has had a verry sore leg for a long time, something like erysipelas and ought not to work at all. I have known Mr. Baker for several years and he i a sober and endustrious man. Also I will give or send you the names of some of his neighbors that will state the same facts if you wish them to.
At the age of 67, in late August 1909, Hilah contracted tuberculosis with diarrhea, and while under treatment from Dr. C.W. Adams, the illness was incurable. She succumbed on Sept. 5, 1909. Interment was in Wharton Cemetery, today known as "Hull Cemetery."
Jonathan survived his wife by six years, remaining in Hopwood. In the spring of 1915, burdened with paralysis, prostate problems and cystitis, he was stricken with influenza, and his health plummeted. He passed into eternity on April 10, 1915. Son Andy Baker of Hopwood signed the certificate of death. His remains were placed into rest at the Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Chalk Hill.
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Men on a trail near an ancient Chalk Hill landmark, Nemacolin's Wigwam |
Daughter Jane Hull (1861- ? ) was born in about 1861.
Daughter Lydia M. Hull (1863-1895) was born in about 1863. In 1879, at the age of about 16, she reputedly tied the knot with Jacob Winfield Rishel (1847-1914). During their relatively brief marriage, the pair produced a brood of five -- Thomas Nixon Rishel, Samuel Sebastian Rishel, Lee Preston Rishel, John William Rishel and Rose Ellen O'Donnell. They are said to have owned "considerable acreage of mountain lands," said a newspaper. Sadly, at the age of 32, she passed away on Oct. 30, 1895.
- Grandson Thomas Nixon Rishel (1880-1955)
- Grandson Samuel Sebastian Rishel (1882-1971)
- Grandson Lee Preston Rishel (1886-1918)
- Grandson John William Rishel (1889-1984)
- Granddaughter Rose Ellen Rishel (1892-1967) married (?) O'Donnell.
Daughter Mary Ellen Hull (1865- ? ) was born in about 1865. When she was 15 years of age, in 1880, she made a home with her parents and family in Wharton Township. Nothing more about her life is known.
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John and Melverta Hull Courtesy "MyHobbyShop" |
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| Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery |
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Grandson Jonathan Hull Sr. (1892-1976) was born in about 1892 in Elliottsville. He was a longtime farmer and coal miner in Wharton Township and was a member of the Wharton Furnace Chapel. He was twice married. Jonathan's first bride was Kathryn Jane Lewis (Nov. 5, 1895-1953), daughter of George W. and Frances (Beal) Lewis. The Hulls lived near Uniontown. Their seven known children were Wilmer Wilke Hull, Joseph Mikel Hull, Mary Hull, Charles W. Hull, Roselene Funkhouser, Frances Jane Thomas and Jonathan Hull Jr. Sadly, at the age of 58, Catherine suffered a heart attack and died on Feb. 8, 1953. Her remains were lowered into eternal rest at the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery. Jonathan wed his second wife, Ella Bowie (1911-1972). Sadly, Ella succumbed in June 1973. Jonathan survived her by three years. He was admitted to Uniontown Hospital where he expired at the age of 84 on March 9, 1976. Dr. Earl P. Confer led the funeral service at the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church, with burial afterward in the church burying ground, next to his first wife and mother of his children. Surviving him, according to the Uniontown Morning Herald, were 41 grandchildren and 52 great-grandchildren. Inscribed on their grave marker is the first line of the Lord's Prayer, "Our father who art in heaven."
Great-grandson Wilmer Wilke Hull (1915-1979) was born on Aug. 18, 1915 at Wharton Furnace. Wilmer married Alice Gertrude Dennis (March 2, 1923-1994), a native of Fairchance, PA and the daughter of David and Myrtle L. (Rowan) Dennis. They lived in Farmington and became the parents of three -- David Wilmer Hull (1941-1986), Leona Catherine Barnes (1944-2013) and Barbara Terry ( ? - ? ). He surrendered to the angel of death at the age of 63 in Jan. 1979 in Farmington. Alice outlived her spouse by 15 years and moved to Maryland. She passed away in Linthicum, MD at the age of 71 on Oct. 9, 1994. Burial was in Glen Haven Memorial Park in Glen Burnie, MD. Their daughter Leona (1944-2013) wed Gene F. Barnes (Aug. 31, 1936-2013), a native of Pittsfield, MA. Their offspring were Timothy V. Barnes, Jason L. Barnes, Karl W. Barnes and Gina "Buffy" Palmer. The pair separated, with Leona living in Magnolia, DE and Gene in Lanesborough, MA. Leona died in Glen Burnie on Aug. 15, 2013, while her ex passed away on June 25, 2013.
Great-grandson Joseph Michael/Mikel Hull (1917-2003) was born on Sept. 24, 1917 at Wharton Furnace. He tied the knot with Florence Leora Angelo (1928-1983). They resided over the years in Farmington. The known children of this coupling were Kathryn Elaine "Ann" Myers (July 20, 1946-2016), Richard Hull, Michael Hull, Mark Hull, Adam Hull, Chris Hull and Buff Fears. Sadly, Florence passed away in March 1983. Joseph outlived her by two decades. The grim reaper of death cut Joseph away at the age of 85 on April 14, 2003. Their daughter Ann moved to Texas and in 1965 wed John W. Myers (1943-2012), a veteran of the Vietnam War. They put down roots in Livingston, TX and did not reproduce. He succumbed to the spectre of death on Feb. 16, 2012. She died in Lufkin, TX on Aug. 4, 2016.
Great-granddaughter Mary Ellen Hull (1919-2004) was born on March 28, 1919. She married a cousin, John William Hull (April 7, 1916-2003), son of William Jacob and Bertha Lee (Hall) Hull spelled out elsewhere on this page. They put down roots in Farmington and bore a brood of children -- Roger Eugene Hull, Warren Hull, Martha Elaine Bobick, Sharon Floyd and John H. Hull. John was gathered away into the heavenly host on May 5, 2003. Mary died the following year, on Jan. 23, 2004. The pair sleeps for the ages in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Their daughter Martha Elaine (March 2, 1935-2000) married Sgt. Joseph John Bobick Jr. (1925-1987), a World War II veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps who served in Iwo Jima, Japan. Martha died in Uniontown on May 8, 2000. Mary Ellen and John's son John H. married Elizabeth Ann Brady, dwelled in Smithfield, PA and were the parents of Loretta Lynn Scott. John H. died on May 21, 2024.
Great-grandson Charles William Hull (1921-1998) was born in 1921. He tied the marital cord with Loma M. Herring (1921-1994), originally from Markleysburg, PA and the daughter of Asa and Ida (Dennis) Herring. Their union held firm over the ebbs and flows of a remarkable 50 years together. The Hulls moved to New Salem and later to Keeney Row, PA. They became the parents of Debra Cermak/George and Patricia Ann Sabo. The Hulls held a membership in the First Christian Church of Republic, PA. Loma passed away in Laurel Health Care Center in Uniontown on Oct. 12, 1994. Rev. Thomas N. Logston presided over the funeral service. Death spirited Charles away in 1998. Their remains are in eternal repose in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Their daughter Debra was married to (?) Cermak and (?) George and in 1994 lived in Keeney Row, PA. Their daughter Patricia (Jan. 16, 1951-2021) wed Edward Sabo ( ? - ? ). They were together for half a century, resided in Mechanicsburg, PA and were the parents of Carly Sabo and Kelly Rossiter. Death carried Patricia away on June 5, 2021.
Great-granddaughter Roselene Kathryn Hull (1923-2010) was born on April 5, 1923 in Elliottsville, Fayette County. She tied the knot with Theodore Allen Funkhouser Sr. (1916-1978). She relocated to Maryland. The couple's five children were Theodore A. "Smoke" Funkhouser Jr., Samuel R. Funkhouser, Catherine R. Brown, Debra E. Cochran and Florence M. Klemkowski. The angel of death plucked away Roselene in Glen Burnie, MD at the age of 87 on April 18, 2010. The headcount of her survivors included nine grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and four great-great grandchildren. Of their five children, Theodore married Nancy and moved to Florida -- Samuel wed Maureen and settled in Severn, MD -- Catherine (1942-2024) entered into marriage with Donald Chester Brown (1936-2022) and put down roots in Glen Burnie, where he was employed for 27 years for Yankee Engineering Company as a welder and as a foreman. Two children were Kathy Walton and Mark Wayne Rose Sr. Donald passed away on March 25, 2022 and Catherine on Nov. 18, 2024 -- Debra was joined in wedlock with Howard Cochran and has resided in Glen Burnie -- and Florence was united in matrimony with (?) Klemkowski and moved to Parkville, MD.
Great-granddaughter Frances Jane Hull (1925-2000) was born on Sept. 13, 1925 in Fayette County. She wed Willis W. Thomas Sr. (April 2, 1921-1971), son of Frank and Eva (Fike) Thomas of Markleysburg. Together, they bore six known children -- Willis W. Thomas Jr., Rosemarie Baggett, Janet Rush Dallas, Pamela Lee Taylor Eva Kay Freyman and Douglas Carl Thomas. Willis Sr. served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. He was employed in the early 1970s at the Gateway Mine in Clarksville, PA. Sadly, while driving home on the fateful day of Feb. 21, 1971, he suffered a fatal heart attack and died. His obituary was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier. As a widow, Frances lived on Keeny Row in Republic, PA in the mid-1970s. She endured the untimely death of son Willis in 1975. The grim reaper of death whisked her away in Markleysburg at the age of 75 on Nov. 24, 2000. Son Willis Jr., an employee of the Home Improvement Company of Severna Park, MD, and a member of the First Christian Church of Republic, was shot at the age of 20 and died in Uniontown Hospital on Oct. 27, 1975. The Uniontown Morning Herald reported that he had been struck by .38 revolver gunshots to the chest, abdomen, arm and foot near the Charles Hall home along Keeny Row, having "engaged in several arguments [with the shooter] during the afternoon." Interment was in the Thomas Cemetery in Markleysburg. Frances' daughter Rosemarie married Archie Baggett and lived in Waynesboro, MS in 1975 -- Janet Rush tied the knot with John Dallas and moved to Severna Park -- Pamela Lee wed James Taylor and settled in Burgettstown, PA -- Eva Kay exchanged marital vows with Michael Freyman and relocated to Severna Park -- and son Douglas Carl grew up in Republic.
Great-grandson Jonathan Hull Jr. (1929-2011) was born on April 30, 1929 in Fayette County. On July 11, 1949, he tied the knot with Catherine Marie Savage (Oct. 8, 1932-2001), daughter of Albert and Catherine Savage. Together, they produced a large family of nine children, among them Charles Raymond Hull (1955- ? ), Robert Leroy Hull (1957- ? ), Charlotte Mae Hull (1959-2006), Linda Sue Hull (1972- ? ) and perhaps eight or nine others. The Hulls made a home in 1958-1974 in Hibbs, PA, 1976 in Ralph, PA and in 2001 in Brownsville. At their silver wedding anniversary in 1974, a short article appeared in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Catherine passed away in Brownsville on Oct. 4, 2001. The spirit of death claimed him at the age of 81, in Masontown, on March 20, 2011. Evidence suggests that their daughter Charlotte Mae (May 13, 1959-2006) did not marry and died in Dunbar, PA on the Fourth of July 2006.
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Grandson William Jacob Hull Sr. (1893-1961) was born the day after Christmas 1893 in Wharton Township. He married a cousin, Bertha Hall (1896-1971), daughter of David and Alice (Cassidy) Hall. The couple produced these six children -- Abraham Hull, John Hull, Jacob Hull, Edna Smithburger, William "Jacob" Hull Jr., Susan Myers and Sara Leah Parnell. They were longtime farmers and received their mail at Box 44, Farmington. The Hulls were members of the Jumonville Methodist Church. Sadly, at the age of 66, William began suffering from cancer of the stomach, which he endured for a year until his passing in Uniontown Hospital on March 6, 1961. His remains were lowered into eternal repose in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Bertha survived her husband by a decade. She was admitted to Uniontown Hospital where she passed away at age 74 on Feb. 10, 1971. A death notice in the Uniontown Morning Herald said she was survived by 19 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
Great-grandson Abraham Hull (1915-2002) was born on April 10, 1915 at Wharton Furnace. He resided in Farmington in young manhood. Circa 1939, he entered into marriage with Nancy Alice Halbrook (1921-1989) of Wharton Township. News of their marriage license was made public in the Uniontown Morning Herald. Abraham earned income as a gasoline station attendant and, unemployed in 1941, advertised in the local newspaper that he sought work. Nancy Alice died in 1989 with burial in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Abraham lived for another baker's dozen years. He passed away on Oct. 7, 2002.
Great-grandson John William Hull (1916-2003) was born in 1916. He married a cousin, Mary Ellen Hull (1919-2004), daughter of Jonathan and Kathryn Jane (Lewis) Hull described elsewhere on this page.
Great-granddaughter Edna Mae Hull (1919-2008) born in 1919. Prior to marriage, in 1942, she bore a daughter, Tamara L. (Hull) Bryner. Edna Mae in time was joined in wedlock with Kenneth Eugene Smithburger Sr. (March 19, 1923-2009), son of William C. and Edith M. (Scott) Smithburger. Their union survived the peaks and valleys of an extraordinary 63 years together. Five known children of this union were Kenneth Eugene Smithburger Jr., Charles E. "Smitty" Smithburger, Dorothy Kurnot, Shirley Smithburger and Tami Bryner. Kenneth was employed by Sproul Lumber Company and Henry Cooper Roofing. In his later years he drove a van for Mountain Citizens Action Group and was a Meals on Wheels delivery volunteer. Said an obituary, he also furnished lawncare and maintenance services to many "from the Yough Lake area to beyond Uniontown... [He] was a man of many talents and was always available to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. He was known as a hard worker and he was very meticulous in everything he did." Edna Mae suffered through many health issues over the years. Sadness blanketed the family when she died on Nov. 8, 2008. Kenneth only survived her by a few months and succumbed to the spectre of death on Jan. 30, 2009. Their remains slumber in eternal repose in Farmington's Bethel Memorial Park.
Edna Mae's daughter Tamara Hull (1942-2005) was born on Dec. 29, 1942 in Chalk Hill. On Jan. 27, 1962, at the age of 19, she exchanged vows with Clyde "Ed" Bryner Jr. (June 6, 1942-2021), a native of Uniontown and the son of Clyde E. and Lurenna (Johnston) Bryner. The children of this marriage are Darren E. Bryner of Waynesboro and Christina L. Bryner of Stroudsburg, PA. Tamara went on to receive an associate's degree in business administration from Hagerstown (MD) Junior College. The Bryners settled in Waynesboro, PA where, said an obituary, she "was employed as a communication specialist for the Department of the Army at Fort Dietrich, MD for 26 years. She retired in April 2002. She was a member of Waynesboro Presbyterian Church, Waynesboro YMCA, and was an active member Breast Cancer Awareness, Cumberland Valley Inc., Hagerstown." In his own right, Ed was a 1961 graduate of Uniontown High School and received training as a machinist in a local technical school. For 37 years, he was employed as a machinist by Mack Trucks in Hagerstown, holding the role of union steward of the United Auto Workers. An obituary said that "In addition to hunting and fishing, he was an avid Harley-Davidson enthusiast. He was also a member of Renfrew, Waynesboro Historical Society, Medic 2, Waynesboro Ambulance Squad, and the Waynesboro Fire Department. For over 50 years Ed was a devout and active member of the Presbyterian Church of Waynesboro. He was also a member of the UAW Local 171, Waynesboro Country Club, Joe Stickell Post 15 American Legion, Waynesboro Fish and Game Protective Association, Loyal Order of Moose Lodge 1191, and the Harley-Davidson Owners Group." Grief shrouded the family when Tamara died on July 29, 2005. Ed endured for another 16 years and remained in Waynesboro. He married again on March 15, 2012 to Margaret (Beeler) Honodel. At the age of 79, he was swept away in death in Wellspan York Hospital on Nov. 5, 2021. His remains were laid to sleep in Walnut Hill United Methodist Church Cemetery in Connellsville.
Edna Mae and Kenneth's son Kenneth Eugene Smithburger Jr. was a 1966 graduate of Uniontown Area Senior High School, served with the U.S. Army Reserves in Uniontown. He tied the knot with Donna Lloyd and was employed in 1972 in the Homestead works of United States Steel Corporation. Two sons in this family are Kenneth Smithburger III and Kevin Smithburger. In more recent years they have lived in Farmington.
Edna Mae and Kenneth's son Charles E. "Smitty" Smithburger married Connie Plume and lived in Farmington in 1973. They bore a son Michael who married Corenna and were the parents of Shane Smithburger, Chelsea Smithburger, Robert Smithburger and Jayde Smithburger. The Smithburgers' residence in 2005 was in Ohiopyle.
Edna Mae and Kenneth's daughter Dorothy Smithburger tied the marital cord with Dennis Kurnot and produced children Jacob Kurnot, Joseph Kurnot and Jason Kurnot.
Kenneth's daughter Shirley Smithburger ( ? - ? )
Great-grandson William "Jacob" Hull Jr. (1921-2004) was born on April 7, 1921 at Wharton Furnace. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and trained in Sampson, NY. He is known to have served aboard the USS Sangamon and the USS Midway. Jacob was joined in matrimony with Louise C. ( ? - ? ). The children in their brood were William Ronald Hull, John W. Hull, Jeffrey Allen Hull, Donald David Hull and Bonita Louise Cudzillo Robinson. Early in the marriage they lived on Workman Road, Farmington, and he was employed by Summit Lumber Company. By 1950, they moved to Ohiopyle, PA. As of 1971, he was in Uniontown. In his later years he made his dwelling-place in Smithfield, PA. At the age of 82, Jacob surrendered to death on Jan. 3, 2004. His remains were lowered into honored rest into the sacred soil of Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Daughter Bonita married Albert G. Cudzillo, son of John Cudzillo of Elliottsville, on July 29, 1962.
Great-granddaughter Susan J. Hull (1924-2017) was born in 1924. She entered into marriage with John C. Myers. The couple made a home in 1971 in Markleysburg.
Great-granddaughter Sara Leah Hull (1925-2016) was born two days before Christmas 1925 at Wharton Furnace. She was united in matrimony with James J. Parnell (Jan. 24, 1926-1991). The three children borne into this family were James Michael Parnell, Sandy Stewart and Linda Parnell. Circa 1971, they dwelled at Lemont Furnace near Uniontown. Sadly, at the age of 65, James died on Nov. 30, 1991. As a widow, Sara Leah relocated to Louisiana and in 2011 was in Lafayette, LA, where her married daughter Sandy Stewart was living. She was cleaved away by the grim reaper of death in Lafayette on Aug. 20, 2016. The pair rest together in under the sod of Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery.
Great-great-grandson James Michael Parnell (1953-2011) was born on July 13, 1953 in Connellsville. He was the father of James Matthew Parnell and Jessica Algeo. James received a trio of bachelor's degrees from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, California University of Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania State University. He then earned master's degrees in education from the University of Findlay and in business administration/human resources from Baker University. In 2009, he was awarded an additional master's degree in theological studies from Methodist Theological School and in 2011 was studying for his doctorate of ministry at Ashland Theological Seminary. Said an obituary, James "was an instructor at the Course of Study School of Ohio at MTSO, an adjunct professor at Ohio Christian University, and an employee of Pearson Measurements. He was a member of Lincoln Masonic Lodge #19 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the United Methodist Ministries of Southern Morrow County and as a volunteer for the Mid-Ohio Food Bank distribution center in Cardington. He was a certified candidate for ordination as a Deacon in the United Methodist Church [and] was a member of the Harmony Chapel United Methodist Church." In a move to Ohio, he settled in the town of Cardington, Morrow County, likely unaware that his distant step-uncle and aunt, Daniel and Margaret (Fluckey) Miner Sr., had relocated there circa 1835 and are buried there. Their family was plunged into grief when James died at home at the age of 58 on Nov. 5, 2011. In an obituary, it was requested that any memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Association. The remains were transported back to his native Fayette County for interment in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery.
Great-great granddaughter Sandra S. Parnell ( ? - ? ) was a 1973 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. On Jan. 10, 1976, she wed Thomas C. Stewart ( ? - ? ), son of Thomas H. Stewart of Tadmar Road in Ross Township near Pittsburgh. Rev. Larry McKinner led the rites, held at the Nemacolin Inn at Farmington. The happy event was announced in the North Hills News Record. At the time of marriage, Thomas was a senior at Marietta College. The newlyweds made their first home in Marietta. Later, the pair migrated to Lafayette, LA.
Great-great granddaughter Linda Parnell put down roots in Tallahassee, FL. Evidence suggests that she is the mother of Jordan Parnell, Jansen Parnell and Jema Parnell.
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Granddaughter Hilda Jane "Hallie" Hull (1897-1971) was born in about 1897. She was twice married. Her first spouse was a cousin, Winfield S. Hall (1867-1952), son of Henry and Mary Margaret (Hull) Hall. They produced two children, Winfield Ray Hall and Hazel Hall. See their biography elsewhere on this page for more.
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Granddaughter Rosa Pearl "Rose" Hull (1898-1923) was born on May 19, 1898 in or near Wharton Township, Fayette County. She tied the marital cord with a cousin, Allan Hixon ( ? - ? ). See the Hixon biography for more.
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Grandson Henry Smith Hull (1900-1983) was born on Jan. 24, 1900 in Wharton Township. When required to register for the military draft during World War I, at the age of 18, he disclosed that he lived at Chalk Hill and worked for his father as a farm laborer. Henry exchanged vows of marriage with Ruth Alive Angelo (Sept. 16, 1907-1978). One known daughter in this family was Rosetta Mae Lutz. They made their home in 1934 in Wharton Township and in 1976 in Farmington. Ruth passed away in Farmington on May 27, 1978. Henry survived her by seven years and died at the age of 83 on Oct. 16, 1983. Interment of their remains was in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery.
Great-granddaughter Rosetta Mae Hull (1925-1992) was born in 1925. She married Michael Lutz Sr. (1920-1998). They lived in or near Brownsville, Fayette County. The known children of this couple were Ronald Lutz, Ruth Elaine Lewis, Beverly J. Lutz, Michael Lutz Jr., Henrietta Girard and Joanne Squires.
Great-great grandson Ronald Lutz ( ? - ? ) was deceased by 2025.
Great-great granddaughter Ruth Elaine Lutz (1947-2025) was born on Dec. 3, 1947 in Brownsville. She entered into marriage with John "Jack" Lewis Sr. ( ? - ? ). The marriage held firm over the highs and lows of a remarkable 59 years together. They lived in Uniontown and became the parents of two sons -- John Lewis Jr. and Kevin Lewis. The Lewises later appear to have moved to Farmington and were longtime members of the Wharton Hunting and Fishing Club. Sadly, Ruth passed away on Feb. 26, 2025.
Great-great granddaughter Beverly J. Lutz (1950-1964) was born on May 18, 1950 and grew up in the outskirts of Uniontown. She was a seventh-grade student at Lafayette Junior High School. Tragically, at the age of 13, she was stricken with the measles. She was admitted to West Virginia University Hospital in Morgantown where she suffered cardiac and respiratory failure and died on March 22, 1964. Rev. Dr. Earl P. Confer presided over the funeral ceremony, with burial following in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery.
Great-great grandson Michael "Bud" Lutz Jr. tied the knot with Janet.
Great-great granddaughter Henrietta Lutz married Phil Girard.
Great-great granddaughter Joanne Lutz wed Gary Squires.
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Grandson Isaac R. Hull (1903-1976) was born on March 1, 1903 in Wharton Township. In 1924, he exchanged vows of marriage with Clara May Faust (May 4, 1906-2000), a native of Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County. They became the parents of three sons -- Raymond Hull, Glenn Leo Hull and Robert Hull. The family dwelled on a farm in Wharton Township in the 1930s and 1940s and in Farmington in the 1970s. The Uniontown Morning Herald said he earned a living as a carpenter and held a membership in the Wharton Furnace Church. Death spirited him away at the age of 73 on Dec. 2, 1976. Included in the headcount of his survivors were seven grandchildren. Rev. Dr. Earl P. Confer led the funeral rites at Chalk Hill Lutheran Church. He sleeps for all time in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Clara survived for another 23 years and made a home in Markleysburg. Death enveloped her at the age of 93 on Jan. 29, 2000.
Great-grandson Raymond William Hull (1924-1989) was born in 1924. He moved to Garwin, IA and was there in 1976.
Great-grandson Glenn Leo Hull (1926-1997) was born on Aug. 19, 1926 at Wharton Furnace. He grew up working on his father's farm at Chalk Hill. He stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall in young manhood and weighed 134 lbs. Glenn served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was united in wedlock with a double cousin, Hazel Mae Hall (1922-1958), daughter of Winfield S. and and Hilda Jane "Hallie" (Hull Van Sickle) Hall. See their entry elsewhere on this page.
Great-grandson Robert Eugene Hull (1928-2002) was born on Nov. 17, 1928 in Fayette County. He served with the U.S. Army for two years, including a deployment to Germany. Upon his return home, Robert found work in Elyria, OH with General Industries. On July 24, 1954, he exchanged marital vows with Martha L. Wilburn (July 22, 1931-2013), daughter of Clarence and Dorothy (Rishel) Wilburn of Farmington. Their nuptials were held in Oakland, MD. In announcing the happy event, the Uniontown Morning Herald said she wore "a gown of light blue nylon net over taffeta. Completing her costume [were] white accessories and a corsage of red roses." Martha was a graduate of Vocational Beauty Culture School and at the time of marriage was employed by Clara Andrea's Beauty Service. The Hulls first lived in Elyria but eventually settled in Uniontown. Two daughters produced by this coupling were Judith Cummings and Cindy Hull. Sadly, Robert died on May 20, 2002. Martha continued on as a widow for 11 more years. Death spirited her away in Uniontown on Nov. 9, 2013.
Great-great granddaughter Judith Hull (1956-2011) was born on Jan. 31, 1956 in Elyria, OH. She wed Samuel Leroy Cummings (April 22, 1951-2023), the son of Albert Leroy and Dorothy May Cummings. They appear to have made a home in Hopwood near Uniontown. Their one son is Devan Cummings. Sadly, Judith passed away in Uniontown Hospital at the age of 55 on June 4, 2011. An obituary in the Uniontown Herald-Standard said that private burial was conducted in Bethel Memorial Cemetery in Farmington. Samuel continued to make his home in Hopwood. He died there at the age of 72 on Dec. 11, 2023.
Great-great granddaughter Cindy Hull ( ? - ? ) dwelled in Uniontown in 2013.
- Granddaughter Emma May Hull (1905-1989) was born in about 1905 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. In September 1924, she married Rev. Harold S. Parks (1904-1963). They made their home in Hopwood and bore three children -- Robert Parks, Fuhrman Harold Parks and Lucille Cooper. In about 1946, after the end of World War II, they relocated to Albion, IA. He is known to have been the pastor of Carlton Brethren Church of Garwin, IA for 11 years. As Harold's health failed in 1963, he was admitted to University Hospital in Iowa City, where he succumbed at the age of 59 just two days after Christmas 1963. The Uniontown Morning Herald, in an obituary, said his survivors included six grandchildren, one great-grandchild, brothers William A. Parks, Harvey A. Parks, Alonzo Parks and George Parks and sister Mrs. Palm Carples. Emma wed a second time to (?) Frederichs ( ? - ? ). She lived in Marshalltown, IA as of 1976.
Great-grandson Robert Parks ( ? - ? ) - Circa 1963, he lived in Los Angeles
Great-grandson Fuhrman Harold Parks (1927-1989) was born on April 29, 1927 in Uniontown. He moved to Iowa in young manhood and initially lived in Marshalltown. On March 21, 1948, at the age of 20, he wed 19-year-old Marshalltown native Lois Mae Hartwell (Nov. 29, 1928-2018), daughter of Clarence and Angelyn Hartwell. Fuhrman and Lois are known to have dwelled for decades in LaGrand, IA and to have produced a brood of four -- Larry Parks, Harold Fuhrman "Hal" Parks, Linda Pardun and Lori Wilson. Lois was an alumna of LeGrand High School and a local business college. Fuhrman was a volunteer fireman and in 1959 saved the life of a 12-year-old girl after a fall into an abandoned, 30-feet-deep well. Reported the Associated Press in a story widely printed nationwide, "The girl and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. G.E. Lawson, credited Barbara's trust in her mother's words, a rusted pipe in the well and the efforts of Fuhrman Parks... with saving her life. The girl clung to the pipe for 30 minutes until Parks rescued her. Water in the well was nine feet deep. Fellow firemen let Parks down on a rope which he tied to the girl and she was pulled back to safety." In her own right, Lois "was employed as a secretary at the LDF High School in Le Grand for many years [and] also secretary of the family owned business Parks Gas. She was a member of the Le Grand A.C.T. Club, the Le Grand Music and Literary Club and the Le Grand Friends Church. She enjoyed playing cards with her friends every Monday at the Le Grand Log Cabin [and] was also secretary-treasurer of the Le Grand Alumni Association..." Fuhrman died in Marshalltown at the age of 61 on April 25, 1989. Burial was in Friends Cemetery in LaGrand. Lois soldiered on for another nearly three decades as a widow. She died in LeGrand at the age of 89 on July 16, 2018. Pastor Alan Mullikin presided over the funeral service held at the family church. The headcount of her survivors included seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Great-great grandson Larry Parks married Lavonne. They were in LeGrand in the mid-1990s.
Great-great grandson Harold Fuhrman "Hal" Parks (1953-1996) was born in 1953 in Marshalltown. He was the father of Patrick Parks and Daniel Parks. For 25 years, he lived in Des Moines and later made his dwelling-place on Ninth Street in LeGrand, IA, where he was a self-employed painter. In 1985, while sharing a room in the Terrace Hill Inn with Gary McIntire, they were robbed at knifepoint and gunpoint. Sadly, he died at the age of 42 on April 1, 1996, in a hotel in LeGrand. Burial of the cremains was in Friends Cemetery. The Des Moines Register carried an obituary.
Great-great granddaughter Linda Parks tied the knot with (?) Pardun. They relocated to Broomfield, CO and were there in 1996. She was deceased by 2018.
Great-great granddaughter Lori Parks married Nick Wilson. They settled in Peyton, CO.
Great-granddaughter Lucille Virginia Parks (1926-2018) was born on Feb. 1, 1926 in Uniontown. She migrated in her childhood to Iowa, where her father pastored a Brethren church in Garwin, IA. At a church activity, Lucille met her future husband, Gerald Wayne Cooper (1918-1988). They exchanged marital vows on July 22, 1942 in nuptials held in Bethany, MO. The Cooopers put down roots in LeGrand, IA and became the parents of Vernon Wayne Cooper, Virginia "Ginny" Nielsen and Lorraine "Lori" Fawcett. For 58 years, they dwelled on the home farm of the Cooper family and as a team kept the farm running. After retirement, they moved into Marshalltown. She had a gift of vocal and instrumental music and, with her brothers, performed as a trio in the local jail on Sunday afternoons and over the airwaves of a local radio station. Said an obituary, "Gerald and Lucille’s home was always an open house to lodge all of the guests who might come to the Carlton Church. They also took in many other children to help raise or keep for a period of time to experience the life of a farming community. She was best known for her Homemade Chicken and Noodles." She passed away on Feb. 19, 2018.
Great-great grandson Vernon Wayne Cooper married Connie and established their home in Branson, MO.
Great-great granddaughter Virginia "Ginny" Cooper entered into marriage with Barry Nielsen ( ? - ? ), son of Harold and Lillian Nielsen. They lived on a family farm near Garwin, IA and produced a pair of offspring -- Todd Dean Nielsen and Tricia Littlejohn. They held a membership in the Carlton Church of the Brethren. The Nielsens' marriage dissolved in divorce. Ginny made her residence in 2018 in Marshalltown, IA while Barry dwelled in Garwin. They endured the tragic death of 54-year-old son Todd on March 6, 2021 in a motorcycle accident in or near his home in Littleton, CO. Their daughter Tricia wed Mark Littlejohn and settled in McKinney, TX.
Great-great granddaughter Lorraine Lois "Lori" Cooper ( ? - ? ) - In 1993, she tied the knot with Dr. Kennedy Cecil Fawcett ( ? -2024), son of Cecil and Charlotte fawcett. He had been married before to Audrey Lynn Council ( ? - ? ) , the mother of his children, and Patricia Folkman ( ? - ? ). He thus brought these stepchildren to the union -- Kristen Council King, Lisa Lynn Nilsson, Robin Anne Fawcett, Mary Carol Racelis and Eric Kennedy Fawcett. Their dwelling-place was in Ames, IA. Kennedy was a native of Iowa City, IA but grew up in Huntington Valley near Philadelphia, PA. He was a 1949 graduate of Frankford High School. He then obtained his bachelor's and medical degrees from the University of Iowa. They moved to Philadelphia, where he served his internship with Temple University and then his residency from 1957 to 1960 at the city's Veterans Administration Hospital. In 1959, the family pulled up stakes and relocated to Great Lakes, IL, where Kennedy became a physician with the U.S. Navy. He served in this role for three years until his discharge as lieutenant commander in 1962. The Fawcetts migrated again to Ames, where he joined the McFarland Clinic. At McFarland in 1962, said the Ames Tribune, he "conducted a successful peritoneal dialysis procedure never before attempted in Ames. In 1965, Fawcett created Ames’ first renal dialysis department, a facility he directed for two decades. Also in 1965, Fawcett implanted Ames’ first pacemaker and conducted countless implantation procedures, extending patients’ lives over the next twenty years. In the early 1970s, he introduced gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy at McFarland Clinic, enabling doctors to more accurately diagnose and treat countless GI maladies." He was known for unconventional attire such as bolo ties, plaid shirts, leather vests and cowboy boots. In recognition of his accomplishments, he was elected governor of the American College of Physicians in 1985 and was bestowed its laureate award in 1992. At some point, Kennedy's first marriage ended in divorce. Lori and Kennedy traveled widely in their recreational vehicle and enjoyed airplane rides, sailing, motorcycling, classical guitar, dancing, boat-building, grandfather-clock making and fly fishing. He even learned how to "tat" and received an honorable mention for a 15-inch doily at the Iowa State Fair. They grieved at the death of daughter and visual artist Lisa Nilsson on Jan. 3, 2013. With his health in decline, he was taken into the care of Israel Hospice House and died at the age of 93 on June 21, 2024. Today, the Ames Public Library has a study room named for daughter Lisa used for hosting public events.
- Granddaughter Mary "Alice" Hull (1907-1931) was born on May 14, 1907 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. In 1926, she married Brack Evans Burnsworth Sr. (July 18, 1904-1979), originally from Bidwell, PA. They made her home in Puritan, PA in 1930 and in McClellandtown, PA in 1931. A trio of offspring of their union were Philip Burnsworth, Betty Jane Poole and Louise McDade Bogol. Grief cascaded over the family when the 24-year-old Alice May, expecting their fourth baby, developed lobar pneumonia. She was admitted to Uniontown Hospital where on May 26, 1931, she gave birth prematurely to a baby boy. Sadly, the infant died just two hours later Alice only survived another three days, surrendering to death on May 29, 1931. Interment was in the sacred soil of Chalk Hill Cemetery. Brack outlived his bride by decades and wed again to Anna Shultz (1912-2006), and bore more children including Mary Alice Martinko, Emerson Monroe Burnsworth, Gene Burnsworth, Brack Burnsworth, Abraham Burnsworth, Alfred Burnsworth, Beatrice Mitchell and Connie Smith. He lived in Hoover, Fayette County in 1941 and at that time worked for Weirton Coal Company's Isabella Mine. Death spirited him away at the age of 75 on Sept. 30, 1979.
Great-grandson Philip Burnsworth (1927-1987) was born on April 25, 1927. He was joined in wedlock with Margaret Swaney (1931- ? ). One son of their union was Philip E. Burnsworth. In July 1958, the pair were injured in an automobile accident in Washington, PA and sued the other driver of Columbus, IN for $5,000. They dwelled on Water Street in Masontown in 1974. Sadly, Philip slipped away into the hereafter at the age of 59 on Feb. 18, 1987. The remains were lowered under the sod of Greendale Cemetery in Masontown.
Great-great-grandson Philip E. Burnsworth was a 1970 graduate of Albert Gallatin Senior High School. He was employed by U.S. Steel Corporation even while attending Pennsylvania State University.
Great-granddaughter Betty Jane "Buba" "Tootie" Burnsworth (1929-2016) was born on May 18, 1929 in Uniontown. She married Abraham Poole Jr. (Jan. 18, 1918-2002). Abraham was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He was married previously to Myrtle Taras ( ? - ? ) and brought a stepdaughter into the family, Cindy Hart. The Pooles made their dwelling-place in McClellandtown and became the parents of a daughter of their own, Alice Poole. Said the Uniontown Herald-Standard, "Betty was a home-maker, and she loved to spend time with her grandchildren. She enjoyed feeding everyone, her specialty being Halupki and Pepperoni Rolls! She had attended the McClellandtown Free Methodist Church for many years." Sadly, Abraham died at the age of 84 on Feb. 26, 2002. As she aged, Betty was accepted to reside in the Cloverdale Personal Care Home in Masontown. The angel of death spirited her away at the age of 86 on Feb. 10, 2016. Services were conducted in the Triumphant Fellowship Church in Uniontown, by the hand of Pastor A.J. Byers. Burial was in McClellandtown Presbyterian Cemetery.
Step-great-great-granddaughter Cindy Poole (1942-2023) was born on Dec. 2, 1942 at the Hoover Works in McClellandtown. On Jan. 11, 1965, she wed a distant double-step cousin, Franklin Lee Hart (1946- ? ), son of Frank and Irene E. (Porterfield) Hart of the family of William Harrison and Sarah Ellen "Ella" (Enos) Hart. They relocated to Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Two offspring include Terry Hart and Kim Hart. Frank served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. In 1964, he was deployed to an air station in Iwakuni, Japan with the Air Base Squadron 17. In her own right, Cindy's "passion was ceramics and crafts after retiring from Parker Hannifan Corp., after 28 years," said an obituary. "She loved music, especially Elvis, and loved watching American Westerns." At the age of 80, Cindy was cleaved away by the grim reaper of death on March 26, 2023. The remains were transported back to her native Fayette County for funeral rites led by Pastor Aaron Key and to lie in eternal repose in Normalville Cemetery.
Great-great-granddaughter Alice "Sissy" Poole has been a companion of George Belch.
Great-granddaughter Louise Burnsworth (1930-1983) was born on Christmas Day 1930. She appears to have used the surname "McDade" in young womanhood. In 1949, Louise tied the marital cord with Stephen Bogol (Oct. 25, 1923-2008), originally from the coal mining patch town of Shoaf near Uniontown and the son of Slovak immigrants John and Anna (Prunyi) Bogol. Together, the Bogols bore a family of four -- Steve Bogol, Daniel Bogol, Linda Cohen and Patty Gaugler. Stephen was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, having served aboard the USS PC 1245. They first made a home in Republic and New Salem, Fayette County, where he worked in strip mining and the coke yards of Menallen Coke Company. In November 1965, at the age of 35, Louise received the rite of baptism and was a member of the Worldwide Church of God congregation of Belle Vernon, PA. On the fateful evening of April 27, 1971, Louise and Stephen and two of the children were injured in a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle on Route 40 near the State Police Barracks west of Uniontown. Stephen, Louise and daughter Patricia were treated at Uniontown Hospital while son Daniel with head injuries was taken to West Virginia University Medical Center in serious condition. They later made a move cross-state to Shamokin Dam and finally Selinsgrove, PA. There, Stephen was employed by Pennsylvania House Furniture Outlet of Shamokin Dam. He held memberships in the Middleburg Veterans of Foreign Wars and the United Mine Workers of America. Sadly, in her early 50s, Louise contracted cancer. She died on April 6, 1983, "after a lengthy battle," said the church's Worldwide News. The remains were placed into eternal sleep in McClellandtown Presbyterian Cemetery. Stephen outlived his bride by 25 years and remained in Selinsgrove. "He enjoyed coffee and cigarettes, fixing his cars and gardening," said the Sunbury Daily Item. "When younger, he liked hunting, guns, polkas and country music." Toward the end he went to live in Nipple's Convalescent Home in nearby Liverpool. He died at the age of 84 on Jan. 15, 2008. Burial with military honors took place in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.
Great-great grandson Steve Bogol ( ? - ? ) remained in Fayette County after his parents' relocation. He married Cindy. They were in Masontown in 2008.
Great-great grandson Daniel E. "Boe" Bogol (1959-2017) was born on St. Patrick's Day 1959. He recovered from his serious head injuries in the 1971 automobile accident and was a newspaper delivery-boy for the Uniontown Evening Standard. He wed Linda K. Christner (1957-living), daughter of Raymond F. and Lorraine Christner. They dwelled in Republic and Merrittstown, PA and were the parents of Daniel J. "D.J." Bogol, Jody Ray Bogol and Jessica Sphar. He died in Jefferson Hospital in Pittsburgh's South Hills on April 8, 2017. An obituary appeared in the Uniontown Herald-Standard. Pastor Charlie O'Brien presided over the funeral rites, with interment in Acklin Burial Park in Luzerne Township. Adding to the family's mourning, son Daniel -- an artist and father of Gregory Bogol Matty -- was diagnosed with metasticized cancer and died in West Penn Hospital at the age of 44 on July 15, 2019.
Great-great granddaughter Linda Bogol ( ? - ? ) - She entered into marriage with David S. Cohen (May 4, 1952-2023), son of Morris and Ruth Cohen. Their union held firm over the thick and thin of 46 years together. They settled in Steelton, PA and did not reproduce. David was employed over the years as a delivery truck driver by Fluorescent Supply and its successor Yale Electric. He liked animals (especially dogs, rabbits and birds), nature and walks along the river. He also enjoyed watching old Western movies on television and following the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Redskins teams. "He was known for being an honest, straight forward, and a hard working man," said the Lewistown Sentinel. "Many servers, clerks, grocery employees remember him as kind and always ready to strike up a conversation. Linda's favorite memory is his driving the Z28 with his arm out the window, cigarette pack rolled into the sleeve of his t-shirt, one hand on the wheel and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' playing on the tape deck.. Sadly, David was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and died in their residence on April 22, 2023.
Great-great granddaughter Patricia Marie Bogol ( ? - ? ) is a 1972 graduate of Brownsville Area Senior High School. She then went on to earn a degree from Ambassador College in Big Sandy, TX and as a young woman worked as a computer programmer-operator for Kim Kar Computer Services Inc. in Sunbury, PA. On May 6, 1979, she exchanged vows of marriage with Robert Lee Gaugler (Aug. 29, 1947-2007), son of Edwin C. and Gladys I. (Reinard) Gaugler of Selinsgrove, PA. The couple did not reproduce and stayed together for 28 years until the separation of death. Robert was a 1966 graduate of Selinsgrove Area High School. They settled in his hometown, where he earned a living as a carpenter. For 33 years, he was co-owner of Midd-Penn Construction. They were members of the Worldwide Church of God congregation of Harrisburg. Said an obituary, Robert "a member of the German Heritage Society and many computer forums on religion and history. He enjoyed gardening, reading, his pets and traveling." Grief blanketed the family when, at the age of 59, Robert passed away in their Produce Road home on July 22, 2007. Pastor Dale L. Schurter officiated the funeral obsequies, with burial in Susquehanna Mennonite Church Cemetery in Port Trevorton.
- Granddaughter Martha Ann Hull (1909-1994) was born on March 26, 1909 in Elliottsville, Wharton Township. Midwife Hilda Van Sickle of Farmington assisted with the birth. She had a third grade education. Martha Ann entered into marriage with Raymond Edward Browning (1913-1989). The pair did not reproduce. She is known to have resided at home with her parents in 1930-1934, but it's not known whether Raymond was there as well. When the United States Census was taken in 1940, the Brownings were in Wharton Township, with him employed as a coal mine laborer. They moved to Brownsville, Fayette County during the 1940s, with him working in automobile service in a garage in 1950 and her as a waitress in a restaurant. In time, she relocated to New York State. She made her residence in Lyons, NY in 1963, when applying for a delayed birth certificate, and remained in Lyons in the 1971-1994 timeframe. She was cleaved away by the grim reaper of death at the age of 85 on June 18, 1994.
Son William Scott Hull (1871-1938) was born on Nov. 7 or 18, 1871 in Wharton Township. Midwife Margaret A. Rankin assisted in the birth. He was a coal miner working at the Oliphant coke ovens, and after his mother abandoned her children, he was their primary source of financial support. While twice married, he did not reproduce. At the age of 30, he obtained a marriage license to wed 39-year-old Emma (Smith) Congrove ( ? - ? ), daughter of James and Mahala Smith of Ross and Meigs Counties, OH, and who had lost her first husband to death on Sept. 9, 1892. But the actual wedding did not take place for another seven years, until they united themselves in marital union, on Sept. 21, 1910, when he was 37 and she 44. Later, he was joined in wedlock with Emma Smith (1856-1930), daughter of James Smith of Ohio and some 14 years older than her husband. William and Emma lived in Chalk Hill. Sadness blanketed the family when Emma suffered from aortic regurgitation and died at the age of 74 on Dec. 10, 1930. Interment was in Chalk Hill. William survived his wife by eight years. He became afflicted with acute cerebro-spinal syphilis, and was unable to continue working. As a patient in Uniontown Hospital, he died at age 68 on March 19, 1938, of what the Uniontown Morning Herald called "a lingering illness." Burial was in Chalk Hill, with Jonathan Hull providing details for the death certificate.
Daughter Anna May "Annie" Hull (1875-1952) was born on April 12, 1875 in Chalk Hill, Wharton Township. Midwife Nancy Wolf assisted in the birth. On Aug. 27, 1894, when she was about age 19, she and 23-year-old Morris Hixson (1871-1938), also spelled "Hixon," submitted a marriage license application, but it was never completed or returned to Fayette County officials. Nonetheless, the couple became man-and-wife. Morris was the son of Samuel and Louisa (Gallahorn) Hixson and a fellow resident of Hopwood. Neither could read or write, but signed their names with an "X." Their children were Allen Hixon, Harry Hixon, Calvin Hixon, Henry Hixon, Joseph Hixon, Hilda Deffenbaugh and Emma Felger Davis. Morris earned a living over the years as a laborer. In 1938, the Hixons lived near Hopwood. Sadly, having suffered for five years from chronic heart disease, Morris died at the age of 66 on Aug. 23, 1938. Burial was in Hopwood, with funeral services held at the Hopwood Methodist Protestant Church, officiated by Rev. Stillwagon, and with Alice B. Patton signing the death certificate. An obituary in the Uniontown Morning Herald noted that in addition to his children, he was survived by six grandchildren and by his brother Raymond Hixon of Texas. Anna survived her spouse by a baker's dozen years. Burdened with senility, congestive heart failure and hardening of the arteries, she was admitted to Uniontown Hospital where she succumbed at age 81 on Nov. 11, 1952. Joseph Hixon of Hopwood signed the death certificate.
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Grandson Allen Hixon (1894- ? ) was born on Oct. 3, 1894 in Hopwood, Fayette County, PA. He first tied the marital cord with a cousin, Rosa Pearl Hull (March 19, 1898- ? ), daughter of John Henry and Melverda (Rishel) Hull spelled out elsewhere on this page. They became the parents of three during their brief lives together -- Leona Pearl Leja, Opal Mae Cardillo and George/Raymond Hixon. Allen eked out a living in 1917 as a laborer with the South Union Township Road Supervisors. In 1920, the young family made its dwelling-place at the Hoover Mines near Uniontown, with him employed as a track layer in the mine. Grief blanketed the family when, at age 25, Rosa Pearl contracted bronchial pneumonia and the measles and died after 15 days of suffering on May 28, 1923. An obituary was published in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Following funeral obsequies held in the Hixon residence, the remains were laid to rest in Chalk Hill Cemetery. Allen wed again circa 1925 with 16-year-old Mabel Marie Rhodes (1910-1989), originally from High House, Fayette County and the daughter of Otto and Martha Eve (Faust) Rhodes. Additional children from the second marriage were Ralph Hixon, Robert Lewis Hixon and Elmer Richard Hixon. Their home in 1928 was Richeyville, Washington County. The family was plunged into grief at the death of infant son Elmer at the tender age of one month, eight days on Nov. 18, 1928, the cause ruled as malnutrition. By 1930, with the nation having slipped into the grasp of the Great Depression, they had moved to Centerville, Washington County. Allen at that time labored as a coal miner, and 22-year-old sister-in-law Clara Smith lived under their roof. Their marriage dissolved in divorce, and Mabel wed again to Frank Schiripa ( ? - ? ) and settled in California and Brownsville. Allen pulled up stakes and moved by 1938 to Ohio. Former wife Mabel died in Brownsville on Nov. 8, 1989, with burial in Howe Cemetery in Coal Center. His fate after that is shrouded by the mists of history.
Great-granddaughter Leona "Pearl" Hixon (1917-2009) was born on Nov. 22, 1917 in Hopwood near Uniontown. She entered into marriage with Joseph J. Leja (Jan. 20, 1916-2016), originally from Lemont Furnace and the son of Jacob and Louise (Mazur) Leja. They stayed together for an extraordinary 72 years, with a longtime place of residence in Fredericktown, Washington County, PA. Together, they produced a brood of three daughters -- Nancy Carol Bruce, Patty Sargent and Beverly Sadler. The Washington Observer-Reporter said that Joseph "was an underground coal miner, working for Republic Steel Corp. Clyde Mine in Fredericktown, from where he retired in 1978 after 45 years of service. He was a member of United Mine Workers of America Local 762... Mr. Leja enjoyed gardening, hunting, puzzles and raising chickens." He was hospitalized in April 1967 with "injuries suffered when his right leg was pinned between two coal cars at the Republic Steel Co. Clyde 1 Mine in Fredericktown," reported the Connellsville Daily Courier. Death spirited her away at the age of 91 on Nov. 8, 2009. Their remains are in eternal repose in Greene County Memorial Park. Joseph survived for another six-and-a-half years and reached his 100th birthday on Jan. 20, 2016. He passed away in his Fredericktown residence on March 28, 2016. The headcount of his survivors was five grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren.
Great-great granddaughter Patty Leja was united in matrimony with John Sargent. They have dwelled at Scenery Hill.
Great-great granddaughter Patty Leja was united in matrimony with John Sargent. They have dwelled at Scenery Hill.
Great-great granddaughter Beverly Jo Leja ( ? - ? ) - In 1976, she was joined in wedlock with Ronald Lee Sadler ( ? - ? ), a resident of Silver Spring, MD and the son of Lee S. Sadler of New Port Richey, FL. The marriage was announced in the Gettysburg Times. The pair migrated to Upper Marlboro, MD.
Great-granddaughter Opal Mae Hixon (1919-1988) was born on Dec. 14, 1919 in McClellandtown, Fayette County. Opal was joined in wedlock with Benjamin Cardillo Sr. (Oct. 24, 1917-2004), son of Beneditto and Columbia (DeFanto) Cardillo. The brood of five children included Rose Shearer, Bonnie Kunkel, Sandy Whitney, Benjamin Cardillo Jr. and David Cardillo. During World War II, Benjamin was drafted into the U.S. Army. They are believed to have resided in Benjamin's hometown of Oakdale, PA, where Benjamin earned a living as a carpenter for Best Feeds and Farm Supply. Opal suddenly passed into the arms of the heavenly host at the age of 68 on Feb. 28, 1988. Burial was in Oakdale Cemetery. An obituary was published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Benjamin survived her by 16 years and remained in Oakdale. As a patient in St. Clair Hospital, he died just a week after his 87th birthday on Oct. 31, 2004. He was survived by 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Great-great granddaughter Bonnie Cardillo wed (?) Kunkel. She migrated to Georgia and was there in 2004.
Great-great granddaughter Bonnie Cardillo wed (?) Kunkel. She migrated to Georgia and was there in 2004.
Great-great-granddaughter Sandy Cardillo entered into marriage with (?) Whitney. Circa 2004, she lived in Texas.
Great-great grandson Benjamin Cardillo Jr. planted himself in McDonald, PA.
Great-great grandson David Cardillo established a homeplace in Greenville, PA.
Great-grandson Raymond George Hixon (1921-1985) was born on Aug. 21, 1921. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. In May 1944, Raymond wed Martha Mae Scott (Jan. 18, 1922-1994) of Midvale, Franklin County, PA, the daughter of David Roy and Ethel (Laughlin) Scott. She too was an Army veteran of the war, having attained the rank of corporal in the Women's Army Corps. The couple did not reproduce and made their dwelling-place in Zullinger, Franklin County. Martha was a 1941 graduate of Washington Township High School. She held a membership in the Trinity Lutheran Church of Routzerville. Death overtook him at the age of 63 on Jan. 20, 1985. Martha Mae survived as a widow for nine more years. At the age of 72, she passed away on Feb. 10, 1994. Rev. Steven Thomas led the funeral service in Trinity Lutheran Church. They sleep for the ages in Green Hill Cemetery in Waynesboro.
Great-grandson Ralph Hixon (1926-1996) was born on June 2, 1926 in German Township near Uniontown, Fayette County. Ralph joined the U.S. Navy and served during World War II. On Sept. 4, 1948, he was joined in wedlock with Norma Jean Copenhaver (May 19, 1929-2016), originally from Coal Center, Washington County, PA and the daughter of Donald and Augusta (Sterbenz) Copenhaver. Two sons of this coupling were Allen Donald Hixon and David Hixon. For years, Ralph served as an insurance agent for State Farm in Fredericktown, PA. The family belonged to California United Methodist Church. Their address in the 1990s was 170 California Road in Brownsville, Fayette County. Sadly, Ralph passed away in Washington, PA on Aug. 5, 1996. Burial was in Highland Cemetery in California, PA. Norma Jean survived her spouse by nearly two decades. She was active at the California Center in the Woods and enjoyed jigsaw puzzles. She was gathered away into the heavenly host at the age of 86 on April 22, 2016. Her funeral rites were conducted by Rev. B.T. Gilligan in the family house of worship. An obituary appeared in the Washington Observer-Reporter.
Great-great-grandson Allen Donald Hixon tied the knot with Lana. They relocated to West LaFayette, IN by 1996 and later moved to Bloomington, IL.
Great-great-grandson David Hixon wed Bobbi and settled in California, PA.
Great-grandson Robert Lewis Hixon (1929-2010) was born on Oct. 1, 1929 in Richeyville, Washington County, PA. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and again in the Korean War. He was married to Lois ( ? - ? ) and was the father of Robert Allen Hixon and Thomas Richardson. In the mid-1990s, his home was in Myrtle Beach, SC. Sadly, Robert reputedly passed away in Knoxville, TN on Dec. 17, 2010. A short death notice was printed in the Knoxville News Sentinel. His remains were lowered into honored rest in the Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery. Inscribed on his grave marker is the phrase "Gone but not forgotten."
Great-great-grandson Robert Allen "Big Bob" Hixon (1961-2025) was born on Oct. 17, 1961. His two sons were Joshua Hixon and Steven Christopher Hixon. Said an obituary, "He loved spending time with his family at cookouts, fishing, and cars." Robert made a residence in Knoxville, TN in 2025. Sadly, he passed away at home on May 13, 2025. Rev. Rick Lemons presided over the funeral obsequies.
Great-great-grandson Thomas Richardson ( ? - ? )
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Grandson Harry Terrell Hixon (1898-1973) was born in about 1898 or on April 25, 1901 (records differ). He stood 5 feet, 8½ inches tall and weighed 190 lbs. Harry moved to Ohio as a young man and in the late 1930s lived in Massillon, OH and in 1940 in Lorain, OH. By 1946 he had moved to Akron, working as a salesman. His address in 1946 was 1637 Superior Street and in 1947 was 240 West Market Street in town. He took out a marriage license in 1946 to wed 35-year-old Irene E. (Hixon) Burget, but there is no evidence that a wedding took place. Yet in late January 1947, he was sentenced to five days in jail in Lorain for failure to pay alimony. Later that same year, at the age of 46, on Nov. 18, 1947, Harry was united in matrimony with 43-year-old Leona M. (Coudriet) Moewe (April 27, 1904- ? ). Justice of the peace John Young presided. Leona was divorced from her first spouse. She was the daughter of Lawrence and Julia (Donovan) Coudriet and lived in Akron at the time and held the occupation sales. The marriage ended in divorce. Harry was the father of Paul Hixon and Charlotte Hixon. He is known to have dwelled in Cleveland in 1962. He succumbed to the spectre of death in the Riverview Nursing Home in Vermilion, Erie County, OH on Feb. 11, 1973. An obituary in the Elyria Chronicle Telegram said that he was survived by eight grandchildren. Rev. J. Kenneth Evans officiated the funeral, with interment taking place in Butternut Ridge Cemetery.
Great-grandson Paul Hixon resided in North Ridgeville, OH in 1973.
Great-granddaughter Charlotte Hixon ( ? - ? )
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Grandson Calvin Hixon (1897-1962) was born on May 6, 1895 or Oct. 3, 1897 in Hopwood (records differ). He was married and widowed by 1940. As of 1940, he made a home with his mother in Hopwood and was employed in road construction by the Works Progress Administration. Calvin also dwelled in Connellsville and later along Pine Knob Road in Hopwood. He made a living as an automobile mechanic. In July 1933, the vehicle he was driving westbound on the National Pike, about two miles west of Uniontown, collided with an oncoming car. His sister Emma was injured and taken to the Uniontown Hospital but soonafter released. The Uniontown Morning Herald reported that "Both machines were badly damaged." Stricken later in life with cancer of the bladder, prostate gland and urinary tract, he was admitted to the Fayette County Home. Death carried him away at the age of 64 on April 7, 1962. Burial was in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery.
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Grandson Henry Hixon (1907-1956) was born on Sept. 24, 1907 in Hopwood. As a young man he resided in Connellsville and worked for a railroad, standing 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing 130 lbs. Henry is known to have traveled to Ohio in May 1929 in company with his sister Hilda Deffenbaugh and step-nephew Herman "Warren" Deffenbaugh. Circa 1930, he tied the marital cord with Connellsville resident Mildred Mae Johnson (Oct. 2, 1911-1979). News of the couple's marriage license was published in the Connellsville Daily Courier. The pair's only child was Gertrude Owskey. They made a home in 1938 in Connellsville. In 1940, when required to register for the World War II military draft, he worked for the Works Progress Administration as a road construction laborer and lived next door to his widowed mother and unmarried brothers. They pulled up stakes and moved to Groton, CT by 1952, where their married daughter was residing and her husband stationed at the local submarine base. They spent two years each in Groton at the addresses of 574 Eastern Point/Port Road and 52 Tyler Avenue. He earned a living as an automobile mechanic. On the tragic day of July 23, 1956, while visiting his aunt Alice Patton back home, the 49-year-old Henry was instantly killed in a vehicular accident one mile east of Vanderbilt on Route 711. Medical reports show that his car struck a stone culvert and overturned, and that he was trapped in the wreckage. His brother-in-law Arthur Johnson was in the car as well and "was found wandering in a dazed condition in a field after the wreck," reported the Pittsburgh Press. It was unclear who had been driving. A United Press story indicated the car "had been taken from a Dawson garage without permission of the owner." Additional coverage was printed in Connecticut in the The Day of New London and the Hartford Courant. Interment was in Normalville Cemetery. Daughter Gertrude Owskey of Groton signed the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. The widowed Mildred outlived her husband by decades. She wed a second time to Raymond (?) Thomas ( ? - ? ). Her final residence was in Tillamook, OR, where her daughter and grandson had moved. She passed away in Dec. 1979. She sleeps for the ages in the mausoleum of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Cemetery in Tillamook in the same crypt as her daughter.
Great-granddaughter Gertrude Hixon (1930-2006) was born on Nov. 18, 1930 in Connellsville. She worked for Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation as a young woman. Gertrude exchanged marital vows with Thomas Owskey (Oct. 25, 1930-1996), son of Charles William and Sarah (Sullenberger) Owskey of North Prospect Street and stepson of William H. Davis. He was a 1948 graduate of Connellsville High School and at the time of marriage was a radioman in the U.S. Navy, training in Norfolk, VA. By 1956, they settled in Groton, CT, where he was stationed at the submarine base. One known son of this family was Gene "David" Owskey. During the early 1950s, Gertrude owned or operated the Victory Package Store, a liquor establishment at 574 Eastern Point Road and in 1957 construction began on a second store on Eastern Point Road near Bayview Avenue. The Day reported that the "new one-story structure, which will be of completely modern design with all modern fixtures and an all glass front, will have floor space of 35 by 30 feet." Later that same year, the pair were arrested and charged with selling liquor to minors. After a trial, in which a fake identification card was produced by one of the youths, a decision was reserved. The Owskeys eventually relocated to Southern California, where in 1962-1971 they owned and managed a motel on Ventura Boulevard in North Hollywood. From there they moved once again to Oregon, where their married son was residing. Their home in the 1990s was in Tillamook, OR. Sadly, Thomas died at the age of 65 on July 26, 1996. Adding to the heartbreak, their son David followed him to the grave just 19 days later. Gertrude outlived her husband son by a decade and stayed in Tillamook. The angel of death cleaved her away on Nov. 11, 2006.
Great-great grandson Gene "David" Owskey (1954-1996) was born on May 15, 1954 in Groton, CT. He married Suzanne ( ? - ? ). The couple settled in Beaverton, OR. David passed away on Aug. 14, 1996. A record of his death is kept by the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum.
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Grandson Joseph Eli Hixon (1917-1999) was born on Sept. 11, 1917 or 1918 near Hopwood. In adulthood, he stood 6 feet tall and weighed 150 lbs. He became married but separated and lived at home with his parents in 1938 and widowed mother in 1940 and worked occasionally in road construction with the Works Progress Administration. Again in 1950, he dwelled with his widowed mother in Hopwood, earning a living as a road construction helper. By 1956, he had migrated to Waynesburg, county seat of Greene County, PA. Joseph's last dwelling-place was in Carmichaels, Greene County. He died on July 8, 1999.
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Granddaughter Hilda Jane Hixon (1904-1994) was born on April 7, 1904. On Valentine's Day 1925, she married widower Walter Warren Deffenbaugh (1898-1994). He had been married previously to Hilda's distant step-cousin, Ida Melrose Varndell (1901-1924), daughter of Christopher Daniel and Sarah Jane (Logston) Varndell Sr. of the family of Hiram Thomas and Hester (Devan) Logston. He thus brought a stepson into the second union, Herman Warren Deffenbaugh, in addition to an unnamed infant son who had died in 1922. In 1938, the Deffenbaughs made their residence in Ohio and in 1956 in Ravenna, OH. Sadly, both wife and husband died in the same year. Hilda passed on June 3, 1994 at the age of 90, while Walter succumbed just under two months later on Aug. 1, 1994. Interment was under the sod of Maple Grove Cemetery in Ravenna. See the Logston biography for more on this family.
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Granddaughter Emma Hixon (1909- ? ) was born in about 1909. She appears to have been married twice, first to (?) Felger and then to (?) Davis. Under the "Felger" name, she dwelled in 1938 in Ohio. We're looking into whether her spouse was Richard S. Felger, that they were wed on Oct. 5, 1925, separated in 1933 and divorced in Oct. 1941 in Kenton County, OH. But this is not confirmed. In 1956, using the married name "Davis," she resided in Cleveland. There is evidence to suggest that she took back her maiden name and was in Ravenna, OH in 1962. Nothing more is known.
Daughter Sarah Caroline "Sadie" Hull (1877-1950) was born overnight on March 16-17, 1877 in Wharton Township. Midwife Margaret A. Rankin assisted in the birth. She lived in Hopwood as a young woman. Sadie may have tied the marital cord with (?) Crutchman ( ? - ? ). Their only known daughter was Cecelia Mae "Celia" (Crutchman) Show, born in May 1896. Later that same year, at age 19, on Dec. 14, 1896, she applied for a marriage license with 22-year-old laborer Harry P. Smith ( ? - ? ), a resident of the coal mining patch town of Brownfield and the son of George H. and Mahala Smith of West Virginia. As the marriage license was never completed by an officiant and returned to the court, the couple may not have actually been joined together in matrimony. In 1911, Sarah married Joseph Clark Shetler (April 30, 1881-1961), son of George Clark and Rebecca (Huffman) Shetler. They dwelled in Puritan, near McClellandtown, Fayette County in 1938-1950, where he earned income by mining coal. At the age of 72, Sadie died at home on April 24, 1950. The Uniontown Morning Herald reported that Rev. David Hunter officiated at the funeral service with burial in the family plot at Church Hill Cemetery. The headcount of her survivors included five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Joseph outlived his wife by 11 years and moved to Jefferson, Greene County. During that interim, he suffered from heart disease and congestive heart failure. As a patient in Greene County Memorial Hospital in Waynesburg, death claimed his life at the age of 80 on June 9, 1961. His sister Jessie Rex of Uniontown was the informant for the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. Interment was in McClellandtown Presbyterian Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Cecelia/Cecilia Mae "Celia" Crutchman (1896-1968) was born on May 27, 1896 in Pennsylvania. Her first husband was widower and coal miner Charles F. Rankin (1878-1912), son of Sara "Marinda" (Rankin) Bell Teets. His first wife Ada Barnett (Hull) Rankin had died in 1910, leaving him with a young son he brought to the union with Celia, Lloyd Cooley Rankin. Sadly, at the age of 34, Charles was stricken with typhoid fever. He developed a hemorrhage and died in Uniontown Hospital on Sept. 20, 1912. Interment was in Hopwood Cemetery. In 1914, she wed her second spouse, was Ernest Bright Show (1883-1963). They became the parents of Ethel Woods, Ray B. Show, Leslie Show, William John Show Sr., Eugene Show and Rose Marie Szaloky. Grief cascaded over the family in 1946 when their son Ray, age 24, was killed in an automobile accident while in service with the Coast Artillery in North Africa. The couple separated by 1949, with her residing in Puritan near McClellandtown and him in Uniontown. Celia eventually moved to Cleveland, OH during the winter months and shared a residence with her daughter Rose at 2187 Alger Road in Lakewood, OH. There, at the age of 71, she died on April 23, 1968. Her remains were lowered under the sod of Lakewood Park Cemetery, Cleveland. The Cleveland Plain Dealer published an obituary. Inscribed on her grave marker is the prayer, "May she rest in peace."
Great-granddaughter Ethel Mae Show (1911-1982) married William Woods. She lived in Puritan, PA in 1949-1968.
Great-grandson Ray B. Show (1924-1946) was born in about 1924. He joined the Coast Artillery and was deployed to North Africa. Tragically, in 1946, he was killed in an automobile accident while in military service. The body was not returned home until March 1949. Funeral rites were officiated by Rev. David Hunter. Burial was in the soldier's plot in Sylvan Heights Cemetery, with the news covered in the Uniontown Morning Herald.
Great-grandson Leslie Show held the rank of corporal in the U.S. Armed Forces and in 1949 trained in San Marcus, TX. In 1968, his home was in Lakewood, OH.
Great-grandson William John Show (1928-1978) was a graduate of German Township High School. In the late 1940s, he served in the U.S. Navy. After his tour of duty ended, he returned home and became employed by Lee Chevrolet Company in Uniontown. On April 20, 1950, he wed Mary Robinsin Pinder ( ? - ? ), daughter of C.W. Pinder of McClellandtown. Their nuptials were conducted by Rev. David Hunter in Church Hill Presbyterian Church. In announcing the happy event, the Uniontown Morning Herald said she "was attired in a navy blue suit, with which she wore red accessories and a corsage of white rosebuds." The newlyweds' first home was in House 37, Puritan. By 1968, they relocated to Houston, TX.
Great-grandson Eugene Show ( ? - ? ) grew up in Puritan, PA. He made his home in Blairsville, PA in 1968.
Great-granddaughter Rose Marie Show (1934-2008) was born in 1934. She spent her childhood in Puritan, PA. She was united in matrimony with Hungarian immigrant Sandor Szaloky Jr. (Jan. 2, 1935-1984), sometimes misspelled as "Szalosky," and the son of Sandor and Zsofia (Kun) Szaloky Sr. The pair bore two children -- Rose Burlingame and Sandor Szaloky III. Their home in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s was at 2187 Alger Road in Lakewood, OH. Sandor was employed as a truck driver for Erieview Freight Lines. He made news in November 1964 when thieves stole eight cartons of wash detergent from his truck while parked in an alley. On the tragic evening of May 6, 1984, during a family argument in the residence, Sandor was fatally stabbed in the chest and back by their 18-year-old son. He was rushed to Lakewood Hospital where he died later that night. News of the horror was published in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The son was arrested and held in Lakewood City Jail. Rose outlived her husband by 24 years. Sadly, she died at the age of 74 in Nov. 2008. She was pictured in an obituary in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Burial of the remains was in Lakewood Park Cemetery.
Great-great-granddaughter Rose Szaloky ( ? - ? ) married James Burlingame.
Great-great-grandson Sandor Szaloky III (1965- ? ) was born in about 1965. He was age 18 when he fatally stabbed his father in an argument at home in May 1984.
Son Charles Barney "Charley" Hull (1879-1973) was born on Feb. 15, 1879 in Wharton Township. Midwife Margaret A. Rankin assisted in the birth. In young manhood, he lived in Hopwood and worked as a laborer. On April 25, 1900, at the age of 21, he was joined in holy matrimony with 16-year-old English immigrant Margaret Kegg (1883- ? ), daughter of Alexander and Anna Kegg. Because she was so young, her parents had to provide their consent. The couple united themselves in wedlock, with O.G. Chick and A.D. Williams as witnesses. After 13 years of marriage, the couple divorced on May 31, 1913. Eight months later, the 33-year-old Charley was wedded to his second bride, 17-year-old Elizabeth Rhodes (1897- ? ), daughter of Otho and Martha (Fouch) Rhodes of Bitner, PA. The ceremony took place on Jan. 20, 1914, again without benefit of clergy or alderman, with Charles O. Schroyer and H.R. Fitterington serving as witnesses. When asked on the marriage license application for his parents' birthplaces, Charley replied, "Can't say." Their two families were close, and Charles' cousin Allen Hixon married Catherine's sister Mabel Marie Rhodes. The couple went on to produce four known children -- Charles Edward Hull, Lloyd "Mike" Hull, Violet Hull, Cooley "Bud" Hull and Marie Helen Harshman. In 1935, they made their home in Washington County, PA -- in 1940 when on the U.S. Census in Morgan Township, Greene County, halfway between Rogersville and Carmichaels -- in 1949 in Clarksville, Greene County -- and in 1950-1961 in Lippencott, PA. His work in 1940 was as a road man in a coal mine.
- Grandson Charles Edward Hull (1918-2013) was born on Oct. 29, 1918 in Hopwood. On May 29, 1937, he married Mary Parcheta (Feb. 14, 1920-2005). They produced these known children -- John Hull, JoAnn Titchenell and Linda Carol Hull. They grieved at the death in infancy of daughter Linda. In 1940, when the Hulls were enumerated on the federal census, they lived in Carmichaels, Greene County, PA, with Charles working as a loader in the coal mines. He held a membership in the United Mine Workers of America and eventually retired from the Kirby Mine of Consolidation Coal Company. He also spent three decades as a dairy farmer. Charles liked to hunt deer and trap shoot and served as president of the Stringtown Sportsman's Club. Sadly, at the age of 84, Mary passed away on Jan. 16, 2005. Death swept Charles away at the age of 94, in Waynesburg, on Sept. 13, 2013. Interment was in Jefferson Cemetery.
Great-grandson John William Hull (1938-2021) was born on Feb. 9, 1938 in Waynesburg. He grew to manhood on his parents' dairy farm. On April 5, 1957, he married Joyce E. King (Feb. 24, 1939-2021) of Waynesburg and the daughter of John E. "Lafe" and Margaret (Ullom) King of the family of Jesse Bowen and Sarah (Piatt) Ullom. In adulthood they relocated to Shalersville near Ravenna, OH. A trio of offspring born into this family were Michael Hull, Charles Hull and Renee Anderson. Joyce was a 1957 graduate of Waynesburg High School. John was employed for many years at the Walton Hills Stamping Plant of Ford Motor Company. He eventually retired from the position in 2000. He liked to fish, hunt, work with wood and tend his garden. In her own right, Joyce belonged to the First Church of the Nazarene, rooted for the Cleveland Indians baseball team and was an avid birdwatcher. Sadness spread through the family when Joyce was spirited away by the angel of death on New Year's Day 2021 with John following her into the hereafter at age 83 on April 23, 2021. The couple rest for all time in Riverside Cemetery. Through the Ulloms, Joyce is related to the founder of this website. Her obituary listed her surviving siblings -- Orville King of Waynesburg, Bonnie Bedilion of Waynesburg and William Ullom of Bobtown, PA.
Great-granddaughter JoAnn Hull (1940-2006) was born on June 9, 1940. At the age of 19, on the Fourth of July 1959, she wed Daniel L. Titchenell (March 12, 1940-2017), son of Floyd and Rosalie (Richard) Titchenell of Valley Point, Preston County, WV. Their residence was in Prosperity, Washington County, and they bore three children -- Daniel L. Titchenell Jr., Donald Titchenell and Tammy Jones. Daniel was an alumnus of Cumberland Township High School. He earned income as a miner for years at the Humphrey No. 7 coal mine. In his free time, he liked to collect guns and trapshoot and was a member of the National Rifle Association, Amateur Trap-shooters Association, Stringtown Sportsman Association and United Mine Workers of America. For more than two decades, he owned Dan's Bait Shop. At the age of 66, she passed away on Sept. 29, 2006. Interment was in the sacred soil of Jefferson Cemetery. Daniel remained in their Prosperity dwelling and provided a home for his widowed father-in-law. He died at Ruff Creek, Greene County on Dec. 5, 2017. An obituary appeared in the Washington Observer-Reporter.
Great-great-grandson Daniel L. Titchenell Jr. tied the marital cord with Rhonda and in 2017 dwelled at Prosperity/Ruff Creek.
Great-great-grandson Donald Titchenell settled in Carmichaels, PA.
Great-great-granddaughter Tammy Titchenell married (?) Jones. Circa 2017, she lived at Prosperity/Ruff Creek.
- Grandson Lloyd William "Mike" Hull (1920-1988) was born on Oct. 30, 1920 in Collier. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Having grown up learning the occupation of farming, he spent his life in the occupation. He also was employed for years by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. He made his dwelling-place in Fredericktown and was the father of Henry Hull and Robert Hull. He held memberships in the Hanson-Cole American Legion Post of Fredericktown and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post of Waynesburg. Sadly, at the age of 68, on Nov. 13, 1988, Lloyd died in Brownsville General Hospital. Rev. Norman Hunt, of the United Christian Church of California, presided over the funeral rites. The remains were lowered into the sleep of ages in Belle Vernon Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Violet "Dolly" Hull (1923-2009) was born on May 10, 1923 in the coal mining patch town of Revere, Fayette County. On July 2, 1941, on the eve of World War II, she tied the knot with William E. Broadwater (June 8, 1919-2002), originally from the nearby patch down of Isabella and the son of Henry and Hazel (Bane) Broadwater. A foursome of children born to this couple were Gary Broadwater, Terry Lee Broadwater, James Everett Broadwater and Karen "Dian" Davidson. William went on to serve in the U.S. Army during the world war and attained the rank of captain. In 1957, the Broadwaters planted themselves in Carmichaels, Greene County and stayed for the balance of their lives together. Violet was a homemaker and enjoyed quilting. William was employed at the Maple Creek Mine of U.S. Steel Corporation and was a member of the United Mine Workers of America. They belonged to the First Church of the Nazarene in Waynesburg. Grief cascaded over the family when William died at the age of 83 in Ruby Memorial Hospital at Morgantown, WV on Sept. 19, 2002. Rev. John Poling led the obsequies. Violet outlived her spouse by nearly seven years. She was whisked away into eternity on May 8, 2009, just two days shy of her 86th birthday. An obituary gave the headcount of her survivors as seven grandchildren. Her funeral jointly was conducted by Rev. Poling and Rev. Harry Rich, with interment following in Jefferson Cemetery.
Great-grandson Gary Broadwater wed Diana Tustin, daughter of Guy W. "Red Buck" and Donna Jean (Kennedy) Tustin. They have lived in Dry Tavern and Rices Landing, PA.
Great-grandson Terry Lee Broadwater tied the knot with Linda. They have resided in Jefferson, PA.
Great-grandson James "Everett" Broadwater (1948-2024) was born on Dec. 7, 1948. He was a 1966 graduate of Carmichaels Area High School. He then went on to receive degrees from the Fayette Campus of Pennsylvania State University and Waynesburg School, all the while employed full-time. He also spent six years of service with the U.S. Army Reserve. Said the Washington Observer-Reporter, "His career in the coal mining industry spanned 36 years, beginning as a general inside laborer at U.S. Steel's Robena Mine and retiring as a section foreman from Consolidation Coal's Dilworth Mine. Following retirement, he continued on the path of mining as an MSHA Certified Trainer and as an instructor at Penn State Fayette." On Nov. 7, 1970, he entered into wedlock with Penn State classmate Donna Jean "Jeannie" Guesman ( ? - ? ), a resident of Centerville, PA. They did not reproduce and stayed together for a remarkable 53 years until the separation of death. For many years, they made a residence in Carmichaels. Grief shrouded the family at James' death in Waynesburg at the age of 75 on Aug. 31, 2024.
Great-granddaughter Karen "Dian" Broadwater (1942-1982) was born on Feb. 8, 1942 in Waynesburg. She was an alumna of Cumberland Township High School. Dian exchanged marital vows with Davie D. Davidson ( ? - ? ) of Carmichaels. They bore a family of two -- Pamala Sue Harrell and Timothy Alan Davidson. Davie served in the U.S. Navy until his retirement from his final post at the U.S. Navy base at Norfolk, VA. The couple then relocated in about 1973 to Moyok, NC, near the Virginia border. Diane was employed as a forms department supervisor with the Virginia National Bank of Norfolk, and she held a membership in the Provident Baptist Church in town. In the tragic morning hours of Nov. 21, 1982, during an argument near their home, Davie fired and killed the 40-year-old Diane with a single shot to the head from a .357 Magnum firearm. "According to sources in North Carolina, the couple was riding in the family pickup truck on Poyners Road, three miles from their home, when the shooting took place at about 9 a.m.," said the Waynesburg Republican. "Davidson allegedly left the scene and went directly to a lawyer friend of the family and reported the shooting."
Great-great-granddaughter Pamala Sue Davidson married (?) Harrell. In 1982, the pair resided in Moyock, NC.
Great-grandson Timothy Alan Davidson ( ? - ? ) lived in Moyock in 1982.
- Grandson Cooley Eugene "Bud" Hull (1927-1981) was born on Nov. 20, 1927 in Whiteley Township, Greene County. He was a 1946 graduate of Jefferson District High School and went to work for Republic Steel Corporation. Circa 1950, he joined together in marital union with Pauline Barbara Constable (1932-2019), daughter of George and Elizabeth (Nagg) Constable of Penn-Craft. Together, they bore two daughters -- Cynthia Frankhouser and Wendy Johns Guidos. Pauline was a 1950 graduate of Brownsville High School and in 1950 earned income in the Louis Gallet Knitting Mill of Penn-Craft. In 1955, the Hulls' home was in East Millsboro. They relocated when he found employment as a sewage plant operator and in 1965-1981 were in Ross Township in Pittsburgh's North Hills. Sadly, at the age of 53, he died on Nov. 10, 1981. A death notice was printed in the Pittsburgh Press. The widowed Pauline returned to her native Fayette County and dwelled in the mining town of Adah. An obituary said she was "an avid book collector." She died in Uniontown Hospital at age 86 on Jan. 17, 2019. Her survivors included six grandchildren. Pastor Michael Lyons led the funeral service. Interment was with her husband in the mausoleum of Allegheny County Memorial Park.
Great-granddaughter Cynthia Hull was united in matrimony with Walter Frankhouser. Their residence in 2019 was in Adah. Two children of this couple are Robert Frankhouser and Brad Frankhouser.
Great-great-grandson Robert Frankhouser exchanged marital vows with Amanda. They have lived in Adah, PA.
Great-great-grandson Brad Frankhouser married Michelle. They put down roots in Brownsville, PA.
Great-granddaughter Wendy Hull first was joined in wedlock with (?) Johns. They bore one daughter, Margaret May Johns. In time, Wendy wed again to Richard Guidos and relocated to Irondale, OH. Their pair of offspring are Richard Guidos and Ryan Guidos.
Great-great granddaughter Maggie May Johns moved to Columbus, OH and is a companion of Dave.
Great-great grandson Richard Guidos has resided in Irondale, OH.
Great-great grandson Ryan Guidos makes a homeplace in Irondale, OH.
- Granddaughter Marie Helen Hull (1915-2019) was born on Sept. 7, 1915 in High House near Smithfield, Fayette County. She was joined in wedlock in 1934 with James "Walker" Harshman (1914-1992). Their wedding ceremony was held in Pitt Gas Missionary Church, where Marie was a charter member. Three children of their union were Shirley Gellner, Barry Harshman and Dale Harshman. Walker died in Waynesburg at the age of 78 on Sept. 7, 1992. His remains were laid to rest in Jefferson Cemetery. Marie survived her spouse by 22-plus years. Said the Washington Observer-Reporter, she "was a woman of faith, a student of the Bible and a member of various church organizations. She worked as a telephone operator in Millsboro... She was acclaimed by her family for making the world's best meat loaf and potato salad [and] spent many loving moments quilting with her sister and friends." Her home in 2009-2013 was in Jefferson, PA. Marie celebrated her 100th birthday on Sept. 7, 2015. Sadly, at the age of 103, she passed away in Jefferson on Jan. 25, 2019. The head count of her survivors was nine grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren and 11 great-great grandchildren. Officiating her funeral was Rev. Carl Leipold.
Great-granddaughter Shirley J. Harshman (1935-2014) was born on Aug. 11, 1935 in Pitt Gas, PA. She grew up in the Pitt Gas Missionary Church and was a longtime member. Shirley was a 1954 graduate of Jefferson-Morgan High School. On May 8, 1954, she tied the marital cord with Charles W. Gellner Sr. (July 24, 1930-2001). He was a U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War. A foursome of sons in this brood were Bruce Gellner, Charles W. "Chad" Gellner Jr., Brian Gellner and Jeffrey Gellner. They dwelled for several years in Manteca, CA before moving back home and planting themselves in Rices Landing, PA. Charles died on May 15, 2001, just a week after marking their 47th wedding anniversary. His remains were placed into honored rest in the West Virginia National Cemetery in Pruntytown, WV. At the age of 79, Shirley died in Cloverdale Personal Care Home in Masontown on Dec. 6, 2014. The funeral was conducted in the family church by the hand of Rev. Carl Leipold.
Great-great-grandson Bruce Gellner ( ? - ? ) maintains a home in Rices Landing.
Great-great-grandson Charles W. "Chad" Gellner ( ? -2015) dwelled in Rices Landing. Sadly, he passed away at the age of 51, on Valentine's Day 2015, in UPMC Montefiore Hospital in Pittsburgh. A brief death notice was printed in the Washington Observer-Reporter.
Great-great-grandson Brian Gellner ( ? - ? ) was in Rices Landing in 2000-2014.
Great-great-grandson Jeffrey Gellner ( ? - ? ) remained behind in Manteca, CA when his parents moved back home. He entered into marriage with Becky.
Great-grandson Barry Harshman (1939-2015) was born on Dec. 30, 1939 in East Millsboro, PA. He served in the U.S. Army as a young man. He appears to have been twice-married. He and his first bride bore three children together -- Kirt Harshman, Jana Knight and Brent Klein. When he was 43 years of age, on July 7, 1983, he wed Linda Barchiesi ( ? - ? ). They made their residence in Jefferson, PA. Barry was employed for years as a painting contractor for Peter Mitchell Inc. and later as a painting instructor for the State Correctional Institution Greene, a maximum security prison in Waynesburg. He liked to fish and hunt in his spare time. Sadly, at the age of 75, Barry passed away in Washington Hospital on April 7, 2015. Rev. Fr. John M. Bauer led the funeral rites. He was survived by four grandchildren and one great-grandson.
Great-great-grandson Kirt Harshman moved to Friendsville, MD.
Great-great-granddaughter Jana Harshman wed Lance Knight. The pair has made a home in Clarksville, PA.
Great-great-grandson Brent Klein relocated to Lancaster, PA.
Great-grandson Dale Harshman made his dwelling in 2019 in Jefferson, PA.
Son Enoch Abraham Hull (1880-1949) was born on April 11 or 12 or 13 in either 1878, 1880 or 1881 at Wharton Furnace. Midwife Margaret A. Rankin assisted in the birth. On Aug. 1, 1905, at age 25, Enoch and 17-year-old Alice Blanche Anderson (1889-1967) united themselves in marriage. Alice was a native of Percy near Uniontown and the daughter of Robert and Margaret Anderson. (Her maiden name also has been given as "Show.") They settled along Pine Knob Road in Hopwood near the Fayette County seat of Uniontown. Their four daughters were Nelle Beatrice Baer, Mildred McMillen, Ruby Caton Jones and Ruth Kiritis. Enoch stood 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 160 lbs., sporting a tattoo on his right forearm. He earned income over the years as a laborer, and in 1918 worked as a coal miner for Whyel Coke Company. Alice became was employed as manager of a P.H. Butler grocery store in town. But the marriage was troubled, and now living at 112 South Mount Vernon Avenue, Alice sued for divorce in April 1926. Reported the Uniontown Morning Herald, she "charged that her husband has never worked since the Armistice was signed except to buy himself a new suit of clothes." Enoch resided on Wilson Avenue in Uniontown in 1934. Later, as did his half-brother Andrew Baker, Enoch made his residence on Buttermilk Lane in Hopwood. He was a member of the Hopwood Methodist Church and the Fayette Fox Hunters Association. He made news in December 1940 when bringing down a deer on a hunt at nearby Pine Knob. Enoch suffered a coronary occlusion and died suddenly at home on Aug. 14, 1949. Signing the death certificate was Fred Baer of Hopwood. His remains were placed into repose in White Rock Cemetery in Fairchance. The Uniontown Morning Herald noted in a front-page obituary that he was survived by a dozen grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Inscribed on his grave marker were the words "Fox hunter" along with a drawing of a running fox.
- Granddaughter Mildred Hull (1906-1969) was born on Sept. 6, 1906 in South Union Township, Fayette County. Dr. John D. Sturgeon assisted with the birth. Mildred received an eighth-grade education. On her 18th birthday, Sept. 6, 1924, in Cumberland, MD, she entered into the rite of marriage with Raymond William McMillen (1900-1974), son of Luther McMillen of Hopwood. The happy news was made public in the Connellsville Daily Courier. Seven known offspring of this pairing were Evelou Swim, Raymond McMillen, Donald W. McMillen, Robert E. McMillen, Alice Fay, Geraldine Ackerly and Mildred Prager. By 1940, the family relocated to Highland Falls, Orange County, NY, where they bought a home and Ray generated a living as a truck driver. They are known to have lived in Walden, NY later in the late 1940s and until about 1961 followed by a move to 16 Mill Street in Worcester, NY. They were charter members of the Becker Memorial Community Church. Tragically, on the fateful morning of Feb. 12, 1969, Mildred received severe burns in an explosion in her residence. Said the Binghamton Press, she "mistook gasoline for kerosene while starting a fire in the kitchen stove... State police said the gallon can exploded, covering 95 percent of her body with second and third degree burns... Mrs. McMillen, alone at the time, stumbled out the kitchen door and plunged into snow to extinguish flames which enveloped her clothing, hair and body." She was found later by her husband, who had gone to a nearby store to buy a loaf of bread. She was rushed to Cobleskill Hospital where she was administered pain killers and thence to Albany Medical Center where she died that evening. Her obituary was printed in the Oneonta (NY) Star. Rev. Frank F. Jelsma led the funeral service in the family house of worship. A headcount of her survivors was 22 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. As a tribute, a carillon tower was dedicated that Easter. The widowed Raymond continued on for another five years. He passed into the arms of the heavenly host on Jan. 28, 1974.
Great-granddaughter Evelou McMillen (1925-1999) was born in about 1925. She was an alumna of Central Valley High School. She first wed fellow Central graduate Marcus D. "Mark" Risk Jr. ( ? - ? ). Their nuptials were held at Highland Falls, NY on Dec. 23, 1941 and announced in the Uniontown Evening Standard. At the time, Marcus held civil service employment at West Point, NY. She was the mother of four -- Ronald Risk, Marcus Risk, Lynn Wright and Holly Beam. Later, by 1967, she married Wilton H. Swim ( ? - ? ). The pair planted themselves in Highland Falls. Then in about 1977, Evalou relocated to Bradenton near Tampa, where she spent her final 22 years. She earned a living there through her work at MacDill Golf Course. At the age of 52, she applied for a marriage license in October 1977 with 39-year-old Robert Sherwood Newman ( ? - ? ), also of Bradenton. Whether or not they actually wed is unknown. She died in University Village Inn at the age of 74 on July 3, 1999. An obituary was published in the Tampa Tribune.
Great-great grandson Ronald Risk exchanged marital vows with Betty. They lived in Tampa in 1998-1999. One known son was Kelly Todd Risk.
Great-great grandson Marcus Risk settled in O'Brien, FL.
Great-great granddaughter Lynn Wright dwelled in 1999 in Palm Coast, FL.
Great-great granddaughter Holly Beam moved to Chicago and was there in 1999.
Great-grandson Raymond W. McMillen Jr. (1928-1966) was born on May 17, 1928 at West Point, NY. He entered into marriage with Ida Charles ( ? - ? ). together, they bore a family of five -- Raymond W. McMillen III, Susan McMillen, Robert McMillen, John McMillen and Jamie McMillen. At the age of 38, he was admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital in Albany. There, he passed away on Oct. 28, 1966. Burial was in Fostertown Cemetery.
Great-grandson Donald Wesley McMillen (1931-1983) was born in about 1931. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Army. Donald lived in Marathon, NY in 1966 and Schenevas, NY in 1969. He succumbed to the spectre of death at the age of 52 on June 4, 1983. The remains were lowered into eternal slumber in Schenevus Cemetery.
Great-grandson Robert Enoch McMillen (1933-1996) was born in about 1933. He joined the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. He was stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California in 1966 and in Okinawa, Japan in 1969 and eventually rose to the rank of staff sergeant. Death swept him away at the age of 63 on Sept. 12, 1996. He is in eternal repose in the sacred soil of Schenevus Cemetery.
Great-granddaughter Alice McMillen (1939- ? ) was born in about 1939. She tied the knot with John Fay/Faye. They too settled at Highland Falls, NY. By 1999, she married (?) Camara and migrated to Florida, settling in Tampa. She was still in Tampa in 2011.
Great-granddaughter Geraldine R. McMillen (1942-2011) was born in 1942 in West Point, NY. She married Francis Ackerly ( ? - ? ). The couple did not reproduce. Circa 1966, their dwelling was at Fishkill, NY and in 1969 at Wappingers Falls, NY. Circa 1981, certain of their property was deposited in a legal action in the Supreme Court of New York. Said an obituary, "Geraldine was an optical assistant before moving to Florida." She took back her maiden name by 1999 and at the time resided at St. Marks, FL. Her final place of residence was in St. Petersburg, FL. Her companion for many years was Edwin R. Maziarka. With her health in decline, she was admitted to the Hospice House Woodside in Pinellas Park. She died there at the age of 68 on March 8, 2011.
Great-granddaughter Mildred J. "Millie" McMillen (1944-2013) was born in 1944. In the fall of 1962, at age 18 years, she entered into marriage with Henry A. Prager (March 12, 1935-2020), son of German immigrants August and Johanna (Busch) Prager of Jersey City, NJ. News of their engagement was published in the Oneonta Star. Their union endured the ebbs and flows of a remarkable 50 years together. Their two sons were August Prager and Kurt Prager. Henry had grown up on a farm on Badeau Hill Road in Schenevus, NY and learned to hunt, known for "keen eyesight" and "marksman accuracy." He was a 1953 graduate of Andrew S. Draper High School and then from 1954-1957 served in the U.S. Army. He was posted to France and Austria and became a skilled tractor trailer driver. The couple lived in Worcester, NY in 1963-1966 and in Schenevus in 1969. Mildred was active with the Schenevus Woman's Club and hosted the annual picnic and business meeting at their home. Henry formed his own excavating business which he owned and operated for half a century. Said an obituary, he "had an extraordinary skill level in operating his machinery, specifically his Case Backhoes. He also had a great imagination for ponds and built countless numbers of them for people over the years. Henry was also a talented letter writer, painter, welder, mechanic and jokester. He was a huge part of the community and was easily recognizable with his painted yellow/black machinery bearing his name. He donated his time to the village by tearing down old buildings, repairing the Schenevus Creek wall and helping build the Town Pavilion." She remained in New York as of 1999. On Jan. 3, 2013, the grim reaper of death cleaved her away at the age of 68 as a patient in Bassett Medical Center of Cooperstown. Burial was in Schenevus Cemetery. A brief obituary was printed in the Oneonta Daily Star. Henry survived his bride by a little over seven years. He passed into the heavenly realm at the age of 84, on Jan. 29, 2020, in St. Peter's Hospital in Albany. The family requested that any memorial contributions be made to the Schenevus-Maryland Emergency Squad.
Great-great grandson August Prager married Jackie.
Great-great grandson Kurt Prager wed Karen.
- Granddaughter Nelle Beatrice "Nellie" Hull (1909-1983) was born on Jan. 7, 1909 in Smithfield. She married Fred Wayne Baer (Aug. 14, 1907-1969), son of Walter H. and Elizabeth (Seiler) Baer, also of Smithfield. The pair's only daughter was Rose Ann Ross. For many years, Fred was employed as business agent with Local 174. As some point they built an estate which they called "Fox Chimes," where they hosted fox hunts and welcomed friends from throughout the region. He was considered one of the county's prominent sportsmen. He held memberships in the Chestnut Ridge Hunt Club, Pennsylvania State Fox Hunters Association, Fayette and Greene Fox Hunters Association, Uniontown Volunteer Fire Department and National Fire Association. Their home for decades was in Hopwood. Nelle is believed to have been active with the Minnie Stull Class of the Hopwood Methodist Church. Fred lost a valuable horse in July 1944 when it ran across the intersection of Buttermilk Lane and Route 40, the National Road, and was struck by a vehicle driven by an Ohiopyle man. He again made news in Walter "Buzz" Storey's column in the Uniontown Evening Standard in December 1950 when seven foxhounds escaped from their home and ran all the way up the mountain to the Summit Hotel. Calls were made by hotel manager Sam Stewart to an alderman, lawyer and county farm agent about what to do. After three days, the dogs were rounded up and returned. Sadly, Fred passed away at the age of 61, as a patient in Uniontown Hospital. She died at the age of 74, in the town of her birth, in April 1983. Burial was in Little White Rock Cemetery.
Great-granddaughter Rose Ann Baer (1934-2012) was born on July 31, 1934 in the residence of her grandfather Enoch Hull on Wilson Avenue in Uniontown. In announcing the happy news, the Uniontown Morning Herald said she weighed 5¾ lbs. at birth. She grew up on her parents' Fox Chimes estate in Hopwood and at age five was crowned as the inaugural Fox Hunters Queen of the Pennsylvania Fox Hunters Association. She was an alumna of Uniontown High School and attended art school, learning how to paint wildlife in oils. Said an obituary, "While visiting her aunts in West Point, New York she met and fell in love with Donald R. Ross and they married on February 11, 1960 in St. Lois Missouri. He was stationed on Oahu, Hawaii and they lived there for three years enjoying island life. They moved back to the mainland" where they began their family. The trio of offspring in this family were William Valroy Ross, Betsy Ann Ross and an infant girl. The Rosses eventually settled in Montpelier, Bear Lake County, ID. Added the obituary, "Rose always had an adventurous spirit and enjoyed traveling the country, although she called Dingle her favorite home, and she enjoyed spending time with her grandson." She surrendered to the angel of death, as a resident of Bear Lake Memorial Skilled Nursing Facility, on Oct. 12, 2012. Her remains appear to have been cremated.
- Granddaughter Ruby Hull (1912-1986) was born on Nov. 3, 1912 in South Union Township. She was twice-wed. On Aug. 4, 1933, she first married Charles Donald Caton (1910-1948), son of Robert and Ola (Haines) Caton. They slipped away to be wed in Cumberland, MD, where couples had no waiting period. One daughter born to the pair was Donna R. Schmidt Reynolds. Donald generated income as an automobile washer. Their marriage was troubled, and after less than three years, she moved out on June 25, 1936 and moved to Hopwood. She allegedly "told him that she didn't care for him any more and that 'she was through'," reported the Connellsville Daily Courier. He sued for divorce which was granted in Uniontown on Nov. 29, 1940. Then by 1942, she was joined in matrimony with John James Jones (1906-1989), son of Thomas and Margretta (Thomas) Jones of Glen Lyon. A daughter of their own was Margaretta Jacqueline "Jacque" Empey. John was a World War II veteran and served afterward with the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of master sergeant with the U.S. Military Band. Their dwelling in 1949 was in West Point, NY and in 1969 at Highland Falls, NY. Ruby died at the age of 73, in Highland Falls, in May 1986. John survived for another three years and relocated south to Columbia, SC. There, in the Veterans Administration Hospital, he passed away at the age of 83 on Oct. 31, 1989. Leading the funeral service was Rev. Randy Czyz. At the graveside, the bankd played a song composed by John's father, "The American Soldier March." Their remains lie aside each other's in the U.S. Military Academy Post Cemetery in West Point.
- Granddaughter Ruth Louise Hull (1915-1983) was born in 1915. She married (?) Kirites. They relocated to Highland Falls, NY, where they made their residence in 1949. By 1969, she had been joined in wedlock with (?) Wyancio and dwelled at Highland Falls, NY.
Daughter Ada "Barnett" Hull (1882- ? ) was born on May 26, 1882. Midwife Margaret A. Rankin assisted in the birth. She was alive circa 1887 when her mother applied for a Civil War widow's pension. She entered into marriage with (?) Rankin ( ? - ? ).
Son Jacob "Cooley" Hull (1885-1954) was born on April 28, 1885 in Hopwood, Fayette County. Midwife Margaret A. Rankin assisted in the birth. He was but a toddler of two when his father died. Cooley married Bessie Van Sickle ( ? - ? ). They produced three children, among them Morford Hull and Raye Leckemby. In about 1917, they established a home in Smithfield, Fayette County, where they remained for the duration of the marriage. Cooley was a longtime coal miner and a member of the United Mine Workers' Kyle Local No. 6707. In December 1940, Cooley and his son Morford traveled to Potter County, PA to hunt deer, and both brought back kills. Reported the Uniontown Morning Herald, "Their grandson and nephew, Roy Paul Leckemby, found that acres of diamonds can be closer home for he killed a large buck within a few miles of his grandfather's residence in the neighboring township." Then in July 1941, Cooley and his daughter and grandchildren were among 53 who attended the Hull family reunion held at Mt. Vernon Park near Connellsville. "Dinner was served picnic style and during the afternoon there were races and games for young and old with attractive prizes for all the winners," noted the Morning Herald. Other attendees were Margaret Dean, Samuel Dean and Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dean of Southwest, PA; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Johnson and David Johnson of Uniontown; Mr. and Mrs. George Hull of Mormonville, PA; Geraldine Witt, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Lanning, Blair Grimm, Ruth and Jean Grimm, Brade Ritenour and John K. Ritenour of Breakneck, PA; Mr. and Mrs. Woodrow Hull and children Ruth, Paul and Martha of Mormonville; Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Hull Sr., John Grist and Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bashoun of Ruffsdale, PA; Mr. and Mrs. Charles King and daughter, Mrs. Joseph Hull and children Bobby, Junior, Jake, Eugene, Jimmy, Margaret, Lucille and Janet of Alverton, PA; Katherine Brooks and daughter Rebecca of Republic, PA; and Mr. and Mrs. Jake Murphy and sons Kenneth and Teddy of Ronco, PA. Trouble came the Hulls' way in late 1950 when Mary Breakiron, relationship unknown, filed a claim of assault and battery against Cooley and Bessie, leading to a grand jury inquest and embarrassing publicity in the Uniontown newspapers. Sadly, burdened with congestive heart failure, Cooley died at the age of 68 on Feb. 1, 1954. Their daughter Raye signed the Pennsylvania death certificate. Interment was in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Smithfield.
- Grandson Morford Hull ( ? - ? ) married (?) Their daughter (?) married John B. Reese of Smithfield.
- Granddaughter Raye Hull married Robert P. Leckemby. They resided in Smithfield. Their four known children were Roy Paul Leckemby, Everett Leckemby, Lorraine Leckemby and Priscilla Leckemby.
Stepson David Baker (1862- ? ) was born in about 1862.
Stepson William Baker (1866- ? ) was born in about 1866. Is he the same as Otha Baker? Evidence hints that he applied to wed 21-year-old Mary "Margaret" Hall (1864-1926), daughter of Henry and Mary Hall, on Nov. 17, 1889, but that the union did not take place. She later married his brother Otha. See further on this page for more.
Stepson Otho W. "Otha" Baker (1867- ? ) was born in about 1867. He married a step-cousin, Mary "Margaret" Hall (1864-1926). In September 1891, he bought his father's Hopwood lot. See more on this page for details.
Stepson Andrew "Andy" Baker (1869-1951) was born on March 17, 1869. He was a longtime coal miner, spending 40 years in the employment of H.C. Frick Coke Company. Andrew was married and produced these nine children -- Clarence Baker, Ellsworth Baker, Thomas Baker, Donald Baker, Erma Dawling, Mollie Hall, Lydia McDade, Jessie Schultz and Nora Whoolery. They resided on Buttermilk Lane in Hopwood, Fayette County and were members of the Chalk Hill Evangelical Church. For two decades, Andrew was plagued with bronchial asthma, likely a black lung type of illness. He also contracted hypertensive heart disease and went into acute congestive failure at the age of 82. He died four days later on Oct. 27, 1951. Burial was in Hopwood Cemetery, with Rev. P.J. Null officiating, and an obituary printed in the Uniontown Morning Herald.
- Step-grandson Clarence Baker lived in Brownfield in 1951.
- Step-grandson Ellsworth Baker resided in Uniontown in 1951.
- Step-grandson Thomas Baker was a private first class serving at Fort Campbell, KY in 1951 during the Korean War era.
- Step-grandson Donald Baker dwelled in Hopwood.
- Step-granddaughter Erma Baker married (?) Dawling. She made her home in Uniontown.
- Step-granddaughter Mollie Baker married (?) Hall. They lived in Uniontown.
- Step-granddaughter Lydia Baker married (?) McDade. In 1951, they resided in Arnettsville, WV.
- Step-granddaughter Jessie Baker married (?) Schultz.Their residence was in Hopwood.
- Step-granddaughter Nora Baker married (?) Whoolery. They dwelled in Hopwood.
Step-daughter Lydia "Liddie" Baker (1872- ? ) was born in about 1872 in Wharton Township. She lived in Hopwood in her late teens. When she was age 18, on Oct. 30, 1890, she was joined in holy wedlock with 19-year-old Edwin L. Wolfe (1871- ? ), a railroad fireman residing in Fayette Springs and the son of Samuel M. and Eliza A. Wolfe of Washington, Washington County, PA. Because the couple was so young, their fathers had to sign their consents. Rev. W.P. Turner officiated at the ceremony held in Uniontown.
Step-daughter Jennie Baker (1875-1953) was born on Aug. 12, 1875 (or 1873). She did not know how to read or write. She did not marry until she was age 39, although she fibbed on her marriage license application and stated that her age was actually 32. On Nov. 18, 1914, she united herself in matrimony with 30-year-old Hugh Robinson (1884- ? ), a coal miner living at the Filbert plant of H.C. Frick Coke Company, and the son of William and Margaret (Hagan) Robinson. Hugh's late father was a native of England, and his mother of Ireland, and she was living in Youngstown, OH at the time of her son's marriage. The marriage ended in divorce, and in 1951, in the obituary of her brother Andrew, she was referred to as "Jennie Baker of Brownfield [PA]." In her final years, Jennie made her home at 256 East Main Street in Uniontown. She died of gall bladder problems at the age of 79 on Jan. 27, 1953. A death notice in the Uniontown Morning Herald named her brother John Baker of Brownfield as her only surviving relative. Burial was in Hopwood Cemetery, with the ceremony officiated by Dr. Herman H. Will.
Stepson John Baker (1885-1962) was born on May 8, 1885 in Chalk Hill, Fayette County. He was but a teenager when Hilah Hall entered his home as a "housekeeper" and remained for years. On June 20, 1908, when he was 23 years of age, he married 18-year-old Ethel Logston ( ? - ? ), daugthter of Hiram and Emma (Mosier) Logston and step-daughter of Hester Ann (Devan) Logston. Foregoing a clergyman, the couple united themselves in wedlock, with G.L. Schmick and Earl Huston witnessing the event. John was a longtime coal miner. The Bakers dwelled in Brownfield, near Uniontown, in the 1950s, and in the early 1960s, their address was House #36 in the coal mining patch town of Leith, near Uniontown. They are thought to have had at least two daughters, (?) Fox and Doris Wilson. As his health declined, due to kidney and heart problems, John was admitted to the Uniontown Nursing and Convalescent Center in Uniontown. There, he died at the age of 77 on Oct. 26, 1962. Mrs. Doris Wilson of Uniontown was the informant for the death certificate. Burial was in Mt. View Memorial Park.
- Step-granddaughter (?) Baker is believed to have married James Fox and moved to Chicago.
- Step-granddaughter Doris Baker married (?) Wilson. She lived in Uniontown in 1962. Her daughter (?) Wilson was wedded to J.W. Dreer II of Uniontown.
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Christ's Chapel of St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church, Chalk Hill |
~ Stepson Henry Hall ~
Stepson Henry Hall (1842-1921) was born in about September 1842 or on May 15, 1844 in Stewart Township, Fayette County, PA. (Birthdate records differ, and he once wrote, "I don't have any record of my Birth, either Bible or Church.")
He grew up in Wharton Township but never learned to read or write. As a young man, he stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall, and had a dark complexion, blue eyes and auburn hair.
During the Civil War, he and his brother William served with the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company K. They both joined the Union Army on March 23, 1864 and remained through the duration of the war. The 116th was one of six regiments comprising the famed "Irish Brigade." The men were issued obsolete smoothbore muskets, which fired buck-and-ball shot producing a shotgun effect in close-range combat.
Among other soldiers in the regiment was Silas Younkin, a distant step-cousin by marriage.
Just a month after enlistment, Henry contracted the measles and rubella and was treated in an army hospital. He thus was absent when his regiment took part in the excessively bloody Wilderness campaign from early May to early June 1864 -- battles including Todd’s Tavern, Spottsylvania, Totopotomy, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, William’s Farm, Strawberry Plains, Deep Bottom and Reams Station.
Henry recovered from his medical problems and rejoined the regiment in about September 1864.
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| Five Forks battle as sketched by Alfred R. Waud - Library of Congress |
The 116th spent the winter of 1864-1865 in camp during the siege of Petersburg, occasionally performing reconnaissance and skirmishing. Fighting resumed at Gravelly Run (March 30, 1865), Five Forks (April 1) and Farmville (April 7, just two days before the enemy’s surrender).
On April 9, 1865, the men of Henry's unit halted their skirmishing, cooked coffee and then "received the glorious news of the surrender," writes St. Clair A. Mulholland in his book The Story of the 116th Regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry. After a time, Union Gen. George C. Meade rode through their lines and into the enemy's. Then that afternoon, he rode back, stopped in front of the 116th and removed his cap, saying "General Lee has surrendered to General Grant." Writes Sgt. Maj. Samuel D. Hunter, "It now seemed as if by the hand of God life had been suspended for several minutes. Not a word was spoken, not a movement was made. Officers and men stood like regiments of statue-soldiers in the perfect silence. Then like an electric shock broke forth one grand shout and cheer after cheer rent the air."
and William
Sadly, Henry's brother William did not survive the war, dying in a field hospital at Brandy Station, VA. Henry completed his term of military and received an honorable discharge on July 14, 1865, while in Washington, DC. He then returned home to the mountains.
In 1865, at the age of 23, Henry married 24-year-old Mary Margaret Hull (April 1841-1916), daughter of John Hull. Magistrate Dougherty Elliott officiated at the nuptials ceremony, held in Wharton Township.
Mary's middle name also has been given as "Catherine." She also lacked reading and writing skills.
The couple produce these nine children -- David X. Hall, Mary "Margaret" Van Sickle, Winfield S. Hall II, John W. Hall, Levi Hall II, Archibald William "Archie" Hall, George Hall, Walter Hall and Washington (or "Washabaugh" or more simply "Wash") Hall.
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Ruts of old Braddock's Road in Chalk Hill dating to the French & Indian War |
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| Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery |
On Dec. 16, 1891, Henry was awarded a military pension for his service during the Civil War. [Invalid App. #1077818 - Cert. #881402]. In his application, he claimed that the measles had caused weakness and disease in his lower back and kidneys and that he had "much indigestion" from a "diseased stomach." Brother-in-law Jonathan Baker and family friend George A. Anderson both signed an affidavit saying they had known Henry for many years "to be respectable, a good citizen and a quiet and peaceable man in the community where he has always lived, residing for a long time including as much as quite a number of years in the same neighbourhood and near neighbors...." They also noted that his back problems were not caused by "vicious habits." Friends Alexander Doyle and Wyley McKean testified in writing that Henry had been "very much disabled from the performance of manual labor." When examined circa 1893, an army surgeon wrote of Henry that "He is decidedly sensitive to pressure over the region of the kidneys. Tongue heavily coated and cracked, showing indigestion. There is a slight condition of hemorrhoids. In my opinion all the above may have been caused by exposure while in U.S. service."
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Christ's Church Lutheran Chapel, Chalk Hill |
Henry and Mary lived in Uniontown in their older years. Sadly, Mary was burdened with heart disease ("myocardial degeneration") and chronic bronchitis and passed away at the age of 71 on Aug. 4, 1916. Interment was in the Christ's Church Lutheran Church Cemetery in Chalk Hill, with son John W. Hall of Uniontown signing the certificate of death.
At the age of 78, for three months, Henry suffered a deadly case of dropsy (congestive heart failure), and on Aug. 7, 1921, Henry died at home from the effects of a mitral heart lesion. Burial was in Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery. Son Winfield signed the death certificate, but while knowing the name of Henry's father, was unable to provide the maiden name of Henry's mother. In an obituary, the Uniontown Morning Herald reported that he "was well known in the county having spent the greater part of his life here." As well, a one-paragraph obituary was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier. Several members of his old army company attended the funeral held at the Hall home, and other veterans participated in the burial service, which was officiated by Rev. Jasper Barnthouse.
Son David X. Hall (1862-1936) was born on March 13, 1862 or 1863 or 1864. He lived in Jumonville in the mountains above Uniontown, Fayette County, and earned income as a laborer. On Oct. 4, 1891, when he was 28 years of age, David was united in marriage with 18-year-old Alice Margaret Cassidy (March 1874-1944), of Wharton Township, daughter of George and Margaret (Hoar) Cassidy. Justice of the peace George W. Hansel officiated. At the time of marriage, David earned a living as a laborer. They produced these 11 known children -- George Hall, Mary Miller, Ida Crum, Bertha Lee Hull, Lulu Hall, Theodore Hall, John Hall, Dorothy Hawk, Earl Hall, Winfield A. Hall and Lucy Kehn. Two other offspring were deceased by 1910. The family dwelled in Wharton Township, Fayette County in 1900, with David working as a timber cutter. In 1910, the federal census enumeration shows the Halls residing in Jumonville, North Union Township, with David and his son George working as laborers performing odd jobs. Remaining in Jumonville during the decade of the 1910s, David was listed as a farmer in the 1920 census. Their dwelling in 1920 was along the National Turnpike on the stretch from Coolspring to Jumonville Road to Summit Hotel. The Uniontown Morning Herald once called David "beloved" and also "one of the most highly respected residents of the mountain." Burdened with an ulcer of his foot, and added to heart problems which were common in the family, David began to fail in health from aortic regurgitation and died in Jumonville at age 74 on Oct. 13, 1936. Burial was in the Fulton Cemetery near Jumonville, with Rev. William King of the Percy Methodist Protestant Church officiating. Daughter Mary Miller of Edenborn, PA was the informant for the Pennsylvania certificate of death. An obituary in the Morning Herald noted that his survivors included 19 grandchildren and five brothers. Alice outlived her husband by eight years. Suffering from acute heart disease and diabetes, in addition to a carbuncle on her neck, she was admitted to Uniontown Hospital and died there on Sept. 3, 1944.
- Grandson George Hall (1892- ? ) was born in Feb. 1892. At the age of 18 in 1910, unmarried, he lived at home and earned a living providing labor for odd jobs.
- Granddaughter Mary M. Hall (1893-1962) was born in March 1893. She married Fred H. Miller ( ? - ? ). They established a homeplace in Hopwood. She was gathered away by the Angel of Death on May 5, 1962, while a patient at Miners Memorial Hospital in Harlan, KY. Her body was brought back to Uniontown to rest for all time in LaFayette Memorial Park.
- Granddaughter Ida May Hall (1895-1961) was born in Nov. 1895. She was twice married. At the age of 19, on Sept. 19, 1913, she was joined in marriage with her first husband, 29-year-old coal miner Frank Costolo (1884- ? ), a resident of Coolspring, near Uniontown, and son of George and Ella (Luckey) Costolo. The ceremony was held at the parsonage of the Free Methodist Church, officiated by Rev. L.N. Campbell. Three children were born to the union -- Walter F. Costolo, Beatrice Costolo and Fred Costolo. The couple divorced, with Frank remaining in Coolspring. Ida May wedded again Albert Crum ( ? - ? ). The family grieved when married son Walter, of Erie, PA, died at the age of 43 in Aug. 1958. She passed into eternity in Hancock County, WV on Feb. 3, 1961.
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Granddaughter Bertha Lee Hall (1897-1971) was born in July 1897. She married a cousin, William Jacob Hull (1893-1961), son of John Henry and Melverda (Rishel) Hull. See their bio elsewhere on this page for more.
- Granddaughter Lula "Lulu" Hall (1899-1974) was born in Nov. 1899. She married (?) Anderson and relocated to Oklahoma and resided in Isabella, Major County, OK. Death cut her away on Feb. 15, 1974. Interment of the remains was in Isabella Cemetery.
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Grandson Theodore Hall (1904- ? ) was born in about 1904.
- Grandson John K. Hall (1904-1998) was born in about 1904. He lived in Jumonville in 1971-1974. John died in 1998.
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Granddaughter Dorothy Pearl Hall (1906-1974) was born on Sept. 6, 1906 at Jumonville. She married Elmer Hawk ( ? -1974) and made their home in Lemont Furnace near Uniontown and later in Yauger Hollow. They were members of the Cove Run Free Methodist Church. The Hawks had two children -- Eugene Hawk and June Hall. Sadly, Earl passed away on July 10, 1974. Dorothy Pearl only lived for another six days and died in Uniontown Hospital at the age of 67 on July 16, 1974. A death notice appeared in the Uniontown Morning Herald, which noted that her survivors included eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Funeral services were held at the Cove Run church, led by Rev. Harry E. Cooley, with burial in Percy Cemetery. Son Eugene made his home in Cleveland in 1974 and daughter June in Yauger Hollow.
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Grandson Earl David Hall (1909-1991) was born in about 1909. He grew up in Hopwood. Earl wedded Pearl Elmira Kinzey ( ? - ? ). The couple bore these known offspring -- Robert E. Hall and Lillian Virginia Hall. Sadly, son Robert died in infancy in 1931. They resided along Coolspring Road in Hopwood in 1971. Earl died in 1991. Burial was in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Dunbar, Fayette County.
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Grandson Winfield A. Hall (1913-1993) was born on May 7, 1913. He was joined in matrimony with Delphia D. (July 25, 1913-1991). They made a home in Elizabeth, Allegheny County, PA. Sadly, Delphia passed into eternity on Jan. 18, 1991. Winfield outlived her by two years and succumbed to death on March 4, 1993. Their remains sleep in Round Hill Cemetery in Elizabeth.
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Granddaughter Lucy Hall (1917-1999) was born in about 1917. She wedded Wilbur Kehn ( ? -1995). Circa 1971-1974, their home was in Isabella, Major County, OK. Evidence suggests that Wilbur died in Isabella in June 1995 and that Lucy passed away in Isabella in November 1999 at the age of 82.
Daughter Mary "Margaret" Hall (1864-1926) was born on June 8, 1864 or 1866. Evidence suggests that she was twice married. She apparently had an intention of marrying a step-cousin William M. Baker (1866- ? ), son of Jonathan and Cascinda "Catharine" (Ogle) Baker of Wharton Township, with the license issued on Nov. 27, 1889, when he was 23 and she 25. But the wedding seems to have not materialized. Instead, she was joined in wedlock not long afterward with William's brother, Otha H. "Oas" Baker ( ? - ? ), also a son of Jonathan and Cascinda "Catharine" (Ogle) Baker. The couple produced three known children, Bessie Lee Cooley, Earl W. Baker and Chauncey Baker. Later, Margaret married (?) Van Sickle. She lived in Hopwood, Fayette County in 1921. Sadly, at the age of 62, Margaret suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died on Dec. 15, 1926. Her remains were laid to rest in the Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery, with the Edward E. Minerd Funeral Home handling the arrangements. Son Chauncey Baker of Hopwood signed the death certificate. A stone marks the grave today, inscribed "Mother" and "In Loving Memory."
- Granddaughter Bessie Lee Baker (1890-1979) was born on Sept. 17, 1890. She dwelled in Hopwood as a young woman. At the age of 21, on April 6, 1912, she was married to 25-year-old railroader Elmer Cooley (1885-1968), son of Joseph and Belle Cooley. Justice of the peace P.M. Buttermore officiated at the nuptials held in Connellsville. They produced at least one daughter, Mary Margaret Cooley. In 1937, her home was in Cokeburg, Washington County, PA. She occasionally wrote letters to the editor of the Pittsburgh Press. One such letter, published on July 19, 1937, said that "In regards to this labor war we are having, I think labor should have a vote and let both sides abide by the election and stop this killing and damage to property. A vote tells the situation in other business and the men have the right to vote for themselves. Everything is run by a vote except labor unions. They cannot have a vote for their rights, but can only vote for the benefit of others." The family went into crisis in September 1940 when their 19-year-old daughter eloped to Cumberland, MD to marry her 52-year-old widowed uncle Joseph Marshall Cooley of Brownsville, Fayette County. The case went to court, with Fayette County Common Pleas Judge W. Russell Carr weighing what the Uniontown Morning Herald called an "Unusual case -- in which it was shown the law prevents a woman from marrying her father's brother but does not specifically prohobit a man from marrying his brother's daughter." The judge found the husband and wife guilty of incest. Elmer passed away in 1968 at the age of 83. Bessie outlived him by nine years. She joined him in death in April 1979. They rest together in Scenery Hill Cemetery in Washington County.
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Grandson Chauncey Baker (1891-1958) was born on March 10, 1891 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. When he was age 18, in 1910, he boarded with the family of Thomas G. and Della Hager in Wharton Township and supported himself as a farm laborer. On New Year's Day 1918, at Uniontown, Chauncey married Pauline (?) (1901- ? ), who was 10 years younger. They produced one known daughter, Rebecca Louise Cunningham. Chauncey and Pauline resided in or near Hopwood in 1920, with him laboring as a coal miner. In about 1933, Chauncey obtained employment with the Rose Iron Works and, over the next 25 years, worked his way up to foreman. He suffered lacerations of two fingers on his left hand in a work accident in December 1940 but eventually returned to work. In April 1948, Chauncey filed for divorce, with the Connellsville Daily Courier reporting that Pauline allegedly was "neglecting her household duties and remaining away from home at nights." He dwelled in the 1950s at 300 West Main Street in Uniontown. At the age of 67, on Sept. 1, 1958, stricken with cancer of the pancreas and heart disease, he died as a patient in Uniontown Hospital. Elizabeth Shaw of the residence signed the death certificate. His remains were lowered into eternal repose in White Rock Cemetery in Fairchance, Fayette County. An obituary in the Daily Courier noted that he was survived by a daughter, sister, half-sister and two grandchildren. Pauline went on to marry again to (?) Jones. She filed legal action against Chauncey, asking the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas to order the sale of her former home so that she could receive her half share, but the judge refused as she could produce evidence that she had any ownership. Their daughter Rebecca married Paul Cunningham on Dec. 10, 1939, with him working at the time at Fayette Chemical Company.
- Grandson Earl W. Baker (1898-1937) was born on Feb. 11, 1898. He was wedded to Edna (?). The Bakers made their residence at House 75 in the coal mining patch town of Continental #2 near Uniontown. Their children were Gretna Baker, Jean Baker, William Baker and Gerald Baker. Earl was a member of the United Mine Workers Local 6324. When coal mines shut down during the Great Depression, Earl obtained work laboring for the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In 1930, Earl began suffering from a bronchial infection which, on top of asthma, was not easily cured. Then in July 1936, his heart problems led to fluid buildup in his abdomen and legs. Unable to recover, he died just four days before his 39th birthday on Feb. 7, 1937. Burial was in White Rock Cemetery in Fairchance, with Rev. Betz officiating at the funeral held at the Hopwood Methodist Protestant Church, and with Edna signing the death certificate. An obituary in the Uniontown Evening Standard incorrectly gave his age as 28.
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Winfield S. Hall II |
Son Winfield S. Hall II (1867-1952) was born on April 14 or 17, 1867 or 1868. He married a cousin, Hilda Jane "Hallie" (Hull) Van Sickle (1896-1971), who was 29 years younger, and daughter of John Henry and Melverta "Melverdie" (Rishel) Hull. They produced two known children, Winfield "Ray" Hall and Hazel Mae Hull. Winfield earned a living as a laborer, dwelling in Chalk Hill, Fayette County. In the 1920s, afflicted with stomach and kidney problems, Winfield tried Konjola, a medicine said to cure a variety of ailments and which was available at Central Drug Store in Uniontown. Pleased with the results, he consented to allow his photograph and words to be published in a Konjola testimonial in the Jan. 5, 1929 edition of the Uniontown Morning Herald. "Happy beyond expression of the wonders Konjola wrought for him," the testimonial continued:
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Uniontown Morning Herald, 1929 |
I shall never stop rejoicing that I decided, after weeks of hesitation, to give Konjola a chance to relieve me of rheumatism and stomach trouble. For two years or more I was a fictim of a complication of diseases that caused all kinds of misery. I developed rheumatism in my lower limbs shortly after my stomach and kidneys became disordered. Every time I put my weight on my feet, sharp, shooting pains shot through my limbs. I was unable to sleep at night, work efficiently during the day. Loss of appetite resulted in a weak and rundown condition of my system. Glas bloating followed every meal. At night I had to rise several times because of my kidneys, and every morning found me weak and tired. I had heard Konjola recommended for such troubles as mine and many friends sincerely indorsed it. So I decided to see what it would do for me. What a surprise and pleasure was in store for me. I have taken but a brief treatment, and yet the results obtained were almost beyond imagination. I can eat any kind of food and in any quantity without trouble with my stomach. I am stronger in every way and have begun to pick up in weight. My kidneys no longer bother me and I enjoy sound, refreshing sleep at night. The rheumatism has been so relieved that I can get around and do my work without suffering and only a dim memory remains to tell me of the many years of suffering I formerly endured.
(An interesting twist is that one of Winfield's neighbors and distant step-cousins, Bartholomew "Beth" Minerd, also of Chalk Hill, also used the Konjola and also was profiled in a Morning Herald testimonial around that time.) In July 1935, Winfield and a number of local men assisted in cleaning and weeding historic sites including Jumonville's Grave and Washington's Rocks. The team included John K. Hall, Joe Fitzsimmons, Dan Varndell, Daniel Varndell, Ludwig Wedel, John Varndell, Wesley Johnson, Russell Varndell, David Hall and Earl Hall. Under the supervision of road construction foreman John Bradley, the men tore out undergrowth allowing the sites to be "more attractive and easier to locate," reported the Morning Herald. "For the past year nothing has been done at either site and weeds and underbrush had taken firm root to grow up over tablets and other markers, making them difficult to find.... Refreshments were furnished gratis throughout the day by Harry Whyel, proprietor of Jumonville Inn. The workers visited the spots again yesterday for a last minute's survey befor letting the general public in on the back-breaking labor contribution which has resulted in two of the county's historic spots again becoming places that apparently have been given special care to perpetuate Fayette's historic sites and make them drawing cards for the large number of tourists who frequent this section and Fort Necessity." Circa 1940, census records show the Halls living in Wharton Township, with son Ray earning income as a construction laborer. At the age of 84, suffering from hardening of the arteries, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, Winfield died on Leap Day 1952. Interment was in the Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Later, Hilda wedded Orville Van Sickle ( ? - ? ). They lived along Wharton Furnace Road. The couple grieved at the untimely death of daughter Hazel in 1958. At the age of 74, suffering from stomach cancer and congestive heart failure, Hallie died at home on Sept. 22, 1971. Her funeral service was held at the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church, with Dr. Earl P. Confer officiating, and followed by interment in the church cemetery. The Uniontown Morning Herald printed an obituary.
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Grandson Winfield "Ray" Hall (1919- ? ) was born in about 1919 in Wharton Township. He made a dwelling in Uniontown in 1958.
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Granddaughter Hazel Mae Hall (1922-1958) was born on Feb. 16, 1922 in Wharton Township. She tied the marital cord with Glenn Leo Hull (1926-1997). They produced an only son, James Glenn Hull. The family resided in the outskirts of Uniontown and belonged to Calvary Methodist Church. Unspeakable grief cascaded over the family when, at age 35, Hazel was diagnosed with cancer of the left breast. She suffered for a year and died in Uniontown Hospital on Oct. 7, 1958. Burial was in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. The Uniontown Morning Herald published an obituary. The widowed Glenn resided in the mid-1970s in Farmington. In May 1975, he was named to replace William C. Thomas as custodian at Uniontown Area High School. That September he resigned as custodian of the high school stadium. He died in 1997
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Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery |
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| Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery |
Son John W. Hall (1870-1944) was born on Jan. 29, 1870 or 1871 in Wharton Township. At the age of 21, on Nov. 26, 1891, John was united in wedlock with 21-year-old Alice Klink (July 4, 1870-1938), daughter of William and Hannah Klink of Wharton Township. Justice of the peace George W. Hansel led the nuptials. The Halls and Klinks were close, and John's brother Levi married Alice's sister Emma. John and Alice resided in Jumonville, Fayette County. The couple had these offspring -- William H. Hall, John W. Hall Jr., Clyde Hall, Bessie Craig, Viola Shipley, Nina Greenwalt, Lida Basinger and Delphia Hall. At the age of 67, having endured a lingering illness of rheumatic endocarditis, Alice succumbed at the age of 67 on April 1, 1938 in their home. The Uniontown Morning Herald published an obituary. Her remains were lowered into the earth for eternal rest in Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery. John lived for another six years as a widower, and made his home with his daughter Bessie at 58 West Winona Street in Uniontown. He contracted stomach cancer and could not keep food down, with his weight plummeting. The malnutrition and malignancy led to his death at the age of 74 on June 1, 1944. Viola Hall served as the official informant for the Pennsylvania certificate of death. An obituary in the Morning Herald said he was survived by 16 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Dr. Levi Stoner of Connellsville presided over the funeral and burial.
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Grandson William H. Hall (1892-1942) was born on Nov. 5, 1892 in Wharton Township. He served in the U.S. armed forces during World War I as a member of the 49th Coast Artillery. He lived with his parents in Jumonville in 1938. He eventually married Bessie "Rosie" Sellers (1893- ? ), although they did not reproduce, and may have separated. At one time William was employed at the Richmond Radiator Plant in Uniontown. Circa 1942, he worked on house construction at the Harry Whyel farm at Jumonville. William enjoyed spending time in his two-room cabin near Jumonville, eight miles from Uniontown. Sadly, on July 13, 1942, while getting ready for work on a Monday morning, but only partially dressed in a shirt and underwear, the 50-year-old William suffered a massive heart attack and fell into bed, dying almost instantly. His sister Nina, having seen from afar that his lamp alit all day, fearing the worst, waited until her friend Ralph Tuning returned home from work that evening before going over to investigate. By that time he had been dead about 12 hours. At the time, his wife was residing in Coolspring near Uniontown. Burial was in Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery. On his grave marker, the year of his birth is incorrectly inscribed as "1897" rather than the correct "1892" -- and the year of death shown as "1941" instead of "1942."
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Grandson Jonathan W. "John" Hall Jr. (1898-1951) was born on March 5, 1898. He married Beatrice ( ? - ? ). They made their home in Uniontown in 1938-1944, and circa 1951 their address was 60 Race Street. Over the years, he was employed by Richmond Radiator Company, a position from which he retired. Sadly, having endured hardening of the arteries for five years, Jonathan suffered an acute heart attack and passed away at the age of 52 on March 2, 1951. Interment was in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. Beatrice's fate is not yet learned.
Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery
- Grandson Clyde Hall resided in Beeson, Fayette County in the late 1930s and by 1942 was in Mount Independence, Fayette County. In 1944, he was in Ravenna, OH.
- Granddaughter Bessie Hall married (?) Craig and dwelled in Uniontown in 1938 at 45 East Main Street. By 1942, she seems to have resumed using her maiden name.
- Granddaughter Viola Hall wedded (?) Shipley and lived in Uniontown. Her home in 1944 was on Jumonville Road.
- Granddaughter Nina Hall was joined in matrimony with (?) Greenwalt. In 1938, their home was in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, PA. By 1942, when she signed her brother William's death certificate, she again was using the name "Hall." Her home in 1944 was in Elizabeth, PA.
- Granddaughter Lyda Hall was united in wedlock with (?) Basinger. Their residence in 1938 was in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, PA and in 1942-1944 in Connellsville.
- Granddaughter Delphia Hall dwelled with her parents in Jumonville in 1938. By 1944, she had relocated to Elizabeth, PA..
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Coal tipple at York Run |
Son Levi Hall II (1873-1939) was born on Sept. 11, 1872 or 1873 or 1874. He married Emma Klink (May 27, 1879-1939), daughter of William and Hannah Klink. The Halls and Klinks were close, and Levi's brother John married Emma's sister Alice. The Halls produced two children, David Hall and Blanche Hall. They kept their residence in the coal mining patch town of York Run, Fayette County, where Levi labored for the H.C. Frick Coke Company, and eventually retired and obtained a pension. Their address was House 162 York Run. Levi stopped working in 1927 and apparently never held steady work for the remaining dozen years of his life. He suffered gangrene of a foot and combined with diabetes, the illness was deadly. He succumbed at the age of 65 on Jan. 25, 1939. Son David Hall of Chalk Hill signed the death certificate. His remains were lowered into eternal rest in Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery. An obituary was published in the Uniontown Morning Herald. Emma only survived her husband by a little more than five months and lived with her son David at House 121 York Run. "Suffering from a sudden illness of heart disease," reported the Morning Herald, she died at age 60 on July 5, 1939. She "was a highly respected resident of Georges township." The funeral and interment were held at the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church. She was survived by five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
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Grandson David Hall lived at House 121 at York Run in 1939.
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Granddaughter Blanche Hall made her residence in Ohio in 1939.
Son Archibald William "Archie" Hall (1879-1952) was born on Oct. 3, 1876 or Oct. 5, 1979 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. He was wedded to (?). They dwelled for many years in Washington, Washington County, PA, where he was a farm laborer on the McClane farm. Stricken with heart failure, an acidosis coma and diabetes, Archie died four days after Christmas 1952 as a patient in Washington Hospital. Gilbert Hall, of Elm Street Extension in Canonsburg, was the death certificate informant. Interment was in Oak Spring Cemetery in Canonsburg.
Son George Hall (1880-1959) was born on June 17, 1878 or 1880 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. He grew up as a farm laborer. As an adult, he never married and made his home in Chalk Hill, Fayette County. George supported himself by working as a laborer. Circa 1944, his home was in Wharton Furnace. Later in life, he relocated into the city of Uniontown. As his health declined, due to chronic rheumatoid heart valve disease, he was admitted to the Fayette County Home, where he spent the remaining 13½ months of his life. George entered eternity at the age of 76 on April 2, 1959. He joined his parents and siblings in repose at the Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery. Uniontown's Easl Savage gave details for the Pennsylvania death certificate.
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| Chalk Hill Lutheran Cemetery |
Son Walter Hall (1883-1918) was born on May 3, 1883 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. He grew up as a farm laborer. He married Mary Jane (?) (1888- ? ). The couple lived near Uniontown. Tragedy befell Walter in the week leading up to Christmas 1918. He contracted a deadly case of bronchial pneumonia and influenza, and he could not overcome their effects. Just three days after Christmas in 1918, at the age of 35, Walter passed away. Burial was in Chalk Hill Lutheran Church Cemetery. His younger brother Washington signed the death certificate. Mary Jane's fate is not yet known.
Son Washington "Wash" Hall (1884- ? ) -- who also has been known as "Washabaugh" -- was born on Feb. 23, 1884 or 1885 or 1888 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. He resided in Uniontown in 1918 and later moved to Lemont Furnace, Fayette County. He enjoyed hunting near Lemont and in 1920 placed an ad in the Uniontown Morning Herald, stating he had lost a black and tan coon hound while on an outing in the mountains. His home in 1944 was in Cokeburg, PA.
~ Stepson William Hall ~
Stepson William Hall (1847- ? ) was born in about 1847 in Fayette County, PA.
When he was age 13, in 1850, records of that year's federal census enumeration show him dwelling with his parents in Wharton Township, Fayette County.
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Tattered battle flag of the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry Library of Congress |
Among other soldiers in the regiment was Silas Younkin, a distant step-cousin by marriage.
In his 1903 book The Story of the 116th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers, in which William is named, author St. Clair A. Mulholland writes:
Company K was recruited in Fayette County, and on a beautiful spring evening the company marched to the railroad depot in Uniontown to take the cars for the seat of the war. The little city had sent hundreds of others during the previous three years, and hardly a family but had passed through seasons of sorrow, and the crape had floated from many a door-bell for the soldiers who would never return. Nearly every able-bodied man was at the front already and now all the schools were being deserted to swell the army. All the town turned out to see the last company leave for the field. The train was waiting and the local band that escorted the company ceased to play when the depot was reached. The ranks were broken to allow the leave-taking, every one of the boys had been loaded with all the tokens of affection and things of use- fulness that love could suggest, and all that remained was to exchange the last embrace, the last loving, heartfelt kiss, and say farewell. Then the cars moved off amid sobs and tears, the band played a farewell salute, cheers mingled with the mother's subdued weeping, and the train was soon out of sight. The crowd slowly dispersed, each one going to the lonely home to think of the boy who, living or dead, would be for all time to come the idol and hero of the family. Company K left Uniontown with eighty-one in the ranks. Within one short year twenty were killed in battle or had died of wounds. Eight had died of disease and four had died in southern prisons. Thirty-two out of eighty-one were sleeping in soldiers' graves.
More about William's wartime service is being researched.
Tragically, whether due to wound or illness, William was admitted to a field hospital at Brandy Station, VA. There he died at a date unknown but either in 1864 or 1865. There is no record of his burial site.
A record of his service and death was noted in Mulholland's book.
More than two decades later, on Nov. 8, 1886, his father Joseph applied for a military pension as compensation for the loss of his son. [Father App. No. 346.670] The pension was denied for reasons not yet known.
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| William's name in the history of his regiment - Internet Archive |
~ Step-daughter Mary Hall I ~
Step-daughter Mary Hall I (1850- ? ) was born in about 1850 and grew up in Maple Summit.
~ Step-daughter Susanna Hall ~
Step-daughter Susanna Hall (1853- ? ) was born in about 1853 and grew up in Maple Summit.
Nothing further about her is known.
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| Hill Grove Cemetery |
~ Stepson Mark Hall ~
Stepson Mark Hall (1855-1927) was born in 1855 and grew up in Maple Summit.
At about age 24, in 1880, he resided by himself next door to his parents' home in Maple Summit and made a living as a laborer.
Mark married Eleanor Hall (1860-1943), born on Leap Day 1860, the daughter of Samuel and Mary (Linderman) Hall. They had these known children -- James A. "Garfield" Hall, William J. Hall, Myrtle Larue and Harrison Hall.
When the federal census was taken in 1900, the Halls dwelled in Stewart Township, where Mark was a farm laborer. Later, he obtained employment as a streetcar repairman, and the family moved to South Connellsville, where they resided circa 1908. He retired in about 1926, and continued to make their home on East Gibson Avenue.
Burdened with lobar pneumonia, added to cancer which had formed at the head of the femur, he died on Feb. 27, 1927. Burial was in Hill Grove Cemetery, and son William Hall of Connellsville was the informant for the official Pennsylvania certificate of death.
Eleanor survived her husband by 16 years and made her home at 406 Highland Avenue in Connellsville. Sadly, stricken with bladder cander, she died just three days before Christmas 1943. She joined her husband in eternal repose in Hill Grove Cemetery.
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Hickman Chapel Cemetery |
Son James A. "Garfield" Hall (1881-1908) was born on May 15, 1881 in Springfield Township, Fayette County. He was named for the recently slain president of the United States, James A. Garfield. At the age of 22, living in Ohiopyle, Garfield married 18-year-old Bertha J. Taylor (Sept. 20, 1884-1962), daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth (Boyd) Taylor of Ohiopyle and Dunbar Township. Justice of the peace I.F. Woodmancy officiated at the wedding, which was held on July 3, 1904. The couple produced two sons -- Donald "Wallace" Hall and William "Frank" Hall. They made their home in Ohio Pyle, where Garfield earned a living as a laborer. He was a member of the Odd Fellows lodge and joined the newly created Junior Order of American Mechanics. Sadly, his life was not destined to be long. In November 1908, at the age of 27, he contracted typhoid fever. Reported the Connellsville Weekly Courier, "It was thought for a time that he would stand chances of recovery but the Grim Reaper called him.... He was between 25 and 30 years of age." Garfield succumbed on Sept. 15, 1908. Burial was in the Whig Corner Baptist Church Cemetery, also known as Hickman Chapel, following funeral services held at the Baptist church in Ohio Pyle. His obituary in the Weekly Courier ended by saying "Mr. Hall leaves a host of relatives and friends who will regret his loss." Bertha outlived her spouse by a remarkable 54 years. She married again to Ephraim VanSickle (March 4, 1872-1943), also spelled "Ephriam" and "Efram" and the son of Isaac and Mary (Fike) VanSickle. The second marriage bore three additional offspring -- Daniel C. VanSickle, Ethel Van Sickle and Ralph Elton VanSickle. With the family remaining in Ohiopyle, Ephraim earned a living over the years as a coal miner. Grief blanketed the family on Jan. 2, 1943 when Ephraim was stricken with a heart attack and died at the age of 70. The Connellsville Daily Courier reported that he "was taken ill after eating his evening meal." After funeral services were held in the Ohiopyle Baptist Church, interment of the remains was in Sugar Grove Cemetery. The twice-widowed Bertha survived her second husband by nearly two decades. She succumbed to the Angel of Death just three days before Christmas 1962, at the age of 78, as a patient in Connellsville State General Hospital. Her remains were interred next to her first husband's, with Rev. G. Marion Smith preaching the funeral sermon. Bertha's son Daniel of Indian Head was the informant for her Pennsylvania certificate of death. An obituary in the Daily Courier noted that at the time of her passing, sons Wallace lived in Connellsville, Frank in Melcroft, Daniel in Indian Head and Ralph in Normalville, with an additional count of survivors as 23 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren.
The Hickman Chapel Baptist Church at Whig Corner had been constructed in 1901 on land formerly owned by Peter Tissue and M.C. Skinner and was named in memory of Rev. William H. Hickman, who had led the nearby Indian Creek Baptist Church for five years, from 1846 to 1851. Due to dwindling attendance and membership, worship services were discontinued at the chapel in the early 1980s. In 2017, the property was deeded to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy "to ensure its long-term preservation as part of the region's rural landscape, and pastoral and agrarian heritage."
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Mining operations in the Connellsville coal fields |
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Grandson Donald "Wallace" Hall (1905-1966) was born on April 5, 1905 in Ohiopyle. He was a few months beyond his third birthday at the untimely death of his father. Wallace married Susan "Frances" Bittner (Dec. 12, 1903-1949), daughter of Calvin J. and Anna L. (Fisher) Bittner. The nine children born to this union were Edna Ruth Hazlett, Anna Jane Jennings, Helen Stevenson, Donna Jean Swope, Roy E. Hall, Wilbert S. Hall, Donald "Buck" Hall, Ethel Hissem and Calvin James Hall. Their home was located in Champion, Saltlick Township, Fayette County. Wallace earned a living as a coal miner. At the age of about 30, Susan began to suffer from heart disease. She endured the illness for 15 years, but the problem worsened with increasing heart decomposion in late 1948. She died at the age of 45 on March 3, 1949. Interment was in Mt. Nebo Cemetery. Wallace married a second time to Marie ( ? - ? ). They moved into the city of Connellsville, with an address of 326 North Pittsburgh Street. Wallace at the age of 61 was was stricken with a heart attack and died later the same day on June 13, 1966.
Great-granddaughter Edna Ruth Hall (1939-2006) was born on Dec. 23, 1939 in Connellsville. She married Alfred R. Hazlett (1942- ? ). Their marriage endured for 44 years. The couple dwelled in Ligonier, Westmoreland County, PA. They were the parents of Karen DaSilva, Tammy Kasterko, Timothy L. Hazlett and Richard M. Hazlett. From 1991 to 1997, Edna and Alfred owned and operated the "Real McCoy's" restaurant in Fairfield Township. In retirement, the couple relocated to Florida, establishing a home in North Port, Sarasota County, FL. As her health failed, Edna was admitted to the Quality Health Care Nursing Center. There, she died on April 16, 2006. The remains were transported back to Fayette County to sleep for all time in Mt. Nebo Cemetery. Rev. Larry C. McDonnell officiated at the funeral service, with an obituary appearing in the Greensburg Tribune-Review.
Great-granddaughter Anna Jane Hall wedded (?) Jennings and lived in Findlay, OH.
Great-granddaughter Helen Hall was united in wedlock with (?) Stevenson. They have dwelled in Stahlstown, Westmoreland County.
Great-granddaughter Donna Jean Hall married (?) Swope. She was deceased by 2015.
Great-grandson Roy E. Hall moved to Auburn, IN and was there circa 2006-2015.
Great-grandson Wilbert S. "Web" Hall resided in Laughlintown, Ligonier Township, PA.
Great-grandson Donald Richard "Buck" Hall Sr. (1944-2015) was born on July 13, 1944 in Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA. He was twice married. His first spouse was Barbara Raye Beatty ( ? - ? ). His second bride was Frances Ann (Collins) Sumner ( ? - ? ). All told, he was the father of three -- Frances "Rose" Phillips, Donald Richard Hall Jr. and Jason A. Hall. During his working career, Donald was employed as a housekeeper for the Harmon House Convalescent Center of Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County. In this facility, many of our extended cousins have spent their final years. He liked to fish, golf and hunt in his free time. Circa 2006, his home was in Mount Pleasant. He was swept away by the Grim Reaper of Death at the age of 70 on Jan. 26, 2015. Interment of the remains was in Mt. Nebo Cemetery. Their daughter Rose dwelled in LaFayette, TN in 2023 and their son Jason in Auburn, IN. Their other son Donald Jr. was an alumnus of Mount Pleasant High School, resided in Acme, PA and earned a living as a carpenter. In his free time, Donald Jr. liked to ride his motorcycle. Sadly, Donald Jr. died at the age of 51, on April 14, 2023, in Excela Health Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. He was survived by three children -- Travis Hall, Nicole Toth and Ethan Hall.
Great-granddaughter Ethel Mae Hall (1937-2004) was born on April 7, 1937 in Ohiopyle, Fayette County. She was joined in the bonds of matrimony with (?) Hissem ( ? - ? ). The couple bore five children -- John O. Hissem, Susan Hixson, Frances Will, Kevin M. Hissem and David A. Hissem. She held a membership in the Mt. Nebo Church of God but more regularly attended the Melcroft Assembly of God Church. Her final years were spent in Donegal, Westmoreland County. Ethel Mae succumbed to death at the age of 66 on March 6, 2004 while a patient in Latrobe Area Hospital. Her survivors included 16 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. Pastor Timothy D. Bunney led the funeral service, with the Greensburg Tribune-Review printing an obituary.
Great-grandson Calvin James Hall Sr. (1927-2003) was born on Dec. 30, 1927 in Melcroft, Fayette County. He wedded Alverta Sleasman ( ? - ? ). Six children were born to this marriage -- James Calvin Hall Jr., Helen Fetterman, Patty Jellison, Roger W. Hall, John W. Hall Sr. and Michael L. Hall. For many years, Calvin was a truck driver employed by Latrobe Construction. He belonged to the Derry Rod and Gun Club. Calvin passed into eternity at the age of 75 on Dec. 10, 2003, while a patient in Latrobe Area Hospital. Burial was in Snowball Cemetery, with Rev. Larry C. McDonnell preaching. An obituary in the Greensburg Tribune-Review reported that he was survived by 14 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.
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Grandson William "Frank" Hall (1907-1988) was born on May 11, 1907 and was a baby when his father died. Circa 1948, Frank was joined in wedlock with Goldie C. Dean (Aug. 2, 1907-1972), daughter of Harry and Eleanor (Holland) Dean of Ohiopyle. The Halls spent most of their married lives in Melcroft, Fayette County. They produced a family of 11 children -- James H. Hall, Frank Hall, Charles Hall, William E. Hall, David Hall, Donald Hall, Rozella Cox, Helen Cole, Jane Showman, Betty Emerick and one who died in infancy. Goldie helped support the family through her work for 21 years as a cook employed by Monticue Restaurant in Melcroft. They belonged to the Roadman-White Post of the American Legion and Mount Pleasant Veterans of Foreign Wars, and attended the Melcroft Pentecostal Church. Sadly, as a patient in Somerset Community Hospital, Goldie passed away on April 23, 1972. Pastor David Huey of the Millerstown Community Church led the funeral service. Frank lived for another 16 years. At the age of 80, he died on March 11, 1988. They rest for all time in Hickman Chapel Cemetery.
Frank and Goldie's grave, Hickman Chapel
Great-grandson James H. Hall lived in Alexandria, VA in 1972.
Great-grandson Frank Hall made his home in Indian Head, Fayette County.
Great-grandson Charles Hall dwelled in 1972 in Melcroft, Fayette County.
Great-grandson William E. Hall established a residence in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County.
Great-grandson David Hall
Great-grandson Donald Hall relocated to Universal, IN.
Great-granddaughter Rozella Hall married John Cox and lived in Melcroft.
Great-granddaughter Helen Hall wedded Clifford Cole and resided in Melcroft.
Great-granddaughter Jane Hall was joined in wedlock with Frank Showman. They made a home in Melcroft.
Great-granddaughter Betty Hall was united in matrimony with Homer Emerick and put down roots in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County.
Son William J. Hall Sr. (1884-1953) was born on Oct. 28 1884 in Springfield Township. As a young man, he relocated to South Connellsville, where he eagned wages as a laborer. When he was 28 years of age, on May 18, 1912, he was wedded to 21-year-old Ora Richey (April 14, 1891-1975), daughter of James and Mary L. (Spiker) Richey of South Connellsville, with the couple uniting themselves in marriage. They went on to bear seven children -- Adelbert P. Hall, William J. Hall Jr., James I. Hall, Charles D. Hall, Raymond L. Hall, Dorothea Cutter and Loretta Hall. The family grieved when daughter Loretta died in infancy. The Halls lived in the 1950s on Isabella Avenue in Connellsville, with William employed as a laborer by Anchor Hocking Corporation. They were members of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren Church, and William belonged to the South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Company. Sadness blanked the Halls when, suffering from heart failure, William died at the age of 68, on March 6, 1953, in Connellsville State Hospital. Rev. R.A. Nelson presided at the funeral service, with burial in Chestnut Hill Cemetery. Ora spent her widowed years in the home of her son Adelbert on 435 Baldwin Avenue in Connellsville. She was admitted to Connellsville State General Hospital and died there at the age of 83 on Jan. 22, 1975. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier gave the count of her survivors as 21 grandchildren and 44 great-grandchildren.
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William J. Hall's workplace, Anchor Hocking glass plant, South Connellsville |
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Grandson Adelbert P. Hall ( ? - ? ) lived at 435 Baldwin Avenue in Connellsville in 1975.
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Grandson William J. Hall Jr. ( ? - ? ) established a home in Glouchester, NJ where he lived in 1953-1975.
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Grandson James I. Hall ( ? - ? ) served in the U.S. Navy in California during the Korean War. He later put down roots in Hayward, CA,.
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Grandson Charles David Hall ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). On May 7, 1949, he was joined in marriage with Merne Lorraine Pritchard ( ? - ? ), daughter of Clifford and Eva B. Pritchard. The nuptials were led by a dear friend, Rev. Levi Stoner, in his home on Woodlawn Avenue in Connellsville. The couple dwelled for years in South Connellsville at the address of 1802 Baldridge Street. Charles earned a living as a brakeman for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at its Connellsville yard. For their 25th wedding anniversary, in May 1974, their daughter Jenifer Lyn Tressler hosted a party in the Halls' residence, attended by 44 guests. The Connellsville Daily Courier pictured the couple in a related story.
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Grandson Raymond L. Hall ( ? - ? ) resided in Scottdale, Fayette County.
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Granddaughter Dorothea Hall ( ? - ? ) wedded Samuel Cutter ( ? - ? ). Circa 1953, when were in Youngstown, OH and in 1975 in Lowellville, OH.
Daughter Myrtle Hall (1888- ? ) was born in January 1888. She may have been wedded twice. Her first husband is thought to have been (?) Kailing. The couple produced two children, James W. Kailing and Lucy Marietta. Her second spouse was George B. Larue (Oct. 12, 1885-1946), the son of George and Susan (Tressler) Larue of Somerset County. During World War I, George served in the U.S. Armed Expeditionary Force (AEF) and received a lung injury which plagued him for the remainder of his life. In the mid-1920s, their home was in South Connellsville, where George was employed for 27 years as a conductor with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Myrtle was very active in the community, and her name appeared scores of times in the Connellsville Daily Courier for her volunteer work. One of her groups was the Daughters of America, Magic Sister Council, where in 1935 she was on the Orphans Committee and in 1938 served as associate councilor. Another was the Lee Etta Lodge, No. 515 of the Ladies Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, which she joined in 1925 and where she achieved perfect attendance for more than a quarter of a century starting in 1932. In January 1946, she was admitted into membership of the R.W.B. Club of the Daughters of America, and circa 1951 she was active with the Salvation Army Ladies Home League. With the ability to easily travel via rail, in September 1934, she and Mrs. R.C. Smith of Connellsville traveled to Chicago to attend the popular Century of Progress Exposition. Then in 1954, she and friends Della Barkley, Lena Barkley, Lilly Fullem and Magdaline Morrison traveled to Chicago for a week of vacation, with stops in Lima and Athens, OH. George was a member of the local Elks, Eagles and American Legion posts and was actively involved in sporting affairs and in 1932 managed the N.W.A.C. team in a local mushball league. He also was named in news stories for his hunting and fishing. Circa 1933, their address was 215 Ogden Street and in 1946 was 615 West Crawford Avenue in Connellsville. Sadly, after what the Courier called "a lengthy illness," George died at home at the age of 61 the day after Christmas 1946. Rev. Meade M. Snyder, of the Evangelical United Brethren Church, officiated at the funeral and burial in Sylvan Heights Cemetery. The cause of death was hemorrhaging caused by pulmonary tuberculosis which in turn, wrote a physician, had been "activated + exaggerated by injury of World War I." Myrtle outlived her husband by many years and made her residence at 514 East Crawford Avenue.
- Grandson James W. Kailing (1911-1973) was born on March 8, 1911 in Connellsville. On Dec. 23, 1933, at age 22, he was joined in wedlock with Mabel Marie Stewart (May 16, 1912-1950), daughter of John S. and Lillian (Horton) Stewart of Ohiopyle. Their three offspring were Donald Kailing, Suetta Kailing and Glenda Kailing. The family belonged to the First Methodist Church. In 1946, they dwelled in Connellsville at 306 Hill Street and in 1950 at 104 West Patterson Avenue. Sadly, when pregnant with their fourth child at the age of 38, Mabel had excessive thyroid hormones in her system and she died without delivery at Connellsville State Hospital on May 30, 1950. Interment was in Sylvan Heights Cemetery in Uniontown, with services conducted by Rev. G.E. Kelley of the East End Evangelical United Brethren Church. James survived his wife by 23 years. He relocated to Stafford, Stafford County, VA. There, he died on Feb. 7, 1973. His remains were returned to Uniontown for burial in Sylvan Heights.
- Granddaughter Lucy Kailing wed (?) Marietta. In 1946, their home was at 137 Orchard Avenue in Connellsville.
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Blue Stone Quarry where Harrison Hall was killed in 1926. Photo by H.J. Springer. Courtesy Donna Myers. |
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News coverage, 1926 |
Son Harrison Hall (1891-1926) was born on Oct. 19, 1891 (or Nov. 1890) in South Connellsville, Fayette County. He married Emma M. ( ? - ? ). They made a home on Gibson Avenue and bore two children. At the age of 35, Harrison was employed at the Connellsville Blue Stone Quarry at Connellsville, near Casparis, reporting to Fred Opperman. His marriage was troubled, however, and Harrison sued for divorce. Papers were prepared, and the Fayette County Court of Common Pleas was prepared to issue a decree in his favor. But cruel fate intervened. On April 19, 1926, while trying to connect a pipe high up in the quarry, Harrison slipped and fell from a 40-foot cliff, fracturing his skull and neck, and dying instantly. Funeral services were held in the home of his parents, led by Rev. J.A. Buffenmyer of the Church of the Brethren. His broken remains were placed into rest in Hill Grove Cemetery, in a plot where his parents would someday join him in eternal sleep. A related story in the Connellsville Daily Courier was headlined "Death Steps in to Prevent Divorce for Harrison Hall." The article went on to say that "He died a married man, however, and the widow will receive her share from any estate he may have had. Had he lived seven days more, he would have been a single man."
~ Son Levi Hall ~
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Maple Summit Cemetery |
Son Levi Hall (1866-1955) was born on Oct. 5, 1866 in or near Ohio Pyle, Fayette County. He learned the carpentry trade and spent a long career in that occupation.
On June 18, 1889, when he was 22 years of age, Levi married 16-year-old Elizabeth Daniels (March 11, 1873-1962), a native of Ohiopyle and of unknown parents. The ceremony took place in Ohiopyle.
Their nine children were Raleigh Emerson Hall, Daisy "Mae" Hall, Etta Hepler, Charlotte Hoose (sometimes misspelled "Hose"), Elizabeth Long, Idella Meyers Pritchard, Winona Bowers and a son and daughter who both died in infancy.
The family relocated to South Connellsville, Fayette County in 1909. Near tragedy befell Levi in June 1915 when, while working on repairs to his roof, he was overcome by illness and fainted. Local Boy Scouts in South Connellsville, led by Dr. P.G. Dick, came to the rescue and likely saved his life.
Circa 1920, the census shows the family in the Mill Run vicinity of Springfield Township, with Levi earning income as a railroad laborer.
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Levi and Elizabeth Hall with their daughter Charlotte Hoose and family Courtesy Catherine Hoose |
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Maple Summit Cemetery |
They lived on Atlas Avenue in Connellsville in 1930-1936, with Levi working as a box factory laborer.
In November 1937, the 71-year-old Levi was injured in an automobile accident on the Connellsville-Uniontown Road, while a passenger in the vehicle of Edward Grimm. Said the Connellsville Daily Courier: "He received two deep lacerations above the left eye, a chest and possible internal injuries. X-ray pictures were taken this morning.... While returning from Dunbar the machine skidded on the slippery highway during the snowstorm, Grimm said. After skidding the machine upset and rolled over onto its top, then overturned again and crashed against the bank, 90 feet from the roadway."
The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1939, although with Elizabeth in poor health, only 17 immediate family members attended the celebration. "The menu consisted of the many good things accompanying a real chicken repast," reported the Daily Courier. "The honored couple and their children were placed at one large table, which was centered with a large three-tier cake, baked by Miss Winona Hall and decorated with fifty pink candles... After the dinner, enertainment was enjoyed. A short program of favorite selections of Mr. Hall and his bride of fity years ago was presented. It was: Piano solo, 'Blue Danube,' Miss Elaine Hepler, granddaughter of the honored guests; reading, 'Grandparents,' Miss Delores Long, another granddaughter; vocal duet, 'The Old Rugged Cross,' Mrs. Meyers and Miss Winona Hall, with Miss Hepler playing the accompaniment." In 1949, on their 60th anniversary, Levi and Elizabeth were pictured in the Daily Courier.
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Connellsville Daily Courier, 1939 |
In 1949, upon their 60th anniversary, Levi and Elizabeth were pictured in the Daily Courier and said to be "one of the oldest couples of South Connellsville."Again in 1954, when they reached their 65th anniversary, the Daily Courier published a photo.
Toward the end of his life, he resided with his married daughter Winona Bowers at 111 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville. Burdened with senile dementia, hypertension and hardening of the arteries, he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died at the age of 89 just two days after Christmas 1955. His remains were brought up to the mountains for interment in Maple Summit Cemetery in a funeral ceremony led by Rev. R.A. Nelson of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren Church. An obituary in the Daily Courier noted that Levi's survivors included five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
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Maple Summit Cemetery |
Elizabeth survived her husband and remained in their daughter's home in South Connellsville. She often visited her adult children in South Bend, IN. Suffering from an infection of hepatitis, she was admitted to Connellsville State Hospital, where she succumbed at the age of 88 on Jan. 30, 1962. Her funeral service was led by Rev. R.A. Nelson. She rests in the Hall family plot of graves in Maple Summit.
Daughter Daisy "Mae" Hall (1890-1947) was born on May 1, 1890 at Ohiopyle, Fayette County, PA. She never married but lived as an adult with her parents and married sister Winona Bowers at 111 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville. Evidence suggests that she may have been mentally disabled, as United States Census-taker recorded over the years that she was an invalid and had never attended school. All of the federal census enumerations show that she had no occupation. Mae began to be burdened with heart and kidney failure in her late 50s. Unable to regain her health, she succumbed at the age of 57 on July 27, 1947. Burial was in the Maple Summit Cemetery following a funeral service at the Hall residence, led by Rev. K.M. Bishop of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren Church. An obituary was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
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Hill Grove Cemetery |
Son Raleigh Emerson "Rolla" Hall (1894-1918) was born on Nov. 14, 1894 at Ohiopyle, Fayette County. He grew up in Indian Creek, Fayette County and as a young man moved to Pittsburgh where he had obtained work as a brakeman for the Pennsylvania Railroad. His address in the city was at 2111 Sidney Street circa 1917 and reported to work at 30th Street on Pittsburgh's South Side. He was of medium height and build, with blue eyes and dark brown hair. The name of his Pennsy supervisor in 1917 was A.J. Schauer. Raleigh is believed to have been married, but his wife's name is not yet known. During World War I, as reported on the pages of the Pittsburgh Press, he was drafted into the U.S. Army. After basic training, he served with the army'sAmerican Expeditionary Force as a member of the 320th Infantry, Company M.
Tragically, during the bloody extended battle of the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918, Raleigh was killed in action. The details are not yet known. His name was printed in a list of wartime casualties in the Nov. 25, 1918 edition of his hometown newspaper, the Connellsville Daily Courier, and in other newspapers in Pennsylvania such as the Harrisburg Telegraph, Allentown Morning Call and Altoona Tribune. In 1919, workmen erected a memorial tablet naming Raleigh and other local service casualties on the grounds of Connellsville High School in the south section of the city. Raleigh's remains were not returned to the United States for three years, until September 1921. At the time his body was repatriated, a funeral service was held in his parents' home, followed by interment in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville. Co-officiating at the service were Rev. J.O. Bishop, formerly of the Evangelical Church at South Connellsville, and Rev. J.S. Showers of the United Brethren Church. Reported the Daily Courier, "Members of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars attended the services and furnished a firing squad at the grave in Hill Grove cemetery." The name and fate of his wife will be added to this biography once discovered.
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Stereoview image of a dead American soldier, Meuse Argonne Forest, where Raleigh Hall was killed. Keystone View Company. Courtesy Library of Congress.
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Daughter Etta Lorena Hall (1900-1972) was born in 1900 in Fayette County. She married Gloster "Dale" Hepler ( ? -1967). They produced one daughter, N. Elaine Schenck. They dwelled for decades in South Bend, IN, where Dale earned a living operating a steam roller for an asphalt paving company. Later, she moved to Syracuse, IN. Etta underwent heart surgery in January 1959. Dale passed away on Aug. 12, 1967. Sadly while visiting her daughter Elaine in South Bend in 1972, she suffered a stroke and was admitted to Memorial Hospital. She died there on Dec. 18, 1972, with an obituary appearing in her old hometown newspaper, the Connellsville Daily Courier. The funeral and burial were held in South Bend.
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Granddaughter N. Elaine Hepler (1922- ? ) was born in about 1922. In 1951, she married Arthur Schenck ( ? -2015), son of George and Louise (Ritcher) Schenck of Florida, where he was raised. The children born to this union were Lynn Schenck and Kenneth Schenck. During World War II, Arthur served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1946. After the war, he received an education in electrical work at Coyle Electrical School in Chicago. Arthur went on to a 40-year career with U.S. Rubber in Mishawaka, later becoming part of Uniroyal, where he applied his electrical knowledge and became a supervisor. Said the South Bend (IN) Tribune, Arthur was a "kind and gentle man, loving husband and father who had incredible patience and was a superb problem solver. He could fix virtually anything and effectively guide others to do so as well. He had an infectious smile, enjoyed the company of others, loved to read and and listen to music." Arthur retired at the age of 62, and they moved to Syracuse Lake to golf, boat, do woodworking and volunteer with favorite causes. With Arthur suffering from Parkinson's they moved to Bloomington in 2005 and spent their final years there. At the age of 89, Arthur succumbed in Indiana University Health Hospice House on Aug. 28, 2015. His obituary was printed in the Tribune.
Great-granddaughter Lynn Schenck made a home in 2015 in Bloomington, IN.
Great-grandson Kenneth Schenck wedded Merlin ( ? - ? ). They have a son, Skyler Schenck, and reside in Conroe, TX.
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Francis and Charlotte (Hall) Hoose and son James. Courtesy Catherine Hoose |
Daughter Charlotte Catherine Hall (1903-1993) was born on April 1, 1903 in Ohiopyle. In nuptials held in Mishawaka, IN on July 3, 1926, she was wedded to Francis W. Hoose (1900-1983). They had one known son, James Hoose. Circa 1920, Charlotte was a charter member of the Ever Faithful Sunday School Class of the Albright United Methodist Church. The Hooses relocated to South Bend, IN, where they lived for some 50 years until 1978. For decades, both Charlotte and Francis earned a living through their employment with Studebaker Corporation. He was a machinist working with farm equipment and she as a stenographer in the automotive parts department. Francis also was a charter member of St. Anthony's Church in South Bend. Charlotte was socially active in the community and, in September 1947, was named general chairman for a new charity ball, organized by Studebaker employees' "Mary Ann Club." Proceeds from the event were donated to the Damon Runyon Memorial Fund to support cancer research. She also was nivolved with the Mishawaka Republican Women's Club. She was pictured in the South Bend Tribune in May 1975 when admiring a needlepointed seal of the Fiji Islands crafted by Beth Bowen, wife of Indiana Governor Otis Bowen. Wanting to keep family ties, Frances and son James spent a 10-day vacation with her parents in South Connellsville in July 1936. In October 1970, Charlotte returned to Connellsville for the 50th anniversary of her Sunday School class and received a corsage at a turkey banquet and program held at Otterbein United Methodist Church. Then again in 1975, at the class's 55th anniversary, Charlotte and Francis received an honor for traveling the furthest to attend the banquet held at the Wesley United Methodist Church. In about 1978, they moved to Houston, TX. There, Francis was a member of the Prince of Peace Church, Keenagers Friendship Group and Baptist Senior Citizens Club. Sadly, Francis died on Aug. 13, 1983, at the age of 83, ending their marriage which had endured for 57 years. Charlotte died in Houston on Dec. 1, 1993, with interment in Memorial Oaks Mausoleum in Houston. An obituary was printed in the South Bend Tribune.
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Francis and Charlotte (Hall) Hoose. Courtesy Catherine Hoose |
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Grandson James W. Hoose (1930-2021) was born on Jan. 20, 1930 in South Bend, IN. He received a bachelor's degree from Indiana University at Bloomington. Later he earned a master's of business administration degree from Indiana Northern University. He was twice married. His first bride, whom he met in college, and was the mother of their children, was Betty E. Reichenbach ( ? -1999). Their union endured for 49 years. Together, the couple bore four children -- Catherine Hoose, John Hoose, James W. Hoose Jr. and Jerome Hoose. James spent his four-decade career in human resources management and labor relations. As a young man in the 1950s, he worked in personnel matters for South Bend Lathe Works and Fadell Personnel Service. In 1959, he joined the Industrial Systems Division of Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company in Minneapolis and in 1961 was named personnel manager of its facility in Beltsville, MD. Then in 1966, the Hooses lived in St. Louis, where James was employed as director of personnel for the Conductron subsidiary of McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. He was transferred to England in December 1966. He also held assignments in Colorado and Pennsylvania. Later, in about 1977, they moved to Houston, TX. He joined the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service in 1983 as a labor arbitrator. For more than a quarter century, he taught labor relations at Penn State University and Houston Community College. With a passion for high school sports, he was a referee and umpire for scholastic football and baseball. He received a singular honor in 2001 when he was selected to officiate the Texas High School All-Star football game, held at Texas Christian University Stadium in Fort Worth. In their communities over the years, the Hooses belonged to Lutheran churches, with James serving on the church councils of three and as board chair of one. In 1992, they became affiliated with Gloria Dei Lutheran Church. They also took many ocean cruises, visited all 50 states and 37 countries in Asia, Europe, North America and South America, as well as 16 islands in the Caribbean. Sadly, Betty died in 1999. Five years later, in 2004, he wedded again to Elizabeth "Jill" ( ? - ? ), whom he had met at Glorie Dei. James passed into the realm of the eternal at age 91 on July 21, 2021. Following a funeral service at the family church, the remains were interred in Memorial Oaks Cemetery in Houston.
Great-granddaughter Catherine E. Hoose made her home in 2021 in Tomball, TX.
Great-grandson John W. Hoose wedded Kathleen Elaine Abdoo (March 10, 1954-2010), a native of Detroit and the daughter of David and Ann Abdoo. Their marriage lasted for 34 years until the separation of death. The Hooses put down roots in Spring, TX. The two daughters they bore together were Kristen Holland and Kerry Rose. Kathleen spent 25 years as a pre-school teacher at Kinsmen Lutheran Church. She also played in women's tennis leagues. Sadly, Kathleen passed away at home at the age of 56 on March 23, 2010. An obituary in the Houston Chronicle said she was survived by a grandson. Funeral services were held at Kinsmen Lutheran Church. The widowed John has made his dwelling in recent years in Denton, TX..
Great-grandson James W. Hoose, Jr. was joined in wedlock with Mary. Their residence in 2021 was in Raleigh NC.
Great-grandson Jerome W. Hoose was united in matrimony with Jill. They relocated to Perth, Australia.
Great-granddaughter Dana Hoose entered into marriage with Richard Meyer. They have dwelled in Houston TX.
Great-granddaughter Diana Hoose married (?) Frazier. Circa 2021, she was in Santa Fe, TX.
Daughter Winona E. "Winnie" Hall (1905-1983) was born on Oct. 25, 1905. As a young woman of 24, in 1930, she was a public school teacher in South Connellsville. She married Rexford "Rex" Bowers (April 17, 1912-1976), son of William and Susan (Klink) Bowers of Champion and Mill Run, Fayette County. They did not reproduce. While not yet married in May 1937, the couple motored to South Bend with Winona's mother and niece to visit with Winona's sisters. He served in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. Their address in the 1950s-1970s was 111 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville. Rexford was a carpenter who was employed by Atlantic Freight Lines and a member of Carpenters Local 1010. Circa October 1970, Winona served as treasurer of the Ever Faithful Sunday School class of Albright United Methodist Church and was pictured in the Connellsville Daily Courier as part of the class's 50th anniversary celebration and turkey banquet. Than again in 1975, when the class celebrated its 55th anniversary with a banquet at Wesley United Methodist Church, Winona presented a memoriam for the 26 deceased members. Rexford was stricken at home at the age of 64 on June 26, 1976 and was rushed to Frick Community Hospital in Mount Pleasant, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Interment was in Normalville Cemetery following funeral services led by Rev. David Eversdyke. His obituary ran in the Daily Courier. Winona lived for another seven years. She was gathered in by the Angel of Death in July 1983.
Daughter Elizabeth Hall (1909- ? ) was born in about 1909. In 1927, while in South Bend, IN, the vehicle in which she was riding was involved in an accident, and her body was catapulted forward, with her head smashing through the windshield. She was rushed to the hospital where her facial wounds were repaired with 50 stitches. Elizabeth recovered and eventually was joined in matrimony with (?) Long. Their only known daughter was Dolores Long. The marriage ended by 1949, with Elizabeth residing that year in Mishawaka, St. Joseph County, IN. She made her home in 1955 in South Bend and in 1972 in Mishawaka.
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Granddaughter Dolores Long
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Connellsville's Hill Grove Cemetery, where many of the Halls rest |
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Della's grave, Hill Grove Cemetery |
Daughter Idella "Della" Hall (1911-1984) was born in 1911. She was united in wedlock twice. Her first husband was Kenneth Meyers (July 10, 1907-1946), son of Charles and Susan (Bittner) Meyers of Rockwood, Somerset County, PA. The couple produced two known daughters, Juanita Meyers and Bonnie Louise Meyers. Kenneth was a longtime fireman, employed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Circa 1936, they lived at 112 Atlas Avenue in South Connellsville, and spent Christmas with her sisters in South Bend, IN. Sadness enveloped the family when the 39-year-old Kenneth suffered a heart attack at work and was rushed to Hazel McGilvery Hospital in Meyersdale, Somerset County, where he expired seven hours later, on Oct. 5, 1946. Interment was in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville. The death left Idella a widow at the age of 35. The following year, in 1947, Idella and Mrs. K.M. Bishop and Mrs. Raymond Johnson presented a play, For Such a Day as This, at the fall institute of the Greensburg District of the Women's Society of World Service, held at the Fourth Street Evangelical United Brethren Church in Greensburg. On the fourth anniversary of Kenneth's death, in 1950, Idella published an "In Memoriam" poem in the Connellsville Daily Courier: "Gone from this earth, But from our hearts -- no never! Love and remembrance -- even death, cannot sever."
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Hill Grove Cemetery -- note Della's metal plaque to the left of the Meyers stone |
Then, on Jan. 31, 1954, she married her second spouse, Clifford Pritchard ( ? - ? ), son of Mrs. Jessie M. Pritchard of South Connellsville. The Pritchards' wedding was held in the parsonage of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren Church, officiated by Rev. R.A. Nelson. At the time, Clifford was employed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. They resided on Hyndman Street in South Connellsville. The marriage lasted for 15 years, but the couple divorced in January 1969 with "indignities" as the cause. By 1970, Idella had relocated to Mishawaka, IN where her sister Elizabeth Long made her home. In October 1970, Idella sent a message to members of her old Ever Faithful Sunday School class of Albright United Methodist Church to help them mark their 50th anniversary. When her daughter Bonnie Louise became a stewardess with Eastern Airlines, she and Idella flew to Hawaii for a Waikiki vacation in August 1965. Della passed away at the age of about 74 in 1984. Her remains were lowered into eternal repose beside her first husband in the Hall plot in Hill Grove Cemetery. Today a small metallic plaque marks her final resting place, next to Kenneth Meyers' stone.
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Granddaughter Juanita Meyers
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Granddaughter Bonnie Louise Meyers graduated from the Naison-Frederic School of Beauty Culture in Uniontown in 1963 and obtained work with Michaline's Beauty Salon in Connellsville. In 1964, she became an Eastern Airlines stewardess and was assigned to New York City.
~ Daughter Sabina Catherine (Hall) Knopsnyder ~
Daughter Sabina Catherine Hall (1867-1921) was born on May 4, 1867 (or 1866).
Unmarried at about age 25, in about 1892, she gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Reba E. Hall.
Sabina was married at least twice. Her first husband, name unknown, died in about 1900. She remained a widow for about five years.
Then at the age of 38, on Feb. 28, 1905, she married 33-year-old farmer Jacob "Wilson" Knopsnyder (April 2, 1872-1925). He was the son of Cyrus and Phoebe (Phillippi) Knopsnyder of neighboring Black Township, Somerset County. Their nuptials were held at Rockwood and were performed by Rev. W.H. Blackburn. At the time of their marriage, he earned a living as a log maker. The couple's marriage is recorded in Harvey Hostetler's book, Descendants of Jacob Hochstetler, the Immigrant of 1736.
The couple resided for many years on a farm near Markleton in Black Township, and Sabina's mother died under their roof in March 1907.
During the early part of the decade of the 1910s, the Knopsnyders made a major move away from southwestern Pennsylvania. Circa 1912, when the Jacob Hochstetler book was published, the Knopsnyders were residing in Ponoka, Alberta, Canada. Later they moved to Washington State, settling on a farm at Blue Slide Precinct in Pend Oreille County. In November 1912, the county commissioners of Pend Oreille County approved a payment to him for road work in the amount of $31.25, with his name published on a list in the Newport (WA) Miner. They and 28-year-old daughter Reba are shown in Pend Oreille on the 1920 federal census.
At some point Sabina suffered a stroke but she survived, and this may have prompted a return to Somerset County.
On Dec. 5, 1921, while in Black Township, she suffered another stroke overnight and succumbed at the age of 55. Burial was at Mt. Zion Cemetery. On the death certificate, which Wilson signed, he spelled the maiden name of Sabina's mother as "Round."
Wilson only lived for another three-plus years. He worked during that time as a laborer for Owen Klink. At age 52, he suffered from gangrene of his left foot. Then, on Feb. 2, 1925, he was stricken with paralysis ("hemiplegia") and, after lingering for a month and 21 days, died on March 23, 1925, just 10 days shy of his 53rd birthday. His remains were placed into repose at Mt. Zion Cemetery. James B. Knopsnyder signed the certificate of death.
Daughter Reba E. Hall (1892- ? ) was born in about 1892 in Somerset County. The identity of her father is not yet known, and she was given her mother's maiden name. At the age of 28, she lived with her mother and step-father in Blue Slide Precinct, Pend Oreille County, WA. Whether or not she returned to Pennsylvania with her parents in the early 1920s is not yet known. More will be added here when learned
~ Son Josiah H. Hall ~
Son Josiah H. Hall (1873-1958) was born on May 3, 1873 in Maple Summit, Fayette County, PA.
In September 1894, when he was 21 years of age, Josiah was united in wedlock with 21-year-old Eleanor "Ellen" Lytle (Sept. 3, 1873-1942), daughter of Levi and Sophia (Augustine) Lytle of Somerset County, PA. At the time of marriage, Josiah earned a living as a laborer.
Their dozen children were Lloyd Jackson Hall Sr., Lena Nicholson, James "Wesley" Hall, Howard L. Hall, Charles E. Hall, Anna "Ruth" Liston, Cecelia Alexander, Sadie Kimmel, "Raymond" Hall, Emma P. Hall, Bruce A. Hall and Charlotte E. Hall. Sadly, three of the children died young, before 1910 -- Emma, Bruce and Charlotte.
Josiah was a longtime farmer in Maple Summit. They were members of the Maple Summit Church of God.
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Maple Summit Church, July 2000 |
The federal census of 1930 shows the family in North Union Township, Fayette County, with Josiah earning a living in a lumber camp. They retired in about 1938, moving to a new home on First Street in South Connellsville.
Sadly, Eleanor was burdened with fluid buildup in the lungs ("edema") and hardening of the arteries. She succumbed at the age of 68 on Jan. 13, 1942. Following funeral services in the Maple Summit Church, led by Rev. Bert Breakiron, burial was in Linderman Cemetery. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier reported that she was survived by 21 grandchildren in addition to her siblings Edward Lytle of Confluence, PA, Walter Lytle of Fort Hill, PA, Daniel Lytle of Little Summit, PA, Mrs. George W. Miller of Morgantown, WV, Grant Pyle of Confluence and Roy Lytle of South Connellsville.
Josiah in 1951 came to live in Vanderbilt, Dunbar Township, Fayette County, likely in his daughter's home.
At the age of 85, Josiah was felled by a cerebral hemorrhage and died suddenly on May 23, 1958 at home in Vanderbilt. Charles Hall of South Connellsville signed the death certificate. Burial was in Linderman Cemetery in Stewart Township, Fayette County, officiated by Rev. R.A. Nelson, following services at the Maple Summit Church. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier noted that "He was the last member of a family of 16."
Son Lloyd Jackson Hall Sr. (1896-1982) was born in 1896. He married a cousin, Ollie Harbaugh (1900-1995), daughter of Robert Bacom and Elizabeth (Long) Harbaugh Sr. See their biographies for more detail.
Daughter Lena Elizabeth Hall (1900-1966) was born on Jan. 25, 1900. In about 1920, when she was age 20, she was joined in wedlock with Francis Pierce "Frank" Nicholson (March 13, 1886-1967), son of Benjamin and Sarah (Linderman) Nicholson of Somerset County. The couple went to Greensburg in neighboring Westmoreland County to obtain their marriage license. Francis was short and of stout build, with brown eyes and dark hair. He had been married once before, to Alice Ohler (1886- ? ), daughter of William Ohler, and brought three offspring to the second marriage, Russell Elsworth Nicholson, William Frank Nicholson and Mildred Thorpe. Francis had worked as a coke machine operator at the Leisenring mine of H.C. Frick Coke Company circa 1917. He later focused on farming, and their address over the years was Maple Summit, Mill Run and Ohiopyle. The couple produced two offspring of their own -- Melvin Nicholson and Oma Collins. The family was cleaved apart with Lena's passing in Lemont Furnace near Uniontown, from the effects of bleeding on the brain, on March 26, 1966. Francis only lived for another year as a widower. He died at the age of 81 on Dec. 29, 1967. Rev. Harvey Rugg preached the funeral sermon, with burial in the Maple Summit Church Cemetery. The Connellsville Daily Courier ran an obituary which said he was survived by 14 grandchildren.
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Step-grandson Russell Elsworth Nicholson (1908-1943) was born on June 12, 1908. He was united in marriage with Mary ( ? - ? ). They made a home in Mill Run, and he earned a living as a pipeline laborer. On the fateful day of Oct. 22, 1943, when Russel was age 35, he was horribly injured while working on the "Little Inch" pipeline in New Lexington, Middlecreek Township, Somerset County. A cable snapped or let loose while being stretched between a pipe bender and a tractor, and struck him with high force. He was rushed to Somerset Community Hospital. Doctors found a crushed pelvis, ruptured bladder, fractured right remut, dislocated left femur, internal hemorrhaging and ruptured sigmoid. In deep shock, he died the same day. His remains were placed into eternal rest in Maple Summit Cemetery. A coroner's jury ruled the death unavoidable.
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Jessie Nicholson's workplace Step-grandson William Frank Nicholson (1907-1985) was born on April 28, 1907 in Stewart Township. He wedded Jessie Burnsworth (Aug. 2, 1920-1999), daughter of Clyde and Eva Myrtle Burnworth of Maple Summit. They were the parents of seven offspring -- William F. Nicholson Jr., Carl E. Nicholson, Gregory P. Nicholson, Clyde J. Nicholson, Faye Elaine Ritchey, Eva June Burnsworth and Cynthia R. Nicholson. The Nicholsons lived in Confluence, where William was employed as a police officer in Confluence Borough and Stewart Township. Later, he was named constable of Stewart. Jessie earned income through her work at Seven Springs Mountain Resort. As William's health failed, he was admitted to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he passed away at the age of 78 on Aug. 19, 1985. An obituary in the Somerset Daily American said he was survived by 19 grandchildren. Interment was in Sands Cemetery. Jessie lived another 14 years as a widow. She died at home on Oct. 16, 1999 at the age of 79. Her obituary also was printed in the Daily American.
Great-grandson William F. Nicholson Jr. lived in Markleysburg in 1985-2020.
Great-grandson Carl E. Nicholson resided in Confluence in 1985 and in Maple Summit in 1999.
Great-granddaughter Faye Elaine Nicholson married (?) Ritchey. Their residence in 1985 was in Chalk Hill and in 1999 in Hopwood. Bt 2020, they had migrated to Fairfax, VA.
Great-granddaughter Eva June Burnsworth lived in Ohiopyle. She married (?) Chuska. Her home in 1999-2020 was in Lemont Furnace.
Great-grandson Gregory P. Nicholson made a home in 1985-2020 in Confluence.
Great-grandson Clyde James Nicholson wedded Linda. They dwelled in Mill Run in 1985 and in Uniontown in 1999-2020.
Great-granddaughter Cynthia R. "Cindy" Nicholson (1957-2020) was born on March 12, 1957 in Connellsville. She does not appear to have been married. She relocated to northern Virginia, where she was employed as a paralegal for 31 years by the federal government. Her home was in Fairfax, VA in 1985 and in Leesburg, VA in 1999. In later years she moved back to her native Fayette County and maintained a residence in Chalk Hill. Sadly, at the age of 63, she surrendered to the angel of death at home on Dec. 21, 2020. Her obituary was published in the Uniontown Herald-Standard.
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Step-granddaughter Mildred Nicholson married (?) Thorpe. Their home in 1967-1985 was in Ohiopyle.
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Grandson Melvin F. Nicholson (1923-1996) was born on June 20, 1923 in Bitner, Fayette County. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and rose to the rank of corporal. While in action in France on Jan. 21, 1945, he went missing in action, and the War Department sent a notification to his mother. He is believed to have been captured and held as a prisoner of war until the liberation of Germany in April 1945. After the war's end, he returned home and married a cousin, Theresa Alexander ( ? - ? ), the daughter of his aunt Cecelia (Hall) Alexander. Two sons were born to this marriage, John R. Nicholson and Roy F. Nicholson. The family resided in Doylestown, PA in 1967 and in Shippensburg, Franklin/Cumberland Counties, PA in 1985. Their address in 1987 was 4026 White Church Road in Chambersburg. Melvin passed away in Fayetteville, Franklin County at the age of 73 on Oct. 21, 1996. Burial was in Air Hill Cemetery in Chambersburg.
Great-grandson John Ray Nicholson was a welding graduate of Franklin County Area Vocational-Technical School. He married Diane. They live in Fort Loudon.
Great-grandson Roy F. Nicholson has resided in Chambersburg, PA.
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Granddaughter Oma Nicholson wedded (?) Collins. They dwelled in Lahaska/New Hope, Bucks County, PA in 1967 and in Doylestown, Bucks County in 1985.
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| Star Junction coal mine and worker housing |
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Indian Creek Baptist Church Cemetery |
Son James "Wesley" Hall (1901-1946) was born on Oct. 11, 1901 in Maple Summit. At the age of 22, in about 1923, he was united in matrimony with 19-year-old Mabel "Marie" Shearer (June 6, 1905-2001), daughter of John B. and Anna A. (Fullem) Shearer. The two children born to this marriage were John Wesley Hall and Anna Marline Hall. When the federal census was taken in 1930, the Halls made a home in Star Junction, Perry Township, Fayette County, where Wesley labored as a coal miner. As the mines closed during the Great Depression, Wesley and Marie returned to Mill Run in the early 1930s, where they remained for more than a decade. When the United States Census enumeration again was made in 1940, Wesley earned a living as a hired hand assisting local farmers. Then in late 1944, they relocated to a new home along the Springfield Pike near Connellsville.
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Connellsvile Daily Courier |
In late winter of 1946, Wesley suffered a heart attack. His health declined for two months until death at the age of 44 on April 24, 1945. Funeral services were held in his home and then in the Indian Creek Baptist Church, with Rev. M.T. Hulihan officiating. The Connellsville Daily Courier printed an obituary. Marie survived her husband by an astonishing 55 years. On the anniversary of his passing in 1947, Marie placed a classified "In Memoriam" notice in the Daily Courier, stating "This day brings back sad memories, No one knows how much we miss you. And our heart aches for you. but we will understand some day, And meet our loved ones in a better world." Marie became a practical nurse and supported herself for a quarter of a century until retirement. Circa 1950-1954, she was in Beaver, Beaver County, PA. Then she moved back to Mill Run and dwelled in her father's home after his death. In October 1972, she announced in the Daily Courier that she had relocated to her daughter's home in Cortland, OH. Her final years were spent in Warren, OH. At her death on Aug. 28, 2001 she rejoined her spouse in eternity. They rest together in Indian Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.
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Grandson John Wesley Hall (1926- ? ) was born in about 1926. He was age 18 when his father died. He was deceased by 2016.
- Granddaughter Anna "Marline" Hall (1935-2016) was born on May 23, 1935 in Mill Run, Fayette County. She was only age eight when her father passed away. In October 1952, she wedded Robert O. Wiland Sr. ( ? - ? ). The children born to this marriage were Brian Wiland, Robert O. Wiland Jr., Ron E. Wiland and Sherry Corbin. Circa 1972, the couple made their home in Cortland, OH at 1065 Prince Drive Northeast. They were members of Beacon of Hope Baptist Church. They eventually moved to her daughter's residence in Farmdale, OH. Marline passed into eternity at the age of 81 on July 6, 2016. Interment was in Meadow Brook Memorial Park in Warren, OH, officiated by Rev. Garry L. Hennessey. An obituary noted that her survivors included nine grandchildren and 11 grandchildren.
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| Above: Howard Lincoln Hall and his siblings. Below: The Halls' graves in Doylestown, PA. Courtesy Carl Leonard "Chuck" Hall Jr. |
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Son Howard Lincoln Hall (1905-1985) was born on Feb. 3, 1905 in Stewart Township, Fayette County. By 1929, he relocated to eastern Pennsylvania, where he put down roots in Bucks County, PA. Howard was united in matrimony with Madeline Elizabeth Eichner (Oct. 29, 1910-1941), a native of Philadelphia and the daughter of Carl and Ida M. (Strang) Eichner. They produced six children together -- Mildred Pearl Morgan, Carl Leonard Hall Sr., Elizabeth "Betty" Diehl, Albert Lewis Hall, Marilyn Elaine Huey and Robert Leon Hall. When first married, the Halls dwelled in the farm household of Madeline's parents along Hatboro Road in Warminster Township, Bucks County. Their address in the early 1940s was 256 South Main Street in Doylestown. There, Howard owned and operated a motor garage. Grief blanketed the family when Madeline was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer of 1940. She endured the illnesss for a year as it spread throughout her body. Sadly, she died as she neared her 31st birthday on Aug. 14, 1941 in Doylestown. Her remains were placed into eternal repose in Doylestown Cemetery. Howard never remarried and survived his wife by more than four decades. He relocated by 1958 to Jamison, Bucks County. He passed away on Dec. 7, 1985, at the age of 80, while in South Mountain, PA.
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Granddaughter Mildred Pearl Hall (1929-2015) was born on July 7, 1929 in Warminster, Bucks County. She was joined in wedlock with John P. Morgan ( ? - ? ). The couple produced three children -- Vicki Morgan, Nancy Eaton and Jack Morgan. Mildred and John eventually divorced. Mildred maintained a residence in Doylestown and was employed for many years as a telephone operator for Bell Telephone Company and Philadelphia Electric Company (PECO). Toward the end of her life, she became a resident of Neshaminy Manor. Sadly, she passed into eternity on Feb. 23, 2015, at the age of 85. Her obituary was published in the Langhorne (PA) Intelligencer and the Burlington County Times, which noted that her survivors included six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
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| Sister and brother -- Mildred Morgan and Carl L. Hall and his wife Marian. Courtesy Carl Leonard "Chuck" Hall Jr. |
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Grandson Carl Leonard Hall Sr. (1930-1993) was born on Aug. 17, 1930 in Hatboro, Montgomery County, PA. He attended Doylestown High School but was forced to drop out in 10th grade to help support the family. At the age of 22, on June 27, 1953, he was united in matrimony with Marian Myrtle Roberts (June 7, 1932-2022) of Trevose, PA and the daughter of Leonard Doan and Clara (Barlow) Roberts. They were the parents of four offspring -- Karen Elaine Howe, Beth Ann Hall, Carl Leonard "Chuck" Hall Jr. and Barbara Lee Hall. The couple moved into a home in June 1953 on Mercer Avenue in Doylestown, PA and stayed for good. The two of them together ran their family business, Carl's Towing in Doylestown. He was a life member of the Doylestown Fire Company, where in the 1960s he served as assistant chief and from 1970 to 1974 as chief. His memberships included the Keystone State Fire Chiefs Association, Eastern Association of Fire Chiefs, International Association of Fire Chiefs, Bucks County Fire Chiefs Association, Bucks County Fireman's Association, Bucks County Fire Police Association, Pennsylvania Towers Association and Union Horse Company. He also belonged to the Doylestown lodge of the Moose and Tilley's Breakfast Club. Although a high school dropout, he placed a high value on education especially in the name of public safety, and continued his own education through seminars focused on arson investigation and firefighting. As such, he actively supported the Bucks County Fire School during the 1960s and early 1970s. Sadly, at the age of 63 on Dec. 19, 1993, Carl was killed in a truck accident on Route 313 in East Rockhill Township, "on his way to help someone with car trouble," said the Philadelphia Inquirer. It happened at nighttime, en route to Quakertown. Another tractor trailer driver was backing into a driveway, with his vehicle spanning both lanes of the road as it maneuvered and as Carl approached. In his 1970 Chevrolet tow truck, Carl appears to have mistaken the other truck's lights as oncoming traffic. When he realized what was happening, Carl slammed on his brakes, but it was too late, and "his truck lifed up and turned sideways, the momentum carrying him into and under the side of the trailer, killing him," said the Allentown Morning Call. "A truck underride accident had claimed another victim." Funeral services were held at Doylestown United Methodist Church. His remains were interred in Doylestown Cemetery. An obituary in the Inquirer said he was "known for his community service and willingness to help others." As part of their grief, Marian and the children organized FOCUS -- Families Organized for Conspicuity and Underride Safety -- to "ensure that the rear and sides of a truck are outlined in reflective tape," said the Morning Call. "That, they say, would give drivers a perspective of the truck to warn them when their lane is blocked." Marian outlived her spouse by nearly three decades. She continued to operate the towing business with relatives' help until 2000. She stayed active in the lives of her family and was an "avid Facebook user" right up to the end. She marked her 90th birthday with friends and family on June 7, 2022 and "was active until her last day," said an obituary. She passed away on Aug. 13, 2022.
Great-granddaughter Karen Elaine Hall (1954-1987) was born on June 17, 1954 in Doylestown. On Oct. 12, 1974, when she was 20 years of age, she was joined in marital union with Edwin Watson Howe ( ? - ? ). They bore two children. Sadly, Karen died in 1987.
Great-granddaughter Beth Ann Hall (1957-living) was born in 1957 in Doylestown. She dwelled in The Villages in Florida in 2022.
Great-grandson Carl Leonard "Chuck" Hall Jr. (1961-living) was born in 1961 in Doylestown. At the age of 28, on May 6, 1989, he married Amy Suzanne Perry ( ? -living). They are the parents of three chidlren -- Sarah Elizabeth Hall, Jillian Marie Hall and Carl James Hall. The Halls have dwelled in Conyeres, GA. Chuck graciously has provided important content -- including text and images -- for this biography.
Great-granddaughter Barbara Lee Hall (1964-living) was born in 1964 in Doylestown. She has been thrice married. One of her spouses circa 1993 was (?) Brexa. Today she is married to Ray and resides in Blakeslee, PA.
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Granddaughter Elizabeth "Betty" Hall (1932-living) was born in 1932 in Doylestown, PA. She wedded William Diehl ( ? - ? ). Three children were born to this union.
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Grandson Albert Lewis Hall (1934-living) was born in 1934 in Doylestown, PA. He married Joanne Barlow ( ? - ? ). She brought a child to the marriage. Together, they bore a child of their own.
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Granddaughter Marilyn Elaine Hall (1938?-living) was born in about 1938. She was joined in marriage with Paul Huey ( ? - ? ). Their three children were (?). The couple eventually divorced.
Doylestown Cemetery
Courtesy Carl Leonard "Chuck" Hall Jr.
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Grandson Robert Leon Hall (1939-2003) was born on Sept. 2, 1939. He wedded MaryEllen Turnicky ( ? - ? ). They produced two children. The couple eventually divorced. His final years were spent in Feasterville Trevose, Bucks County, PA. Sadly, Robert was gathered away by the Grim Reaper on June 24, 2003. His remains were laid into eternal repose in Doylestown Cemetery in Bucks County.
Son Charles Edward Hall (1907-1979) was born on April 19, 1907 in Maple Summit. In 1930, at the age of 21, he earned income as a coal miner near Uniontown. He married Lena Mae Lytle (Feb/ 17, 1907-1931), a native of West Virginia and the daughter of Norman Garrett and Sarah "Etta" (Burd) Lytle. They bore an only son, Raleigh Francis Hall, born in October 1931. The Halls made a home in South Connellsville. Heartbreak blanketed the family just at the birth of their son in 1931 when Lena Mae contracted typhoid fever. She was treated in Connellsville State Hospital but could not recover. After a dozen days of suffering, she died at the age of 24 on Oct. 22, 1931. Her remains were placed into repose in Johnson Chapel Cemetery near Confluence, with her funeral said to have been co-officiated by Rev. I.R. Pletcher and Rev. R.E. Shober. Charles outlived his bride by an astonishing 68 years and remained in South Connellsville. As his health declined, he was admitted to Edgewood Nursing Center near Latrobe, Westmoreland County, PA. He passed away at the center at the age of 72 on June 4, 1979. Burial was in Johnson Chapel Cemetery near Confluence.
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Grandson Raleigh Francis Hall (1931-1984) was born on Oct. 10, 1931 and was just 12 days old when his mother died. He married Betty Jane Palladine ( ? - ? ). The couple lived in Connellsville and were the parents of three children -- Raleigh David Hall Sr., Terri Ann Trump and Linda Swink. They were members of St. Rita's Roman Catholic Church. At some point Raleigh and Betty Jane divorced. Raleigh made his home in later years with his married daughter Linda on Elizabeth Lane in Holiday Mobile Park in Uniontown. He passed away at the age of 52 on Jan. 7, 1984. Burial was in Johnson Chapel Cemetery near Confluence.
Great-grandson Raleigh David Hall Sr. resided in Connellsville.
Great-granddaughter Terri Ann Hall wedded Robert L. Trump. They dwelled in Connellsville.
Great-granddaughter Linda Hall married Frank K. Swink. Their home in 1984 was in Holiday Mobile Park in Uniontown.
DaughterAnna "Ruth" Hall (1909- ? ) was born in about 1909 in Maple Summit. At the age of 17, in about 1926, she married 21-year-old Edward B. Liston (1905-1994). They were the parents of three children, James "Lee" Liston, Loretta Pyle and Joseph Liston. The couple relocated to eastern Pennsylvania and were in Valley Forge circa 1926 when their James son was born. The 1930 U.S. Census shows them in Newtown, Delaware County, PA, with Edward earning a living as a school bus driver. He appears to have maintained employment with the local school during the Great Depression and in 1940 was a school janitor in Newtown. They remained in Newtown into the 1940s but by 1946 returned to Connellsville. In 1958 they were in Mill Run.Anna Ruth died in 1988. Edward outlived her by six years. He joined her in death in 1994. They are in eternal rest in Maple Summit Cemetery.
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Grandson James "Lee" Liston (1926-1998) was born on Aug. 11, 1926 in Valley Forge, PA. During the Korean War, he served in the U.S. Army. He was united in matrimony with Darlene Ruth Heasley ( ? - ? ). The children born to this marriage were Carol Coddington, Donna Liston, Cheryl Bowser, Stephanie Charney, James Liston, Ronald Liston and Steven Liston. James was a member of the Kittanning American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled American Veterans. He was admitted to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Aspinwall near Pittsburgh. He died in the center on Sept. 26, 1998 at the age of 72. His remains were lowered into repose in Maple Summit Cemetery. An obituary was printed in the Somerset Daily American.
Great-granddaughter Carol Liston married (?) Coddington and lived in Somerset.
Great-granddaughter Donna Liston resided in Ford City, PA.
Great-granddaughter Cheryl Liston wedded (?) Bowser and made a home in Worthington.
Great-granddaughter Stephanie Liston was joined in wedlock with (?) Charney. They dwelled in Slate Lick in 1998.
Great-grandson James Liston lived in Worthington.
Great-grandson Ronald Liston resided in Ford City.
Great-grandson Steven Liston made a home in Ford City.
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| Fort Necessity National Battlefield, Joseph Liston's workplace |
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Grandson Joseph E. Liston (1930-2004) was born on June 12, 1930 in Newtown, Delaware County, PA. He moved with his parents to Ohiopyle in the 1940s. Joseph married Margery Pearl "Tootsie" Jackson (June 7, 1930-2011), daughter of Barton and Alice (King) Jackson of Ohopyle. The couple produced three children, Joseph E. Liston, Jay E. Liston and Jeanie Alviar. During the Korean War, he served as a corporal in the U.S. Army. They made a home in Ohiopyle in later years and were members of the Kentuck Union church. Circa 1976, Joseph was employed in maintenance at Fort Necessity National Battlefield. He was responsible for all upkeep of the grounds of the Braddock's Grave and Fort Necessity sites, including the Mount Washington Tavern and visitor center, and oversaw Neighborhood Youth Corpsmen who were assisting in grounds maintenance. Joseph was pictured in an article about fort staff in the Aug. 25, 1976 edition of the Uniontown Morning Herald. Among his co-workers at that time was a distant cousin, Delbert L. "Bert" Ravenscroft, son of Jesse and Sarah "Pearl" (Addis) Ravenscroft of the family of Charles J. and Sarah Jane (Rankin) Addis. Margery worked for a period of years for nearby Ohiopyle State Park. At the age of 73, Joseph died on April 25, 2004. Interment was in Mitchell Cemetery in Fayette County. Margery lived another seven years as a widow. She joined her husband in death on May 25, 2011. The funeral was held in the family church, with services co-officiated by Rev. Peter Malik and Rev. Terry Collins. An obituary appeared in the Uniontown Herald-Standard.
Great-grandson Joseph E. Liston married Jenna and moved to North Carolina.
Great-grandson Jay E. Liston wedded Kim. They dwell in West Mifflin, near Pittsburgh.
Great-granddaughter Jeanie Liston was united in marriage with Tony Alviar. They reside in Ohiopyle.
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Granddaughter Loretta Liston (1936-2015) was born on Feb. 27, 1936 in Philadelphia and grew up in Newtown, Delaware County. In about 1955, she married Gerald Pyle ( ? - ? ). Their union lasted for six decades. They made a home in Somerset, Somerset County, PA and were the parents of Rex Pyle and Jerry Pyle. At the end, Loretta was admitted to In Touch Hospice House where she succumbed at the age of 78 on Feb. 22, 2015. She was survived by a baker's dozen grandchildren, according to the Somerset Daily American. Her remains were interred in St. John's Cemetery, with funeral services officiated by Rev. Roger Forry.
Daughter Cecelia E. Hall (1911-2009) was born on Sept. 26, 1911 in Maple Summit. She was united in matrimony with Roy F. Alexander (Sept. 26, 1909-1987), the son of Thomas and Mamie (Mooney) Alexander of Greene County, PA. The couple bore an only daughter, Theresa Lee Nicholson. They dwelled in Fayetteville, PA in 1942 and in Shippensburg, Franklin/Cumberland Counties, PA in the late 1950s. Roy was employed by Franklin Feed and Supply Company of Chambersburg and retired from the position. They enjoyed camping and were members of the Mount Vernon Gospel Chapel Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. Roy was a volunteer fireman with the Fayette Fire Department, and Cecelia "loved all types of flowers," said the Chambersburg (PA) Public Opinion. Their address in 1987 was 5344 White Church Road. Roy was admitted to Chambersburg Hospital where he died at age 77 on April 16, 1987. Cecelia survived her husband by more than two decades and also outlived her daughter and son-in-law. Her final years were spent in Fort Loudon, Franklin County. She died at home at the age of 97 on June 23, 2009. Funeral services were led by Rev. Reuben Coldsmith, as he had done for Roy, followed by burial in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Chambersburg. An obituary was printed in the Public Opinion.
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Granddaughter Theresa Lee Alexander ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). She married a cousin, Melvin F. Nicholson ( ? - ? ), son of her aunt, Lena Elizabeth (Hall) Nicholson. See their entry elsewhere on this page.
Daughter Sadie K. Hall (1915-1999) was born in 1915. She entered into marriage with Edward B. Kimmell (1906-1973), son of Edward B. and Minnie Kimmell. Six children produced by this union were Elsie Lois Kimmell, Janet Kimmell, Dolores Jean Fisher, Judy Ann Fisher, Ronald E. Kimmell, Kenneth E. Kimmell and James Douglas Kimmell. Their residence in 1935 was in Uniontown, in 1940 at Searights in Menallen Township and in 1942-1958 was in Vanderbilt, with a stay to Buena Vista, PA as of 1956. Grief blanketed the family when two-month-old son James, who had been injured somehow in an accident at an office building in Uniontown, developed non-epidemic meningitis and pneumonia, and died on March 15, 1956. Circa 1940, when the federal census enumeration was made, Edward earned a living as a loader in the coal mine at Searights owned by Republic Iron and Steel Company. As of 1950, he worked as a coal mine trackman. He eventually retired from mining. Their final home together was in the Riverview Apartments in Connellsville. Sadly, Edward passed away in Connellsville State General Hospital at the age of 67 on Christmas Eve 1973. Burial was in Bowman-Flatwoods Cemetery in Vanderbilt, with Rev. Samuel N. Harper presiding and an obituary appearing in the Connellsville Daily Courier. Sadie lived for another 26 years as a widow. She surrendered to the angel of death in 1999.
- Granddaughter Elsie Lois Kimmell (1935- ? ) was born in about 1935. She wed Cpl. James Eugene Thomas Sr. ( ? - ? ), son of John C. Thomas of Mobile, AL. Together they bore four known offspring -- Lois Jean Thomas, Pamela Rae Thomas, James Eugene Thomas Jr. and Kathryn Ann Thomas. James served in the U.S. Marine Corps, joining in about 1948 and continuing during the Vietnam War. In 1961, with the 1st Marine Division, he was stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA, with the young family living there. At the death of Elsie's father in 1973, the Thomases dwelled in Dickson, TX.
- Granddaughter Janet M. Kimmell (1937- ? ) was born in about 1937. She was unmarried in 1973 and made her residence in Uniontown.
- Granddaughter Dolores Jean Kimmell (1943- ? ) was born in about 1943. She was a 1961 graduate of Uniontown Joint Senior High School. In young womanhood she earned a living with Maryland Cup Company of Baltimore, MD. On Jan. 20, 1963, she entered into marriage with Harry William Fisher ( ? - ? ), son of John Fisher Sr. of Dawson, Fayette County. The marriage was announced on the pages of the Uniontown Evening Standard. At the time, Harry was a four-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and also working for Maryland Cup. Three known children were born to this union -- Robin Jean Fisher, Julie Ann Fisher and Harry William Fisher Jr. Circa 1969-1973, the Fishers lived in Dawson.
Great-granddaughter Robin Jean Fisher (1964- ? ) was born in about 1964.
Great-granddaughter Julie Ann Fisher (1965- ? ) was born in 1965. She was pictured on her fourth birthday in 1969, and on her fifth birthday in 1970, in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
Great-grandson Harry William Fisher Jr. (1967- ? ) was born in 1967 in Connellsville State General Hospital, weighing in at 9 lbs., 9½ oz. and measuring 22 inches. His birth was announced in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
- Granddaughter Judy Ann Kimmell (1944- ? ) was born in about 1944. She was a 1961 graduate of Uniontown Joint Senior High School. She wed Calvin Raymond Fisher ( ? - ? ), son of John Fisher and a welder at Hillman Barge and Construction Company of Brownsville, PA. She was pictured in an engagement announcement in the Uniontown Morning Herald. The Fishers made their residence in 1968-1973 in Dawson. Together, they bore three known children -- Calvin Raymond Fisher Jr., Carol Ann Fisher and Gregory Paul Fisher.
Great-grandson Calvin Raymond Fisher Jr. (1964- ? ) was born in about 1964.
Great-granddaughter Carol Ann Fisher (1966- ? ) was born in 1966. Her photo was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier at her fifth birthday.
Great-grandson Gregory Paul Fisher (1967- ? ) was born in 1967. At his first birthday, he was pictured in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
- Grandson Ronald E. Kimmell (1946- ? ) was born in about 1946. He put down roots in New Stanton, PA and was there in 1973.
- Grandson Kenneth E. Kimmell (1948- ? ) was born in about 1948. He served in the U.S. Army for three years during the Vietnam War. Later, he moved to Jamesburg, NJ and secured a position with Staffer Chemical Company of Dayton, South Brunswick, NJ. Circa 1970-1971, he is believed to have married Rosemarie Johnston ( ? - ? ), daughter of Hilde Johnston of Jamesburg. Their engagement was published in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Rosemarie was an alumna of Jamesburg High School and Glassboro (NJ) State College and, at the time of marriage, served as an elementary teacher in the New Brunswick School System. As of 1973, the Kimmells lived in Garden City, NJ.
Son Lewis "Raymond" Hall (1918-1985?) was born in about 1918. He lived in South Connellsville in 1942-1946 and in Dunbar in 1958. Evidence suggests that he died in August 1985.
~ Daughter Mary Hall II ~
Daughter Mary Hall II (1879- ? ) was born in about 1879 in Maple Summit, Fayette County, PA. She was 29 years younger than an older sister also named "Mary Hall."
She is shown in the family in the 1880 federal census, when she was one year old.
Nothing more about her life has been found.
Copyright
© 2000, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2017, 2019-2020, 2025 Mark A. Miner |
Minerd.com extends appreciation to Randy McKean and Carl Leonard "Chuck" Hall Jr. for graciously sharing valuable content for this biography, David Magiske for providing his Hall genealogy and the family of Donna Marie Miner. |