Elmer
M. Whetzel (1881-1913)
and
Hazel Whetzel (1881-1914)
Elmer Maurice Whetzel and Hazel Whetzel were 1st cousins who married each other. Elmer was born on Aug. 19, 1881 at Dunbar, PA, the son of John "Homer" and Mary (Minerd) Whetzel. Hazel also was born in 1881 in Fayette County, PA, the daughter of Mariah J. (Minerd) Whetzel and stepdaughter of Delmar Whetzel. (Hazel's maiden name may have been Minerd or Stillwagon, a fact which has not yet been established.)
Elmer and Hazel had five children -- Anna Gertrude "Annie" Hagans, Edith Whetzel, Charles Elmer "Buddy" Whetzel, Hazel Elizabeth Rowe and Bertha Mae Hagans.
The Whetzels moved to South Brownsville, PA in about 1901. He worked for the Brownsville Brewing Company for eight years, and was a night watchman at the company's South Brownsville plant. He was a member of the Brownsville Lodge, No. 357, of the Knights of Pythias.
The census of 1910 shows Elmer's mother Mary, age 56, residing in their household.
As
a town hard by the Monongahela River, Brownsville was prone to occasional
flooding. The rare old postcard photograph seen here depicts high water
in Brownsville circa 1906. Note the citizens on their porch roof at left, and
the rowboat in the upper right hand corner. It's not known where exactly the
Whetzels lived in town, and whether they faced any hardships due to the rising,
dangerous river.
In the summer of 1913, Hazel was pregnant with their fifth child, and Elmer became ill with rheumatism. He "was compelled to remain indoors" and became bedfast. Sadly, on July 29, said the Uniontown Morning Herald, he "was seized by pains about the heart. His condition became critical in a short while and attending physicians failed to ease the heart attacks. Shortly after noon he passed away." Elmer was buried in an unmarked grave at Redstone Cemetery.
Widowed with five children, Hazel was left alone to carry on. Adding to the tragedy, just five months later, on Jan. 15, 1914, the Shadow of Death visited the family again, claiming Hazel herself, possibly from the effects of childbirth. Her five orphaned children ranged in age from eight years to infancy. The Uniontown Daily News Standard said: "Much sympathy is expressed by the kind friends and neighbors for the little ones." She also was buried at Redstone Cemetery.
The children were split up and while some were raised by friends and family, others were committed to the Children's Aid Society of Fayette County.
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Anna Gertrude was adopted in 1917 by Percy D. and Laura H. Hagan of Uniontown, PA, and was raised under the new name of "Anna Gertrude Hagan."
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Edith, age six, was immediately taken into the home of cousins Albert and Etta Inks. They legally adopted her on March 20, 1914, just two months after Hazel's death. Edith married Norman Toward, and later in life they and her adoptive parents resided near Gettysburg, Adams County, PA.
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Hazel Elizabeth was sent to live with her uncle and aunt, William and Kathryn (Brooks) Whetzel. This family later moved to Fairmont, Marion County, WV. Hazel married (?) Rowe.
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Charles
was adopted at age six on Sept. 26, 1916 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, PA
by Thomas J. and Mary Catherwood. He was raised under the name "Catherwood,"
resided in the Pittsburgh area, and is seen here later in life. -
Bertha Mae was adopted by another member of the Hagan family, Wallace D. and Anna (Hagans) Craig, and grew up with her sister Anna Gertrude in Uniontown. Bertha married Paul Tarleton and lived in Fairmont, WV.
For more information, contact Marilyn (Jenkins) Prinzing.
Copyright © 2000-2003, 2008 Mark A. Miner