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Daniel W. Dumbauld |
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| Daniel Dumbauld |
He spent his seven decades of life in the farming industry in Upper Turkeyfoot and was a lifelong member of the Kingwood Church of God.
Daniel "was never married," said a newspaper, "living the alotted time of 'Three score years and ten' without a helpmate...."
The Meyersdale Commercial once called him a "well known farmer" and another newspaper said he was "well-to-do."
Although he would have been of age, there is no evidence to suggest that he served in the Union Army during the Civil War.
When the 1870 federal census enumeration was made, the 26-year-old bachelor dwelled on his parents' farm, located west of the village of Kingwood in a section known locally as Hexebarger -- a Pennsylvania German term meaning "witch mountain."
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| Kingwood Church of God Cemetery |
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| Kingwood Church of God. Linda Marker |
Then in 1880, when he was age 35, living by himself in Lower Turkeyfoot, Daniel's 17-year-old niece Mary "Ellen" Rhoads moved into his farmhouse to work as a housekeeper.
His neighbors circa 1884 were Jonathan Poorbaugh, Scott King and Isaac Metzler. Among the few other things we know about his life were that he was called to jury duty in 1886 and that he was a longtime member of the Church of God.
The decades appear to have passed quietly and slowly for Daniel. By 1900, he brought into his household a nephew, 33-year-old William Lucas, to help provide farm labor.
In about 1914, he was stricken with heart valve problems which caused leaking, although he nearly recovered by the time of his death.
But in January 1915, he "was attacked with a severe chill, which left him with severe pains in his limbs, as the days went by he became worse and worse, until blood poison set in and caused his death."
He succumbed at the age of 70 on Feb. 4, 1915. Burial was in the cemetery of the Kingwood Church of God, with Rev. Harry White officiating at the burial, preaching from the scripture Job 14:14 -- "If a man die, shall he live again?" Another source says tht Rev. W.J. Umbstead led the obsequies.
In an obituary, the Commercial noted that "This is the second recent death in this family, Susan Dumbauld Kreger having passed away Jan. 20." In reporting on his passing, a newspaper said that "Another soldier of the Cross falls in the battle of Life.... The Church has lost a faithful member, both spiritually and financially; the community has lost a good citizen and a kind and helping neighbor." The Meyersdale Republican said in an obituary that he was "one of the old and respected residents of Upper Turkeyfoot..." His brother Peter was named administrator of the estate.
Five years after Daniel's death, in 1920, his longtime church was renovated, including a two-story addition and a vestibule with a bell tower. New stained glass windows were installed, and the family made a donation to dedicate one of the windows in his and his brother Frederick's mutual memory.
Copyright © 2014-2018, 2020, 2025 |
Research for this page
graciously shared by the late Donna (Younkin) Logan, Clark
Brocht and Linda Marker. |