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Thomas Flanigan |
Thomas "Tom" Flanigan -- also spelled "Flannigan" and "Flanagan" -- was born on Feb. 11, 1849 in Henry Clay Township, Somerset County, PA, the son of Job and Mary (Ream) Flanigan.
Thomas was twice married. His first bride was Sarah Tice ( ? - ? ).
The couple during their brief married lives produced two known offspring -- Mary J. O'Donnell and William Flanigan.
The first marriage ended between 1874 and 1878, presumably by death.
Then in about 1878, at the age of 29, Thomas wed again to 17-year-old Sabina Tissue (April 4, 1861-1932), daughter of William and Rhoda "Anna" (Jennings) Tissue. Her first name also has been spelled "Savina" and her maiden name also has been given as "Burnsworth."
They became the parents of four children -- Annie A. Smith Deneen, Elizabeth B. "Lizzie" Flanigan, Maud Vanorsdale and Ernest B. Flanigan.
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Crowds gather on a Confluence bridge to watch swirling floodwaters, 1909 |
Thomas was a member of the Fairview Methodist Church at what became Johnson Chapel. When the church building was destroyed by fire late in 1883, Thomas and other trustees met at the local schoolhouse to plan for the future and raise money for new construction. At that meeting, Thomas was elected president of the organization, his brother in law Ziba Burnworth as secretary, Tissue Show treasurer, and A.B. Flanigan, C.N. Flanigan, Tissue Show, Alvin Burnworth and Grant Show as a committee to seek pledges. The new church took two years to build, and was dedicated on Nov. 15, 1885, costing $717.66 and measuring 30 ft. x 45 ft. x 14 ft. high.
Later, the Flanigans moved into Confluence, where Thomas owned a lumber sawmill business north of Confluence and served for a time on town council. He continued to invest in and expand the business, and in October 1905 purchased a large well-timbered tract of land in West Virginia along the Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad line. "It is thought that there will be at least 10,000,000 feet of lumber sawed," reported the Connellsville Courier.
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Booklet naming Thomas
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He is believed to be the same "Thomas Flanigan" who in 1903 helped establish an electric lighting plant to illuminate Confluence's streets. The first bulbs of a capacity of 1,200 incandescent lights were turned on in the evening of July 29, 1903, "the first light plant owned and operated by a borough in Somerset county," said the 1973 booklet, Confluence Centennial 1873-1973: Record of a Century. "The municipal officers who carried the installation of this plant to a successful conclusion were: Earle Beggs, Burgess; D.H. Brown, Elisha S. Bowlin, George E. Cunningham, William Heinbaugh, Thomas Flannigan [sic], J.M. Dodds, and Orville M. Fike, Town Council."
Tragically, Thomas died the following year, at the age of 59, when struck by a moving locomotive while walking along railroad tracks in Confluence. The horrific accident occurred on April 11, 1908. Reported the Meyersdale Republican, he was "run down and instantly killed by the Duquesne Limited train, on Saturday morning, at Huston Station, near Confluence.... The fast train, being over two hours late, was running on the east-bound instead of the west-bound track, and was unseen by Flannigan, whose back was burned." His broken remains were placed at rest in the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery near Ursina.
The widowed Sabina remained in Confluence and wed again within seven months. At the age of 44, on Nov. 11, 1908, she entered into marriage with 38-year-old railroader Miles/Myles Calvin Carpenter (Dec. 9, 1869-1940)of Connellsville, the son of James and Sarah "Sadie" (Sprang) Carpenter. Justice of the peace C.P. DeCorse presided. The groom too was widowed, having lost his first wife on April 17, 1907.
When the federal census enumeration was made in 1910, the Carpenters resided in Confluence, with Miles earning a living performing odd jobs. At that time, Sabina's teenage granddaughter Sabina Smith made a home under their roof.
Later in life, Sabina seems to have used the "Savina" spelling. The couple's final address together was at 117 North Meadow Lane in Connellsville.
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| Sabina's final resting place, Hill Grove Cemetery |
Sadly, Sabina was stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage and, after lingering for six months, died on June 20, 1932 at the age of 70. Son Ernest Flanigan of Connellsville was the informant for the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. Her remains were laid to rest in the sacred soil of Hill Grove Cemetery in town, with Methodist Protestant Church pastor Rev. J.H. Lambertson officiating. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said that the headcount of her survivors was 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The inscription of her first name on her grave marker was spelled "Sabina."
Miles survived his wife by eight years and moved to Perry Township, Mercer County, PA. He appears to have married again and to have retired in 1937. At the age of 71, burdened with "angina pectoris" (heart muscle failure), he passed away on April 10, 1940. The informant for his death certificate was C.J. Carpenter of Hadley, PA. Interment of the remains was in Sheakleyville, PA, with Rev. J. Daryl Davis leading the rites. An obituary appeared in the Greenville (PA) Record-Argus, saying he had been "born in Sandy Creek Township, where he spent most of his life, going to Perry Township within recent years. A brother, Charles Carpenter of Hadley, survives."
~ Daughter Mary J. (Flanigan) O'Donnell ~
Daughter Mary J. Flanigan (1873-1917) was born on Feb. 24, 1873.
Circa 1892, she entered into marriage with John Henry O'Donnell (Nov. 20, 1869-1940), son of James and Mary (Lang) O'Donnell. His birth year also has been given as 1875 but is not accurate.
They bore together at least eight children -- Rosa "Pearl" Spurrier, Harry O'Donnell, Helen Weaver, Irene Lockaton, Thomas O'Donnell, Harriet McNamara Schwager and Ethel Tatora plus one who died young prior to 1910.
The United States Census of 1900 shows the growing family living on Steel Works Row in Connellsville, Fayette County, with John laboring in a coal yard. Residing next door at that time were their distant cousins, John Ross and Mary Melissa (Moody) Miner, he a longtime coke drawer at the Davidson mine of H.C. Frick Coke Company.
By 1910, the O'Donnells had relocated to Donora, Washington County, PA, with an address of McKean Avenue. The census-taker recorded that year that John had no occupation.
John is known to have earned a living as a railroader in 1916. Their home in 1917 was in Pittsburgh.
The family was plunged into anxiety when Mary was diagnosed with cancer of the uterus. She suffered for eight months until the angel of death carried her away at the age of 43 on Nov. 9, 1917. The remains were lowered into eternal repose in Homestead Cemetery. Daughter Irene Ball of the home address signed the death certificate.
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| Above: Sprawling Pittsburgh Crucible steel mill and rail lines in Midland. Below: Pittsburgh Crucible workers en route home, ca. 1940. Library of Congress |
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The motherless children moved into the home of their married sister and brother-in-law, Irene and Harvey Ball, in Hazelwood. Their grief turned to horror when Irene's husband contracted pneumonia and died the very next year. The 1920 U.S. Census numeration shows the widowed Irene heading a household that included her mother and brothers Thomas and Harriet in addition to her late husband's brothers Lester and Leonard.
John outlived his bride by 23 years and relocated to Midland, Beaver County, PA, where he stayed for the rest of his life. He apparently remarried, but the second union ended in divorce. For a time, he served on the Midland Police force and then secured employment as a brakeman in the transportation department of Pittsburgh Crucible Steel Company, a plant employing thousands of men. He held memberships in the Eagles and Elks lodges in nearby East Liverpool, OH.
His last residence was at the Hotel Midland. At the age of 64, suffering from abdominal Hodgkins Disease and acutely enlarged heart, he died in the hotel on March 18, 1940. T.M. O'Donnell of Girard, OH signed the official death certificate. Interment was in Beaver Cemetery. The grave may be unmarked.
Daughter Rosa "Pearl" O'Donnell (1893-1960) was born in April 1893. She wed Joseph Aloysius Spurrier (Jan. 2, 1895-1969), originally from Carnegie, PA. The couple is not known to have reproduced. Their home in 1940 was in Warren, Trumbull County, OH. Sadly, she passed away in Ashtabula County, OH on July 21, 1960. Interment of the remains was in Saints Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Cemetery in Warren. Joseph survived his wife by nine years, making his dwelling at 4405 Kincaid East Road. At the age of 74, the angel of death cleaved him away on May 3, 1969. His funeral mass was held in St. William's Church in nearby Champion, by the hand of Rev. John Murray. Pallbearers included Al Timko, Gene Sanders, Earl Lawrence, Nick Petiya, David Pounds and George Burin.
Son Harry E. O'Donnell (1895-1972) was born on Sept. 13, 1895 in Dawson, Fayette County, PA. When he was 22 years of age, in 1916, he was employed as a craneman and lived in Pittsburgh. On May 11, 1916, he and 18-year-old Leona Goodballet (Nov. 18, 1897-1994) united themselves in marriage in Beaver, Beaver County, PA. Leona was a resident of East Liverpool, OH and the daughter of Conrad and Annetta "Nettie" (Cline) Goodballet. The two families were close, and Harry's brother Thomas married Leona's sister Mary. The pair went on to bear a trio of children, Floyd Harry O'Donnell, Olive Annette O'Donnell and Robert O'Donnell. The marriage dissolved in divorce, with Leona moving to Youngstown and Niles and in marrying again to Richard Edgar Hopkins (1891-1950). For three decades, following in his father's footsteps, Harry earned a living as a craneman at the Boardman plant of United States Steel Corporation. His homeplace for many years was in Girard, OH. In early 1972, he relocated to his son's home in Warren, OH at an address at 4120 North Leavitt Road. Sadly, at the age of 76, Harry passed into the heavenly host in St. Joseph's Hospital on Sept. 12, 1972. His remains sleep for all time in Palmyra Cemetery in Portage County, OH. An obituary said that the headcount of his survivors was a baker's dozen grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
- Grandson Floyd Harry O'Donnell (1917-2004) was born on March 14, 1917 in East Liverpool, OH. In 1936, in Warren, Trumbull County, OH, he married Marjory Clara Florence (Oct. 19, 1919-2008), daughter of Milton S. and Katherine (Lewis) Florence. A brood of eight known children were borne by the couple -- Patricia Ann Brink Sage, Floyd O'Donnell, Richard O'Donnell, Gene O'Donnell, Cecil O'Donnell, Peter O'Donnell, Kate Van Fossan and Mary O'Donnell. The O'Donnells lived in Warren in the early 1970s, at 4120 North Leavitt Road. In 2002, they endured the death of their married daughter Patricia Ann Brink Sage. Floyd surrendered to the angel of death at the age of 87, in Warren, on March 26, 2004. Burial was in Warren's Meadow Brook Memorial Park. Marjory lived for another four-and-a-half years. She passed away on Nov. 29, 2008.
Great-granddaughter Patricia Ann O'Donnell (1936-2002) was born on Dec. 8, 1936 in Warren, OH. She first tied the knot with Lloyd Brink ( ? - ? ). Together, they produced a trio of offspring -- Robert Brink, Mark Allen Brink and Jennifer Lynn Brink. They grieved at the death of daughter Jennifer in infancy in 1969. The Brinkses' marriage ended in divorce, and Lloyd wed again to Norma. Then on Jan. 8, 1988, Patricia married her second husband Richard F. Sage ( ? - ? ). He is thought to have brought a stepdaughter into the second family, Terri McCabe of Dunbar, PA. A local newspaper said Patricia was "a finance consultant at Morgan Lumber Co., and enjoyed reading, sewing, quilting, cross stitching and gardening." Patricia passed away in the Cortland (OH) Nursing Center at the age of 65 on July 20, 2002. Interment was in Hillside Cemetery in Cortland. An obituary was printed in the Warren Tribune Chronicle, saying she had been "a life-time resident" of the community. Son Robert married Linda and has dwelled in Brooksfield, OH. Son Mark (1959-2023) was born on Oct. 3,1959 in Warren. He was the father of Nichole Brink and Benjamin J. Brink. Mark liked to be known as a "rubber rat" and worked for tire companies in Ohio, Virginia and Huntsville, AL, where he retired from Goodyear Tire in Gadsden in 2020 as a maintenance engineer. He returned to Ohio to live with his daughter in Girard. Said an obituary, "He was a lifelong lover of the outdoors and his happiest moments were on his boat fishing with his family and friends. Most recently, he enjoyed nothing more than sharing a banana Popsicle with his great-grandson, Spencer, and feeding cheese to his wiener dogs... Feel free to toast to Mark with his favorite drink, Dickel Whiskey." He died in his daughter's residence at the age of 64 on Nov. 22, 2023. The remains were cremated.
Great-grandson Floyd O'Donnell made his dwelling-place in 2008 in Reading, CA.
Great-grandson Richard O'Donnell planted himself in Warren, OH.
Great-grandson Gene O'Donnell has resided at Wappingers Falls, NY.
Great-grandson Cecil O'Donnell lived in 2008 in Lordstown, OH.
Great-grandson Peter O'Donnell migrated to Charlotte, NC.
Great-granddaughter Kate Van Fossan moved to Port St. Lucie, FL.
Great-granddaughter Mary O'Donnell of Dallas
- Granddaughter Olive Annette O'Donnell (1919-1947) was born on Jan. 11, 1919 in Youngstown, Mahoning County, OH. She grew up in or near Warren, Trumbull County, OH. Olive appears never to have married. She was employed with Warren City Hospital, seemingly with a promising life ahead. Said the Warren Tribune Chronicle, "A member of Second Christian Church and of the Golden Rule Sunday School class, she enjoyed the esteem of many friends and a wide circle of acquaintances." But tragedy intervened when she was stricken by an acute heart attack and died two days later, at the age of 27, on July 18, 1947. Rev. Edwin C. Babbitt officiated the obsequies. Her remains sleep for the ages in Warren's Pineview Memorial Park. Her Tribune Chronicle obituary did not mention her father.
- Grandson Robert O'Donnell migrated to North Dakota and was there in 1972. He was deceased by 1994.
Daughter Helen O'Donnell (1896- ? ) was born in Sept. 1896. She tied the marital knot with (?) Weaver. They put down roots in Johnstown [PA?].
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| Harvey Ball's workplace, Mesta Machine in Pittsburgh |
Daughter Irene E. O'Donnell (1898-1960) was born on April 17, 1898. She made a home in Pittsburgh as a teen. At the age of 16, in about 1914, she wed her first spouse, Harvey M. Ball (March 4, 1894-1918), also of Pittsburgh and the son of U.S.G. and Loretta (Straw) Ball. Three daughters of their union were Velma Ball, Merville Grant Ball and Evelyn Ball. The pair made a home in Pittsburgh at 5607 Gate Lodge, with him generating income as a tinner and sheet metal worker for Mesta Machine Company in West Homestead. Their dwelling-place in 1918 was 28 Nausen Street, Hazelwood. Tragedy turned the young family upside down when, in the fall of 1918, Harvey contracted a serious case of pneumonia. Unable to rally, he died at the age of 24 on Oct. 31, 1918. Burial was in Homestead Cemetery, with a brief death notice published in the Pittsburgh Press. By 1920, she married again to James Lockaton (1900- ? ). The couple's only known son was William Lockaton. They dwelled in Girard, OH in 1930-1940, where James earned a living as a steel mill helper and welder. Irene passed away in Youngstown's St. Elizabeth Hospital at the age of 61 on Aug. 1, 1960. The body was lowered into eternal repose in Girard's Liberty Union Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Velma Ball ( ? - ? )
- Granddaughter Merville Grant Ball (1916- ? ) was born on Feb. 19, 1916 in Pittsburgh. Dr. E.O. Pearson assisted in the birth.
- Granddaughter Evelyn Ball
Son Thomas M. O'Donnell (1900-1964) was born on April 30, 1900 in Connellsville, Fayette County. He was about 17 years of age when his mother died, and he is known to have served in the U.S. Army during World War I. By 1920, his military service concluded, he had moved into the home of his married sister Irene Ball in Hazelwood near Pittsburgh. At that time, he was employed as a fireman on the railroad. Thomas in 1940 married Mary P. Goodballet (1903-1973), originally from East Liverpool, OH and the daughter of Conrad and Annetta "Nettie" (Cline) Goodballet. The two families were close, and Thomas' brother Harry married Mary's sister Leona. Their union held firm over the thick and thin of 44 years together. Their only son was Thomas O'Donnell. Circa 1940-1964, their dwelling-place was in Girard, OH, with an address in the 1960s of 1314 Churchill Road. His longtime employer was United States Steel Corporation, where he labored as an electrician. They held a membership in the First Christian Church, and he belonged to the William Farr lodge of the Masons, Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Aut Mori Grotto, a Masonic fraternity. With his health in decline, he was admitted to St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown. There, he passed away on Sept. 28, 1964 at the age of 64. Burial was in Girard Liberty Union Cemetery. The Warren Tribune-Chronicle printed an obituary. Mary survived her spouse by nine years. She suffered a stroke and died in Glenn View Manor in Mineral Ridge at the age of 70 just four days before Christmas 1973.
- Grandson Thomas O'Donnell lived in Girard, Trumbull County in 1964.
Daughter Harriet A. O'Donnell (1904-1962) was born in about 1904. She was about age 13 when her mother died, and by 1920 she went to live with her married sister Irene Ball in Hazelwood. Circa May 1920, Harriet was joined in wedlock with John A. McNamara ( ? - ? ). News of their marriage license was printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. They planted themselves in Wilkinsburg, PA. But the marriage was troubled, and the pair divorced. The 1930 federal census enumeration shows the 25-year-old Harriet living by herself on Flowers Avenue in Pittsburgh, earning a living as a department store sales lady. She remained single during the 1930s and into 1940, boarding in the home of Leon and Ramie Gardner and working as a retail department store buyer. In time she again tied the knot with Edmund Schwager ( ? - ? ). They moved to Girard, Trumbull County, OH and made a home at 203 Churchill Road. Sadly, Harriet died on Aug. 7, 1962. The remains were lowered under the sod of Girard Liberty Union Cemetery. An obituary appeared in her old hometown newspaper, the Post-Gazette.
Daughter Ethel O'Donnell ( ? - ? ) was united in matrimony with (?) Tatora. Their home in 1940 was in New York City. By 1962, still in New York, Ethel had taken back her maiden name. She was mentioned in the 1962 obituary of her sister Harriet.
~ Son William Flanigan ~
Son William Flanigan (1874-1946) from the first marriage was born in on Feb. 7, 1874 in Confluence.
He was a longtime lumberman by occupation.
He married Elizabeth March (Dec. 17, 1875-1960), daughter of Henry March.
The couple produced five known offspring -- Violet Flanigan, Ernest Flanigan, Harry Flanigan, Charles Flanigan and Thomas Flanigan.
By 1909, they established a home in Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV, at the address of 2589 University Avenue. Eventually they migrated across the state line to Kirby, Greene County, PA. Their residence in the mid-1940s was along the Waynesburg-Mt. Morris Road. William was without work in the summer of 1946, so traveled to Preston County, WV to seek employment, and found lodging in Newburg.
His aim was to secure a job at nearby Arthurdale. The town of Arthurdale was an experiment of the federal government during the Great Depression, the first "New Deal" community created under the vision of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, to provide ready made homes for unemployed workers.
While walking in the Preston County woods on Aug. 26, 1946, William was stricken by a heart attack and dropped dead at the age of 72. His remains were brought back to Morgantown to rest in East Oak Grove Cemetery. An obituary appeared in the Connellsville Daily Courier, which said that he was survived by a half sister Mrs. Deneen.
The widowed Elizabeth survived for another 14 years ande owned the County Club Market. She relocated circa 1959 to Charleston, Kanawha County, WV to live with or near her daughter Violet at 1314 B Quarrier Street. After a stay in Charleston of about one year, burdened with congestive heart failure, she was stricken with bleeding in the brain and died at Charleston General on April 11, 1960, at the age of 84. The body was shipped to Morgantown to rest beside her husband.
Daughter Violet Flanigan (1896-1975) was born in about 1896 in Pennsylvania. She appears not to have married. Violet relocated by 1946 to Charleston, Kanawha County, WV. She died in 1975. Her remains are at rest in East Oak Grove Cemetery in Morgantown.
Son Ernest Flanigan (1898-1980) was born on Jan. 14, 1898 in Pennsylvania. Circa 1921, he was joined in wedlock with Anna Virginia Jeffers (1897-1954), daughter of John Franklin and Margaret D. (Wells) Jeffers. Sadly, she was cut away by the Grim Reaper in 1954. Ernest's final years were spent in Florida. He died in Dade City, Pasco County on Sept. 27, 1980, at the age of 82. His remains were shipped to Morgantown for burial in East Oak Grove Cemetery.
Son Harry Flanigan (1901- ? ) was born in about 1901 in Pennsylvania. He made a home in the mid-1940s in Baltimore, MD.
Son Thomas Flanigan (1903- ? ) was born in about 1903 in Pennsylvania. He later dwelled in Lorain, OH.
Son Charles Flanigan (1909- ? ) was born in about 1909 in Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV. He migrated to Charleston, Kanawha County, WV.
~ Daughter Annie (Flanigan) Smith Deneen ~
Daughter Annie A. Flanigan (1880-1950) was born on Aug. 26, 1880 in Confluence.
She appears to have been wedded twice. When she was 16 years of age, on July 3, 1896, she tied the marital cord with 21-year-old laborer James Smith ( ? - ? ), son of Isaac and Sarah Smith of Confluence. Officiating was justice of the peace G.G. Groff.
Their three known offspring were Sabina Erwin, Hazel I. Smith and Earl A. Smith.
For reasons not yet known, the marriage ended sometime before 1910. That year, their 13-year-old daughter Sabina resided in the household of her grandmother Sabina (Tissue) Flanigan Carpenter in Confluence.
Later, Annie was united in wedlock with John Thomas Deneen ( ? -1943), son of Harry Thomas and Martha (Mullard) Deneen, the mother an immigrant from England.
Their known children were Mary Elizabeth Lopes, Rev. Thomas Edison Deneen and Virginia Clare (?). Sadly, little Virginia Clare passed away in infancy.
In about 1909, John obtained employment with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and in 1912 they moved to Connellsville, where he became a conductor for the B&O. They were members of the Central Methodist Shurch, with John belonging to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen and Annie to the ladies' auxiliary. The Deneens moved in about 1938 to a new address of 502 East Murphy Avenue.
Sadly, stricken with heart problems of two years' duration, John was felled by a heart attack and passed away at the age of 55 on June 6, 1943. Rev. Howard W. Jamison led the funeral services, with additional rites provided by his fellow Trainmen.
Annie survived her husband by seven years. Burdened with heart disease, she died on Jan. 23, 1950 at age 69. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier noted that burial was in Green Ridge Memorial Park following funeral services led by Rev. William C. Marquis.
Daughter Sabina G. Smith (1897-1963) was born in about 1897. She married Harry E. Erwin ( ? - ? ) and lived in Connellsville. They produced four children -- Robert Erwin, Harry E. Erwin Jr., Jay Erwin and Jacqueline Micher. Later in life, the Erwins relocated to Florida, where they made a home at 361 Woodlawn Avenue in Daytona Beach. Sabina died in Daytona at the age of 66 on Sept. 1, 1963. Her remains were brought back to Connellsville for burial at Hill Grove Cemetery. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier stated that she was survived by 10 grandchildren.
Daughter Hazel I. Smith was deceased by 1976.
Son Earl A. Smith dwelled in Charleroi, Washington County, PA in 1950.
Daughter Mary Elizabeth Deneen (1912-1976) was born on April 27, 1912 in Connellsville. She was wedded to Vernon D. Lopes (Feb. 13, 1929-1977), son of Jerry and Viola Pearl (Aller) Lopes of Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County. PA. The Lopes family lived in Connellsville at 289 East Fairview Avenue. Their children were Beverly K. Lopes, Kim Robert Lopes and David Doral Lopes. Vernon was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He earned a living over the years assembling cabinets for Rack Engineering Company. The family belonged to the Central Methodist Church in Connellsville. Sadly, at the age of 64, Hazel died at Connellsville State General Hospital on May 20, 1976. The Connellsville Daily Courier noted in an obituary that burial was in Green Ridge Memorial Park, following funeral services officiated by Rev. William Keys. The heartbreak was compounded when Vernon died just a year after his wife, at age 48, on April 18, 1977, as a patient in Frick Community Hospital in Mount Pleasant. Rev. Keys again led funeral services. Son David (1952-2003) married Shirley Lopes and bore two sons, Curt Lopes and Brian Lopes. He was a member of the American Legion post and Elks Club of Mount Pleasant and died at home at the age of 51 on Sept. 14, 2003. Son Kim Robert Lopes made a home in Mount Pleasant.
Son Rev. Thomas Edison Deneen ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). On Christmas Day 1938, he was united in holy matrimony with Olive Ruth Hixon, daughter of Clyde W. Hixon of 819 Jefferson Street in Connellsville. They were the parents of Margaret Ann Deneen and perhaps others. They eventually moved to Waynesburg, Greene County. In 1948, their 17-year-old daughter Margaret had four eye surgeries at West Penn Hospital in Pittsburgh. Circa 1950, he was in charge of the Morrisville Circuit of the Methodist Church. He was deceased by 1976.
~ Daughter Elizabeth B. Flanigan ~
Daughter Elizabeth B. "Lizzie" Flanigan (1883-1962) was born on Sept. 12, 1883 in Confluence.
She did not marry and in 1950 resided in Connellsville with her sister Maude Vanorsdale at the address of 227 South Prospect Street.
At some point she became blind. Then after the sister's death, she established a home in Adelaide in the rural outskirts of Connellsville.
As her health failed in 1962, from the effects of a decade of hardening of the arteries, she was admitted to Uniontown Hospital.
The Angel of Death carried her away at the age of 78 on June 11, 1962. An obituary was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier. The remains were lowered into interment in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville or in Oak Grove Cemetery in Uniontown. Rev. H. Morris Shields preached the funeral sermon.
~ Daughter Maude (Flanigan) McFarland Vanorsdale ~
Daughter Maude Flanigan (1887-1958) was born on Nov. 22, 1887.
At the age of 20, in 1907, Maud relocated to Connellsville. She was twice married.
Her first spouse was Ralph McFarland ( ? - ? ).
The pair bore a son, Ralph T. McFarland.
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| Dickerson Run railyards, Charles Cleveland Vanorsdale's place of employment |
Later, Maude was joined in matrimony with Charles Cleveland "Happy" Vanorsdale (March 16, 1886-1968). He was the son of Isaac and Mary Vanorsdale of Great Cacapon, Morgantown County, WV but spent most of his life in Connellsville. Charles was tall and of medium build, with grey eyes and dark brown hair.
Their five children were Charles E. Vanorsdale, Evelyn Vanorsdale, Paul Vanorsdale, Harold Joseph Vanorsdale and Wendel Vanorsdale.
Charles was required to register for the military draft during World War I. At that time, he declared that their address was 514 North Pittsburgh Street in Connellsville and that Maud was his next of kin. He was employed in 1918 as a machinist helper with the Sligo Iron and Steel Company in Connellsville. Later, he became employed as a railroad car repairman for the Pittsburgh and Lake Erie Railroad shops in Dickerson Run, Fayette County. He belonged to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen.
They were longtime members of the Central Methodist Church in Connellsville. Circa 1950, they resided with her unmarried sister Elizabeth at 227 South Prospect Street in Connellsville.
Toward the end of her life, Maud suffered from a gastric ulcer and it began to hemorrhage. She died at the age of 70 in Connellsville State Hospital on July 26, 1958. Rev. H. Carl Buterbaugh officiated at the funeral and burial in Green Ridge Memorial Park.
The widowed Charles moved into the home of married son Paul in Adelaide near Connellsville. He died at the age of 82, on Sept. 21, 1968, after what the Connellsville Daily Courier referred to as "a lingering illness." Rev. R.A. Nelson officiated at the funeral.
Son Ralph T. McFarland (1912-1961) was born on July 23, 1912 in Connellsville. He never married and is known to have lived at home with his parents in 1958. Burdened with congestive heart failure and bleeding of his gastric system, Ralph succumbed to death in Somerset State Hospital on Aug. 28, 1961. Rev. H. Morris Shields led the funeral service with burial in Green Ridge Memorial Park and an obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
Son Charles E. Vanorsdale (1915-1993) was born on Aug. 12, 1915. He was joined in wedlock with Catherine E. Korpman ( ? - ? ). The couple produced two children, Leroy N. Vanorsdale ande Ann C. Ragula. The family relocated to Baltimore, MD and remained for decades. Charles passed into eternity on Feb. 18, 1993. A short death notice appeared in the Baltimore Sun.
Son Wendell T. "Van" Vanorsdale (1916-2007) was born on Oct. 10, 1916. In about February 1939, he married Thelma Martin (1916-1982), daughter of Cambridge Martin of Uniontown. They bore one known daughter, Connie Rae Linderman. They made their home for years in Connellsville with an address of 214 Morton Avenue in Connellsville. Wendell was employed as a clerk by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and eventually retired from the company. He was a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard, 28th Division, and of the Wesley United Methodist Church of Connellsville. He served on the Democratic Committee in Connellsville in the 1960s. When the couple marked their 15th wedding anniversary in February 1954, the Connellsville Daily Courier printed a feature article. Sadly, Thelma died in 1982. Burial was in Green Ridge Memorial Park north of Connellsville. Wendell survived as her widower for a quarter of a century. He married again to Ora Elizabeth (Hamilton) Cropper ( ? - ? ). She brought two offspring into the second union, Thomas Cropper and Martha "Marty" Cropper. The couple relocated to Niantic, IL, where they were members of the Niantic Christian Church. While in Lakeland, FL, visiting his married daughter and son in law Connie Rae and Flay Linderman, Wendell passed into eternity at the age of 90 on July 5, 2007. His remains were shipped back to Connellsville to join Thelma's at rest in Green Ridge Memorial Park, with Rev. Craig Forsythe officiating. The Daily Courier ran an obituary.
Daughter Evelyn Vanorsdale (1918- ? ) was born in about 1918 in Connellsville. Nothing more is known.
Son Paul C. Vanorsdale (1919-1966) was born on Feb. 8, 1919 in Connellsville. He was married to Esther Reynolds ( ? - ? ), daughter of Meltina Reynolds. They were the parents of Paul Richard Vanorsdale, Charles R. Vanorsdale, Wendell "Tommy" Vanorsdale, Robert Vanorsdale, Randall Lee Vanorsdale, Maxine Vanorsdale and Mary Jane Vanorsdale. During World War II, Paul served in the U.S. Army's 81st Infantry "Wildcat" Division commanded by Maj. Gen. Paul J. Mueller, which occupied Aomori Prefecture in Northern Honshu. They lived in Connellsville at 19 Gibson Terrace. The family worried gravely in February 1958 when son Paul, age 15, went missing after school. He was found more than a week later, hitchhiking in Arizona. He was taken into the custory of police in Tucson who made arrangements to send him home. Charles was unemployed at the age of 47 in 1966. On July 11, 1966, he was felled and died from an acute heart attack. His remains were placed into eternal rest in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville.
Son Harold Joseph Vanorsdale (1924- ? ) was born in about 1924. He shared a home with his parents in Connellsville. On June 21, 1957, he was joined in wedlock with Gloria Fay Hensel ( ? - ? ), granddaughter of George Hensel of 602 South Arch Street. Their nuptials were led by Rev. R.A. Nelson, in the parsonage of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren, without any other attendants present. Observed the Connellsville Daily Courier, the bride "was attired for her wedding in a delph blue Chantilly lace dress. She wore a tiara of blue flowers on her hair and carried a white Bible topped with yellow roses and stephanotis, tied with white streamers. Completing her outfit were white mitts." The couple's known daughters were Cynthia Carol Vanorsdale, Dorothy Laverne Vanorsdale and Regina K. Vanorsdale. Their address was 227 South Prospect Street.
~ Son Ernest B. Flanigan ~
Son Ernest B. Flanigan (1890-1948) was born on Feb. 16, 1890.
In 1913, at the age of 23, he relocated to Connellsville, Fayette County, PA, where he became a bicycle repairman at 125 North Meadow Lane.
When the federal census enumeration was made in 1930, he dwelled with his unmarried sister Elizabeth in the 227 South Prospect Street home of their married sister Maude Vanorsdale. He was a member of the Central Methodist Church and the local Moose lodge. Later in life, he became blind.
Suffering from cancer of the sigmoid, he passed away in Connellsville just four days before Christmas 1948, at the age of 58. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier noted that burial was in Hill Grove Cemetery. Wendell Vanorsdale signed the Pennsylvania certificate of death.
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