|
Jacob Gaumer |
Jacob Gaumer was born on Oct. 22, 1818, in Macungie, Lehigh County, PA, the son of Heinrich "Henry" and Susanna (Mory) Gaumer.
On May 28, 1848, when he would have been 29 years of age, Jacob entered into the rite of marriage with 17-year-old Anna Caroline Mattern (Feb. 18, 1831-1910). She was the daughter of Isaac and Elisabeth Klein) Mattern of Macungie, Lehigh County, and had been baptized in infancy on March 5, 1831.
A notation of the marriage was inscribed in German and handed down in the family. It reads: "Jacob Gaumer Son des [son of] Hinrick Gaumer und seinen Ehefrau [his wife] Susanna Geboren [born] Morie, married Anna Caroline Mattern, Father des Isaac Mattern, and frau [wife] Elisabeth gebornen [born] Klein ano [in the year] May 28th 1848."
The nine known offspring they produced together were Henry Wilson Gaumer, James Addison Gaumer, Maria Elisabeth Gaumer, Aaron Irwin Gaumer, Emma Jane Jones, Isaac Mattern Gaumer, Martha Susanna Markley, Caroline "Carrie" Gaumer and Jacob Leslie Gaumer.
As infants, all of their children received the rite of Christian baptism. This was such an important fact that the dates were recorded, possibly in a family Bible, and later written in a family genealogy by their youngest daughter.
The Gaumers are known to have dwelled for years at Fairview Village, Worcester Township, Montgomery County, PA in 1857 at the birth of their daughter Emma Jane. In 1860, when the federal census enumeration as made, the were in Worcester, with Jacob laboring as a farmer.
They stayed put during the decade of the 1860s and into 1870, receiving their mail at the Lower Providence post office. The family were members of the Lower Providence Presbyterian Church in Eagleville, PA.
When the U.S. Census again was made in 1880, Jacob and Caroline headed a household of five children, with 20-year-old bachelor son Isaac helping with farm labor. The census-taker that year spelled their last name "Garmer."
Jacob and Anna Caroline eventually retired from the day-to-day, exhausting work of farming and relocated into the city of Philadelphia with an address of 3001 Norris Street.
 |
| Caroline Gaumer's genealogy notes about her parents and siblings Courtesy Scott Johnson |
|
Augustus Cemetery - courtesy William Ridge |
Anna Caroline outlived her spouse by a baker’s dozen years. Circa 1900-1910, in Philadelphia, she made her home with her adult children at 546 North 17th Street. Into her 80th year, she passed away on June 13, 1910. Her obituary was printed in the Lansdale North Penn Reporter.
Their daughter Caroline undertook a family genealogy record in about 1949, the last year of her life. Her painstaking work was handwritten in blue ink pen, single-spaced on ruled tablet paper spanning four pages in length. Writing in a steady though slightly shaky hand, in concluding the compilation, she said this to her family and posterity:
Dear Relatives, I am not trying to give the geneology of our family, But several of the Juniors thought they thought, as I was the only one that could do it, I said I would do what I could, But only the Immediate family, and I have found it a Job, Now I can go no farther. They can Join the Task. I have done all I can. I am too shaky at 83rd year, I hope you can understand, Takes thinking and God Bless you all. Thank you for your help.
~ Son Henry "Wilson" Gaumer ~
|
Grove City Cem - courtesy Lynne |
On Sept. 9, 1876, he was joined in wedlock with Mary Magdalena “Lena” Beyer (May 20, 1855-1933).
Five known children of this marriage were Jesse Jacob Gaumer, William Franklin Gaumer, Aaron Addison Gaumer, Laura Lena Stewart and Louisiana Beyer “Lulu” Peterson. Only two of the five survived into full adulthood. The parents first began the grieving process at the death of eldest son Jesse at just under a month of age on Oct.13, 1878.
The family made the decision to leave Pennsylvania and make a cross-country voyage to a new home and life in Idaho. There Henry established a chiropractic practice.
Lena was active in her own right and in 1893 was appointed postmistress at Lewisville, ID. She was a prominent member of the Golden Chain Camp of the Royal Neighbors of America, an organization with 70 local members as of 1909, with her name frequently appearing in the local newspaper. As of 1912, she was a registrar for real estate transactions in Bingham County.
 |
Grove City Cem - courtesy Lynne |
Wilson was named in his mother’s obituary in the Lansdale (PA) North Penn Reporter in June 1910 although his name was spelled “William.”
Their final home together was on West Judicial Street, Blackfoot. Henry was diagnosed with cancer of the liver early in 1917. He suffered for six months, but the disease was incurable. He died in Blackfoot at the age of 68 on Sept. 23, 1917. The remains were interred in Grove City Cemetery in Blackfoot, with Rev. Chaney presiding. Robert Peterson of Blackfoot signed the official Idaho certificate of death. An obituary in the Idaho Republican called him “a prominent and respected citizen…”
Lena outlived her spouse by 16 years. She remained socially active and is known to have hosted meetings of the Thimble Club at her home in 1921. She and her married daughter Lulu Peterson and others toured Yellowstone Park together in August 1922. Death swept her away on April 20, 1933, at the age of 77.
Son William Franklin Gaumer (1880-1895) was born on Feb. 27, 1880 in Pennsylvania. He joined his parents on a cross-country move to Idaho. Sadly, he contracted typhoid fever as a teenager and died on Jan. 23, 1895, at the age of 14, in Lewisville, ID. Burial was in the local Lewisville Cemetery, next to his brother Aaron who had died some 11 years earlier.
Daughter Laura Lena Gaumer (1884-1964) was born on April 30, 1884 in Swan Valley, ID. She was single for many years and lived in the Blackfoot area, earning a living for three decades as a clerk with the Blackfoot Post Office. She also was a member of the Daughters of American Colonists. Laura retired from the postal work in 1951 and moved to Salt Lake City. On July 12, 1955, she married Frank Stewart ( ? - ? ). They were together for nearly four years until cleaved apart by death. Frank was gathered away by the heavenly host in May 1959. As Laura aged, she went to live in a Salt Lake City nursing home. There, she succumbed to the spectre of death at the age of 80 on Sept. 15, 1964. Her obituary was carried by the Idaho State Journal, and the remains were interred in Grove City Cemetery.
 |
| Blackfoot, ID, where Robert Peterson owned a grocery- Glanville Photo |
Daughter Louisiana Beyer “Lulu” Gaumer (1889-1972) was born in 1889. In young womanhood she was employed as bookkeeper for Berryman’s Model grocery. In the summers, she is known to have taken vacations to Hunter’s Ranch on the Upper Blackfoot. On Christmas Eve 1917, at the age of 28, she tied the marital cord with Robert Leyman Peterson (Aug. 26, 1891-1977), son of Carl and Minnie (Broberg) Peterson of Logan, UT. Their nuptials were held in Pocatello, ID. Together, the pair produced two children – Robert Frank Peterson and Joy DeEsta Dorvel. Robert had moved to Idaho Falls as a teen in 1905, and then in 1914 launched Peterson’s Grocery Market on North Broadway in Blackfoot. They lived in Blackfoot for many years and held a membership in the First Church of Christ Scientist. Robert was very socially active as a charter member of the Blackfoot Elks Lodge, 50-year member of the Grove City lodge of the Masons, serving as worshipful master in 1929, excellent high priest in 1934 and eminent commander of the Mount Putnam Commandery in 1949. He also belonged to the York Rite, Shrine Club, St. Michael Conclave of the Order of the Red Cross of Constantine, Esther Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star (50 years) including a term as worthy patron in 1932. Sadly, Lulu passed away in 1972. Robert lived for another five years as a widower and relocated to California. He was admitted to reside in the Hill Haven Nursing Home in Santa Cruz, CA. He died there at the age of 85 on May 17, 1977. The Idaho State Journal published an obituary. The remains were returned to Idaho for burial in Grove City Cemetery, with funeral rites led by Christian Science reader Olive Green, and Masonic rituals at the gravesite.
- Grandson Robert Frank Peterson (1923- ? ) was born on Feb. 11, 1923. On Oct. 25, 1946, he married Elaine Lillie Clough (Jan. 9, 1925- ? ). One known son of this union was Stephen Robert Peterson. Robert was in Aptos, CA in 1977.
- Granddaughter Joy DeEsta Peterson (1926- ? ) was born on June 4, 1926. She tied the knot on Aug. 6, 1946 with Arnold Sandor Dorvel ( ? - ? ). They became the parents of at least one son, Paul Emery Dorvel. The family moved to Collingsville, CT.
~ Son James Addison Gaumer ~
Son James Addison Gaumer (1850-1916) was born two days before Christmas 1850 in Macungie, Lehigh County, PA.
He was baptized in infancy on Jan. 27, 1851. His early years were spent in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, PA, working on a farm to earn his keep.
On March 2, 1876, when he was 25 years of age, he was joined in wedlock with Bessie L. Jennings (Aug. 16, 1853-1944). Bessie was an immigrant from England, having traveled to America in girlhood 1857.
The couple together bore three children – Walter J. Gaumer, Albert “Wesley” Gaumer and Caroline Gaumer. Sadly, their daughter died in infancy in 1895.
In the autumn of their marriage, the newlywed moved to Kansas. At that same time, James joined the Lutheran Church, and “ever since endeavored to lead a Christian life,” said the Jennings (KS) Gazette. “He was respected and loved by all who knew him.”
James and Bessie pulled up stakes and migrated to Idaho in 1879, where they stayed for four years. With their sons in tow, they then moved back to Pennsylvania in 1883. The federal census enumeration of 1900 shows the family as farmers in Lower Providence, Montgomery County, PA, with ownership of their land.
Some 21 years after a return to Pennsylvania, in 1904, they relocated again to New Mexico. After five years, they made a move to Kansas, settling for good in the town of Jennings, Decatur County. This is confirmed by the U.S. Census record for 1910, and also a reference in the June 1910 obituary of James’ mother back in Pennsylvania.
Death spirited James away in Jennings, at the age of 65, on March 18, 1916. His obituary was published in the Jennings Gazette. Funeral services were held in the family residence, led by the local Methodist Episcopal Church pastor, followed by burial in Jennings Cemetery.
Bessie lived for another 28 years. She was gathered away into the heavenly host on Feb. 3, 1944 in Dresden, KS.
|
Walter Gaumer Sr. Decatur County Museum |
- Granddaughter Elizabeth Catherine "Bessie" Gaumer (1905-1988) was born in 1905 in Albuquerque, NM. She grew to womanhood on a farm near Oberlin, KS. On Aug. 14, 1925, she wed Clarence "Ira" Jennings (Aug. 28, 1898-1982), a native of Smith County, KS. At least three children of this marriage were Genevieve Maxine Wurm, Clarence Jennings and Howard Dee Jennings. The Jenningses lived in the Dresden, KS community until a move in 1944 to Oberlin, KS. Ira held a membership in the local lodges of the Masons and the Odd Fellows. The spirit of death whisked Ira away at age 83 in Imperial, NE on Dec. 22, 1981. His remains were brought back to Kansas to sleep for all time in Dresden Cemetery. Rev. Dale Clare oversaw the funeral. An obituary was printed in the Salina Journal, Elizabeth died at the age of 83 on June 16, 1988.
Great-granddaughter Genevieve Maxine Jennings (1926-1996) was born in 1926. She wed (?) Wurm. Her home in 1982 was in Albany, KS.
Great-grandson Clarence Jennings (1929-2014) was born in 1929. He settled in Florissant, MO.
Great-grandson Howard Dee Jennings (1934-2012) was born in 1934. As of 1982, he was in Imperial, NE.
Grandson Wesley Ritter Gaumer (1907-1987) was born on May 4, 1907 in Albuquerque, NM. He grew to manhood working on his father's farm in Decatur County, KS. At the age of 23, on Jan. 17, 1931, in Oberlin, KS, he married Florence "Fern" Frickey (July 12, 1909-2001), originally from Kanona, KS. Their duo of offspring were Jean Ann Kump and David Donelle Gaumer. The Gaumers lived on a rented farm in Custer, Decatur County, KS in the 1935 to 1940 timeframe, and belonged to the United Methodist Church of Oberlin, where he volunteered on several committees. Wesley was active in the community, serving as president of the Decatur County Farm Bureau, Oberlin Lions Club and for 20 years with the Decatur County Fair Association. He also held a seat on the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Services. Wesley died in Denver, CO at the age of 79 on March 16, 1987. The body was shipped back to Oberlin for burial, with Rev. H. Gene Shoemaker presiding over the funeral. An obituary appeared in the Salina Journal. Fern outlived her husband by 14 years. She passed into the hereafter in Kingman, KS on April 12, 2001 at the age of 91.
Wesley and Fern Gaumer
Courtesy Decatur County MuseumGreat-granddaughter Jean Ann Gaumer (1932-2008) was born in 1932. She tied the knot with (?) Kump. Their home in 1987 was in Oberlin, KS.
Great-grandson David Donelle Gaumer (1935-2009) was born in 1935. He lived in Kingman, KS in 1987.
- Grandson Marion J. Gaumer (1909-1935) was born on Oct. 1, 1909. In a wedding ceremony held at Russell, KS on June 24, 1933, he exchanged vows with Gladys Joy ( ? - ? ). Sadly, their marriage was short-lived. Marion served as Decatur County (NE) Engineer in 1935. Sadly, he contracted a deadly case of typhoid fever and died at the age of 25 on July 25, 1935. An article in the McCook Daily Gazette said that he was among four who contracted the illness, which caused great fear among the townspeople. His remains lie in eternal repose in Oberlin Cemetery. Another article in the Daily Gazette reported that a former state highway engineer, Lester Moody, was appointed as his replacement.
   |
| L-R: Elizabeth, Marion and Walter Gaumer Jr. Courtesy Decatur County Museum |
- Grandson James Addison Gaumer (1912-1996) was born on Jan. 9, 1912 in Custer Township, Decatur County. He was a high school graduate. On Christmas Eve 1935, on the bride's 20th birthday, he was joined in wedlock with Garrah Bainter (1915-2005), daughter of Everett Jackson "Jack" and Emma (Wheelock) Bainter. Garrah was a 1934 graduate of Jennings High School. Four known children born into this family were Dale Jackson Gaumer, Betty Gaumer, Mary Gaumer and Walter James Gaumer. In 1940, when the federal census enumeration was made, the Gaumers lived on a rented farm in Pleasant Valley Township, Decatur County, KS. They belonged to the Jennings United Methodist Church. Over the years, James was active with the board of directors for the Decatur County Soil Conservation Service. His memberships included the Masons, Knights Templar, Isis Temple, Order of Eastern Star, Decatur County Fair Board, Extension Board, Farm Bureau Board, Jennings School Board and Wheat Growers Association. Their longtime home was in the community of Jennings. James died on Feb. 15, 1996. Funeral rites were led by Rev. Elin Colglazier. His obituary was published in the Salina (KS) Journal. Garrah lived for almost a decade, making her residence in Oberlin, KS. Death enveloped her on Nov. 23, 2005. An obituary in the Journal said she was survived by eight grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Funeral services were conducted in the family church. They sleep for all time in Jennings Cemetery.
Great-grandson Dale Jackson Gaumer (1935- ? ) was born in 1935. He was united in matrimony with Karen Alexander ( ? - ? ). Together, they produced a brood of offspring including Erik Gaumer and Brant Gaumer. In 1993, they endured the heartbreak of the death of their 26-year-old son Erik in Indianapolis on Dec. 2, 1993. The Gaumers lived in Fort Wayne, IN in 1996 and in Columbus, OH in 2005.
Great-granddaughter Betty Gaumer (1940- ? ) was born in 1940. She entered into marriage with (?) Fitzgerald. She settled in Glen Elder, KS.
Great-granddaughter Mary Gaumer (1942- ? ) was born in 1942. She was joined in wedlock with (?) Arnold. She migrated to Aurora, CO and was there in in 1996-2005.
Great-grandson Walter "James" Gaumer (1945- ? ) was born in 1945 and may have been named for an uncle who had died two years earlier. He dwelled in 1996-2005 in rural Oberlin, KS.
- Grandson David Hughes Gaumer (1914- ? ) was born on June 13, 1914 in Decatur County, KS. He only lived to the age of four years, seven months and 12 days. He died in the family dwelling near Dresden, KS on Jan. 25, 1919. Rev. Bisbee conducted funeral services in the Gaumer home, preaching on the Bible verse Song of Solomon 6:1 -- "My beloved hath gone down into the Garden to gather lilies." In an obituary, the Oberlin Times said "We cannot understand why one so young should be called but God is an allwise Father, too wise to make mistakes and too loving to be unkind." The remains were lowered into the sacred soil of Jennings Cemetery.
- Grandson Walter Jennings Gaumer Jr. (1916-1943) was born on July 2, 1916 in Oberlin, KS. He stood 5 feet, 11 inches tall, weighed 170 lbs. and is known to have had his right leg amputated two inches above the knee. As a bachelor of age 23 in 1940, he lived with his parents in Custer, KS and was enrolled as a student at Kansas State College in Hays. He was united in matrimony on March 27, 1942 with Flora Steele ( ? - ? ). They were only together for about a year until his death on May 11, 1943 in Goodland, Sherman County, KS. The cause is not yet known. Interment was in Weskan (KS) Cemetery.
Son Albert “Wesley” Gaumer (1882-1945) was born on March 5, 1882 at Idaho Falls, ID. He moved to Pennsylvania with his parents at the age of one and was raised there to manhood. He was trained as a civil engineer and appears to have spent his career in the field of mining engineering. Evidence suggests that he was on the faculty of Lehigh University circa 1904. By 1909, Wesley is known to have been in Cuba and in 1916 in the town of Santiago, Cuba. Circa 1909, at Jeffersonville, PA, he was united in matrimony with Sara Stadon ( ? - ? ) of Trooper, Montgomery County. The pair did not reproduce. Wesley was required to register for the military draft during World War I. At the time, they lived at Oaks, Montgomery County, and he disclosed to the registrar that he was employed as a first lieutenant with the Engineer Corps. Then in 1920-1945, he was in the District of Columbia, employed with the government as a mining engineer, employed in 1940 by the Internal Revenue Service. Their address in 1920 was on Harvard Street – in Arlington, VA in 1935 – and in 1945 at 3900 14th Street. Stricken for a decade with kidney disease. While in Wayne, Delaware County, PA, he spiraled into an acute, life-threatening renal crisis and died at the age of 61 on Sept. 23, 1945. Burial was in the Presbyterian churchyard in Lower Providence. Sara outlived her husband and maintained her home in Washington, DC. As a tribute to his memory, she funded the gift of carillon bells for the Norristown-Lower Providence Presbyterian Church, dedicated in services on March 16, 1947, as reported in the Philadelphia Inquirer. She died in Norristown on May 31, 1976.
~ Daughter Maria Elisabeth Gaumer ~
Daughter Maria Elisabeth “Mary/Marie” Gaumer (1853-1927) was born on March 30, 1853 in Worcester, Montgomery County, PA.
Maria received the rite of Christian baptism at age two-and-a-half months on June 12, 1853.
She never married. She supported herself over the years as a dressmaker.
At the age of 23, in 1880, she boarded in the Philadelphia home of dry goods salesman John Loutey and his wife Rebecca.
Then by 1900, she and her unmarried sister Carrie and 79-year-old widowed mother shared a residence on Philadelphia’s 17th Street. The mother died in the dwelling in June 1910, with the news covered in the Lansdale North Penn Reporter.
Her final address was 546 North 17th Street, continuing to share a residence with her sisters Caroline and Martha Markley. For the last five years of her life, she endured organic heart disease, a condition involving her mitral valve. The last four years she was burdened with cardiac asthma which likely involved frequent coughing or wheezing. She died in Philadelphia on May 5, 1927. Burial was in the German Lutheran Church Cemetery in Trappe.
~ Son Aaron Irwin Gaumer ~
Son Aaron Irwin Gaumer (1855-1920) was born on June 12, 1855 in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, PA.
As an infant of about a month of age, he received the rite of Christian baptism on July 15, 1855. He grew up on his parents’ farm and then migrated to Idaho. His home in 1883 was in Bellevue, Blaine County, ID.
On April 25, 1882, at the age of 26, Aaron wed 17-year-old Harriett Shirley “Hattie” Irish (Aug. 17, 1865-1936), originally from Illinois. Their wedding vows were exchanged in Blaine County.
Four known offspring of this marriage were Irwin Cleveland Gaumer, Lulu Marie Gaumer, Ray Eastman Gaumer and Ila Dolores Gaumer.
From Idaho, they relocated to Oregon, where their second child was born in November 1887. The family pulled up stakes again and by July 1891, at the birth of their third, were in Anacortes in Washington State. In August 1897, their fourth and final child was born back in Idaho.
As of 1898, they had migrated once again, to Salt Lake City, UT, with Aaron earning a living as a traveling agent for a stamping company. The federal census enumeration of 1900 shows them in Salt Lake City at 708 East Fourth Street South.
Aaron switched occupations by 1920. That year, they dwelled in Palo Verde, Riverside County, CA, and he worked as a house carpenter, and their daughter and son-in-law Ila and Jesse B. Perkins lived in the household.
Their home in 1909-1910 was in Salt Lake City, UT. Aaron continued his work as a building contractor. In advertisements he placed in the Salt Lake Tribune, he promised that he would lend “any amount of money for home building on the installment plan, at 8 per cent interest. No bonus required. It is time home-builders were waking up. One-third of your money saved by doing business with people who are satisfied with reasonable interest in their money.” Also in 1909, he purchased a seat on the new Utah Stock and Mining Exchange.
One of Aaron’s contracts signed in 1909 was with the Birrell Real Estate and Building Company for erection of a double, six-room modern terrace house for F.W. Drommerhausen at the corner of Ninth South and First West Streets.
Unfortunately, the Gaumer marriage was troubled. Samuel and Hattie may have put on appearances at late December 1909 marriage of their daughter Lulu to Frank Johnson in their home, brightly decorated for the holidays. But the pair separated a few weeks later, with Hattie moving out, and the unwelcome news reported in the Jan. 22, 1910 edition of the Salt Lake Herald-Republican:
When Aaron I. Gaumer, a contractor, living at 1143 East Second South, returned home yesterday afternoon, after being absent for about a week, he found that both his wife and furniture were missing. “My wife’s gone away,” he said last night in the corridor of the Cullen hotel, “but I’m not doing any ‘hoorahing’ around about it.” This statement was supplemented by big, deep sobs from the man.” She’s gone away,” he sobbed. “Did she take the children with her?” was asked. “Yes,” he said, “and the furniture too. About a week ago we had a quarrel,” he continued, “I left home for a time, but when I went back this afternoon I found nothing there but an empty house. All the furniture was gone, including a $1,000 piano and several expensive rugs. There was not a word of any kind left, and I don’t know where she is. I have been a road man, and I think that I will start out again. What is the use of staying here, when a man has no wife and no furniture? She’s got the furniture, and I suppose she may as well have the house…” Mr. Gaumer says that all the trouble was caused by a drink of whisky taken the day of the quarrel. His wife, he says, told him that she would have nothing to do with any man who drank whisky.
For the last two years of his life, Aaron suffered from acute yellow atrophy of the liver, and then in about October 1920 was diagnosed with “gastritis enteritis” – an infection and inflammation of the lining of the stomach and small intestine. At the age of 65, he died in the County Hospital in Riverside, CA on Nov. 9, 1920. The remains were lowered under the sod of Mount Olivet Cemetery. An obituary in the Salt Lake Telegram said the cause of death was “a nervous breakdown.”
The widowed Hattie lived in 1924 in Huntington Beach, CA, at 1803 Walnut Avenue. Death enveloped her on April 13, 1936.
Son Irwin Cleveland Gaumer (1884-1969) was born on Oct. 30, 1884 in Idaho. He may have been named in part for the newly elected president of the United States, Grover Cleveland. Circa 1909, he was active with the local Typographical Union in Salt Lake and elected to the Sale Lake Federation of Labor. Then in 1913 he was named to the executive committee of the union. He advertised in the Salt Lake Telegram in 1919 that he was serving as local subscription agent for Hearst’s Magazine and offering it on an annual basis for $2.00 rather than the $3.00 newsstand price. Among the other titles he was handling was Good Housekeeping. He dwelled at Salt Lake City in 1920 and was named that year as “Edwin” in his father’s Telegram obituary. As of 1921, he placed advertising offering photographs of top Hollywood film stars such as Chaplin, Fairbanks, Normand, Pickford and the Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties. Irwin was united in matrimony with Theresa E. Hulse (Dec. 4, 1884-1927), daughter of James H. Hulse. The pair did not reproduce. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 42 at home in Salt Lake on Feb. 4, 1927. Her obituary appeared in the Telegram.
Daughter Lulu Marie Gaumer (1887-1961) was born on Nov. 6, 1887 in Oregon. In young womanhood she was active with the East Side Baptist Christian Endeavors. Three days before Christmas 1909, in the pastor’s home in Salt Lake City, she entered into marriage with George Franklin “Frank” Johnson (Aug. 12, 1882- ? ). Officiating was Rev. L.S. Bowerman of the Manuel Baptist Church. The union was announced in the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News, which said that “The rooms were decorated throughout in the Christmas reds and greens, bells and holly being used with pretty effect… The bride wore a gown of cream-satin with lace trimmings and carried a shower boquet [sic] of brides roses.” As of 1920, their residence was in Salt Lake City. The trio of known children of this marriage were Margaret Cox, Vera/Vira Chestnutt and Ralph Wesley Johnson. The Johnsons spent most of their lives together in Stockton, CA. Then in about 1953, Lulu migrated to Oakland, Alameda County, CA. Sadly, at the age of 73, Lulu suffered a stroke and passed away in a hospital in Alameda on Jan. 7, 1961. Her obituary appeared in the Tracy (CA) Press, and interment was in Park View Cemetery in Stockton.
- Granddaughter Margaret Johnson married (?) Cox. She lived in Tracy, CA in 1961.
- Granddaughter Vera/Vira Johnson wed (?) Chestnutt. They put down roots in Oakland, CA.
- Grandson Ralph Wesley “Wes” Johnson ( ? -1975) was born in about 1910 in Salt Lake City. He wed Elizabeth “Pat” Pucci ( ? - ? ). They became the parents of Richard Wesley Johnson and Sister Donna Johnson, O.P. The Johnsons lived in Diablo, CA in the 1970s. Ralph was employed as vice president and sales manager with Tayler Roofing. He also was a member of the Carpenters Union Local 266 in Stockton and belonged to the Auxiliary of the Legion of Mary of St. Isidore’s Catholic Church and the Dominican Guild of Mission San Jose. The family was plunged into mourning when, at the age of 64, Ralph died on March 7, 1975. The San Francisco Examiner and the Richmond (CA) Independent published obituaries, in which the family asked that any memorial contributions be made to the American Heart Association or the Dominican Sisters.
Great-grandson Richard Wesley Johnson tied the marital cord with Suzanne Waldron ( ? - ? ). They made their dwelling-place in Diablo, CA in 1975 and bore this trio of children – Scott Wesley Johnson, Elizabeth Johnson and Alexis Johnson. Their son Scott is the keeper of precious family manuscript records and graciously has shared copies with the founder of this website.
Great-granddaughter Sister Donna Johnson, O.P., joined the Order of the Dominican Sisters and in 1975 served in Anaheim, CA.
 |
| Ogden, UT and the Wasatch Mountains |
Son Ray Eastman Gaumer (1891-1970) was born on July 6, 1891 in Anacortes, WA. He established his dwelling at Ogden, UT in 1913, accepting employment with Amalgamated Sugar Company. He remained in Ogden for the remaining 57 years of life. On June 21, 1916, Ray entered into wedlock with fellow Ogden resident Myrtle Rowland (Sept. 28, 1890-1978). The couple’s only son was Rowland E. Gaumer. His employer in 1917, when he was required to register for the World War I military draft, was Van Noy Interstate Company, with him working as a news agent. In 1920, he joined the U.S. Postal Service facility at its Ogden terminal, and worked there for five years. He moved to the Railway Mail Service in 1925 and remained for the final 35 years of his career. His initial route was from Ogden to Imlay, NV. In time, he switched to a route between Ogden and Lovelock, NV, a run of 26 hours, every fourth day. He finally retired at the age of 69 in July 1961 and was pictured in a related article in the Ogden Standard-Examiner. He was active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held the office of High Priest Quorum. Ray also enjoyed following the fortunes of the Ogden Reds minor league baseball team of the Pioneer League, circa 1939-1955, and was keenly disappointed when they ceased operations. One future hall of famer he would have seen play in 1953 was Frank Robinson, who went on to fame with the Cincinnati Reds and Baltimore Orioles. Once the teams arrived on the West Coast in 1958, Ray began following the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants of the Major Leagues. He also enjoyed fishing. The Gaumers’ final address was in a 1,200 sq. ft. home at2840 Jackson Avenue. A drawing of Myrtle was used in the Standard Examiner in March 11, 1970, stating that they had converted their 44-year-old house to electric heat in about 1965 and that “You can’t beat electric heat. It’s a lot cleaner. We like the individual room temperature controls.” He died in a local nursing home at the age of 79 on July 15, 1970. His photograph accompanied his obituary in the Standard Examiner. Funeral rites were led by Bishop Vurl L. Clark of the 17th Ward, followed by interment in Ogden City Cemetery. Myrtle outlived her husband for some years. Death cleaved her away on May 3, 1978.
- Grandson Rowland Eastman Gaumer (1918-2007) was born on May 6, 1918 in Ogden, UT. In young manhood he stood 5 feet, 8½ inches tall and weighed 155 lbs. He was a 1938 graduate of Weber College, with an associate degree in science, and a 1941 graduate of the University of Utah. At the outbreak of World War II, he joined the U.S. Army on Sept. 5, 1942, and served in the Pacific Theatre for 36 months with postings to New Guinea and the Philippine Islands. During this term he is known to have specialized in bacteriology, with a laboratory on the north end of Mindanao in the Philippines, near a pineapple canning plant operated by California Packing Corporation of Ogden. He returned to his alma mater after the war and in 1952 received his master’s degree in invertebrate zoology. He was hired in 1955 to teach mathematics and science in Granite Junior High in Salt Lake and in 1958 moved to Granger High School. Rowland was united in matrimony with Florence Rasciot (1918-1996). Sadly, she died in Salt Lake on St. Patrick’s Day 1996. He lived on for another nine years and succumbed to the spectre of death at the age of 89 on July 15, 2007. Their remains are in eternal repose in Larkin Sunset Lawn Cemetery in Salt Lake.
Daughter Ila Dolores Gaumer (1897-1986) was born on Aug. 1, 1897 in Boise, ID. She was joined in wedlock in August 1897 with Jesse B. Perkins (Sept. 19, 1896-1957), a Kentucky native. The newlyweds resided in the home of Ila’s parents in Palo Verde, CA in 1920, with Jesse earning a living as a carpentry laborer. They went on to produce two offspring – Eugene Perkins and Betty Sprinkle. In about 1926, they moved to Garden Grove, CA, and stayed for the 31 remaining years of their lives together. Their longtime address was 11302 Acacia. Jesse is known to have been a member of the Isaak Walton League of Garden Grove. Jesse died at Santa Ana Community Hospital at age 61 on June 10, 1957. The Santa Ana Register printed an obituary. Ila outlived him by nearly three decades. She was gathered away by the angel of death in Garden Grove, CA on Dec. 16, 1986. Her remains sleep for all eternity in Westminster Memorial Park.
- Granddaughter Betty Perkins was joined in wedlock with (?) Sprinkle.
- Grandson Eugene Perkins joined the U.S. Air Force and in 1957 was stationed in France.
~ Daughter Emma Jane (Gaumer) Jones ~
Daughter Emma Jane Gaumer (1857-1946) was born on July 24, 1857 at Fairview Village, Worcester Township, Montgomery County, PA.
She was baptized in infancy in the year she was born. As a young woman, she resided in Worcester Township, Montgomery County.
On Aug. 3, 1886, when both were 28 years of age, Emma Jane tied the marital cord with teacher Samuel Landis Jones (Oct. 23, 1857-1910), son of Samuel J. and and Mary Jones of Norristown, PA. O.P. Smith officiated.
Their two children were Addison Leslie Jones and Edna Aurelia Eichlin.
The Joneses settled in Easton, Northampton County, PA. There, Samuel headed the Stewart Business College at what today is Rider University in Trenton, NJ and at one time owned Easton School of Business. Their dwelling-place in 1910 was at 834 Northampton Street in Easton.
Suffering from kidney disease, Samuel died at the age of 52 on Aug. 13, 1910.
Emma lived for another 35-plus years as a widow. Later in life, her residence was in Easton at 729 Reeder Street. Burdened with hardening of the arteries, and then after having been stricken by a cerebral hemorrhage, she was admitted to the Betts Hospital in Easton. She died after a stay of three weeks, at age 88, on Feb. 21, 1946. Daughter Edna Eichlin of the residence signed the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. Burial was in Easton Heights Cemetery, Northampton County.
Daughter Edna Aurelia Jones (1884-1947) was born on May 25, 1884 in Easton, PA or in Trenton, NJ. Said the Allentown Morning Call, she “studied music at the Leschetitsky school in Philadelphia after her graduation from the Easton High school and for a number of years was piano soloist and accompanist on the Chatauqua circuit. She was prominent in musical circles in the Lehigh Valley as a teacher of piano, soloist and accompanist, and was a former director of Easton Community Concerts Assn., which she served as executive secretary for several years.” Edna also held memberships in the Woman’s Club in Easton and chaired the budget and finance committee of the Woman’s Auxiliary of the American Optometric Association. She also studied at Wilson College and belonged to the First Presbyterian Church of Easton. On Sept. 5, 1928, when she was 44 years of age, she married widower Dr. Edwin E. Eichlin Sr. (Aug. 25, 1884-1971), son of Charles and Ella (Serfass) Eichlin. The nuptials were held in the Brainerd Presbyterian Church in Easton, presided by Rev. John E. Mertz. Edwin’s brother Arthur and Edna’s aunt Caroline Gaumer were the attendants. Edwin had been married before to Margaret Ricker Walters (1893-1925) and brought a stepson into the second family, Dr. Edwin E. Eichlin Jr. The Eichlins dwelled in Easton at 729 Reeder Street. Edwin was a 1905 graduate of the Philadelphia Optical College. He went on to become a prominent optometrist and active in the community and the profession. Circa 1936, he held the seat of state treasurer with the American Optometric Association. He also was treasurer of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association for at least eight consecutive terms and in 1935 attended its 39th annual convention dinner at which the guest speaker was Pennsylvania Gov. George H. Earle. He also sat on the board of directors of the Rotary Club of Easton and was president of the Lehigh Valley Optometric Society. Edna was diagnosed with hypertension and hardening of the arteries in 1939. She lived with these conditions for another eight years but, at the age of 52, suffered a heart attack and died on June 5, 1947. Interment was in Easton Heights Cemetery, with the Morning Call publishing an obituary. Edwin survived his bride for a number of years and stayed active. In 1955, he was elected president of the Northampton County Building and Loan Association. He surrendered to the angel of death at home at the age of 87 on Christmas Day 1971. The Morning Call ran an obituary.
- Step-grandson Edwin E. Eichlin Jr. ( ? -1996) was born on (?) in Easton. He graduated from Lafayette College and in 1936 received his doctorate in optometry from Pennsylvania State College. Circa 1938, he and his father were in practice together in Easton. On Nov. 15, 1939, he married Frances C. Smith ( ? - ? ), daughter of J. Norwood Stipe of Easton. Their nuptials were conducted by the hand of Rev. Dr. Franklin K. Fretz at St. John’s Lutheran Church. The happy event was made public in the Allentown Morning Call, which said that the bride “wore a green moire afternoon dress with sweetheart neckline, short puffed sleeves and a full length bouffant skirt. She wore a short green veil and carried a bouquet of pale yellow roses, bouvardia and cypripedium orchids.” They remained together over the ebbs and flows of a remarkable 56 years. Two known offspring of the pair were Jo Ann Carr and Edwin E. Eichlin III. During World War II, Edwin joined the U.S. Merchant Marine. Later, he and his father continued their practice until the father’s death in 1971 and continued on afterward, spanning a total of four decades in the profession. He served a term as president of the Pomfret Club in Easton and was a member of the Easton Rotary Club. Their address in 1996 was 156 ½ Pennsylvania Avenue, Easton. Edwin died in Easton Hospital on March 14, 1996. The Morning Call printed an obituary.
Great-granddaughter Jo Ann Eichlin married (?) Carr and moved to Paris, TX.
Great-grandson Edwin E. Eichlin III moved to Nesconset, NY.
Son Addison Leslie Jones (1887-1953) was born on March 9, 1887 in Abington, Montgomery County, PA. Dr. Elmer J. Dech assisted in the birth. Addison was a graduate of Easton High School and Lafayette College. In young manhood he stood 5 feet, 6 inches tall and weighed 160 lbs. He injured the little finger on his left hand which remained scarred and stiff thereafter. When he was 24 years of age, the day after Christmas 1910, Addison was joined in wedlock with Flora Buss (March 14, 1891- ? ) of Freemansburg, PA. They exchanged vows in the Cathedral Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, PA. Together, they produced a brood of two daughters – Marie Young and Jeanne Gaumer Wood. Circa 1911, the Jonese lived at 834 Northampton Street in Easton, with him earning a living as a teacher. He left the field of public education and went to work in sales for Elliott Fisher Company at its branch in Harrisburg, PA. He was transferred by the firm to its office in Toronto, Canada as of 1919, with an annual salary of $2,000. The family moved to Buffalo, NY by the late 1930s and into 1940, employed by the Bettinger Coal and Coke Corporation. During World War II, he worked in the purchasing department of Curtis-Wright Corporation, a manufacturer of aircraft engines and components. Later, he was employed as a salesman for Buffalo Dental Manufacturing Company. In 1947, they relocated to East Aurora, Erie County, NY, at the address of 271 Olean Street. At the age of 66, he died in East Aurora on Sept. 19, 1953. Following funeral rites presided by Rev. B. Gibson Lewis Jr. of the First Presbyterian Church, the remains were transported back to Easton to sleep for the ages in Easton Heights Cemetery. The Buffalo News printed an obituary.
- Granddaughter Marie Gaumer Jones (1911-1974) was born on Nov. 27, 1911 in Easton, PA. On Aug. 25, 1934, in Buffalo, NY, she wed George Boyd Young Jr. (June 3, 1910-1988), originally from Depew, NY. A foursome of known children of the couple were Jelene Boyd Young, Patricia Boyd Young, Margery Gale Young and George Boyd Young III. Sadly, eldest daughter Jelene died in Buffalo at the age of four on July 9, 1940. They dwelled in East Aurora, NY in 1953. Sadly, Marie passed away at the age of 62 in July 1974. Burial was in Oakwood Cemetery in East Aurora. George survived her by 14 years and died in 1988.
Great-granddaughter Patricia Boyd Young (1938- ? ) was born on Feb. 23, 1938.
Great-granddaughter Margery Gale Young (1940- ? ) was born on May 9, 1940.
Great-grandson George Boyd Young III (1943-2000) was born on Aug. 19, 1943 in Buffalo, NY. He married Rosalie A. (1942- ? ). George died in Cheektowaga, NY on Leap Day 2000. Burial was in Elma (NY) Cemetery.
- Granddaughter Jeanne Gaumer Jones (1915-2012) was born on Feb. 14 or 22, 1915 in Easton, PA. On June 19, 1937, she married Frederick Joseph “Fritz” Wood Jr. (Sept. 2, 1914-2000), son of F.J. Wood Sr. of Lancaster, NY. The wedding ceremony was held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Mayville, NY, officiated by Rev. Vollmer, “beautiful in its simplicity,” reported the Lancaster Enterprise. The bride “was attired in navy blue georgette, made in jacket effect, with white accessories. Her navy crepe turban was trimmed with tulle, and she wore a corsage of white roses and lilies of the valley.” Their trio of daughters included Lynne Gaumer Smith, Judith Clara Merritt and Sally Jenne Jakielaszek. Frederick was a 1932 graduate of Lancaster High School. Early in his career, Frederick was a painter and was inspired to invent an edging tool known as “Shur-Line.” Then in 1953, he launched his own firm, Shur-Line Manufacturing Co., in Depew, NY “with a two-wheel paint edger, some willing family members and a storefront,” said a newspaper. The business grew and after four years he relocated to Lancaster, NY. Said the newspaper, “By 1983, it was evident that Shur-Line had outgrown its existing space. A year later, a new 64,000 square foot facility was built in Lancaster Village Industrial Park, which now houses 100 employees. When [he] retired in 1987, he held several patents and his company produced 80 different convenience painting tools that were marketed and sold worldwide. From brushes and edgers to putty knives, do-it-yourself painters had gotten comfortable with the Shur-Line name.” His legion of memberships included Lancaster Opera House, the Historical Society, Boys and Girls Club, as a board director of the Lancaster branch of M&T Bank, Rotary Club of Lancaster-Depew Rotary, Lancaster Country Club, presidency of the Lancaster Parent-Teacher Association, and warden, choir director and lay reader at the Trinity Episcopal Church. The couple retired to Palm Harbor, FL. He died there on Sept. 21,2000. Jeanne endured as a widow for another dozen years. She was swept away by the heavenly host at the age of 97, in West Seneca, NY, on July 10, 2012.
Great-granddaughter Lynne Gaumer Wood (1938- ? ) was born in 1938 in Buffalo, NY. She wed James Smith and spent their married lives in Buffalo. Sadly, he was deceased by 2000.
Great-granddaughter Judith Clara Wood (1939- ? ) was born in 1939. She married Dennis Merritt. The pair settled in Lancaster, NY.
Great-granddaughter Sally Jenne Wood (1943- ? ) was born in 1943. She tied the marital cord with Ronald Jakielaszek and put down roots in Depew, NY.
~ Son Isaac Mattern Gaumer ~
Son Isaac Mattern Gaumer (1860-1935) was born on March 19, 1860 in Fairview, Worcester Township, Montgomery County, PA and named for his mother’s father.
In infancy, at age four months, he was baptized on Aug. 5, 1860.
Isaac was twice-wed. In 1884, in Philadelphia, at the age of 24, he wed his first wife, May “Ida” Custer (Feb. 18, 1860-1908), daughter of Matthias and Isabelle (Schaeffer) Custer.
 |
| Sweeping view of the City of Brotherly Love, early 1900s |
Three children were born into this family – Elsie Marie Daniels, Florence May Audibert and Elmer S. Gaumer. Sadness blanketed the family when son Elmer died at the tender age of only 25 days.
Some evidence in newspapers of the era of the late 1890s suggests that Isaac was a member of the Decatur lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows lodge in Philadelphia.
When the federal census enumeration was made in 1900, the Gaumers were in Philadelphia, and Isaac earned a living as a produce dealer. Their longtime address was 3001 Norris Street.
Further heartbreak rocked the family when, at the age of 48, Ida was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease. A physician treated her for several weeks before her death on Dec. 6, 1908. The details may be lost to history. She was laid to rest with her infant son in Augustus Lutheran Church Cemetery in Trappe, Montgomery County, perhaps also known as Collegeville.
Then in about 1910, he again entered into marriage with widow Josephine (Sharp) Caldwell (Dec. 17, 1859-1940), daughter of Isaac Sharp of Philadelphia. She and her first husband John Caldwell (1843-1907) were the parents of four, with two living at the time of the second union.
The U.S. Census of 1910 shows Isaac and Josephine and the girls in the Norris Street house in Philadelphia, with his occupation shown as “salesman – street.” They kept two boarders in their household, house painter E. Edwin Hamilton and his wife Celia.
They lived in Philadelphia for decades. The family address in 1920-1935 was at 1971 North 29th Street. Celia Hamilton continued to be a renter in the household. Isaac generated income in 1920 as a painter and daughter Florence as a shipper of coal and wood.
At the age of 75, Isaac was burdened with chronic heart disease and hardening of the arteries and then developed bronchitis and buildup of fluid in the lungs. He died from their effects on April 10, 1935. Burial was in Fernwood Cemetery in Lansdowne, Delaware County, PA.
As a widow, Josephine survived for another five years and remained in Philadelphia, moving to a home at West Chester Pike and Media Road in Newtown Square. She suffered from uremia, hardening of the arteries and chronic kidney disease and passed away at the age of 80 on May 17, 1940. Burial was in Fernwood Cemetery. Her onetime boarder, Celia Hamilton of Newton Square, signed the official Pennsylvania certificate of death.
Daughter Elsie Marie Gaumer (1894-1976) was born on June 20, 1894 in Philadelphia. At the age of 15, she worked as a hatmaker in Philadelphia. On Nov. 16, 1918, Elsie entered into marriage with German immigrant Emil August Danielzich (Oct. 9, 1892-1964), son of Ludwig and Louisa (Magorra) Danielzich, shortened to "Daniels." Emil had come to America from the town of Loetzen at the age of two, sailing from the Port of Bremen aboard the Vera. One offspring of this union was June Ida Moban. At the daughter's birth in 1924, the parents had the child baptized at St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Camden, NJ. They lived on Philadelphia's Georgian Road in 1930-1932, with Emil employed as manager of a coal company. The couple separated by 1940 and their marriage dissolved in divorce by 1941. Her final residence was in The Windsor Towers at 500 North Walnut Street in Wilmington, DE. She died in the Memorial Division of Wilmington Medical Center on Nov. 10, 1976. An obituary in the Wilmington News Journal said she was the sister of Florence M. Audibert of Barrington, NJ and that the family asked that any memorial gifts be made to the American Cancer Society. Former husband Emil lived in Philadelphia in 1940, working as a merchant in the retail fuel industry. He married twice again, in Manhattan in 1941 to Iola E. Benham ( ? - ? ) and later to Cora B. ( ? -? ). He spent his final years at 6109 Wayne Avenue in Philadelphia. Suffering from cancer of the rectum, which spread, he passed away in Germantown Hospital on June 8, 1964. His remains were laid to rest in Westminster Cemetery.
- Granddaughter June Ida Daniels (1924- ? ) was born on March 11, 1924, possibly in New Jersey. She received the rite of Christian baptism on April 13, 1924 in St. Paul's Lutheran Church in or near Camden, NJ. On Nov. 27, 1947, she was joined in the union of wedlock with Joseph Charles Moban Jr. (Nov. 2, 1922- ? ).
Daughter Florence May Gaumer (1899-1987) was born on Dec. 15, 1899 in Philadelphia. At the age of 19, on April 23, 1919, she was joined in the bonds of matrimony with 18-year-old Frederick Earl Audibert Sr. (Nov. 24, 1900-1956), son of George Audibert. The pair together produced a family of four – Frederick “Earl” Audibert Jr., Robert “Paul” Audibert, Barbara J. Lambert and Shirley Borrell. They made a home together in Pennsauken, NJ in 1930 and in the mid-1950s in Philadelphia at 2960 North Fairhill Street. Frederick earned a living in 1930 as a salesman for a coal company. During the early half of the 1930s, they moved to Philadelphia, where in 1940 he was employed as a dispatcher and weigh master in the coal industry. Sadly, on March 3, 1956, the 55-year-old Frederick was stricken with a massive heart attack and was rushed to Episcopal Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer said that burial would be in Sunset Memorial Park. The widowed Florence outlived her husband by more than three decades and moved to Barrington, Camden County, NJ. Death spirited her away in March 1987.
- Grandson Frederick “Earl” Audibert Jr. (1920-2004) was born on Feb. 20, 1920 in Pennsylvania. As an infant, on Jan. 13, 1921, he was baptized in the 29th Street Methodist Episcopal Church by the hand of Rev. R.E. Johnson. He grew up in Pennsauken, NJ. On Oct. 2, 1943, Earl married 17-year-old Thelma Rae Crouch (Dec. 2, 1926 - ? ). They became the parents of Virginia Mancini, Marsha Gail Gurnon and Nancy Pratt. For many years, Earl was employed as a bookbinder and paper cutter in Philadelphia by several firms including Oldeck Company, National Publishing, Arlington Sample Books and Winchell Printing Company. He lived at 404 Centre Street in Haddenfield, NJ in 1956 and in Barrington, NJ in 1999. He died at home at age 84 on Feb. 25, 2004. An obituary appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, in which the family asked that any memorial contributions be made to the United Methodist Church of Mantua, NJ. The headcount of his survivors was nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Great-granddaughter Virginia Audibert married Edward Mancini. They relocated to Exeter, RI.
Great-granddaughter Marsha Gail Audibert wed Richard Gurnon. They too moved to Rhode Island and dwelled in North Kingstown.
Great-granddaughter Nancy Audibert was joined in wedlock with (?) Pratt. Her dwelling-place in 2004 was in Harpers Ferry, WV.
- Granddaughter Barbara Jane Audibert (1926-1999) was born on March 3, 1926 in Merchantville, NJ. When she was 18 years of age, on Sept. 8, 1944, she married Robert Paul Lambert (Feb. 18, 1923-1982). Their nuptials took place in Mississippi. Four children born into this family were Bruce E. Lambert, Judith L. Bradley, Phyllis E. Long and Tracey V. Caruso. They relocated to Indiana, PA, where for 25 years Barbara was employed by St. Andrew’s Village as a nurse’s age. The family attended the Presbyterian Church. Sadness cascaded over the family at Robert’s death in 1982. Barbara stayed in Indiana for the balance of her years. Death swept her away into eternity at the age of 72 on Jan. 3, 1999. Funeral rites were conducted by Rev. Elizabeth B. Rogers. The Indiana Gazette printed an obituary which said she was survived by 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Great-grandson Bruce E. Lambert established a home in Tingree Grove, IL.
Great-granddaughter Judith Lambert wed (?) Bradley. They lived in Berwyn, PA in 1999.
Great-granddaughter Phyllis E. Lambert married (?) Long. The pair relocated to Terre Haute, IN.
Great-granddaughter Tracey V. Lambert entered into marriage with (?) Caruso. Their residence in 1999 was in McKees Rocks near Pittsburgh.
- Granddaughter Shirley Mae Audibert (1928- ? ) was born on Nov. 9, 1928. She and Frank Cleveland Borrell Sr. ( ? -1992), originally from Roanoke Rapids, NC, were wed on April 19, 1947 in North Carolina. They made their home in Deptfort, NJ and were the parents of four – David Borrell, Frank C. Borrell Jr., Janice West and Patricia McCarty. Frank was a U.S. Army veteran of World War II. He was trained as an electrician and was employed over the years in Camden, NJ by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and Campbell Soup Company. Frank died at the age of 68 on Oct. 30, 1992 in Underwood-Memorial Hospital in Woodbury, NJ. His survivors included six grandchildren and one great-grandson. An obituary was printed in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Interment of the remains was in North Carolina.
Great-grandson David Borrell was in Deptford, NJ in 1992.
Great-grandson Frank C. Borrell Jr. moved to Indianapolis.
Great-granddaughter Janice Borrell tied the marital cord with (?) West. She lived in Deptford, NJ in the early 1990s.
Great-granddaughter Patricia Borrell wed (?) McCarty. In 1992, she resided in West Deptford, NJ.
- Grandson Robert “Paul” Audibert (1931-1996) was born on Oct. 22, 1931 or 1932 in either Merchantville or North Collingswood, NJ. He was united in wedlock with Armond P. Fish ( ? -? ). She brought a stepdaughter into the union, Deborah E. Haring. Paul is known to have been the father of four own – Robert Audibert, Wayne Audibert, Mark Audibert and Therese McCord. Paul joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served during both the Korean War and Vietnam War, logging 27 years in all. His final assignment was at the New Cumberland Army Depot. After retirement, the couple made their final residence in Fairview Township, New Cumberland, PA. He held memberships in the New Cumberland post of the American Legion, Etters post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, National Association of Retired Federal Employees, National Rifle Association, Chosen Few, Korean Veterans Association, Marine Distinguished Shooters Association and Marine Corps Association. Sadly, at the age of 65, he died at Holy Spirit Hospital in Camp Hill on Nov. 4, 1996. He was pictured in his obituary in the York (PA) Dispatch. Burial was at Indiantown Gap Cemetery.
Great-grandson Robert Audibert lived in San Marcos, CA in 1996.
Great-grandson Wayne Audibert settled in San Marcos, CA.
Great-grandson Mark Audibert put down roots in Kirkland, OH.
Great-granddaughter Theresa Audibert tied the knot with (?) McCord and moved to Parkersburg, IA.
~ Daughter Martha Susanna (Gaumer) Markley ~
Daughter Martha Susanna Gaumer (1863-1923) was born on Dec. 2, 1863 in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, PA.
As with her siblings, she was baptized in infancy, on June 2, 1864, when she was six months old.
In 1891, when she was 28 years of age, she married John Landis Markley (July 6, 1864-1914), son of Samuel and Mary (Landis) Markley.
The Markleys bore two children, neither of whom appear to have survived infancy, and were deceased by 1900. The pair planted themselves in the city of brotherly love with an address of 546 North 17th Street, sharing the address in 1900 with Martha’s mother and single sisters Marie and Caroline. John generated income at that time as a piano salesman.
Then in 1910, the couple lodged in the household of widow Virginia Leynam and family on Oxford Street, with John continuing to sell pianos.
Sadly, John suffered from heart disease. He died at the age of 49 on Jan. 27, 1914. Interment of the remains was in the burying ground of the Augustus Lutheran Church at Trappe, Montgomery County. A brief obituary appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer.
As a widow, Martha survived by another nine years. She moved back in with her unmarried sisters on North 17th Street.
Martha also was diagnosed with heart disease. After contracting bronchitis in the late winter of 1923, her health plummeted and she died in Philadelphia on March 27, 1923 at the age of 59. Her sister Marie was the informant for the death certificate. Burial was in the Lutheran Church Cemetery in Trappe, PA.
~ Daughter Anna "Caroline" Gaumer ~
Daughter Caroline Gaumer (1866-1949) was born on April 15, 1866 in Worcester, Montgomery County, PA.
She was baptized on Oct. 28, 1866, at the age of five-and-a-half months. She never married.
Caroline in 1910 lived with her widowed mother and single sister Maria in a home on 17th Street in Philadelphia. Census records for that year show that she helped her sister in the dressmaking business. She remained at this address for many years with Marie and other adult siblings as they came and went.
  |
| Above: Pages from Caroline Gaumer's 1949 genealogy manuscript. Below: her final notes and signature in the family lists. Courtesy Scott Johnson |
 |
She is known to have stood as an attendant at the 1928 wedding of her niece Edna Aurelia Jones to Dr. Edwin E. Eichlin Sr., in a ceremony held at Brainerd Presbyterian Church in Easton.
In about 1949, the last year of her life, Caroline agreed to write out a family genealogy record. Her handwriting was in blue ink pen, single-spaced on ruled tablet paper spanning four pages in length, in a steady though slightly shaky hand. In concluding the compilation, she wrote:
Dear Relatives, I am not trying to give the geneology of our family, But several of the Juniors thought they thought, as I was the only one that could do it, I said I would do what I could, But only the Immediate family, and I have found it a Job, Now I can go no farther. They can Join the Task. I have done all I can. I am too shaky at 83rd year, I hope you can understand, Takes thinking and God Bless you all. Thank you for your help.
She is said to have died in Buffalo, NY in 1949, but this is not confirmed.
~ Son Jacob Leslie Gaumer ~
Son Jacob Leslie Gaumer (1869-1944) was born on June 28, 1869 in Worcester Township,, Montgomery County, PA.
Jacob was baptized on Dec. 12, 1869, at the age of five-and-a-half months.
As a young man was employed at Godshall’s flour mills in the Lansdale area. He spent the balance of his years in Lansdale. He is believed to have been an 1896 graduate of the Schissler Business College of Norristown.
On or about Sept. 8, 1897, he entered into marriage with Miriam Hallman (Brecht) Bean (June 28, 1872-1944), daughter of Samuel and Annie (Hadenan) Brecht. She had been married previously, and their wedding was held in her parents’ home at Centre Point. Said the Lansdale North Penn Reporter, “Quite a number of Lansdale friends” witnessed the ceremony.
Two children born to the pair were Samuel Brecht Gaumer and Anne Wieand.
Jacob continued to work for Godshall’s mill and in April 1901 was a partner in the incorporation of the business into a firm known as A.C. Godshall & Company for the purpose of manufacturing and selling flour and feed goods. His fellow investors included Abraham C. Godshall, William H.D. Godshall, Harvey H. Godshall and Henry C. Cressman. News of the matter was printed in the Reporter. It may have taken several years for the incorporation to be fully realized, as the Reporter announced in June 1905 that the charter had been granted, that the amount of capital stock was placed at $70,000 and that he owned 20 shares of the 453 issued.
Jacob also appears to have had musical talent. His name again appeared in the Reporter in March 1897 when performing the wedding march for the marriage of H. Frank Burkert and Laura Fisher.
For decades, the Gaumers lived at 518 Columbia Avenue in Lansdale.
Jacob came to the rescue of his son in September 1915 when subjected to hazing as a freshman at Lansdale High School. The boy and other “freshies” were taken to a local barn where their legs were painted green, tied with ropes, paraded along Main Street, forced onto the back of a stolen truck and driven a distance away, with the intent of unloading them and forcing them to walk back to town. Jacob at the wheel of his car came upon the group near the Wissahickon Creek Bridge on the Walsh Road, bringing the escapade to a close.
Miriam in her own right was active in the community and socially, taking part in several 1920 bridge card parties to raise funds for the Community Memorial Field and the Fairmount Fire Company. They also hosted bridge events at their home.
Jacob spent his career as general manager of the Godshall feed dealership and in 1922 acquired all of the stock held by the other partners. He announced at the time that he would run the flour and feed mill, coal and building materials operation effective April 1. Said the North Penn Review:
The business was established and the mill erected by the late A.C. Godshall in 1876. Mr. Gaumer states he intends to modernize and expand the business as well as instill “the spirit of 76” in same. The mill was operated by Mr. Godshall and his sons except for a short period about twenty years ago when it joined the trust and was conducted by the Eastern Milking and Export Company. Harvey H. Godshall, of Lansdale, and William H.D. Godshall, of Colmar, have been the active heads of the business since their father’s death. The former will eventually move to California for the benefit of his health. Mr. Gaumer is an experienced feed and flour man. For twenty years he was connected with the Godshall mill, being bookkeeper, salesman and member of the firm during this time. In 1917 he resigned and joined the selling force of E.K. Lemont & Sons, feed and grain dealers, of Philadelphia. Mr. Gaumer’s long and varied experience in the grain and feed business will stand him in good stead in conducting his venture and the residents of Lansdale and farmers of the surrounding country should feel glad that this enterprise has fallen into such capable hands.
Jacob enjoyed fishing with his former business partners at Godshall’s and on the Fourth of July 1926, he and Harvey Godshall and Harvey Moyer caught 23 lbs. of bass in the Perkiomen Creek. Husband-and-wife took a driving trip to the West in May 1928, to attend a Rotary convention in Minneapolis.
He retired seven years later, in 1929. During that final phase of his career, he joined the Keystone Automobile Association and was named to a committee serving Lansdale. In the community, he was a 32nd degree Mason and was active with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of the Golden Eagle as well as the Rotary Club of Lansdale. When giving a talk to the Rotary Club in March 1925, as covered in the Reporter, he encouraged local farmers to “raise more wheat” and said his mill “was forced to have 30,000 bushels of wheat shipped into Lansdale last year. He said that the farmers of this section could keep the $50,000 spent for this grain at home if they would increase their acreage.” He was unable to find a reason behind a decrease in this production and that a dozen local mills had stopped making flour. Also in that talk, said the Reporter:
He said the milling of grain was one of the first mechanical arts reaching back beyond written history. He traced the improvement of the process of making flour from the days of the Babylonians to the present efficient roller system by which four grades of flour are made. He said the Godshall mill made 25,000 barrels of flour last year and yet many residents of this section are using flour made 1000 miles away.
The firm made news in the summer of 1928 when furnishing cement for a Lansdale gasoline service station.
During the winter of 1926, Miriam and their son are known to have traveled to Florida with stops planned in Miami and Tampa. Jacob took up golf in 1927 and amazed fellow Rotarians when shooting a score of 51 on his first nine holes of play.
Jacob was afflicted in old age with chronic kidney problems, hardening of the arteries and related heart disease. At the age of 75, Jacob died on Oct. 27, 1944. Samuel Gaumer of Lansdale signed the death certificate. Burial was at the Wentz Reformed Church Cemetery in Montgomery County, later known as the Wentz United Church of Christ Cemetery.
The widowed Miriam only lived on for another two months. Suffering from abdominal cancer and cirrhosis of the liver, she surrendered to the angel of death two days after Christmas 1944.
Son Samuel Brecht Gaumer (1901-1999) was born on Aug. 3, 1901 in Lansdale, Montgomery County. He was an alumnus of Swarthmore College and also was a talented organist. Samuel joined his father’s firm, A.C. Godshall & Company, in about 1924, and two years later became a member of the Rotary Club. When giving a classification talk at Rotary in 1926, he spoke about the production of flour, and invited his father to attend to provide some pointers. He is known to have played the wedding march on the organ at his sister’s wedding in 1929. Samuel appears to have been twice-wed. His first bride circa 1929 was Anne Burns ( ? - ? ), daughter of Frank J. Burns of Kent Road in Wynnewood. Anne was pictured in a wedding announcement in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The pair did not reproduce. He later tied the knot on Valentine's Day 1947 with Dorothy Clymer Moyer (1921-1984). She was two decades younger than he. No children were born to the second marriage. Sadly, at the age of 63, Dorothy died in Oct. 1984. He lived on for another 15 years and at the end lived in Foulkeways. The angel of death spirited him away at the age of 97 on July 3, 1999. His remains were lowered to rest under the sod of Whitemarsh Memorial Park in Ambler, Montgomery County. A brief death notice in the Inquirer said he was “survived by several generations of nieces and nephews.”
Daughter Anna Elisabeth Gaumer (1904- ? ) was born on Sept. 15, 1904 in Lansdale, PA. On June 19, 1929, she exchanged marital vows with Warren George Wieand (July 7, 1904-1971), son of William Wieand of Columbia Avenue, Lansdale. The nuptials were conducted the same day he graduated from medical school and were held at St. John’s Reformed Church, by the hand of Rev. Alfred Nevin Sayres. More than 300 guests attended. The happy events were announced in the Lansdale North Penn Reporter, which said that she was “beautifully attired in a gown of cream satin and wore a tulle veil. She carried a shower bouquet of white roses and lily of the valley.” Two sons borne of this union were William George Weiand and Robert Warren Wieand. Warren had been a star athlete at Lansdale High School and went on to receive a bachelor of science degree at Pennsylvania State University and then a doctorate of medicine from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was president of the senior class. Upon graduation from Penn in 1929, he began an internship at the U.S. Naval Hospital at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Their home in 1929 was in Oak Lane, Lansdale. Warren was deployed to Parris Island, SC in the 1930-1932 timeframe, and his son William is known to have been born there in 1932. From there he was posted on the USS Arkansas in 1933. He subsequently was transferred to the Norfolk (VA) Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, where son Robert was born in 1935. Then in 1937 he moved again to the Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Warren was assigned in 1939 to an instructor’s role at the Naval Hospital in Washington, DC, and census records for 1940 show the family living in Alexandria, VA. A little more than a year before the outbreak of World War II, in November 1940, he was posted to the USS Relief. During the World War II years, circa 1944, while Warren was away, Anne made her dwelling-place in Narberth, PA. After the war’s end, by 1950, the Weiands relocated to Southern California, accepting an assignment in San Diego, as shown in the census. They stayed in San Diego for good. Warren died there on Jan. 14, 1971. Anne’s final fate is not yet known.
- Grandson William George Weiand (1933- ? ) was born on June 11, 1932 at Parris Island, SC. Some of his early years were spent in Lansdale, PA, Alexandria, VA, Narberth, PA and San Diego.
- Grandson Robert Warren Weiand (1935- ? ) was born on Dec. 4, 1935 at Norfolk, VA. He moved to California with his parents by 1950. He is known to have studied at Santa Clara University and then joined the U.S. Marine Corps. Circa 1959, he was stationed in Djakarta, Indonesia. On Oct. 30, 1959, in Australia, he is believed – though not confirmed – to have tied the marital cord with Patricia Karczewski ( ? - ? ), daughter of Matthew Karczewski of Chicago. She was a graduate of St. Michael’s High School of Chicago and at the time also was working in Djakarta, with the U.S. Department of State. The newlyweds were expected to first live in Australia, with Patricia resigning from her employment to join her husband.
| Copyright © 2024 Mark A. Miner |
| Minerd.com extends its gratitude to Scott Johnson and the late Anna "Caroline" Gaumer for providing valuable content for this biography. |