Red circle marks the location of the Phillippi farm at Paddytown, west of the bend in Chicken Bone Road. 1876 Atlas of Somerset County. Below: Samuel's "+" signature on an affidavit on behalf of his friend Green B. King of Kingwood. Courtesy National Archives.

When the federal census was enumerated in 1860, the Phillippis made their home on a farm near Paddytown in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, south of Kingwood. Mary Ann was known for her sewing and was considered a spinster, while their daughter Martha learned the craft and was known as a seamstress.

The family were longtime members of the local Methodist Episcopal Church in Paddytown, a congregation led by Mary Ann's brother Rev. Rev. Herman Younkin. They were considered a "consistent Christian couple." Unable to read or write, Samuel signed his name with a "+" sign as evidence by an 1880s affidavit he provided for his friend Green B. King of Kingwood, attesting to the value of the friend's real estate.

Mary Ann's obituary

During the Civil War, sons Jacob and Harmon are known to have joined the army as did son in law John Enos.

Then in 1870, living in Upper Turkeyfoot but with their post office listed as Somerfield, they remained in the agricultural business, with Samuel listed in the census as a farmer and his sons Aaron and Wesley as farm laborers. 

During the decade of the 1870s, all of their children left home except for son Aaron. The location of their farm -- to the west of Chicken Bone Road in Paddytown -- is clearly marked in a map of Upper Turkeyfoot Township published in the 1876 Atlas of Somerset County.

The census of 1880 shows Aaron unmarried, and age 30, living on his parents' farm. Among their near neighbors that year were their kinsmen Levi and Sarah C. Younkin, Jacob and Lucy (Weimer) Younkin, Simon and Salome (Younkin) Liston, Frederick F. and Sarah "Sally" (Faidley) Younkin, and Ephraim and Rosetta (Harbaugh) Minerd.

Sadness descended upon the family in 1892 when learning of the death of their son Wesley in Nebraska. His remains were laid to rest there.

Samuel died at age 85 on March 29, 1902.

Mary Ann lived for another two years. She passed away at the age of 86, in the residence of her daughter Martha Jane Enos, on April 16, 1904. Funeral services were held in the family church, led by Rev. S.W. Bryan of the Ursina circuit of the Methodist Episcopal denomination. Six of her grandsons served as pallbearers -- James Kregar, Frank Kregar, Charles Koontz, Samuel Koontz, John Enos and Jud Enos. Her remains were laid to rest beside her husband's in the Younkin Cemetery in Paddytown.

In an obituary, the Meyersdale Commercial published a short poem reading "Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers to wither at the north winds breath, And start to set -- but all, Thou has all seasons for thy own, oh'death!"The obituary went on to say that she "had been in delicate health from the infirmities of age all winter; about two weeks ago she commenced to fail and received all the kindness and care that tender hearts and loving hands could bestow, until the final end came, when she passed away as she had lived, gently and peacefully, from the world into which she had spent a most long and useful life, mourned and respected by all." The obituary added that seven of her children were living at the time and in all she left behind more than 120 descendants.

~ Son Herman Phillippi

Son Herman Phillippi (1837-1920) was born on May 27, 1837 (or 1838) in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County, PA. His name also has been spelled "Harmon."

He married Catherine Ann Leichliter (1836-1918). Their wedding took place on March 15, 1860, when Herman was age 23 and Catherine 24. No written record of the marriage was made.

They raised a foster son, Norman L. Davis.

As an adult, Herman stood 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He earned a living as a laborer.

On Oct. 24, 1862, at the age of 24, Herman was drafted into the Army during the Civil War as a member of the 171st Pennsylvania Infantry, Company K. Other of his Younkin cousins by blood or marriage serving in the same regiment were Balaam Younkin, Henry A. Miner and Charles Rose. During his time in the service, he attained the rank of corporal, but is not believed to have seen any action. After serving the required nine months, he was discharged at Harrisburg, PA on or about Aug. 6 or 11, 1863.

Herman returned to Kingwood, where he and Catherine were longtime farmers. 

As he aged, Herman began to be plagued by declining health, and applied for a federal pension as compensation for his wartime ailments. He claimed an inability to earn a living due to rheumatism, piles (hemorrhoids), kidney disease and loss of hearing in both ears. On Sept. 24, 1890, his petition was granted. [App. #922.935; Cert. #717.874] Over time, he applied for increases, with family and friends testifying on his behalf, among them Elmer Faidley, Milton Griffith, Frank Gerhard, Peter A. Kreger, Susan Kreger and J.C. Cunningham. In 1891, Alexander Blubaugh wrote that "I am well acquainted with Harmon Phillippi and have known him for 25 years or more and know him to be an honest, uprigh [sic] and morral [sic] man and of temperate habits and is considered such in the community in which he lives..."

By the time of his death in 1920, Herman earned $32 per month in payments.

Catherine died in 1918, of causes and at a location not yet known.

In about June 1919, Herman sold their farm and moved into his foster son's home Connellsville in nearby Fayette County. During the winter of 1920, suffering from pneumonia, he tripped and fell down a flight of stairs and was badly hurt. 

Unable to rally, he died on Feb. 21, 1920, at the age of 81.  Herman's remains were sent to Humbert on the Baltimore and Ohio train No. 42, where they were transported for burial to the Old Bethel Church of God Cemetery in Hexebarger near Kingwood. [Find-a-Grave] Foster son Norman L. Davis of Connellsville was the informant for his death certificate, with the surname spelled "Phillippie" on the document. The news made headlines in the Connellsville Daily Courier, reading "Fall Hastens Death - Plunge Down Flight of Stairs Comes After Pneumonia."

~ Son Jacob Phillippi

Son Jacob Phillippi (1842-1914) was born on Nov. 25, 1842 in Somerset County, PA. As an adult, he stood 5 feet, 8 inches tall, with a dark complexion, grey eyes and brown hair.

When the Civil War broke out, he traveled to Johnstown, Cambria County, PA where he joined the army on Aug. 12, 1862 and was assigned to the 142nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, Company C. Several of his Younkin cousins were members of this same regiment, and joined at or about the same time, among them Ephraim Minerd, Martin Miner, Andrew Jackson Rose Sr. and John S. Trimpey, all of them kinsmen by blood or by marriage.

Immediately upon enlistment, Jacob and his fellow soldiers were sent to Harrisburg, PA for basic training at Camp Curtin. He eventually rose to the rank of sergeant. 

During the war, said the Meyersdale Republican, Jacob "took part in 22 battles."

After the war's end, he mustered out of the 142nd Pennsylvania on May 29, 1865, near Washington, DC, having served for two years, nine months and 17 days.He returned home to the Kingwood area and resumed his occupation of farming.

Said the Republican, "He was a life-long member of the Lutheran Church, a devoted husband and father, a kind neighbor and man of the strictest honesty."

He was thrice married. His first wife was Elizabeth Bodes (or "Bodus") ( ? -1875).

The couple produced these children -- Lydia A. Snyder, Martha Jane King, John W. Phillippi and Albert W. Phillippi. 

When the federal census was enumerated in 1870, the Phillippis lived next to his married sister and brother in law, John and Martha Jane Enos, in Milford Township. Jacob was marked as a farmer, with their daughters Lydia (age 2) and Martha (4 months) in the household.

As did many of the extended Younkin clan of that era, they migrated to Clay County, Kansas in about 1874. Jacob later claimed to have "lived one year in Clay County."

Nothing more about Elizabeth is known, except that she died on April 10, 1875, at the age of 32, in Clay County. She presumably is buried there. She was mentioned many years afterward in her husband's newspaper obituary. Perhaps reflecting the upheaval or confusion that her passing caused the family, Jacob was unable to recall her death date later in life when that information was needed. 

The grieving widower and his four motherless children returned to Somerset County, where he spent the rest of his life.

Jacob's second bride was Elizabeth Snyder (1845-1893). They were wed in about 1877, after he came back from Kansas.

The couple had three more children -- Luther Phillippi, Lucy Shoemaker and Elmer Phillippi. 

Son Luther is thought to have been named for the famed minister Martin Luther, reflecting the Phillippi and Younkin families' strong ties to the Lutheran church.

Sadly, the family ached at the deaths of six-month-old son Luther on Feb. 22, 1879 and then again son Elmer at age one month in January 1886. Jacob kept a family Bible, published in 1875, in which were recorded the births and deaths of their children and family members.

The Phillippis lived on a farm four miles from Markleton in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County. The federal census of 1880 shows the family residing in Upper Turkeyfoot, with Jacob laboring as a farmer. That year, their next door neighbors were John S. and Nancy (Younkin) Trimpey.

Jacob was afflicted with heart and kidney disease and an enlarged prostate as he aged. The kidneys, he wrote, were "very painful ... affecting [my] back." Friend Cyrus Knopsnyder recalled that he "brought the doctor for him ... and visited him frequently during his sickness." He began drawing a military pension on Aug. 26, 1890. [Invalid App. #959869, Cert. #782.408.] That same year, he was named in a history of his regiment, War History, authored by Col. Horatio N. Warren. 

Sadly, Elizabeth died on Jan. 31, 1893, at the age of 46 years, nine months. She left behind her husband and their nine-year-old daughter Lucy. Her remains were placed at rest in the Kingwood Lutheran Church Cemetery.

Jacob only remained a widower for two and a half years. 

His third bride was Gertrude Ellen King (1866-1949), daughter of Moses and Harriet (Coughenour) King of neighboring Normalville, Fayette County. They were wed in Somerset on June 26, 1895, by the hand of Rev. F.P. Saylor. At the time, Jacob was age 51 and Gertrude 29 -- a difference of 22 years -- with she not having been born until a year after the war's end.

The pair went on to have at least three more children -- Lena Grace Johnson, Ruth E. Phillippi and Lawrence Jacob Phillippi.

Afflicted with paralysis caused by a stroke in the winter of 1914, Jacob's life began to ebb. Reported the Republican, "He was stricken on Wednesday afternoon and was taken to his home before he became unconscious and remained in that condition until his death." Jacob died at age 71 years, two months and 14 days on Feb. 12, 1914. S.J. King and Elmer Brougher were at his deathbed. 

Albert Phillippi of Meyersdale, Somerset County was the informant for his death certificate. Burial was in the Lutheran Cemetery in Kingwood. Local justice of the peace Willis L. Mills was among the mourners who attended the funeral and burial. [Find-a-Grave] Records show that his casket cost $55, the hearse $10 and grave digging $2.50.

After Jacob's death, several friends stepped forward -- among them cousins W.D. Younkin and Ephraim Schrock, as well as David F. Shultz and Frank F. Gerhard -- to help Gertrude with testimony and paperwork needed to obtain her husband's pension payments, which totaled $24 monthly at the time. They became effective Sept. 22, 1916. [Widow App. #1075243, Cert. #819142, XC #954744] She was paid $30 each month circa 1936 -- and in 1941, receiving $40 monthly, she wrote to her congressman J. Buell Snyder seeking an increase. It was declined due to the fact that she was not married to the soldier at the time of his military service. By 1949, the amount she received monthly was $48.

Gertrude made her home in the 1930s and '40s at 540 Leora Avenue in Rockwood. Suffering from "cardiac insufficiency," she died on June 1, 1949, at the age of 83. Interment was in Kingwood.

Daughter Lydia A. Phillippi (1868- ? ) was born on June 7, 1868 in Milford Township, Somerset. She wed Martin Austin Snyder (1872- ? ), son of Jeremiah and Josephine Snyder. The wedding service took place in the bride's home on March 30, 1893, led by Rev. J.E. McClay. Lydia was age 23, and Martin 21, at the time. Nothing more is known.

Daughter Martha Jane Phillippi (1870- ? ) was born on Feb. 27, 1870 in Milford Township, Somerset County, although she herself thought she had been born in Kansas. As a toddler she and her family migrated to Kansas, and returned after only one year following the death of her mother. She married (?) King. In about 1935, she moved to a residence in Champion, Donegal Township, Westmoreland County, PA, and remained there for the final two decades of her life. At the age of 85, suffering from hypertension and hardening of the arteries, she suffered bleeding in her brain and died on April 22, 1955. Mrs. Mary Klein of Somerset was the informant for her certificate of death. Her remains were placed into rest in the Mt. Nebo Cemetery in Champion, Saltlick Township, Fayette County.

Son John W. Phillippi (1871- ? ) was born on Oct. 12, 1871.

Son Albert W. Phillippi (1873- ? ) was born on Oct. 5, 1873. He worked as a laborer in young adulthood and lived near Rockwood in Black Township, Somerset County. At the age of 23, on Nov. 6, 1896, he wed 18-year-old Martha Shoemaker (1878- ? ), daughter of Peter and Catherine Shoemaker. Rev. D.R. Ellis officiated in the ceremony held at Rockwood. Circa 1900, he made his home at Summit Mills, PA.

Pennsville Park, a local landmark near the Shoemaker home

Daughter Lucy Phillippi (1881-1952) was born on March 14, 1881. At age 19, in 1900, she lived at home and had no occupation. On Aug. 18, 1901, she wed 32-year-old Samuel C. Shoemaker (1869-1934), son of Peter and Catherine Shoemaker. The nuptials were held at Meyersdale by Rev. John H. Knepper. At the time of marriage, Samuel was employed as a carpenter and lived in Pittsburgh. They later relocated to Pennsville, Westmoreland County and were members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Their three daughters were Edna Shoemaker, Betty Jennings and Blanche Watson. Lucy passed away at home at the age of 71 on Oct. 27, 1952. She was buried in Scottdale Cemetery.

Son Elmer Phillippi (1885-1886) died on Jan. 29, 1886 at age one month.

Daughter Lena Grace Phillippi (1896-1953) was born on Jan. 31, 1896 and was a twin with her sister Ruth. She wed S.A. Johnson. They lived near Kingwood. In about 1951, Lena was stricken with rheumatoid arthritis. She died two years later, on Nov. 21, 1953, at the age of 57. Interment was in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Kingwood.

Daughter Ruth E. Phillippi (1896- ? ) was born on Jan. 31, 1896 and was a twin with her sister Lena. Circa 1949, at the age of 50, she lived in Rockwood and signed her mother's death certificate.

Son Lawrence Jacob Phillippi (1897-1918) was born on Aug. 16, 1897. Like his father, he was a farmer. Tragically, as the influenza epidemic swept the nation in the late 1910s, Lawrence was infected and then contracted pneumonia. He died at age 21 on Dec. 11, 1918. Burial was in the Kingwood Lutheran Church Cemetery.

~ Daughter Martha "Jane" (Phillippi) Enos

Daughter Martha "Jane" Phillippi (1844-1917) was born on Dec. 16, 1844 in Somerset County, PA. As a young girl, she learned the skill of sewing and was considered a seamstress.

At the age of 20, she married 23-year-old farmer and Civil War veteran John Enos (1841-1890), son of Jonathan and Sarah (Marker) Enos. The wedding was held on Jan. 5, 1865 in Listonburg, Somerset County, officiated by justice of the peace Thomas Liston, with friend Mary E. (Van Horn) Spellman in attendance. John stood 5 feet, 5 inches tall, with a fair complexion, light hair and blue eyes.

They together produced a family of 10 known children -- Sadie Loucks Saylor, Samuel "Judson" (or "Judd") Enos, James "Milton" Enos, Marshall Enos, John Enos, Hermon Enos, Mary Emma Enos, Laura Musgrove, Amanda "Mandy" Hayes and Ellen Kreger. John dutifully wrote their names and dates of birth in a family Bible.

Without benefit of a physician in attendance, the family employed midwives to assist in the births of their children. Elizabeth Gruwall of Kingwood is known to have assisted at Jonathan's birth in 1877, Herman's in 1879 Martha's in 1883 and Ella's in 1885. Martha's married sister Mary Ann Kreger, in whose home the Enoses lived at the time, was midwife for Marshall's birth in 1874.

Younkin Cemetery, Paddytown

During the Civil War, John went to New Centerville to join the Union Army, recruited by Martha's step-cousin, Capt. William Meyers Schrock. The Somerset Daily American said that "It was the only occasion during the course of the Civil War that any unit was mustered within the area of Somerset County." The new infantrymen were assembled in the flat field at what today are the grounds of the annual Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee. Four other Younkin cousins and spouses joined the company as well.

Initially known as Capt. Schrock's Independent Company of Volunteer Infantry, it later became part of Company H of Ramsey's Battalion, Pennsylvania Infantry. The soldiers remained in New Centerville until July 6, 1863, following the Battle of Gettysburg, when they received orders to march to the nearby town of Berlin to receive weapons. The men then were ordered to report to Huntingdon, PA, and served on provost duty during a military draft. In early September 1863, recounted the History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania, the company marched to Harrisburg and thence to Gettysburg:

...where they guarded the field hospital on the battlefield until it was dispensed with in the latter part of October. This company was also in active service at Lewisburg, Sunbury and Selins Grove. From December 11, 1863 until January 8, 1864, the Somerset company was in charge of the Soldiers' Retreat at Harrisburg, where frequently rations were provided for from five hundred to one thousand soldiers who dropped off from trains at meal times. The company was mustered out January 8, 1864.

Hand-drawn memorial to John, by LeRoy Forquer of the GAR

After the war's end, in 1870, the Enoses made their dwelling-place on a farm in Milford Township. Eventually they pulled up stakes and relocated to Humbert, Somerset County. Martha was a member of the Paddytown Methodist Episcopal Church, a congregation pastored by her uncle, Rev. Herman Younkin.

They are shown in Paddytown in the 1880 federal census, with John laboring as a farmer, and sons Samuel and James noted as working on the farm. That year, their near neighbors included relatives Delilah Younkin, widow of Frederick J. Younkin; Delilah's son in law and daughter Benjamin and Emily (Younkin) Clevenger; and cousin  Marcellus and Ruena (Snyder) Andrews.

As time went on, John suffered a growing number of illnesses related to his wartime experience. Among them were pneumonia and kidney ailments, known as "Bright's Disease." But at no time did he pursue a military pension to which he was entitled, unlike most of his comrades in the GAR.

Sadness cascaded over the family when John surrendered to the angel of death on Feb. 16, 1890, at the age of 48. Interment of the remains was in the Younkin Cemetery at Paddytown. LeRoy Forquer, a cousin by marriage of the family of Frederick and Margaret (Faidley) Dull, and a member of the Ross Rush Post of the Grand Army of the Republic in Ursina, noted the death by drawing a memorial in ink in the GAR's ledgers. The papers today have been preserved and digitized by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Mt. Union Church Camp #502.

Martha Jane Enos (seated, center) and family. Seated, L-R: Sadie Saylor, Judson Enos, Emma Enos. Back, L-R: Laura Musgrove, Marshall Enos, Herman Enos, Ellen Kreger, John Enos, Mandy Hayes, James Enos  - courtesy Confluence Pennsylvania 101

At John's death, Lower Turkeyfoot Township Assessor James B. Colborn wrote that he did not consider the Enos farm worth over Four Hundred [dollars]. Friends Ross Phillippi and Christian Koontz testified that she owned no real estate and that:

[Martha's] only support is her own manual labor, and the Support of her two sons, Marshall and Jonathan.... Mrs. Enos has no income from any source, we know that John Enos when living could not support his family from the products of the farm. He was compelled to work from home to earn money to support his family, and Marshal and Jonathan have been compelled to do the same thing to support the family since the death of their father. We know the above facts to be true, as we are near neighbors.... Since 1890 we have saw the farm often, and know that the farm is a verry Poor Farm, and impossible for a widow like Mrs. Enos to make a living on it. We can safely say, since 1890, if it had not been for the Support of her children who work away from home, the widow Mrs. Enos would be compelled to go to the Poor House for a living....

Early view of Ursina, PA

That same year, Martha Jane was named in a special census of Civil War veterans and their widows. At the time, she made her home on the family farm near Ursina. She applied for and began receiving a pension from the federal government to help support their young children. Providing affidavits in support of Martha's claim were her sister and brother in law Amanda and Christian Koontz, Josiah Boyd, LeRoy Forquer and Jerome B. and M.A. Jennings, all of Ursina, and Jeremiah Sechler of Turkeyfoot, who claimed to have known Martha over the span of more than 30 years, starting in the 1850s, having resided just a few miles apart. Martha's cousin Marcellus Andrews also provided testimony in an affidavit that he had known her since before her marriage. John Weyand, of Ursina, said that he had known John since boyhood. 

The pension payments commenced July 18, 1890, at a rate of $8 per month. The additional sum of $2 per child was included for each of her five children, to continue until each arrived at the age of 16. (Widow App. #494.647, Cert. #439.843).

Circa 1917, she made her home at 108 Dubois Avenue in Scottdale, Westmoreland County, PA. That year, her pension payments totaled $20 monthly.

Afflicted with cirrhosis of the liver, Martha Jane died on July 29, 1917 at the age of 73. Her remains were returned for burial to Ursina, Somerset County. Ray Musgrove of Scottdale provided facts for her death certificate. Her obituary was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier.

Many years later, on Oct. 2, 1966, the Somerset County Historical and Genealogical Society dedicated a monument to honor the company, bearing George's name and placed on the site of the mustering ground. Local attorney Robert Keim served as master of ceremonies and Rev. Gene Abel gave the invocation, Judge Thomas F. Lansberry the principal address and Rev. Henry B. Reiley Jr. the dedication prayer. Lansberry remarked in his comments that the local recruits "had ears to hear the call of Father Abraham," said the Daily American. "This was not hearing in the ordinary sense but it was that 'inner ear' through which they heard the call that challenged them to answer the call to colors. He said that they had real courage, not the false type which causes some beatnik to throw a molotov cocktail into a store window, or causes a riot in Watts or Cleveland, but that kind of courage which sends a man through the valley of the shadow of death for the sake of a cause which he considers to be bigger than himself." Also present at the event was George Hoburn, who designed and built the monument, and Bradley Cramer, grandson of Charles Cramer who first developed the monument idea.

Sadie (Enos) Saylor and 2nd husband Rev. Aaron Loucks, founder of the famed Mennonite Publishing House in Scottdale- History of Westmoreland County/Google Books

Daughter Sadie E. Enos (1865-1944) was born on Oct. 12, 1865 in Confluence, Somerset County. She was twice-wed. Her first spouse was William D. Saylor (1854-1920). Two known offspring of the pair were Ralph Saylor and Malinda Newill. Sadie's second husband, whom she married on Oct. 12, 1933, was widower Rev. Aaron Loucks (Nov. 20, 1864-1945), son of Jacob S. and Mary (Saylor) Loucks of Scottdale. His first wife, Amelia C. (Medsgar) Loucks, had died on Dec. 10, 1931, and he brought three stepchildren into the second union -- Walter M. Loucks, William J. Loucks and Anna M. Loucks. The Gospel Herald once provided this biography for Aaron:

With the exception of thirteen months when he lived at Riverside, Calif., he resided all his life in Scottdale and vicinity. He was a member of the Mennonite Church since the spring of 1887, and was a charter member of the Scottdale congregation when it was incorporated in January, 1898. He was ordained to the ministry at Stonerville, now Alverton, Pa., Sept. 18, 1892, and as bishop at Scottdale, Jan. 10, 1897. He was the moving spirit in having a church built in Scottdale in 1893, and took an active interest in the erection of the present building in 1939. He was the founder of the Mennonite Publishing House and was the leader in beginning the publication of the Gospel Witness in 1905, which was merged with the Herald of Truth in 1908 to become the Gospel Herald. At this time the institution became the official publication headquarters of the Mennonite Church. He served as manager of the Mennonite Publishing House until 1935. Bro. Loucks spent much time in church work and was active in all the organized activities of the church, especially General Conference, the Mennonite Board of Missions and Charities, and the Mennonite Board of Education, of which he served as treasurer for a number of years. As chairman of the Mennonite Relief Commission for War Sufferers he made a trip to the Near East in the early part of 1918. He attended some of the early Sunday-school conferences held among the Mennonites, being present at the second General Sunday School Conference, held at the Zion Mennonite Church near Bluffton, Ohio, in 1893, and at the third, held near Middlebury, Ind., in 1894. His vision of the possibilities for such meetings held for the benefit of Sunday-school workers was among the factors which led to the beginning of the Mennonite Sunday School Conference of the Southwestern Pennsylvania district, the second annual session of which was held with the Scottdale congregation in October, 1896. From observing and learning about the Bible conference movement as it was then carried on by Bible teachers like R. A. Torrey and others, Bro. Loucks conceived the idea that Bible teaching of that type would do much toward supplying the existing need of more basic Bible instruction for the rank and file of the membership of the Mennonite denomination. He succeeded in awakening interest among his younger co-workers, with the result that the first Bible conference held in a Mennonite congregation was conducted at Scottdale for two weeks beginning Dec. 28, 1896.

Composing room in the Mennonite Publishing office in Scottdale, above -- and Aaron's profile in the book History of Westmoreland County - Google Books

Sadly, at the age of 78, Sadie passed away in Scottdale on Oct. 9, 1944. Her remains sleep for the ages in Mount Nebo Cemetery in Indian Head. Aaron only survived his bride by less than a year. Death spirited him away on Aug. 20, 1945. His funeral service jointly was conducted by J. L. Horst, C. F. Westover, S. C. Yoder, Simon Gingerich, D. A. Yoder, and A. J. Metzler, and was based on the biblical text John 14:1, 2 -- "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." (King James Version) He was laid to rest with his first wife in Alverton Cemetery. He was profiled in John Newton Boucher's 1906 book History of Westmoreland County.

• Step-grandson Walter Medsger Loucks (1888-1960) was born on Sept. 22, 1888.
• Step-grandson William Jacob Loucks (1891-1966) was born on Oct. 7, 1891.
• Step-granddaughter Anna Loucks (Sept. 9, 1895- ? )

Mary "Emma" Enos Courtesy Confluence PA 101

Daughter Mary "Emma" Enos (1868-1938) was born on May 15, 1867 near Confluence, Somerset County. She never married. Her whereabouts in 1900 are not yet known. When the federal census enumeration was made in 1910, the 43-year-old Emma shared a home with her widowed mother in Lower Turkeyfoot and had no occupation, likely living off of the income from her mother's monthly Civil War widow pension checks. Circa 1917, she resided in Scottdale, East Huntingdon Township, Westmoreland County. At the death of her married sister Laura Musgrove, she moved into the widower's residence to help care for his young sons, her nephews. She spent her final years living with her sister Sadie Loucks in Scottdale. Suffering from senility and kidney disease, she died in the Loucks residence at age 71 on Dec. 16, 1938. Her brother-in-law Rev. Aaron Loucks was the informant for the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. The funeral service was held in the Loucks home, after which the remains were transported to Champion, Fayette County for interment in the Mount Nebo Cemetery. An obituary in the Meyersdale Republican once said that she "was a very estimable woman and had a large number of friends in Somerset County and in Scottdale, where she had made her home for a number of years." She was one of a large family, which consisted of ten children.

Judson Enos

Son Samuel "Judson" Enos (1868-1948) was born on Oct. 25, 1868 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County. He resided in Confluence for decades. At some point, as a young man, he and his brother Herman Enos worked together for the Laurel Hill Lumber Company. The company operated a railroad along Cranberry Glade Run, Sandy Run and "Kutztown" -- an interchange with the Ursina and North Fork Railway -- to transport wood timbered from the Somerset/Fayette County border. The brothers rode on this rail line are named in the booklet "Stemwinders" in the Laurel Highlands, authored by Benjamin F.G. Kline Jr., part of the series Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania. The brothers were burned in the railroad's worst accident when the weight of the locomotive caused a weak bridge over the Laurel Hill Creek to collapse. Then in 1904, at the age of 35, Samuel earned a living as a bartender at the Hotel Humbert in the small community built for workers in the local timbering and coal businesses. Samuel married a cousin, Mary "Mollie" Rush (1864-1954), daughter of Jacob J. and Sarah (Dull) Rush, granddaughter of Frederick and Margaret "Peggy" (Faidley) Dull of Somerset County. They had four known children, Walton Enos, John R. Enos, Harry Ray Enos and Eva Nell Fike. By 1910, the young family had relocated to nearby Rockwood, Somerset County, with Judson toiling as a coal miner and the family residence along Broadway. At that time, sons Harry and Walton also earned income as coal miners in town.

Jersey Church Cemetery

The family were members of the Church of God in Confluence. At the age of 70, stricken with stomach cancer which led to hemorrhaging, Samuel passed away at home, on Jan. 25, 1948. An obituary in the Daily Courier said he was survived by seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Following a funeral service led by Rev. George Coffman, of the Church of God, his remains were laid to rest in the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery. Among those from out of town who attended the funeral, said the Meyersdale Republican, were Mr. and Mrs. Merle Parnell, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Barron of Rockwood; and Lemon Hayes and children Dorsey, Jane and William of Scottdale. Mary outlived her husband by six years. She went to live with her married daughter Mrs. Fike in Somerset. She died in the Fike home at the age of 89 on Jan. 28, 1954. In addition to her children, the Daily Courier noted that her surviving siblings were Mrs. H.L. Sellers, Scott Rush, Mrs. J.B. Crow, Mrs. F.M. Parnell and Ann Kutz.

• Grandson Harry Ray Enos (1890-1934) was born on Feb. 13, 1890. As a young man in his 20s, Harry lived in Lower Turkeyfoot Township where he labored in the local coal mines. When World War I broke out in Europe, Harry served as a private first class in the U.S. Army. On Nov. 11, 1920, at the age of 29, he married 27-year-old Jessie Lillian Hall (1893-1987), daughter of Joseph and Mary (Rush) Hall of nearby Ohio Pyle, Fayette County. (Her mother's name also has been given as Emma Leonard.) Their nuptials were held in Rockwood, Somerset County. The couple produced three known children -- Warren H. Enos, Judson Harry Enos and Ila Jean Enos. When the federal census was taken in 1930, the Enoses lived in Ursina, with Harry employed as rural mail carrier, a position which he maintained the rest of his life. They were members of the Confluence Christian Church, the Confluence post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Ursina American Legion. Harry unfortunately suffered from alcoholism, and the illness led to acute kidney disease. Whether or not his ailment was war related is not known. On Nov. 2, 1934, at the age of 44, he died due to their effects. He was placed at rest in the Jersey Church Cemetery. Jessie outlived her husband by more than half of a century. She spent her final years in Confluence, and died at the age of 94, on Oct. 6, 1987, in the Meyersdale Community Hospital. Burial was beside Harry in the Jersey Church Cemetery, following a funeral preached by Rev. Evert C. Millard. The Somerset Daily American printed an obituary.

Great-granddaughter Ila Jean Enos (1926-1987) was born on March 17, 1926 and grew up in the Confluence area. She served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and may not have married. She resided in Somerset, Somerset County. She died on her 61st birthday on March 17, 1987. Rev. Daryl Harclerode officiated at her funeral, followed by burial at Jersey Church Cemetery. A short obituary appeared in the Somerset Daily American.

Warren H. Enos

Great-grandson Warren H. Enos (1921-1976) was born on Dec. 17, 1921. He is known to have served in the U.S. Army during World War II as a member of the 151st Infantry, 38th Division. He was stationed in the Pacific Theatre and was involved with engagements in New Guinea, Southern Luzon and the Philippines -- seeing action in the battles of Bataan, Zig-Zag Pass, Corregidor and El Fraile. On Nov. 9, 1945, having served for three years and four months, he received his honorable discharge at Camp Atterbury, IN. In postwar years, he earned a living as a carpenter in and around Confluence. He is among several Younkin cousins pictured in the Service Record Book of Men and Women of Confluence, Pa. and Community. Harry appears to first have married Mary Close ( ? - ? ). They were the parents of Dan Bryon Enos. The couple divorced, and she moved to Newville. Warren again entered into the rite of holy matrimony with Helen (Wiltrout) Berkey (1920-1984), daughter of Calvin and Laura (Berry) Wiltrout of Addison Township. She had been married previously and brought five stepchildren into the family -- Marien Margaret Newman, William Oran Berkey, Pauline Tichnell, Carl Berkey, Betty Jean Schartiger Cameron, Shirley Nicholas and Dianna Humphrey. In 1968, Warren is known to have served with cousins Charley Younkin and Jack Suder on a committee to build a Turkeyfoot Fish and Game Association clubhouse, and is recognized for that work in the 1973 booklet entitled Confluence Centennial 1873-1973: Record of a Century, sponsored by the Turney-Riley Post No. 7250, Veterans of Foreign Wars. Their final residence together was in Confluence. Grief cascaded over the family when, at the age of 54, Warren passed away in Somerset Community Hospital on Sept. 16, 1976. An obituary was published in the Meyersdale Republican Helen endured for another eight years and remained in Confluence. The angel of death cleaved her away at the age of 64 on July 31, 1984. Her survivors included 15 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Rev. Richard McClintock officiated the funeral rites, with interment following in the sacred soil of Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery. As of 1984, her son Carl lived in Beaver Falls and daughters Dianna Humphrey in Confluence, Pauline Tichnell in Westernport, MD, Shirley Nicholas in Confluence and Betty Cameron in Confluence. Son Dan (July 24, 1947-2005) was a 1965 graduate of Turkeyfoot Valley Area High School and lived in Confluence and Newville, PA. He worked for Pennsylvania Green Thumb Program and Mental Health/Mental Retardation of Somerset County, moving on to become executive director of the American Red Cross in Bedford, PA and later as an emergency management specialist for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. He died at the age of 57, in Harrisburg Hospital, on July 14, 2005.

Great-grandson Harry Judson Enos (1924-2009) was born on June 27, 1924 in Ursina, Somerset County. He had a grammar school education. In young adulthood he stood 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighed 122 lbs., with brown eyes, brown hair and a scar on his right elbow. Harry is known to have served in the U.S. Army during World War II. On Jan. 18, 1943, he married Thelma Jean Shallenberger (1925-2008), originally from Fort Hill, Somerset County,  and the daughter of George and Mary Ann (Vought) Shallenberger. There were five children in this family -- Terry Lee Enos, Timmy Ray Enos and a daughter and two sons who were deceased by 2009. He was unemployed in 1942 and within a year relocated to Canton, OH. After the war he dwelled in Louisville, OH. For 43 years, he earned a living with the Hoover Company, the manufacturer of electric vacuum sweepers. The family attended the Stoner Heights Mennonite Church. Sadly, Thelma died in July 2008. Harry only lived for another five months. At the age of 84, he passed away in their residence on the second day of 2009. Pastor John McGuckin presided over the funeral obsequies, with burial following in Union Cemetery, Louisville. An obituary appeared in the Canton Repository.

• Book naming Walton Enos

  Grandson Walton "Max" Enos (1895-1967) was born on Feb. 21, 1895 in Ursina. During World War I, he joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to Company C of the 305th Ammunition Trn., 80th Division. Sent overseas, he saw action at the Battles of Bethincourt Quisy, Montfacon, Nantillois Fme der la Madeline Cunel, Banthevelle, Aineville Beauclair and Crossing Meuse at Sassy. He was discharged June 9, 1919 at Camp Dix, NJ. He and his first wife Sarah Jane Dodson (1896-1978) produced a son, Adelbert Enos. The couple eventually divorced, with Sarah Jane taking back her maiden name. Later, he wed his second spouse, Mary Goniak (1905-1994) of Pittsburgh, daughter of Kazimierz and Mary (Stasienko) Goniak. She was a former majorette with the Ursina Band and was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church of Confluence and the Ursina American Legion Auxiliary. They together bore these children -- Catherine Jean Prince, Barbara Green, James W. Enos, H. John Enos, Richard S. Enos and Mary Ellen Deal. Circa 1937, Walton was profiled in a book entitled World War Veterans of Somerset County, produced by the Commissioners of Somerset County. At the time, his physical condition was described as "poor." Walton was a member of the Ursina American Legion and the World War I Veterans of Somerset County. He died at home in Confluence at the age of 72 on May 21, 1967. The Daily Courier reported that he was survived by nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Burial was in the Jersey Church Cemetery. Mary survived her husband by 27 years. She was a member of "Trinity Lutheran Church of Confluence, Ursina American Legion Auxiliary and former majorette of the Ursina Band," said the Meyersdale Republican. She died at home near Confluence at the age of 88 on June 24, 1994. Walton's first wife, Sarah Jane, died on Jan. 9, 1978, with interment in the Jersey Church Cemetery.

Great-grandson Adelbert Madison "Deb" Enos (1913-2005) was born on April 28, 1913, in Humbert. He married a cousin, Millicent Adele Rush (1923-2010), daughter of William Harrison and Sarah Jane (Thomas) Rush and granddaughter of Samuel and Louisa (Rose) Thomas. Click on their link for more.

Great-granddaughter Catherine Jean Enos (1929-2019) was born on May 9, 1929 in Lower Turkeyfoot. In about 1950, when she was 21 years of age, she was joined in wedlock with Charles H. Prince ( ? - ? ). Their marriage endured for 69 years. They were the parents of Carol Kemp, Charles D. Prince and Clyde Jeffrey Prince. Over the years, Catherine was a store manager for McCrory's in Somerset and tax collector for Ursina Borough. A member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Confluence, she was treasurer of the congregation. She also was a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary where she held leadership roles. Later in life, Catherine retired in Lady Lake, Florida. At the age of 89, as a patient in InTouch Hospice, Catherine passed away on May 5, 2019. An obituary was published in the Somerset Daily American.

Great grandson Richard S. Enos (1938- ? ) was born on March 7, 1938. He wed Anna Maria (?) (1941-2011). They had at least one child and perhaps more. Anna Maria passed away at the age of 70 on Oct. 19, 2011. Burial was in the Jersey Church Cemetery.

First National Bank, Confluence

Great-grandson H. John Enos (1942-2014) was born on May 26, 1942 in Confluence. He never married. He resided at the home of his maternal grandparents, known as "Kazimierz’ Kastle," where he "enjoyed hosting family reunions, holiday get-togethers, and dinners for family and friends," reported the Somerset Daily American. John was employed as bank manager for First National Bank of Confluence. With an interest also in making new friends, as well as caregiving, especially for the elderly and the infirm, he founded RiverRest Bed and Breakfast and the Enos Personal Care Home. One of his end-of-life patients was Arthur Boughner. Said the Daily American, "A lifelong Lutheran, John served 27 years as treasurer for Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Confluence and he was instrumental in organizing and preparing Trinity’s spaghetti dinner fundraisers to benefit local individuals in need. He initiated the reestablishment of the Ursina Band in 1972 for that community’s sesquicentennial celebration and helped to develop it into a band that became well known in Western Pennsylvania and the Tri-state Area." As his health failed, John was admitted to Meyersdale Medical Center, where he died at the age of 72 on Sept. 1, 2014. Rev. Lee Gable officiated at the funeral held in John's church, with burial following in the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery.

Great-granddaughter Barbara Enos ( ? -2021) was born in Humbert. She was a graduate of Turkeyfoot Valley High School. Upon graduation, she relocated to Washington, DC where she had secured employment with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). She married (?) Green ( ? - ? ). They were the parents of Robert Green, Ellen Thomas and Mary Green. The couple established their residence in Omaha, NE, where they raised their family and spent decades of life. Barbara earned income for six decades as an Avon representative. She also liked to entertain, feed birds and enjoy wildlife. Her final years were spent in Columbus, NE in Brookstone Acres. There, she passed away at age 89 on Nov. 12, 2021. The remains were transported back to Ursina for burial in the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery. Her obituary was published in the Somerset Daily American, in which the family asked that any memorial donations be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Great-grandson James W. "Jim" Enos ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). Circa 1958, he wed a distant cousin, Fern Lytle ( ? - ? ), daughter of Raymond and Leah (Leslie) Lytle of the family of William "Wallace" and Amanda (Younkin) Hechler.

Great-grandson Richard S. "Dick" Enos married Anna Batis. She was deceased by 2014. His home in 2014 was in Fayetteville, PA.

Booklet naming Mary Ellen

Great-granddaughter Mary Ellen Enos was united in wedlock with Fred William Deal Sr. (Jan. 10, 1939-1972), son of Elmer W. and Ruth A. Deal of Salisbury, PA and stepson of Francis "Barney" Eisentrout. The Deals made a home in Confluence. Two known sons of this family were Fred William Deal Jr. and Jonathan Scott Deal. They also were members of the Addison Lutheran Church. Fred circa 1972 was employed by a contractor which was working in Morgantown, WV to construct West Virginia University's personal rapid transit (PRT) system. On the fateful day of Jan. 11, 1972, while at work, the 33-year-old Fred was crushed to death in a cave-in. A newspaper reported that he had been "working in an excavated area at noon and told fellow-workers that he wanted to fasten one more bolt before quitting for lunch. Seconds later, he was trapped by the cave-in." The body was brought back home for burial in Addison Cemetery, with rites presided by Rev. James Bramer. Inscribed on his red barre granite grave marker is the first line of the Lord's Prayer -- "Our Father who art in Heaven."The widowed Mary Ellen is believed to have been active with the Ladies Auxiliary of the Confluence Volunteer Fire Department in 1973 and held the position of vice president. She was named in a chapter about the Auxiliary in the 1973 booklet, Confluence Centennial 1873-1973: Record of a Century. (In an ironic twist, the founder of this website frequently rode the PRT during his years as a WVU student in the 1979 to 1983 timeframe.)

• Grandson John R. Enos (1897-1910) was born in about 1897. He grew up in Ursina. Tragically, his appendix burst on April 5, 1910, when he was age 13, and septic peritonitis set in. He was rushed to a hospital in Connellsville, Fayette County, PA, where he died the following day on April 6, 1910. Burial was in the Jersey Church Cemetery.

Paul E.C. Fike's biography and photograph published in the 1945 book Bench and Bar of Somerset County, Pennsylvania 1795-1945

• Paul Fike, ca. 1945, and Somerset County Courthouse

  Granddaughter Eva Nell Enos (1899-1992) was born on Nov. 2, 1899. In November 1924, when she was age 25, she married 22-year-old Paul Everett Coffman Fike (1901-1963), son of Orville and Effie Alverda (Coffman) Fike, the father a local Confluence teacher . They lived in R.D. 3 Somerset in 1954 and had these known children, Tedford Eugene Fike, Nancy Cecile Muma and Robert Alan Fike. A graduate of Mercersburg Academy, Princeton University (1924) and Dickinson College of Law (1939), Paul worked in the insurance and coal business for several years early in his career. In 1944 he was appointed district attorney of Somerset County. During World War II, son Tedford served in the U.S. Navy. Paul returned to private practice in 1946 and was a partner in the firm of Fike & Cascio (later renamed Fike, Cascio & Boose, with offices at 124 East Union Street. In January 1962, he was elected president of the Somerset County Bar Association. He also was a member of the Masons, American and Pennsylvania Bar Associations, Duquesne Club, Princeton Elm Club and board of directors of the Somerset YMCA. Paul died in Meyersdale Community Hospital at the age of 61 on March 11, 1963. An informative obituary was published in the Connellsville Daily Courier. His death also was reported "with sadness" in the Princeton Alumni Weekly. The Somerset Legal Journal published an article about him, reading: "The reputation of Mr. Fike as an excellent lawyer extended far beyond the bounds of Somerset County. So long as any remain who will have known Paul Fike well, there shall always be a guide of a highly skilled, a highly competent lawyer." Paul's son Tedford and brother Eugene owned the Fike Insurance Agency of Uniontown. Eva and Paul's daughter Nancy Cecile wed Harold Muma and lived in Baltimore. Eva and Paul's son Robert made his home in Cincinnati. Eva Nell passed away on Feb. 24, 1992, at the age of 92. Paul and Eva Nell are described in the 1996 book Christian Fike and His Descendants by Merilyn Belle Fike Morrow.

James Milton Enos Confluence Pennsylvania 101

Son James "Milton" Enos Sr. (1871-1956) was born on Aug. 9, 1869 (or 1871). At age 21, on Aug. 20, 1892, he married 18-year-old Effa Levina "Effie" Garletts/Garlitz (June 9, 1874-1938), daughter of Abel C. and Rachel Garletts of Confluence. The wedding was held in Somerset County, led by Rev. G.G. Groff. The couple's foursome of children were Vernon M. Enos, Ruth L. Van Horn, James Milton Enos Jr. and Ray Enos. Federal census records for 1900 show the family in Upper Tyrone Township, Fayette County, with him employed as a locomotive fireman. He switched occupations and in 1907, residing in Jenners Township, Somerset County, was a coal miner. After another move, by 1910, now living in Rockwood, Somerset County, he continued to toil as a coal miner and 16-year-old son Vernon as a motorman. Effie's widowed mother and bachelor brother Russell dwelled under their roof in 1910. By 1917, they were back in Confluence, with him generating income as a lumber mill laborer. Again pulling up stakes, by 1930, they had relocated to Akron, Ohio, and in time they moved to Cecil, Washington County, PA. Their journeys included stays in Largo, FL circa 1934. In 1938, their home was with their married daughter in Houston, Washington County, PA, at the address of 228 North Main Street. For the last five years of her life, Effie was burdened with several ailments, among them "cholelithiasis" (gallstones). She was admitted to Canonsburg General Hospital for surgery in mid-November 1938. Grief blanketed the family when, at the age of 64, Effie suffered cardiac failure and died in the hospital on Nov. 21, 1938. An obituary in the Canonsburg Daily Notes said that funeral services were led by Rev. E.L. Haney of the Houston United Presbyterian Church. Burial was in Oak Spring Cemetery, Canonsburg. By 1947, the widowed Milton had migrated to the West Coast, settling in California. He spent his final years in Modesto, Stanislaus County, CA. Death enveloped him on July 8, 1956, at the age of 86. Following a funeral preached by Rev. W.R. Baird, interment of the remains was in Modesto Citizens Cemetery. The Modesto Bee published an obituary.

• Grandson Vernon Monroe Enos (1893-1962) was born on July 11, 1893 in Confluence. As a 16-year-old, he worked as a motorman in Rockwood, Somerset County, likely in a coal mine. In Uniontown, PA, Vernon joined the U.S. Army during World War I, serving from Sept. 22, 1917 to March 19, 1919. This service included an overseas deployment from May 19, 1918 to March 7, 1919, taking part in battles at St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest. Eventually he tied the knot with Pearl Elizabeth Fleming (March 4, 1895-1985), daughter of William and Annie (Bittner) Fleming. Together they produced a daughter, Blanche Anna Freund Sullivan Raines. They lived at 35 Prospect Street in Uniontown, PA and appear to have remained there for good, with him employed as a substation operator by West Penn Power Company. His role with the electric company evolved by 1950 into work as a switchboard operator. On the fateful day of Sept. 5, 1962, he suffered a cardiovascular accident. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Uniontown Hospital. The remains were transported back to Rockwood to sleep for all time. As a widow, Pearl relocated to Crozet, Albemarle County, VA, and at the end was in a nursing home. At the age of 90, while suffering from multi-organ failure, congestive heart failure, peritonitis and a sepsis infection, she fell while trying to retrieve something from a dresser drawer and in two days died on July 20, 1985 in Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville.

  Great-granddaughter Blanche Anna Enos (1920- ? ) was born on Nov. 30, 1920. She was a high school graduate. At the age of 19, in 1940, she worked as a stenographer in Uniontown. Her first husband was (?) Freund ( ? - ? ). She eventually moved to Alexandria, VA, with an address of 6621 Wakefield Drive. Then on July 5, 1969, at the age of about 48, she tied the marital cord with 61-year-old widower Thomas Alan Sullivan (Oct. 13, 1907- ? ), a native of South Dakota and the son of Charles and Rebecca (Ogden) Sullivan. They exchanged their vows before Rev. Joseph G. Hold, pastor of the Fairlington Presbyterian Church. Her third spouse was (?) Raines ( ? - ? ).

• Grandson Ray Enos (1911- ? ) was born in about 1911. He relocated to California and was there circa 1938.

• Grandson James Milton Enos Jr. (1907- ? ) was born on July 20, 1907 in Jenners Township, Somerset County. Dr. H. Hertzler of Jenners assisted in the delivery.

• Granddaughter Ruth L. Enos (1903- ? ) was born in about 1903. She married Lionel Van Horn ( ? - ? ) and settled in Houston, PA, at the address of 228 North Main Street. In about 1942, they moved cross-country to California and settled in Modesto, CA, joined by her widowed father. They were the parents of Dorothy Van Horn, June Moran, Jean Van Horn and Lionel Ray Van Horn (of whom one also was known as "Mrs. Casper Geis" and another as Stachia Swann). Lionel earned a living in Modesto in the housing subdivision construction industry.

  Great-grandson Lionel Ray Van Horn (1927-1987) was born in about 1927 in Washington County, PA. He moved to California as a teen in 1942. Lionel married Lena. The four sons in this family were Michael J. Kline, Kevin Van Horn, David Van Horn and Jeffrey Van Horn. At the age of 22, in 1949, he launched his own real estate business, Van Horn Real Estate, "and at that time was the youngest real estate broker in California," said the Modesto Bee. He built his firm to include five other realtors. He held a membership on the Modesto Board of Realtors, including a term as a board director. Said the Bee, "He was an avid snow skier and spent most winter weekends at the family cabin in Mi Wuk Village and skiing at Dodge Ridge. During the 1960s, Mr. Van Horn was active in Little League, Cub Scouts and the Far West Junior Skiing Race at Dodge Ridge." Lionel was stricken by a heart attack and died in Modesto at the age of 60 on Jan. 14, 1987. The Bee carried an obituary. Burial was in Lakewood Memorial Park.

  Great-granddaughter Stachia Swann resided in 1987 in Fondeutaniac [Fon du Lac?], WI.

  Great-granddaughter June Moran moved to Sierra Vista, AZ.

Amanda Hayes Confluence Pennsylvania 101

Daughter Amanda Enos (1872-1947) was born on Aug. 24, 1872 in Ursina, Somerset County. She wed Leamon (also spelled "Leman" and "Lemmon") Hayes (1870- ? ), son of Michael A. and Charity Hays, on Sept. 3, 1892, when she was age 20 and he 22. Rev. James A. Younkins performed the ceremony at Somerset. The couple together bore a trio of offspring -- Darssie Shannon, Jane Higgins and William Hayes. They lived in Ursina before relocating to Scottdale, where Leamon earned a living as a carpenter. In June 1930, they are known to have attended a 25th anniversary party in Scottdale for Mr. and Mrs. O.H. Hough. Their home in 1942 was on West Pittsburgh Street and in the late 1940s was on Park Avenue. The couple was pictured in the Connellsville Daily Courier when celebrating their golden wedding anniversary on Sept. 3, 1942. It was held "at their home for the immediate family and a few close relatives," said the Daily Courier. "The house was beautifully decorated in yellow and white with garden flowers in profusion. A buffet luncheon was served, with a tier cake as a centerpiece, and this was white trimmed in gold." Guests included Rev. and Mrs. Aaron Loucks, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Jenkins of Scottdale, Mr. and Mrs. James Boyd and daughter Doris Jean of Pitcairn and Mr. and Mrs. Ray Musgrove and daughter Mary Ann of Scottdale. Becoming ill in January 1947, her health declined and she died at home at the age of 74 on May 10, 1947. An obituary was published in the Daily Courier. The widowed Leamon spent the final 17 years of his existence in the Mount Pleasant residence of his daughter Darsie. At the age of 94, he died in their home on Feb. 15, 1965. An obituary in the Daily Courier said he had been a member of the Mount Pleasant Methodist Church. Rev. Clark S. Derby officiated the funeral rites, with interment following in Scottdale Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Darssie Hayes/Hays (1899-1982) was born in 1899. In 1929, she married Howard Kennedy Shannon (1901-1989). Circa 1965, they lived at 835 West Washington Street in Mount Pleasant. Evidence suggests that in 1940, he was employed as filter plant operator for the Bridgeport water pumping station, and that 1943, he was named by the Westmoreland County Court as majority inspector for the First Ward in Mount Pleasant. Further evidence places him in 1952 as employed by West Penn Power Company and in 1959 as a member of the Scottdale Civic and Industrial Association. Darssie was active with the Queen Esther Circle of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Scottdale. Their remains lie in eternal repose in Scottdale Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Charity "Jane" Hayes (1903-2001) was born in 1903. She wed Edward Higgins and put down roots in Scottdale.

• Grandson Leamon Williams Hayes (1909-1989) was born in 1909. He relocated by 1965 to Boynton Beach, FL.

Marshall and Alice Enos Courtesy Confluence Pennsylvania 101/Linda Marker

Son Marshall Enos (1874-1943) was born on Sept. 3 or 4, 1874, with his name spelled "Marcial" by his father as written in the family Bible. At age 26, in 1900, he was unmarried and lived at home, earning a living as a day laborer. His name was in the newspapers in 1903 when serving on a jury in a high profile case where C.E. McSparrin charged Andy Broknovia with the crime of lumber theft from contractor J.P. Kennedy at Boswell. Circa 1906, he was joined in holy wedlock with Martha "Alice" Williams (May 13, 1882-1971), daughter of George B. and Rebecca (Kooser) Williams. The Enoses were in Boswell, Somerset County in 1907 at the birth of their daughter Ethel Pletcher. At that time his occupation was mining. By 1910, they had moved to Rockwood's Main Street where Marshall continued to earn a living as a coal miner. During the 1910s, they "settled on a farm in the Jersey Settlement," reported the Meyersdale Republican. When Marshall registered for the military draft during World War I, he disclosed that he was a self-employed farmer. They made their home on the farm for many years. Suffering from a lingering heart valve illness and chronic kidney disease, Marshall died at home at the age of 69 on Dec. 8, 1943. Burial was in the Jersey Baptist Church, with Rev. Meadows officiating. Alice lived for another 28 years with her last address at 203 Yough Street and was afflicted with diabetes and a hardening of her cerebral arteries. She was felled by a stroke and died in Meyersdale Community Hospital on March 14, 1971, at the age of 88. The Republican also carried her obituary. Rev. Carl Bowser led the obsequies.

• Granddaughter Ethel Enos (1907-2002) was born on April 19, 1907 in Boswell, Somerset County. Dr. Charles F. Livengood assisted in the delivery. In young womanhood, Ethel moved to Washington, PA, making her home on Chestnut Street Extension. At the age of 20, on April 16, 1927, she wed 18-year-old coal miner Creed G. Pletcher (July 2, 1909- ? ), a native of Washington County, PA and the son of George and Jennie (Adams) Pletcher. Rev. A.M. Gibson presided. The two children they produced together were Donald Eugene Pletcher and Alice Rae Kester. They appear to have settled in Washington. Creed sued for divorce in January 1939, as reported by the Pittsburgh Press, and the matter was court-approved in June 1939. Creed married a second time on Aug. 22, 1939 to Mildred H. Weber in Cuyahoga County, OH and produced more offspring. Ethel appears not to have remarried during her long life. She made her residence in Confluence and held memberships in the Ursina American Legion Ladies Auxiliary, Confluence Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, Confluence Senior Citizens and Turkeyfoot Valley Baptist Church. Ethel passed away in Somerset Hospital at the age of 94 on April 15, 2002. Burial was in the Jersey Church Cemetery, with rites performed by Rev. Paul Werner. An obituary in the Somerset Daily American said she was survived by a headcount of 15 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren and 15 great-great-grand children. 

  Great-grandson Donald Eugene Pletcher (1928-2023) was born on Feb. 18, 1928 in Washington, PA. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Then in 1951, Donald entered into marriage with Peggy Montague (1927-2021). Their union endured for an extraordinary 70 years. Two children in this family were Debbie Calmbacher and Donna Smith. The family home was in Valley Grove near Wheeling, WV. Donald earned a living for many years in the trucking industry. He held memberships in the Hound Club, Turkeyfoot Valley Baptist Church and Ursina American Legion Post 946. Said the Somerset Daily American, "He enjoyed lightweight boxing, hunting in Pennsylvania, running and walking in 5K races, flea markets, yard sales, trips to Pennsylvania and Florida and spending time with family and his dog." Sadly, at the age of 95, Donald passed away in his residence on June 25, 2023. Interment of their remains was in Addison Cemetery.

  Great-granddaughter Alice Rae Pletcher (1929-1989) was born on Aug. 15, 1929 in Confluence. She wed Rev. Burton Grier Kester (1922-1983). The baker's dozen children they produced together were Hazel Ann Thompson, Marcia West, Alice Jane Kohl, Susan Elizabeth Miller, Marshall Kester, Esther Ruth Kester, Miriam Rose Wallbright, Steven Daniel Kester, Ethel Naomi Rogers, Timothy David Kester, Budd Eugene Kester, Philip Paul Kester and Samuel Jason Kester. Their home was in the Iselin community of Saltsburg, Indiana County, PA. They were members of the Fundamental Baptist Church of Indiana. Sadly, at the age of 61, Burton passed away in Indiana Hospital on June 10, 1983. Alice died in Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital at the age of 59 on March 13, 1989. An obituary in the Indiana Gazette said she was survived by 16 grandchildren. Rev. Walter Carney presided at the funeral. Burial was in St. Clair Cemetery in Greensburg, Westmoreland County, PA.

John Enos Confluence Pennsylvania 101

Son Jonathan "John" Enos (1877-1949) was born on Jan. 5, 1877. On Jan. 10, 1897, the 20-year-old John married 18-year-old Gertrude Stairs (1879-1921), daughter of George H. and Elizabeth (Summy) Stairs. As Gertrude was underage at the time of marriage, and her parents dead, her guardian J.J. Stairs of Mount Pleasant provided consent. They were farmers and resided in the mid-1910s through at least the late 1940s in the Jersey "settlement" of Confluence. They together produced a brood of 11 children, of whom seven are known -- Martha Anderson, Mildred Silbaugh, Verna Alcott, Lester Enos, Glen M. Enos, Samuel Enos and William Enos. Sadly, Gertrude died on April 22, 1921, of profuse bleeding just six hours after giving birth prematurely. She was laid to rest in the Jersey Church Cemetery. John married again in 1928 to widow Elizabeth (Wilson) Leydig (June 9, 1879-1966). She had been married previously to Howard Levi Leydig (1874-1916) and brought five stepchildren into the mixed family, Pearl Edna Anderson, Laura Margaret Ringer, Ida Deborah Lincoln, Harvey Howard "Bud" Leydig and Ruth Ethel Enos. John was the longtime caretaker of the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery. Sadly, John died at home in the Jersey settlement at the age of 72 on Dec. 12, 1949. Services were conducted in the Jersey Baptist Church, jointly led by Rev. George Coffman and Rev. M.H. Fleming, with burial following in the churchyard. The Connellsville Daily Courier and Somerset Daily American printed obituaries. Among those traveling to attend the funeral were Alice Enos and her daughter Ethel Pletcher. The family took out a card of thanks in the Daily American in appreciation of everyone who expressed kindness and sympathy during their mourning. Elizabeth outlived her spouse by 16-plus years. She surrendered to the angel of death at the age of 86 on Feb. 5, 1966.

• Historic Jersey Baptist Church

  Granddaughter Martha Enos married Paul Anderson ( ? - ? ) and lived in Allison Park, Allegheny County, PA in 1949. That year, desperately ill with a heart condition, Paul was hospitalized in Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh. They were the parents of Miriam Allman.

• Granddaughter Mildred Enos ( ? - ? ) wed Ronald Silbaugh ( ? - ? ) and lived in Twin Rocks and Ebensburg, PA.

• Granddaughter Verna Enos ( ? - ? ) married Richard Alcott ( ? - ? ) and resided in Ursina.

• Grandson Lester J. Enos (1906-1987) was born on Sept. 15, 1906 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. He wed Estella Silbaugh (1915-1992) in about 1934, and they remained together for 53 years. The Enoses lived in Confluence and had six children -- John Lester Enos, Martha Walker, Sally Thompson, Patricia Basinger, Robert Enos and Marshall Randy Enos. Lester served for three years with a cavalry unit in the U.S. Armed Forces and was a longtime coal miner and farmer. Sadly, they are believed to have lost their adult son John in 1965. Lester died in Pittsburgh at Allegheny General Hospital at the age of 80 on Jan. 2, 1987. His remains were laid to rest in the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery following funeral services led by Rev. John R. Wilson. Estella survived him by five years and passed away in 1992.

Great-granddaughter Sally Marie Enos (1940-1992) was born on Jan. 17, 1940. She married (?) Thompson ( ? - ? ) and had a family. She passed away on Feb. 17, 1992, at the age of 52. Burial was in the Jersey Church Cemetery.

Great-grandson Marshall "Randy" Enos (1954-2006) was born on May 2, 1954. He married Linda Wilt ( ? -living), daughter of June Rugg. Their family of children included Jason Lester "Jake" Enos and Kristy Lytle. Randy loved the out-of-doors. Sadly, on Aug. 2, 2006, he died at the age of 52, with interment in the Jersey Church Cemetery. Linda married again to (?) Andreuzzi of Markleton. Their son Jason (1978-2017) was a member of the Carpenter's Union Local 441, National Rifle Association and the Turkeyfoot Fish and Game Association, but he died at home at the age of 39 on April 4, 2017. Rev. James Monticue preached the funeral service with burial in the Jersey Cemetery.

• Grandson Glen M. Enos (1909-1994) was born on Feb. 23, 1909 in Lower Turkeyfoot. He married his stepsister, Ruth Leydig ( ? - ? ) and resided in Confluence. The couple had two children -- David G. Enos and Linda Dyer. As with many in this family, he was a longtime farmer and coal miner. In 1994, Glen and Ruth celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary. Glen died in Somerset Hospital at the age of 85 on April 5, 1994. Burial was in the Jersey Baptist Church Cemetery, with Rev. Richard McClintock officiating. An obituary was printed in the Somerset Daily American.

• Grandson Samuel Enos ( ? - ? ) made his home in 1949 in Somerset.

• Grandson William Clarence Enos (1915-1991) was born on Sept. 24, 1915. On Dec. 23, 1937, when he was age 22 and a farmer, he married 21-year-old Armeda Gladys Fike (1916- ? ), daughter of Dewey and Iva (Frazee) Fike of Hazelton, WV. He dwelled in Clairton, Allegheny County, PA. Later, he wed H. Jean (?) (1926- ? ). He passed away on April 17, 1991 with burial in Jersey Church Cemetery.

• Step-granddaughter Pearl Edna Leydig (1897-1943) Anderson

• Step-granddaughter Laura Margaret Leydig (1900-1995) Ringer

• Step-granddaughter Ida Deborah Leydig (1906-2002) Lincoln

• Step-grandson Harvey/Harry Howard "Bud" Leydig (1909-1978)

• Step-granddaughter Ruth Ethel Leydig (1915-2008) married her step-brother, Glen M. Enos. See their entry above.

Herman Enos  - Confluence PA 101

Son Harmon (or "Herman") Enos (1879-1912) was born on Jan. 21, 1879. He was married and resided in or near Humbert, Lower Turkeyfoot Township, where he labored as a coal miner. On March 30, 1901, the 23-year-old Herman was united in the bonds of holy matrimony with 17-year-old Mattie Brougher ( ? - ? ), daughter of Harrison and Susan Amelia (Romesburg) Brougher. The wedding ceremony was conducted in Rockwood, by the hand of Rev. D.R. Ellis. Mattie had a sixth grade school education. Together the Enoses produced a family of three children -- Melvin R. Enos, James R. Enos and Herman Paul Enos. Herman was "a hard working and honest man,"" said a newspaper, "highly respected by all who knew him." At some point, in young manhood, he and his brother Samuel "Judson" Enos worked together for the Laurel Hill Lumber Company. The company operated a railroad along Cranberry Glade Run, Sandy Run and "Kutztown" -- an interchange with the Ursina and North Fork Railway -- to transport wood timbered from the Somerset/Fayette County border. The brothers rode on this rail line are named in the booklet "Stemwinders" in the Laurel Highlands, authored by Benjamin F.G. Kline Jr., part of the series Logging Railroad Era of Lumbering in Pennsylvania.  Kline writes that:

Booklet naming brothers Herman and Judd Enos

The railroad crossed a bridge over the Laurel Hill Creek one mile north of Kutztown -- site of the worst wreck in the railroad's history. Ice had damaged the bridge supports, and the bridge collapsed under the weight of the locomotive. Six men were on board: Judd and Herman Enos, Thomas Carr, Frank Jackson, Charles Tressler and Engineer Simon Mitchell. Everyone was buried; Tressler received a broken leg; Thomas Carr was severely scalded.

Herman recovered from his burns but may have given up lumbering for a time. In 1904, he temporarily took over for his brother Judd as bartender at the Hotel Humbert. By 1910, the family had moved to a rented residence in nearby Rockwood, Somerset County, where his occupation was coal mining. He began suffering from kidney disease in November 1911 and, though under a physician's care, suffered for 10 months. Unable to recover, he died at age 32 on Sept. 21, 1912. Burial was in Old Bethel Church Cemetery in Kingwood, with the rites performed by Rev. Umstead. An obituary in the Meyersdale Republican called the cause of death "a complication of diseases." The widowed Mattie made her home with her sons in Rockwood in 1920, with her eldest son Melvin generating income through his work for the railroad. Somehow, she was in communication with a cousin of her late husband's, Edward Cleveland Liston (1886-1973), son of Simon and Salome (Younkin) Liston, who was living in Smokey Hill, Geary County, KS. They agreed to marry, and in the 1920s she and son Herman relocated to Edward's Kansas farm. During the decade of the Great Depression of the 1930s, they moved again to a farm in Rolling Prairie, Morris County, KS, and are shown there in the United States Census of 1940. Sadly, Mattie died in Junction City, KS in 1945. Burial was in Highland Cemetery.

• Grandson Melvin Ray Enos (1903-1933) was born in 1903. He was nine years of age in 1912 at the death of his father. Then in 1920, living in Rockwood with his widowed mother, he was employed as a railroad track laborer. Melvin relocated to Kansas with his mother and younger brothers. Grief blanketed the family at his untimely death on May 15, 1933. A brief notice of his death in the Council Grove Republican reported that he "had been in ill health the past year." The body was interred in Junction City's Highland Cemetery.

• Grandson James R. Enos (1906-1985) was born on Christmas Day 1906 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. He earned a living as a laborer in young manhood. When he was 19 years of age, he entered into marriage with 18-year-old Rockwood teacher Florence S. Wable (1907-1999), daughter of William and Mary (Critchfield) Wable. Rev. H.L. Logsdon officiated. Their marriage held firm over the span of a remarkable 59 years together. They made their longtime home in Rockwood and were the parents of one son, James H. Enos. James was employed for three decades by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. In his free time he belonged to the Pine Turn Hunting Camp, Rockwood United Church of Christ and the Rockwood Volunteer Fire Company. Sadly, James died at the age of 78 on Aug. 23, 1985. Rev. Jack Hazlett presided over the funeral service. Their remains are at rest for all time in the Rockwood Odd Fellows Cemetery.

  Great-grandson James H. Enos (1926-2005)

Fiery kamikaze damage to the USS Bunker Hill which cost Paul Enos his life (left) and transfer of casualties to the USS Wilkes Barre - National Archives

• Grandson Herman "Paul" Enos (1911-1945) was born on Nov.14, 1911 in Rockwood, Somerset County. Dr. Charles J. Hemminger assisted with the delivery. He was only a year old when his father died and he accompanied his widowed mother on a relocation to a new life in Kansas. Paul in adulthood stood 5 feet, 8 inches tall and weighed 190 lbs. On Nov. 22, 1935, Paul was joined in wedlock with Martha Ziegler (Oct. 4, 1909-2005), daughter of Frederick and Margaretha (Durst) Ziegler of near Wakefield. Together they produced an only son, Paul David Enos. In 1938, when recorded in the Kansas State Census, they lived in Blakely, Geary County. Paul worked for P.W. Dodderidge in Skiddy, managing the local grain elevator. During World War II, on March 8, 1944, he joined the U.S. Navy. He was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill as a fireman. While he was away, Martha and their young son went to live with her parents in Skiddy. The Bunker Hill played a role in major actions in the South Pacific, including the campaigns on Gilbert and Marshall Islands, the Truk raid, the capture of the Mariana and Palau Islands, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, air raids on Formosa and Japanese home islands, and the battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa during the final push advancing toward mainland Japan. In retaliation, on the fateful day of May 11, 1945, the carrier was struck by two Kamikazes within 30 seconds of each other while off the coast of Kyushu. The attack caused massive fires, with 393 crew killed and 264 injured. Sadly, Herman was one who lost his life. Despite severe damage, the Bunker Hill remained afloat and returned to the United States for repairs. Herman was buried was at sea, as reported in the Council Grove (KS) Republican. An article in the Butler (MO) Daily Democrat said that "Mrs. Enos used to live here and has the sympathy of every one who knows her." The widowed Martha was alone for nearly three decades and supported herself through her work in the White City Post Office. She married for a second time on Aug. 3, 1974 to Joel Blehm ( ? -2001). The couple retired and then relocated to Cashion, OK. Death spirited her away at the age of 96 on Nov. 3, 2005, as a resident of the Valley View Retirement Center. Funeral services were led by Rev. Dr. Norman Simmons in the White City United Methodist Church.Her remains were laid to rest in Wakefield Cemetery, with an obituary appearing in the Herington (KS) Times. Today Paul's name is inscribed in the Courts of the Missing in Honolulu, HI. Many years later, in October 1973, now in White City, KS, Martha applied for a military headstone to be placed in his memory in Fort Scott National Cemetery. She married again to (?) Blehm ( ? - ? ). The end came in Cashion, Kingfisher County, OK, when she died on Nov. 3, 2005. Her remains were transported back to Junction City to sleep for the ages in Highland Cemetery.

  Great-grandson Paul David Enos (1943-1981) was born on July 15, 1943 at City Hospital in Herington, KS, weighing in at 6 lbs., 9 oz. News of his birth was announced in the Herington Advertiser. On Jan. 2, 1969, in Laurel, MS, Paul entered into marriage with Karen Elizabeth Leker ( ? - ? ). He was employed as a sales manager for JEOL in the Fort Worth area. Their final residence was at 200 Walnut Way in Euless, Tarrant County, TX. Despondent, on the fateful day of April 8, 1981, he went into a closet in their home, pointed a shotgun barrel against his head and pulled the trigger. Death was instantaneous. An obituary appeared in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and the body was placed into repose in Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park.

Laura Musgrove Courtesy Confluence Pennsylvania 101

Daughter Laura Enos (1883-1918) was born on March 1, 1883 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County. On the day after Christmas 1901, at the age of 18, she tied the marital cord with Raymond A. Musgrove (Jan. 6, 1881-1963), originally from Alverton, PA and the son of James A. and Annie (Shaffer) Musgrove. They exchanged their marital vows before Rev. John C. Cunningham in Ursina, although the pair had obtained their marriage license in Westmoreland County, PA. Two known sons in this family were James "Enos" Musgrove and Marshall Thomas "Marsh" Musgrove. The couple settled in Scottdale, Westmoreland County, at an address of 108 Dubois Street. Raymond was employed in town as a heater in a steel mill. In 1917, Laura's aged mother died in their residence. The following November 1918, Laura was stricken with influenza and pneumonia, an epidemic sweeping the nation. She passed away on Nov. 10, 1918, at the age of 35. Interment was in Scottdale Cemetery. Raymond outlived her by a remarkable 55 years. To help provide care for the two boys, Laura's single sister Mary "Emma" Enos moved into the household in Scottdale and was there in 1920. Then on March 3, 1922, Raymond again entered into marriage with Anna M. Keller (1900-2002). The pair bore a daughter, Mary Ann Pritchard Sharish. He appears to have worked at the steel mill in retirement. He held memberships in the First Evangelical United Brethren Church of Scottdale and its Berean Sunday School Class, and in the Youghiogheny Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Allegheny Chapter of the Archaeology Society and Casselman Valley Historical Society. Then at the age of about 70, in 1951, he took on an entirely new role as curator of the Westmoreland-Fayette Historical Society, today known as West Overton Village, including the birthplace of coke and coke industrialist Henry Clay Frick. Raymond remained for the final dozen years of his life. Sadly, at the age of 82, having borne coronary artery disease for the past three years, he was felled by a sudden heart attack and passed away at home on the next-to-last-day of 1963. Jointly conducting his funeral service were Rev. James D. Mowrey and Rev. John C. McAdoo, with burial in Scottdale Cemetery. An obituary was printed in the Uniontown Evening Standard.

• Grandson James "Enos" Musgrove (1902-1988) was born on July 18, 1902. He relocated to Warren, Trumbull County, OH and was employed for years as a steelworker with Republic Steel Corporation. Eos was married at least three times. After the death of his second bride, he lived at 836 Kenmore Southeast. At the age of 53, on March 10, 1956, he wed 58-year-old Bertha Tack (Sept. 8, 1897- ? ), daughter of Phillip H. and Margaret (Wiskemann) Tack and originally from Butler, PA. Presiding over their exchange of vows was Rev. Charles G. Zeisser of Warren. At the time of marriage, Bertha earned a living as a service representative.
• Grandson Marshall Thomas "Marsh" Musgrove (1905-1924) was born on Nov. 28, 1905. He did not marry during his relatively short life and made his home with his parents on Jennings Avenue in Scottdale, Westmoreland County. At the age of 18, in 1924, he generated income through his work in a galvanizing shop. Tragically, in late February 1924, he contracted acute rheumatic fever and heart infection ("endocarditis") leading to blood poisoning ("septicimia"). After suffering for several weeks, his body gave up, and he died on March 8, 1924. His remains were placed into eternal repose beneath the sod of Scottdale Cemetery. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said "He had been ill for several months."

Ellen Kreger - Confluence Pennsylvania 101

Daughter Ellen Enos (1885-1930) was born on March 16, 1885. She wed Orville Silas Kreger (Oct. 18, 1880-1966), son of William and Harriet (Romesburg) Kreger of Upper Turkeyfoot Township. They together produced four known children: Iva Barron, Alice Ruth Kreger, John Kreger and Thomas W. Kreger, and possibly also Guy Kreger, who sadly died in infancy. Orville is known to have mined coal in Jenner Township in 1910. By 1913, their homeplace was in Boswell, where he took an examination to become an assistant mine foreman, with the news printed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. By 1914-1917, now in the community of  Acosta, Somerset County, Orville conducted tests for the positions of mine foremen and fire bosses. In 1920, he  was employed as a mine superintendent, with the family residing in Upper Turkeyfoot. They relocated to Rockwood by 1930. She was stricken with appendix trouble at the age of 45 and was rushed to Allegany Hospital in Cumberland, Maryland. Said the Meyersdale Republican: "Mrs. Kreger had been in good health before going to the hospital. The attack of appendicitis was sudden and acute, and she expired three days after the surgical operation." Her death occurred on Feb. 28, 1930. Following funeral services led by Rev. C.W. Raley, of the Rockwood Evangelical Church, her remains were interred in the Rockwood Odd Fellows Cemetery. Orville lived on for another 36 years and made his dwelling-place in Milford Township near Rockwood. On June 24, 1943, having been a widower for a baker's dozen years, the 62-year-old Orville again tied the marital cord with 37-year-old Marion Elizabeth Shaulis (May 24, 1906-1990), a native of Friedens and the daughter of Lawrence and Lillian (Lichty) Shaulis. The wedding was held in Jennerstown, by the hand of Rev. C.W. Raley. The newlyweds were more than a quarter century apart in age. Marion was an alumna of Indiana State Teachers College and was a longtime school teacher in the county. They were members of the United Methodist Church of Rockwood, where for 45 years she taught Sunday School. In his later life Orville was burdened with diabetes, At the age of 86, he passed away in Meyersdale Community Hospital on Nov. 4, 1966. Burial was in Rockwood, with the rites officiated by Rev. W.F. Berkebile. Marion survived for nearly another quarter of a century and remained in Rockwood. She was enveloped by death on Sept. 6, 1990. Rev. Randall Bain led the funeral obsequies, with an obituary appearing in the Somerset Daily American.

• Granddaughter Iva Kreger (1906-1988) was born on April 15, 1906 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. She married Ray Emerson Barron (Nov. 2, 1903-1970) of Rockwood, the son of James R. and Mary "Florence" (Bittner) Barron. The couple planted themselves in Ray's hometown. They were the parents of Ella Barron, James Barron and William Barron. Ray belonged to St. Luke's Lutheran Church of Rockwood, while Iva held a membership in the Rockwood Christ United Methodist Church. He also was active with the Fraternal Order of Eagles in Somerset. In his later years, Ray suffered from coronary artery disease. The family was plunged into mourning when he suffered a massive heart attack and was pronounced dead on arrival at Somerset Community Hospital on March 7, 1970. Rev. William H. Snyder led the funeral, with an obituary appearing in the Somerset Daily American. Iva outlived him by 18 years. Said the Daily American, "She was a member of the Rockwood Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary,... Also a member of the Rockwood senior citizens' group." With her health in decline, Iva was accepted to reside in Siemon Lakeview Estate. There, at the age of 82, she died on June 13, 1988. Rev. Rex Wasser oversaw the funeral service. Burial was in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Rockwood.

  Great-grandson James N. Barron dwelled in Butler, PA in 1970 and later moved to Chester, MD.

  Great-grandson William Barron lived in Carrollton, TX in 1970 and in Grapevine, TX in 1988.

• Granddaughter Alice Ruth Kreger (1916-1986) was born on March 18, 1916 in Somerset County. She wed James R. Petty ( ? - ? ). He brought a stepdaughter into the union, Betty Jo Watts. The couple settled in Texas in about 1951 and in the 1960s-1980s dwelled at Wichita Falls, TX. Their home address was 610 Powell Street. Sadly, at the age of 70, Alice passed away in a local hospital on May 17, 1986. Rev. Frank Yates, of the Grant Street United Methodist Church, officiated the funeral, followed by interment in Crestview Memorial Park. An obituary was printed in the Wichita Falls Times.

• Grandson John Enos Kreger (1915-1950) was born on Nov. 20, 1915 in Acosta, Somerset County. He married Helen Seibert ( ? - ? ). Two children born to the couple were Seibert Kreger and Orville Kreger. John was employed by Sanguigni Trucking and Contracting Company and held a membership in Local 249 of the Teamsters' Union. He also belonged to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church. The family made their residence in 1950 at 917 Moravian Street on Pittsburgh's North Side. Tragically, while in Sutton, Braxton County, WV, the 34-year-old John was critically injured in a workplace accident on U.S. Route 19. A physician wrote that while riding atop a steam shovel on a trailer, he ran into a telephone wire. In an apparent fall, he dislocated his left hip and the outer end of his left clavicle and was badly hurt in the larynx, causing partial asphyxiation and resulting in shock. He was rushed to Sutton General Hospital where he passed away within a few hours. The remains were transported back to Pittsburgh to be interred in the city's Union Dale Cemetery. The Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph ran an obituary.

  Great-grandson Seibert Kreger ( ? - ? )

  Great-grandson Orville Kreger ( ? - ? )

Thomas and Genevie Kreger, and Genevie as a young woman  Courtesy Sylvester Everhart Jr.

• Grandson Thomas W. Kreger (1910-1993) was born on March 16, 1910 in Milford Township, Somerset County. He was a 1928 graduate of Rockwood High School and in young manhood was employed in carpentry by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Army and trained at Camp Grant, IL, Fort Devens, MA and Camp Edwards, MA. He was assigned to the Army's amphibian engineering unit at Camp Edwards and was promoted to sergeant. Thomas first tied the knot with Genevie Violet "Jennie" Everhart (1916-1969), a native of Cherry Run, WV and the daughter of Samuel and Goldie (Johnson) Everhart. Together they bore two daughters, Christine Kreger and Linda Lee Kreger. They grieved at the death of daughter Linda Lee in infancy in 1948. Sadly, Genevieve passed away in Somerset Community Hospital on July 27, 1969. Leading her funeral rites was Rev. William Ferguson. Thomas' second spouse was Mary McKinley ( ? - ? ). She brought a stepdaughter into the mixed family, Shirley Hay. They are known to have resided in Berlin in 1988-1993. He was spirited away in death at the age of 83 on June 20, 1993. His remains sleep for the ages in the Rockwood Odd Fellows Cemetery.

  Great-granddaughter Christine Kreger lived in Cleveland, OH in 1969 and by 1993 had migrated to Reno, NV.

  Step-great-granddaughter Shirley Hay was in Grantsville, MD in 1969.

~ Daughter Amanda (Phillippi) Koontz ~

Daughter Amanda Phillippi (1846-1924) was born on Sept. 9, 1846 in Upper Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County, PA. 

On May 25, 1875, when she was age 29 and he 24, she wed Christian Koontz (1851-1912), son of Samuel Koontz of Somerset County. They resided in Ursina, where circa 1880 Christian worked as a laborer. 

The couple produced three known offspring, Charles Edward Koontz, James Franklin Koontz and Samuel William Koontz.

Amanda was described by the Meyersdale Republican has having "lived most of her life since her marriage at Ursina where she was greatly respected and esteemed for her Christian life and sterling qualities. She was a consistent member of the Methodist Episcopal Church."

Christian was in the news in September 1885 when a building he owned in Ursina burned mysteriously. Reported the Somerset Herald, "The town of Ursina has been visited by fire bugs of late. On the morning of the first, , at about six o'clock, fire was discovered in the warehouse of Mr. B.f. Snyder's new store building. Every effort weas made to save the building and the goods, but the flames soon communicated with other buildings close by, and four buildings, three of them belonging to Mr. Snyder, and one to Chris. Koontz, were soon licked up by the flames."

As a laborer living in Ursina in 1889, Christian was interviewed as a possible juror in the sensational murder case of brothers David and Joseph Nicely, accused of killing Jennerstown farmer Herman Umberger. In a lengthy article, the Somerset Herald described him as "not related to the parties; no scruples in regard to capital punishment; did not read about the case, but heard about it; expressed an opinion; could render a verdict no the evidence according to the witnesses; have been talked to about the case. Witness stated that he was subject to fainting spells. Excused" The brothers eventually were tried, found guilty and executed by hanging at the Somerset Court House.

When the federal census count was made in 1900, the Koontzes lived in Ursina, with Christian employed as a railroad laborer. Son Charles worked as a school teacher, and sons James and Samuel as day laborers.

The Meyersdale Republican newspaper once said of Christian that he:

...came to live at Ursina soon after the borough was incorporated and lived there continuously since... [He] was a men of Christian character, who led a pure and upright life. He was a sincere worker in church and Sunday school, being a consistent member of the Methodist church for many years and always connected in some official capacity with the congregation to which he was attached. He was a devoted husband and father and a kind and charitable neighbor. Although in moderate circumstances, he was always ready to reach a helping hand to those in sickness and distress. It could be well said of him that he never wronged any one during his life. He was a charter member of Ursina Council Order of United America.... For many years Mr. Koontz devoted much time to beautifying [the Ursina] cemetery and was always urgent in his appeals to lot owners to make it a place worthy of being the abode of loved ones who have passed to the Great Beyond.

Ursina Cemetery

Christian suffered a robbery on his farm in December 1908, which led to newspaper coverage as far away as Altoona, PA. An article in the New Year's Eve 1908 edition of the Altoona Tribune reported: "Christian Koontz, who resides south of Somerset, butchered two large pigs a day or two ago and hung the meat in his smoke house, on the door of which there was a Yale lock. That night some persons unknown cut the lock from the door and carried away the meat."

In September 1910, after Christian and friend Albert Hemminger were accused of violating coal mining laws, with charges brought in Somerset County Criminal Court by James Gahagen, the Connellsville Daily Courier said: "The offense allegedly consisted of crossing the property line and mining coal owned by Gahagen."

Christian was discovered lying dead on Dec. 8, 1912, when he was age 64. The Meyersdale Commercial noted that "On Sunday morning, after eating his breakfast, he retired to his room to prepare for Sunday school, and when he remained up stairs longer than usual the family went to his room to ascertain the cause and found him lying across the bed party dressed, cold in death. The cause of his death was heart failure a disease of which he complained often."

A physician confirmed that the presumed cause was "sudden heart failure." Burial was in Ursina Cemetery. In an obituary, the Commercial reported that "Ursina has lost one of its oldest and most respected residents" and that his death had "cast gloom over the community for about 40 years." Their former pastor Rev. G.W. Ringer of Ohiopyle officiated at the funeral service held in the Ursina Methodist Episcopal Church. Said the Republican, "Among the floral tributes was a beautiful wreath of lilies from the pupil. 6 and 7 of the Confluence public schools, who are now, or were pupils of his son Charles E. Koontz. The pall-bearers were members of the Order of America."

Amanda lived for another dozen years as a widow, and endured the heartbreak of the death of their son Charles in 1919. As her health failed due to longstanding rheumatism and kidney problems ("interstitial nephritis"), Amanda was confined to her bed for the last week leading up to her death at the age of 79 on Nov. 16, 1924. She was laid to rest in the Ursina Cemetery following funeral services led by Rev. L.H. Powell in the family church. Son James Koontz of Ursina was the informant for her death certificate.

An obituary in the Republican noted that she was survived by 13 grandchildren and her brother Aaron of Markleton.

Ursina Cemetery

Son Charles Edward Koontz (1878-1919) was born in late Feb. 1878 in Harnedsville, Somerset County. Circa 1899, the family relocated to nearby Ursina. Charles did not marry, but pursued public education as his career path. Said the Meyersdale Republican:

When Mr. Koontz was 16 years of age he commended teaching school at Fort Hill, Addison Township, and with the exception of two years that he was employed in a mining engineer's office in Johnstown, he followed the occupation of teaching continuously for a period of 25 years. He taught the seventh and eighth grades in the Confluence public schools for nine consecutive terms to the entire satisfaction of pupils, parents and school officials. If ever a teacher did his duty conscientously and faithfully to every pupil it was "Charlie" Koontz, as he was lovingly known. Every parent in Confluence who had any children going to school to him owes him a debt of gratitude. A number of young persons who are filling good positions had very little training other than they received from him. He also prepared a number of successful young teachers. Few, if any, who attended his school failed to receive a teacher's certificate. During the many years he taught, he never missed a county institute and was for many years the time clerk of the institute. He was one of the best known and most popular teachers attending the institutes. Prof. Koontz did not teach simply for the stipend he received; he taught because he loved the profession, for a man of his ability, doing the hard work he did, would receive double the compensation he received, in any other business or calling. He was a dedicated son, always looking after the welfare of his parents and the comfort of his aged mother after the death of his father. He led a pure, honest, upright life, and was loved and respected by every person with whom he came in contact.

Ursina School, where Charles Koontz was principal

In 1900-1919, he is known to have been employed as a teacher and principal in the Ursina School. He was a longtime member of the Ursina Lodge of the Odd Fellows and served in the positions of secretary and grand. Over the years, Charles suffered from kidney disease, known as "nephritis." He frequently took Bromo-Selzer, an antacid brand, to relieve his pain. In 1912, at the death of his father, Charles provided information for his official Pennsylvania certificate of death. At the age of 42, in early November 1919, Charles met with a freak accident when he fell on a bucket of coal in the basement of the school building. Said the Republican, "It was thought he would not be confined to his home for more than a few days, as the result of the accident, but neuritis, complicated with pleurisy, et in and he continued to grow worse until ... his physicians and friends relinquished all hopes of his recovery." The neuritis, a more acute kidney problem, was thought to have been caused by overdoses of the antacid medication. He died on Nov. 21, 1919. His brother James Koontz of Ursina signed the death certificate. Services were held in the Ursina Methodist Church, presided by Rev. C.D. Firster and Rev. W.A. Wissinger, and burial in Ursina Cemetery. He was pictured in his Republican obituary under a double-stack headline reading: "Popular Teacher's Life Work Finished. Successful Career of Prof. C.E. Koontz Comes to an Untimely End." 

Son James Franklin Koontz (1880-1949) was born on July 9, 1880 in Ursina and was a lifelong resident of the community. He married Nancy "Nannie" Mathews (1881- ? ) and resided in Ursina, where he earned a living as a laborer and coal miner. Their five children were Harry Cecil Koontz, Robert Koontz, Fred Koontz, Ruth Sechler and Martha Rose. When the federal census was taken in 1920, the Koontzes lived in Ursina. During the winter of 1949, James began to suffer from a blocked artery, which led to a heart attack and sudden death at the age of 68 on Feb. 17, 1949. "His wife had gone to the post office and on her return a few minutes later found her husband's body on the kitchen floor," reported the Connellsville Daily Courier. His remains were lowered into rest in the Addison Cemetery following funeral services led by Rev. Alden Allen of the Methodist Church. An obituary was published in the Meyersdale Republican. Nancy survived by some years. She began spending her winters in Chicago with her daughter and son in law, Mr. and Mrs. James Sechler, at times driven there by her son Robert. Circa 1959, she was active with the Women's Society of Christian Service (WSCS) of the Ursina Methodist Church.

• Grandson Robert E. Koontz (1903- ? ) was born in about 1903 in or near Ursina. He resided in Chicago in the late 1940s and in Uniontown, Fayette County in 1952.

• Grandson Harry Cecil Koontz (1905- ? ) was born in about 1905. He is believed to have married Madalyn Geyer ( ? - ? ), a daughter of Ezra Geyer of Hopwood, Fayette County. They lived in Ursina and became the parents of three known offspring, Nancy Koontz, Harry Koontz and Louise Koontz.

Great-granddaughter Nancy A. Koontz (1935-2021) was born on Nov. 10, 1935. She spent her long life in Ursina, never married and devoted her life to her career and a wide variety of community organizations. A graduate of Turkeyfoot Valley Area High School, she received higher education at the West Penn Hospital School of Nursing in Pittsburgh and a master's degree from the University of Maryland. For years, she was employed as a professor of nursing in the West Virginia University School of Nursing. After retirement, she continued to be active in the field and volunteered her time in a hospital in Cumberland, MD and with Turkeyfoot Valley Schools as a substitute nurse. Among her memberships and activities were the Confluence United Methodist Church and United Methodist Women; attendance at the Ursina Community Church of God and Women's Society of Christian Service, the Kingwood Grange, Great Crossings Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, New Centerville Volunteer Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary, Confluence Womens Civic Club and New Centerville Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee. In 2003, representing the DAR, she helped to dedicate a new grave marker for Revolutionary War patriot Jacob Minerd Sr. -- father-in-law of Catherine (Younkin) Minerd -- in the Indian Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in neighboring Mill Run, PA. She and her sister Louise attended the Younkin Reunion East of the 1990s-2016, held in Kingwood. Nancy passed away at the age of 85 on Oct. 8, 2021 as a patient in UPMC Somerset Hospital. Rev. Valerie Stark and double-cousin Rev. Dean Hay co-officiated at the funeral service. Burial was in Addison Cemetery.

Great-grandson Harry Koontz married Sandra. They have lived in Lexington, OH.

Great-granddaughter Louise Koontz ( ? - ? ) never married.

 

Younkin Cemetery, Paddytown

Son Samuel William Koontz (1882-1949) was born in about 1882 in or near Ursina, Somerset County. At the age of 24, on Sept. 23, 1906, he wed 22-year-old widow Mary Katherine (Firestone) Mitchell (1884-1965), daughter of Jacob Isaac and Mahala Jane (Growall) Firestone of Upper Turkeyfoot. Mary had been previously married to John Mitchell, and he had died in about 1903. The ceremony uniting Samuel and Mary in holy matrimony was held at her father's home, performed by justice of the peace A.S. Levy. They went on to married life spanning nearly 43 years. In an interesting twist, Mary Katherine's brother Stanton A. Firestone wedded Reba Catherine (Gerhard) Johnson of the family of Thomas and Adaline (Shaulis) Ream Jr., and her sister Lottie May Firestone wedded John B. Younkin of the family of Rev. Herman and Susanna (Faidley) Younkin.

In addition to her daughter Marie (Mitchell) Lingenfield from the first marriage, Samuel and Mary produced eight more known offspring -- among them Ray Koontz, Warren S. "Toots" Koontz, Ed Koontz, Scott Koontz, Marie Lillian Leer, Betty Blubaugh, Irvin E. "Bill" Koontz and Dorothy Cassidy. Samuel was a longtime laborer with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, a position from which he retired. Catherine served as a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, and the family belonged to the Ursina Methodist Church. In February 1932, Catherine's aged father died in their home in Ursina. Burdened with heart valve disease, beginning in 1944, Samuel suffered for five years and died at age 66 on April 25, 1949. Their son Irwin E. "Bill" Koontz of Confluence signed the death certificate. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said he was survived by 29 grandchildren and four great-grandchldren, and added that "A brother-in-law, Daniel Preston died in Ursina a week ago and a brother, James succumbed to a heart attack several months ago." Mary outlived him by 16 years and passed into eternity in Ursina on May 15, 1965. Among her survivors, said Somerset Daily American, were her brother Stanton Firestone and sisters Mattie King and Lottie Younkin. By the time of her passing, her number of survivors had swollen to 34 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. They rest together under a red barre granite marker in the Younkin Cemetery in Paddytown.

• Step-granddaughter Mabel Ruth Mitchell (1903-1975) was born on Nov. 1, 1903 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. She was only an infant when her father died. Mabel was united in matrimony with Gilbert Glenn Lingenfield (1906-1972), a native of West Virginia and the son of James A. and Ethel (Hytt) Lingenfield. They lived in Waynesburg, Greene County, PA and had two children, Sarah Ann Robinson and Glenn A. Lingenfield (adopted). Gilbert was a longtime coal miner and worked for the Hillman Coal and Coke Company for several years, in and around the Dillinger area. Mabel "resided most of her life in the Waynesburg area," reported the Waynesburg Republican. She was "employed by various Waynesburg restaurants, and for several years prior to her retirement had worked at the Isaly store." Their home was at 68 East Franklin Street, and they were members of the First Christian Church of Waynesburg. The couple endured the death of their married daughter Sarah. Sadly, Gilbert passed into eternity on July 27, 1972 while under treatment at Greene County Memorial Hospital. His widow survived him by three years. Having been in failing health, Mabel died on July 25, 1975, in Greene County Memorial Hospital. An obituary was printed in the Republican, stating that her survivors included seven grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild, in addition to two grandsons who preceeded her in death. Son Glenn is believed to have died on June 11, 1981, with an obituary appearing in the Waynesburg Democrat Messenger.

~ Daughter Mary Ann (Phillippi) Kreger ~

Daughter Mary Ann Phillippi (1848-1918) was born on Jan. 29, 1848 near Paddytown, Somerset County, PA. 

She wed (?) Kreger. They lived in Confluence, Lower Turkeyfoot Township, Somerset County.

In winter of 1918, when Mary Ann was age 70, she was stricken with cancer of her uterus. Added to chronic kidney disease, she declined rapidly and died on Aug. 15, 1918. Interment was in the Jersey Church Cemetery. Fred Kreger -- her husband? -- provided information for her death certificate.

~ Son Aaron Phillippi

Son Aaron Phillippi (1850-1928) was born in April 1850 near Paddytown, Somerset County, PA. At the age of 30, he was unmarried, lived at home and helped his father with farming. 

Aaron married Sarah E. "Sadie" Meese (1860-1941) in about 1885, when he was age 35 and she 25. 

They were farmers and had five known sons -- Harry C. Phillippi, Wesley A. Phillippi, Bruce W. Phillippi, John E. Phillippi and Joseph Gillian Phillippi. 

When the federal census was taken in 1900, the family lived in or near Humbert, Lower Turkeyfoot Township, where Aaron farmed, assisted by sons Harry and Wesley. Among their near neighbors were Aaron's widowed sister Martha Enos; and distant cousins William and Maggie Rose and Charles and Catherine (Minerd) Rose.

Aaron was named in the Meyersdale Republican obituary of his sister Amanda Koontz in November 1924.

Harry's grave, Younkin Cemetery

Aaron passed away in 1928. Burial was in the IOOF Cemetery in Kingwood. [Find-a-Grave]

Sadie outlived her husband by 13 years. She died in 1941, and rests for eternity beside Aaron.

Son Harry C. Phillippi (1885-1910) was born on Nov. 16, 1885. He earned a living as a lumberman. On Feb. 11, 1910, when he was age 24, he married 20-year-old Sarah B. "Sadie" Sheller (1890- ? ), daughter of Samuel and Eliza Sheeler. The 1910 census taken in May shows them living together in Lower Turkeyfoot, with Harry employed at a local sawmill, and 24-year-old brother in law Charles Sheeler living under their roof. Tragedy severed their brief marriage after just seven months, in mid-September 1910, when at the age of 24, Harry contracted typhoid fever and suffered unstoppable bleeding of his bowels. He died on Sept. 22, 1910. He was interred in the Younkin Cemetery at Paddytown. Widowed at the age of 20, Sadie made her way to Rockwood, Black Township, Somerset County. After 19 months, she married again on April 1, 1912, to coal miner John Debois (1890- ? ), son of John and Frances Debois. Their wedding took place in Johnstown, Cambria County, PA, near Hastings, where John made his home.

Son Wesley A. Phillippi (1887- ? ) was born in November 1887. Nothing more about him is known.

Younkin Cemetery

Son Bruce W. Phillippi (1892- ? ) was born in May 1892. In young adulthood he was a farmer in and around Markleton, Somerset County. On Sept. 10, 1913, at the age of 21, Bruce wed 17-year-old Marie E. Nicholson (1896- ? ), daughter of David A. and Ellen (Showman) Nicholson. Rev. E.F. House officiated at their wedding, held at Casselman, Somerset County.

Son John Edward Phillippi (1894-1969) was born in 1894. He married Sadie Frances Lichty (1899-1995), of Casselman, a daughter of Frank and Eva (May) Lichty. Their wedding was held on Feb. 28, 1920, when John was age 25 and Sadie 21. Rev. A.W. Hayes officiated. At the time of married, John worked as a driver. They went on to produce 11 known children -- Clyde R. Phillippi, Ralph "Brownie" Phillippi, James Phillippi, Florence Phillippi, Nancy Phillippi, Roy Gene Phillippi, George Phillippi, Milton E. Phillippi, Alvin Phillippi, Mary Spangler and Kenneth Phillippi. They resided in Casselman and were members of the Old Bethel Church of God in Hexebarger near Kingwood. Sadly, John died in 1969 at the age of 75. Sadie survived until her death at the age of 94 on May 8, 1995. Burial was in the Kingwood Odd Fellows Cemetery, with Rev. John H. Snyder preaching the funeral sermon. In an obituary, the Somerset Daily American reported that her suvivors numbered 18 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

~ Son John "Wesley" Phillippi ~

Wesley's tree trunk grave marker, Rulo, Nebraska. Courtesy the late Paula Segrest.

Son John "Wesley" Phillippi (1855-1892) was born on Oct. 22, 1855 near Paddytown, Somerset County, PA. 

When the federal census enumeration was made in 1870, Wesley at age 14 lived at home and provided labor on the family farm.

Wesley eventually made his way westward to Nebraska, the cornhusker state. He settled in Rulo, Richardson County, a small community along the Missouri River.

Sadly, he surrendered to the angel of death on June 6, 1892. His remains lie in repose in Rulo City Cemetery. The inscription on his grave marker reads "Philipi." with a carved tree trunk sculpture atop the stone. His demise received a brief mention in the Verdon (NE) Vedette: "Wesley Phillipi died at his home near Rulo on June 6, age 37 years."

The cause of his untimely passing is not yet known. Some dozen years later, at the death of his mother, Wesley was named in her obituary in the Meyersdale (PA) Commercial.

~ Daughter Sarah Catherine "Sadie" (Phillippi) Sechler ~

Younkin Cemetery

Daughter Sarah Catherine "Sadie" Phillippi (1858-1923) was born on July 11, 1858 in Somerset County, PA. 

She wed Ephraim "Scott" Sechler (Jan. 11, 1853-1937). They resided on a farm in Lower Turkeyfoot, Somerset County.

Their known children were Mary M. Sechler, Ira "Austin" Sechler, Alice E. Sechler, Charles Wesley Sechler and James A. Sechler.

Heartache enveloped the Sechlers on Sept. 24, 1876 when baby daughter Mary, age 13 days, died and was buried in the Younkin Cemetery in Paddytown. Further tragedy rocked the family on Oct. 28, 1896, when son Charles died at the age of 20 years, 17 days. His remains also were interred in the Younkin Cemetery at Paddytown. On the face of his grave marker was inscribed "In Loving Remembrance."

Younkin Cemetery

Having suffered with chronic kidney disease (interstitial nephritis), Sadie died at age 65 on May 28, 1923. Burial was in the Younkin Cemetery.

Scott survived his wife by 15 years. He passed away on Sept. 18, 1937. He was interred in Paddytown at the Younkin Cemetery.

Son Ira "Austin" Sechler (1878-1960?) was born on July 6, 1878 in Lower Turkeyfoot. He was a farmer and resided in Confluence. Austin married Ella Burroughs (Nov. 28, 1887-1965), a native of Fort Hill and the daughter of Charles Burroughs. Together, they produced two children -- James "Russell" Sechler and Mrs. Ross Sanner. The family were members of the Methodist Church. Austin died near Confluence in about 1960. Burial was in Somerset County Memorial Park. At his death, said a local newspaper, he was survived by five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. The widowed Ella relocated to Ohio where her married daughter Ruth Sanner was living in Elyria, OH. She died there at the age of 77 on Jan. 22, 1965. Her remains were transported back to her native county to sleep for all time in Somerset County Memorial Park. Rev. Chester Henneman presided over the funeral service, with an obituary printed in the Meyersdale Republican.

• Grandson James "Russell" Sechler (1907-1994) was born on Feb. 1, 1907 in Fort Hill. On Aug. 1, 1930, he entered into marriage with Ruth E. Turney ( ? - ? ), daughter of John and Emma (Davis) Turney of Unamis, PA. They exchanged their wedding vows in the parsonage of the Christian Church in Confluence. Their trio of offspring included Ted Ray Sechler, Jay Russell Sechler and Marjorie Leonard. The Sechlers made their dwelling-place in Confluence, where he was a longtime farmer. Russell also was employed for 34 years by General Refractories. Ruth worked as a psychiatric aide at the State Hospital in Somerset. The family attended the Confluence Church of the Nazarene for 44 years. Russell and Ruth marked their golden wedding anniversary in August 1980 with a surprise picnic at their home. Sadly, at the age of 87, and residing in the Siemon Lakeview Manor in Somerset, he died on March 3, 1994. An obituary was printed in the Somerset Daily American. in which his survivor-headcount was numbered as eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Rev. Thomas Charles led the funeral rites followed by burial in Somerset County Memorial Park.

  Great-grandson Ted Ray Sechler wed Janice Burnworth. They were in Harrisburg, PA in 1980 and in Etters, PA in 1994.

  Great-grandson Jay Russell Sechler married Alberta Humbertson. The couple settled in Confluence.

  Great-granddaughter Marjorie Sechler (1932-2024) was born on Dec. 9, 1932 in Fort Hill. She was joined in wedlock with Edward Leonard ( ? - ? ). Five offspring in this family were Janine Doman, Michelle DeHaven, Gretta Lytle, Patricia Conn and R.J. Leonard. They put down roots in Confluence. Said the Somerset Daily American, "Marjorie was a member of the Confluence Church of the Nazarene where she was also the organist and choir director for many years." Sadly, as a patient in UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, Marjorie was gathered away into the heavenly host on Oct. 24, 2024. Her remains were laid to rest in the sacred soil of Crossroads Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Ruth Sechler (1904-1969) was born on Aug. 2, 1904 in Fort Hill. She tied the marital cord with Ross P. Sanner ( ? - ? ). The two sons they bore together were Harold C. Sanner and Ray Sanner. The family dwelled in Confluence before a move to Elyria, OH, where they spent their final quarter-century together. Having been ill for a year, Ruth passed away in Elyria Memorial Hospital at the age of 65 on Nov. 5, 1969. The Meyersdale Republican carried an obituary.

  Great-grandson Harold C. Sanner settled in Amherst, OH.

  Great-grandson Ray Sanner relocated to Dayton, OH.

Daughter Alice Emily "Emma" Sechler (1880-1951) was born in January 1880. She never married In 1910, at age 30, she lived at home with her parents in Upper Turkeyfoot. She remained in the community for good, sharing a home with her bachelor brother James. In her final years she was burdened with anemia and hardening of the arteries. After a heart attack, and lingering for two weeks, Alice passed away on Oct. 16, 1951 at the age of 71. Burial was in Younkin Cemetery, with Rev. Dr. Alden J. Allan leading the funeral rites. The Somerset Daily American published an obituary.

Son James A. Sechler (1881-1956) was born on March 2 or 4, 1881. He did not marry. James lived in Kingwood, sharing a residence with his unmarried sister Alice. He died on Dec. 6, 1956 (or 1958) at age 75, in the Price Hospital in Confluence. A short obituary appeared in the Connellsville Daily Courier. He and his sister Alice are interred together in the Younkin Cemetery at Paddytown.