Francis 'Frank' Herlinger |
Francis "Frank" Herlinger was born on March 7, 1842 in Brush Valley, Indiana County, PA, the son of Frederick and Anna Mariah (Younkin) Herlinger Sr. of Brush Valley, PA.
He stood 5 feet, 7½ inches tall and had blue eyes and dark hair, and weighed 190 lbs.
During the Civil War, he enlisted in the Union Army and served successively in two regiments. The first was the 135th Pennsylvania Infantry, Company I (from Aug. 7, 1862 to May 24, 1863). When his term of service ended, he mustered out at Harrisburg, PA. In the spring of 1863, he developed hemorrhoids and in the winters of 1862 and 1863 contracted "ague," a type of malaria. He claimed the ague left him with heart, liver and spleen discomfort.
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| Francis' signature. National Archives |
Frank was twice-wed. His first spouse was Maria E. Overdorff ( ? -1876). They tied the knot on Nov. 26, 1863, by the hand of Rev. J.C. High, of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Brush Valley..
Together, they produced one known daughter, Lizzie Bell Findley. They also helped raise Frank's orphaned niece, Sarah "Sadie" (Grumbling) Van Horn.
The 1870 United States Census of Brush Valley shows the young family living as neighbors to Jacob and Susan Overdorf and Zacariah and Caroline Overdorf. At that time, Frank plied his trade as a carpenter, and niece Sarah was under their roof.
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Damage done by retreating Confederates at Manassas Station of the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, which the 6th Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery later guarded. Library of Congress. Below: Frank's military pension certificate. National Archives |
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| Surgeon's sketch of the scar on Frank's left ankle. National Archives |
On Christmas Day 1877, Frank was joined in the bonds of wedlock with his second wife, Sarah Rhodes (Jan. 13, 1855-1932), a native of Cherry Tree, PA and the daughter of David and Ann (Duncan) Rhodes. Their nuptials were held in the parsonage of the Methodist Episcopal Church of what then was known as Mechanicsburg, Indiana County, today Brush Valley. Rev. Solomon Keebler officiated. Among the witnesses were Mary R. McNutt as well as Frank's married sister Sarah and her husband John Rugh. A record of the wedding was kept by the church.
They together bore a family of these 10 known children -- Sylvester "Fred" Herlinger, Mary Frances Arnold, Mary Frances Arnold, India Irene Herlinger, Charles Rhodes Herlinger, Frank Cleveland Herlinger, twins Maria M. Reynolds and Anna P. "Annie" Taylor, Nancy S. "Nannie" Norton, Ida W. Herlinger and Ruth Florence Leslie.
Daughter Ruth, the youngest of the brood, is believed to have died young, prior to 1898.
Frank continued to earn a living over the years as a carpenter. Circa 1873, he began to suffer increasingly from asthma and in 1877 from hemorrhoids. In 1890, the federal government awarded him a military pension based on his physical disabilities. [Invalid App. #905.500 - Cert. #839.739]
When Frank was examined in 1894, a military surgeon wrote "This man is very fleshy, face very red, cyanotic... [He] walks with a heavy lumbering gait..." The surgeon also noted a scar at his left ankle, measuring 2¾ inches in length.
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| Warren, Ohio's Market Street |
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| Sarah's letter to the pension office, 1930 |
Frank was diagnosed in 1915 with heart disease ("myocarditis"). Sadly, a year later, at the age of 74, Frank died at home in Warren. An obituary in his old hometown newspaper, the Indiana Progress, said that death "was due to heart trouble from which he had suffered for sometime." Burial of the remains took place in Warren's Oakwood Cemetery.
The month after Frank's death, Sarah was granted her late husband's military pension. [Widow App. #1.067.830 - Cert. #875.752]. Among the family and friends providing affidavits supporting her claims were Daniel Grumbling and A.T. Wolf.
She spent her widowed years in Warren at 1300 South Tod Avenue, providing a home for her unmarried middle-aged daughter India. She is known to have written to the pension office in 1930, seeking a raise in her monthly payment amounts.
Having been stricken by a heart attack in March 1932, she surrendered to death a week later on March 31, 1932.
~ Daughter Lizzie Bell (Herlinger) Findley ~
Daughter Lizzie Bell Herlinger (1864- ? ) was born on Oct. 2, 1864 to the first marriage.
When she was 22 years of age, on Oct. 27, 1886, Lizzie was united in matrimony with 22-year-old carpenter S.H. Findley ( ? - ? ), a Johnstown resident and the son of George D. and Ann Findley. Rev. S.M. Bell officiated.
The couple settled in Pittsburgh as of 1916.
~ Son Sylvester "Fred" Herlinger ~
Son Sylvester "Fred" Herlinger (1879-1962) was born on Valentine's Day 1879, the firstborn of the second marriage.
He resided in Brush Valley in young adulthood and labored as a glass blower.
On Christmas Eve 1900, in Indiana County, when both were age 21, he married Ella A. Douthitt (1880- ? ), daughter of John and Sarah Douthitt of Homer City. Their nuptials were held in the parsonage of the United Presbyterian Church of Homer City, by the hand of Rev. M.S. Telford.
The pair bore four known children, Keith Herlinger, Sarah "Wave" Herlinger, Fred D. Herlinger and Lloyd C. Herlinger.
They relocated to West Virginia, where as of 1910 and 1920 they lived in Williamstown, Wood County, with Fred continuing to earn a living as a glass blower. Situated along the Ohio River, Williamstown is directly across the river from Marietta, OH.
Evidence suggests that Fred was associated with the Socialist Party and in 1913 held the position of secretary of its Williamstown chapter, with his name appearing in print in the Huntington (WV) Socialist and Labor Star.
The Herlinger home was located at 433 Caroline Avenue in Williamstown in the early 1960s.
Sadly, the 83-year-old Fred was stricken by a heart attack and died at home on July 28, 1962. On the official West Virginia certificate of death, signed by Ella, she was unable to furnish the names of either of her husband's parents. The remains were interred in the Knights of Pythias Cemetery, Williamstown.
Son Keith Donald Herlinger (1902-1978) was born in about 1902 in Ohio. Circa 1923, in Wood County, WV, he married Thelma Cox (April 23, 1905-1969), daughter of Edward and Delta (Athey) Cox. One known daughter born to the pair was Jeanne Louise Maidens. Diagnosed with hardening of the arteries and kidney disease, Thelma died at the age of 63 on March 19, 1969. The remains were lowered under the sod of Riverview Cemetery, Williamstown.
Daughter Sarah "Wave" Herlinger (1907-1985) was born on Oct. 12, 1907 in Williamstown, Wood County, WV. She may never have married. She died on June 14, 1985. Burial is in Williamstown's Riverview Cemeteery.
Son Fred D. Herlinger (1910-1972) was born on Dec. 12, 1910 in Williamstown, Wood County. He entered into marriage with Helen Louise Sinclair (Feb. 17, 1912- ? ), daughter of James S. and Clara L. Sinalcir. They were the parents of Gloria Jean Trembly. The couple divorced, and in 1946, Louise wed again to Carl Henry Eddy.
Son Lloyd C. Herlinger (1913- ? ) was born on May 22, 1913 in Williamstown, Wood County.
~ Daughter Mary Frances (Herlinger) Arnold ~
Daughter Mary Frances Herlinger (1881-1957) was born on March 22, 1881 in Indiana County.
On Nov. 4, 1904, in nuptials held in Trumbull County, the 24-year-old Mary was joined in wedlock with 28-year-old laborer Michael Aloysius "Mike" Arnold (June 22, 1876-1944), son of H. and Mary (Shooley) Arnold. Methodist Episcopal minister Rev. Edwin A. Jester officiated.
Six offspring produced by the Arnolds were Mabel Shallenberger, William Duncan Arnold, Francis H. Arnold, Sarah Ethlyn McDonald, Mary A. Kneeland and Raymond R. Arnold.
The couple lived with her parents in Warren circa 1916.
Michael died at the age of 68 on Oct. 2, 1944.
Mary Frances was swept away by the angel of death in Warren on March 19, 1957.
~ Daughter India Irene Herlinger ~
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| Ohio Hospital for Epileptics, where India spent the last 2 months of life |
Daughter India Irene Herlinger (1883-1932) was born on July 26, 1883 in Indiana County, PA.
She was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager in 1897 and never married.
Her illness further developed into what doctors called "epileptic psychosis" (melancholia). In about late April 1932, at the age of 48, she was admitted to the Ohio Hospital for Epileptics in Gallipolis, OH. She refused to eat, and the spiral of death began.
After a stay of a month and 25 days, having developed bronchial pneumonia, her body gave up on June 23, 1932, and she died. The body was transported back to Warren for interment.
~ Son Charles Rhodes Herlinger ~
Son Charles Rhodes Herlinger (1885- ? ) was born on Sept. 7, 1885 in Indiana County, PA.
At the age of 26, on Feb. 3, 1912, he entered into marriage with 22-year-old Hazel Dell Fenton (1888- ? ), daughter of Henry and Mary Jane (Horton) Fenton. The wedding was held in Jamestown, NY, by the hand of Rev. Horace G. Ogden. At the time of marriage, Hazel lived in Leavittsburg and worked for an electric utility.
They put down roots in Leavittsburg, OH and remained for decades.
Together, the pair produced one known son, Kenneth Charles Herlinger.
During World War I, when required to register for the military draft, Charles was employed as a fireman in a gas works operated by Trumbull Public Service Company.
The federal census enumeration of 1930 shows the Herlingers in Warren, with Charles working as a cellar and sewer contractor, apparently owning his own business. He remained in this line of work for many years.
Son Kenneth Charles Herlinger (1913-1963) was born in about 1913 in Ohio.
~ Son Frank C. Herlinger ~
Son Frank C. Herlinger (1888- ? ) was born on March 6, 1888 in Indiana County.
He established a home in Leavittsburg, Trumbull County, OH and made a living as a dairyman. He stood 5 feet, 11 inches tall and weighed 260 lbs.
When he was 24 years of age, on May 9, 1912, he wed 22-year-old Hazel Mae Foos (June 20, 1890-1952), daughter of Geoerge and Eunice (Harris) Foos. Presiding at the marriage ceremony was Rev. Charles H. Hauger of the Tod Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church.
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| Leavittsburg, Ohio, home of the Charles and Frank Herlinger families |
The Herlingers lived in Leavittsburg in 1914-1916.
Their trio of offspring included Doris Lorene Ferguson, Frank Clarence Herlinger and Irene Bacon.
Frank went on to a career as a boiler operator. He also was a member of the Braceville School Board and belonged to the Booster Farm Bureau Council. As time allowed, he liked to raise flowers and work in his garden.
Hazel passed away in 1952.
At the age of 71, in 1959, he lived in Phananx Station, OH.
On May 26, 1959, he again entered into wedlock with 69-year-old widow Mildred Margaret (Wyand) Cassedy (April 23, 1889- ? ), daughter of Albert and Ella (Orbendorf) Wyand.
The couple made a home in Lordstown along Carson-Salt Springs Road.
Burdened with heart problems, he died at the age of 81, in St. Joseph's Hospital, on Aug. 20, 1969.
Daughter Doris Lorene Herlinger (1913-1987) was born in 1913. She married Charles Ferguson. Their home in 1966 was in Braceville, OH. Doris died in 1987.
Son Frank Clarence Herlinger (1914-1966) was born on Dec. 19, 1914 in Leavittsburgh. At the age of 21, on Oct. 24, 1936, he was joined in matrimony with Lois Crabbs (1915-2005). Frank earned a living as a foreman with U.S. Gypsum in Warren, OH. Sadly, at the age of 51, Frank suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died on June 18, 1966. Funeral services were conducted at Braceville Methodist Church, followed by interment in Braceville Center Cemetery.
Daughter Irene Herlinger wed Paul Bacon. They settled in Braceville, OH.
~ Daughter Maria Maude "Ria" (Herlinger) Reynolds ~
Daughter Maria Maude "Ria" Herlinger (1891-1974) was born on Feb. 7, 1891 in Brush Valley, Indiana County, a twin with her sister Anna.
On June 18, 1913, she married staff man Herbert Gardner Reynolds (Sept. 12, 1888-1969), age 24, the son of George W. and Katherine G. (Higgins) Reynolds. He was a native of Melrose, near Boston, MA but at the time a resient of Conneaut, OH. Rev. Charles H. Hauger, who had performed the wedding of Maria's brother Frank a year earlier, led the Reynoldses wedding as well.
One known daughter in this family was Ann Center.
They were in Boston in the mid-1910s.
By 1969, she was in Salt Lake City.
Maria passed away in Torrance, CA on March 22, 1974. Her remains sleep for all eternity in Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.
Daughter Ann Reynolds (1921-2011) was born in 1921. She wed (?) Center.
~ Daughter Anna Pearl (Herlinger) Taylor ~
Daughter Anna Pearl "Annie" Herlinger (1891-1978) was born on Feb. 7, 1891, in Brush Valley, Indiana County, a twin with her sister Maria.
She graduated from Warren Business College and obtained employment in Warren as a young woman, working as a stenographer.
At the age of 25, on April 15, 1916, she wed 26-year-old bookkeeper Ithiel B. "I.B." Taylor (Oct. 14, 1889-1970). He was a native of Hallowell Township, Oswego County, KS and the son of Wilson J. and Urilla (Goist) Taylor. Officiating was Rev. A.O. Henry of Mineral Ridge, OH.
They became the parents of two sons -- Ithiel B. Taylor Jr. and William E. Taylor.
She made a name for herself as a secretary in a number of Warren-area law offices. Among the known attorneys' names were G.P. and M.E. Gillmer, Clarence Klinger, Phillip Fusco and David Griffith. She belonged to the Cornelia Circle of the CCL, Nahopian Club and F.C. Club and held a membership in the Calvary United Presbyterian Church.
Anna Pearl resided in 1932 at 1145 Paige Avenue Northeast and in 1969 in Warren.
She died in Warren at the age of 86 on Feb. 3, 1978. Burial was in Crown Hill Burial Park in Vienna, OH. In an obituary, the family requested that any memorial donations be made to the Trumbull Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Son and William E. Taylor
Son William E. Taylor ( ? - ? ) put down roots in Warren.
~ Daughter Nancy S. "Nannie" (Herlinger) Norton ~
Daughter Nancy S. "Nannie" Herlinger (1893- ? ) was born on Oct. 2, 1895.
She wed Ward Norton (1885- ? ).
At least eight children produced in this family were Francis Norton, Ida Norton, Betty "Ruth" Norton, Elisabeth Norton, Robert Raymond Norton, Anna M. Norton, Lula Margaret Norton and Ward Norton.
Grief blanketed the family on June 30, 1917 at the death of their newborn daughter Elisabeth. Hers' "was a premature birth," wrote a physician, and "cause of death was lack of vitality & inability to take nourishment." Her tender remains were lowered into repose in Warren. Then in October 1921, they shouldered the burden of the death of 10-year-old son Francis from typhoid fever.
Their home in 1916 was in Shalersville, Portage County, OH. When the United States Census was taken in 1920, 1930 and 1940, the brood dwelled on a farm in Windham, Portage County.
Son Francis Norton (1911-1921) was born on June 19, 1911 in Warren, OH. He spent his boyhood in Windham, OH but was not destined to reach adulthood. As a student at age 10, he contracted typhoid fever in the fall of 1921. He suffered for 21 days and succumbed to the spectre of death on Oct. 30, 1921. Interment of the remains was in Windham.
Daughter Ida Norton (1913- ? )
Daughter Betty "Ruth" Norton (1915- ? )
Son Robert Raymond Norton (1919- ? )
Daughter Anna M. Norton (1922- ? )
Daughter Lula Margaret Norton (1924- ? )
Son Ward Norton (1926- ? )
~ Daughter Ida W. (Herlinger) Sharpe ~
Daughter Ida W. Herlinger (1896-1992) was born on Jan. 25, 1896 in Brush Valley, Indiana County.
In her early 20s, she worked in a dentist's office in Warren.
At age 24, on Dec. 20, 1919, she was joined in the bonds of holy wedlock with 29-year-old truck driver Raymond Eugene Sharpe (May 17, 1891-1962), a resident of Rockford, OH and the son of Alfred and Margaret (Wright) Sharpe. Rev. E.L. Ortt, of the First United Brethren Church of Warren, presided at the wedding.
In 1969, Ida was in Warren.
The family was plunged into sadness when Ida passed away in Warren on Nov. 1, 1992. She is at rest in Oakwood Cemetery, Warren.
~ Daughter Florence Ruth (Herlinger) Leslie ~
Daughter Florence Ruth Herlinger (1899-1998) was born on June 6, 1899 in Brush Valley, Indiana County.
When she was 24 years of age, on Jan. 5, 1924, she was united in matrimony with 30-year-old furniture merchant Frank Brewster Leslie (Nov. 13, 1893-1974), son of Frank and Belle (Brewster) Leslie of Warren. Rev. S.B. Solmon officiated.
The couple's only known son was Frank Brewster Leslie Jr.
She surrendered to the spirit of death at the age of 99 just two days after Christmas 1998.
She surrendered to the spirit of death at the age of 99 just two days after Christmas 1998.
Son Frank Brewster Leslie Jr. (1926-1996) was born on March 11, 1926. He died on Valentine's Day 1996. He sleeps for all time in Warren's Oakwood Cemetery.
| Copyright © 2021-2022 Mark A. Miner |
Minerd.com extends its gratitude to the late Donna (Younkin) Logan for her research contributions to this biography. |