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Mary "Anna" (Miner) Richter was born on Sept. 11, 1861 near Humbert, Somerset County, PA, the daughter of Henry A. and Matilda (Rose) Miner. Her husband was one of many of our cousins killed in steel and minerals industry accidents. Anna was small of stature. She is said to have carried a scar on her right cheek, where a cow's horn dug in when turning its head to swat a fly. In about 1879, at age 18, Anna was united in matrimony with 22-year-old Robert Henry Richter (1857-1920), a coal mine laborer who was the only son of Jacob Christian and Nancy (Roberts) Reichter of Brownsville, Fayette County and earlier of Hagerstown, MD. The couple produced a family of 10 children, born a quarter century apart -- Lena May Wilson Layhue, William Henry Richter, Charles Roy Richter, Anna Belle Turner Lyons, Goldie Anastasion, Christine Johnson Butts, Albert Richter, George Roy Richter Sr., and two who are not yet identified. Robert was considered "well known" and worked as a laborer at the Leisenring No. 1 Mine to the southwest of Connellsville. They lived at the No. 1 mining town in February 1914 at the time their son William was married.
The Richters lived in the Connellsville area, including at Coalbrook and on Tenth Street in the West Side, also known as Greenwood. In 1883, when Anna's brother Silas got married, the ceremony was held in the Richter home. Circa 1906-1907, the Richters lived at 422 East Main Street, and by 1911-1912 had moved to 282 Eighth Street, and were listed in the Connellsville City Directory. Heartache rocked the Richters' world in the dead of summer 1903. Son Charles, age eight, contracted an illness and died shortly afterward, on Aug. 8, 1903. He was interred in Hill Grove Cemetery.
Tragedy struck on or about Oct. 6, 1920, when 63-year-old Robert was killed in the Leisenring mine when he was accidentally squeezed between two mine cars. Relatives heard the news and went running to the house, calling up to Anna to tell her the news of his grisly death. The Connellsville Weekly Courier reported: Mr. Richter's neck was broken and he suffered internal hemorrhages. He was removed to the plant hospital, where he died shortly after. Mr. Richter, with several other workmen, was engaged in putting up cement pillars in the mine where a squeeze had occurred. They had finished their work and were on their way to the bottom of the shaft when they met a mine car loaded with pit poste, going in the opposite direction. Mr. Richter, who was in the advance of the other men, stepped to one side of the track at the curve. The space was too small and he was pinned fast before the car could be stopped. [Stanley] Comisky, who is captain of the first aid team of the plant, brought the injured man to the surface and summoned Dr. Francis J. King, but before he arrived Mr. Richter died. Robert's remains were laid to rest at Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville. Anna's distant cousin, Rev. David Ewing Minerd, who was pastor of the United Methodist Church in Greenwood, conducted the funeral. He does not have a grave marker. The
widowed Anna relied upon her children and siblings over the years for support. She is known to
have attended the large 1929 and '30 McDowell-Miner
Reunions at Hillcrest Park in Connellsville.
Daily
Courier, 1931 Anna passed away at age 69 on Aug. 21, 1931, at Connellsville State Hospital. The Daily Courier reported that she "had been in ill health for about two years." Her funeral arrangements were handled by the J.E. Sims Funeral Home. Her burial site has not yet been located, but a Daughter once recalled that it "was out in the country somewhere." Anna's sons William and George were pallbearers at the September 1935 funeral of her brother, John Ross Miner. ~ Daughter Lena May (Richter) Wilson Layhue ~ Daughter Lena May Richter (1880-1956) was born in 1880 and grew up in Connellsville. When she was age 17, on Aug. 7, 1897, she was united in matrimony with her first husband, laborer Harrison Wilson (1871- ? ), age 26. He was the son of Shedrick and Sarah Ann (Shoup) Wilson, also of Connellsville, but originally from nearby Maple Summit. The ceremony was held at Moyer, Fayette County, by the hand of justice of the peace J.H. Halfhill. News of their marriage license was printed in the Connellsville Weekly Courier. The marriage was troubled and ended in divorce on Feb. 16, 1900, when Lena was just 20 years of age. Harrison appears to have married again and moved to Greensburg, PA. On March 31, 1900, at 20 years of age, she was joined in wedlock with her second spouse, 32-year-old Josiah "Silas" "Cy"
Layhue Sr. (1870-1934), a coal
miner. His first wife Anna Belle (Nelson) Layhue had died on May 1, 1899. He thus brought five known stepchildren into the union with Lena -- William Layhue, Hannah Hennessey, Margaret Ann "Maggie" Baughman, Myrtle Hopp and Minnie Martin Perkins Strumako Kosisky Stanko.
The Layhues went on to produce 10 children of their own -- Albert J. Layhue, Harry Layhue, Clarence Layhue, Silas Layhue Jr., Ruth Augustine, Arvilla (or Alverda) Rogers, Violet Minnick, Pearl Cole Stewart, Rose Johnson Carlson Crossland and Emma Smitley. Circa 1931-1934, the Layhues resided on Strawberry Alley in Uniontown. Cy suffered from high blood pressure. On Aug. 23, 1934, he fell dead of a heart attack while working in a shed in his yard. Lena, who had gone to New York to seek employment, was called home for the funeral. He was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery, with his funeral conducted by Rev. H.V. Layhue, assisted by Lena's distant cousin, the famed "Blacksmith Preacher" of Fayette County, Rev. David Ewing Minerd. An obituary appeared in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Lena outlived Cy by 22 years, and later moved to Duquesne, near Pittsburgh. She died at the home of her married daughter Rose Beasley in Duquesne at age 76 on June 22, 1956, and was laid to rest in Laurel Hill Cemetery. At the time of her death, said the Daily Courier, Lena had 26 surviving grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. A personal inspection in 2006 by researcher Harry J. Ansell revealed that the Layhue graves at Laurel Hill are not marked.
Stepson William Henry Harrison Layhue (1888-1938) was born in about 1888. He married Carri (? - ? ). He resided at Oliver No. 2 in 1934. Later during the Great Depression, he made his home in New Wynn, Fayette County and was a laborer with the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The WPA was one of the ways President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the federal government tried to overcome unemployment during the Great Depression. It's widely considered one of the Roosevelt's largest and most ambitious undertakings of his "New Deal" to get the nation back on sound economic footing. Over the years, the WPA hired millions of out-of-work individuals to build public works projects, such as roads, bridges, retaining walls and buildings. Stricken with acute appendicitis, he died in Uniontown on Nov. 29, 1938. Interment was in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Daughter Hannah Layhue (1889-1949) was born in June 1889. Age nine when her mother died, she went to live with a teenage cousin and his wife, Haslett and Tillie Layhue, and was in their residence in North Union Township at the time of the 1900 U.S. Census. Her sister Minnie lived next door at the time with an uncle and aunt. Hannah wed William Hennessey Sr. (May 5, 1883-1947), a native of Dunbar and son of William and Melinda (Cooper) Hennessey. William earned a living as a coal miner. They lived at Thompson No. 2 in 1934 and at the Ralph coal mine in 1947. Four offspring born to the couple were Alberta Yacobet, Anna Pittenger, James Hennessey and William Hennessey Jr. Sadly, at the age of 63, William suffered a heart attack at home and passed away on Jan. 5, 1947. Following funeral rites held in the home of their daughter Alberta Yacobet at Thompson No. 1, his remains were laid to rest at Acklin Cemetery. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said he was survived by 10 grandchildren. Hannah lived on as a widow for two years. She passed away in Uniontown Hospital at the age of 61 on April 11, 1949. Her obituary also ran in the Daily Courier.
Stepdaughter Margaret Ann "Maggie" Layhue (1890-1961) was born on July 13, 1890 or 1891 near Connellsville. She and her husband Gus A. Baughman ( ? - ? ). Their eight known offspring were Minnie Ann Sherlock, Blanche Gallan, Clarence E. Baughman, Martha Dulik, Leona Cramer, Albert G. Baughman, Katherine Bauer and Lewis D. Baughman. The family resided for years in the coal mining patch town of Keisterville near Uniontown. Then circa 1958 they were in Detroit. She was a longtime member of the Harbor of Light Chapel. Their final years were spent in Uniontown at 256 East Main Street. She died on March 20, 1961 in Uniontown Hospital. Burial was in Lafayette Memorial Park, with obituaries published in the Connellsville Daily Courierand Uniontown Evening Standard. The headcount of her survivors was 22 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
Stepdaughter Myrtle Layhue relocated to Donora, Washington County, PA. She eventually entered into marriage with (?) Hopp/Haupt and remained in Donora as of 1961. Stepdaughter Minnie Layhue (1895-1971) was born in June 1895 in Bethelboro, Fayette County. She was four years of age at her mother's death and appears to have been raised by an uncle and aunt, Joshua and Hannah Layhue of North Union Township, as shown in the federal census of 1900. Her sister Hannah lived next door at the time with a cousin and his wife. Her residence in1929 was at Cardale, Fayette County. Minnie was married perhaps five times and did not reproduce with any of her spouses. She first entered into marriage with (?) Martin ( ? - ? ). They lived at Fairbanks, Fayette County, and divorced in 1929. She and her second husband, John Perkins ( ? - ? ) were wed in 1929, with new of their marriage license printed in the Uniontown Morning Herald. The arrangement was not without controversy, and she later that year sued her stepson John Lloyd Perkins for $5,000 in damages from slander and false accusations. According to an article in the Morning Herald, the stepson had accused her of having "gone to bed one night at McClellandtown with seven men. Such an accusation is ridiculous, impossible, untrue and highly slanderous..." The Perkinses made a home in 1934 at the Royal Mine. She wed a second time to (?) Strumako ( ? - ? ) and used that name in 1956 when making her residence in Uniontown. As of 1961, she lived at Big Brownfield and was married to (?) Kosisky ( ? - ? ). Adding to the confusion, in 1958, and then again in 1971, she was the wife of John Stanko Jr. of Uniontown and Brownfield, Fayette County. She held a membership in the Central Christian Church. Death came to claim her at the age of 78, in Uniontown Hospital, on Oct. 31, 1971. Rev. Dr. Earl P. Confer led the funeral service, with burial in Sylvan Heights Cemetery. An obituary appeared in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Son Albert J. Layhue (1902-1975) was born in 1902. He was a veteran of World War II. He married Rose Welch ( ? -1971), and they resided at Fairbank, near Uniontown. They together produced a brood of three daughters, Arlene Huseman, Shirley Mae Grist and Anna Fisher. They relocated to Cleveland and were there in 1958. Their residence in the early 1970s was at Fairbank, Fayette County. Albert passed away at the age of 73, in Uniontown Hospital, on Jan. 30, 1975. Albert's funeral arrangements were handled by the Edward E. Minerd Funeral Home of Uniontown, followed by interment in Laurel Hill Cemetery. The Uniontown Morning Herald published an obituary.
Son Harry E. Layhue ( ? -1986) was born in (?). As of1956, he dwelled at Jefferson Borough, Allegheny County. He was united in marriage with Violet ( ? -1979). Together, the couple produced a family of four -- Harry J. Layhue, Robin E. Layhue, Mamie Layaou and Delores Wittmer. By 1971, they had put down roots in Finleyville, PA, and their residence in 1975 was in Jefferson Borough, PA. For four decades, he was employed by United States Steel Corporation as a painter. Sadly, Violet passed away in 1979. Harry retired in 1980 and then relocated to Wilmington, DE. At the age of 76, stricken with lung cancer, he passed away in the Millcroft Retirement Home on Possum Park Road. An obituary was published in the Wilmington News-Journal. His survivors included a baker's dozen grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. The remains were transported back to West Elizabeth, PA for burial.
Son Clarence W. Layhue (1922-1995) was born three days after Christmas 1922. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army, holding the rank of private. He established his dwelling-place in Donora, PA as of 1956, Monessen, PA in 1958 and in Brookville/Brookfield, PA as of 1971-1975. There, he was employed as a security guard for Brookville's Holiday Inn. Clarence married Mable Dinger. She brought six stepchildren into the second marriage -- Fred Dinger, Gary Dinger, Richard Dinger, (?) Dinger, Louise Troup and Irene Fox. Sadly, Mable passed away on April 26, 1993. Clarence survived his wife by two-and-a-half years, living near New Bethlehem in Porter Township, Clarion County. At the age of 72, he died in Clarion Hospital on Sept. 5, 1995. Presiding at the funeral, held at the Fairmount City Church of god, was Rev. Todd Haffner. Burial of the remains was in Bethel Cemetery in Roseville, Jefferson County, PA. Son Joseph Silas "Cy" Layhue Jr. (1925-1980) was born on June 19, 1925. He joined the U.S. Navy and served during World War II and trained at Camp Lee, VA and Camp Blanding, FL, assigned to a truck division. As of 1944, he was based in San Francisco and in July 1945 in Boston. When home on furloughs, he stayed with Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Appleby of Fairchance, PA. Joseph's home in 1956 was in Donora, Washington County, PA. By 1958, his address was in Finleyville, PA. He appears to have migrated to Connecticut, where in 1971-1975 he resided in Hartford, CT. He was united in wedlock with Patricia Anne Ladabouche (Feb. 17, 1935-2003), a native of Maine. Their two daughters were Sandy J. Margelot and Jessie A. Layhue. The angel of death claimed his life at the age of 55 on Sept. 16, 1980. The remains were lowered into repose in Belle Vernon (PA) Cemetery. Patricia lived on as a widow for 22 years, with her last home in Cobalt, CT. She died in Middlesex Hospital at the age of 67 on Jan. 10, 2003. Rev. John F. Ashe led the funeral service, and burial was in Swedish Cemetery. An obituary appeared in the Hartford Courant, in which the family asked that any memorial donations be made to the American Lung Association of Connecticut.
Daughter Ruth M. Layhue (1920-2009) was born in 1920. She married (?) Augustine. She was in Jefferson Borough, Allegheny County, PA in 1956, Finleyville, PA in 1958 and at Elizabeth, PA in 1971. Moving again, she dwelled in Floreffe, PA in 1975. By 1996, she had moved south and was living in North Carolina. Daughter Alberta Layhue (1916-1996) -- also spelled Arvilla, Alverda and Alverta -- was born on Sept. 8, 1916 in Leisenring, Fayette County. She entered into marriage with George Rodgers Sr. (April 26, 1911-1985). For what may ahve been their entire married lives, the Rodgerses resided in Monessen, PA. Together, they became the parents of five -- Joseph Rodgers, George Rodgers Jr., Shirley Magnone, Joanne Heard and Lena Oravec. Sadly, George passed away on May 15, 1985. Alberta outlived him by 11 years. She died in Washington County Health Center at the age of 79 on Sept. 7, 1996. The headcount of her survivors included a dozen grandchildren. Their remains sleep for eternity in the mausoleum of Sacred Heart Cemetery in Monongahela, PA.
Daughter Violet O. Layhue (1907-1962) was born on Aug. 27, 1907 in the Continental No. 1 coal mine community in Fayette County. She wed Harry Minnick (July 16, 1902-1955), son of William H. and Abbie B. (Albright) Minnick. Two daughters and three sons were born to the pair -- Naomi Maxwell, Betty Burns, Charles Minnick, William Minnick and Franklin Minnick. Harry earned a living as a laborer, and they dwelled in the mid-1930s at Clyde, Fayette County. Violet and Harry separated with him living in Uniontown at 127 Morgantown Street and her and the younger offspring moving to Duquesne near Pittsburgh. Harry's health failed in his last years with hardening of the arteries, imbalances in his body fluids and electrolytes and perforation of the duodenum caused by two ulcers. When an acute infection of peritonitis developed, he was admitted to Uniontown Hospital. Nineteen days later, the 52-year-old Harry died on April 27, 1955. Interment of the remains was in Connellsville's Hill Grove Cemetery, with Rev. H.L. Davis administering the rites. The Connellsville Daily Courier published an obituary. The widowed Violet in 1956 made her residence at Duquesne. She is known to have joined the Gospel Tabernacle of Duquesne. In time she moved to McKeesport, with an address of 414 West Fifth Avenue. Stricken with cancer of the right bile duct, and acute decomposition of the liver, death swept her away in McKeesport Hospital at the age of 54 on April 26, 1962. Burial was in Church Hill Cemetery in McClellandtown, near Uniontown. The Daily Courier carried her obituary.
Daughter Pearl Layhue may have been married twice. Her first spouse was Walter Cole ( ? - ? ). In 1933-1937, the Coles were in Thompson No. 2. Later, she tied the marital knot with (?) Stewart/Steward/Stuart ( ? - ? ). The Stewards lived in Clarksville, Washington County, PA as of 1956-1975. Daughter Rose Mae Layhue (1914-2004) was born on March 12, 1914 in Leisenring, Fayette County. She made news in March 1931 at the age of 17, when making her home at Little Brownfield near Uniontown. At that time, she allegedly accepted a ride from John Piper, whom the Uniontown Evening Standard referred to as a "young blacksmith's helper of Rainey." Some viewed the ride as an "abduction," and he faced a morals charge in court. He was acquitted of the accusation, but when unable to pay court costs, spent time in jail. Not yet married, Rose gave birth to a son in 1932, and named him Thomas L. Layhue. She first was joined in wedlock with (?) Johnson. She resided in Normalville in 1934. Then in 1938, in Uniontown, she was among four women arrested "on charges of street walking with immoral intent," reported the Evening Standard. "The four were brought in during a raid shortly before midnight by Patrolmen ... who made a tour of the night spots, picking up suspicious characters." Under the name "Rose Layhue Johnson," she again was arrested in February 1939 "on charges of operating a bawdy house and being inmates of the premises," said the Uniontown Morning Herald. In time she married a second time to (?) Carlson. As of 1958, her spouse was (?) Beasley/Heasley. By 1971, her husband was (?) Crossland ( ? - ? ). Rose in 1971 made her home in Elizabeth, Allegheny County, PA. In about 1963, she relocated to Cheyenne, WY, and she stayed for the balance of her life, some 41 years. She took back her "Carlson" name and and kept it to the end. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle said that Rose "was the first to complete her Certified Nurse Assistant certification in geriatrics, which was a pilot program that was the first of its kind in the USA at Mountain Towers. She was a caregiver most of her life and was a senior citizen companion with the Retired Senior Volunteer Program." Her son and his family relocated to join her in Cheyenne in 1979. Rose passed away in Cheyenne's Mountain Towers Healthcare at the age of 90 on Oct. 22, 2004. She sleeps for all time in Cheyenne's Lakeview Cemetery.
Daughter Emma Irene Layhue (1894-1958) was born on March 8, 1894 at Vances Mill. She was united in matrimony with Charles W. Smitley ( ? -1947), a native of Mammoth, Westmoreland County and the son of Calvin and Anna (Blystone) Smitley. A dozen offspring of the pair were Wilbert Smitley, Leona Weston, Charles W. Smitley Jr., Jesse Smitley, Viola Paull, Margaret Freed, Earl C. Smitley, Ray Smitley, Robert Smitley, Merle Smitley, Ruth Firestone and Donald Smitley. They dwelled at Oliver No. 3 in 1934 and appear to have remained for good, in House No. 76. Charles passed away at the age of 58 on April 9, 1947. His funeral was managed by the Edward E. Minerd Funeral Home. Emma lived for another 11 years, enduring hardening of the arteries and "azotemia," a buildup of wastes in the blood due to malfunctioning kidneys. The spirit of death snatched her away at age 64 on June 9, 1958 as a patient in Uniontown Hospital. Earl C. Smitley of Uniontown was the informant for the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. Interment was in Park Place Cemetery following a funeral service conducted by Rev. Allan J. Howes of Asbury Methodist Church. An obituary in the Uniontown Evening Standard said she was survived by 45 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
~ Son William H. Richter ~ Son William H. Richter (1883-1973) was born on May 3, 1883 in Connellsville. At the age of 30, in 1914, he was employed as a pumper in the coal mines of Leisenring, near Uniontown. That year, on Feb. 16, 1914, he married 26-year-old Bertha Mae Harvey (Jan. 21, 1888-1947), also of Leisenring, and the daughter of Richard and Josephine (Broadwater/Wolf) Harvey of Dunbar, Fayette County. Rev. R.C. Wolf, likely a relative of Bertha May's, officiated. They had 10 children -- Dorothy Miller, Mabel Wilson, Betty Jane Nativio, Clarence W. Richter, James L. Richter, Carl Henry Richter Sr., Mary Hunt, Fidelis Darling Hunt and Thomas E. Richter, plus a daughter who died in infancy. The Richters lived at Leisenring No. 1 mine circa 1939. The Daily Courier reported that William "lived most of his life in Dunbar Township and was a retired coal miner of the United States Steel Company, having retired from its Ronco Coal Mine." Bertha was burdened with diabetes. For the last six months of her life, she suffered from pancreatic cancer. She passed away at home at Leisenring No. 1 at age 59 on Dec. 23, 1947. Interment of the remains was in Green Ridge Memorial Park in Pennsville. William outlived Bertha by more than a quarter of a century, and resided in Dunbar Township. He disliked speaking about his family heritage, and when asked about it by grandchildren, either gave them a blank stare or became angry. He died on Nov. 14, 1973, at the age of 90. At the time of his death, he had 34 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. Daughter Fidelis Darling Blacey Richter (1908-1939) was born on Oct. 10, 1908 in Dunbar Township near Connellsville. She married widower Thomas Burns Hunt Sr. (1900-1960), the son of Thompson and Mary Louise (Jaquette) Hunt. He had been married once before, and brought four children to the marriage -- Thomas Burns Hunt Jr., Mary Louise Horne, Evelyn "Jane" Hunt and Lenetta "Ruth" Stark. A newspaper said he was "for many years active in politics and involved in coal [and] oil leasing" in Uniontown, Fayette County. Fidelis and Thomas went on to have four children of their own -- Timothy Hunt, Thacilla "Birdie" Hucik, Thompson B. Hunt and Terry Byron Hunt. Tragically, in 1937, Fidelis learned that she was afflicted with cancer of the kidneys and intestines. She suffered for two years and underwent surgery in Pittsburgh. None of it worked. She passed away at the age of 31 on Sept. 25, 1939. She was laid to rest in Laurel Hill Cemetery. Thomas then married her sister Mary Richter the following year, in 1940. (See below for more.)
Great-grandson Rodney T. Hucik ( ? - ? ) was deceased by 2006. Great-granddaughter Luan F. Hunt (1952-2021) was born on Oct. 13, 1952. She dwelled in Uniontown. Sadly, she passed away on March 17, 2021. Great-granddaughter Susan Hunt ( ? - ? ) Great-granddaughter Lisa S. Hunt ( ? - ? ) was joined in matrimony with Frank Kranker. Together, they bore two daughters, Lisanne Kranker and Klaire Kranker. They were in Las Vegas in 2006.
Daughter Dorothy Richter (1915- ? ) was born in 1915. She married (?) Miller and resided in Connellsville in 1973-1978. By 1983, she was living in Victorville, CA.
Son Carl Henry Richter Sr. (1916-1983) was born on May 7, 1916. He was married twice. He and his first wife, Edith Evans, divorced without having reproduced. He then wed Genevieve Resick, and they made their home in Cleveland, OH. The Richters had seven children -- twins Marcia E. Smith and Martin Rae Richter, Carl Henry Richter Jr., Cynthia Jean Willis, Anita Jane Graves and twins Joyce Marie Cross and James William Richter. Carl served in the military during World War II, receiving a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. While in Cleveland, Carl was employed for Warner and Swasey for 25 years, until a heart condition forced him to retire. They mourned when son Carl Jr. was killed in 1979 in a motorcycle accident. Carl retired to Seminole, Pinellas County, FL, where he "spent the remainder of his life fishing the Gulf of Mexico," said a daughter. Carl passed away on Aug. 22, 1983, at the age of 67.
Son Clarence W. Richter Sr. (1918-1983) was born in 1918. On May 25, 1963, when he was 45 years of age, he married 24-year-old Frances Marie Wilson (1939-2015), daughter of Frank and Eldora (Bryner) Wilson of Dunbar Township. They were 21 years apart in age. Clarence and Frances produced four children -- Sherry L. Fosbrink, Dellman E. Richter, Clarence W. Richter Jr. and Henry B. Richter. The couple eventually divorced. Clarence was a longtime employee of United States Steel Corporation, and retired from the company. He is known to have worked at the Youngstown mine in Westmoreland County (circa 1947), at the Lemont Furnace works circa 1973 and in Lemont Furnace circa 1978. Clarence made his home in McClellandtown, Fayette County during his later years. He died at the age of 65, on March 15, 1983. He was laid to rest at Green Ridge Memorial Park in Connellsville. His former wife Frances moved to Confluence, Somerset County, PA, where for 37 years she was a companion of William Leighty. She died at the age of 75 on Feb. 13, 2015, in Uniontown Hospital.
Son James L. Richter (1919-1983) was born in 1919. He married Caroline Wilson (Feb. 7, 1930-2019), daughter of Evans and Nora (Upton) Wilson and stepdaughter of Viola (Shultz) Wilson. They lived at Dunbar Township near Connellsville and produced six children -- Harold G. "Jack" Richter, Bertha Mae Bodkin, James E. Richter, Jeffrey Richter, Diane Romanko and Rhonda Richter. James was employed for 32 years at the famed Homestead Works of U.S. Steel. He was a member of the United Steel Workers Union and a veteran of World War II, serving in the U.S. Army. He and Caroline also worked side by side raising cattle as well as baking, canning, cooking and gardening. James passed away on Aug. 29, 1983. He is buried at Green Ridge Memorial Park near Connellsville. Caroline survived her husband by 35-plus years. Said the Connellsville Daily Courier, one "could always count on Caroline to give her honest opinion. She never missed an opportunity when asked to go shopping and enjoyed many phone conversations with her family and friends." Over the years, she endured the deaths of her son in law Andrew Lackemacher and granddaughter Amanda Bodkin. As her health failed, Caroline was admitted to Uniontown Hospital. She was gathered away by the Angel of Death at the age of 89 on April 29, 2019. Burial was in Green Ridge Memorial Park in Pennsville near Connellsville. An obituary was published in the Daily Courier, noting that she was survived by eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
Daughter Mary Richter (1920-1978) was born on June 18, 1920. After the death of her sister Fidelis Hunt in 1939, she married her widowed brother in law, Thomas Burns Hunt Sr. (1900-1960). They had four children of their own -- Todd B. Hunt, Toni Davis, Trudy Dursa and Samuel Brendel Hunt. They lived in Bethelboro, Fayette County. Mary was a member of the Great Bethel Baptist Church in Uniontown. Having endured cancer of the lymph nodes, Thomas passed away on Aug. 28, 1960 at the Uniontown Hospital, at the age of 60. He was laid to rest in the Laurel Hill Cemetery. Mary then married Jack G. Legat (1928-2000), and lived in R.D. 1, Uniontown. Mary suffered from cancer, and died from its effects on Dec. 4, 1978, at the National Institute of Cancer Research in Bethesda, MD. Her remains were returned to Uniontown for the funeral, followed by burial at Sylvan Heights Cemetery. Jack was a World War II veteran. While hunting south of Uniontown, on Oct. 9, 2000, he suffered a heart attack and died.
Daughter Mabel Richter (1922- ? ) was born in 1922. She married Frank Wilson ( ? - ? ). They made their home in Leisenring No. 1 in 1947 and into the 1980s. .
Daughter Betty Jane Richter (1923-2008) was born in 1923. When she was age 20, she married 28-year-old Alfred J. Nativio Sr. (1915-1990) on June 12, 1943. He was the son of Camillo and Antonina Nativio. They resided in Dunbar and had 12 children -- Geraldine Nativio, Sandra Kay Nativio, Kenneth Nativio, Alfred Nativio Jr., William H. "Cat" Nativio Sr., Janet Elaine Devince, Nancy Domer, Patricia Nativio, Roger L. Nativio Sr., Tina Sines Benson, Karen Nativio and Dolly Mae Nativio. Sadly, daughters Karen and Dolly Mae died young. Alfred was a machine operator at the Anchor Hocking Glass plant in Connellsville, a position from which he retired. He also was a member of Local 140 of the GBBA. Betty Jane passed away at the age of 84 on May 11, 2008, the last surviving member of her immediate family. She was laid to rest in Mt. Aloysius Cemetery. She was survived by 20 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandson.
Son Thomas Edward Richter (1928-1988) was born in 1928. He married Thelma Elaine "Buck" Wilson (Aug. 25, 1932-2024), daughter of Evans and Viola (Shultz) Wilson. Together, they produced three children -- Carol Fordyce, Gregory Richter and Thomas Richter. The Richters made their home in Dunbar and Thelma was a member of the Leisenring Presbyterian Church Said an obituary, "For many years until her retirement, she was a cafeteria worker for the Connellsville Area School District. Thelma always made sure everyone was fed. If you went to her house, you were expected to either eat, or enjoy one of her homemade milkshakes." Thomas passed away at the age of 60, at Frick Community Health Center in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland County, PA, on Dec. 28, 1988. Interment was at Green Ridge Memorial Park. Thelma survived her husband by nearly 36 years and maintained her residence in Dunbar Township. At the age of 91, she died at home on Aug. 3, 2024. Among her survivors were eight children and a dozen great-grandchildren. Pastor Jeff Marton led the funeral rites.
~ Son Albert Richter ~ Son Albert Richter (1887- ? ) was born in 1887. He first married Caroline Kromer (1892-1917), the daughter of Henry and Anna (Comminsky) Kromer. At the time of marriage, Albert was 23, and Caroline 18. The ceremony took place at his parents' home on Sept. 13, 1910. He worked as a teamster early in the marriage, driving a furniture wagon. Sadly, after only seven years of marriage, Carolyn experienced an intestinal obstruction which led to an abscess. She died after about a week of suffering, at age 24, on April 16, 1917, in Connellsville's Cottage State Hospital. (The date also has been given erroneously as Feb. 17, 1917.) Burial was in Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville. After 18 months as a widower, Albert married again, to 20-year-old Katherine Mae Nicholson (1898- ? ), on Aug. 8, 1918. At that time, he worked as a barber. Circa 1920, when the federal census was taken, they lived at 611 West Crawford Avenue in Connellsville, where he was a keeper of a lunch room. Their fates after that are unknown. ~ Daughter Anna Belle (Richter) Turner Lyons ~ Daughter Anna Belle Richter (1892-1976) was born on Aug. 10, 1892 in Connellsville. She was married twice. Her first husband was John Turner ( ? - ? ). They had one daughter, Bessie Grace Keys. John later abandoned the family, and moved to New York State. The single mother Anna Belle and daughter Bessie resided in the Hillcrest section of Connellsville. After the divorce, Anna Belle married Patrick A. Lyons ( ? - ? ). In a surprise visit, John returned from New York in the summer of 1931. In late October that year, he was treated to dinner in his daughter's home. Reported the Connellsville Daily Courier, "Up until three months ago Mr. Turner had not seen his daughter since she was a small child." .
The Daily Courier said that Anna Belle was "employed as a matron at the Anchor Hocking Corporation and worked at the Overholt Distillery, and was a custodian for the United Presbyterian Church on Morton Avenue." She passed away at age 83 on March 20, 1976, at the Fazio Nursing Home in Markleysburg, Fayette County, and was laid to rest in the Hill Grove Cemetery, Connellsville. Rev. William A. Popa officiated at the funeral service, with the Daily Courier printing her obituary. Daughter Bessie Grace Turner ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). On June 14, 1927, she married William H. Keys (Dec. 28, 1906-1968), son of George H. "Banjo" and Mary Ellen (Gause) Keys of Connellsville. They lived in Connellsville for the entirety of their lives and were the parents of Rev. William Robert Keys, George "Buddy" Keys, Anna Mary Frye and Phyllis June Noschese. The Keys' address in 1931 was 419 North Pittsburgh Street. In the summer of 1931, Bessie received a surprise visit from her father, whom she had not seen since she was a young girl. William was employed for decades by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, first as a stationery engineer and then in the car shops, retiring in June 1966. He was active in the community as an elder, trustee and deacon of the United Presbyterian Church, a committeeman with the local Boy Scouts and a member of the Eagles Aerie, the South Connellsville Volunteer Fire Company and James E. Zundell Post of the American Legion in Mount Pleasant. Circa 1960, Bessie earned a living working for the Connellsville State Hospital and was elected recording secretary of the hospital's Employes' Union Local 438 of the Building Service Employes International Union. Their address in 1968 was Davidson Heights. Grief blanketed the family when the 61-year-old William became stricken on Sept. 9, 1968 and was rushed to Connellsville hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. His obituary appeared in the Connellsville Daily Courier. Bessie outlived her spouse by many years. In 1973, she joined the Ladies Auxiliary of the Eagles and served as vice president of the Retired Peoples Fellowship. She graciously provided information about the family in the 1990s during a visit with the founder of this website.
~ Daughter Christine "Teeny" (Richter) Johnston Potts Butts ~ Daughter Christine "Teeny" Richter (1899-1992) was born in 1899. She was married three times. Her first husband was William C. Johnston (1887- ? ), a native of Pittsburgh who was a stone mason. They married on June 12, 1917 in a ceremony at Fairview Street in North Union Township near Uniontown. They had four sons -- Harry D. Johnston, James I. Johnston, Francis M. Johnston and Edward E. Johnston. Circa 1931, Teeny resided in Coraopolis, Allegheny County, PA. After 14 years of marriage, they divorced on May 28, 1931. Within one week, on June 4, 1931, Teeny married 30-year-old Ray J. Potts (1901- ? ), son of William J. and Sylvia M. (Campbell) Potts of Beaver County, PA. Ray was a laborer for the Carbo Oxygen Company. They made their home at 722 Tenth Street in Pitcairn. Heartache rocked the family in early February when Ray became deathly ill with streptococci meningitis. He lingered for seven days and died on Feb. 15, 1934, at the age of 33. His remains were placed at rest in Clinton Cemetery. Later still, she married Wayne L. Butts ( ? - ? ). They had one son of their own, Wayne L. "Buster" Butts. In 1956, the Buttses resided at Clairton in Pittsburgh's Mon Valley. Circa 1970s through the 1990s, Teeny resided in McKeesport, near Pittsburgh. Teeny died at age 92 on Feb. 25, 1992, and was buried at McKeesport and Versailles Cemetery. At the time of her passing, she had 17 grandchildren and uncounted great- and great-great grandchildren. ~ Daughter Goldie (Richter) Anastasion ~ Daughter Goldie Richter (1902-1991) was born in 1902. She married Gustavious Nicholas "Gus" Anastasion (1892-1941), a 1911 immigrant from Greece and the son of Nicholas Anastasion. They resided at 807 West Crawford Avenue in Connellsville in the early 1930s through the early 1940s. Gus was a cook by trade. The couple had four children -- Robert N. "Bob" Anastasion, Della Mae Anastasion, Helen Nocine and Mary Ann Canter. Sadly, Gus suffered from fluid buildup in the lungs and an enlarged liver. He died on Sept. 25, 1941 at the age of 49. He was buried in Green Ridge Memorial Park, following funeral services led by Rev. H.W. Jamison of the Central Methodist Church. Goldie later resided in Port Allegany, McKean County, PA. She died at Charles Cole Memorial Hospital in Coudersport, PA on Feb. 15, 1991, at the age of 88. Gus and Goldie are buried together in Green Ridge Memorial Park in Connellsville. Daughter Helen Anastasion married (?) Nocine. .
Son Robert N. "Bob" Anastasion (1926-2015) was born on Feb. 2, 1926 in Connellsville. When he was age 12, in 1938, he captured the title of Marble Shooting Champion in Connellsville. In about 1950, when he was age 24, he wed Ruth O. Basinger (Sept. 11, 1926-2018), daughter of John A. and Irene (Harshman) Basinger. In total, they remained together for 65 years. The Anastasions had four children -- Kathleen "Kathy" Krumanecker, Dennis Robert "Denny" Anastasion, Connie Lee Traynor and Sandra A. "Sandy" Means. They were members of Central Methodist Church before becoming charter members of Central Fellowship Church. In his working career, Bob was employed by Overholt Distillery in Broadford and for 39 years as a machinist at Duraloy in Scottdale. He and Ruth jointly served for 43 years as custodians for Central Fellowship Church. During World War II, he joined the U.S. Navy and at the rank of yeoman was assigned to USS Kendrick in a tour of the Mediterranean. He also enjoyed the hobbies of bowling, fishing and golfing. Said the Connellsville Daily Courier, "The church was Bob's first love. You could always find him working there anytime day or night. He was truly devoted to the church and its members; and the first one to lend a helping hand to anyone in need. Bob will always be remembered for his unselfish ways and concerns for others, always putting himself last. He had a loving and positive attitude toward life that he shared with all, and will always be remembered for his beautiful 'blue eyes' and his welcoming smile." Sadly, he died at the age of 89, at home, on Aug. 2, 2015. Rev. Ray Keefer officiated at the funeral service. Ruth survived her husband by three years. She passed away at home on Feb. 19, 2018. Rev. Keefer again led the funeral. At her death, reported the Daily Courier, her survivors included seven grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. They rest together in Mount Olive Cemetery.
~ Son George Roy Richter Sr. ~ Son George Roy Richter, Sr. (1905-1984) was born in 1905. He first married Violet Jennie Round (1900-1970), the daughter of William and Julia (Walcroft) Round. They had four children -- Rev. George R. Richter Jr., Rev. Logan T. Richter, Florence Ellenberger and Laura Belle Thrasher. The federal census enumeration of 1940 shows the family in Connellsville, where George was employed as a glass inspector at Capstain Glass Company, formerly known as Anchor Hocking Glass. They were members of the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church of Connellsville, where Violet served as president of the Adult Bible Class, and she and he both led singing. Their address in 1948 was 95 Gibson Terrace in Connellsville. After Violet's passing in 1970, George married Blanche Corwin ( ? - ? ). In later years, the Richters resided in Vanderbilt, Fayette County, and in 1973-1976 made their home at Aliquippa. The Beaver County Times noted that George "was a retired employee of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and a member of Crestmont Alliance Church, Hopewell Township." He died at age 79 on April 17, 1984, at the Beaver Valley Geriatric Center, and was laid to rest at Green Ridge Memorial Park in Connellsville. Son Rev. George Roy Richter Jr. (1926-2006) was born in 1926 in Connellsville. As a young man, he worked at Anchor Hocking Glass Company in South Connellsville. On July 27, 1944, he was united in matrimony with Arlene Rae Moffett (1926-1999), daughter of Ray and Edna Moffett of Wilkinsburg, Allegheny County, PA. The nuptials were held at Union Gospel Church in Wilkinsburg, with Rev. F.J. Briggs officiating. Their three children were Deborah Ann McIlrath, Rev. David Richter and Rev. Daniel Richter. Immediately upon marriage, George left to join the U.S. Armed Forces to serve in World War II. He took part in the Battle of the Bulge, and he earned a Purple Heart medal, receiving his honorable discharge in January 1945. After the war, he obtained a job operating a crane at Carnegie Steel. In 1946, husband and wife began providing "Christian work" in Pittsburgh and "had charge of the Young People's Gospel Team on Station WLOA in Braddock," reported the Connellsville Daily Courier. They helped stage a "Youth for Christ" rally at the First Baptist Church in Connellsville, an interdenominational and interracial ministry. Circa 1948, George and Arline attended God's Bible School in Cincinnati. By 1950, he was a student at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Bible Training School at Nyack, NY. He served as pastor of a church in Fulton, NY in 1959 and in Nanty-Glo, PA in 1963 and by 1967at the West Park Alliance Church in McKees Rocks, PA. They enjoyed camping at Port Allegany, PA and visiting Niagara Falls. While at a pastorate in Girard, George returned to Connellsville in March 1977 to serve as evangelist at a special revival service at the Connellsville C&MA Church. Reported the Daily Courier, "Rev. Richter has also done evangelistic work in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. He will direct musical portions of the revival services." Later, the Daily Courier noted that he "was the founding pastor of the Fulton Alliance Church in Fulton, NY. After entry into the South Georgia United Methodist Conference, he served as pastor of the Rochelle First United Methodist Church, Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Douglas, Fair Haven and Habersham United Methodist churches in Statesboro, and retired after serving as the supply pastor of the DeSoto United Methodist Church, which concluded 10 years of service in the South Georgia Annual Conference." Arlene passed into eternity on Dec. 7, 1999. Burial was in Green Ridge Memorial Park near Connellsville. George spent his final years in Americus, GA. He died there, in the Magnolia Manor United Methodist Nursing Center, on Nov. 18, 2006. An obituary in the Daily Courier noted that his survivors numbered nine grandchildren -- of whom four were ordained ministers -- and eight great-grandchildren.
Daughter Florence Grace Richter (1929- ? ) was born in about 1929. She graduated from Connellsville High School in 1946. Two years later, she began studying for the ministry and missionary work at Nyack Bible School of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Nyack, NY. On Aug. 27, 1949, at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church of Connellsville, she was united in wedlock with Rev. Robert Ellenberger ( ? - ? ), son of John Ellenberger of Vanderbilt. In announcing their engagement, the Connellsville Daily Courier published her photograph. The wedding ceremony was led by Rev. Herbert Pennington, assisted by Florence's brother George. They produced two known offspring, Lynda Rae Ellenberger and Douglas Ellenberger. The couple were enrolled as students circa 1950 at the Bible school in Nyack. They dwelled in Pittsburgh in 1959. Robert was pastor of a church in Jeannette, Westmoreland County, PA circa 1963. He later accepted a position at Crescent Alliance Church of Aliquippa, Beaver County, PA Son Rev. Logan Tilden Richter (1934- ? ) was born on Feb. 18, 1934. Upon graduation from Dunbar Township High School in 1953, he joined the U.S. Army. After his term of service ended, he enrolled at Toccoa Falls College in Stephens, GA, pursuing a degree in theology. He was joined in marriage with Alice Strock ( ? - ? ), daughter of Stella Strock of Laurel Fork, VA. They produced two known children, Cynthia Richter and Timothy Richter. Logan had met Alice as a fellow student at Toccoa Falls College where she studied elementary education. Upon her graduation in June 1958, magna cum laude, Alice joined Logan in a traveling college quartet, while Logan remained a student there. When he graduated in May 1960, he was pictured in the Connellsville Daily Courier. Logan was named pastor of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Hazlehurst, GA circa 1963. By 1965, he was leading a C&MA congregation in Columbus, and that year the family toured the New York World's Fair. He later accepted a call to lead the West End Alliance Church in Richmond, VA. In 2006, their home was in Alice's hometown of Laurel Fork, VA. Daughter Laura Belle Richter (1938-2017) was born on April 23, 1938 and attended Dunbar Township High School. She studied at the Irwin Vocational School for Practical Nursing in Pittsburgh and in 1959 was employed at West Penn Hospital. On June 6, 1959, at the age of 21, she was joined in wedlock with Wilbert Edgar Thrasher Jr. (1938- ? ), son of Wilbert "Edgar" Thrasher Sr. of South Connellsville. Their wedding was officiated by her brother George. They had at least three daughters, Cheryl Thrasher, Sandra Lynn Thrasher and Patricia Thrasher. Wilbert was a graduate of DeVry Technical Institute in Chicago. He was employed by Bell Telephone Company in Connellsville in 1959 and was transferred to Florida in 1960, where they dwelled in Leisure City, circa 1961. Laura Belle and the girls are known to have spent summer vacations of six-weeks' duration visiting her parents in Vanderbilt. Later, they resided for many years in Keystone Heights, FL and were affiliated with Biscayne Specialty Corporation. At one time Wilbert served as mayor of Keystone Heights. At the age of 78, Laura Belle passed away on Jan. 9, 2017. Inscribed on their grave marker is this poem -- "We trusted in Jesus our lifetime together. Now awaiting His return and a new life forever!" .
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