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Louvena
(Minerd) Hixenbaugh |
Louvena (Minerd) Hixenbaugh was born in 1860 in Dunbar, Fayette County, PA, the daughter of Isaac and Catherine (Smiley) Minerd.
On Oct. 29, 1887, when she was 27 years of age, Louvena entered into matrimony with 31-year-old widower Samuel Hixenbaugh (1856- ? ), a resident of Dunbar.
The wedding ceremony took place in a section of South Connellsville known as New Haven, PA, by the hand of S.G. Smutz, minister of the Free Baptist Church.
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| Samuel's workplace, the Dunbar Furnace |
Samuel's first wife had died less than a year earlier, on Dec. 14, 1886. She may have been Eliza Grim (1860- ? ), and if so, the pair is known to have dwelled in 1880 in Upper Tyrone Township, Fayette County, boarding in the household of Samuel and Nancy Grim. At that time, Samuel earned a living as a coke oven worker, and at times his name was misspelled as "Hicksonbaugh."
At the time of marriage, Samuel earned a living as a laborer at the Dunbar Furnace. He is believed to have brought at least one stepchild into the second union, Dortha Flynn.
The fate of the Hixenbaughs after marriage is unknown. They just seem to disappear into the misty shroud of the past.
~ Presumed Stepdaughter Dortha (Hixenbaugh) Flynn ~
Presumed stepdaughter Dortha Hixenbaugh (1880-1906) was born on July 23, 1880 in Scottdale, PA.
On July 23, 1901, she wed 22-year-old Peter F. Flynn ( ? - ? ), a resident of Dunbar Borough but originally from Tennessee. He was the son of Peter and Ellen Flynn. Justice of the peace John A. Artis officiated. On their marriage license, Dortha declared that her legal guardian was "foster mother" Cathrine Walls, which may be a clue.
It is possible that Dortha's guardian was Catherine (Robinson) McDowell Walls (1828/1834-1910), a Dunbar resident and the daughter of William and Mary (McDowell) Robinson. Her siblings were Sadie Lynn, Alex Lynn and Mrs. Triplett. Her first husband was (?) McDowell, and two children of this union were Addis McDowell and Mary Triplett. Her second husband was William Walls ( ? - ? ) with whom she bore to more offspring, Harry Walls and William Walls. Catherine is known to have passed away on Nov. 21, 1910, with burial in Dunbar and Harry Walls of Dunbar signing the death certificate. Among those attending the funeral was the deceased's brother Alex Lynn of Pittsburgh, with the Connellsville Daily Courier reporting that "This was Mr. Lynn's first visit here in Dunbar in 33 years." A separate obituary in the Daily Courier referred to Catherine as "an aged and respected resident" and that she "was a woman of lovable and sweet disposition and was a friend to every one, always ready to help those in time of need."
The Flynns resided during their relatively brief marriage in Dunbar Township, Fayette County.
Sadly, at the age of 25, Dortha contracted pulmonary tuberculosis. She suffered for a year, and died from its effects at the age of 26 years, four months and one day on Nov. 24, 1906. Burial of the remains was in St. Aloysius Cemetery.
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Copyright © 2000, 2007, 2022-2023 Mark A. Miner |