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Dianna (Nicklow) Shipley was born on May 11, 1850 in Somerset County or in Normalville, Fayette County, PA, the daughter of Jesse B. and Julia Ann (Ream) Nicklow. On Jan. 5, 1867, in nuptials held near Kingwood, Somerset County, the 16-year-old Dianna married 19-year-old Civil War veteran Squire Shipley (Feb. 24, 1847-1920), one of 13 children of Levi and Catherine (Linderman) Shipley of Ohiopyle. Rev. Benjamin Walker, of the Church of God, officiated at the wedding. They were the parents of these children -- Irvin Shipley, Mary Melsina Estlick, Albert "Bert" Shipley, Dora Alice Shipley, Squire Azaniah Shipley, Forward Shipley, Rose Oleva Fields and Tressie Martin.
Squire stood 5 ft., 11 inches tall, weighed 160 lbs and had a dark complexion, dark hair and brown eyes. During his growing-up years, Squire and his cousins Branson Burnworth and John Burnworth and friend John Hiles are known to have fished, hunted and bathed together, with Branson calling him "a sound man at enlistment" in the U.S. Army. He is known to have been temperate and never under the influence of liquor. During the waning weeks of the war, Squire was age 18 and traveled to Greensburg in nearby Westmoreland County to enlist in the Union Army. He was sent to Pittsburgh and thence to Baltimore and Alexandria to join his regiment, the 101st Pennsylvania Infantry, Company D, commanded by Capt. Winebrenner. The Confederate Army surrended at Appomattox right around that time, on April 9, 1865, and Squire did not join his unit until April 12, 1865. He served for three months and six days. While initially at Alexandria, Squire and his brother Everhart Shipley, boyhood friend James W. Hann and cousin Jesse Burnworth were housed there for a week or 10 days in Camp Distribution, a.k.a. Camp Convalescent, and at the "Cotton Factory." Then Squire and Hann and the 101st were ordered to travel by steamer across 360-plus miles of river to Moorhead City, NC. Squire did not perform any guard or picket duty in the army but spent his time doing "camp duty." He bunked with Hann and Thomas Moreland. At times the soldiers had to march through marshy land in mud and foul water. While at Newbern, NC in the spring of 1865, he began to suffer from "salt rheumatism" -- an exzema disease of the skin -- with eruptions breaking out on his shins and hips. Friend Hann, his bunkmate, observed the outbreaks. They blamed the ailment on "impure water" they drank aboard the steamer "and the vile pork we ate," Hann recalled. One day, while resting on the banks of the James River near Fortress Monroe, VA, Squire and friend Hann saw some soldiers cleansing themselves in the river. "Shipley refused to go in bathing," Hann recalled, "on account of his legs being so sore with saltroom [sic]. He showed me his legs at this time & they were very sore and swolen."
Squire received an honorable discharge in Newbern on June 25, 1865 and was sent with the regiment to Harrisburg, PA. He received his final pay and left the army for good on July 20, 1865 and returned home. In August that year, his brother Everhart noticed that the rash on Squire's legs "had broken and were watery sores... The sores sometimes heal but soon break." After their marriage, Squire and Dianna for a few years about five miles northeast of Ohio Pyle, Stewart Township. Then in 1868, they relocated to Mount Braddock in the northeast section of North Union Township near Uniontown, Fayette County Squire reported to government officials that the salt rheumatism interfered with his ability to do heavy labor, especially in the summer months when the skin was irritated by perspiration. Circa 1876, Squire and his cousin Henry Beck are known to have worked and slept together in the same quarters. Said Beck, "He was then itching and sctratching himself much to my annoyance." When the federal census enumeration was made in 1880, the Shipleys lived near Mount Braddock, with Squire laboring as a coal miner. Son Irvin, age 11, was working that year as a laborer. They were members of the Percy Methodist Protestant Church.
Circa 1886, James G. Clifford began to board in in the Shipleys' home and remained there for five or more years. He watched as Squire "could not walk around without great difficulty for six weeks." Squire worked for Clifford at the Dunbar fire brick works but was unable to function. Neighbor Lynch McCutcheon said that "I know that at times he is not able to work for weeks at a time.... [He] is not able to perform manuel labor (that is I mean hard work) at all but being a poor man he is forced to work to maintain his family." Friends Denune Provance and Joseph Wolford also are known to have worked with Squire. On Aug. 3, 1886, Squire was awarded a military pension as compensation for his wartime ailment. [Invalid App. #581.653 - Cert. #1.120.852] He received payments of $8 each month thereafter. Providing signed testimony on his behalf were his cousins Beck and Samuel K. Shipley and friend Hann. His brother Elijah D. Shipley, who also had served as a Union Army soldier, said he saw "a red blotch on one of his legs about two by two inches." But Squire's sister Nancy Woodmancy wrote in her affidavit that "I was at home when he came from the army in 1865. He did not then complain of any ailment to my knowledge. Did not have Salt Rheum or exzema then and has not had that ailment at any time since then to my knowledge." Circa 1895, the couple relocated to live under the roof of their married daughter Mrs. James Fields in Mount Braddock. Sadly, Squire was a chronic sufferer from tuberculosis of the lungs and had heart valve problems. His health began to decline just five days before Christmas 1920. He fought the illness for a month, but died at the age of 72 on Jan. 28, 1920. His remains were placed into eternal repose in the Percy church burying ground, today known as Fairview Cemetery. The funeral was officiated by a distant step-cousin, Rev. David Ewing Minerd, the famed "Blacksmith Preacher" of Fayette County.
An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier noted that he "was one of the oldest and most widely known residents of the Mount Braddock section..." There now remains at Mount Braddock only one Civil War veteran." In addition to his wife, children, 26 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, the Daily Courier reported that his survivors included brothers Walter Shipley, Elijah Shipley, Levi Shipley and Irvin Shipley as well as sisters Sarah Shipley and Sarah Woodmancy. Diana survived her husband by 13 years and began receiving his military pension. [Widow App. #1.153.949 - Cert. # 887.998] She appears to have furnished the federal government with a photographic copy of their marriage certificate as proof that they had been legally married. She continued to live with her daughter in Mt. Braddock. Sadly, she endured the death of her son Albert in about 1928. At the age of 83, Dianna suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died four days later on Oct. 25, 1933. Violet Bryner of 23 Dunlap Street in Uniontown was the informant for the death certificate. Interment was in Percy Cemetery near Uniontown, with the funeral service held at the Percy Methodist Protestant Church, officiated by Rev. William S. Hamilton and Rev. Minerd. An obituary in the Uniontown Daily News Standard reported that her survivors included 25 grandchildren, 69 great-grandchildren and three great-great grandchildren.
~ Son Irvin Shipley ~ Son Irvin Shipley (1868-1950) was born on July 23, 1868 and likely named for an uncle who had died in the Civil War. He was united in matrimony with Effie Yauger ( ? -1951). They were the parents of eight children -- Winnie Workman, Henrietta Hardy, Sue Virginia "Susie" Gess, Helen Tapper, Glenn Squire Shipley, Ralph Warren Shipley, William Shipley and Charles Shipley. Irvin was a coal miner in and around Uniontown, employed for many years by H.C. Frick Coke Company, a firm from which he retired. He is known to have lived or worked at Bethelboro in 1896, Youngstown in 1903, Percy in 1928 and at the Beeson Works in 1929-1950. In 1950, while their residence was at the Beeson Works, their post office address was Box 387A, Uniontown. At age 82, Irvin was stricken by a coronary occlusion and lived feebly for 10 days before dying on Sept. 13, 1950. His remains were lowered into repose in Percy Cemetery, with Rev. H.L. Davis officiating. An obituary in the Uniontown Morning Herald reported that he was survived by 41 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Effie only lived for less than a year. She succumbed to death at the age of 77 on April 17, 1951. Daughter Winnie Shipley (1893- ? ) was born in (?). She married Alonzo "Lonnie" Workman ( ? - ? ). The couple were the parents of at least one child, Mrs. Lewis R. Grove. In 1950, the Workmans resided in Lemont Furnace and in 1967 in Uniontown. When Winnie marked her 80th birthday in September 1973, an open house was held at the home of her daughter at 563 Johnson Avenue in Uniontown.
Daughter Henrietta Shipley (1896-1973) was born in 1896 in Bethelboro, Fayette County. She wedded Amzi Hardy (Nov. 6, 1896-1962), son of Henry and Margaret (Miller) Hardy. The eight children born to this union included Effie Margaret "Peg" Hughes, Sally Martin, Emma Schwenning, William Hardy, Edward Hardy, Wilbur Hardy and Donald Hardy plus son James Irvin Hardy who died in infancy in 1919. Amzi was a veteran of World War I. He went on to a career as a sheet metal worker. The couple made a home in Dunbar's Hardy Hill in the 1950s and '60s. Amzi belonged to the local Hughes Post of the American Legion, and Henrietta to the Franklin Memorial United Methodist Church. As his health declined in May 1961, due to heart disease, Amzi was admitted to the Veterans Administration Hospital in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. There, after about eight months, he contracted bronchial pneumonia and was swept away by the angels at the age of 65 on Jan. 9, 1962. Rev. J.D. Schrecengost presided over the funeral service. He was survived by 16 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Henrietta survived her spouse by 11 years and moved to Akron with an address of 2421 Bryner Avenue. She passed away in Akron City Hospital at the age of 76 on April 2, 1973. Her remains were returned to Dunbar for sleep eternally in Mount Auburn Cemetery. An obituary appeared in the Connellsville Daily Courier.
Daughter Sue Virginia "Susie" Shipley ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). Her home in the mid-1930s was in Blairsville, PA. Circa 1935, she was united in wedlock with Lawrence W. Gess Sr. ( ? - ? ). News of the marriage license was printed in the Indiana (PA) Gazette. They lived in Buffington and New Salem, PA. The children they bore together included Lawrence W. Gess Jr. and Clyde I. Gess. Son Lawrence Jr. wedded Margaret H. Stratford ( ? - ? ) of Swidon, England, with their wedding taking place in Swidon on July 26, 1961. . He attended the University of Maryland European Division and Texas Christian University. He obtained a bachelor's degree in medicine in 1975 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Then in 1977, he was a master sergeant with the U.S. Air Force and deployed as a physician's senior assistant at the Upper Heyford Royal Air Force Station near Oxford, England. Son Clyde I. Gess joined the U.S. Army in 1953 during the Korean War era and remained in military service as of 1963. Daughter Helen D. Shipley (1906-1992) was born on Oct. 15, 1906 in Uniontown. She was joined in matrimony with Herman "Ellsworth" Tapper ( ? -1971). The couple produced a large family of 11 known children -- Ellsworth Tapper, Jack Tapper, James Tapper, Donald Tapper, Paul Tapper, Robert Tapper, Eleanor Young, Norma Charmley, Doris George, Mona Lee Riddle and Carol Dwyer. The Tappers dwelled in Greensboro, PA in 1950, Greensburg, PA in 1957 and in Luxor, PA in 1967. Her final residence was in Greensburg. They belonged to the Luxor United Methodist Church. Sadly, Elsworth passed away in 1971. Helen lived for another 21 years as a widow. At the age of 85, Helen died on Aug. 12, 1992 in Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg. Her obituary was published in the Latrobe Bulletin, which noted that she was survived by 20 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren. Her funeral service was led by Rev. E. Philip Wilson in the family church, with burial in Westmoreland County Memorial Park Son Glenn Squire Shipley (1897-1967) was born on Jan. 21, 1897 in North Union Township near Uniontown. He married Jennie Louise Hartzell ( ? - ? ). The couple bore one son, Charles Shipley. Glenn was a longtime coal miner. The family lived in Ralph, PA in 1950, Adah in 1957 and Masontown in 1967. Sadly, burdened with congestive heart failure and hardening of the arteries, Glenn died at the age of 70, in Brownsville General Hospital, on Feb. 21, 1967. Officiating at the funeral service was R.C. Johnson of the Jehovah's Witnesses, with interment of the remains in Percy Cemetery. An obituary was printed in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Son Ralph Warren Shipley Sr. (1901-1957) was born on Feb. 13, 1901 in Lemont Furnace/Percy near Uniontown. He entered into marriage with Martha Coffman ( ? - ? ). The brood of 10 offspring they produced together were Eleanor May, Peggy Topper, Mary Shipley, Myrtle Shipley, Irene Shipley, Sandra Lee Shipley, James Shipley, Robert Shipley, Irvin Shipley and Ralph Shipley Jr. The family resided in the 1950s on Furnace Hill in Dunbar. Ralph was employed by Dunbar Corporation. He held a membership in the Connellsville Aerie of the Eagles. Grief descended upon the family when Ralph, whose lungs had ingested particles of glass during his career, was stricken with silicosis which led to pulmonary tuberculosis. He died at home at the age of 56 on Nov. 25, 1957. The funeral rites were led by Rev. Homer Boese, and burial was in Franklin Cemetery in Dunbar
Son William Shipley (1903-1969) was born on Jan. 31, 1903 at the Youngstown coal mining town in Fayette County. He appears not to have married. William was at home with his parents in 1950 at the Beeson Works. By 1967, he had moved to Revere, Fayette County and in 1969 was in Uledi. At the age of 65, he died as a patient in Brownsville General Hospital on Jan. 18, 1969. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier listed his siblings as his survivors. Son Charles Shipley ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). Circa 1050, his home was with his parents at the Beeson Works. Then in 1967-1973, his home was in Hopwood/Uniontown.
~ Daughter Mary Melsina "Mellie" (Shipley) Clifford Estlick ~ Daughter Mary Melsina "Mellie" Shipley (1870-1945) -- also referred to as "Nellie" -- was born on Feb. 22, 1870 in Percy, Fayette County. It's possible that she bore a son prior to her marriage, whom she named James Harford, but this is not proven. At the age of 18, on May 30, 1888, she wedded her first spouse, 27-year-old machinist James G. Clifford ( ? - ? ), son of James and Mary Clifford and a native of Boston, MA. Rev. J.W. Baker officiated at the nuptials held in Connellsville. Because she was underage, her father signed his consent to the union. Their children were Mary Ellen Livingston, Nellie Clifford and Charlotte "Lettie" Estlick Harford O'Brien. Sadly, James died in about 1899. At the age of 30, when the federal census was taken in 1900, she earned a living as a servant in the home of 29-year-old widow Jennie Evans in the Uniontown area. Then in 1901, when she was 31, Mellie wedded coal miner James Estlick Jr. (Jan. 5, 1878-1953), one of a dozen offspring of English immigrants James and Mary Eliza Estlick Sr. of Dunbar, Fayette County. The bride was eight years older than the groom. They bore two children of their own, Evelyn Fordyce and James Estlick. Circa 1910, the Estlicks lived in North Union Township where James was a driver in local coal mines. Then in 1920, census records show the Estlick family (spelled "Eastlick") residing in South Union Township, with James continuing to be employed as a coal miner. At the age of 74, suffering from anemia and bronchial pneumonia, Mary died at the Percy home of her grandson James Harford on Jan. 18, 1945. Burial was in Percy Cemetery following funeral services in the adjacent Methodist Church led by Rev. W.S. Hamilton and Rev. J.H. Lambertson. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier noted that her survivors included 13 grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. James survived his wife by eight years and went to live in Millsboro, Washington County, PA. Stricken with liver cancer, and as his health plummeted, he was admitted to the Washington County Home and Hospital where he succumbed a day later on April 3, 1953. They rest for all time in Fairview Cemetery in Percy. Daughter Mary Ellen Clifford (1895-1967) was born on Dec. 16, 1895 in Dunbar. When she was 18 years of age, on Jan. 19, 1914, she was joined in wedlock with 21-year-old laborer Ortha "Bubbo" Livingston Jr. (1893- ? ), son of Ortha and Ellen (Yauger) Livingston of Mount Braddock. Officiating at the wedding held in Dunbar was Rev. David Ewing Minerd, the famed "Blacksmith Preacher" of Fayette County. The couple produced these offspring -- Edward Livingston, Gerald Clifford Livingston, Bessie Jordan, Helen Crayton and Esther Furajtar. In his youth, Ortha played sandlot baseball in Mount Braddock and later was an umpire in the Middle Atlantic League. He also helped to found the Fayette County baseball league. Federal census records for 1920 show the family in Mount Braddock, with Ortha employed as a machinist. Heartache visited the family on Sept. 17, 1923 at the death of son Edward at the age of seven from an incurable kidney disease. In 1930, Ortha's work was as a machinist in a coke works. They continued to dwell in Mount Braddock into the 1960s. For 18 years, he was an elected supervisor of North Union Township, including terms as president. One of his projects was trying to "solve the township's sewage problems," said the Uniontown Evening Standard. He was re-elected president in 1960. Then in January 1965, he helped cut the ribbon for the new Gallatin National Bank branch office building along Route 40, the National Road, in Hopwood. Mary was a longtime member of the Mt. Braddock Methodist Church and its True Blue Sunday School class and at the time of her death was the oldest member of the church. Sadly, at the age of 71, she died in Uniontown Hospital on Oct. 1, 1967. A death notice in the Uniontown Morning Herald reported that her survivors included 19 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren. Burial was in Percy Cemetery, with Rev. Ray Snair officiating. Ortha lived for another three years but in declining health. He joined her in death as a patient in Uniontown Hospital on Sept. 29, 1970. The Evening Standard published an obituary.
Daughter Charlotte "Lettie" Clifford Estlick (1899-1974) was on July 28, 1899 in or near Percy. Born under the name "Clifford," she took on her stepfather's name of "Estlick." On June 31, 1914, in nuptials held in Chestnut Ridge, Fayette County, the 15-year-old Charlotte married her first husband, 21-year-old laborer William Harford Jr. (1893- ? ) of the Royal Mine patch town in Fayette County and son of William and Elnora (Crable) Harford. Rev. M.P. Steele officiated. They were the parents of James Harford, born in 1915. Later, by 1920, she wedded again to Daniel O'Brien (1895- ? ). They were the parents of Melvenia O'Brien, Daniel O'Brien Jr., Kenneth E. O'Brien, Floyd H. O'Brien, Robert M. O'Brien, Charles Cletis O'Brien, Shirley O'Brien and Sylvia O'Brien. In 1920, when the U.S. Census was taken, the O'Briens boarded in the home of Lettie's mother and stepfather in South Union Township, Fayette County. They established their own home by 1930 and were in North Union Township, with Daniel unemployed that year. Census records show the O'Briens in 1935-1940 North Franklin Township near Washington, Washington County, PA, with Daniel earning a living as a slateman and son Daniel Jr. as a loader in a coal mine. In 1945, they resided in Marianna, Washington County. Lettie relocated to California where in 1967 she made a home in Fresno. At the age of 75, two days before Christmas 1974, Lettie passed away in Fresno.
Daughter Evelyn Estlick (1913- ? ) was born in about 1913. At the age of 15, in about 1928, she was united in matrimony with 21-year-old Walter Fordyce (1907- ? ), son of Howard Fordyce of Coolspring near Uniontown. Their only known daughter was Shirley Jean Fordyce. The family almost immediately moved to Detroit, where they resided in 1929-1958. The federal census of 1930 shows the Fordyces in Detroit, with Walter employed as a machinist in an automobile factory and Evelyn as an "ice man" in an ice-making company. That year, Walter's 21-year-old brother Ernest, also an "ice man," lived under their roof.
Son James Estlick (1916- ? ) was born in about 1916 in Fayette County.
~ Son Albert "Bert" Shipley ~ Son Albert "Bert" Shipley (1872-1929) was born on March 13, 1872. Circa 1893, when he was about 21 years of age, he married Elenora Blanche "Nora" Feathers (Oct. 24, 1873-1960) of Bruceton Mills, Preston County, WV, and the daughter of John S. and Susan (Metheny) Feather. The couple produced a brood of 11 children -- Gillespie Earl Shipley, Susie Dunaway, Stanley Shipley, Phillip Shipley, Ernest Shipley, Mildred Dunaway, Gerald Shipley, Clarence Leslie Shipley, Minnie Shipley, Evelyn Pearl Shipley and Nellie Shipley. Their home in the late 1920s was in Mount Independence near Uniontown. In October 1921, family and friends threw a surprise birthday party for Nora. Their residence "was the scene of a pleasant party," reported the Uniontown Morning Herald. "The evening was spent in playing games, music, etc. Refreshments were served. The honor guest received many useful and beautiful gifts from her many friends." When the federal census enumeration was made in 1910, the family resided in North Union Township, with Albert laboring in local clay mines. In the mid-1920s, they dwelled in Mount Braddock. Tragically, on Christmas Eve 1928, Albert caught a deadly case of influenza. He struggled for 15 days but gave out and succumbed on Jan. 8, 1929, at the age of 55. Funeral services were held in the Percy Methodist Protestant Church, officiated by Rev. O.O. King and Rev. Gladden, with burial in Percy Cemetery. He was survived by 21 grandchildren. Heartbreak compounded in the family just a few days after the burial when one-year-old grandson Leslie Shipley -- son of Gerald -- died in Mount Independence. Nora survived her spouse by decades and moved to Allison, Fayette County. At her 56th birthday later that year, in November 1929, she received a surprise party which included visiting and vocal and instrumental music. Circa 1956, a Shipley family reunion was held at Shady Grove Park near Uniontown, and she was elected honorary president while her son Gillespie was tapped to be president. At her milestone 85th birthday in 1958, she was pictured in a story in the Morning Herald and Uniontown Evening Standard. Nora's mind began to deteriorate as she aged, and she began to suffer from senility. She died at the age of 86 on June 5, 1960. Son Gillespie Earl Shipley (1893-1966) was born on Sept. 16, 1893 in Mount Braddock near Uniontown, Fayette County. He was united in the bonds of matrimony with Mary Elizabeth Wilson (Nov. 24, 1893-1977), daughter of John and Mary (Hanlon) Wilson of Percy. The Shipleys were parents to four offspring -- Marjorie Shaneyfelt, Alice Christopher, Jean Meinen and John A. Shipley. The couple relocated to Clarksville, East Bethlehem Township, Washington County, PA, where Gillespie labored as a coal miner. He held a membership in the United Order of Junior Mechanics, and the family belonged to the United Presbyterian Church of Clarksville. On June 30, 1956, Gillespie was elected president of the Nora Shipley family reunion, held in Shady Grove Park near Uniontown. He retired in 1959 as a mine foreman from the Chartiers Mine of the Hillman Coal and Coke Company. At the age of about 68, Gillespie was diagnosed with skin cancer. He suffered for five years and died in Clarksville on Aug. 22, 1966. Burial of the remains was in Greene County Memorial Park. Mary lived for another 11 years as a widow and moved to her daughter Marjorie's residence in East Liverpool, Columbiana County, OH. Her address during those years was 1013 Claiborne Avenue. She passed away at the age of 83 on Nov. 5, 1977. The body was sent to Millsboro, PA for funeral services conducted by Rev. Dr. Kenneth Noland. Her survivors were counted as six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. An obituary was printed in the East Liverpool Evening Review.
Son Stanley R. Shipley (1897- ? ) was born in about 1897. When he was about 18, on Feb. 23, 1916, he entered into marital union with Margaret Spear ( ? - ? ), daughter of Adam and Ida Mae (Yauger) Spear of Percy, Fayette County. The nuptials were officiated by Rev. Ivan Wilson and conducted in the parsonage of the Methodist Protestant Church in Uniontown. An article in the Uniontown Morning Herald noted that it was the second wedding in the Shipley family within the month, his brother Ernest having eloped to tie the knot with Mary Butler in January. The newlyweds made their first residence in Mount Braddock. The couple together bore a family, among them Harold Shipley, Clyde Shipley, Dorothy Shipley, Paul Shipley and Glendora Shipley. By 1954, the relocated to Clarksville, PA, where Stanley was employed as a track layer at the Chartiers Mine. When caught in a slate fall in September 1954, Stanley survived but "suffered a puncture wound of the right forearm, lacerations of the right hip and brushburns of the back," reported the Uniontown Evening Standard. The couple celebrated their golden wedding anniversary in 1966 and were pictured in a related story in the Uniontown Evening Standard.
Son Ernest G. Shipley (1897-1942) was born on Nov. 17, 1897 in Dunbar, Fayette County. As a teenager he became seriously ill in 1914 with pneumonia and pleurisy, but recovered. On Jan. 22, 1916, he eloped to Maryland to be united in holy matrimony with May Butler ( ? - ? ) of Percy. The wedding was held in the Methodist Episcopal Church of Cumberland, led by Rev. J.M. York. News of the marriage was printed in the Uniontown Morning Herald. The pair made a home in Mount Braddock at first and eventually in Cove Run, Fayette County. The children produced by this couple were Giles Shipley, Virginia Dennis and Robert Shipley. Ernest made a living as the school caretaker for the North Union School Directors. The family was plunged into mourning when Ernest was diagnosed with pneumatic heart disease in December 1942. He was admitted to Connellsville State Hospital, where he spent two weeks before dying on Dec. 22, 1942, at the age of 45, just three days before Christmas.
Daughter Susan "Susie" Shipley (1900- ? ) was born in about 1900. At the age of 19, in 1920, census records show her working as a sorter in a laundry near Uniontown. She was joined in wedlock with Hugh Edward "Huey" Dunaway (July 2, 1896-1962), son of Hugh C. and Katherine (Hiles) Dunaway of Dunbar. (In an interesting twist, Susan's sister Mildred married Hugh's brother Eugene.) The couple's two children were Frank Dunaway and Nora Lancaster. During World War I, he served in the U.S. Army. Then in the early 1920s, Hugh became well known as a pitcher with the Uniontown Herald-Standard baseball team in the City League, with Ortha "Bubbo" Livingston as his batterymate. He threw a wicked sinkerball and once struck out 19 batters in a game. The family address was on First Street on Bryson Hill in Dunbar. In 1959-1961, he held a seat on Dunbar Borough Council, and is cited for this role in the book Dunbar: The Furnace Town. Hugh was especially active in the community as a member of the Hughes Post of the American Legion, Dunbar Volunteer Fire Department, Western Pennsylvania Firemen's Association and Fayette County Firemen's Association. They belonged to Franklin Memorial Methodist Church. Hugh was burdened in his final years with arthritis and cardiovascular kidney disease. At the age of 65, he died in Connellsville State General Hospital on Nov. 22, 1962. Rev. Ellsworth Crispens officiated the funeral service, followed by interment of the remains in Mount Auburn Cemetery.
Son Phillip Shipley (1902- ? ) was born in about 1902. He made his home in Lemont Furnace and Cove Run, Fayette County. He was married and the father of DeWayne Shipley and Kathleen Shipley. In late July 1955, he attended the Shipley Reunion at Shady Grove Park near Uniontown, and was elected president, with his mother named honorary president. Phillip and family made a home in 1966 in Lemont Furnace.
Daughter Mildred I. Shipley (1905- ? ) was born in about 1905. In 1920, at the age of 15, she worked in a local laundry. She married Eugene Dunaway (June 22, 1900-1965), son of Hugh C. and Katherine (Hiles) Dunaway of Dunbar. (In an interesting twist, Mildred sister Susan married Eugene's brother Hugh.) The couple together produced six children -- Robert Dunaway, Sonny Dunaway, Gilbert Dunaway, Raymond Dunaway, Jane Grover and Betty Smitley. Eugene's occupation was working as a mechanic. He and his brother Hugh were longtime members of the Dunbar Volunteer Fire Department. The family belonged to Mount Braddock Methodist Church. The family dwelled in Lemont Furnace near Uniontown in 1965. Sadly, Eugene contracted an ulcer in his small intestine ("duodenum"). He was stricken with a cerebral hemorrhage in June 1965 and, after a month, was swept away by death on July 17, 1965. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said he was survived by a dozen grandchildren. His remains lie in eternal repose in LaFayette Memorial Park in Brier Hill, Fayette County. The widowed Mildred dwelled in Mount Independence circa 1977.
Son Gerald E. Shipley (1907- ? ) was born in about 1907. He was married and the father of Geraldine Shipley. During the mid-1950s, he made a residence in Mount Independence, Fayette County. He was elected vice president of the annual Shipley Reunion in July 1955, a basket picnic event held at Shady Grove Park. His home ni 1966 was in Lemont Furnace, Fayette County.
Son Clarence Leslie Shipley (1908-1925) was born on Aug. 19, 1908. He grew up in his parents' home in Mount Braddock near Uniontown. At the age of 16, he helped generate income for the family as a laborer. But he was not fated to live into full adulthood. In early 1925, he contracted influenza followed by acute kidney disease. His health declined until death swept him away on June 3, 1925. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said that "Death was attributed to aenemia." His funeral service was held in the Percy Church, co-officiated by Rev. O.O. King and a distant cousin, Rev. David Ewing Minerd, the famed "Blacksmith Preacher of Fayette County." The remains were laid to rest in Percy Cemetery. Daughter Minnie Pauline Shipley (1911-1983) was born on March 31, 1911 in Mount Braddock, PA, the 10th of the children in the family. Dr. W.H. Means assisted in the birth. Circa 1929-1930, when she was age 18, she was joined in the bonds of marriage with 21-year-old Gilbert Sinclair (Oct. 10, 1908-1931), son of Stewart and Caroline (McAllister) Sinclair. The newlyweds made their residence in the home of his parents in Bobtown, Greene County, PA, where Gilbert and his father were employed as miners by Shannopin Coal Company. On the tragic day of Oct. 13, 1931, while on an overnight work shift, the 23-year-old Gilbert was killed in a fall of slate, his neck instantly broken. The fractured body was returned to Uniontown for funeral services and burial in Percy Cemetery. Obituaries were printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier and Uniontown Morning Herald. Just a month after the accident, Minnie gave birth to their daughter, Virginia Caroline Lambert. Minnie survived her husband by more than half a century. For the first several years, she remained in Bobtown. She married twice again, first to George Martin Provance (June 25, 1910-1983) of Dunbar Township, Fayette County and the son of Thomas Paul and Mary Diorothia (Maust) Provance Sr. George stood 6 feet high and weighed 165 lbs. with brown hair and brown eyes and a "Panama" tattoo on his left arm. The federal census enumeration of 1940 shows the Provances together in Greensboro, Greene County, with him working as a coal loader in a mine. He also generated income later in 1940 with work for Duquesne Light Company in Greensboro. George enlisted in the U.S. Army on Feb. 11, 1941, some months before the outbreak of World War II. Once the war ended, he re-enlisted on Nov. 23, 1945. The couple divorced during those years. By 1948, Minnie relocated to Lebanon County, PA, where she was earned a living as a stenographer for Lebanon Shirt Company. In time she changed jobs and spent three decades with the Hershey Estates, a business venture of Hershey's Chocolate founder Milton S. Hershey which included Hersheypark. She wedded once more by 1955 to Lester H. Bitner ( ? - ? ). Minnie held a membership in the Tabor United Church of Christ and the Lebanon chapter of the Order of Eastern Star. She died at the age of 72 on May 29, 1983. Interment was beside her spouse in Percy, re-united in death after decades of separation. The Lebanon Daily News printed an obituary.
Daughter Pearl Evelyn Shipley (1915- ? ) was born in about 1915. On Feb. 26, 1939, she entered into marital union with Charles Warren "Mac" Martin Sr. (Sept. 11, 1917-1953), son of James S. and Gester (Hardy) Martin of Mount Braddock. The nuptials were led by the groom's brother, Rev. Walter I. Martin, in his home in Dunbar. News of the marriage was announced in the Uniontown Morning Herald. The couple bore an only son, Charles Warren Martin Jr. Charles was employed by Eureka Firebrick Company and was a member of the United Brick and Clay Workers of America. He was a Cubmaster of the Dunbar Cub Scouts and was a member of the Dunbar Volunteer Fire Company and the Fayette County Firemen's Association. In the 1950s, the family resided on Water Street in Dunbar. Sadly, suffering from congestive heart failure and a heart attack, Charles was admitted to Connellsville State Hospital and remained for five months. The angel of death swept him away at the age of just 35 on April 16, 1953. Interment of the remains was in Sylvan Heights Cemetery in Uniontown. the Connellsville Daily Courier published an obituary. Pearl outlived her husband by many years. She supported herself through work for Dr. H.S. Newill of Dunbar and later at Laurel Rest Home in Uniontown. By 1966, she had relocated to Lebanon, Lebanon County, PA and circa 1983 was in Sutter, CA.
Daughter Nellie B. Shipley (1918- ? ) was born in about 1918. On Sept. 13, 1945, at the age of 27, she slipped away to Oakland, MD to elope with James Barnett ( ? - ? ). They were the parents of Ted Barnett. The family resided in Mount Independence in 1960 and Lemont Furnace in 1966-1983. Nellie attended her mother's annual family reunion in 1956, held at Shady Grove Park, and was elected to the entertainment committee. She also was elected vice president of the North Union Band Parents Association in April 1959. She is known in 1976 to have attended the 40th reunion of the North Union Township High School Class of 1936. In September 1970, a surprise open house was held to mark their 25th wedding anniversary.
~ Daughter Dora Alice Shipley ~ Daughter Dora Alice Shipley (1877- ? ) was born on May 15, 1877. She was deceased by 1915.
~ Son Squire Azaniah Shipley ~ Son Squire Azaniah Shipley (1879- ? ) was born on Aug. 27, 1879. He was deceased by 1915.
~ Son Forward Shipley ~ Son Forward Shipley (1881-1953) was born on Nov. 1, 1881 at Mount Braddock, Fayette County. He was a longtime coal miner and laborer. Forward made his residence in 1929 in Maxwell, PA and in 1950-1953 in Brownsville,Fayette County. His final address was Union Street Extension in rural Brownsville Township. Stricken with a gastric ulcer, which led to uncontrollable bleeding, he succumbed on Feb. 19, 1953, at the age of 71. Clara Monahan of Brownsville signed the official Pennsylvania certificate of death. Burial was in Percy Cemetery.
~ Daughter Rose Oleva (Shipley) Fields ~ Daughter Rose Oleva Shipley (1884-1956) was born on Aug. 23, 1884. She married James Fields ( ? - ? ) and dwelled in Mt. Braddock, near Uniontown. Her final years were spent living in the coal mining patch town of Allison No. 2 Mine in Luzerne Township, Fayette County. Burdened with coronary heart disease and hardening of the arteries, she suffered a severe heart attack and passed away in Brownsville Hospital in Fayette County on April 27, 1956. Her remains were transported to Percy for burial in Fairview Cemetery.
~ Daughter Tressie (Shipley) Martin ~ Daughter Tressie Shipley (1888-1957) was born on May 22, 1888 at Mount Braddock. She was joined in wedlock with immigrant Martin "Luther" Martin (Oct. 22, 1874-1945), son of Abraham and Anna (Hancock) Martin of Liverpool, England. For four decades, from about 1917 to the late 1940s, their home was on Woodvale Street in Dunbar. Luther earned a living as a pumper in local coal mines. Sadly, burdened with organic heart disease, Luther died at the age of 70 on April 10, 1945. Tressie outlived him by a baker's dozen of years. Toward the end, she suffered from Parkinson's Disease as well as heart and breathing problems. She died four days after Christmas 1957. Burial was in Percy Cemetery. Diana Martin Isalls of Dunbar was the informant for the official Pennsylvania certificate of death.
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