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Brown Cemetery, Elliottsville

Sarah Jane (Rankin) Addis was born in Wharton Township, Fayette County, PA on July 11, 1866, the daughter of Robert and Hester Ann (Minerd) Rankin.

On Nov. 27, 1890, at the age of 24, Sarah married 21-year-old Charles J. Addis (1869-1927), a butcher and day laborer, the son of Henry (or Herman) and Martha Addis. Justice of the peace John R. Willson performed the ceremony. 

Charles could not read or write, and signed his marriage license application with an "X."

Together, they produced a brood of six children -- Raymond Earl Addis, Sarah "Pearl" Chisnell, Robert Brownfield Addis, Charles Roy "Doe" Addis, Nora May "Skinny" Huey and Anna Mae Ritchie.

Circa 1919, Charles worked as a butcher. That year, the family resided in Wharton Township.

Sarah and Charles went their separate ways by 1920. Federal census records for 1920 show Sarah at age 53 heading a household that included four children ranging in age of from 10 to 20, and earning a living as a farmer. Among her near neighbors at that time were her brothers Alfred and George and widowed sister-in-law Phoebe Ann (Maust) Rankin and their families. After their separation, Sarah resided at High Point, Wharton Township, while Charles roomed at the home of C.H. Shields on Railroad Street in Uniontown.

Daily News Standard, 1927

Tragedy struck on Jan. 27, 1927 when Charles was age 45. He was struck and killed by a Baltimore & Ohio Railroad train bound from Pittsburgh to Clarksburg, WV. The Uniontown Daily News Standard reported that Charles “was said to have been walking along the tracks picking up pieces of coal at the time of the accident. The engineer saw the man and after blowing the whistle in an attempt to warn the victim, tried to bring the fast train to a stop. Death was instant." His mangled remains were buried at Park Place Cemetery in Uniontown. An inquest by the Coroner of Fayette County exonerated the B&O from any blame, ruling that "Charles Addis was a trespasser" on the railroad tracks. 

Sarah outlived Charles by 22 years, remaining at rural High Point in Wharton Township.

Stricken with colon cancer and hardening of the arteries, Sarah suffered for the final 12 to 18 months of her life. She then suffered a acute heart attack and passed away on July 12, 1949, at the age of 83. She is buried near her parents and siblings at Brown Cemetery near Elliottsville. Son Charles Roy Addis of Fairchance signed the Pennsylvania death certificate, spelling his mother's maiden name as "Minor."

~ Son Raymond Earl Addis ~

Son Raymond Earl Addis (1893-1964) was born on Feb. 10, 1893 in Uniontown, Fayette County.

He married Clara Elizabeth McCartney ( ? - ? ).

Together, the couple bore two daughters, Betty Catherine Rhodes and Karen Lee Addis.

During World War I, Ray served as a private in Company E of the 320th Infantry, 80th Division. 

Ray was a forest fire warden and district forest ranger in the mountains near Uniontown. The family lived in what's considered Chalk Hill, along Summit Golf Club Road, two miles south of the famed Laurel Caverns.

Inside Laurel Caverns today, a.k.a. "Dulany's Cave"

Advertisement for the local caves

On Jan. 2-3, 1932, in his role as fire warden, he gave tours of two local caves to Ralph W. Stone, Assistant State Geologist of Pennsylvania. The first, Dulany's Cave (also spelled "Dulaney" and "Delaney"), was seven miles south of Uniontown and three miles southeast of Fairchance. It is a large natural calcareous sandstone cave, the largest in Pennsylvania, with a 4-mile labyrinth of walkways and year-round temperature of 52 degrees. Today it is known as Laurel Caverns and open for tours, considered one of the steepest caves in the nation, spanning 17 stories in elevation.

Stone devoted more than five pages to this cave in his report, Pennsylvania Caves, published as Bulletin G3 of the Topographic and Geologic Survey of 1932. "The writer saw the inner recesses of this cave ... when it was explored by a party of 10 which was guided by R.C. Bossart and Claude Hollar and included Mr. and Mrs. Landis Shaw Smith and three others from Rochester, New York, and R.E. Addis, the warden," he wrote. "This exploration occupied five hours." The next day, they toured Barton Cave, which was 4.5 miles west of Elliottsville, "on the head of Quebec Run, and close under the crest of Chestnut Ridge, ... on the W.R. Barton heirs farm," wrote Stone. "The entrance to the cave is in a draw in the vertical face of a low ledge, and just above a spring. [The] passage is wider than it is high, and most of its length of about 400 feet one can walk upright." An original edition of Pennsylvania Caves is preserved in the Minerd.com Archives.

Local newspapers found Ray a ready, willing and able provider of content for readers on the dangers of forest fires but also on the spectacular beauty of the mountains. In September 1932, Ray published a short letter to the editor of the Uniontown Morning Herald, reading: 

In my yard I have an apple tree which, although producing a nice crop of fruit, is now trying to come out in bloom again. This is rather unusual and evidently the tree is trying to get out of the slump. This is not a snake story and if any one cares to see it, come on up. Several blooms are out and more coming. Ray E. Addis, State Forest Fire Warden.

Booklet citing Ray's work

In October 1932, Ray advised readers of the Morning Herald of the dangers of forest fires, given dry conditions in the woods. He was quoted saying, "It has been my experience that hunters are usually careful and that motorists are the chief offenders in throwing flammable materials about that start forest fires."

Ray's wife Clara made headline news of her own in 1936. That year, on April 6, 1936, a TWA airliner named the Sunracer crashed in the mountains above Uniontown. Everyone was killed except the flight attendant and two passengers. The attendant, Nellie Granger, escaped the wreckage and somehow stumbled to a nearby home -- that of Ray and Clara's on Chestnut Ridge Road.  Granger made an emergency telephone call and then went back to the crash site with George Rankin, Alfred Rankin and Alfred's sons Robert and Harold. Clara and Ray testified before authorities on what they had witnessed. 

The heroic rescue later was featured, and Ray mentioned, in the book, Uniontown, by Walter "Buzz" Storey, retired editor of the Uniontown Herald-Standard newspaper. 

The Addises were members of the Sansom Chapel Methodist Church in Farmington.

Ray and Stella and family took a driving tour of the Sky Line Drive in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley in August 1938. Upon returning, he told Morning Herald reporter that the scenery there was "fine but it won't have anything on our skyline from the Summit into West Virginia." 

Clara and Ray Addis

They were involved a serious automobile accident in December 1938, while driving west on Route 40. Their vehicle was struck from the rear, with Ray suffering "severe lacerations of the head" and Clara "fractured ribs and injuries of the face and legs," said the Morning Herald. Fortunately they recovered.

He was appointed as a state fire inspector in March 1940, taking over for the late John C. Beatty. He used the opportunity to invite the public to visit and tour all of the forest fire towers in the mountains of the county. To underscore his point about educating citizens, he authored a lengthy guest column in the Morning Herald on May 20, 1940, entitled "'Hitler' in Fayette County: Spreads Death and Destruction in Mountainous Sections." 

In mid-October 1949, Ray was pictured in the Morning Herald, shown beside a large chestnut tree in a forest that the state had recently acquired. It was the largest tree he had ever seen, measuring 18 feet in circumference and 80 feet in height. He was quoted in the caption saying that his duties included "everything from fighting fires to rushing maternity cases to the hospital... [and] in between times, we string telephone wires, make repairs to cables, blaze fire trails and pacify irritated property owners." 

In mid-July 1951, he again was pictured in the Morning Herald, with a group of business and community leaders who were making plans to convert Lick Hollow into a picnic area.

Clara is believed to have been active with the Women's Society of Christian Service of the Grace Methodist Church in Markleysburg.

Ray was stricken in his final years with cancerous growths of the lymph nodes, lungs and bone marrow. He passed away at the age of 71, on Sept. 24, 1964, in the Veterans Administration Hospital in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Following a funeral service at the Harold S. Gleason Funeral Home, led by Rev. Virgil R. Gillum, he was laid to rest in Sansom Chapel Cemetery.

In widowhood, Clara lived in Uniontown rented their former two-story, five-room home in the mountains to outside families. After one tenant departed in October 1966, she lit candles to fumigate the rooms. The building caught fire, and Ray's sister and neighbor Nora Huey discovered the blaze, calling firemen to the scene. Unfortunately, fire consumed the building, and it was destroyed.

She passed away in 1969 and rests for all time next to her husband.

Daughter Betty Catherine Addis (1921-1994) was born on Jan 3. 1921. She was twice-wed. Her first husband was Haulzie "Paul" Rhodes (May 8, 1917-1968), son of Haulzie Victor and Callie (Liston) Rhodes. The couple eloped on Oct. 13, 1960 to tie the knot in Frederick County, VA. Their place of residence in 1964-1968 was in Smithfield, with Paul self-employed. On the tragic day of Dec. 17, 1968, while driving in Outcrop, Fayette County, Paul lost control of the truck he was driving. After an impact, he was thrown from the vehicle, and died instantly from a fractured neck, multiple fractures of the skull, crushed chest and internal bleeding. He was 51 years of age. Burial was in Rhodes Cemetery, later renamed Sansom Chapel Cemetery. Inscribed at the top of his single grave marker was the simple word "Father." Betty spent the next four years as a widow. Then on Nov. 25, 1972, at age 51, she again traveled to Frederick County, VA to be joined in wedlock with 48-year-old divorcee James Edward Dillow (April 6, 1924-1988), also of Smithfield and the son of Robert and Alice (Myers) Dillow. Their wedding ceremony was held in the town of Winchester and performed by United Methodist minister Rev. George W. Burroughs. During World War II, James had served as a private in the U.S. Army. James passed away in 1988. His remains were interred in Sansom Chapel Cemetery. Betty outlived him by six years. She succumbed to death in 1994.

Daughter Karen Lee Addis ( ? - ? ) made her home in Uniontown in 1964.

~ Daughter Sarah "Pearl" (Addis) Ravenscroft Chisnell ~

Daughter Sarah "Pearl" Addis (1897-1966) was born in 1897 in Wharton Township, Fayette County. She was married twice. 

Her first husband, Jesse Ravenscroft (1893-1940), was the son of Stephen and Lydia (Wright) Ravenscroft of Farmington. At the time of marriage, Pearl was age 18 and Jesse 23. Rev. Dr. J.S. Bromley united the couple in marriage in the parsonage of Uniontown's Great Bethel Baptist Church on April 6, 1915. In announcing the wedding, the Uniontown Morning Herald said tht the "mother of the bride was an attendant. The groom is well known in and about Farmington where he is engaged in farming."

Pearl and Jesse produced six children -- Delbert L. "Bert" Ravenscroft, Jesse "Carl" Ravenscroft, Irene Gall, James Walter Ravenscroft, Betty Ravenscroft and Charles R. Ravenscraft.  

Jesse worked as a fireman when he was in his early 20s. Later, he was a "well known sawmill worker." The Uniontown Morning Herald once said that he "was experienced in sawmill work, cutting timber and blasting." The 1940 federal census shows him employed as a laborer with the Works Progress Administration. The WPA was one of the ways President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the federal government tried to overcome unemployment during the Great Depression. It is 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.

Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church Cemetery

Tragically, Jesse was killed on July 3, 1940 when, while walking along Route 40 about a quarter-mile from home. While passing another vehicle heading west, in a heavy fog, an automobile "clipped" Jesse and "knocked [him] approximately 100 feet by the impact with the car." Death was instantaneous. Said the Uniontown Morning Herald. "He was returning home from the VanSickle service station where he had been spending the evening." 

Police found the broken headlight lens at the scene and went on a search for the hit-and-run driver. The news was published all across the state. An insurance salesman from Wilkinsburg, PA eventually turned himself in to law enforcement and was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to charges of manslaughter. 

Pearl later married Albert M. Chisnell (Sept. 5, 1896-1948), son of John and Viola (Van Sickle) Chisnell of Farmington. He too had been married previously and brought three stepchildren into the second union -- Lewis Chisnell, Agnes Donahue and Margaret Hardy.

Albert was a veteran of World War I, having served as a sergeant in the U.S. Army. He was a self-employed carpenter who worked circa 1944 as an engineer (custodian) at the Fayette County Home near Uniontown.

Sadly, stricken with cirrhosis of the liver, leading to gall bladder and swelling in his limbs, Albert died at the age of 51 on May 27, 1948. His remains were placed into eternal repose in Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church Cemetery. An obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier said that at the time, his son and daughters all made their home in Cadiz, OH.

Pearl survived her second husband by 18 years and remained in Farmington. 

She passed away at the age of 68, in Farmington, on Aug. 7, 1966. She was laid to rest in the cemetery of Mt. Washington Presbyterian Church in Farmington. At her death, she had 16 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, reported the Morning Herald.

Fort Necessity, Delbert Ravenscroft's workplace

Fort Necessity brochure

Son Delbert L. "Bert" Ravenscroft Sr. (1916-2010) was born on Oct. 15, 1916, in Farmington. He is one of many cousins to have connections with historic French & Indian War sites in Fayette County. As a young single man, he lived at home and earned income by cutting timber. During World War II, Delbert joined the U.S. Army and was placed in the 6th Army Group, 961st Field Artillery Battalion, deployed to Europe. He was posted in Iceland and England and landed at Normandy on July 18, 1944. Delbert made news with his unit when crossing the Blies River west of Sarraguemines without a single casualty, unleashing their 155-mm. howitzers on a concrete and steel fortress of Sinserhoff, part of the Maginot Line. Said the Connellsville Daily Courier, 

They helped repulse a German panzer division which threatened to halt the Allied breakthrough to Strasbourg. They took part in the final 'kill' of the German Seventh Army in the Falaise Gap...  During 235 consecutive days of combat, these 155's have fired more than 38,000 rounds of ammunition. Having an effective range of 10,500 yards, they fired on enemy gun positions, road junctions, and other German emplacements from both long and short range.

After the war, Delbert returned home. He became employed in 1957 in a maintenance capacity at Fort Necessity National Battlefield, becoming an employee of the federal government in 1962 when the facility became part of the National Park Service. Among his colleagues was a distant cousin, Joseph E. Liston, son of Edward B. and Anna "Ruth" (Hall) Liston of the family of Joseph and Elizabeth (Rowan) Hall Jr. Among their roles were cleaning the grounds upon annual springtime reopening and preparing camping and picnic areas for public usage. Delbert was pictured with co-workers in the Uniontown Evening Standard in 1967 when the fort received a two-year safety award from the Northeast Region of the National Park Service. His photograph was printed in the Uniontown Morning Herald in August 1976 in an overview of fort staff, whici said he currently was supervising the Job Opportunity Program's pine tree eradication program. He retired circa 1995 after 33 years of service. Delbert appears to have been twice-wed. On Aug. 29, 1950, he entered into marriage with Dorothy Mickey ( ? - ? ). She brought a stepon into the union, Lucien Eugene "Gene" Mickey (born about 1941). Dorothy sued for divorce in 1955, and again 1959, citing desertion, with him residing in Farmington and her in Uniontown. By 1963, he later married Jaretta Leadbetter (1943-1974), daughter of Jesse and Myrtle (Huey) Ledbetter. They bore two children together -- Denise Louise Malley and Delbert L. Ravenscroft Jr. In March 1969, he and Jaretta attended a retirement party for Melvin J. Thorpe, who was retiring as park superintendent. Then in November 1970, they attended a 70th birthday party for Delbert's uncle Robert Addis in Farmington. Sadly, Jaretta died at the age of 31 on June 19, 1974, leaving behind her husband and two young children at home. She was laid to rest in Sunset Cemetery, following a funeral led by Rev. Larry McKinney. Delbert Sr. outlived his wife by more than a quarter of a century. He died at the age of 93 on Aug. 23, 2010, with burial in Sunset View Cemetery in Chalk Hill, near Uniontown. 

• Granddaughter Denise Louise Ravenscroft is the mother of Jessica Ravenscroft. She has been twice-wed. Her first spouse was (?) Payton ( ? - ? ). In 2003, Denise was employed as director of sales and marketing for the Embassy Suites Hotel in Coraopolis near Pittsburgh. On Aug. 1, 2003, in nuptials held at Old St. Lukes in Scott Township, she was joined in wedlock with Robert J. Malley ( ? - ? ), son of Robert C. and Dorothy Ann Malley of Brookline. Rev. John Yohe presided. The couple was pictured in both engagement and wedding announcements in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. At the time, Robert earned a living with United Parcel Service in Crafton. The newlyweds' first home was on Portia Drive, in Pittsburgh's Baldwin Borough.

  Great-granddaughter Jessica Ravenscroft made her residence in 2003 in Brentwood in Pittsburgh's South Hills.

• Grandson Delbert L. Ravenscroft Jr. ( ? - ? ) resided with his parents in 1974.

Son Jesse "Carl" Ravenscraft (1918-1979) was born in about 1918 in Farmington. He entered into the bonds of marital union with Wilma "Faye" Burnsworth (Sept. 28, 1922-2012), daughter of Clyde and Eva Myrtle (Burnworth) Burnsworth of Maple Summit. Together, they produced a brood of four -- Robert Ravenscraft, Nancy King, Shirley Rhome and Barbara Rugg. They resided circa 1966 in Farmington. Jesse worked for Rockwell Manufacturing Company. In 1966, he is known to have received a 10-year service award from his employer, and was pictured in the Uniontown Evening Standard among a group of 31 co-workers. Said the Uniontown Herald Standard, Faye "spent many years employed by the Eberly family and was a retired bus driver with the Uniontown School District." Death swept him away in 1979. His remains were lowered into the sacred soil of Sands Cemetery near Maple Summit, on the outskirts of Ohiopyle. Faye survived for some 33 years. Toward the end she went to live in Henry Clay Villa in Markleysburg, Fayette County. She passed into the arms of the angels at the age of 90 on Nov. 2, 2012. The head count of her survivors was nine grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter.

• Grandson Robert Ravenscraft entered into marriage with Kathy. They put down roots in Farmington, PA.

• Granddaughter Nancy Ravenscraft (1948-living) was born in 1948. She wed Donald King (Jan. 8, 1947-2002), son of James "Till" and Jeanie King. Four sons were borne by their union -- Jeffrey King, Brian King, Steve King and David Andrew King. Sadly, Donald passed away on March 14, 2002. Interment of the remains was in the sacred soil of Irwin Memorial Cemetery in Ohiopyle. Nancy has survived her husband by several decades. Her home in 2012 was in Mill Run. Over the years, she has endured the untimely deaths of three of her sons.

  Great-grandson Jeffrey King was deceased by 2024.

  Great-grandson Brian King was deceased by 2024.

  Great-grandson Steve King wed Brenda.

  Great-grandson David Andrew King (1974-2024) was born on Dec. 20, 1974 at Uniontown Hospital. He was a 1992 graduate of Uniontown High School. David tied the knot with Kelly ( ? -living). The pair did not reproduce. Said an obituary, he "was a mason and concrete finisher by trade. He loved the outdoors especially "up on the hill" whether hunting, fishing, or cutting firewood. He loved woodworking from sawing lumber on the mill to the finished product [and] was always there to lend a hand to friends and family who needed help with a project." Sadly, he died at the age of 49 on Jan. 19, 2024.

• Granddaughter Shirley Ravencraft married Kirk Rhome. The Rhomes have lived in Rockwood, Somerset County.

• Granddaughter Barbara Ravenscraft was joined in wedlock with Robert Rugg. Circa 2012, they were in Farmington, PA. 

Daughter Irene Ravenscroft (1921-1981) was born on April 20, 1921 in Farmington. She married Geza Gall (July 23, 1918-2003). He was a veteran of the U.S. Army during World War II. The Galls lived in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, OH circa 1966 and in Streetsboro, Portage County, OH. They produced two daughters -- Margaret Marotta and Debra Kusinko. Geza was a volunteer with the Maple Heights Volunteer Fire Department Post 3290. Sadly, at the age of 60, Irene died on June 5, 1981. Burial was in All Saints Cemetery in Northfield, Summit County, OH. At some point, he is believed to have married again to Rosella (Nagy) Herrage ( ? - ? ) who brought eight stepchildren to the union. They dwelled in Rocky River, Cuyahoga County. Geza died at the age of 84 on July 11, 2003. Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated at St. Joan of Arc Church, with interment in All Saints Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Margaret Gall wed (?) Marotta. 

• Granddaughter Debra Gall married (?) Kusinko.

Ravenscraft Reunion, 1992. Courtesy Tricia Thomas.

Son Walter E. "Jim" Ravenscraft (1923-1988) was born in about 1923 in Farmington. He made his home in Continental No. 3 near Uniontown. He married Esther F. Merryman (May 28, 1925-2004), daughter of Robert Earl and Bertha E. (Kinner) Merryman of Farmington. Their children were Esther "Sissy" Boyer, Roy E. Ravenscraft Sr., Thomas Earl Ravenscraft Sr., Patricia Osburn and Debbie Ravenscraft. Later they dwelled in Farmington. In August 1956, the children went to a birthday party for their cousin Peggy Addis, daughter of Robert and Opal Addis, and were named in the gossip columns of the Uniontown newspaper. As of 1966, Walter and Esther resided at the Continental No. 3 coal mine. Walter died in 1988 with burial in Sunset View Cemetery in Chalk Hill. Esther survived him by 16 years and went to live in High House near Smithfield, Fayette County. She passed away on April 27, 2004. Rev. Roger Howard officiated at the funeral. Inscribed on their grave marker is the phrase "Nearer my God to thee."

• Granddaughter Esther "Sissy" Ravenscraft (1943-1998) was born on Sept. 24, 1943 in Farmington, Fayette County(?). On July 19, 1959, when she was 15 years of age, she wed David R. Boyer Sr. (Sept. 15, 1939-2017), originally from Gibbon Glade, PA and the son of Charles F. and Florence (Knox) Boyer. They became the parents of four -- David R. Boyer Jr., Monte Dale Boyer Sr., Marla S. Neisser and Brian L. Boyer.  Their final years together were spent in Hagerstown, MD. Esther died at the age of 54, in Washington County Hospital, on Sept. 5, 1998. Her funeral service was conducted by Rev. Daniel DeFrank at the Fairchance Pentecostal Church, followed by interment of the remains in Sunset View Cemetery in Chalk Hill. David survived his bride by nearly three decades. The family was plunged into grief when David Sr. passed away at the age of 77 on July 30, 2017 as a patient in Hagerstown Health Care Center. He was survived by nine grandchildren, 18 great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild.

  Great-grandson David R. Boyer Jr. (1960- ? ) was born in 1960. Circa 1998, he dwelled in Mercersburg, PA. Later, he moved to Hagerstown, MD. David is a country music singer and performed the Hank Williams song "It's a Family Tradition" at the 2023 Ravenscraft reunion.

  Great-grandson Monte Dale Boyer Sr. wed Robin Lynn Williams ( ? - ? ), daughter of Victor and Jean Chamberlain. Their dwelling-place for years has been at Falling Waters, WV. Their known children are Monte Dale Boyer Jr., Laynah E. Boyer and Joshua T. Boyer. Sadness blanketed the family when son Monte Jr., age 33, a 2006 graduate of Hedgesville (WV) High School and employee of Tractor Supply Distribution Center, died at home in Falling Waters on Nov. 12, 2020. Monte Jr.'s remains were laid to rest in Cedar Lawn Memorial Park in Hagerstown, with funeral rites provided by Rev. Robert V. Robinson.

  Great-granddaughter Marla Boyer (1963-2005) was born on July 5, 1963. She was united in matrimony with Steve Warren Neisser Sr. ( ? - ? ). Three children born of this union were Cody Lee Neisser, Steve Warren Neisser Jr. and Karla Sue Neisser They made a home in Hagerstown, MD in 1998. After the marriage ended, she became engaged to Thomas Cramer and by 2005 relocated to Smithfield, Fayette County. She surrendered to the angel of death at the age of 42 on Nov. 9, 2005. Her survivors included four grandchildren. Her remains were lowered into the sleep of all eternity in Sunet View Cemetery in Chalk Hill, following rites led by Pastor Scott Teets.

  Great-grandson Brian L. Boyer was joined in wedlock with Tracy. They live in Clear Springs, MD.

Musicians in the family -- Esther "Sissy" Boyer (left) and her brother Roy Ravenscraft accompanied by son Roy Jr.  Left image courtesy David Boyer Jr.

• Grandson Roy E. Ravenscraft Sr. ( ? - ?) was born in about 1946. At the age of four, he made news when he lacerated his left arm when falling on a broken jug on a refuse dump near their home. Roy married Connie Armel ( ? - ? ), daughter of Merrill A. Armel of Columbus, OH and New Castle, PA. They produced two children -- Janine Renee Ravenscraft and Roy E. Ravenscraft Jr. The family made its dwelling-place in the mid-1960s at 33 Daniel Street, Uniontown. Then in 1968, their address was 140½ Walnut Street. In August 1971, the children were pictured in the Morning Herald newspaper for their birthdays. Roy is a talented singer and formed a band circa 1976, Roy and The Sounds of Country. With his bandmates Howdy Stull on steel guitar, Gifford Fisner on bass and fiddle and Denny Hunt on drums, they performed country rock, polks and country music at venues all throughout the region. 

  Great-granddaughter Janine Renee Ravenscraft (1965- ? ) was born in 1965. She was pictured in 1966 in the Uniontown Evening Standard when marking her first birthday. She is a 1983 graduate of German Township High School. Janine wed Jeff McCoy ( ? - ? ). Their known children are Kellie McCoy and Jeremy McCoy. The couple divorced. Janine has been employed as a nurse at Southwestern Veterans Center. Son Jeremy is a drummer with the 90's Country Outlaws Band featuring his uncle Roy Ravenscraft Jr. on lead guitar. Jeremy is married to Joanne Kulenovic and the stepfather of Megan Kulenovic and Courtney Kulenovic. They grieved when Courtney's two-day-old son Landyn Benjermin Kisner died in Ruby Memorial Hospital at West Virginia University on March 15, 2021. Then on the horrific day of Nov. 6, 2024, 27-year-old Megan was killed in a hostage standoff that turned into a murder-suicide in the Woodview Terrace Apartments in Uniontown. Police were summoned after Megan's four-year-old daughter "came out of an apartment at Woodview Terrace in North Union Township and handed an adult a note that said [a male inside] had a hostage, guns and 50 gallons of gasoline," said WPXI-TV News. First responders encountered fire and heavy smoke in the unit and the two adult bodies. A good friend of Megan's was quoted saying "She was the most generous person you’d ever meet. She loved kids. She was so great with kids. She was such a good mom."

  Great-grandson Roy E. Ravenscraft Jr. (1968-living) was born in 1968 at Uniontown Hospital. News of his birth was printed in the Uniontown Evening Standard. He is a 1986 graduate of German Township High School and dwells in McClellandtown, PA. He is the father of Ashley Ravenscraft ( ? -living). Ashley was married for five years to Jackie Lee Murray III (March 21, 1988-2024), son of J.L. and Ruth (Bryner) Murray Jr. He brought a stepson into the union, Anthony Lee Murray, and together they bore a daughter of their own, Lillian Rose Murray. Said a newspaper, "Jack was truly a 'Jack-of-all-trades,' most recently employed by C&J Welding and Construction at the Bailey Coal Mine, where he worked hard, got dirty and proudly earned his Black Hat... He will be remembered for his sense of humor, those blue eyes and that ornery smile, his love for wrenching on his jeeps and trucks, getting muddy, his fondness for deer meat and mostly the love he had for his children." Ashley and Jackie divorced. His final home was with his grandfather J.J. Murray Sr. in Dupont Village, Uniontown, and he died there at the age of 35 on March 11, 2024. His cremains were scattered somewhere in the Fayette County mountains.

• Grandson Thomas Earl Ravenscraft Sr. (1956-2022) was born on May 24, 1956. He entered into marriage with Jane Ann Kollar ( ? - ? ). Their union held fast over a span of 47 years together. They bore a trio of offspring -- Jane "Sissy" Lindsay, Thomas Earl Ravenscraft Jr. and James Robert "Jimmy" Ravenscraft. The family made its residence in Masontown in 1998 and in Farmington in 2022 and also spelled their name "Ravenscroft." Thomas earned a living in the construction industry. Said an obituary, he "enjoyed playing country music in his own bands and with many of the local musicians." Sadly, at the age of 66, he died at home on July 30, 2022.

  Great-granddaughter Jane "Sissy" Ravenscraft wed Rick Lindsay Jr.

  Great-grandson Thomas Earl Ravenscraft Jr. ( ? - ? )

  Great-grandson James Robert "Jimmy" Ravenscraft was joined in marriage with Jolynnn.

• Granddaughter Patricia Ravenscraft was united in matrimony with Carl Lee Osburn ( ? - ? ), also spelled "Osborne."

• Granddaughter Deborah Debbie Ravenscraft ( ? - ? ) lived at High House near Smithfield, PA in 1998.

Daughter Betty Ravenscroft (1931- ? ) was born in about 1931 in Farmington. She did not marry and lived at home with her mother in 1966. She may have passed away in 1996, but this is not confirmed.

Son Charles R. Ravenscraft (1939-2016) was born on May 11, 1939 in Farmington. He spelled the family name with the "a" and not the "o.". He married Flora Mae (Smith) Morrison (July 20, 1935-2018), daughter of William A. and Retha Mae (Jefferies) Smith of Hopwood. She apparently had been married previously and brought these children to the second union -- Michael Smith, Rodney Morrison and Richard Morrison. The Ravenscrofts lived in Farmington and produced two more offspring of their own -- Steven Charles "Bo" Ravenscraft and Rita Swaney. The family lived in the mid-1960s in Oliver No. 3 near Uniontown. Charles was a plumber with Whitby Plumbing for more than four decades and belonged to the local union of plumbers and pipefitters. Flora enjoyed playing bingo. Sadly, they endured the untimely death of their son Steve. Charles died in Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh on Sept. 9, 2016 at the age of 77. Burial was in Sunset View Cemetery in Chalk Hill. Toward the end of Flora's life, she was admitted to Mt. Macrina Manor in Uniontown. She succumbed there at the ae of 82 on April 24, 2018. Rev. Jim Teets officiated at her funeral service.

• Step-grandson Michael Smith wedded Vicki and lives in Biloxi, MS.

• Step-grandson Rodney Morrison married Virginia and they make their home in Farmington.

• Step-grandson Richard "Rick" Morrison was joined in matrimony with Barbara. In 2016-2018, they dwelled in Virginia Beach, VA.

• Grandson Steven Charles "Bo" Ravenscraft (1962-2016) was born on April 14, 1962 in Uniontown. He produced a son, Robert Ravenscraft and circa 2016 he was engaged to Cherlyn Richardel. Steven resided in Biloxi, MI, as did his son. At the age of 54, Steven died at home on July 22, 2016.

• Granddaughter Rita Ravenscraft was united in wedlock with (?) Swaney. Her home in 2018 was in Farmington.

Ravenscraft Reunion, 2023, Hutchinson Sportsmen Club, Big Brownfield

Brown Cemetery, Elliottsville

~ Son Robert Brownfield Addis ~

Son Robert Brownfield Addis (1900-1986) was born on Oct. 24, 1900. He grew up in and around Elliottsville, Fayette County.

Circa 1931, he married Opal Clair Donges (1912-1989), a native of Jefferson City, MO, who grew up in Hardin, MT but was a resident of Clifton Mills, WV at the time of marriage. She had been brought to the region as a teenage girl after her mother died in 1929, to be cared for by aunts and uncles. News of their marriage license was published in the Uniontown Evening Standard.

They produced three daughters -- Stella "Eileen" Addis, Peggy Jane Thomas and Doris Lorraine Rhodes.

In 1934, the Addises made their home in Valley Point near Albright, Preston County, WV. Sadly, infant daughter Eileen contracted pneumonia and died in Albright at the age of seven months and 11 days on Christmas Eve 1934. The child's tender remains were brought back to Elliottsville for burial was in Brown Cemetery, with funeral rites conducted by Rev. Calvin R. Wolfe. An obituary appeared in the Uniontown Evening Standard.

Brown Cemetery

The family relocated circa 1935 to near Eliottsville, Wharton Township, Fayette County. The federal census enumeration of 1940 shows Robert, Opal and daughter Doris there, with Robert earning a living as a sawmill laborer.

Later they moved to Farmington, where Robert continued to work as a laborer. Circa 1962-1966, they were in Markleysburg, Fayette County. Their residence was along Route 40, the National Highway, east of the old Dinner Bell Inn.

Opal made news in May 1962 when when her brother Fred Donges and wife, whom Opal had not seen in 33 years, traveled to Fayette County for a visit. They all gathered for a dinner at the home of the Addises' married daughter Doris Rhodes in Farmington. In reporting on the happy reunion, Opal told a news reporter that

...after the death of her mother she and her father, Simon Donges, left Billings and came to Uniontown to make their home. They chose Uniontown because a relative lived here. Later they moved to Clifton Mills ... where father ran a country store for a couple of years. Apparently tiring of the east, he returned to Montana and now makes his home in Phoenix, Ariz. She stayed in this area, finally meeting and marrying Mr. Addis.

The following year, in November 1973, she was reunioned with her brother Walter Donges of Hardin, MT. Said the Uniontown Evening Standard, the "reunion came about at Morgantown (W.Va.) Airport where Mr. Donges landed on the first part of a vacation to spend some time with his sister and brother-in-law, Robert Addis." The article included a photograph of Opal posed with her husband and brother.

On Oct. 24, 1970, Robert celebrated his 70th birthday, and his family threw a party. Said the Morning Herald, "The occasion was marked by an oldtime square dance held at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Thomas -- with the music furnished by the honoree and his wife, Opal. The evening was topped by refreshments and a birthday cake, along with many gifts and cards." 

Opal "received the thrill of her life" in November 1973 when she was reunited with her brother, Walter Donges, after a separation of 44 years. The Morning Herald published a photo of the brother with Opal and Robert along with a lengthy feature article. 

On Feb. 28, 1977, the Addises celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary.

Robert passed away at the age of 85 on Oct. 17, 1986 in the Uniontown Hospital. He was laid to rest in the Brown Cemetery in Elliottsville. 

Opal outlived her husband by three years. She died at age 77 in Westmoreland Hospital on Feb. 10, 1989. 

Daughter Doris Lorraine Addis (1932-2022) was born on Nov. 5, 1932 in Elliottsville, Fayette County. She attended Uniontown Senior High School. On Aug. 16, 1952, she was joined in marriage with Richard Glenn Rhodes Sr. ( ? -2015). News of their wedding was published in the Uniontown Morning Herald, which said the pair planned to make their home in Baltimore. At the time, Richard was an alumnus of Uniontown Vocational High School and was employed in West Virginia. Their union went on to endure the ups and downs of an extraordinary 63 years. The couple produced four offspring -- Roberta Jean "Bobbi" Marzullo, Richard Glenn Rhodes Jr., Ronald Leslie Rhodes and Susan Eileen Kurr. They made their home in Revere near Uniontown in 1970 and then to Farmington and by 1977 were in Uniontown. Said an obituary, "Doris loved going on family trips, listening to music, and decorating her home with angels and wind chimes." Sadly, Richard Sr. passed away on March 8, 2015. Then by 2018, Doris was in Uniontown. While in the home of her daughter Bobbi in Lemont Furnace, the angel of death gathered her away at the age of 89 on Oct. 20, 2022. Burial was in Brown Cemetery. In her memory, a luncheon was held at Smitty's Bar and Restaurant in Uniontown.

• Granddaughter Roberta Jean "Bobbi" Rhodes ( ? -living) was named after her great-great-grandfather, Civil War veteran Robert Rankin. She is a 1986 graduate of Uniontown Area High School. Bobbi has been twice-wed. Her first spouse was (?) Cole ( ? - ? ). She has two daughters, Jessica May Fike Daniels and Katie Lynn Phillip. On Dec. 29, 2018, she married Stephen Marzullo ( ? -living), a native of Butler, PA. They make a home in Lemont Furnace, Fayette County.  Bobbi graciously has provided important content for this biography and was one of the organizers of the 2023 Ravenscraft family reunion, held at Hutchinson Sportsmen Club in Big Brownfield, near Uniontown.

Great-granddaughter Jessica May Fike ( ? - ? ) was united in matrimony with James Daniels( ? - ? ). They make a home in Uniontown and have a daughter Elizabeth Grace Daniels.

Great-granddaughter Katie Lynn Phillip ( ? - ? )

• Grandson Richard Glenn Rhodes Jr. ( ? - ? )  was born on (?). He was a 1972 graduate of Uniontown High School. Circa 1975, he was employed by Center Independent Oil Company. On Oct. 16, 1975, Richard wed his first bride, Christina Grimm ( ? - ? ), daughter of Catherine Grimm. Christina was an alumna of Laurel Highlands High School and had worked as a nurse's aide at the West Virginia University Medical Center in nearby Morgantown. The newlyweds made their home in 1977 at 355 North Gallatin Avenue, Uniontown. The only son born to the couple was Richard Glenn Rhodes III. Today Richard dwells in Irvington, KY. He is married to Linda ( ? - ? ).

Great-grandson Richard Glenn Rhodes III ( ? - ? )  was born in 1977 in Uniontown Hospital. News of his birth was published in the Uniontown Evening Standard. Richard married Holly Agrees ( ? - ? ). They reside in Aliquippa, Beaver County, PA. Their two children are Roman Rhodes and Riley Rhodes.

• Grandson Ronald Leslie Rhodes ( ? - ? ) made his residence in Pittsburgh in 2022.

• Granddaughter Susan Eileen Rhodes ( ? - ? ) was joined in marriage with (?) Kurr ( ? - ? ). They bore three children, David Evan Kurr, Sarah Elisabeth Kurr and Kristopher Eric Kurr. Susan was in Uniontown in 2022.

Daughter Peggy Jane Addis (1942-2018) was born on Aug. 16, 1942 in Elliotsville. As a young woman, she resided in Markleysburg. In about 1957, she wedded Carles Edward Thomas Sr. (Nov. 26, 1937-2000) of Brandonville, WV and the son of Ray Chester and Johanna "Joan" (Briskie) Thomas. News of their marriage license application was printed in the Uniontown Morning Herald. They lived in Farmington and Markleysburg. Their only son was Carles "Edward" Thomas Jr. Sadly, Carles Sr. passed into eternity on Nov. 22, 2000, just four days shy of his 63rd birthday. In her later years, the widowed Peggy Jane moved to Uniontown. She died on Dec. 14, 2018 at the age of 76. An obituary in the Uniontown Herald-Standard noted that burial would be in Brown Cemetery in Elliottsville.

• Carles "Edward" Thomas Jr. (1962-living) was born in about 1962. At the age of 14, in December 1976, he was pictured in the Uniontown Morning Herald for shooting an eight-point buck, with a 16 inch width of the horns, near Lick Hollow. Edward is the father of a daughter, Trisha Ray Thomas. He made his home in 2018 in Uniontown.

Great-granddaughter Trisha Ray Thomas ( ? - ? ) has two offspring, Harlow Jane Thomas and Rhyse Edward Thomas.

Brown Cemetery

~ Son Charles Roy "Doe" Addis ~

Son Charles Roy "Doe" Addis (1903-1984) was born in 1903. 

He married Evelyn "Fern" Liston (Sept. 6, 1918-1954), the daughter of Lloyd and Rhoda (Deal) Liston of Valley Point, Preston County, WV. They were 15 years apart in age.

They made their home in Valley Point in 1937 and later at Mt. Summit, Fayette County.

One known son of this couple was Walter Franklin Addis. 

Brown Cemetery

Sadly, their baby son Walter contracted bronchial pneumonia and severe inner ear infection ("bilateral acute otitis media"). Fluid was drained from his ear cavity, but there was no hope. He died on Jan. 13, 1937, at the age of 11 months, 12 days. His tender remains were laid to rest in Brown Cemetery in Elliottsville. The lad's mother was just 19 at the time.

When the federal census enumeration was made in 1940, Roy and Fern lived together in Wharton Township. He earned a living that year cutting timber. They resided in a cluster of households of relatives including Ray and Clara Addis, Sarah Addis, George Rankin, Alfred and Hazel Rankin and Robert and Opal Addis.

Roy and his relatives Harold Rankin, Thomas Rankin and Glen Rankin, along with family pastor Rev. Earl P. Confer, went hunting together in December 1946 with Uniontown Police Chief A.W. Davis and former Uniontown treasurer (and distant cousin) John D. Kerfoot, staying for an extended time at the Kerfoot cabin in Rock Spring. The Uniontown Morning Herald said the group "was witness to one of the best exhibitions of shooting to come off in this district in many years when Chief Davis bagged a beautiful 175-pound, four-point buck."

The Addises dwelled in Fairchance in 1949 at the death of Charles' mother -- in Wharton Township in 1950 at the time of the federal census -- and at High Point, Fairchance, in 1954. Roy's occupation in 1950 was as a truck driver for a timber company.

A hunter in her own right, Fern outdid Chief Davis a few years later. She was pictured in the Uniontown Morning Herald on Dec. 5, 1951, for bringing down a nine-point, 175-lb. buck while hunting in the Fayette County mountains. The story reported that she was "the only hunter in a party of nearly 20 that returned with a buck." Among those who were along but failed to bag a deer were her husband Doe, family pastor Rev. Earl P. Confer, Harold Rankin and others. 

Heartache rocked the family when Fern was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease which had infected her pancreas, intestines and left kidney. As time progressed, she suffered a ruptured tubal pregnancy for which she underwent surgery in Uniontown Hospital. Then after an aberration of her electrolytes and other bodily fluids, she passed away at age 36, on Sept. 29, 1954. In all, she had been a patient at the hospital for more than 160 days leading up to her death. An initial obituary in the Connellsville Daily Courier erroneously said her home was in High Point, "North Carolina."

Roy outlived her by three decades, and lived at Masontown, Fayette County. He died at the age of 80, at the West Virginia University Medical Center, on Feb. 27, 1984. He was laid to rest at Brown Cemetery in Elliotsville. 

Circa 1995, when the founder of this website photographed the Addis graves, he found that red and white floral bouquets spelling out "Mom" and "Dad" were placed in front of the marker.

~ Daughter Nora Mae "Skinny" (Addis) Huey ~

Daughter Nora Mae "Skinny" Addis (1907-1996) was born on June 20, 1907.   

She married Andrew J. "Red" Huey (April 25, 1901-1969), a coal miner from Fairchance who was the son of James and Rebecca (Kennison) Huey. 

The couple did not reproduce. 

They resided in Baltimore, MD circa 1941-1949. In July 1941, their niece Betty Addis came to spend two weeks at their home.

Circa 1964, the Hueys had moved back to Chalk Hill, near Uniontown, making their home near the Summit Golf Club Road. Andrew earned a living over the years as a federal government accountant with the Government Accountability Office (GOA). He eventually retired from this position.

On the morning of Oct. 13, 1966, smelling smoke, Andrew and Nora discovered that a neighboring house was on fire, and called firemen to the scene. The two-story, five-room building once had been the residence of their brother Raymond Earl Addis, and was still owned by Ray's widow Clara, and was rented out. Unfortunately, fire consumed the building, and it was destroyed.

At the age of 68, on the fateful day of Sept. 29, 1969, Andrew suffered a massive heart attack. He was rushed to Uniontown Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Following funeral services led by Rev. Dr. Earl P. Confer, the remains were laid to rest in Mt Moriah Baptist Cemetery in Smithfield, near Uniontown. An obituary appeared in the Uniontown Evening Standard. 

Nora outlived her husband by 27 years and made her dwelling in Uniontown. She succumbed to the spectre of death on Aug. 6, 1996.

~ Daughter Anna Mae (Addis) Ritchey ~

Daughter Anna Mae Addis (1911-1985) was born on May 20, 1911. 

She married James Edward Ritchey Sr. (1907-1990), a laborer of Hopwood, Fayette County, and the son of Albert and Lucretia R. (Jackson) Ritchey. They met at a boarding house where Anna worked and James was staying. They were wed on June 17, 1930, when Anna Mae was age 19 and James 23.

The Ritcheys had five children -- Dorothy Swenglish, Paul Ritchey, Margaret " Peggy" Moyers, James Edward Ritchey Jr. and Betty Spock. 

The family resided in Somerfield and had to move because the dam was being built in the early 1940s. They finally settled in 1943 in Haddenville, Fayette County, PA about five miles west of Uniontown along the National Road/U.S. Route 40. There, they owned a 43 acre farm.

James worked as a laborer on the roads, strip mines, roofing and other odd jobs. They farmed with big gardens, various grains, cows, pigs, sometimes goats and sheep, chickens, and always a couple of horses. In 1976 they traveled with the Bicentennial Wagon train.

The Ritcheys attended Third Presbyterian Church in Uniontown from 1945 to 1962. Then they joined The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, where Anna belonged to its Crusaders Sunday School class. Sundays were reserved for worship and visiting family and friends. In 1980, they celebrated their golden wedding anniversary.

Anna died at the age of 73, in the Spear Nursing Home in Markleysburg, PA, on Feb. 28, 1985. Burial was in LaFayette Memorial Park. 

James outlived his wife by five years. He passed away in 1990.

Daughter Dorothy Ritchey (1931-1986) was born on Dec. 19, 1931. She married Paul Swenglish ( ? - ? ). They had four children -- Paul Swenglish, Mary Frances Swenglish, David Swenglish and Matthew Swenglish. She died on March 8, 1986.

Son Paul Ritchey (1933-2002) was born on June 9, 1933. He resided in Topeka, Shawnee County, KS. Paul passed away in Topeka on April 6, 2002.

Daughter Margaret "Peggy" Ritchey (1935-2010) was born on June 17, 1935. She wed Roland Moyers ( ? - ? ) and helped raise his children from a previous marriage -- Sandra Moyers, Kenneth Moyers, Samuel Moyers and Suzie Moyers. Their home was in Broadway, Rockingham County, VA. She died on May 27, 2010.

Son James Edward Ritchey Jr. (1939-1995) was born on June 9, 1939. He married Patricia Ziots ( ? - ? ). They had three children -- James Ritchey, John Ritchey and Suzanne Ritchey. He passed away on Jan. 27, 1995.

Daughter Betty Ritchey (1941- ? ) was born on March 28, 1941. She wed Edward Spock ( ? - ? ) and had two children: Debbie Spock and Beth Spock.