The couple resided in Dawson, Fayette County in the 1890s and early 1900s, where Frank was an up-and-coming jeweler. In 1895, he worked for Bert Neville in Dawson and then in 1897 launched his own jewelry sales and repair business in the same town. He is known to have relocated his business to the Gallatin Building in Dawson, as reported in the gossip columns of the Weekly Courier of April 29, 1898. In newspaper advertisements, he offered a portfolio of watches, clocks and diamonds, and his business trips took him to the big city of Pittsburgh and the tiny logging town of Humbert in Somerset County. He held memberships in the Masons and the James Cochran Lodge, with some of his fellow members including Dr. H.J. Beil, Biddle Hornbeck, hardware man C.O. Schroyer and contractor Hillary Ober. As of 1900, Frank's cousin Mame Woodward lived in their residence. Bessie often shopped in the larger city of Connellsville, which gave her an opportunity to stop in and see her widowed mother. The family was plunged into mourning when their eldest child, Jean, died after a short illness of pneumonia on Aug. 15, 1904, at the age of seven. Her tender remains were laid to rest in Hill Grove Cemetery, and a brief notice of her passing was printed in the Connellsville Daily Courier. The Murphys often entertained visits from Bessie's sisters. In the heat of August 1905, in company with the C.F. Critchfield and W.H. Parkhill families, they rented a camp for two weeks near the Youghiogheny River Bridge in Confluence, taking a cook along and dubbing the place "Camp Dane" after their newborn daughteer. While there, they entertained guests who took pleasure in the cool mountain air. Circa 1906, the Murphys were active with the Royal Neighbors Society of Dawson and, while attending at a lawn party near the Hulltown School, Frank gave away a prize of a fine brooch. Again in August 1906, with the M.E. Porters, they returned to Camp Dane in Confluence for a three-week camping vacation.

Bessie Murphy. Courtesy Wade Patterson

All the while building his Dawson business, Frank had his eye on a potential move to the midwest. He is known to have traveled to St. Louis in May 1904, with a swing through Oklahoma, and upon his return told a local news reporter that he was "well pleased with his trip and thinks it is the coming place." In 1908, the Murphys made the major decision to uproot their lives and relocate to Oklahoma where they stayed for good. Frank operated a jewelry store under the name "Murphy the Jeweler." When the federal census enumeration was made in 1910, the family dwelled in Durant, Bryan County, OK. For reasons not yet known, back in Pennsylvania, the Fayette County Sheriff in 1910 sold property in Dawson under terms of a lawsuit Frank had filed for Bessie's use. As of 1922, when Bessie and Dayne returned to Fayette County to see relatives, their home was in Coldgate, OK. Then circa 1925, their address was 525 East Main in Ada, Pontotoc  County, OK. Once more in February 1928 Bessie traveled to her old home to visit her brother. She developed an enlarged thyroid, known as a goiter, and in April 1928 underwent surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. She was accompanied by daughter Katherine on her return trip to Ada. Sadly, Bessie died in their Ada residence at the age of 68 on Jan. 22, 1945. Her remains were lowered into eternal repose in the city's Rose Hill Memorial Park. An obituary in the Tulsa Tribune said she was the "mother of two Tulsans." Frank outlived his bride by eight years. At the end of his career, he was employed in the jewelry department of a Tulsa department store. In 1951, he received word of the tragic hit-and-run death of his brother Ernest back in Dawson. Frank's address in the early 1950s was 1151 North Osage Drive. John passed away on July 9, 1953, at the age of 79. A brief funeral notice was published in the Tribune.

• Grandson Donald V. Murphy (1898- ? ) was born on Feb. 7, 1898. He resided in 1945 in Ada, OK. Donald died in Nov. 1980 at the age of 82. He sleeps for the ages in Tulsa's Rose Hill Memorial Park.

• Granddaughter Katherine Murphy (1899- ? ) was born in Feb. 1899. She was single and resided in Ada, OK in 1928. In time she wed (?) Wilkinson ( ? - ? ). She lived at 214 South Cheyenne Avenue in Tulsa in the mid-1940s.

• Grandson Alford/Alfred Murphy (1902- ? ) was born in about 1902. His residence in 1945 was in Ada, OK.

Skyline of Tulsa, Oklahoma

• Granddaughter Dayne Murphy (1905-1994) was born in about 1905. She was enrolled in Tulsa University as of 1926 and in December of that year is known to have taught school at Sperry, near Tulsa. Dayne made news as a young woman when she was elected inaugural secretary of the Rainbow Assembly organization. In nuptials held in Curacao, Dutch West Indies, she was united in wedlock in 1926 with fellow Tulsa student Carl E. Patterson ( ? - ? ). Their only known son was Dr. Donald F. Patterson. Carl was employed by Roxana Petroleum Corporation, and by 1928 the pair had relocated to a worksite in Venezuela. They remained there in 1931, in the town of Maracaibo. They were transferred back to Tulsa as of 1932 and remained for the balance of their lives. In 1960, Dayne, Carl and their son traveled to Smithfield, PA for a visit with her uncle and aunt, John W. and Etta Younkin. Sadly, Dayne died at the age of 90, in Tulsa, on May 1, 1994. Her obituary appeared in the Tulsa World.

  Great-grandson Dr. Donald F. Patterson ( ? - ? ) was the father of Dr. Russell H. Patterson and Wade D. Patterson. As of 1994, Donald resided in Wallingford, PA, while his son Russell was in Takoma Park, MD and son Wade in Austin, TX.  

Son Harry Murphy Younkin (1878-1907) was born on July 28, 1878. He grew up in Connellsville and appears to have been interested in the railroads at a young age. He lost two toes at the age of 14 in August 1892 when, said the Connellsville Weekly Courier, in "attempting to board a moving freight train on the Southwest road he slipped and fell with his foot on the rail... He was taken to the Cottage State Hospital, where the injured toes were amputated." He never married. At age 21, in 1900, he earned a living as a laborer. then in 1907, he was employed by the railroad and worked as a "hostler," ferrying locomotives and equipment for maintenance. Harry contracted an incurable case of tuberculosis in or about July 1907. He was admitted to the Fayette County Home in Uniontown. There, he succumbed to the spectre of death at the age of 28 years, 3 months and 29 days on Nov. 27, 1907. Burial was in Hill Grove Cemetery, Connellsville. Signing the official Pennsylvania certificate of death was his brother-in-law, John Franklin Murphy of Dawson.

Son John W. Younkin (1880-1962) was born on July 9, 1880 in Connellsville. He served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War. He was assigned to Company C, 41st Regular U.S. Volunteer Infantry, and attained the rank of master sergeant. John was joined in matrimony with Etta B. Lowe (1885-1972). Two known children born to the couple were Katherine Jean Younkin and Harold F. Younkin. Sadness cascaded over the family when daughter Katherine died at the age of 22 days on Nov. 28, 1906, from acute indigestion and inflammation of the bowels. The Younkins resided for decades in the Borough of Smithfield, near Uniontown, PA. John earned a living as a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad engineer on the "Old 4140" and was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. While on a run between Point Marion, PA and Canyon, WV in March 1935, on a bank of the West Penn Dam four miles from Lake Lynn, John and four co-workers nearly escaped death when their engine and caboose jumped the track and turned over. Reported the Uniontown Evening Standard, their cars:

...broke loose from the string of 17 loaded coal cars after the track started to sink during a heavy rainfall. The engine rolled over on its side toward the edge of the big dam, taking with it the tank car and caboose on which three other men were riding... The roadbed of the track gave way under the weight of the huge engine. Before yelling at is fireman to jump to safety, Engineer Younkin set the brakes and then leaped to the other side of the track. The three in the caboose were severly shaken up when the car also toppled to the edge of the dam. After ascertaining that none of the men was seriously injured, the five pulled themselves together and walked over four miles to the West Penn dam to notify railroad authorities.

Forbes Field, home of the Pittsburgh Pirates

John was an avid baseball fan and, starting in about 1912, attended Pittsburgh Pirates opening games at Forbes Field for at least 18 straight years, through 1930. In that first opener, he would have seen the Pirates earn a 4-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, with future hall-of-famers Honus Wagner and Max Carey each getting a hit. The 1930 opener was a 6-1 win over the same Cardinals, with future hall-of-famers Paul Waner rapping out two hits and Chick Hafey belting a home run in a losing cause. The family belonged to the Smithfield Presbyterian Church, where he was a longtime trustee. He also held a seat on Smithfield Borough Council and in 1934, on the Republican ticket, was a candidate for the State Assembly. For 50 years, he was affiliated with the local Elks Club in Uniontown. The family appears to have been family and socially oriented, and in January 1922 spent three weeks visiting John's married sister Bessie Murphy and family in Colgate, OK. Etta was active in the Tuesday Night Bridge Club, and on New Year's 1935 took part in a turkey dinner at the home of a fellow club member. John and Etta, in company with Mr. and Mrs. O.S. Vance, are known to have taken a driving vacation to Florida in January 1942. Their address in the early 1960s was on Railroad Street. The Younkins in April 1960 entertained a visit from his niece and nephew Dayne and Carl Patterson and their son Russell of Tulsa. In his final years, John suffered from hardening of the arteries and heart disease. Sadly, at the age of 82, John was stricken by a heart attack and died suddenly on the next-to-last-day of 1962. With Rev. Harold Kelley and Rev. Fred Sams co-officiating the funeral service, his remains were lowered under the sod of Mount Moriah Baptist Cemetery in Smithfield. Son Harold Younkin, living on Braddock Avenue in Uniontown, signed the official death certificate, and a notice was printed in the Uniontown Evening Standard. 

• Grandson Harold F. Younkin (1907-1970) was born in 1907. He was married to Agnes Liebe ( ? - ? ) and was the father of Harold Younkin and Gerald Younkin. He earned a living as a salesman with Tri-State Grug Company. He also owned the Laurel Transmission Service of Uniontown. The Younkins resided on West Berkeley Street in Uniontown in 1960 and on Braddock Avenue in Uniontown in 1962. Harold and his wife traveled to Philadelphia in April 1960 to visit with his cousin Dayne (Murphy) Patterson's son, Dr. Donald Patterson. The couple's final address together was on Crestview Drive, Uniontown. Sadly, Harold died at the age of 62 in 1970. Rev. J. Robert Gray, of the Asbury United Methodist Church, presided at the funeral service. Burial was in Bethel Memorial Park in Farmington, Fayette County. At the time of Harold's death, his son Gerald was away in Germany, serving in the U.S. Army. 

Daughter Lula "Pearl" Younkin (1884-1948) was born in January 1884. At the age of about 18, circa 1902, she entered into matrimony with Joseph C. Page (1877-1939). They became the parents of at least two children -- Edith C. Page and Jay Clark Page. The United States Census of 1910 shows the Pages on Gibson Avenue in Connellsville, with Joseph working as a distributor in the railroad car industry. Pearl's widowed mother lived under their roof that year. In August 1912, working for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Joseph was promoted to the company's headquarters in Baltimore. Said the Connellsville Daily Courier, "Announcement was made this morning of Page's promotion, to be car distributor at Baltimore... Page has lived in Connellsville practically all his life, and is one of the best known railroaders here. He will move his family to Baltimore. They returned to Connellsville for visits, including in June 1913 when they spent time with Pearl's brother John on Railroad Street in Smithfield, PA. Census records for 1920 show the family along with Pearl's mother in Baltimore. The family's address in the late 1930s was 3003 North Charles Street, Baltimore, with Joseph now employed as superintendent of the Maryland Coal and Coke Company. Grief cascaded over the family when Joseph died suddenly at home on June 22, 1939. An obituary in the Daily Courier said he was a "former well-known resident of Connellsville" and had "resided in Baltimore for about 30 years." Pearl's brother John, as well as Mamie Shannon and George Woodward, are known to have traveled to Baltimore for the funeral. Pearl outlived her husband by almost nine years. Death swept her away on Feb. 23, 1948. An obituary in the Baltimore Evening Sun said that burial was in Woodlawn Cemetery.  

• Granddaughter Edith C. Page (1904- ? ) was born in about 1904. She wed Thomas Robinson Evans ( ? - ? ). The couple dwelled at 639 Coleraine Road in Baltimore's Ten Hills neighborhood in 1925 and in Philadelphia in 1939.

• Grandson Jay Clark Page (1906-1925) was born in about 1906. He made the move to Baltimore with his parents in 1912, at the age of six. On the deadly evening of June 20, 1925, the 19-year-old Jay drowned in Lake Roland, north of the city, during an outing with friends. The Baltimore Sun reported that:

  ..the automobile in which he was riding with three companions suddenly stalled on a hill and drifted back until it plunged over a steep bank into the water... Page's body was recovered by police of Pikesville shortly after they had begun to drag the bottom of Lake Roland near the automobile. The motor car was hauled from the water during the afternoon. The accident occurred shortly before midnight. Andrews [the driver], according to Pikesville police, had turned the automobile into the road near Hollis Station and was driving back toward Baltimore. As the car was going up the hill the engine stalled suddenly and the machine began to roll backward down the grade. Andrews attempted to bring it under control but found he was unable to do so. The automobile gathering speed swung across the road and plunged over the embankment. By a strange quirk of fortune the machine landed in an upright position beneath the water. The four passengers succeeded in extricating themselves from the motor car and rose to the surface. Page, unable to swim, appeared to be paddling toward the shore, according to Miss Catherine Beall, who said she was swimming near him. She told him, she asserted, the direction of the shore. When the two girls and Andrews reached the bank they found Mr. Page was missing. Mr. Andrews then started back in search of him.  

Funeral services were conducted in the home of his married sister, with interment following in Woodlawn Cemetery. A death notice was printed in the Baltimore Evening Sun.

~ Son Eli Younkin ~

Son Eli Younkin (1853-1911) was born on March 11, 1853 (or 1857) in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. 

He was married twice. He first was united in the bonds of holy matrimony with Anna Elizabeth Addis ( ? -1890 ).

Their six children were Fillmore Younkin, Barnett Younkin, George Younkin, Charles Younkin, Nora McElhaney and William B. Younkin. 

Sadly, Ann died at home in Gibson near Connellsville on March 12, 1890, at the age of 32. The Connellsville Courier reported that "She leaves a husband and six children, the youngest being 14 months old." Her remains were laid to rest in Hill Grove Cemetery. 

Eli's second wife was Mary Ellen Garlitz (1871-1960), also spelled "Garletts." They were wedded three days after Christmas 1892, when Eli was age 39 and Mary Ellen 21. 

The couple went on to produce six more children: Arthur Younkin, John Eli Younkin, Florence M. Robinson, Albert B. Younkin, Louis (or "Lewis") McCormick Younkin and Elly V. Younkin. 

Eli was a house carpenter and "block maker" working in and around South Connellsville. When the federal census of 1900 was taken, Eli, Mary and their nine children of the combined family lived under one roof. Just a few houses away were the families of his married sister and brother in law, William and Myrtle Soisson, and future son in law Charles McElhaney. 

In his later life, Eli suffered for two years from a lingering case of heart valve disease added to chronic asthma. He died in Connellsville on April 9, 1911, when he was 58 years of age. His obituary in the Daily Courier erroneously gave his age as 54 and his parents' names as Jacob and Sara Tannehill "Murphy." The Courier also said he had "followed the occupation of a block up until he commenced to fail in health." 

Mary Ellen outlived her husband by almost a half of a century, making her home at 222 Pittsburg Street in South Connellsville. She was a member of the Albright Evangelical United Brethren Church. At the age of 89, Mary Ellen died at home on Aug. 21, 1960, with burial in Hill Grove.

Son Fillmore Younkin (1880-1918) was born in January 1880 or on Feb. 15, 1878. He resided at White Rock, Fayette County in 1898, at the age of 18. He and a number of his relatives and friends were arrested in February 1898 "on a charge of disorderly conduct and disturbing a church festival held at the Methodist Protestant Church in White Rock," reported the Courier. The others involved in the incident were Henry Snyder, William Ream, Samuel Pierce, Clark Trump, James Younkin, John Younkin and Bert Younkin, all residents of White Rock. Then in September 1905, he was accused of stealing $21 from the pocket of Thomas Kelly of Youth Chemical Company in Connellsville. Without sufficient evidence to convict him, he was found innocent. He does not appear to have married. Fillmore made his way to Fremont, Sandusky County, OH, where he worked as a boilermaker in a boiler shop and lived at 1031 Croghan Street. On the fateful day of Jan. 17, 1918, he went to sleep in a small room with a gas stove still burning, and died of asphyxiation, just about a month shy of his 40th birthday. A coroner ruled the death accidental. On his official Ohio death certificate, his father was listed as "Eli Younkin" born in "Germany." Interment of the remains was in Oakwood Cemetery in Fremont, with a short notice appearing in the Clyde (OH) Enterprise.

Son Barnett Younkin (1881- ? ) was born in February 1881. At the age of 19, he made a living as a day laborer and lived at home with his parents. He may have died during the decade between 1900 and 1910, as his name does not seem to appear on the federal census enumeration of 1910. Nothing more is known.

Son George Younkin (1882-1948) was born on July 24, 1882 in Connellsville. As an adult, he made his home in the Wayne County Home in rural Ohio. At the age of 61, in the early 1940s, he began suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis. George died of the ailment in Wayne County Hospital in Wooster, OH at the age of 66 on Sept. 23, 1948. He was interred in the Wayne County Cemetery. The informant on his death certificate, from the County Home, did not know the names of George's parents. A brief newspaper obituary noted that he had died "after a long illness" and was "survived by one brother" but mentioned no spouses or offspring.

Son Charles Younkin (1884-1975?) was born on Sept. 8, 1884. Little about his life is known, other than that he eventually became estranged from his younger half-brothers. When in his 70s, circa 1960, he lived in Aliquippa, Beaver County, PA and was mentioned in the Connellsville newspaper obituary of his step-mother. In late 1966, at the age of 83, he traveled to the home of Mrs. John Burns in Negley, OH with plans to stay for "a week or two," said the Courier. On his behalf, Mrs. Burns sent a letter to the editor of the Courier, and to the Fremont (OH) News-Messenger, saying he was "very lonely and would like to hear from his brothers or receive news about them." The letter, printed in the newspaper, mentioned Eli and Mary as his parents, and commented that his brothers were "John, Arthur and Lewis Younkin." He is believed to have died in Ohio in 1975, at the age of 91. 

Daughter Nora Younkin (1886-1922) was born in April 1886. On Leap Day 1908, at the age of 22, she married 27-year-old mill worker Charles Roy McElhaney (1881-1926), son of John Daniel and Belle McElhaney. The wedding took place in Fairmont, Marion County, WV, led by Rev. H.G. Stoetzer of the Presbyterian Church. Charles once had worked at the tin plate mill in South Connellsville, and later moved with Nora in about 1911 to Woodlawn, in what is now Aliquippa, Beaver County. They rented a home at 1212 Main Street in Plan 12, a model company housing neighborhood built by Charles' employer, Jones & Laughlin Steel Co. Using his experience, Charles worked as a roller in the plant's tin mill along the Ohio River. They were members of the Free Methodist Church. Their five children were Albert McElhaney, Roy McElhaney, Paul Eli McElhaney, June Helen Bower and Virginia Lappin. Nora was said to have been of large build, and to have baked delicious bread with the aroma spread throughout the house. Sadly, suffering from colon cancer and intestinal obstruction, Nora was admitted to Beaver Valley General Hospital in New Brighton, and in being taken from her home, she was carried down a flight of steps seated in a chair. She died on Nov. 15, 1922, at age 36, at the hospital. Said the Beaver Falls Tribune, the funeral was held in the McElhaney home, with burial in Woodlawn Cemetery in Aliquippa. Tragedy compounded he heartache when Charles only lived  for a few more years. Fate struck him down a age 45 when he was crushed in the rollers at the tin mill, on Feb. 13, 1926. He died of internal bleeding while in an ambulance being rushed to a hospital. The Connellsville Weekly Courier reported that "his clothing was caught in a manner which pulled him into the machinery." Of the five orphaned children, the eldest three were left to fend for themselves but were taken in by a neighbor family, the Coombs.

• Grandson Albert McElhaney (1902-1961) was born on Jan. 12, 1902 in Connellsville. He moved to Freedom, Beaver County in about 1943. Albert was married and divorced. He resided in a boarding house at 241 Fourth Avenue in Freedom, Beaver County. On the tragic day of May 31, 1961, he was killed in a fire in his residence, suffering third degree burns over the entirety of his body, generating front-page news in the Beaver County Times. 

• Grandson Paul E. McElhaney (1912-1972) was born on March 24, 1912 in Connellsville. He relocated to Aliquippa in childhood. Orphaned at age 14, he never spoke about his parents to his own children. Until he legally reached adulthood, he was under the care of foster mother Mrs. J.A. Coombs of Monaca, PA. He thus reached maturity with foster siblings Sam Coombs, John A. Coombs Jr., Mrs. Howard Heckman, Mrs. Paul Elmer and Mrs. W.A. Lyons. Paul married Etta Wedgewood Higgs (1913-1998) , daughter of Ethel Higgs. The couple remained in Aliquippa, raising a family of two sons -- Paul "Keith" McElhaney and Bruce W. McElhaney. The United States Census of 1950 shows Paul working as a fitter in the machine shop of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation. He eventually became a machine shop foreman of the plant's north mill. The family resided at 1228 Wade Street. Paul died at age 60 on April 19, 1972, at Aliquippa Hospital. After s funeral led by Rev. Richard Sanford, he was laid to rest beside his parents. An obituary was printed in the Beaver County Times. His remaining adult siblings placed a bronze marker at Nora and Charles' final resting place.

  Keith McElhaney

  Great-grandson Paul "Keith" McElhaney (1942-2016) was born on Oct. 19, 1942 in Rochester, Beaver County. He was a 1960 graduate of Aliquippa High School and obtained his bachelor's degree in 1964 from Geneva College. Keith was united in matrimony with Barbara Ann Robertson (Nov. 4, 1944-2024), daughter of Merle and Gladys (Cravener) Robertson. Their union endured for a remarkable 53 years until the separation of death. The couple's trio of children were Daniel McElhaney, Susan Chance and Paul Keith McElhaney Jr. Barbara was a 1962 graduate of Aliquippa High School. They made a home in Hopewell Township, Beaver County. From 1964 to 1985, Keith was employed at the Aliquippa works of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation. He then went to work for Marmon Keystone in Butler for two years, from 1986 to 1988, and then the newly formed Aliquippa tin mill of LTV Steel Corporation from 1989 to 2000. His final employer, from 2003 to 2014, was Pat Gallagher Trucking. Reported the Beaver County Times, Keith "was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Aliquippa where he was head usher, Chairmen of the Trustees, President of the United Methodist Men, and Secretary of the Memorial fund, and he faithfully cut the grass each summer. He was a member of the boards of both C.A.S.A. and Contact of Beaver County... Keith's greatest loves were spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren, listening to and playing music, and working with his pond and waterfall." Keith was deeply interested in knowing more about his father's family and attended a Younkin Reunion circa 2013, where he met the founder of this website. The two later toured Aliquippa together and visited the McElhaney gravesites. Sadly, Keith died in their residence at the age of 73 on April 28, 2016. His obituary was printed in the Times. His pastor, Rev. Thomas Bonomo, led the funeral service at the family church, followed by burial in Woodlawn. Barbara lived on for another nearly eight years. Said the Times, she "was an active member of the First United Methodist Church of Aliquippa where she cohosted Fellowship hour. Barb has always loved children and volunteered at local churches tutoring after school programs. Barb was a member at the Woodlawn Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star #164 and served as Mother Advisor of the Aliquippa Chapter of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls. Barb’s greatest loves were spending time with her husband Keith, children, and grandchildren, and sitting on her yard swing listening to the waterfall." The angel of death swept her away on Jan. 14, 2024. Funeral services were conducted in the family church, jointly officiated by Rev. Jim Sands and Rev. David Wilson. Their son Daniel married Missy, daughter Susan wed (?) Chance and son Keith Jr. tied the knot with Missy.

  Great-grandson Bruce W. McElhaney (1947- ? ) was born in about 1947 and grew up in Aliquippa. He joined in wedlock with Carol ( ? - ? ). They dwelled in Monaca in 1972.

• Grandson Roy McElhaney (1911- ? ) was born in about 1911. He moved to California and died in San Diego.

• Granddaughter June Helen McElhaney (1915-2022) was born on Sept. 4, 1915. At their father's death in 1926, rendering them as orphans, she and her sister Virginia were sent to New Jersey to live with a maternal aunt, Blanche Epping in Trenton. On Oct. 24, 1936, she entered into marriage with Marvin Henry Bower (Jan. 29, 1912- ? ). Their wedding ceremony was held at the Bethel Lutheran Church of Trenton, NJ. Two daughters of this marriage were Beverly Ann Miller and Bonnie June Grocott. Circa 1972, their residence was in Trenton, NJ. Sadly, Marvin was gathered away by the angel of death, from bladder cancer, on Dec. 22, 1988. June outlived her spouse by nearly 14 years. She was diagnosed with cancer of the breast and liver. She died from their effects, in the Masonic Home of Burlington, NJ, on Aug. 30, 2002. Interment was in Trenton's Greenwood Cemetery. 

  Great-granddaughter Bonnie June Bower ( ? - ? ) was born on (?). Her first husband was Bruce Grocott ( ? - ? ). They together bore two sons -- Bruce Grocott and Brent Joseph Grocott. Bonnie later married Robert Gaspari ( ? - ? ) on Oct. 10, 1993.

  Great-granddaughter Beverly Ann Bower ( ? - ? ) was born on (?). On Dec. 26, 1959, she was joined in marriage with Paul Arnold Miller ( ? - ? ). Their nuptials were held in Trenton at Bethel Lutheran Church. Two offspring born to the pair were Paul Marvin Miller and Brian Arnold Miller. Beverly and Paul were longtime educators in Closter, Bergan County, NJ. Her career ranged from high school English to elementary school grades 4 and 5 to preschool, while he was a social studies teacher and high school administrator. In retirement, they have dwelled in Highland Mills, NY. Beverly contacted the founder of this website in January 2013 and provided valuable content for this biography. 

• Granddaughter Virginia McElhaney (1920- ? ) was born on (?) 1920. At their father's death in 1926, rendering them as orphans, she and her sister June were sent to New Jersey to live with a maternal aunt, Blanche Epping in Trenton. She wed Michael Lappin ( ? - ? ). The couple did not reproduce. They dwelled in New Jersey in 1972.

Son William B. Younkin (1891-1903) was born in October 1891, either the youngest son of the first marriage, or the eldest son of the second. He died at the age of 11 on Sept. 7, 1903. The funeral was held at the Evangelical Church in South Connellsville, followed by burial in Hill Grove Cemetery. An obituary was printed in the Courier.

Son Arthur Younkin (1893-1930) was born in 1893. He married Anna Lancaster ( ? - ? ). They had three daughters, Madeline Younkin, Anastasia Panone and Veronica Owens. The family established a home near the furnace in Dunbar, Fayette County, in about 1910. There, Arthur was employed as a shovel operator in a quarry of the Dunbar Corporation sand mill. Sadly, their daughter Madeline died at the tender age of 13 months on April 17, 1917, with burial in New St. Aloysius Cemetery in Dunbar. Tragically, while sitting under a tree at his lunch break, on Nov. 18, 1930, Arthur was mortally injured when hit on the head "by a two-pound stone which had been hurled a distance of about 700 feet by a blast," reported the Courier. He died at Connellsville State Hospital. His remains were placed at rest in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Dunbar, following a funeral led by Rev. William Hamilton. In the initial news report printed in the Courier, his name mistakenly was given as "Albert B. Younkin," his brother. There was not another fatality at the plant for another nine years, until 1939, when an employee was electrocuted. 

• Granddaughter Veronica Younkin wed Regis Owens of Dunbar on June 3, 1933 in Brooke County, WV.

• Granddaughter Anastasia Younkin married Joseph Panone of Dunbar, in Brooke County, WV on Dec. 4, 1935.

Son John Eli Younkin Sr. (1895-1971) was born in September 1895. Unmarried, he lived in Connellsville with his mother in 1930. He wed Henrietta Shelkey (1898-1975), the daughter of J. Franklin and Rebecca (Henry) Shelkey and granddaughter of Melchi and Annie (Johnson) Hartzell. The couple bore two sons, John Eli Younkin Jr. and Dr. Charles Robert Younkin. Circa 1918, their home was in Morgantown, Monongalia County, WV. From 1920 to 1923, he served as a treating plant supervisor for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Later, he joined Koppers Company, Wood Preserving Division, and was named procurement manager at its office in Marietta, OH. In the mid-1930s, Younkin cousin Charles Arthur "Charleroi Charley" Younkin visited their home in Connellsville, sharing his progress but also asking for donations. Teenage son John Eli Jr. was home at the time and later said that Charley "must have been 300 lbs., or close to it, and I asked my father afterwards what he wanted. Dad said he wanted money to help research the Younkin heritage, then he laughed and said, 'I know enough of Devil Jake, Drunken John, etc., I don't see any reason to check them out but I gave him twenty dollars, at least it will give him something to do'." In April 1950, he was promoted to manager of the division and relocated back to Pittsburgh. News of this appointment was published in the Pittsburgh Press. He moved again, to Delaware, and resided there in New Castle in 1960. He died in Wilmington, DE on March 27, 1971. The remains were shipped to Connellsville for burial in Hill Grove Cemetery. Henrietta died almost four years later, in Charleston, SC, on Jan. 26, 1975.

• Grandson Dr. Charles Robert Younkin ( ? -1997) practiced as a physician in Bellaire-Southwest Houston, TX for 39 years. He established Hillcroft Medical Clinic Association and helped found Sharpstown General Hospital.

• Grandson John Eli "Jack" Younkin Jr. (1918-1994) was born in 1918. He married Sara Eloise Husband ( ? - ? ). During World War II, he served as a technician grade 5 with the U.S. Army's Headquarters Platoon, 85th Infantry Division. He received an official commendation for his work from July 12, 1944 to Dec. 24, 1944, when he "contributed materially to the recreation and morale of the officers and enlisted men of the 85th Infantry Division Headquarters," wrote his commanding officer, Lt. Col. Charles F. Mudgett. "Daily this soldier procured films from whatever source possible, often from points far distant and at the cost of missing his evening meal. Then he would personally set up, adjust and test the equipment, and operate a motion picture projector for two complete showings of full length motion pictures. The storage of the equipment for the night in order to protect it from the elements and the maintenance of his equipment would require [him] to work late into the night. The untiring efforts and outstanding devotion to these duties, performed voluntarily for the good of the services, and in addition to his regularly assigned duties with the Finance Department, reflect great credit upon himself and the military service." After the war, he was a longtime chemist for Koppers Company in Pittsburgh. Intrigued with the national Younkin research, publishing and reunion being driven by Donna (Younkin) Logan, Jack and his brother Robert paid her a visit in the summer of 1990. (See her article in the July-August-September 1990 edition of the Younkin Family News Bulletin.) Jack died in Charleston, SC on Feb. 18, 1994. Their daughters Barbara Jump Park and Sari "Elaine" Clark have attended Younkin Reunions East and West.

Daughter Florence M. Younkin (1898 -1941) was born in May 1898. She married Albert C. Robinson. She was employed at Trautman's Department Store. Later, they relocated to Harrisburg, Dauphin County, PA. They had one daughter, Eleanor Robinson. Florence passed away on Sept. 2, 1941, in a hospital in Harrisburg. Following a funeral led by Rev. J.E. Rudisill, of the Christ Lutheran Church of Harrisburg, she was interred in East Harrisburg Cemetery.

Son Louis McCormick Younkin (1904-1977) was born in 1904. He made his residence in Hagerstown, MD circa 1930. In April 1941, while in Hagerstown, his son fell out of the back door of their moving automobile on U.S. Route 40, west of Cumberland. Said a newspaper, "The boy's father picked him up, took a small stone out of his head and took him to the State Police Barracks nearby." He married Mabel M. Hammer and had three daughters, Mabel L. Younkin, Phyllis M. Barger and Audrey J. Kline. They also had two foster daughters, Cynthia Younkin and Kathy Ann Rhoades. The Younkins moved around the country over the decades. Their home in 1930, when the federal census was taken, was Galveston, Galveston County, TX, where Louis was employed in a machine shop. In 1960, when his mother died, he was in Richmond, VA. He died in Hagerstown, Washington County, MD in April 1977, at the age of 73. Burial was in Rest Haven Cemetery. All three of the Younkin daughters lived in Hagerstown in 1977.

• Granddaughter Mabel L. Younkin (1925- ? ) was born in 1925.

• Granddaughter Phyllis M. Younkin (1927- ? ) was born in 1927. She wed (?) Barger and resided in Hagerstown.

• Granddaughter Audrey J. Younkin married (?) Kline. Their home was in Hagerstown.

~ Son George B. "McClellan" Younkin ~

Son George B. "McClellan" Younkin (1864-1930?) was born in 1864 in Connellsville and was named for the famous Union Army general of the Civil War. 

At the age of 22, on May 12, 1886, McClellan married Lucy Balsley ( ? - ? ), daughter of Christian and Sarah Balsley. At the time, he lived in Connellsville Township, and she in Connellsville Borough.

The couple moved to Pittsburgh. The marriage was troubled, and McClellan left their home sometime in about 1898 or 1899. It's reputed that he joined the army during the Spanish-American War.

Iin October 1899, presumably living as a single woman, the Pittsburgh Gazette-Times reported that Lucy had been elected an officer in the grand lodge of Pythian Sisterhood.

Then in July 1901, the Pittsburgh Daily Post noted that Lucy had sued for divorce in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on grounds of desertion. The court appointed a commissioner to investigate the case, and on Oct. 30, 1902, the Daily Post said that the "commissioner in the divorce case of Lucy A. Younkin against George B. Younkin filed his report. It was alleged the respondent ran away and enlisted in the army under an assumed name, so that if he was killed in Cuba no one would be the wiser.”

George made his home in Dayton, OH circa 1919. He surprised his younger sister Sadie Mitchell in September 1919 with a visit to her home in St. Marys, KS. Said the St. Marys Star, "Mrs. Mitchell had not see Mr. Younkin for nearly fifteen years. Since the beginning of the late World War, he has been employed in the Federal Aviation Department and recently returned to Leavenworth where he will spend the winter at the Old Soldiers Home." 

Their fates after that time are hidden by the misty haze of the past. It's possible that George died in 1930, but more proof is needed as confirmation.

Daughter Sarah "Sadie" Younkin (1865-1937) was born on Oct. 25, 1865 (or 1867) in South Connellsville, Fayette County, PA.

Circa 1884, when she would have been about age 19, she married William F. Mitchell (Sept. 1856-1942), a native of New York State.

Together, they bore a brood of six children: George Plewell Mitchell, William Roy Mitchell, Lillie "Grace" Bean, Nola "Noly" Mitchell, Earl R. Mitchell and Evaline "Eva" Bean.

In about 1891, the Mitchells set their sights on the midwest and migrated to Kansas. The 1900 federal census enumeration places the family on a farm in Maple Hill, Wabaunsee County, KS. By 1910, they began "occupying a farm northwest of Topeka," reported the Younkin Family News Bulletin (April 30, 1938). The 1910 census gives the family's locale as Auburn, Shawnee County, KS.

Bertrand Avenue in St. Marys, KS, home of the Sadie Mitchell family

Added the YFNB, "It was in 1914 that 'Dad' Mitchell decided to open a grocery store in St. Marys, better known in those days as the Union Tea Store." The actual name of the business was the "Union Pacific Tea Co. Store," located in St. Marys, Pottawatomie County. Among other items, the store advertised that it sold a range of goods, from mason fruit jars and baking powder to pianos and organs.

Sadie was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution as a descendant of the Drake and Tannehill families of Somerset County. When her brother Eli died in April 1911, she was mentioned by name in the obituary published in her own hometown newspaper, the Connellsville Daily Courier.

The Mitchells hosted "a very pretty wedding" in their home in May 1915, said the St. Marys Star, when their daughter Grace married Earl Bean. The article went on to say that "The Mitchell family are well known in the city and vicinity as Mr. Mitchell is proprietor of the Union Pacific Tea Store here and his daughter visited here several times during the past winter and spring and made many warm friends during her visits."

William suffered from chronic rheumatism as he aged. He is known to have traveled to Hot Springs, AR in September 1916 seeking relief in the curing waters. He returned home feeling very much improved, he said.

YFNB, April 30, 1938

Having kept in touch with relatives back in Connellsville, the Mitchells hosted a November 1915 visit from their niece, a "Miss Younkin of Connellsville, Penn.," as recorded by the Star. In September 1919, Sadie's brother George, whom she had not seen in 15 years, traveld from his home in Dayton, OH to pay her a visit and was en route to Leavenworth to take up residence in the Old Soldiers.Home. One of Sadie's brothers from Connellsville came to St. Marys with his wife in November 1919. William and daughter Eva Bean traveled to Connellsville in November 1920 to see loved ones, with their trip also reported in the gossip columns of the Star. Their nephew Ernest Younkin, age 39 and divorced, came from Connellsville for a visit in September 1921.

With the quick thinking of his son Earl, William avoided almost certain death in a freak, tragic accident on Nov. 30, 1922 that electrocuted to death his son-in-law Forrest Bean. Reported the Topeka Daily Capital the next day:

The fatal accident occurred in the alley behind the Mitchell grocery store where Bean had been employed... The strong wind this morning blew down the electric line in the alley. The uninsulated wire lay in a pool of water and caused a sputtering of fire and steam. Someone saw the smoke and called into the store that the coal house was on fire. Mr. Mitchell snatched a bucket of water and started to the rear. Bean took the pail from his father-in-law and ran ahead toward the alley. The wire was concealed under the water and he struck it with both feet. Death was instantaneous and he fell, still in contact with the wire. Mr. Mitchell got close enough to the body to splash the water in the pool and receive a severe shock before he was rescued from probable death by his son [Earl]... who pulled his father away as Mitchell was reaching to pull the burned body of Bean away from contact with the wire... John Zellar, a neighbor, then pried the body away from the wire with a barrel stage and it was carried to the undertaking rooms. 

William ran afoul of an old Kansas law dating to 1869 when keeping his grocery store open on Sundays. He was targeted in May 1924 by the county's attorney not long after another local business, the Princess Theatre, was forced to close after showing motion pictures on the sabbath and attracting what the Star called "capacity crowds." William thus received a letter from the lawyer suggesting that he follow suit. 

The Mitchells celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on Thanksgiving 1935. Said the News Bulletin, Sadie "was loved by all who knew her intimately. In recent years particularly was she an inspiring figure to her friends. Illness was a cross she had to bear for five or six years, but nobody ever heard a protest from Sadie Mitchell. She accepted her lot with dignity and courage, and the example she set will not soon be forgotten."

Sadie died in St. Mary's, of pneumonia, on Dec. 19, 1937. She was laid to rest in Topeka's Memorial Park Cemetery, escorted to her grave by pallbearers Clarence Youcum, Nels Hammarlund, David Urbansky, Frank Allen, C.P. Aul and Sam Shannon, and a funeral sermon preached by Rev. Fred Johnson. She was survived by 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

William outlived his bride by five years. Death enveloped him on July 24, 1942.

Son George Plewell Mitchell (1885- ? ) was born on Sept. 14, 1885 near Uniontown, Fayette County, PA. He moved to Kansas in young boyhood. At the age of 23, circa 1908, George was joined in marriage with 23-year-old Nelle C. "Nellie" Welch (1885-1978), an Illinois native and the daughter of Irish immigrant Edward Welch. Five known offspring of this marriage were William George P. Mitchell, Harry Mitchell, John E. Mitchell, Charles Mitchell and Daisy Mitchell. The young family is known to have been in Oklahoma in about 1911 at the birth of their elder son. By 1915, they were back in St. Marys, with George now a partner with his father in the firm W.F. Mitchell & Son. One of his cousins, a "Miss Younkin of Connellsville, Penn.," was recorded by the St. Mary's Star as visiting with George and his father in November 1915 before heading to Auburn, KS to see other relatives. George primarily made his contribution to the family firm as a truck driver, and said so in about 1917 when registering for the military draft during World War I. George and his father dissolved their partnership on Jan. 16, 1922, with the father wholly taking over their store in Emmett, KS and George the store in St. Marys. The Mitchells pulled up stakes after the birth of their son John and by 1925 migrated to Missouri, settling in Blue, Jackson County. When the federal census enumeration was made in 1930, George earned a living as an electrician, performing odd jobs, and they provided a dwelling place for Mellie's widowed father. During the Great Depression years of the 1930s, they again made a move to Independence, Jackson County, with George employed in 1940 on a river project. He became a self-employed florist during the 1940s and into 1950. The Mitchells' residence in 1950 was at 604 East Alton in Independence. For the last 15 years of his life, George was burdened with chronic bronchial asthma, and for the last two years with hardening of the arteries. Sadly, after suffering a heart attack, George died at home at the age of 64 on Jan. 30, 1950. Interment of the remains was in Woodlawn Cemetery in Independence. The widowed Nellie remained in Independence and took over the operations of the greenhouse. Nellie outlived her spouse by 28 years. She surrendered to the angel of death in 1978.

• Grandson William George P. Mitchell (1911- ? ) was born in about 1911 in Oklahoma. As a 19-year-old, living with his parents in Blue, Jackson County, MO, he worked as a jitney/taxi driver.

• Grandson Harry Mitchell (1918- ? ) was born in about 1918 in or near Emmett, Pottawatomie County, KS.

• Grandson John E. Mitchell (1922- ? ) was born in about 1922 in Kansas.

• Grandson Charles Mitchell (1925- ? ) was born in about 1925 in Missouri.

• Granddaughter Daisy C. Mitchell (1927- ? ) was born in about 1927 in Missouri.

Son William "Roy" Mitchell (1890- ? ) was born in Oct. 16, 1889, 1890 or 1891 in Pennsylvania. He later claimed that his birthplace was Pittsburgh and also Rockdale, PA. He was a young lad when relocating with his parents to Kansas. In adulthoodhood he stood 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighed 190 lbs. and had grey eyes and light brown hair. William worked on the family farm in Shawnee County circa 1910, at the age of 20. On June 5, 1912, he married Mary Isabella Cole (1893-1958) of Burlingame, KS. News of their marriage license was printed in the Topeka State Journal. They became the parents of at least two daughters -- Gwendolyn "Lucille" Price and Dorothy Gabris, both born in Kansas. By 1917, when Roy registered for the military draft, the Mitchells were in Detroit, MI and he was employed as a machinist there with Dodge Bros. Their addresses at about that time included both 802 Marlborough and 23 Roland Street. The 1920 United States Census shows the family in Detroit with him continuing his machinist's work in an automobile factory. Roy filed for divorce on Aug. 20, 1938, citing "extreme cruelty," and his petition was granted in January 1939. Then in 1941, when again registering for the military draft, he lived at 19414 Binder in Detroit and worked for Anthony Kennen. They endured the untimely death in 1947 of daughter Lucille Price. Former wife Mary lived in Detroit in 1950 with their divorced daughter Dorothy, and supported herself as a billing clerk an an automobile plant. Mary's final address was at 7951 Hathon. She died on Feb. 21, 1958, with an obituary printed in the Detroit Free Press, saying she was survived by a sister Bessie Muck of Tecumseh, MI and two grandchildren.

Above: William "Roy" Mitchell's workplace, the Dodge Bros. plant in Detroit. Below: Raymond and Lucille (Mitchell) Price. Courtesy Michele Schulte

Granddaughter Gwendolyn "Lucille" Mitchell (1914-1947) was born on March 4, 1914 in Auburn, KS. She moved to Detroit as a young girl. As a young woman she dwelled at 22042 Woodward Street in Ferndale, MI. When she was 20 years of age, on June 27, 1934, she entered into marriage with 21-year-old factory worker Raymond Joseph Price (1915- ? ), son of Paul and Helen (Paige) Price, originally spelled "Protosewicz." The nuptials were held at Royal Oak, Oakland County, MI, by the hand of Rev. Frank L. Fitch of the First Methodist Episcopal Church. At the time, Raymond lived at 9344 Vandyke Street in Detroit. The Prices remained in Detroit for good. Two sons of the couple were Duane Raymond Price and Gerald L. Price. The U.S. Census of 1940 shows Raymond employed as an assembler in an automobile factory, with their residence located on Lambert Street. Sadly, at the age of 33, Lucille died in Detroit on Aug. 5, 1947. Raymond married again within a few years to Velma Humphrey (1915- ? ), a Tennessee native. She brought two stepchildren into the union -- Harold Humphrey and Dixie Humphrey. The Prices established their dwelling in Warren, Macomb County, MI, with Raymond working in 1950 as a machine repairman in an auto factory.

Raymond D. Price Courtesy Timothy G. Price

Great-grandson Raymond Duane Price (1936-2011) was born on Aug. 8, 1936 in Detroit. He was fun-loving, liked to tease and give nicknames to those whom he loved. He was united in matrimony with Bernice Wrubel ( ? - ? ). Their union endured for a remarkable 55 years until the separation of death. Their five children were Kim Victory, Timothy Gerard Price, Paul Price, Michele Schulte and Craig Price. The Prices resided in Warren, MI. Said an obituary, his life was " all about the humor & laughter that he so enjoyed bringing to the lives of others,...just his way of sharing the lighter side of life amidst a heavy world. As for his personal enjoyment and favorite pastimes, Raymond found great delight in either exercizing his mind or going a few rounds with Lady Luck. Whether in the quiet times with a challenging crossword puzzle to solve, or the countless hours he enjoyed dabbling on the computer, Raymond's mind was always kept sharp. As for his luck quests, he managed to satisfy those urges through his jaunts to the casino and the ever-familiar scratch-off lottery tickets." After a nine-year battle with cancer, Raymond died at the age of 74 on March 18, 2011. His funeral mass was held at Our Lady Queen of All Saints Catholic Church in Frasier, MI.

Great-grandson Gerald L. "Jerry" Price (1939-living) was born in about 1939 in Detroit. He wed Ruth ( ? -living). Five offspring born to this marriage included Cindy Price, Todd Price, Jeff Price, Matthew Price and one other.

• Granddaughter Dorothy Mitchell (1916- ? ) was born in about 1916 in Kansas. She and her parents relocated to Detroit when she was very young. She wed (?) Gabris ( ? - ? ). The marriage ended in divorce sometime during the 1940s. Now divorced, Dorothy and her mother shared a residence in Detroit in 1950, with Dorothy earning a living in an automotive parts company as a press operator. Death claimed her in 1983.

Daughter Lillian "Grace" Mitchell (1892-1984) was born on June 22, 1892 in Willard, Shawnee County, KS. When she was 22 years of age, on May 5, 1914, she wed 26-year-old Earl A. Bean (Oct. 28, 1888-1983), son of Edward and Addie (Cantrell) Bean of Auburn, KS. Their nuptials were held by Rev. Roberts of Dover, KS, and were held in the home of Grace's parents in Auburn. The St. Marys Star called the event "a very pretty wedding" and said "We wish them much joy and happiness during their wedded life." The two families were close, and Grace's sister Eva wed Earl's brother Forrest. Three known offspring were Lillian Doris Pyle, Wilbur Earl Bean and Francis E. Bean. The Beans resided in 1920-1930-1940 on a farm owned by Grace's father in Auburn, Shawnee County, KS. By 1950, they had moved into the city of Topeka, where Earl was employed as chief clerk for the Shawnee County Marketing and Production Administration. At that time, their widowed sister in law Eva Bean resided under their roof. At the age of 95, Earl died on Oct. 28, 1983. Grace only survived him by a little more than a year. She passed away at the age of 92, on Nov. 2, 1984, in Overland Park. Burial was in Topeka's Memorial Park Cemetery.

• Granddaughter Lillian "Doris" Bean (1916-1996) was born in 1916 and grew up in Auburn, KS. Single at the age of 24, in 1940, she lived with her parents in Auburn, Shawnee County, KS. She was joined in wedlock with (?) Pyle.

• Grandson Wilbur Earl Bean (1917-1981) was born in 1917.

• Grandson Francis E. Bean (1921-1981) was born in 1921.

Son Nola Norman "Noly" Mitchell (1894-1985) was born in March 1894 in Kansas. He lived in Auburn, KS in young manhood. On Jan. 3, 1917, he entered into marriage with 22-year-old Genevieve P. Dyche (Nov. 12, 1892-1976), also of Auburn, and a native of Wakarusa, KS. News of their marriage license was printed in the Topeka Daily Capital. Because he was so young-looking, he brought his mother into the probate judge's office to help secure the license. Reported the Daily Capital, "'Yes, he's 22,' said the mother, 'and that's the reason I came along. He looks so young that I was quite sure he might have some trouble in convincing the authorities that he was of age.' Armed with such convincing evidence, Mitchell was given a license to wed..." The article went on to say that Genevieve was a nice of the late L.L. Dyche, professor of natural history at the State university as well as having been a state fish and game warden. Their wedding was held in the parsonage of the Presbyterian Church, by the hand of Rev. S.A. Alt. The Shawnee Chief commented that "Their many friends join in wishing them a long happy married life." They became the parents of three -- Lindsay N. Mitchell, Dorothy McConnell and Pauline Davis.  During World War I, he received an exemption from the military draft on the grounds that he had a wife dependent on him for support. The couple spent most of their married lives in Auburn, where they were farmers. Genevieve earned a living in her work for the food service department of Fort Hays State College. Then in about 1968, she moved to Merriam, KS, living with their daughter Pauline at  6307 Robinhood Lane. Noly lived during that time frame in Ellis, KS. As a patient in Shawnee Mission Medical Center, at age 83, Genevieve passed away on Sept. 30, 1976. Her obituary in the Kansas City Star said that she was survived by 10 grandchildren and one great-grandson. Interment was in Auburn Cemetery. Noly outlived his wife by nine years. The angel of death spirited him away at the age of 91 on Aug. 8, 1985. His obituary was published in the Wichita Eagle.

• Grandson Lindsay N. Mitchell relocated to Phoenix, AZ and lived there in 1976-1985.

• Granddaughter Dorothy Mitchell wed (?) McConnell. Circa 1976-1985, she dwelled in Hays, KS.

• Granddaughter Pauline Mitchell married (?) Davis. She made a residence in Merriam, KS, at 6307 Robinhood Lane. Then by 1985, she had migrated to Atlanta, GA.

Son Earl R. Mitchell (1895- ? ) was born in Nov. 1895 in Kansas. He was married and dwelled in Auburn, KS in 1918 and at Silver Lake, KS in 1921.

Daughter Evaline "Eva" Mitchell (1897-1953) was born on Nov. 30, 1897 in Willard, Shawnee County, KS. In 1917 she wed Forrest Bean ( ? -1922), son of Edward and Addie (Cantrell) Bean of Auburn, KS. The two families were close, and Eva's sister Grace married Forrest's brother Earl. Their marriage lasted for six years until his tragic death, and they did not reproduce. On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 30, 1922, Eva's birthday, Forrest was electrocuted to death in a freak incident at the age of 32. The shocking incident made news all across the state, with the St. Mary's Star opining that he was "the well known young groceryman" and that it was "one of the saddest and most tragic accidents to ooccur in St. Marys in recent years." Funeral services were held in St. Mary's. Eva was shattered by her loss. The Star said she was "shocked into a temporarily unsettled state of mind. For hours since the tragedy, the effect of the blow has told on her. She is very slowly recovering..." The Star went on to say that "a pall of sadness" covered the community on the holiday and that Edward was "well know, of quiet disposition, altho popular, [and] he had his friends and they were legion." Funeral services were held in the Bean residence, led by Rev. Jenssen, with the body then taken to Auburn for burial. Additional services were conducted in Auburn by local Methodist-Episcopal Church pastor Rev. Fisher of Topeka, with crowds flocking for miles to attend. A poem authored by Scotsman William Knox, often recited by President Abraham Lincoln, was recited by Rev. Fisher, beginning with "O, why should the spirit of mortal be proud? Like a swift fleeting meteor, a fast flying cloud, A Flash of the lightning, a breaker of wave, Man passeth from life to his rest in the grave." As the Beams were members of the Security Benefit Association, the widowed Eva would have received compensation of some sort. She then submitted a bill to the City of St. Marys, asking for more than $10,000, and represented by the Topeka law firm of Hamilton, Lorimer & Kirke. The city rejected the bill saying it "assumed no responsibility for what was declared an elemental act of Providence."  Eva then filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, on the following grounds:

--That Bean was killed while in the pursuit of his lawful business and had no knowledge or notice that the charged wire had fallen down. --That his death was caused by and due to negligence on the part of the City. --That the City permitted the fatal wire to fall down and remain in the public thorofare. --That the City failed to provide the light and power system with suitable and sufficiently strong poles to stand erect and support the wires. --That it failed to maintian and keep in good repair, the system. --That it failed to equip the power plant with proper appliances that would indicate short circuits, or grounded wires. --That it failed to cut off the current after it had knowledge that said wire was grounded. --That it failed to properly inspect, repair or maintain the system referred to. --That the poles became rotten, weak and unsafe, inadequate and insufficient to support and carry the light wires. --That the wire insulation was not as it should be.

The city announced that it would fight the claim. It published its rebuttal in the Star, essentially saying Bean had come to his death through "negligence and carelessness." The case was delayed until September 1923, and then again until Dec. 19, 1923, when the jury trial began in the District Court of Westmoreland. Eva's father and brother both testified on her behalf. After two days of testimony, the jury voted in her favor but only granted $3,500 of her $10,000 claim. Eva then devoted her life to nursing. In 1930, boarding in the home of John and Elizabeth Rennick in Topeka, she was a private duty nurse. She never remarried. At the age of 55, Eva died in Topeka on Sept. 16, 1953. Burial was in the city's Memorial Park Cemetery.

 

Copyright © 2013-2014, 2016-2017, 2020, 2022-2024 Mark A. Miner

Content for this page graciously shared by Tim Price, Michele Pulte, Wade Patterson, Nikki Soika, Barbara (Younkin) Jump Park, Sari Elaine (Younkin) Clark Bloomer, Beverly Ann (Bower) Miller, the late Paul "Keith" McElhaney, the late Olive (Rowan) Duff, Ralph Lincoln, the late Donna (Younkin) Logan, the late Betty Virginia (Trubic) Byles Gentry and Linda Marker.