Above: Clarksburg, WV during the Civil War. Below: battle action at Winchester, VA in 1864, where Marsh was wounded in the back.

 

 

He was placed in the 1st West Virginia Cavalry which proceeded for training to Charleston, WV. Among his cousins also in the regiment were Chauncey "Chance" Minor and Daniel Younken.

Later, in the fall of 1863 or spring of 1864, he re-enlisted as a veteran in the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry, Companies F and L. His regiment of "dragoons" was commanded by G.W. Gilmore. He suffered attacks of catarrh and diphtheria in March of 1864.

That autumn, Marsh and the 2nd West Virginia Cavalry took part in the Battle of Winchester, VA on Sept. 25, 1864. In fighting there, his regiment was "driven off the field by the rebels," he remembered, and retreated to Stephenson's Depot, about four miles from Bunker Hill. While on the retreat, he was shot in the left hip, with the bone dislocating, and the enemy minié ball lodging near the fifth vertebra of his spine. Many years later, an article in the Meyersdale (PA) Commercial noted that "This incapacitated him from further active service, but he was not finally discharged till [after the war ended]."

The wound became infected with pyemia, causing an abscess in the hip joint and causing pain on nerves around the pelvis. He was treated at Hicks U.S. General Hospital in Baltimore, and transferred to a hospital in Annapolis.

He began receiving a military pension 15 months after the war ended, on July 9, 1866. In 1872, the payments totaled $8 per month. By 1892, they increased to $36 per month.

Marsh and Legion members

Marcellus held an account at the John McMillan tannery in Listonville, and entries from the years 1866 to 1867 are recorded in the tannery's business ledger which is preserved today. The entries read as follow: "to A CS [calfskin] at [blank], April 19, 1868 - lot gr of Up[pers], Ditto to SL [shoe leather] for a pair of Boots, to Difference between S Skins, Oct. 15, 1867."

On Sept. 26, 1869, when he was age 25, Marsh married 17-year-old Ruena "Rena" Snyder (1850-1907), daughter of Levi and Susan (Ringer) Snyder. Justice of the peace Jacob Gerhard officiated in a ceremony held at Middlecreek Township, Somerset County. Among those attending the nuptials was James' first cousin, Ephraim Schrock. Their first daughter was born four months later. 

Marsh and Ruena together produced a dozen children, among them Minnie Murphy, Albert Andrews, Milton Andrews, Susan Andrews, Cora "Cory" Michaels, Leroy "Lee"  Andrews, Eleanor "Nora" Hoyt, Garfield William Andrews, Charles Bonner Andrews, Harrison "Harry" Andrews, Earle Andrews and Mabel Ankney. Elisabeth Growall served as midwife at the births of sons Garfield in 1882 and Charles in 1885, while Mary J. Anderson was midwife when the youngest three children were born between 1889 and 1893.

After the war, they "lived in different parts of Somerset county, before their removal to Ursina," said a newspaper. Circa 1882, they made their home in what as known locally as the "Red House" in Lower Turkeyfoot Township. Marsh made a living buying cattle and sheep. They kept a family Bible containing handwritten names and dates of birth of their children. The book was printed in Philadelphia in 1871 by Willis W. Harding, 630 Chestnut Street.

As the harsh memory of the Civil War faded, Marsh joined the Ross Rush Post of the Grand Army of the Republic. He attended veterans reunions and his name was printed in local newspapers. In June 1887, he attended a meeting at the Rockwood House in Rockwood, Somerset County, to elect officers and organize that year's reunion. In 1884, when the History of Bedford, Somerset and Fulton Counties was published, he was named among a list of the GAR post members. He served as senior vice commander of the post.

In 1889, Marsh was elected assessor of the Borough of Ursina. He also was active in the Veterans Association of Somerset County, and as an officer of the Ross Rush Post of the Grand Army of the Republic in Ursina. In June 1887 was elected to represent the Rush Post in organizing the third annual local veterans reunion to be held on Sept. 22, 1887.

Marsh remained afflicted for 32 years from the effects of his wartime wound and in fact the minié ball was not removed. The injury caused his leg to stand at an angle of 45 degrees from the other leg, and he was forced to use a cane when walking. As the wound continued to be infected, it discharged pus constantly. The pain of the abscess grew increasingly painful, even excruciating. He resorted to "using morphine in large doses," wrote a physician. "I can't do any work," he told doctors. 

The Somerset Herald reported in late January 1874 that Marsh "is suffering quite severely from the effects of an old wound, received while in the Union army." To help ease the pain, he drank excessively though toward his later years he cut back on his intake of alcohol.

Early view of Marsh's hometown, Ursina, PA

Writing in an affidavit to the U.S. Pension Office, Ruena said that her husband "is confined to his bed a portion of the time and is required to stay in doors a portion of the time. I have to carry his meals to him when he is confined to his bed and help him to change his clothing and attend to other means of a sanitary nature." A cousin by marriage, Charles Rose, also of Ursina, said he frequently visited Marsh when he was bedridden.

In late September 1896, when he was age 56 and exhausted, Marsh traveled to Pittsburgh and underwent an X-ray examination at Mercy Hospital to locate the bullet, something which had eluded doctors for years. Surgery for the bullet's removal followed. Sadly, while the operation was considered a success, a septic infection set in, with the "wound refusing to heal," wrote the resident surgeon. Unable to recover, he died nine days after the operation, on Oct. 4, 1896. In two separate articles, the Meyersdale Commercial noted his passing as follows:

Everyone knows Marshall Andrews or Ursina, who was crippled by a minnie ball during the war and has been a cripple ever since. A few weeks ago he went to Pittsburg, had the Xray locate the ball in his thigh and it was removed by the surgeons of Mercy hospital. He was buried Wednesday.... It was thought he was improving but this was deceptive; reaction came, then weakness and death.

Hand-lettered memorial, Ross Rush Post

Noted the surgeon, "The patient was strongly addicted to the morphia habit and had been for years and no doubt the condition of his system brought about by this habit was a strong factor in producing death."

His remains were returned to Ursina for viewing. For a period of time the casket lay in the GAR post building in Ursina. Friends J.M. Marshall and Samuel Thompson were at the Andrews home when the body arrived, and they were present at the funeral. The one-ounce lead bullet was given to Leroy Forquer of Ursina, who kept the curiosity and showed it publicly from time to time. - [Find-a-Grave]

Many years later, Marsh was pictured among a group of fellow members of the Ursina American Legion in the book Draketown: Past & Present.

Widowed at the age of 45, Ruena applied for and began receiving her late husband's military pension. She survived him by more than a decade. Said a newspaper, she "was a sincere Christian woman being a member of the Church of God for a number of years, an affectionate wife and mother, a good friend and neighbor, who was always extending a helping hand in sickness and distress." 

In late March 1907, at the age of 56, "she attended church twice and while calling to see a sick neighbor, the same day, she was stricken with paralysis and never recovered consciousness," reported a newspaper. She suffered for several days and succumbed on April 2, 1907. Dr. W.S. Mountain treated her in her final illness, and attended her burial in Ursina. Adam Nichelson of Draketown was the informant for her death certificate. 

Book picturing Marsh

Eulogized a local newspaper, "The funeral took place Friday April 5th from the Church of God, Ursina, the pastor Rev. J. C. Cunningham assisted by Rev. Adams of the Methodist church officiating. The church was filled to overflowing and the most heartfelt sorrow pervaded those present. The sermon preached by Rev. Cunningham was an affecting one. The pall bearers were comrades of her deceased husband being members of Ross Ross G. A. R., consisting of Leroy Forquer, John Humbert, A. J. Cross, Cyrus Warner, J.J. Rush, and Jerome Jennings.... She is survived by 12 children. The children are Mrs. W. J. Murphy, Harnedsville; Albert Andrews, Ritchey, WVA, Milton Andrews, Ohio, Mrs. Susie Reed, St. Louis, Mos., Mrs. Cora Michaels, Dawson, Leroy Andrews, West Virginia, Mrs. Nora Hoyt, Ursina, Garfield Andrews, Chicago, Charles Andrews, Outcrop Fayette County, Harry Andrews, Markleton, Earle Andrews, Ursina, and Miss Mabel Andrews, Ursina."

After Ruena's death in Pennsylvania circa 1907, daughter Mabel, still a minor, relocated to her married sister Susan Reid's home in St. Louis and began receiving the pension payments.

In December 1934, when conducting research interviews with old-timer cousins, Otto Roosevelt Younkin was advised by Colwell Younkin that "Marcellus 'Marsh' Andrews was the son of James Andrews, "whose wife was a Younkin." Otto later typed a report about this family which he kept in his research notebook. View Otto's handwritten notes about the Marsh Andrews family.

Daughter Minnie Andrews (1870-1950) was born on Jan. 27, 1870. As a young woman, she lived in Ursina. At the age of 22, on March 2, 1892, Minnie married 38-year-old widower William J. Murphy (1850- ? ). The ceremony took place in Westmoreland County, PA. At the time of their wedding, William was a merchant residing at Scottdale, Westmoreland County. The couple resided in Harnedsville, Somerset County (1907) and later in Scottdale, Fayette County. The couple had one daughter, Pauline Best. In April 1932 Minnie was named in the Meyersdale Republican obituary of her brother Milton and at the time lived in Uniontown. Widowed and in her final years, Minnie went to live in St. Basili home in Uniontown. She died there at the age of 81 on Dec. 4, 1950. Dr. William Hogg, of the Asbury Methodist Church, preached her funeral sermon, followed by burial in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Fayette City, Fayette County. An obituary was published in the Connellsville Daily Courier.

• Granddaughter Pauline Murphy married (?) Best. Her home in 1950 was in Denver, CO.

Son Albert Andrews (1872- ? ) was born on Nov. 18, 1872. In 1907, at the age of 35, he made his home in Ritchie County, WV. He was believed to have been deceased prior to 1932. It's possible, though not confirmed, that he was the same "Albert Andrews" who died of heart valve lesions on March 18, 1936, when he would have been age 64. At the time, his home was the Harrison County Infirmary, in Clarksburg and his age approximated as 72, with county officials knowing nothing else about his background.

Civil War Soldiers Orphans School, Jumonville, where Milton Andrews attended

Son Milton "Ursina" Andrews (1873-1938) was born on March 27, 1873 near Kingwood. He apparently never married, and carried the derogatory nickname "Ursina Andrews." Said the Meyersdale Republican, "He spent most of his younger days in the vicinity of Ursina. He received his education at the Soldiers' Orphans Home, Jumonville, and lived in the Connellsville region many years." While at the orphans school, he may have known J. Harvey Younkin, another student attending there. In May 1897, considered a tramp, Milt was arrested for some yet-unknown offense but while in prison tore up the floor and escaped. In 1907, when named in his mother's newspaper obituary, he was in Ohio. In October 1907, in a bout of drinking, he "accumulated a load of joy water and was making the atmosphere around Brimstone Corner with the line of blasphemy," said the Connellsville Daily Courier in a story headlined "Ursina Bad." "Constable John R. Beatty first attempted to squelch the obstreperous character but was soon bowled down and out. Officer John Lowe of the local force assisted by several citizens came to the rescue and aided in getting Milt to the lockup. There he was so bad that Chief Rottler found it necessary to throw several buckets of cold water on him before he sobered up." He was charged with assault and battery. That same year, Milt was arrested for bootlegging and selling hooch on Sundays, and in 1908 he was caught stealing brass from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The federal census of 1910 shows Milton, age 39, and a baker by trade, serving time in Erie County (PA) Jail. In July 1911, he was convicted for drunk and disorderly conduct and, while trying to escape into Dutch Bottom near Connellsville, wrecked a vehicle and was locked up. He was arrested again in Connellsville in May 1914 on charges of robbery. By 1931, during the early years of the Great Depression, he lived in an abandoned coke oven near Connellsville, and made news when questioned in the murder of double cousin Elmer Younkin -- son of Jonas M. and Josephine (Younkin) Younkin -- along the Pennsylvania Railroad lines at Wheeler. He spent the final years of his life in Blairsville, where at age 59 he died in a local hospital, of pneumonia, on April 14, 1938. His remains were sent to the home of his sister Nora Hoyt in Ursina, followed by burial in Ursina Cemetery. An obituary was printed in the Meyersdale Republican.

Daughter Susan E. "Bessie" Andrews (1875- ? ) was born on April 29, 1875. She married (?) Reid/Reed ( ? - ? ). In 1907, she dwelled in St. Louis. By 1932, her home was in Chicago and in 1939 in Boston. When named in the 1942 obituary of her sister Mabel Ankeny, Bessie was in Miami. Nothing more about her is known.

Daughter Cora "Cory" Andrews (1877-1910) was born on March 16, 1877 in Somerset County. In about 1900, when she would have been 22 or 23 years of age, Cora married 33-year-old James Michaels (1867-1947), son of William Michaels of Jimtown, Fayette County. They resided in Dawson, Fayette County, where James supported the family through his work as a coal miner. They produced five children over the span of eight years -- Myrtle Lint, Nellie Michaels, William Michaels, Magdalene "Delene" Michaels and Ethel Michaels. In about 1908 or '09, Cora began displaying "hyperacute mania" behavior and was admitted to Dixmont Hospital for the Insane near Pittsburgh. Suffering from heart failure, she died there at the age of 32 on March 5, 1910. Her remains were brought back to Fayette County for interment in Dawson. The grieving widower was left alone with five young mouths to feed ranging in age from nine to two years. To assist, his 31-year-old widowed sister Susie Mebricker [spelling?], moved into their house with her own three children, William, Myrtle and Earl. The combined family is shown together in the federal census of 1910. James apparently did not remarry, remaining a widower for the remaining 37 years of his life. In 1920, he lived with four of the children on Dry Hill Road in Broadford near Dawson, continuing his labors in local coal mines. James eventually retired from the Hileman Coal Company and maintained his home in Dry Hill. Suffering from hardening of the arteries and old age, he expired at the age of 79 on Aug. 19, 1947. Burial was in the Cochran Cemetery near Dawson, following funeral services held in the Michaels home and at the Hickory Square Methodist Church in Broadford, officiated by Rev. George Stump. Son-in-law Steve Cupcheck of Broadford signed the Pennsylvania death certificate. The Connellsville Daily Courier noted in an obituary that he was survived by 13 grandchildren.

Son Lee Roy "Lee" Andrews (1878-1939) -- also spelled Leroy -- was born on Oct. 15, 1878 or March 3, 1879. He never married, and earned a living as a laborer. In 1907, he lived in West Virginia. He may be the same "Lee" Andrews of Ursina arrested for drunken conduct at Fayette Field in Connellsville in September 1926. This needs to be confirmed. In 1932, his home was in Pittsburgh. By 1939 he was back in Ursina. Suffering from manic-depressive psychosis at the age of 55, he was admitted in 1933 to the Somerset County Home. He suffered a stroke and died instantaneously at the age of 60 on July 24, 1939. His tired remains were laid to rest in Ursina Cemeterey, with the funeral sermon preached by Rev. J.A. Martin and an obituary appearing in the Meyersdale Republican.

• Granddaughter Margaret Hoyt lived and worked in Philadelphia in 1945. The following year, she was in Baltimore but by 1950 was back in Philadelphia.

• Granddaughter Jean Elizabeth Andrews (1920- ? ) was born in 1920 in Chicago. On Oct. 6, 1939, in nuptials held in Evanston, IL, she was joined in marriage with Rodman E. Sivula ( ? - ? ). Word of the wedding was sent to Jean's aunt Nora Hoyt in Ursina and printed in the Meyersdale Republican. Rodman is believed to have studied at Northern Illinois College in 1938.

Son Charles B. Andrews (1885-1916) was born on Sept. 1, 1885. In 1907, he lived in Outcrop, Fayette County, PA. He lived a troubled life. In May 1907, the Connellsville Daily Courier reported that he was "brother to the well known 'Ursina' Andrews' [Milton] and had been arrested "after a hard fight by Officer Anderson and two State Constables. Andrews, who had been drinking, started trouble in a Pittsburg street barroom and drew a razor, making a pass at August Wilterhalter, a respected citizen of Star Junction, who came up to take in the circus. The police were called and Andrews made a stiff fight to escape arrest. Even after Anderson placed the nippers on him he continued to resist. One of the State Constables came to Anderson's rescue and Andrews tried to cut him with a razor. The officer then belted that gentleman over the head with his big mace and sent him down." By late 1915, he made his home in or was passing through Washington, DC. At the age of 30, in early January 1916, he suffered a "very sudden death" in Washington, reported both the Meyersdale Republican and Connellsville Daily Courier. Word was sent to his sister Minnie Murphy, living near Confluence. Details of his demise are lost to history for now.

Son Harrison "Harry" Andrews (1889- ? ) was born on Aug. 28, 1889. He made his home in Markleton in 1907, when he was named in his mother's newspaper obituary. He was named (again) in the Meyersdale Republican obituary of his brother Milton in April 1932, with his whereabouts given as "address unknown."

Son Earle J. Andrews (1890- ? ) was born on Aug. 6, 1890 in Ursina. In 1907, when he was age 17, he dwelled in Ursina. He was of medium height and slender build, with brown eyes and dark hair. At the age of 19, in 1909, he and his older brother Garfield lived in Chicago, and had rooms in a boarding house on 42nd Place. That year, both men were single, with Earle employed as an office clerk with an electric company, and 28-year-old Garfield a head office clerk with a packing firm. Earl was still in Chicago circa 1932 when named in the Meyersdale Republican obituary of his brother Milton. Again in December 1950, when listed in the Connellsville Daily Courier obituary of his sister Minnie Murphy, Earle maintained a residence in Chicago. By June 1917, at age 26, when required to register for the military draft during World War I, Earle had pushed further into St. Paul, MN, possibly transferred by his company. There, he was employed as a clerk by Armour & Co., and resided in The Edward Hotel. In about 1918, at age 27, he was united in marriage with 24-year-old Illinois native Elizabeth (1894- ? ), whose parents were from Sweden. They are thought to have borne a son, James "Jimmy" Andrews. By 1930, census records suggest that he and Elizabeth resided in Chicago on East 82nd Street, and worked as a buyer for a meat packing firm. Earle remained in Chicago as of 1939 and that year traveled back to Ursina with his family and brother Garfield to attend the funeral of their brother Leroy.

Daughter Mabel S. Andrews (1893-1942) was born on June 28, 1893, the youngest of a dozen children. She was 23 years younger than her eldest sibling. Her father died when she was three, and W.J. Murphy was appointed as her guardian. Circa December 1907, at age 14, she lived in St. Louis, MO, but by March 1909 was back in Western Pennsylvania, temporarily making her home in Somerfield, Somerset County. She married Harry Ankney (1891-1967) (also spelled "Ankeny"). Their children were Frederick Ankeny, George Ankeny and Harold Ankeny. She was named in the Meyersdale Republican obituary of her brother Milton in April 1932 and at the time resided in Murdoch, county and state not known. She spent her final years in Somerset Township. Suffering from interstitial nephritis, she died at the age of 48 on Jan. 19, 1942. The funeral was conducted by Rev. George Smith in the United Brethren church in Milford Township. She was placed into eternal repose in Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Somerset County. An obituary was printed in the Somerset Daily American. Harry survived her by 25 years. He died in 1967 - [Find-a-Grave]

• Grandson Frederick Ankeny ( ? - ? ) lived in Bakersville, Somerset County in 1942.

• Grandson George Ankeny ( ? - ? ) made his home in 1942 in Somerset.

• Grandson Harold Ankeny ( ? - ? ) resided with his parents in 1942.

Bethel Methodist Cemetery, Paddytown

~ Son Albert Andrews ~

Son Albert Andrews (1847-1871) was born in 1847 at Addison. 

As a teenager, he earned a living as a farm laborer, and once worked for J.S. Darrall of Confluence, Somerset County. He may be the same "Albert Anderson," age 13, shown boarding in the Addison home of cousins Henry F. and Mary (King) Younkin in the federal census of 1860.

During the Civil War, he served with the 21st Pennsylvania Cavalry, Companies E and M. At the age of 17, he mustered into service on July 24, 1863, a few weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg, and agreed to serve a six-month term. The company was commanded by Lt. M.V.B. Colis. In the fall of 1863, while stationed near Scranton, PA, he nearly froze one night and began to be plagued by heart discomfort. Recalled boyhood friend Charles B. Colborn, a member of his regiment:

At Pittston near Scranton, Pa. in the fall of 1863 said Andrews did guard duty one night and got wet + cold. I relieved him. From that [time] on said Andrews complained a great deal and often for weeks at a time, was off duty, and attended sick call. I have an indistinct recollection of him being in a Hosp. near Aquia Creek Landing Va. in the summer of 1864.... When we re-enlisted we were not examined.

He re-enlisted on Jan. 27, 1864 and was assigned to the 182nd Pennsylvania Regiment. That autumn, he was stationed in the front of Petersburg, VA. In all, he served for 23 months and 14 days, and mustered out on July 8, 1865.

Deceptively peaceful view of Union troops marching during the Civil War siege of Petersburg, VA, where Albert was stationed in the fall of 1864. Below: Union soldiers digging trenches at night on the outskirts of Petersburg.

 

To support himself back at home, he obtained farm work and performed some manual labor. In 1866, Albert and his mother were tenant farmers on the farm of George Kreger of Markleton. The following year, they resided as tenants on the farm of Aaron Sechler, sharing the dwelling with John Stein, and earning shares of revenue from the farm proceeds. Sister in law Mary E. Crossen wrote that "he had sick spells while at Sechler's so that he would have to leave his work in the field + go to bed + in the year 1868 he lived on Jacob [and Lucinda] Augustine's farm, he was still getting more sickly. He looked pale  + had a poor apetite + complained of shortness of breath." Albert's own mother often was heard to say: "I must get early dinner today for Albert could not eat much breakfast this morning." He was considered temperate and did not drink alcohol.

 

Albert Eicher's store in Fort Hill

One of his employers in 1866-1868 was William Eicher, his future father in law who resided in Fort Hill. Through that relationship, Albert met his employer's daughter, and about six months later, on Sept. 15, 1868, at the age of 21, he married her -- Amelia Eicher (1848-1908), daughter of William Kern and Mary (Cunningham) Eicher. Rev. Peter Loucks of the Church of God officiated at the ceremony held at the Eichers' home in Upper Turkeyfoot Township. Among the attendees was an old chum, George Kreger of Markleton, and family friends John and Ann Stein of Rockwood.

The couple went on to produce two known daughters -- Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Andrews and Lillian Rosetta Andrews Gerhart. Dr. W.S. Harrah of Casselman, Somerset County was present at Lilian's birth. The family resided with Amelia's parents. 

Dr. Connelly, who treated Albert at least once, remarked: "Boy, you can never get well; the blood don't circulate through your heart any more." His father in law Eicher noted Albert's poor condition, and recalled: 

I knew Albert Andrews pretty soon after he came home from the army. He lived close to me and worked for me on my farm in 1866. He was pale, thin and delicate looking and I knew he could not do as much work as my other man and in 1870 I helped him to move from one farm [Dr. W.S. Harrah's] to another [McNeal's] and he had Rheumatism so that he could not help to load his goods. The neighbors had to load for him and he was so bad with Rheumatism that he could not go back for the last load for several weeks. I saw him very often from the time I first saw him. I saw him pretty soon after he came from the army until his death. I was there the day he died and had been there almost every day for a good while before his death. I made him a pair of shoes but he could not wear them on account of his limbs + feet being swolen so he could not put them on or any other shoes until he died. In 1870 he helped me build a bake oven. He complained of not being well of his heart hurting him until he died. I knew he died with heart disease. I was there about an hour before he died + he told me to put my ear to his heart and listen, what a noise there was.

Suffering from heart disease and lung congestion, he was confined to his bed in an attempt to recover his health. He was treated by Dr. W.S. Harrah of Casselman. Friends and neighbors came to visit, among them his brother Marcellus and uncle, John F. Kreger, married to Albert's aunt Sarah. In early 1871, he suffered a stroke of paralysis, and for periods of time would not open his eyes.

Albert succumbed at the age of 24 on June 3, 1871, just three days after their daughter Lillian's birth. He was laid to rest in the Bethel Methodist Church Cemetery at Paddytown, where his mother's cousin, Rev. Harmon Younkin, was a pastor. Family friend Jonas Meyers of Markleton helped to bury him. [Find-a-Grave] A standard-issue military marker was erected at his grave, reading "A. Andrews." His grave is among several Eicher graves in a row, including two of his wife's siblings who died young and also two of her children by a second marriage, who also passed at young ages. The cemetery was surveyed and indexed in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration [link].

 

Mt. Bethel Methodist congregation, Paddytown, 1910. [Enlarge] Below: Lonely Mt. Bethel cemetery, July 2016

 

Albert's father in law was named administrator of his estate, and was named in a related article in the Somerset Herald.

The widowed Amelia and daughter remained in the home of her parents. Her heartache was compounded on May 31, 1873, when daughter Lillian R. Gerhart died at the age of two. She was buried beside her father at the Bethel Methodist Church above Paddytown. Years later, when a marker was installed at her grave, her name was given as "Lillian R., Dau. of Wm. B. & A.C. Herhart" instead of "Andrews." At the base of her grave marker is inscribed this epitaph: "We will meet in Heaven."

 

Family record in which Amelia Andrews'  marriage to William B. Gearhart is recorded

After three years' time as a widow, Amelia married again on Aug. 27, 1874 to William B. Gearhardt (1838- ? ), also spelled "Gearhart." The nuptials were held at the home of Eliza Heffley in Somerset, Somerset County by the hand of Rev. A.M. Whetstone, pastor of the Lutheran Church of Somerset. At the time, one of Amelia's cousins, Allen Edward Harbaugh, was a farm hand working for her father. He was told about the impending wedding; saw the preparation and observed the groom's arrival, and was told to assist by churning butter. As an Eicher genealogist, Harbaugh recorded the event and date in his own copy of Broaddus Complete Family Record. 

The Gearharts dwelled in the 1880s in Millwood, also known as Milford Station, Somerset County, and in 1896 in Fort Hill, Somerset County. The couple produced three known children -- William Oscar E. Gerhart (1875), William Emerson Gerhart (1880) and Lillian Amelia Gerhart (1886). Tragically, two of the three Gerhart offspring also died young -- son William on May 24, 1877, at the age of one year, seven months and 17 days -- and Lillian Amelia Gerhart," on ed at age six years, 10 months and 10 days on March 10, 1893. Inscribed at the base of William Oscar E.'s grave marker are the words "We will meet in Heaven," and on Lillian Amelia's ""Gone to Heaven." All three of the ill-fated children are buried at Bethel Methodist Church Cemetery. Only son William Emerson Gerhart lived to adulthood.

 

Graves of young Lillian R. & William Oscar, 1873 (left) and Lillian A. (1893), Bethel Cemetery

In 1879, Amelia applied for her first husband's military pension to support her 11-year-old daughter. [Widow App. #258.838] Providing testimony that Albert had suffered greatly while away at war were Albert's widowed mother (now in Kansas), brother Marcellus, Alex Rhoads, uncle and aunt John F. and Sarah (Younkin) Kreger, J.S. Darrall, H.D. King, Charles B. Colborn, Daniel K. Peck, Joseph B. and Rebecca Hostetler, Mary E. Crossen, cousin Allen Edward Harbaugh, Jonas Meyers, B.C. Cunningham, Daniel Sechler, Aaron Sechler, Lucinda Augustine, George Kreger, and John and Ann Stein.

The federal census for 1900 shows Amelia and William making their home in Black Township near Rockwood, Somerset County, with William earning a living as a carpenter. Amelia disclosed to the census taker that she and William had been married for 25 years and that she was the mother of five children but that only two were alive. In April 1900, she and William signed their consent for their 20-year-old son William to be married.

Amelia eventually relocated far, far away from Somerset County. Whether she did so as a widow is not yet known. She migrated to California, where as a widow in 1908 she dwelled in Thermalito, Butte County. She died there at the age of 60 on Dec. 5, 1908. Her remains were placed into repose in the Old Oroville Cemetery in Oroville, Butte County.

Daughter Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Andrews (1869- ? ) was born on Jan. 31, 1869. In September 1896, when a government investigator was looking into whether to award her mother a Civil War pension, Lizzie lived at home with her mother. She may be the same "Elizabeth Wright" who, at the age of 19, in about 1896, married (?) Wright ( ? - ? ). Federal census records for 1900 show Elizabeth boarding in her mother's home in Black Township, Somerset County, having been married for four years, but with the husband living (perhaps working) away from the home.

Amelia's son William Emerson Gerhart (1880-1949) was born on Jan. 29, 1880 in Somerset County. He earned wages as a young man, working as a laborer. At the age of 20, on May 1, 1900, he was united in marriage with 16-year-old Laura Theresa Burroughs (1884- ? ) of Upper Turkeyfoot, daughter of Charles Burroughs. Rev. Henry N. Cameron officiated at the ceremony held in Milford Township. Because Laura legally was underage, her widowed father signed his consent to the marriage. The couple went on to have five children, of whom four are known -- Mary Culley, Alice Martin, Harold Gerhart and Ernest Gerhart. A year or two after the birth of their eldest child Mary in 1901, the Gerharts made the decision to migrated to California, taking along William's widowed mother. They made a home in or near Thermalito, Hamilton Township, Butte County, where William obtained work as an oiler in a gold dredging operation. William's mother only lived for a few years after the move, and died in 1908. The federal census for 1910 shows the Gerharts continuing to live in Hamilton Township with their four children. During the decade of the 1910s, the Gerharts relocated again to Marysville, Yuba County, CA, where by 1920 William got a job as a stationery engineer -- "maintenance" -- with Yuba Manufacturing Company. By 1930, all of their children resided had left home and lived together under one roof in the home of their married daughter Mary Culley in Sacramento. William passed away in Sacramento at the age of 69 on Feb. 6, 1949. Burial was in East Lawn Memorial Park in Sacramento, where his grave is marked with a metallic tablet.

 

• Granddaughter Mary Gerhart (1901- ? ) was born in about 1901 in Somerset County. She migrated to California as a very young girl and grew up in several locations. Mary was wedded to (?) Culley and had two children -- Eileen Culley (born in California in 1921) and Edwin Culley (born in Oregon in 1927). In 1930, when the federal census was taken, Mary headed a household in Sacramento with her two children, divorced sister Alice Martin and younger brothers Harold, Ernest and Raymond. She was employed circa 1930 as a waitress in Woolworth's in Sacramento.

 

• Granddaughter Alice Gerhart (1905- ? ) was born in about 1905 in Butte County, CA. She married (?) Martin. By 1930, the couple was divorced, and Alice made her home with her sister Mary Culley and younger brothers in Sacramento. To support herself, she worked in 1930 as a candy store clerk in Sacramento.

 

• Grandson Harold Gerhart (1907- ? ) was born in about 1907 in Butte County, CA. In 1930, he lived with his married sister Mary Culley and adult siblings in Sacramento. He supported himself in 1930 as a "laborer - anywhere" he could find work.

 

• Grandson Ernest Gerhart (1909- ? ) was born in 1909 in Butte County, CA. At the age of 20, in 1930, he dwelled in Sacramento with his married sister Mary Culley and adult siblings. He earned income in 1930 as a helper in a garage.

 

• Grandson Raymond Gerhart (1912- ? ) was born in about 1912 in California. When he was age 18, in 1930, he made his home with his married sister Mary Culley and adult siblings in Sacramento. That year, he worked as a car washer in a service station.

 

~ Daughter Mary F. Andrews ~

Daughter Mary F. Andrews (1849- ? ) was born in 1849 at Addison. She was deceased by 1896.

 

~ Son William Andrews ~

Son William Andrews ( ? - ? ) seems to have been born in the early 1850s. He was deceased by 1896. Nothing about him is known.

 

~ Daughter Sophia Andrews ~

Daughter Sophia Andrews ( ? - ? ) was born in (?). 

Circa 1896, when identified in an affidavit made by a sister in law, she made her home in New Market, Frederick County, MD. The town was located along the National Road.

Nothing else is known.

 

~ Son James D. Andrews ~

Highland Cemetery- courtesy Connie Langvardt of Find-a-Grave

Son James D. Andrews (1853-1912) was born in 1853, likely in Somerset County, PA. 

In about 1875, the 22-year-old James married 19-year-old Sibella J. "Bell" (?) (1856-1903). Her maiden name may have been "Kreger" but this is not confirmed.

The couple produced 10 children, of whom nine are known -- Jennie E. Brower, Charles G. Andrews, Susan E. Andrews, Orville E. Andrews, Ivy P. Andrews, Vernon C. Andrews, Archie R. Andrews and Lottie Andrews.

Sometime between 1877 and 1879, after the birth of their eldest child, the Andrews made the decision to migrate to Kansas. They took James' widowed mother along on the lengthy trip and found a new home as tenants on a farm in Republican Township, Clay County, KS. James flourished on this tract, and in August 1882, in an article penned by a Wakefield friend in his old hometown newspaper the Somerset Herald, it was reported that "James Andrews came here a few years ago and rented a farm. Now he has his own farm of two hundred acres, on which he don't owe a dollar. Among his herd of cattle we noticed twenty-three head of steers for which he has refused $50 per head."

Then in 1901, James sold their farm northwest of Junction City to a cousin Daniel Younkin and his stockyards and two houses to Thomas Dixon and then acquired for $10,000 the James Greene farm southeast of Junction City, near the railroad tracks. 

Sadly, at the age of 47, Bell suffered a paralyzing stroke in the spring of 1903 after having given birth to a daughter. She lingered for a few months and passed away in late April 1903. Her remains were interred in the Highland Cemetery in Junction City, Geary County. In an obituary, the Junction City Weekly Union reported that she was "a long time resident of this county and lived in Junction City about ten years. She was a highly respected woman and had many friends who are saddened by her death." Fellow members of the Mrs. E.D. Watt Camp of the RNA of Junction City published a resolution of respect in the Weekly Union.

Early photograph of Junction City

James survived his wife by nine years and was considered "one of the wealthiest farmers of Geary County," said the Ottawa (KS) Evening Herald. The Topeka Daily Capital noted that "his farm was one of the finest in the county." It was said to contain more than 200 acres of rich bottom land at the edge of Junction City.

From 1904 to 1908, James served in the elected position of Sheriff of Geary County. He married again on Nov. 14, 1911 to Cora A. Brown ( ? - ? ) of Franklin, Massachusetts, whom he had met through the mail after she had sent a letter to the Topeka Daily Capital advertising for a Kansas husband.

Tragically, in June 1912, James brooded over the potential for a colossal crop failure on the farm. He chose to end his life by his own hand. Using a .38 calibre revolver, he went into his barn mid-morning, after his sons had gone out for their daily labors, and shot himself in the head, dying instantly. A prominent article in the Junction City Daily Union reported that his sons Archie and Vernon, who had been out in the fields working, came back at noon to stable their horses and found the body. The county coroner, Dr. H.C. Hannah, convened a jury which ruled it was suicide. Burial was with Bell in Highland Cemetery. [Find-a-Grave] The sensational news was published all throughout the state, including in the Topeka Daily Capital, Lawrence Daily Journal-World and Ottawa Evening Herald. 

Daughter Jean E. "Jennie" Andrews (1877-1939) was born in 1877, possibly in Somerset County, PA. She migrated to Kansas with her parents as a very young girl. At the age of 23, unmarried, she lived at home with her parents in Junction City, Geary County. A newspaper considered her "one of the well known young women of this city." On Jan. 24, 1912, at the age of 34, she married electrical inventor William H. Drummond of New York City. The wedding was held at the home of the clergyman who performed the wedding, Dr. A.H. Harshaw. The Junction City Weekly Union reported that she "has lived here practically all of her life and is a charming young woman. She met Mr. Drummond several years ago in Colorado." After spending some time in Chicago, they established a home in New York. The marriage almost immediately fell apart, and by November of that year Jennie had filed for divorce. A few years later, on June 3, 1915, at the age of 38, she married Frank Brower ( ? - ? ), son of W.H. Brower. The nuptials were celebrated in Topeka by the hand of a Presbyterian minister, and Mary Shoemaker and Lottie Brown traveled with them as witnesses. At the time, Frank was employed with B. Rockwell Merchandise & Grain Company. Federal census records for 1920 show the couple living on North Adams Street in Junction City, with Jennie's unmarried sister Lottie living under their roof. That year, Frank earned a living as a dry goods salesman. The marriage apparently came to an end, and Frank is believed to have married again to Winifred (?) and to have relocated to Wichita by 1930. Jennie died in 1939 and rests in her parents' family plot in Highland Cemetery in Junction City. 

Son Charles G. Andrews (1879- ? ) was born in September 1879 in Republican, Clay County, KS. In 1912, his home was in Colorado. 

Daughter Susan E. Andrews (1882- ? ) was born in January 1882 in Kansas. She relocated to Key West (Iowa?) and dwelled there in 1912.

Son Orville E. Andrews (1885- ? ) was born in January 1885 in Kansas. He married Pearl (1893- ? ). They had at least three children -- Dorothy Andrews, Archive Andrews II and Robert Andrews. They made their home in Colorado and Wyoming in 1912 and in San Diego in 1913-1915, where their daughter was born. A June 1913 Junction City Weekly Union article said he had acquired a "self starting appliance for motor cars that stands to net him a steady income for many years. Mr. Andrews purchased the appliance from the inventor, and has succeeded in interesting a California millionaire, C. Spreckels, in the invention, and he has purchased the manufacturing rights. According to present plans, it will be installed on every car put out by one of the big automobile companies next year," with Orville to receive $1 for each unit. By 1915, he traveled back to Kansas to attend the funeral of his brother Archie, but due to washouts along the railroad, he was delayed in arriving and missed the ceremony. The family apparently moved back to the Smoky Hill section of Junction City, Geary County, where in 1917 Orville served as local sales agent for the Saxton automobile company. He also went on cattle-buying trips to Kansas City. In 1920, when the 1920 census was taken, Orville worked in general labor.

 

• Granddaughter Dorothy Andrews (1913- ? ) was born in 1913 in San Diego.

 

• Grandson Archie Andrews II (1917- ? ) was born in 1917 in Kansas and named after an uncle who had tragically been killed a few years earlier.

 

• Grandson Robert Andrews (1919- ? ) was  born in or near Junction City, Geary County.

 

Daughter Ivy "Pearl" Andrews (1887- ? ) was born in May 1887 in Kansas. She married (?) McCoy ( ? - ? ). In 1912, her home was in Colorado. By 1915, when named in the Junction City Weekly Union obituary of her brother Archie, she was in New York. By 1915, she was no longer married but carried the "McCoy" name. At some point by 1922 she had moved to Minneapolis, MN, and suffered an illness of such serious magnitude that her brother Vernon and sister Mrs. Frank Brower traveled from Kansas for a visit.

Son Vernon C. "Verne" Andrews (1889- ? ) was born in December 1889 in Kansas. His residence in 1912 was in Junction City. After the suicide of their father, Verne and his brother Archie managed the large family farm of more than 200 acres of well-improved, rich bottom land. Then after Archie's tragic, accidental death, Verne sold the farm in June 1917 to T.B. Kennedy, taking Kennedy's farm on the Golden Belt Road west of Junction City. Kennedy then flipped the farm to J.R. Kreger of Geary County. Verne was married and had a son, James Vernon Andrews.

 

Elks lodge building in Junction City

Son Archie R. Andrews (1893-1915) was born in March 1893 in Kansas, but he claimed an earlier birth year of 1886. In 1912, he lived in Junction City, and after the suicide of their father, Archie and his brother Verne managed the large family farm. He was a popular young man and belonged to the local Elks Lodge. Tragedy visited the family again in July 1915 when Archie was age 22. He and a friend Frank Snyder motored to Abilene, KS, where they visited the George Etherington horse barn, "inspecting mules and horses they wished to buy," said the Junction City Daily Union. 

Someone mentioned the fact that the Smoky river was rising and had gone out of its banks, and Mr. Andrews made the remark that he would like to see it, as his farm here was close to the river and he was interested. Mr. Etherington said that his runabout standing there was not in use and Andrews could drive it down to the river. Andrews jumped in and took charge of the steering wheel and asked Mr. Snyder to go with him. The two men did not return in a reasonable length of time and Mr. Dalquist and Dr. Fretz commenced to get uneasy about their absence. They had just started out to hunt them when a man told them that an overturned car had been found. They hurried out and found the car overturned in a big ditch and the two men had just been taken out from underneath. Mr. Andrews was dead, and Mr. Snyder was badly injured. It is believed that the two men were under the car for at least an hour and a half, and perhaps two hours." 

His broken remains were laid to rest in the family plot at Highland Cemetery.

Daughter Lottie Andrews (1903- ? ) is believed to have been born in 1903. She was only five months of age when her mother suffered a stroke and died. Lottie made her home in Junction City in 1912. In September 1922, she enrolled in Lindenburg School of William Wood College at St. Charles, MO. Nothing more of her life experience is know

 

Copyright © 2013, 2015-2018, 2024 Mark A. Miner

Research for this page graciously shared by the late Olive (Rowan) Duff and the late Donna (Younkin) Logan.