Minerd.com Biography of Charles T. and Elizabeth (Younkin) Wable of Rockwood, PA

Elizabeth (Younkin) Wable
(1883-1917)

Georgia "Elizabeth" (Younkin) Wable was born on May 2, 1883 near Rockwood, Somerset County, PA, the daughter of William "Shedrick" and Caroline (Cupp) Younkin. Both Elizabeth and her husband died young, leaving two daughters as orphans.

In about 1902, when Lizzie was age 19, she was united in holy matrimony with 24-year-old Charles T. Wable (1878-1918), son of Hiram Wable of Rockwood.

They produced two daughters, Fern Vough and Ruby Barron in addition to an unnamed son who died in infancy.

The Wables resided on West Broadway in Rockwood. Charles was employed as a carpenter, and a local newspaper once said that Lizzie was "a devoted member" of the United Evangelical Church in Rockwood.

In the year 1910, when the federal census was taken, Lizzie and Charles and their daughters were enumerated in Rockwood, and were next door neighbors to Lizzie's sister and brother in law, Edith and George A. Miller.

Charles was interested in politics. In the fall of 1913, he ran for the elected position of auditor of Rockwood Borough on the Republican ticket, with his name printed in a list of candidates in the Meyersdale Republican.

Grief blanketed the Wables during Elizabeth's pregnancy in 1914. She fell and was injured, as was the fetus. The baby boy died at birth on Oct. 20, 1914 and was not named. His tender remains were placed into eternal repose in the Wable family plot in the International Odd Fellows Cemetery in Rockwood.

Rockwood's Main Street, early 1900s

Adding to the young family's troubles, as with her sister Edith Miller, Lizzie suffered from “liver trouble” and in 1917 became exceedingly ill. After three months of suffering, she died on Feb. 1, 1917, just shy of her 34th birthday. Her funeral was conducted at her church by Rev. G.W. Hetrick. She was buried at Rockwood IOOF Cemetery.

A year later, at the age of 40, Charles caught the flu, which developed into a fatal case of pneumonia. He died shortly afterward, in mid-October 1918. His funeral was conducted by Rev. W.A. McClellan of the Rockwood Reformed Church. He also was buried at the Odd Fellows Cemetery, and an obituary was published in the Somerset County Leader.

After the untimely deaths of Lizzie and Charles, their daughters went to reside with aunts and uncles, where they were raised to adulthood. One of their guardians was said to have been their uncle, William "Billy" Wable.

In about 1923, at the death of their grandfather William "Shedrick" Younkin, Fern and Ruby each inherited $48.74 in the division of the estate's assets.

After her parents' deaths, she made her home in Rockwood in 1920 with her uncle and aunt, Z. Edward and Nora Miller, when she was age 16. Thus she would have grown up with her cousins George, Florence and Oren Miller.

Sometime in the 1920s, Fern relocated to Akron, Summit County, OH, where obtained a job as a bookkeeper with one of the city's famed rubber companies. She may have been drawn to Akron by another uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. John P. Wilt, who resided there.

When the United States Census was made in 1930, the 27-year-old Ferne boarded in the Akron home of widow Elizabeth M. Welsh, an immigrant from Ireland. She earned a living that year by working as a bookkeeper for a rubber factory.

Ferne worked for the American Greetings Card Company in Cleveland. She made her home in Barberton, Summit County, OH, where she was a member of the First Lutheran Church of Barberton.

At some point, she married John Vough ( ? - ? ). The date and place of the wedding is not yet known.

The pair was in Barberton in October 1967 and made news in the gossip columns of the Somerset Daily American when visiting in friends and relations in Rockwood.

Ferne passed away on Oct. 29, 1987, at the age of 84. Her remains were returned to Rockwood for burial in the Wable plot at the Odd Fellows Cemetery.

Daughter Ruby Evelyn Wable (1908-1959) was born on Oct. 6, 1908 in Rockwood and was just age 10 when she was orphaned.

She was taken into the Rockwood dwelling of her aunt and uncle, Edith and George A. Miller, as shown in the 1920 census, when she was age 11.

In early 1930, at the age of 21, Ruby was employed as a servant in the home of George Knee and his unmarried sister Annie Knee.

Later in 1930, on Oct. 18, Ruby married Sheldon Maurice Barron (1901-1966), the son of Norman H. Barron and Margaret (Barclay) Shultz. She was age 22, and he 29, at the time of marriage. Their nuptials were performed by Rev. H.M. Petrea at Schellsburg, PA.

Sheldon was a coal miner, likely in or around Schellsburg, where their wedding took place.

The Barrons had three known sons -- Donald Barron, Dale Barron and George Richard Barron -- all living as of 1987. They moved circa 1929 to a farm at Lavansville, six miles west of Somerset and remained there for the rest of their known lives. They kept a "rearing" pond for raising trout for use by the Somerset County Federation of Sportsmen in stocking local streams.

The Barrons were victimized in September 1938 when their pond was poisoned by unknown culprits. Hundreds of dead trout were found floating on the pond. The body of water had to be drained and the rotting fish removed. Their farm was badly burned in a fire in about 1949.

When the federal census enumerations were made in 1940 and 1950, the Barrons were marked as farmers. They were members of the Lavansville Lutheran Church.

Ruby was stricken with colon cancer in 1958 which spread throughout her body. She died on Dec. 13, 1959, at the age of 51. She was laid to rest in the Lavansville Cemetery, with the Somerset Daily American printing an obituary. Rev. Dr. B.F. Bungard led the funeral service.

Sheldon outlived his wife by eight years. He passed away at home at the age of 65 on Oct. 28, 1966. Rev. Thomas W. Baker officiated the funeral.

Ruby is pictured in the book, Down the Road of Our Past, Book II, published by the Rockwood Area Historical and Genealogical Society.

Son Donald Ray Barron (1932- ? ) was born on Jan. 16, 1932 in Acosta. News of his birth was announced on the pages of the Somerset Daily American. He was a 1949 graduate of Somerset High School and then pursued the occupation of farming in which he was raised. In June 1954, he entered into marriage with Marlene Anita Gardner (April 24, 1937-2000), a native of Jefferson Township and daughter of Walter Bisel and Anna Kidella (Walters) Gardner. Their wedding was held in Oakland, MD, by the hand of Rev. Winfield Patterson. In a story about the event, the Daily American reported that the bride "wore a whyte nylon lace dress with high collar, full skirt and satin-covered buttoned bodice. She carried a bouquet of pink rose buds." Their union endured the ups and downs of a 46-year duration. They became the parents of three -- Rodger Allen Barron, Donald L. Barron and Scott Barron. The family spent their working lives as farmers, with their home located on Barron Road near Somerset. They belonged to the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church of Lavansville, where Marlene sang in the choir for four decades. They also were involved with the Bakersville Volunteer Fire Company. Sadly, Marlene passed away in Pittsburgh's Allegheny General Hospital at the age of 63 on Aug. 7, 2000. Rev. Edward W. Ebersole officiated the funeral. The widowed Donald outlived his bride by nearly five years. At the age of 73, he surrendered to death, also in Allegheny General, on July 26, 2005. An obituary was printed in the Daily American. Rev. Edward V. DeVore presided over the funeral, with interment following in the Lutheran Cemetery.

Son George Richard Barron (1939- ? ) was born in about 1939. He was a 1956 graduate of Somerset High School. He joined the U.S. Navy and in 1957 trained in Bainbridge, MA and Newport, RI. He graduated at the Great Lakes Naval Station in 1958 as a machinist's mate and then served on the destroyer USS Charles H. Roan, ported in Newport. Circa 1960, he was aboard the Roan during a U.S. Sixth Fleet tour in the Mediterranean. His home in 1966-1992 was in Acosta, Somerset County. George was joined in matrimony with Donna Nicklow ( ? - ? ), daughter of Wilbert N. "Bud" and Elva (Wable) Nicklow. One known daughter was Brenda J. Barron.

Son Dale S. Barron (1949- ? ) was born in about 1949. He was 10 years of age when his mother died. He also grew up as a farmer and in high scholl was president of the Somerset Chapter of the Future Farmers of America. In 1966, he entered the FFA's safe tractor driving contest held at the State Farm Show. Among his FFA projects were in his freshman year (two acres of corn, one heifer and one steer), sophomore year (four acres of oats, two acres of oats, a dairy calf and fattening heifer) and junior year (20 acres of hay, four acres of oats and one dairy heifer). He also was a high school wrestler in the 133-lb. category and finished his senior season with a record of 3-4. He received an incentive award from the Somerset County Pomona Grange in Kingwood in mid-April 1966.