#13-2020. Nearly Forgotten. Living at the "Home for the Friendless"

#13-2020.  Nearly Forgotten. 52 Ancestors in a year

Mary Catherine Shaffner

Mary Catherine Shaffner also known as Catherine, was the daughter of Gabriel Shaffner and Margaret Maria Fetter.  She was born  the 20th of August 1857 in Manheim, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  She was the youngest child in the family of 4. Her older brother, John Martin Shaffner, was my Grandfather’s (John F. Shaffner)  father.  Thus Mary Catherine would have been my grandfather’s aunt.

Mary Catherine never married.  She lived with her parents living for many years at 401 Herr St. in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Gabriel was a hatmaker, a cabinet maker and even owned a grocery business. Catherine’s occupation is listed in the Harrisburg City Directory of 1887-1890 as a bleacher.  She and her father’s business, Harrisburg Bleachery, operated at 401 Herr St.  It is said that she took over her father’s hat making business when he died in 1891.

What is a bleacher?  At dictionary.com a bleacher is a person or thing that bleaches.  I suspect Catherine took in laundry to bleach.

In the 1900 census, Mary and her mother were living at 401 Boas Street.  

But I can not find Mary in the 1920 census.

In the 1930 census, Mary is living at “The Home of the Friendless” on 5th and Muench St. in Harrisburg.  There is no mention of when she entered the home.  She was 72 years old at the time the census was taken.

In the 1940 census, Catherine is living at The Home of the Friendless.  She is 83 years old.  And the census notes that she was living there in 1935.

(All census searches were done at Ancestry.com and Familysearch.org)

"Home of the Friendless". 2005

It is now the "Home Center"

Home of the Friendless admitted both childen (almost exclusively young girls) and elderly woman for the first 40 years.  By 1920 the Home was exclusively an old age home.  The Home is at Fifth and Muench in Harrisburg.  It was founded in 1872 by 18 women to provide a place for widows & orphans struggling to survive after the Civil War.  

Here is a link to the history of "The Home for the Friendless":

https://www.pennlive.com/business-news/2017/05/homeland.html


But what a sad name for a facility.  It is heart breaking to think that anyone needed that facility, especially a relative.  Catherine had no immediate family left, although she had nieces and nephews.  But who could have cared for her?

Dean Shaffner, son of my grandfather, John F. Shaffner, wrote on September 13, 1986 about a visit to Mary Shaffner.  Dean writes:  John F. Shaffner, Della (his parents) and Dean visited her (Mary Shaffner) in 1938.  She was in a rest home.  We stayed there for a night or two.  She gave me a gold wedding band.  It had belonged to her mother.  I was about 14 at that time.  I lost it at the homestead and always thought it fell through a crack in the floor of the bunk house.  Often wanted to look for it with a Geiger counter.  At that time I met Marybell Bixler.  She was a young woman then.  (Marybell was her Great-Niece)

Obituary from "The Patriot", Harrisburg, PA, Tuesday, December 3, 1940 states that Miss Mary C. Shaffner,  1901 North Fifth Street, daughter of the later Gabriel and Mary Shaffner, Harrisburg, died yesterday at her home.  She was 82 [83] years old.  Miss Shaffner was the last surviving charter member of Otterbein United Brethren Church.  Several nieces and a nephew survive.  Funeral service will be held at 2 PM Thursday at the funeral parlors of Hawkins, Inc., 1007 North Second Street.  The Rev. Charles R. Beittel of Otterbein Church, will officiate and burial will be in East Harrisburg Cemetery.  Friends may call between 7 and 9 PM tomorrow at the funeral parlors.

Information from the East Harrisburg Cemetery Company on February 25, 1986 lists Miss Mary C.  Shaffner, age 83,  is buried at the East Harrisburg Cemetery in Section 2, Lot 117

Catherine was nearly forgotten. 

I visited the Cemetery in 2005 and located her grave.  She was buried near her father and mother. My grandfather had many photos in his collection of family members, but there are none of Mary Catherine.  

We will not forget about our ancestors.

#12-2020. Popular Labor Day weekend in Dillon-1979

#12-2020 Popular.  1979 Labor Day weekend in Dillon, Montana!  A popular weekend!

In September 1979 I was in Dillon, Montana for the annual Labor Day weekend festivities.  It was and is a very popular weekend in southwestern Montana.  It is the County Fair and Rodeo weekend.  It is the weekend that many return to their “roots”, hold family reunions and celebrate the end of summer.  

Dillon, Montana is in Beaverhead County, the largest county in Montana.  There were and still are more cows than people.  My father was the veterinarian and had a veterinary practice in the county and parts of other counties.  His speciality was large animals, and cows were a big part of his practice.  He traveled to many ranches through the year, often eating in homes or cookhouses at the ranches because of the distance from Dillon.  Sometimes he was gone for a couple of days during calving time or fall rush of working cattle.  For many years the roads were not even paved so ranchers were very generous to provide him a hot meal.  

And so began the tradition of my Mom (Helen) & dad (Don) hosting a “feed” at their house in Dillon after the parade on Labor Day.  This was their way of thanking clients and friends for feeding Don!  It was common knowledge that Helen would have food available.  And of course, my sister & I grew up with many of the ranch kids, so our house was often the common meeting place for many.  She feed lots of people throughout the Labor Day weekend!

Since it was a popular weekend, my grandfather volunteered to babysit my son for an evening.  This would be his first time at Dillon Labor Day weekend!  Of course I  joined my friends and family in the local celebrations downtown.  The celebrations occurred in the bars up and down Main Street.  Meeting friends & relatives you haven’t seen in years, is always fun and requires a “cheers” or more than one!

On Monday of Labor Day weekend is the Parade.  It is the last day of the festivities with a rodeo in the afternoon.  It is a very popular day.  But since I had celebrated too much, I thought attending the parade was not a wise decision and it would be best to stay at my parent’s house & stir the goulash and help get things ready. Mom took Greg, my son.   It was normal to have 50 people descend on the house after the parade, quickly eat and rush to the rodeo which started about 2 hours after the parade ended.

This is my mother's recipe for goulash. 

She gave me this recipe when I married.

She made more than 1 batch for a crowd.

Since I didn’t feel 100%, I laid down to rest.  Yep, fell asleep.  Suddenly my mother was at the bedroom door, holding my son who had attended his 1st parade, crying loudly.  I woke up immediately!  My first thought was I had burned the goulash!  And believe me, mother’s goulash was good, expected at the lunch and heaven help me if I had burned it!  Through tears she told me about the jets flying over of the parade and that one had hit the grain elevator where the parade passed by.  In disbelief of the events unfolding, and that my immediate family was safe, I rushed to the hospital.  The human hospital.  Dad was on the board of trustees for the hospital & had already left for the hospital to provide help.  He even stopped at his veterinary hospital to get x-ray film.  I was a medical lab technician and I had worked with the medical technologist there.  Anticipating injuries and fatalities, I rushed to help. The lab welcomed me with open arms.  We prepared for a major disaster as it was common to have thousands of people in town for the weekend and at the parade.  People, who had ever been employed at the hospital rushed to help.  I said, I can draw blood on patients until my best friend is brought in.  Knowing she was at the head of the parade on a horse and the jet had gone down near the front of the parade, I was worried sick.  And then we waited.

Suddenly Dad came into the lab and said he was going home to eat.  What???  Dad leaving; highly unusual.  He told us there was limited injuries; maybe 2 or 3 with burns.  Imagine our surprise!  But a welcome surprise.  There were many things that happened that day, many positive things displaying how a small community comes together & works together in a crisis.  Some things were truly unbelievable.  

My husband who was at home in Huntley, was on a tractor piling corn silage during harvest, and heard the first news of the crash on his radio.  He knew my family always stood by the depot for the parade.  He rushed to the phone to call my parents house.  He was quite glad to hear good news that we all OK!

My family is standing in the lower right of the left hand picture.  

So a popular weekend turned into a popular memory; one I will never forget!  Nor will the town of Dillon or anyone who was there!  And I think of it every time I make goulash!

#11-2020. Luck. 52 Ancestors in a Year

#11-2020.    Luck

With genealogy, luck is a word often used.  Sometimes luck when searching for ancestors is a huge part of the research.  Was the luck due to good investigative research process, or the angel on the shoulder luck?  Sometimes, one never knows!  

Most of my luck was inherited.  The luck is in the form of physical information. With any luck, I have several generations of information, which might include the person I am researching or writing about.  Yes, that includes pictures that are labeled.  I have funeral cards, address books from my mother and grandfather, newspaper articles, family group sheets done by others, lists of families done by ancestors (before family group sheets were a “thing”), a couple of Family Bibles and stories written by my mother.  

My Luck is a thank you to my mother who inherited and added onto to her family history.  Long before computers!  My Luck is a thank you to my paternal grandfather who also kept track of family, labeled pictures and worked his grandddaughter, Donnee, to pass down family history.  He was prolific in writing his family history, or his life story, through out the years.  

The unlucky part is that seldom is there a citation noting where they found the information.  My mother always said when asked where she got it….”Well Aunt Gilla said”.  Apparently she was the expert!  But which Aunt Gilla?

Gilead Ann Jasper born in 1839 in Kentucky and died in 1934 in Philomath, Benton County, Oregon.  This Gilla was a sister to my mother’s great grandmother.  She must have known some of the history, first hand.  Was she the Aunt Gilla who "said"?

But there is another Gilla in the family.   Gillian Ann Lloyd, born in 1873 in Walla Walla County, Washington and died in 1947 in Tacoma, Washington. This Gilla was a sister to my mother’s grandfather.  And she collected and worked on the family history.  Was she the Aunt Gilla who "said".

Both Gilla’s were probably referred to as Aunt Gilla.  

I love this picture of Aunt Gilla Jasper Irwin and the story. What knowledge and information she had.  I sure would like to talk with her!

The article says that Gilla is 90 years old.  So the article would have been written about 1929.

But as the majority of newspaper articles are lacking the name of the newspaper as well as the date.

My luck will be earned finding it!

#10-2020 Strong Women. The Heath Sisters

#10-2020 Strong Women.  The Heath Sisters

I have always admired the story of Mary Heath and her sister Lois.  

They were the daughters of William Heath (a Revolutionary War veteran) and Polly Heath.

Lois Heath was born 1787 in Pendleton County, South Carolina.  

Lois never married

Mary “Polly” Heath (my 3rd great grandmother) was born on 14 October 1807 in Somerset, Pulaski, Kentucky.    

The birth dates are from family information, not confirmed yet.  

 Mary was married to John McHenry Jasper on 27 March 1828 in Somerset, Pulaski, Kentucky.   Seven children (Elizabeth, Andrew, Nancy, William, Thomas, Gilead and Lois) were born to Mary & John in Kentucky before they followed the trail to Missouri in 1841.  Lois Heath Jasper (who was named for her aunt)  born in 1841, was a baby when they journeyed to Missouri.  Another daughter, Minerva was born in 1844 in Missouri. 

Family story indicates that Lois joined the Jasper family after her father had died in 1829.

Tragedy struck the family when John Jasper died in 1845 near Whiteville, Missouri.  Mary was left with  8 children, the oldest, Elizabeth was 16.  In 1848, two daughters, Elizabeth and Nancy (age 16) married on the same day in December.  

In the 1850 (4 November 1850) Census, Mary was living in Tremont Township, Buchanan County, Missouri.  Mary was the head of the household at age 39 but she can not read or write.  The children living in the house were Andrew (19), William (16), Thomas (14), Gillard (11), Lois (8) and Minerva (6).  I have yet to locate her sister Lois in 1850 census.

In 1851 Mary's oldest son, Andrew as well as his sister Elizabeth Jasper Ownby & her family crossed the plains to Oregon.   Another daughter, Nancy Jasper Langston, losing her husband on the trip, crossed the plains in 1852.  Andrew came back to Missouri and escorted his mother Mary, her old maid sister Lois, and his siblings to Oregon in 1854.  The wagon load consisted of  Andrew, William, Thomas, Gilead, Lois and Minerva along with Polly and Lois Heath.  

Mary carried this tin of scrap material and notes in her pocket across the plains.

The family story is that after enduring many hardships and privations, much of the stock having died; when they reached Green River, Wyoming; the family stayed there while an older son went on to obtain food and supplies.  These he got from other members of the party who had gone in advance of the train to locate a home for the family.  The Jasper family crossed with an ox team, but not all of the family was able to ride at one time.  Gilead Ann walked the major part of the trip and carried a small baby part of the way.  Gilead would have been 15 and Minerva, the youngest would have been 10.   (I am not sure what baby she carried.) Lois, my Great Great grandmother was 13 years old.  The family settled in Benton County, Oregon where Mary’s daughters lived.

With children to support and feed, Mary often was a housekeeper or operated a boarding house.  

In the 1860 Census, Mary is living in the Butte Precinct of Benton County, Oregon.  The children living with her were Andrew, William, Thomas and Minivera.  The other daughters, Lois and Gillard (Gilla) had married.  Lois Heath is living with her niece’s family, Elizabeth and Jesse Owenby in the Lloyd Precinct of Benton County, Oregon.  

About 1864 Mary & Lois moved to Waitsburg, Washington where Mary’s daughter, Lois Jasper Lloyd and her husband A. G. Lloyd lived.  

In the 1870 census, the sisters were living with Mary’s son, Andrew Jasper in Waitsburg, Washington.  Lois was 84 years old. And Mary was 68 years old.  

Both sisters are buried in Waitsburg at the City Cemetery.  Mary died in 1876 at the age of 69 and Lois died in 1878 at the age of 90.  

The sisters had traveled from one coast to another—Lois from South Carolina to Oregon, while Mary traveled from Kentucky to Oregon—mostly by oxen team.  I can’t imagine the hard life that these women endured throughout their life.  But they survived.  The hard work these women did is the reason that their descendants were successful.  They did not know the word "quit".