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George Frederick Harbaugh

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George Frederick Harbaugh
birth: 1 April 1856 in Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania to George Henry and Sara Ann Eyster Harbaugh
death: 17 November 1931 in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana
burial: Fair Cemetery, La Paz, St. Joseph, Indiana

marriage: 26 September 1880 in South Bend, St. Joseph, Indiana
Margaret E. “Maggie” Long
birth: 4 April 1860 in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana to John Anderson and Elizabeth “Betsy” Troxell Long
death: 15 November 1944 in North Liberty, St. Joseph, Indiana
burial: Fair Cemetery, La Paz, St. Joseph, Indiana

Children of Margaret E. “Maggie” Long and George Frederick Harbaugh:

  • Oliver Delbert Harbaugh 1881-1949 1st m. Laura Bell Frye 2nd m. Estella May Lawrence
  • Bertha May Harbaugh 1883-1953 Wesley Irvin Berry
  • Don Nelson Harbaugh 1885-1973 Blanche Myrtle Foote
  • Dwight Thomas Harbaugh 1887-1973 Mayme Schroll
  • Infant Son Harbaugh 1889-1889
  • Rose Estella Harbaugh 1890-1980 Emmett Kelly
  • Grover Cleveland Harbaugh 1892-1962 Alma Ida McClelland
  • George Bryant Harbaugh 1894-1954 Elsie Wilhelmina Johnson
  • Mary Ellen Harbaugh 1896-1992 Harold Russell Deavel
  • Grace Alta Harbaugh 1900-1964 1st m. Charles E. Lynch 2nd m. Harold L. Higgins
  • Ralph Henry Harbaugh 1907-1992 1st m. Thelma Belle Shade 2nd m. Marvel Lyons

Ancestor here lived in: 

  • South Bend, St. Joseph, Indiana
  • Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana

Other Information: George Frederick Harbaugh was the sixth child and fourth son of George Henry and Sara Ann Eyster Harbaugh. Born 1 Apri 1856 in Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania, he was baptized along with his siblings Samuel Walter and Laura Catherine on 16 February 1858 at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesboro. George Frederick is recorded in the 1860 US Federal census as living with a neighbor, George Washington and Elizabeth Holbruner McGinly. It is not known why he was enumerated in their household. Perhaps it was a mistake and he was only visiting that day. Maybe his sibling Ella had died and the McGinly’s were helping the Harbaughs out by providing childcare; Ella’s tombstone is unreadable and no records remain of her birth and death. More unlikely due to his age though not unheard of, George Frederick had taken an interest in blacksmithing and was apprenticed out. Due to the Civil War and the family’s residence near the Mason-Dixon line, George Frederick may have been educated at home. There were nine schools throughout Franklin County, however, a violent incidence had occurred in a neighboring town and the Battle of Washington Township, the only Civil War battle that was fought simultaneously on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line did impact his family. At 1:00 AM on 15 March 1869, George Frederick, his parents and siblings, relocated to Liberty Township, St. Joseph County, Indiana. The Harbaughs were reuniting with George Frederick’s maternal aunt, Mary Ann Eyster Johnson, who had, along with her husband, William, gone out west from Pennsylvania with several parishioners to form a new community. George Frederick attended the newly opened high school in St. Joseph County and was likely in the first class to benefit from the newly instituted curriculum. One of his classmates was Margaret “Maggie” Long who he would marry on 26 September 1880 in South Bend, St. Joseph, Indiana. The couple was wed by Reverend Daniel Whitmer at his residence. The denomination of the minister was German Baptist. George Frederick had obtained certification and training and was employed as a teacher. The couple wasted no time in beginning a family; they would go on to have eleven children, ten who survived to adulthood. The family sold their first home to Sarah Shanaman/Sheneman for $2600.00 and purchased a 48 acre farm with house on heavily timbered land on 6 September 1882. It was located in Section 12 in Township 35. On 6 April 1883, fourteen days after George Frederick’s mother died, his father sold him 10 acres in Section 18 Township 35 for $1000.00. In Summer 1886 George Frederick had a new home built; he had his old home moved to acreage his brother John Elias owned. George Frederick farmed and worked as a teacher and principal for his remaining years in Indiana. He first taught at the high school, then the one room Lakeville School in Union Township, the Longaker/Brick School on the south side of Stanton Road, and the Nichelson School in Lakeville. By September 1887 he became a German teacher in LaPaz. By August 1889 he was the teacher/principal of the Yellow Bank School, a private school run by the Church of the Brethren. Later, he worked at a school at The Dices, and returned to teach high school at La Paz High. As a farmer, George Frederick grew potatoes, wheat, corn, oats, onions, sweet potatoes, grapes, beans, cucumbers, watermelon, lettuce, cabbage, rye, hops, and clover for animal feed. The family had an orchard of apples, peaches, and cherries. They raised cows, pigs, sheep and chickens. George Frederick was also active in his community; he built a fence at his church, Pine Creek Church of the Brethren, and dug a new channel under a bridge on the Yellow banks. He served on the Grand Jury in January 1886 and there are records that he voted. With teacher salaries low, George Frederick entered writing contests; he won a sewing machine for his wife in 1893 for the topic what a model home looked like. He tried to make extra money by canvassing old family silver, re-plating it and selling it. He also added a job as a Postmaster in 1897 and is known as the first, last, and only Postmaster of Harbaugh, Indiana because the train schedule changed the following year. In his leisure he enjoyed socializing with family and friends, fishing, bobsled riding and singing. In 1897 the family joined the bicycling craze. Like his father, he loved to travel to Chicago, Missouri to visit a brother and once, attempted to take a train to Florida during a school break but only made it as far as Georgia due to travel mishaps. World War I must have been a difficult time for George Frederick and Maggie as they had five sons of age to serve in the military; two of their sons were drafted and fought overseas. By 1920, George Frederick had retired from teaching and was farming full time. At the beginning of the Great Depression, George Frederick had paid off the mortgage and continued to work as a farmer, at age 74. In May 1931 he was diagnosed with sarcoma of the spleen. The illness proved fatal; George Frederick died intestate at his home in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana at 6:00 PM on 17 November 1931. He was age 75 years, 7 months and 16 days old. His obituary noted he taught school for 42 years in Elkhart, Marshall and St. Joseph counties. George Frederick was buried in Section B, Row 12 of Fair Cemetery on Friday, 20 November at 1:30 PM after a service held at the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren.

For further information on George Frederick and the Harbaugh family:
Lori Samuelson. Perseverence Amidst Adversity: The Ancestry of Three George Harbaughs. Amazon ebook, 2016.

Contact the submitter for a transcription of The Diary of Mary Ann Eyster Johnson.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Absalom Peter Helton

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Absalom Peter Helton
birth: 20 OCT 1836 in Bloomington, Monroe, Indiana to Andrew Helton and Hannah Jane Woolery
death: 04 DEC 1906 in Bloomington, Monroe, Indiana, USA
burial: Rose Hill Cemetery, Bloomington, Indiana

marriage: 03 Apr 1860 in Edgar County, Illinois
Elizabeth V. Clark
birth: 24 Feb 1838 in Harrison Township, Vigo, Indiana to James S. Clark and Elizabeth Ann Barbour
death: 04 MAR 1876 (location unknown)
burial: Edgar Cemetery, Paris, Illinois

Children of Elizabeth V. Clark and Absalom Peter Helton:

  • James Harris Helton 1861-1894
  • Carrie E. Helton 1862-1863
  • Luta Lee Helton 1868 – 1954

2nd marriage: 
Nannie B. Sanders
birth: 05 May 1858 in Spencer, Owen, Indiana, USA
death: 05 Sept 1899 in Atwood, Piatt, Illinois

Ancestor here lived in: Bloomington, Indiana on and off until death.

Locations where person lived outside of Indiana: Tuscola, Illinois, 1863

Other Information:

Real Estate and Insurance agent. His father, Andrew Helton a native of Tennessee, was a pork packer and merchant. His mother, Hannah Woolery, was a native of Indiana. They had eleven children. Absalom clerked in his father’s store and attended the State University of Bloomington. In 1863 he went to Douglas County, Illinois and opened the first hardware store in town and went on to real estate and Insurance agent. He was a Mason.

Submitted by:
Jenny Hawran
Email: JHawran@comcast.net

Sara Ann Eyster Harbaugh

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Sara Ann Eyster Harbaugh
birth: 22 Jun 1822 in Union Bridge, Carroll, Maryland to John and Mary Garver Eyster
death: 21 March 1883 in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana
burial: Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana

marriage: 13 Jun 1843 in Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania
George Henry Harbaugh
birth: 1 March 1823 in Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania to Elias and Mary Magdeline Weaver Harbaugh
death: 2 January 1909 in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana
burial: Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana

Children of Sara Ann Eyster Harbaugh and George Henry Harbaugh:

  • John Elias Harbaugh 1844-1899 Jemima Fair
  • Lincoln Mordecai Harbaugh 1846-1847
  • Mary Alice Harbaugh 1848-1931 Rev. Andrew Melling Rupel
  • Samuel Walter Harbaugh 1851-1916 Lozetta Rose
  • Laura Catherine Harbaugh 1853-1885 Daniel Steele
  • George Frederick Harbaugh 1856-1931Margaret E. “Maggie” Long
  • Ella Harbaugh Circa 1858-died as a child tombstone unreadable
  • Charles Victor Leo Harbaugh, M.D. 1861-1933 1st m. Elizabeth Swartley 2nd m. Frances Elizabeth Athey

Ancestor here lived in:

  • St. Joseph County, Indiana

Other Information: Sara Ann Eyster was the first of two daughters born to John and Mary Garver Eyster in Union Bridge, Carroll, Maryland on 22 June 1822. Sara’s father was a blacksmith who relocated with his small family to Waynesboro, Frederick, Pennsylvania between 1840 and 1850. It was there that Sara likely met her husband, George Henry Harbaugh; they wed there on 13 June 1843 only a few weeks after her mother’s death. Sara’s father is found living with Sara and her growing family in the 1850 US Federal census. Although John Eyster’s tombstone is unreadable, it is thought that he died before 5 April 1852 when Sara sold a lot to one of her brother-in-laws on Main Street in Waynesboro for $375.00. Of her eight children, two died young. Both had been buried at the Old Union Cemetery in Waynesboro but when the adjoining church wanted to expand, the graves were re-interred in a mass grave at Green Hill Cemetery with the stones purportedly in the same order placed close by. Unfortunately, both stones are in poor condition and Ella’s is unreadable. The children’s baptisms were held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waynesboro, except for the oldest and probable two youngest children. The oldest child may have been baptized at a German-speaking church at the foot of South Mountain near Pen Mar where Sara’s husband’s family attended. No records for that church remain. It is unknown why Ella and the youngest child, Charles, were not baptized at the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Perhaps, it was due to the looming threat of Civil War. The family did experience the Battle of Washington Township, the only Civil War battle that occurred on both sides of the line. The family incurred a loss of $81.00 in goods stolen by the Confederates but were reimbursed by the Federal government on 5 August 1868. The following year, the family relocated to St. Joseph County, Indiana close to Sara’s only sibling, Mary Ann Eyster who had married William Johnson. Mary Ann and William joined fellow parishioners from the Meadow Branch Church of the Brethren of Westminster, Carroll, Maryland in going west. Family records show that Sara readily adapted to the move to Indiana, visiting the community’s sick, helping out with church functions, and with her many grandchildren. She joined the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren and became an active member. At “6 oclock” on Wednesday, 21 March 1883, a day that had dawned “clear, cold, ground coverd with snow” in Liberty Township, Sarah Ann Eyster Harbaugh died of “a stroke of palsy.” Sarah was buried in St. John’s Lutheran Church Cemetery on 23 March 1883, following a funeral service performed by J. Hildebrand at the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren. The sermon was noted to be from “Luke, chap forty, fifth verse,” however, since Luke ends with chapter 23, the reading was most likely from chapter 4, “Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The female relatives gathered at George Henry and Sarah’s residence the day after the burial and “washd for their loved mother for the last time.” On 29 March 1883, Mary Ann “Went up to Saras to look over her things for the last time before the sale.” George Henry hired a sale caller and clerk who held the estate sale on 31 March 1883. Sarah’s family erected a tombstone on her plot on 11 September 1883. A white rose bush and flowers were added and the grave was tended to by family for years after her death.

Please see the following sources for much more information on Sarah Eyster and the Harbaugh family:
Lori Samuelson. Perseverance Amidst Adversity: The Ancestry of Three George Harbaughs. Amazon eBook, 2016.
Contact the submitter for a transcription of The Diary of Mary Ann Eyster Johnson.
Note: Church historians erroneously thought Sara and Mary Ann’s maiden name was Orndorff so the diary name is sometimes written as The Diary of Mary Ann Orndorf.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Luta Lee Helton

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Luta Lee Helton
birth: 15 APR 1868 in Tuscola, Illinois to Absalom Peter Helton and Elizabeth V. Clark
death: 12 OCT 1954 at Mary Alley Hospital, Marblehead, Massachusetts
burial: Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill, Massachusetts

marriage: 14 Jun 1893 in Indiana
Mark Shrum
birth: 26 JAN 1869 in Shoals, Martin County, Indiana to Frederick Orlando Shrum and Martha R. Horsey
death: 12 OCT 1954 in Marblehead Massachusetts
burial: Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill, Massachusetts

Children of Luta Lee Helton and Mark Shrum:

  • Merah Durham Shrum 1895 – 1972
  • Jeanette Matthews Shrum 1897 – 1988
  • Frederick Orlando Shrum 1902 – 1975

Ancestor here lived in:

  • 1876 – Shelbyville, Indiana
  • 1880 – 1897 Bloomington, Indiana
  • 1900 Patoka, Gibson, Indiana

Locations where person lived outside of Indiana: 

  • 1902 – 1940 Lynn Massachusetts
  • 1940 – 1954 Marblehead Massachusetts

Other Information: From the diary of her daughter, Jeanette Shrum. “My mother Luta Lee Helton was born in Peoria, Ill. Her grandfather was Andrew Helton, an Englishman who founded Heltonville, Ind. Her father was Absalom and her mother Elizabeth Clark. She had a brother who died young. Her Mother also died young and her father married again to Nannie Saunders.

Her father sent her to the fashionable St. Mary’s of the Woods because it was the only boarding school and I guess his new wife didn’t want her around. She spent her vacations with an aunt in Bloomington, Mrs. Seward, and an an aunt in Booneville, Mrs. Hatfield. Mother was happy at the convent & her father visited her often taking her chocolate candy which she was not allowed to have- She slit the lining of her skirt & put the candy there so the nuns wouldn’t discover it. The girls were all curious to know if the nuns had their heads shaved & my mother volunteered to find out. The nuns washed up in a cellar room & one day my mother hid in an ash barrell and found that the nuns did have shaved heads. She was especially fond of one nun who left the order and married. There were several Protestant girls and no attempt was made to convert them. They had leisure time while the others were learning the Catholic religions. They had no sports, not considered ladylike in those days but ever afternoon they could walk in the garden and a nun would bring a big tray with bread & mollasses – (considered good for them). We have a picture of Mother with her cousin Frank Hatfield that was reproduced 50 years later in the Bloomington paper and they happened to print it when she was there on a visit.”

Submitted by:
Jenny Hawran
Email: JHawran@comcast.net

George Henry Harbaugh

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George Henry Harbaugh
birth: 1 March 1823 in Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania to Elias and Mary Magdalene Weaver Harbaugh
death: 22 January 1909 in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana
burial: St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana

marriage: 13 June 1849 Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania
Sara Ann Eyster
birth: 22 June 1822 in Union Bridge, Carroll, Maryland to John and Mary Garver Eyster
death: 21 March 1883 in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana
burial: St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery, Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana

Children of Sara Ann Eyster and George Henry Harbaugh:

  • John Elias Harbaugh 1844-1899 Jemima Fair
  • Lincoln Mordecai Harbaugh 1846-1847
  • Mary Alice Harbaugh 1848-1931 Rev. Andrew Melling Rupel
  • Samuel Walter Harbaugh 1851-1916 Lozetta Rose
  • Laura Catherine Harbaugh 1853-1885 Daniel Steele
  • George Frederick Harbaugh 1856-1931Margaret E. “Maggie” Long
  • Ella Harbaugh Circa 1858-died as a child tombstone unreadable
  • Charles Victor Leo Harbaugh, M.D. 1861-1933 1st m. Elizabeth Swartley 2nd m. Frances Elizabeth Athey

Ancestor here lived in:

  • St. Joseph County, Indiana

Other Information:

George Henry Harbaugh was born on 1 March 1823 in Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania, the second son and child of what would become six children. By 1828, the family had relocated to Washington, Franklin, Pennsylvania. They are found in 1840 in Frederick, Maryland which was the ancestral home of the Harbaughs in the U.S. It is possible the family returned to Maryland as George Henry’s grandfather, Christian Thomas, was in declining health and died in 1836. They likely remained there due to the Panic of 1837. By 1842, the family had returned to Washington, Franklin, Pennsylvania. The following year, George Henry married Sara Ann Esyter in Waynesboro, Franklin, Pennsylvania. The family joined a German-speaking church established at the foot of South Mountain near Pen Mar led by the Reverend Appel. George Henry followed his father’s trade as a wagon maker. By 1850, the young family had relocated back to Frederick, Maryland but they did not stay long; the following year they returned to Franklin, Pennsylvania. Upon their return the family joined the Evangelical Lutheran Church. In 1856, George Henry had expanded his business to include cabinetry; the family was living in Welsh Run, Franklin, Pennsylvania. Based on the 1860 US Federal census, the family had once again relocated to Waynesboro. Deed records show he owed one lot in and one lot out of town. Waynesboro is located just a few miles north of the Mason-Dixon line and the family did find themselves in the midst of the Battle of Washington Township, the only Civil War battle that occurred on both sides of the line. George Henry filed a claim for damages on 26 July 1863 for losses occurring on 24 July. The claim stated that Rebels took 40 pounds of corn, 2 pounds of flour, 20 bushels of oats, 50 pounds of bacon, a set of carriage harnesses, two riding bundles, and a saddle. George Henry was awarded $81.00 on 5 August 1868 after he had character witnesses testify that he did suffer a loss. In 1867, George Henry purchased an additional half lot to house a horse and stable. The following year, the family relocated to St. Joseph County, Indiana close to George Henry’s wife’s sister, Mary Ann. The family readily adapted to their new home; the youngest children were enrolled in school, one of which was a brand new public high school. The family joined the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren which had originated in Franklin County, Pennsylvania. George Henry continued working as a wagon maker, though by 1873 he faced fierce competition when the North Liberty Manufacturing Company opened a large wagon making plant. By 1880, all of George Henry’s living children were married and residing in Liberty Township, however, he was not found in the US Federal census. It is likely, upon close examination of the document, that the enumerator erred and confused George Henry with his son, George Frederick. Fourteen days after George Henry’s wife died in 1883, he sold his land to his son, George Frederick, and began traveling throughout the country, visiting his siblings and returning back to St. Joseph where he rotated living with his adult children. Once he became a grandfather he was called Pap, and was known to be a hard worker when he stayed with family. They recalled him assisting with gardening, making fences, cutting wood, and helping with other chores that needed to be performed. When his sister-in-law, Mary Ann, became a widow, George Henry purchased a cow for $25.00 from one of his son-in-laws and gifted her because her own cow had died. Records show he voted in St. Joseph County and in his spare time, enjoyed reading the Bible. He was baptized into the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren on 12 September 1889. The Panic of 1893 and age contributed to George Henry becoming an arm chair traveler; he shared with family books such as Girdling of the Globe: From the Land of the Midnight Sun to the Golden Gate and A Record of a Tour Around the World. George Henry died at his son, George Frederick’s home, near Teegarden, on 22 January 1909. His funeral was held at the Dunkard Church on 24 January with the Reverend J. Hildebrand officiating. He was buried next to his wife in St. Johns Lutheran Cemetery in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana.

Please see the following sources for much more information on George Henry and the Harbaugh family:
Lori Samuelson. Perseverance Amidst Adversity: The Ancestry of Three George Harbaughs. Amazon eBook, 2016.
Contact the submitter for a transcription of The Diary of Mary Ann Eyster Orndorf.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Elizabeth “Betsy” Troxell

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Elizabeth “Betsy” Troxell
birth: 6 November 1820 in Montgomery, Ohio to Jacob and Mary Catherine Rauk Troxell
death: 16 December 1901 in Center Township, Delaware, Indiana
burial: Porter Rea Cemetery, St. Joseph, Indiana

marriage: 3 January 1839 in Connersville, Fayette, Indiana
John Anderson Long
birth: 14 November 1813 in Morristown, Jefferson, Tennessee to George Mitchell and Sarah Ford Long
death: 28 June 1874 in St. Joseph, Indiana
burial: Porter Rea Cemetery, St. Joseph County, Indiana

Children of Elizabeth “Betsy” Troxell and John Anderson Long:

  • Jacob John Long 1839-1914 Catharine Mangus
  • Sarah Catherine Long 1842-1925 Jacob Jamison
  • Lucinda Long 1843-1921 Adam Longaker
  • Jonathan Long 1845-1871 Sara Kane
  • George Mitchell Long 1849-1921 1st m. Mary Nancy Chappel 2nd m. Lucinda Waner
  • Thomas G. Long 1851-1852
  • William Long 1853-1916 Margaret Jane Nichols
  • Francis Marion Long 1856-1934 Priscilla Ann Livengood
  • Mary A. Long 1858-1950 1st m. Milton Elisha White 2nd m. Daniel O. Cramer
  • Margaret E. “Maggie” Long 1860-1944 George Frederick Harbaugh
  • Bemjamin A. Long 1868-1954 Effie Allen

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Waterloo, Fayette, Indiana
  • Connersville, Fayette, Indiana
  • Barrens, St. Joseph County, Indiana
  • Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana

Other Information:

Elizabeth “Betsy” Troxell was the oldest of eight children born to Jacob and Mary Catherine Rauk Troxell. Her mother died when she was 14 years old; her father remarried and she gained one step sister when she was 23 years old. Betsy spent her early childhood in Montgomery, Ohio. It is likely she arrived in Indiana with her family about 1829. The family relocated as her father was building a mill race on the west fork of the White River near Waterloo, Fayette, Indiana. It was there she met her husband, George Anderson Long. The couple was married by Elisha Vance on 3 January 1839 in Connersville, Fayette, Indiana. By 1842 the couple and their youngest child had relocated to land that was west and north west of the Barrens, St. Joseph County, Indiana. The family’s deed for the densely forested land was purportedly written on sheepskin. The family became affiliated with the German Baptist Church in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana in 1859. On 20 February 1862, Betsy found herself as a single mother when her husband, an abolitionist, joined the Union Army at age 48. At the time, nine of her children were still in the household; the youngest was age 2 and the eldest was age 20. Oldest son, Jacob, had married and was residing in his own household. Youngest child, Benjamin, was not born until after the Civil War ended. It is likely that her strong faith helped her through this difficult period. Family members recalled her favorite song was I’m Going Home, a hymn, that she sang as she worked. Betsy’s husband returned from the war but died when their youngest child was only 5 years old. Betsy was very close to her youngest daughter, Margaret “Maggie” Long Harbaugh and resided nearby, though she did travel often to visit her other adult children who were scattered across the state. On 16 March 1885, with her father ailing, Betsy relocated to assist him in Fayette County, Indiana. After his death on 6 April 1885 she returned to reside in Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana with her son William and his family. Sometime after 14 July 1901, Betsy went to visit her son, Francis, in Center Township, Delaware, Indiana. On 16 November 1901, Francis sent his siblings a telegram that Betsy was “at the point of death.” The family gathered around her but returned to their homes by 21 November as Betsy seemed to be recovering. On 23 November, Betsy took a turn for the worse and could only answer yes or no. She died on 15 December 1901 at 4 o’clock in the evening at her son, Francis’ home near Muncie. She had been paralyzed for 4 weeks less a day. Her body was returned to her old home in North Liberty Township, St. Joseph, Indiana on 17 December 1901 at 4 PM. Her daughter, Maggie, brought Maggie’s Aunt-in-law, Mary Ann Orndorf Johnson, to a private viewing as Mary Ann and Betsy had been close friends. A funeral service was held at the Meeting House, preaching by Br. J. Hildebrand and A. M Rupel. Betsy was buried next to her husband; she was 81 years, 1 month and 8 days old.

There is much information about Betsy in a diary written by her friend, Mary Ann Orndorf Johnson. The volumes are held by the Pine Creek Church of the Brethren. Contact the submitter for a transcription.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com

Mark Shrum

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Mark Shrum
birth: 26 January1869 in Shoals, Martin County, Indiana to Frederick Orlando Shrum and Martha R. Horsey
death: 30 June 1945 in 18 Clifton Ave, Marblehead, Massachusetts
burial: Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill Massachusetts

marriage: 14 Jun 1893 • Indiana
Luta Lee Helton
birth: 15 April 1868 in Tuscola, Illinois to Absalom Peter Helton and Elizabeth V. Clark
death: 12 October 1954 in Marblehead Massachusetts
burial: Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill, Massachusetts

Children of Luta Lee Helton and Mark Shrum:

  • Merah Durham Shrum 1895-1972 husband Oliver Goodell Pratt
  • Jeanette Mathews Shrum 1897-1988 husband Harold Potter Willett
  • Frederick Orlando Shrum 1902-1975 wife Helen Mary Newhall

Ancestor here lived in:

  • 1869 Shoals, Martin, Indiana
  • 1870 Halbert, Martin, Indiana
  • 1880 Washington, Indiana
  • 1887-1891 Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana
  • 1900 Patoka, Gibson, Indiana

Other Locations:

  • Lynn Massachusetts 1902-1940
  • Marblehead Massachusetts 1940 – 1945

Other Information:

This is from the diary of Mark’s daughter, Jeanette Matthews Shrum. “My father was born on a farm in Shoals, Ind. His mother was Martha Horsey and his father Frederick O. Shrum. There is a letter in the family bible telling of his birth and their decision to name him Mark – mainly because it was short & they did not give him a middle name. They both died in their 20’s of malaria – also a baby boy – and my father was taken to an uncle who had 10 children of his own and he was brought up by them. He had to work at an early age on his uncles brick yard. In high school his best friend was Fred Prow (later a dentist in Bloomington). One day they were talking and Fred said he was going to try for the county scholarship to I.U. My father who was quite cocky said, “It’s a good thing I’m not going after it because I would probably get it. Fred laughed at him as tho he didn’t have a chance – so my father went after it and won. He decided previously that he wanted to become a doctor. Once on a visit to a larger city he saw a doctor making his calls in a tall silk hat and he thought that would be great.

The summer before college he and Fred were sitting on a fence outside a dance hall & a very pretty, stylish girl danced by & my father said, “There’s the girl I would like to marry.”

Soon after he arrived in Bloomington, he was in a store when the same girl went by and he was determined to meet her. He discovered she was Luta Helton, living with her aunt and was one of the most popular girls around college. He joined Delta Tau fraternity and soon he was taking Luta to the college affairs. Then for some reason he left and went to Montana but before he left he told his roommate, Charles Hartloff, “Take care of Luta while I’m away.” Charlie did that so well that it was not long before Dad heard that they were engaged. Charlie was a weathly boy studying to be a doctor, too. Finally my father had a letter from my mother telling him all the news and at the end a P.S. “By the way Charlie & I have broken up.” It was miles to the nearest R.R. station and it was snowing but my father put barrel stoves on his feet and started walking to the train. When he arrived in Bloomington, Mother was a dance with another boy. He went to the dance, got a dance with her and asked her to marry him that night. He said he would go to her aunt’s & make arrangements. When she returned from the dance he had a minister there, who by the way said the marriage would never last, doing it in such a hurried manner. It did, however for over 50 years. Dad graduated in 1891 then go his MD from Louisville KY where they went the night they were married. He started practice in Ellesttville, Ind. where Merah was born. By that time doctors no longer wore silk hats.”

Submitted by:
Jenny Hawran
Email: JHawran@comcast.net

Jeanette Mathews Shrum

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Jeanette Mathews Shrum
birth: August 4, 1897 in Bloomington, Indiana to Mark Shrum and Luta Lee Helton
death: March 3, 1988 in Salem Massachusetts
burial: Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill Massachusetts

marriage: June 19, 1920, Lynn, Massachusetts
Harold Potter Willett
birth: August 26, 1894 in Boston, Massachusetts to John Howard Willett and Fannie Estelle Potter
death: July 2, 1973 in Swampscott, Massachusetts
burial: Linwood Cemetery, Haverhill, Massachusetts

Children of Jeanette Mathews Shrum and Harold Potter Willett:

  • Jean Shrum Willett (1922-2016) husband Charles Burleigh Wellington
  • Martha Lee Willett (1928-2017) husband Robert Loehwing Horner

Ancestor here lived in: Bloomington, Indiana and Patooka, Gibson, Indiana 1897-1902, Indiana University 1916-1920

Other Information: Lived in Swampscott, Massachusetts

Submitted by:
Jenny Hawran
Email: JHawran@comcast.net

Lloyd Milton Schell

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Lloyd Milton Schell
birth: 28 Dec 1867 in Parker’s Landing, Clarion Co PA to James Alexander Schell & Rachel Espy Bell
death: 26 May 1927 in Eureka Springs, Carroll Co AK
burial: Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana

marriage: 1885 in Lincoln County NM
Leona Mary Allen
birth: 14 Jun 1865 in Burr Oak, St Joseph Co MI to Lyman Sprague Allen & Mary Elizabeth Wren
death: 6 Sep 1937 in Honey Creek, Vigo Co IN
burial: Highland Lawn Cemetery, Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana

Children of Leona Mary Allen and Lloyd Milton Schell:

  • Albert Ethan Schell, b 1886, d 1952, spouse Cora Ethel Co
  • Charles Thomas Schell, b 1890, d 1957, spouse Gussie Mae Mellinger, spouse Anne Sherry
  • George Milton Schell, b 1893, d 1957, spouse Carrie B Henry
  • Edith Ida Schell, b 1894, d 1988, spouse Flemman van Meter
  • Addie Grace Schell, b 1895, d 1971
  • Mary Alice Schell, b 1898, d 1987, spouse William Franklin Higginbotham
  • Beulah Mae Schell, b 1901, d 1985, spouse Neil Allison Cantrell

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Honey Creek, Vigo Co, IN, 1914-1927

Other Information:

Also lived in:

  • Clarion Co, PA
  • White Oaks, Lincoln Co, NM
  • Finley Township, Allegheny Co, PA
  • Rochester, Beaver Co, PA
  • Effingham Co, IL

Worked as a miner, an oil driller, constable, farmer, and raised cattle.

Submitted by:
Vicki Schell
Email: vjsgenealogy@yahoo.com

Mary Catherine Rauk/Rauck/Ronk/Ranck

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Mary Catherine Rauk/Rauck/Ronk/Ranck
birth: 10 July 1798 in Somerset, Pennsylvania to John A. Ranck & Unknown
death: 30 March 1841 in Fayette, Indiana
burial: Smoker Family Cemetery, Abington, Wayne, Indiana

marriage: 28 December 1819 Montgomery, Ohio
Jacob Troxell
birth: 2 October 1797 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania to Abraham and Mary Rohrer Troxell
death: 6 April 1885 in Fayette, Indiana
burial: Robinson Chapel Cemetery, Fayette, Indiana

Children of Mary Catherine Ranck and Jacob Troxell:

  • Elizabeth Troxell 1820-1901 John Anderson Long
  • Joseph Troxell 1823-1845
  • John Troxell 1825-1911 1st m. Louisa Sampson 2nd m. Ann Elizabth Gruwell
  • Abraham Troxell 1827-1908
  • Levi Troxel Abt 1830-1871 Sarah J. Campbell
  • Jonathan Troxell 1833-1871 Eliza Jane Port
  • Jacob Troxell 1835-1906 Malinda Lynn
  • Mary Catherine Troxell 1837-1912 John Calvin Henry

Ancestor here lived in:

  • Waterloo, Fayette County

Other Information: Mary Catherine was born on 10 July 1798 in Somerset, Pennsylvania. The name of her mother is unknown. Mary Catherine and her sister, Elizabeth 1799-1825, were the only two children of her father’s first union. Her father remarried circa 1804 to Elizabeth Dumbaugh. About 1814, the family relocated briefly to Yadkin, North Carolina where Mary Catherine’s 4th step-sibling was born. By December 1819, the family had moved to Montgomery, Ohio where Mary Catherine wed Jacob Troxell. Although family records conflict on when the couple and their young children moved to Indiana, it was likely by 1829 where they lived on the west fork of the White River near Waterloo, Fayette, Indiana. It was there that husband Jacob worked to build a mill race. Mary Catherine died in Fayette, Indiana on 30 March 1841. The youngest of her eight children was four years old at the time of her death.

Mary Catherine’s step mother was Elizabeth Dumbaugh, born about 1812 in Pennsylvania. She was last found in the 1880 US Federal census suffering from rheumatism. She resided with her husband, John, in Buffalo, Union, Pennsylvania. The couple had the following children:
Jonathan D. Ranck 1805-1891 Hannah Saylor
Edmond Ranck 1807-1833
Hiram Amon Ranck 1812-1881 Clarinda
Nancy Ranck 1814-1878 Henry Long
Some family trees list Elhanan Ranck ?-1835 as a fifth child, however, that is unconfirmed. A Elhanan Ranck is found in the 1830 US Federal Census as a head of household in Center, Wayne, Indiana with five others in the household. He may have been the 20-29 year old male or the 15-19 year old male if he was born about 1810. There is a gap in the known siblings ages where he possibly fits. Also in the household was a male 60-69 and three females, 15-19, 20-29 and 60-69. An Indiana will is found for Elhanan probated on 7 October 1835 in Wayne, Indiana. It noted his wife, Elizabeth, and two brothers, Jonathan and Hiram. If Elhanan is in this family, his brother Edmond would have been deceased. There was no mention of his sister, Nancy, who would have been single. It is unknown who the others enumerated in the household were. If Elhanan was a step sibling of Mary Catherine and Eleanor, there was also no mention of them in the will.

Submitted by:
Lori Samuelson
Email: genealogyatheart@gmail.com