1928

MARCH-8th-Arabella (Ulery) Crumrine wrote a letter(see letter details, below).

MARCH-20th-Emmeline H. Craig (Barr) died, at age 92, in West Beth. Husband David Craig died in 1912 in West Beth. They had two children: Hannah, and Samuel.

SEPTEMBER-10th- Louis E. Waller was born in Marianna, a son to Louis T. and Hattie Waller (Davis), according to his obituary. Louis Waller became the founder of Waller Corporation in Washington County, Pa. His grandfather, Luke Waller, was born into slavery in rural North Carolina and then became a sharecropper, raising tobacco. Louis E. Waller's father, Louis Thomas Waller, came north to work in the coal mines in the 1920's, and married Hattie Davis. They settled in Marianna and from there Louis E. Waller entered the stage of Washington County's history. More on Louis E. Waller HERE. Source.Source.Source. 

OCTOBER-7th-Eveyln Silver (Rosemeier) is born to Nick Silver Sr. and Thelma Wnek.

DECEMBER-26th-Dorothy Donahoo was born to Henry and Lillian Donahoo in West Bethlehem Township. Source.

NOTES-The Sowers school opens this year, and the Knestrick school closes.

NOTES

-The letter by Arabella (Ulery) Crumrine from Washington County, Pa (taken from "Ulrey Family of Ohio and Pennsylvania" by Laura Alice Buchanan Reichelderfer in 1950): 

 "My dear Mrs. Reichelderfer: - Yours of the 1st. inst. received two days ago, after following me up through several addresses. Cokesburg never was my address. It is a mining town a mile north of my home town--Scenery Hill to where it was forwarded and from there to my present address. I am spending a part of the winter here at the county seat with my nephew Eli Ulrey and family. "Surely I was very much interested to know who Mrs. Reichelderfer was and why I was hearing from her, but soon struck an understanding chord in reading the name of Ulrey and that being your mother's maiden name. "You have traced your maternal ancestry so accurately back to John Ulrey your great-great grandfather that I am able to acknowledge you as a relative, tho' remote, as I am a great granddaughter of him and very proud of being his descendent and further I am a granddaughter of Stephen Ulrey and a daughter of David. "My father David and uncles, Stephen, Simon, Jacob, Henry and Eli as well as my aunts, Margaret (Wise), Catherine (Mills), Hannah (Mahanna), Susan (Lilley), and Matilda (Ross) are all deceased as are many of their offspring. As for instance my father being twice married, had a large family--Joseph and Eli by his first wife and James, Elizabeth, Henrietta, Simon, Jacob, Rufus, Arabella, Isabella, (twins) and Sarah by my mother--Sarah Drake Ulery. We, the twins, are all that are living of our family. We were 18 months old when our mother died leaving an infant five days old. We are living on borrowed time having passed the 78th milestone February 23. This fact of our being the younger members of the family and nearing 80 will account partly for why so few are surviving. "Aunt Margaret Wise lived in this section until her children were educated and some of them married. They later moved to Illinois. There are not many decendents [sic]. "Catherine Mills had a small family and later moved to Illinois. Hannah Mahanna also moved west locating in Macon County, Illinois, where also Uncle Eli Ulery located. These last named relatives each had small families--Uncle Eli left a son Eli Jr. and two daughters--the son and one daughter are deceased. Uncle Simon and Uncle Jacob left no issue. Uncle Stephen is survived by two sons, Abner living in the old ancestral home on Tenmile Creek this county and William who spent most of his lifetime here has been living for the past few years at Steubenville, Ohio. "Aunt Susan Lilly who lived her entire life in this county had five sons and one daughter--the latter the only survivor. Aunt Matilda Ross, likewise a life long resident of this county, is survived by three daughters, all with families. Three sons, all of whom were married and had families, are deceased. "My sister Isabella, a wido [sic] with two sons, resides at California, 24 miles east from here. I am likewise a wido [sic] with one son. "Charles Ulrey, my nephew and brother to Eli, lives in St. Paul, Minn. He has attended two of the Ohio Ulery reunions. "Fifty years or such a matter ago, two of the Ohio Ulerys--were tall men--visited in this county and spent a couple of days at my father's farm--10 miles east on the National Pike. My brother James, father of Eli and Charles who have already been referred to in this communication, had our farm under lease at the time. This farm long since passed out of the Ulery name. I attended a funeral there a short time ago of an old friend, a Civil War veteran whose family and myself were dear friends. "Mrs. Wherry, tho' several years my senior, and I attended school together during the early part of the Civil War when I was about 11 years old. Mr. Wherry, her sweetheart, and my brother Jacob enlisted in their country's service some time during 1862. My brother was 16 and ran away to service. He had attempted it twice before. Father did not attempt to bring him back the last time. These facts of John Wherry and my brother being comrades for three years and their (the Wherrys) coming into possession of my childhood home together with the fact of several of the Wherry children becoming pupils of mine when I entered the profession of teaching which I followed thirty years united us into a warm bond of friendship which lasted until death parted us. Pardon this digression, it's not being pertinent to the information you are seeking. "I was almost sure when I began this that my great grandfather's name was John Ulery but reminiscing and collecting facts that I can recall of our pioneer forbears as have been handed down, I am inclined strongly to the opinion that my great grandfather's name was Stephen--one strong point in favor of the latter name is that many of the lineal decendents [sic] were named Stephen. "However, I will write more anon on the matter as I will spend this week-end in the eastern part of this city with cousins Matilda Ross Scott and Mrs. Nita U. Weir, principal of the First Ward school here. Will take your letter along. "It will not be amiss now to tell you some indisputable facts regarding our forbears. My great grandfather (be the name of John or Stephen) is the Ulery who lost his life chasing wild turkeys. He tripped, missed his footing and fell over a steep precipice landing many feet below impailing [sic] himself on a pine tree snag at the edge of a stream called Ten Mile Creek. Although fatally injured he gathered himself together, waded the creek, and walked to his home, quite some distance away, telling them of the accident and where they would find his gun and hat before he succumed [sic]. "The clan of Ulrey were noted for their strength, agility and for their power of indurance [sic]. They were born athletes, tho' not the cultured athletes of the present day. My great-grandfather was reckoned the most powerful man of his time where feats of strength were required. It was said of him that 'his word was as good as his bond and if all the world were like him there would be no need of courts and lawyers'. The Ulrey name has been handed down from generation to generation as one to be venerated, owing to their sterling qualities and love of justice and truth. They were out-standing figures in those pioneer days especially fitted morally and physically for the trials and hardships that confronted first settlers. "It is not known definitely just what year the Ulerys settled in this part of Pennsylvania, but I have been informed they were here as early as 1771. It is believed some years earlier. They came here from the eastern part of the state probably Berks or Bucks County and I have a faint recollection of having heard these counties mentioned when a mere child when some of the older generation were discussing the matter. "This seems to be authentic: the Ulerys (or Ulricks) emigrated to this country from the palatinate or Rhenish provinces of Germany. Who knows the exact date? Perhaps as you have stated early in 1700. However their entrance to this part of Pennsylvania was when it was still part of Virginia. They took up what was known as a "tomahawk" claim--that is blazed the trees as land marks to their claim of 480 acres. "Great grandfather Ulery and a neighbor on an adjoining farm--Christian Gayman (Gehman, the German spelling) rode horseback to Philadelphia to record their claim and obtain the patent for their land. This they had to do to hold their homes as some land sharks who coveted these rich farms employed an attorney to go to Philadelphia and contest the validity of the "tomahawk" claim. In the meantime great-grandfather and Christian Gayman were informed of the scheme, hastened to Philadelphia and obtained the patent for their farms before the attorney arrived. This patent on sheep skin parchment is still in the possession of Abner ulery, my cousin-son of Stephen Ulrey and great grandson of the Ulrey who lived and died in the stone house in possession of Abner whose great grandfather met the tragic death. "I am going to see my cousins this evening and will write anything additional that I may learn of our forbears. "March 10. Sunday Evening. "After a most delightful visit with my cousins, will resume the story. Did not learn anything from Mrs. Weir or Mrs. Scott, but they were interested and astonished in the amount of facts that I have collected and with the additional facts gained from your very interesting letter, they are wondering at our folks not having kept a family tree. They are urging me to take up the genealogy of our family and trace it from the entrance of the Ulreys into Pennsylvania to the present time. I feel very incompetent. Besides this should have been undertaken a generation or so back when it would have been easier to recall the stirring events experienced by our pioneer forefathers. "Mr. and Mrs. Weir, Matilda Scott and I went to Zollarsville (the old name for Marianna) this afternoon in quest of points regarding the early Ulerys. Saw the old deed, issued in Philadelphia for the 413 acres. The patent was made in 1787. Learned positively that Stephen Ulery was the original proprietor of the farm called the Cranberry tract. "So piecing the facts together, my great-grandfather was a brother of your great-great grand sire. Cranberry farm was so named because of its resemblance to Cranberry farms in the eastern part of the state. The Gayman tract was know as the flats while another tract owned by Mr. Wise was called the Pinaries. I am citing this just as a bit of local history pertaining to the pioneer days of Washington county. The farm evidently owned by your g-g-gf lies to the east of the Abner Ulery farm. Jacob Ulery, my uncle, subsequently owned it, and in the course of events it passes to one Owen McGuen and it is now owned by a Mr. Miles, who has added to the stone house a cement addition and porches to the stone structure. There is a family burial ground on the farm with a marker of a young John Ulery, aged 20, and other head stones that are lying down. One of his daughters promises to go to the little cemetery in a few days and examine the stones. Therefore I will await word from her before closing. "On our return from Abner's we stopped at Scenery Hill to interview Mr. Gayman, a man with a remarkable retentive memory although past 88 years. It is from him that I learned much of my paternal ancestry. He never tires of quoting granddad Gayman's reminiscences of the early days of the Ulerys and Gaymans. He corroborates Abner Ulery in that he who owned the Cranberry farm was Stephen Ulery. He also gave us the names of the men coveting the farms which I have mentioned, being Frederick Bumgarner and Thos. Enoch. "In looking over this story, I am impressed with the disconnectedness of the parts but I am writing them just as the facts present themselves to my memory. "Sunday Evening. March 18. "A letter received last evening from Abner's daughter is appended verbatim. "Marianna, Pa. March 14, 1928. "Dear Cousin Ara: - How glad I am to be able to give you a little information about our relatives. Nelle was so much interested that she went to the McGuen place immediately after supper Sunday evening. From the stones there, she learned that one, John Ulery, aged twenty years died February 16, 1831. Another with the same name, aged 58 years, died April 7, 1824. The latter, I believe, is the one about whom you were particularly eager to know. "If you hear from the Ohio relatives again, please let us know. "Yours sincerely, Edith. "Do you think this older John Ulery was your great-great grandfather? I think there can be no doubt of it. We relatives have thought it over and have come to the conclusion that a visit from you to Washington county some time during the coming summer would be a great pleasure to us and we hope enjoyable to you. It is not advisable to put it off as Mr. Gayman, Abner Ulery, my sister and I are all feeling the weight of years. "Sincerely, Cousin Ara."