From a Log kept by Lynda Lindbeck Mohney Davis as we got hooked on genealogy.
October 29, 1982
We have done it! Finally after years of saying "someday" we have begun to search our roots. And what a challenge it has become. Who would have ever thought it could be so interesting, amusing, whimsically sad, exciting, puzzling and so time consuming! Oh, how I wish I could afford to really search out my and my children's roots; to be able to devote my free time to it with out neglecting something else; to not have to work to help make ends meet. It would be great to be able to pick up and go anywhere you needed to in order to follow an elusive lead, which may just as often lead you to no where. Oh Well, I can still dream!
I have wanted to know more about my Swedish ancestors for a long time. My aunt finally sent my mother a partial history of my Great-grandmother Lindbeck. I glanced at it, laid it aside, and forgot about it, for months.
Then I've intended to search out my Father-in-law's ancestry ever since we first bought a camp in the area where Donnie's dad, Val Mohney, grew up.
Well, I was up with Kristi; Beverlee Connolly, my husband's great niece, and a friend, April Chestnut. Donnie was hunting and we went out driving. We went to Ridgeway to look for Mohneys in the Cemetery there. We decided to stop at the courthouse to see what we could find.
First we started on marriage applications. We found several, including Donnie's Aunt Anna who was marrying Elmer Rickard. We also found John P. Mohney. It was not until later after barely skimming over deeds, etc. that I found out this was Don's great uncle Pope. Now I'm going back & check over the deed and births more carefully.
Meanwhile, Kristi was going through death notices and found her great-grandfather, Silas Mohney. After that we went through delayed birth certificates and found 2 of Silas' sons. There are differences in the information. Samuel Rogers Mohney said he was the 6th child, 5 living & Tom the 6th child, 6 living. ( A son George died after birth.)Sam said his father was Paul Silas and Tom... Warren Silas.
We decided to go down to the Historical Museum and see if we could find any information. We struck gold. We found a copy of the May 1902 Elk Co. Advocate with the Obituary of Silas Warren Mohney. (It appears Sam and Tom were wrong!
From Pope's children's delayed birth certs. we find he was a woodsman, then a barber. Silas worked in the logging industry, drove the yard engine at Hallton where he lived, and this is where he died at 51 yrs. of age. He was going through a trestle without much clearance, & for some never-to-know reason, he stuck his head out & was killed. Donnie tells it like this: "Grandfather was going down the track when he passed a pretty girl. He stuck out his head, watching her, & was killed. The moral of this story is 'never lose your head over a piece of tale.' which incidentally , Aunt Marybelle (Marybelle Book Anderson) said was Uncle Red's (Wilbur Anderson)Anderson's favorite line! When we left the courthouse, we drove to Hallton and inquired of 2 people the whereabouts of the cemetery. All we had was a twp. (Township) Millstone. We found an old man who lived there all his life had just died that week. He may have given us some local history. We started a week too late!! The second person we asked was a former Post Master who gave us the name and directions to the cemetery. We expected to have a time locating the stone but found it in a few minutes. Silas, Margaret, his wife, and their 2nd son, Frank, are all buried there with a nice large stone. It only lists first name & years of birth & death. Silas 1851-1902; Margaret 1855-1929; Frank 1879-1900. Frank (Francis Murphy)died as the result of a gun discharging in the back yard of their home.
It is surprising what a wealth of information you can find in a short time! we learned that first day that Silas (We call the ancestors by their first names.) had 3 sons died- one in childhood, of an accident. We had located the marriage application of Anna & Elmer in 1892, yet in 1902 she was located by yet another name, Gulnac, Mrs. George. We found that Pope was a barber and woodsman. We knew he had a daugter, Helen, & a son, Don Pope. We had found out Silas' wife was Margaret McCamey, they had married 3 Aug. 1873, in Brockway. Silas was born 16 Jan. 1851 in Crenshaw, PA. A son of Valentine and Sarah Ann. Margaret was born in Karns City, Pa.
We were well pleased with our day's work. Next day we drove around some more and tried to find cemeteries, but didn't find any more Mohneys. We did find where a tunnel called Empire Tunnel was. For years, we thought Silas was killed driving through a tunnel, not a trestle. This tunnel is the only one in the area, so we walked 2 miles in to see it. Imagine our dismay when we arrived to read it had been built or finished the year after Silas died & is wide enough to have clearance on each side. It was worth the walk, however, as it is interesting and the children (girls) didn't mind the walk. (We had earlier gone rock climbing & cave hunting. We found a couple of Bears' caves- empty and not used recently, thank goodness.)
We decided we would go look up Don's cousin- rather his dad's cousin's son. He wasn't home but we found his brother's house. (Jackson Frantz) He was in his 60s and didn't know much about the Mohneys at all - only that his Grandmother had been one. He told us that she had been widowed- and then said it was his grandfather who had been killed! We were crushed. Our story to shock people not so!! Kristi said she was going to keep telling it anyway. (In the margin, mom wrote: Her husband Elmer was killed in a lumber accident.)
Anyway, Anna married a man with 7 kids & then had 3 more. She had twins, Zora & Zelda. Zora died about 16 years old. We found out her youngest daughter, Margaret, in her 70s was still living. We decided to go see her the next time we went up.
We got home and found Donna sitting at the table writing down her family tree from info I'd put in some books and papers she'd found. So there we were in PA, and she in Ohio, both starting our paths toward the same goal, learning about our family.
My children, like myself, have no grandfathers to glean stories of their youth from. Oh, to be sure, they have a grandfather Lindbeck, but he lives in New Mexico and they don't know him. I never new mine- one died before I was born like Donnie's granddad did & I don't remember Granddaddy Leavelle at all. They really hadn't been around Mother that much but did spend a lot of time with Mom Mohney. She used to talk a lot about the past. She's who told me about Mr. Mohney's death and other stories. She was a very knowledgeable person & enjoyed talking about the past.
But most of us know very little about family background. So were were hooked, all us gals, the same weekend. We're off & running and who knows what tales we'll learn.
On Oct. 22, we left early Fri.. Morn. Sun. Night we called Don's cousin, Doris. (Doris is the daughter of Valentine's brother, Samuel Mohney) We told her what we were doing and she said she would send us what info she could. She told us Uncle Tom's wife, Bess, was still alive. (Thomas Mohney was the brother of Valentine.)We planned to visit her the next Fri. I told Donna not to plan any babysitting- we were going root-gathering! We also called Mother (Evalyn Leavelle Lindbeck Garvin) and she said she would send us her Godley family tree. I already had the Leavelle, back to 1600 something so I was glad to hear she had the other. I wasn't aware that she did. Then we called Ladeen (Ladeen Lindbeck Ring).When she found there was a family tree, she wanted a copy. So I said I'd send it to her. She is all excited about the prospects of adopting a child. A young woman is going to have a baby, she's not married and wants to give the baby up. Hopefully, they will not be disappointed! Ladeen's branch of Lindbecks ends with her- at least she will not contribute, and Jim has no children either. What a shame.
The next morning, Oct. 18, 1982, Ladeen and Jim got a baby girl. She was born early Monday & they drove down to Memphis & and saw her Thursday and brought her home Weds. They have named her wither Susan Lavonne or Jamie Lavonne. Lavonne (Lavonne Lindbeck Taylor, mom's sister) found the baby for them and went to a lot of work & spent time making arrangements, etc. So at 47, Ladeen is a mother!
Thursday, I came home from work and the Godley tree had come- what a surprise. It is a booklet 16 pages long, going back to the end of the 1600's and early 1700's on both sides of my grandmother's family. (A note added later: Plus running both the Godley lines to 1600 something.) And there is a huge family tree, that has all the children (Grandmother, her brothers and sisters, their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren of Martha Alice Benton and George Archibald Godley, my great grandparents. Mother's cousin Carol did a super job. Even my children are on it. It is great. Now- how do I copy it! It is too big for a regular xerox. It is about the size of an architect's house plans. They make copies so perhaps I can get it copied that way. My cousin's wife wants a copy and I'd like to get Donna a copy and my sisters and brother. I took it to the laundromat & poured over it. I think it fascinating. 2 of my ancestors were just cousins- married each other. Another was murdered. Still another was committed to a institution for the insane. We had war heroes, a town named for a relative, Godley, Texas, and others. There was only a few blanks- wife that weren't known or only first names. The records were really well done.
I came home to find Donna had called her aunt Grace to find Bessie's address & she had given her information about Great-grandmother Mohney's family. Her parents were first cousins, like my ancestors, their grandparents were a Lord in parliament's son and daughter. Their mother was a Lady when he married her. They had immigrated from Ireland in 1832. It's getting more interesting.
We went to Oil City Fri. morn. to see Bess. She is 90 yrs old and lives alone and does very well. She is a tiny woman under 5 feet, & was probably a very attractive young woman. She had baked us an apple pie. It was delicious! Shaun had a case of either asthma or bronchitis. He was miserable. She couldn't tell us too much except she said there were two aunts, Aunt Line Callen & Aunt Grace Sibley. Her son Elmer came to meet us. He thinks that Val was red-headed I know I said that already! Elmer asked about Rusty. He remembers once Rusty stopped with an illegal catch of fish & he was tickled to hear he had been a game protector! She has 3 daughters living, 1 dead. Pauline and Fern came to see us. They were real interested & Fern said that she would help with the cost if we got a booklet together and print it up.
We left Oil City and drove to Brookville. We were looking for the museum but found a library instead. We looked through a lot of books and found several Mohneys mentioned. We made notes and xeroxed some pages. Shaun very fussy & cried a lot. I took him out for a walk.
We, then drove thru Crenshaw, where Silas was from & on to Ridgeway. We stopped by Elmer Rickards and told them we'd come over the next morn, then went to the cabin to light the heater and get supper. We worked awhile on our book.
Next morning, we drove to Hallton, and I showed Donna the graves, then we visited with Elmer and Maxine Rickard Frantz (his mother was Zora Rickard.) By this time we had found out that Jackson Frantz was mistaken. HIs great-grandfather, Elmer Rickard was killed when he started to pole a few logs into the river to start downstream & the whole pile shifted & crushed him. Elmer showed us family pictures & shared some he had doubles of. He named everyone he could remember. We saw Uncle Pope, Madge, Anna, Helen (Pope's daughter) Mayme and others. (A later note- "We found out Uncle Pope's daughter Helen was living in Sebring, O. and got her address.) We had a nice visit. They have 3 children, a girl of their own & a boy and girl they adopted., one grandchild. He and his mother just moved into their own place. We left there & went to the Ridgeway library. Here I found a book about Rafting on the Clarion River & listed the raft pilots. They listed Silas Mooney, Pope and William Mooney. Is William a brother? or is he really a Mooney? Anyway we know Pope and Silas are Mohneys. Perhaps William is too. We'll be watching for a William.
Aunt Bess had told us that Tom was named for his Uncle Tom-Mockin_ Machen- whatever, but didn't know who he was. He was supposed to leave them some property. We'll have to check on that with her.
We then went to Crenshaw & onto Brockway. We went to a Library there & found a 1978 atlas showing Valentine Mohney's homesite. 2 acres on the county line between Jefferson and Elk Co.
Donna went through some microfilm newspapers and found some mention or a Mrs. Mohney & Mrs. Cook visiting somewhere. I read a book on Ridgeway & it mentioned Uncle Pope and his barber shop. We have been looking for a history of Elk Co. which is supposed to mention Silas. The only one we find says some of the early inhabitants of Hallton are the Buehlers & the Mohneys. The Beuhlers were Swiss. I don't know if Russell, my brother-in-law, is Swiss or German but it's spelled the same. (Russell Beuhler was Grace Mohney's second husband.)
We drove around trying to find 2 cemeteries. The one we found had lots of Sibleys buried there but it was getting late so we didn't look through the stones. We didn't locate the other cemetery. We did find where the house would have been, and there is a house there. We took a picture, but don't know if it is the same house or just one built later.
Donna went home that night with the baby. He was feeling better, but still crying a lot. It made it hard trying to find things with him there. Donnie came up and we stayed till Sun. Cut and loaded some wood & came on home. I had planned to stay over Mon so had taken the day off, then Don decided to work. (It was his birthday Sun. and he could have taken Mon. as a paid holiday, or just get paid for it.)
Since I was off, Mon., Donna & I went to Pittsburgh to the Library, and went thru a lot of books. Donna found a John Moni who married a Jane Pope in the 1700s. Could it be! We don't know. They were married in Gloucester, Mass.
We then went to the microfilm room and went through the census. Donna found Silas in the 1900 census. It wasn't very plain or legible. It listed Silas, his wife 'Margrit,' 2 daughters whose names couldn't be read, Grace, Samuel, Valentine. It said they had 9 children, 7 living. Anna was married & widowed & remarried. Donna found her family. George and Frank were dead- but where was Tom? Was he living with a relative? And why the spelling of Margaret's name? As we were to find out, census aren't always correct. Peoples names are often spelled as they sound. I found a Linnbeck which was probably "Lindbeck" like my maiden name, but the 'd' is often not pronounced.
Meanwhile, I found Valentine in the 1860's census. He was 30 Sarah Ann 28- So he was born about 1830 & Sarah Ann 1832. She was a housekeeper, he was a laborer. She was born in N.Y., He in Pa. There were 7 children listed. Agnefs- 15, Edline 11, Paul S. 9, Thomas P. 7, William J. 5, Lizzie 2 and Olive 3/12- Agness (We found the 'f' was called a long S) was too old to be their child so may have been Valentine's sister, niece, cousin! Edline was probably Aunt Line. Could William be William Mooney the river pilot? I photocopied the census. Donna did hers but it didn't turn out. Then I found 1900. Valentine was 70, a gunsmith & had no one else listed at his home. Sarah Ann must have died, and it appears there were no old maid daughters. I got 1870 and I couldn't find him on it, the same with 1850. We were running late so we left. We wanted to go to Aunt Marybelle's and get the Book-Morrow history. We had a nice visit with her and copied the histories. There were several sets of twins & redheads. Family of Morrows were Irish- Van Eman and Glenn was Dutch- McConahy- Scotch & Book (Buch) German. SO on Don's side there are English Irish. German, Dutch, Scotch-Irish. On my side, Scotch-Irish, French-Dutch, Welsh & Swedish. Quite a variety.
We were well pleased with what we had accomplished all ready!
Tuesday night, I spent an hour at the Youngs. Library, waiting for Ken at Sea Cadets. I really didn't add much but found a Beaver Co. Bicentennial Book & copied the Wallace story as it contained my family (Leavelle) background.
Wed. after work I went to New Castle to see what they have. They have a beautiful new Library, with a nice History room, and a microfilm room. There was a lady there who helped me try to find Valentine listed in the 1850 census. I went through the census & found the 1880 census showed Valentine to be 58 & a gunsmith, his wife Mary E. 46. Age couldn't be right. He would have been 50 If he was 70 in 1900 and 30 in 1860. Also the first (1860) census showed Silas name as Paul S. so is Sam right?
(Sam, by the way, is named for Samuel Rodgers, his mother's grandfather.) Was his name Paul Silas or Silas Warren? - In the 1860 Jefferson Co. on the same page are the Sibleys. They had an Olive, too, age 8 & one man was Warren.
In 2 census reports we found on Silas, he had boarders. One was a Parker. The gun Valentine made Dad Mohney was marked Henry Parker, Warranted on the metal Perhaps a nephew or some relatives? Maybe one of the sisters married a Parker? Agness? (She wrote later "NO!.")
Friday, Dot watched Shaun & Donna and I spent 4 1/2 hours there (At the library). She researched Morrow ancestry and found lots of info on them. Of course, that was Lawrence Co. & they were from that area. We hope to go there as often as we can & search. We didn't find any new infor. in the census. - Except in 1850 I found a Thomas Makin. Could this be Uncle Tom? Maybe he married one of Silas' sisters.
We plan to take a couple of days and go to Brookville, Brockway, Crenshaw & Ridgeway & checkout the courthouse, museums & Libraries again & see what we can find out. We plan to check births, deaths, wills, deeds, anything we can find. Who knows what we will find.
November 10
Well, we made our trip to PA. Before we went, however, we have found a bit more census information and had visited Helen Mohney Olson in Copeland Oaks in Sebring. She is a lovely person, 89 years old. We learned quite a bit from her – She has two sisters living. One just died a month agon. (Wrong She died 2 years ago. Oct. 1980.)Her sister Vera lives in Darlington- since 1954. We couldn't believe it We still haven't seen her yet but hope to soon. Her other sister lives in Salamanca, N.Y.
From Helen, we heard the story of how Frank (Francis Murphy Mohney) died. He had been out hunting , & was coming down the hill when he slipped and fell, as he fell, he yelled & uncle Pope heard him, heard the gun go off. Pope had been carrying feed into the barn. He ran to him, and found his gun had discharged, shooting him in the back. (If Pope hadn't heard & seen what he did, people could have thought someone had shot him.) He told Pope he had shot himself when he fell. (This was in January 1900.)
Frank's head was down the hill. (When Pope saw what happened he had yelled for Maggie, Frank's mother, & she was hurrying there. Frank asked if she was coming, & Pope said yes. “Turn me so I can see her coming.” When Pope raised his head higher than his heart, he died without seeing her coming. How sad!
Then Silas was engineer on an engine going over the trestle at Arroyo (no longer there.) For some reason, he stuck his head out and looked backwards. His head hit the trestle, he was thrown from the train into the creek. (Spring Creek.) They carried him home but he was dead when they got there. Whether he was decapitated she didn't say, but I doubt it.
Next we learned Silas mother was Sarah Ann Mulkins & Thomas was her brother. They were born in New York. The family called her Sally Ann. When Pope was born, she was about 32 years old, and confined to a wheelchair. (Agnes was married to a Mr. Wilhelm then, with a child of her own, and she nursed both babies, one on each breast.) She died 2 or 3 years later. No one knew what her physical problem was.
By the time Pope was 11, his Dad had remarried a widow named Mary with one boy. In later years, Pope called her nothing but “old Mary.” (Mary Bundy daughter of Ebenezer Stephens.)She was so mean he ran away at 11 & went to live with his sister Agness. When she died we don't know, but she was listed on the 1880 census but not on the 1900.
We went to Brookville Mon. Morning & went through the records there & really found nothing to help us. We didn't find the death record of Valentine. (We had learned he died in the Jefferson county home and since we didn't find a record assume he died after 1906. Helen says he is buried in the same cemetery as Aunt Line- who incidentally was named Adeline. We have called the Jefferson Home bu they don't have records back that far & don't know who does.
Donna checked the war records and found Valentine was drafted in 1865. Since he died in what was the old Soldiers Home, he was probably a veteran. Helen's other grandfather, McFadden, was in there too. She also found him registered several times. Once in Belmont Mills and in Spring Creek Twp.
We went to Crenshaw & Brockway trying to find tombstones but had no luck.
We went to the historical society museum, but it was closed till spring. All were except Clarion and Ridgeway which we hit the wrong days! We went to Ridgeway the next day and Donna found a lot of births of Mohneys, including several of Popes which Helen didn't have listed. 2 boys were born the same day- John Pope and Don Pope. Were they twins or was mistake made and the wrong name given and then corrected later? Helen's mother died young, as did a lot of women then- delivering one child after another ! We found delayed birth certificates for Sally Anna Mohney Gulnac. We didn't know her first name was Sally. Also Aunt Grace Stauffer's marriage appl. Her name was Birdine Grace. Now we know why the family called her Grace Bird. She and Mary got married the same day – Grace was 21- Mary 23. Willis Stauffer was 24 years old & a teacher. Banfield Mercer was 24 & a laborer. Also Samuel's marriage license listed him as 24 and his wife Henrietta Messinger was 16. (Sam was listed as a machinist.) We also found Valentine's marriage in 1911, to Clara E. Mercer, 22- maybe she was related to Mary's (Mayme) husband. He was 21 and living in St. Marys, a laborer & she was a housekeeper.
(We had found a Thomas Mohney on the Brockway map in the 1878 Atlas of Jefferson Co.- later found Thomas in the 1870 census, the right age to be Valentine's son. He had a wife Hattie & a child Blanche. There is also a William listed, with only his age. We still haven't put all the pieces together.) (note added later: It is our Thomas. )
We went to Clarion Courthouse & found nothing we could use in delayed births. We never got to see the death records as some women had them for several hours.
Then when we were ready to leave, and Kristi had already discovered we had a ticket, Donna found a thin, dusty old ledger, and it was an 1852 marriage ledger. She found a Rodgers listed. She saw another dusty book & asked me to check it. The book was torn into 2 parts. When I opened it fell open to the death record of Samuel Rodgers, Donnie's great-great-grandfather. We were able to learn his wife's first name (Margaret) when he was born, when he died, & where, and where he was buried. It listed George and Susan as his parents & a William as his son. It didn't mention his daughter, Mary. He died in 1852. We were so excited. (Note from Donna- Shaun was pushing a car around on the floor and it went under the shelf. When I went to retrieve it, I found the 2 ledgers.)
We then went to the Library, and checked books there. I had found an earlier version of “Tales of the Clarion River” and looking through it, found a story about Silas Mooney and one of boys (Probably Frank) taking a raft trip down river. This must be the book Sam & Doris were telling us about. I photocopied the story and one about a William Mooney, and later discovered that that story told about the death of Elmer Richard (Rickard). Then we found where Perry Twp. Was (where Samuel was buried.) & we took off. We couldn't find any Lawrenceburg, so we stopped, & asked a lady who knew Parker, in Armstrong Co, was once Lawrenceburg. She told us where 2 cemeteries were. We found an old, rundown uncared for cemetery and a larger cared for one. We looked thru the smaller & we found his stone, a tall marker with an epitaph we were unable to read. We looked around & in front of it was a large bronze monument. The first name I read was Georgie Mohney. Then George and Mary McCamey and Margaret McNickles. Then to one side were two stones alike- one Jane & one John McCamey. We were thrilled for we only expected Samuels and never expected to locate Georgie Mohney's grave. We still don't know how long he lived, but long enough to be called Georgie instead of George. The other child evidently was a daughter of our Maggie' sister- so we know there were 2 girls at least. It was almost dark, & we tried to take some pictures. Samuel, Jane and John's turned out but George and Mary McCamey's was blank 2 times. It was almost as if it never was. Real spooky. (Note from Donna- I tried one other time with a Polaroid and still nothing! But a film camera finally captured an image!)
We stopped at New Castle Library on the way home, and just by chance I discovered George and Jane in Belmont Mills, Horton Co., in 1870. Maggie was 15 & she had one sister & 3 brothers. I also found Silas on the neighborhood, age 21 on the census, but he would have been only 19. Two years later they married, on his father's birthday. According to the date on the stone, her other was in her 40s when she died. We don't know where they were from there. Later we found there was another brother, Samuel McCamey.
Last week we found a Thomas Mulkins in the same 1870 census, listed as 83. The famly he lived with were Catharine Reedy, her husband & family, including twin daughters, Angeline and Adeline. If she was his daughter, Adeline may be a family name, for Silas' sister was named Adeline. In 1880 he was not listed so we have to assume he died. Then in 1910, I found a younger Tom Mulkin in Eldred, Pa, 74 years old, his wife, Lucy 73, married 52 years. This is Sally's brother. We would like to get a copy of his death certificate as it should list his parents and their birthplaces. Also Valentine's for the same reason.
We still have to find cemetery caretakes or someone who knows where hs is buried. I don't believe that there would be no stone, when there is such nice ones for Silas and Margaret, & for the McCameys. (who died earlier.) Surely someone cared enough.
We want to have Helen for dinner Thanksgiving if possible. We'll have to get in touch with her sister, Vera & see if they can come. Wayne and Eleanor (Wayne Valentine Mohney and his wife, Eleanor.) Chum (James Book Mohney) may if he's feeling better.
More Later.
Helen didn't come for dinner. She didn't feel up to leaving the nursing home. We went to visit her sister, Vera Sterling today, Nov. 27, 1982. She is very nice and so is her husband, who is a very tall, thin man probably in his 80s. We found he was born in 1904 which made him 78.
Dec. 14. I've gotten behind took time out to go deer hunting- no luck!
I have located Thomas Mulkin in the Jefferson Co. Census, 1840 & 50. First in Young Twp, then in Warsaw twp. The 1850 census lists Thomas and his wife Mary &8 kids- no Catherine. It lists John as the eldest & Sally as second. In the same census I found a John already married & living away, & also Sarah listed as Valentine Moohney's wife. Here Sally was 21 and Thomas Mulkins, Sally was 20- Valentine 24- Agness who was 5 or 7. If 5 and Sally 21, she would have 16 when she had her (which is better than being 13.) (Later note- 1860 census lists Sally as 28 and Agness as 15.)
When we visited Vera & Ralph Sterling, we discovered newspaper clippings in Pope's old Bible.
Obituaries of Silas and Nanna Mohney & a newspaper clipping of Adeline Callen in 1939- she was 90. She died in 1941 & is buried in Brockway “2 stones above Valentine,” according to Helen Olson.” We were there and had recorded her tombstone and didn't realize it. 3 or 4 of her children are buried there too. It (The Bible) said Val. died 1910 no month.
Kenny and I visited Helen Olson Thurs. Jan. 9. We went in the evening. She was glad to see us & remarked again about how Kenny was the image of his grandfather at that age, only his hair wasn't red enough. Earlier she had seen a picture of Donnie & said he looked like his Dad. She & Vera both said Donna is a definite Mohney, too. She told us about her hunting when she was younger and other stories. Vera told us Grace Sibley came to take care of them after their mother Nanna died. She was a large, very red headed woman. Her children were grown by then & she was widowed, I guess. Vera was the youngest and she said that Aunt Grace used to lock her in the attic so she wouldn't have to chase after her. When Pope found this out, he asked her to leave. She got a room in a rooming house & then later in the home in St. Marys. The day before I went to see Helen, I went to New Castle & checked the census. I found Grace Sibley & her family in 1880. She was 21, her husband Alvinson 24- a hotel keeper. 2 sons and her brother, John P. 17 years old. I checked upon McCamey & Rodgers. I found John McCam. Then were more children than George. But in 1840, they didn't list by names. I couldn't find any others besides George and Jane. 1850- they lived with Samuel and Margaret Rodgers & had 4 kids then.
I found an earlier note to be incorrect as I do so often when I read back. Helen says Valentine did not go to war, that his wife's brother, William Mulkins went in his place, and died there! His brother Thomas went to Virginia and brought his body home in a wagon, and had a wolf follow him the whole way. But we don't know where he is buried. Also Reid McFadden and his wife died at the county home, not the old Soldier's home. Helen has changed her story!
Dec. 14th. Donna and I visited Vera and Ralph. Ralph said his dad was probably from Canada. Ralph was born in New York and his father was an interior decorator. His father's sister was Mrs. Ott and lived in Youngstown. They didn't know that Maude Mohney's husband was Callen Sterling Bird. All they knew was Col Bird. We got a letter from their daughter, Nellie. (Millie?) She says Thomas and Hattie Mohney died early. Blanche and Maude were raised by others. Maud by a Frost Family and Blanche we don't know who raised her. Helen is trying to remember.
I haven't written here in so long . I don't know where to begin. We still have not gone any further back than Val Mohney & Thomas Mulkins. We are not sure if the Thomas we found is Sally's father. We need to find some proof.
We have found an article in the Wash. Co. History which tells that Samuel Rodgers was married to Margaret Cook. They had 8 children that we know of. Mary's husband is said to be George McKinney. She had a sister Susannah married to a George Harwood. Margaret and Same were born in Co. Donegal, Ireland. There was 1 brother William the one listed in Samuel's death certificate. He moved to Wash. Co. & it was his history we read to find the info about his dad.
We tried to get death certificates for Valentine & Thomas Mulkins, but not knowing the year of death, would have to pay 10.00 an hour to search records. We found out now that Valentine died in 1910, so we may be able to get his. We hope to find an obituary or something!
Vera had her dad's Bible & it had the obituary of Silas' death from another paper. It listed his name as Warren Silas and Silas Warren, listed his sisters, gave dates of his brothers', Jim (William James) and Tom's deaths, his mother's death, among others. It was a very flowery sentimental affair & written by his sister Adeline (Line) Callen's daughter.
We have visited different places in our search for family history. We have used library facilities at New Castle, Butler, Clarion, Brookville, Brockway, Pittsburgh, Beaver Falls, Youngstown, Ridgeway, and the Mormon Genealogical Library in Greentree & the Beaver Co. Historical Library in Beaver. We visited the Courthouse in Ridgeway, Clarion, Brookville, New Castle and Beaver Co. We have checked numerous cemeteries & checked over cemetery records- It has been interesting & rewarding. I never thought I would get so involved in searching the family tree- especially as most of my research is not even my own family but in-laws!
In my own research, I have added a bit to my mother's record, finding 2 grandmothers had remarried after death of our ancestor & finding their wills. Found a newspaper clipping from early 1600 about William Clayton being on a ship landing in New Jersey- a group of Quaker settlers. But am not certain he is my direct ancestor. On Daddy's side U have been told, without proof, that my Dad's grandfather Paulus Lindbeck was the son of a Prince of the line of King Gustav the _____. But I haven't tried to have this documented yet.
We have great confusion on the Van Eman line of Mom Mohney's family. We went down the wrong branch and really found a wealth of information going back to the 15th century only to find we followed the wrong Nicholas Van Eman We lost 2 good lines we had been following – Scotts and Agnews that way. We had one Van Eman as son of our Nicholas & he was son of the contemporary Nicholas. There are several Nicholas Van Emans each generation. It really gets confusing. We have found Nicholas I was born in Emmens, Drenthe Province, Holland- His name was Nicholas Emmens- Van was added after they moved to Washington County, Pa.- Van means of 'Nicholas of Emmens'- He died in Dec. 1781. We don't know how old he was. We need to get to Wash. Co. & find a cemetery- maybe we can find where he is buried. We have learned his wife was Mary Wilson born in Wales. At least one of their children was born in Holland.
Helen's sister Alma's granddaughter sent us copies of a picture of Valentine- of the 4 daughters of Uncle Pope and Lulu, Pope in the barber shop- Pope's obituary.
Helen told me about her Dad throwing Aunt Grace out because she mistreated the children- locking Vera on the 3rd floor, beating the boys with brooms, etc. Finally a Dr. told Pop if he didn't send his boy away, he would be damaged mentally. Then he sent her away. One day she came back & tried to force her way into the house & she & Helen got into a wrestling match, & Helen says she could have choked Grace to death if a neighbor boy hadn't intervened. It scared her badly & she tried to keep good control of her temper after that. But years later, Grace was ill & a minister tried to persuade Pope to take her in. Helen said he could but she would leave and not come back- so Pope refused. Grace had left her husband- years before & her sons had nothing to do with her. She died alone- about 1916 or so, maybe in the Co. home in St. Mary's.
We are taking a trip to the mountains in August.
We have done it! Donna found her “Mohney roots” in Clarion Co. We visited the historical society & found 2 sources listing Valentine as the son of Isaac & Eve Shaeffer & Isaac the son of Adam and Catherine Hilliard, dau. Of Frances & Christina Hilliard. At last, after 10 months searching, we have connected our branch with the Mohneys.
