Sunday, February 19, 2017

ZACHARIAH HOLLER > JOHANNES HOLLER m Margaret Low (2) > ISRAEL ZACHARIAH HOLLER m Susan Miller

You can learn about Johannes Holler and his two marriages and 13 children here. Israel Zachariah

Saltillo

Holler was the brother of George Elam Holler, my 3rd great grandfather.

The Johannes Holler's had gone from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, then Ohio and then Indiana, where they settled in Brown Township, Washington County. Brown Township was first settled in 1810. The first grist mill was built the following year. Saltillo village, where many of the early Holler descendants lived was platted in 1849 with 107 lots. Not a lot seemed to happen in this area, but it was known for its distilleries which would boom until the restrictive taxation during the Civil War. Many of the settlerS came from New England and New York, but the Hollers came from North Carolina.

Son Israel Zachariah Holler was born 28 Jan 1811 in Iredell, North Carolina. He married Susan Miller on 22 Aug 1833 in Orange County, Indiana.

The couple received the lands of his father. Johannes' Last Will excerpt: "and as for my son Israel Holler I have paid him in full in land and he has received in full of his portion of all my estates except one dollar before the date hereof;"

Some theorize that he received this land in consideration of helping his father on the farm prior to his death.

The couple had six children:

Jacob L Holler was born 05 Mar 1835 in Washington County and died 28 Mar 1872 in Clay City, Illinois.

Margaret E Holler was born 04 Nov 1836 in Washington County. She married Henry Rosenbaum 17 Jun 1883 in Washington County and he died 01 Feb 1894 in Washington County. She then married widower Nathan Wells, who had five children. He died 23 Dec 1922 in Paoli, Orange County. Margaret died 23 Dec 1922, dying within six hours of her husband.

John Wesley Holler was born 08 Jul 1839 in Washington County. He married Margaret Marshall Roberts on 18 Mar 1871. She was a widow with four children. They had two children; John Mason and Frank Milton Holler. John Wesley died 30 Jan 1892 and Margaret 30 Jan 1892, both in Washington County.

Sarah Catherine Holler was born 26 Jun 1841 in Washington County. She married Turns Moneyhon on 09 Dec 1860. He died 26 Jun 1864 in Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War. They had one daughter. She then married Ebenezer M C Neyman, MD, who was also an elder in the Church of the Latter Day Saints. Ebenezer died 03 Jan 1909 in Saltillo, Washington County. He was a widower with six children. They had three children together. She died 30 May 1930 in San Antonio, Texas.

Isaac Newton Holler was born 30 Aug 1849 in Washington County. He married Lucinda Ellen "Ellen" Case on 11 Feb 1869 in Orange County. They had eight children. He died 13 Oct 1928 in Saltillo and she died 27 Dec 1938 in Saltillo.

Orah L Holler was born 20 Jan 1852 and died 06 Apr 1853 in Saltillo.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Thomas Jefferson Smull Family: Dr. T. J. Smull, Jr.

HENRY SMULL > THOMAS JEFFERSON SMULL > THOMAS JEFFERSON SMULL, JR, PhD m Cora Anita Kemp

Click to enlarge

T J Smull is third from right, back row
ONU Football

Henry Smull was one of the Brothers Smull from Centre County, Pennsylvania. His son Thomas Jefferson Smull taught school and then decided he had a passion for the "mercantile life" and opened a general store in Mackeyville, Pennsylvania, a few miles from Mill Haven and Lock Port. He and his wife Harriet Transue had two children who survived to adulthood. Their son James Leroy "Roy" took over the family store and son Thomas Jefferson, Jr. went on to other things.

Thomas Jefferson Smull, Jr., was born 22 Sep 1875 in Mackeyville, Clinton County. He attended Central State Normal School in 1897 and 1898 in Lock Haven, playing on the baseball teams. In 1900 he entered Susquehanna University in Selingsgrove and also played baseball there. In winter of 1901, he entered Ohio Normal University which would later become Ohio Northern University. He was a standout in both baseball and football. In a football game against the famous Fielding Yost "Point a Minute" teams of the University of Michigan, Yost convinced Smull to come to Michigan on scholarship to play. Smull played five games of the U of Michigan's 11 games in 1904, but finished the season at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He had found that the academic schedule at Michigan just wasn't working for him and while he loved athletics, he wanted to get his education completed. In 1905, he returned to Ohio Northern as the Dean of the College of Engineering.

Dr. Thomas J. Smull, Jr.

Smull was instrumental in developing athletics teams at the University. He was fully in charge of all athletics from 1905-1908 until he asked that an Athletics Board be organized. He chaired that board for several years and was then named Honorary President and Advisor and served in that position until 1922. A good bit of what Smull did was to keep the play "amateur" by ending subscriptions by businessmen and ensuring that players were matriculated students. He helped in getting the school into the Ohio Athletic Conference in 1916.

He ably served as Dean of the College of Engineering and was fiercely devoted to the University. He and his engineering students were the driving force behind the change of the university name from Ohio Normal to Ohio Northern, to ensure that the engineering degrees didn't seem diluted by being issued by a mere Normal School. That change happened in 1903.

According to "Who's Who in America," was dean of Ohio Northern University's College of Engineering from 1905-17, executive secretary of the university from 1917-29, and business manager from 1929-42. He was also faculty manager of athletics. Additionally, Dr. Smull was a member of the Board of Examiners of the State Civil Service Commission from 1914-16, an appraisal engineer with the State Utilities Commission in 1915, and the senior member of Smull and Unger architects from 1912-30.

He was chairman and chief examiner for the Board of Registration of the Ohio Professional Engineers and Surveyors, a member of the Ohio Society of University Business Officers (president in 1941), the Ohio Athletic Conference (president in 1943), the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers (president in 1918), the Society for the Promotion of Engineering Education, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.

In light of his many contributions the T J Smull College of Engineering was named in his honor.

After his retirement from the University in 1942, Dr. Smull was employed as materials engineer for the Ohio Department of Highways. He was also city engineer at Ada from 1906-23.

Miriam Smull Parkhill

He married Cora Anita Kemp 28 Mar 1894. She was born 29 Dec 1879 in Ada. Her father owned Kemp's Drug Store in Ada. Mrs. Smull died 12 May 1946 in Ada. Dr. Smull died 15 Feb 1962 in hospital in Lima, Ohio.

The couple had two children:

Miriam May Smull was born 08 Jul 1913 in Hardin, Ohio. She married Edwin Parkhill on 04 Oct 1935 in Ada, but they divorced. She headed the catalog department of Ohio Northern University's library. She resided in the home of her parents after their deaths. She had a bachelor's from ONU and a master's in English from OSU and a master's in library science from the University of Michigan. She worked in several Ohio communities prior to returning to Ada. She worked at ONU from 1959-1978 and then held the title Associate Professor Emeritus. She had a boy and a girl with Parkhill. She died 25 Mar 2001 in Columbus, Ohio.

TLK Smull &
Ruth Rhyne Smull

Thomas Leland Kemp Smull was born 04 Aug 1916 in Hardin. He first married Roberta Spidel of Chevy Chase, Maryland 22 Apr 1944 in Washington DC. They had one daughter and divorced. He then married Ruth Rhyn Hoover Kiertzner in 1964. Tom died 31 May 1999 in Alexandria, Virginia. You can read about Thomas and his career with the precursor to NASA and then NASA and his second wife, here.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Henry Smull Family: Thomas Jefferson Smull

HENRY SMULL m Elizabeth Royer (1) > THOMAS JEFFERSON SMULL

Click image to enlarge

Henry Smull was one of the four brothers Smull of Centre County, Pennsylvania. He was married twice. His second wife was Catherine Kreamer. They had five children after their marriage. His first wife was Elizabeth Royer, whom he married 11 Dec 1834. They had seven children. Elizabeth died on 26 May 1834 of complications of the birth of her seventh child, Thomas Jefferson Smull, the subject of this article. Thomas had been born 24 May 1834.

When he was a few days old he was sent to his grandfather Christopher Royer to be raised. He
attended public school. At age 15, after the death of his grandfather, he lived with his cousin Samuel Royer in Nittany Valley. It was during this time, he learned to speak English. Rebersburg was a German community. He continued his education while there and after he completed that, he taught for eleven terms in various schools in the area.

I have a feeling this is the location of the second
Smull store in Mackeyville

In 1857 he went for a brief few months to Valley Falls, Kansas and in 1859 he went to Illinois for a year, where he taught one year in Stephenson County. Many Smull relatives lived in Stephenson county during this time. On the way back to Pennsylvania, he stopped in Ohio and Philadelphia, where discovered a "desire to enter mercantile life." He took a clerk job in Lamar Township in Clinton County near Porter Township.

The Civil War interrupted his life in mercantile and he served briefly as a private in the 28th Pennsylvania Volunteers and was honorably discharged.

In 1866, he formed a mercantile partnership of Beck, Smull & Co. in Hamburg (which became Mackeyville) for a year. That business did not succeed. Smull had started another venture the same year with F E Hays, which continued to 1870 when Smull bought Hays out. Being successful, Smull built a new store house to handle the volume of business in 1874.

Thomas Jefferson "Jeff" Smull married Harriet Transue on 01 Feb 1873 in Hublersburg, Pennsylvania, daughter of Peter Transue, a prominent farmer and his wife Elizabeth Best.

In 1889, his store was destroyed by a flood, costing $6,000 in complete loss. Interestingly, the safe was found two years later below Mackeyville. Though he had no debt, this left him nearly penniless.
Smull's reputation for good character allowed him to meet up with a Mr McDowell, who allowed Smull to buy a piece of property on the opposite end of town from his previous location and had good enough credit to rebuild.

Their final years were spent in Clinton County. Jeff died 10 May 1926 in Porter and Harriet died 24 Dec 1916.

They had four children; one died as an infant and another at 18 months. The two surviving children were:

Dr. Thomas Jefferson Smull, Jr., was born 22 Sep 1875 in Mackeyville. He married Cora Anita Kemp, daughter of David and Laura Kemp on 28 Mar 1894. She was born 28 Dec 1879. They also had two children: Miriam May and Thomas LK Smull. Dr. Smull died 15 Feb 1962 in Lima, Allen County, Ohio. Cora died 12 May 1946 in Ada, Hardin County, Ohio. I'll be writing more about Dr. Smull.

James Leroy "Roy" Smull, was born 07 Jun 1879 in Mackeyville. He married Hope Bower, born in 1882 in Pennsylvania. Roy clerked in his dad's store and later ran the Smull General Store and post office previously owned by his father. In 1933, he was named as a state Fish Board Commissioner. In 1946, Roy sold the store to Fred Kyle, who abruptly changed his plans and sold the store to Mr & Mrs Richard Edler. Smull was still acting as postmaster. Once the Edlers took possession in August of that year, the Smulls moved to live with their daughter in Schenectady. They had one child, Harriet A. Smull. Roy died 21 Dec 1963 in Williamsport, Lycoming, Pennsylvania and Harriet died 03 Apr 1952 in Schenectady, New York.

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

William Hollar's Not So Fortunate Kids

Paul Hollar's Tragic Home Explosion, 1969

ZACHARIAH HELLER/HOLLER/HOLLAR > JOHANNES HOLLAR > GEORGE ELAM HOLLAR m Lucy Robertson (who then married Nathan Poyner) > WESLEY HOLLAR > ISAAC WALTER HOLLAR > WILLIAM HOLLAR

Isaac Walter Hollar ended up being raised by his grandmother and her second husband, the founder of Poyner Township in Black Hawk County. You can read about it here. Isaac's seven children fared pretty well, overall. Oldest son William, born 06 Dec 1878 in Poyner Township married Sarah Zarr in 1902 in Manchester, Delaware County, Iowa, where he had spent most of his childhood. After their marriage, they spent a few years in Waterloo before 1913 and then moved to Nashua, in Chickasaw County, where they remained for most of their lives.

William was a bricklayer who did masonry work and helped build many of the buildings in Nashua. He then became a tile contractor and retired about 1949. Sarah died in 1965 and William died in a Charles City nursing home on 28 Jun 1969 at the age of 90.

Young Walter Hollar Killed by Train

They had seven children, but the boys did not live long lives - two were tragically killed. The oldest boy, Walter, who was nine years old, was killed after being hit by a train while playing with his friends on 20 Oct 1914. He had been visiting his grandparents in Manchester when it happened.

Then, bachelor son Paul, born in 1909, was killed when his entire small frame house exploded the morning of 03 Dec 1974. They found his body in the rubble. It is believed that a gas cook stove might have been the cause. He was 65 years old.

Brother Clayton Hollar's wife saw the house go up from her kitchen window. Clayton had returned in 1962 from years living in Shrevesport, LA at the behest of his mother after their brother Lee's death at age 53 from cancer in 1960. Clayton ended up getting a job on his return with Oliver Co in Charles City and then to Koehring-Bantam in Waverly before being struck with a chronic and debilitating condition that ultimately caused his death in July of 1979 at the age of 62.

Florence Hollar Baldwin lived to the ripe age of 95, dying in Independence on 13 Jul 2007, after living for years in Bettendorf, Iowa. Her husband Elton died 02 Apr 1982 in Scott County.

Sister Marian lived to 87, dying 28 Jan 2006 in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She outlived her first husband, Dayton Lang, who died 23 Mar 1974 in Waterloo and her second husband, Orval Robert Goldsworth survived her, dying 28 Mar 2011 in Cedar Rapids.

Finally, oldest daughter, Pearl Phillips, who had moved west to Arizona, died at 73 in Phoenix on 18 Sep 1976.

Saturday, February 4, 2017

James Bergey Smull Family: Judson Gray Smull, Sr

JESSE SMULL > JAMES BERGEY SMULL > JUDSON GRAY SMULL, SR m Margaret Erwin

Click image to enlarge

Judson G Smull, Sr at Lehigh University

Judson Gray Smull was born 02 May 1882 to James Bergey Smull and Louise McGarvey. He was born and raised in Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania. He married Margaret Montgomery Erwin,who was born 23 Sep 1880 in Bethlehem in Blair County.

Judson attended Altoona High School and then got his bachelor's in chemistry from Lehigh University in 1906. He went on to get his master of science degree in 1921. He belonged to Tau Omega and was business manager of the student newspaper.

For many years, he worked as the chief chemist at the New Jersey Zinc Co in Franklin, New Jersey and worked as an investigator in the research laboratory of the National Lead Company. He conducted various studies in Linseed oil research. In 1919, he started on the faculty of Lehigh University, working his way up to professor.

He was a charter member of Sigma Xi at Lehigh and was affiliated with the American Chemical Society, the American Electro-Chemical Society and the American Association of University Professors. He also advised for Alph Rho chapter of ATO fraternity. He served on the board of the Moravian Prep school, was active in the Boy Scouts, and belonged to the Central Moravian church.

August Werft
Captain
Lacrosse Team at
Lehigh U 1931

Mrs. Smull died 16 Feb 1917 at her home in Richmond Hills, Long Island and was brought to Bethlehem for burial. She was 36 years old.

Professor Smull died 21 Apr 1978 at age 95 in Bethlehem.

The two children of this marriage were:

Louise Smull, born about 1908 in New Jersey. She was a graduate of Moravian College. At some point, she became the second wife of US Steel coal operations executive and Lehigh-graduated mining engineer August Werft. They retired to Sarasota, Florida. She died 16 Aug 1992. August died 15 Jan 1987. If she was married previous to this, I've been unable to locate that information.

Judson Gray Smull, Jr. was born 03 Jul 1913 in New York. He married Gertrude Miller, born in 1914 in Bethlehem, on 04 Sep 1937 in Bethlehem. Judson also graduated from Lehigh. Judson died 18 Jun 1979 and Grace died 03 Feb 2015. They had five children.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Jesse Smull Family: James Bergey Smull

JESSE SMULL > JAMES BERGEY SMULL m Louise Garvey

Click image to enlarge

Jesse Smull, one of the Brothers Smull of Brush Valley in Centre County, Pennsylvania, moved fairly early on to Montgomery and then Chester County, Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Mary Bergey, had nine children. Jesse died tragically in an industrial accident. You can read about his brother, Henry Bergey Smull here.

330 23rd Ave Altoona

Son James Bergey Smull was born 30 Sep 1852 in Spring City. On 06 Oct 1880, he married Louis McGarvey, daughter of William McGarvey and Mary Gray. She was born 13 Aug 1861 in Blair County. Smull came to Altoona in 1877. He began working in the shoe repair business prior to arrival in Altoona, when he was 13 years old. For 18 years, he worked for J B Smith.

Early on, they resided at 1212 17th Ave in Altoona. His shoe shop, Smull's Shoe Shop, was located at 1504 12th Ave. He worked in several locations in this vicinity over the course of his career including his final location at 1109 14th St. In early days, before machinery, he employed up to 10 shoemakers of the highest skill. The shop was a thriving concern that was in business until his retirement in 1931. In their old age, they resided at Lake Altoona on the Kittanning Trail Highway where James liked to garden. That place was on the old McGarvey homestead farm. Louise sold that farm in 1937. Before their deaths, they lived at 330 23rd Ave in Altoona. James lived until 20 Sep 1940, when he died of heart issues. His wife, Louise, died 19 Oct 1944.

The Smull's had four children:;

1. Judson Gray Smull was born on 02 May 1882 in Altoona. He married Margaret Erwin, who was born 23 Sep 1880 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. They had two children, Louise and Judson Gray, Jr. I'll be writing about him separately. He died 21 Apr 1978 in Bethlehem and Margaret died 16 Feb 1917 in Long Island.

2. William Penn Smull was born 30 Sep 1883 in Altoona. He married Eleanor M Smith of Italy and it appears they divorced. WP Smull held Patent 2,793,610 for a multipoint moistener for gummed labels. He resided in Gettysburg and died Altoona in Apr 1967.

3. Mary Victoria Louise Smull was born 09 Oct 1886 in Altoona. She married Frank Jesse Varner who was born 29 Mar 1884 in Juniata County, Pennsylvania. They had two children: Virginia Louise Varner and Franklin Smull Varner. Frank died 30 Jun 1959 in Huntingdon and Mary died 30 Mar 1956 Huntingdon.

4. Jesse McGarvey Smull was born 26 Sep 1891 in Altoona. Jesse married Mary Etta "Etta" Robison. They had four children: Marian, Beatrice, Virginia, and Frances. Jesse died in Feb 1967 and Etta on 19 Aug 1973.

Me. Here. Right Now.

Sunday, February 19, 2017

Munson Family Stories

THE ORIGINAL MUNSON IN AMERICA, CAPTAIN THOMAS MUNSON

SAMUEL MUNSON II
Samuel is the son of William. William is the first member of Clan William. The clans are made up of the great grandchildren of the immigrant Captain Thomas Munson.

FREEMAN MUNSON
Freeman is the son of Samuel II.

AMOS MUNSON
Amos is the son of Freeman

HENRIETTA MUNSON
The daughter of Freeman

MILES MUNSON
The son of Freeman.

MARIETTA "MARY" E MUNSON
The daughter of Freeman

CLARISSA MUNSON
The daughter of Freeman

OTHER CLAN WILLIAM STORIES

MARTHA MUNSON
The daughter of William

PETER MUNSON
The son of William

WILLIAM II MUNSON
The son of William

Friday, February 17, 2017

Israel Holler

Monday, February 13, 2017

Thomas Jefferson Smull Family: Dr. T. J. Smull, Jr.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Henry Smull Family: Thomas Jefferson Smull

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

William Hollar's Not So Fortunate Kids

Saturday, February 4, 2017

James Bergey Smull Family: Judson Gray Smull, Sr

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Jesse Smull Family: James Bergey Smull

Sunday, February 19, 2017

THE ORIGINAL MUNSON IN AMERICA, CAPTAIN THOMAS MUNSON

SAMUEL MUNSON IISamuel is the son of William. William is the first member of Clan William. The clans are made up of the great grandchildren of the immigrant Captain Thomas Munson.

FREEMAN MUNSONFreeman is the son of Samuel II.

AMOS MUNSONAmos is the son of Freeman

HENRIETTA MUNSONThe daughter of Freeman

MILES MUNSONThe son of Freeman.

MARIETTA "MARY" E MUNSONThe daughter of Freeman

CLARISSA MUNSONThe daughter of Freeman

OTHER CLAN WILLIAM STORIES

MARTHA MUNSONThe daughter of William

PETER MUNSONThe son of William

WILLIAM II MUNSONThe son of William

Friday, February 17, 2017

Monday, February 13, 2017

Friday, February 10, 2017

Tuesday, February 7, 2017

Saturday, February 4, 2017

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

SAMUEL MUNSON II
Samuel is the son of William. William is the first member of Clan William. The clans are made up of the great grandchildren of the immigrant Captain Thomas Munson.

FREEMAN MUNSON
Freeman is the son of Samuel II.

AMOS MUNSON
Amos is the son of Freeman

HENRIETTA MUNSON
The daughter of Freeman

MILES MUNSON
The son of Freeman.

MARIETTA "MARY" E MUNSON
The daughter of Freeman

CLARISSA MUNSON
The daughter of Freeman

MARTHA MUNSON
The daughter of William

PETER MUNSON
The son of William

WILLIAM II MUNSON
The son of William