Frederick Oehrli (1865 - 1922)

Born 10 Apr 1865 in Switzerland

Husband of Sallie Lloyd (Pierce) Oehrli — married about 1888 (to 1922) in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, USA

Descendants

Died 18 Feb 1922 at age 56 in Pennsylvania, USA

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Biography

Fred Oehrli was born in 1865 in Switzerland or Germany, a son of Frederick Oehrli (1836-1926) and Magdalena Santschi (1832-1917). His native language was German.

He worked as an iron puddler for Darling Pump and Valve Works in Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania.^[1] Darling manufactured high pressure, piston-style, reciprocating pumps (with leather cups) for the oil industry. This sounds like a small operation, but in 1900, the company developed a revolutionary gate valve for use in waterworks and oil fields, and their sales skyrocketed. A few years later car sales took off. They also developed the first composition valve cup to replace the old leather cups. Fred worked for a very secure business.

Fred married Sallie Lloyd Pierce (1865-1952) in about 1888. Their children included:

1. Florence M. Oehrli (1889-1975) - married C. Chester Easton
2. Archie Claud Oehrli (1890-1943) - divorced by 1930; later married Sarah Jane Wolfe
3. Elwood Oehrli (1892-1963) - married Helen C. Harman
4. Beulah E. Oehrli (1894-aft. 1975) - married [?] Lord; remarried Manuel Massa, immigrant from Portugal
5. Ethel H. Oehrli (1896-1994) - unmarried
6. Blanche Oehrli (1897-1970) - married Casper J. Sents
7. Hazel Oehrli (1901-1991) - unmarried
8. Miles/Niles P. Oehrli (1904-1986) - married Mary M. [?]
9. Josephine C. Oehrli (1906-2006) - married Donald Calkins
10. Dale P. Oehrli (1910-1962) - married Mabel Phillips

Residence: From before 1910 - 618 West Southern Avenue, South Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, USA

He died from lobar pneumonia in 1922 at age 56, which was old for a puddler. The strenuous labor, heat and fumes caused puddlers to have a very short life expectancy, with most dying in their 30s. ^[2] He was buried in Wildwood Cemetery, Williamsport, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, USA.

Research Questions

Where was he born? In the 1900 and 1910 U. S. Census, he is listed as being born in Germany. In the 1920 Census, he is listed as being born in Switzerland. Was that more accurate, or was that a reaction to the unpopularity after WWI of being from Germany?

Sources

1. ↑ The History of Darling Pump & Valve Works, later Darcova Inc.: http://www.darcovainc.com/Pages/history.html
2. ↑ Definition of an iron puddler - Book: Landes, David. S. (1969). The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present. Cambridge, New York: Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1969. p. 218. ISBN 0-521-09418-6.

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M3Q8-V6Y : 22 January 2015), Frederick Aehrli, South Williamsport borough Ward 2, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, United States; citing sheet 9B, family 196, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,241,438.
• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MGDV-WQK : 29 October 2015), Fred Oehrke, South Williamsport Ward 2, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 71, sheet 9B, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,375,385.
• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MFB1-29F : 14 December 2015), Fred Oechli, South Williamsport Ward 2, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, United States; citing sheet 13B, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,821,599.
• Find A Grave Memorial# 144685162 for Fred: Created by Kathryn; Record added Apr 07, 2015
• Pennsylvania Death Certificate for Fred: Ancestry.com. database on-line. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.