William Shoemaker (1827 - 1893)

Born 7 Nov 1827 in Pennsylvania

Descendants

Biography

William was the son of Peter Shoemaker who settled in Mahoning Township, Armstrong County, Pa near Oakland (now Distant) in 1824 on 200 acres of land which he bought from his cousin Philip Shoemaker. William's mother was Sarah Ringer, Shoemaker 1803-1880, the daughter of Michael Ringer of Salem Township, Westmoreland County, Pa.

Siblings of William: Isaac 1825-1894 m Sarah Houser m Elizabeth Crawford Margaret 1829-1877 Catherine 1832-1897 m Samuel Young Jesse 1834-1907 Mary 1836-1911 m Thomas B Montgomery Joseph B 1839-1900 m Margaret Ferguson Sarah 1841-1911 George 1843-1903 m Eliza Ferguson Peter 1845-1873 2 children who died young

Farming was William's means of livelihood. On December 25, 1849 he married Elizabeth Goheen, born January 7, 1832. Both are interred in the New Bethlehem cemetery.

Children of William and Elizabeth: Sarah Ann 1850-1930 m James Jackson James Goheen 1852-1919 m Nancy Margaret Henry Clara Jane 1854-1917 m David Jack Orlando Peter 1857-1920 m Amma Z S Yates Emma Roselle 1859-1940 m David Gourley David Elmer 1863-1911 m Clara E Stahlman Mary T M 1867-1950 m Homer C Keyes Margaret Alice 1870-1943 m Homer H Shoemaker Nancy Cora 1873-1949 m Ira Bell

The below account tells of the tornado disaster that struck Armstrong County in the Spring of 1860. It is excerpted from the History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883, pages 540-541.

"Armstrong County, PA Sugar Creek Township Tornado, May 1860

William Shoemaker's house, near Anthony's tunnel, except the sleepers and kitchen floor, was swept away. Two boards having been taken out of the floor, a small nursing child was dropped down through the opening thus made and was unhurt. Neither the cradle in which that child was, nor any part of the house or spring-house, was ever found, nor any part of the barn which was blown away. The orchard, except six stumps of apple-trees whose bark was stripped off, was uprooted and borne along in the irresistible current of the tornado. Pieces of stone were driven so deeply into these stumps that Lewis W. Corbett could not draw them out. The fences were strewn all over the farm, and Shoemaker was so seriously injured that he was disabled from work for several weeks."

(Note: Another account of this event indicates that William suffered two broken legs from the tornado. From what info is available, it appears that William was the most injured member of his family.)

(From Find-A-Grave)

Sources

• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=50700272

"United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MWX5-J2L : accessed 28 January 2016), William Shomaker, Porter, Clarion, Pennsylvania, United States; citing enumeration district ED 76, sheet 278B, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1117; FHL microfilm 1,255,117.