Category: Family

William Smith, my great great grandfather, was born 25 Sep 1851 in Greenburn, Whitburn district, West Lothian, Scotland.¹ He was the son of James and Isobel/Isabella (Aitken) Smith.² He died on 23 Feb 1905 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.³  He was allegedly buried in Paxtang Cemetery in a grave donated by a family friend (or his son James was), although his death record states he was buried in Harrisburg Cemetery. I’ve not been able to prove or disprove either location.

William and his children have somewhat difficult to research—as one might expect given their surname. I was able to trace William as a boy in Scotland through the 1851 and 1861 Scottish census entries for his family. On 30 Mar 1851, James, Isabella and their children were living at Crossroads in Whitburn parish in Linlithgow, Scotland.⁴ William was listed as age 2.

James and Isabella both died in 1856, leaving their children orphans.⁵ Their sons—Thomas and William—were living with their aunt and uncle Margaret and Thomas Smith in Whitburn parish, Linlithgow in 1861.⁶ Thomas was working as an “engine man,” probably at nearby mine with his Uncle William who was a miner, while William was still in school.

Sometime after this William went to work as a ship’s engineer, presumably for the White Star line. Wingeard states William tried to emigrate to New York in 1871, but he must have returned to Scotland as he married Eliza Craig Bonnington on 12 Dec 1882 at The Manse, Uphall Parish, Linlithgow, Scotland.⁷  The daughter of Peter Purvis and Elizabeth (Buchanan) Bonnington, Eliza was born 2 Oct 1866 in Juniper Green, Colinton parish, Midlothian, Scotland.⁸ Eliza died 18 Oct 1846, at age 80, in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania.⁹

William must have been determined to come to America, though. He filed a declaration of intent to become an American citizen in Berks County on 20 Sep 1886 and became a U.S. citizen on 12 Jan 1893 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. William and Eliza must have come over together and sent for their young children after they’d settled, because young James and Bess Smith were living with their grandparents on 2 Apr 1871 in Loanhead parish, Midlothian, Scotland.¹⁰

The family was all together, living in Harrisburg in Jun of 1900 at 1437 Zarker Street.¹¹ William is listed as an engineer as is his eldest son James. According to the census, he immigrated in 1887 and had been in the U.S. for 13 years. This is the only document I have that shows the whole family together. William died just 4½ years after the census; his youngest son, Robert, was only 5 years old.

William and Eliza Craig (Bonnington) Smith had six children:

1. Elizabeth “Lizzie” Smith, born and died 17 Jun 1884, Liberton parish, Midlothian, Scotland
2. James Smith, born 22 Jun 1885, Liberton parish, Midlothian, Scotland and may have died in Texas or Pennsylvania
3. Elizabeth Marian “Bess” Smith, born 31 Oct 1887 in Liberton parish, Midlothian, Scotland and died 3 Jan 1973, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; she married Frank L. Lutz on 7 May 1917 in Elkton, Maryland
4. William “Willie” M. Smith, born 28 Mar 1892, Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania and may have died in France after WWI
5. Isabella Aiken Smith, born 4 Apr 1893 and died 21 Jul 1962 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania; she married William Howard Hocker on 13 Oct 1914 in Harrisburg.
6. Robert “Bobbie” Thomas Alexander Smith, born 7 Apr 1899 in Harrisburg, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania and died 12 Nov 1970 in Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania; He married a woman named Ruth.

George W. Houdeshell and 8 children

My great great grandfather George W. (Wesley or Westfall) Houdeshell was born 28 December 1868 in Snow Shoe, Centre County, Pennsylvania.¹  He was the second son of James Benjamin and Phoebe (Mayes) Houdeshell. He was a farmer and lumberman, like many in that part of Centre County.

On 20 June 1890, he married Lovina Caroline Force.² She was the born 28 January 1872, the daughter of Jefferson and Susan L. (Mulhollan) Force.³ The couple lived in Snow Shoe and/or Pine Glen until moving to Girard Township, Clearfield County before the 1910 census enumeration.⁴

George died on 29 November 1941 in Phillipsburg, Rush Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania due to a cerebral hemorrhage.⁵ He was 72 years old. He was buried in Advent Cemetery in Pine Glen on 2 December 1941.

His wife Lovina Caroline (Force) Houdeshell survived another 20 years. She died on 28 October 1964 in Pine Glen due to heart disease and hypertension.⁶ She was buried in Advent Cemetery on 31 October 1964.

George and Lovina (Force) Houdeshell had the following children:

1. Joseph Houdeshell was born and died on 30 November 1890.
2. Nora Melinda Houdeshell was born 25 October 1891 in Wooster, Cameron County, Pennsylvania, and died 11 May 1965 in Pine Glen. She married Clyde L. Hoover.
3. Wilhelmina L. Houdeshell was born 30 June 1893 and died 26 January 1958. She married Earl Bradford.
4. Ida Rachel Houdeshell was born 12 February 1896 in Pine Glen and died 25 November 1950 in Clearfield County. She married Lloyd Leigey on 19 April 1913 in Clearfield County.
5. Anna Belle Houdeshell was born 11 June 1897 in Pine Glen and died on 6 September 1924 in Clearfield County. She married Luther Rowles.
6. Carrie Edna Houdeshell was born 29 March 1900 in Pine Glen and died 17 December 1989 at State College. She married William John Smeal.
7. Wesley Irvin Houdeshell was born 16 July 1902 and died 7 October 1903 in Pine Glen.
8. Thelma Mae Houdeshell was born 11 September 1904 and died 15 January 2001. She married Philip Allen Young.
9. Millard Franklin Houdeshell was born 18 July 1907 in Pine Glen and died 12 March 1994 in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania. He married twice, first to Myrtle Coulter, then to Hannah Elizabeth Etters.
10. William Arthur Houdeshell was born 21 February 1910 in Gillingham, Clearfield County, and died 15 May 1987 in Karthaus. He married in 1940.
11. Martha Rebecca Houdeshell was born 10 September 1910 in Gillingham and died sometime between 1972 and 1980. She married Jess Billotte.
12. George Caroline Houdeshell was born 3 November 1914 at Stone Run Logging Camp in Clearfield County. She died 27 January 1989 in Allentown. She married Emerson Buck.