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WHO WAS - Charles Strawbridge
in Plum Township
Venango County, Pennsylvania
By Howard Strawbridge October 2, 1959

Charles Strawbridge was born east of Wallaceville on Oct. 30, 1833. He was the third child of Benjamin and Elvira Sheffield Strawbridge. The Strawbridges, longtime residents in America, had originated from the British Isles.

Charles received his education in the old Fairview School which was located not far from the family home.

His father had purchased a large acreage in the northeastern section of Plum Township from the Huidekoper estate in 1853. He later divided this in two, and put his older son, John, on the northern half, and Charles on the southern half. Both cleared and developed their farms and, as a reward, each received a deed for his farm from the father in 1874.

Charles' farm was where Mrs. Dorothy Strawbridge now lives. Her late husband, Norman Strawbridge, was a grandson of Charles Strawbridge.

In 1858 Charles married Miss Lydia Ann Hancox who was born Jan. 23, 1837. She was one of six children of Mr. and Mrs. Silas B. Hancox who lived on the present David Wahlin place, near the Titusville Airport. Silas was a farmer and stone-mason. The Hancox family was of Scotch-Irish descent.

Charles and Lydia Ann began housekeeping in a log house on his new farm. Lydia Ann was a small woman and she did not have good health, having been consumptive. Charles' sister, Mrs. Lucy Ellen Alcorn, stayed and worked there a lot. Lydia Ann was unable to carry on the rugged work of the pioneer farmwife. She eventually contracted the measles, and finally pneumonia, which claimed her life on Dec. 5, 1862 at the age of 25.

She and Charles had three children who with their birth years were: Mary Alice Strawbridge (1859), Benjamin Stanton Strawbridge (1860), and Sarah E. Strawbridge (1862).

Alice died at the age of five on March 14, 1865 of catarrh disease, and Sarah died Nov. 2, 1862, aged five months.

Stanton, the only surviving child, married Miss Elizabeth Guild on June 14, 1883. They were married at Sunville. They spent their married life on a Cherrytree Twp. farm located across the line road from his father's farm. It is now owned by Wayne Joslyn. Stanton followed the occupation of farming, and mainly kept sheep. He and Elizabeth had three children: Carl Strawbridge, Charles Strawbridge and Ernest C. Strawbridge, all of whom are deceased. However, Ernest's wife, Mrs. Edna Strawbridge, presently lives in Plumer. Stanton died Aug. 5, 1905 of a severe stomach disorder. Elizabeth died Feb. 24, 1943.

Charles again married on Dec. 22, 1863. His second wife was Miss Ellen Ann DeWoody, eldest child of Benjamin and Mary Richey DeWoody of Sandycreek Twp., Venango County. Ellen Ann was born in 1838. Her father was a farmer until he removed into Franklin.

Charles and Ellen Ann also had three children, as follows: Ellen Elvira Strawbridge (1864), George Oliver Strawbridge (1868), and Harriet (Hattie) Strawbridge (1872).

Elvira married Elmer Ellsworth Alcorn and they began housekeeping on the present Lloyd Joslyn place at Fairview when a log house stood there. Later they had the present frame house built. Then they moved to the Shelmadine Springs area (present Vosburgh place) and delivered milk into Titusville. Elvira had poor health, and in June, 1905, they went to Denver, Colo. There Elvira died of pneumonia on April 13, 1906. Elmer died in the Franklin Hospital on March 4, 1944. They had three children: Jesse Alcorn, deceased; Charles Alcorn of Berkely, Calif.; and Mrs. Helen Pyle of Long Beach, Calif.

Oliver married Miss Ida Mae Guild on Feb. 16, 1888. They lived on the "Jackson piece", located beside Stanton's place, their first year, then moved onto part of his father's farm where Oliver build a new house in 1889 (present Ray Smith house). Oliver mainly farmed. On Jan. 31, 1925, he was in his barn choring when he fell from the loft onto the barn floor and was seriously injured. He died Feb. 4 of these injuries. Ida died April 15, 1933. They had four children, all of whom are deceased. They were Mrs. Georgia Proper, Norman Strawbridge, Miss Frances Strawbridge and Miss Isabelle Strawbridge.

Hattie married Leon W. Jennings in her home on July 1, 1901. They moved to Bradleytown where Leon (or Lee, as he was called) operated the general store, besides being postmaster. He had formerly been a schoolteacher and an agent for the Capewell Horseshoe Nail Company. Hattie died suddenly on May 31, 1903. She and Lee had no children. Lee went West and died at Manti, Utah, on May 7, 1953.

The subject, Charles, was generally known as "Charley". He was quite a broad man, and not very tall. He weighed approximately 240 pounds. He was a very successful farmer and livestock dealer. He traveled a lot buying and selling livestock. He kept both cattle and sheep.

He was a good neighbor. He used to ride horseback to Diamond to get his mail, and while riding back home he would leave several neighbors' mail off along his way.

Charley seldom took notes from people when doing business. One time a well known preacher bought a load of oats from him. The preacher said he didn't have enough money to pay for the oats. Charley said to go ahead and take the oats and, "if you don't pay for them, you need not bother to come back for more". The preacher later paid for them.

At another time a neighbor lady bought a cow from him and didn't have enough money to pay for it, but she would sign a note for it. "No, you needn't do that", he said, "if you pay for the cow, o. k. If not, o. k., but you don't need to come after another one!" She paid for it afterwards.

Eventually Charley had a new frame house built, which is the present one. It stands south of where the log one stood. His brothers-in-law, Perry, Will and Oliver DeWoody, did the plastering in the new structure.

There were once three barns on the place - the two that now stand there, and the third one that stood below the house. It was moved up to his son, Oliver's place. A metal ram used to pump water to the south barn from the spring. It is partly visible yet, but much earth has filled in around it.

Charley built a two-story chicken coop. The daughter, Hattie, tended to the chickens and got the profits from them. Also, a machinery shed once stood west of the coop. Both are now gone.

There was once a woodshed attached to the northern part of the house. Charley often slept in it during the summer months because it was cooler. One time Ellen Ann decided to make a "summer kitchen" out of it, so she had her brothers renovate it. As it was in the direction towards the Meadville-Titusville road, Charley jokingly said, "Well, it won't be long till we'll be up to the Meadville road", even though they lived quite a distance from the main road.

Besides his fairest acreage which he secured through his father, Charley bought additional lands from David Kightlinger, William Archer and Reuben Hancox. Part of these additions was Oliver's farm, another part was Stanton's farm.

Charley also bought 75 acres near Hamilton Corners in 1899, and sold it the next year to his nephew, Herman Strawbridge.

During the summer of 1887 Charley toured the Western states and visited some relatives out there. This photograph of him was taken at that time, in Nebraska City, Neb. He returned home in early October.

When Charley's brother, John, died in 1890, Charley was appointed to fill out John's term as Plum Twp. road commissioner. Besides filling out this term, Charley was elected to another term.

Charley was a very witty individual and had a ready answer for everything. He enjoyed joking with people. He used to put pennies under stones and watch his grandchildren scurry around turning up all the stones hunting for money.

Charley like to go around in his bare feet on Sunday mornings. One Sunday he was sitting on his front porch when a buggy was proceeding down the land. Ellen Ann insisted that he go in and dress his feet. He said, "Now don't get excited Ellen Ann. Let them get a little close so we can see who they are and whether they're worthwhile for me to dress my feet!"

One time Rev. John Wright of Diamond extended an invitation to Charley to come to special services. "Alright, I'll be there or send a hand instead", Charley replied.

At another time Charley and his nephew, Norman McCormick, went to Titusville. Charley left Norman standing at the drinking fountain at the point of Diamond Street while he went to the barbershop for a haircut. At that time Charley had whiskers, and he decided to have them cut off. Afterwards he walked back to where Norman was standing, angled his hat a little, disguised his voice and said: "Say, do you know a fellow by the name of Charley Strawbridge?" "Yes sir, I do. He's my uncle". Norman didn't recognize his uncle minus the whiskers.

Now, comes one of the classic stories about "Uncle" Charley Strawbridge. One day while he was away a junk dealer from Titusville called and Ellen Ann sold to him an old worn-out stove which sat in the woodshed. The junkman deliberately picked up a new axe which Charley had bought and used it to smash the stove into pieces. One can imagine the condition of the axe afterward. The junkman threw the pieces into his wagon and headed back for town. When Charley came home and saw his ruined axe he was so angry that he took out after the junkman on horseback. However the junkman made it to Titusville. The junkman was a tight and independent fellow, and Charley knew he would get no results by approaching the fellow about the ruined axe.

Charley boiled over this a week or so, then went to town. He casually walked into the junk dealer's place of business as though nothing happened. The man also dealt in furs and skins. Charley asked him if he would be interested in buying some fox furs. The dealer replied that he would. He asked Charley how many he had, their condition, price, etc. Charley replied, "there are quite a few and they vary in size, so you'll have to take them just as they run", stating no specific price. Charley said, however, that he would have to have $5 down before he would consider the deal. So, the junkman gave him the money, then asked Charley when he would bring them in. "Oh, I didn't say that I'd bring them in. I said you'd have to take them just as they run. If you want them, you'll have to come out and catch them!" Charley then walked out with his adjustment on his ruined axe.

A person who worked for Charley for seven years is James C. Hancox, nearly 83, who presently lives a ways south of Stone Springhouse Corners. Jim got $13 a month the first year, then $14 a month the next year, except in harvest time when wages were $1.25 a day. Jim said he never knew of Charley to use tobacco in any form during the years he worked for him.

Charley and Jim used to dynamite out many stumps. Charley set the dynamite and Jim would dig the holes. Once the dynamite was frozen, so they put it on a stump and set fire to the stump to thaw it out. They didn't watch it closely and the dynamite burned up.

One morning Charley was in the south barn milking a cow. A big Durham bull walked in and attacked him. Jim came running with a pitchfork and drove the bull away. Charley managed to roll over into the manger and escape harm. Charley sold the bull that forenoon to Wolfe's Meat Market in Titusville. Then he bought a little brindle bull at East Titusville. Jim and Oliver led the big Durham to the slaughterhouse, then led the little brindle home. Lo and behold, in a few days if the brindle, too, didn't attack Charley. Charley cured this critter of its aggressiveness too, though not by butchering.

Jim Hancox recalls that Charley's last team of horses was "Dick" and "Jack". He had bought Dick, a black, from Rev. J. M. Critchlow of Titusville, and Jack, a bay, from Jim Loker of Wallaceville. After Charley's death Stanton got Dick, and Oliver got Jack.

Charley sold timber to James Shreve in 1898 or 99. The sawmill sat by the run located a distance behind the house. Shreve lived in a little house near the run which was formerly the tenant house of Ira O. Case, a hired hand who worked for Charley previous to Jim Hancox's time of employment.

Ellen Ann, Charley's wife, was a member of a Baptist Church. She was quite a heavy woman and was always stylist and well-dressed. When attending funerals, she wore a long-trained black silk dress with a black veil over her face.

The family was also quite formal. Plates at the dinner table were stacked at the head of a table. Then Charley would fill the plates and pass them on.

Charley and Ellen were good visitors. They enjoyed company calling, and they called quite often at other homes.

Charley was afflicted with heart trouble his last years. During his last six months he was quite ill with dropsy, filling up with fluid. It seems his only position of ease was to lie down on the floor in a draft.

He died in his home on Thursday afternoon, March 10, 1904. The funeral was on Sunday in the Fairview M.E. Church with burial in the church cemetery.

After his death Ellen Ann traded homes with Oliver's family. The reason was that the family wanted her to be closer to neighbors. Her grandson, Norman Strawbridge, lived with her.

In September, 1905, Ellen Ann left for an extended visit with relatives in the West. In August of the following year it was reported that she bought the J. H. Rickenbrode property in Diamond. However, it was only a rumor.

On Wednesday forenoon, July 31, 1907, Norman took the team to rake hay in the field next to the state road. Ellen Ann seemed well as usual and told Norman to carefully drive the spirited team he had. He had driven around both roads to reach the field, then made one round around the field when he was called over and told that Ellen Ann was dead.

During the interval that he was departing for the field, Ellen Ann's nephew, Ben Strawbridge, was working in his own field next to her house. He went over to get a drink of water at the well outside the back door, then stepped into the house to see what time it was. He noticed Ellen Ann lying on the couch with one arm dangling over the side. He called to her but received no answer. He walked over and discovered her to be dead. She had simply lain down and expired very suddenly after Norman left with his team.

Transcribed by Penny Kulbacki Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

Disclaimer:there may be errors due to transcription ofinformation from both early and late (current contributors) work.