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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald ~
~ unknown date
By H. W. Strawbridge

J. C. August

John Charles August was born at Diamond on June 20, 1862, a son of William H. and Maria Russell August. The site of his birthplace was one-half mile south of Diamond. The baby was named after his grandfather, John C. August, oldest son of Benjamin August – the first settler of Plum Township. “Charlie” August was one of the following brothers and sisters: William J. August, 1855 – 1939; Mary E. August 1856 – 1856, Caroline August (Brown) adopted 1855; Viola I. August (Billig) 1858 – 1905; James William August 1859 – 1925; John Charles August (subject here) 1862 – 1949, Warner Albert August 1866 – 1930; Frank Theodore August 1868 – 1939 and Blanche E. August (Simmons) 1873 – 1896.
Charlie was reared on his father’s farm and he attended the common school at Diamond. One of his teachers was Miss Ruhama Jane Hays of Sunville who was later to become his wife. Sometime before his marriage Charlie worked for Ben Haslet of the Tionesta area. Haslet did some lumbering and also raised a large number of pigeons. He sold quantities of pigeons. Charlie spoke in later years of working “up in the pigeon woods”.
He was married on March 20, 1884 to Miss Hays at Cooperstown with Rev. J.L. Robertson, pastor of the Sunville Presbyterian Church, officiating. Ruhama was one of six daughters of Samuel and Harriet Bradley Hays of Sunville. She was born on a farm just outside of Sunville on July 16, 1852. She was reared in Sunville. She united with the Sunville Presbyterian Church with four other persons on Feb. 2, 1867, when she was 14 years old.
Ruhama attended several terms of school in the newly built Sunville Seminary. She acquired all the education she could from that institution. She taught school for nine years, or a total of 17 terms, prior to her marriage. Known schools at which she taught were Diamond, Chapmanville and Plum Center in Plum Township and Whitney of Jackson Township.
When a pupil of the Sunville Seminary, Ida A. Matthews, 18, died in May 1877, Ruhama was one of five students comprising a committee that prepared and published resolutions of respect in the county newspapers.
After their marriage Charlie and Ruhama lived in a small frame house across the road and down a ways from the John Grove home a mile-and-a-half northwest of Diamond. He worked for Grove on the farm for one year. He got a colt as part of his pay.
Then Charlie and Ruhama moved up on what was later known as the Terrace Farm outside of Titusville and worked for Frank Bartlett. After a year or so John Fertig, an oil capitalist, bought the business from Bartlett, then Charlie worked for Fertig. After a year under Fertig the latter approached Charlie about forming a partnership in retailing milk in Titusville. Charlie replied that he had no money, but Fertig said that he would set him up, which he did. For several years they conducted a milk route in the city.
Charlie and his hired man milked by hand as high as 25 cows. There was no particular breed. The herd was a mixture of cows. At that time an average cow could be purchased for $25.00 or little more. Charlie took the milk to town in 10-gallon cans. He had a quart dipper with a long handle which he used to dip out whatever amount of milk the customer wanted. He sold it for 5 cents a quart in summer and 6 cents in winter.
Charlie had hired his father to work on that farm during the years he operated the place. His parents lived in a small house which set near the present gate of the farm for about 15 years. Also, Charlie’s brother, Frank August, drove his milk wagon in Titusville awhile before he took the job of managing the Sheasley Dairy near Franklin.
On Sunday morning, June 5, 1892, there occurred the historic fire and flood of the Titusville region. On this particular morning while Charlie and his hired man were carrying a can of milk from the barn, Ruhama and their five year old son, Floyd, were walking out of the house when Ruhama discovered huge billows of smoke over Titusville. She exclaimed, “Why the whole town of Titusville must be on fire!”
Charlie and the hired man loaded the milk and started down town by way of the fairgrounds road, but they discovered the flats all filled with water, so they went back home. The unloaded the milk and went back down again. They were walking about the devastated area when they noticed an arm sticking out of the water. They pulled out a dead woman who was the wife of one of Charlie’s customers.
About 1897 Charlie and Fertig sold the milk route and several cows to J.W. Kidwalter and Warner August, Charlie’s brother, and those two ran the route for a year. They had the Shank farm. However, they became beset with financial difficulties, so Charlie bought back the milk business and ran it again for about a year. In 1899 one of the McKinney brothers bought Fertig’s interest in the farm, then Charlie worked a year as farm manager for McKinney.
During their years on the Fertig Farm Charlie and Ruhama had four children, who were was follows: Floyd Bartlett August, born Oct. 1, 1886; Glenn Ora August born May 26, 1888, Ethel Velma August born Aug. 2, 1890 and Ivo S. August born Nov. 28, 1893.
Floyd married Laura B. Thomas of Diamond on May 23, 1911. He was graduated from the Titusville Commercial Business College in 1908. They lived in Titusville where he was treasurer of the City Hospital for 26 years, treasurer of Warner-Caldwell Oil Company for years and City Treasurer for a few years. On March 15, 1956, Laura August died. Floyd married Geneva Gordon on Aug. 6, 1960. Floyd died of a stroke on April 8, 1964, and is buried in Diamond Cemetery. Geneva August lived in Titusville. Floyd and Laura had three sons, Charles Kenneth August 1913 – 1951; Francis Leroy August 1917 and Harold Maxwell August born in 1921.
Glenn died rather quickly of a ruptured blood vessel. On the morning of March 9, 1890, Ruhama said that they should have Glenn’s picture taken because they hadn’t had one taken of him since he was three months old. Charlie said that they’d go to Titusville that very afternoon to have it done, and they did. Glenn posed very willingly. They arrived home around 3 o’clock, and Ruhama was helping him up the steps when he slipped and struck his head on a step. He died around 5 o’clock. He was buried on the Hays lot in the Sunville Cemetery.
Ethel married Merrill Green on April 14, 1914. She had attended a couple of select terms at Sunville, then taught school in Plum Township a few years. She and Merrill lived near East Troy. He farmed and later worked for the Department of Highways. Ethel died on May 21, 1918, two days after the birth and death of a baby. She is buried in the Diamond Cemetery. Merrill later married again and he died on Feb. 8, 1958.
Ivo married Edith Worden on April 6, 1915. They operated a Jersey dairy farm west of Diamond until 1944, when they moved to Gresham and eventually established the Hilltop Electric Company. He also ran a threshing machine for 35 years. After his removal to Gresham he served as judge of election in Oilcreek Township. He had an operation on March 30, 1960 and was recuperating alright when he had a fatal heart seizure two months later, May 29th. He is buried in the Chapmanville Cemetery. They had one son, Charles Grant August born in 1917.
In July 1900 Charlie bought the Abe Williams farm of 135 acres a mile west of Diamond for $3,500. However, Charlie’s family did not move out there that year. His brother, Warner August, worked on that farm that year.
Charlie did buy a flock of 38 sheep from Jim McGuire of above Titusville that year. One evening Charlie, his brother James and Floyd and Ivo drove the sheep to the farm at Diamond. Ivo, then six years old, drove the team and wagon, and when a sheep would tire, they loaded it into the wagon. They were proceeding through the old road that passes over the Holiday bridge. They had driven most of the sheep across the railroad when a long freight train came from the Hydetown way. Ivo with the team got caught on the other side of the track. He bawled and bawled, but he had sense enough to hold back the team. The ones on the side of the track worried about him but everything turned out alright.
Charlie was a good teamster. He dealt a lot in horses. During that time that his oldest son, Floyd, could remember, Charlie had over 100 horses which he bought, sold or traded. He sold a number of horses to Loomis, a well-known teamster in Titusville.
Just before Charlie bought the farm at Diamond he was offered a chance to go into partnership with Fertigs in the oil business, but Ruhama was against it. Charlie said in later years that it was a mistake. Mr. and Mrs. Fertigs used to drive out to Augusts at Diamond in their expensive automobile and take Charlie and Ruhama for a ride.
On Jan. 1 and 3, 1901, the J.C. August family moved from the Fertig Farm to their new farm west of Diamond. Upon this place a fairly large barn stood across the road from the house and a horse barn stood in front of the big barn. There was also an old house across the road. Charlie tore down the old barns and had a good bank shed-type barn built by Pete Hill, carpenter, in 1913 a few rods east of his house. Charlie sold the old house across the road to the Sam Rice family. Charlie had used it as a granary.
While Charlie and Ruhama were living on the Fertig Farm, they bought a lot in Diamond from August Fabian for $150.00 in 1887. This lot was just east of the Foster lot. Charlie sold it to his brother, Warner August, for $175.00 in 1891. There is no record as to why Charlie wanted this lot. Perhaps he had an opportunity to buy it for a reasonable price.
In 1905 Charlie sold 15 acres off his Diamond farm to Frank and Emma Thomas for $300.00. Then he also sold 16 and ¾ acres off his farm to Harry Rice for $322.00 in 1912.
In March 1916, Charlie and Ruhama bought the 105 – acre farm east of their own farm from David W. Bearce for $800.00. Ivo and Edith lived on that farm after their marriage. Charlie and Ivo also farmed that farm, and then sold it the fall of 1919 to E. L. McCleary for $1200.00
David Bearce had operated a threshing machine for several years while he farmed there. For a couple of weeks one time Charlie ran Bearce’s threshing machine. Either Bearce was away or was ill.
In the summer of 1903 Charlie and Floyd plowed about 14 acres in the upper field of the back farm of Oren E. Shriver and they planted buckwheat in it. Those fields had gone back since Oren moved away from that farm to a farm in Diamond. That was 10 years earlier. Charlie applied acid fertilizer to the field. When he threshed that fall he got 12 bushels of buckwheat – practically got his see back.
James L. Peebles of Fairview was a dealer in buggies, wagons, harness, fertilizer, etc. For awhile Charlie had a branch warehouse to store fertilizer for Peebles for the benefit of those in Charlie’s area who wished to buy some.
Charlie kept a fair sized herd of mixed cattle. After the cheese factory was built in Troy Township in 1907, he along with several other area farmers sent milk there. During his second winter upon their farm near Diamond, Ruhama’s aged father, Samuel Hays, died in the August home on Jan. 19, 1902. Besides infirmities of old age, he was afflicted with grippe or pneumonia the last week that he lived. Mrs. Hays then stayed with Ruhama’s brother-in-law and sister, Oren and Laura Shriver in Diamond, and she died there two months later.
The interests of J.C. August were varied and many. Many paragraphs are necessary to do justice to him in that sense. It is safe to say that there never was a person in the history of the Diamond community who took more general interest in the community than did Charlie August.
It was in 1878 that Charlie was baptized and untied with the United Brethren Church in Diamond. He was baptized by Rev. James Atkins who was undoubtedly a visiting preacher present for a baptismal service because it was a few years later before he was assigned the pastorate at Diamond. The pastor in 1878, the year that Charlie joined, was either Rev. O.J. Gage or Rev. A. Meeker. A change of ministers was made at Diamond in 1878. But from that time on Charlie’s spiritual life was secure until his death.
It is interesting to note that on Sunday, July 3, 1881, a double wedding was solemnized in the Diamond Church. Miss Etta Proper was wed to George May of Sugar Lake, and Miss Flora Proper was wed to Thomas D. Thompson of Canal Township. A number of Diamond people were in attendance at this wedding, including J. C. August.
Fifty years later when Mr. and Mrs. May celebrated their golden wedding in this church on Sunday, July 5, 1931, with 100 persons attending this special service conducted by Rev. C.A. Wescott, there were among them eight persons who had attended the wedding 50 years previously, one of them was Charlie August.
After their marriage Ruhama transferred her church membership from the Sunville Church to the Diamond Church. Then after moving to the Fertig Farm both of them transferred their memberships from the Diamond Church to the Thompson Creek Unite Brethren Church where they were active during those years there. Then after their removal to the farm west of Diamond, they transferred their memberships back into the Diamond Church where they remained until their deaths.
Charlie was a Sunday School superintendent for many years. In the earlier years he and Frank Thomas used to alternate the superintendency. He was superintendent a good share of the time when in his later years. He was undoubtedly superintendent longer than any other person.
He also taught the Bible class and the Young People’s class at different periods of time. Ruhama also taught a Sunday School class. Charlie was one of the principal financial supporters of the Diamond Church through the years, and there is no doubt that his faithfulness as an attendant and supporter of the church during its low-ebb years kept it alive to enjoy a time of prosperity years after his death. He may be termed “the grand old man of the Diamond Church”.
On a Sunday in April, 1902, his family went to Sunday School and church in the sleigh because considerable snow had fallen. However, the sled runners slid on the bare road on the way home because the snow had melted.
On Jan. 23, 1904, a Republican caucus was held in the Plum Center schoolhouse. Among the nominations made were those of W.F. Whitman and J.C. August for school directors. Both were elected that year and were sworn in office on June 6th. Charlie was elected a treasurer of the board the next year, and his three-year term ran out in 1907.
In 1908 he was again elected on the school board, and he was put in as president. He was made treasurer the next year. In October, 1909, he made the motion that Plum give free tuition to high school scholars coming from the other townships. The motion carried. It was a move to boost the number of pupils in the Sunville High School which was established two years previously. This term of his ended on Dec. 1, 1911.
In 1913 he again was elected to the school board, and he was elected vice president. In 1914 he was made president of the board and he retained that position until he retired off the board permanently in 1919.
Charlie was one of the signers of the petition to establish the first telephone line through Diamond in 1905. That was the Crawford-Venango telephone line.
He and Ruhama were two of the 44 charter members of Diamond Grange No. 1320 which was instituted on April 19, 1906 in the I.O.O.F. hall. He was the first worthy master and she was the first chaplain. In December, 1907, he was a representative to the State Grange session. He also served as master in 1907 and 1920 and was treasurer for a time.
On May 13, 1908, Charlie made the motion that a subscription be started in favor of Dewayne Proper, a distressed member, and that $5.00 be drawn from the treasury to start that fund. It carried. Proper died five months later.
Charlie was fire solicitor of the grange in 1916, 1924 – 28. He was a director of the Patrons Mutual Fire Insurance Association for 25 years and he also served on the executive committee of that association for 20 years. He made a motion on Nov. 14, 1917 that the grange keep the young brothers who were in the US Army on the financial books in current good standing. This motion carried.
He along with 10 other members received Silver Star certificates from Pomona Master Leo S. Bumpus on July 26, 1933.
When the 40th anniversary of the Diamond Grange was observed on May 8, 1946, Charlie was one of four charter members present that evening and he gave some reminiscences of its founding. The other three there that evening were E.G. Kaster, Hattie Kaster and Flora Thompson.
When the Venango County Pomona Grange was organized in the old Plum church in Jackson Township in 1908, Charlie was the first overseer. When that organization held its meeting at Dempseytown on Dec. 7, 1911, Charlie was installed as Master for a term of two years. He was always a regular attendant at Pomona Grange for years afterward. He was often called upon to give the prayer responses at these functions.
Charlie gave an interesting talk at the Pomona Grange held at Breedtown on Nov. 27, 1915. He stated that the people should have been thankful that Venango County was dry, after which he was applauded.
He took a great interest in the maintenance of the community cemetery at Diamond. He was one of the 12 signers on a petition to corporate Diamond Cemetery Association on April 27, 1907. He was one of the first three directors of the new association which was approved by Venango County Judge George S. Criswell on May 27, 1907.
Charlie was president of the cemetery association for many years. In fact he was its president at the time of his death. He once made the remark to this writer that he and Jared Kightlinger cut brush as large as the upper part of his arm in the old part of the cemetery. He used to attend work bees in the cemetery when at times there would be only a couple that would show up. This writer can recall of seeing Charlie down on his knees snipping off the grass around the tombstones, and also of his waiting in the cemetery around Memorial Day times to catch certain lot owners who were delinquent in paying any assessments towards the upkeep of the cemetery. He also was the principal one who lined out graves when a burial was to be made.
The writer recalls an interesting anecdote along this line. It was in July, 1946 when Louis Kolacek died. The writer was down to the cemetery on the particular evening when Charlie and Cuck Ohl, the gravedigger, were both down there. The writer helped Charlie to line out the grave, then Chuck began to dig. By then it was getting very black in the sky and the writer decided to hustle home before a storm might come. Charlie said he believe the storm would go around. But the writer didn’t take any chances and to home he went. There was no storm. Charlie was one of those older persons who knew if a storm would it or go around.
Nevertheless, the writer walked down to the cemetery again the next evening and was startled to see Chuck Ohl digging on an adjoining lot instead of the one first lined out. Charlie had made a mistake and lined out the grave on the Wagner lot. Chuck dug down right on top of a round box. Then he went down late that first night to get Charlie out of bed to tell him the bad news. On the second night Charlie jokingly said they’d have to blame the mistake on Howard. Then Charlie said he didn’t know what made him line out the grave on the wrong lot.
Once Charlie approached this writer in the spring of 1948 to mow the cemetery, but he didn’t accept it then. It was a few years later before he took care of the mowing for a few seasons. The cemetery association deposited a sum of $325.oo on Oct. 2, 1944, with the Titusville Trust Company as the beginning of a trust fund for perpetual care of lots. Charlie signed the document as its president and Harry I. Sharp signed as secretary.
While Charlie was not a member of the Diamond I.O.O.F. Lodge, he was a member of the Queen City I.O.O.F. Lodge which he joined on Feb. 4, 1892. However, he occasionally attended the lodge meeting in Diamond. He remained a member of the order until hi death.
He was elected as Plum Township road supervisor in 1908 for a term of three years. Nothing is known about him in this position except that one of the very few times he ever got angry happened while he was supervisor. The incident took place in the Chapmanville store. One of the older residents of Chapmanville who had quite a temper anyway got into an argument with Charlie. It concerned a sewer somewhere in the township. Charlie said they didn’t have the authority to fix it, or whatever was required for the particular situation. The other man claimed they did have the authority to fix it. Charlie said they didn’t. The other man called him a liar and said he had a notion to hit him. Charlie, swelling up with anger, told him to hit him wherever he wanted to and as hard as he wanted to, then he (Charlie) would show him what he could do to him. The agitator walked out of the store.
Charlie occasionally bought some cattle here and there. He once bought a cow from Borgers north of Sunville. He loaded her into his three-spring crackie wagon in the swale north of Borgers and took her up to the Fertig Farm. He also bought two cows from Nancy Jane Proper after he lived at Diamond. One of these was a big roan cow which had a defective udder on one side, but this condition later cleared up.
One time he bought a new Milwaukee binder from J.M. Shriver, a machinery agent of Diamond. Charlie traded a used Whiteley binder for it. He was then living at the Fertig Farm. L.P. Green of near East Troy was interested in buying the Whiteley binder from Shriver, but couldn’t make up his mind. One day Green met Charlie in their buggies about where the Chase school stood. He was asking about the binder, finally saying: “Now Mr. August, would you say that binder is as good a shape as it was when it was new?” Charlie replied, “IF it was in as good a shape as that, I wouldn’t have traded it for a new one”.
Charlie always liked hunting. In his earlier years he hunted only small game. He had an old double-barreled .12 gauge Remington shotgun. While at Fertig Farm he used to go to Diamond to hunt with his brother-in-law, Oren E. Shriver, who always had a hound and a ferret.
When Augusts held a sale before moving to Diamond, Floyd, then 14, decided to bid on the shotgun. Charlie told him to go as high as $3.50. When the gun came up for bids, Floyd immediately spoke up – “$3.50 !”
Charlie often went deer hunting years later at Cashup which is located beyond Pleasantville. In December, 1927, he shot a buck there and several days later his venison made up the meat in the menu of the Diamond Ladies Aid Society dinner at which the pastor, Rev. Clarence Watson, conducted the devotions, and two visiting preachers sang song.
One time Charlie and Meryl C. Rice went hunting at Cashup. A man had a fire under a large pine tree near the eastern end of an old field there. The man was leaving his fire, so Charlie took his place under the old tree. Meryl started through the woods and he hadn’t gone far until he heard Charlie shoot. He shot a six-point buck. There used to be a couple of buck heads and a couple of doe heads mounted in his home.
Around 1930 or 31 Charlie, Harry Sharp, Dean Shiver and Bill Fenton went hunting one day along the Donovan Road near Cashup. Dean and Bill went into the woods and got lots. Charlie and Harry hunted along the Eagle Rock road, more or less posting themselves along it while Dean and Bill hunted the woods. When the latter two didn’t put in an appearance as the time got late, Charlie and Harry go worried. And they were afraid to go into the woods as it was getting dark and they too might get lost. To their relief Bill and Dean soon came out. Bill had read the compass wrong.
At another time Charlie, Dean Shriver and Ben Armstrong went deer hunting in the Pithole area during a doe season. They saw a deer and Dean thought it was a doe through his glasses. Ben shot it, but it was a buck – a Y buck! Ben reported it and of course the fine was half, or $50, when reported. Another fellow who shot at it gave $5.00 to Ben, and Charlie gave $5.00 to Ben too. He said that he got $5.00 worth of laughs by the looks on Ben’s face after he shot it.
Charlie’s last year of hunting was the season of 1941. This writer recalls of seeing him at Cashup that fall. He had ridden up there with his son, Ivo. That same season was the first hunting season for this writer.
There were two wells drilled for oil on his farm, each one at a different period of time. The first one was drilled around the base of the hill across from the house and near the gate. There was no oil to any extent in it. It is not known who drilled this well.
The second one was drilled at the back of the farm near the Dingman line. Jacob Sheasley had the lease on tis one. He made a lease on 100 acres in September, 1925. Charlie got $10.00 a month on this lease. There wasn’t much in this well wither, but a little gas came from it a few years later.
Charlie and his son, Floyd, were in the timber business a few years. They bought a fine tract of chestnut timber on the Ed Abrams place and had it sawed out on Lester Thompson’s sawmill there. They hired men to cut and skid out the logs. Then they hauled the lumber to Titusville and put it on a railroad car for $18.50 per M. Sullivan and Company of Buffalo bought it. There were 50,000 feet on the tract. About the time they were finishing the Abrams piece, Floyd and Laura were married in May, 1911. They went to Buffalo and Niagara Falls on their wedding trip. While there they stopped at the office of Sullivan and Company where Floyd received a check for the last load of lumber sent up. Then the boss took Floyd and Laura out for a celebration in behalf of their wedding.
Next Charlie and Floyd bought a lot of timber on the George Smith farm besides the Abrams farm. By this time Lester Thompson had quit sawing, so Charlie rented the mill and sawed out the logs himself. Then they bought a tract of timber on the Amos Patterson place and also on the old John C. August place – the old farm that had belonged to Charlie’s grandfather located a distance southeast of Diamond. They also bought timber on Roy Smith’s farm near Chapmanville. They sold the logs off it to Louis Prenatt whose mill sat near the present Horseshoe Curve. They also bought a tract of timber from Grant Seely. It was mostly oak with some chestnut located just north of the field by the corner at Plum Center.
The late Meryl C. Rice said that J.C. August was a good neighbor. He never got excited and went about his work at a leisure pace. When Charlie got through cutting his oats he would take his dump reaper over to the Rice farm and cut theirs. Charlie later got a binder. At the end of the season Harry Rice would ask Charlie how much he owed him. Charlie replied as far as he was concerned he would call it square.
One time Meryl went to Titusville with Charlie in the horse-drawn rig. They put the rig in Hyde’s livery by the present Buick garage. A negro there was talking with Meryl who arrived back at the livery before Charlie did. The negro said that Charlie was a fine man. He had worked for him at the Fertig Farm. Once at threshing time they got into a good-natured scuffle. Charlie buried the negro’s head in a pile of oats and held him there awhile.
During the week of Nov. 17 to 21, 1913, Charlie and Sim Proper of Chapmanville served as jurors in Franklin.
The annual Chapmanville Harvest Home picnic had an organization or association which planned the activities each year of the picnic. Charlie served as president of it in 1916-17. In 1918 Venango County had a Farm Bureau organization. Each community had a committee of five men who worked in conjunction with this agricultural group. Charlie was one of five men who served on the Diamond Community Committee. His address then was listed as RD 3 Townville. When Charlie and Ivo bought their first automobile, each paid one-half of the cost. Records show that Charlie was elected a township justice of the peace in 1923, but it is doubtful if he served. At least there appears to be no record of his serving in that capacity.
In 1909 Ruhama and her sister, Mary Hays Proper, made a visit to the home of their older sister, Mrs. Martha Bower, at Julesburg, Colorado.
One day Ruhama went to Dr. W.J. Richey’s office at Chapmanville because she was not feeling well. Charlie Strawbridge was also sitting in the waiting room there. They of course began visiting. Ruhama said, “Why Mr. Strawbridge, you must be ailing”. “Oh it’s heart trouble”, he replied, then added, “You know, I’m told that you can die from that!”
In March 1920, Charlie and Ruhama bought the large Fabian house in Diamond from the Fabian heirs for $1000.00. Floyd had to make a trip to Ohio to get Mary Fabian Proper’s signature on the deed. Thus did Charlie and Ruhama retire off the farm and move into Diamond. After moving into Diamond Ruhama bought a new photograph for around $150.00.
Ruhama did not have good health by this time. In the summer of 1921 she became quite ill. She was bedfast probably her last three months. Dr. W.J. Richey was her doctor. Also Floyd engaged Dr. Wilson of Titusville to go out to consult with Richey. She died in the northeast bedroom of their Diamond home on January 15, 1922.
Ben Armstrong and another man dug her grave. It was bitter cold then. They got halfway down the first day. That night it froze so badly that they were most of the next day chopping out the frozen clay with axes. Gravedigging then was $10.00, but Charlie gave $15.00 for them for their laborious efforts. Her funeral was held in the Diamond Church with Rev. Alvin Reed, pastor, officiating, assisted by Rev. DeRoss. Pallbearers were C.A. Bradley, J.M. Shriver, T.D. Thompson, Samuel Rice, Harry Rice and P.G. Proper.
Two months after Ruhama’s death Charlie sold the big house in Diamond to Otis G. Proper for $1,000. Charlie then moved back on the farm with Ivo and Edith. There he remained until his marriage on March 9, 1926 to Celestia Isabella Mallory Proper, widow of Frank H. Proper of Diamond. They were married in the Diamond parsonage with Flody and Laura and Ivo and Edith and the grandchildren present. Rev. R.H. Eggleston performed the rite. Commonly called “Belle”, she was an active member of the Diamond Church and a longtime teacher of the primary class of Sunday School. She was born at Cherrytree on Dec. 20, 1864. She was a very short and plump woman. After their marriage Charlie and Belle lived in her house in Diamond. Charlie often went up to the farm though to give a hand with the farm work.
During the mid 1920s the young fellows used to play basketball in the Diamond I.O.O.F. hall. One night there was such a big crowd that they finally had to refuse admittances to any more who might arrive. Emory Armstrong was a player and he arrived late. Charlie was at the door and told him that no more could get inside. Emory did not tell him that he was a player and he started upstairs. Charlie grabbed him by the shoulders and refused to let him go upstairs. Ward Holder looked down and told him to go up the back ay. Charlie later apologized to Emory, saying he didn’t know him and didn’t know that he was a player.
In late April 1929, Charlie was seriously ill. Whatever was the ailment, he recuperated from it.
In late 1930 a committee met and worked out plans for the first Farmers Institute to be held in Titusville. The representatives there said there would be a fair that year in September. It was next-to-the-last year a fair would be held at Titusville.
He could apparently raise pigs very well. In mid December, 1931, Charlie butchered an eight-month old pig that weighed 290 pounds dressed. His neighbor, Ben Armstrong, also butchered two pigs, seven months old, that weighed 420 pounds dressed.
Charlie was a great cigar smoker. He smoked King Edward cigars. A few critics have mentioned this habit against his Christian activities. However, this wrier believes that those who may criticize should consider which one of them that is without sin first cast the stone. It is highly improbable that his cigars will bar him from entry through the pearly gates.
On Oct. 20, 1935, Belle died. She had submitted to an operation 11 days earlier. Her ailment was of a cancerous nature. Following a funeral in the church she was buried beside her first husband in the Diamond Cemetery.
On June 16, 1936, the 68th anniversary of the construction of the United Brethren Church was observed with special services with fine attendances. Charlie gave what history he knew of the church and he stated that he recalled 31 pastors of the church. It is said that one of his favorite hymns was “Beulah Land”.
One day during the pastorate of Rev. Walter D. Black, 1934-41, Charlie walked up to the parsonage. The preacher invited him to come in and sit down. Charlie was discouraged, threw his coat down and said that he was going to resign as Sunday School superintendent; that he had it long enough. This took Rev. Black by surprise, and he said to himself: “Oh Lord, what’ll I do?” So just then he also threw down his coat in disgust and said that he was going to resign as pastor. “Oh now, you don’t want to do that”, Charlie said. So they knelt and had a word of prayer, and each agreed to continue in their capacities.
A couple of days later Rev. Black stopped at Charlie’s home and Charlie invited him inside. Then Charlie said to him: “That was a good act you put on the other day”, then also added that there was no offense meant, and that he would keep his word to continue as Sunday School superintendent.
Sometimes during the Sunday School hour one or two of the boys would get rather mischievous. Charlie would cock an eye sideways toward the lad and say “ahem”. It was rather amusing.
Sometime during the 1930s Charlie, Harry Sharp and Frank Strawbridge were shoveling out the cemetery driveway in preparation for a funeral procession one winter day. While they were there Leo Bumpus brought Burt Babcock of the Land Bank of Franklin there for their signatures on a petition for Babcock who was running as a candidate for the state General Assembly.
In 1939 or 40 Pomona Grange met at the Breedtown Grange hall. The light in the hall was situated in such a position that it showed what appeared to be a spider on the neck of a woman sitting in the hall. Charlie was sitting behind this woman, and he reached over to pick off the spider. Instead it was a wart! Leo and Marie Bumpus and Lorena Lesh of Bradleytown were sitting nearby and everybody was laughing over the incident including Charlie and the woman.
Well after Ivo and Edith August moved from the farm to Gresham, Charlie drove his green 1935 Ford coupe (his last car) to Ivo’s one day and he and Edith went to town on the pretense that she was to help him pick out a new suit. Instead he bought a new black coat and blouse for her.
The Diamond Church held a Men’s Day service on Oct. 19, 1947. Dick Sharp was chairman, Frank Sager gave the sermon and this writer was the pianist. It is recalled that Charlie August gave the opening prayer for that service.
The Goodwin Bible class of the church met at the Clyde Grove home on Nov. 12, 1948, with Charlie, 86, president, conducting the meeting. A short dialogue concerning politics was given during the social hour. There were 35 present.
During the last two winters that he lived he stayed with Ivo and Edith due to his failing strength. During the first winter he doctored a broken wrist. He had heart trouble for years but he took care of himself.
In May, 1949, the Diamond Cemetery Association held a public supper followed by a meeting in the grange hall. Frank Strawbridge was one of hose present at the supper and meeting. During the meeting he was approached by the association members to become a member. The vacancy left by the death of Harry Sharp in 1945 was never filled. He was reluctant to become a member, but he accepted. He said afterwards that if it hadn’t been for Charlie August he wouldn’t have accepted it. He knew Charlie was getting way up there in years and wouldn’t be here too long.
At an earlier time, either in 1947 or 48, Charlie drove up to the Strawbridge farm one day while the evening chores were being done and approached Frank to become a member but he wouldn’t accept it then.
On May 10, 1949, Charlie attended the funeral of Herbert C. Thomas at Diamond. It is recalled at the cemetery that he walked up behind Tom Shriver, grabbed him by the shoulders and said something on the joking order to Tom. Tom looked back at him and said, “Now Charlie, do you want me to toss you over my head?” Then both laughed.
Maybe Charlie did, and maybe he didn’t realize, that he had little over two months of life left from that day. It finally happened during the early morning hours of Tuesday, July 26, 1949. Earlier in the evening before he got a pain in his right arm. He went upstairs to bed. He was at Ivo’s place in Gresham. He took two or three glycerin pills, but without any effect. The family called Dr. Brice who came out. He asked Charlie if he would take any whiskey, but he refused. The doctor ordered that Charlie be taken to the hospital immediately, so Ivo and Edith took him in their car. They stayed with him awhile in the hospital and he seemed to be resting more comfortably. So they went back home. They no more entered their house when the phone rang. It was a message from the hospital that Charlie was sinking fast. By the time they got back to the hospital he was dead. He died at 3:20 a.m.
The body remained at the Williams Funeral Home in Chapmanville where callers came. A prayer service was held there at 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, the 28th, followed by the funeral at 2 o’clock in the Diamond Church. Charlie was taken into his beloved church for the last time. A large crowd was in attendance. All seats were filled and there were many in the churchyard. Rev. L.T. Lincoln, pastor, officiated, and he read the hymns, “The Unclouded Day” and “When They Ring the Golden Bells”.
It was a very hot day and it was during wheat harvest time. Many present took their suit coats off to be comfortable. Burial was in the Diamond Cemetery with the following as pallbearers: Clarence Stephenson, Frank Strawbridge, Dean Shiver, Emmett Sparks, Earl Proper and Lloyd Kightlinger.
At a later time a gift of $100.00 apiece from each son, Floyd and Ivo, was given to honor a previous oral request to his sons.

Transcribed by Penny Kulbacki Minnick
minnick862@verizon.net

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