Fall

Mom and I talked about the Isaac and Leah Fall house in Hartville. I didn't realize that they had moved there before Mom was born. Isaac was in bad health, rheumatism. She told me that they had small barn out back where they kept a horse and buggy. They never had a car. There was an out-house on the south side of the barn and a covered grape arbor going through the lawn towards the barn. (All houses in Hartville had out-houses in those days.) Hartville School was not built until about the 1930s. There was a big woods back there. After her grandfather died in 1925, Verna came back from Kansas and stayed with her grandmother. She also did nursing. After her grandmother died, they sold everything. She thought Verna went back to Kansas for at least a little. She also stayed at Kate Shoemaker's place in North Canton when they went to Florida. (I remember visiting them in NC a couple of times as a kid. The house is still there on South Main. It is a big Victorian place. I remember it being very dark inside, full of lace, pictures, etc.) Ultimately, she got married to Ollie and they lived south of Canton. I remember Ollie. I think he was kind of odd.

More info on the Isaac Fall family: Apparently Herb Fall also lived in Alliance. He worked for some company there. Mom didn't know what it was. He had two daughters, Catherine and June. She didn't know what Ed Fall did for a living. Byrril (sp?) was apparently a house painter. John Fall worked at the Hoover Co. Ed Shoemaker's oldest son took over the lumber co. The middle son was mentally impaired. He ultimately ended up at Chapel Hill Nursing Home. The youngest son may have also been impaired and drank a lot. As for Sam Brumbaugh's family. They also were apparently close. Mom said that relationship ended earlier with the death of Sam when she was still pretty small. Grandpa had 3 siblings, Verna, Jenny and Ira. Verna was married to Israel Steffie. They had 3 children, Leon, Melvin and Clarence. Leon and Melvin were mailmen. Clarence worked for the Alliance Review newspaper. He was married to Freda. I seems like Mom was fairly close to Clarence's family. Interestingly, We apparently do not have any pictures of the Sam Brumbaugh family.

Issac Fall Around Mogadore

2/27/07 Today Mother and I went to Madadore and the area around it. The road North has a number of names, but the most noted were Portage Line Rd and Cleveland Ave. These roads took us right into town. We turned left on Albright Rd and the Springfield Church was on the left about a mile down the road. The cemetery is across the street. There was too much snow to go through the cemetery. As we drove b y saw the name Eby on a gravestone. Then we drove through downtown Magadore. It is a pretty small downtown. The main building appears to be an old hotel, that appears to be operational. Railroad tracks run through town - they come from Hartville. On the way back out of town, we took Magadore Rd, which started out to the East and then turned Southeast and ran into Rt. 43 just south of Magadore Dam. According to Mother, Isaac Fall lived off of Magadore Rd. West of where Magadore Dam is located . The land that they owned might be under the lake. Mother said that the road off of Magadore Rd. was a very narrow hilly road. She went with Effie Brumbaugh to see where it was. The Dam was there, so the land must be above the water line. Isaac Fall moved to near where mother grew up on Pontius Rd - the Failer Farm (potato farmer). Would be on the north side of Quail Hollow State Park. They sold the farm and moved into Hartville. He had really bad arthritis and could no longer work on the farm. Mother remembers Isaac Falls funeral. It was on a Sunday in Janurary and it was really cold. Mother was just getting over the chicken pox.

Thompson Family

Jim: I just got off the phone with Mom. She said you had discussed the Thompson's with her. Interestingly, she can't remember much about the situation in the 1930s. From what I am reading, they should have been pretty close to main part of the dust bowl and you would have thought they would have suffered through it. However, Mom doesn't remember any issues. They did keep pretty close contact. In the search that I made, I saw that Jacob was born in Lake Township and married Minnie in Randolph in Portage Cty. I think it was in 1896 but I am not sure and I can't find that site again. I'm pretty sure it wasFamilySearch.org?? I did get Mom talking about the Falls. She really remembers details. I will try to write them down and send them out. Interestingly, she said they were really a close family - getting together on Sundays for dinner, etc. - until after Isaac died. Apparently there was a falling out over how to invest Leah's money. Ed Shoemaker was pushing on an investment and Charlie Kannal didn't agree - but she is not sure. Did you see this info on James Thompson fromGenealogy.com http://genforum.genealogy.com/cgi-bin/pageload.cgi?Little,River,Kansas::thompson::6570.html Larry

Minnie and Descendents

Jim: So I would assume that even though Minnie had no direct decedents, i.e., grandchildren, there were other Thompsons around to carry on the family line. I am wondering if they sold out any and everything they had or if their estate was passed on to family members. Also, in looking at those pictures again, that one picture of a young woman with frizzy hair and no glasses may not be from Kansas. I picked it because I thought the frame was like the other two black frames that said Little River on them. This one, however, does not indicate where it is from on the front. They do look like they were from about the same time frame. All three pictures are of women of similar age, have similar dress and hairdos. As I read my book on the southern plains, I wonder more and more. Early in the 20th century, especially during WWI, wheat farmers made a killing. Times were good on the southern plains. There was sufficient rain. However in the 1920s, wheat became so cheap that some towns hired armed sheriffs to turn back farmers trying to bring in wheat. There was just no place left to store it. As prices fell farmers took over more and more land and plowed every inch of the plains that they could get a hold of to keep money coming in. Ultimately this led to wide spread bankruptcies. Then in the early 30s the dust bowl. I have asked mom repeatedly if she knew anything about them having problems in the 1930s. She says no. Again, I remember them coming to visit Grandma when I was little. Also, sometime I would like to ask you how to start finding out something about Mary's family. Believe me she doesn't know anything. I will try to get her to give my what little she has. Her interests are low but it would be nice to know a little about her ancestors. She is half Irish and half Polish. Larry

Indiana Tragedy

The following account of the tragic death of Margaret Kern, the daughter of Henry Kern, son of John Yost Kern, has been taken from the family history, History of the Gift, Kern and Royer Families. On page 105 the only mention of Margaret Kern is as follows. "Margaret, married to George Fall, died in Marshall Co., Indiana. The circumstances of her lamentable death were as follows: She was engaged in general house work and while making a bed her son was outside of the house loading a rifle. The gun was accidently discharged through a small opening of the door which had not been entirely closed; the ball entered her body in the region of the heart and she died almost instantly." The book is conspicuous in it's absence of any further detail concerning Margaret and George's children and their families. Details are abound for all Kern relatives up to the publishing of the book in 1909.

Scant information concerning the family, after the accident, can be put together from Federal Census reports, Military Service records and stories handed down through one of the sons, Isaac Fall. It is believed that Isaac and James Fall were dropped off in Summit Co, Ohio by their father with friends or relatives on his way back to Pennsylvania after the accident.

Summary of the George Fall Family from Federal Census Records:

George Fall

• • 1840 young family living in Beaver, Snyder, PA

  • 1850 his family now in Marshall Co, IN

  • 1860 he is living with his brother Samuel Fall in Beaver, Snyder, PA (indicates insane)

  • 1880 he is living with brother Samuel's widow

Margaret Fall

• • 1850 Marshall Co, IN

  • About 1853 killed in shooting accident

Children of George and Margaret Fall

Henry Fall b. 1835

• • 1850 Marshall Co, In

  • 1860 Union Twp, Marshall Co, IN

  • 1880 West Twp, Marshall Co, IN Listed as farmhand

John Fall b. 1836

• • 1850 Marshall Co, IN

Lydia Fall b. 1838

• • 1850 Marshall Co, IN

  • 1860 Beaver, Snyder Co, PA (Domestic)

Matilda Fall b. 1839

• • 1850 Marshall Co, IN

  • 1860 Beaver, Snyder Co, PA - living with Henry Kern

James Fall b. 1844

• • 1850 Marshall Co, IN

  • 1880 Springfield Twp, Summit Co, OH

Isaac Fall b.1844

• • 1850 Marshall Co, IN

  • 1860 Beaver, Snyder Co, PA - living with Henry Kern

  • 1870 Springfield Twp, Summit Co, OH

Margaret Fall b.1847

• • 1850 Marshall Co, IN

Devil's Den, Pennsylvania

Leah Fall is the 4th in from the left wearing the bonnet. She and her group are posing for this picture at Devil's Den, Gettysburg Battlefield, PA. Leah's husband Isaac Fall was at the Civil War battle at Gettysburg in 1863. They attended the 1912 Church of of the Brethren Annual Conference at York, PA. After their visit to the Battlefield, they returned by train to the Hartville, Ohio area.

Covered Wagon to Indiana

Was thinking about George Fall and family getting to Indiana and back. Mom and Grandma have said that they went to Indiana by covered wagon. I began wondering when the option of trains. The Pennsylvania Railroad was opened to Massilon in 1852 and to Fort Wayne by November 1984. I guess it was to late for them coming back but who knows. There may have been other lines open through there. Larry email 10/2/06