A Family Story to Tell

Wanting to be independent but feeling trapped, third great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Waldhauer (1796-1862) was resolved to find a husband. She had a good mind. She could read. She could write. She was also pretty but she didn’t have choices. Finding a husband was what was expected. It was 1815 and a woman’s role continued to be limited to finding a husband, having children, taking care of the children and submitting to their husband for their entire life. Elizabeth had a different expectation of what her life should be. She wanted to be on her own and have financial independence. She did not wish to have to marry to be economically safe and protected. Yet, it was unthinkable for a woman to remain single. Society scorned and pitied single women. She had no choice. She had to find a husband. John Krack/Crock, (1771-1824) was a farmer and a widower. It is most likely that John’s wife passed away soon after the birth of their daughter in 1814, as deadly infections following the ...

It was late December 1887, and a typical winter day for Joseph B. Shaner and family in Cowansburg, Pennsylvania.  The snow was banked against the house and streets were slick with patches of ice. The holidays were behind them and the family had settled into their usual routine.  Rebecca got up early to make lunches as family members readied themselves to brave the cold outdoors to make their way to work or school. Joseph headed to the Coal Mine near Lash Post Office.   Rebecca’s day had started like any other.  She did some laundry, cleaned the house, baked some bread and prepared a pot of beans for dinner.  Later that day she heard a shuffling at the door. Joseph was on a stretcher! Fellow miners carried him indoors. The men quickly explained that he had been injured in the mine.  Dr. J. D. Milligan attended Joseph that same day, December 29, 1887, stating that Joseph had been crushed by a piece of slate that had fallen on him. The fa...