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- [S1812] paintedhills.org, First Mitchell-Vergason Reunion held at Yentzer farm in 1923. Gerry Lynn Hamilton, April 2, 2018.
Luella Mae Mitchell (1) fact
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First Mitchell-Vergason Reunion held at Yentzer farm in 1923
Comments and photos to help confirm or correct identities are most welcome
PHOTO A 1923 Mitchell-Vergason Reunion
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you are lucky enough to still have older family members in your life, spend time with them now to identify people in the family photographs. Listen to their stories and learn about the people in the pictures. You will cherish the experience and future generations will cherish photos with IDs and details.
By Gerry Lynn Hamilton
April 2, 2018
GLHamilton48@Gmail.com
Old group photos of family reunions are kind of interesting. They become fascinating if the people are identified and you know something about them.
My mother, Luella Mae (Mitchell) Hamilton, gave me two old photos in 2008. About a decade later, I confirmed that the photos were taken in 1923 for the First Annual Mitchell-Vergason Reunion at the Yentzer Farm on Sartwell Creek Road, Pleasant Valley Twp., Potter Co., PA.
Mom identified many of the people in the photos, and she appeared in both. She was 5 and she remembered the color of the dress she had on that day. Mom always had a good memory for details, and her mind was sharp even in her final days. Also she would have seen many of these folks at family reunions and other family events for the rest of their lives.
In 2017, I obtained a news clipping about the first reunion. The clip listed the attendees, and I was able to identify most of the remaining people. I also made some best guesses. The clipping includes some mangled names and other details. [My guess: Some poor printer was working from handwritten copy.]
What follows are the identifications and some additional details, as well as documentation in the form of a description of how I arrived at each identification. I would welcome any comments or photos that might help to confirm or correct these identifications.
Identifications were completed for Photo A first, because the group was smaller (smaller puzzle) and most of the 30 people were already identified by my mother in 2008.
Italics show the names as they were published, including errors. [Brackets show calculated ages for 1923.] b=born, d=died, m=married
*Children and grandchildren of George Washington Mitchell (b 1844) and Lydia Eliza Vergason and descendants of Charles L. Vergason and Alvira Russell.
**Additional descendants of Charles L. Vergason.
Following are the 23 people Mom identified for Photo A.
[43] Mr. and [39] Mrs. Fred Mitchell of Genesee
? *Frederick M. Mitchell (1880-1940) and Rebecca L. Tuttle (1884-1948) m 4 Jul 1903.
[40] Mr. and [50] Mrs. Mahlon Mitchell of Roulette and daughter [8] Carrie
? *Mahlon Alvin Mitchell (1882-1971) and Rosalie Ida Byam (1873-1955) m 31 Jan 1918 Little Valley, NY (first for him and second for her).
? daughter *Carrie Viola Mitchell (b 13 Jun 1913 Andover, NY; d 7 Feb 1933 Andover, NY). (The 1920 US Census lists Carrie as adopted. Her 1931 NY Marriage License states that her parents were Mahlon A. Mitchell and Kate Studley.)
[36] Mr. and [32] Mrs. Carl Mitchell and daughters [7] Lula and [5] Laura and sons [4] Lloyd and [2] Carl of Coudersport
? *Carl Earl Mitchell (often listed as Sr.) (1887-1980), Ettabell Virginia Thompson (1890-1973) m 5 Jul 1980 Wellsville, NY.
? and daughters *Luella Mae (1917-2010) and *Luva Alice (1916-2002) and sons *Lloyd Earl (1919-2004) and *Carl Wilbur (sometimes Jr.) (1921-2015). (Carl and Luella were the last two survivors from this reunion. Luella died in 2010. Carl W. died in 2015.)
[31] Mr. and [30] Mrs. Clyde Mitchell of Olean
? *Clyde Christopher Mitchell (1892-1965) and Ida Mae Johnson (1893-1956) m 24 Nov 1919. In World War I, he served in France in the Battles of Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel.
[24] Harry Mitchell of Genesee
? *Harry R. Mitchell (1898-1973) never married.
[45] Mr. and [38] Mrs. Ora Shaffer and daughter [15] Lena from near Millport, Clearfield county
? Orel and Merlin Shaffer (1878-1939) and *Cora May Mitchell (1884-1972) m 1901.
? *Lena Amanda Shaffer (1908-1981).
[68] Mr. and [29] Mrs. D. Yentzer and daughters [16] Lena and [13] Hattie
? Daniel “Dannie” T. Yentzer (1855-1931) and *Nettie May Mitchell (1894-1989) m between 1916 and 1920 (second marriage for both). (His daughters with his first wife were not included in this group.)
[8] Liddie Haskins and son, [10] Geo Haskins of Port Allegany
? *Lydia M. Haskins (1915-2000) and brother *George Arnold Haskins (1912-1985), children of *Nettie May Mitchell and her first husband Irving Washington Haskins.
[10] Thelma and [6] F. Gee of Roulette
? Thelma Rosalie Gee (1913-1963) and Forest E. “Buster” Gee (1915-), grandchildren of Rosalie Ida Byam, whose first husband was Ralph Hotchkiss, and children of Walter B. Gee and Mabel G. Hotchkiss.
Mom provided clues for the following three people.
[36] Mr. and [34] Mrs. Walter Neir of Custer City, PA
? **Walter E. Weir (b 25 Apr 1887 McKean Co., PA, d 28 Jan 1936) and Bessie M. Evans (b Feb 1889 PA) m abt. 1914, divorced. Custer City is an unincorporated community near Bradford, PA. Walter is a son of Hattie B. (Vergason) and Ira Weir.
Luella said she thought the name of this couple was Weir and they were from Bradford. I scoured McKean Co. census records looking for various spellings. I found a possible couple of about the right age, but I didn’t know how they were related to the family.
In 2012, I received the obituary of Charles L. Vergason. One of the survivors was a daughter, Hattie Belle (Vergason) Weir. Big breakthrough! Using online records, I discovered Walter was a son of Hattie Belle, who was a daughter of Charles L. This strengthened my opinion that this group photo was a picture of Charles L. Vergason and his descendants and their spouses. At this point, I had no idea Hattie was in the photos.
In 2017, I obtained a news clipping from The Potter Enterprise (16 Aug 1923 p6) through the online subscription service newspapers.com. The clipping provided the final clues.
[54] Mrs. Hattie Neir of Olean
**Hattie Belle (Vergason) Weir (b 11 Jul 1869 Mecosta, MI, d Oct 1934, Olean, NY), daughter of Charles L. Vergason.
She was in the photos! She was standing beside the unknown Vergason, and for a long time, I thought she might be his wife. As it turns out, she was standing behind her father with a brother on one side and her daughter on the other.
[90] Charles Vergason and son Frank of Coudersport
? Charles L. Vergason (b 21 Jul 1833 Candor, Tioga Co., NY; d 29 May 1924, Sweden Twp., Potter Co., PA) oldest person at the reunion, age “90 years and 14 days.”
? son **Frank James Vergason (1875-1949).
With the news clipping, I now had the name of the unknown Vergason identified by my mother. As for his father, for a long time, I thought this gentleman was Charles L. Vergason and this was a group of his descendants. I knew he was alive at the time, and he looked like the oldest person in the group. The news clipping provided strong support for my opinions, and I felt confident in completing the identifications, or at least making some best guesses.
[30] Mr. and [28] Mrs. G.O. Heinzman and son Gail of Bradford
? Glenn O. Heinzman (b abt. 1893) and **Mary E. (Weir) Heinzman (b Mar 1895) daughter of Hattie B. and Ira Weir.
? son **Gail Wade Heinzman (1917-2009).
Once Hattie and Frank were identified, there remained one unidentified young couple and one unidentified male child. Mary was standing between her mother and her husband.
At this point, I had identifications for all 29 people in Photo A.
There is one other gentleman in the background. Using the larger group photo, I made a best guess about his name, and concluded he was an onlooker, who was not related to the Mitchells, Vergasons or Yentzers.
Now I turned my attention to Photo B, the larger group photo of everyone named in the news clipping. The first two steps were easy. Mom had already identified three of these folks. Then I transferred the identifications from 29 people in Photo A to the same people in Photo B.
PHOTO B 1923 Mitchell-Vergason Reunion
Following are the identifications Mom provided for the folks who only appeared in Photo B.
[81] Wesley Allen of Coudersport
? Wesley Allen (1842-1930), whose first wife was Ann Eliza Mitchell (1842-1909), daughter of Mahlon Mitchell Jr. (1806-1889) and Elizabeth M. Gilbert (1815-1877). Wes was a Civil War veteran.
[27] Mr. and [20] Mrs. Archie Foster, Coudersport
? Archie Leroy Foster (b 11 Oct 1895 Oswayo, Potter Co., d 1 May 1967 Coudersport) and Fannie May Thompson (b 1903 PA, d 4 Apr 1929, Coudersport).
Fannie is a daughter of Charles Thompson (1868-1937) and Ada Dell Toles (1873-1963) and a sister of Ettabell Virginia (Thompson) Mitchell.
At this point, 31 of the 48 people are identified.
Following is a harder task. I named people based in part on apparent age and a process of elimination.
[23] Mrs. Cynthia McCann of Coudersport
? Cynthia McCann (1900-1931) daughter of Jacob Clark and Ida M. (Gurnsey) McCann and granddaughter of William Clark McCann and Cynthia Maria Strong.
She was a stepdaughter of Charles L. Vergason. She married Frank Vancuren 1 Jun 1915. The couple does not show up in the 1920 US Census.
She was standing next to Frank James Vergason, her half uncle, and they were part of a group of Vergasons. At one time, she was a servant in Frank’s home; at the time he was a widower and she was a widow (1930 US Census).
[55] Mr. and [47] Mrs. Fred Wambold and [14] daughter Doris of Port Allegany
? Frederick Francis Wambold (b 15 Sep 1868 Sweden Twp., Potter Co., PA; d 25 Jul 1931 Pleasant Valley Twp., Potter Co., PA) adopted son of David Wambold and Mary J. VanHorn. Mary was a daughter of Martha Mitchell and James VanHorn and a granddaughter of Letitia Margerum and Mahlon Mitchell Sr.
? Emma (Lehman) Wambold (b 4 Sep 1876, d 18 Oct 1933 at home near Burtville).
? Doris Mae Rena Mary Wambold (b 2 Nov 1909, d 1998). Her middle names Rena and Mary were the names of her grandmothers.
Fred and Emma were more or less the last couple identified. They were seated together. Doris was more or less the last girl identified.
[72] Mrs. Rena Lehman of Burtville
? Rena Fay (Wakeley) Lehman (b 10 Jun 1851, d 7 April 1936), mother of Emma (Lehman) Wambold. One of the last two women identified. She seemed to be the older of the two.
[68] Mr. and [72] Mrs. W.M. Ernest of Burtville
William M. Ernst (one “e”) (b 4 Aug 1845 Germany, d 11 Oct 1923) and Mary Elizabeth (Yentzer) Ernst (b 8 Mar 1851 PA, d 22 Feb 1944), sister of Daniel T. Yentzer.
Two photos of a younger W.M. Ernst shows he was a tall man, who parted his hair on the left. The gentleman sitting next to Daniel Yentzer fits that description.
Mrs. Ernst was listed as the second oldest person, and she appeared to be the oldest woman. However, as I prepared this documentation, I realized Rena Lehman was also 72. Still I favored the seated woman, because three photos of a younger Mrs. Ernst shows she seemed to be a short woman, who did not smile for photos.
Mr. and Mrs. D. Yentzer and daughters [16] Lena and [13] Hatti
? Tena M. Yentzer (b abt 1907)
? Hattie B. Yentzer (b 1910 Pleasant Valley Twp.; d 14 May 1985 Coudersport)
Of five unidentified girls, there were two pairs, who looked like they could be sisters. The final choice was made by apparent age.
[58] Rev. Leslie E. Cass, Burtville
? Leslie E. Cass (b 2 Feb 1865 Canada, d 21 Feb 1939 Cassadaga, Chautauqua Co., NY)
The last man identified.
[12] Misses Sylvia and [10] Elsie Stoddard, Chaffee, NY
? Saville (rather than Sylvia) and Elsie Stoddard. Chaffee is near Sardinia, Erie Co., NY. US Census records identify them as members of the George T. and Minnie M. (Cass) Stoddard family. The NY 1925 Census also identifies the family. Saville C. Stoddard (b abt. 1911 NY) and Elsie F. Stoddard (b abt. 1913). Their mother’s maiden name was Cass. Her father’s name was Leslie E. Cass, the same as the pastor at the reunion. The two girls were his granddaughters. The final choice was made by apparent age.
Their names are included in a list of students earning school attendance honors. The list was published often in the Springville (NY) Journal for the Town of Sardinia. Their mother’s maiden name came from her memorial at Find A Grave.
[46] Mrs. Myrtle Gale, Genesee
? Myrtle A. (Cooper) Gale (b abt 1877 NY) m 11 Apr 1907 to Wellsville Winifred L. “Winnie” Gale (b abt 1883 PA).
One of the last two women identified. She seemed to be the younger of the two. She was perhaps a friend of the family. News items in The Potter Enterprise reported several times that she was staying with Fred and Becky Mitchell.
[84] A.B. Holt of Ja Jose, PA
Andrew Barrett Holt (b 30 Nov 1839 Boggs Twp. Near Milesburg, PA; d 13 Oct 1932 Sweden Twp.) son of John Holt (b Milesburg) and Perscilla Barrett (b Milesburg) m Mary Giffert abt. 1883. Their daughter Anna P. (b 1836) married William H. Duell 30 Mar 1902, Sweden Valley, PA.
For many years, Civil War veteran Holt lived in Sweden Twp. along with his wife Mary and their children (US Census 1900 and 1910). At the time of the reunion, he was a widower living with a daughter at Ja Jose, Ferguson Twp., Clearfield Co., PA. Perhaps Holt was a family friend, who was visiting Potter Co. at the time of the reunion. In 1930, he was a widower living with his daughter and family in Sweden Twp., where he died in 1932 at the age of 92.
He parts his hair on the right, and that was the clincher for me. Originally, I thought William H. Ernst would be sitting next to his wife. However, when I came across this photo, I saw a resemblance. Then I took note of his hair part. Photos of a young Ernst shows he parts his hair on the left.
PHOTO CREDITS:
Reunion A and B - Luella Mae (Mitchell) Hamilton collection
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Ernst - ancestry.com (JErnst79)
Andrew Barrett Holt - ancestry.com (JTCaron)
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Abt 1913 - 
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