1920. Frederick Remphey (sic) age 26 born PA, his father England and mother PA, is a coal miner in Hanover, Luzerne Co, PA with wife Elsie C age 26, she and both parents born Indiana, and William F age 1 1/2.

Pettibone Colliery #6, Kingston, PA mine accident 3 Jul 1926 Dept of Labor list of historical accidents antrhacite region.

On June 5, 1917, Frederick Remphrey filed his World War I Registartion car. He sdai he was age 24 born 16 Aug 1892 and was a painter, single not married. Fred married 23 Jun 1917 and age in Census reasonably consistent so I guess this is him.

I thought I saw a newspaper article which I failed to copy or even cite a reference to that said he died in a mine accident 3 Jul 1926. Bu the PA Death Index says he died 31 Oct 1926.

Fred listed his occupation as a painter on both his World War I Draft Registration and his marriage application -- both in 1917 -- but by the 1920 Census he had entered the “family business” and was reported as a miner. At some point, when I was only thinking about whether I could learn enough about Bill Remphrey’s ancestry to write it up here, I jotted down a note, possibly based on a newspaper article, saying Fred died in a mine accident 3 Jul 1926. I am now unable to find any trace of that reference. There was a mine accident that day in Kingston, PA but I have found the list of the men who died and Fred was not among them. And in any event, it is now clear that Fred died 31 Oct 1926. There was also a mine accident that day, but I can’t find Fred’s name on that list either. So I am a little unclear as to what happened to Fred Remphrey but he most definitely died young.

1910. Elsie Taylor age 16, dressmaker, born Indiana lives with her step-father Ruben Gliddon age 39 and his wife Sarah J age 38 and wth older sister Annie Taylor 19 and younger sister Martha 15. All the Taylor children were born in Indiana as was their father. Ruben and Sarah have only been married 3 years. They live in Wilkes-Barre. Sarah J says she was born in PA and her parents both in Wales.

1920. Reuben and Sarah J Gliddon are still in Wilkes-Barre. Step-daughter Delpha A Taylor is 29. Also present is Samuel Taylor age 52. Sarah says she was born PA, her parents in Wales.

1930. Elsie C Remphrey lives in Union Twp, Luzerne County as a housekeeper in the household of Frank D Search. Her children Catherine M and Taylor S Remphrey are present and also present is Samuel Taylor age 62.

Elsie, Bill’s mother, had a very hard life, too, I believe. She was born in Indiana in the early 1890’s but by 1900, her father had died, her widowed mother, Sarah J, had moved to Wilkes-Barre to live with her own parents, but none of Sarah’s several children were with her, leaving Elsie and her siblings totally unaccounted for. I don’t where they were, but by 1910 Elsie was again living with her mother, now remarried, and her two siblings. Elsie married Fred 23 June 1917, had 4 children and then, by 1926, found herself a widow. In 1930, she was living as a housekeeper with her two youngest children, Taylor S who lived as an adult in Milton and Catherine. Her two oldest children, Bill, the oldest and Charles, who lived as an adult in Atkins, Arkansas, had been sent to live at the Orphanage in Sunbury.