ARMSTRONG COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY

 

Yesterday I took a drive to KITTANNING, PA  which is located in ARMSTRONG COUNTY PA.  Kittanning is located on the banks of the Allegheny River and it is a beautiful setting.

This time I used my GPS and did not get lost in a town without a map, it was easier with the GPS because most of the street signs are non existent.

The ARMSTRONG COUNTY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY is located in the same building as the Historical Society.    I joined this group at the beginning of this year.  These little local societies operate on a shoestring budget and I feel that it is necessary to support them.

When they asked me what I was searching I explained my quest to find Olive Boswer Stephens and her parents and siblings.  First to Olives Death Certificate.

 

The information was given by her second husband, Oswald Rauhut at the time of her death (23 December 1923) in Salem Ohio, Columbiana County.   It lists her father as Jacob Bowser  and mother Mary, maiden name unknown.

The second item is her obituary printed in the Salem Ohio Newspaper:

 

                              Mrs. Oswalt Rauhut

        Mrs. Olive Rauhut, 49, wife of Oswalt Rauhut, died at 5:30 PM   Monday at her home, 115 East Pershing Ave.  She had been ill of heart trouble only 18 hours.

        Mrs. Rauhut, daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Bowser, was born in Armstrong county Pennsylvania, and spent most of her life in Pittsburg.  Two years ago she and her husband to Salem to make their home.

       Surviving are the husband, one son James (Stephens); two daughters, Mrs. Irene Scheuring, north of Salem and Mrs. Mary Spell (Sperl) of Millvale Pa. and several brothers and sisters. 

      The funeral service will be a 2 PM, Thursday at the home on Pershing Ave, in charge of Rev. H L Miller. burial in Grandview Cemetery. 

 

{The Obit came in the form of a PDF and I did not know how to cut and paste a section, anyone out there know how to do this?}

 

To my delight and surprise a woman, Linda, was there researching the same line.   After going through the entire census of Armstrong County the only one I could find that could possibly relate was the 1860 census in Pine Township, Armstrong County.   This image was downloaded from Ancestry.com.

 

It lists Jacob Bowser age 32, wife Mary A (Ann) age 27, Nathaniel 10, Lewela 7, Calven 6, Lafaett 3, Mathias 1 and  Thomas Murphy 65  (retired farmer) Margaret Brunbaugh 24 and Martha B. aged 1.  Linda said that Thomas Murphy was Mary Ann's father but who is Margaret Brunbaugh and Martha B?

We both looked for this family in the 1870 census but neither of us could find them.   I did find Lafayette living with another family in Armstrong County working on a farm.   Where are the rest of them?

In 1880 Mathias was living with relatives in Huron County Ohio.

With a little research in a book of Wills index I found a death of Jacob Bowser in 1878.  If this is Olives father she would have been four years old.   Did Mary Ann died earlier and then the children moved with relatives when the father died?

I have to go back to the courthouse to review the records.   It is like Olive did not exist until the 1900 census, with the exception of the date on her death certificate and obituary.

Linda also had three other children born after Mathias….Mary Elizabeth, Lillian, and Harriet Jane.    Linda and I are quite excited to find out if Olive is one of this family.