{Treasure Box} Barbara (Frick) Gamble Obituary

Barbara Frick is my 4th great grandmother.  I have written a previous blog post with a transcription of her obituary.  You can read it here.   I have also written a blog post about her burial with her husband, John Gamble.  You can read it here.

Here is a copy of the newspaper obituary I received from the Butler Area Public Library. There are some interesting details. It sounds like she may have suffered a stroke.

If you have any ancestors in Butler County, Pennsylvania, I would highly recommend checking out their Obituary Index.

Barbara Frick Gamble obituary

{Treasure Box} Daniel Wise Newspaper Clippings

Daniel Wise (1812-1892) is my 4th great grandfather.  We was born and lived in Western Pennsylvania.  A few years ago, I found the Butler County Public Library had an online obituary index.  You could then contact the library for the original newspaper article.  I was surprised to find that Daniel Wise had multiple listings in the index.  I was lucky that two references to a lunacy declaration was also included in the index.

The following articles relate to Daniel being judged a lunatic and his hospitalization at Dixmont.  Dixmont was the first mental health hospital in Pennsylvania.  It was a branch of the West Penn Hospital. Daniel passed away two years later in the hospital.  I have sent some emails to try to locate the original court records regarding the lunacy case.

There are some discrepancies in Daniel’s date of death.  The article below states it occurred 9 February 1892.  His probate papers state he died 18 January 1892.  I am hoping that a trip to the Pennsylvania State Archives might include records from Dixmont. Adding another genealogy trip to the list!

Daniel Wise lunacy case

Butler Citizen Newspaper, 16 August 1889, page 3, col 4. Butler Area Public Library, Obituary Index, microfilm 14.

Daniel Wise Lunacy Judgement

Butler Citizen, 24 January 1890, Page 3, column 6. Butler Area Public Library, Obituary Index, microfilm 015.

Daniel Wise death notice

Butler Citizen, 19 February 1892, page 2.  Butler Area Pulblic Library, Obituary Index, microfilm 015.

Wedding Wednesday – Charles Francis Dempsey and Josephine Amelia Gamble

Dempsey – Gamble Original Marriage Record

 

My grandmother still holds the original marriage record for her parents, Charles Francis Dempsey (1894-1986) and Josephine Amelia Gamble (1894-1976).  I had the opportunity to digitize this document a few weeks ago at Christmas time.  It blows my mind that there are original documents in our family that are almost 100 years old!

I, T.W. Rosensteel hereby certify that on the 11th day of Feb one thousand nine hundred and 20 at St. Joseph’s Charles F. Dempsey and Josephine A. Gamble were by me United in Marriage.

in accordance with license issued by the Clerk of the Orphans Court of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Numbered 13723 Series L              T.W. Rosensteel, Rector

Sunday’s Obituary – Barbara (Frick) Gamble

Barbara Gamble is my 4th great grandmother.

Me to Barbara Frick

I have found her name and relationship to John L Gamble in his military pension papers.  Using the obituary index on the genealogy page at the Butler Area Public Library, I ordered a copy of Barbara’s obituary.

Butler Citizen, 28 March 1890, Page 2, Column 2, Film # 015, Butler Area Public Library.

GAMBLE – In this place, suddenly, March 26, 1890, Mrs. Barbara Gamble, wife of Mr. John Gamble, aged 71 years.

On Wednesday evening, about 6 o’clock, Mrs. Gamble was in the toll house on the plank road kept by her husband, when she was, without any warning, stricken with paralysis.  She was removed to her home nearby, where she died about 10 o’clock the same evening.

 

 

Tombstone Tuesday – John and Barbara (Frick) Gamble

In the military pension papers for John L Gamble, I identified the names of my 4th great grandparents, John Gamble and Barbara Frick.  I was able to find their gravestones on Findagrave.com.  They are buried together at South Cemetery in Butler, Pennsylvania. A google map of Butler shows the cemetery on South Main Street.

I would like to thank “Me” who has posted over 41,000 memorials to Find A Grave.  Another thank you for posting permission to the contributor’s bio to use the photo.

Frick, Barbara Gravestone
Barbara Gamble

Our Mother, Barbara, wife of, John Gamble, born Apr 5, 1819, died, Mar 26, 1890.

FindAGrave.com, digital images (www.findagrave.com), accessed 2 December 2014, photograph by “me”, gravestone for Barbara Gamble (Apr 5 1819 – Mar 26, 1890), Find A Grave memorial # 68540886, South Cemetery, Butler, Pennsylvania.

 

Gamble, John Gravestone
John Gamble

 

Our Father, John, Gamble, died, Sept 30, 1901, aged, 85 years.

FindAGrave.com, digital images (www.findagrave.com), accessed 2 December 2014, photograph by “me”, gravestone for John Gamble (Sep. 30, 1901), Find A Grave memorial # 68540887, South Cemetery, Butler, Pennsylvania.

Military Monday – John L Gamble Deposition A, Part 1

The Pension Questionnaire completed by John L Gamble outlined the family he had with his wife.  The first page of his Deposition A given 15 October 1900 outlines the family he was born into.

Here is a transcription of the first page of the deposition:

My full and correct name is John L. Gamble. The initial
“L” does not stand for any name, but I use it in order to dis-
tinguish myself from other John Gambles.

My parents were John Gamble, and Barbara, maiden name
Frick. Father lives, mother is dead. Father is now stopping
with me. He is 84 yrs.old, and when at home, resides in Butler,
Butler Co., Pa.

I was born May 9″, 1839. I have two brothers and three sisters living, as follows:-
Samuel Gamble, J.P., at New Kensington, Westmoreland Co., Pa, 63 yrs.
Michael F. Gamble, merchant, Ponca, Dixon Co., Nebraska, about 45 yrs. old.
Mrs, Mattie, widow (?) Johnson, Butler, Butler Co., Pa., about 52 yrs.
Mrs. Mollie, widow John Albrant, Jamestown, Chautauqua Co., N.Y., 48 yrs.
Mrs. Lydia, wife Elmer Yarger, oil-well-driller, Butler, Pa. 38 yrs. old.

I was born in Armstrong Co., Pa., near Worthington, May 9″,
1839, on a farm. When I was about three yrs. old, my parents moved
to Butler Co. , Pa. about 4 miles S.E. of Butler, Pa. Since then my
people have always lived in the vicinity of Butler town.

It is pretty awesome that in just two pages of information I was able to put together this descendant chart:

Gamble Decendants

Sunday’s Obituary – Alice L. (Wise) Gamble

Earlier this week I began detailing the information I found in the pension file of John L. Gamble.  You can read about click here to read about the information found in his pension questionnaire.

The questionnaire confirmed that his first wife, and my ancestor, was Alice Wise.  She is listed with the middle initial “J” in the questionnaire.  Other sources listed her with the middle initial “L”.

Another deposition given by John L Gamble states that:

I was married to Alice Wise in the fall of 1865 in Butler, Pa and she died about April 1887, and is buried in the graveyard at Pine Creek Church, 5 miles south of Butler, Pa. She has no grave-stone.  Undertaker Alexander Martin of Etna, Allegheny Co., Pa. , buried her, and her physician was Dr. (?) Purvis, dead.

John L. Gamble continues in the next paragraph that Alice must have died in 1886 because he married Margaret Thompson in 1887.

Using the Obituary Index at the Butler Area Public Library website, I was able to find Alice.  I sent off for Alice’s obituary and promptly received two in the mail.  There was both a death notice and short obituary in the paper on the same day but different pages:

Deaths

GAMBLE – On March 12th, 1886, at her residence in Etna, Allegheny county , Pa., Alice L. wife of John L. Gamble, of pneumonia, aged 40 years.

and

Mrs.  A.L. Gamble, of Etna, Allegheny county, died of pneumonia on Friday last.  The remains were taken to the residence of her father, Mr. Daniel Wise, of Penn Township, this county, and on Sunday were interred in the church-yard at that place.

Democratic Herald, 19 March 1886, Page 2, Column 2 and Page 3, Column 2, Butler Area Public Library, Film #060.

Military Monday – John L Gamble Pension Questionnaire

A couple of months ago I wrote about going to the National Archives to find the military pension paperwork for my great-great-great grandfather, John L Gamble. (You can catch up here.)

Me to john gamble

As I looked at the incredible paperwork I kept it in the order I found it in the file.  One of the last items in the file was a standard form questionnaire filled out by John L Gamble.  It clearly identified his first wife and children including dates and places.  The biggest find in this document is that Alice Wise had been previously married.  The names of the children were confirmation of information previously found in census records.  Their dates of birth is new information.  The marriage information is also new to me.  I wonder who has the family bible?!

This is an image stitched together from my Flip Pal scans taken back in April.

John L Gamble Pension Questionnaire

 

3-389
Department of the Interior
Bureau of Pensions
Washington, D.C, January 2, 1915

SIR: Please answer, at your earliest convenience, the questions enumerated below. The information is requested for future use, and it may be of great value to your widow or children. Use the inclosed envelope, which requires no stamp.
Very respectfully,
xxxxxxxx (signature) Commissioner

John L. Gamble
2001 Perrysville Ave
N S Pillsbury Pa
No.1 Date and place of birth? Answer: John L Gamble born May 9 1839 Armstrong County Pa

The name of organizations in which you served? Answer: Company D 6 Pennsylvania V Heavy artillery

No.2 What was your post office at enlistment? Answer: Butler Butler County Pa

No.3 State your wife’s full name and her maiden name. Answer: Alice J Gamble Alice J Wise

No.4 When, where, and by whom were you married? Answer: November 14th 1865 in Butler Pa by Rev Stores

No.5 Is there any official or church record of your marriage? If so, Where? Answer: the record of our marriage is in our family bible

No.6 Were you previously married? if so, state the name of your former wife, the date of the marriage, and the date and place of her death or divorce. If there was more than one previous marriage, let your answer include all former wives. Answer: I was not Previously married

No.7 If your present wife was married before her marriage to you state the name of her former husband, the date of such marriage, and the date and place of his death or divorce, and state whether he ever rendered any miltary [sic] or naval service, and if so, give name of the organization in which he served. If she was married more than once before her marriage to you, let your answer include all former husbands. Answer: Yes James Meyers dont remember died in Pittsburgh. Don’t know the date he never rendered any military or naval service.

No.8 Are you living with your wife, or has there been a separation? Answer: yess [sic]

No.9 State the names and dates of birth of all your children, living or dead. Answer: Margaret Gamble Margaret Thompson
were married March 31 1887 in Etna Pa by Rev S McGuire

Samuel E Gamble born August 18 1866 living
Margaret C Gamble born October 30 1867 dead
Barbara E Gamble born February 14 1869 living
William B Gamble born August 18 1872 living
Ruth E Gamble born December 14 1875 dead
children of first wife

Date 6-14-1915
Signature
John L Gamble

Pension File Treasure Trove

Earlier this year I spent one wonderful day at the National Archives in Washington, DC.  I spent the morning looking at land records.  The afternoon was devoted solely to The pension file of my paternal 3rd great grandfather John L Gamble.

Me to john gamble

I was super excited when I received the file.  It was much thicker than I expected.  The file included the original pension request from my g-g-g-grandfather, the additional paperwork from his wife to continue with a widow’s pension, and ending with the paperwork to close the file at her death.  To say it was AWESOME is an understatement.  I was in full genealogy geek out mode.  Imagine every library celebration except dancing in the aisles.

Among the gems I found was death information for my g-g-g-grandmother, Alice Wise, marriage information for John L Gamble and his second wife, Margaret Thompson, detailed information about where John Gamble lived his entire life, an outline of parents, siblings with their birth dates and marriages, and death information for both John L Gamble and Margaret Thompson.  Additionally, I learned about John L Gamble’s military service, the illness he fought in a military hospital, and injuries he received as a child.

This was the first pension file I have found in my family.  I see it as another record set to add to my researcher pedigree.  I highly recommend using military pension records if you have any ancestors who served.  The government was extremely good at verifying and documenting details.  If you do not have the chance to visit the National Archives for research, you can order a copy of your ancestor’s pension file at www.archives.gov.
The cost to order is $80.  This amount is small in comparison to travel costs to visit Washington, DC.

I plan on sharing the pension details for all of these genealogy gems over the next several months. Be on the lookout!