Other Events:

• Residence: Coburn, Centre County, PA

Notes:

Name:
Maggie M.

Buried:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146649552/maggie-m_-garthoff

Family/Spouse: John F. Garthoff. John was born on 5 Jun 1863 in Bannerville, Snyder County, PA; died on 28 Nov 1935 in Beaver Springs, Snyder County, PA; was buried on 30 Nov 1935 in Zion Cemetery, Zion, Centre County, PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

From the Biographical Annals:
But few men live beyond their 8th decade and fewer still attain that age with faculties unimpaired and a memory that records the events of the past. This gentleman whose name opens this sketch, a highly respected citizen of Rebersburg enjoys his distinction and he and his wife are celebrating 58 years of wedded life.
Our subject is the youngest in a family of 6 children and is the only survivor. His siblings are Catherine (Mrs. Jacob Snyder) whos died in Clinton County in her 94th year, John who died in Illinois, Daniel who died in Miles Twp at 82, Rebecca married George Neff and died in Sugar Valley, Mary married Benjamin Wieland and lived to 88 and died in Illinois.
In Jan 1840 William married Miss Polly Smull, the daughter of Henry & Elizabeth (Royer) Smull. The children of this union are Amanda (Mrs. Peter Kessler),Ira J of Stephenson County Ill Married Maria Peck, Jestie M who died at age 44, William T of Dakota Ill married Kate Zimmerman, Thomas who married Annie the daughter of Samuel & Elizabeth Loose, they own the family farm, Emma Mrs. A F Vonada of Coburn, Mary M Wife of J F Gartgoff of Coburn. Mrs. Walker departed this life in May 1897 aged 76 year. Mr. Walker is a Democrat and attended The Lutheran Church.


COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 296
William Walker. But few men live beyond their eighth decade, and fewer still attain that age with faculties unimpaired and a memory that records vividly the events of the past. The gentleman whose name opens this sketch, a highly respected citizen of Rebersburg, Centre county, enjoys this distinction, and he and his estimable wife, now seventy-six years of age, are spending the fifty-eighth year of wedded life, free from the ills which too often accompany advanced age.

Mr. Walker is a worthy representative of a prominent pioneer family, and was born in Brush Valley, Centre county, March 24, 1816, the son of John Walker, who died in 1858, at the age of eighty-six, and his wife, Mary M. (Gramley), who lived past the limit of three score and ten, dying in 1852. John Walker was a native of Northampton county, Penn., and came to this section about 1790, as a young man, finding employment at driving a team for the furnaces of Nittany Valley. He was the first of the family to come to Centre county, but later his brother Philip settled there and became prominent as a pioneer. Walker township being named in his honor.
John Walker's marriage took place in Brush Valley, where his wife's father, Francis Gramley, was a leading citizen. Soon after this event Mr. Walker returned to his old home, and spent a short time before settling permanently in Centre county. He chose agriculture as an occupation, and his first farm, in Brush Valley, is now. after the lapse of more than a century, still in the possession of the family, Thomas W. Walker, a son of our subject, owning and occupying it at present. John Walker also became the owner of a farm in Sugar Valley, and his industry and systematic and judicious management of his property gained him a substantial fortune.
He was a heavy-set man, and our subject resembles him greatly in build. His interest in public affairs, national and local, was keen, and his regard for the Democratic party was second only to that which he felt for his Church, the Lutheran. He and his wife were both devout followers of that faith, and he held office in the Church for many years. Their remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at Rebersburg.
Our subject was the youngest in a family of six children, and is the only survivor. Catherine (Mrs. Jacob Snyder) died in Clinton county in her ninety-fourth year; John, a farmer, died in Illinois; Daniel, who died in Miles township at the age of eighty-two, was one of the wealthy farmers of his time; Rebecca married George Neff, and died in Sugar Valley, Clinton county; and Mary married Benjamin Wheland, and lived to be more than eighty years of age, her death occurring in Illinois.
Mr. Walker, of this review, was educated according to the customs of the early day, attending school for a few weeks in the winter season in a small log house that stood on one corner of his father's farm. Threshing was then a winter occupation, and it was his duty to guide the horses as they tramped out the grain on the barn floor. Only when this annual task was completed could he secure an opportunity for study at school. His life was that of the typical pioneer farmer, with home-spun clothes, plain but abundant food, and plenty of work. He developed into a stout, healthy youth, and at sixteen could work beside any hired man, and "keep up " without difficulty. His liking for system in his work was early shown, and even when a boy his furrows when plowing were always straight. His father was not active in farm work, and the elder sons left home as they reached manhood, and thus much responsibilty fell to our subject, who at sixteen had practically assumed the management. In 1849 he bought the place, which contained about 165 acres. He was unusually successful financially, and at one time owned three large farms, one of 140 acres, being in Stephenson county 111. At present he owns 172 acres near Rebersburg, and several town lots aside from that upon which his handsome residence stands. This he bought in 1872 at a cost of $3,000, the lot covering five acres, and since that date he has resided there.
In January, 1840, Mr. Walker was married, in Miles township, to Miss Polly Srnull, who was born near Rebersburg in 1821, the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Royer) Smull. The children of this union were Amanda (now Mrs. Peter Kessler, of Rebersburg); Ira J., a farmer of Stephenson county, 111., married Maria, daughter of Simon Peck; Jestie M., who died at the age of forty-four years, unmarried; Wilson T. , residing near Dacotah, 111., married Kate Zimmerman; Thomas W. , of Miles township, living on a farm which has been in the Walker family over one hundred years, married Annie, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Loose, of Rebersburg, Penn. ; Emma (now Mrs. A. F. Vonada, of Coburn); Mary M. (now Mrs. J. F. Garthoff, of Coburn). Mr. Walker is justly proud of his children, and has given nearly $5,000 to give them a start in life. The mother departed this life in May, 1897, aged seventy-six years.
Mr. Walker has always been prominent in local affairs, and has held various township offices. He is a Democrat, and votes regularly. having missed but one election since 1837. He and his wife are leading members of the Lutheran Church, in which he has served as deacon, elder and trustee. He is a liberal giver to the cause, and donated $400 when the church was built at Rebersburg.

Buried:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76079369/william-walker

Section 1, Row 7, #39. Next to wife Mary M.

William married Mary Polly Smull in Jan 1840. Mary (daughter of Henry Smull and Elizabeth Royer) was born on 22 Dec 1821 in Pennsylvania; died on 11 May 1897; was buried in Saint Peters Lutheran and Reformed Cemetery, Rebersburg, Centre County, PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Buried:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76079437/mary-magdalena-walker

Section 1, row 7, #39. Next to husband William.

Notes:

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 296
William Walker. But few men live beyond their eighth decade, and fewer still attain that age with faculties unimpaired and a memory that records vividly the events of the past. The gentleman whose name opens this sketch, a highly respected citizen of Rebersburg, Centre county, enjoys this distinction, and he and his estimable wife, now seventy-six years of age, are spending the fifty-eighth year of wedded life, free from the ills which too often accompany advanced age.

Mr. Walker is a worthy representative of a prominent pioneer family, and was born in Brush Valley, Centre county, March 24, 1816, the son of John Walker, who died in 1858, at the age of eighty-six, and his wife, Mary M. (Gramley), who lived past the limit of three score and ten, dying in 1852. John Walker was a native of Northampton county, Penn., and came to this section about 1790, as a young man, finding employment at driving a team for the furnaces of Nittany Valley. He was the first of the family to come to Centre county, but later his brother Philip settled there and became prominent as a pioneer. Walker township being named in his honor.
John Walker's marriage took place in Brush Valley, where his wife's father, Francis Gramley, was a leading citizen. Soon after this event Mr. Walker returned to his old home, and spent a short time before settling permanently in Centre county. He chose agriculture as an occupation, and his first farm, in Brush Valley, is now. after the lapse of more than a century, still in the possession of the family, Thomas W. Walker, a son of our subject, owning and occupying it at present. John Walker also became the owner of a farm in Sugar Valley, and his industry and systematic and judicious management of his property gained him a substantial fortune.
He was a heavy-set man, and our subject resembles him greatly in build. His interest in public affairs, national and local, was keen, and his regard for the Democratic party was second only to that which he felt for his Church, the Lutheran. He and his wife were both devout followers of that faith, and he held office in the Church for many years. Their remains were laid to rest in the cemetery at Rebersburg.
Our subject was the youngest in a family of six children, and is the only survivor. Catherine (Mrs. Jacob Snyder) died in Clinton county in her ninety-fourth year; John, a farmer, died in Illinois; Daniel, who died in Miles township at the age of eighty-two, was one of the wealthy farmers of his time; Rebecca married George Neff, and died in Sugar Valley, Clinton county; and Mary married Benjamin Wheland, and lived to be more than eighty years of age, her death occurring in Illinois.

John married Mary M. Gramley in Brush Valley, Centre County, PA. Mary (daughter of Francis Gramley) was born in 1782; died in 1852. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD. 524
George Smull was a grandson of Henry Smull, and a son of Reuben Smull (son of Henry and his second wife, Catherine Kreamer.

GEORGE H. SMULL. In endeavoring to give in this volume due recognition to all the prominent families of the section, we have found the most intelligent and progressive spirits the most helpful to the enterprise, and it is through the courteous co-operation of the subject of this sketch that we are enabled to present the following interesting account of the Smull family, which has been well-known in Brush Valley from pioneer times.
The first of the line in America was Smull, the great-grandfather of our subject. He was a native of Ireland, whence he came to this country in the latter part of the eighteenth century to locate in the eastern part of Pennsylvania.
Six of his children lived to adult age — two daughters and four sons, the names of the latter being Henry, Jacob, Peter and Jesse. The Smull family in Brush Valley is descended from the first three sons, who were skilled masons, and all went at the same time to Rebersburg to build the wall for the Lutheran Reformed Church. They remained in the Valley, and, living in German settlements, they and their children adopted the language and customs of their neighbors. Of the brothers, Jacob, in later years, did an extensive business in cutting tombstones for the Rebersburg cemetery from native rock, and several of these monuments are still standing. Jacob died at his home below Aaronsburg, and was buried at Rebersburg. Peter removed in later life to Stephenson county, Ill., and died there.
Henry Smull, our subject's grandfather, was born in eastern Pennsylvania, February 3, 1799, and, coming to Brush Valley in early manhood with no capital except his own abilities and strong physique, was obliged to work for many years as a day laborer. He saved his money, however, and in time managed to buy a farm between Kreamerville and Centre Mill. The care of the place devolved mainly upon his family as he continued to work at his trade. Politically he was a Democrat, but aside from voting regularly he took no active part in public affairs. He belonged to the Lutheran Church, and was a constant attendant and active worker, holding various offices. His last years were spent in Rockville, Penn., in well-earned leisure, his toil having gained him a comfortable competence, and his death occurred February 2, 1879, his burial taking place at Rebersburg. He was highly respected among his associates for his integrity, being known far and near as a "man of his word."
After his removal to Brush Valley Henry Smull married Miss Elizabeth Royer, by whom he had the following children: Polly (Mrs. William Walker); John, now postmaster at Rebersburg; Harrison, a stonemason by trade, who died at Rebersburg; Abigail, the widow of Francis Brownlee, of Freeport, Ill. ;Lovina, wife of William Bierly, of Rebersburg; Sarah, who married Samuel Gramley, and died at Rebersburg; and Jefferson, residing in Mackeyville, Penn.
The mother of this family died in 1834, and her remains were laid to rest in the family lot in Rebersburg cemetery. Henry Smull for his second wife married Catherine Kreamer, who was born near Kreamerville, October 22, 1806, a daughter of Jacob Kreamer, and died November 24, 1887, her funeral being held at Rebersburg.
There were five children by this union: Aaron, a resident of Rockville, Penn.; Reuben, our subject's father; Simon, a blacksmith by trade, who died in Madisonburg; Hannah, now Mrs. Levi Fullmer, of Rebersburg; and Henry, of Kreamerville.
Reuben Smull, the father of our subject, was born October 30, 1838, at the old home near Kreamerville. He first attended school at Rebersburg, with John Burkett as his teacher, and he afterward pursued his studies as he could in the intervals of farm work. Short as the winter terms were, he could not attend full time, his help being required at home. At the age of fifteen he began to learn the mason's trade with his father, and two years later, having become proficient in all branches of the work, he formed a partnership with his brother Harrison, and followed the business for several years.
In January, 1862, Reuben Smull was married in Brush Valley, at the home of the bride's parents, to Miss-Louisa Gramley, who was born near Rebersburg, June 12, 1841, the daughter of Joseph and Esther (Schmeltzer) Gramley. The following year they spent in Rebersburg, and in 1863 they removed to a farm adjoining Kreamerville on the north, and then belonging to Joseph Kreamer. Mr. Smull rented this, and remained there until 1864, when he went to a farm near Rockville, and while engaged in agriculture did some work at his trade. In the spring of 1888 he purchased the Joseph Kreamer estate, and returning to it has since resided there, giving his attention to farming exclusively. The place makes an attractive homestead, and under the able management of its owner is a profitable investment.
Reuben Smull is a man of no pretensions, minding his own business, and this, by the way, is a characteristic trait of his family, which has produced a number of substantial, successful, yet unassuming citizens. He upholds the principles of the Democratic party on national issues, but where local questions only are involved, he declines to surrender his judgment blindly, and votes as he thinks the interests of the people demand. Official honors have no particular charms for him, but he has served as tax collector in Miles township. In religion he is a Lutheran, and he and his wife are both members of the Church.
The subject of this sketch, who is the only son of his parents, was born at Rockville, June 23, 1869. Inheriting the sterling qualities of his ancestry, he has the added advantage of good schooling, and the modern spirit of enterprise makes his talents practically available in lines in which former generations took no part. After completing the course of study in the local schools, he pursued other branches at Spring Mills and Selins Grove, Penn., and at Dakota, Ill. He was an apt student, learning rapidly, not only from books but also from observation, and several years spent in the 'West in his early "twenties" served to broaden his views of men and things in a practical way.
On returning to Pennsylvania, Mr. Smull was associated for some years with the circulation department of the Kcyst07ie Gazette of Bellefonte, his duties taking him to all parts of central Pennsylvania. In February, 1896, he became identified with the New York Life Insurance Co., as a subordinate agent, and his abilities quickly won the approval of the highest officials.
His promotion followed not through any "influence," but because the shrewd men at the head of the company needed just such tact, energy and sound judgment as they saw revealed in his work. He is now the general agent for Centre, Clinton, Union and other counties, and exacting as are the requirements of the post, they are met promptly and satisfactorily.
On July 4, 1891, Mr. Smull was united in wedlock with Miss Daisy Blanche Stover, a native of Rebersburg, born May 15, 1873. She is a member of one of the oldest and most respected families of Brush Valley, and is the eldest of three children of Cornelius and ChestienStover. She is an attractive, accomplished lady, and held in high esteen by all her many friends. Mr. Smull built a pleasant residence in Rebersburg, which he now rents, he and his wife preferring to remain at their country home. Mr. and Mrs. Smull are members of the Lutheran Church, and are living supporters of its work.
In fact Mr. Smull has already shown his public spirit in many ways, being always ready to encourage any movement that might tend to progress. At one time he was a Democrat in politics, but of late he has endorsed the doctrines of the Republican party, and he is one of its advisers and counsellors in his locality. He is a direct descendant from John A. Smull, the author of Smull 's "Legislator's Hand Book and Manual of Pennsylvania."


Buried:
Plot: Section 1, Row 11, #26. Near wife and son John Christopher Smull.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76075473/henry-smull

Henry married Elizabeth Royer. Elizabeth (daughter of Christopher Royer and Magdaline Gross) was born on 23 Apr 1797; died on 26 May 1834; was buried in Saint Peters Lutheran and Reformed Cemetery, Rebersburg, Centre County, PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Buried:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76075893/elizabeth-smull

Other Events:

• Residence: Brush Valley, Centre County, PA

Notes:

Commemorative Biography of Central Penn:
Christopher settled in Brush Valley in 1807. The mill north of Rockville was built by him and he owned a large tract of land in that area. In addition he owned a distillery. His children were: Daniel, Henry, Amos, Jefferson, Joel, Catherine, Elizabeth, Sarah & Barbara.

Buried:
Buried Section 1, Row 12, #25 next to wife Magdalena (Gross)

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76076522/christopher-royer

Christopher married Magdaline Gross. Magdaline was born on 09 Mar 1769; died on 17 Mar 1836; was buried in Saint Peters Lutheran and Reformed Cemetery, Rebersburg, Centre County, PA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Buried:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/76076603/magdalena-royer

Section 1, Row 12, #26, next to husband Christopher.