Benjamin and His Brothers

Click on any photo to see it enlarged.

I first came across this photo (above) a couple years ago among the Shanower family material my cousin Burleigh J. "B.J." Shanower (1889-1985) donated to the Shanower library at the Pioneer Village in Burton, Geauga County, Ohio. Right away I recognized my great-great-grandfather Benjamin Franklin Shanower (1845-1928) standing at the center. I'd seen him only in one other photo without a beard (below left). In most photos he wears a beard. But there's no mistaking him in this photo.

Benjamin Franklin Shanower, with beard, circa 1880.

Benjamin Franklin Shanower, without beard, 1870.

I was pretty sure the figure standing on the left is Ben's brother Nathaniel E. Shanower (1853-1936), the father of B.J. Shanower, whom this photo had once belonged to.

Nathaniel E. Shanower, circa 1900.

But I wasn't sure who the other men could be. The photo has no identifications. Were the others friends? Brothers? Since Ben and Nathaniel were brothers, I thought it likely that the other men were, too. I approached my attempt to identify them with that assumption.

There were five sons in this generational unit of the Shanower family:

1. Benjamin Franklin Shanower, born August 27, 1845
2. Reuben Shanower born August 10, 1847
3. John A. Shanower born March 9, 1851
4. Nathaniel E. Shanower born April 22, 1853
5. William Zachary Shanower born August 23, 1855

But seven men appear in the photo, so they can't all be brothers. If five of them are brothers, then two of them are not. Who are those two? None of them can be their father John Abraham Shanower since he died in 1859 when Ben, the eldest brother, was fourteen years old. Ben is clearly older than fourteen here.

The two extra men are associated closely enough with the Shanower brothers to sit for a formal photograph with them. Could they be brothers-in-law? All five of the Shanower sisters were married:

1. Mary Ann Shanower married Levi Thomas Cecil on May 15, 1870
2. Lydia Shanower married Jacob M. Ebersole on September 12, 1880
3. Elemina "Ellen" Shanower married John E. Smith on January 29, 1871
4. Margaret "Molly" Shanower married Calvin A. Wise on October 26, 1890
5. Clarana "Clara" Shanower married Lester L. Butler on December 25, 1877

That's quite a spread--twenty years--for the Shanower girls' wedding days. Mary Ann and Ellen were both married by early 1871. Clara, the next sister married, was wed in 1877. So if the two extra men are brothers-in-law, the photo was likely shot between January 1871 and December 1877. Ben's lack of a beard indicates a date in the early 1870s. My best guess is that the photo was taken about 1873, give or take a year or two.

If the two extra men are the brothers-in-law of Ben, their names were Levi Cecil and John Smith. But which of the five unidentified figures might they be?

The figure seated on the right doesn't resemble the others. I doubt he was a blood relation. Could he be Levi or John?

I have an album of photos from the mid- to late nineteenth century. The album once belonged to my great-great-grandparents Benjamin Franklin Shanower and his second wife Lucy Leifer Shanower. Most of the photos are unidentified. I recognize Ben's brother Nathaniel and his family in one. I'm sure some of the photos show other siblings of Ben.

Two of them--clearly a paired set, one a portrait of a man, the other a portrait of a woman--are marked "Cecil" in pencil on their backs. Could the man be Levi Cecil? Unfortunately he doesn't resemble anyone in the photo of Ben and six other men.

But are these paired photos really of anyone named Cecil? There are notes on other photos from the mostly unidentified album that are incorrect identifications--one Leifer photo has the name "Shanower" written on it (below). So I strongly question the written "Cecil" identification.

This photo from the mostly unidentified album has a note that reads "Shanower." But it's actually Frederick Leifer, Jr.

In the pair of photos marked "Cecil" (below) the woman seems rather elderly to be Mary Ann Shanower Cecil when the styles of her dress and of the photo are taken into account. She looks suspiciously like Ben's aunt, Rebecca Shanower Kroehle. (Compare her with the 1909 Shanower reunion photo here.) I believe this pair of photos actually depicts Rebecca Shanower Kroehle and her husband Philip Oscar Kroehle, and that whoever wrote "Cecil" on the photos was wrong.

Noted as "Cecil," but it's Rebecca Shanower Kroehle.

Noted as "Cecil," but I think it's Philip Kroehle.

So I had no luck in securely identifying anyone in the original photo as Levi Cecil.

Could I identify the other brother-in-law in 1873, John Smith?

In the album of mostly unidentified photos, there's one (below) that shows a man that looks a lot like the standing figure on the right in the photo of Ben and six other men. In the upper left corner of the album photo are some remnants of writing which could easily be reconstructed as "Smith." The writing seems to be an original identification, not a later guess, since the missing portions were cut off before the photo was mounted to its backing by the photography studio. I believe the writing confirms that the album photo shows John Smith with his wife Ellen Shanower Smith and eldest child Minnie. And his resemblance in the two photos confirms that the photo of Ben and six other men shows John Smith standing on the right.

Ellen Shanower Smith, Clara Minerva "Minnie" Smith O'Donnel Engel Williams, and John E. Smith, circa 1874. Note the remnants of lettering in the upper left corner.

Probably John E. Smith in 1909.

There's a third photo that might show John Smith--the Shanower family reunion photo from 1909--which I wrote about in this previous post (detail on right). Figure 44 looks to me to be the same man as the two other photos. His presence at the Shanower reunion confirms him as a Shanower family member in some respect. I feel pretty secure in identifying him in all three photos as John E. Smith.

If that's John Smith in the photo of Ben and six others, then I'm pretty sure that the photo shows the five Shanower brothers and their two brothers-in-law. I have no way to prove or disprove that the seated man on the right is brother-in-law Levi Cecil. It seems reasonable for the two brothers-in-law to be arranged in the photo on the right side together. So I'm going with the assumption that the seated right-hand figure is Levi Cecil.

Three remaining men are still unidentified. I believe they're the three remaining Shanower brothers. In 1873 they were:

1. Reuben Shanower, age 26
2. John A. Shanower, age 22
3. William Zachary Shanower, age 18

But which is which? Is there any clue in their arrangement in the photo?

Ben, standing center, was the eldest brother. Nathaniel, standing on the left, beside Ben, was the fourth brother. So they don't seem to be arranged by age. I can't think of any other information communicated by their seating order.

Can I find any of them in another photo?

Figure 31 is Nathaniel E. Shanower in 1909. Who is figure 13?

In the 1909 Shanower family reunion photo are two figures that I believe are Ben Shanower's brothers, figures 13 and 31. I believe figure 31 is Nathaniel Shanower, who's already identified in the photo of Ben and his brothers. Since brother William Shanower died in 1903, figure 13 has to be either Reuben or John, but I don't know which. I think figure 13 most closely resembles the figure seated second from left in the photo of Ben and six others. But I can't be sure.

I have another photo (below) that I strongly suspect shows one of these Shanower brothers. The photo, from about 1920, shows Lloyd E. Shanower seated at the upper right and his two young sons, Delmer Lloyd Shanower Fentress standing on the bottom step and Wilbur J. "Mickey" Shanower Fentress sitting just below his father Lloyd.

Lloyd Shanower (upper right) with young sons Delmer and Mickey, circa 1920. And who else?

This photo shows two other people, a woman and a man, both elderly. When I first saw this photo, I thought they must be Reuben Shanower and his wife Lydia A. Karrer Shanower, Lloyd's parents and the grandparents of the two young boys. But Reuben Shanower died in 1912, so this photo can't include him. I assume by extension that the woman isn't Reuben's wife Lydia, though she was alive in 1920.

So who are they?

Lydia Karrer Shanower's sister Elizabeth E. Karrer married John A. Shanower as his second wife. That made Elizabeth the great aunt of the two young boys, Del and Mickey, in two ways--both by marriage and by blood. John Shanower was the boys' great uncle and their father Lloyd's uncle. These relationships made it perfectly reasonable for these people to appear together in a photo. So I think the old couple in this 1920 photo is wife and husband Elizabeth E. Karrer Shanower and John A. Shanower.

Figure 13 in the 1909 Shanower reunion photo is either Reuben or John Shanower. I think figure 13 is not the same as the old man in the 1920 photo of Lloyd Shanower and his two young sons. If my conclusion is correct, figure 13 is not John Shanower. That means figure 13 in the reunion photo is most likely Reuben Shanower and figure 14 is likely Lydia Karrer Shanower. I don't see much resemblance between figure 14 and the woman in the 1920 photo, who I think is Elizabeth Karrer Shanower.

I believe the figure I've identified as John Shanower in the 1920 photo most closely resembles the figure seated on the left in the photo of Ben and his brothers. That leaves Reuben and William as the two remaining brothers.

Can I identify one or the other, thus giving me the identities of both? I'm not sure.

The album of unidentified photos contains a photo (below) with a man that resembles the figure seated second from left.

Is this a Shanower brother and his wife?

There is also a woman in that photo. I assume they're husband and wife and that the photo dates from the time of their marriage, since there are no children included. That woman could be one of two wives:

Who is this?

Lydia Karrer Shanower?

1. Lydia A. Karrer married Reuben Shanower on February 15, 1880
2. Melissa A. Gerber married William Z. Shanower on February 11, 1883

I have one photo identified as Lydia Karrer Shanower (right), but in it she's elderly and the photo's extremely blurry. I'm also not confident that she's Lydia. She might be Lydia's daughter-in-law, Ethel Sheehan Shanower Fentress. In any case, she doesn't look much like the woman in the unidentified album photo.

Figure 14 in the 1909 Shanower family reunion photo might be Lydia Karrer Shanower, especially if figure 13 is Reuben Shanower. I think figure 14 looks a little like the woman in the unidentified album photo.

I have several securely identified photos of Melissa A. Gerber Shanower (below). Melissa had a pretty strong jawline. If I had to guess, I'd say the woman in the unidentified album photo doesn't look much like Melissa. If that guess is correct, then chances are that the man in the album photo is Reuben Shanower.

Three views of Melissa Gerber Shanower--circa 1887, circa 1900, and in 1909.

And I think that man most closely resembles the figure seated second from left in the photo of Ben and brothers. That leaves the figure seated second from right as the only remaining brother, William.

But I'm not sure. I keep changing my guesses.

In any case, my final identifications (for the present) of the men in the photo are:

Standing, left to right: Nathaniel E. Shanower, Benjamin Franklin Shanower, John E. Smith
Seated, left to right: John A. Shanower, Reuben Shanower, William Zachary Shanower, Levi Cecil

Who's Who in the Shanower Family

This photo was taken at a Shanower Family Reunion at the home of my great-great-grandparents Benjamin Franklin Shanower (1845-1928) and Louisa "Lucy" Leifer Shanower (1856-1916). The photo was labeled Shanower Family Reunion, without date or individual identifications. Before I scanned this copy of the photo, another family researcher had sent me a photocopy of it labeled 1899. So I had a date for it.

But could I identify the people? I figured I wouldn't recognize too many of them. I thought I might find Benjamin Shanower and his immediate family, since I have other photos of them. Recognizing the hosts, Benjamin and Lucy Shanower, wasn't hard. And I picked most of Benjamin's children out of the crowd. But the appearances of a couple of those children raised red flags about the date of this photo.

Charles Chalmers Shanower Hinman (1877-1965), son of Benjamin Shanower and Benjamin's first wife Sophia King Shanower (1841-1877), appears in this photo, fifth from the left in the second row (the first row of adults). But as I detailed in an earlier post here, Charles was given up for adoption as a child and wasn't rediscovered by his birth family until late in 1900. Or so newspaper stories reported. Was it possible that those stories were inaccurate? Had Charles been rediscovered earlier, so that he could appear in an 1899 family photo? Complicating this question was the appearance of Charles's wife, Nellie Maude Salsbury Hinman (1873-1955). In the photo, she's sitting next to him, fourth from the left in the second row. I supposed it was possible that they'd attended the Shanower reunion together in 1899, before their marriage on December 12, 1900. But it seemed odd.

I also noticed Ralph Leo Shanower, the youngest of Benjamin and Lucy Shanower's children, who was born April 12, 1895. If this photo was from 1899, then Ralph would be four years old. But Ralph, who's standing on the right end in the back row, is obviously years older than four.

Ralph's apparent age answered the question about Charles and Nellie Hinman's presence. The year was certainly post-1900, the year Charles was rediscovered by his birth family and he married Nellie. This photo could not be from 1899.

So when is the photo from?

That question was easy to answer. I had a record of another Shanower Family Reunion at Benjamin and Lucy Shanower's home—on August 26, 1909. This location and date fit. Benjamin and Lucy are at center in the second row, the logical position for the hosts of the reunion. Ralph Shanower would be fourteen years old in 1909, and he looks about that age in the photo. And Charles and Nellie Hinman had been married for nearly nine years, so their attendance together at the reunion is perfectly reasonable.

The Published Report

Further confirmation of a 1909 date was provided by a published account of the 1909 Shanower Family Reunion, as follows:

SHANOWER FAMILY REUNION

The eleventh annual reunion of the Shanower family was held at the pleasant home of B. F. Shanower and wife of Claridon, Ohio, on the 26th day of August, 1909. At quite an early hour the friends began to arrive and before noon about 105 relatives were present, representing seven different states: Washington, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Alabama.

The one surprising feature of the occasion was that for the first time in thirty years the eleven sons and daughters of B. F. Shanower and wife were together.

The forenoon was spent in visiting and making new acquaintances. At noon the dinner was served on long tables under a large tent and consisted of every thing good that heart could wish. Immediately after dinner the guests gathered on the lawn in front of the house and a picture of the group was taken by Photographer Strong of Chardon. The assembly was then called to order by Pres. Simon Kandel, and the audience joined in singing “America” after which the Sec., Miss Nettie Shanower, gave a report of the previous reunion. The Historian, Mrs. Lucy Shanower, gave a very carefully prepared report. A very amusing reading was rendered by Miss Jennie Shanower, a quartette sang an appropriate song. Rev. Cooper gave an interesting address which was enjoyed by all present.

The following officers were elected for the ensuing year: Pres., B. F. Shanower, Burton; Vice Pres., Amos Shanower, Wolcottville, Ind.; Sec., Miss Nettie Shanower, Burton; Treas., N. E. Shanower, Burton; Historian, Mrs. Lucy Shanower, Tontogany, O.

It was decided to hold the next reunion at the home of A. B. Shanower and wife, Tontogany, O., the last Thursday in August. Before the crowd dispersed all joined in singing, “God Be With You till We Meet Again,” and then the pleasant occasion was one to look back upon instead of forward to.

The weather-man was kind, Mr. and Mrs. Shanower did all in their power to make the day enjoyable, and one and all agreed that the day was well spent.

Ben's Kids

Confirmation that this photo is specifically from the 1909 reunion is the reference to the eleven children of Benjamin Shanower being together for the first time in thirty years. All except one of them, the eldest, William Benton Shanower, are in the reunion photo. Not all the "about 105" people at the reunion made it into the photo, which has 89 people.

Although William doesn't appear, I firmly believe he was present that day. Not only does the published account say all eleven of B. F. Shanower's children were there, but I have another photograph of all those children—including William—with Benjamin and Lucy. And most everyone in that other photo is wearing clothing that looks exactly the same as what they're wearing in the big reunion photo. Among the clothing differences are: a couple of the women wearing dark skirts in the reunion photo are wearing white skirts in the other, son Frank has donned a coat for the other photo, and Benjamin Shanower seems to have put on a dark tie in the other photo. But I believe both photos were taken about the same time, possibly the same day.

Here's the "other" photo:

The Benjamin Franklin Shanower family. Seated from left to right: Charles C. Shanower Hinman, Mary E. Shanower Hostetler, Benjamin F. Shanower, Lucy Leifer Shanower, Ralph L. Shanower, Bertha A. Shanower Pollock; standing from left to right: Jennie M. Shanower, David E. Shanower, Katherine O. Shanower Phillips, William B. Shanower, Ella M. Shanower Bower, George E. Shanower, and Benjamin F. Shanower, Jr.

Why isn't William in the reunion photo? I don't know. Maybe he arrived at the reunion too late to be in it.

The report mentions several other reunion attendees that I can't identify in the big reunion photo.

John Amos "Amos" Shanower (1855-1934) of Wolcottville, LaGrange County, Indiana, and Nathaniel E. Shanower (1853-1936) of Burton, Geauga County, Ohio, brother of Benjamin Shanower, and Nathaniel's daughter, Nettie Oleva Shanower (1881-1977), are referenced in the report, but I can't confidently identify them in the reunion photo, although I've made guesses about Nathaniel and Nettie.

The Lucy Shanower, Historian, of Tontogany, Ohio, referenced several times in the reunion report, isn't Lucy Shanower, wife of Benjamin, but instead Lucy Anne Whiteleather Shanower (1860-1942), wife of Ananias Benton Shanower (1857-1920). It's their home where the next Shanower Reunion, in 1910, was to be held. Their identities in the photo are firmly established, thanks to their granddaughter Velma Shanower Kirchner.

I don't think the Reverend Cooper mentioned in the report was a member of the family.

Locations Mentioned

Seven states of the USA are supposed to be represented by the people in the reunion photo: Washington, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, and Alabama.

Naturally, many of the attendees were from Ohio, where the photo was taken.

A number of people at the reunion were from Indiana, among them Jennie M. Shanower (1875-1942) from Elkhart, daughter of Benjamin and first wife Sophia Shanower, and Amos Shanower from Wolcottville, mentioned in the report.

Mary Elizabeth Shanower Hostetler (1873-1951), daughter of Benjamin and first wife Sophia Shanower attended the reunion from her home in Birmingham, Alabama. She had three daughters by 1909, but I don't think they're in the photo. I think Mary's husband, Christian K. Hostetler (1865-1935), didn't attend the reunion either.

Charles and Nellie Hinman were the attendees from Saint Paul, Minnesota.

William Benton Shanower, eldest child of Benjamin and first wife Sophia Shanower, was the foreman of a stave mill on War Creek in Kentucky in 1913. He might have lived in Kentucky as early as 1909 and thus was the reunion attendee from Kentucky. A trip from Kentucky might have made him late to the reunion and that could be why he's not in the reunion photo. I can't find any other candidate to represent Kentucky.

I don't know who came from Michigan—maybe members of the Tyler branch descended from Zacharias T. Shanower, although I can't identify any of them in the photo. There are probably other candidates from Michigan.

I have no idea who came from Washington.

So Who's in the Reunion Photo?

Below, I've numbered the 89 people in the photo and divided them into five sections. A numbered list for each section of photo follows that section. I've assigned names to as many faces as I can.  The names without question marks are firm identifications. The names with question marks are guesses. Numbers without names are unidentified.

As usual, each image in this blog can be seen larger in a new window. Simply click on the image.

1.
2. Jane M. “Jennie” Shanower
3. Mary Elizabeth Shanower Hostetler
4. Nellie Maude Salsbury Hinman
5. Charles Chalmers Shanower Hinman

20.
21.
22.
23.
24.

39.
40. Harvey Allen Shanower?
41. Lester Butler?
42.

59.
60.
61. Karl William Shanower?
62. Ruth Alma Shanower Wallace?
62.
63.

81.
82.
83.
84.

6. Melissa Agnes Gerber Shanower
7. Ananias Benton Shanower (identified by Vel Shanower Kirchner)
8. Lucy Whiteleather Shanower (identified by Vel Shanower Kirchner)
9. Rebecca “Peggy” Shanower Kroehle (identified by Linda Davis Kress)

25. Mary Daisy Cecil Rueckert?
26. Simon Kandel (identified by Linda Davis Kress)
27. Amelia Kroehle Kandel (identified by Linda Davis Kress)

43. Ellen Shanower Smith?
44. John E. Smith?
45.
46.
47. Mary Ann Shanower Cecil? or Clara Shanower Butler?

64. George Edward Shanower
65. Lulu Hensinger Shanower?
66.
67. Bertha Shanower Pollock
68.

85.
86.
87.

10. Benjamin Franklin Shanower
11. William Henry Phillips?
12. Lucy Leifer Shanower
13. Reuben Shanower?

28. Floyd Allen Phillips, Sr.?
29. Katherine Olephia “Katie” Shanower Phillips
30. Ruth Shanower Simpson?
31. Nathaniel E. Shanower
32. Anamary “Mary” Dahlem Shanower

48. Wilmer Curtis "Curt" Shanower?
49. David Elmer Shanower
50.

69.
70. Nettie Mae Dutton Shanower?
71. Benjamin Franklin “Frank” Shanower, Jr.
72. Burleigh J. "B.J." Shanower?

88.
89.

14. Lydia Karrer Shanower?
15. Nettie Oleva Shanower?
16.
17.

33.
34.
35.

51.
52.
53.
54.

73. Ella M. Shanower Bower
74. Harry Edward "Ed" Shanower?
75.
76.
77. Lena May Shanower Town

18.
19.

36.
37.
38.

55.
56.
57.
58. Clarence David Shanower, Sr. (identified by Brian D. Shanower)

78.
79.
80. Ralph Leo Shanower

I believe the eldest person in the photo is #9, Rebecca "Peggy" Shanower Kroehle (1826-1912). She's the aunt of Benjamin F. Shanower and is seated next to him. In August 1909 great-great-great-great-Aunt Peggy was eighty-three years old and the only remaining member of the Shanower family from her generation. Thank you, cousin Linda Kress, for confirming her identity.

Insecure Identifications

I recognized Melissa A. Gerber Shanower, #6. Her great-grandson Brian Shanower recognized Melissa's son, his grandfather, Clarence D. Shanower, Sr., #58. So I assumed that Melissa's three other children also were in attendance. I assigned her eldest son, Harvey A. Shanower, as #40. You can read about Harvey's post-1909 adventures and compare a bad newspaper photo in a previous post here. Melissa's two youngest children, Karl and Ruth, I assigned as #61 and #62. Those are merely guesses.

I recognized Lena M. Shanower Town (1891-1996), #77. The written report mentions her father Nathaniel E. Shanower, as well as her sister Nettie Oleva Shanower twice. So I figured the rest of Lena's immediate family ought to be in the photo, too. Standing beside Lena, #76 looked like her brother Burleigh J. "B.J." Shanower (1889-1985) to me, except for those widespread ears. More recent photos of B.J. show ears flat against his head. So I guessed that #76 was a different brother of Lena, Harry Edward Shanower (1883-1969). On Lena's other side are two young men who look as though they could be twins. I figured they're Lena's remaining brothers Wilmer Curtis Shanower (1886-1977) and B.J. Identifying Lena's parents Nathaniel and Anna M. Dahlem Shanower (1857-1929) and sister Nettie is much more precarious. But I'm proposing tentatively that they're #13, #14, and #15. I could easily be wrong about all of Lena's immediate family. [UPDATE December 14, 2015: Except for Lena (whose identity I'm sure of) and Nettie, I've changed the identifications on these family members. Nathaniel and Anamary are now securely identified.]

Benjamin Franklin Shanower has a child on his lap, #11. I assume without foundation that it's a grandchild. His only grandchild about that age in 1909 was William Henry Phillips (1909-1929), so that's my tentative identification.

William Henry Phillips's mother, Katherine O. "Katie" Shanower Phillips (1886-1957), #29, is seated behind her father Benjamin. Beside her is #28, a man I've guessed to be her husband, Floyd A. Phillips, Sr. (1885-1960). There's a child, #30, on Katie's lap, but my guess that it's her niece Ruth Shanower Simpson (1905-1980), daughter of Benjamin F. "Frank" Shanower, Jr. (1881-1943), #71, and Nettie Mae Dutton Shanower (1883-1960), is tentative. So is my assignment of #70, the woman standing next to Frank, as Nettie Mae.

George Edward Shanower (1879-1955), #64, wasn't married yet in 1909 to Louise B. "Lulu" Hensinger Shanower (1888-1980), but I've guessed that #65, beside him, might be Lulu. There's a photo of a much older Lulu in this recent blog post, so compare for yourself.

As for assigning the name David C. Shanower (1852-1926) to #41, that's sort of a wild guess. David was a brother of Ananias B. Shanower, who's firmly identified. I thought maybe Ananias's siblings attended the reunion, too. But I can't be certain #41 is brother David.

All Help Appreciated

Several current family members identified people in the photo, as noted. I thank them for their help.

If anyone reading this can identify anyone else in the photo, please either leave a comment below or contact me. Sorry for the dirt on the image, but that's the condition the photo was in when I scanned it and I'm no professional photo-cleaner.

[UPDATE December 14, 2015: I've changed some identifications and added a few others.]

[UPDATE March 16, 2017: I've changed some identifications and added a couple.]

[UPDATE January 1, 2018: I've changed identifications of figures 13 and 14.]

Three-fer

One thing that fascinates me in the genealogical research of my family is how often family lines intertwine. In times when people didn’t often travel far from the places of their births, in rural areas where people were tied to their land, and in migrations when a group of families crossed national boundaries together it’s not unusual to find multiple connections between families. A common example of this is when several children of one family marry several children of a second family. These multi-sibling marriages are relatively common in my family. When I also add in connections that cross generations and connections that join family branches, instances of intertwining lines occur surprisingly often.

Some of my past blog posts mention incidents of family lines connecting in more than one place. A few months ago I wrote about the unsettlingly intertwined Grant and Hubbard families.  Earlier this month I discussed connections among the Arneth, Startzman, and Reitenauer families. And in the footnote to the Hirvi post last week I described how June Megley’s two marriages connected the Hirvi and Hietanen lines of my family.

Today I’m going to outline the interconnections among the Shanower, King, and Gerber families. Pay attention. This gets complicated.

Possible photo of Sophia King Shanower (1841-1877).

My discovery of these interconnections began with my great-great-grandfather Benjamin Franklin Shanower (1845-1928) and his first wife Sophia King Shanower (1841-1877), who lived during their seven-year marriage in Stark County, Ohio. Information on Sophia King was lacking. I had made an attempt to find her family of origin, but the information that surfaced wasn’t conclusive. It can be hard to prove things with such a common surname as King. And since I’m descended from Benjamin Franklin’s second wife Louisa “Lucy” Leifer (1856-1916), I had no direct blood connection to his first wife Sophia King Shanower as far as I knew. So she wasn’t my highest research priority.

I found another King—Emeline King (1839-1914)—on another branch of the family tree. Emeline also lived in Stark County, Ohio. Her husband was David E. Gerber (1834-1921), a Stark County native descended from Swiss immigrants to Pennsylvania, some via Alsace, France. Emeline and David were the parents of Melissa Agnes Gerber (1861-1942), who married my great-great-great-uncle William Zachary Shanower (1855-1903). (You can read about Melissa and William’s son Harvey Allen Shanower’s first marriage here.) William Zachary was a brother of Benjamin Franklin Shanower. That made William Zachary’s wife Melissa a sister-in-law to Benjamin Franklin’s wife Sophia King Shanower. This family relationship, as well as geographic proximity, made me wonder whether Sophia King Shanower and Emeline King Gerber might be from the same King family. Their births were two years apart. Maybe they were sisters.

The Gerber family about 1900. Back, left to right: Mary E. "Mellie" Gerber Miller, John Calhoun Gerber, George W. Gerber, Edson (Edward) D. Gerber, David H. S. Gerber (of whom more below), Elva Gerber Riley. Front, left to right: Kathryn E. "Kate" Gerber Yutze, David E. Gerber (husand and father), Jennie L. Gerber, Emeline King Gerber (wife and mother), Melissa Agnes Gerber Shanower (wife of William Zachary Shanower).

I re-doubled my efforts to identify Sophia's King family. It turned out I was right—Emeline and Sophia were sisters, daughters of Abraham King (1804-1888) and Phoebe Reichenbach King (1807-1885). Abraham and Phoebe King were parents to a large brood, all born in Berks County, Pennsylvania. The last name King had been Americanized from Koenig, and both Abraham's and Phoebe's ancestors had come from Switzerland, as several of my family lines did.

The King family moved to Canton, Stark County, Ohio, about 1856. Their farm was next door to the Gerber farm, so it surely wasn't long before Emeline King met her neighbor David E. Gerber. In 1858 they married. Like Emeline's parents, she and David also gave birth to a large brood.

The Gerber farmhouse about five miles south of Canton, Stark County, Ohio, circa 1910. Emeline King Gerber is the seated woman on the right. Her husband David E. Gerber is the seated man. They are surrounded by some of their children and their children's families. The King family, who were Emeline's parents and siblings, lived on the farm next door from about 1856 to 1866. The farm of Aaron King, brother of Emeline and Sophia, was another two doors down during the same period.

David and Emeline Gerber's eldest daughter Clara Ellen Gerber (1859-1881), like her sister Melissa and her aunt Sophia, married a Shanower. Clara married John A. Shanower (1851-1923), another of my great-great-great-uncles. John was a brother of both William Zachary, Melissa’s husband, and Benjamin Franklin, Sophia’s husband. Clara and John's marriage made Clara’s Aunt Sophia also her sister-in-law. (Although this double relationship was academic, since Sophia was dead by the time Clara married John in 1880.)

David Shanower Gerber's adoption certificate.

On July 30, 1881, John and Clara Ellen Gerber Shanower had their first and only child, David Henry Shanower (1881-1972). Clara died four days later from delivery complications. Her death certificate lists cause of death as “Childbed.” By the time David was four years old, his father John evidently wasn't up to the task of single fatherhood, so it was decided that David’s maternal grandparents, David E. Gerber and Emeline King Gerber, would adopt him. The adoption went through on November 23, 1885.

David Henry Shanower took the last name Gerber. His descendants are all my cousins twice over—through both the Shanower line and the adopted Gerber line. They’re one generation closer to me through the Shanower line.

My first cousin three times removed David Henry Shanower Gerber is related to Sophia King Shanower in three ways. He’s her nephew through her marriage to his uncle Benjamin Franklin. He’s her grand-nephew through her sister Emeline, his grandmother. He’s her nephew again through his adoption by Emeline. So Sophia King Shanower, who I thought was only connected to me by her marriage to my great-great-grandfather Benjamin Franklin Shanower, turns out to be connected also through David Henry, our common blood relative, as well as through his birth parents. That makes Sophia my great-great-great-aunt-in-law and my great-great-great-great-aunt-in-law, as well as my great-great-step-grandmother. Three relatives in one.

The Gerber family, circa 1884. When I first saw this photo I'd read of David Henry Shanower's adoption by his maternal grandparents, but I didn't put two-and-two together and realize that the boy on the front right, who was identified as David Gerber, is actually my Shanower cousin. Obviously I realize that now. Back, left to right: George W. Gerber, Kathryn E. "Kate" Gerber Yutze, John Calhoun Gerber, Edward D. Gerber. Middle, left to right: Melissa Agnes Gerber Shanower (wife of William Zachary Shanower), Elva Gerber Riley, David E. Gerber (husband and father), Emeline King Gerber (wife, mother, and Sophia King Shanower's sister), Mary E. "Mellie" Gerber Miller. Front, left to right: Jennie L. Gerber and David Henry Shanower Gerber (son of John A. Shanower and Clara Ellen Gerber Shanower, adopted by David and Emeline Gerber).

The Thanksgiving Strangler

Gravestone of Harvey Allen Shanower, Massillon, Ohio.

Sensational Story Uncovered

I hope all my USA readers had a lovely Thanksgiving of 2012. One hundred years ago this week, the aftermath of the Thanksgiving of 1912 was far from lovely for my first cousin three times removed Harvey Allen Shanower (1884-1970) and his wife Edna I. Hardgrove Shanower (1889-1912). Harvey strangled Edna to death.

Recently I visited some Shanower graves in Massillon, Ohio, including that of Harvey Shanower. Afterward I stopped in to the Genealogy Room at the Massillon Public Library. Jean Adkins, the personable and helpful genealogist, did a computer search for Massillon Evening Independent newspaper articles containing the name Shanower. Among the first search results appeared a partial headline from December 3, 1912. It mentioned arrest and murder. Intrigued, we located the article. The full headline read:

EX-MASSILLON MAN, ARRESTED HERE TODAY, DENIES MURDERING WIFE
HARVEY SHANOWER QUIZZED REGARDING BARBERTON TRAGEDY
The shocking story was front page news. Subsequent issues of the Massillon Evening Independent continued the revelations.

Harvey Allen Shanower (1884-1970).

I knew about Harvey Shanower from an essay written by his great-niece, Sarah Elizabeth Rueckert Snyder (1907-?). It outlines the lives of the nineteenth and early twentieth century Shanowers of Massillon, Ohio. Her paragraph on Harvey concentrates on his employment in Massillon’s steel industry. I also knew that Harvey had married a woman named Florence Verla Hodnot (1897-1979).

But I’d never heard or read anything about Harvey strangling a wife named Edna—a woman, a marriage, and a crime that were completely new to me. Yet Harvey wasn’t such a distant relation. My grandfather Stanley Raymond Shanower (1917-1987) and his brothers attended the same Shanower family reunions that Harvey did. So I’ve known relatives who had opportunity at least to meet Harvey. But no hint of this sensational story had reached me before this.

As far as I’ve been able to determine, Harvey Shanower’s murder of his first wife was suppressed so completely that no one alive knew it had ever happened. I certainly understand why Harvey’s family and friends back in 1912 would have wanted to put this story behind them. But one hundred years later I don’t have any qualms about bringing this skeleton out of the closet for its centennial.

Harvey and Edna Shanower

Harvey Shanower grew up in Massillon, Stark County, Ohio, near Canton, and became a machinist by trade. About 1910 when he was twenty-six, he married twenty-one year old pianist Edna Hardgrove, and they settled in her home town of Barberton, Summit County, Ohio, near Akron.

Reports of their wedding are melodramatic. The unsubstantiated story is that Harvey ushered Edna at gunpoint from her parents’ home to a minister’s house where they were married. No one was notified of the wedding until nine days after it occurred.

Edna was popular with the people her age in Barberton, even after she became Mrs. Shanower. Her friends noticed that Harvey seemed to be a loving husband. He showered Edna with attention and always escorted her home when she played in the orchestra for local dances. Edna’s family, however, feared that Harvey’s intense relationship with their daughter masked an insane jealousy.

On Wednesday, November 27, 1912, the day before Thanksgiving, Edna cheerfully accompanied her mother, Sarah Ann Highton Hardgrove (1864-1930), an invalid for the previous four years, to Mrs. Hardgrove’s physician, Dr. Mansfield, to get medicine. Later that evening Edna played at a dance in Barberton given by the Maccabees, a fraternal order similar to the Elks and Eagles. A male friend of Edna’s asked her to play a certain piece, which she did. When the dance was over about 11:30 pm, Harvey scolded Edna for agreeing to the other man’s request, then as usual escorted his wife back to their home at 423 West Paige Avenue in Barberton.

Thanksgiving Without Turkey

Edna I. Hardgrove Shanower (1889-1912).

A quarrel started early the next day, Thursday, November 28—Thanksgiving. In the morning Edna told Harvey that she had no meat for Thanksgiving dinner. Harvey offered to go to the market, but Edna told him not to bother. She refused to go to a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner, but had no objection to his going without her. Harvey said he would stay home with her and eat whatever they had. Later Edna declined to go out for an afternoon walk, saying she didn’t feel good. After 4:00 pm she got a meatless supper ready, but refused to eat any of it. Harvey ate alone.

After dinner they reached some sort of truce. They went out to the movies and then picked up some sandwiches, eating at home and sitting up—not talking much—till about 10:30 before going to bed. Edna fell asleep right away, but Harvey, disturbed by their quarrelling, was restless. Not a very happy Thanksgiving for either of them.

Fatal Friday

On the morning of Friday, November 29, they overslept. Harvey had forgotten to set the alarm. He woke too late to get to work on time and decided to go in at noon. Harvey and Edna both got out of bed cross. After refusing to prepare breakfast, Edna announced that their marriage was a failure, that they could not make it work even if they tried for fifty years. They argued for hours. About 4:30 pm Edna told Harvey she could no longer live with him.

In a frenzy Harvey followed Edna upstairs to their bedroom where she put on her coat. He argued, pleaded, begged her to stay. But Edna’s mind was made up. She intended to go to her parents’ house.

Enraged, Harvey grabbed Edna’s throat and shook her. Edna fought, but she was no match for Harvey. As she struggled, his fingers closed around her neck. She collapsed.

Harvey couldn’t quite believe that she was actually dead, but he realized how terrible his actions had been. In despair he decided to kill himself. Perched on the edge of the bath tub Harvey wrote a letter to his younger brother Clarence David Shanower, Sr. (1889-1968), a letter full of remorse for “the deed,” as well as instructions about bills to be paid and debts to be collected. Then he gently tucked Edna’s body into bed and sat beside her, caressing her face, stroking the beautiful hair that had earned her the nickname “the bronze bride,” and begging her to wake up. Finally he had to face the fact that Edna truly was dead.

Harvey lost the nerve to commit suicide. He stuffed his letter into his pocket and left the house, intending to take the 5:54 pm train to Massillon to see his mother. But the train had been postponed, so he got a bite to eat before returning home for an hour. He straightened up the bedroom in an attempt to conceal all signs of struggle, then locked the front door behind him, and caught the 7 pm train.

Melissa Agnes Gerber Shanower (1861-1942)

In Massillon he went to 1614 Kent Street, the home of his mother, Melissa Agnes Gerber Shanower (1861-1942). Her husband—and Harvey’s father—William Zachary Shanower (1855-1903) had died almost a decade before, leaving Melissa a widow. Melissa and Edna did not get along well, so Edna’s failure to accompany Harvey to his mother’s house was unremarkable.

Weekend at Mom’s House

Harvey betrayed no sign of stress or strain. On Saturday, November 30, he walked around town, greeting friends he passed in the street, arousing no suspicion whatsoever.

During the afternoon of Sunday, December 1, Harvey and his brother Clarence went to a football game in Massillon and ran into their cousin, George Louis Cecil (1885-1959), son of their aunt Mary Ann Shanower Cecil (1843-1931). Cousin George asked Harvey how Edna was doing. She’d been fine on Friday night when he left her, Harvey explained, betraying no hint of any weight on his conscience.

Monday Surprise

Over the weekend Edna’s invalid mother, Sarah Hardgrove, grew nearly frantic with concern. She and her husband, William, lived in Barberton, the same town where Harvey and Edna made their home, but they hadn’t heard a word from their daughter for days. At first William tried to calm Sarah’s fears, but by the afternoon of Monday, December 2, they were both worried enough to report their concerns to the Barberton police.

Barberton Chief of Police H. E. Eby and at least one police officer accompanied William Hardgrove to Harvey and Edna’s home about 7:30 Monday evening.  The Saturday and Monday newspapers were still lying on the front porch. Eby entered the house using a skeleton key and found Edna’s lifeless body upstairs in bed, under the covers, still wearing her scarf and coat. Her throat had deep fingermarks and her left side was bruised. Barberton coroner R. C. Kenning confirmed death by strangulation and ordered Harvey's arrest for the crime.

Terrible Tuesday

Shortly after midnight the police woke the Shanower household in Massillon. They arrested Harvey on suspicion of murder and locked him up for the night in the Massillon police station.

Around noon on Tuesday, December 3, Massillon Mayor Arthur N. Kaley, Massillon Chief of Police Edward M. Ertle, and Barberton Chief of Police Eby subjected Harvey to an hour-long grilling in his cell. Harvey coolly maintained his innocence. Mayor Kaley confronted him with the letter found in his pocket, a letter that seemed to point directly to Harvey’s guilt. But Harvey steadfastly claimed that “the deed” referred to in the letter meant his contemplated suicide, not murder. He’d written it in despair after a quarrel with Edna had driven him crazy, he said, but she’d been alive and safe on Friday evening when he left her.

In spite of all circumstances pointing to Harvey’s guilt, his composure impressed his interrogators, as well as a reporter who was also present. Mayor Kaley was so impressed that when the session ended, he shook hands with Harvey and offered any help he could give.

After the interrogation, Chief Eby drove Harvey by automobile to Barberton prison. Word of the murder and Harvey’s arrest had spread. Although many who knew Harvey in Massillon found it hard to believe him capable of murder, the population of Barberton, where Edna and her family were well known, was hostile toward Harvey. Crowds formed around Barberton prison, waiting for Harvey’s arrival with Chief Eby. The Barberton police were summoned in order to quell any violence that might break out.

Just before 3:00 pm, Eby sped up to the prison entrance through crowds yelling threats to lynch the murderer. Harvey was hurried inside and placed in a cell. Barberton Mayor Mitchell held a preliminary hearing at which Harvey pleaded not guilty. A $10,000 bond was fixed and Harvey was bound over to the common pleas court.

Harvey begged to see Edna’s body one last time before she was buried. But city officials, aware of growing anger in the Barberton populace, were concerned for Harvey’s safety and refused his request.

Chief Eby hurried Harvey back outside into the car. The crowd shouted threats and photographers took pictures. Harvey tipped his hat over his face at first, but then changed his mind and raised his hat, displaying his calm for all to see.

I know this is a bad reproduction of this newspaper photo, but it's the best I have. Near the center Harvey Shanower gazes calmly from the car just as it's about to leave Barberton prison for the Summit County court house in Akron, December 3, 1912. Barberton Chief of Police Eby is to the right of Harvey at the wheel. Officer Kretzmer is to the left of Harvey in the back seat. On the extreme left is Officer Bart, one of the men who found Edna's body. The insert at top right is, of course, Edna.

On the drive to the Summit County court house in Akron, Harvey completely reversed his position. He confessed to Chief Eby that he was guilty of the murder and promised to reveal the details when they reached Akron. At the court house Harvey took half an hour to relate the whole story to Prosecuting Attorney Frank J. Rockwell, Sheriff David R. Ferguson, and Chief Eby. Then he collapsed. He was taken to a cell in the Summit County jail and held without bail on a charge of first degree murder. Guards were stationed at the jail to prevent any attempt to lynch him.

Meanwhile, Edna’s body was taken in a white casket to her parents’ home on Baird Avenue in Barberton. Edna’s invalid mother, Sarah, was so hysterical with grief that two doctors were in constant attendance. The rest of the family would not allow her to see Edna’s body. They feared that the shock would kill her.

As Time Goes By

The next day, Wednesday, December 4, at 1:30 pm Edna I. Hardgrove Shanower was buried. Reverend U. M. Roby of the United Brethren Church conducted the funeral service at the Hardgrove home. It was one of the largest funerals Barberton had ever seen. The crowd was so large that Mayor William Mitchell stationed a squad of police around the house in case of trouble.

At the same time Edna was being buried, Harvey was back in Mayor Mitchell’s court in Barberton being arraigned a second time. On the advice of S. A. Decker, the Barberton attorney retained to represent Harvey, he pleaded not guilty, despite his confession of murder. He waived preliminary examination and was bound over to the next session of the grand jury. His brother Clarence met him at court in order to make arrangements for Harvey’s clothing in jail.

On Thursday, December 5, Harvey was noticeably gloomy in his Akron jail cell, all calm and composure gone. He barely touched his breakfast and paced back and forth in his cell, muttering to himself. Authorities feared he might attempt suicide, so a close surveillance was assigned to him. By this time they were more concerned that Harvey would kill himself than that someone else would.

The Summit County grand jury was scheduled to meet in January. A grand jury panel of fifteen men was selected on Friday, December 6.

On the following Thursday, December 12, Sarah Hardgrove was at last able to sit up and eat for the first time since hearing the news of her daughter Edna’s murder.

As the days passed, the public couldn’t stop talking about the murder. The Barberton populace seemed to hold no sympathy for Harvey, but in Massillon and Akron sympathy was widespread, in part because the murder had been unpremeditated. Even those with no sympathy for the confessed murderer hoped that he would be sentenced to life imprisonment rather than go to the electric chair. Rumors circulated that Harvey would plead insanity. But his attorney S. A. Decker maintained that he hadn’t yet formulated a defense.

Day in Court

The general sympathy for Harvey Shanower seemed to be shared by those who’d brought him to justice. Police Chief Eby confessed to feeling sorry for Harvey. Massillon Mayor Arthur Kaley expressed sympathy for a local boy in trouble. In January 1913 they were both among those called by the Summit County grand jury to testify in the Harvey Shanower case. Harvey’s cousin George Cecil appeared before the jury as well. On January 28 at 2:00 pm the grand jury indicted Harvey on a charge of first degree murder.

In early February Harvey was arraigned before Summit County Judge Ahearn where he entered a formal plea of not guilty. A trial was scheduled for Monday, March 17.

Attorney Decker seems to have been discharged, because on March 14, the Friday before the trial was to begin, Harvey and a new attorney, Judge Anderson, conferred with the Summit County prosecutor, who agreed to a reduction in the charge from first degree murder to second degree murder. Harvey appeared before Judge Ahearn, pleaded guilty to second degree murder, and was immediately sentenced to life imprisonment.

In the Pen

Late Monday, March 17, Harvey was transferred to the Ohio state penitentiary at Columbus to begin his sentence. But that was hardly the end of the story. Forces were at work behind the scenes.

James J. Wise was the former mayor of Massillon, Ohio, his hometown, and in 1912 he’d been elected State Senator. In May 1913 after visiting Harvey in the penitentiary, Senator Wise took Harvey’s regards back to the people of Massillon and reported that Harvey was considered a good prisoner and a hard worker.

By December 1915 things were looking up for Harvey. In Massillon, petitions for clemency had been signed by officials and employees of Harvey’s former manufacturing plant, the pastor and members of his former church, and other prominent citizens. The week before Christmas Senator Wise, along with Ohio Representative Milo Cathorn and Harvey’s brother-in-law Frank Stoner, brother of Clarence Shanower’s wife Icy May Stoner Shanower (1891-after 1933), interceded with Ohio Governor Frank B. Willis on Harvey’s behalf. Governor Willis agreed only to go so far as to turn the case over to the state board of pardons.

Harvey’s partisans refused to give up. Their efforts to free Harvey finally paid off. On June 26, 1917, James M. Cox, now Governor of Ohio, issued a pardon for Harvey Shanower. Harvey was free.

On July 9, 1920, Harvey, now thirty-five and employed by Russell and Company where he’d learned his machinist trade, married again, this time to Florence Verla Hodnot of Massillon. Their marriage lasted fifty years until Harvey's death on November 16, 1970.

That’s pretty much the story, exposed once more to the light of day for all to see.

Envoi

Gravestone of Florence Verla Hodnot Shanower Kirby.

When I initially discovered the story of Harvey Shanower, strangler, I found it exciting. But in following the newspaper accounts through to his release from prison and second marriage, my feelings became conflicted. It’s kind of creepy the way Edna disappears from the story as if even the memory of her life was buried with her dead body. But there’s one consolation. If punishment is meant as a preventative, then Harvey’s time in prison—four and one quarter years—seems to have succeeded. His second wife Florence outlasted him by nine years, surviving to marry her second husband, Carl Kirby.

But poor Edna.

I trust that your Thanksgiving was more enjoyable than hers. I guess one lesson to be learned from this is to remember that if you’re cooking dinner next Thanksgiving, don’t neglect to put some meat on the table.