Jeremiah Mark Carvell

Jeremiah Mark Carvell, was born March 3, 1843, near McKees 1/2 Falls in Snyder County, Pennsylvania. His parents were Rebecca Mark and Joseph Britton Carvell. Rebecca died November 4, 1847 when Jeremiah was a child. Joseph's second wife, Mary Hyle raised Jeremiah, along with his sisters Mary and Lyddian, and step-brothers and sisters by his father's second marriage. There were ten children by this marriage.

Jeremiah lived with his parents near Thompsontown in Juniata County where he attended school in Snyder and Perry Counties in the winter, having attended to manual labor in the summer. He acquired the rudiments of an English education.

When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted in Harrisburg as a private on August 6, 1862 in Captain A.B. Demaree's Company I, 133rd regiment, Pennsylvania Infantry. He was mustered out by reason of expiration of term of service a year later. He later re-enlisted August 31, 1864 as a private in Co. A, 9th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, Cavalry. He was honorably discharged on May 29, 1865.

During the 1861/62 school year he attended the Millerstown academy, and after he had been discharged from the service continued his education in Markleysville. He completed his post graduate work at Wooster College for a Ph.D. in 1887. Being interested in education his entire life, he was one of the incorporators of Findlay College and a trustee for several terms. According to the First Church of God, Shippensburg History, 1978 " He liked art, literature and poetry. Being reserved in manner, he made his way by merit rather than by personal influence."

According to his obituary in the Newport newspaper " he made a public profession of faith of religion. In 1866 withough any further collegiate or theological training, he entered the ministry of the Church of God, beginning his labors in Perry County. He was ordained in the fall of 1866 and the following spring took charge of his first appointment, the Plainfield circuit, west of Carlisle."

He made his public profession of faith while attending religious services conducted by Rev. T.M. Still, of the Church of God. Interestingly enough, this is the same man who married Jeremiah and Mary Jane Zeigler Gantt (b. 26 January 1839) the previous August. The original marriage certificate signed by Rev. Still is still in existance and in my possession. What a treasure!

Mary Jane was a widow when she married Jeremiah. She was widowed by Joseph Don L. Gantt in October of 1863. She had one daughter, Rosa Viola Gantt (b. 13 September 1859)when Gantt died. Mary Jane is buried along side of Gantt in the Newport Cemetery. Also in the same plot are her parents.

Jeremiah and Mary Jane had 3 daughters and 1 son; however, only Carrie Virginia, born May 2, 1868 in Newville, Cumberland County, lived until adulthood. Annie Lenora was born December 23, 1869 in Bainbridge, Lancaster County and died August 1, 1870 in Palmrya, Lebannon County. James Edgar Augustine was born April 30, 1874 in Coldsboro, York County and died September 3, 1875 in Altoona, Blair County. It is unknown exactly when Minnie May was born, but she died in Pleasant Grove, Lancaster County on August 1, 1867. This information was recorded by Carvell in the Family Bible now in my possession.

Mary Jane died during his tenure in Philadelphia at the Germantown Avenue Church on February 1, 1879. She was just 40 years old. She died at 2035 Warnock Street, their home at the time. Her death was attributed to a heart condition. A newspaper article describes the train trip back to Newport for her burial.

Jeremiah also served in Plainfield, Bainbridge, Maytown, East York, Altoona, Chambersburg, Orrstown, Shippensburg, Harrisburg (Fourth Street) and Middletown.

He served as the pastor in Shippensburg 1881 to 1885. A picture of the Parsonage, which he was the first pastor to live in, is in the possession of Linda Stienstra, as well. It was here that he raised Carrie who was twelve years of age when her mother died. Rosa married John Hamilton, a widower, of Shippensburg there. John's first wife had died in child birth and Rosa raised his children, never having any herself.

Jeremiah was one of the first of my relatives that I find was a Mason. According to the Anniversary Booklet for the Big Spring Lodge, No. 301 of Newville, Pennsylvania, he is listed as a Past Master for 1885.

Rev. Carvell spent his final days in Shippensburg in the home of his daughter and son-in-law, John and Rosa Hamilton. His death is attributed to "cancer of the rectum" according to his pension file from the Veterans Administration. They attributed it to a gunshot wound he received while in the service. Accroding to another letter in his file, he was in so much pain at the end of his life that he never left the bedroom at his son-in-law's home. There were several obituaries written about his life, one of them several columns long! Unusual for that day. He is buried in Spring Hill Cemetery. His monument dwarfs the surrounding headstones. Buried alongside of Jeremiah are his daughter Carrie Virginia Carvell Niess, his granddaughter Nellie Viola Niess Sherman on one headstone, and John M. Hamilton, his first wife Cornelia Jane Hollar, and his second wife Rosa Viola Gantt Hamilton on the other headstone.