Simler.htm  
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     ELDER RESEARCH - CENTRE  CO PA  -
ABRAHAM ELDER, from FRANKLIN COUNTY, PA, settled in Half-Moon Twp., near Bald Eagle, PA.

Exctract transcribed by Karen Semencar, July 2003:
From book titled:
"The Simlers: The History of a Pioneer Family" by J. Clair Simler
 With Mark Seinfelt,  no copyright but preface has June 26, 1990
[Subject: Re: [PACENTRE] Clair Simler
Clair Simler's obit was published in the Center Daily Times on Aug 8, 2000]
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 PAGES 83-87
The Elders:
   “ My Grandmother Lucetta Beamer’s parents were Robert and Isabella Woomer Elder. I don’t know very
 much about Robert Elder. I don’t have his date of birth or his date of death. I don’t know the names of his
 parents. Robert and Isabella resided in Woomer settlement in Bald Eagle, Pa.

      Isabella was the daughter of Samuel and Elisabeth Miller Woomer. Her parents also resided in Bald
Eagle. Isabella was born March 19, 1833 and died February 13, 1866 at the age of 53. She was the
 fourth of eleven children. She and Robert Elder were the parents of four children:

1. Lucetta She was born July 5, 1853 and died July 5, 1940. She married Owen A. Beamer. He was born
    February 5, 1853 and died October 7, 1925.

 2. Margaret Alice- She married a man named Cooper and resided most of her life in Clearfield, PA. She
     and her husband had two children, a daughter named Lisle and a son whose name I no longer recall. He
     resided in Pensacola, Florida.

3. Samuel Harrison Elder- He married Alice Nichols and resided most of his life in Curwensville, Pa.
     Parents of the following children
     1. Herschell- He resided in Curwensville.
     2. Maude- She resided in Curwensville.
     3. Pearle- She resided in Curwensville.
     4. Myrtle- She married Paul Graham. The couple resided in Jersey Shore, Pa.
      5. Paul- He married a woman named Margaret. The couple had one daughter, Frankie Pauline. Paul
                  died, and his wife remarried. Her second husband’s last name was Bacon.
                  The Bacons lived at 163 W. 73rd St., Cincinnati, Ohio.
      6. Walter- His wife ‘s name was Beulah. They were parents of five children: Robert, Charles, Edna Pearl,
                       Donald and Malvin Walter died, and his wife married a man whose last name was Gritman. The
                       Gritmans resided at 1700 11th Ave., Altoona, Pas.

 4. Annie- She married McClelland Westbrook. They resided in Huntington, Pa. Annie died, and
                 McClelland Westbrook remarried. McClelland and Annie Westbrook were the parents of four children:
                1. Frank- He lived in Altoona, Pa.
                 2. George =- He lived in Port Arther, Texas.
                 3. Paul- He lived in Altoona, Pa.
                4. Edith- She lived in Philadelphia, Pa.

 Robert Elder was a Union Soldier in the Civil War. After he joined the army, his family never heard from
 him again. Grandmother Beamer told me that she, her mother, her brother, and two sisters saw hard
 times and endured many privations after her father left home.  They never had very much to live on, and
the children had to plant crops and tend the fields. I always assumed that Robert Elder had been killed in
 the Civil War. This, however, was not the case. Shortly before her death, my niece Frances Ross was
 doing research on the Elder line. She unearthed a record of Robert’s military service. He served as a
 private in Company 2 of the 146th Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. He joined Company 2 on
 August 16, 1862. On February 15, 1864, he was transferred to Company K of the 125th Regiment,
 Veterans’ Reserve Corp. He was discharged July 14, 1865, and, according to Frances, he moved to
 California.

Although I don’t know who Robert Elder’s father was, I believe him to be a descendant of either Abraham
 or David Elder, and I think that it is more likely he is a son of David than of Abraham, Abraham and David
were brothers, and they were among the earliest settlers of Half-Moon Township and the Bald Eagle
 Valley. Abraham was born in 1754 and died July 27, 1827. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War in
 the 6th Battalion of the Cumberland County Militia.

 The Elders were of Scotch, English, and Scotch-Irish descent, and some of their ancestors were of the
Quaker faith. Abraham and David Elder were descendants of Robert Elder, who emigrated to America
 from Edinboro, Scotland shortly before the year 1700. Robert’s brother James was a professor at
 Edinboro University. James’ descendants David, James, and John Elder were famous nautical engineers
and shipbuilders, whose mammoth works at Cowden on the Clyde, near Glasgow, Scotland were among
 the largest in the world. Steamers of the Cunard Line were built there. Robert Elder settled in Paxtang
 Township in Lancaster County , Pa., and owned a large tract of land there,. One of Robert Elder’s sons
 was Rev. John Elder, “ the fighting parson of the Revolutionary War”. His portrait is hanging in the church
where he preached in Paxtang, Pa., and he is buried in the Paxtang Cemetery.

Abraham Elder migrated to Half-Moon Township in 1784 and settled upon a tract of land which now lies
 close to the village of Stormstown. He came to prospect more than anything else. Although he married,
 he came alone, thinking, no doubt, that he had better get a taste of living in the woods before he asked
his family to share in such a life. He found an abandoned hunter’s cabin, made a small clearing, and put
 in a crop. He was the lonely tenant of an unbroken wilderness. No thoroughfares other than Indian paths
 ran through the woods. In the fall of 1784, Elder returned to his family in Franklin County. In the spring,
 Abraham and his family, together with his brother David returned to Half-Moon Valley. Upon his previous
visit, Abraham had selected a site for David to Build on. It was beside Buffalo Run, a spring that is a
tributary of the Susquehanna. This land is now located in Patton Township. But the morning after the
 Elders arrived there, they received a visit from a rough-looking Irishman, who informed them that he
 would object to David locating there since he lived only a mile away and didn’t want neighbors living that
 close to him. David chose to abandon the site. He chose a new location at the lower end of Half-Moon
 Township, but, he abandoned the site after only a brief stay. He then located at Spruce Creek. He
 married and had a number of children; however, I don’t know his wife’s name or those of any of his
offspring. Abraham Elder returned to his site., where he erected a new and better home. According to
 Linn’s History of Centre County, Abraham was “ a man of energetic temperament and liberal enterprise.
He put up on the run near house a saw-mill, carried on a distillery, and erected a grist-mill in Bald Eagle
 Valley, near Port Matilda, on the site of the Woodring saw mill. He hauled his flour to Baltimore and
 bought goods in exchange. When the road to Pittsburgh was opened, Mr. Elder established a tavern in
 his house, and kept also a small stock of goods, for the accommodation of neighbors and traveling
public. The tavern stand was known far and near as Elder’s, was the first haulting -place, and a place
much frequented by wayfarers….From his tavern, Mr. Elder constructed a roadway over the Ridge into
 Bald Eagle Valley., and by that route took his supplies and held communication with his mill. Abraham
 Elder’s wife was Susan Ardry. She was born on 4/11/1758 and died 11/24/1831.
  Abraham and Susan had three children:
  James, Robert, and Elizabeth.
  James’ married Margaret Boggs. According to the Elder Family Tree compiled by
     Vernal Elder Woodring, the couple was childless.
  Abraham’s son Robert was born on 5/9/1775 and died 11/24/1809.
      He married Esther Wilson. She was born 11/24/1786 and died 2/24/1861.
     This Robert Elder, in his time, was one of the best known and most highly thought of
 persons in Centre County. Although he never resided in Clearfield County, he owned saw mills and a
carding machine, a tavern and other buildings on the Clearfield Creek in 1815. These were built by
 James Thorn, who came to the county at Elder’s request. Robert Elder owned over 800 acres of ground
 at the time of his death.
     Robert and Esther Wilson Elder had six children:
     Susanna (b. 10/24/1810), Rebecca (b. 3/12/ 1813),
     Jane (b. 6/5/1815), Abram (b. 7/20/1817), George (b. 7/28/1821), and Elizabeth (b. 1824).
      Abram died on 2/6/89. He married Mary Ann Adams about 1844. She was born 1/26/1825 and
       died 9/20/1892. According to the Vernon Elder Woodring family tree, she was a direct descendant of
       President John Adams.
       Abram and Mary Ann Adams Elder had five children:
       Matthew, Robert, Horace, Edward, and Clara.
      Vernal Elder Woodring was a grandson of Horace Elder. Horace was born in 1856.
        The dates of birth of the other children are not given.
         Horace’s brother Robert, even if he had been born as early as 1845, would have been too young to have been Lucetta Elder’s father. Abrams brother George was a graduate of Jefferson College and Harvard University. He was a classmate of Judge Horace Gray, a justice of the Supreme Court. George married Margarita Shaw. They had three children, two girls and one boy. The son’s name was George. In 1851, George Sr. was a commissioner for the  State of Pennsylvania at the World’s Fair in London. He resided in Lewistown and was a leader of the  Republican party in Pennsylvania. He was a delegate to the party’s convention in 1868 and cast his vote for U.S. Grant. He was the director of the Mifflin County National Bank for 36 years and a strong advocate of Temperance. The name Robert Elder appears again and again in subsequent generations of the family. The fact that Grandmother’s father resided in Bald Eagle Valley, that his last name was Elder and his first name was Robert, indicates that he was related to the other Elder’s who lived there. If there are
 no mistakes on the Vernon Elder Woodring Family Tree, if no descendants of Abraham Elder were
 accidentally omitted, the only conclusion I can draw is that our Robert Elder was a descendant of Abraham Elder’s brother David.

  Isabella Woomer Elder is buried in Bald Eagle Cemetery next to her parents
Samuel and Elizabeth (Miller) Woomer.

  Centre County Death Records done by the Centre Co. Gene. Soc. Copyright 1997
 PG. 31
 Elder, Charles M. 6m. Born to Samuel and Harriet in Rock Springs died in Rock Springs on Jan. 2, 1895 ,
  died of inflammation of the stomach and is buried at PG Mills

****
Found a similar ROBERT ELDER of CIVIL WAR in 148th Reg - Discharged same date: July 14, 1865.
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Hills/6517/148th/148coh.html
Elder, Robert     Private 
Enlisted   Aug. 16, 62  Tr. to Co. K, 1st reg. V.R.C. Feb 15, 64- disch. by G.O. July 14, 1865.

****
Another ELDER FAMILY in this area, see:
WorldConnect by Jennifer Davidson:
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=jenn222&id=I7802
Name: David George ELDER
  Sex: M
  Birth: JUN 1860 in PA
  Death: 1939
  Burial: New Pine Grove Mills Cemetery, Ferguson Twp., Centre Co., PA  +(Samuel Y. Elder d. 1942; Henry d. 1940 also there)
       Note: 1870 - age 10.
       1880 - age 20. Living with parents.
       1900 - age 39.
       1910 - age 49.
 Father: Franklin ELDER b: NOV 1824 in PA   (no parents listed)  (he is buried in Old Pine Grove Mills Cem)
 Mother: Sarah YOUNG b: 9 JAN 1829 in PA
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More info on George W. ELDER:
1850 Census, George W. ELDER, Lewistown, Mifflin Co PA

1860 Census, Lewistown, Mifflin Co PA
George W. Elder   37 PA atty  [b. abt 1823]
Margaret S.       30          [Margaret Shaw? b. abt 1830, m. about 1853?]
Rufus S.           6          [Rufus Shaw Elder?, b. abt 1854]
Robert [George R]  4          [George Robert Elder? b. abt 1856]
Esther             2          [b. abt 1858]
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1870 Census, Lewistown, Mifflin Co PA
George W. Elder   47 PA Lawyer
Margaret S.       38
Rufus             16
George R.         14
Esther            12
Herman             8
Mary               4
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1880 Census:
 George W. ELDER        Self  M  Male    W   57   PA  Lawyer         PA   PA 
 Margarette S. ELDER   Wife  M   Female W   49   PA   Keeping House   PA   PA 
 Rufus C. ELDER        Son   S   Male   W   26   PA   Lawyer          PA   PA 
 Esther ELDER          Dau   S   Female W   21   PA   At School       PA   PA 
 Herman S. ELDER       Son   S   Male   W   17   PA                   PA   PA 
 Mary T. ELDER         Dau   S   Female W   13   PA                   PA   PA 
 Mary S. SHAW      SisterL   S   Female W   51   PA   Teacher         PA   PA 
 Leonora GASS        Other   S   Female W   26   PA   Servant         PA   PA 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source Information:
  Census Place West Ward, Lewistown, Mifflin, Pennsylvania
  Family History Library Film   1255156
  NA Film Number   T9-1156
  Page Number   140B
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ELDER, RUFUS C (1910 U.S. Census)  Lawyer, Law Office
Pennsylvania , MIFFLIN, 2-WD LEWISTOWN BORO, Age 56,  Male,  Race: White,  Born: PA  [abt 1854]
Series: T624  Roll: 1376   Page: 192
wife: Loa B        49 NY
dau:  Margaretta 27 PA - Teacher - Kindergarten
dau:  Jane B       26 PA - Teacher - Private School
son:  George W 24 PA - Clerk - Foundry

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LDS Familysearch.org: 1880 census:
  Owen BEAMER Self   M Male   27 PA Coal Miner   PA   PA 
 Lusetta BEAMER WifeM Female 26 PA Keeping House PA  PA 
 William BEAMER Son SMale    8  PA At Home   PA   PA 
 Sarah BEAMER   Dau SFemale  5  PA At Home   PA   PA 
 Clarra A. BEAMER DauSFemale 3  PA At Home   PA   PA 
 Orlanda BEAMER   SonSMale   1  PA   At Home   PA   PA 
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Source Information:
  Census Place Decatur Mines, Clearfield, Pennsylvania
  Family History Library Film   1255116
  NA Film Number   T9-1116
  Page Number   237A
*****
Leadville, Lake County, Colorado Information:
http://www.leadville.com
******
Ancestry.com
1880 Lake Co COLORADO 88th Dist (Leadville):
George ELDER, p. 532  (b. 1856, age 24)
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Heritage Quest - PDF Image:
ELDER, GEORGE R (1920 U.S. Census)
Colorado , DENVER, DENVER; 297-DIST, Age 64,  Male,  Race: White,  Born: PA
Series: T625  Roll: 162   Page: 246
George R      64 PA PA PA Lawyer
Ida D wife    57 PA PA PA
Robert D. son 30 CO PA PA Lawyer
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~nancyelder/ed/GeorgeRElder1920DenverCo.pdf

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1930 Ancestry.com Census Image:
George R 74 PA PA PA Lawyer
Ida D    67 PA PA PA
Year: 1930; Census Place: Leadville, Lake, Colorado; Ward 5, Roll: T626_244; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 9; Image: 0082.
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Lake Co Colorado Genweb:
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~colake/lkobith-l.html
"Thomas Emmett Irwin - Lake County Treasurer- d. December 18 [1966]
Honorary pallbearers, ...Robert D. Elder  [b. abt 1890 - 76 yrs old]
many business and professional associations ... Leadville Historical Society...
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WWI Soldiers:
https://sites.rootsweb.com/~colake/wwi_lake_county_soldiers.htm
Elder, Robert D. - Captain Infantry Leadville
*****
Ancestry.com Soc.Sec.Index:
 Name:   ROBERT ELDER
 SSN:   521-01-1893
 Last Residence:   80461  Leadville, Lake, CO
 Born:   25 Jun 1889    
 Died:   Oct 1980
 State (Year) SSN issued:   CO (Before 195)
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found photo portraits online!
at
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:Bench_and_bar_of_Colorado_-_1917.djvu/60

THE BENCH AND BAR OF COLORADO
GEORGE ROBERT ELDER, LEADVILLE  (Photo)
  "Born, Lewistown, Pennsylvania; A.B., Princeton University. 1875; married Ida Dull, October 28, 1886, at Lewistown ; admitted to Penn- sylvania and Colorado Bars, 1878; maintains offices in Leadville and Denver; practice of corporation and mining laws mostly." ....

ROBERT DULL ELDER LEADVILLE  (Photo)
Born, Leadville, June 25, 1889; A.B.. Princeton University, 1911 ; A.M. and LL.B., Columbia Univer- sity, 1914; admitted to Colorado Bar, 1914; author of "The Sojourner ;" corporation and mining law; offices in Leadville and Denver."