Genealogy of the Woodcock Valley
Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania
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A Hunting We Will Go - For Charles Stapleton and Lewis Heck!
| Posted on November 18, 2010 at 8:41 PM |
Doesn't every family tree have at least one skeleton hiding in the closet? My skeleton, who was not so much of a secret, was Sarah Blanche Fisher (1889-1975). She had two children out of wedlock to two different men before she finally married Leslie Rinker and had a large family with him. While I know all of these details, I still feel as if I know very little about her or her family. While my Fisher line tends to be a very tight knit bunch, I suppose Sarah was not looked upon favorably for her indiscretions.
Her two children out of wedlock were Gertrude Alice Stapleton (1906-1941) and Paul Wilmer Heck (1909-1965). Both of these children were raised by their Fisher grandparents. Gertie was the daughter of Charles Stapleton. Paul was supposedly the son of Lewis Heck.
I have traced every Stapleton line in Huntingdon County for years, and I cannot come up with a Charles Stapleton that fits to be the father of Gertie. I even have a picture of the man!
Charles Stapleton is the last man on the right with the tie. He appears with Jackson Fisher, Sarah's father, and her siblings and nephews. Relations must have been good with the family at the time for him to appear in a family hunting photo.
I know nothing about Lewis Heck. There is a Lewis Heck in the 1900 census in Three Springs, Huntingdon County, who is about Sarah Blanche's age. However, I can't locate him again until 1920 (assuming it is the same Lewis) in Broad Top, Bedford County. However, in 1920, Lewis is married with a child older than Paul Wilmer Heck. So, if this is the right Lewis, he had an affair with Sarah Blanche Fisher while he was married.
Finally, Sarah Blanche married Leslie Frank Rinker (1886-1944). They had a large number of children, who I have never been able to straighten out because they all apparently had nicknames. Interestingly, Sarah was working for Leslie's family as a servant in 1910.
Can anyone help me hunt down these two elusive men - Charles Stapleton and Lewis Heck? Can anyone help me get the Rinker children in order?
Categories: Family Names
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7 Comments
Carolyn Carroll says...
Lewis Plummer Heck... 1910-1987 buried at Grandview in Saxton. He was the grandfather of my friend Joyce Heck Bollinger. He was married twice Maude Giffin and D. Mayree Reed. Son of William Plummer Heck. Joyce's father was Norman Heck.
Everything you posted matches what I found in the 1900 and 1920 census records, but his age can't be right of 1910-1987. In the 1900 census, Lewis was 14 and in 1920 he was 36. So, he would have been born about 1886. Am I missing something? In 1900, he was living with his father William P., and in 1920, he was married to Maude. Any chance you could talk to your friend and see if she's heard any stories about Lewis cheating? That might be why he married a second time assuming his first wife didn't just up and die on him. Do you know if Maude died young? Again, I don't know that this is the correct Lewis Heck, but he is the only one I can find.
Carolyn Carroll says...
Lewis Plummer Heck... buried at Grandview in Saxton. He was the grandfather of my friend Joyce Heck Bollinger. He was married twice Maude Giffin and D. Mayree Reed. Son of William Plummer Heck. Joyce's father was Norman Heck.1910-1987 (Norman's dates not Lewis's)
Charles A Stapleton 36 farmer
Sarah Stapleton 72 widow mother children 10 with 8 living
Van Stapleton 16 Nephew
Carolyn Carroll says...
1910 CassTwp Huntingdon Co., PA
Charles A Stapleton 36 farmer
Sarah Stapleton 72 widow mother children 10 with 8 living
Van Stapleton 16 Nephew
He is my number one contender...
He did marry between 1918-1920 and have children. I have his obituary, and it does not list Gertie as a child. However, that would not be uncommon since she was born out of wedlock and did not belong to the wife giving the information for the obituary. She might not have even known about Gertie! I wish there was a way to confirm...
Jennifer Stapleton Hanley says...
I am checking with our family historian to see if the man looks similar to photos we have. My great-grandfather was Charles A Stapleton. We know very little of him as he abandoned the family. We know he was born in Paris, IL around 1875.
That would be wonderful! Thank you for checking!!!
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