My Great-Grandparents (Gerow Side)

 great-grandparent Gerow

I have decided to go back another generation, as  perhaps someone would like to share this information in the years to come, as I have pictures and interesting stories that Aunt  Eloise shared with me before she died.

Dewitt Clinton Gerow was born in Seneca County, NY on August 2, 1848.  He was a blacksmith with his father until he enlisted in the army at the age of 16.  He was in Company G, 50th N.Y. Engineers, Army of the Potomac. (Civil War) until June 13, 1865.   He was underage; therefore, he served as a stretcher bearer and drummer boy.  Most of the rest of his life he lived in Charleston Township, PA.  He was a blacksmith like his father and had a shop in Whitneyville, PA, he also spent time in farming.  He married Laura Emma West on January 1, 1870, daughter of William and Caroline Johnson West.  They had 10 children.  Edna died at an early age. Winogene Peake, Lovell, - Ethel Hinckely, Leon, Ada Neal, Carrie Bartlett, Gale, Floyd, Minor and Erma Erway.

Laura was a country "one room" school teacher.  She was born August 13, 1850.  She died in Charleston Township and is buried in Dartt Settlement Cemetery.  Her date of death is June 4, 1932.

Dewitt date of death is May 24, 1928 and he is also buried in Dartt Settlement.

Great Grandfather Clark

This gentleman is my great grand-father Clark.  He would have been my grandmother Gerow's father.

 Cecil A. Clark was born on the Clark Homestead on February 13, 1864 and grew up there.  He attended Osceola High School.  In 1894 he moved to Brookfield Township and then to Westfield Township.  He raised potatoes and bought and sold livestock.  On December 21, 1885 he married Ida Grist of Athens, PA.  They had a son Chester, who died at an early age.  The other children were Earl, Marietta Clark Gerow, Ivan, Manning, Lena Gerow Peer.  He was a Mason and an IOOF member.  He died in 1945.  He is buried in the Riverside Cemetery in Knoxville, PA

Great-Grandmother Clark

Ida I. Grist Clark was born on the Grist homestead in Mehoopany, PA on April 7, 1864, the youngest child of ten to Chester and Amanda Bowman Grist.  Ida's oldest brother, Clayton was killed soon after her birth in the Civil War at the Battle of the  Wilderness in Farmville,Virginia on May 5, 1864.  Her father, Chester, at one time ran a mail route from Mehoopany, PA to Woodhull, NY and eventually the family moved to Woodhull.

Ida married Cecil A. Clark on December 21, 1885 in Corning, NY.  They had five children and lived most of their lives in Westfield.

On May 20, 1901, Ida died from complications of Typhoid pneumonia at the age of 37, leaving behind five children ages 1 through 14.  She is buried in Riverside Cemetery in Knoxville, PA

I can go back on more generation with an interesting story with a newspaper clipping, although I don't have a picture.

Great-Great Grandfather Eleazer Clark:  He settled on a farm, cleared the land, etc in 1817, built a log house near a river.

He was born in Burrellsville, Rhode Island October 6, 1788. He first came on horse back with $2.50 in his pocket.  After on year with the house built, he went back to Rhode Island and brought his family to Pennsylvania in a wagon.  He brought some seeds and some hens.  After planting some seeds, he noticed one of his hens dug up the seeds and swallowed them.  They were very scarce and couldn't get more so he killed the hen, removed the seeds and planted the pumpkin seeds.
  This text is taken from an old newspaper clipping that my Aunt Eloise saved......

He was the son of Captain Eleazer and Prudence Clark.  His father was was in charge of a company during the Revolution.

Eleazer Clark married Abigail Armstrong and they were parents of four children.

He and Abigail are buried in Quaker Cemetery in Knoxville, PA.
Abigail is the first burial to which there is a published record for the Quaker Cemetery.