Person Page - 1729

     Dean Charles Schwalm was born on 4 December 1934.² He was the son of James Daniel Schwalm and Mary Ellen Graeff.¹ Dean Charles Schwalm died on 24 March 1935, Porter Township, Schuylkill County, PA.^1,2 He was buried on 27 March 1935, at Greenwood Cemetery, Tower Ciity, Schuylkill County, PA.²

     Bruce Eugene Schwalm died on 16 September 1953, Zeldin Hospital, Lykens, Dauphin County, PA.^2,1 He was buried on 16 September 1953, at Greenwood Cemetery, Tower Ciity, Schuylkill County, PA.² He was born on 16 September 1953, Lykens, Dauphin County, PA.² He was the son of James Daniel Schwalm and Mary Ellen Graeff.¹

     Charles Graeff married Mary Ellen Shomper in 1905.^1,2 Charles Graeff died in 1940.³

     Mary Ellen Shomper was born on 31 December 1876, Powell's Valley, Dauphin County, PA.² Some sources record that Mary Ellen Shomper was born in January 1880.³ It is not clear exactly who Mary's parents were. Mary Ellen (Shomper) Graeff's death certificate lists her parents as "Mary Ellen Buffington" and "? Shomper." Her newspaper obituary gives her maiden name as "Shomper." A baptismal record at St. John's Lutheran Church in Lykens, PA, gives her parents as "Adam Schomper" and "Polly Schomper." Her Social Security Claim application lists her parents as "Adam Shomper" and "Mary Buffington." It is not clear precisely who these indvidivuals were. Also, it is not clear if Adam Shomper and Mary Buffington were married, as no record of such a marriage has been located.
An Adam, or John Adam, Shomper, born 16 Aug 1855 and died 7 Aug 1933, is buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery. On 15 Jan 1888, he married Jane Chubb. Their application for marriage license indicates that Adam had been divorced about a year earlier. His newspaper obituary published in 1933 lists among his survivors "Mrs. Charles Graeff" of Tower City, suggesting that he was in fact Mary Ellen Shomper Graeff's father.
Identifying Mary's mother is more difficult. An obituary for Mary's sister Carrie identifies Carrie's mother as "Ellen Fahnestock," as does Carrie's death certificate. An obituary for a Mrs. Charles (?) Fahnestock, published in January, 1904, lists among her survivors, "Mrs. Bredbenner of Williamstown." According to www.findagrave.com, she was buried in Williamstown, PA. It also lists several of her surviving brothers, all of whom share the surname "Buffington." In 1891, a Mary Buffinton and an Emanuel Fahnestock obtained a marriage license and they were married on March 17, 1891, in Subury, PA. Mary's marriage license application, however, stated that she had not been previously married. There are newspaper references to a funeral for a Mrs. Mary Fahnestock on January 25, 1904, in Harrisburg, but she was buried in the "Old Harrisburg Cemetery." This coupled with the obituary reference to "Mrs. Charles Fahnestock" suggests that several different Mary Buffingtons are being confused.^{4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14} She married Charles W. Bredbenner on 30 January 1897, Williamstown, Dauphin County, PA.^15,16 Mary Ellen Shomper married Charles Graeff in 1905.^1,17
Newspaper obituary:
Mrs. Mary Graeff, 86, Funeral Saturday
Mrs. Mary Ellen Graeff, 86, of Tower City, died at the Good Samaritan Hospital, Pottsville, on Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock. She had been a patient there for six days. She had been in failing health the past two years. Her husband, Charles Graeff, preceded her in death 23 years ago.
Mrs. Graeff, nee Shomper, was born in Powell's Valley, Dauphin County, December 31, 1876, but resided in Tower City and Porter Township most of her life.
Surviving are two children, Mrs. Carrie Schlein and Mrs. Mary Schwalm, both of Tower City; two brothers, Elmer Fahnestock of Mahanoy City; Manuel Fahnestock of Philadelphia; one sister, Mrs. James McKenna, of San Diego, Calif; 22 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren,
The funeral will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. from the Stewart J. Dreisigacker Funeral Home, Tower City. Services will be conducted by Rev. Harry Klase of the Miracle Center Church, Lykens, Miracle Center Church, Lykens. Burial will be made in Greenwood Cemetery.
West Schuylkill Herald, May 8, 1963, Page 1.²
Mary Ellen Shomper died on 8 May 1963, Good Samaritan Hospital, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, PA, at age 86.^2,5

     John F. Brown married Emma E. Kiehl.¹

     Emma E. Kiehl married John F. Brown.¹

     Elijah G. Campbell was born in 1903.¹ He married Lulu M. Brown, daughter of John F. Brown and Emma E. Kiehl, after 1924.¹ Elijah G. Campbell died on 28 September 1983.¹ He was buried at Zion (lKlinger's) Lutheran Church Cemetery, Erdman, Dauphin County, PA.¹

     Charles M. Unger married Lizzie Reed.¹

     Lizzie Reed married Charles M. Unger.¹