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GEORGE FRANKLIN
FERDIG/FERTIG
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George
Franklin Ferdig/Fertig
Margaret
Rebecca "Maggie" (Kline) Fertig
Rev. William
Arthur "Bill" Fertig
Jerome Edward
Fertig
Clarence
Albert Fertig
Sergeant
Marlin
Kenneth Fertig
Corporal
Myron Lester
Fertig
FERTIG
FATHER
GEORGE F.
1877 - 1932
MOTHER
MARGARET R.
1880 - 1967
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George
Franklin Ferdig/Fertig was born on June 10, 1877 in Snyder County, Pennsylvania, the
youngest son
of Francis "Frank" Ferdig and Sophia M. Long1,2.
Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Salem Township, Ottawa
County, Ohio1. The family
later relocated to Kalamazoo, Michigan. When Francis passed away, the family moved back to Snyder County.
On April 6,
1898 in Kratzerville, George married Margaret
Rebecca "Maggie" Kline3. Margaret was born on November 2,
1880 in Snyder County, the daughter of Soloman Kline and Lydia Brouse. George and
Margaret were blessed tremendously with the birth of eleven children: Bessie Mae, William Arthur, Lillian Jane, Roy Francis, Mary Alice, Maurice Herbert, Jerome Edward, Clarence Albert, Martha Beatrice, Marlin Kenneth
and Myron Lester2,4,5,6. George changed the spelling of
his last name from Ferdig to Fertig1,2,3,4,5,6. All of his children likewise
adopted the Fertig spelling.
After
marriage, George and Margaret settled in Jackson Township, Snyder County2,4.
The family moved to Penn Township for a period of time and then returned
to Jackson Township by 19204,5. By 1930, the family moved to
Lewisburg Borough in Union County and rented a house for $15.00 per
month at 224 Second Street6.
George and
Margaret's family
had lived on two different farms3. One farm was located
along the Susquehanna River at the mouth of Turtle Creek, south of
Lewisburg3. The farmhouse was built back in the days of
the Indians3. There was a tunnel in the cellar for
families to escape Indian attacks3. The family also lived
at a farm south of Winfield, close to the river3. George
was a farmer for most of his life, but he did work at the Dye Works
factory for a period of time3.
George and
Margaret had four sons who served in World War II7. Jerome Edward Fertig served in the Army as a Tech 5 in the 304th Infantry7.
He specialized in communication lines and served in the Rhineland, Ardennes and
the Central Europe Campaigns7.
Jerome was in the Battle of the Bulge and received the
Bronze Star for his heroism in rescuing the lives of some of his comrades7.
He was also awarded the Good Conduct Medal and the European African Middle
Eastern Service Medal with three battle stars7.
Clarence Albert Fertig served in the Army Signal Corp7. He saw action in the South Pacific and Germany Campaigns7. Sergeant Marlin Kenneth Fertig also served in the Army Signal Corp and was stationed in Oahu,
Hawaii. Prior to the war, he served eight years in Troop F, 103rd Cavalry National Guard3,7.
His cavalry unit was one of the last to train and utilize horses for combat
maneuvers3,7. Corporal Myron Lester Fertig served in the Air
Force7. He died from complications of appendicitis in a hospital in
Paris, France3,7.
George
Franklin passed away in April 1932
in Lewisburg, at the age of 553,8. He had been sick from
diabetes for a period of time3. Margaret passed away in 1967 at the Evangelical
Hospital in Lewisburg at the age of 86 or 878. They were both buried at the Reformed Church
Cemetery in Kratzerville8.
CHILDREN OF GEORGE FRANKLIN AND MARGARET REBECCA:
Bessie Mae,
born October 10, 1899, married Charles Patrick Oneill and died June 1, 1980
Rev. William Arthur
"Bill", born May 21, 1901, married Esther Trephena Trego and died May 20,
1986
Lillian Jane, born January 7, 1903 and died November 26, 1982
Roy Francis,
born October 15, 1904 and died June 7, 1987
Mary Alice,
born December 18, 1905, married Wilbert Gundy Wolfe, Sr. and died August 16,
1995
Maurice Herbert, born May 19, 1907 and died September 14, 1907
Jerome Edward, born January 22, 1909, married Mildred Mitch and died November 20, 1998
Clarence Albert, born August 28, 1911, married Helen Madaline Dillman and died October
26, 1997
Martha Beatrice, born April 28, 1917, married Raymond A. Sholley, Sr. and died October
14, 1998
Marlin Kenneth, born August 20, 1919, married Leona Helen Smith and died December 28,
2003
Myron Lester, born 1921, married Doris Keyser and died May 30, 1945
REFERENCES:
1. 1880 Census of Salem Township, Ottawa County,
Ohio, Francis Ferdig family.
For more information, see the reference section for
Francis Ferdig.
2. 1900 Census of Jackson
Township, Snyder County, Pennsylvania, George Franklin Ferdig/Fertig
family.
George F Ferdig, head, born June 1877, age 22, married 1
year, farmer, rent farm; Maggie R Ferdig, wife, born Nov. 1881, age 18,
married 1 year; Bessie M. Ferdig, daughter, born Oct. 1899, age 7/12
3.
Memoirs by
Marlin Kenneth
Fertig.
THE WAY IT WAS AS I
REMEMBER, by Marlin K. Fertig, July 1993
My memories start when I
was about five years old. My father, George Franklin Fertig and my
mother, Margaret Rebecca (Kline) Fertig were married on April 6,
1898. We lived on a farm near the mouth of Turtle creek at the
north end of New Berlin Mountain. It was a beautiful farm.
It consisted of a main house, and a summer kitchen. We slept in
the main house and lived in it in winter, and in summer, we ate, cooked,
canned and everything you do in summer in the summer house. I
don't know what the date was when the farm was built, but it was back in
days of Indians. My dad had several old cigar boxes filled with
Indian Arrow Heads that he picked up when plowing and harrowing.....This
house was built over a spring and the water ran out under the cellar
door, down toward Turtle Creek. There was also a tunnel in the
cellar for protection against Indians, but it was boarded shut when we
lived there. Mother said that it wasn't safe for little boys to
enter. Mother kept things in the spring to keep them cool.
Our house had no electricity or indoor plumbing.....
The Reading Railroad ran
by the farm up along the Susquehanna River, and at that time there was a
lot of trains on the go day and night. Living close to the
railroad, we saw many hobos or bums as we called them. In the
twenties and thirties there were a lot of them riding the rails.
Sometimes, some would ask Dad to sleep in the barn. Day would say
"sure, just put your matches in the mail box", and we never had any
trouble with them.....
My dad had diabetes and
was in the hospital for a time. So all of the work fell on mother
and my older brothers and sisters, fortunately there were seven of us
old enough to carry on with all the work. We moved to Shamokin Dam
for a short time, and the trolley tracks ran by the front of our
house......Dad wasn't satisfied with what he was doing working at the
Dye Works and decided to go back to farming. So we moved back on
the farm close to the Susquehanna River below Winfield. Today that
entire farm has been turned into a Camping area.....
There used to be a grain
mill in Winfield where my Dad would go to have our wheat made into
flour. (I still have a flour bag with my Dad's name on it.) There
was also a railroad station in Winfield, where I would go, along with my
sister, Lillian, to deliver our milk. At the train station the
milk was loaded on the train and delivered to Lewisburg. We had an
old horse by the name of "Bill." My sister, Lillian would hook him
up to our old spring wagon to take the milk to the station.....
It was April and we were
going to have sale at the farm and move into Lewisburg. Dad had
diabetes and couldn't take the work any more..... In 1936 my
oldest brother William (Willie) lived on a farm above Milton, and he was
going to move to another farm down below Sunbury......I had two sisters
working at the hotels in Eagles Mere in the summer time.....
Then in 1934.....We
moved off the farm again for the last time. We moved to Second
Street in Lewisburg. Dad's diabetes was worse and he had the start
of Alzheimer's; not remembering a lot of things. His legs got
gangrenous about 1931 and mother used to bandage them. She really
had a tough time taking care of Dad for many years. In 1932, my
sister Martha was the May Queen at the Lewisburg High School.
Unfortunately, our Dad did not live to see her crowned. He died in
April of 1932, having been bedfast for about six months. He was
only fifty five years when he died. (1877 to 1932).....
The Military draft was
in full swing by now, and my brother, Myron, went into the Air Corp, and
my brothers Jerome and Clarence, went into the service later. All
three brothers went to Europe, but Jerome was in the Infantry and
Clarence was in the Signal Corp.....
4. 1910 Census of Penn Township,
Snyder County, Pennsylvania, George Franklin Ferdig/Fertig family.
George F. Ferdig,
head, age 31, married 10 years, farmer, rent farm; Margaret R. Ferdig,
wife, age 29, married 10 years; Bessie M. Ferdig, daughter, age 10;
William A. Ferdig, son, age 8; Lillian J. Ferdig, daughter, age 7; Roy
F. Ferdig, son, age 6; Mary A. Ferdig, daughter, age 4; Jerome, E.
Ferdig, son, age 1
5. 1920 Census of Jackson
Township, Snyder County, Pennsylvania, George Franklin Ferdig/Fertig
family.
George F Fertig, head, age 43, married, farmer; Margaret
Fertig, wife, age 39, married; Bessie M Fertig, daughter, age 20;
William A Fertig, son, age 19; Lillian J Fertig, daughter, age 16; Roy F
Fertig, son, age 15; Mary A Fertig, daughter, age 13; Jerome E Fertig,
son, age 10; Clarance A Fertig, son, age 8; Martha Fertig, daughter, age
2 8/12; Marlyn Fertig, son, age 4/12
6. 1930 Census of Lewisburg
Borough, Union County, Pennsylvania, George Franklin Ferdig/Fertig
family.
224 Second Street, George F Fertig, head, rent house, $15
per month, age 53, married, age 21 first married; Margaret R Fertig,
wife, age 49, age 19 first married, cook, Bucknell; Bessie M Fertig,
daughter, age 30, waitress, Bucknell; Lillian J. Fertig, daughter, age
27, servant, Bucknell; Roy F. Fertig, son, age 25, laborer, rail road;
Jerome E. Fertig, son, age 21, laborer, rail road; Clarence A. Fertig,
son, age 18, weaver, woolen mill; Martha B Fertig, daughter, age 12;
Marlin K Fertig, son, age 10; Myron L Fertig, son, age 8; Kermit O.
Johnson, G. Son, age 2
7.
Correspondence with Leona Helen (Smith) Fertig, wife of Marlin Kenneth
Fertig.
Telephone conversations occurred on March 14 and April 16, 2004.
8.
Tombstone of
George Franklin Ferdig/Fertig and Margaret Rebecca Kline.
The
tombstone is located in the Reformed Church Cemetery / Zion United
Church of Christ Cemetery in Kratzerville, Pennsylvania. Directions:
Cemetery is located at the north side of the intersection of State Route
1016 and State Route 204 in Kratzerville. The tombstone is located at
the north end of the cemetery, the 6th row left of the east cemetery
drive.
FERTIG
FATHER, GEORGE F., 1877 - 1932
MOTHER, MARGARET R., 1880 - 1967
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