History of the Shoaff Family and the Old Shoaff Mill
- Contributed by Carol Bierderman
HISTORY OF OLD SHOAFF MILL, PERRY COUNTY PA.
WILLIAM K SHOAFF married CATHERINE WENTZ, daughter of Peter and Anna Berrier Wentz. William and Catherine had six children;
(1) MARGARET EMMA AQUILLA SHOAFF FIESTER b. 1847d.1923 m. George Fiester 1885 at 38 years of age, had no children. At 13 Maggie lived with her grandmother Anna Berrier Wentz and Anna's brother in law Geo. Wentz. Later as a widow she lived with her sister Mary and Silas Moyer.
(2) ALLEN PETER SHOAFF b. 1848 d. 1868, lived with his parents at the mill, died at 20 years of age of typhoid fever, no children.
(3)MARY MAXMILLIAN SHOAFF MOYER b.1851 d. 1922 m. Silas B Moyer in 1896, his 2nd. He was a farmer and Mary did taxidermy. She was 35 when she married, no children.
(4)William Bosserman b. 1856 d. 1950 m. Anna Clara Crist in1879. He was known as 'Bossie'.
(5)ANNIE ELIZA SHOAFF ARNOLD b. 1862 d.1955 m. John Arnold 1890. He was a carpenter, Annie attended Bloomfield Academy 1880 1882. She won many prizes at the County Fair for her wines and woolen carpets, no children. Known to her family as 'Aunt Annie Arnold'.
(6) ELLIS ELLERMAN SHOAFF b. 1865 d. 1944 m. Emma Florence Wilson1894. He ran the gristmill after the death of his father, William K Shoaff.
WILLIAM K SHOAFF came to Jackson Twp, Perry, Co. in 1842. 1850 census; shows Wm. and his family in Jackson Twp. 1860 census shows the family was in Centre Twp with a farm of 66 acres which included a grist mill, referred to as Juniata Furnace (in Hains History). They were members of Sulphur Springs Church. William K. was a young boy when they moved to Juniata Co. and on the death of his father in 1840, William K. became the main support of his family. He died 1888 of pneumonia.
William was drafted into the Civil War but was exempted because the mill made flour for the troops.
Hains History: Centre Twp Perry Co. was then, Cumberland Co. The lands upon which the Juniata Furnace was erected were warrented by J McConaughty in 1766, then William Power and David Watts in 1808 bought and erected on a small stream (Limestone Run) which runs through the property, a small furnace. They operated this Juniata Furnace and in 1824 the Watts heirs and Power leased it to John Everhart of Chester Co. for ten years.
During May 1833, Charles Postly and Son of Philadelphia bought the furnace, grist mill at the mouth of the run, and 3500 acres of land for $19,500. January 1834 the title passed to Postly's sons, who sold it to J Mckeehan & M Henry in 1837. Abt. 1839 J McGowen aquired the interest and built another furnace and the gristmill, later to be known as
SHOAFF'S MILL . A settlement had grown up around the mill comprising 11 tenement houses, a coal house, storehouse, carpenter shop, blacksmith shop, and the gristmill.
About 1849, the furnace was abandoned and the ownership of the mill was deeded to William K. Shoaff on 29 March 1861. He bought the land from Cathcart, Demeree at a sheriff's sale for $3,300, including 63 acres of land. ( the casting house, office, and the Perry school were earlier destroyed by a cyclone.)
William built the brick house which cost $3000, the bricks being made at the New Bloomfield Brickyard, hauled by wagon team.
March 1900 the property passed to Ellis Shoaff for $1510. Ellis brought a 31 foot iron wheel and operated the mill for 40 years, grinding wheat flour, corn meal. and grain for livestock. He used the wheel for operating a cider press.
July 1946, the gristmill passed to Ellis's two sons, Earle and Keeley. Earle continued operating the gristmill til 1947. They remained in the brick house until the land was taken by Emminent Domain for Little Buffalo State Park in 1969. Earle had contested the government taking the land which it wanted for a recreation area, because it wasn't even near his land. Earle lost and Emminent Domain took over the grist mill and the brick house in 1967.
BIOGRAPHICAL STUFF ON THE SHOAFFS
(donated by Grace Bender Smith, daughter of Myrrl Shoaff Bender)
Myrrl Shoaff Bender Family
The William Bosserman Shoaff family lived on 5th street in Newport. His wife, Annie, was hard of hearing before she died. Their son, Bertram died in 1936 When Annie died in 1939, William went to live for some time at the house of his daughter, Mary Catherine Shoaff Brightbill, on 3rd Street in New Cumberland. Myrrl Hazel Shoaff Bender born in Newport, Pa. 1887, lived on 14th St Harrisburg when her father came to live with her until he died. William Bosserman Shoaff was 92 when he died in 1950 (born 1856). Myrrl had married Elmer Rhoades about 1908. Myrrl and Elmer had three children Elmer Rhoades jr. born 1909 was in the army, never married. Nelle was born 1911 married John Seery, divorced and married Julius Underhill. George Orris Rhoades was born July 1913, married Rita Abeaulien and had two children, Donna Rhoades b. 1943 and Leland Rhoades b.1944. In 1918, Myrrl remarried Ellsworth Bender who had 8 children by another marriage. Myrrl and Ellsworth had Jane Tressler Bender born 1921, who married Chester Cuddy; they had Janet Cuddy who married and had twin boys Dan and Dave. and one son William 1940. Jane died 2003. Anna Clara was Myrrl and Ellsworth’s second child, born 1925, died two years later 1927. Grace Louise Bender, their youngest daughter, married Alan B Smith January 1946. They had one son Steven born 1953 and a granddaughter Stephanie. Grace presently lives in New Cumberland, Pa. Alan died in 2007.
Ellsworth Bender worked most of his life as a stone mason.
Grace was born in the house on Luce Street where Grandma Bender lived. She graduated from John Harris High School and worked for the state and washed dishes in a restaurant. Grace was a key punch operator and Alan was an airline mechanic at New Cumberland when they met. Their son Steven was a big rig driver.
Mrs W B Shoaff was Anna Clara Crist Shoaff, married to William Bosserman Shoaff formerly of Newport Perry County Pa.
From Newport Newspaper 14 June 1929
Recent visitors of Miss Annie Smith were Mr. and Mrs. Walter Fickes and Mr. and Mrs. Al Fickes, Lancaster; W. B. Shoaff, Mr. and Mrs. John Bender, Mrs. John Arnold, Harrisburg, and B. F. Brown, Lilly Pa.
Mrs. W. B. Shoaff of Harrisburg spent Monday with Miss Smith