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- Fanny Ethel Santmyer Rowley was called Ethel by all who knew her -but to her grandchildren she was just "Mom", a name, which I as her first grandchild, bestowed upon her. I think she had a difficult life. I'm not saying her life was unhappy, but I think there were some very hard times. As a young girl she was captivated by Stephen's charm and good looks. Most girls of 21 would be pleased and encouraged with the attentions of a man 10 years their senior, and, indeed, she was. She was falling in love - and that should have been the happy beginning. Instead, her parents refused to allow her to be courted by Stephen. I believe, because of his age, they thought him too worldly and a lady's man. It troubled her deeply to go against her parents, but she continued to see Stephen away from under their watchful eyes. Love blossomed! They eloped! They were married at the McBroom family hotel on 8th Avenue in Homestead, Pa. The hotel was run by Margaret and John McBroom, Stephen's aunt and uncle. Ethel and Steve lived here in the hotel until 1913. This should have been such a happy time for Ethel and it would have been except that her Papa had disowned her. He ban her from visiting and refused to go to see her. Her mother did visit her after a while. In 1914, she and Steve had moved to Flatwoods, Pa. It was here that their first child, James Richard (named for his grandfathers), was born. It was after the birth of James that Papa eased up on his stand toward Ethel and Steve's marriage. The family accepted Steve, and once they really got to know him, they loved him dearly.
Ref: Based on information told to me by my grandmother, Fanny Ethel Santmyer Rowley
"Mom" always had a special story to tell. Her bedtime stories were far better than any story from a book. Sometimes they were scary, other times they were like fairy tales, but most often they were about kids just like me. As I grew into my teens and young adulthood, the bedtime stories were replaced with talking about my interests and friends. It was during these years that we talked a lot about her parents and siblings. After a time I began to feel as if I had actually known all of them. Her stories of her family were so vivid, that they seemed to come alive to me. I never tired of hearing her talk of her family and her growing up years. This was actually the beginning of my interest in the "family tree".
Ref.: Family records and papers located in the family Bible.
Marriage cert. 21137-H Death cert. 053560
Newspaper obit.
Interviews with Fanny Ethel Santmyer Rowley, Helen Rowley Robert, Billie Rowley MacArthur and James Richard Rowley.
My own recollections.
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