Descendants of John McKernan
by Marolyn Cole

In the summer of 2002, Marolyn Cole met us at our hotel in Wysox, PA to provide pictures and additional information about the McKernan family. That information is presented below. She also asked that we credit Bruce A. Young of Corning, NY for his research on the McKernan family and their relatives, the Steafathers. Bruce is a grandson of Luke's sister Mrs. Wesley (Emma McKernan) Steafather and son of Mrs. Earl (Grace Steafather) Young. We are indebted to both Marolyn and Bruce for their efforts to recover and preserve this portion of our northern Pennsylvania heritage.

In January 2008, we also received an extended commentary from Leigh Taffe Acla, which we have appended below. Leigh provides an overview on other branches of the family in the northern Pennsylvania area, for which we are also grateful.

 

Generation No. 1

1. JOHN MCKERNAN was born about 1786 in Ireland. He married MARY ______ about 1806, probably in Ireland. She is likely to be the "Mary McKernan", buried at St. Basil's Cemetery in Dushore, PA, and indicated as having died on 16 July 1865, aged 79 years, 4 months. This would make her birth date about 1786 as well. Her birth location is indicated as the Parish of Killashandra in County Cavan. The town of the same name shows up on the western border of Cavan and County Leitrim on any current map of Ireland. It is a region of lakes. County Monaghan, where their son Peter was born per his tombstone, is directly east of County Cavan.

Perhaps then John McKernan was from Monaghan as well, or went there to work after marrying his wife in Cavan. One clue is that one of the McKernan grandchildren later married into the Cummiskey family of the Bradford-Sullivan County border area of northern Pennsylvania. The Cummiskeys originated in County Monaghan as well; it was common for Irish children to marry spouses from families with similar geographical origins.
The McKernan family came to the United States some time before 1837, the year that their daughter Mary was born in Pennsylvania.

Children of JOHN MCKERNAN and MARY _____ are:

2. i. PETER MICHAEL MCKERNAN, b. 22 Jun 1803, County Monaghan, Ireland; d. 14 Oct 1867.

ii. MARY MCKERNAN, b. 1837, PA**

iii. JOHN MCKERNAN, b. 1801, died 1881
** Editor's Note: Per Leigh Taffe Acla in January 2008:

Regarding the McKernans, I am almost positive that Mary McKernan, born around 1837 and who has been listed as the sister of Peter McKernan, was actually the daughter of John McKernan and Hattie Cassady Smith. Since Hattie died in 1843, it would seem that Mary was enumerated in the household of her grandparents in 1850, John and Mary McKernan, and mistakenly thought of as Peter's sister. There were actually many more McKernans in the area who, I believe, were the children of John and Mary McKernan. This includes a branch who lived in Dushore and two branches who first lived in Wilmot and then in the New Albany area. One of these two branches then relocated to Hazleton, PA.
Thus far in my research I have found the following addtional children of John and Mary McKernan:
John McKernan 1801 - 1881 - married Hattie Cassady Smith 1820-1843--two children - Mary Ann 12/27/1837/38 - 4/12/1931 m. John S. McDonald 5/15/1838-10/3/1905 (they both were living with John McKernan in the 1860 census) and James 1839-1841.
Peter Michael McKernan 1803-1867 - married Elizabeth Mary "Polly" Stevens.
James Thomas McKernan 1808 - d. before 1900 - lived in Dushore and had five children - Edward, Terrence, James, Mary Ann and Catherine.
Thomas 1813 - d. between 1880 and 1900. Had six children - Rosanna, Margaret, Mary, Thomas, Bridget and Prof. Peter McKernan. Relocated to Hazleton from Albany/Wilmot around 1851. His daughter Rosanna married into the McGraw family and her grandsons were the owners of McGraw Brother's Funeral Home in Hazleton. Peter McKernan was a professor of music and a composer.
Patrick 1814-1896. Had five children - Matthew, Patrick, Mary, Ellen and Philip. This family stayed around the Wilmot/New Albany area. Matthew married Elizabeth Cook, daughter of William Cook and Mary Ann Fagan. Patrick Jr. married Margaret Taaffe/Taffe, daughter of Thomas Taaffe and Margaret Ward. Philip married Catherine McDonough. Patrick and Margaret's daughter, Margaret, married John Arthur Cummiskey. Patrick lived in Wilmot and then resettled in Albany near the other McKernans.
[You can find an obituary for Richard Cummiskey, son of John Arthur and Margaret McKernan, and additional information about this family in the section on "John Arthur Cummiskey" in John Kinsley's Irish Settlement: 1830-1986. Also, courtesy of Leigh Taffe Acla, we reproduce an obituary for Elizabeth McKernan, daughter of Patrick and Margaret (Taaffe) McKernan, along with Leigh's commentary:

Binghamton Press
Binghamton, NY
Monday, 15 Mar 1965

McKERNAN—Miss Elizabeth McKernan, Dushore, Pa., died Saturday at the home of her nephew, Richard Cummiskey, Dushore. Besides her nephew, she is survived by her brother, Patrick McKernan, Dushore; five other nephews, Patrick Cummiskey, Johnson City, Richard Cummiskey, Dushore, Eugene, Joseph and William Cummiskey, all of Elmira. Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 8:45 a.m. from the Tubah (sic) Funeral Home, Dushore and at 9:30 a.m. at St. Basil's Church, Dushore. Burial will be in St. Basil's Cemetery. Friends may call at the funeral home this evening from 7 to 9, and Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Note: Elizabeth was the daughter of Patrick and Margaret Taaffe (Taffe) McKernan. Patrick, born in 1847, was the son of Patrick and Margaret (aka Ellen McGraw) McKernan, Sr. Margaret Taaffe's parents were Thomas and Margaret Ward Taaffe. She was born in 1848 and was the first of the Taaffe children to be born in Wilmot. The family came to the area in the summer of 1845, after the birth of Margaret's brother Richard, from Beaver Meadows, Carbon County. The Taaffes and the McKernans had farms next to one another in Wilmot, and Patrick and Margaret grew up as neighbors. After their marriage in 1877, Patrick Jr. and Margaret relocated to Albany township. Patrick died in 1926 and Margaret died in 1933. Along with their parents, Patrick Jr. and Margaret are buried in St. Basil's Cemetery.
Richard Cummiskey was the son of John Arthur Cummiskey and Margaret McKernan. John was born in 1881 to Richard Cummiskey and Margaret Croak. He died in 1967 and is buried at Cummiskey Cemetery in Wilmot. Margaret was born in 1885 and died in 1932. She is also buried at Cummiskey Cemetery. Richard passed away in Dushore, 1 Mar 2008, and is buried in St. Basil's.

Given their birthdates and the fact they all settled quite near to each other in 1840/1850, I believe all of these McKernan's were brothers and the sons of John and Mary McKernan.

Thanks to Carol Brotzman, we also have a descent line from Patrick McKernan to John D. McKernan and an obituary for the wife of the latter, Betty Lou Krause McKernan:
Ancestral Chart for John D. McKernan

Daily Review
Towanda, PA
January 12, 2008

Mrs. Betty Lou Krause McKernan, age 78, of Wilmot Township, passed away on Thursday, Jan. 10, 2008, at her home.
Betty was born May 8, 1929, in Wilmot Twp., Pa., a daughter of the late Guy and Beatrice Blemle Krause. She graduated from the Dushore High School a member of the Class of 1947. She married John D. McKernan. Betty worked at the former Sull-Craft Industries in Dushore for 28 years. She enjoyed cooking and spending time with her family. She loved flowers and gardening. Betty was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church, Wilmot, Pa. Surviving are: her spouse, John D. McKernan at home; son and daughter-in-law, John R. and Becky Turner McKernan of Dushore; a daughter, Mary Margaret McKernan of New Albany; brothers and sisters-in-law, Jack (Rexinne) Krause of Fleetwood, Pa., Richard A. Krause of New Albany, Pa., Roy P. Krause of Horseheads, N.Y.; sisters and brothers-in-law, Frances Fiester of Laporte, Pa.; Carol Ann (Pete) Bomboy of Tunkhannock, Pa. and Connie Jean Krause of San Diego, Calif.; two grandchildren, James McKernan and Michael McKernan, five great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by brother, Robert L. Krause of Horseheads, N.Y., and by a granddaughter, Amy Kay Frederick of Wyalusing, Pa. A Funeral Service will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 14, at the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, Pa., with her pastor Randele Lee Albers, presiding. Interment will be in St. Francis Cemetery, Cummiskey, Pa. Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 13, at the P. Dean Homer Funeral Home, 206 Water St., Dushore, Pa. The family will provide the flowers and ask that memorials be directed to Dushore Ambulance Association, PO Box 1 Dushore, Pa. 18614.

 

Generation No. 2

2. PETER MCKERNAN (JOHN) was born 22 Jun 1803 in Ireland, and died 14 Oct 1867. He married POLLY STEVENS, born July 6, 1827 and died May 1893, daughter of SETH STEVENS and POLLY LEE.

More About PETER MCKERNAN:

Burial: St. Basil's Cemetery, Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA

Children of PETER MCKERNAN and POLLY STEVENS are:

i. ANN MCKERNAN, m. FRANK HEIGHT; two children.

ii. ELLEN MCKERNAN, b. 15 Oct 1848; d. Oct 1922; m. HENRY KNOWLES; five children.

iii. THERESA MCKERNAN, b. 13 May 1853; d. 24 Jul 1932; m. JAMES BILES (his second wife); five children.

iv. KATHERYN MCKERNAN, b. 24 Mar 1855; d. 12 Dec 1924; m. WILLIAM BOWMAN FRENCH, 11 Apr 1874; ten children.

v. MARY MCKERNAN, b. 05 Jan 1858; d. Dec 1937; m. FRANK EVANS.

3. vi. LUKE PAUL MCKERNAN, b. 20 Mar 1860, Bradford Co., PA; d. 07 May 1923, North Towanda, Bradford Co., PA; married LURA CORNELIA CHAPMAN in January 1887; 13 children.

vii. JOHN MCKERNAN, b. 23 Aug 1862; d. 13 Apr 1929; m. THERESA MCDERMOTT, Jan 1893; eight children.

viii. EMMA MCKERNAN, b. 30 May 1865; d. 24 Feb 1898; m. WESLEY S. STEAFATHER; three children.

Note: Two daughters and their husbands, Ann and Mary, were alleged to have "gone west" per Mary Rose (Cummisky) Baggott phone comments to Bruce and Carolyn Young on 3 August 1996. Mary Rose was a granddaughter of Luke and Lura (Chapman) McKernan.

The Sullivan Review
Dushore, PA
March 3, 1898

Albany Valley--Mrs. Emma STEAFATHER died on Thursday, Feb. 24th, of consumption at the home of her brother, Luke MCKERNAN. She was 32 years old and leaves three small children.

RECENT DEATHS:

Mrs. Emma STEAFATHER, died at the residence of her brother, Luke MCKERNAN, Albany Twp., Feb. 24th, aged 32 years, buried at St. Basil's Feb. 27th. She died of consumption.

Comment by Bruce Young in September 25, 1997 letter to Marolyn Cole:

My grandmother was Emma McKernan, a sister to Luke and John, a daughter to Peter and Polly (Stevens) McKernan. Emma married a Wesly Sylvester Steafather, she became very sick, perhaps tuberculosis, and she died in 1898 at the age of 32, leaving two boys and my mother. Emma's sister Theresa (Mrs. James Biles) raised my mother, Grace Etta Steafather, to age 18 over in Wyalusing Township, Bradford County, between Camptown and Lime Hill. The 2 boys, Clinton and Grover, were raised at various times by other Steafather and Knolles families, as Wes Steafather was a builder who traveled all over the country as opportunity was available. I have been trying to locate Emma's gravesite. I suspect St. Basil's, but I cannot find any stone marker. Emma also had a son Clinton, who died in 1914, and I cannot find a marker for him either so far. I feel she is likely buried in a Catholic Cemetery, because her family seems to be there at St. Basil's, and I currently have a recent and unanswered inquiry with St. Basil's for whatever detail they may have.

Editor's Note: There are many graves at St. Basil's without markers or stones, some of which have simply aged away over the years. However, the death notice in the Sullivan Review, reproduced above, indicates her burial there.

 

Generation No. 3

3. LUKE PAUL MCKERNAN (PETER, JOHN) was born 20 Mar 1860 in Bradford Co., PA, and died 07 May 1923 in North Towanda, Bradford Co., PA. He married LURA CORNELIA CHAPMAN in Jan 1887, daughter of CHARLES CHAPMAN and SARAH DECKER.

More About LUKE PAUL MCKERNAN:

Burial: Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA

More About LURA CORNELIA CHAPMAN:

Burial: Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA

The Sullivan Review
May 9, 1923

Luke McKernan died suddenly of heart failure, Monday morning at his home in Albany Township at the age of 64 years. He is survived by his wife and several children.

Funeral services were held in St. Basil's church this Wednesday morning with interment in the adjoining cemetery.

Children of LUKE MCKERNAN and LURA CHAPMAN are:

i. BYRON JAMES MCKERNAN, b. 16 Oct 1888, New Albany, Bradford Co., PA; d. 23 Aug 1973, Towanda, Bradford Co., PA; m. ANNA JEFFERIES, 11 Feb 1920, Philadelphia, PA. They had one son, Byron McKernan, Jr. who married Betty Ayers of Monroeton, PA.

Note: According to Corrine McKernan-Bowers on June 11, 2004: They had six children: Bonnie, Elizabeth, Gerald, Bryon John (Jack), James, and Jeffery. I am one of thirteen grandchildren of Byron Jr. and Betty and last year came the birth of the first great grandchild.

ii. ELIDA ANN MCKERNAN, b. 11 Feb 1890; d. 27 Oct 1943, Elmira, Chemung Co., NY; m. RICHARD CUMMISKEY.

More About ELIDA ANN MCKERNAN:

Burial: Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA

4. iii. LOLA JOANNA MCKERNAN, b. 15 Sep 1891, Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA; d. 30 Mar 1925, Sayre, Bradford Co., PA.

iv. KATHERYN ELIZABETH "Kate" MCKERNAN, b. 06 Jun 1893; d. 01 Mar 1978, Burlington, Bradford Co., PA; m. THOMAS MCMAHON, 12 Sep 1917, Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA.

More About KATHERYN ELIZABETH MCKERNAN:

Burial: Sayre, Bradford Co., PA

v. MABEL BLANCHE MCKERNAN, b. 04 Jun 1895; d. 23 Dec 1930; m. THOMAS SHAFFER.

vi. DESSA MCKERNAN, b. 26 Aug 1897; d. 12 Nov 1897.

vii. RODNEY MILES MCKERNAN, b. 07 Oct 1898; d. 06 Aug 1900.

viii. MARTIN LUKE MCKERNAN, b. 27 Feb 1902, Albany Township, Bradford Co., PA; d. 20 Apr 1964, N. Towanda, Bradford Co., PA.

More About MARTIN LUKE MCKERNAN:

Burial: Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA

ix. MARY GERALDINE MCKERNAN, b. 13 Jul 1904, Albany Township, Bradford Co., PA.

More About MARY GERALDINE MCKERNAN:

Burial: 05 Oct 1906

x. EVELYN CECELIA MCKERNAN, b. 05 Oct 1905, Albany Township, Bradford Co., PA; m. JOHN F. MAHONEY, 18 Aug 1923. Still active with an alert mind in September 2002, "Aunt" Evelyn was the confirming source for many of the picture identifications on this page. She passed away on October 31, 2006. Her obituary is posted after the following article, with accompanying picture, which tells us about her centenarian status in 2005:


Evelyn McKernan Mahoney
At Age 100
September 2005
Photo contributed by Carol Brotzman
Source: The Daily Review, Towanda, PA

The Daily Review
Towanda, PA
September 29, 2005

Happy at 100: Evelyn Mahoney to celebrate milestone birthday BY NANCY COLEMAN 09/29/2005 Daily Review Her blue eyes still twinkle.
Why?
Is it from years of playing in the hills? Or growing up in a big, loving family? Or working hard, indoors and out, to help others and make the world a little prettier, a little better for everyone? Maybe it's ... all of that.
Evelyn Mahoney will turn 100 years old Oct. 5. She's healthy, and sharp. And those bright eyes are happy. Evelyn lives with her daughter and son-in-law Geraldine and Jim Herda on Bridge Street Hill, Towanda. Her vision's good, she eats and sleeps great, and she gets around with a walker. She even dries dishes for Geraldine. She's a sweet - but spunky - soul. Evelyn's crocheted intricate doilies -- and loves the TV show "Walker: Texas Ranger." White as sugar, her hair curls around her face. This afternoon, she wears a yellow shirt with bright blue flowers and her silver cross. A bird chirps outdoors.
Evelyn's having fun. She's going back in time. .
.. Born Oct. 5, 1905, to Luke and Lura McKernan, she lived on the family farm in Laddsburg -- with a few siblings. "There's 13 of us!" she says. She names them, oldest to youngest: Byron, Elida, Lola, Catherine, Mable, Rodney, Dessie, Mark, Mary, herself, Josephine, Joseph and Bernard.
The kids were close. The older girls, for example, bought gifts for their little sisters -- once even a Flexible Flyer sled! "We were always good to each other," Evelyn says.
She learned about work young.
"Well, I got up at 5 o'clock in the morning, went to the barn," she says. By age 7, the little redhead was helping milk 20 cows. Her dad took the milk to the Laddsburg creamery. The Lehigh Valley train went through town, Evelyn notes. Even from the farm, "you could hear that old chug, chug, chug!"
"I gathered eggs ... washed them myself. Mother raised turkeys and chickens." In the winter, her mom made chicken mash from grain and little potatoes -- unless the kids snitched them first.
Evelyn skipped school to help plant potatoes. Later in the year, they dug them up. And when she got bigger, Evelyn cleaned houses and hung wallpaper with her mom. "Oh, we all had to work!" she says.
"My dad done all his work with horses. We never had a tractor," she says. There was Dick and Jack and Harry. Topsy, with a star on the forehead, was the main buggy horse. "Quite a trotter!" Evelyn says. Cats and dogs? "Oh my goodness, yes!" she declares. "We always had to have cats ... or we'd have been carried away with rats!"
Gypsy was her favorite dog. "She was an awful friendly dog," Evelyn says. Possibly a shepherd/collie mix, the long-haired cow dog would bark if someone came by, but she never chased him.
Gypsy was nice, Evelyn insists -- "like every female!"
The family had no electricity, of course. They eventually got a battery-powered radio, but not until Evelyn was 18. So the kids created simple fun. They played tag. And hide-and-seek. "We had a lot of little games," Evelyn says. They swam in the pond or creek. "Course, our boys all liked to hunt." (Sold the furs and made money, too.)
"We had a pond we skated on," Evelyn says.
And sledding ... oooh ... "Yes indeed! ... We could start right at our house and end up ... Jim Miller's!" she remembers. "If we wanted to pull the sled back!" she adds.
"I walked two miles to school." She attended the one-room Waltman Hill School, in Wilmot Township, with up to eighth grade, but only 15 or 16 students at the most.
The school had one teacher, but "they changed about every year," Evelyn says. She had Regina and Mary McDermott, as well as Mary Byron, Mary Finan and Evelyn's cousin Ralph Decker.
"We had an old iron stove about that big around -- high one," she says, holding out her arms. "Those teachers had to work hard. They had to make the fire ... shake it down ... empty the ashes."
They carried in drinking water from Mary Kline's spring, Evelyn says. "Everybody drank out of the same dipper." Two children shared each seat, with ink wells in the desks, and walked up front for their grade's lesson. They started off studying the Primer, then the first-grade reader. The beginning year was easy, Evelyn remembers. Just learning to read and write -- "that was the main thing," she says. "Eighth was about as hard as any for me."
And those dear teachers -- "they had the patience of Job," Evelyn remarks. "They must have!"
She attended high school at the Burgess Hotel in New Albany. "Wasn't a very fancy high school!" she says. The school building came later.
"I never did like English," she admits. Math? Sometimes it was easy, sometimes not.
But history was great! "Well, I used to like all them old fellas that created this history!"
Evelyn graduated in 1922, in a class of no more than 12 - Helen and Mary Harney, Vivian Johnson, Viola Vargason, Paul Finan, Charles Shott and a few others. She went to work up in Towanda at the Elwood Whitesell drug store. And she met John.
It seems John Mahoney, from Overshot, had come along to the farm with a buddy who was dating Mary. Soon, John was dating Evelyn.
They went to dances. St. Agnes School held a lot, and McCarthy's in North Towanda had a "real good floor" up in the barn, Evelyn remembers.
And they ate. "John was a great one to eat," Evelyn says. "He always was looking for something to eat!"
This John fellow was pretty nice. "Oh, he had the softest skin!" Evelyn remembers. He shaved up nice. "Good smelling shaving lotion!"
He'd put on his gray suit for dates. "He was pretty nifty-looking when he used to come out to see me!" So she married him.
They had an evening wedding at St. Basil's in Dushore. Evelyn wore a white crepe dress with scallops and rosettes, and a "beautiful white sash," she says. "I made it." Carl McNamara and Mary stood up with them. Then they got together with friends and neighbors at Evelyn's house -- and ate.
Mr. and Mrs. Mahoney settled into an apartment in "Mrs. Boyle's basement," Evelyn remembers, at the corner of Second and Maple in Towanda. John rode the work train to the Sayre railroad shops, "the only job he ever had," Evelyn says, and she worked at the drug store.
They had at least three other homes in Towanda then finally settled on a small Luthers Mills farm.
The farmhouse was old. It needed help. So Evelyn whipped it into shape. She papered. She painted. She even built a stairway.
"Made it a nice home," she says. "That's where I lived till I came here. ... And I was pretty proud of that place!"
In the meantime, they raised three daughters: Mary, Geraldine and Barbara. Evelyn also did house cleaning for others -- "Oh, I was always looking for work!" She had a job at Sylvania, too.
John passed away at 65. So Evelyn, in her early 60s herself, kept the small farm going, milking the little herd. "I kept 'em for quite a few years."
Eventually she sold all the cows but one: Dynamite. "I was even afraid of her!" Evelyn admits. "She'd switch herself around and jump over a fence the slickest of anything!"
But Evelyn got by. She lived alone more than three decades, then finally moved in with Geraldine and Jim.
Today, she's finally "retired." Her favorite hobby? She whispers: "Sleep!"
But she likes a good TV movie now and then, plus "Walker," and sometimes reads Country or Country Extra magazine. "I eat all the time!" she claims.
Two of her doilies lie on living room tables, their white threads looping themselves into designs of wheat tassels, and flower-like edges. In the past seven years, she's made 17.
The family sometimes drives her on the four-wheeler to a nearby pond for a picnic. A few weeks ago, she rode into the woods and watched them cut wood.
Her health tips? "I just kept on working all my life!"
She drinks milk every day. But it wasn't always like that. "I milked too many cows!" she declares. That smell of steam off hot milk in the pail -- Ugh!
Today, she has 11 grandchildren, plus great- and even great-great-grandkids -- don't ask her to count them all. Two of the great-greats were born this year, an even century after Evelyn.
This summer, she got to know little Guiseppe -- Evelyn's daughter's son's daughter's son. She was smitten. "He's a sweet little fella!" she declares. "He's the best baby and the prettiest little fellow you ever seen!"
His baptism photo shows two little blue eyes -- "His eyes are so beautiful!" Evelyn says -- light brown hair, a pudgy nose and little puckered baby lips, all wrapped up in snowy white clothes.
In a later photo, she poses with him. She beams. Her strong hands -- hands that have cleaned, milked, painted, played in snow, held books, raised children, worked beside a true love -- hold the chubby-faced baby. All those things await his soft little hands. All those and more.
"We just love him to death!" Evelyn declares.
(Soon, the other great-great-grandchild will visit. Most likely, just maybe, it could be ... Evelyn will be smitten all over again!)
Those babies have a heritage from Great-Great-Grandma. One of work and love and pride in a job well done.
"Whatever I done I was proud of that it was good for anybody or anything," Evelyn says. "I always tried to do right for other people. ... Went and done work for other people just to help them out."
And Evelyn has one other thing to share.
.. Those twinkling blue eyes.

Daily Review
Towanda, PA
November 2, 2006

Evelyn C. (Cecilia) McKernan Mahoney 101, widow of John F. Mahoney of Towanda RR 3, Pa.passed away peacefully Tuesday October 31, 2006 at the Skilled Nursing Unit of Memorial Hospital, Towanda, Pa. Evelyn was born October 5, 1905 in Albany Township, Bradford County, Pa. one of 13 children of the late Luke and Lura Chapman McKernan and resided on the family farm in Laddsburg with her family. She attended the one-room Waltman Hill School in Wilmot Township through the eighth grade and graduated from high school in 1922 in a class of no more than 12 students, which was located at the Burgess Hotel in New Albany. On the evening of August 18, 1923 Evelyn married John F. Mahoney of Overshot, Pa. at St. Basil's Catholic Church in Dushore, Pa. The couple settled into a basement apartment at the corner of Second and Maple Street in Towanda. They resided in three other homes in Towanda before purchasing their farm in Luthers Mills. Evelyn was employed by Bendix Corporation in Elmira, N.Y. during the World War II years, and was later employed by Sylvania Electric in Towanda for 23 years until her retirement in 1967. She was preceded in death by her husband John on July 13, 1967. Evelyn was a member of S.S. Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Towanda and the Altar & Rosary Society there. She was also a member of the Women of the Moose, Canton Lodge No. 3183 and was a charter member of the Ladies Auxiliary, Fraternal Order of Eagles Lodge No. 1367, Towanda.
Surviving are: two daughters, Geraldine Herda and her husband James Herda of Towanda RR 3, Barbara Patterson and her husband John of Towanda RR 3, 11 grandchildren, numerous great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews and cousins.
In addition to her parents and husband she was preceded in death by her daughter, Mary E. Bailey and a grandson, Ronald Bailey.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated Saturday, Nov. 4, 2006 at 10 a.m. at SS Peter & Paul Catholic Church, Third St. Towanda, Pa. Interment will follow in SS Peter & Paul Cemetery, N. Towanda Twp., Pa. The family will receive friends Friday evening from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Maryott-Bowen Funeral Home 217 York Ave. Towanda, Pa. Recitation of the Rosary will be held Friday evening at the funeral home.

xi. JOSEPHINE MCKERNAN, b. 18 Jun 1908, Albany Township, Bradford Co., PA; m. CHARLES R. SULLIVAN.

xii. JOSEPH EDWARD MCKERNAN, b. 02 Jan 1911, Albany Township, Bradford Co., PA; m. LAURA HAFLETTE, 22 Dec 1934.

xiii. BERNARD JOHN MCKERNAN, b. 25 Jan 1914, Albany Township, Bradford Co., PA; d. 07 Aug 1989; m. SUSAN DAUGHTRY, 07 Jan 1941.


Five Daughters of Luke and Lura (Chapman) McKernan
Front row, l to r: Evelyn, Elida, holding Josephine
Back, standing, l to r: Mable and Katherine
Photo contributed by Marolyn Cole
Identifications by Evelyn McKernan Mahoney


Four Sons of Luke and Lura McKernan
L to r: Joseph, Martin, Bernanrd and Byron
Albany Township, PA
September 1972
Photo contributed by Marolyn Cole

 

Generation No. 4

4. LOLA JOANNA MCKERNAN (LUKE PAUL, PETER, JOHN) was born 15 Sep 1891 in Dushore, Sullivan Co., PA, and died 30 Mar 1925 in Sayre, Bradford Co., PA. She married MORRIS "CLAIR" LOOMIS 21 Jan 1914 in Waverly, Tioga Co., NY, son of HENRY LOOMIS and HARRIET ROWE.

More About LOLA JOANNA MCKERNAN:

Burial: Athens, Bradford Co., PA

More About MORRIS "CLAIR" LOOMIS:

Burial: Athens, Bradford Co., PA


Three Sisters and Their Beaus
L to r: Cora Honeywell, Kate Mckernan, Morris "Clair" Loomis, Lola McKernan, Dean Vandermark and Mabel McKernan
Taken About 1914
Photo contributed by Marolyn Cole
Identifications by Evelyn McKernan Mahoney

Children of LOLA MCKERNAN and MORRIS LOOMIS are:

i. PAUL LOOMIS, b. Jul 1914, Milan, Bradford Co., PA; d. 21 Jun 1927, Ithaca, Tompkins Co., NY.

More About PAUL LOOMIS:

Burial: Athens, Bradford Co., PA

5. ii. MILDRED LENORA LOOMIS, b. 23 Feb 1916, Milan, Bradford Co., PA.

6. iii. GERALDINE LOUISE LOOMIS, b. 02 Feb 1919, Milan, Bradford Co., PA.

7. iv. DONALD CLAIR LOOMIS, b. 19 May 1921, Milan, Bradford Co., PA.

v. MARY GERTRUDE LOOMIS, b. 13 Oct 1923, Milan, Bradford Co., PA; d. 15 Oct 1923, Milan, Bradford Co., PA.

More About MARY GERTRUDE LOOMIS:

Burial: Milan, Bradford Co., PA

 

Generation No. 5

5. MILDRED LENORA LOOMIS (LOLA JOANNA, MCKERNAN, LUKE PAUL, PETER, JOHN) was born 23 Feb 1916 in Milan, Bradford Co., PA, and died March 10, 2006. She married EDWARD EUGENE CAMPBELL 28 Jun 1934 in Owego, Tioga Co., NY, son of DERRICK CAMPBELL and LENA WILLIAMS.

More About MILDRED LENORA LOOMIS:

Graduation: Athens High School, Athens, Bradford Co., PA

More About EDWARD EUGENE CAMPBELL:

Burial: 07 Feb 1997, Bradford County Memorial Park Cemetery, Luther's Mills, Bradford Co., PA

Graduation: Athens High School, Athens Bradford Co., PA

Morning Times
Sayre, PA
March 15, 2006

Mildred Lenora Campbell, 90, of Milan, died Friday, March 10, 2006 at the Sayre House Nursing Home. She was born Feb. 23, 1916 in Milan, the daughter of Morris “Clair” and Lola Joanna McKernan Loomis.
Mildred graduated from Athens High School and married Edward Campbell on June 28, 1934 in Owego, N.Y. She was a life-long resident of Milan until 1999 and was a member of the Methodist Church there. She faithfully supported the activities of the church and was a devoted homemaker, wife, mother and grandmother. For many years she helped prepare lunches for blood bank drives. In the past, she enjoyed picking blueberries on Barclay Mountain, fishing, spending time at their cottage in Redwood, N.Y., bowling and Scrabble.
Mildred is survived by: her sister, Geraldine Payne of Sayre; daughter, Marolyn (Arthur) Cole of Athens, a son, Clair (Bonnie) Campbell of Milan; grandchildren, Kevin (Jennifer Woll) Cole of San Diego, Calif., Brian (Kelly) Cole of Lockwood, N.Y., Amy Cole of Athens, Lola (Ron) Dallas of Athens, Tammy Alexander of Granville, Jamie (Tammy Fassett) Campbell of Wyalusing, Angela (Matt) Wright of LeRoy, Crystal (Doug) Quinn of Athens, Matthew Campbell of Milan, Nicolas Campbell (April Wylie) of Milan and Lowman; great-grandchildren, Andrew, Alex and Daniel Cole of San Diego, Calif., Adam and Victoria Wright of Athens, Troy and Patrick Morgan of Athens, Marissa and Dustin Alexander and Madison Brown of Granville, Catlyn Maree Campbell of Wyalusing, Keegan, Grace, Asher and Tyler Wright of LeRoy, Nathan Quinn of Athens, Emberlynne Kohler of Sayre and Alexus Campbell of Lowman; several nieces and nephews.
Mildred was predeceased by: her husband, Edward, in 1997; an infant daughter, Shirley Yvonne, in 1935; a grandson, Derrick LeRoy Campbell, in 1976; an infant sister, Mary Gertrude, in 1923; brothers, Joseph “Paul” in 1927 and Donald Clair Loomis in 1999.
The family will receive friends at the Milan United Methodist Church on Sunday, March 19, 2006 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The funeral and committal services will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday at the church with Rev. Sandy Brant officiating. Burial will be in Bradford County Memorial Park Cemetery, Luther Mills, Pa. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be directed to the Milan United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 3, Milan, PA 18831 or to Sayre House Inc., 1001 N. Elmer Ave., Sayre, PA 18840 or to a charity or organization of one's choice in Mildred's memory.
Funeral arrangements are under the directions of the Maryott-Bowen Funeral Home, 217 York Ave., Towanda.

Children of MILDRED LOOMIS and EDWARD CAMPBELL are:

i. SHIRLEY YVONNE CAMPBELL, b. 1935, Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, Bradford Co., PA; d. 1935, Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre, Bradford Co., PA.

ii. MAROLYN JOAN CAMPBELL, b. 10 Mar 1937, Sayre, Bradford Co., PA; m. ARTHUR EDWARD COLE, 30 Jun 1956, Milan, Bradford Co., PA.

iii. CLAIR LEROY CAMPBELL, b. 12 Sep 1940, Sayre, Bradford Co., PA; d. May 14, 2006 at home in Milan, PA; m. (1) CONNIE ROSE VANDERPOOL, 26 Mar 1965; m. (2) BONNIE KAY GOODWIN ELLIS, 1976, Milan, Bradford Co., PA.

More About CLAIR LEROY CAMPBELL:

Graduation: Athens High School, Athens, Bradford Co., PA

Military service: USS Navy

Evening Times
Sayre, PA
May 15, 2006

Clair LeRoy Campbell, 65, lifelong resident of Milan, died Sunday, May 14th, 2006, peacefully at his home after a courageous battle with leukemia. He was born September 12th, 1940 in Sayre, the son of Edward and Mildred Loomis Campbell. He graduated from Athens Area High School in 1958. He joined the Navy and served aboard the USS Mullinnix DD-944 from 1958-1961. Clair worked for the Lehigh Valley Railroad and Conrail until his retirement in 1998. He was a devoted husband and father who dearly loved his children and grandchildren. He enjoyed his vegetable and flower gardens. Clair was interested in American Indians and enjoyed his morning walks to look for arrowheads. He had collected an amazing assortment of arrowheads and arranged them in frames complete with information about where they were found. He was an avid NASCAR fan. His favorite driver was Jeff Gordon. Clair is survived by: his wife, Bonnie Goodwin Campbell; his children, Lola (Ron) Dallas of Athens, Tammy (Rick Brown) Alexander of Granville, Jamie (Tammy Fassett) Campbell of Wyalusing, Angela (Matt) Wright of Leroy, Crystal (Doug) Quinn of Athens, Matthew Campbell of Milan, Nicholas (April Wylie) of Athens and Lowman, N.Y.; grandchildren Adam and Victoria Wright of Athens, Troy and Patrick Morgan of Athens, Marissa and Dustin Alexander and Madison Brown of Granville, Catlyn Campbell and Jacob Fassett of Wyalusing, Keegan, Grace, Asher, and Tyler Wright of Leroy, Nathan Quinn of Athens, Emberlynne Kohler of Athens, and Alexus Campbell of Lowman, N.Y.; his sister, Marilyn (Arthur) Cole of Athens; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews. Clair was predeceased by: an infant sister, Shirley Yvonne, in 1935; his son, Derrick LeRoy Campbell, in 1976; his father, Edward Campbell, in 1997; and his mother, Mildred Campbell, in 2006. The family will receive friends at the Jay E. Lowery Funeral Home, Inc., 225 S. Main St., Athens, on Wednesday, May 17th, 2006 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The funeral service will be held Thursday, May 18th, 2006 at 11 a.m. with Rev. James D. Donahoo officiating. Graveside services will immediately follow at Bradford County Memorial Park in Luthers Mills. Memorial donations can be made in honor of Clair to The Cancer Center at Robert Packer Hospital/Guthrie Clinic and/or The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center of Native American Studies by contacting Deb Twigg at dtwigg@sracenter.org. For those who are wishing to sign the e-guestbook and send condolences, you may do so by visiting www.loweryfuneralhome.com.

6. GERALDINE LOUISE LOOMIS (LOLA JOANNA, MCKERNAN, LUKE PAUL, PETER, JOHN) was born 02 Feb 1919 in Milan, Bradford Co., PA. She married CARLTON J. PAYNE.

Children of GERALDINE LOOMIS and CARLTON PAYNE are:

i. BONITA LEE PAYNE.

ii. LINDA LOU PAYNE.

iii. KARL DEAN PAYNE.

iv. KENNETH PAYNE, b. 1937.

7. DONALD CLAIR LOOMIS (LOLA JOANNA, MCKERNAN, LUKE PAUL, PETER, JOHN) was born 19 May 1921 in Milan, Bradford Co., PA. He married EVELYN BURDETTA BEERS.

Children of DONALD LOOMIS and EVELYN BEERS are:

i. SUSAN EILEEN LOOMIS.

ii. DEBRA MARIE LOOMIS.

iii. DONNA ANN LOOMIS, b. 21 Jul 1947.

iv. DONALD CLAIR 'BUTCH' LOOMISJR., b. 28 Jul 1951.

v. RICHARD CARL LOOMIS, b. 04 Aug 1952.

vi. CINDY LOU LOOMIS, b. 10 Apr 1963, Sayre, Bradford Co., PA.

Submitted
July 22, 2002

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