Generation Four |
119. WILLIAM4 H. FLEMING (John3, Samuel2, John1); (author's grandfather), born 20 April 1869 in the Shamburg, Pennsylvania, area (Oil Creek Township, Venango County); died 4 December 1957 on the Fleming Farm, Shamburg area. William is buried in Fairview Cemetery (Section 3, Lot 8, which he had purchased), Pleasantville, Pennsylvania. William married 23 October 1894 in Fredonia, New York, JOSEPHINE LOUISE LYTLE, born 17 October 1871 in Oil Creek Township, Venango County; died 14 July 1951 on the Fleming Farm, Shamburg area. She is buried in Fairview Cemetery, Pleasantville, Pennsylvania.
Josephine Lytle was a daughter of James and Susan (Watson) Lytle. James Lytle was a younger brother of William Lytle who married Sarah Fleming (#13) of “Lytles.”704 For detailed information and sources on the Lytles, see the “Lytle” section in volume 2, pages 65-146, of my book Oil Creek Flemings and related families. For detailed information and sources on the Watsons, see the “Watson” section in volume 2, pages 169-202, of my book Oil Creek Flemings and related families of Venango County.
After marrying, William and Josephine lived their entire lives on the Fleming Farm, Oil Creek Township, Venango County. Both William H. and Josephine were members of the Shamburg Christian Church. William was a farmer and owned and operated oil leases on the Fleming property. He was a member of the Oil Creek Township School Board and served as its treasurer for 40 years. He was also a director of the Citizens Bank of Pleasantville. In addition to his church activities, William H. was a member of the Queen City Lodge, IOOF, of Titusville, Pennsylvania, for 64 years. I recall my mother or uncles mentioning William attending the Cherrytree Academy. Although not a college, this school offered courses in the sciences and arts. The structure housing the Cherrytree Academy, located presumably in Cherrytree Village, was erected in 1854.705
Both my Fleming grandparents were fairly old when I knew them; and since we did not live in that area, we only saw them once or twice a year. Grampa Fleming was tall, about 6 feet in height, and very trim. I remember him as a person of few words, with a subtle sense of humor. He rarely became perturbed, at least outwardly. He seemed to me to be always working; he enjoyed good health and even in his late seventies would put in long hours on his farm. Gramma was short and stocky until late in life. I never knew her to be lost for words. She was completely unpretentious, always speaking her mind and had a comment about everything. She had a great sense of humor and was fun to be around. When Mom and Dad would take Josie and me to visit our Fleming grandparents, if my sister or cousins or I would act up or otherwise do something we shouldn't have, the invariable comment of Gramma was, “It must be the Watson in him (or her),” of course said jokingly.
My grandparents had a comfortable home on the Fleming Farm. There was a spacious front lawn with two large catalpa trees having huge leaves and bean–like pods a foot or so in length. Because catalpas are not native that far north or east, someone must have planted the trees for shade shortly after the house was built. The nicely kept house was built in 1890 by my grandfather’s father, John S. Fleming. It was a two story wood frame house without a basement, except for a root cellar. The weatherboard siding was white and the windows and shutters were trimmed in black. The south facing front and parts of both the east and west sides had pretty ground level porches. Grampa had added to the back, called the “new part,” a large kitchen, a bathroom, a storage area, and a back porch, which was the center of family activity in the summer. On the ground floor, in addition to the kitchen and bathroom, there was a small dining room, a parlor (usually closed off), a living room, and coming off the living room the master bedroom. It was in the master bedroom that both my grandparents died. I think there were four bedrooms upstairs. The house when I knew it was heated by a gas stove in the living room. In a December 1988 letter from my cousin Bill Caldwell (#384) (William and Josephine’s grandson) he recalls: “… the kitchen stove was both gas and wood burning. In the cool weather Grampa always had a wood fire going in the early morning till about noon. Gramma baked the best apple and pumpkins pies in the world in this oven heated by the wood burning section of the stove.”
Extract from a Fleming clipping, 23 October 1944, Titusville HeraldGolden Wedding Is Observed at Shamburg. Wm. Fleming and Wife Wed at Fredonia, N. Y., 50 Years ago. Mr. and Mrs. William Fleming, lifelong residents of the Shamburg community, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary yesterday with a family party at their home, although the anniversary is not until today … The house was built by Mr. Fleming’s father, who resided there until his death … All of their five children and their families were home for the anniversary. They are: Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Clifford (Marie) and children Lillian, Hugh and Jo, of Kane; Mrs. and Mrs. John L. Fleming and son Jack of Titusville; Mr. and Mrs. Claire Caldwell (Ruth) and son Billy of Shamburg; Mr. and Mrs. James Boyd (Margaret) of Washington, D. C.; Mr. and Mrs. William Fleming, Jr., and daughter Carole Ann, of Pleasantville … Others present for the celebration were Mrs. Dana Doyen [sister of Josephine (Lytle) Fleming] of Titusville, a sister of Mrs. Fleming, Miss Leola Painter, Mrs. William Kightlinger, Rev. and Mrs. Perry J. Cook, Mr. Cook being the pastor of the Shamburg Christian Church.From Titusville Herald, 5 December 1957:
William H. Fleming, 88, Shamburg oil producer and prominent civic leader in the Pleasantville district, died yesterday at his home after a short illness.
He was a member of the Oil Creek Twp. School Board and served as its treasurer for 40 years. He was a director of the Citizens Bank of Pleasantville for many years.
He owned an oil lease in the Shamburg district which has been operated by his sons in the past few years.
Mr. Fleming was a member of the Shamburg Christian Church for over 50 years, serving as treasurer, deacon and elder of the church. He was also a member of the Queen City Lodge IOOF, of Titusville, for 64 years. He was born at Shamburg on April 20, 1869, son of John S. and Hannah Jamison Fleming. On Oct. 23, 1894 he married Josephine L. Lytle who died July 21 1951.
Surviving are 4 children: Mrs. Marie Clifford, of Kane; Mrs. James Boyd, of Arlington, Va; William Fleming, Jr., of Pleasantville, and John Fleming, at home. A daughter, Mrs. Ruth Caldwell, preceded him in death.
Extracts pertaining to the Fleming family from Babcock (1919):
page 874: William H. Fleming bears a name which needs no introduction in Venango county, particularly in the northeastern section, with whose development the family has been prominently identified since its earliest settlement. The Flemings were likely the first permanent residents of Oil Creek township, and from the time of their arrival, towards the close of the eighteenth century, the family has been well represented among its foremost citizens, leaders in material achievements and equally zealous in promoting the social advancement of the locality.
p. 875: “William H. Fleming was born April 20, 1869, on an adjoining farm within sight of his present home, and like the rest of the family had excellent advantages. He was thoroughly trained in the duties of the farm and oil business as his father’s assistant, and when the latter died continued the oil production in partnership with his brother Gilbert, with whom he was associated until the latter’s death, Aug. 31, 1906, on his fortieth birthday, at Bartlesville, Okla. Though he retained his interest in the home production, Gilbert B. Fleming had branched out further in the oil business, in 1904 leaving his brother in charge of the details of their local investments and himself going to Indiana, where he was active as a producer for two years. Then he yielded to the call again and went farther west, in 1906, securing leases which he was preparing to develop when his untimely death intervened. He was unmarried, and his brother and partner took over his interests, which he has since conducted along the lines originally planned by them. There were then twenty–two wells on the home farm, the number being now thirty–one, as Mr. Fleming has followed the policy of extending his production annually, both by increasing business and also to cover possible shortages in the production of old wells. He has several wells on an adjoining farm. It may be said that Mr. Fleming started life with good prospects, but he has surely availed himself of all their possibilities, keeping this family for thrifty business habits and commendable enterprise. He has never been afraid to undertake new things, nor slow about working them out, showing both initiative and courage in breaking away from traditional ideas and methods when he thought occasion warranted such action. In personal character and citizenship he has held to the high standards which have always governed the Flemings in their relations with others. On Oct. 23, 1894, William H. Fleming married Josephine Lytle, daughter of James and Susan (Watson) Lytle, whose old home was two miles north on the Titusville road. Mrs. Lytle died Feb. 18, 1899, Mr. Lytle now making his home with his daughter Mrs. Fleming. He is well preserved though well advanced in years, having been born Sept. 16, 1830, on the Mill farm two miles south of Pleasantville, his parents having been among the pioneers in this region, and his long life has been spent within a few miles of his birthplace. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Fleming: Edith Marie, who is a graduate of the Pleasantville high school, class of 1915; John Lloyd, who graduated from the Pleasantville high school in 1918, and enlisted in the Students’ Army Training Corps, Oct. 1, 1918, at Grove City College, Pa.; Lillie Ruth, a high school student; Margaret May, and William H., Jr.
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| + | 256 | i. | Edith Marie5 Fleming; born 13 October 1895 in Venango County, Shamburg area; died 27 January 1973 in Hartford, Connecticut; buried in Fairview Cemetery, Pleasantville, Venango County, Pennsylvania; married Ralph Zinn Clifford. |
| + | 257 | ii. | John Lloyd Fleming; born 8 April, 1898 in Venango County, Shamburg area; died 30 April 1973 in Titusville, Crawford County, Pennsylvania; buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, Titusville, Pennsylvania; married Lillian Briely. |
| + | 258 | iii. | Lillie Ruth Fleming; born 22 January 1902 in Venango County, Shamburg area; died 7 July 1951; buried in Fairview Cemetery, Pleasantville, Pennsylvania; married Claire Dale Caldwell. |
| + | 259 | iv. | Margaret May Fleming; born 24 December 1908 in Venango County, Shamburg area; died 26 July 1993; married James B. Boyd. |
| + | 260 | v. | William H. Fleming, Jr.; born 18 September, 1913 in Venango County, Shamburg area; died 1 August 1998; married 2 March 1939 in Dunedin, Florida, Margaret Kightlinger. |
