Re: President William McKinley
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In reply to:
President William McKinley
James Donovan 4/18/02
Regarding Pres. McKinley and Watson family connection:
I have been researching my Watson/Glover family of Somerfield, Somerset Co., PA and came across an article about Somerfield, which is now under water after being sacrificed for flood control of the Youghiogheny river which was dammed in the 1940’s.
(Article at http://www.rootsweb.com/~pasomers/addison/somerfield_town.htmhttp://www.rootsweb.com/~pasomers/addison/somerfield_town.htm)
“President William McKinley actually spent six weeks in Somerfield each summer at the Youghiogheny Hotel, later known as the Cornish Hotel. He had family in nearby Somerset, including his niece, Mable McKinley, about whom a story still circulates in the area.
According to the story, Mable was playing in the Hotel with Gilbert Endsley when she threw a ball that went through a window above the door. The window was patched, but never replaced. It remained a memento of the occasion.
Somerfield also saw one of its own rise to prominence, James William Endsley, son of Willaim Gilbert and Julianne (Watson) Endsley, rose from the town's first Burgess to the States General Assembly in 1904 and 1906.”
President McKinley’s brother, Abner O. McKinley married Anna E. Endsley and had a daughter named Mabel McKinley.
The article refers to Mabel and Gilbert Endsley playing in the hotel, which makes sense because I believe they were cousins.
Gilbert was the son of James William Endsley and Mary Endsley and was born in 1883.
I cannot find any information about Mabel’s mother Anna E.Endsley except that she was born in PA.
William and Julianne Watson-Endsley had a daughter born the same year as Anna E. who is listed as Eva in the census records.I know the census often listed the children according to the name they were called because my Grandmother’s name was Mary Frances Glover, but was called and listed as Frances on the census.My gma was the daughter of Charles Wesley Glover and Mary Anna Watson (daughter of James Watson and Mary Louise Walters.)
I have viewed many of the census records for the town of Somerfield and have not discovered any Anna Endsley.I know that William Endsley was the son of Thomas A. Endsley, whose father was Thomas Endsley that bought the tavern/hotel referred to in article: http://www.post-gazette.com/magazine/19990107bridge3.asphttp://www.post-gazette.com/magazine/19990107bridge3.asp
About the Addison township history.
“On July 4, 1818, the Triple Arch Bridge was dedicated. It had been built by three men named Kinkaid, Beck and Evans, who were housed in a tavern built especially for them: the Youghiogheny House, which was later owned by the Endsley family and eventually run by the Cornish family as the Cornish Hotel.”
Anyone have any additional information?
More Replies:
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Re: President William McKinley
James Donovan 12/24/04