Relatively Speaking Blog

Mary Ann Swank, the oldest sister to my 2nd great grandfather Henry Swank, was born to Jonas and Sarah Swank about 1827, presumably in the Lycoming County area. The will of their mother Sarah was one source that supported Mary Ann and Henry were siblings. Sarah’s will also identified Mary Ann was married to Christian Swank who could possibly be a cousin. Few online documents for Christian and Mary Ann have been located. Several census enumerations helped create a rough framework for their lives and indicated Mary Ann and Christian resided entirely in Davidson Township, Sullivan County, PA.

The 1850 census for Davidson Township was the first record in which Mary Ann was named; she was with her husband and their three year old daughter Sarah who was named after her maternal grandmother. Christian and Mary Ann probably married about 1846 and they remained near their families. On the same page, Mary Ann’s widowed mother, her brother Henry, and her younger two half-sisters were a few families away; listed on the next page were Christian’s parents and his younger siblings. Christian was a farmer but owned no property.

By 1860, their family had grown with the addition of four more children, Ellis, Peter, Malissa, and Henry. Christian was still a farmer, an occupation he maintained throughout his life. Mary Ann and her family were beside her mother, who had married James Harding. The Swanks had a real estate value of $200 and personal estate of over $200. No deed was found for Christian buying this land, which may have been the property Sarah later bequeathed to Mary Ann. They lived in the same vicinity as they did in 1850 as many of their neighbors’ names were the same from the previous census for Davidson Township.

1860 Census Davidson Township, Sullivan County PA
Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
Christian Swank	35	Farmer	PA
Mary A. Swank	35		PA
Sarah A. Swank	14		PA
Ellis Swank	10		PA
Peter Swank	7		PA
Malisa Swank	3		PA
Henry B. Swank	1		PA

In 1870 Mary Ann and her brother Henry were living beside each other with their families. In the preceding year, their mother had died and left them each a piece of her property. This inheritance accounts for Mary Ann and Christian’s increased real and personal estate value in 1870 to $500 and $623, respectively. Mary Ann had two more daughters, Arabella and Jerusha. Their oldest daughter Sarah, now a young wife, lived with her husband Clark Mossteller across the county line in Lycoming.

1870 Census Davidson Township, Sullivan County PA
Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
Christian Swank	50	Farmer	PA
Mary A. Swank	45	Kept House	PA
Ellis Swank	19	Works in sawmill	PA
Peter Swank	16		PA
Malisa Swank	14		PA
Henry B. Swank	12		PA
Arah B. Swank	10		PA
Jerusha Swank	4		PA

By the 1880 census all but the three youngest children were married and on their own. Ellis was married to Emma Phillips, Peter to Amanda Holdren, and Mallisa to John Meyers. Peter lived beside his parents and Ellis was nearby. Mallisa, like her sister Sarah, lived in Lycoming County. Although some of the neighbors from the previous census were still in the area, more families lived between them as the township had become more populous over the decade.

1880 Census Davidson Township, Sullivan County PA
Name	Relationship	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
Christian Swank	Head	54	Farmer	PA
Mary A. Swank	Wife	55	Kept House	PA
Henry B. Swank	Son	21	Laborer	PA
Arabella Swank	Daughter	16		PA
Jersha Swank	Daughter	13		PA

During the 1880s their youngest children would marry: Henry to Ettie Worthington, Arabella to John Phillips, and Jerusha to George Flick. All of Mary Ann and Christian’s children lived in Davidson Township or a bordering township in Lycoming County; although by 1880s standards, the travel time to visit most likely took several hours. Since the 1890 census was destroyed by fire, no information can be gleaned for this year. Christian was not listed in the special veteran’s census for 1890; it is unlikely he served in the Civil War. The last detail that can be surmised from the census is that both Mary Ann and Christian apparently died before the 1900 census, since neither were enumerated in it.

Identifying when they died has been difficult. Neither left a will, nor were Letters of Administration filed in court records. The Sullivan County Register of Deaths, did not list either Christian or Mary Ann, so unless they died in another county, their deaths occurred before 1893. A handful of hints, though sometimes conflicting, were found that might help to narrow when they died.

According to a newspaper article, both were involved in a deed transaction on April 1, 1887; although the actual deed has not been examined it was recorded in November of that year. In History of Sullivan County published in 1899, a biography for their son Ellis Swank mentioned his mother died in 1887. However, a county newspaper, Sullivan Republican, on November 20, 1891, informed, “Mrs. Mary Ann Swank is dangerously ill with dropsy and old age.” Three months later on February 26, 1892, the same paper reported, “The personal property of the late Mrs. Mary Ann Swank of Davidson twp., will be sold at public sale, on Thursday March 3. A quantity of hay and corn will be disposed of.” A search for the obituary in several issues for prior weeks turned up nothing.

Coincidentally though, buried in Mount Zion Lutheran Church Cemetery in Penn Township, Lycoming County, Mary A. Swank, who died February 11, 1892, is certainly the same woman mentioned in the Sullivan Republican. Three of Christian and Mary Ann’s children, namely, Henry, Arabella, and Jerusha were buried in this same cemetery. Furthermore, the age on the headstone calculates her birth as August 27, 1827; this aligns with Jonas and Sarah’s daughter, and altogether these details strongly support that Mary Ann Swank in Mt. Zion Cemetery could be Christian’s wife.

Pinpointing when Christian died has been more challenging. In the biography for Ellis, no death date for Christian was mentioned, which suggested his father was alive when the biography was written, probably about 1897. However, as previously mentioned, Christian is not in the Sullivan County Register of Deaths. After Mary Ann died, her property was being sold at auction; if Christian were alive at the time of her death, it seems odd that he had not inherited her property.

To further complicate matters, two Sullivan Republican newspaper articles in April and the fall of 1891 mention a Christian Swank. It seems unlikely that this was the same Christian, as he appeared to be from Hughesville, Lycoming County, not Davidson Township in Sullivan County. I have found no information for a Christian Swank in Lycoming County. Were he and Mary Ann in the process of relocating, but she succumbed before the move took place? Or was there some other unknown story?

Finding where Christian is buried would certainly help solve this puzzle. Christian could be in Mt. Zion Cemetery, since spouses typically were buried in the same cemetery, if not together in the same plot. Over 20 years ago a cousin took me to this cemetery, and during the brief visit I photographed Mary Ann’s headstone. I did not see one for Christian, but perhaps he was buried in another plot or without a marker, or I missed his headstone in my haste.

Further exploration of Mt. Zion Cemetery and its records would reveal whether Christian was buried there, and if so, when he died. These records could also prove without any doubt whether or not this Mary Ann was Christian’s wife. With so few documents available for them, the census fortunately provided some information to construct a few details about their lives and family. Using this information as a jumping off point, and a deeper look at the other documents found might lead to additional information and provide clearer answers about the life of Mary Ann and Christian Swank.