Relatively Speaking Blog

I never knew my great uncle Jonas Swank as he died before I was born. I was curious what I might be able to find out about him. I turned to the census and a few other documents to glean details about Jonas’ life.

Jonas, the son of Henry Swank and Matilda Swisher, was named after his paternal grandfather. According to Jonas’ death certificate, he was born June 27, 1859, in PA, likely in Franklin Township, Lycoming County. In the 1860 census Jonas was listed as only 1 month old, rather than 1 year of age. From the age reported on this and other censuses, I believe his birth year was instead 1860.

In the 1860 census, Jonas was enumerated with his parents and three older siblings, George, Mary and Charles. Shortly after Jonas’ birth, the family moved across the county line to Davidson Township, Sullivan County, where the family lived in 1870. Here Jonas grew up and attended schools. The 1870 census reports Jonas, his older siblings, and his younger sister Christie—misidentified as a male, Christian—attended school in the year.

1870 census Franklin Township, Lycoming County PA
Name	Age	Occupation	Place of Birth
Henry Swank	41	farmer	PA
Matilda Swank	40		PA
George C. Swank	16		PA
Mary H. Swank	14		PA
Charles W. Swank	12		PA
Jonas Swank	9		PA
Christian Swank	7		PA
Thomas D. Swank	2		PA
Caroline Swank	5/12		PA

When 19, Jonas lived with his older brother George, who had married in 1876 and was a new father. His brother lived in Franklin Township, Lycoming County and worked as a farmer. In the 1880 census, Jonas, a farm laborer, likely assisted George with his farm chores rather than working on another farm. In the vicinity of the Swanks were some Swisher relatives and numerous Rider families, including Joseph and Anna Eliza Rider Temple. In the Temple household was their 16-year-old daughter Mary Etta.

If Jonas and Mary Etta had not previously met, they probably became acquainted during Jonas’ stay with his brother. Either they had a lengthy courtship, or they came to like each other gradually before deciding to date, as Jonas and Mary Etta did not marry until June 3, 1886. When he applied for a marriage license, Jonas was a resident of Davidson Township. I imagine he stayed with his parents and assisted his father with the family farm, as Jonas’ occupation was farmer.

Jonas and Mary were enumerated in 1900 in Davidson Township. Most likely they lived in this township since their marriage. A newspaper mention in 1892 reports they hosted the marriage of Mary’s sister, Savilla to Isacc Flick at their home in Muncy Valley, part of Davidson Township.

By the 1900 census, they had their first and only child, Oscar Raymond, who was born in April of that year. Also residing with them was a 6-year-old, Anna D. Anna was recorded with the same surname of Swank and as a niece; however, Anna does not seem to be a daughter of any of Jonas’ siblings. Niece may have been a more generic term. Jonas and Mary adopted and raised her and by the next census Anna was listed as a daughter.

Jonas was no longer a farmer, at least as an occupation. In 1900 he worked as a laborer in a tannery and had steady employment throughout the year. By 1910 he was a laborer at odd jobs.

Jonas was selected for jury duty for the September court of 1905 as a Lycoming County resident. He had moved the family to Franklin Township sometime during the beginning of the 20th century. He had rented a house in 1900, but he purchased a farm in Lycoming County before 1910. This land was without a mortgage according to the 1910 census, so his income was enough to support his family. Enumerated in 1910 a couple of houses away was Mary’s sister Savilla and her husband Isacc Flick, the couple whose marriage was mentioned in the 1892 newspaper.

1910 census  Franklin Township, Lycoming County, PA
Name	Relationship to head of household	Age	Marital Status	Occupation	Birth Place
Jonas Swank	Head	49	M1	Laborer odd jobs	PA
Mary E. Swank	wife	46	M1		PA
Oscar R.	son	10	S		PA
Annie Swank	daughter	16	S		PA

Jonas and family are not found in the 1920 census. Jonas’ property was referenced in 1916, when his neighbor’s property was put up for sheriff sale. This confirms Jonas owned property at that time. However, when his brother Charles died in 1924, Jonas lived in Muncy Valley.

During the 1910s, members of the family went up to the Finger Lakes area of New York looking for employment. Some stayed, while others came back to where they grew up. Possibly, Jonas followed some family to New York for a short time and missed being enumerated in the 1920 census. Or perhaps the enumerator missed the Swanks when making his rounds.

The Lycoming County deeds index did not list Jonas selling his land, but I suspect that Jonas’ son Raymond, who owned a farm in Franklin Township in 1930, took over his father’s. This would explain why Jonas and Mary in 1930 rented a farm in Franklin Township after owning one before. In the 1930 census Jonas and Mary, now in their sixties, were the only occupants of the household. They had no occupations. Jonas lived beside two of his siblings.

Jonas died November 25, 1931 in the Williamsport Hospital from a heart attack. His obituary was not found. Mary lived until 1954. She was not located in the 1940 census but in 1950 Mary boarded with Amy Sheets in her home in Franklin Township. Mary’s obituary mentions her son Raymond and a foster daughter, Mrs. Lynn Hill. Both Jonas and Mary were buried in Stoneheap cemetery.

The few documents, along with the census, gave me a small glimpse into my great uncle’s life. Jonas spent his life between neighboring Davidson Township and Franklin Township. My quest continues to learn more about Jonas and his life and build upon the foundation I have.