OBIT: WALLS Family, mostly Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by April Van Heest Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _______________________________________________ WALLS, Anna E. (CARROLL), 1918 WALLS, Claude, 1972 WALLS, Harry F., 1901 WALLS, Michael, 1944 WALLS, P. H. (Patrick Henry), 1906 WALLS, Rhea C., 1951 WALLS, Sadie (HOOVER), 1951 _______________________________________________ ANNA E. WALLS STROKE IS FATAL TO WOMAN AGED 90 Mrs. Anna E. Walls, aged 90, one of the oldest residents of the city, died at 1:15 o-clock this morning at the home of her son, Michael Walls of 2419 Beale avenue following a stroke of apoplexy sustained Sunday morning. Up to the time of the stroke she was in comparatively good health. Born in Huntingdon County, the daughter of John and Jane Carroll, deceased, Mrs. Walls came to Hollidaysburg in her early girlhood. In 1851 she was united in marriage to Patrick Henry Walls of Hollidaysburg who died in 1865 (?). Besides the son at whose home she died Mrs. Walls is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Walter E. Lindsay and a sister, Mrs. Hannah Batton, both of Hollidaysburg. Seventeen grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren also survive. Mrs. Walls who was also the mother of the late P. H. Walls, former well known coal operator. The aged lady made her home with her son Michael for the past twenty four years. Mrs. Walls was a member of the Baptist church of Hollidaysburg. The funeral services will be held with services at the late home on Monday afternoon followed by interment in the Presbyterian cemetery in Hollidaysburg. Clipping, hand-dated September 9, 1918 Note: Anna was the daughter of John and Jane (Best) Carroll. _____ CLAUDE WALLS Formerly of 2815 W. Chestnut Ave., died at 5:20 p.m. yesterday, Oct. 5, 1972, at Valley View, after a brief illness. He was born Aug. 24, 1895, at Bennington, a son of Michael and Sarah (Hoover) Walls, and was twice married, first to Jane Craig, who died in April 1934, and then to Pearl Shaffer, who died May 11, 1970. Surviving are three children, Claude M. of Geeseytown, Craig of Lake Jackson, Tex., and Ross R. Campbell of Hollidaysburg RD 2; eight grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and four sisters, Mrs. Verna McIntosh of Wapakoneta, Ohio, Mrs. Jean Kline of Edgewater, Md., Mrs. Madeline Shoemaker of Hollidaysburg and Mrs. Anna Fleck of Newry. Mr. Walls was an employee of the PRR, having served as a foreman at the East Altoona engine house until January 1959, when he retired after 40 years' service. He was an honorary member of the Geeseytown Fire Company. Friends will be received in the Replogle Funeral Home from 7 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Clipping, hand dated October 6, 1972 _____ HARRY F. WALLS Of 1104 Fifteenth avenue, died yesterday noon after an extended illness. He was born in Philadelphia on Nov. 18, 1901, a son of P. H. and Rhea C. Walls, was graduated from the Altoona High School in 1920. He continued his studies in Temple university and the University of Pennsylvania and in 1923 entered George Washington university where he received the degree of bachelor of arts in commerce. Mr. Walls was a member of the First Baptist church of the city, of the George Washington Players, the Commerce club, of Cercle Gallia, and the Cosmopolitans. He is survived only by his mother, of the city. Fiends are being received at the home. Clipping, hand-dated August 23, 1901 WALLS - Funeral services for Harry F. Walls of 1104 15th avenue, will be conducted by Rev. Robert E. Crawford at the home Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock. Interment in the Hollidaysburg Presbyterian cemetery. Friends are being received at the home. Funeral Notice, hand-dated August 25, 1901 _____ MICHAEL WALLS Aged Pioneer Expires In Hollidaysburg Michael Walls, Hollidaysburg's oldest resident and pioneer citizen, died this morning at 6:30 o'clock at the home of his son, Claude Walls, at 509 Mulberry street. Mr. Walls spent his entire life in the county seat where he was born Feb. 1, 1852, a son of Patrick and Anna Carroll Walls. In his early life he was a shoeshine and newsboy on the old steam packet commanded by Captain John Murray that plied on the Pennsylvania canal between Huntingdon and Hollidaysburg and he often recalled the trip from Hollidaysburg to Huntingdon required only one day. Later in his young manhood, he went to work in the old McFarland foundry where he learned the machinist trade, which he followed throughout his life until retiring many years ago, since when he was a familiar figure on the streets and at all gatherings. Mr. Walls was in the habit of carrying an old fashioned camp stool with him on his walks about town and when he became tired he sat down in the shade to rest and talk with friends. Mrs. Walls also frequently recalled that he and John Craig, another Hollidaysburg pioneer, tolled the bell of St. Mary's Catholic church on the day of the funeral of President Abraham Lincoln on Mary 4, 1865. Another pioneer and friend of Mr. Walls, Simon Barr, who met the requirement for a pallbearer, acted in that capacity at the Lincoln funeral. Each pallbearer had to be exactly 6 feet 4 inches tall. Mr. Walls was a brother of the late Patrick Walls, at one time a leading financier and property owner in Altoona. Mr. Walls was united in marriage with Miss Sarah Hoover of Hollidaysburg almost fifty years ago, and she survives, with these children: Claude Walls, Mrs. Cloyd Marks and Mrs. Anna Fleck, all of Hollidaysburg, Mrs. L. R. Klein of Washington, D.C. and Mrs. James McIntosh of New York City and eleven grandchildren. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church. Friends will be received at the Creamer and Van Allman funeral home after noon Thursday. MICHAEL WALLS It is hard to realize that Michael Walls is gone. Although he had passed the age of 92, he was like the inexorable seasons in the courses and he was with us so long and was such a notable figure that he will be greatly missed, especially in Hollidaysburg where his entire life was spent and where, at his death, he was the oldest resident. Mr. Walls' span of life covered considerably more than half of the life of the country as an independent nation. Born in 1852 when Millard Filmore was president of the United States, he was 9 years of age when the Civil war began and he was old enough four years later to toll the bell of St. Mary's church on the day of President Lincoln's funeral. He had a vivid recollection of those stirring years and throughout his career he was a typical representative of the virtues and characteristics of his native town. But there was that about him that made him more than typical, for Mr. Walls had a clearly marked individuality. His sense of honor, his quiet humor, modesty and intelligence made him a most companionable man and in every sense of the word he was a sterling citizen. His passing will be deplored by all who shared his acquaintance. Clippings, hand-dated March 8, 1944 _____ P. H. WALLS P. H. Walls Meets With Sad Fate-Killed in Railroad Yard Last Night- He Had Boarded No. 10 to go to Atlantic City to Join His Wife, After a Visit to Frugality and Changed His Mind, Evidently, For He Left the Train and Was Run Down by a Freight and Horribly Mangled. Coal operator P. H. Walls, than whom Blair county had no more popular citizen, met a horrible fate in the Pennsylvania Railroad Yard last night. He was killed by a freight train , which evidently rolled and dragged him for a distance of 300 yards, leaving his mangled body so tightly wedged in a frog at Eighth Street, that it was necessary to loosen the rails to remove it. Mr. Walls who as everybody knows was a general manager of the Frugality Coal and Coke Company, came to Altoona yesterday evening on mail from Frugality, where he had been on business. He stopped off to be present at the meeting of the Altoona lodge of Elks, as his friend Lawyer H. Greevy, was to be initiated last night. Shortly before 9 o'clock he started toward the depot with William H. Markley, the real estate agent. Reaching the Logan House he remarked that he thought he would take No. 10 to Philadelphia, and suiting the action to words, he went into the Logan House, procured his grip and passed through the train shed. Mr. Markley, Lawyer E. M. Amies and Hon. William H. Irwin were standing on the Logan House Porch-He bids these friends good-night and boarded one of the sleepers. What caused him to leave the train will perhaps never be known. Mr. Walls has not been in good health lately, and it is supposed that he forgot he was to attend the Elks until about the time the train started, when he rushed out and jumped off, evidently on the side next to the shop. Bewildered in the maze of tracks in the yard, he started the wrong way , got over on the eastbound freight track and was run down by a freight, which passed East just after No. 10 left the station. Another theory is that on springing off the train he was thrown down and stunned caught under the freight and dragged to his death. It was perhaps an hour later when an overcoat and an arm was found in the yard near Ninth Street by a railroader. W. H. Hughes, conductor of the wrecking crew, was sent to make an investigation and found the body at Eighth Street. It was removed to the passenger station, where the remains were identified from letters found in the pocket. Later Lawyer Greevy positively identified the body, after which it was removed to undertaker Lafferty's morgue. The terrible news spread rapidly about the city and the dead man's friends were profoundly shocked. Mrs. Walls and her little son has been at Atlantic City. Mrs. Walls was at once appraised of the death of her husband. She is expected today. P. H. Walls was a native of Hollidaysburg. He was born in July 1863 and a son of Patrick and Ann Walls. His father died many years ago, but his mother still resides in Hollidaysburg. After receiving an education in the Hollidaysburg Schools, he became a clerk in the store of Francis McCoy, in the Diamond. Later he went into business for himself, being a member of the firm Lindsay, Walls & Carroll. Peter Lindsay today is a prominent business man of Hollidaysburg, and Joseph Carroll, since dead, being the other member of the firm. Seeing an opportunity in Altoona, Mr. Walls withdrew from the firm, came to Altoona and for some years conducted what was known as the Checkered Front Grocery, in which he made money. Nineteen years ago John Dean, then president judge of Blair County Courts, became interested in coal lands in Frugality and other points in Cambria County, and Mr. Walls was inducted to dispose of his business and become Judge Dean's confidential agent. They had always been close friends. Under Mr. Walls personal management, the coal properties become immensely valuable and the output increased annually. The Coal Firm was first known as the Cresson and Clearfield Coal and Coke Company and later the Frugality Coal and Coke Company was added. The entire management of the business devolved on Mr. Walls after Judge Dean was elevated to the supreme court bench, and after the Judge's death he continued in charge of the companies. His offices were in the Land Title building in Philadelphia, Mr. Walls home was at Wayne. Mr. Walls was married to Rhia Jones of Hollidaysburg. Besides his wife and son, he leaves his mother, one brother Michael and one sister Mrs. Walter B. Lindsay all of Hollidaysburg. Mr. Walls was a member of the board of trustees of Altoona hospital, the Altoona Lodge of Elks, The Altoona Aerie of Eagles, Logan Lodge of Masons and Mountain commandery of the Knights Templar. The Pennsylvania railroad officials are endeavoring to unravel the mystery surrounding the events leading up to the point where Mr. Walls was killed. It was learned this afternoon that Mr. Walls had boarded the New York sleeper, behind which there were two second class coaches. The Philadelphia sleeper was attached to the rear of the train. The porter told Mr. Walls that his car was in the rear, and Mr. Walls started to pass through the second class couches. It is believed he was jolted off the train as it passed over the switches east of the station, as he was in the act of crossing between the two cars. Had he attempted to get off of the train, it is argued that he would have taken his grip, which he left behind for the porter to bring to him. Mr. Walls grip was carried to Harrisburg. It was sent back to Altoona on an early train and is now at Stationmaster Brenneman's office. Mrs. Walls is expected at four o'clock this afternoon. It is likely the remains will be taken to Hollidaysburg tomorrow, but no arrangements will be made for the funeral until she arrives. Coroner Blackburn has made an investigation, but not decided on an inquest. Altoona Mirror - Thursday Feb. 1, 1906 P. H. Walls was one of Nature's Noblemen. Not alone his near relatives mourn today his tragic and untimely end but thousands of sincere friends throughout the length and breadth of the Commonwealth drop with them the tears of sadness. Who that had once participated in the pleasures of his jovial and cheerful companionship can ever forget it? He lived for his friends. Nothing afforded him so much gratification as the providing of entertainment for them. His offices in the city of Philadelphia were the Mecca toward which Altoonans turned with hope and cheer. Oppressed with business cares as few men are, he yet found time to please and assist. His heart was large and generous. Pleas for aid and assistance came to him constantly from hundreds of sources and none ever went unnoticed if it were at all within his power to render the service. He never could hear the story of want or deprivation or witness them but that his hand went to his pocket. These many beneficiaries of his good will and liberality will swell the throng who will miss him as an ever reliable friend in time of need. As a public spirited citizen he was ever alert to the best interests of the city and pleased to lend a hand when needed. His death is a distinct loss to the community and the Gazette extends its heartfelt condolence to his sorrowing relatives and friends. Gazette - Thursday, February 1, 1906 Note: Patrick H. was born July 8, 1863, the son of Patrick and Anna (Carroll) Walls. _____ MRS. RHEA C. WALLS Aged 85, of 1105 15th Avenue, died at 6 o'clock last evening in the Altoona hospital where she had been a patient since Nov. 18. She was the widow of Patrick H. Walls, who was engaged in the coal business in the city for many years, particularly with the Frugality Coal company. There are no surviving relatives, it is reported. The body was removed to the Lafferty funeral home. Clipping, hand-dated December 6, 1951 Note: Rhia C. was born April 15, 1864. Her maiden name was Jones. _____ MRS. SADIE WALLS Widow of Michael Walls, formerly of Hollidaysburg, died at 5:30 o'clock Saturday afternoon at the home of a daughter, Mrs. Ross Klein of Riverdale, MD. Mrs. Walls was born in Newry Nov. 11, 1866, a daughter of Frank and Mary Hoover. Her husband died in 1943. She was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church, Hollidaysburg. Surviving are these children: Mrs. Verna McIntosh of Paris, France, Mrs. Ross Klein of Riverdale, Md., Mrs. Merrill Shoemaker of New Castle and Mrs. Ann Fleck of Woodbury, N.J.; nine grandchildren. Friends will be received at the Wolf funeral home, Hollidaysburg, after 7 o'clock this evening. WALLS - Funeral services for Mrs. Sadie Walls, formerly of Hollidaysburg, will be held with requiem mass Wednesday at 9 a.m. at St. Mary's Catholic Church, Hollidaysburg. Friends are being received at the Wolf funeral home after 7 p.m. Monday. Interment in Presbyterian cemetery, Hollidaysburg. Clipping, hand-dated April 1951 Card of Thanks We Desire in this manner to express our sincere thanks and appreciation to our many friends, neighbors, relatives and the Ladies of the G.A.R. for the wonderful kindness and sympathy shown during our recent sad bereavement, the loss of our mother, Mrs. Sadie Walls. Also for the beautiful floral tributes and the use of cars. Son Claude and Sisters. Clipping, hand-dated April 1951 NOTE: Sarah's father was George S. Hoover, not Frank as listed in the obit. Her mother was Mary A. McCoy. Sarah's date of death was March 31, 1951.