Fulton County PA Archives Obituaries.....Work, George December 20, 1899
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Donald Buncie http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00034.html#0008389 December 18, 2023, 11:04 pm

The Fulton County news., January 04, 1900
Death of George Work
At his home in Tecumseh, Nebraska, December 20, 1899, R. G. Work died after a very
short illness. He had been in his usual health up until a day or two before his
death. The immediate cause of his demise was rupture of the heart, and it was
painless as it was sudden.
The issue of the Johnstown County Journal published at Tecumseh, Nebraska, December
28, 1899, says:
Robert George Work was born at McConnellsburg, Pa., August 20, 1828, and in early
manhood embarked in mercantile business; afterwards, he went into the oil business
in his native state and then put down the first petroleum wells in the state of
Virginia.
He was married to Jessie McLanahan, of Greencastle, Oct. 19, 1869, and with his
young wife came west, first settling in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and then in 1870, came
to this city and engaged in the mercantile business. This he continued until 1884,
when he sold his store to Dick McLanahan. Since that time he has devoted his entire
time to looking after his property interests, having invested in a number of farms
and several fine pieces of business and residence properties in and around our city.
He was a member of the Presbyterian church of this city, having united with the same
about twenty-five years ago, was also a member of the Masonic order, the Royal Arch
and Knights Templar of this city.
While Mr. Work was not of late years in the best of health, he was nearly always
able to be out and his was a familiar figure on our streets. His wife had been
dangerously sick for the past four weeks and he was greatly worried over her
condition and only the day before his death he talked with her and other relatives
of the approaching Christmas festivities of the happiness that it would bring to
many, and he looked forward to the day with the keenest of satisfaction, but the
death angel was then hovering near and the end came quickly.
Mr. Work was one of Tecumseh’s most benevolent men, his hand was always open to the
wants of the poor. He gave much that was never known, and many of our poor will miss
his generous benefactions in the future.
With the death of Mr. Work the last member of one of the most prominent families in
the history of McConnellsburg has passed away.
The father of the deceased, Andrew Work, was one of McConnellsburg’s earliest
merchants, living and keeping store in the building on the corner of Water and
Second Streets where the Racket store now is. He owned nearly all the outlying lots
about McConnellsburg, and to give some idea of the value attached he offered them to
anyone who would pay out the quit-rents. A scrap of early history may be interesting
at this point.
The land now occupied by the borough of McConnellsburg belonged primarily to the
Indians and was from them purchased along with the other land in the Big Cove in
1754, the treaty not being ratified by all the tribes until 1758. This accounts for
the Indian massacre of the white settlers in the Big Cove in 1755.
Four years after the treaty had been signed by the Indians, 1762, Daniel and William
McConnell, two brothers, obtained from the Penn heirs, a warrant for the land on
which McConnellsburg now stands. The western fever striking William, he sold out to
Daniel and took the lamented Greeley’s advice. (The west then meant about
Pittsburg.) The enterprising Daniel believed that he had “acres of diamonds” at
home; and with vision of a great inland city, he laid out in lots part of his farm
and named the enterprise McConnel’s town. It would make the old gentleman’s eyes
water if he could be permitted to come back and see the McConnellsburg of today.
These lots he sold for as much as buyers were willing to give; he in every case
reserving an annual rental of ten shillings ($1.33). This annual rental is called
quit-rents, and on many lots in the town has been paid from that day to this.
Several of the best buildings in town stand on ground on which the owner pays
annually this rental, which amounts now to one dollar. If the owner of the ground
wants to be rid of the quit-rent and get a perfect title, he buys it out for $16.66.
There are about thirty lots in town yet on which quit-rents are paid.
Prior to 1861 most of these were owned by A. J. Work’s heirs, who at that date sold
them to the late Hon. Daniel Logan. Most of them are now in the hands of Hon. George
A. Smith.
Andrew Work was married twice. The name of his first wife we do not have at hand but
by this union two children were born, a son and a daughter. The son James grew up
and became a merchant building the brick house now owned by Mrs. J. S. Pittman,
about 1834, and keeping store there several years. The daughter became the wife of
Rev. Robert McNaughton, grandfather of our townsman Finley McNaughton Johnston,
Esq.
The second time, Andrew Work was married to Rebecca, daughter of Major Johnston who
at that time owned a large tract of land south of McConnellsburg, including the
farms now owned by G. Newton Hoke, and heirs of the late Jared Pittman. Among the
members of the family by this marriage were Robert, George, the subject of this
notice, Johnston, who was married to a sister of G. N. Hoke of this place, and Jane,
wife of Mr. F. A. Greathead. Mrs. Greathead died in this place in 1892.

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