BIO: Philip Adolphus Franklin OPPEL, Huntingdon County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Dave Wilson Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/pafiles.htm ************************************************************** __________________________________________________________ McElroy, James Thomas Jr., McElroy's Family Memories, Huntingdon, PA: (Author), 1930, page 167. __________________________________________________________ P. A. FRANKLIN OPPEL Mount Union, Pa. The writer of these sketches does not propose to deviate much from the words of the above named, P. A. Franklin Oppel, for he could not improve much upon his own statement, which is as follows: I was born at Wistie, known as Oppelville, in Blacklog Valley, Juniata County, Pa., on the first day of Spring, not far from the beginning of the twentieth century, and am the oldest son of Frank L. and Laura A. Oppel. (Wish to state he was named after each of his grandparents, Philip A. Bolinger, a Civil War veteran, and Adolphus Oppel, who was born in Germany.) Also of his uncle and father, Frank Bolinger and Frank Oppel. (One can readily see where the Franklin comes in at.) He attended the Mount Pleasant school, one and a half miles above his home in Black Log Valley. He never missed a day of school (only - now here's where we pause for a while). (Well, let's go on with the story) when the hunting season was in. It was customary for the boys during the hunting season to forget about school (quite naturally) for a week or so, and bag a few rabbits, squirrels and turkeys (who wouldn't), those days, and every boy knew the haunts of every kind of game. In 1919 the parents moved to Mount Union, Pa., where he attended the Mount Union High School. After graduation in 1922 he went to Philadelphia, Pa., where he joined the U.S. Army. The first three months in the service were taken up by intensive close order drilling and calisthenics; then two weeks were spent on the rifle range, where he won a sharpshooting medal. This won him a rating as first-class private. He was then transferred from the line company to headquarters company, where he worked as a clerk. In September he was chosen to represent his company at the Infantry stenography school (he knew something), where he graduated in May. A month later he bought out of the army, which cost him one hundred and twenty dollars (let's be frank about this). He was honorably discharged as a Corporal, which ended his military career. He traveled extensively over the country, in which eighteen states in the Union were traversed; traveling was done by the use of a Harley-Davison (just a moment, now. What's this, an advertisement? No, just to acquaint the reader with the different modes of travel) motorcycle, and a Model T. Ford. (Now, then, the scene changes.) He spent forty-six days on the water (changing from land turtle to a leather-neck marine), many different kinds of work were done by him, such as chauffeur, lineman, mechanic, machinist, brick pointer, painter, clerk, foreman, saw mill work and sea man). (Now here, who is P. A. Franklin Oppel?) (Let's continue the story.) He returned home, continued to keep the home fires burning, an honor to his parents. A Presbyterian. A chap who is loyal to his friends.