OBIT: Abraham D. SHOEMAKER, 1948, West Salisbury, Somerset County, PA

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Meyersdale Library.
Transcribed and proofread by: Richard Boyer.

Copyright 2006.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/somerset/
________________________________________________

ABRAHAM D. SHOEMAKER

  Tragedy struck on the crest of the flash flood of the Casselman River, Sunday 
morning, when Abraham D. Shoemaker, 74, of West Salisbury was engulfed by the 
flood waters and drowned.
  Mr. Shoemaker had lived alone for the past two years or more and was not 
missed until Sunday evening when his neighbors, the Robert Walker family, 
informed his son, Ray Shoemaker of Springs, that he must be missing.  According 
to the neighbors, Mr. Shoemaker always informed them when he expected to be gone 
more than a day, and had not done so on this occasion.  
  The son went to his father's home, Sunday night, and looked for him and 
inquired of friends if he had been seen.  He received no information on Sunday 
night, so continued the inquiry on Monday morning, July 5.  He discovered that 
his father had left the home of a friend and former neighbor, Mrs. Emma Spiker 
in Salisbury at daybreak on July 4 to cross the river to go home.
  Mr. Shoemaker had been seen in the business section of Salisbury on Saturday 
evening and was evidently caught in the downpour enroute home.  He stopped at 
Mrs. Spiker's home to wait for the end of the storm, possibly realizing that it 
was not safe to attempt to cross the river in darkness.
  This information led to the supposition that Mr. Shoemaker had been drowned 
and washed downstream in the flood, so the Fire Department was called at 9 a.m. 
to help conduct a search.
  Assisted by relatives and other citizens, a wide area of the river bottom was 
combed and, at one time, firemen were within half a block of the spot where the 
body was found.  The search was discontinued before noon by a number of those 
originally engaged in it, following reports that Mr. Shoemaker had been seen as 
late as 4 p.m. Sunday.
  Throughout the afternoon, however, a number of men continued the search and, 
at about 6 p.m., most of them gave it up.  Mr. Shoemaker's two sons, Ray and 
Paul, were not satisfied and determined to make one last search through the 
bottoms.
  Acting upon information concerning the river current and flood stages 
furnished by ????? of West Salisbury, an experienced trapper, they started ??? 
trip at the end of lower West Salisbury, assisted by two brothers-in-law of 
Paul, from Meyersdale.  Almost immediately, they found the body about 7:30 p.m. 
Monday.
  The body was caught over a sapling not over 100 feet from the railroad bridge 
and not much more than a half-mile from where it is assumed Mr. Shoemaker was 
engulfed.  The body was about four feet off the ground and about 50 feet from 
the river, which was then about two feet lower than the surrounding ground, and 
just that much below flood stage.
  The assumption now is that Mr. Shoemaker followed a path from Depot Street and 
then either continued on the path diagonally across George Keim's barley field 
at the foot of Ord Street and down Ord and was swept off the concrete road at 
the east end of the bridge and into the same field.  The barley had been cut and 
shocked and was all washed away, possibly some of the sheaves having caused Mr. 
Shoemaker to lose his footing.
  The body was removed to the Thomas Funeral Home about 9:30 Monday evening, 
with the permission of Coroner A. M. Uphouse.  On Tuesday morning, Mr. Uphouse 
made his inquiry, rendering a verdict of accidental drowning with the 
possibility of an accidental fall.
  Abraham D. Shoemaker was born December 15, 1873, a son of Caroline (Folk) and 
Daniel D. Shoemaker.  He was married in Garrett County, Md., on October 6, 1891, 
to Miss Sarah Newman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Newman, with the Rev. I. O. 
Steelsmith officiating.  He was a farmer throughout his manhood until about a 
year before the death of his wife in 1943, when he retired.  He sold his farm 
near Sullivan's ?, where he first met Mrs. Spiker, who was housekeeper for his 
good friend and neighbor, the late John Hinebaugh.
  Mr. Shoemaker is survived by four sons - Clarence of Akron, O.; Ray of 
Springs; Fred of Akron, and Paul of East McKeesport; by four daughters - Mrs. 
Lula Dean and Mrs. Margaret Wilhelm of Akron; Mrs. Edna Bowman of Pittsburgh and 
Mrs. Betty Hecker of East McKeesport; by four brothers - Wilson D. of Wyoming, 
Del.; Irvin of Grantsville, and Norman and Ellis of Springs; and by 15 
grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
  Funeral services were conducted at his home in West Salisbury at 2:30 p.m., 
Wednesday, July 7, with the Rev. Ira S. Monn officiating.  Interment was made in 
the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Salisbury in charge of Mortician Stanley M. Thomas.

Meyersdale Republican, July 8, 1948