by Sofa
Emma and William Anderson were a happy, married couple in the early twentieth century. They married in Sunbury, and eventually raised three sets of twins and three kids, loving each and every one of them. The couple was religious and did attend Lutheran churches because of their Lutheran religion as well. The couple’s first home was in a town called Crossville, and then moved to their second home in Selinsgrove which was a duplex. The duplex was a three-bedroom, one-bathroom house with electricity, plumbing, a telephone, and a radio; but they didn’t own a television. The family also owned a small garden with tomato plants, herbs, and other vegetables which they used for eating.
Emma had an average build, at five foot six, with blue eyes and long, light brown hair. Emma did most of the cooking in the house and was a homemaker her entire life. The family did not have a car, and surprisingly, Emma never drove a car. She did own several pets though and was also the member of many clubs and services in the community. She was literate and attended grade and high school but didn’t graduate high school.
William was average build with brown, short hair and blue eyes, standing at only five foot eight. He did have jobs, a janitor at a high school and a laborer, and he even worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad for a time. His first job, when he was fourteen was for the local ferry boat. His job was leading mules that pulled the boats on the tow path alongside the Pennsylvania canal. William was literate, and he attended Chapman Township Public High School, but did not graduate high school. In his free time William often read with a magnifying glass and spent times in his basement doing woodwork as a hobby. William was an honest, religious man, and an excellent father and husband.
Amazingly, this family raised nine kids, with three sets of twins, Mamie Duncan and Florence Anderson, Harry and Harvey Anderson, and Donald and David Anderson; And of course, William, Charles, and Robert Anderson. William and Emma were very committed and determined parents to give all their children the best life they could get and took great measures supporting and creating a nice environment for their big family.
They wore simple clothes like pants and dresses, nothing unusual, and were quiet and private people. Most of the time they were busy with their nine children and had little time for friends and entertaining, not getting out as much as some people might’ve in the time. And coincidently, across the street from them lived the boyfriend of one of the granddaughters, Shirley. When Shirley visited the family for the first time, not having been to their home, she recognized William immediately as the janitor in her high school. During their last days, the couple spent their time with their daughter Mamie and her husband Irvin.
- Shirley Duncan, Mechanicsburg, PA, 2000, 2018
- Nancy Anderson
- SSDI
- Stephanie Gormley
- Harry Anderson
- Pa Census Records
- Snyder County Courthouse Marriage Record
- Bob Anderson
- Pa Death Record
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