Husband Col. Wesley Curtis Howe 1 2 3 4
Born: 19 Mar 1833 - Shippenville, Elk Twp, Clarion Co, PA 1 4
Christened:
Died: 16 Jul 1914 - Kansas City, Jackson Co, MO 4
Buried:
Father: George Grant Howe (1806-1881) 3 5
Mother: Barbara Ellen Armstrong (1809-1876) 2 5
Marriage: 1 Jan 1867 - West Hickory, Harmony Twp, Forest Co, PA 1 6
• Residence: : Franklin, Venango Co, PA.
Wife Emeline Harriet Siggins 7 8 9
Born: 2 Jan 1844 - West Hickory, Harmony Twp, Forest Co, PA 9
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Father: George Simpson Siggins (1809-1875) 8 10 11
Mother: Rachel Dawson (1821-1888) 8 11
Children
1 M George Simpson Howe 4
Born: 21 Nov 1867 - Plumer, Cornplanter Twp, Venango Co, PA 4
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
2 M Wesley Curtis Howe, Jr. 4
Born: 6 Sep 1871 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 12
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Flora May Edwins ( -1896) 12
Marr: 5 Dec 1891 - Elwood, Madison Co, IN 6
Spouse: Lillie De Hority (1880- ) 12
Marr: 16 Aug 1898 - Elwood, Madison Co, IN 12
Spouse: Mrs. Anna Shaffer ( - ) 12
3 M John Dawson Howe 12
Born: 27 Jan 1877 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 12
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Roberta McGee Keith ( - ) 12
Marr: 23 Jan 1907 - Kansas City, Jackson Co, MO 12
4 M Charles Cardwell McCabe Howe 12
Born: 29 Sep 1880 12
Christened: 17 May 1885 12
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Irma Barnes ( - ) 12
Marr: 7 Jun 1905 - Mexico, Audrain Co, MO 12
5 M Walter Simpson Howe 13
Born: 5 Aug 1885 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA 13
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
General Notes: Husband - Col. Wesley Curtis Howe
Colonel W. C. Howe, residing in Franklin, Venango County, Pennsylvania, came to this city in 1871. He was born in Clarion County, on the 19th of March, 1833. At the age of nineteen he entered Allegheny college as a member of the class of 1856. He selected the classi-cal course, remaining three years. Owing to friendly dis-couragements he abandoned the course, and with it his chosen profession, the law. During the college vacation he taught school, being requested to return to the same place to teach three times. In 1854, he went to California in company with eight of his friends. He took steamer at New York, going by way of Panama, and on the voyage one of his comrades died and was buried in the Atlantic. While on the way, and during his stay, he wrote letters for publication. We will give a few ex-tracts from his diary:
"Away back in the glorious morning of my life, there came to me in my inland home and college chapel, wondrous stories of that far-off El Dorado, visions of which charmed my mind. The tales of marvelous riches-of gems and gold, all sounded to me like an eastern romance. Was it possible for men to shovel gold out of the earth that produced for me but corn? In my eager ambition I decided that my crucible should give me the pure metal, and although the immortal Horace Greeley had not yet whispered in the ears of progressive young men his wise suggestion-'go west'-yet the prophetic spirit of the age bade me 'westward ho!" In May, 1854, I arrived in 'Rough and Ready.' What significance there is in the name! Register-ing in the hotel where, in after days, we were kindly cared for, we walked out to look around us. A mining trading post, resting beneath the grand old hills of the coast range on the surface and beneath which lay the gold, the possession of which had stimulated us in the dangers of our trip. It was new for us to see Sunday unobserved. The miners in the Canon, and the sluice at work, the roaring of the rolling boulders by the force of the mining stream, the bustle on the streets, the departure of pack-trains loaded with provisions for farther out posts, the curs-ing of gamblers at their tables upon which lay large piles of coin and bags of dust, the absence of the church-going throng, the crack of the pistol, the loud voices of angry and excited men, all awakened emotions of an indescribable nature.
"My first partner in California was M. J. Van, a Norwegian. He was one of the noblest men I ever knew, an upright Chris-tian gentleman. We were together nearly three years. I first met him in the little school house where I went to meeting the day I landed in "Rough and Ready." We went over the mountains to the South Yuba river, where he was engaged in business. We joined in tunneling, also in a flume on the Yuba river. He made a handsome fortune there, and afterwards in an unfortunate affair, he was instantly killed in my presence by a rough who stabbed him three times before he could be pre-vented."
Mr. Howe was interested in seventeen tunnels, and engaged in a forwarding and commission business to the mining districts. He was superintendent of the schools of Placer County. In March, 1862, he enlisted in Iowa Hill, Placer County, in Company M., California Battalion of cavalry. He was in thirty-two engage-ments, and was taken prisoner at Winchester. While being in front of the line, his horse was killed, and as the army was re-treating he was left behind, but was overtaken by a friend, Lieu-tenant Thompson, who took him behind him on his horse. Soon after, the Lieutenant was shot through the bowels and fell back in Mr. Howe's arms, begging to be thrown from the horse and left to die, but was supported and held on the horse until the poor animal shared the fate of its master and fell dead. Mr. Howe was then forced to leave his friend and was soon after-ward captured by Hampton's cavalry. He was forced to march rapidly until eleven o'clock that night, having fasted from two o'clock that morning, and then had but a cup of coffee. He was taken to the head-quarters of General Early and interviewed. This was the 19th of September. After five days march he was put in company with seven hundred other prisoners, at Tom's Brook. They marched to Staunton, then by platform cars were conveyed to Libby Prison, and from thence to Salisbury, N. C. During his stay here, there was an attempt made to escape, but it was discovered. At this time there was eleven thousand prisoners confined at this place. He was also five months at Danville prison, and from there he returned to Libby, on parole, for exchange, and in February he was exchanged and sent to Annapolis, where he was promoted to Captain for gallantry at Winchester, granted leave of absence, and returned home to re-cruit, finding the comforts of his father's house a good ex-change for the entertainments of the C. S. A. He then re-turned to the army, joining his command before the battle of Appomattox. It is interesting to observe that after he was ex-changed, the first person he met in Washington, whom he knew, was Lieutenant Thompson, taking his first walk after a sojourn in the hospital of five months. It was a joyous meeting, each having supposed the other dead.
At the close of the war he mustered out his company, there being only twelve of the original one hundred and six remain-ing, thus showing the fatality of the battles in which they had engaged. After returning from the war in 1865, he went to Plumer, and engaged there in business. He afterwards went to West Hickory and had charge of mercantile and oil business.
In 1867, he returned to Plumer, and was general manager of the business of Prather Bros., being of refineries, oil lands, and the buying and selling of oil. During this year he was married to Miss. E. Hattie Siggins, of West Hickory, a lady of culture and rare intellectual powers. She is the daughter of one of the pioneers of Venango County. In 1869, he purchased an inter-est in Pithole City, which proved a successful venture, and his operations as a producer began there. His experience as an oil man has extended to all parts of the oil fields. In 1871, he or-ganized the Franklin Light Horse cavalry, and was commissioned captain; afterwards he was appointed Major and aid de camp on the staff of Major General H. S. Huidecoper. In 1877, he was commissioned Lieut. Colonel and Inspector of the seventh divis-ion Pennsylvania militia. The militia was called out to sup-press the riots in July, 1877, and the gallant general and his staff were prompt to respond, establishing headquarters at Pittsburgh. By special transportation the forces were enabled to open up the road on which all business had been suspended as far as Scranton, PA. Then property was protected from the communist, tenden-cies to violence and lawlessness were quelled, and order restored. [HVC 1879, 490]