Husband Jonathan Miles Lusher 1
AKA: "Blind Miles" Lusher, "Uncle Miles" Lusher
Born: 21 Oct 1849 - Rockland Twp, Venango Co, PA 1
Christened:
Died: 18 May 1941 - Franklin, Venango Co, PA
Buried: - Rockland Cemetery, Rockland Twp, Venango Co, PA 2
Father: Jonathan Lusher (1807-1884) 3
Mother: Eliza Smith (1810-1903) 3
• Additional Image. Brothers: Jonathan Miles Lusher and David Muench Lusher
• Additional Image. Jonathan Miles Lusher with his niece Mary Allison
• Residence: Cabin of "Blind Miles" Lusher: Rockland Twp, Venango Co, PA. This cabin, built by his father, was his home throughout his life. This photograph was probably taken in the 1940s.
• Burial: : Rockland Cemetery, Rockland Twp, Venango Co, PA.
Wife
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Marriage:
Children
General Notes: Husband - Jonathan Miles Lusher
Venango Citizen-Press, Franklin, PA
Oct 31, 1928; pg 3, col 7
MILES LUSHER HONORED ON 78TH ANNIVERSARY
Hundred Year Old Log House in Rockland Township is Scene of Happy Surprise Party.
In the quaint loghouse in Rockland township which for more than a hundred years has offered a welcome to all comers and where gentle, kindly Miles Lusher, who has spent his entire 78 years there, continues the hospitality though blind for many a year, relatives gathered for a surprise party onthe occasion of his birthday anniversary.
His brother, David Lusher, of Ellwood City, who is 76, was unable to attend but his only sister, Mrs. Miranda Forbes, of Sandy Lake, who is 86, was present.
Other guests were: Mr. and Mrs. Glendale Allison, Fremont, O.; Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Richard, Jr., Gibsonburg, O., who remained for a week-end visit with Mr. Lusher, and Miss Mary Allison, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Reeseer and children, Akron, O.; Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Stright and son, Harry; Mr. and Mrs. H. Slater, New Vernon; Mr. and Mrs. A. Turner and daughter, of Eau Clair; Mr. and Mrs. James Lusher, Mr. and Mrs. E. Householder and daughter, of Ellwood City; Harry Forbes, Sandy Lake; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Allison, Seneca; Mr. and Mrs. Robert Allison, Franklin; Mr. and Mrs. R. J. Heckathorn, Victory; Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Lusher and son, Kenneth, D. R. Lusher, Mary Lusher, Mary Allison, all of Rockland.
Mrs. Forbes stayed over from the party for a few days visit with her brother.
The News-Herald, Franklin, PA
Oct 31, 1935; pg 5, col 3
ROCKLAND.
BY MRS. STEWART CANFIELD.
Thirty-three friends and relatives from Oil City, Ellwood City, Sandy Lake, New Brighton, Seneca, Victory Heights, and Rockland, enjoyed a social day visiting at the home of Miles Lusher Sunday. The occasion was Mr. Lusher's birthday. He enjoys good health and although he has been totally blind since his 18th birthday, he is happy and contented and looks on the bright side of the cloud. At noon a bounteous buffet luncheon was served and the honor guest received many gifts.
Venango Citizen-Press, Franklin, PA
Oct 19, 1938; pg 5, col 4
MILES LUSHER, 89, HAS BEEN BLIND 70 YEARS
Rockland Man Who Lost Sight When 19 Celebrates Birthday With Family Dinner.
To have lived 89 years may be the privilege of comparatively few. To have spent almost man's allotted time on earth--70 years--without sight but to have enjoyed those years in peace and contentment is the record of Johnathan Miles Lusher, of Rockland Township.
"Uncle Miles" lives a short distance from Davis' Corners in perhaps the only log house still standing in Venango County. He was born there Oct. 21, 1849, and has lived there ever since. The house was built when his elder brother was two years old. Since the brother was two years older than himself, the house and "Uncle Miles" are entering their 90th year.
Mr. Lusher is one of the best known residents of the Rockland district, highly respected, deeply devotional and beloved by all who contact him. He is one of a family of 14 children born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnathan Lusher. A younger brother, David resides at Ellwood City.
Lost Eyesight When 19.
When he was almost 19 years of age, Miles began to go blind and the specialists of that time were powerless to save his sight. It is little comfort to him personally to know that such strides have been made by science in the last seven decades that were he a young man in the same position today he might be cured. But he is philosophical about it and glad that others need not experience what has become to him the natural way of living.
This summer relatives and neighbors gathered to make a new porch on the rear of his home, from a large tree in his own woodland. The slabs they have brought down to the house for "Uncle Miles" to saw. For many, many years he has chopped practically all the fire wood needed for the winter months. And how he likes to travel. One of the longest trips in recent years was taken this summer, when he visited Niagara Falls. He also attended the picnic for the blind in Hasson Park in August, where he won two prizes. He has a command of vividly descriptive language and when he returns from an automobile ride can tell what the party saw perhaps better than any other members of the party.
As they ride along they tell him what is along the roadside or in the distance and then he repeats these things as personal experiences--in his own vocabulary. One of his principal sources of entertainment and information is the radio. His name has become familiar far and wide through hymns which were broadcast for his benefit frequently from WLBW, when that station was in Oil City. His niece, Miss Mary Allison, is his home maker and they have many callers, as Mr. Lusher is an interesting conversationalist, keeping himself well posted on world events. He travels all around his home, with his trusty cane as his only aid.
He is quite a humorist and often pulls a joke on some caller--but no one ever seems to mind, as there is nothing mean or petty about him. Through his sightless days he has gained a broader perspective than many of us able to view the distant hills.
While his birthday anniversary will not occur until next Friday, relatives and friends from a distance found Sunday the more convenient day to hold the gathering with which they help him celebrate another year of a full and interesting life. Thirty-five visited him and held a birthday dinner. There were several cakes but Mrs. Pearl Allison, of Franklin, baked the special cake, which was decorated in pink and white. Then they gave him a large number of gifts and were themselves inspired by contacting so cheerful and happy a person.
During the afternoon he willingly posed for a member of The News-Herald staff for a couple of pictures, walking down the walk and around a wire fence to stand by the side of the house near the porch where he spends most of the warm daylight hours.
Among those at his home on Sunday were relatives from Ellwood City, Clarks Mills, Sandy Lake, New Lebanon, New Castle, Franklin and Seneca.
Unk source (Oil City Derrick?)
date unk
Rockland Man, 89, Blind For Past 70 Years
JONATHAN M. LUSHER
Blind for the past 70 years, Jonathan Miles Lusher, well known Rockland resident, celebrated his 89th birthday Sunday, assisted by 35 relatives and friends. His birthday does not occur until October 21, but due to the fact that all his relatives gathered Sunday, the day was marked by a celebration for him.
Despite the loss of his sight, which began when a young man of 19 years, Mr. Lusher fully enjoyed the occasion of his birthday party. He received a large number of gifts. A delicious birthday cake was baked by Mrs. Pearl Allison of Franklin and dinner was served at noon. Friends and relatives from many cities attended the celebration.
Mr. Lusher was born October 21, 1849, in the same house in which he now resides. He has lived there all his life. He is one of a family of 14. He has a younger brother living at Ellwood City.
Mr. Lusher lost his sight gradually and specialists whom he has visited say there is no hope for its restoration. Had the same treatment now available been known when he was a young man, doctors say, it is possible his sight would have been saved.
The Rockland man, who is single, resides with a niece, Mary Allison. He saws and splits practically all his winter supply of wood. His principal entertainment and enjoyment comes from his radio. He travels all over his farm aided only by a cane.
Mr. Lusher remembers Oil City as a youth of 16 when he drove a team here. Only about 30 houses were located on the South Side at that time, he recalls. At that time, he said, it was necessary to ford or ferry across the river here.
He is perhaps one of the best informed men of the Rockland neighborhood, his knowledge being gained through contact with national and state matters through the medium of his radio. Mr. Lusher is considered one of the best residents of the Rockland community.
Venango Citizen-Press, Franklin, PA
Oct 25, 1939; pg 8, col 4
AGED ROCKLAND MAN, BLIND, CONTINUES TO CUT FIREWOOD DAILY
Miles Lusher, 90 Years of Age Sunday, is Honor Guest at Dinner Party at His Home.
Miles Lusher, who was 90 years of age on Sunday, was honored with a birthday dinner party at his home in Rockland Township, near Davis' Corners, with more than 30 guests attending.
Mr. Lusher is in splendid health - although he has been blind since he was 19 years of age. He attributes much of his robust physique to his continued habit of worthwhile exercise. He does his daily stint of splitting firewood and his accuracy with the axe is remarkable to those who have seen him in action.
Mr. Lusher lives in the house in which he was born - the last slab structure in Venango County. Those who attended the Venango County Farm and Fruit Association's exhibit in Oil City last week saw a picture of that home painted by a great-nephew Kenneth F. Lusher, of Rockland, which was a part of the exhibit of the Rockland Grange, of which the younger Mr. Lusher is an active member.
"Uncle Miles" was the center of the reminiscences, which featured the afternoon conversation. He told his guests that he had "seen the World's Fair" this summer, but he hastened to assure them, that, while he would have enjoyed the trip to New York City, that had not been possible and what he did get to enjoy was the "World's Fair" as exhibited in Oil City by the Venango County Blind Association. Mr. Lusher is very attentive and after a trip is able to recall the scenery with accuracy as it was recorded to him by those accompanying him. He is an interesting man and a visit with him is a real tonic-always happy and philosophical, he is an inspiration to sighted people. And his mental facilities can not be described as "clear for one of his advanced age"; rather they are keen for a man of any age.
Mr. Lusher was the recipient of many gifts including a basket of fruit from California, money and other useful articles.
His brother, David, of Ellwood City was unable to attend but there were members of his family present and other guests came from Oil City, Seneca, Franklin and Rockland.
Venango Citizen-Press, Franklin, PA
May 21, 1941; pg 3, col 6
J. MILES LUSHER OF ROCKLAND DIES AT 91
"Grand Old Man" Spent Entire Life Near Davis Corners; Blind Most of Life.
Venango County lost one of its oldest and most remarkable men in the passing of Johnathan Miles Lusher, 91, of Rockland Township, whose death occurred at 8:30 o'clock Sunday morning in the Franklin Hospital, where he had been a patient for only a few days.
Miles Lusher was born in a log house near Davis Corners on Oct. 21, 1849, and had lived there ever since. The house was built a short while before Mr. Lusher's birth and is still in good condition.
He was the last of 14 children born to Johnathan and Eliza Smith Lusher. A younger brother, David Lusher, who resided at Ellwood City, died about a year ago. He leaves a large number of nieces, nephews and cousins but none more devoted than Miss Mary Allison, a niece who has cared for him and his home for a number of years.
Until within recent months, the grand old man of Rockland Township has been active, although he had been blind since he was 19 years of age. He chopped the winter's supply of wood during the summer months and helped saw the lumber for a new porch to his home three years ago, the wood coming from a tree on his own farm. In 1938 he was able to enjoy a motor trip to Niagara Falls and has found great pleasure in shorter motor trips and kept contact with world and national affairs through the medium of the radio and the newspapers, which Miss Allison read to him regularly.
He traveled around the house until recent weeks, with a trusty cane as his only aid. He was deeply devotional, kindly to all he contacted, loved a good joke, whether on himself or a friend and he had many visitors, for he was an interesting conversationalist. He was cheerful and happy and brooked no sympathy, and admitted to no handicaps.
Funeral services will be conducted at 2:30 p. m. Wednesday at the Rockland Methodist church, where he was a member for many years. His pastor, the Rev. W. R. Ross, officiated. Interment was in Rockland Cemetery.
The Oil City Derrick, Oil City, PA
May 19, 1941; pg 2, col 2
Miles Lusher of Rockland Dies
Jonathan Miles Lusher, 91, one of the oldest residents of Venango county and known as "Rockland's grand old man," died at 8:30 a. m. Sunday in the Franklin hospital where he had been a patient for nearly a week.
Blind for more than 70 years, Mr. Lusher, despite the loss of sight and its drawbacks, was one of the best known residents of Rockland township.
He resided in one of the few log cabins remaining in this district, one built by his parents 100 years ago, and in which he was born. He was the last of 14 children.
Mr. Lusher was born October 21, 1849 at Rockland and resided there his entire life. As a young man of 19 years he began to lose his sight which gradually left him, leaving him blind for many years.
The Rockland man cut practically his entire supply of wood for each winter and found his principal enjoyment and entertainment from his radio. He traveled all over his farm, aided only by his cane.
He often recalled Oil City when as a youth of 16 he drove a team here. Only about 30 houses were then located at the South Side, he often said, and he told many times of fording the river before a bridge was constructed.
The deceased was probably one of the best informed men of the Rockland neighborhood, his knowledge being gained through contact with national and state matters gained through medium of the radio.
The body was removed to the Barron funeral home at Franklin where friends may call. Funeral services will be conducted at 2:30 p. m. Wednesday at the Rockland Methodist church with the pastor Rev. W. R. Ross, officiating. Interment will be in Rockland cemetery.
The Oil City Derrick, Oil City, PA
May 22, 1941; pg 19, col 5
The News-Herald, Franklin, PA
May 22, 1941
Jonathan Miles Lusher.
Funeral services for Jonathan Miles Lusher, 91, well known and beloved resident of Rockland, who died in the Franklin Hospital Sunday morning were held in the Rockland Methodist church, Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. The Rev. W. R. Ross, the pastor, assisted by the Rev. R. K. Rumbaugh, conducted the service. The following hymns were read: "Higher Ground," "Above the Bright Blue," and "Abide With Me."
Interment was in the Rockland Cemetery and the pallbearers were Wade Bell, Eugene Hughes, Charles Hendershot, Charles Haust, Glenn Nickols and F. L. Borland.
A great many friends called at the Barron Chapel and there were many lovely flowers. The body was removed to the Rockland church just prior to the services.
Among those who attended the services were: Mrs. G. W. Richard, Miss Margaret Ann Richard, Harry Allison, John Allison, and A. Wagner, of Gibsonburg, O.; Mr. and Mrs. Harry Forbes, Mrs. Laura Mauk, Mrs. Kimes, Mrs. Will Forbes and Mrs. Helen Slater of Sandy Lake; Mr. and Mrs. Jess Straight, Clark's Mills; Mrs. Harold Slater, Stoneboro; Mr. and Mrs. Burt Perrine, Grove City; Mr. and Mrs. Byers King, Corsica; Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Lusher, Pittsburgh; Mr. and Mrs. Charles Mitchell, Emlenton, and Mrs. Donald Burdick, Oil City.