Hon. David Christian Eberhart, D.S. and Wanetta Irene Benton

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Husband Hon. David Christian Eberhart, D.S. ¹

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           Born: 19 Nov 1826 - Hickory Twp, Mercer Co, PA 1
     Christened: 
           Died: Aft 1891
         Buried: 

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         Father: Abraham Eberhart (1797-1880/1883) 2 3 4
         Mother: Esther Amand (1801-1890) 3 4

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       Marriage: 11 Jan 1872 5

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   Other Spouse: Mary Elizabeth Gerry (Abt 1835-1867) 6 - 12 Dec 1854 6

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Wife Wanetta Irene Benton ⁵

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           Born: 1 Apr 1850 - Frederick Co, MD 5
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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         Father: William D. Benton (      -      ) 5
         Mother: Ruth Rebecca [Unk] (      -      ) 5

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Children

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1 F Winona Selmen Eberhart ⁷

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           Born: 28 Oct 1872 7
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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2 M David Cleon Eberhart ⁷

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           Born: 1 Dec 1874 7
     Christened: 
           Died: 
         Buried: 

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General Notes: Husband - Hon. David Christian Eberhart, D.S.

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He was born in Hickory township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. He was a vigorous child, and developed early into a healthy manhood, weighing, when seventeen years of age, 170 lbs., and measuring nearly six feet in height. He had the advantages of such educational facilities as were afforded in the public schools, qualifying him, at the age of eighteen, to take charge of a public school in the valley of Ligonier, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, where he afterwards attended the Ligonier Academy, obtaining the rudiments of a classical education; also teaching there several terms. He then turned his energies to the study of dentistry, availing himself of such facilities as could be secured through private preceptors, after which he practiced his profession in his home and adjoining country, at the same time reading a regular course in medicine, being connected with a medical society in Warren, Ohio. In the autumn of 1851 he moved to the city of Baltimore, Maryland, where he continued the practice of dentistry until 1853, during which time he attended the Wesleyan Biblical Institute, and, on examination before the North Baltimore Quarterly Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was granted a license to preach, and sent to Shrewsbury circuit as junior preacher. But, after a trial of eighteen months, on realizing that his health was failing, he abandoned the purpose of entering the regular ministry, and settled in Shrewsbury, York County, Pennsylvania, sustaining to the church the relation of local elder.

In the early 1890s he was elected a member of the Pennsylvania Legislature.

When the War of the Rebellion broke out, he entered the service as chaplain of the Eighty-seventh regiment Pennsylvania volunteer infantry; being ordained deacon by Bishop Scott in February, 1863, he at once joined the regiment at Winchester, Virginia. It was at this place he was taken prisoner, June 15th of the same year, when the place was surrendered by Gen. Milroy. He was taken to Richmond, Virginia, and placed in the rebel prison, "Castle Thunder," and afterward removed to "Libby Prison," where he remained a prisoner of war until October 7, when he, with eight other chaplains, was exchanged and released. This imprisonment seriously affected his health, bringing him near death; but in due time he rallied again sufficiently to return to his regiment and share the toils and hardships of a vigorous campaign with the Army of the Potomac during the summer of 1864, making many narrow escapes from death. On October 13th of that year his regiment was mustered out of service, and he returned to his family to engage in his professional duties.

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General Notes: Wife - Wanetta Irene Benton

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from Baltimore, MD

1 Rev. Uriah Eberhart, History of the Eberharts (Chicago Lawn, IL: Donohue & Henneberry, Printers and Binders, 1891), Pg 117.

2 Editor, History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Its Past and Present (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk & Co., Publishers, 1888), Pg 865.

3 Rev. Uriah Eberhart, History of the Eberharts (Chicago Lawn, IL: Donohue & Henneberry, Printers and Binders, 1891), Pg 99.

4 Gladys & Oliver Eberhart, Eberhart History 1938 (Kismet, KS: Privately published, 1938), Pg III.

5 Rev. Uriah Eberhart, History of the Eberharts (Chicago Lawn, IL: Donohue & Henneberry, Printers and Binders, 1891), Pg 119.

6 Rev. Uriah Eberhart, History of the Eberharts (Chicago Lawn, IL: Donohue & Henneberry, Printers and Binders, 1891), Pg 118.

7 Rev. Uriah Eberhart, History of the Eberharts (Chicago Lawn, IL: Donohue & Henneberry, Printers and Binders, 1891), Pg 121.