John Jacob Blank and Lavinia Kepple

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Husband John Jacob Blank ^{1 2}

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           Born: 2 Mar 1842 or 3 Mar 1843 - Hempfield Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA 1 2
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         Father: Jonas Blank (Abt 1817-1896) 2 3
         Mother: Charlotte Elizabeth Bierer (Abt 1825-1909) 2 3

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       Marriage: 19 Dec 1869 1 4

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Wife Lavinia Kepple ¹

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            AKA: Lavina Kepple,4 Levina Kepple 5
           Born: 9 Dec 1841 - Hempfield Twp, Westmoreland Co, PA 1 4
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         Father: Jacob Kepple (1795-1857) 6 7
         Mother: Margaret Deemer (      -      ) 7

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Children

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1 F Matilda Blank ^{1 4}

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           Born: 4 Oct 1870 1
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         Spouse: Jacob Kline (      -      ) 1

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2 M Irwin B. Blank ^{1 4}

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           Born: 17 Mar 1873 1
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3 F Valetta M. Blank ^{1 4}

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           Born: 27 Jun 1875 1
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           Died: 17 Feb 1901 1 4
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4 F Amy Blank ⁴

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5 F Cora L. Blank ^{1 4}

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           Born: 7 Jul 1877 1
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           Died: 11 Jan 1909 4
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6 M Jacob K. Blank ^{1 4}

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           Born: 7 Oct 1879 1
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           Died: 29 Aug 1914 4
 Cause of Death: Murder
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7 M George Allen Blank ^{1 4}

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           Born: 9 Dec 1881 1
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8 M Jonas P. Blank ¹

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            AKA: Jonas F. Blank 4
           Born: 2 Aug 1887 1
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General Notes: Husband - John Jacob Blank

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He was reared on a farm, educated in the common schools, and resided with his parents up to the time of his marriage, with the exception of two years spent in Venango County, Pennsylvania. After his marriage he settled on a farm in Hempfield township, Westmoreland County.

He resided with his parents until he had attained his majority, gaining in the meantime his education at the local public schools and being trained in the work of the farm. At the age of twenty-one, however, he left the paternal roof and made his way to the oil region in Venango County, Pennsylvania, where for two years he worked as a driller, pumper and teamster. He was married about this time, and after this event retired to his own farm, which was still in the possession of his father for whom he operated it for about thirteen years. He then spent the same number of years on the old homestead, and under the same arrangement with his father, this association being finally terminated by the death of the elder man. He inherited a farm of sixty-seven acres, which formed a part of his later holdings and which he put in a very high state of cultivation. Here he began his dairying operations, which rapidly grew until they became his principal activity. For many years he continued to specialize in this line and met with a very high degree of success therein. For several years his income from the milk delivered by him amounted to four thousand dollars annually. He was the owner of the second steam thresher ever used in that part of the country, and for twenty years operated throughout the township in the capacity of thresher.
Mr. Blank never had any ambition to hold public office or make himself conspicuous in public affairs, and for a long time consistently refused the suggestions made by his friends that he take public burdens and responsibilities upon his shoulders. At length, however, at the earnest solicitations of his father, he agreed to succeed him in the position of road supervisor, which the elder man had held for many years. In this post Mr. Blank made a most admirable record, both under the old law and after the new law governing roads had been adopted. After the adoption of the new law he was reelected in the autumn of 1913 (November election) for a term of six years. In this period he accomplished a remarkable amount of work, which was the more creditable in view of the fact that he met with considerable and persistent effort in opposition on the part of several personal enemies. The township had three supervisors and sixteen roadmasters, with four hundred miles of road to keep in order. For this purpose there was a tax of about eighty-six thousand dollars, which was under the direct control of the supervisors already mentioned. Mr. Blank gave his personal attention to over one-half of this large sum, a duty which drew heavily upon his time and energy. He took few vacations, but occasionally went on a fishing excursion, this being the sport that he enjoyed most, and had since childhood.

1 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 496.

2 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 974.

3 Samuel T. Wiley, Biographical and Historical Cyclopedia of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA: John M. Gresham & Co., 1890.), Pg 54.

4 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 975.

5 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 587.

6 John W. Jordan, History of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, Genealogical Memoirs, Vol. II (Chicago, IL: The Lewis Publishing Company, 1906), Pg 496, 587.

7 Fenwick Y. Hedley, Old and New Westmoreland, Vols. III & IV (New York, NY: The American Historical Society, Inc., 1918), Pg 364.