The Children of George and Elizabeth Bittinger Hollabaugh
(Great-Great Grandparents)
Sarah (1836-1918)
Eliza Jane (1838 - before 1918)
Mary Elizabeth (1840 - 1941)
George Washington (1844 - 1924)
David William (1847 - 1936)
Alice Catharine (1849 - 1916)
Jacob Bittinger (1852 - 1943)
Georgianna Hannah (1856 - 1944) Georgianna Hannah Hollabaugh was the youngest child of George and Elizabeth. Obviously named in reference to her father, Georgianna was born on February 19, 1856 and baptized at St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gettysburg on June 24, 1856. George was 47 and Elizabeth was one month away from turning 41.
On September 28, 1872, when Georgianna was 16, she gave birth to a daughter that she named Ida Lee. Ida was baptized in Bender's Church, Butler, Adams County, PA on May 7, 1874, according to Pennsylvania Town and Church Records. No father is listed on those records.
About 1875, Georgianna (sometimes called Annie) married George Edward Pensyl, the son of Phillip and Catherine Sourbaugh Pensyl. At some point, the couple moved to Clinton Township, Dekalb County, Illinois where were were enumerated on the 1880 census. George, 25, was farming and Annie, 22, was keeping house and caring for daughter, Ida, 6. The family was living with John Beck, 27, and Kate Beck, 21.
We next find George and Georgianna in Holman Township, Osceola County, Iowa in the 1900 census. The enumerator was told that George was 44, born in July 1853, and Georgianna was 40, born in February 1860. (I think George made a guess!) The couple, now married 25 years, had two living children. At home was the youngest, Arthur E., born January 1882 in Illinois. He was 18 and single.
Georgianna's daughter, Ida, had married George Reid in approximately 1890 and they were enumerated in Sandwich Township, Dekalb County, Illinois. Ida, 25, born July 1874, according to the census, and George, 36, born May 1864, had been married ten years and had one child, Roy (Harry LeRoy), born May 1898. Roy was two years old and born in Illinois. George Reid (Reed as spelled by the enumerator) was a salesman and they were renting a house.
George and Georgianna were in the same location at the time of the 1910 census. George, 55, and George Anna (enumerator's spelling) were still farming. William Garland, 21, was a boarder, who probably helped on the farm.
The adventurous Ida and her husband had moved to Mill City, Humboldt County, Nevada with their son, twelve year old Leroy. George was in the hotel business. Living with them was the Russian born Alexander Ostroff, a boarder who worked in the quartz mines.
Arthur lived in Sheldon, O'Brien County, Iowa where he worked as a pharmacist in a drug store. Still single at 28, he rented a room there. Arthur made the news in 1914 when he had a bit of an accident. The Spencer Herald reported on June 17, 1914:
"A. PENSYL INJURED
A. E. Pensyl, the popular clerk at the Dickey pharmacy, was severely injured about the face last Friday when a bottle of carbolic acid which he was corking broke and the acid flew in his face, causing painful burns. With rare presence of mind, Mr. Pensyl grabbed a bottle of alcohol and bathed the burns. His left eye received some of the acid, but at present is getting along nicely, and it is thought that the eye will not be permanently injured."
In 1915, George and Georgianna visited back in the Gettysburg area. The Adams County News, August 28, 1915 reported:
"A very pleasant family reunion was held at the home of Mrs. Leah Pensyl, Biglerville, on Tuesday in honor of Mr. and Mrs. George E. Pensyl of Sibley, Iowa. Among those present were Mr. and Mrs. George Pensyl, Mr. and Mrs. William Peters, Walter Pensyl, Misses Janet Pensyl and Julia Peters, Lawrence Adams, Mrs. Ida Heller, Mrs. Edna Moore, Mrs. Grace Adams, Paul Adams.
Iowa was a state that conducted a state census in the mid-years between the Federal censuses. Hence, in 1915, Geo. Pensyl, 60, Post office - Sibley, Holman Township, Osceola County was enumerated as a farmer. George owned his own home, but owed $5000 on it still. His total earnings for 1914 was $780, but the value of his farm was placed at $35,500. He had a seventh grade education, was never in the military and had no religious affiliation. He had lived in Iowa 40 years. No questions were asked of his wife!
In 1916, Arthur found himself in a bad situation. The Kossuth County Advance reported the story on December 13, 1916 on page 2:
"A. E. Pensyl, a Spencer druggist, and Jas. Rubendall, an employee of the Comant Products Co., of that town, were principals in an exciting combat at the Central Hotel, Spencer, last Wednesday evening. The two were sitting at the supper table, when Pensyl made some remark to a waitress which outraged Rubendall, who is the girl's brother-in-law. Rubendall struck Pensyl and a fight followed in which Pensyl suffered severe cuts and bruises about the face. Rubendall then fled but was later found hiding behind some clothes in a Chinese laundry, and was held to the grand jury. In default of bonds for $500, he was sent to jail. A Spencer paper claims that the remark which made Rubendall angry was of a harmless nature."
In 1920, George and Georgianna were still in Sibley, Iowa, only George now had a job as a teamster on the road. Ida and her husband, George, had moved to Santa Cruz, California and Arthur was still in Spencer, Clay County, Iowa living as a roomer with Earnest and Anna Schorring. Arthur was 37 and still working as a druggist. However, in May of 1920, Arthur married. A report of the wedding was found in the Spencer News Herald, May 13, 1920:
"PENSYL - MARKS
Spencer friends are getting their bouquets of congratulations and best wishes ready to hand to Mr. and Mrs. A. E. Pensyl when they arrive in the city from their honeymoon trip. The congratulations and best wishes have been in readiness since the news of the nuptials was confirmed by relatives last Saturday. The ceremony was performed on Thursday at Omaha and the bride of the occasion was Miss Florence Marks of Lake Park, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Pensyl have been spending the last few days at Minneapolis and will arrive in Spencer some time this week.
The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Marks of Lake Park. She grew to womanhood at Pontiac, Illinois,and graduated from the high school in that city. Later she came with her parents to Lake Park and has been one of the talented and popular young ladies of that place during her residence there. She is a talented musician, being accomplished in piano work. With her parents, she has spent several summers at Lake Okobojt where they have a summer home.
"Pen" is the son of Mr. and Mrs. George Pensyl of Sibley. He is also an Illinois product, having spent the earlier part of his life at Waterman, Illinois. He came with his parents to Sibley and after graduating from the high school there, took a pharmacist's course at Highland Park college, Des Moines, from which institution he also graduated. Seven years ago he came to Spencer, becoming the owner of the Rexall drug store, on the corner of Main and Fourth Streets. Since coming to this city, he has identified himself with all the organizations which stand for progress and the welfare of his home town, is prominent in the various lodges of the city, and has been popular socially. He does not use a hammer for he came to Spencer to boost...
He has a home in readiness for his bride on Sixth and Bendex avenue, a new and modern bungalow which they will occupy at once. One of the first features to strike the eye of the bride when she arrives at her new home will be the array of welcome signs which have been especially prepared for the reception of herself and her husband by their 'thoughtful' friends,and which have been hung in prominent places in the new home"
Again, George and Georgianna were in the Iowa census in 1925, noting that they owned their farm and the value of their home was at $6000. Prior to that, in 1924, Arthur was in court, fighting a claim that he had broken the liquor license laws of Iowa. The Milford Mail of January 31, 1924, stated:
"A. E. Pensyl, Spencer druggist, was declared 'not guilty' by the jury by which he was tried to the district court here to the charge of violating the liquor law of Iowa.
The jury took two hours and twenty minutes to agree to the verdict, which was brought into court shortly before six o'clock last Thursday evening. Mr. Pensyl was in court and received the verdict with a smile. He then walked out free.
It was said that the jury took four ballots, the first being 8 for acquittal and 4 for conviction, the second being 9 to 3 in favor of acquittal, (the third being 11 to 1 for acquittal.) The juror who voted alone for conviction was a man - Spencer Republic."
In the 1930 Federal census, George,, 73, was still working as a laborer on odd jobs while Gergia (enumerator's spelling), 72 was at home. They lived on 7th Street in Sibley which was probably their same home for many years.
Sometime between 1920 and 1921, Arthur and his wife moved to California. In 1928, Arthur is listed in the California Voter Registrations as living at 1720 Opechee Way in Republic, Los Angeles County, CA, working as a druggist. In the 1930 census, he and his wife, Florence, had two children, Twila, 9, and Donna, 1, both born in Iowa. Florence's mother, Mary, was also living with them.
Ida, his sister, and her husband, George and nephew Harry L. were already in California. In the 1930 census, they were enumerated on Summer Farm Road in Santa Cruz.
Arthur made the papers back home in Iowa in 1931 when he met a burglar. The Spencer News Herald on January 22, 1931 relayed the message home:
"A. E. PENSYL VICTIM OF CALIFORNIA HOLDUP
A. E. Pensyl, former Spencer druggist, was the victim of a daylight holdup in Glendale, California, last week while waiting on a customer in the Arcadia (?) avenue pharmacy of that city, according to a press report received by friends here. The robber, a swarthy young man, entered the pharmacy and leveled a gun on Pensyl and the cashier and took $38.50 from the cash register, making his escape by stealing the customer's car left parked on the street."
Georgianna's husband died in November 1938 at the age of about 83. I have not been able to find an obituary, but did come across this article to confirm that Ida and Arthur came home for their father's funeral. The Spirit Lake Beacon, December 1, 1938:
"IN AND ABOUT LAKE PARK...
Dr. and Mrs. W. H. Marks entertained for A. E. Pensyl and his sister of Glendale of Glendale, Calif. and his mother, Mrs. Geo. Pensyl of Sibley, Warren Marks of Everly and Ruth Marks of Ames and her friend, Bernice Sheppard of Maine, who teaches school at Union. Mr. Pensyl is a brother-in-law of Dr. Marks and was called here by the death of his father, George Pensyl whose funeral was held at Sibley Tuesday."
Georgianna stayed on in Sibley, Iowa for yet another census in 1940. At 75 and widowed, it appeared she was in the same home.
In 1940, Ida, 67, was the owner and operator of a resort hotel in Santa Cruz, California. George, at 78, had no occupation listed. Living with them was their son Harry L., 42, who was an operator at a sawmill and his wife, Beatrice, 38, who was assistant operator of the hotel. They had two sons, Donald, 9, and Ronald, 2.
Arthur, 56, was in Glendale, California with Florence and their daughters, Twyla, 19,in college, and Donna, 16, a sophomore in high school.
After 1940 sometime, she moved to California to live with or near Ida, as Georgianna died in Santa Cruz, California on September 21, 1944, according to the Death Index of California. I have not been able to find an obituary.
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