The Shoemaker Family - George Shoemaker

One of the earliest settlers of the county, and one now represented by a large family, was George Shoemaker, who came from Virginia and located at Cochran's mills, in what is now Burrell township, about the year 1800. His wife was Margaret Miller. They were the parents of ten children -- Isaac, John, Peter, Daniel, George, Jesse, Joseph, Catharine (Blogher), Margaret (Hind), and Hannah (Uncapher). Of these all are now deceased except Daniel, who resides at Rosston, and has three sons, I. W., L. J., and A. L., all of whom are ministers of the Baptist church. Peter Shoemaker married Sarah Ringer and settled at Oakland, where he followed farming and was a very successful and widely known man of affairs, until his death, which occurred in 1872. He was the father of twelve children, ten of whom grew to maturity, and eight of whom are now living, as follows: Isaac, in Mahoning township; William, in Clarion county; Catharine (Young), in Madison township; Mary (Montgomery), in Manor; Jesse and George on the old homestead; Joseph B. and Sarah in Madison. George Shoemaker, son of the original pioneer progenitor of this family, was a minister of the Gospel and founder of the church of Brethren in Christ, which was formed by a body who seceded from the Dunkards. This church was organized at Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland county, about 1834, and for a number of years, chiefly through the labors of Rev. Shoemaker, flourished very fairly, but since his death in 1867 a portion of its adherents have merged themselves with the Free-Will Baptists. George Shoemaker married Lydia Newcomer. Their son Jacob attained national celebrity as the founder of the Philadelphia Elocutionary College. An older son, John, now lives in Kansas. Joshua, who is a minister, resides in Madison township, and Sarah (Neff) in Westmoreland county.

Source: Page(s) 615, History of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania by Robert Walker Smith, Esq. Chicago: Waterman, Watkins & Co., 1883.
Transcribed December 2000 by Jeffrey Bish for the Armstrong County Smith Project.
Contributed by Jeffrey Bish for use by the Armstrong County Genealogy Project (http://www.pa-roots.com/armstrong/)

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