Susanna Homsher the Sounds of Civil War

Susanna Homsher, my paternal second great-grandmother, was born September 1, 1839 to David Homsher and Susan Homsher (née Huber) in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She was one of 9 children. Her parents are shown in Mennonite church records, and it's likely she was raised in the Mennonite faith. On September 23, 1858 she married Tobias David Swinehart in New Providence, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. David was a laborer and huckster (person who sells small items). Together, they had 10 children, 5 girls and 5 boys. Daughters: Ella, Adda, Anna, Emily Elnora, Mabel Ellen and sons: Harry, Galen, Abraham, Ira, Wilbur. Census records show in 1870 she and David were still living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania but by 1880 they had moved to Wayne, Ohio where David was a farmer. Census records also show she was able to read and write. She died on July 25, 1938 in Moreland, Wayne, Ohio at the ripe old age of 98. Susanna is buried in the Moreland Cemetery in Franklin Township, Wayne, Ohio.

Following are memories of Susanna Homsher, as relayed to me by my father. Although she was in her 80's and 90's when he knew her, and she passed away when he was about 13, he still had pleasant memories of his great-grandmother. She lived with her daughter Emily Swinehart (James), my father's grandmother, for several years. My father spent many summers living with his grandparents, so he knew Susanna well.

She told stories about how she could hear the guns and cannons at the Battle of Gettysburg, during the Civil War. At the time, she would have been in her early 20's and married for just a few short years. Based on census records of 1860-1870, it's highly unlikely what she heard was Gettysburg. Records show she was born and lived in Lancaster County (about 60 miles from Gettysburg). Experts say the noise from cannons, while loud, dissipates very quickly in the atmosphere. It would be unusual for it to carry any great distance, even during such an epic battle. Lancaster County does have a rich Civil War history though, and it is quite likely she heard the sounds of war. She may well have believed it was Gettysburg, or perhaps she was living in or visiting an area closer to the fighting and no documentation was created or remains...or maybe like many other family stories handed down through the ages, she just wanted to be a part of history. Whatever the truth may be, her story (true or not) is still a part of my family history.

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My father recalled Susanna enjoyed doing needle work, such as embroidery or cross-stitch. She may have been color blind, or her eyesight was simply failing as she aged, but she'd mix up the colors while working and the results were often very interesting and amusing to see. She was also hard of hearing in her later years and used a "hearing horn", more commonly known as an "ear trumpet". She most likely suffered from dementia and would regularly hide her false teeth in her shoes at night! 

I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to hear about Susanna from someone who actually knew her and could share her later life eccentricities. I'm glad her oddities won't be completely lost to time. And maybe it's just me...and this isn't the most flattering thing I could say...but doesn't she look a little like an old Harry Potter? That's right...scroll up and look at that photo again. Do you see it?

dababyskaggs89 originally shared the image of Susanna Homsher on Ancestry.com on 31 May 2015.
Ear horn image by Frederick Dekkers - mechanical reproduction of 2D image, Public Domain