William Otis Branfield Sheffer
William Otis Branfield Sheffer had a brother, J. Austin Sheffer, and a sister Stella Sheffer. They were the children of George M. Sheffer and Sarah Elenore Myers.
Branfield married Gladys Kline and had two children, William Otis Branfield Sheffer, Jr. and Dorothy Kline Sheffer.
Gladys died from a cerebral blood clot in 1925, when son Branfield was seven years old and Dorothy was four. The children stayed at times with the families of their aunts, Winnie Kline Beals, Annie Kline Sheffer, and Branfield's sister Stella Sheffer Wonderling.
In 1928, when Branfield Jr. was ten years old, he drowned in the Allegheny River where he and a few friends had gone to swim under the Emlenton bridge. He is buried in the Sheffer plot at Emlenton cemetery. Dorothy stayed with Aunt Stella Sheffer for a time, with her Grandfather Sheffer, and then with a guardian until she married.
William Otis Branfield Sheffer's father, George Sheffer, was a Civil War Veteran who heard President Lincoln deliver the Gettysberg Adddress. He would recite the Address at local Decoration Day (Veterans Day) programs. He had a machine shop,and held patents on several inventions. He was also a singer, violinist and pianist., and music ran in the family. His granddaughter Hazel, daughter of Annie Kline and J. Austin Sheffer, played the piano well, with or without music. She played piano at the theatre in the days of silent movies.
| Date | Location | Notes | Sources | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 21 June 1887 | expect Venango Co., PA | ||
| Marriage | To Beulah Gladys Kline | |||
| Death | 6 Oct. 1922 | |||
| Burial | Emlenton Cemetery |
Photo Gallery
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Emlenton Cemetery gravestone photos 1991 by E W Williams
Sources
| Ref. Num. | Description | Image of origina |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Obituary for Beulah Gladys Sheffer, who died on Sunday, 19 Jul [year missing]. She died at the home of her sister, Mrs. J. E. Beals, following an extended illness. She was born on 28 Nov 1890 in Richland Twp., Venango Co., PA. Her parents were John A. Kline and Ella Frederick Kline. She was married to W. O. B. Sheffer on 3 Apr 1916 in Oil City, PA. Her husband died on 6 Oct 1922. She is survived by two children: Otis Branfield Sheffer and Dorothy Kline Sheffer, as well as four siblings: Mrs. J. A. Sheffer of Emlenton, Mrs. J. E. Beals of Richland Twp., Fred E. Kline of Rimersburg, PA, and Mrs. Harold Fillgrove of "near town." Beulah Gladys Sheffer was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Emlenton. She was buried in a cemetery in or near Emlenton. |  |
| 4 | Gravestone transcriptions, Emlenton Cemetery, Venanto Co. PA, 1991 by E W Williams. William Otis B Sheffer 1887-1922, Gladys K Sheffer 1890-1925
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| 6 | Personal correspondence from Ed Barry, Gainsville Fl, grandson of W.O.B. Sheffer | |
| 7 | Personal correspondence from Elizabeth Wilson Williams, granddaughter of Winnifred May Kline. | N/A
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