Shirley Yarber's 1900 Census for Bernice, PA

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The 1900 census for Bernice is transcribed by Shirley Yarber and co-edited by Bob Sweeney. Bernice was enrolled by the census takers as a separate precinct within Cherry Township and therefore we have transcribed its listings separately from the rest of Cherry. Shirley Yarber was born in Philadelphia, PA. Her family moved to Southern California when she was a child. She resided there until she retired in 1990 and moved to Morganfield, KY. She is a great-granddaughter of Sylvellin A. DIEFFENBACH and Margaret Eldora Brown Dieffenbach. Other ancestors of hers from Sullivan County include: ZANER, HOFFA, BARTLEY and BROWN. This detailed and critical contribution by Shirley is greatly appreciated. We are working from copies of the original handwritten records. Therefore, there are several places where we have posted question marks due to our uncertainty as to what is actually written on the original record or because the original copy is smudged or stained with ink. It is also possible that we have, despite all efforts to the contrary, made occasional errors in spelling. Let us know if you think there is a mistake of any kind and we will post the correction immediately upon comparison with the original records. Please send proposed corrections directly to Bob Sweeney.

Citizens Military Band
Bernice, PA About 1895
Members identifed by Bonnie Brennan whose grandfather Johnston directed the band:
Top row: (1) Faust Hood *, (2) Uncle Ed Brown's brother-in-law , (3) Charles Cook, a cousin
(4) David Cook, a cousin ** (5)George Webb. no relation, (6) Billie Cook, (7) unknown
Middle row: (1) unknown, (2)Jim Rutherford, (3) and (4), unknowns, (5) _____ Webb
Kneeling boys: (1) unknown, (2)Tom Johnston (son of Alex, born in March, 1888), (3)George Johnston (son of Alex, born in July, 1891)
Front row: (1) unknown, (2) Uncle Alex Johnston, born in 1861 in Scotland; came to America in 1870, (3) ______ Cook, (4) unknown, (5) David "Davey" Peacock *** (born in 1859 in Scotland; Aunt Maggie Peacock's son; she was Grandfather Johnston's sister)
Contributed by Bonnie Brennan, gr-gr-granddaughter of Thomas Johnston
* Bill Little provided the first name of this individual as Faust Hood, husband of Emma C. Morter
** Janet Bird identified the fourth individual from the left at the top as David Cook, her grandfather
*** Bob Parmerter commented that David Peacock, husband of Caroline Cook, oldest daughter of John Cook and Margaret Johnston Cook, was a brother-in law
to Bill, David and Charles Cook also shown here. David was born on Oct 21, 1859 in Scotland and died 19 Sep, 1920 at Boone, Iowa.

* Editor's Note: Per Denise Weber via e-mail on November 11, 2011: "Harry "Hampton", wife and two daughters should be changed to Hampson. Harry and family moved to Vintondale in Cambria County around 1902 where he was the weighman for the Vinton Colliery #3 mine. He died in Vintondale in 1950 at the age of 94. Harry Hampson is one of my maternal great grandfathers."
Per Denise, Mable Hampson (1888-1973), one of the daughters, remained connected to Bernice and that area after the family moved. Denise sent us two old original postcards, one of which is addressed to Mable from Bernice in 1910, apparently from her older sister Eula. The other was sent by Mable to her future husband, John J. Huth, from Mildred in 1911. Here are the two postcards, front and back:
Bernice Postcard 1910: Front and Back
Mildred Postcard 1911: Front and Back

** Emma C. Morter was a daughter of Valentine and Charlotte (Wentz) Morter. You can learnmorea bout these families in the commentary at the Peace Church Records page and at the Little-Wentz Family Site. Emma was born in February 1871 and died in 1963. She was buried as Emma Hood Anderson at Presbyterian Cemetery in Bernice. Emma was the first wife of Faust Hood, a coal miner from Nova Scotia whom she married in 1889, and the second wife of _____ Anderson.