EIGHTH GENERATION

473. Harry Stanton BLESSING was born on 22 May 1883 in Harrisburg, Dauphin Co., Pa.. He died on 19 Mar 1950 in Lewistown, Mifflin Co. Pa.. He has descendant number 1-9-5-7-4-1.
Picture of Harry S. Blessing and wife Elizabeth Hatfield Sawyer Blessing

Harry's nick name was Piney, acquired from shooting pine cones while hunting. His wife Elizabeth was born Oct. 23, 1882 and died April 4, 1966. Her parents were Edward and Mary Sawyer. Elizabeth's nickname was Dewey.

Harry was a puddler by trade. A puddler was a worker in a steel mill where they would make steel into a ball and roll it into flat iron. Another definition is one who converts pig iron to wrought iron. Harry's son, Blaine, tells a story of his father making moon-shine in
their cellar.

Of the 11 children of Harry and Elizabeth, their first child, Ann Flowers, Blessing died in 1956; their fourth child Charles Blessing, died in infancy and their tenth child, Jack Blessing died in W.W II on Leyte Island in the Phillipines in 1944. The remaining children
are pictured below with their mother Elizabeth (Dewey) Blessing.

L to R front row June A, Genevieve, mother Elizabeth, Catherine,second row standing Edwin, Harry S. Jr., Blaine, Tom, George.

The pictures and information were given to me by Blaine Blessing, 1-9-7-4-1-5 when my wife Ruth and I met Blaine and his wife Mary one evening in 1983 in Harrisburg, Pa. Blaine was living in Lewistown, Pa at the time but had come to visit us while we were
staying in a Motel in Harrisburg, Pa. We were there in preparation of our Blessing reunion at the St. Paul's Lutheran Church. Blaine had other plans on the day of the reunion but he did want to meet us and give us information on his family.

He was married to Elizabeth Hatfield SAWYER 1903 MAY 1903. Harry Stanton BLESSING and Elizabeth Hatfield SAWYER had the following children:

690 i. Ann Flowers BLESSING was born on 6 May 1904 in Wormleysburg, Pa.. She died on 9 Nov 1956 in Lewistown, Mifflin Co. Pa.. She has descendant number 1-9-5-7-4-1-1.
+691 ii. Edwin Edward BLESSING.
+692 iii. Catherine V. BLESSING.
693 iv. Charles BLESSING was born in 1910 in Wormleysburg, Pa.. He died in 1910 in West Fairview, Pa.. He has descendant number 1-9-5-7-4-1-4. Died at approximately 2 months old.
+694 v. Blaine Coleman BLESSING.
+695 vi. Harry Stanton BLESSING Jr..
+696 vii. Tom Hugh BLESSING.
+697 viii. George Sawyer BLESSING.
698 ix. June A. BLESSING was born on 3 Apr 1922 in Duncannon, Pa.. She has descendant number 1-9-5-7-4-1-9. June never married, she is living in the Malta Home, Granville, Pa.
699 x. Jack Stanton BLESSING was born on 25 Jul 1924 in Duncannon, Pa.. He died on 7 Dec 1944 in Leyte Is. Phillipines. He has descendant number 1-9-5-7-4-1-10.
Picture of Jack Stanton Blessing

Jack was a paratrooper in World War II. He was killed in action on the Island of Leyte in the Phillipines Dec. 7, 1944. He was just 20 years old. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star posthumously.
700 xi. Genevieve Elizabeth BLESSING was born on 28 Jun 1926 in Lewistown, Mifflin Co. Pa.. He has descendant number 1-9-5-7-4-1-11. Genevieve served in the U. S. Navy. She never married. Her last known address
was Landisburg, Pa.

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