Susan Sharp's Notes:
Mudlick is located between Brookville and New Bethlehem, PA.
Excerpt from letter to Vivian Reid from Cora Horm Enterline, 1987. Grandma Susan Doney had John Holben-bachelor brother; Euphemia Holben Buffington (no children) sister; Lizzie Stroup-a cousin; Hannah Holben Shindledecker sister; Samuel Holben-cousin. Mammy Doney's hair not very gray when she died.
The wedding date of 1870 for Daniel and Susannah was taken from the back of a large photograph given to Thelma Doney by Cora Enterline. I believe that the notes were written by Cora. The photograph is now in the possession of Susan Reid Sharp.
Also in the possession of Susan Reid Sharp is an infant's cap belonging to Susannah Holben when she was a baby. It is dark blue and has lots of tiny stitches. The chain of ownership: Cora Enterline, Thelma Black Doney, Vivian Doney Reid, Susan Reid Sharp.
Book: Tombstone Hopping by Patricia Steele verifies place of burial.
According to Vivian Doney Reid, her Grandmother, Susannah Holben, was tall and slender. Her hair was still dark when she died. She always wore dark dresses which went down to the floor. She was nice, but not very demonstrative or openly affectionate. In Viv's view, her cooking was not as good as her mother's, Caroline Doney. Grandma Doney would give them pie to take home after a visit and when the car would round the bend they would throw it out the window. The Doney home had a grayish board siding. It was built by Daniel Doney. It had no front porch. Downstairs it had two living rooms, one on either side of a center hall and a huge kitchen across the back. One living room had a large graphaphone in it and the other had a fancy parlor organ. Grandpa Doney had made a little table and arrow back chairs for the kitchen. They were blue gray in color. There was also a spinning wheel. According to Cora there was a large cherry cupboard. The house had front and back stairways. The back stairway in the kitchen had a cupboard under it. When it stormed Viv used to hide in the cupboard. The upstairs had several bedrooms and a low ceilings. The posts on the spool bed that Thelma Doney has that Daniel Doney made almost touched the ceiling. The beds had feather ticks on them. There was no bathroom in the house. The house had 2 porches. One was a back porch and one was like a side porch. Grandma Doney had huge geraniums on the porch. Other buildings were the cellar, the springhouse, the smokehouse, the barn and the summer house. The summer house was two stories. There was a large table downstairs and beds upstairs. In the summer when all the kids would come to visit they would sleep upstairs in the summerhouse. When the State of Pennsylvania decided to build a highway that went right through the farm they offered Grandpa Doney money for the land they would take. He was not satisfied with the offer and ended up getting nothing. The farm had sheep nose apple trees and a large quince and acacia tree. They also had grapes and a huge garden behind thehouse.. The animals raised were sheep, pigs, cows, horses and chickens. Grandpa used to smoke hams and J.C. would buy some from him to serve in the Boarding House. Extra produce was taken to Reynoldsville to sell. The farm was surrounded by split rail fences. Henry and Daniel Doney used to go to the farm sometimes to help their Grandpa make hay. When Grandpa Doney died, the farm was auctioned off. Vivian wanted to take a little tiny minature man's hat. Her Dad wouldn't let her have anything. Cora took everything. What was left was auctioned off. When Uncle Henry teased Viv he would tell her she had a lantern jaw just like Grandma Doney.