Notes for Winfield Bell Sobers: [Thekla Fischer.FTW]
!BIRTH: Edwin C. Sobers Family Bible; 1901-1947; Bible copy right 1886, In possession of Phyllis Sobers Balmes, Wilmett e, Cook Co., IL. Photocopy of birth pages in possession o f Laurel Sobers Ingram, Twin Lakes WI.
!MARRIAGE: Edwin C. Sobers Family Bible; 1901-1947; Bible c opyright 1886, In possession of Phyllis Sobers Balmes, Wilm ette, Cook Co., IL.. Photocopy of marriage pages in possess ion of Laurel Sobers Ingram, Twin Lakes WI.
!MARRIAGE: Church Cert of Marriage; 1936 Foundry Church, Wa shington D.C. dated 18 July 1936;; Photocopy in possessio n of Laurel Sobers Ingram, Twin Lakes WI. Marriage: Martha MOKROS WIRTH; Children: Phyllis, Doris, Da niel (d. 5/Jan/1945), Laurel (Milwaukee, WI)
BIRTH-MARRIAGE-DEATH: Years only. Source: A Partial Recor d of Peter Philip Hahn and His Descendants 1715-1995. Secon d Edition with update in 2000. Published by the Hahn Geneal ogy Committee. page. 3.
!DEATH-BURIAL: Death Cert; 1991; WI Dept of Health and Soci al Services, Madison WI; Cert # 5850; Photocopy in possessi on of Laurel Sobers Ingram, Twin Lakes WI. U.S. Social Sec urity Death Index 1.25; SS# 389-03-2775. Noted Oct 97, L . Ingram.
Notes: Arrow was near Johnstown, Cambria, PA.
BIOGRAPHY: Transcribed from hand written biography by W.B . Sobers written about 1988, found by wife in October 1997 . Original in possession of Laurel Ingram, Twin Lakes, WI.
I was born at Arrow, PA, 1905. When I was about two year s old we moved to Bell's Landing, PA, my mother's hometown . From Bell's Landing we moved to Mina, PA, where my fathe r was in charge of operating a kindling wood mill for Mr. A be Fisher of Williamsport, PA. During the time we lived i n Mina, I remember going to the little country post offic e and asking for "Any mail Sobie?" I also used to danc e a jig at the country store for a penny. (What fun!) On e Christmas I got a pair of knee high rubber boots with a r ed top border, now I could wade in the slush and water with out getting wet feet.(More fun!) My three sisters attende d school at Mina and I used to tag along, the teacher woul d send me home as I was not allowed to stay.
From Mina, PA, we moved to Hambelton, West Virginia, wher e my father was in charge of operating another kindling woo d mill for the same company. I also started going to schoo l at Hambelton, WV, a half day.
Mr. Fisher, who owned the wood mill and lived in Williamspo rt, PA, used to pay a visit, he arrived by train from Willi amsport and I got a dime tip for lugging his suitcase to th e hotel. During our stay in West Virginia, my mother was c onfined to a sanitarium at Davis, WV.
I remember, of first starting to play cowboys and Indians o n the hillside back of our home and near by was a haunted h ouse, how scary! I also remember the time when I came hom e a mess, including my hair, after playing in a box car o n a side track which had been used for hauling tar. Mayb e I am the "original Tar Baby". I have forgotten the outco me.
After the wood mill operation was through at Hambelton, WV , my father was transferred to Sheffield, PA, in June 1913 , to operate another kindling wood mill for the same compan y. On our way north from WV we stopped at Williamsport, PA , my father's hometown. My mother, three older sisters an d my younger brother stayed in Williamsport with relatives . My father and I went on to Sheffield, PA. I was eight y ears old at the time and this was the fifth town that I ha d lived in from the time I was born.
My mother died July 3, 1913 at Williamsport, PA, and neve r got to Sheffield, PA. She is buried at Wildwood Cemetery , Williamsport. My father and I returned to Williamsport t o attend my mother's funeral. After the funeral, we all re turned to Sheffield, PA, as our furniture had been shippe d by railroad from West Virginia. We had over-stuffed furn iture for the front room or parlor, a piano which was shipp ed in a piano box. In those days the front room was close d off and used for special occasions - company. We also ha d a Thomas A. Edison cylinder record player, plus a large p otbelly stove with nickel plated trim for the front room an d a kitchen stove for cooking, you could burn wood or coa l in both stoves. Another chore, was removing and disposin g of the ashes, plus keeping the water pails full, especial ly on Saturday for that weekly tub bath. Big Deal!
We lived a mile or so from Sheffield, PA, in a company hom e which was located near the wood mill. there were other c ompany homes in the same area. People had geese, chickens , and dogs. We also had a dog named "Jack", an English Bea gle, who was a good hunting dog. To attend school we walke d through the mill yard and crossed over a river on a swing ing bridge, which was held in suspension by wire rope cable s. We never fell into the river, how lucky can you get? ! After crossing the river, we walked a good distance on d irt or muddy roads, depending on the time of the year, to t he "little white schoolhouse" on a hillside.
"What is a kindling wood mill?"******* Briefly a kindling w ood mill used the first cut or slab cut from the side of la rge logs. This first cut was discarded by the big saw mill s because it was flat on one surface and half round on th e opposite surface, and was not used by the construction tr ade. For this reason, the discarded slabs were used by th e kindling wood mill after they were cut into approximatel y eight to ten foot lengths for easier handling. The discar ded slabs may of been low cost or cost free for hauling the m away.
The short length slabs were stored on several acres of lan d in a systematic order on the outskirts of town, where a t a later date the kindling wood mill would be built, the s labs were moved by hand trucks on a narrow gauge rail trac k to a chain type conveyor where the slabs passed throug h a series of circular saws that cut it into blocks four in ches in length. From this point the cut blocks were convey ed by a second conveyer to a drying kiln lined with steam p ipes. After the blocks were dried, they were compressed in to oval shape bundles by a bundling machine and held togeth er by a fixed length of small diameter tar rope, which wa s tired in a square knot. From this stage the kindling woo d bundles were shipped by box cars to the large eastern cit ies and sold in stores as a means to start home coal or woo d burning fires. The four inch length dry blocks could b e stood up-right to be split into any desired thickness a s an aid along, with paper, to start a coal or heavy wood f ire. *********************************************************** ****************
After the wood mill was all through at Sheffield, 1914, m y father went into the livery stable business with a partne r, Bill Brown. We moved into town at this time and lived a cross the street from the schoolhouse on the main street, w hich was still standing in 1974 and appeared to be in goo d shape as it was of brick construction. We (Martha and Wi nfield Sobers) visited Sheffield on our return trip to Milw aukee following my high school class reunion in 1974 at Wil liamsport.
My grandfather, George W. Sobers, lived with us in the tow n of Sheffield, where he died in 1917.
At the livery stable we had two model T Fords and four hors es. We also had two or three stray cats that made their ho me in the barn. Due to road conditions at certain times o f the year, my father carried several burlap bags and a sho vel in his car in case he got stuck in the mud on country r oads, as there were no paved roads in the vicinity until yo u got to Warren, PA, 14 miles away. When you were really s tuck, a team of horses was needed to get you rolling again.
People living in Sheffield or arriving in Sheffield by trai n, had to rely on the livery stable for transportation to g et to their destination in near by towns or to the rural ar ea. Early livery stables were the forerunners to the tax i cab business.
The railroad depot was in the heart of town, and Sheffiel d was on the main line of the Pennsy railroad and the big p assenger train was the "Buffalo Flyer". There was a lot o f action at the station on the arrival of the big Iron Hors e, even though it only lasted for 2 or 3 minutes.
In Sheffield, a family living two or three houses from us h ad a barn in the backyard and we used to have our own stag e shows at the barn, their name, I think, was Kemp. The on e son, Howard, was lean and lanky and we were pals and we h ad the nicknames of "Mutt and Jeff". My brother and I wer e called "Wieners and Sausage". Later after we moved to Wi lliamsport, PA, I had a new nickname "Winks". In 1927, whe n I started to work in Milwaukee, WI, Mr. R.C. Woodward, wh o was my boss, gave me a new nickname, "Bill". So that's h ow it was with me during the "Roaring 20's". As I think ba ck another nickname which was short lived comes to mind, "D ing Dong", as a result of my middle name - Bell, get it ? I think other past pals of mine did worse, for example : "Goose Neck", "One Lung Schultz", Iron Head Anderson", "E agle Eye", "Hip or Ducks", and "Road Runner".
In 1917, my father sold out his share of the livery stabl e business to his partner and we moved to Williamsport, PA , where my father finished his working career and was retir ed from the postal service. My father died Oct. 11, 1951 a t the age of 75, and is buried on the Sobers plot at Montou rsville Cemetery, Montoursville, PA.
After attending several schools in different towns in two d ifferent states, I graduated in 1920 from the 8th grade a t the Jefferson School in Williamsport, PA. I attended Wil liamsport High School, but did not finish. My wife, Marth a and I attended the 50th, 55th and 60th high school clas s reunions in 1974, 1979, and 1984 at Williamsport, PA. W e also attended my wife's 50th, 55th, and 60th high schoo l class reunions in 1976, 1981, and 1986, she also was chai rperson for her 60th reunion in Milwaukee, WI. My wife wa s a National Honor Student when she graduated from North Di vision High School in 1926. Two of our daughters also grad uated as National Honor Students from Washington High Schoo l, Phyllis and Laurel, and Laurel finished high school i n 3 1/2 years. Doris, our other daughter also graduated fr om Washington High School as an Honor Student, in additio n she was crowned "Miss Football" her senior year. So it l ooks like I was the work horse and my wife and daughters su pplied the brain power.
During the summer before going to high school I worked at t he Williamsport Foundry and Machine Shop on East Third Stre et. I did a variety of jobs, such as, taking care of the o ffice, sweeping and dusting, going to the bank on Friday wi th my bike to get the weekly cash payroll, which was in a c anvas bag and I carried it exposed in my bike basket. I al so helped get the payroll in the proper envelopes, pay da y was every Friday. In between, I made small cores, remove d the metal chips from the metal cutting machines in the ma chine shop, also painted the cast iron frames used for woo d working machines and other odd jobs, if I was available . I also worked here for awhile after I first left high sc hool.
I also worked on the road when it was first paved in the ea rly twenties between Williamsport and Montoursville, PA . I worked for the Pennsylvania Power Co. when they put i n the first power lines over the mountains in South William sport, PA. A 30 ft right of way was first cut out over th e mountains, followed by digging the pole holes and most o f them were blasted, this work was done by a special crew . For about three weeks I drove one of three teams of hors es dragging large wooden telephone poles up the mountainsid e for the power line. This was hard on the horses, due to t he rocky terrain, at times they would split themselves in t he leg with their shoes trying to keep their balance. Th e wooden poles in later years were replaced with metal towe rs.
I also spent one summer working on a farm, 10 miles west o f Williamsport, (Linden) PA. We got up at 5:00 am and wer e out in the barn before 5:30am taking care of the four hor ses and the cows before breakfast at about 7:30am. After b reakfast the day first started, even so, it was good experi ence being on a farm, no radio, or TV to distract you.
For several months I also worked at Goldy's Newsstand, loca ted on Market Square, the heart of town. Here, I got to kn ow a lot of business people, lawyers, merchants, and etc . Twice a week the farmers set up shop in the square to se ll their produce, meat, eggs, and etc. Market day was a bi g day. At that time Williamsport had a population of 16,00 0 people, and at the time had a baseball team in the Easter n League, a Pittsburgh Pirate's farm team.
After leaving high school and working several different typ es of jobs, and by a stroke of faith, I started to work i n the chemical laboratory at Lycoming Motors Corporation a s a sample boy, in the fall of 1925. I worked a 50 hour we ek and was paid twenty-five cents an hour or $12.50 per wee k. Come to think of it, I got a break, I didn't have to pa y any tax, as a result my income was all take home pay, $50 .00 per month.
Working in a metallurgical laboratory was like being expose d to a new world, as I had no knowledge as to how the funct ions of a chemical laboratory tied into the successful oper ation of an Iron or Steel foundry, and I realized early the re was no end to learning and especially for someone like m e with no academic schooling. However, I was fortunate tha t during my work career experience to come in contact wit h several metallurgists who were outstanding men in the met allurgical field. They were always willing and ready to he lp me by answering any questions I may have had pertainin g to the work at hand.
Finally, little by little I got to the point with my backgr ound I could help myself and also help other people with le ss experience. Shortly after starting at Lycoming Motor s I took a home study course from I.C.S. in inorganic chemi stry, which I completed. Later I took a night course in he at treating at MATC in Milwaukee in the early 1930's. Ed D ixon, chief metallurgist at Laddish Drop Forge, was our ins tructor.
Before starting work in the chemical laboratory at Lycomin g Motors Corp., in the fall of 1925, I had worked at severa l different types of jobs. During this time period, chemic al laboratories in industrial plants were few and far apart , especially in the iron foundry industry. It was common p ractice at that time for smaller foundries to have the chem ical analysis they needed for control work done on the outs ide by a commercial laboratory who specialized in this typ e of service. For example, these commercial labs could b e several hundred miles away. The results being called i n and a written report received later.
January 1927, Mr. R.C. Woodward (Bob), who was my boss an d chief chemist and metallurgist at Lycoming Motors, too k a similar job with National Brake and Electric Co., at Mi lwaukee, WI. Mr. Woodward was a well educated man, havin g gone to school at Bucknell, Carnegie Tech and Stanford Un iversity. Mr. Woodward's family lived at Muncy, PA. In th e summer of 1927, Mr. Woodward offered me a job in Milwauke e, which I accepted and stated to work at National Brake an d Electric in August 1927. At National they operated a gre y iron and cast steel foundry, and here I gained a lot of n ew experience. However, I didn't care too much for the col d winters and in the fall of 1928 I took a job as foundry c hemist at Bethlehem Foundry and Machine Co., Bethlehem, PA . The following year I worked at Federal Foundry Supply Co ., Cleveland, OH, as control chemist, before starting at A. O. Smith Corporation in the fall of 1929 as a metallurgica l chemist. The Science Building at A.O. Smith Corporatio n was christened in the fall of 1930 and at the time was th e outstanding research building (seven stories) of its kin d in the world.
In early 1930, A.O.Smith was involved in a patent suit cas e against Lincoln Electric Company, Cleveland, OH, for infr ingement against their early weld rod and weld rod coatin g patents. I was selected to do the chemical analysis on t he metal weld rods involved, and testified in the Federal C ourt in Cleveland in September, 1933. This was a new exper ience for me.
December, 1933, I was laid off at A.O. Smith and was offere d a job at University Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, in th e lab at the metallurgical department in connection wit h a CWA government sponsored job also involving private ind ustry. This CWA project was abandoned in May, 1934 and I w as told to contact Chain Belt Co., (now Rexnord), Milwaukee , WI, as they may have an opening. I started in the metall urgical laboratory at Chain Belt as a supervisor in May, 19 34 and retired 36 years later in 1970.
During my working years at Chain Belt (Rexnord), I develope d the Combined Method of Analysis for Iron and Steel in con junction with colormetric methods, which saved time and che micals as compared to older gravometric and volumemetric me thods. Through the years I gave several talks before Techn ical Societies on the Combined Method and also wrote severa l articles which were published in technical magazines . I also patented the first vertical type electric resista nt type carbon combustion furnace, used for the determinati on of carbon in iron or steel. I also developed a rotor ty pe filter stand for laboratory use. In addition, in Januar y 1951 a patent was issued in my name for a pull type gol f cart. To the best of my knowledge, I was the first golfe r to use a pull type golf cart on a Milwaukee County golf c ourse in 1948.
I also prepared the first Bureau of Standards White Cast Ir on Sample outside of the Bureau of Standards at Washingto n D.C. Two times I won the Malleable Foundry Society Safet y Contest.
More About Winfield Bell Sobers: Burial: November 04, 1991, Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI.415 Fact 12: July 15, 2001415
More About Winfield Bell Sobers and Martha Ilse Mokros: Private-Begin: Private
Children of Winfield Bell Sobers and Martha Ilse Mokros are:
Winfield Bell Sobers (b. August 05, 1905, d. October 31, 1991)
Notes for Winfield Bell Sobers: