When Ida May Kountz was born on 27 December 1884, in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States, her father, George Washington Kountz, was 24 and her mother, Sarah Margaret Hixenbaugh, was 22. She married Charles Augusta Pike on 28 June 1906, in Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 4 daughters. She lived in Monaca, Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States for about 30 years and Bridgewater, Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States in 1940. She died on 20 July 1977, in Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States, at the age of 92.
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In the below spreadsheet, any name followed by a plus sign and a number represents the number of descendants (rows below) of that person. This number is typically in error on the low side until / if I ever get every person's children and children's children erc... into the spreadsheet.
The Journey to Massachusetts
The Journey to Massachusetts
Grandpa George Washington Koontz took his family on a trip from Homestead, Pennsylvania, to the Sandwich grasslands in Massachusetts. Along with him was his daughter, Ida May, who was about 19 years old at the time (around 1903).
Life in Massachusetts
While in Massachusetts, Ida May worked as a waitress in a boarding house. One of Grandpa Pike's sisters managed the boarding house, which was a large home rented out to visitors from Boston during the summer. The family also provided meals for the lodgers.
Ida May and Charles A. Pike, who later became her husband, would help serve the meals. Although they weren’t officially considered waitresses or waiters, their role was essential in assisting with the dining service.
Sidebar: In 1903, Charles A. Pike had two sisters, Elizabeth Selina Pike (31) and Mary Frances Pike (30). There’s also a mention that the boarding home may have been run by Charles’s mother, Mary Martin, who would have been 63 at the time.
Meeting and Marriage
It was during this time that Ida May met Charles A. Pike. Eventually, the family returned to Little Washington, Pennsylvania, where George Kountz worked at the glass-works. Charles later returned to Pennsylvania to marry Ida May.
Their wedding took place at St. John’s Catholic Church in Monaca. At that time, the church was a small building located in the fields outside of town, overlooking a massive gorge.
Sidebar: The gorge was part of a larger ravine that extended from Monaca Heights down to the river at the football field.. The area, which is now leveled, was filled in over time. This fill caused structural shifts, including the eventual closure of the Monaca Pool, built in 1953.
Second Trip to Sandwich?
"Mom had Asthma so terribly bad she'd just fall on the floor unconscious... be laying there when Dad came home from work. The Monaca area, with all the steam engines and factories made plenty of smoke. In search of a healthier environment they picked up and moved back up to Sandwich Massachusetts. But the salt air proved to be just as bad. They then returned to Monaca Heights hoping the air would be better on the hill. " - MargaretSecond Trip to Sandwich?
"But anyway, mother was working in the Catholic church and thus became a Catholic. And my father came and they were married on June 28, 1906 by the Father Stinger that our mother spoke of many times and did not go back to Massachusetts after that. My father came to work in the Phoenix Glass Company."
- Edna
The first documented address I can find for Charles & Ida is
934 Pacific Ave, Monaca, PA 15061 (Downtown Monaca)
... pulled from Charles Pikes 1918 Draft Card. But at one time they did live on Monaca Heights, Ida May was even associated with the 4th ward VFD.
PS: 1918 was the year of the Spanish Influenza that killed millions.
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