William Ward Swales

His birth record shows East Hetton, Coxhoe. This Colliery town is located in the parish of Kelloe. He always listed Kelloe as his birthplace in the census. Some mystery around where he was born, since his siblings were all born around Guisborough, but he was born north of there in Durham. He has a cousin, Priscilla, daughter of Sarah Ann Ward's brother William was also born in Kelloe. Two years before he was born, his parents and older sister were living in Throston, Durham, a suberb of Hartlepool. His cousin and her parents were back in Yorkshire, in Brotton, so they evidently did not all live in Kelloe at the same time. William was 18 on the 1891 census, where he is listed as a 'Tub Cleaner' at the ironstone mines. Entered the US on 22 May 1891 at the port of New York. In March, 1909, he was listed as an Official Steward of Peckville United Methodist Church. William W.,Ernest S.,Mary Alice {Swales} Hartman, David Jayne, and Alice Mildred {Jayne} White shared equally in the Swales estate in June/July 1932. According to his obituary, he was employed at the Olyphant Colliery, Hudson Coal Company, for forty-seven years, which would have been the entire time he lived in the US, from 1891 to 1938. 1910 & 1920 census shows William, Esther, Harold & Thomas. William shows naturalized in 1896 in census. We have his naturalization papers which show 1897. cause of death; Bronchial Pneumonia. Death cert. also mentioned that he was overcome with smoke and fumes from the fire in the house on 30 Dec 1938. That was the house at 402 Keystone Ave., Peckville, pictured here, which was repaired and continued to be great Grandma Swales house. 1939 Obituary; INJURIES IN FIRE RESULT IN DEATH OF PECKVILLE MAN WILLIAM SWALES, FATHER OF TWO METHODIST MINISTERS, HURT ON DEC. 30--WIFE IN HOSPITAL William Swales, sixty-five, of 402 Keystone Avenue, Peckville, father of Rev. Harold S. Swales, pastor of the Myrtle Street Methodist Church, this city, and Rev. Thomas G. Swales, pastor of the First Methodist Churech, Athens, Pa., died at the Mid-Valley Hospital, Peckville, this morning at 7:15 o'clock. Mr. Swales has been a patient at the hospital since Dec. 30, when the Swales home was gutted by fire. He was overcome with smoke and sustained burns of the neck and a sprained ankle while trying to escape from the burning building. Mrs. Swales, who made her exit from the home through a rear door, is also a patient at the hospital. Her condition is reported as good at the institution this morning. Mr. Swales was born in England, but migrated to this country when a young man of eighteen. He has resided in Peckville ever since and has been an employe of the Olyphant colliery, Hudson Coal Company, for forty-seven years. He was a member of the Peckville Methodist Church and the board of trustees at the church for many years. Mr. Swales was a member of the Knights of Pythias, the Oriental Star Lodge, No. 586, Free and Accepted Masons, the Keystone Consistory and the Irem Temple Shrine of the same organization. Mr. Swales has a wide acquaintance of friends throughout the valley. Surviving are; His wife, Esther, of Peckville; his sons, Rev. Harold S. Swales, of Scranton, and Rev. Thomas G. Swales, of Athens; a Brother, Ernest Swales, of Forty Fort, and a sister, Mrs. Alice Hart- man, of this city. Four grandchildren also survive. The body was removed to the home of John Kinback, Erie and River streets, Peckville, from where the funeral will be held on Tues- day afternoon at the time to be announced later. Services will be in the Peckville Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Prospect Ceme- tery, Peckville.