The Swank Family History
History contributed by John Thomas Drake born July 24, 1921, Oregon, Holt County, Missouri
Benjamin Swank (Forbearer of the following people)
Enlisted in the 10th Penn. Reserve with son, Emanuel. Known to have been at Battle of Gettysburg and others. Believed to have been a Collier in Penn. Before Civil War and to have migrated West after the war. Said to be buried at Portland, Oregon
Emanuel George Swank (Son of Benjamin)
Enlisted with Father in 10th Penn. Reserve , and served ‘til end of war – in many battles. I have seen his service record – which is only a pay record. Can’t find this service record, now. These records are still available from Washington. He took his family West in covered wagon about 1875 or 76 to Nebraska Territory and settled near Grand Island. He died about 1888 and is buried there with a headstone inscribed “E.G. Swank 10th Penn Reserves”. He died of diabetes. He left a widow and 4 boys.
Cinderella Swank (Maiden name not known).
She was the wife of Emanuel George Swank and had his 4 sons. She re-married to a Mr. Smith, settled in St. Joe, MO., died there in 1916 and is buried in Ashland Cemetery in St. Joe. Her sons, in order of age, I believe, were Benjamin, William, WALTER MEADE and Dick Swank.
Benjamin Swank (Son of Emanuel and Cinderella)
Lived in N.E. Kansas in Holton area and was a success in the chicken hatchery business. His wife’s name was, Millie, and they had several children. I knew little about these people – except they were good, productive people.
William Swank (Son of Emanuel and Cinderella)
Farmed on various rented farms – North and South and South-East of Kansas City, MO. Was married twice and F
fathered 3 or 4 girls by one wife and 1 boy by the other. I knew him and his son as he once had a farm near my Grandfather, Walter Meade Swank. Uncle Will was a good-natured man – full of good humor. His son Will was also a nice fellow. Will and his sisters finally settled in S.E. Indiana and N. Central Kentucky. William Jr. was known as Bill.
He died about 2 years ago, after looking up a lot of Swank history. Some of the info here is from William Swank, Jr. His widow (Bill’s) is Mrs. Mary Swank of Roswell GA, 30075 and she may have some Swank records. She , at least, knows the whereabouts of Bill’s 2 sons. Those 2 sons, not known to me, could be in possession of a lot of Swank history as Bill traveled all over looking up family history..
Walter Meade Swank ( 3rd son of Emanuel and Cinderella)
A large book could be written about Walt Swank. He was really a “character”. The essentials are as follows: He was of medium statue – about 5’10” and about 175 lbs. He was always muscular (not muscle-bound) and had a “ramrod” posture. He prided himself on a neat appearance, and on his unassailable work. He mixed his own paint from powered lead and oil. He made his own paste for hanging wallpaper. His tools were precise and he kept them that way.
He loved to fish – said he first fished in a buffalo “wallow” in Nebraska. I still have a few pieces of tackle he used to fish for salmon in Oregon. The man put strong restrictions on his family and on himself. He was no saint nor was he trash. He would never take charity and was loudly opposed to it. I saw him as a middle-aged man, work in a hay field, or a very hot day, for 50 cents . One winter, he and Aunt Bertha lived in a one-room house – he built in the woods near Kansas City. The “house” consisted of a wooden platform with an old army tent stretched over it for a roof and walls.
This was in the worst of the depression. At that time, in warmer weather, he was buying up old furniture in the auction houses on 15th St. (now Truman Road) and selling it from an old truck down in Oklahoma and Texas.
Walt was a city detective in St. Joseph, MO, when he was young and was known as a man who stood for no “Foolishness”. He later defied the crooks in Kansas City when they tried to sell him “Protection”. They must have been impressed with his reputation as they didn’t bother him again.
About 1895 he married Mary Jane Joiner (?) . He worked at any respectable job he could get – but most of his work was painting houses and hanging wallpaper. He moved his work and family to Colorado, Kansas and Missouri – as well as, later to Washington and Oregon. He was the father of 6 daughters and 2 sons. He died in St. Joe in 1959 and is buried in Ashland Cemetery , there.
Mary Jane Joiner (?) Swank
She was the first wife of Walter M. Swank and the mother of 6 girls and 2 boys – including Hilda Mae Swank Drake, my mother. This was a loving Grandma to us. Though she was, in my memory, always “sick”. She gave her family her attention and her love. Several years she suffered with cancer and she died at age 54 in 1929. She is also buried at Ashland in St. Joe. Her children, in the order they were born, were:
Hilda Mae Swank
Hilda Mae Swank Drake, my Mother. She was born in 1897 at LaJunta, Colorado . She married Harry T. Drake, my Father. They were a successfully married couple until Dad died in 1951. Mom lived to be 88 years of age. She died in 1985 and is buried by my Dad at Ashland Cemetery.
Seth Swank
A son who died as an infant and is also buried at Ashland. Believe he ate nightshade berries.
Jessie Leonard Swank
Grew to maturity, married Helen Freidel, fathered Lee Richard (Rick) Swank, died about 10 years ago of Alzheimer’s Disease and is buried in Kansas City at a place unknown to me.
Nina Swank
She married Harris Hickock, had a child named Mary Alice, divorced, married Jay Fox, lived as a housewife several years and died about 30 years, ago. Here again, I know she is buried around Kansas City at a place unknown to me.
Laura Swank
She married Ray Richardson, was divorced, worked as a nurse, had no children, died and is buried in California, but I don’t know the particulars.
NOTE: Laura is buried in Eternal Valley in Newhall, Calif. (contributed by Jeff Schrick, nephew)
Sarah Swank
Married Jess Large, divorced, married Bennie Collinellie, divorced, married Vernon Wright and when Vern died she moved to St. Joseph where she died June 27, 1993 and is buried at Ashland.
Thelma Swank
Married Joe Schrick, had son, J.W. Schrick, divorced, married “Thorny” Thornberry, moved to West Coast, was in W.A.C. for a time during WW11. I know of no particulars of her life from this time on.
Aunt Thelma has a special place in my childhood memory. She took care of me as a small child, sang sad songs to me , and I’m sure, told me stories. This was before she left home and was married.
NOTE: Thelma divorced Thorny or maybe he died but she married John Sawyer, lived in Oregon. John Sawyer died July 12, 1958 and she then married Fred Vogel. They lived in Tajunga, Calif. for a time and at her death in 1971 she lived in Lake View Terrace, Calif. She is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, Covina Hills, Calif. (contributed by Jeff Schrick, grandson)
Frances Swank
Was the last of Grandma Swanks’ babies, and a favorite of Walt Swank.
She “ran away” and was married to Tracy Cell, a cavalryman at the
time. Before she married, she had
taken me to a movie one Sunday afternoon and had met Tracy there.
She and Tracy told me not to tell of their meeting and I didn’t tell
until they eloped. Aunt Frances had
a baby girl named Ramona, who died in infancy at Excelsior Springs, MO.
I don’t know where this child was buried, but assumed it was at
Excelsior Springs. Aunt Frances
later had Tracy, Jr., Travis and
Donna. They all moved to Chicago
Heights – and I visited them there often while I was stationed
in Chicago during WWII. They
later moved West and I had almost no contact with them.
A search of their heirs for the small estate of Aunt Sarah revealed that
all of the Cell’s are deceased, except for Donna, but no particulars were
given to me.
Dick (Richard?) Swank
Dick was the youngest son of Emanuel and Cinderella Swank. I know little about Uncle Dick except he was married to Phoebe and fathered several children. He broke up with Phoebe, stayed at our house briefly and, the last I heard, had gone to Oklahoma. I recall that he was a tall, slim mild-mannered man.
NOTE: My earliest recollections are of living in Kansas City, MO on E 37th Street Terrace. We first lived on one side of the street and Dad built us a small house on the other side of the street at #4653. Grandad first lived on the north side of 37th and then built a 2-story house on the south side at, I believe, 4657. Still later, Grandad built a nice bungalow across from 4657 and this is where Grandma died. This was a dirt road at first, and later was covered with cinders. This was a heavily wooded new housing development which stayed “as is” during the hardest part of the depression. We moved to St. Joseph in about 1934 and I grew up there until WWII came along.
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