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About Frances Willard Best
from "A History of the Andrew Moore Family of Jefferson County, Pennsylvania", compiled by Jude Fischer, 1984.
Frances came to Jefferson County, PA at age 7, with her family. Their farm was in the wilderness in Washington township, part of the Beechwoods settlement called "Irishtown".
A story about Frances is that as a child she went into the woods to look for cows, along the bank of a small stream. As she came to a bridge that crossed the stream, she saw a deer just ahead; the dear turned to show aggression rather than running away. Fanny knew there must be a fawn nearby. Just as the deer prepared to jump towards her, Fanny made a huge jump, landed in the stream and rolled under the bridge. Just in time, as the deer landed where she had been standing. (Fanny told this story to her granddaughter, Floe Best.)
There was a settlement called Paradise not far from Beechwoods. Paradise was mostly inhabited by German immigrants, who kept the German (Pennsylvania Dutch) dialect even though many of them had been in America for several generations. They despised the Scotch-Irish, and the feeling was returned. People in both settlements were strongly opposed when some of the young people from these communities started courting, as did Fanny and her future husband, William Best. Both Fanny's and William's parents were opposed to their marriage. However, they wed 1-1/2 years after the death of Fanny's mother.
After their marriage, they went to see William's family, and Fanny was well-treated. Although they were used to speaking their German dialect, they spoke only English so that she could understand them. Because of Fanny, William's family began to use more and more English in conversation. She and her in-laws got along well.
Upon William's death in 1874, Fanny was left with 5 children. William died intestate and his lands and home were sold to settle debts. In 1878, Fanny and her daughters went to work for her son, Frank, at a small hotel in West Reynoldsville. However, this hotel was soon sold to her nephew, A.U. Moore.
Fanny was also a dressmaker, at 50 cents per dress; dresses took several days to make.
Fanny died in 1916, after having a stroke.
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Frances Willard Best's Timeline
| 1827 |
March 9, 1827
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Centre, PA, United States
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| 1852 |
November 21, 1852
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Winslow twp, Jefferson, PA, United States
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| 1854 |
1854
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Jefferson, PA, United States
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| 1858 |
March 1858
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Jefferson, PA, United States
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| 1860 |
January 1860
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Jefferson, PA, United States
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| 1862 |
November 30, 1862
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near Deemer's Crossroads, Jefferson, PA, United States
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| 1916 |
June 23, 1916
Age 89
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Jefferson, PA, United States
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| ???? |
Emerickville Lutheran Cemetery, Jefferson, PA, United States
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