Story of Olive Odessa Michaels

(1858 - ?)
Wife of Leander Jehu
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Olive Odessa Michaels, wife of Leander Jehu Swindell, was married to a man named Jessie Twigg prior to her marriage to Leander. Jessie Twigg and Olive were from the Brownsville, PA. area and they had 5 children.
Mr. Twigg was born about 1852 in Cumberland, Maryland.

Olive Odessa was born about 05 Sep 1858 in Brownsville, Fayette Co., PA. Her parents were Peter and Mary Michaels. Peter was born about 1815 in New Jersey, and his profession was a blacksmith. Peter died 23 Aug 1903 in Bridgeport, PA. There were at least seven children born to the Michaels. They are Margaret, Mary, William, Iris, Pricilla, Elizabeth, and Olive Odessa.

Olive and Jessie Twigg were married around 1878-1880. We are not sure where they were married, but either in the PA area or Cumberland, Maryland area. Their first child was born in Maryland.

Their children are as follows:

  1. Frank Simon Twigg born 04 Mar 1880 in Cumberland, Maryland
  2. Blanch Twigg born about 1883
  3. Anne Catherine Twigg born about 1889
  4. Alta (Alice) Twigg born about 1890 in Brownsville, PA
  5. Margaret Twigg born about 1891
  6. Jessie Marie Twigg born 4 Apr 1896 in Bridgeport, Fayette Co., PA

Jessi Twigg worked as a lineman on the railroads in Pennsylvania. Mr. Twigg died of Typhoid Fever in or bout 1896, soon after their last daughter was born. After his death, Olive's sister convinced her to give the girls up for adoption. Their one son, Frank, joined the Spanish-American war when he was 16 years old, just about the time their father died. When Frank came home from the war he learned his sisters were all placed up for adoption and in foster homes. After his return home, he got married, then began the hunt for his sisters. It was about 1910 when he was able to locate all of them and they became reunited.

  1. Frank Simon Twigg was born on 04 Mar 1880 in Cumberland, Maryland. He married a woman named Edna Eaches on 28 Nov 1906. They had five known children. Frank died on 02 Feb 1947 in Pittsburgh, PA. and is buried in South Side Cemetery in Pittsburgh, PA. His children are as follows:

    1. Margaret Pearl born 28 Nov 1907 in Pittsburgh, PA, and died 06 Nov 1984 She was known as Pearl and she married a man named Hinzman. She never had any children of her own, but Mr. Hinzman had a daughter of 3 months old named Alice when he married Pearl. Mr. Hinzman's wife died while giving birth to this daughter and a twin. The twin also died.

    2. Earl Chester born 21 Sep 1910 born in Pittsburgh, PA. His wife was Elizabeth. They had five children.

      1. Phylis Ann born 20 Feb 1937
      2. Linda born 04 Sept 1941
      3. David born 27 Dec 1944
      4. Karen born 09 Mar 1953
      5. James born 14 Sep 1956

    3. Wesley born 06 Apr 1913 died 16 July 1970 born in Pittsburgh, PA. His wife was Jean.

    4. Kenneth born on 02 ? 1916 born in Pittsburgh, PA. He married a lady named Rosemary. They had three children:

      1. Judy born 01 July 1941
      2. Lois born 18 Sep 1942
      3. Robert born 02 July 1952

    5. Clyde Thomas Twigg b. 17 Sep 1918 in Pittsburgh, PA and died 02 Jan 1970. He did not have any children

  2. Blanch Twigg never married. It is believed she died in her early 20's. The family does not remember what all was wrong with her, but it is said she jumped out of a hospital window after she was told she needed another operation.

  3. Anne Catherine Twigg married a man with the last name of Rushton. She and her husband died in 1916 or 1917 in the flu epidemic. She also had one son and one daughter but both died at a young age.

  4. Alice Twigg was born 24 Jan 1890 in Brownsville, PA. She was adopted through a church in Pittsburgh, PA. by a family named Albert and Huldo Ross. She lived around the Meadsville, PA area. She married a man named Wallace Stafford Wood and moved to Beaver Falls, OH. Alice resented Olive for placing her for adoption and did not have much to do with her in the following years. When Alice was in her 20's, she claimed to have heart problems and foot problems. Alice died on 25 March 1964 in Beaver Valley Hospital in PA from hemorrhaging due to blood thinners for her heart condition. She is buried at Sylvania Hills Cemetery in PA. Alice had a daughter (or daughter in law) named Esther that Alice lived with at this time. Alice's children are below. Wallace preceded Alice in death.

    1. Fredrick Eugene Wood born 19 July 1914 died Nov 1969
    2. Vernon Floyd born 28 Nov 1915
    3. Raymond Floyd born 05 Nov 1924. Raymond actually married Alice Hinzman (who is the step-daughter raised by his aunt, Margaret Pearl mentioned above). There was no blood relation between Alice and Raymond, although they grew up as step cousins.

  5. Margaret Twigg we believe was adopted by a family in Grove City, PA. She married a William Brewer. They had three children:

    1. Jane
    2. Betty
    3. Jack

  6. Jessie Marie was born just before or just after her father's death, and she was named after him. She married and had three children

    1. Billy
    2. Vernon
    3. Oren (he died)

- Ms. Karen Ruth Swindell Bosecker -