 1885 - 1928 (43 years)
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| Name |
David Clarence Llewellyn |
| Birth |
9 Feb 1885 |
Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
9 Mar 1928 |
Allegany County, Maryland |
| Notes |
- David Clarence Llewellyn was welcomed into the world on the family farm at the top of Tannery Hollow (now known as Gilmore Hollow) on Feb. 9, 1885. David was one of seven children born to Thomas Price Llewellyn and Mary Martha “Mollie” (McKenzie) Llewellyn.
In 1912, David married Avilton native Bertha Edith Coleman. Born on March 5, 1895, Bertha was the daughter of Hiram Sutton Coleman and Martha Jane (Broadwater) Coleman.
For many years, David made his living as a teamster, hauling freight to serve the needs of the numerous local coal mines. By 1928, David and Bertha were the parents of 10 children. Their five girls and five boys ranged in age from 15-year-old Everett to 5-month-old Helen.
David was employed as a miner at the Casey Mine in Lonaconing. Mine superintendent John L. Casey had taken over several operations of the former Lonaconing Big Vein Coal Co. after the Althouse Coal Co. of Philadelphia abdicated.
Near the intersection with the main highway, the road from Tannery Hollow crossed the Western Maryland Railway’s switchback, known locally as Georges Creek Junction. To serve the mines on the Jackson Mountain side of Lonaconing, the Western Maryland Railway constructed a spur line connecting “Jackson Junction” (which is directly across from the present location of Lonaconing Auto Body) to the former Jackson Branch of the Georges Creek & Cumberland Railroad in Gilmore.
At 6:30 a.m. on Friday, March 9, 1928, David was driving his touring car south on Buskirk Hollow Road on his way to work. Miners were typically expected to purchase their own black powder for blasting the coal face, and David was presumably carrying a substantial quantity of powder for that purpose. As he crossed the switchback, the powder detonated for unknown reasons.
According to the Cumberland Evening Times: “The sound of the blast was heard in sections of Lonaconing, nearly two miles away. Windows in a radius of a quarter mile of Georges Creek Junction were shaken, and in some instances, broken.”
The force of the explosion shredded the car, instantly killing David. In the blink of an eye, Bertha Llewellyn was cast into the role of single mother, burdened with the task of raising 10 children — six of whom were 10 years of age or younger.
In the 1930 census, the two oldest boys, Everett and Ellis, were working in a glass factory to help support their mother and younger siblings. The family also sold eggs and produce to supplement the boys’ wages. Several local merchants would pay more than the fair market value for their farm products out of sympathy for the family.
David and Bertha Llewellyn’s youngest daughter, Helen, married Ernie Thrasher Sr., who was well-known for delivering milk in the Georges Creek area for many years.
Cumberland Times-News, May 13, 2018
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| Person ID |
I00709 |
McKenzie Genealogy |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
| Father |
Thomas Price Llewellyn, b. 11 Jul 1851, Maryland d. 1 Apr 1924, Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 72 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
Mary Martha McKenzie, b. 28 Dec 1852, Allegany County, Maryland d. 23 Dec 1936, Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 83 years) |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Marriage |
19 Feb 1874 |
| Family ID |
F00099 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Bertha Edith Coleman, b. 5 Mar 1895 d. 3 Sep 1958 (Age 63 years) |
| Marriage |
1912 |
| Children |
| | 1. David Llewellyn d. Bef 2011 [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 2. Everett Lewis Llewellyn, b. Abt 1913, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 24 Jan 1972, Cumberland, Allegany County, Maryland (Age ~ 59 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 3. Ellis Hiram Llewellyn, b. 1914, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 21 Jan 1975, LaVale, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 61 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 4. Arvella Jane Llewellyn, b. 1 Dec 1915, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 16 May 2000, Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 84 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 5. Cecil Coleman Llewellyn, b. 15 May 1917, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 11 May 1973, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 55 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 6. Buenna Evelyn Llewellyn, b. 12 May 1918, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 29 Dec 1996, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 78 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 7. Nellie M. (Nan) Llewellyn, b. 6 Jun 1918, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 21 Feb 2011, Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 92 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 8. Bertha Edith Llewellyn, b. 24 Jul 1921, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 26 Aug 1977, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 56 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 9. James Alpine Llewellyn, b. 30 Aug 1925, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. May 1980, Lonaconing, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 54 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
| | 10. Helen Corinna Llewellyn, b. 23 Sep 1926, Gilmore, Allegany County, Maryland d. 24 Aug 2011, Midland, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 84 years) [Father: natural] [Mother: natural] |
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| Family ID |
F00484 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
29 Oct 2021 |
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