How the Lingles Settled the West

This post is from Monika Farmer. Monika is a direct descendant of Thomas Lingle and lives in the Linglestown area. This story was handed down from her great uncle.

Originally, the name, “Lingle”, was recorded as “LENGEL” when the family first arrived in the New World back in September of 1737.  Paulus Lingle, born around 1708-09 in Palatine (Germany or Bavaria, along the Rhine River), brought his young family including his wife, Catharine, and their three sons, John (born 1732), Fredrich (born 1734), and Jacob (born 1736).  They arrived on the shores of, what is now, the United States of America aboard the sailship, “St. Anthony’s Galley”. The family made their way to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on or about September 27th or 28th, 1737.  After swearing allegiance to the King of England, George II, they moved “into the wilderness” to settle on land in present¬–day Tulpehocken Township, Berks County, Pennsylvania.  Paulus’ brother, Johannes, joined his brother in Pennsylvania in 1738.
The family grew as Paulus and Catharine had more children:
Martin, born 1738
Nicholas, born 1740
Thomas, born 1742
Anna Mary, born 1744
Conrad, born 1746
Stephen, born 1748
Simon, born 1750
Casper, born 1753

A total of 11 children were born to this branch of the Lingles.  As the family grew older they settled along the Blue Mountains in what are now Berks, Dauphin, Lebanon, and Schuylkill counties of Pennsylvania.
Thomas Lingle was the founder of The Town of St. Thomas now known as Linglestown, Pennsylvania in Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County.  He married Anna Marie Fagan in The Town of St. Thomas, now known as Linglestown.  They had 11 children, the oldest of whom was Paul, born January 24, 1775.

Thomas Lingle's homestead on Blue Mountain Parkway

Thomas Lingle's home today

Paul Lingle married Mary Spohn, and they moved to Maitland, Mifflin County, PA.  They later moved to Center County prior to 1830.  Both Paul and Mary are buried in Center County, PA.  They had 14 children.  Their 8th child was David Lingle, born December 18, 1812.
David Lingle married his first wife (name unknown), and they had three children—John, William, and Nancy. He moved the family to Ohio around 1850, after marrying his second wife, Mary Jane Twyford. Emanuel Lingle was David and Mary Jane’s first–born son, born January 11, 1848 in Edgerton, Williams County, Ohio.  In addition to Emanuel, David and Mary Jane had three more sons—Jacob, Jack, and Harmon.

The Early Years in the Lives of Emanuel and Ann Lingle

These were the days never to be forgotten in the lives of Emanuel and Ann Lingle and their families.
Emanuel Lingle married Annie McNeil on November 28, 1871 in Blairstown, Burton County, Iowa.  Over the years they had seven children:
Mary Lingle (born 1872, died 1892), married Barney (Ben) Sassen.  They had one son, Andrew, who was about six months old when his mother died.  From that point, Andrew’s grandparents, Emanuel and Ann, raised him.

David Russel Lingle (born 1874, died 1943) married Edith Higgs. They had one son. George Washington Lingle (born 1877, died 1943) married Sarah Kelly, in Missouri.  They had five daughters and five sons.  Three of the sons passed away in infancy.
Clara Ella Lingle (born 1880, died 1913) married George Morris, Sr. They had five children, however one of their sons also passed away as a small child.

Emma Dora Lingle (born 1886, died 1971) married Robert Coleman.  They had eight sons and one daughter.  Their son, Thomas, died at 1 ½ years.
Thomas Jefferson Lingle (born 1888, died 1943) married Dolly Beatrice Thompson.  They had two sons and six daughters.
Earl Leroy Lingle (born 1889, died 1966) married Ruth Thompson. They had one son and six daughters.

Emanuel, Ann, their children, and other members of both families, including Ann’s brother, Dave McNeil, and Emanuel’s three brothers and their families (namely Harmon, Andrew Jackson (Jack), and Jacob (Jake), left Iowa by covered wagons and trekked across the country, getting into Missouri sometime after 1890. After they had arrived in Missouri, Harmon married Nancy Morris, and George Morris Sr., married Clara Ella Lingle. They soon continued their journey west, which brought them to the Kalispell, Montana area about 1897 or 1898.  From there they went on to Mount View, Canada, a Mormon Settlement, about 16 miles from Cardston, Alberta.  The families only stayed in Mount View a short time before moving on to Lethbridge and Sterling, in Alberta, Canada.

The winter of 1903-04 found the Lingles in North Dakota, where they took up homesteads in Good Luck and Orthell Townships.  During their stay in the Dakotas Emanuel, along with his son (Russel), Russel’s wife (Edith), Emanuel’s brother (Jack), and another couple tried his luck at show biz—specifically, vaudeville—in the early 1900s.  Jack went on ahead to the towns throughout North Dakota to spread the word, reserve rooms, and set up for each show.  In Williston, North Dakota, Emanuel, acting as both manager and magician, opened the act with a trick knife, with which he could make the staunchest disbeliever think he had stabbed through his own wrist. He also employed a few tricks with strings and coins to get the crowd’s attention before moving on to the stage play.  The actors were Russel, Edith, and the unnamed couple in their company.  Russel, a villain, was out to get the other fellow who was making love to his wife.  On stage he would crack his whip, and the whip and his tongue spoke the same language.  Their show was hooted out of town in some places.
While in this same geographical area, many of the children attended school at the “Little Green School” and the “Lingle School”.

Due to hard times and a scarcity of money, the Lingles once more got the urge to move on, so once again, they uprooted around 1910 and traveled into Montana.  There they settled, temporarily, in the Lambert Area, where Earl found a job herding sheep.  Wherever Emanuel went, the entire family went, including children, parents, brothers, sisters, and all of their families.
  

When the Lingles gathered in North Dakota for the move to Montana, George and Clara Ella Morris and their group moved back to Missouri.  Clara had contracted Tuberculosis and was advised to seek a warmer climate.  It was then that they joined George Lingle and his family in Missouri.

Back in Montana, word was received that Clara Ella was very sick, so she sent for her father, Emanuel, to come get her small children, as she didn’t have long to live.  Emanuel went, and after the funeral of his daughter, brought his four grandchildren back to Montana. He raised them there until the older girl, Florence, married and took care of the children herself until they either married or became old enough to be responsible for themselves.

As the years moved along, so did Emanuel and his family.  All the children married and had families of their own.  Throughout the years, Emanuel and Ann kept their families together—from Iowa, to Missouri, the Dakotas, Montana, to Canada and back again.  Emanuel and Ann lived near Lambert and Frazier until 1940 when they moved to Great Falls and lived with their daughter, Emma, until their deaths.
Emanuel passed away in June 1944 (at age 96) and Ann passed away in February 1943 (at age 96).  

The family continues …
Thomas Jefferson Lingle was born the sixth child of Emanuel and Ann Lingle on January 13, 1887 in Plymouth County, Iowa.  Thomas married Dolly Beatrice Thompson on February 24, 1915 in Glasgow, Montana.  They had eight children:
Melvin Gilmore Lingle, born March 7, 1916
Nina Mildren Lingle, born October 15, 1918
Anna Louise Lingle, born June 6, 1921
Evan Lloyd Lingle, born January 1, 1926
Doris Jean Lingle, born October 15, 1927
Carol Elaine Lingle, born July 15, 1933
Mavis Ardell Lingle, born November 27, 1935
Marion Ardis Lingle, born November 27, 1935